They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 9

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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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9. Seasoned Spinach (1)

I opened the refrigerator and peered into the lower compartment. A faint, flickering light wavered in the depths of the space.

Something’s there.

I reached deeper into the lower section and pulled out what lay within. It emanated a peculiar warmth, as if freshly printed from a press.

A notepad?

Golden letters shimmered across its surface as if alive, inscribed with these words:

==========
[Side Dish Order]
Client: Divine Being
Requested Side Dish: Seasoned Spinach
Purpose: A side dish I wish to give to someone one last time
Requirements: 1) Use ‘C’-grade spinach of poor quality. 2) The client enjoys the grassy flavor of spinach.
Reward: Good Karma ‘2’ Points.
==========

Divine Being…?

I’d assumed that since this was a side dish shop, customers could place orders separately. But a Divine Being?

Hae-tae, someone called Divine Being placed an order?
Not someone—an actual Divine Being.
Divine Beings actually exist?

I stared blankly at Hae-tae, my mind reeling. The plump cat glanced sideways at me and replied.

Divine Beasts exist, so why wouldn’t Divine Beings? And you’re thinking this situation is normal! Just check the order form.

I chuckled inwardly. Right… nothing had been normal since Grandmother Hyang-suk passed away.

I accepted it, though not without reservation, and checked the remaining contents.

==========
The next section contained the ingredient delivery conditions from the contract signed between GS Company and Ji-gu.
==========

“GS Company? So it actually has a name? And these are the delivery conditions.”
“That part they never explained during the contract signing, meow.”
“Yeah. Now they’re sending it over.”

Hae-tae’s brow furrowed sharply.

“The order of operations is strange, meow.”
“Even Divine Beings must be busy, I guess.”

I turned to the next page and began reading carefully.

==========
[Ingredient Delivery Conditions]
1. You must absolutely ‘fulfill’ the side dish orders transmitted by GS Company.
2. If you fail to win over the ‘client’s’ heart, exercise particular ‘caution’.
3. Do not carelessly give your ‘heart’ to various ‘races’.
4. Remember that failure in a commissioned order will be followed by ‘misfortune’ for some time.
5. And under no circumstances should you harbor ‘doubts’.
===========

The conditions were deeply suspicious.

‘This company is definitely something else.’

“Ji-gu.”

I was slightly startled to hear my name from Hae-tae’s mouth—the one who always called me Grandmother Hyang-suk’s granddaughter. Hae-tae looked at me with unusual firmness and continued.

“You must not underestimate Divine Beings, meow.”
“What could I possibly underestimate?”
“It means you shouldn’t think like I do, meow. There aren’t many Divine Beings as gentle as me, meow.”

There’s no such thing as a gentle Divine Being, I thought, gently scratching Hae-tae under the chin as a gesture of gratitude.

“Thanks for telling me.”
“Since I told you, don’t I get a reward~?”
“I’ll make you some delicious seasoned spinach.”
“Isn’t that what you already give me anyway?”

Hae-tae fixed me with a reproachful stare.

“…Well, I suppose that’s fair.”
“Meowwww!”

I coaxed Hae-tae gently while glancing outside the shop. As evening fell, the streets had grown desolate, with scarcely a soul in sight. I thought it was time to close up.

“Should we close up and go harvest some spinach? We had that side dish order….”

That was when it happened. A bell chimed from the shop entrance. The sound, which should have faded quickly, lingered strangely in the air. I turned instinctively, my gaze fixing on the door as I spoke.

“…Welcome, customer?”

Someone stood at the entrance. What walked through the door was a bizarre entity—a face like a wooden guardian post atop a human-shaped body.

“My apologies for arriving so late.”

The low, gravelly voice reverberated heavily through the quiet shop.

‘What kind of walking log is this…?’

It wore modern clothing that oddly blended traditional Korean dress with a formal suit. Standing well over two meters tall, it seemed to brush the ceiling, and its face—cracked like tree bark—held no pupils, only deep black hollows where eyes should have been.

Despite its massive frame approaching me in long strides, I heard no footsteps whatsoever.

Could it be…?

“C-could you be… the one who ordered the side dishes? I-I got the hiccups!”

I hiccupped from sheer shock.

“It seems I’ve startled you.”

Anyone could see it was the entity written in the order form as the Divine Being.

When it lowered its head slightly, my breath caught in my throat. My heart thundered so loudly it felt like it was beating right beside my ears.

“Indeed. I have arrived far too late.”
“…Y-yes. *Hiccup*.”

I stood there gaping like a fool until my eyes met the hollow, empty sockets. Despite being nothing but a void of darkness, an inexplicable pressure emanated from them, and a chill traced down my spine.

“I do not harm humans. You need not fear me.”
“Could you be… Cheonha Daejanggun?”
“Ho? How did you know?”
“It’s written all over your face… *Hiccup*!”

A jangseung—a guardian spirit that marks village boundaries and protects sacred spaces. What was such a being doing here…?

“These days, even when children recognize a jangseung, they pay it no mind. As you say, I am Cheonha Daejanggun, a jangseung.”

The jangseung spoke gently and nodded.

