They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 37

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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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37. Group Lunch Boxes (2)

In truth, running a neighborhood business always came with its share of rivalry.

‘How curious to experience it myself.’

Most often, competition arose from overlapping menus, disputes over regular customers, or the subtle tension that accompanied a new establishment. That was the reality.

‘Trivial as it may be.’

Now that I had accumulated regular patrons and customers came and went in steady streams.

‘The other shopkeepers in the neighborhood must be curious enough to stop by.’

I settled into a chair, resting my chin in my palm as I gazed out the window.

The bustling footsteps and laughter that had filled the space moments before receded like a tide, replaced by a gentle silence.

Only the fragrant steam rising from the steamers for the evening service drifted through the air.

“It feels like things are finally coming together.”

That was when it happened.

Errrr—

The telephone on one side of the shop rang. I wiped my hands on my apron and picked up the receiver.

“Yes, this is Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop.”
– Boss! It’s Na Seon-han!
“Oh, Teacher? What can I help you with?”
– I was wondering… would it be possible to deliver bulgogi set lunch boxes this evening? There are some teachers staying late at school for evening study sessions!
“This evening?”
– Yes! The side dishes and lunch boxes I bought before smelled so good! If it’s possible, could I order ten boxes?
“One moment, please. Let me check our inventory first and get back to you.”

I turned away from the phone and set it down, then headed into the Kitchen to check the ingredients.

‘Let me see… I have about five bulgogi set bento boxes left…’

Just thinking about the ingredients I’d stored in the Refrigerator, I had more than enough to prepare the order.

“I think we have plenty of stock. Would it be alright if I deliver them this evening at five?”
– Yes, absolutely! Then I’ll come outside at five to receive them!

I ended the call, stood up from my chair, and stretched.

‘Good.’

I rotated my sore wrists, adjusted my apron, and walked toward the Kitchen.

‘Whether it’s competition or anything else, the real issue is making it delicious.’

That’s when something bumped against my foot.

“Huh?”

I lowered my head to find Hae-tae tapping my shoe with his front paws, looking up at me with an expression that seemed distinctly displeased.

“What’s wrong?”
“When did you even come out?”
“It’s obviously my feeding time—why haven’t you come?”

I’d forgotten.

With customers pouring in endlessly and the group bento delivery order on my mind, I’d completely overlooked feeding him.

“You didn’t actually forget!”

A sharp voice pierced from behind me. Hae-tae’s fur bristled as his tail flicked indignantly.

“No, no… how could I forget…?”
“Yesterday I was harvesting ingredients in the Dimensional Space until late, then making side dishes, and today I’ve been selling bento boxes since morning—but my meal still needs to be taken care of!”
“I know, I know. Of course I have your food ready.”

Hae-tae’s eyes narrowed to slits as he made a low growling sound.

“You’re not a human—you’re a side dish manufacturing machine, meow!”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It’s not a compliment, meow!”

I pulled him into my arms and stroked his fur.

“Next time, I’ll make sure not to forget mealtime. I was really out of it today.”
“I know, meow. Those humans earlier had a suspicious scent, meow.”
“You could tell that too?”
“Of course, meow.”

Hae-tae’s tail slowly stilled. His golden eyes grew unusually quiet.

“Grandmother Hyang-suk was pressured like that too, meow.”

I lowered my head gently and looked at Hae-tae.

“And then? What did Grandmother do back then?”

Hae-tae spoke in a low voice.

“Grandmother Hyang-suk didn’t do it because of you, meow.”
“Because of me?”
“The rumors were already bad enough, meow. They said losing your son and daughter-in-law was because of you, meow.”

…Ah. Those rumors. Cold and merciless words that had brushed past my ears in childhood.

“So she stopped the lunch box business, meow. To focus on you, meow.”

I held Hae-tae closer in my arms without speaking.

“Grandmother really….”

I laughed lightly, but my voice trembled faintly.

“If I do what Grandmother couldn’t, that would work, right?”
“Meow?”

