They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 50

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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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50. Hae-tae (1)

I rushed forward and scooped Hae-tae into my arms. The moment that small body touched my elbows, an abnormal heat radiated through me.

“Hae-tae! Snap out of it!”

Hae-tae barely managed to open his eyelids, his voice a weak murmur.

“My insides… are turning inside out, meow…”
“Your insides? What did you eat? Did you get sick from eating too much?”
“…I don’t know, meow.”

Hae-tae, who usually grumbled as a matter of habit, gasped for breath between every word. His breathing was labored, and his tail hung limp.

“Hospital… first…”

…But which hospital? A veterinary clinic? A human hospital? Where should I go? No, there’s no time for this. I need to find the neighborhood veterinary clinic.

That’s when Hae-tae weakly grasped my collar with his front paw.

“…A veterinary clinic won’t help, meow.”
“Then what do I do! If we just sit here, it’ll only get worse!”
“…Just leave it alone, meow.”

I frowned slightly.

“Just leave it alone?”
“Leave it, meow. I’ve grown this way, meow.”

…Grown this way.

“Just stay in my arms for now.”
“…Meow.”

I held Hae-tae close and took a deep breath. Normally, he would have demanded to be put down and unsheathed his claws by now.

I felt like a limp piece of cloth drained of all strength.

“This won’t do….”

I needed to contact someone I knew and ask about this. I pulled out the business card Lee Yeo-ui had left behind.

[Lee Yeo-ui]
444 – 010 – 1111]

With trembling fingertips, I dialed the number. The call connected after just a single ring tone.

– Hello?
“Hello. Um, this is Ji-gu from Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop. Hae-tae suddenly became ill…. Cold sweat is pouring down. His eyes aren’t….”
– You’re saying the Divine Being is sick?
“Suddenly his stomach hurts and he’s breaking out in cold sweat. How do you treat a Divine Being?”
– A Divine Being doesn’t particularly need medicine. He’ll be fine if you just leave him alone.
“…Just leave him?”

I asked back, my voice filled with confusion.

“But he’s suffering like this?”
– Did you take Hae-tae outside recently?
“Oh… yes. Here and there….”

I lowered my head and looked at Hae-tae, limp and drooping in my arms. The faintly trembling tips of his ears and his shallow, labored breathing tugged at my heart.

– That Divine Being gets an upset stomach when he eats food that doesn’t suit his palate.
“What?”
– Especially among Divine Beings, he has particularly sensitive taste buds.
“Ah…. He ate that tasteless pancake.”
– That’s it then.

…I made him eat something tasteless.

“It’s… okay…meow….”

Lee Yeo-ui said finally.

– Divine Being’s stomachache won’t heal with medicine. It’ll get better on its own after a day or so of rest.
“…Still.”
– Is it really that severe?

I silently brushed away the matted fur from Hae-tae’s back.

“Yes… from what I can see too.”
– Then I’ll bring some medicine.

‘Divine Being is more delicate than I thought….’

It happened just before the call ended.

Frost scattered from the gap beneath the Refrigerator, followed by the rhythmic click of heeled shoes. Then a long, pale hand emerged through the opening.

“…Lee Yeo-ui?”

Her fingertips appeared first, then her arm, followed by a silhouette as amorphous as a shadow taking on definition.

“I come here often, but the low doorway is inconvenient.”

Lee Yeo-ui, dressed in an immaculate white suit, crawled out with elegant grace. It should have been grotesque, yet somehow it felt strangely natural.

Ah, this isn’t the time for that.

“Lee Yeo-ui, Hae-tae is…!”

Lee Yeo-ui approached slowly and examined Hae-tae’s condition. In an instant, her eyes narrowed like a serpent’s, gleaming with an otherworldly light.

“Hae-tae’s condition seems more serious than expected.”

Lee Yeo-ui slowly swept her slender, elongated hand across Hae-tae’s disheveled fur.

“…Could it be from eating too much tasteless food? Or might there be another underlying issue?”

I asked cautiously.

“Perhaps the tasteless food damaged Hae-tae’s palate, or it could be that stepping outside the Dimensional Space after so long has brought on a cold.”

