Chapter 2
Hyangsuk’s Side-Dish Shop (2)
The fact that a cat could talk was beyond mere prejudice—it defied all common sense.
No matter how closely I looked, it was just an ordinary cat.
“…What are you?”
The cat paused in the middle of grooming itself with its tongue and looked up.
“I am Haetae, the guardian of this forest, meow.”
Stretching lazily, the cat shook out its fur before strolling over to me. It plopped down in front of me, its tail swishing back and forth.
“Haetae?”
“That’s right, meow.”
The legendary guardian beast called Haetae crossed my mind for a moment, but it was hard to associate that majestic creature with this tiny, adorable cat.
“Did Hyangsuk tell you to come here, meow?”
“Yeah. Grandma told me that… after she was gone… I should come through the shop’s back door.”
“So… you don’t know anything, meow?”
“No. Nothing at all.”
Haetae narrowed his eyes.
“I know all about you, meow.”
“You know me?”
“Your name is Han Jigu. You’re thirty-one years old, 171 centimeters tall. You’re certified in Taekwondo, boxing, and judo. As for your personality? A little slow sometimes, meow. You worked as a sous-chef at a restaurant. Oh, and those so-called friends of yours stole your recipes and became YouTubers with them, didn’t they, meow?”
The endless stream of information pouring from that tiny mouth left me speechless.
“…Yeah. That’s all true. Don’t you know a little too much?”
Haetae sat proudly in front of me.
“I’m a great divine beast, meow. So… are you going to run the side-dish shop?”
“That… I still don’t know. I haven’t decided yet.”
“Still hesitating, meow.”
Looking past Haetae at the vegetable garden, I asked,
“What happens if I decide not to?”
Haetae answered matter-of-factly.
“I can’t tell you that, meow.”
“You can’t?”
“Contractual reasons, meow.”
A contract?
As I puzzled over what that meant, Haetae continued.
“Anyway, Hyangsuk said that once her grandson arrived, they would come immediately. You’ll find out soon enough, meow.”
“They? They’re coming here?”
“Just wait quietly, meow.”
I looked around, but there was nothing except trees and endless forest.
Who was supposed to come?
“They’re here, meow!”
The moment Haetae spoke, white mist began rising from beneath my feet.
Within seconds it swallowed my ankles, climbed to my waist, and the surrounding air turned icy cold.
Then came the sound of something dragging softly across the ground.
Along with it was a low, eerie groan.
What is this…? A horror movie?
A white silhouette slowly rose from the mist.
Then another.
They both had snow-white hair and immaculate white suits.
Even their skin was deathly pale.
An uncanny chill radiated from them.
“Hello.”
The woman extended her hand first.
Her perfectly businesslike demeanor made me instinctively shake it.
“Uh… hello. It’s okay to shake your hand?”
“Haha! Of course it is.”
At least they didn’t seem hostile.
“I suppose introductions are in order.”
“My name is Lee Yeo-ui.”
Standing beside her, the man flashed a bright smile.
“And I’m Lee Jutaek! Wow, it’s great to finally meet our new contractor! I look forward to working with you!”
As he spoke enthusiastically, something glimmered inside his mouth.
Scales?
…Why would someone have scales?
He definitely wasn’t human.
Choosing my words carefully, I turned to Lee Yeo-ui.
“Did you come here to see me?”
“That’s correct.”
She pulled out a tablet from inside her jacket.
“Why?”
“We’re here regarding the succession of Ms. Han Hyangsuk’s contract.”
“Did she tell you nothing?”
“No. Nothing at all.”
“I figured as much.”
“Your grandmother always kept things close to her heart.”
Lee Jutaek sighed sympathetically, but Lee Yeo-ui ignored him and got straight to the point.
“Han Jigu.”
“When you were young, you nearly died, didn’t you?”
“…Yes.”
I remembered.
My parents and I had been in a terrible traffic accident.
I had barely survived.
“How do you think you lived?”
“The doctors said it was a miracle…”
The moment I said the word miracle, I could’ve sworn her pupils became vertical slits.
She noticed my expression and smiled.
“That ‘miracle’ was our doing.”
“Your grandmother desperately begged us to save your life.”
“…Then how did you save me?”
“An excellent question.”
“We made a deal.”
“Until Han Hyangsuk reached the end of her life, she had to perform a predetermined amount of good deeds.”
“She fulfilled that obligation brilliantly.”
“Because of that, you were granted a complete new life.”
…
I looked down at my own body.
Grandma… protected me.
Lee Yeo-ui reached into her jacket and handed me a white envelope.
“This is a letter from Han Hyangsuk.”
“…Grandma’s letter?”
“She entrusted it to us while she was still alive.”
“You could consider it her final message.”
“Thank you for keeping it.”
“It was our pleasure.”
I carefully opened the envelope.
To my precious treasure, my dear Jigu.
My sweet puppy.
By the time you’re reading this… you’ve probably stepped through that door.
Now you know why Grandma never let you near the back door.
Knowing that all of this happened because of you… I know how much that would hurt your heart.
That’s why I kept it hidden.
So blame this foolish old grandmother if you must.
But never blame yourself.
Everything I did… was simply because I wanted peace of mind.
My fingers tightened around the letter.
Even so, this shameless old woman still led you there because I want you to protect our side-dish shop.
Forgive me for leaving before I could protect it until the very end.
I’m sorry.
I’m truly… so sorry.
Every word carried Grandma’s feelings.
A sharp ache welled up in my chest.
…You should’ve just told me.
It wasn’t as if I’d ever refuse a single favor from her.
I folded the letter carefully, slipped it into my pocket, and looked back at Lee Yeo-ui.