I had finally found a purpose: to successfully complete my bento box business venture. I set Hae-tae down from my arms and rose to my feet.

“Here, bulgogi set bento box.”

I handed the bento box to Hae-tae first to taste it, then switched on the fluorescent lights in the kitchen and began oiling the pan.

“Let’s do this properly.”

Steam rose in delicate wisps above the pan. I portioned the beautifully seared bulgogi into containers and arranged the side dishes with meticulous care.

The moment I closed the lid.

Ding ding—

The bell above the shop door chimed.

“A customer’s here, meow.”

Hae-tae wiped the bulgogi sauce from the corners of his mouth with his front paws and settled into his designated seat.

“Welcome!”

I dried my hands on my apron and headed out to the shop floor.

“Do you happen to have any bulgogi bento boxes? I’m worried they might be sold out since it’s past lunch.”
“Oh! Attorney Oh Jong-hee!”

He wore a crisp shirt and perfectly pressed trousers, a thick briefcase in hand. His polished appearance seemed incongruous with the humble side dish shop.

“Did you start selling bento boxes while I was away at work?”

His gaze fixed on the bento boxes displayed on the shelf, and he swallowed hard.

“It’s a limited edition sale for today only.”
“If it’s limited edition, I can’t possibly pass it up!”

Today, his usual rigid demeanor had softened, and instead of exhaustion, his face radiated a quiet vitality.

“You seem to be in quite good spirits today?”
“I’ve had a chance to rest for the first time in a while.”
“A while?”
“Yes, I’ve been too busy to take time off, but I’m taking Friday as a personal day and resting through the weekend.”
“If you’re resting for the first time in so long, you should eat properly today, shouldn’t you?”
“That’s my plan. To be honest, I’ve been surviving on cup noodles for several days now.”

He laughed somewhat sheepishly.

“Cup noodles?”
“And I even had kimbap on top of that.”

Oh Jong-hee walked over to the side dish refrigerator and began browsing the selection.

“The side dishes… have increased quite a bit…?”
“I’ve been gradually upgrading the selection.”

His fingertips glided across the glass shelf. The way he picked up each container one by one and read the labels showed a meticulous attention to detail.

‘I don’t go through that much trouble myself….’

“Then I’ll add some new items too….”

I stepped back and watched Oh Jong-hee’s side dish shopping expedition.

“Where are the lunch boxes!?”
“Ah, I’m making those right now. I’ll give you a freshly made warm lunch box.”

I went to the Kitchen and brought out a prepared lunch box, handing it to Oh Jong-hee. He accepted it with both hands. His eyes widened slightly, perhaps sensing the lingering warmth of the freshly cooked rice.

“You really just made this? The steam is still rising from it.”

Oh Jong-hee lifted the lid of the lunch box slightly to examine its contents. The glossy sheen of freshly grilled bulgogi caught the light and gleamed. Instead of an oily sheen, a subtle, clean aroma wafted through the air.

“Is the portion generous?”
“When introducing a lunch box for the first time, you have to win through volume.”
“Hmm… but you’re not the type to compete on quantity alone, are you?”

How did he know that?

“I just kept adding to it, and it ended up being quite a lot.”

I skillfully accepted the side dishes from the lawyer and rang up the total.

“I was planning to eat this for dinner today, but the aroma has been so wonderful since earlier that it’s been hard to resist.”
“Then why not go ahead and enjoy it right away?”
“Should I?”

Oh Jong-hee let out a short laugh.

“Hearing you say that… I’m already feeling the weight of taking time off.”
“Oh, Oh Jong-hee!”
“Yes?”

I pulled out another lunch box from behind the counter.

“Would you happen to be able to deliver this lunch box to Grandmother Myeong-ja? I’m so busy I don’t have time to step outside.”
“Of course. I’ll just tell her it’s from you, shall I?”
“It seems she hasn’t eaten lunch either.”
“This is my first time carrying a lunch box instead of legal documents.”

Oh Jong-hee smiled and accepted the bag.

