They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 92

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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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92. A Gift (3)

“You’ll understand once you taste it,” Hae-tae said with a knowing smile.

Indeed, the dish’s name only made sense after tasting it.

“Would you like to try some?”
“C-can I eat it now? It’s been so long since I’ve had your cooking, boss! I’m s-so excited…!”

I dipped the grilled meat into the rich broth and lifted it. Lee Hae-ra cupped her hands like a bowl to receive the ribs.

“Mmmmm!”

Her eyes widened and narrowed in rapid succession as she chewed, her reaction intense and unguarded.

“Oh… wow…. This….”
“Delicious, isn’t it?”
“H-how can it be this tender? And you grilled the ribs, right? There’s that smoky char at first, but then when I chew, the meat just melts away and I want to try it again….”

Lee Hae-ra’s throat moved as she swallowed.

“Especially….”
“Especially?”
“W-when I d-dip it in the broth like this… it’s driving me crazy!”
“That’s the real magic.”

Hae-tae, watching from above, chimed in as well.

“When you mix the broth into rice, that’s the real deal,” he said.

He was right.

I transferred the remaining dish into a container to bring to the New Year’s party.

“What should I do?”
“Just rest for now.”
“But still!”

I shook my head and opened the rice cooker, scooping fluffy rice into a bowl. The freshly cooked grains glistened as they tumbled together.

“That looks delicious.”
“You must be hungry, Lee Hae-ra?”
“Yes… I barely had time for lunch while working so hard today.”

Her slumped shoulders spoke volumes about the exhaustion she’d endured.

‘How hard have I been pushing her?’

“How’s the work? Is it manageable?”
“The work is fine! Everyone does their own tasks well!”
“It’s not difficult?”
“No, no! In a way, I think you worry more than my own parents do!”

I furrowed my brow and gave Lee Hae-ra a slight glare.

“There’s a connection between us, after all.”

I turned off the heat under the pot and transferred the short ribs to a smaller container. I sealed the lid to trap the steam inside, then wrapped it in two layers of paper bags and tied it securely. It was quite heavy.

“But you’re not lying just to reassure me, are you?”
“No! Not at all!”

Lee Hae-ra shook her head vigorously.

“That’s strange. The Company shouldn’t be this good?”
“It’s good! Really!”

As long as she had no regrets, that was enough.

“Shall we go now?”
“Yes!”

Lee Hae-ra lifted the heavy paper bag from the floor and hurried out of the Side Dish Shop ahead of me.

“Will you come with me, Hae-tae?”
“….”
“Hae-tae?”

I untied the strings of my apron and draped it over the chair back, then lifted my gaze upward.

“Hae-tae?”
“Meow?”

Hae-tae naturally burrowed into my padded jacket. Since he wasn’t bulky or overweight, it didn’t take long for him to settle into place.

“Boss! Hurry! We’re running out of time!”
“Coming!”

I switched off the shop lights and hoisted the heavy paper bag with ease.

“Let’s go!”

I locked up the shop door and shutter, then headed toward Myeong-ja’s Bakery. Outside, the streets were quiet. It seemed many people had gone out to watch the sunrise on New Year’s morning.

“People from our company, you see. They’re raving about how delicious Myeong-ja’s Bakery’s bread is.”
“The bread really is delicious.”

No explanation was needed—everyone already knew the taste. The bread was exquisite. Despite being a neighborhood bakery, it rivaled the desserts at department stores.

“Have you ever tried the salt bread?”
“Yes. It’s delicious because she doesn’t skimp on the butter.”
“Exactly, exactly!”
“I eat it often too—she gives me extra as a neighborhood regular.”
“I’m so jealous…!”

For the first time today, Lee Hae-ra’s words came out softly. I chuckled and gave her shoulder a playful nudge with my arm.

“Jealous, aren’t you?”
“Yes! Boss! That was a little mean!”

At the crosswalk, Myeong-ja’s Bakery’s sign gleamed brightly.

“…So, do other people bring their friends along too?”
“Probably?”
“Ah… um….”

Lee Hae-ra suddenly slowed her pace and hid behind me.

