They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 35

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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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35. Diet (2)

“Sell them to us?”

I set down my chopsticks at the sudden proposal.

“Yes, yes, yes! If you sell them, we can eat more of these delicious cabbage wraps. Then we won’t feel bad toward the owner either!”

The logic was airtight. I couldn’t argue. Song Ae-rim nodded beside me, arms crossed.

“…We’ll miss your lunch boxes when the season ends.”
“Huh?”
“And everyone in our class goes crazy whenever they see your side dishes!”

So that’s why the recent lunch box sales had been so brisk.

“Really? Students like seasoned vegetables? I wouldn’t have expected that.”

Song Ae-rim waved her finger dismissively.

“You know one thing but not two, boss.”
“What?”
“The aroma from your lunch boxes really awakens everyone’s appetite, you know?”
“Is that so?”

I narrowed my eyes and looked at Song Ae-hyuk. He nodded while chewing on a cabbage wrap.

“Anyway! Please sell the lunch boxes!”

Song Ae-rim added her words with her mouth full.

“If we bring them when going to the Academy… it would feel really reassuring…”

I exhaled quietly. Lunch boxes… I’d been putting them out at the Side Dish Shop as a side venture, really. Just bundling rice and a few side dishes into one meal portion.

‘The real problem is manpower.’

Even Grandmother Hyang-suk had never committed to making lunch boxes at the shop until now—the work required, from preparation to packaging, was far more demanding than anticipated. And there simply wasn’t time to hire additional staff.

But seeing their faces right in front of me, holding the wraps with such hopeful anticipation, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.

“Really?”
“Boss!”
“…We really need this.”

As Song Ae-rim, Cheon-ru, and Song Ae-hyuk made their requests in turn, I found myself sinking deeper into deliberation.

That’s when Lee Hae-ra, who had been quietly holding her water glass, finally spoke.

“If you sold lunch boxes in this area, they’d sell really well… There isn’t a good lunch box place around here anymore… There used to be one, but recently everything shifted to delivery services.”

Was this what they meant by seizing an opportunity? I rested my chin on my hand and tilted my head slightly.

‘Hmm, I’m actually tempted.’

“Why doesn’t anyone make lunch boxes anymore?”
“…The owner who switched to delivery used to sell them in advance back in the day, but after getting injured, they don’t do it much anymore. They only make them when orders come in… It’s completely at their discretion. And there are so many restaurants in the neighborhood.”

Lee Hae-ra’s voice trailed off. Her words carried a peculiar persuasiveness. Even a short walk revealed cafes, snack shops, and soup restaurants everywhere. There was no real need for lunch boxes. No demand.

“That’s exactly why young people can’t get them! Especially students living alone!”

Lee Hae-ra’s cry rang out with considerable force.

“Students living alone prefer buying food to cooking, right?”
“Exactly! The, the dishes are the worst part!”
“That’s fair.”

After all, Lee Hae-ra was living alone herself, so she understood that exhaustion better than anyone.

“And when you throw out the dishes, the smell… food scraps dripping in the elevator… It’s absolutely terrible!”

I removed my hand from my chin and nodded.

“So you’re saying there would be merit in me making bento boxes? Is that it?”
“Yes! Bento boxes are neat to eat and there’s nothing to throw away. Plastic does increase, but….”
“I understand.”

At that moment, everyone turned to look at me.

“I’ll do it.”

Cheon-ru’s head snapped up.

“Really, really?”
“Yeah. But we should keep it very small-scale. I’m planning to make them while preparing the twins’ bento boxes. No disappointment after eating, right?”
“Yes!”

I smiled quietly to myself.

‘But something feels off….’

At that moment, I absently turned my head back. A thin stream of water sparkled like a silver thread, dripping from the entrance to the Dimensional Space.

“Huh? Boss, water is flowing from over there.”

As Song Ae-rim pointed her finger toward the wall, I forced the corners of my mouth upward.

“…Yeah, that’s strange. Why is it flowing?”
“Even walls can cry, it seems!”

Each time a droplet fell, the Dimensional Space rippled subtly.

‘That….’

I pressed my lips together firmly. It looked exactly like Hae-tae’s tears.

“…Boss, shouldn’t you fix that?”

