They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 36

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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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36. Group Lunch Boxes (1)

The next day.

My eyes snapped open on the sofa in the pre-dawn darkness, before the sun had fully risen.

‘I feel refreshed today.’

My body felt remarkably light. It had been ages since a day began with such clarity and mental sharpness.

“Perhaps autumn is approaching.”

The oppressive heat had finally begun to subside.

I tied my hair into a high ponytail today. The light, bouncy tail resembled Hae-tae’s own. After dressing in comfortable clothes and washing up, I gazed at Grandmother Hyang-suk’s photograph. She wore her usual serene smile. Unmistakably.

“That’s strange.”

Today, that smile seemed broader than usual. Her lips had definitely curved upward more.

‘Will something good happen today?’

Whenever Grandmother’s photograph smiled like that, something fortunate always unfolded.

I smiled softly and traced my fingertips across the frame.

“I’m heading out, Grandmother.”

I descended from the second floor and looked out at the street. The neighborhood was quiet, and the air carried a faint aroma of fresh bread.

As usual, I opened the door and lowered the sandwich board sign to the ground. I turned my gaze toward Grandmother Myeong-ja’s bakery across the way. I spotted her busy with opening preparations.

“Grandmother Myeong-ja! Did you sleep well?!”

I raised both arms and greeted her brightly with enthusiasm.

“Oh! Yes!”
“I made bulgogi set meal bento boxes today! Come by if you’d like one!”
“Yes! I’ll be there!”

Whether Grandmother Myeong-ja heard me or not, she nodded her head.

I immediately stepped back into the Side Dish Shop, tied on my black apron, and busied myself preparing bento boxes and side dishes.

“Thank you for your continued support today.”

Steam rose in fluffy clouds from the steamer, while eggs sizzled in the pan, releasing a savory aroma.

The rhythmic tap of my knife against the cutting board filled the Kitchen. Duck meat, seasoned vegetables, shredded radish—each ingredient was carefully placed into plastic containers in turn.

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!-

Just then, a sound like wind brushing through the Kitchen echoed out. It seemed the ingredients I’d ordered had arrived. The Refrigerator door swung wide open, and ingredients tumbled out in a cascade.

‘Ordinary, I suppose?’

Among the mundane ingredients, one material gleamed with peculiar brilliance.

[Frost Rump Steak Harvested from the Frozen Snowfield (S)]

…Frost rump steak?

I tilted my head, observing the rump steak suffused with a faint chill and blue luminescence.

‘Excellent rump steak.’

But why does it have this coldness? I examined the peculiar grain of the meat and cried out internally.

‘Tip!’

[Ingredient TIP!]
Target Species: Human OR Divine Being
Consumption Method: Cooked with heat applied
Effect: Upon consumption, internal heat dissipates from the body and provides 100% calming effect

The unexpected effect was fascinating.

‘…A genuine calming effect?’

Indeed, the moment I grasped the chuck with my hand, a cool energy seeped deep into my palm.

“Hm?!”

As soon as I placed the chuck on the cutting board, a familiar note and cash tumbled out from beneath the meat. A single line was written on the note in neat, precise characters.

========
Boss,
Could you prepare a lunch box for me at noon? ^^
========

Word was spreading quickly among the Divine Beings.

=========
You’ll need to give me a five-star rating in your customer review,
and I’d appreciate a positive evaluation. ^^
=========

I had carefully written my response on a memo pad bearing a small scale logo, and a reply came back immediately.

=========
Yep ^^ Don’t worry about the review.
=========

“What’s with that tone.”

I let out a soft laugh and bent back to my work. I picked up the knife and sliced the chuck into thin pieces. Moving without pause, I finished slicing the last of the meat.

I lifted my head as I stir-fried the bulgogi in the wok at a brisk pace.

“Hmm!”

I transferred the bulgogi into a plastic container and wiped away the sauce with a kitchen towel, sealing the lid cleanly. Click! I was about to move on to preparing the next side dish.

A shadow flickered past the glass window. At first, I thought it was just someone passing by.

“Huh?”

At some point, people had begun gathering one by one. Students in school uniforms, office workers carrying lunch bags, and even regular neighborhood customers.

“Are they… lined up?”

I hurriedly cracked open the shop door and peered at the Twins standing in front.

“What’s going on?”
“Who knows?”
“…I have no idea either.”

The Twins seemed equally bewildered. The regular office workers behind them spoke up.

“Isn’t the bulgogi set lunch only being sold today?”
“We heard it was a limited sale, so we came.”
“They said if we don’t hurry, they’ll run out…”

All this commotion over a mere advertisement on the window?

Someone in the distance was sprinting toward us at full speed.

“Na Seon-han?”
“Oh, it’s the teacher!”
“…The teacher?”

The Twins recognized the face of the person who had come rushing over and greeted her warmly.

“Do you still have lunch boxes available?”

I shook my head.

“We haven’t even opened yet.”

Na Seon-han let out a relieved sigh and placed a hand over her heart.

“Thank goodness. I saw the advertisement yesterday on my way past. That’s why I came.”
“Is that so…?”

In such a tight-knit neighborhood, gossip spread with remarkable speed.

“That owner’s daylily seasoned vegetables were delicious yesterday! And something wonderful happened too.”
“Something wonderful? What is it?”

Na Seon-han beamed and held up her smartphone. On the screen’s wallpaper was an adorable brown puppy.

“A puppy?”
“Yes! I rescued it from school yesterday, and since it felt like a gift from Mun-ji, I decided to welcome it into my family.”
“That’s wonderful! What’s its name?”
“Pepper.”

