They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 61

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

61. Kimchi-Making (6)

Hae-tae pushed out his cheeks with his front paws and answered listlessly.

“Back then… you were working so hard, so I let you be, meow….”
“What in the world?!”

I glared at Hae-tae with narrowed eyes, utterly exasperated. Instead, he declared boldly.

“But you still didn’t learn the philosophy that you can’t do things alone, meow!”
“That’s… actually a fair point….”
“Hmph, meow!”

Still, I had to teach this glutton a lesson. I pressed down on Hae-tae’s head and playfully rubbed his face.

“Meoooow!”

Seeing Hae-tae’s disheveled face, I felt my mood brighten.

“But wouldn’t moving it as-is make things harder?”
“That’s why I’m moving it for you, meow.”

Before those words even finished, the floor of the Dimensional Space trembled violently. The earthworm then rose up and created waves across the ground.

-Whoooosh!
-Hummm!
-Whoooooosh…!

As if swallowing everything whole, the pile of kimchi ingredients compressed in an instant and was hurled out of the Dimensional Space. I stood mesmerized, simply watching the extraordinary sight.

-Hummm!

The earthworm gave a notification as if to announce the delivery was complete.

“We should’ve arrived behind the shop by now, meow!”
“Will this actually work…?”

With lingering doubt, I stepped toward the dimensional space’s entrance. Beyond the warped fabric of space and time, the familiar backyard came into view. And there, where nothing had been before, stood a towering mountain of kimchi-making ingredients.

“…Lee Hae-ra would faint if she saw this.”
“That’s today’s highlight, meow.”

This cat wanted to see my shocked expression.

“Ugh, don’t mess with people like that.”
“Hmph, meow.”

Hae-tae flicked his tail slightly and played innocent.

“Let me check the ingredients first.”

I set Hae-tae down from my shoulder and examined the delivered ingredients.

[Ordinary Quality Leek (B)]
[Fundamentally Sound Leek (A)]
[Exquisite Flavor Radish (A)]
[Slightly Wilted Ginger (C)]
[Somewhat Disappointing Dropwort (C)]
[Leek Blessed by the Wind (S)]
[Dropwort Draped in Starlight (S)]

A status window I hadn’t seen before suddenly appeared.

“Oh? Dropwort draped in starlight!”

Was it just my imagination, or did the dropwort shimmering with starlight look even fresher…?

“If our kimchi becomes too popular like this, that could be a problem~”
“It was already popular, meow!”

Hae-tae wore a proud expression.

“That’s true.”

After all, reservations for kimchi-making at Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop were always quick to fill up.

“Now the real work begins.”

As I stepped into the shop to fetch my apron and cotton gloves, my eyes met Lee Hae-ra’s, who was wiping down the display counter with a cloth.

“Boss, you’re here already?”
“Yes. I’ve brought back the ingredients.”
“I didn’t hear your car….”
“The shop has good soundproofing.”

I retrieved my apron and cotton gloves from the drawer beneath the counter, then grabbed a cutting board and knife from the kitchen.

“Aren’t you curious how much kimchi-making material I bought?”
“How much did you get?”
“Brace yourself!”

The moment I headed toward the backyard, Lee Hae-ra’s movements froze entirely. Her gaze locked onto the mountain of kimchi ingredients. Her mouth fell open at the utterly absurd scale of it all.

“Wh-what? Boss? This… this… is this all… kimchi-making ingredients?”
“Yes, all kimchi-making materials!”

Lee Hae-ra covered her mouth with both hands.

“Can you really process all of this?”
“Well….”

I waved my hand as I gazed at the towering pile of ingredients.

“Your hands will probably get sore, won’t they?”

Compared to the nights I’d worked overtime just organizing food ingredients, this was manageable.

“Should I… help you out?”
“Oh no, I hired you as staff for this shop. You can’t help with this—that would be a breach of contract~.”
“What? Why! I’m quite good at preparing ingredients!”
“Tsk. When making kimchi, things get hectic, and if customers come in, no one will be able to attend to them.”

Lee Hae-ra blinked, then nodded as understanding dawned on her.

