Chapter 5
Hyangsuk’s Side Dish Shop (5)
I looked through the translucent tutorial completion window and asked Haetae,
“So, what kind of kimchi am I supposed to make?”
“Aren’t there lots of kinds of kimchi, nya?”
“That’s true.”
Kimchi…
At that moment, for some reason, I remembered the melon kimchi I had once proposed as a new restaurant menu item—only to have it immediately rejected.
Melon kimchi… I’ve always wanted to make it at least once.
Seeing the gleam in my eyes, Haetae instinctively scooted backward.
“As long as it’s actually edible, nya…”
“What? Can the Divine Beast read minds too?”
“Your eyes suddenly looked scary, nya.”
My eyes?
I glanced at my reflection in the shop’s mirror.
“Uh…”
Without realizing it, I was wearing the grin of a mad scientist standing before a brand-new experiment.
“Ahem.”
I coughed awkwardly and started getting ready to leave. It was time to take the sack of dried peppers to the mill.
But first…
Wallet.
“Where are you going, nya?”
Haetae blocked my path.
“To get my wallet. I need to go to the pepper mill.”
Haetae shook his head.
“You don’t have to.”
“Huh?”
With an air of confidence, Haetae strutted over to the sack of peppers.
What’s he doing?
I silently watched.
The moment his chubby paw lightly touched the dried peppers…
A soft golden light enveloped the entire sack.
In the blink of an eye, the dried peppers transformed into an incredibly fine crimson powder.
There was no roar of milling machines.
Instead, a rich, spicy fragrance drifted through the air.
“…How is that even possible?”
Mesmerized, I crouched down and examined the chili powder.
Every grain was perfectly uniform.
Its brilliant red color looked almost divine.
[Dragon’s Resistance Chili Powder (S)]
I dipped a fingertip into the powder and tasted it.
The heat was clean, vibrant, and pleasantly spicy.
This is… absolutely top-tier.
“The status window appeared, nya?”
“Yeah.”
“Then while looking at the ingredient, think ‘Tip!’ to yourself, nya.”
Following Haetae’s instructions, I stared at the chili powder and thought,
Tip!
Flash!
A completely different window appeared.
[Ingredient TIP!]
Target Race: Human
Recommended Use: Any kimchi made using this chili powder
Effect: Reduces stress by 15% upon consumption.
“This window’s different from before.”
I looked at Haetae.
“When an S-rank ingredient has a status window, this system tells you its detailed effects and the best ways to use it, nya.”
“Whoa…! This is insane! Seriously insane!”
I was so happy I almost wanted to grab Haetae and kiss him.
As if it were nothing, he simply began grooming himself with his tiny pink tongue.
“So, shall we make kimchi now~?”
“What kind are you making, nya?”
Look at him.
The moment food was mentioned, his eyes sparkled.
He even licked his lips.
“First, let’s head to the garden.”
As I walked toward the vegetable patch, I considered my options.
“By the way, what kind of kimchi were you thinking about earlier? Your face looked pretty suspicious, nya.”
“I was thinking of making melon kimchi.”
“…Why would anyone make melon kimchi, nya?”
“It’s surprisingly good.”
“NYAAAAAA!!”
Haetae let out a horrified scream so loud that even the fur on his head stood straight up.
I immediately raised both hands.
“O-Okay! I won’t! Let’s just go to the garden.”
“Hmph, nya.”
Still pouting slightly, Haetae let me carry him into the pocket dimension.
“So? Green onion kimchi? Napa cabbage kimchi? Garlic chive kimchi?”
“Hmm…”
“Don’t start thinking about weird kimchi again, nya!”
“Come on, I’m not… well, maybe just a little.”
Since every ingredient in the garden was exceptional, any kimchi would probably turn out delicious.
“Hmm… maybe green onion kimchi.”
It was one of the simplest kinds to make.
Besides, nothing paired better with instant ramen.
The spicy crunch of green onion kimchi perfectly balanced rich, greasy noodles.
“Green onion kimchi sounds great, nya!”
