They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 40

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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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40. Acorn Jelly Lunch Boxes (2)

Kang Seo-young watched the Squirrel with its cheeks stuffed full of acorns and wetted her lips.

“That’s barely a mouthful for you.”
– Myah myah myah myaah!

Offended by her remark, the Squirrel placed its tiny front paws on its hips and puffed out its body in protest. Thanks to its bushy tail standing on end, its back appeared twice as large.

“How adorable….”

I let out an admiring exclamation without thinking.

“If you think it’s cute, you’ll be in for trouble, meow.”

Huh? At Hae-tae’s words, the Squirrel looked up at the sky before I could even blink. Then it suddenly raised both paws high.

“What, what is…?”

I looked up at the sky just as the Squirrel had.

A fierce wind swept down in an instant. The branches of the Acorn Oak Grove swayed violently, and leaves scattered like fireworks exploding. Then acorns poured down like rain, pelting against my head.

– Myah myaah! Myah myaah! Myah myah myah myah myaah!

The Squirrel cried out toward the sky.

“It says it helped you, meow.”
“…Well, it did help, I suppose.”

I shielded Hae-tae’s head from the downpour of acorns. Meanwhile, the Squirrel bounced about excitedly, darting between the falling acorns. In moments, they accumulated so thickly that they formed layers like an apartment building.

– Mah myaah! Myah myah myah myah!

The Squirrel picked up a large acorn and dropped it gently on my foot.

“Huh? Why are you giving me this?”
“It means you should set aside your own share too, meow.”

Hae-tae shook his head as if he couldn’t help it and answered in my stead.

“Why does the Squirrel get to claim their share?”
“Because the Forest’s caretakers must pay taxes, meow.”

I made a bewildered expression.

“There are taxes here too?”
“I established it, meow. Since they’re always eating and playing around, meow.”
“…For such a tiny creature, you certainly are diligent.”

I winked at the Squirrel with an approving heart, urging them to gather more earnestly.

– Squeak squeak!
“They say thank you, meow.”

Hae-tae listened to the Squirrel’s words and relayed them. I suppressed my bursting laughter and swept the acorns scattered across the ground with a broad stroke. There was no need to pick them up one by one. The quantity was so abundant that I could scoop them up by the basketful with sweeping motions.

“Once we gather all of these, we’ll be done!”

The Squirrel stuck close to my side, scraping acorns together with both front paws while making quite the appeal.

– Squeak squeak squeak!
“They’re quite industrious.”
“That’s just how they are, meow.”

After filling the basket for a while, I suddenly glanced to the side. Kang Seo-young stood motionless, gazing quietly up at the sky.

“Kang Seo-young?”

She didn’t answer. The Dimensional Space, where the wind had ceased, was eerily silent. Moonlight filtered through the dense canopy of the Acorn Oak Grove, brushing across her face.

‘Oh.’

Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes, catching the light. Kang Seo-young simply stood there, lost in thought, gazing at the distant sky.

‘…It’s better to pretend I don’t know.’

I’d read something like that somewhere before. That immortals stripped of death would paradoxically be the ones least likely to crave it.

‘But do they really want to die?’

Or do they want to live desperately, like humans facing death? Since I’m human, I can’t quite say.

But there was only one thing I could feel as a human. I steadied my breathing with one hand on my waist and looked up at the night sky. Gazing at the same place, feeling the same presence.

Within the night sky—as if someone had poured an entire vial of silver dust into blue ink—the stars moved slowly, like living things.

“There are so many stars!”
“Indeed. It’s beautiful.”

Kang Seo-young’s voice was as serene as the night sky itself.

“You shouldn’t get too lost in the beauty—would you mind gathering some acorns for me?”

I spoke playfully, and she laughed and nodded. I dropped acorns into the basket and rolled them across my palm.

***

Before long, the basket was brimming with acorns. When I lifted the handle, a satisfying weight settled into my hand.

– Chirp chirp! Chirp chirp chirp!

The Squirrel placed one paw on my calf and nodded.

“She says you worked hard.”
“Worked hard?”

I patted the Squirrel’s head gratefully.

“You worked hard too.”
– Chirp chirp!

“Is this enough?”

Kang Seo-young looked up at me with a question in her eyes.

“Yes, this much is more than enough for a hundred servings.”
“I didn’t gather that many….”

Kang Seo-young slowly turned her palm upward. The woven basket that had rested on the ground drifted gently into the air. The acorns inside rattled softly as they trembled with the motion.