“Ah, hello there. *Gulp*.”
“Is this Hyang-suk’s Side Dish Shop?”
“Yes… it is!”

The jangseung then looked me up and down, as if assessing me.

“I heard the human here has changed.”
“Yes, my grandmother passed away.”
“I had not heard that news. My condolences. You must be grieving.”
“It’s alright… *Hiccup*.”

Then Hae-tae, nestled in my arms, shook her tail and protested.

“Jangseung, you’re the reason she can’t stop hiccupping!”

The jangseung seemed slightly startled, its branch-like eyebrows moving up and down.

“Divine Being, it’s been quite some time. I didn’t recognize you in that plump cat form… I do apologize to your granddaughter.”
“Kyaaaah—! A plump cat, you say? You’ve grown quite a bit! Come here, meow!”
“I’m… *hiccup*… fine.”

I managed to soothe Hae-tae, who was thrashing about threatening to sharpen her claws on the tree, though the stone guardian’s evasive movements still felt utterly foreign to me.

“How did you get here, meow?”
“Divine Being, the journey here on foot was quite taxing…”
“You walked here, meow!?”
“Indeed…”

That explained why the stone guardian’s body was beaded with moisture that carried a strong scent of tree sap. I pulled some tissue from the counter and handed it to him.

“Please use this to dry off.”
“Though it will be reabsorbed shortly, I won’t refuse such kindness. Thank you.”

The corners of the stone guardian’s mouth curved upward gently.

“I’m Ji-gu. Please, feel free to call me by my name.”
“Ah. Miss Ji-gu, it’s a pleasure.”

I explained the situation right away.

“I need to go to the Vegetable Garden to harvest spinach to make the seasoned side dish, and fortunately you’ve arrived.”
“My, I’ve come rather early then.”
“Not at all. If anything, I should apologize.”

I needed to close the shop immediately and enter the Dimensional Space.

“Divine Being? Can Cheonha Daejanggun and I enter the Dimensional Space together?”
“Everyone except humans can enter, meow.”
“I see…”

Then the answer was clear.

“Shall we enter the Dimensional Space together?”

*Hiccup.*

***

I had just arrived in the Dimensional Space and was approaching the vibrant spinach growing there.

“The… the Vegetable Garden is over that way…”

I was naturally about to guide them toward the Vegetable Garden.

The stone guardian’s body, which had seemed almost human, suddenly unzipped like a zipper and peeled away, revealing a crude wooden pillar jutting out from within.

“Ahhhhh! Hae-tae, Hae-tae! The skin came off! Why did you do that!”

I nearly shrieked in alarm. Hae-tae scratched his chin with his front paw and spoke with indifference.

“That’s my true form, meow.”
“Your true form?”
“The hiccups stopped, meow.”
“Oh, um…”

What lay exposed was an enormous wooden pillar with only the neck and torso remaining. It resembled an ancient zelkova tree that had been cut down and stood upright.

Where a face might have been, there were only deep hollows where eyes should be—a sight that sent shivers down my spine.

“Since the Dimensional Space is sacred ground, it reverted to its original form.”

I stood there dumbfounded, unsure where to look, and averted my gaze. I hastily grabbed a knife and sliced through the spinach stems cleanly.

“But… is this really how you’re supposed to harvest spinach?”
“Oh! Goodness!”

I jumped in surprise and, gripping the knife tighter, ended up pulling the entire spinach plant out of the ground.

“Did I startle you?”
“You spoke so suddenly from beside me… haha…”
“My apologies.”

I made an effort to explain in a composed voice.

“If you pull out the roots entirely, it won’t grow back. That’s why you have to cut right below the roots like this.”
“Is that so?”
“But you know what?”

I asked Cheonha Daejanggun out of genuine curiosity.

“Those conditions written on the side dish order—why did you set such specific requirements?”
“Ah, well, that’s because…”

Cheonha Daejanggun straightened his posture and gazed into the distance as he continued.

“The spinach seasoning that the mother of the one receiving this used to make was exactly like that. Slightly underprepared with a hint of raw grassiness… rough around the edges, but infused with genuine warmth and affection.”

Cheonha Daejanggun’s eyes grew distant, and a faint smile crossed his face as if seeing something far away.

“That child called that taste ‘Mom’s flavor’ and loved it most of all. I wanted to gift not a perfect dish, but the taste of cherished memories. And it was my wish that they would not forget me.”
“Not forget… what do you mean by that?”
“Soon. Because I will disappear.”
“Why will you disappear…?”

My voice trembled as I asked. Cheonha Daejanggun’s eyes grew deep and turbulent, as if tracing through distant memories.

“Redevelopment came to the village I was protecting, and my role as a guardian stone came to an end. The people no longer need me.”

I bit my lip firmly.

“…Doesn’t it hurt your heart?”

Yet Cheonha Daejanggun’s expression showed only serenity.

“There is no pain. I have fulfilled my duty as a guardian stone, so I feel only lightness. I existed to protect them—if they live in peace, that is enough for me.”

His voice carried a quiet but unwavering conviction.

“Who is the person receiving this gift?”
“I wanted to give it to a friend.”
“A friend? Ah… how romantic.”