Haetae’s fluffy tail swished happily against my cheek.
“Wrapping kimchi around ramen before eating it… it’s so good~”
“You’ve got good taste, nya.”
“’Good taste’?”
I looked down at him.
“Where do you even learn slang like that?”
“I know everything, nya!”
…Right.
Of course you do.
I set Haetae down and pulled my work gloves from my apron pocket.
The green onions were wonderfully plump—short, thick, and sturdy—just like Haetae himself.
Every single one was premium quality.
Normally, green onions are best harvested before winter, when they’re especially crisp.
But that doesn’t matter inside this pocket dimension.
No matter the season, every crop remained in perfect condition.
In amazement, I pulled one cluster from the soil.
[Ordinary Green Onion (B)]
Then another.
[Delicious Green Onion (A)]
And another.
[Green Onion Bathed in Heavenly Dew (S)]
One by one, I harvested them until I had more than enough to make a full batch of kimchi.
As I brushed the dirt from the roots, something occurred to me.
“These vegetables… they stay fresh for a really long time, don’t they?”
“That’s right, nya. Freshness lasts much longer here.”
“How much longer?”
“Even vegetables picked three days ago are as fresh as if they were harvested today, nya.”
The more I learned about this place…
…the more I wanted it.
After brushing off the last bit of soil, I clapped my hands.
“Time to make green onion kimchi.”
“Nya!”
“Let’s go!”
The first thing I did upon returning to the shop was throw open the front door for ventilation before heading straight into the kitchen.
“Green onion kimchi is pretty simple…”
I dumped the freshly harvested onions into the sink and turned on the water.
Gently rubbing the roots, I washed away every trace of dirt.
After draining them in a colander, I took out the blender to prepare the seasoning.
Then it hit me.
“…Ah! I don’t have any apples. What do I do?”
Normally, apples or pears added the perfect sweetness.
But I’d decided to make kimchi so suddenly that I hadn’t prepared any.
I briefly considered ordering some, but…
It seemed excessive for just one or two pieces.
What can I substitute…?
While thinking, something caught my eye on the shelf.
A bottle of pear juice.
That’ll work.
Judging by the pleased little rumble Haetae made, he approved of my improvisation.
I roughly chopped an onion I’d harvested from the garden, tossed it into the blender, and poured in the sweet pear drink.
Then I opened the fish sauce.
A rich, savory aroma instantly filled the kitchen.
Just one spoonful.
This is the secret weapon that explodes the umami.
Of course, if you enjoy stronger seafood flavors, you can add more.
If not, skip it.
Cooking always comes down to personal taste.
“Oh! The sweet rice paste!”
I’d almost forgotten.
After adding the glutinous rice paste, I blended everything together.
Whiiiiiir—
The blender hummed, releasing an irresistible aroma—savory, spicy, and sweet.
Now came the most important part.
The sweetness.
Most kimchi didn’t absolutely need sweetness.
But green onion kimchi was different.
Without it, the sharp bite of the onions would overpower everything.
So I added plum syrup.
The pear drink already adds sweetness, so just a little less than usual…
Finally…
It was time to add the S-rank chili powder Haetae had created.
The moment the deep-red powder mixed into the seasoning…
Even the color became richer.
I dipped in the spatula and tasted it.
Then—
“Wow…”
That was all I could say.
“Is it good, nya?”
“…Yeah. It feels like everything I believed has been turned upside down.”
“It’s that good, nya.”
The seasoning was on an entirely different level from anything I’d ever made.
So this is the power of incredible ingredients.
I brought over the green onions I’d drained earlier and trimmed off the ends with scissors.
Cutting the tips slightly would help them soften.
Now all that remained was mixing them together.
“Slurp.”
Hearing the sound below me, I looked down.
Haetae was licking his lips.
“Your Divine Majesty? Want to try one?”
Without hesitation, Haetae leaped onto the counter and sat down neatly.
His silent answer was obvious.
I coated a single green onion generously with seasoning and rolled it up.
The glossy kimchi gleamed beautifully.
Haetae’s tail stood straight up in excitement.