“This is a more precious errand than any legal document.”
“I’ll pay your fee in side dishes later.”
“That’s more than enough.”

Oh Jong-hee dashed across the street with the lunch box, and I could clearly see from a distance as he stopped in front of Grandmother Myeong-ja’s Bakery and handed over the lunch box.

‘Now then….’

I turned my head and stood before the Refrigerator.

“Why are you putting that in?”
“Because someone said they wanted to try a lunch box.”
“Is that so?”

Hae-tae hopped down from the shelf and peered into the Refrigerator.

“It seems the Divine Beings wanted to taste it.”
“Yeah, that’s what the reviews said.”

I quietly opened the Refrigerator door. Cold air brushed lightly against my hand.

“They’ll leave a review, right?”

I pushed the bulgogi set meal I had prepared deep into the Refrigerator. A presence swept past me as if someone were walking through the darkness inside.

‘Feet?!’

A pair of shoes like those worn by a person appeared and vanished. It was only an instant. I definitely saw something.

‘What shoes are those?’

At the same moment, the meal box I had left inside the Refrigerator disappeared without a trace. It happened so quickly that I was left dumbfounded.

“Hae-tae, did you see that?”
“See what?”
“You didn’t notice?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Hae-tae’s ears twitched slightly, then he jumped nonchalantly onto the shelf. After watching his round rear end, I turned my gaze back to the Refrigerator.

“If I leave it, the review will come.”

As I was about to raise my upper body to prepare dinner side dishes, a light thud sound came from the Refrigerator.

“A review!”

I never expected it to come this quickly.

I grabbed the white paper from inside the Refrigerator and checked it.

==========
Wal-wal
Rating: ★★★★
The taste transported me back to my past.
Owner, did you perhaps add cotton candy to the bulgogi?
It’s so tender and moist that it melts on my tongue.
I especially loved the rolled egg and the quick-pickled radish.^^
==========

I lifted the corners of my mouth into a smile and nodded, then wrote a reply on the back of the review.

==========
Wal-wal^^ Thank you for the review.
I’ll repay your kindness with even better food.
===========

After sending it, I looked up to find Hae-tae gazing down at me from the shelf.

“What are you doing?”
“They said they wanted a lunch box, so I gave them one.”
“And?”
“Well… they said the bulgogi tastes like cotton candy…”

Hae-tae raised an eyebrow.

“They said the bulgogi was delicious?”
“Yeah, yeah. I gave them a bulgogi set lunch box.”
“It might be flattery. Divine Beings taste vegetables more than meat.”

What kind of…

That’s when the bell above the door chimed, and a familiar silhouette appeared at the threshold.

“Lee Hae-ra?”

Lee Hae-ra stepped over the threshold, breathing lightly. She held a document envelope in one hand and a sheet of paper in the other.

“Do you have a lunch box, owner? It’s been quite a while…”
“What time is it…”

Only then did I glance at the wall clock.

“It’s 5:30 right now?”

In shock, I set the lunch boxes I’d prepared in the kitchen down hard on the counter.

“B-boss?”
“Lee Hae-ra!”
“Yes?!”

I grabbed her hand urgently.

“Something urgent has come up.”
“W-what is it? Can I help?”

As expected, Lee Hae-ra was the only one who truly cared about me.

“Could you watch the shop for a bit? I’ll only be about thirty minutes. I’ll bring you a delicious lunch box when I get back.”
“…Y-you want me to watch the shop?”
“There aren’t many customers right now, so it’s fine!”

I wrapped a rubber band around the lunch box and slipped a business card for Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop between the band and the box.

This was our first group order, after all. Being late on delivery was absolutely unacceptable.

“Where are you going?!”
“School delivery!”
“Oh!”

I untied my apron and tossed it over a chair. I pulled the car keys from the drawer beneath the counter.

“I’ll be right back!”

I picked up the box containing the lunch boxes.

“Just trust me, boss!”

Trusting in Lee Hae-ra’s words from behind me, I headed toward the truck.

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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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