“I’ll just walk behind you, boss….”
“Sure, sure.”

As I opened the door to Myeong-ja’s Bakery and stepped inside, the aroma of baking bread wafted out—sweet and nutty, making my mouth water.

“Oh! Boss!”
“…You’re here?”

The Twins greeted me, though not exactly in the most dignified manner….

“Why do you look like that?”

The Twins’ faces were a complete mess of frosting—on their cheeks, on their noses. Song Ae-rim was laughing while holding a frosting spatula, and Song Ae-hyuk still hadn’t managed to remove his plastic gloves, which were caked with cream.

“Ha ha!”
“…Well, you see.”
“We were testing the cake.”

Grandmother Myeong-ja appeared from behind them and answered.

“The kids got so excited they started spreading it all over their faces.”

That didn’t seem quite right to me. I shook my head and introduced Lee Hae-ra, who was hiding behind me.

“This is a friend I brought along. Her name is Lee Hae-ra.”

Lee Hae-ra peeked out from behind me and opened her mouth to speak.

“H-hello! I’m Lee Hae-ra.”
“Oh my. You must have it rough being friends with our Ji-gu?”
“N-no! If anything, I think the boss is the one who has it rough….”

Watching Lee Hae-ra trail off and frantically wave her hands, Grandmother Myeong-ja laughed heartily.

“Come in, come in. Think of it as your own home.”
“Well, it doesn’t really feel like our home, though…”
“Your face says otherwise, but your mouth keeps contradicting it!”

I gave the Twins a subtle wink, gesturing for them to take the heavy paper bag Lee Hae-ra was holding.

“Yes!”
“…Right away.”

The Twins snatched up Lee Hae-ra’s luggage as if they’d been waiting for exactly this moment.

“Wow! This thing is heavy!”
“…Wow.”

The Twins giggled their way up to the Second Floor.

“B-Boss?”

Lee Hae-ra looked at me uncertainly, as if asking for help in this unfamiliar situation.

“Go on in. I’ll be right up.”
“Y-Yes!”

Grandmother Hyang-suk gestured welcomingly toward the Kitchen. The air was thick with the rich, toasted aroma of butter—the unmistakable scent of bread fresh from the oven!

“Look at this.”

Grandmother Hyang-suk showed me the cake she’d made with the Twins earlier—a strawberry cake, generously studded with berries. She smiled as she adjusted her apron and glanced toward the oven.

“What are you making?”
“Cookies.”
“Cookies?”

We rarely used the oven at the Side Dish Shop.

“How adorable.”

This was a sight you’d never see at the Side Dish Shop—we dealt almost exclusively in vegetables and side dishes. This charming scene felt like stepping into another world entirely.

“I made blessing cookies so you’d receive lots of good fortune in the new year.”
“Blessing cookies?”

The moment the words left my lips.

Ding.

The oven timer chimed. Grandmother Hyang-suk slipped on the thick oven mitts with practiced ease.

As the oven door swung open, a wave of heat rolled out, revealing adorable little cookies shaped like lucky pouches arranged inside.

“These turned out beautifully!”

Across the pale golden surface of each cookie, the character for “blessing” was written in delightfully auspicious script.

“Some of the letters look a bit odd because the Twins wrote them.”
“Really? But they’re still quite adorable, aren’t they?”
“If you say they’re cute, the Twins will actually believe it.”

From somewhere above, the Twins let out an indignant cry.

“They’re not odd at all!”
“…Grandmother!”

I couldn’t suppress my laughter and bowed my head.

“I forgot that they can hear us from upstairs.”
“Ahem. May I touch one?”
“Of course.”

As I picked up a cookie, it felt soft rather than crispy to the touch.

“Now let’s take these upstairs.”
“What about that lawyer?”
“He said he’d be a bit late because he’s busy. He told us to start without him. The main character always arrives late anyway.”

The moment I saw Grandmother Myeong-ja transferring the cookies to a bowl, I fed one to Hae-tae.

“The butter flavor comes through first, but it’s delicious, meow.”

He spoke with such practiced critique that I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Come on, let’s head upstairs carefully.”
“Yes!”

