They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 44

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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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44. Neighborhood Exploration (1)

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Today was the grand opening of Grandmother Myeong-ja’s Bakery. Yet in the chaos of yesterday, I had completely forgotten to prepare a congratulatory gift.

“What on earth should I give her?”

Money was out of the question.
A letter was equally uninspired.

Hmm.

I wandered in circles around the living room, lost in thought. Then a memory surfaced, brushing against my consciousness like a whisper.

“An egg roll cake?”

I recalled making a cake from egg rolls long ago. My grandmother had adored it.

“Should I give her that?”

I asked softly, gazing at the framed photograph on the table before the sofa. It seemed my grandmother’s lips curved upward in approval.

“An egg roll cake crafted with care, paired with a generous envelope—Grandmother Myeong-ja will surely be delighted.”

Absolutely, she would be.

I washed up hastily and made my way straight to the Kitchen. The moment I opened the Refrigerator, eggs—destined to become today’s cake—greeted me.

[Exquisite-Tasting Eggs (A)]

“Let me keep it simple.”

An experimental creation.

I cracked four eggs into a bowl and whisked them briskly with chopsticks. Once the golden yolk mixed evenly, I added minced vegetables and a pinch of salt.

“Oh! It’s puffing up.”

Sizzle—

I poured the egg mixture slowly onto the oil-coated skillet. As I rolled it over low heat, the soft cross-section that rose with each fold resembled a cake layer.

“It puffed up properly, didn’t it?”

The completed egg roll cake looked simple yet substantial. There was something about its fluffy, bread-like appearance that made it look delicious.

All that remained was to decorate it prettily with ketchup like a cake.

“…I’m second-guessing myself because it’s so simple.”

Hae-tae leaped onto the table as always, sniffing curiously.

“What are you doing?”
“A gift for Grandmother Myeong-ja’s Bakery opening?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just give money?”

I poked Hae-tae’s nose as I spoke.

“What cat cares about money?”
“Humans naturally love money.”
“I’m planning to give money too, you know?”
“That’s the way. Money is best for the elderly.”

Perhaps from living longer than me, Hae-tae’s speech carried the seasoned wisdom of a long life. I smiled and refined the edges of the egg roll cake with my fingertips.

“Hm…?”

While trying to draw a heart shape with ketchup, it came out slightly crooked.

“Your heart’s crooked too.”
“Stop nagging. It’s been a while since I made this, that’s all. It’s been a while.”

Staring at the crooked heart, I slowly traced letters over it with ketchup.

[Congratulations on the Opening of Myeong-ja’s Bakery!]

As I finished writing the letters, a peculiar nostalgia washed over me.

– Grandmother, happy birthday!
– Our precious grandchild! You didn’t sneak into the kitchen and cook again without telling Grandmother, did you?
– Yes! I made it myself!

The memory of my grandmother laughing as she carried the cake around in a circle brought a smile to my lips.

“Come on, our Hae-tae~.”
“Meow?”

I picked up a piece of the egg roll cake with chopsticks and brought it close to Hae-tae’s mouth.

“Try it.”
“Understood, meow.”

As I carefully brought the chopstick tip to his mouth, Hae-tae delicately tasted it with his tongue.

“It’s an egg roll, meow.”
“Right. It’s an egg roll cake. How does it taste?”
“It tastes like an egg roll, meow.”

Well then, it passes.

I pushed the cake toward Hae-tae. His eyes widened and sparkled with delight.

“Can I really eat all of it, meow?”
“Yes. It’s your compensation for being a taste tester.”

Hae-tae put the egg roll cake in his mouth and began eating eagerly.

“It’s as soft as cake, meow!”

He ate with such enthusiasm that ketchup stains smudged the tips of his whiskers.

“Ugh, it’s all over your whiskers.”
“Then wipe it for me.”
“Good grief, you’re shameless.”

