They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 78

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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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78. Buckwheat Jelly Strips (2)

“Why do you like it?”

The Dokkaebi grinned widely.

“Dokkaebi have no stomach, so buckwheat jelly digests well for us.”
“No… stomach?”

I interrupted in surprise, and the Dokkaebi nodded.

“Sometimes in homes where I’m particularly active, they even use buckwheat jelly to drive me out, you know?”
“…What?”
“It’s food to appease me.”

The Dokkaebi wagged its tail slightly with an unbothered expression. Seeing it in Hae-tae’s form made the whole thing feel even stranger.

“It’s to make me leave of my own accord without hard feelings. Who could possibly defeat me anyway?”

‘What a disagreeable personality.’

Now that I understood, the words “buckwheat jelly strips” on the side dish order form took on a completely different meaning.

“Buckwheat is cool in nature and jelly is soft. For creatures without stomachs, that’s the most comfortable thing. It doesn’t get stuck, and nothing’s left behind either…”
“That’s why Dokkaebi keep seeking out buckwheat jelly.”

I spoke with newfound resolve.

“Then I’ll have to make it delicious.”

The Dokkaebi laughed and tilted its head to the side.

“So the human beside you really is different?”

Its gaze naturally shifted toward me.

“You’re too kind.”
“No, it’s a rare skill on our end.”

‘A rare skill?’

I placed the order slip into my apron pocket and turned the request over in my mind. Buckwheat jelly noodles. My hands instinctively recalled the process of how to make them.

Harvest the buckwheat,
Remove the husks,
Dry it slowly, then grind it fine and prepare the jelly….

This is where it gets tricky. I would need to wait. I spoke to the Dokkaebi with candor.

“It’ll probably take four days. Is that alright?”

The Dokkaebi’s eyes gleamed as if it had been waiting for this.

“I’m fine with it.”
“Then I’ll make it properly for you.”

I spoke with confident assurance, arms crossed. At that, Hae-tae beside me grumbled with clear displeasure.

“If you make it properly, it’ll come back making a fuss about wanting more, meow.”
“The cat’s making sounds.”

Hae-tae’s claws came out instantly.

“You’re one to talk, meow!”
“So scary, meow~.”

Hae-tae trembled as it watched the Dokkaebi press itself snugly against my side.

‘…They fight often.’

Just then, the shop door burst open and cold air rushed inside.

“Shop owner!”

At the familiar voice, I turned my head to find Lee Hae-ra beaming brightly.

“Lee Hae-ra!?”

Lee Hae-ra was dressed more neatly than usual.

“What brings you here so early in the morning?”

I withdrew my hand from my apron pocket with genuine warmth and approached her.

“Well, you see…!”
“Yes…!”
“I just couldn’t leave without telling you!”
“Couldn’t leave? Is something the matter?”

As Lee Hae-ra shifted slightly, an employee ID lanyard with the Company logo peeked out from inside her coat.

‘Could it be…?’

“You’re going to work!?”
“Yes!”
“Wow…!”

I grasped both of her hands firmly between mine.

“Go and do well. The first day is always the most nerve-wracking, isn’t it?”
“…Yes.”

Lee Hae-ra offered a shy smile, though the corners of her mouth seemed slightly tense.

“You’ll do wonderfully.”
“…Thank you.”

I stepped back and spoke.

“Turn around and look behind you, Lee Hae-ra.”
“B-Behind me?”

She tilted her head curiously and turned to face backward, standing still.

“Don’t be startled.”

I placed my palm against Lee Hae-ra’s back. Warmth seeped through my fingertips.

“B-Boss?!”
“Just channeling a bit of encouragement.”

Grandmother Hyang-suk used to do this whenever something important was at stake. She never offered grand incantations or flowery words—just a steadying hand against my back. Yet those days felt blessed.

‘May her first day go smoothly.’

“That should do it.”

I opened my eyes and gave Lee Hae-ra’s back a gentle push.

“Lee Hae-ra.”
“…Yes?”
“You’ve got this.”

Only then did Lee Hae-ra draw a deep breath and break into a genuine smile.

“Yes! I’ll be back after work!”

Watching Lee Hae-ra walk toward the Company from outside the Side Dish Shop, I found myself growing tense as well.

“Why are you nervous?”

Hae-tae asked with one eye half-open.

“I know, right? Even I’m trembling.”
“Hmph.”