Who could this friend of the Divine Being be?

“Since childhood, that child would greet me whenever we met. They called me Tree Grandfather and visited me every day. Even after growing up and moving far away….”
“….”
“They never forgot me. Whenever they returned to their hometown, they sought me out before their own parents. On days when they quarreled with their parents, they would always come to me and pour out their troubles. It seems they regarded me as a friend. And now… that child is getting married.”

At the word “marriage,” Cheonha Daejanggun bowed his head deeply. A hint of sorrow seeped through.

“So… I wanted to give that child the side dish they loved most as a gift.”

His voice carried an earnest longing to give them everything.

“How are you planning to meet them? In that form….”

Cheonha Daejanggun smiled softly, his voice tinged with shyness.

“In the form from just now. Is there something strange about it?”

Just now—when his head was that of Cheonha Daejanggun but his body was human? They’d probably faint if they saw that….

As I hesitated without answering, Hae-tae quietly interjected.

“She only sees your true face, meow.”

Cheonha Daejanggun’s branch-like eyelashes moved as if he’d just remembered.

“To human eyes, I appear in human form.”
“Wait, does that mean I’m not human…?”
“You’ve already touched the realm of the Divine Being, so you can see my true form.”

…The realm of the Divine Being. I quickened my hand movements, trimming the base of the spinach with a small knife.

[Exquisite-Tasting Spinach (A)]
[Slightly Disappointing Spinach (C)]
[Slightly Disappointing Spinach (C)]
[Slightly Disappointing Spinach (C)]

“Oh, lucky!”

I grinned. Three C-grades in a row—how perfectly C-grade of them.

“Is that supposed to be lucky?”

Hae-tae poked his head over my shoulder with a curious tilt.

“The request is only C-rank, after all.”
“The way humans think never ceases to perplex me.”

‘They’ll shrink once cooked, so…’

I’d need to harvest at least ten more bundles.

“Your expression looks quite joyful.”

At Cheonha Daejanggun’s observation, I broke into a smile.

“That’s right. I’m genuinely delighted right now.”

For a year, while caring for Grandmother in the hospital, I’d abandoned cooking. No matter what I prepared during that time, nothing brought me joy—I’d merely subsisted on simple meals like instant noodles.

“Cooking for someone else after so long… it’s this wonderful.”

The knife danced effortlessly in my hands. As if my fingers had long remembered that sensation, my heart quickened with each crisp slice through the stems.

“If you’re going to prepare side dishes with such dedication, I should repay you by spreading word of this shop.”

I paused mid-motion and looked up questioningly.

“To whom?”
“To the guardian deities I know, naturally.”
“Truly?”
“Indeed. Don’t you need to accumulate good deeds? More word-of-mouth will bring more orders.”

At these words, Cheonha Daejanggun’s expression grew subtly complicated. A hesitation flickered across his face.

“Of course, spreading word might also attract malevolent deities… but if you’re willing, I’ll do it nonetheless.”

Malevolent deities, I mused, placing the spinach into a colander.

“It’s fine.”
“Are you truly certain? A Divine Being is….”

I cut off Cheonha Daejanggun’s words.

“Humans are the same way. There are good customers and bad customers.”

Cheonha Daejanggun nodded.

“I’m relieved you see it that way.”

Just as humans have their troublemakers, Divine Beings could have theirs too.

“Ah!”

One last thing.

[Slightly Disappointing Spinach (C)]

I harvested a C-grade spinach.

“Come on, let’s go.”
“Where to?”
“The Kitchen.”

I rose naturally and shook the basket filled with spinach.

***

The moment I entered the Kitchen, I removed my gloves and apron, then tied my hair back tightly.

“Would it be alright if I watched?”
“Of course. Please, make yourself comfortable.”

I poured the spinach from the basket into the sink.

‘Perhaps it’s because it’s C-grade.’

The quality was genuinely poor. Even the stem color looked dull.

“May I ask a question?”
“Yes? What would you like to know?”
“Is the root end of spinach normally that red? The others look different—much paler.”
“Ah.”

I pulled out a small knife and trimmed the spinach as I spoke.

“That’s right. The deeper red the stem touching the spinach root, the sweeter and more delicious it tastes.”
“I see.”
“If you pick the dark, dull ones, they’re bitter and tasteless.”

That’s why finding quality ingredients is always the hardest part.

“I want to eat some too, meow.”

I lowered my head to look at Hae-tae while rinsing the spinach with my hands.

“Didn’t you say you didn’t want spinach side dish?”
“That was then, meow.”
“Just say you want to eat it.”
“Hmph, meow.”

I made a cross-shaped cut at the base of the spinach and gently swirled it under running water, washing away the hidden soil caught between the leaves.

I spread the rinsed spinach on a colander and set a wok on the gas range. As I sprinkled a pinch of salt, the grains quickly dissolved into the water.

“Miss Ji-gu.”
“Yes?”
“I apologize for the interruption while you’re busy, but may I ask one more thing?”
“Of course. What is it?”
“How much longer will it take?”

I answered simply.

“We’re almost done now.”

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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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