They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 33

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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33. Daylily Seasoned Vegetables (3)

Na Seon-han instinctively stretched out her arms and pulled Mun-ji into an embrace. His small body nestled perfectly against her chest—warm, soft, unmistakably alive.

“Mun-ji… Mun-ji…”

Na Seon-han repeated his name through trembling breaths. Her throat tightened, and her eyes grew hot in an instant.

A presence she’d longed to see every day but couldn’t. The child she could only glimpse in photographs, the one she’d always missed—he was now here, impossibly close.

– Yeah! My little brother!
“….”
– Have you been well!

All the longing that had accumulated from days of wanting to see him melted away in an instant. Na Seon-han held him tighter, as if afraid to lose the warmth in her arms.

– Cough cough! I can’t breathe!
“Can’t breathe? I’m sorry.”

Mun-ji broke into a radiant smile.

– It’s okay!

Na Seon-han forced a smile as she looked at him, afraid that otherwise tears would spill over.

“…Mun-ji. Mun-ji. Mun-ji. Mun-ji?”
– Why do you keep calling me!
“Why are you my little brother?”

Mun-ji answered as if it were obvious.

– Because I have to protect you!
“….”
– That’s why you’re my little brother.

At that small voice, Na Seon-han’s shoulders trembled ever so slightly. There was so much I wanted to say, yet now that he stood before me, I couldn’t find the words.

“You know…”
– Yeah!

Na Seon-han bit my lower lip, swallowed back tears, and asked with difficulty.

“…Were you… happy on Dog Star?”

My voice wavered at the end. Mun-ji blinked his eyes wide.

– I was happy!
“…Really?”
– But I wasn’t happy either!
“Why…?”

Mun-ji lifted his head slightly and rubbed his face against Na Seon-han’s cheek. His warm tongue traced across her eyes, wiping away the tears that fell.

– How could I be happy without my sister? Wasn’t my sister unhappy because the annoying me was gone?

At those words, Na Seon-han’s chest collapsed entirely. The emotions I’d been holding back surged up my throat, and I barely managed to speak.

“I… I felt the same way. How could I be happy?”

The years I spent with Mun-ji had become fifteen.

It was a rainy day.

On my way home from school, at the corner of the Alley, a puppy trembled, drenched in rainwater. His entire body quivered like aspen leaves, and his eyes held the look of someone waiting for another.

Na Seon-han simply extended my hand as if by fate.

In truth, I hadn’t even asked my parents. In that moment, I couldn’t possibly leave that child behind. And so, after even getting a written promise from my parents, Mun-ji became our one and only family.

Who said a dog was merely a companion? It was never something so simple. For Na Seon-han, he was my pillar of support.

The presence that curled up at the foot of my blanket whenever I fell asleep after studying all night,
The presence that stayed by my side, wagging his tail whenever I was struggling.

The reason I could endure those final years of high school was ultimately because of Mun-ji.

If, by some chance… Mun-ji hadn’t been there back then, I wouldn’t have made it through.

– Crying on such a beautiful day!
“I won’t see you again, will I…?”

Even in dreams, I couldn’t meet him. Na Seon-han kept her eyes closed, clutching the warmth in her arms tightly. As if she’d never feel it again.

– We can meet again.

At those words, Na Seon-han opened her eyes and looked at Maltese.

– We can meet again.
“…We can meet?”

When?
Where?

Now Maltese slipped from Na Seon-han’s embrace and sat before her. His fur, white as snow, gleamed softly.

– I’m so, so happy to see my sister!
“….”

Those words made my chest ache. Mun-ji tilted his head and smiled brightly.

– I hope you’ll live strong and well without crying!
“….”
– Without me! Because our memories won’t disappear!

Na Seon-han could no longer hold back and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

“You too… if you’re sick on Dog Star, tell everyone you’re hurting. Play happily with your friends, eat lots of delicious things. Understand?”
– I understand!

I tried to smile until the very end. I tried, but as memories with Mun-ji flashed through my mind like a panorama, these words spilled out.

“I’m sorry….”
– ….
“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t make you happy. I’m sorry…. Mun-ji. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you even though you were in pain….”

Na Seon-han wanted to show a better side of herself, but instead she nearly collapsed as she pulled Mun-ji into her arms, weeping.

“I miss you… I miss you so much. I miss Mun-ji so much, the way he always comes running to the door and waits for me every day.”
– ….
“Don’t go. Can’t you stay instead of going to Dog Star?”

Tears dampened Mun-ji’s white fur bit by bit. Her sobs showed no sign of stopping. Even breathing felt like a burden.

Tap.

A small weight gently settled atop Na Seon-han’s head. She looked up in surprise.

– How can you say such things!

At that small whimper, Na Seon-han found herself at a loss for words.

“Mun-ji….”

Mun-ji wiped away tears with his front paws and spoke in a calm tone.

– I’m fine now. My sister will be fine too. Didn’t I tell you!

A single ray of sunlight pierced the darkness, illuminating Mun-ji with its glow. Within that light, his white fur began to fade gradually.

– We can meet again!
“…Really?”
– Of course!

Only then did Na Seon-han come to her senses and wipe away her tears. She tried to stroke Mun-ji with both hands, but her arms were already empty.

“…Mun-ji?”

And from very far away, a faint voice reached her ears.

– I love you, little sister!

That single word rippled outward like a wave before fading away.

Snap.

At the sound of a finger flick, Na Seon-han slowly closed her eyes, then opened them.

‘We’ll meet again.’

A small voice seemed to linger at the very end.

“Na Seon-han?”

Somehow, the surroundings had grown bright. It seemed I had dozed off while leaning against my chair. The colleague teachers around me were looking at me with worried expressions.