“Then I’ll tend to the shop with all my effort. Boss, if you need me while preparing the kimchi ingredients, just call anytime!”
“Hearing Lee Hae-ra say that makes me feel so reassured, so reassured!”
“Yes! I’ll take good care of the shop!”

Lee Hae-ra nodded repeatedly and hurried into the shop.

“Now the real ordeal begins, meow.”
“Ordeal or not.”

Radishes, water dropwort, Welsh onions, ginger—piled up beside me like mountains. No matter how I looked at it, it was impressive.

“If this is hell, then it’s paradise.”

I placed a large basin in front of me and picked up a vegetable shredder. As I lifted a radish in my hand, its substantial weight settled into my palm. The cold, firm texture naturally calmed my mind and steadied my spirit.

I pressed the radish against the shredder and pushed.

Crunch, crunch—

White radish strands tumbled down like snow. Perhaps because of that, my body naturally fell into rhythm with the sound.

In an instant, seven radishes lost their form. The basin held only radish strands.

“After we finish the kimchi, should we have grilled pork belly with ramen….”
“You said grilled pork belly, meow!”
“Oh!”

Hae-tae came rushing over like an arrow and perched on top of my head. Why does he keep coming to nest on my head like that?

“Grilled pork belly with water dropwort would be delicious, meow!”
“What if we topped it with Divine Being’s kimchi too?”
“That would be a crime, meow.”

The two of us were already sketching out the future feast after the kimchi-making was done, momentarily escaping reality.

“Why are you doing that instead of working, meow? Get back to it, meow.”
“…I know. I said I know.”

‘Now the seasoning is half the battle in kimchi-making.’

I lifted my head and gazed toward the pile of seasoning ingredients.

‘I need to simmer the anchovy sauce and shrimp paste before making the seasoning.’

***

After four hours had passed, I sprawled flat on the wooden platform, staring up at the sky.

The sunlight poured down brilliantly, the wind blew cold, and my arms felt impossibly heavy.

‘I’ve finished the seasoning, but….’

The filling was the problem. The filling. Cutting the ingredients was the issue. If that was the case, I needed a progress check now.

“I should try making just one head of cabbage.”

In kimchi-making, the filling is everything. The seasoning matters, but ultimately, how generously—or rather, how restrainedly—you fill it determines the taste.

‘Too much seasoning is a problem, and too little is also a problem.’

I pulled back the plastic and removed the most perfectly brined head of cabbage.

“Are you doing it now?”
“Yes. I’ll give you the first one.”

Now I slipped rubber gloves onto both hands and gazed at the kimchi seasoning I’d prepared earlier in the basin.

A deep red, heavy color. The scent was pungent—a blend of red chili powder, fish sauce, minced garlic, and shredded ginger.

I scooped the seasoning into my gloved hand. It broke off with a thick, sticky sound.

“I’m putting it in now…?”

I supported the outermost leaf of the cabbage with one hand and slowly began spreading the seasoning with the other, starting from the inside and working toward the outer leaves.

‘Starting with the outer leaves would be amateurish.’

If you spread seasoning starting from the outer leaves, it won’t penetrate all the way to the inside.

Shwick—shwick—

The seasoning filled the spaces between the cabbage leaves. The pale white leaves transformed into a deep crimson.

“This is going to taste delicious, meow.”
“Hey? Don’t drool. It’s going in.”

Hae-tae stretched his neck out, peering intently at the kimchi.

“People are going to envy me, meow.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t eat, meow.”
“Well, they can always come buy some from our shop.”

Now I spread the seasoning and added the filling. Then I wrapped it with the final leaf, shaped it into a round bundle, and laid it down gently.

After confirming the seasoning was perfectly balanced—neither excessive nor lacking—I folded and pressed it into place.

“I’m starving from smelling kimchi-making all this time.”

After bending, straightening, folding, and laying down bundle after bundle, the kimchi began to stack neatly in the bowl.

“Want to try some?”
“Meoooow!”

Hae-tae’s front paws climbed onto my thigh. I rolled a single cabbage leaf into a tight bundle and placed it in his mouth.