“This should do.”
“…Is it an ability?”
“Who knows? Could it be?”

Kang Seo-young smiled and led the way, guiding the basket ahead of her. I followed in her wake, moving slowly toward the Kitchen.

The moment I stepped out of the Dimensional Space, the ambient noise of reality washed over my ears. I entered the Kitchen and carefully set the basket of acorns down on the counter.

“Should I leave the basket on the floor?”
“Yes! Please set it on the floor!”

I rolled up my sleeves and took a deep breath. Now the real work begins.

“First, let me extract just the kernels….”

Using the power of the Dimensional Space, I examined the acorns that had been properly aged. They were completely dried. I picked up a mallet and struck each acorn firmly. The hard shells cracked open, revealing the smooth kernels within.

“Here they come.”
“What’s coming out?”

Kang Seo-young watched with keen interest. I plucked an acorn kernel from its shell and held it up for her to see.

“This is the main ingredient for acorn jelly.”
“It looks rather like…. a brain.”
“…Ahem.”

I suppressed a cough and continued extracting kernel after kernel.

“Since acorns don’t have any astringency or bitterness, I’ll just grind them in the mill.”
“Got it. Make it quick.”

I turned on the faucet and cool water cascaded down. The acorns tumbled into the stream one by one, their rattling echoing through the Kitchen.

I carefully rubbed the acorn shells clean, watching as the impurities washed away and the surfaces grew increasingly smooth.

“Boiling water….”
“I’ll take care of it.”

Kang Seo-young moved first, setting a pot of water to heat. Thanks to her, I was able to drop the freshly cleaned acorns directly into the boiling water and blanch them for about five minutes. This initial blanching softened the shells, making it far easier to extract the kernels.

“Hae-tae, move aside.”
“Meow?”
“I need space for the tray.”
“Meow meow.”

The moment Hae-tae shifted to the side, I poured the perfectly blanched acorns onto a wide tray. Hot steam billowed upward in a thick mist, swirling like fog.

“They’re shimmering?”

Kang Seo-young gazed at the glistening acorns on the wide tray with evident curiosity.

“Ingredients harvested from the Dimensional Space always seem to shimmer like this.”
“…I thought they were dead, but they seem alive.”

At Kang Seo-young’s murmur, I handed her a partially shelled acorn.

“Would you like to try cracking one open?”
“Am I allowed to?”
“Of course.”

Kang Seo-young took the partially shelled acorn I offered and cracked it open. Seeing the lustrous kernel inside—gleaming like a pearl within an oyster—she smiled softly.

“Cute, isn’t it?”
“…Yes.”

As long as I let them dry in a well-ventilated spot, the first phase of preparation would be complete.

‘Now that it’s finished.’

The tension that had been coiled tight suddenly released, and my body went limp. I collapsed into a nearby chair.

“What time should I deliver them by tomorrow?”

Now I had the peace of mind to think clearly. I asked Kang Seo-young, who was still examining the acorns she had peeled.

“Anytime before lunch is fine.”
“Then would you help me pack them?”
“Pack them?”
“If Kang Seo-young personally packs the lunch boxes, wouldn’t the staff be even more moved?”
“You think so?”
“Yes!”

Inwardly, I congratulated myself. It was truly a win-win situation. I gained an extra pair of hands without spending anything, and Kang Seo-young could enhance her image.

At this rate, I could sleep comfortably even if I came back tomorrow morning.

“But why were you crying earlier?”

At that moment, Hae-tae pushed off the ground and bounded up, then flopped heavily onto my lap. I startled and quickly covered Hae-tae’s mouth.

“Meow! Meow meow meow meow!”

Hae-tae’s front paws tapped insistently against the back of my hand, as if demanding I let go. At least the claws didn’t scratch.

“Ji-gu, it’s okay.”

Kang Seo-young’s voice rang out softly. I lifted my head. Faint traces of tears still lingered at the corners of her eyes.

“Are… you sure?”
“Yes. I think the emotions from the character I was playing in the recent drama shoot lingered in my body.”

She smiled gently, her hand partially covering her mouth.

“I suppose it just hit me that this is the end.”

Only then did I slowly release my hand from Hae-tae’s mouth. Free at last, Hae-tae shook out his fur and spoke.

“As a Divine Being, I simply fulfilled my final duty.”
“You’re still too young to understand.”
“What do you mean I’m young!”

Hae-tae bared his fangs and growled. I calmed him down and changed the subject.