I stretched out my arm to block the view.

“Oh, no. I’ll fix it later. Let’s eat.”

A subtle tremor rippled through the Dimensional Space. An invisible, colossal breath seemed to push outward against the very fabric of the realm.

‘…It seems Hae-tae is hungry.’

Very hungry.

***

The twins and Cheon-ru promised to return tomorrow morning before departing. The door closed, leaving only Lee Hae-ra in the Side Dish Shop, who had come to purchase braised vegetables.

“Lee Hae-ra, you’re heading home now, aren’t you?”
“Yes? Of course! I need to get home.”

Lee Hae-ra answered while holding the braised vegetable side dish.

“This might be an unreasonable request, but…”
“Yes? What is it!”
“I’m skilled at cooking and managing the shop, but I’ve never written anything except during my school days.”

A brief silence fell. Seeing my embarrassed smile, Lee Hae-ra pressed her lips together, suppressing her laughter.

“My handwriting is so poor that customers might actually flee?”
“…Yes. Heh.”

My penmanship was decidedly not elegant.

“Lee Hae-ra, you have nice handwriting, don’t you?”
“H-handwriting? Why?”
“Ah… I need to post a sign about limited bento box sales.”
“Yes, yes! How should I write it?”

I tapped my fingers against the table while bouncing my leg.

“It contains rice, quick-pickled vegetables, rolled egg, fried anchovies, shredded radish, and beef bulgogi. The name is ‘Beef Bulgogi Bento Box.'”

I traced the menu composition in the air with my fingers, murmuring each item.

“The price is…”

I tapped the mental calculator in my head for a moment before speaking.

“Seven thousand won?”
“Seven thousand won?”
“Yes. I think seven thousand won should work.”

I needed a word that would entice customers even more. Simply calling it a “bulgogi set lunch box” wouldn’t be eye-catching enough.

‘What could it be…?’

Suddenly, a glittering word came to mind.

“Could you write ‘limited today only’ at the top?”

I leaned forward slightly from my seat and spoke from above Lee Hae-ra’s head.

“Limited… today only?”
“Yes. You need to write it today too.”

Even if you weren’t planning to buy, seeing “limited today only” written there makes you pause and reconsider. Especially for our regular customers—they wouldn’t be able to pass it by.

“I’ll, I’ll try writing it!”

I handed her a white A4 sheet and a pen, then watched from beside her. Lee Hae-ra exhaled as if slightly nervous.

“It’s okay if it’s not perfect. As long as it looks good, that’s all that matters, right?”
“Oh… yes!”

Lee Hae-ra hunched her shoulders tensely and pressed the pen tip to the paper.

—————–
☆Limited Today Only☆
Bulgogi Set Lunch Box 7,000 won
—————–

“Done, it’s done!”

Lee Hae-ra set down the pen and looked up at me.

“Huh…?”

I took the paper and stared at it for a long moment. The handwriting was neat and clean—the kind that would catch anyone’s eye passing by. It was simple, yet my heart inexplicably quickened.

‘…Well, the bento box is essentially an expansion of the business anyway.’

“You did a great job.”
“R-really!?”
“Of course.”

I quietly took the paper and affixed it to the shop window. A subtle sense of satisfaction bloomed within me.

‘These six characters are more than enough.’

Words that possess an almost magical pull on the eye.
Today. Limited. Sale.

“It catches my eye right away.”
“D-does it?”

A subtle smile of relief spread across Hera’s face.

“In return for Hera’s writing? I’ll leave out a bulgogi lunch for you tomorrow. Come whenever you have time.”
“Oh, no!”

Hera waved both hands as if she was okay. Long hair fluttered slightly.

“I’m going to pay for it and eat it!”
“Well, well. Customers like that are the most welcome.”

I chuckled and lightly scratched my cheek.

“Hera, it’s hard.”
“Ah…”

Hera lowered her gaze awkwardly. I didn’t want to say it for no reason… .

‘It’s been hard these days, hasn’t it?’

His nails, which were always neatly trimmed, were a little rough, and his jacket was wrinkled here and there. I said without adding anything.

“Now, now. Thanks to Hera, I have the courage to sell lunch boxes today.”
“Come now, come now. Thanks to Lee Hae-ra today, we’ve found the courage to sell lunch boxes.”
“…Yes.”

