They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 41

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

41. Acorn Jelly Lunch Boxes (3)

***

The next morning. The dawn air still carried a crisp chill.

‘Still sleeping.’

Both Kang Seo-young and I had fallen asleep right here in the Kitchen without heading upstairs. After all, she’d worked so hard yesterday wringing out the cotton cloth.

‘She slept here.’

I quietly pushed back my chair and rose to check on the bowls.

“Haaah….”

A yawn escaped me naturally. The Kitchen was silent, and a clear amber hue had settled over the acorn water from the night before.

A thin shaft of light slipped through the window gap and swept across the bowl’s surface. I lifted it slightly to examine the acorn powder that had settled to the bottom like starch.

‘This looks good.’

The sediment caught the light and gleamed softly.

‘This is exactly right.’

I transferred the sediment into a pot. The sharp clatter of the bowl striking the pot cut through the dawn silence. I startled and quickly turned my head back.

Kang Seo-young remained fast asleep, her face buried in her arms, completely still.

‘Phew. She’s still sleeping.’

After confirming she hadn’t stirred, I carefully turned on the gas range. Now I just needed to stir carefully for the next twenty minutes….

‘Time’s already gotten away from me….’

It’s 7 a.m.

It was time to start preparing breakfast.

‘The timing works out perfectly.’

My wrist, gripping the ladle, traced steady circles through the pot. The thick acorn jelly liquid deepened in color.

‘Now for the perilla oil….’

As I dripped perilla oil into the pot, its nutty fragrance filled the Kitchen. The acorn liquid grew thicker and thicker, gradually transforming into jelly.

‘Twenty minutes.’

I felt the weight of the jelly accumulating in my ladle-stirring hand.

‘Perfect…!’

I turned off the gas range and retrieved the jelly mold from the Kitchen corner. As I poured the acorn liquid in, the surface bounced and rippled gently.

‘If I leave it at room temperature for two hours, it’ll set.’

I tapped the partially set acorn jelly lightly with a spoon.

The firm, bouncy surface trembled slightly, and the translucent brown interior gleamed under the fluorescent light. After studying it for a moment, I checked the TIP.

[Ingredient TIP!]
Target Species: Human or ■Evil Spirit
Consumption Method: Effects amplified when paired with vegetables
Effect: 100% purification of bodily toxins upon consumption

‘I should grab some lettuce and onions from the Dimensional Space.’

***

I was washing the ingredients I’d brought from the Dimensional Space to pair with the acorn jelly.

“You have better stamina than I expected?”

A soft voice came from behind me. Startled, I turned around to find Kang Seo-young awake, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.

“You’re awake?”
“Yes, just now.”
“I didn’t wake you, did I?”

Kang Seo-young shook her head lightly.

“But what are all these vegetables for?”
“Acorn jelly with just seasoned soy sauce seemed a bit plain, so I brought vegetables that pair well with it.”
“Oh my.”

Kang Seo-young looked at me with a touched expression.

“And the acorn jelly is… finished?”
“Yes! I just need to take it out and check it now.”

Kang Seo-young leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, watching my work with interest.

“There’s quite a lot of side dish preparation this early in the morning.”
“Any shop is busy with preparations in the morning.”

I was slicing lettuce and onions thinly on the cutting board when I made a suggestion to Kang Seo-young.

“Would you like to try the acorn jelly?”

I cut the solidified acorn jelly into bite-sized pieces in a bowl and drizzled the seasoned soy sauce over it.

“Can I taste just the seasoned soy sauce first?”
“Of course.”

Kang Seo-young dipped her chopsticks into the seasoned soy sauce and tasted it.

“The flavor is different.”
“I made it with soy sauce that Grandmother Hyang-suk prepared. How is it?”
“…It’s delicious.”
“Then, let me show you.”

I mixed the lettuce and onions I’d sliced earlier with the acorn jelly and arranged it in a bowl.

“I’ll try some.”