I stroked the heads of Hae-tae and Dokkaebi to calm myself. Their different textures brushed against my palm.

‘Hmm… the morning should be quiet.’

I mentally gauged the time. When would be the best hour to go harvesting?

“I should head to the Buckwheat Field during lunch.”

***

When lunchtime arrived, I hung a sign on the Side Dish Shop door.

[Psst, taking a quick bathroom break.]

I immediately untied my apron and draped it over the back of a chair.

“Hae-tae! You need to harvest buckwheat with a sickle, right?”
“That’s right, meow!”

A sickle… a sickle….

It wouldn’t be under the counter—it had to be in the Storage Room behind the shop.

“Sigh….”

The Dimensional Space would be cold too, so I prepared thoroughly. I threw on my coat, pulled on a neck warmer, and pressed a straw hat onto my head—one that symbolized setting sail.

“Why are you wearing a straw hat, meow?”
“Just because? It looks cool.”
“Meow-oooow?”

Hae-tae shook his head in disbelief and followed behind me. And so I headed toward the back of the shop.

The Storage Room was a place I rarely visited. When I opened the door, dust scattered in clouds, and the scent of age wafted out.

“Oh.”

Familiar items stood in their places.

“Wow….”
“What is it, meow?”
“There are so many things I used when I was little….”

Grandmother Hyang-suk hadn’t thrown them away—she’d gathered them all in the Storage Room.

“Grandmother Hyang-suk doesn’t throw things away easily, meow.”
“…Yeah, that’s true.”

I grasped the sickle Grandmother Hyang-suk once used. The rubber on the handle had deteriorated considerably.

I finished preparing to enter the Dimensional Space.

“Let’s go!”

I surrendered myself to the familiar sensation and opened my eyes as my body felt like it was fading away.

“Hoo…!”

Cold air brushed against my skin, though no wind blew. Winter’s breath seeped into my lungs, and my body trembled.

“It snowed in the Dimensional Space too?”
“It did, meow.”

Hae-tae wrapped an old scarf around himself and headed toward his usual spot as if it were the most natural thing. Watching him, I began moving my feet as well.

The snow lay thin on the ground, and with each step, it made a sound that was neither crisp nor soggy—like treading on well-dried paper.

“The Dimensional Space is always so quiet in winter…”

There was almost no wind. The sharp gusts common in reality were absent, which was oddly comforting. Yet that very comfort felt strange.

“Where’s Dokkaebi?”
“Dokkaebi, meow?”

Hae-tae glared at me with obvious displeasure.

“What do you mean ‘Dokkaebi’?! Dokkaebi!”
“Then why do you call me Tae instead of my full name?”
“Meoooow?!”

Hae-tae growled.

‘What a temperamental creature.’

“Fine, fine. I won’t call you Dokkaebi anymore.”

While I was placating Hae-tae, an unfamiliar hand appeared from somewhere.

“What the—!”

Another distinct shadow of a person appeared across the thin layer of snow.

“Come on, no need to be that upset.”
“Dokkaebi?”
“Yeah. How do I look?”

My eyes widened at the sight of Dokkaebi’s true form. Hair cascading down to her waist was as dark as roasted chestnuts, and her eyes were lifted far more dramatically than when she wore the cat’s shape. Her lips curved naturally upward, radiating an undeniable allure.

“…Who are you?”
“Is my true form different?”
“It is, quite different.”
“Why are you speaking so formally?”
“You seem like an older sister?”
“Seem like an older sister, you say.”

The two small horns barely visible through her hair weren’t so much threatening as…

‘So she really is a Dokkaebi.’

They served as proof of her true identity.

“This is my real form.”

Dokkaebi stood barefoot on the snow. Though it should have been bitterly cold, not even frost clung to her toes.

“Doesn’t your feet hurt from the cold?”
“What would hurt?”

I exhaled a deeply sympathetic sigh.

“Why are you sighing?”
“It’s a shame.”
“What is?”

I spoke while stroking Hae-tae’s head.

“We went from two cats to one.”
“Meow?! There was only ever one cat, meow.”
“Is that so?”

There, there. My precious cat. As I rubbed Hae-tae’s chin, the growl from moments before vanished entirely.

“Let’s go now.”

I cradled Hae-tae in my arms and made my way toward the Vegetable Garden. Through the gaps in the snow, the Buckwheat Field stretched out before me like rolling waves.

