They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 6

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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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6. Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop (6)

“Ah….”

Lee Hae-ra’s cheeks flushed slightly at the exclamation that had escaped her lips unbidden.

“It looks so delicious I couldn’t help myself. I’ve never seen scallion kimchi with such a lustrous sheen before…!”

Above the vibrant green scallions, the crimson sauce glistened with an alluring radiance.

“I added plum extract to the scallion kimchi.”
“Wow… just one ingredient and it transforms like this…?”
“Of course~!”

Lee Hae-ra swallowed hard once more, then picked up a piece of scallion kimchi with her chopsticks. That brief motion seemed to unfold in slow motion before me.

It had been a year. A year since I’d presented my cooking to a customer.

‘…It has to taste good.’

In that very moment.

Crunch—

A crisp, cheerful sound rang through the quiet shop. The scallions were so fresh that they snapped between Lee Hae-ra’s teeth like delicate crackers shattering lightly. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Mm…! It’s, it’s delicious?!”

Her weary voice jumped up an octave. The exhaustion that had shadowed her expression melted away, replaced by a radiant glow that spread across her entire face with unbridled joy.

“Phew! Thank goodness. I was so worried it might not suit your taste!”

Lee Hae-ra gazed at the empty bowl and answered with genuine admiration.

“How could this not be delicious? It’s even better than what my mother used to make….”

Could there be higher praise than this? Genuine happiness shone clearly across her face.

‘This is the moment.’

I gripped the container of scallion kimchi tightly and asked.

“Would you like me to put that scallion kimchi in a side dish container? I’d like to give it to you!”

Lee Hae-ra hesitated slightly.

“That… w-wasn’t that something you were planning to sell at the shop? You don’t have to give it to me….”
“No, I was making this for myself to eat.”

Still, Lee Hae-ra waved her hand in protest. Sharing a warm side dish with someone exhausted was hardly a grand gesture.

Without hesitation, I pulled out a small plastic container, carefully filled it with the scallion kimchi, and pressed the lid shut. Then I wrote a label on the lid with a marker.

[Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop]

I placed the container in a black bag and handed it to her.

“Spicy food helps relieve stress and is good for you. On your way out, stop by the convenience store and grab a jjajangmyeon noodle—it’ll taste even better paired with this.”

‘My mouth is already watering.’

Lee Hae-ra stopped protesting and took the black bag in her hands.

“Thank you so much. I’ll definitely, definitely come back to buy side dishes next time….”

I waved both hands.

“You don’t have to come back to buy anything. Just enjoy it.”
“Ah… yes. Well then, sell lots. Boss.”

Boss?! The unfamiliar yet delightful word made a smile bloom naturally across my face.

“Thank you for coming to the shop today! I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.”

Lee Hae-ra’s eyes glistened with moisture.

“Thank you for coming! Have a safe trip!”
“Yes… you too, boss….”

Lee Hae-ra bowed respectfully before quietly leaving the shop.

‘In a way, that was my first customer!’

Success!

“Mrrrow-meow-meow!”

I wondered what that sound was.

Hae-tae, unable to wait any longer, had come looking for me and was now perched atop the counter, watching me intently.

“Why are you taking so long, meow? I’m starving, meow!”
“Oh! Sorry, sorry—I had a customer.”

Hae-tae, who had been tapping the counter irritably with his tail to show his displeasure, perked up his ears at the mention of a customer and asked.

“Did you see anything from the customer, meow?”
“Actually, yes! It was similar to the status window for the crops.”

I headed into the kitchen and placed a leek on the cutting board, explaining what had happened earlier.

“I saw a ‘More Details’ option appear above the customer’s head. I was going to ask you about it first, but I tried it on my own!”
“How did it go, meow?”
“Well… the customer said it was delicious, so I think I did well? Could this be the good karma Grandmother mentioned?”
“That’s right, meow. There’s proof too, meow.”

Hae-tae padded over to a cardboard box in the corner of the shop and began rummaging through it. I nearly burst out laughing at the sight of him with only his rear end sticking out.

After rustling around for a while, Hae-tae emerged with something in his mouth, a light coating of dust on his fur.

“Found it, meow.”
“What is that?”
“A praise sticker board, meow.”

The board had a side dish container drawn on it. The artwork was clearly old, yet the colors remained vivid and bright, untouched by time.

“Praise stickers?”
“When you complete a task, a window appears before your eyes, and praise stickers get added here too, meow.”
“Really?”

It was still empty, but somehow I could sense it—this little side dish container illustration would gradually fill with praise stickers.

“We’ll look at that later… hurry up and start cooking, meow!”

I trimmed the scallions and tore open a package of jjajangmyeon noodles. At that, Hae-tae’s tail began swishing back and forth excitedly.

How badly did he want to eat? I laughed and held my palm up in front of his face.

“Okay. Hae-tae, wait.”

I drizzled olive oil into the wok and stir-fried the finely chopped scallions. With a sizzle, the fragrant aroma of scallion oil filled the kitchen.

