They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 47

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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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47. Aralia Shoots (1)

“…Is it really good for inflammation?”

She blinked at my words. I smiled with confidence.

“Of course. Aralia shoots are excellent for inflammation.”
“Yes! Then I’ll definitely come buy some!”
“Yes, I hope to see you at the shop soon!”
“Goodbye!”

I accepted the lunch bag with a bow. As Yun Ga-rin’s farewell reached my ears, I smiled and pushed open the shop door.

“You’ve got quite the gift of persuasion, meow.”

Hae-tae murmured leisurely from my shoulder. His voice was low and gentle.

“It’s the only way to survive.”
“But words alone won’t cut it, meow.”
“I know.”

I swung my arm as I added the words like a vow.

“The side dishes have to be just as good. The skill has to back it up—that’s what business is.”

I threw a question at Hae-tae as the sound of a shop shutter closing echoed from far away.

“How does it feel being out here?”

Hae-tae lifted his head slightly, taking in the evening scenery. His eyes gleamed like embers in the glow of the sunset.

“The human world is really noisy, meow.”
“Noisy?”
“There are so many smells too, meow! It’s annoying, meow!”

Hae-tae scrunched his face and twitched his nose. The small breath of air brushed against my cheek.

“Human scent, meat scent, smoke scent…, all the world’s smells tangled together until my nose feels numb, meow.”

Yet Hae-tae half-closed his eyes.

“It’s loud and stuffy and smells, but somehow my heart feels at ease, meow.”

I walked in silence, listening to Hae-tae’s words.

“Next time too—shall we come together?”
“…I don’t like it if the food tastes bad even if we come together, meow.”

He would never say he disliked it outright. Hae-tae turned his head sharply to match my eye level and played coy.

“Let’s go home and eat that braised pork we bought earlier!”
“That sounds good, meow!”

Hae-tae slowly wagged his tail from my shoulder as he spoke.

“Let’s eat in the Dimensional Space, meow.”

I chuckled softly.

“Let’s go.”

***

The moment I arrived at the shop, I naturally headed toward the back.

“I’ll go first, meow.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I have something to do, meow!”

Hae-tae flashed past me like lightning and vanished into the Dimensional Space. Following his small form, I stepped through a moment later. The instant I crossed the threshold, a sensation of the world shifting slightly swept across my entire body.

The sounds of reality that had lingered at my ears faded into obscurity. The car sounds from the alley, the barking of dogs—all of it disappeared.

Only the sounds of the Dimensional Space reached my ears now.

“Ji-gu!”

At Hae-tae’s cry, I blinked and lowered my head.

“Let’s eat here.”
“Huh?”

It was the pavilion I’d seen earlier.

“I dredged up the memory and built it myself.”

Hae-tae puffed out his chest proudly.

“This?”

The pavilion appeared to be constructed from wood, yet light flowed along the grain, shimmering as if alive. Shallow water pooled around the structure, and embroidered lotus leaves trembled with each of my steps. It felt as though I were standing atop a tranquil lake.

“It’s like some paradise realm…?”
“I remodeled it that way.”

Hae-tae pointed a front paw toward the low table positioned in the pavilion’s center.

“Let’s eat there.”

I stepped into the pavilion, marveling aloud.

“You made this….”
“Earlier, I noticed humans seemed to enjoy eating in places like this.”

Laughter bubbled up at Hae-tae’s thoughtful answer.

“You did well.”

I set the lunch box on the table and untied the knot. Trapped steam erupted in a billowing cloud, and simultaneously the rich aroma of meat made my mouth water instantly.

“Wow! Smell that!”

The reputation of “First-Class Lunch Box” was no exaggeration. The moment I lifted the lid, glistening red-marinated pork pieces gleamed with chili oil.

“This looks delicious!!”
“Right!!”

I immediately grabbed chopsticks and took a bite. The meat melted softly on my tongue. The char from the flame hit first, followed by the perfect pairing of soy sauce and gochujang clinging to my taste buds. The more I chewed, the more oil dissolved, releasing a spicy aroma that filled my nose.

‘The seasoning ratio is… half soy sauce, half gochujang, with just a touch of sugar.’

My palate calculated the exact proportions with precision.