Lee Yeo-ui casually answered while toying with Hae-tae’s ear. Then, with a subtle twist of her wrist, a small glass vial tumbled out from beneath the white cuff of her formal jacket.

“Still, drinking this will make the pain disappear.”

The vial was impossibly small. Pale, wispy smoke drifted lazily within the glass.

“Is this medicine?”

Lee Yeo-ui smiled. For some reason, a chill ran down my spine.

“Yes. However.”

She inverted the vial and brought it to Hae-tae’s lips.

“This only dulls the pain somewhat.”
“It won’t heal it completely?”
“No. That part, the Divine Being must endure yourself.”

And she added, her voice impossibly soft.

“You know this well, don’t you, Divine Being?”

Lee Yeo-ui’s voice was chillingly cold. Hae-tae breathed shallowly, barely opening their eyes.

“Every time.”

Lee Yeo-ui’s finger grazed Hae-tae’s head lightly. It wasn’t a gesture of concern—it resembled a predator inspecting its prey.

“You’ve endured it yourself.”

At Lee Yeo-ui’s sharp words, I pulled Hae-tae closer into my embrace. It felt as though she were reproaching Hae-tae for growing weak. That’s why I wanted to protect them.

“I’ll feed it to them….”

She narrowed her eyes and nodded slowly.

“Will you? Good.”

And she smiled—a smile so small it was barely there.

“It’s because giving something to Divine Being causes all sorts of misunderstandings.”

I wanted to ask what kind of misunderstandings she meant, but….

‘Not now.’

I opened the lid of the small glass vial with my fingertip. The medicine transformed into a translucent mist the moment it touched air, drifting toward Hae-tae like wisps of smoke.

“Hae-tae, this is medicine.”

Why was my voice trembling like this?

Hae-tae weakly extended his tongue to receive the medicine I offered and swallowed it. But he couldn’t keep it down—the medicine dribbled limply from the corner of his mouth.

“It’s alright.”

I hurriedly wiped away the spilling medicine with my fingers. Lee Yeo-ui, who had been watching quietly, murmured softly.

“You’re quite kind, Ji-gu.”
“Hae-tae is practically family now. It’s not kindness—I’m just doing what needs to be done.”

Hae-tae’s rough breathing gradually began to ease. The medicine was working quickly.

“…Family, you say. Divine Being has found a good human.”
“A good human?”
“Most humans abandon their divine beings when they fall ill.”

‘I don’t understand what she’s saying at all….’

I set the medicine bottle down slightly and checked Hae-tae’s condition. The fever that had burned like flames at first was diminishing.

“Ahh… it’s warm.”
“Hae-tae, are you coming to?”

Hae-tae’s breathing was no longer sharp like before.

“…meow.”

Hae-tae opened his eyes halfway and burrowed deeper into my arms.

“Would it be alright to make porridge for Hae-tae?”
“Porridge?”
“Yes. Even porridge would….”

What should I feed him?

“Any food from the Dimensional Space will do. Even if you give him meat, the Divine Being will open his mouth and eat it.”
“Is that so?”

…Since he’s in pain, I should make him porridge at least.

“Ji-gu.”

Lee Yeo-ui stepped back and fiddled with a small silver device fastened around her wrist.

“There aren’t many humans who ask and do things like this for the Divine Being—or for me, for that matter. Most people think of the Divine Being as a tool.”
“A tool?”

Lee Yeo-ui tilted her head slightly to the side, gazing at me as if reading my thoughts.

“That’s right. Hae-tae should be fine once he rests tonight. He’ll wake up tomorrow morning as if nothing happened.”
“Is that so?”

What a relief.

“I heard the Side Dish Shop has become quite popular lately. Congratulations.”
“Ah… thank you.”
“Not at all. When the shop thrives, it’s good for us too.”

Lee Yeo-ui brushed her collar as if tidying her coat, then turned her steps toward the Refrigerator, signaling her departure.

“I should be going now.”

I bowed my head in gratitude.

“You must have been startled by the sudden call. Thank you for coming anyway.”

Lee Yeo-ui paused and looked at me for a moment.

“It’s my duty to care for the Divine Being, after all.”
“Ah… Then please be careful on your way.”