“How is it?”
“…meow!”
“What?”

Hae-tae looked at me and began chewing slowly.

“Just eating this alone would be delicious, meow!”
“Is the seasoning just right?”
“Meow! It’s perfectly seasoned, meow!”

As long as the seasoning was right, that was all that mattered.

‘I should have a taste too.’

As the chef who had prepared this dish, I took another hearty bite of the remaining kimchi from the preparation.

“Mmm…!”

The outer leaves crunched audibly between my teeth, while the inner layers had absorbed the seasoning and softened into a succulent texture. The sharp spice of the chili powder struck first, then the deep umami of the salted shrimp broth supported it from behind.

“This is it…!”
“That’s the one, meow!”

Hae-tae seized my hand again.

“What?”
“Just one more bite, meow.”
“You said that last time too.”
“One bite just keeps turning into another, meow.”

I laughed and tore off another strip of cabbage to feed him. I wiped the seasoning from his whiskers with my own hands.

“This is going to cause a commotion, meow!”
“Of course it will. Look who made it!”

I stood up with the kimchi in hand and headed into the shop. A customer was just leaving as Lee Hae-ra was seeing them out.

“Lee Hae-ra! Come here quick!”
“Yes? What is it!”
“Try some of this kimchi!”
“M-may I really eat some!?”
“Of course!”

I retrieved vinyl gloves and tore off a piece of the kimchi, rolling it into a neat bundle.

“Would you like to try it?”

At the deep, weighty aroma of the kimchi mingling with chili powder and fermented seafood, Lee Hae-ra’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

“Then, if you’ll excuse me….”

The moment Lee Hae-ra put the kimchi in her mouth.

“…M-ma’am! This is incredibly delicious!?”
“Really?”
“Yes! It’s so, so delicious!”
“How is it?”
“This is the first time I’ve tasted kimchi that’s both crisp and refreshingly cool like this…!”

All my hard work had paid off.

“I’ll give you some kimchi as thanks for your trouble when you head home.”
“Oh, no! I… I want to buy this!”
“Just accept it in times like these.”

I had never intended to charge for the kimchi anyway. I was about to move it to the Kitchen when—

“My goodness, are you making kimchi right now?”

A customer entered and pointed at the kimchi.

“Yes, I’m in the middle of kimchi-making!”
“So that’s where the wonderful smell in the shop was coming from. The aroma was so enticing I couldn’t just walk past. Would it be possible to have a taste…?”

I hesitated for a moment, then picked up a piece of kimchi.

“Would you like to try one? I can’t remove my vinyl gloves right now.”
“Now that’s real flavor.”

The customer accepted the kimchi and put it in her mouth.

“Oh my!”

Her eyes widened in astonishment.

“What is this? How is the cabbage so refreshing and sweet? And the fermented seafood flavor doesn’t overpower it at all.”
“I simmered the fermented seafood for several hours to mellow out the intensity.”
“Oh my… I see….”
“It’s made with cabbage I sourced from my Vegetable Garden.”

Of course, it’s from the Dimensional Space’s Vegetable Garden.

“Is that so?”
“Since I wash and prepare each one with my own hands, it’ll taste even better.”

I brightened my eyes and matched the customer’s gaze.

“Do you take reservations for kimchi-making kimchi?”
“…Yes. I’m already taking some reservations.”

I answered deliberately with a beat of hesitation—neither too relaxed nor too busy.

“How full are the reservations? I was thinking of reaching out to others.”

I peeled off the vinyl gloves and brushed my hands once.

“Well… since you’re a regular customer, I’ll be honest—there are quite a few reservations.”
“Oh my. It’s too late to ask now, isn’t it?”

I hesitated for a moment, opening my mouth before subtly lifting the corners of my lips.

“No, of course. I can certainly set aside a few batches for you.”

The customer’s expression, which had been full of worry, brightened instantly, and she struck my forearm with her fist.

“Then… could I reserve five batches?”
“Yes! Of course!”

I quietly made a mental note.

‘Kimchi-making kimchi, five batches reserved.’

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