‘Making instant jjajangmyeon taste like real jjajangmyeon…!’

The ultimate budget-friendly noodle recipe.

“Meowwww!”

I’d better hurry though. Otherwise, those soft, gelatinous paws might swat my cheek again.

***

“Ugh, I’m so exhausted. What a day…”

Lee Hae-ra arrived home and tossed the black plastic bag straight into the refrigerator before collapsing onto her bed.

Her boss had chewed her out again today, leaving her utterly drained. She’d barely rested before her stomach began its protest.

Grrrrowl.

She’d been too nervous around her superiors to eat a proper lunch, and now her belly was demanding food.

She lifted her head to check the time—past 9 PM. Far too late to cook anything elaborate.

‘Maybe I’ll just make some fried rice.’

Then, suddenly, I recalled the side dish shop I had visited before coming home.

‘Eating spicy food relieves stress and feels great. On your way out, stop by the convenience store and buy a package of black bean noodles to eat together—it’ll taste delicious.’

Lee Hae-ra lifted herself up and went to the dining table, opening the plastic bag.

“Hyang-suk’s… Side Dish Shop.”

The shop’s name was written in cute handwriting on the plastic container lid.

“The owner has such adorable handwriting….”

Lee Hae-ra opened the container lid without hesitation. The pungent aroma of scallion kimchi reached my nostrils, and the taste I’d experienced earlier came flooding back, my mouth watering.

I placed a pot filled with water on the gas stove. While waiting for it to boil quickly….

“Should I just eat one piece of scallion kimchi…?”

Before the words could even leave my lips, my chopsticks were already moving.

Crunch.

With each bite of scallion kimchi, the dull headache that had been throbbing vanished as if washed away. Moreover, the boss’s curses that had been circling endlessly in my mind and the fatigue from overtime work seemed to dissipate as well.

‘What is this? My stress is melting away….’

Lee Hae-ra lowered her gaze toward the scallion kimchi.
It must be because of eating something spicy, just as the owner had said.

“Ah, my nose is running.”

As the ramen broth began to boil, I quickly added the noodles.

“Hurry, hurry.”

I was growing impatient, craving more scallion kimchi.

Once the broth had reduced to a rich consistency, I added the seasoning packet and stirred it like stir-frying. As I swirled it with my chopsticks, the black bean sauce seeped perfectly between the noodle strands. I set the pot directly on the worn magazine atop the dining table.

I draped a strand of scallion kimchi across the steaming jjajangmyeon noodles.

The glossy jjajangmyeon and the spicy, tangy scallion kimchi.

There was no time to marvel.

I shoved a mouthful of noodles and scallion kimchi into my mouth. I was merely trying to satisfy my hunger, but the moment I chewed, an entirely different world unfolded.

The salty-sweet richness of the jjajang sauce mingled with the crisp, pungent freshness of the scallion kimchi. That perfect harmony struck my palate like a thunderbolt.

It was as if vivid, full-color paint had suddenly been poured onto a grayscale world.

“Ah…”

Only then did Lee Hae-ra pause, her chopsticks stilling as she quietly savored the lingering taste. But for some reason, the tears she’d been holding back burst forth like a dam breaking.

“Huh…”

The stress must have been enormous. To find such comfort in mere jjajangmyeon and scallion kimchi. It was pathetic, yet heartbreaking.

“I just wanted to do well…”

It was my first job, and I wanted to excel more than anyone.
But reality fell far short of my expectations.

Every day, my boss would sigh and lash out at me.

‘Lee Hae-ra, I thought you were a decent person. Can’t you even do this one thing? I hired you because you have a pretty face. Tsk, tsk…’

My coworkers offered no help whatsoever.

I couldn’t bring myself to tell my parents about my boss’s verbal abuse.

My parents always said the same thing.

‘You have no idea how much everyone congratulates us on our daughter getting into such a good company. Your mother is so happy these days.’
‘The company must be wonderful with such great benefits. Our daughter is so proud. So proud.’

“How could I possibly tell them I’m struggling?”

The only thing comforting me right now was this pickled green pepper that the owner of this unfamiliar side dish shop had given me.

I wiped my eyes with the heels of my palms and resumed eating.
I had to eat. I had to eat and find my strength.

“Should I… quit?”

After all, I’d endured three and a half years. I’d given it my best shot. Now, I wanted to stop. And I still had a future ahead of me.

A future to move toward.

***

A week of relentless, hectic days unfolded. The various documents needed to run the shop felt like an alien language.

“Preparation, preparation, preparation…!”

The preparations never ended!

I dragged my exhausted body to a chair and immediately buried my face in the shop table.

“Already tired, meow?”

I tilted my head slightly to look at Hae-tae.

“…When did you get here?”
“I’ve been at the stone statue, but I kept hearing your footsteps, meow.”

Hae-tae pressed my cheek firmly with a front paw.

“Hey… by the way. How did Grandmother sell her side dishes?”