“You said you’d been here before, didn’t you?”
“When Grandmother Hyang-suk was around?”
“How did you end up connected with my grandmother?”

At my question, Kang Seo-young crossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand. After pondering something for a while, she finally spoke.

“It’s simple.”
“Simple?”
“I was hungry, so I stopped by.”

My eyes blinked at the unexpected answer.

“That’s really all there is to it?”
“Of course. Why else would someone come to a side dish shop but to eat?”
“I thought there might be some grand reason behind it.”

Lately, every customer who’d come to the Side Dish Shop seemed to have their own complicated backstory.

‘I thought Kang Seo-young might too.’

“Searching for and eating my favorite acorn jelly is actually my hobby. That’s how I happened to hear the rumor—that there was a GS Company side dish shop in this neighborhood.”

After finishing her explanation, she playfully reached out and lightly tapped my nose.

“Boring, right?”
“A little?”

At my honest answer, Kang Seo-young burst into laughter and made a mischievous expression.

“Since I’m a bit hurt, can I stay and sleep here?”
“…What?”

In that instant, I pulled Hae-tae into my arms and leaned my upper body back.

“I mean, if I leave now, the reporters will catch me on camera.”
“Ah. The reporters.”
“Is that not okay?”

I tried my best to avoid her gaze.

‘Ah… my resolve is wavering.’

But I had always been weak against such compelling gazes. In the end, I deliberately raised my voice and drove the point home.

“There’s just one condition!”
“What is it?”
“Don’t eat it!”

Kang Seo-young replied without batting an eye, her tone perfectly innocent.

“I won’t.”
“Really?”
“When something looks delicious, I prefer to admire it for a long time rather than consume it.”

A chill ran down my spine.

“Should we go make acorn powder right now!? This very instant!”

Unable to endure Kang Seo-young’s gaze any longer, I jumped to my feet. I set Hae-tae down on the table and rushed frantically toward where the acorns were stored.

“I’d like to watch too.”
“Of course! Please do!”

The moment Kang Seo-young saw the acorns I’d soaked slightly in water, she asked a question.

“Why do you soak them?”

I explained.

“To make authentic acorn jelly, you have to soak them for about two days because of their astringent and bitter taste. That’s how you get rid of those flavors.”
“Oh, it takes that long?”
“Yes! And before peeling the shells, you need to dry them for four days. And that’s not all!”

Kang Seo-young watched me with evident amusement at my enthusiastic explanation.

“I’ll tell you more details as we go.”

I gathered a handful of acorns and headed toward the Luminous Grinder, which emitted a soft glow as it awaited activation.

[Luminous Grinder]
Grade: A
Description: A special grinder bestowed directly by the Divine Being Hae-tae
– It grinds down to the very soul of ingredients, perfectly preserving their authentic flavor.

After so long without use, the Luminous Grinder’s window flickered to life.

“Let me give it a try!”

The moment I dropped in the acorn nuggets, light shimmered from the heart of the shop. The acorn shells crumbled like a gentle breeze, scattering into wisps.

Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack—

A series of sharp bursts erupted in quick rhythm, and a nutty aroma wafted to my nose. Smooth acorn liquid flowed from within the grinder.

“Is this acorn flour?”

Kang Seo-young asked, her eyes narrowing with curiosity.

“There’s flour mixed in. When I poured water in at intervals, it became this thick.”
“Really?”
“Now if we pour this through a cotton cloth?”
“Pour it through?”

I retrieved the cotton cloth hanging beside the sink and smiled knowingly.

“The flour and starch will separate. Would you like to try?”

Kang Seo-young blinked.

“Yes. I’d like to try.”

I stretched the cloth taut over a translucent bowl and slowly poured the thin acorn flour. The deep brown liquid flowed through the weave of the fabric, pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

“Press the cotton cloth firmly.”

As Kang Seo-young squeezed the cloth tightly, clear liquid emerged.

“Is this the separation process?”
“Yes! As time passes, the starch settles to the bottom. We pour off the water on top and use the remaining sediment to make acorn jelly.”

Kang Seo-young gazed at the bottom of the bowl with a mixture of fascination and wonder. There, the soft brown sediment had settled quietly, gleaming like a jewel.

“I should go now….”

As if to escape, Kang Seo-young tried to withdraw her hands from the cloth wrapper, but I quickly grabbed her wrist.

“You said you’d help.”
“…?”
“We have to finish all of this.”

Where I gestured with my chin, there was still a full basin of acorn water waiting to be strained through the cloth.

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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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