“You were crying, so we wanted to wake you. Did you have a bad dream?”

Na Seon-han sat in a daze for a moment, catching my breath, then wiped away the tears with the back of my hand. Naturally, my gaze fell upon the photo frame sitting on my desk. A white Maltese was smiling brightly in the photograph.

“No.”

Sunlight streamed through the glass and illuminated the frame. It was as if Mun-ji was smiling at me again.

“Rather, I had a wonderful dream.”
“Did someone you missed appear in it?”

Na Seon-han smiled brightly.

“Yes. Someone I missed very, very much.”

That warm light descended from the frame onto my shoulders. It felt as though someone was gently stroking my shoulder with affection.

Then, the Teacher’s Office door opened urgently. A student who rushed in, breathing heavily, spoke frantically.

“Teacher! There’s a puppy collapsed outside—it’s sick…!”
“A puppy?”

Na Seon-han sprang to my feet and followed the student. Sunlight flowed through the Teacher’s Office window as my footsteps quickened down the hallway.

“Over here!”

The student pointed to a small puppy with gray fur. Na Seon-han slowly knelt down and extended her hand.

“It’s alright…. Now, it’s alright.”

Sunlight glimmered once more. At that moment, a familiar voice from somewhere seeped warmly into Na Seon-han’s ears.

– We can meet again!

…So that dream had been a good omen. Gray Puppy leaped into Na Seon-han’s arms with a splash. Warm body heat transferred into her embrace.

Still a pup, it was soft and carried a nutty, comforting scent.

“Huh?! It wouldn’t come when I called it!”

The student grumbled, but Na Seon-han simply smiled. An indescribable, delicate emotion tickled her chest.

“This puppy seems to know how to read people.”
“Huh?! Teacher!”
“I was joking.”
“It doesn’t sound like a joke!”
“Well, perhaps not.”
“Teeeacher!”

The sunlight that had gently rested on Na Seon-han’s shoulder faded away.

***

As evening approached, the oppressive heat that had raged throughout the day dissipated, and a late breeze began to blow.

People outside the shop quickened their pace, hurrying back to their homes.

The glow of sunset reflected off building walls, and the scent of evening meals mingled with the cooling wind. Children’s laughter echoed softly from afar, accompanied by the gentle sound of shop shutters closing.

“Hae-tae, I wonder if that dog made it home safely.”

With no word from him, worry gnawed at me. Hae-tae scratched his chin with his front paw and spoke.

“That’s needless worry, meow.”
“Is it? I’m worried because you’re a dog.”
“Aren’t you worried about cats, meow?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”

I trailed off, wiping sweat from my brow, when a breeze drifted through the open door and carried something toward the praise sticker board.

“Oh, it’s here.”

The transparent, tiny paw of the Gray Puppy touched the praise sticker with a soft tap, and a sticker resembling daylily seasoned vegetables was affixed.

“Looks like something good happened!”

I smiled warmly, hoping it had gone somewhere good, when Hae-tae let out a snort.

“See? The worry was needless, meow.”
“Even if worry is needless, we still do it. It’s just not good to worry too much!”
“Hmph, meow.”

I grasped Hae-tae’s face with both hands and stroked it when a status window suddenly appeared before my eyes with a chime.

[You have obtained Good Karma Points and unlocked detailed shop information.]

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[Ji-gu]
– Local Reputation 80 (Rumors of Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop are beginning to spread among civil servants.)
– Divine Realm Reputation: 40 (Divine Beings are shedding tears in their group chat after seeing the story of a spiritual being.)
– Good Karma Points: 8 (Reward unlock conditions not yet met)
[Business Status]
Today’s Customer Count: 2/60
Regular Customers: 25
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I stared at the status window with a bewildered expression for a long moment before tilting my head in confusion.

‘Why are Divine Beings crying?’

And rumors are spreading among civil servants? The school teachers?

“Why that expression?”
“Rumors about the Side Dish Shop have started spreading among civil servants. And….”
“And?”
“They’re saying the Divine Beings are weeping over the spiritual creature’s story.”
“They have nothing better to do.”

Hae-tae swished his tail as if exasperated. I grinned and made a V-sign with my fingers.

“Twenty-five regular customers achieved!”

Still, the number of regulars was steadily climbing, which wasn’t bad at all.

“If you persevere without giving up, you’ll reap the rewards of your effort.”
“Right! I’m in the best mood!”

In a mood like this, I felt I could easily prepare three hundred side dishes.

“Boss! The twins are here!”

The twins who had returned from school lingered outside the shop, shaking their lunch boxes.

“Did you enjoy the meal this time?”

I asked as I accepted the bag containing the side dishes.

“…Yes, we enjoyed it very much. We thought our stomachs would burst because you gave us so much.”
“Is that so? Should I give you less next time?”

Song Ae-hyuk looked at me quietly, then shook his head silently.

“…Our friends ate some too.”
“Right, that’s how you become close with friends—by sharing food with them.”

I gestured for them to come inside, but the twins remained frozen at the doorway.

“Why are you standing there like a built-in closet?”
“Boss, the thing is….”

Before Song Ae-rim could finish speaking, a male student in the same school uniform rushed in.

“This is it, this is it!”

The boy inhaled deeply through his nose, drawing in the aroma of the Side Dish Shop with fervent intensity. His eyes gleamed with an almost manic fervor at the scent of the side dishes.

“That guy….”

It happened in an instant.

“Ugh, dizzy….”

The boy collapsed to the floor without warning. I rushed forward and caught his body before it hit the ground.

“Um… Boss… braised meat….”

A familiar voice called out from the shop entrance, and when I looked up, Lee Hae-ra had come to buy braised meat. The shop erupted into chaos in an instant.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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