Kang Seo-young picked up a soft piece of acorn jelly with her chopsticks. The springy jelly trembled at the tips. She carefully brought it to her mouth and took a bite.

“Mmm….”
“How is it?”
“It’s soft and fragrant. There’s none of that bitter taste from acorn jelly. But…”

She lifted her gaze slowly as she spoke.

“You should eat some too. You look tired.”

Kang Seo-young picked up a piece with her chopsticks and held it out to me.

“Oh… thank you.”

I hesitated for a moment, then accepted it. Without the acorn’s astringency, it felt like eating delicious jelly. And paired with the crisp, fresh lettuce and onions, there was nothing to dislike about it.

“Acorn jelly without that bitter aftertaste is truly remarkable. I never knew it could taste this good—like eating jelly….”

Kang Seo-young laughed and set down her chopsticks.

“Where’s my acorn jelly?!”

Something sprang up from the table. It was Hae-tae, with a kitchen towel that had been draped over it like a blanket now flipped over its head.

“Why didn’t you wake me?!”
“I… how could I wake you when you were sleeping so soundly?”

Hae-tae leaped toward me with its tail fluttering. I caught it in my arms.

“Hey, you startled me.”

Its front paws hovered precariously just above the springy acorn jelly.

“I’m going to eat it! I’m the only one who didn’t get any!”
“Fine, fine, I’ll give you some. Who said I wouldn’t? People might think I’m starving you.”
“That’s right!”
“Hey!”

Kang Seo-young burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. I held her close and made my way toward the cutting board.

“Here, eat this.”
“Meow!”

While Hae-tae was eating the acorn jelly, I checked the time.

‘It’s time to open the shop.’

“Now it’s really time to pack the lunch boxes!”
“Already?”
“We need to deliver them before lunch!”

Kang Seo-young swept her hair to one side and tied it back. A strange glint flickered across her eyes as she gazed quietly at the mold.

“The jelly is really beautiful. It looks a bit like… edible raw liver.”
“…Pardon?”
“What?”
“Oh, never mind.”

…Terrifyingly.

I flipped the mold over with trembling hands. With a soft thud, the acorn jelly slipped free and landed flat against the cutting board.

The elastic surface quivered slightly. Each time the blade grazed the acorn jelly, clean, even lines formed across its smooth texture.

“Is there anything I can help with?”
“If you want to help… could you mix the acorn jelly I’ve cut with the vegetables and seasoning?”
“That’s simple enough.”

I placed the acorn jelly in a container and tossed it together with the vegetables and seasoning. Her movements weren’t particularly quick, but they were quite competent.

“I’ll pack them now.”

I pulled out lunch boxes from the drawer and neatly arranged the acorn jelly in the main compartment.

“Will this do?”
“Yes. It looks like a work of art.”

I finished by drizzling perilla oil over the acorn jelly and sprinkling sesame seeds with a light tap. The translucent brown surface gleamed with an oily sheen.

‘Just ninety-nine more times to go.’

Kang Seo-young and I continued our repetitive assembly line, filling lunch boxes with acorn jelly and various side dishes.

Hae-tae had grown bored watching and returned to the table to toast bread.

“One hundred lunch boxes total, correct?”

We’d moved quickly. Still.

“Yes. Exactly one hundred.”

Kang Seo-young peeled off her rubber gloves and caught her breath.

“Wow… you do this every time?”

I quietly rolled up my sleeves, wiping the water droplets from my wrists onto my apron.

“Every single time.”
“That must keep you busy.”
“Well, it’s enjoyable.”

We lifted the boxes and carried them outside—ten lunch boxes per box. They were quite heavy, but Kang Seo-young’s expression remained composed.

“This feels like a stamina test, doesn’t it?”
“You seem to have rather weak stamina, Kang Seo-young.”
“Almost done now, so that’s why. My abilities might be different, but my body is identical to a human’s.”

Kang Seo-young chuckled softly and lifted another box. As I opened the entrance door, a cold breeze rushed in. Outside, sunlight was already beginning to pour through.