Each stalk bowed its head, its buckwheat ears pressed slightly by frost yet refusing to break—standing firm against the cold.

“The buckwheat is sturdy.”

The buckwheat that had endured winter radiated a solid, unyielding strength. It was proof of survival, nothing less.

“Good crop.”

A crop that had weathered winter meant it had gripped its power tightly. I pulled on my gloves and stepped into the field. I picked up a single buckwheat stalk that reached nearly to my calf.

‘Since it’s supposed to be S-rank…’

I hoped it would reveal itself immediately.

I bent at the waist, grasped the stem, and snapped it gently without applying full force. A crisp, clear sound rang out.

‘That sound…’

Perfect.

A subtle grassy fragrance wafted from the broken edge.

With just a slight shake, the buckwheat husks scattered like snow.

[Exquisite-Tasting Buckwheat (A)]
[Fundamentally Sound Buckwheat (B)]
[Distinctly Fragrant Buckwheat (A)]

‘…Why is S-rank so difficult to obtain?’

I cradled the broken stalk and shifted it to the side. As I laid it on the snow, buckwheat seeds scattered from the stem’s end with a soft crackling sound.

‘What a waste…’

I bundled the buckwheat stalks methodically and stacked them beside me. Taking a measured breath and lifting my gaze, I could see low hills beyond the snow-blanketed field and a small stream frozen solid in the distance.

“Are the frog and Squirrel still sleeping?”
“They’ll wake soon, so I need to check on them now.”

For the first time, I saw a sense of responsibility cross Hae-tae’s face.

“You need to check on them?”
“I have to make sure they don’t get cold.”

I set down the bundled buckwheat cradled in my arms and studied Hae-tae intently.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You really are a Divine Being, aren’t you?”

Hae-tae clicked his tongue and turned away.

“Don’t say strange things.”

With that, Hae-tae strode purposefully toward the edge of the snow-covered field.

“He’s gone?”

Dokkaebi glanced at the bundled buckwheat and spoke.

“Since your friend the Divine Being isn’t here anymore, aren’t you curious about anything?”
“Curious about what?”
“Aren’t you curious? About what kind of relationship Hae-tae and I had? Things like that.”

I kept my gaze fixed in the direction Hae-tae had disappeared, then asked.

“It seems like it would be impolite to ask.”
“It’s not that serious.”
“Should I ask then?”

Dokkaebi fell silent for a moment. Then, with a soft laugh, he flopped down into the snow where Hae-tae had been sitting earlier.

“It was a long time ago.”
“A long time ago…?”

I stopped my hand.

“It was during the Joseon era.”

The Dokkaebi drew a beautiful arc across his lips as he continued.

“…That’s when we met.”

***

It was a bitterly cold winter’s day.

The Dokkaebi bore deep claw marks from a tiger’s assault. What a pathetic sight in flight. Sprawled across the snow, crimson blood seeped outward, and the frigid cold bit mercilessly into the open wounds.

I was dying.
Well, if death came, so be it.

There was no thought at all. No will to survive, no instinct to flee. The long centuries I had lived had dulled such things within me.

Then came the voice of a small child. I rolled my eyes toward the sound. Standing on the snowy path was a tiny girl. Her quilted jacket was tattered in places, her shoes soaked through, yet….

‘Are you a Divine Being?’

The child showed no fear, did not cry. Instead, she tilted her head curiously and drew closer to me.

‘….’

I did not answer. There was no point in answering. The absurdity of a human child standing so near to me was beyond comprehension.

‘You’re bleeding.’

Only then did I open my eyes fully and look at the child.

‘Aren’t you afraid of me?’
‘No.’

What was it about that brief answer that—

‘Is that so.’

Whether I was trying to save it.

The child fumbled inside my arms and pulled out a scrap of cloth. It was far from clean. With clumsy hands, the child draped it over the Dokkaebi’s wound.

‘Are you alone?’
‘Yes.’

The child had no parents to lean upon.

‘Then speak of this to no one.’

The Dokkaebi spoke in a low voice. Then, with a blood-stained hand, I covered the child’s eyes and flicked them away. Soon after, I wove my magic.

The blood that had been seeping from beneath the child’s cloth ceased. The torn flesh healed as though it had never existed in the first place. The Dokkaebi’s form gradually returned to its original shape.

‘…Yes.’

What could the reason have been?

‘Will you come with me?’

The Dokkaebi found the child irksome.

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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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