As I continued chatting with Na Seon-han, the line grew longer and longer.

‘What time is it now?’

I glanced at the wall clock inside the shop.

[7:42]

It was nearly opening time, but…

‘Would it be alright to open right now?’

The bulgogi set lunch boxes were already complete, and all the other side dishes were neatly organized in the refrigerator.

‘I had a feeling something good would happen today…’

It came sooner than expected. I took a short breath and called out to the crowd with a bright voice.

“Alright! Today we’ll open early as a special treat!”

In that instant, the eyes of everyone gathered there sparkled in unison.

“However, starting tomorrow we’ll return to our usual opening time of eight o’clock! Please keep that in mind!”

Cheerful responses erupted from all around.

“Opening the shop now!”

I flipped the shop sign and pushed the door wide open. The aroma of bulgogi seeped from inside the shop into the morning air.

“Come in one at a time, please!”

At the sound of my voice, customers filed into the shop in order. The interior quickly filled with the bustle of patrons.

“Twins, come here!”

I called the Twins over and handed them their lunch boxes. They accepted the boxes with both hands and broke into bright smiles.

“Give this lunch box to Student Cheon-ru.”
“Yes!”
“…Thank you so much for the lunch boxes. We’ll be going now.”

I smiled and waved them off, and immediately a shout came from the register.

“Two bulgogi set lunch boxes, please!”
“Coming right up!”

In the chaos, I handed out bulgogi set lunch boxes one after another, dispensed change, and repeated “Thank you” endlessly.

As the lunch boxes passed from my hands to the customers’, half of my prepared stock vanished in the blink of an eye.

‘At this rate, I’ll really run out soon.’

Most of the incoming customers wore smiles—they had a goal they wanted to achieve. But two of them were different.

‘Are they a couple?’

I’d never seen them in the shop before. Unlike the other customers, they didn’t approach the side dish refrigerator but instead slowly surveyed the entire shop.

‘…Maybe they just came to look around?’

Their gaze swept across the register and toward the kitchen, their eyes sharp as if they were confirming something.

“Owner! Three lunch boxes!”
“Yes, just a moment!”

I smiled and took their order, but that unfamiliar gaze kept touching the back of my neck.

Who were they?

A couple I didn’t recognize.

They weren’t people I knew, yet for some reason, my gaze kept drifting back to them. By the time I finished the transaction, they had already melted into the crowd.

“Owner, owner!”

Na Seon-han stood there as if she’d come on a shopping spree, her arms overflowing with side dishes. Her hands, elbows, everything was packed so full that it looked like everything might tumble down at any moment.

“Oh? Will you be able to carry all of this?”
“Of course. I’m strong enough to manage. Besides, it’s not just for me.”
“…You’re sharing with others?”
“My colleagues at school tried the daylily seasoned vegetables before and said they were delicious, so I thought I’d pick up a few more portions today to bring to them.”

My eyes sparkled as I called out softly.

“Teacher!”

Na Seon-han looked up.

“Wait here just a moment, please. Just a moment.”
“Oh? Yes, yes!”

I finished the transaction and handed back her card, then slipped one more container into her bag. It was freshly sautéed beef—still warm from the pan, its heat lingering.

“This is on the house. Keep it secret.”

Na Seon-han firmly refused.

“I have to pay for this…!”
“How about this instead? Next time you come to buy side dishes, just tell me what you thought of them.”
“A review?”
“It helps me know what to improve when I’m making the dishes.”
“Ah…!”

Na Seon-han nodded enthusiastically. As I watched her leave the shop, I smiled warmly.

But that dog…

The brown puppy that Na Seon-han had shown me. There was something about it that resembled the spirit creature—in its gaze, even in its expression.

‘Did it go there?’

“Could you ring this up for me?”

At the brief request, I snapped back to attention and lifted my head.

“Oh, I apologize.”

I rang up the side dishes that had been placed on the counter and looked up.

‘Oh, it’s that Suspicious Couple.’

They were the ones who’d been catching my eye from the corner of my vision. Again, they exchanged glances with each other, their eyes darting repeatedly toward the kitchen. Then the wife narrowed her eyes and whispered something softly into her husband’s ear.

“When did you open the shop?”
“A few months ago, I’d say.”
“Ah, so that’s why you don’t know the neighborhood well.”

Her voice was flat and devoid of inflection, yet something cold and unfamiliar emanated from it. In that instant, I composed my expression and offered a smile.

“I’m not really the type to wander around the neighborhood. I’m quite shy around strangers, you see.”
“Haha. I see.”

The couple laughed in unison, but the laughter remained confined to their lips, never reaching their eyes. A sharp instinct flickered through my chest.

‘Why are they so interested for just neighborhood people?’

“Is this perhaps your first time visiting Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop?”

I continued arranging the side dishes into a paper bag as I asked.

“No, I came once when the owner was still here.”
“Oh, is that so?”

The husband responded smoothly.

“I don’t recall you making lunch boxes back then. It seems you’ve started recently?”
“A customer requested it.”

There was a subtle, needle-like sharpness threading through the air between us.

‘These people… they’re business owners themselves.’

“I see. Selling lunch boxes in a neighborhood like this can’t be easy.”
“Well, isn’t trying new things part of running a business?”

I maintained a light smile as I handed over the bag.

“Thank you. Have a wonderful rest of your day.”
“You too, boss.”

The couple lingered, observing the shop one last time before departing. The bell above the door chimed with an unusually prolonged ring.

“Phew…”

I let out a quiet laugh.

‘Hae-tae was right.’

They really did come to intimidate me.

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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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