As I fetched a tissue and wiped Hae-tae’s whiskers, I caught sight of Myeong-ja’s Bakery across the way.

‘The Twins are promoting.’

Dressed impeccably, the Twins were distributing flyers to passing customers.

Grandmother Myeong-ja greeted each visitor with a radiant smile, bowing repeatedly.

“It’s really taking off.”

I gently patted Hae-tae’s head after finishing with the whiskers.

“Look, there are plenty of customers.”
“Right. The atmosphere is good from the start.”

As time passed, more customers would surely arrive. It was best to make my visit before things got busier.

“I should head over before it gets even more hectic.”

I carefully wrapped the egg roll cake sitting on the Kitchen counter so it wouldn’t get damaged. Done. Now I could go.

“Hae-tae, I’m heading out!”
“Have a good trip.”

***

‘Myeong-ja’s Bakery.’

The newly hung sign radiated warmth. The rich aroma of butter from continuous baking enveloped my face.

“Twins!”

I waved toward the Twins distributing flyers.

“Boss! Hello!”
“…Hello.”

I handed the Twins a box containing the rolled egg cake.

“This. It’s a cake.”
“A cake?”

Song Ae-rim tilted her head, as if wondering why I’d brought a cake.

“It’s a rolled egg cake.”
“What? A rolled egg cake?”

Song Ae-rim’s eyes widened in surprise at the mention of rolled egg, and she reached to open the box immediately, but Song Ae-hyuk stopped her.

“…Thank you. Boss.”
“Don’t mention it.”

Song Ae-hyuk accepted the cake box with a respectful bow.

“I figured it would be awkward to bring a bread cake to a bakery, so I brought this instead.”
“Wow! This looks delicious!”
“Well, it tastes unmistakably like rolled egg.”

I scratched the back of my head and laughed at Song Ae-rim’s excessive enthusiasm. It wasn’t really that special of a dish.

That was when it happened.

“Oh my! Our dear one has arrived!”

Grandmother Myeong-ja came rushing over, wiping her flour-dusted hands on her apron.

“I came to congratulate you. This is a gift I made myself.”

I gestured toward the cake box with a smile.

“What is this?”
“A rolled egg cake.”
“Only the Side Dish Shop boss would do something like this.”

A gentle smile bloomed across Grandmother Myeong-ja’s wrinkled eyes.

“Would you like to open it now and see?”
“Come inside. You too, Twins!”

As I followed Grandmother Myeong-ja into the Bakery, the customers were equally bustling. The aroma of freshly baked bread mingled with the laughter of patrons.

The customers each selected their bread and picked up freshly baked pieces from the tasting counter.

‘Hmm?’

A familiar face caught my eye among them. It was that couple I’d seen before.

‘Everyone in the neighborhood stops by the local shops.’

With that casual thought, I gazed at Grandmother Myeong-ja. The yellow cake box inside the Bakery looked like a small lantern of celebration.

“Well then, shall we open it?”

The Twins beside me sparkled with excitement. Their hands drew closer to the box as anticipation blossomed.

“I made it myself, so the taste is guaranteed.”
“Why mention something so obvious?”
“People need to know you put in the effort, after all.”

As we laughed and chattered, the egg roll cakes emerged. One was a delicate white egg roll cake, soft as snow, and the other was a vibrant yellow cake with a rich yolk color.

“My, what beautiful colors!”

Pride resonated in Grandmother Myeong-ja’s voice.

“Visual appeal matters too.”

Song Ae-rim was already photographing them with her smartphone and posting them somewhere.

“This is totally SNS-worthy.”
“Really? But it’s just a regular egg roll cake.”
“The owner made it for us—how could it be ordinary?”

Song Ae-hyuk gave a thumbs up, clearly pleased by the words. Grandmother Myeong-ja paused meaningfully before continuing.

“I should make a bowl of rice right away, shouldn’t I?”

The Twins gasped in mock horror, and I laughed loudly.