“If you choose not to inherit the shop…”
“The side-dish shop will disappear.”
“…Grandma’s shop?”
“Completely?”
“Yes.”
The world spun for a moment.
Lee Jutaek glanced at his tablet.
“Oh! I almost forgot something important.”
“If you reject the contract, every consequence created by the original contract will be erased.”
“In simple terms…”
“Even your memories of living here will disappear.”
“…You mean all my memories with Grandma?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Every memory…
Gone?
I couldn’t believe it.
“If I inherit the shop…”
“Do I also have to perform good deeds like Grandma?”
“Exactly!”
“…How?”
Lee Yeo-ui checked her tablet.
“If you wish to keep the side-dish shop…”
“You must help one hundred people.”
“…One hundred?”
I frowned instinctively.
That number sounded strangely small.
The shop easily served more than ten customers a day.
Helping one hundred people couldn’t simply mean serving one hundred customers.
It had to mean something far more difficult.
“So, Han Jigu.”
“Have you made your decision?”
I already knew I had to.
If my memories of Grandma disappeared…
Half of my life would disappear with them.
But could I really shoulder such an impossible contract?
Can I really do what Grandma did?
Then…
The tangled thoughts in my mind suddenly became clear.
I have to.
No matter how difficult it was…
I had to protect it.
It was Grandma’s final wish.
And the only way I could remain myself.
“I’ll do it.”
“I’ll run the side-dish shop.”
“Excellent choice!”
Lee Yeo-ui and Lee Jutaek applauded together.
Lee Yeo-ui held out the tablet.
“Would you like to add any clauses to the contract?”
“There are other benefits besides inheriting the shop?”
“Of course.”
“Han Hyangsuk borrowed ₩1 billion from us to extend your life and establish and maintain the shop.”
“As the new contractor, you’ll receive equivalent benefits.”
“₩1 billion?”
“That’s right!”
“If you successfully complete all of your good deeds, the loan disappears as well.”
So that was why Grandma had always been so generous with spending money.
Everything finally made sense.
“I’ll accept the same terms Grandma did.”
“Very well!”
“We’ll prepare an identical contract for our new contractor, Han Jigu!”
Lee Jutaek quickly scribbled revisions onto the contract before handing it to me.
“Please read everything carefully before signing!”
Always read the contract thoroughly.
I took a deep breath and examined every clause.
Nothing seemed suspicious.
Except one thing.
The contract stated that all ingredients used by Hyangsuk’s Side-Dish Shop would be supplied by them.
No way they’re giving all that away for free…
As I stared suspiciously at that clause, Lee Yeo-ui spoke.
“As stated in the contract, we’ll provide all necessary ingredients.”
“So don’t worry.”
“When you say ingredients…”
“You mean not just vegetables?”
“Seafood, meat, seasonings… everything?”
“Correct.”
I immediately asked the obvious question.
“…You’re giving all that to me?”
Lee Yeo-ui leaned in close, smiling knowingly.
“Nothing in this world is free.”
I knew they wouldn’t tell me the catch.
Still…
I signed without further hesitation.
Han Jigu
“Is that enough?”
Lee Yeo-ui nodded.
“The contract has been concluded.”
At once, a transparent copy of the contract floated above the tablet.
It fluttered through the air, leaving trails of golden light.
Lee Yeo-ui and Lee Jutaek stepped back.
Golden mist rose from the contract and wrapped itself around me.
…This really is like a fantasy.
No…
It is fantasy.
The contract dissolved into light and sank into my body.
Lee Yeo-ui spoke calmly.
“Han Hyangsuk’s legacy—the side-dish shop—will officially become your property after you fulfill your required good deeds.”
“Until then, it remains under our management.”
She handed me a small notepad with a tiny scale-shaped logo, along with a business card.
“Write down any ingredients you need in this notebook and place it underneath the commercial refrigerator.”
“Underneath?”
“Oh… wait…”
“Is something wrong?”
“No…”
“I heard something under the refrigerator earlier.”
“Oh!”
“Our new employee must have gotten lost.”
“We apologize.”
Lee Jutaek scratched his head awkwardly.
So that was the passageway…
I swallowed.
“I see.”
“And this is our business card.”
The card contained only two lines.
Lee Yeo-ui
444-010-1111
Nothing else.
No company name.
No title.
A strange chill ran down my spine.
Why does this feel so unsettling…?
“Finished yet, meow?”
Haetae, who had been basking peacefully in the sunlight, finally spoke.
Lee Yeo-ui and Lee Jutaek bowed respectfully.
“Yes.”
“We’re finished.”
Smiling warmly, Lee Yeo-ui added,
“If you have any questions from now on, ask Haetae.”
“He’ll explain.”
“…The cat?”
“Yes.”
“He may look like an ordinary cat, but he’s an old friend of ours.”
“Now, we’ll be taking our leave.”
As they bowed once more, both of them disappeared into the white mist.
“Now it’s just us, meow.”
“I’ll say it again.”
“I’m Haetae.”
“Don’t call me a cat, meow.”
“And!”
Haetae stretched out one soft pink paw dramatically.
“You said you’re going to run the side-dish shop, meow.”
“Yeah.”
“Then there’s no turning back now, meow!”
Ding!
A translucent window appeared before my eyes.
Tutorial 1: Harvest 500 Chili Peppers from the Garden (0/500)
“…Isn’t this literally a game interface?”
Haetae rested a paw against his chin and answered seriously.
“It’s trendy, meow.”
“Trendy?”
“It’ll make things more fun for you, won’t it, meow?”
…
Now even a talking cat was lecturing me about keeping up with the times.