“Open wide~”
“Nyaaa!”
As soon as he opened his mouth, I fed it to him.
For a long while…
He chewed silently.
“Well?”
“Doesn’t taste good?”
Did I under-season it?
Then Haetae began humming happily, his tail swishing wildly.
“It’s… acceptable, nya!”
“Acceptable~?”
…Hmm?
I narrowed my eyes.
The corners of his mouth were lifted.
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
That definitely doesn’t look like ‘acceptable.’
“So… it’s delicious?”
“No! Just acceptable, nya!”
He stubbornly denied it.
“Your face says one thing, but your words say another.”
Apparently admitting something was delicious would hurt his pride.
Still…
As long as he liked it, that was enough.
“Hmph, nya!”
Suppressing my laughter, I tossed the remaining green onions into the basin and thoroughly coated them with the seasoning.
Finally, I neatly packed the kimchi into a storage container.
“Done! Done! Done!”
The moment I snapped the lid shut—
Ding!
A translucent window appeared.
[Tutorial 3: Use the chili powder to make kimchi. Complete.]
[Tutorial Complete.]
“Yes!!”
I cheered.
Then another window appeared, glowing with golden light.
[Reward: 1 Premium Chili Powder Grinder]
“A grinder?”
“The mysterious power I used earlier has been placed inside that grinder, nya. Make good use of it.”
The instant Haetae finished speaking, a sleek, elegant grinder materialized in the corner of the kitchen amid a soft glow.
[Shining Grinder]
Rank: A
Description:
A special grinder personally blessed by the Divine Beast Haetae.
-
Preserves an ingredient’s original flavor so perfectly it seems capable of grinding even its soul.
“This is incredible. Absolutely incredible!”
Haetae proudly puffed out his chest.
“You’re the best!”
“Nya!”
“Go get some rest. I’ll make something delicious!”
“Alright, nya.”
His steps looked unusually light as he walked away.
Outside the window, night had already fallen.
“It’s gotten this late already…”
I muttered as I searched beneath the cabinet.
“What should I eat with it…? Ah, can’t forget this!”
Just as I reached for two packs of instant black bean noodles—
“…Excuse me.”
A timid unfamiliar voice broke the silence.
A weary-looking woman with slumped shoulders stepped into the shop.
“Yes? How can I help you?”
I wiped my wet hands on my apron and came out of the kitchen.
“Um… I came to buy some side dishes, but…”
Something floated above her head.
A status window labeled:
[More]
More?
[Customer Status Details]
Name: Lee Hera
Recommended: Foods that reduce stress
Current Condition: I want to quit my job right now. I don’t want to do anything… (⳻_⳺)
Reward: 1 Good Deed Point
A pink window displaying the customer’s condition appeared before my eyes.
Good Deed Points…
So this is it.
Now I finally understood.
This was what Grandmother had spent her life doing.
This was what I was supposed to carry on.
And this was exactly what Haetae meant when he said I needed to help one hundred people.
Recommend food that lowers stress…?
I had just made green onion kimchi using that special chili powder.
“Um… sir?”
“Ah! Sorry about that. You said you came to buy side dishes?”
She looked into the completely empty display refrigerator and sighed.
“Yes… but… there isn’t anything here.”
“Right. I’m still preparing to reopen the shop.”
“Then… I’ll just be going…”
I quickly stopped her.
“Please wait! If you don’t mind, I just finished making some fresh green onion kimchi. Would you like to try a sample?”
“…Green onion kimchi?”
“Yes. Since you came all the way here, I’d feel bad letting you leave empty-handed.”
“I… I don’t mind…”
Smiling warmly, I persuaded her.
“You seem to live nearby. Just have a taste. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to buy anything.”
Before she could refuse again, I hurried into the kitchen and returned with a small plate of freshly made kimchi.
The rich, spicy aroma filled the air.
Lee Hera unconsciously swallowed.
Just as I thought.
The aroma of good food…
…was the greatest weapon for awakening someone’s appetite.
“Please, just try one bite of the green onion kimchi.”
