They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 85

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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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85. Planning (2)

“When I visit cafes, I tend to eat a lot of desserts. Sweet food is what suits my palate best.”
“Desserts?”
“If I had to describe it, I’d say they’re the most stimulating to my taste buds?”

Jung Song-i trailed off with a soft laugh.

“If you love desserts, I’ll buy you all the cakes here.”

Hae-tae, who had climbed back onto my shoulder and up to the top of my head, spoke.

“You’re more of a pig than me, meow.”

You’re the one with the belly fat. Anyway. I picked up my smartphone and headed to the counter to place an order.

Jung Song-i sat at the table with her hands folded neatly, gazing out the window. Not a single thing was out of place.

The light from the Cafe Alley bulbs reflected off the glass window, casting a faint shimmer across Jung Song-i’s eyes.

“One americano, one cheesecake, and one carrot cake.”
“Thank you.”

I took the tray and set it on the table.

‘Time to switch into professional mode.’

I pulled my chair back with a subtle smile and sat down.

“This place has a comfortable atmosphere.”
“That’s because Ji-gu makes it comfortable, meow.”

I found myself agreeing with Hae-tae’s words. Jung Song-i turned her head to look at me.

“Then… should I start by bringing up the Spring Festival?”
“Yes.”

I leaned back against the chair.

“Ga-rin told me to explain it simply to Ji-gu, but I’m not sure it can be that simple.”
“What kind of format is it?”

Jung Song-i smiled softly.

“It looks like they’ll create local community booths and hold it in a competition format. The same as last year.”

I’d been vaguely suspecting this ever since hearing about the judges…

“I knew they held a similar competition last year, but it seems they’re doing the same thing this year?”

Jung Song-i picked up her fork and took a bite of cheesecake.

“Yes. The booth runs for two days.”

She lifted her left hand from the table and held up her index and middle fingers to indicate two days.

“Two days?”
“Yes. Within two days.”

“The schedule is set for early February.
“Early February…”

Christmas hadn’t even passed yet. Though it seemed quite soon, it wasn’t an unreasonably tight timeline.

“The winning conditions are… selling a lot within the booth, receiving high scores from the judges, or getting stickers from visitors to the Local Community. They calculate the winner based on the combined ‘comprehensive score’ of all three.”

I set down my cup. Sell a lot, get high scores, and collect plenty of stickers from people…

“That doesn’t sound easy.”
“Of course not. If winning were easy, where would the fun be?”

This time, I picked up my fork and took a large bite of carrot cake. Jung Song-i’s gaze lingered on my hand.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

I asked, my lips trembling slightly.

“What about the booth placement?”
“Booth placement is random. Ga-rin will contact you. Just head to the Happiness Welfare Center when she does.”

Those bastards could end up right across from me. I set down my fork and interlaced my fingers.

“Are there many participants?”
“Not too many.”

I pulled up a mental calculator. Two days, sales, judging, word-of-mouth, tight and demanding….

“So I won’t be able to run the shop for two days?”
“But since it’s a local event, the neighborhood is already aware of it, so it should be fine.”
“Even so… it’ll be quite a hit, won’t it?”
“There’s going to be significant promotion as well.”

Jung Song-i took a sip of her coffee. Her brow furrowed slightly—she seemed pleased. Then she looked at me and spoke.

“You can submit just one menu item, or up to two.”
“You’re saying not to be greedy?”
“More precisely, since it’s local promotion, quality matters more than quantity.”

I nodded. I needed to choose food that would stick in people’s minds.

“Convince them through taste.”
“Through taste?”

Jung Song-i smiled softly.

“I’m going to tell you to showcase your shop’s signature dish.”
“My shop’s signature dish?”
“Yes. When everyone expects something easy and fun, expectations drop. That works in your favor.”

I nodded slowly, absorbing her words.

‘I need to focus on creating something that defines the shop.’

“I’ll give it a try.”
“Since it’s the Spring Festival… well….”

She paused as if considering her advice carefully.

“What about spring vegetables?”
“That sounds good.”

People who loved spring vegetables were surprisingly hard to find, and they were rare ingredients too. Because of that, I felt confident that offering spring vegetables would work well.

‘Anyone who understands the seasons would definitely appreciate it.’

I lifted the cup and drank the last of my Americano.

‘Should I have another cup.’

The bitter taste of the Americano had faded, leaving only the bland flavor of barley tea as it slid down my throat. I tilted the cup slightly and pressed the remaining sip to my lips.

Glug.

I set the empty cup back on the table.

“Now then….”
“Actually, there’s something else I wanted to say.”
“Yes?”

I settled back into my chair, which I’d just begun to leave.

“What else did you want to discuss?”

Jung Song-i looked directly at me.

“Why did you bring Cha Beom-seok?”
“Ah… well.”
“Is it because I have a personal connection with the Simple Cooking Chef?”

That wasn’t it. At least, I hadn’t made that calculation. Jung Song-i didn’t wait for my response and continued speaking precisely.

“I’m curious whether you brought Cha Beom-seok along to avoid giving the judges a bad impression.”

Now I understood why Jung Song-i had come in my stead. I cleared my throat softly and chose my words carefully.

“It’s not that… I thought it would be better if one of the judges was someone who knew my cooking.”
“Mm.”

Jung Song-i gave a brief nod of acknowledgment.

“I didn’t mean anything like what you might be thinking. Cha Beom-seok has worked alongside the Simple Cooking Chef team before.”
“I know.”
“I just hope you don’t get the wrong impression. Since Chef Cha Beom-seok is well-known to the public, I thought it would be better for local promotion as well.”

The moment I said this….