I followed Grandmother Myeong-ja up the stairs, our footsteps echoing in unison. From the upper floor, voices and laughter filtered down.

“The Twins seem to really like Lee Hae-ra.”
“Is that so?”

They appeared to get along quite well.

“She’s here! She’s here! She’s here!”

Song Ae-rim must have heard the footsteps and opened the door. The upper floor was warmer than downstairs. Several dishes were already arranged on the table, and plates and cups were positioned in their respective places.

‘Lee Hae-ra looks completely drained.’

Whatever the Twins had done, Lee Hae-ra’s expression had become somewhat… vacant.

“Lee Hae-ra, what’s wrong with you?”

Song Ae-rim spoke in an innocent tone.

“We asked her some questions, and that’s how she ended up like this.”
“You two again….”
“No, boss! Let me carry this!”
“That’s hot. Be careful.”
“Okay!”

As I went to remove my padding jacket, Hae-tae slipped out and climbed onto my head.

“…Please give me your jacket.”
“Thanks, Ae-hyuk.”
“…Don’t mention it.”

I handed my padding to Song Ae-hyuk and rolled up my sleeves. Song Ae-rim carried the braised short ribs pot and set it down with a thud in the center of the table.

“This looks delicious! This looks delicious!”
“…Don’t say it twice. You’re being distracting.”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!”
“…Sigh.”

Song Ae-hyuk covered Song Ae-rim’s mouth and scolded her.

“Ae-hyuk, didn’t you invite any friends?”
“We’re still too young, so our parents said we couldn’t!”

I’d asked Ae-hyuk, but it was Ae-rim who answered.

“I see.”

I nodded and lifted the lid from the braised short ribs. Hot steam billowed forth, and the savory aroma wafted gently through the air.

“Wow…!”
“…Oh.”

The Twins stopped their playful bickering and gazed down at the braised short ribs.

“Looks delicious, doesn’t it?”
“Yes! It looks so good!”
“It’s called braised and grilled short ribs.”

At the mention of “grilled,” the Twins tilted their heads in confusion.

“You’ll understand once you taste it.”

Grandmother Myeong-ja handed me the ladle.

“Shall we all eat?”
“Oh, wait, just a moment please!”

Lee Hae-ra suddenly jumped up. Her chair scraped back slightly. She rummaged through a paper bag and pulled something out.

“Defense!”

Song Ae-rim cried out.

“Winter is the season for yellowtail!”
“Yellowtail?”

Lee Hae-ra set it down on the table with a satisfied expression.

“There’s a sushi restaurant near the Company that I’m a regular at. I asked the owner if they could spare some yellowtail for me.”
“Yellowtail is expensive these days, isn’t it? How did you even manage to get it?”

Grandmother Myeong-ja asked in surprise.

“Hehe, well… I felt awkward coming empty-handed, so I thought about what to bring….”
“You didn’t need to bring anything, but here you are with this.”

Lee Hae-ra laughed at Grandmother’s praise and deftly unwrapped the package. The expertly prepared yellowtail gleamed softly along its marbled grain.

“Braised short ribs and yellowtail! What a windfall!”
“…hey, hey, hey.”

Song Ae-hyuk grabbed his excited sister’s arm and held her back.

“Let’s eat it all before the lawyer arrives!”

That was when it happened.

Knock, knock.

A cautious knock sounded from the entrance. The noisy interior fell silent. A shadow crossed Song Ae-rim’s face in particular.

“Oh, looks like Oh Jong-hee’s here.”

Grandmother Myeong-ja rose from her seat and opened the door.

“I apologize for being late.”

Attorney Oh Jong-hee appeared in a neat coat, holding a paper bag in one hand.

“The protagonist always arrives fashionably late.”
“Boss….”

At Grandmother Hyang-suk’s words, Oh Jong-hee shook his head.

“I met with some clients and got stuck in traffic. Have you all eaten yet?”
“We were just about to set the table.”

Oh Jong-hee removed his shoes and stepped inside, his gaze sweeping across the room before he tilted his head in confusion.

“Did I do something wrong?”

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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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