“Perfect weather for dying today.”
“…?”
“…Why?”

Kang Seo-young stared at me intently.

“Don’t say things like that so carelessly. I’m afraid of people dying too.”
“Ah. I’ve touched upon your trauma, haven’t I?”
“A little.”

Kang Seo-young offered an apologetic smile.

“I didn’t mean to.”

I opened the trunk of the white van parked outside. We bent at the waist and methodically pushed the boxes in one by one. Our movements were slow but precise. After safely loading the final box, I brushed my hands together, shaking off the dry dust.

“Done!”
“All hundred boxes are loaded.”

We both exhaled sighs of relief without anyone needing to prompt the other.

“Good work.”

It was in that brief moment as Kang Seo-young smiled and closed the trunk that I noticed her clothes had changed.

‘What…?’

She’d definitely been wearing an apron, but the Kang Seo-young standing before me now wore a pristine shirt and slacks, draped with a trench coat. Her hair was neatly arranged.

“What? Are you leaving already?”

Transformed into the image of a perfect celebrity, Kang Seo-young slipped on her sunglasses.

“I have to go. Even if I drive now, I’ll be late.”

Kang Seo-young reached out and pulled me into an embrace, her gratitude evident.

“Thank you.”

I patted her back and offered a reminder.

“About the lunch boxes. You need to deliver them carefully.”

She laughed lightly and nodded.

“I know. I’ll deliver everything perfectly today.”
“There’s braised beef and anchovy broth inside the lunch boxes, so if I drive carelessly….”

Any more and I’d just be nagging.

“No, no. You should get going.”
“Yes, I will.”

Kang Seo-young nodded in understanding and waved toward Hae-tae inside the shop.

“Meow.”

Hae-tae raised a paw and waved back before closing his eyes again.

“I’m off.”

Kang Seo-young double-checked the trunk one last time to make sure it was locked. Then she walked quietly toward the driver’s seat.

“See you next time!”
“Yes. If we can meet again.”

Kang Seo-young smiled as she started the engine. She adjusted her sunglasses slightly and turned the radio down low. In an instant, the truck glided smoothly onto the road.

“She’s gone.”

I watched her receding figure from the front of the shop for a long while. Then I stepped back inside and stretched.

What remained for me….

“Time to work.”

I needed to open the shop.

***

As brilliant morning sunlight pierced my retinas, fragments of memories I’d hidden away in my life surfaced.

– How pitiful. How truly pitiful.

Kang Seo-young’s family stared at her, their unspoken wails finally breaking free.

– Our daughter, unable to die, forced to live on. How pitiful she has become.

Each time those words spilled from their lips, they coughed blood, and their trembling breath touched Kang Seo-young’s ears with a chilling coldness.

The young girl simply lay there in a daze. At that time, Kang Seo-young hadn’t even realized what grotesque being she had transformed into.

The memories she’d built as a human had grown dim, and what filled that void was a sensation both cold and utterly foreign.

– Our Seo-young, our Seo-young, what will we do without you?

Her family had aged and withered through the storms of time, while Kang Seo-young remained young and vital. Before this grotesque disparity, the people before her wept, and their weeping became screams.

– What else can I do?

She moved her lips, draining the livers of those who had once been her family.

– I’ll eat your livers and run away.

Back then, that was the only law. The world was starving, and the world was merciless. This was Joseon, where even tomorrow’s survival could not be guaranteed.

She had simply learned how to survive the life given to her.

– Yes, yes. I’ll eat you and live happily.

Her family offered their own flesh, pitying the grotesque existence their daughter had become.

– Why do you look at me that way?

The young Evil Spirit, not yet a hundred years old, did not know what love was, nor did she understand the warmth of compassion. She was simply a grotesque being.

– Who are you?

Indeed, who?

– Who am I, really?

At that time, Kang Seo-young was far too young to harbor such complex emotions. What gnawed at her core was a desolate loneliness unlike anything she had ever felt before.

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