‘That really does sound like an excuse.’

“It’s an excuse, meow.”

This cat wasn’t helping matters….

“You’re right. Honestly, I want to win too. Otherwise, I’d be lying, wouldn’t I?”

Laying bare my true feelings actually lightened my heart. Jung Song-i had been in this business long enough. Hiding my intentions here would have been disrespectful.

“Haha.”

Jung Song-i laughed briefly. It wasn’t a laugh born of displeasure. Thankfully.

“You don’t need to explain. I was just curious, that’s all.”

‘That didn’t seem to be the case at all….’

Jung Song-i pierced the cake with her fork again, brought it to her lips, and savored it.

“Really. Aside from being upset that you served me your cake earlier, I’m not particularly displeased about you bringing Chef Cha Beom-seok.”
“…Then I’m relieved.”

Jung Song-i nudged her cup slightly to the side and nodded.

“After all, the judges’ evaluation isn’t absolute, and bringing one chef doesn’t guarantee victory, right?”
“….”
“It doesn’t really matter that Ga-rin joined as a judge either. If anything, we should be thanking Ji-gu for this.”
“Ga-rin is a judge too?”
“Of course—we need a local community special judge as well.”

‘…She’s truly unpredictable.’

I let out a short laugh.

“I’m glad you see it that way.”
“Not at all.”

Jung Song-i put another piece of cake into her mouth and spoke.

“I didn’t choose Ji-gu based on what the Simple Cooking Chef said. It’s just that the narrative of the most promising newcomer running a side dish shop seemed more interesting and worthwhile for the competition.”
“Oh, I see?”

Jung Song-i cleanly scraped the remaining filling from the plate with her fork.

“I’m saying I’d like Ji-gu to win. Of course, this is just polite talk.”
“….”

Again, Jung Song-i offered a cryptic smile. I gripped my smartphone and rose from my chair.

“Would you like me to get you another one?”

Jung Song-i’s eyes widened slightly.

“Chocolate cake this time.”

***

‘So, do you have a dish in mind?’
‘Not yet.’
‘Not yet?’

Jung Song-i echoed Ji-gu’s words back to him as a question.

‘…I don’t think I’ll be making bento boxes.’

Bento boxes. I won’t be making them.

“Wasn’t it your specialty?”

I scooped a large forkful of the cake Ji-gu had brought me. The soft cream, unable to bear its own weight, crumbled slowly from the fork’s tines.

“Your bento boxes were delicious.”

Jung Song-i watched quietly as Ji-gu’s figure retreated toward home. Seeing him cry out as if conversing with the sky, she shook her head.

He’s not quite right either.

Honestly, she hadn’t expected the Side Dish Shop to produce something that would steal the festival’s spotlight. To be precise, it was impossible. Impossible.

Jung Song-i lowered her hand from the table and slipped it into her bag. She pulled out her smartphone to check it.

▶[Song-i, did you meet up well?]

It was a message from Yun Ga-rin.

◀[Yeah.]
▶[How was it?]
▶[Did you meet up well?]
◀[Yeah.]

Originally, Jung Song-i had lived in this area. But after leaving for Seoul due to work, she hadn’t returned.

▶[Who are you most looking forward to?]
◀[No one.]
▶[Why?]
▶[Weren’t you looking forward to Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop?]

That was true. Because I had a deep connection with Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop.

◀[It’s not her though.]
▶[Ah]

I had a deep connection with Grandmother Hyang-suk, the former owner of Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop. I had known her since the days when Jung Song-i was too short to reach the counter.

A woman I had known since childhood.
A woman who found hope in my difficult life.

I met her on a day when my life had never been smooth, when I had nowhere to lean on.

“Are you hungry?”
“…Yes.”
“Do you want to come eat?”

Grandmother Hyang-suk always welcomed me from the same place. And she never asked awkward questions or reasons. She accepted me as I was.

“Grandmother, who is that?”

Seeing that Grandmother Hyang-suk had a granddaughter around my age, I felt envious and ran away.

That’s when I realized it. I had become so intoxicated by the brief warmth I tasted that I had forgotten my own place. Unbearable envy and shame overwhelmed me, and I fled the shop.

I never went back after that. Because that jealousy had twisted in a different direction.

Grandmother Hyang-suk was no different, I thought.
In the end, she was just like my parents.

That’s what I believed.

“It was just a foolish mistake of a child…”

Dwelling on such an ugly past is foolish. It corrupts the soul. And yet, within that ugly past, small and precious memories would inevitably change.

The Schoolyard held a sports day. Everyone called it the sports day, and the Schoolyard was filled with parents. I envied them. The fact that parents were coming.

“Dad, that’s her.”
“Let’s just go.”

The other children’s parents didn’t avoid me openly. They simply shifted away. It was the gesture of those who couldn’t bear the smell. I understood, and I simply sat still.

That’s when it happened.

‘Song-i!’

I lifted my head at the voice calling from afar.

‘…Grandmother.’

Grandmother Hyang-suk had arrived. And she’d brought kimbap with her. The image of her weaving through the crowd, waving her hand toward me, remained vivid even now—along with the warmth of that day.

◀[You’re jealous.]
◀[A lot.]
▶[(hamster’s surprised expression)]
▶[That much?]
◀[Yeah.]

Fortunately, thanks to the teacher’s call, I’d escaped my parents and gone to my uncle’s place instead.

Jung Song-i turned off her smartphone screen and slipped it into her bag. Her reflection in the cafe window flickered briefly.

Maybe that’s why.

Why I felt needless jealousy,
why I acted out for no reason.
why my gaze lingered one moment too long on Ji-gu, the owner of Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop, without any real cause.

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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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