“Grandmother! You’re saying strange things!”
“…She’s our grandmother, but she’s weird.”

At the Twins’ whining voices, Grandmother chuckled heartily. I gazed at the three of them and found myself smiling naturally.

“You two stay here and watch the shop for a moment. I have something to discuss with Ji-gu.”
“What is it?”

Song Ae-rim widened her eyes and tilted her head curiously.

“I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

With that, Grandmother Myeong-ja gently took my arm. I followed without much thought.

When we arrived at the quiet backyard of the shop, I asked Grandmother.

“Grandmother, what did you want to talk about?”
“…Ji-gu, you know that couple who came into our shop earlier?”
“Oh, yes. That couple.”

Grandmother’s gaze grew distant for a moment.

“I’ve been looking out the window a lot these past few days because of the interior work. That couple was lingering near your shop. More than once.”

I widened my eyes slightly.

“They came to our shop before and bought side dishes.”

Grandmother’s expression seemed somehow uneasy.

“Did you know they own a side dish shop in another alley, a bit away from this neighborhood?”
“I didn’t know that.”

I’d barely moved down from Seoul, practically living at the hospital, and then I took over the Side Dish Shop before I had any chance to explore the neighborhood.

“According to the neighborhood residents, that couple’s Side Dish Shop has been doing quite well for the past year.”
“Is that so?”

Grandmother Myeong-ja tapped my shoulder lightly with her fingertip.

“But then you came back.”

I understood what she meant. But what could I do? That’s how neighborhood businesses work.

Like how there’s a café next to another café. In the end, all that matters is who can hold on longer.

“Did that couple’s Side Dish Shop make lunch boxes too?”
“So I’ve heard.”
“But how did you find that out?”

Grandmother Myeong-ja paused for a moment, then glanced toward the entrance of the alley.

“Over there.”

I naturally followed her gaze.

“That’s Oh Jong-hee, the lawyer.”
“What?! The lawyer?”

It was an unexpected person, so I tilted my head slightly in confusion.

“Oh Jong-hee knows about every Side Dish Shop in the neighborhood. He’s probably visited every single one in the area.”

“…So he’s that passionate about side dishes?”

Oh Jong-hee slowly pulled out his smartphone to check something, then looked up and glanced briefly in our direction. There was something oddly sharp in that brief gaze.

“Oh, he’s angry.”
“Why?”

Grandmother suddenly scrunched her face and tapped my arm.

“I need to get away before this ominous energy spreads elsewhere.”

With those words, Grandmother Myeong-ja vanished into the shop like an arrow.

“Grandmother Myeong-ja…”

Before I could even finish calling out, Oh Jong-hee stood directly in front of me.

“Boss, are you closed today?”

His voice carried an oddly mournful tone that clashed with his neat appearance. Without thinking, I responded coldly.

“Yes, we are.”
“Ah…”

Oh Jong-hee hung his head low. The collar of his suit jacket crumpled slightly at his shoulder.

“Sigh…”

That brief exhale carried such emptiness within it.

“I was hoping to have an acorn jelly lunch box…”
“Unfortunately, we sold out yesterday.”

Oh Jong-hee looked at me with eyes full of despair.

“Really, completely sold out? Do you know how much Ae-rim and Ae-hyuk bragged about how delicious it was after eating theirs?”

So the Twins had been singing its praises.

‘If I don’t give him acorn jelly, he looks like he’ll cry terribly…’

“…Or you could make a reservation for tomorrow.”

Sigh. He’s pitiful.

‘I do have an acorn jelly lunch box I was going to eat myself.’

“I… Attorney Oh Jong-hee, if there’s any acorn jelly left at our house, I’d be happy to give it to you.”
“Really? Is that so?”
“In exchange!”

I made a proposal.

“Could you tell me about the Side Dish Shops in this neighborhood?”

Besides, I needed the information anyway.

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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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