I wanted to sell side dishes the way Grandmother Hyang-suk had. I had some vague memories of it, but ten years had passed, so everything had grown hazy.

“She just sold them, meow.”

Just sold them…? I stared at Hae-tae in confusion.

“Just like that?”
“Nothing special, meow. I’d sell seasonal side dishes as they came into season, and whenever regular customers asked for something, I’d make it fresh and sell it right away, meow.”
“That’s basically running a restaurant.”
“That’s right, meow.”

So Grandmother Hyang-suk made whatever side dishes customers requested and sold them fresh each time. She really did something remarkable.

Hae-tae’s mouth twisted into a smug grin at my reaction.

“Why couldn’t you do it, meow?”
“…?”
“Why. Couldn’t. You. Do. It, meow?”

…Grandmother did it, after all.

“Right!”
“Meow?”
“I can do it too. I thought I couldn’t, but I can.”

Hae-tae tapped my cheek lightly with a front paw.

“Besides, good deeds always come back as blessings, meow.”
“Really?”
“Of course—if you do good things, blessings should come back to you, shouldn’t they, meow?”
“What kind of blessings are we talking about?”

Hae-tae glanced out through the shop window as if he’d been waiting for this moment.

“Just wait and see, meow.”
“Wait for what? Who’s coming?”

Someone was genuinely peering through the shop window.

I’d posted a sign saying we were still preparing to open, so there shouldn’t be any customers. I jumped up from my chair.

“Who are you…!”

I set Hae-tae down on the floor and opened the shop door, my eyes widening immediately.

It was the customer who had come as my first visitor a week ago.

Since the preliminary Quest completion window hadn’t appeared, I’d been secretly worried that perhaps she hadn’t enjoyed the pickled green peppers….

But she came!

“Um… boss, you haven’t opened the Side Dish Shop yet?”
“We’re still preparing!”
“When will you… open?”
“Probably in three days!”
“…Then, this….”

Lee Hae-ra handed me a paper bag with a trembling voice.

“What is this…?”

The moment I accepted the paper bag and peered inside, I was left speechless.

The paper bag contained several aprons that could be used in the shop.

“Oh… you didn’t have to give me these!”

Lee Hae-ra’s face flushed crimson as she hung her head low.

“I… I quit my job…. It’s all thanks to you.”
“Thanks to me…?”
“…It was my first job, so I didn’t have the courage. My parents were happy because it was a good company, my coworkers told me to endure it like everyone else does, so I gritted my teeth and persevered….”
“….”
“But day by day, I was growing more and more exhausted. Then, when I ate the pickled green peppers you gave me, something strange happened—I suddenly found courage, you know? I mean, we only live once, so why should we suffer through it? There must be better places out there. Thank you. Th-thank you, boss.”

Instead of words of gratitude, I squeezed Lee Hae-ra’s hand firmly.

“I think that courage came from within you. I simply fanned the flames of courage that were already there.”

Lee Hae-ra held back her tears, forcing her lips into a difficult smile.

“Still… thank you.”
“I’m so, so happy to hear such wonderful news. So even though there isn’t much I can do for you….”

I glanced around before whispering softly.

“When special customers visit, I’ll give you an extra side dish as a complimentary gift. But you mustn’t tell anyone!”

Lee Hae-ra wiped the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand, her smile fresh and radiant.

“Yes, I won’t tell a soul!”

As Lee Hae-ra left, I sent her off with seasoned rapini greens and pickled scallions in hand.

“Take care on your way!”

Watching her slow figure disappear down the street, my heart swelled with emotion.

“This is what life is truly about.”

Helping one another, comforting each other.

“Come over here, meow.”

Hae-tae flicked his plump front paws beneath the praise sticker board, beckoning me over.

“What is it?”
“Look, witness the first moment of the praise sticker’s awakening, meow!”

In that instant, the praise sticker board emanated a soft luminescence as a gentle breeze swept through. A translucent hand materialized in the air, shimmering with ethereal light.

The semi-transparent hand gently pressed a single “praise sticker” depicting pickled scallions onto the board.

[You have obtained Karma Points. Shop detailed information has been unlocked.]

“Unlocked?”

As if answering my question, a shimmering information window unfurled before my eyes.

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[Ji-gu]
– Local Reputation: 10 (Word of mouth is spreading through the alleyways.)
– Divine Reputation: 1 (The gods and ■■ have begun taking notice of the shop.)
– Sacred Business Points: 1 (Reward unlock conditions not yet met)
[Business Status]
Today’s Customers: 1/10
Regular Customers: 1
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I stared blankly at the information window before blinking.

“What is this…?”

Hae-tae struck my calf with his front paw in congratulation.

“Congratulations on your first sacred business, meow.”
“Wow, wow! So the business was actually a success?”

Overwhelmed with joy, I showered Hae-tae’s face with kisses.

“Meow! Meoooow! Get away, meow!”
“Hahahaha!”

That was my first sacred business.

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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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