Hera’s eyes became strangely weak and the corners of her mouth rose slightly. I looked at Hera’s back as she bowed to me and disappeared, then stretched.

“I should go to bed after work too.”
“I should clock out and get some sleep myself.”
“Why sleep?”

My heart skipped a beat when I heard a familiar voice coming from behind me. I turned around and shouted.

“Surprise!”
“You scared me!”

I scratched my cheek and went into the store and hugged Haitai.

“You wanted to eat cabbage wrap earlier, right?”

Haitai looked up at me and frowned. The expression on his face was so serious that it was actually cute and made me laugh.

“How did you know?”
“How did you know?”
“You drooled outside the Dimensional Space.”

Haetae raised his front paw and tapped my chin in a gesture that seemed like he was protesting that it was unfair.

“It’s not really!”
“Really, it wasn’t!”

I rubbed my chin and giggled.

“Then whose spit is it?”
“Then whose drool was it?”

When Haitai abruptly turned his head, the tips of his ears turned slightly red.

‘It’s true just by looking at it.’

I want to pretend I don’t know, but when else do I make fun of him?

“I made the cabbage wrap.”
“I made the cabbage wraps myself.”
“So what?”
“I’ll drizzle sauce on it for Hae-tae. Try it. I made it similar to a dish I used to prepare back when I was a sous chef.”
“A dish?”

When that word came out, Haetae’s ears perked up. I was also amazed. It’s not a side dish, it’s cooking.

“ruler.”

I held out the bowl I had left to give to Haetae earlier. I sprinkled nut mayonnaise sauce on top. This cute cat didn’t even look at the bowl.

“You said you cooked?”
“You actually cooked a dish?”
“What’s wrong?”
“You really made an actual dish?”

Why are you looking at me like that? I stroked Haetae’s head and winked as if asking what he was saying.

“I was surprised that the dish came out authentically.”
“I’m just surprised something came out that actually feels like real cooking.”

My thoughts stopped for a moment. A dish worthy of cooking?

‘I made countless side dishes while running Hyangsuk’s side dish restaurant… .’

But I have never actually cooked for someone with all my heart… .

“Well, it’s been a while.”

Ever since my grandmother… . I smiled and scratched Haetae’s chin and asked.

“How about it? Cabbage wrap dressed in egg.”
“How is it? Cabbage wraps dressed in egg batter.”
“Is that really the name of the dish?”

Haitai shook his head as if asking how such a law existed and stuffed the last of the cabbage wrap into his mouth. Then Haetae swallowed hard and looked up at me.

“The cabbage wrap with almonds is delicious. And the sauce is also delicious.”
“The almonds in the cabbage wrap make it delicious. And the sauce is delicious too.”

It goes really well with cabbage and mayonnaise.

“But I heard at the entrance to sub-space earlier that you were making a packed lunch?”
“But I heard at the entrance to the Dimensional Space earlier—you’re making bento boxes?”
“Yeah. It just kind of happened.”
“Do you know that Grandmother Hyang-suk never made bento boxes?”

Haetae raised his head, wiping the sauce from the corner of his mouth with his tongue. Strangely, his eyes deepened.

“Do you even know why?”
“And do you know why?”
“Huh? Grandmother told me it was because it requires a lot of hands-on work.”

Haetae wrinkled his nose and shook his head.

“It’s because Hyangsuk was kept in check.”
“Grandmother Hyang-suk was being suppressed.”

Haetae scratched his chin with his paw and spoke slowly as if he was telling an old story.

“We’re doing well as a side dish store, so why not do a good job with lunch boxes as well?”

ah.

The reason why my grandmother strangely trailed off when talking about lunch boxes back in the day… .

I took a quiet breath.

“You too can be checked.”

I chuckled at Haitai’s warning. I am used to it when it comes to checks. I wasn’t afraid anymore.

“Do it.”

Haitai nodded at my short but firm words.

‘In fact, checks might be good.’

anyway. Something else was more important to me now. I looked at the paper stuck to the window.

“What happens to the lunch box?”

Beyond the window, the streetlight falling toward the floor twinkled as if waiting for tomorrow.

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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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