I tapped the bottom of the Refrigerator with my foot, and darkness split open like rippling water. Lee Yeo-ui’s white suit darkened as if being submerged in ink.

“We’ll meet again. Next time with good news.”

Without a sound, Lee Yeo-ui slipped deeper into that darkness, her head barely protruding as she whispered.

“And… I only hope that Hae-tae doesn’t repeat the same mistake.”
“Keep quiet, meow….”

Her face disappeared into the bottom of the Refrigerator. All that remained were fragments of frost that had gently fallen from the Refrigerator’s base, scattered across the Kitchen floor.

“Hae-tae?”

At those words, Hae-tae seemed to lose all strength and closed his eyes.

“Sleep?”
“…Not sleeping, meow.”

The tension that had filled the moment evaporated entirely. I dragged my exhausted body to a chair and let out a heavy sigh.

‘I should make him something delicious.’

I was frightened.

‘He looked similar to when Grandmother Hyang-suk was ill….’

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and looked at Hae-tae. He wasn’t the arrogant Divine Being he usually was—just a sick cat.

“…Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Forgot, meow….”
“You forgot?”
“Back then… in the days when everyone wore hanbok… I have a memory of it happening, meow.”

Hae-tae trailed off and closed his eyes again.

“From now on, I’ll only eat what I make.”
“I won’t eat anything tasteless again, meow.”

I picked up Hae-tae from my arms and headed to the Second Floor. With each step, Hae-tae’s faint breathing brushed against my wrist, making me slightly anxious.

“Lie down on the sofa. I’ll make you some porridge.”

The moment I set Hae-tae on the sofa, he curled his small body and breathed softly. I warmed a towel and draped it over Hae-tae’s belly.

“It’s warm, meow….”

His tiny paws gently wrapped around my wrist.

“Hae-tae.”

Hae-tae barely opened his eyes.

“What is it, meow….”
“…I was a little scared.”
“I’m sorry, meow.”

It was a very small apology. I smiled softly and stroked Hae-tae’s fur.

“Let’s have some porridge.”

Hae-tae closed his eyes again and murmured in a weakened voice.

“…Please make it vegetable porridge, meow.”

The medicine seemed to have worked well. After finishing his words, Hae-tae fell asleep.

“I’ll make it vegetable porridge for you.”

When I turned on the light in the Second Floor Kitchen, a soft yellow glow illuminated the space.

“Here….”

I took out the onions, zucchini, carrots, and green onions I’d stored in the Refrigerator and placed them in the sink.

‘They look especially fresh today.’

I quickly peeled away the skin and picked up my knife.

‘Cooking here in this place….’

My throat tightened slightly.

Since Grandmother Hyang-suk passed away, this was the first time I was making porridge for someone in this small Second Floor Kitchen.

‘I wonder if they even realize.’

My knife moved across the cutting board. The sliced vegetables gleamed like tiny fragments of stars.

I placed the washed rice into a pot and rested my palm against it for a moment. The grains trembled ever so delicately.

“This should do.”

I added the rice to the boiling water and stirred. As I worked the ladle through the porridge, soft clouds of steam rose gently upward.

About ten minutes later.

I added all the vegetables I’d prepared earlier at once. The vegetables and rice intertwined together in an instant.

“Done.”

I carried a bowl of porridge filled with care and placed it by Hae-tae’s bedside.

“…Sigh.”

As I leaned back against the sofa, the fatigue I’d been holding back came rushing in all at once. My eyelids grew heavy and began to close.

‘Just for a moment, just a little while.’

Using Hae-tae’s breathing as a lullaby, I leaned against the sofa and drifted into sleep.

***

As morning slowly bloomed into being, Hae-tae slowly lifted his eyelids.

“…Your body?”

The high fever from the previous day had vanished as if it were a lie. As Hae-tae sat up, the towel draped across my abdomen slipped away.

“What…”

Hae-tae shifted and lowered my gaze. Beneath the sofa, Ji-gu was sleeping precariously, leaning against it.

“Why is Ji-gu…”

Hae-tae quickly glanced around the surroundings. And I discovered the porridge I had requested before sleep—now cold.

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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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