‘The seasoning balance probably shifts depending on the meat’s condition each time.’

This wasn’t simply made by following a recipe. It all came down to the owner’s touch.

“This is the real deal.”

The richness and sweetness flooded my senses simultaneously, and my tongue rejoiced.

“Meow meow!”

Hae-tae eagerly tapped the back of my hand several times with her front paw, demanding her share.

“Alright, alright.”

I scooped up rice and braised pork together with a spoon and brought it to her mouth.

“It’s hot, so be careful.”
“Pffft meow…!”

Hae-tae blew on it, then stuck out her tongue and licked it once.

“Delicious!!”

A bit of sauce clung to the tips of Hae-tae’s whiskers. She licked it clean, her small round eyes widening.

“See? There’s a reason it’s the number one bento box.”
“Next time I’m eating first.”
“That’s not happening.”
“You’re treating animals unfairly.”
“But you said you were a divine being.”

The aroma of the stir-fried beef, properly seared over flame, was so enticing that I found myself eating through the bento box without restraint.

“This is a dish you can’t make without real skill….”

I murmured to myself. It required mastering the intensity of the flame, the timing, even the moisture content of the ingredients. There weren’t many places that could achieve this kind of authentic wok flavor.

“…If I’d eaten this back when I was wandering around trying to learn technique, I think I would have asked the shop owner to teach me.”
“You’ve actually done that before?”

Hae-tae tilted his head slightly.

“I did back then. I had to learn every technique I could and make it my own.”

Those days I remembered were nothing but a race between technique and speed. If my hands were slow, I’d be ruthlessly left behind, and if my flavors weren’t consistent, customers would stop coming.

“Every moment was warfare. I really lived with all my might.”

That’s why I spent nights in front of the flames. To keep things from burning, from undercooking, to make each dish as perfect as possible.

“Why did you go that far?”
“…Well.”

I let out a bitter laugh.

“I wanted to become a better chef than my grandmother.”

That was the goal of my younger self. That ambition is what brought me here.

I lifted my head.

“Hae-tae.”
“What?”
“Want to go pick some aralia shoots?”
“You’re going to work again?”

Hae-tae yawned and rubbed his face with his front paws.

“Eating food like this makes me want to cook something myself too.”
“Meow?”

I covered the lunch box lid as I spoke.

“I need to pick some aralia shoots for the Seon-eop Customer.”
“I’m exhausted, meow.”

A smile bloomed across my face as I watched Hae-tae draped limply across the Pavilion. His tail stretched weakly to the side, and with each exhale, his belly rose and fell slightly.

“You’re just going to stay like that?”
“I’d rather you hold me, meow.”
“Fine, I got it.”

I scooped Hae-tae into my arms and turned my gaze beyond the Pavilion. In the distance, the Vegetable Garden flourished with vibrant growth.

‘I need to season the aralia shoots anyway.’

I adjusted Hae-tae in one arm and rose to my feet.

“Let’s go, meow….”

Hae-tae buried his face against my chest and murmured softly. With each step I took, the aralia shoots in the distance swayed like gentle waves.

“There it is, meow….”

Just as Hae-tae said, broad, rounded leaves overlapped in layers.

“The aralia shoots are adorable.”

Aralia shoots were genuinely cute when seen in person. The leaves spread out prominently, and they felt soft when I brushed them with my fingertips. Yet, perhaps because they drew vitality from the Dimensional Space, they possessed a subtle elasticity.

“Aralia shoots are adorable, meow?”
“Among vegetables, they certainly look cute.”

I knelt down.

“Actually, aralia shoots got their name because bears love eating them. Another name for them is ‘bear’s herb.’ Bear’s herb.”
“I already know that, meow.”
“Right, our Hae-tae is impressive.”
“What do you mean, meow?”
“It means you’re smart.”

As I lifted a leaf, the scent of moss and young grass from deep within the mountains wafted up. I plucked several leaves and placed them in my palm.

[Slightly Disappointing Aralia Cordata (C)]

A faint mist clung to the leaf’s surface. The fragrance was potent, yet coarse—as if prolonged sunlight had sharpened the aroma into something harsh.

“C-grade has quite a strong smell, doesn’t it?”
“That it does, meow.”

I picked a few more leaves to examine.

[Fundamentally Sound Aralia Cordata (B)]
[Aralia Cordata with Distinctive Fragrance (A)]
[Aralia Cordata Infused with Dew’s Essence (S)]

The texture and fragrance of each leaf varied by grade.

‘Let me start with B-grade….’

B-grade leaves were thick with a pronounced bitterness. C-grade was both bitter and intensely fragrant, making it unpleasant to eat.

‘A-grade is different.’

A subtle sheen played across the leaf’s surface. The delicate veins made it perfect for wrapping with rice and sauce.

“Should I taste it?”

S-grade wasn’t merely fragrance—it was essence itself.

“This is….”
“How is it, meow?”

Rather than spreading as I chewed, the flavor dissolved on my tongue like morning mist.

“If I picked these broad leaves and wrapped them with rice and gochujang, it would be delicious…. So tender.”
“Just thinking about it makes my mouth water, meow!”

Hae-tae wagged his tail in agreement, and dewdrops caught between the mesh-like veins tumbled down to soak into the earth. Where each droplet fell, new sprouts began to emerge. It was in moments like these, gazing upon S-grade specimens, that I marveled.

‘TIP!’

A TIP window materialized above the aralia shoots.

[Ingredient TIP!]
Target Species: Human
Consumption Method: Mix S-grade aralia shoots and eat
Effect: Upon consumption, inflammation reduced by 80%

“Eighty percent reduction in inflammation?!”

I was so startled that I thought my breath would stop. A reflexive cough burst from my throat.

“Ahem! This is better than medicine, isn’t it?”
“Food is medicine, you know.”
“Well, that’s true, but….”

I smiled and plucked a leaf with a subtle sheen from the aralia patch in the Vegetable Garden.

[Aralia Shoot Infused with Morning Dew’s Essence (S)]

The pattern above the window rippled with golden light.

“I’ll harvest all of these.”

With greedy enthusiasm, I plucked S-grade aralia shoots handful after handful into my basket. Each time my fingertips touched them, dewdrops beaded on the leaves.

Glancing down suddenly, I noticed the Vegetable Garden had bare patches here and there.

“The garden seems to be suffering from hair loss.”
“…Yeah, it does.”

I felt a pang of guilt.

The basket was heaped high with aralia shoots that had been harvested almost entirely for side dishes.

‘This should be enough.’

I lifted the basket.

“Let’s go now.”
“I’m staying here to sleep, meow!”

***

The moment I entered the Kitchen, I gazed at the basket sitting on the sink. Inside it, freshly picked aralia leaves exhaled a soft, delicate breath.

“I’ll stay right here, meow….”

Hae-tae yawned and stretched across the table. Watching him, I picked up an aralia leaf and began rinsing it.

With each leaf I rinsed, a verdant fragrance bloomed across the clear water.

‘Time to blanch them.’

Now that they were clean, it was time to tame the robust aralia leaves. I’d fill a pot with water, bring it to a boil, then add a pinch of salt.

In the meantime.

“I’ll season them once they’re done.”
“Make it with soybean paste, meow!”
“Soybean paste?”

Hae-tae licked his lips eagerly, savoring the thought.

“I’m actually making this for the Seon-eop Customer.”
“Even a little bit is fine, meow!”

I added a pinch of salt, and the water came to a rolling boil. I submerged the aralia leaves into it. The delicate fronds flipped gently between my chopsticks, blanching in an instant before I fished them out again.

‘There’s a subtle sweetness to the aroma?’

Each time I lifted the leaves from the water, a fresh, sweet fragrance tickled the tip of my nose. Curious, I picked up a strand with my chopsticks and placed it in my mouth.

“…Mmm!”

The moment the slightly bitter, astringent flavor touched my tongue, it felt as though a blocked meridian had suddenly opened—my mouth flooded with clarity. Immediately after, the subtle aches hidden throughout my body seemed to dissolve away like mist.

“Did you notice?”

My eyes flew open as I bounced around the room with unbridled energy.

“I feel so light!”

My legs felt weightless, my shoulders relaxed, and my entire spirit seemed to brighten by a full ton—like a freshly tuned instrument. The effects of the aralia shoots were truly extraordinary.

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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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