TSGWS 03

Chapter 03

Hyangsuk’s Side Dish Shop (3)

“So, I just need to pick 500 chili peppers like the window says?”

“That’s right, meow.”

Five hundred.

I walked over to the garden and stopped in front of the sign labeled Chili Peppers.

Bright red peppers hung heavily from the stems.

“But… how do I even pick chili peppers?”

“You don’t know that either, meow?”

“I mean, I kind of know… roughly.”

Embarrassed by Haetae’s teasing, I shrugged awkwardly.

Kitchen work was one thing, but gardening?

This was my first time.

Haetae looked at me like I was hopeless and lightly tapped my calf with his tail.

“You cut them with scissors or snap off the stem by hand, meow. Since there aren’t scissors right now, I’ll teach you how to do it by hand.”

Pointing a paw toward a beautifully ripened red chili pepper, Haetae continued:

“Grab that pepper and gently bend the stem upward, meow.”

Following his instructions, I bent the stem upward.

Snap.

With a crisp sound, the pepper came neatly into my hand.

I stared quietly at the pepper, surprised by how easily it had come off, then slowly raised it.

This was the first thing I had ever harvested in my life.

A quiet sense of accomplishment began swelling inside my chest.

Ding!

A translucent notification window popped up in front of me.

[Garden Chili Pepper (1/500)]

“Oh! A notification popped up!”

“Now take a closer look at the pepper, meow. You’ll see something.”

“See what?”

Tilting my head, I focused on the pepper in my hand.

A status window appeared.

[Delicious Chili Pepper (A)]

My eyes widened as I turned to Haetae.

“What’s this? A rank?”

“You can now see the grade and condition of all ingredients, meow.”

“Not just things here? Can I see stuff at grocery stores and markets too?”

Haetae silently nodded.

Only then did I remember how Grandma used to shop at the market.

She never wasted time asking vendors questions.

She would quickly choose ingredients and move on.

So this is what Grandma had been seeing all along.

For a chef, this ability was practically divine blessing.

As an experiment, I picked another chili pepper.

[Garden Chili Pepper (2/500)]

But this time, only the notification appeared.

No status window.

“This ability disappears if you stop doing good deeds, meow.”

“That’d be a shame.”

It would seriously suck to lose this.

“Try looking again, meow.”

“Again?”

“You said I can’t see it right now.”

“You haven’t completed the tutorial yet, so it only appears randomly, meow.”

“So once I fully clear the tutorial, I’ll always be able to see it?”

“Smart, meow!”

There was no reason to hesitate.

I tied my long hair tightly with a hairband.

Seeing my determined expression, Haetae snickered.

“Looks like you’re planning to pick all 500 today, meow.”

Haetae yawned quietly and settled down on the soft grass beside the garden.

Like he intended to watch the show, he loafed like a bread loaf and looked up at me.

“Go ahead, meow.”

I nodded and turned back toward the chili field.

Hours later.

Was repetitive work always this exhausting?

Just…

[Garden Chili Pepper (105/500)]

I had only picked a little over a hundred peppers.

But the spicy residue had seeped into my fingertips, making them sting.

My arms were unbearably sore.

Even lifting them felt difficult.

Was my stamina always this terrible?

I should’ve exercised.

Stretching my back for a moment, I glanced toward Haetae.

The little guy was sprawled out in the sunniest spot, peacefully napping.

Like some human enjoying a luxurious sunbath.

Growwwl.

My stomach rumbled loudly.

Embarrassed, I awkwardly cleared my throat.

Several hours had passed.

Of course I’d be hungry.

“Maybe I should cook something with the canola leaves I picked earlier…”

Looking at the pile of canola leaves beside the peppers, I swallowed.

“What are you going to cook, meow?”

Wait.

You weren’t asleep?

Squinting, I stared at Haetae.

Why exactly was a cat interested in human food?

No way.

“Are you planning to eat too?”

“Why wouldn’t I, meow?”

Wasn’t that obvious?

Cats weren’t supposed to eat human food.

“You’re a cat though. How can you eat human food?”

“I eat human cooking too, meow.”

Seeing the look on my face, Haetae added:

“Of course, meow. Did you think I only eat cat food?!”

“Well… you are a cat.”

Aren’t you?

I tilted my head.

“It’s fine, meow.”

Haetae rose elegantly and walked over, tapping my leg with his paw.

“Now, carry me to the kitchen, meow.”

Ridiculous.

Still, after dusting dirt off my hands, I picked him up.

“Hurry, meow!”

“Yes, yes. As you command, divine beast.”

Carrying the cat in my arms, I walked back into the shop.

Haetae wrinkled his face and covered his nose with a paw.

“There’s dust everywhere, meow!”

“I haven’t cleaned everything yet.”

He glanced at the floor, then at me.

“Put me down, meow.”

“Alright, down you go.”

I gently set him on the floor.

Then suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

Is it okay to have a pet in the kitchen?

Food hygiene was everything.

Especially for a shop.

Trust came from cleanliness.

Haetae’s fur couldn’t be flying around.

“Haetae.”

I called out to him while he leisurely explored the shop.

“Do you shed?”

At my question, Haetae slammed his tail against the floor irritably.

“Bend down, meow.”

“Bend down?”

I lowered myself to his eye level.

The moment I did—

Smack!

Haetae jumped and slapped my cheek hard with his paw.

“Are you treating me like an animal, meow?”

“Well, you look like a cute cat to me.”

“Hmph. I don’t shed fur, so stop worrying, meow.”

“Really?”

“Hmph. I’m a divine beast, meow. Fur doesn’t fall off. If you doubt it, touch me.”

As an experiment, I stroked Haetae’s back.

Soft.

But no fur came off.

Not even a single strand floated into the air.

“That’s pretty amazing.”

“…It’s been a while since I’ve been treated like this, meow.”

Haetae sounded strangely drained.

Laughing, I nodded.

“Alright.”

Straightening my back, I grinned.

“If I make seasoned canola greens, I’ll give you some.”

“Not give me. You must give me some, meow!”

I retied my hair and started wiping dust off the kitchen.

Then I pulled a knife from my bag.

“Been a while.”

Even though I hadn’t held a knife in ages, my body remembered every movement.

I placed the knife on the cutting board and dumped the canola greens into the sink.

A fresh scent rose instantly.

At the same time, a status window appeared.

[Golden Canola Touched by Stardust (S)]

S rank? Higher than A?

Pushing the thought aside, I filled a pot with water and set it on the stove.

While waiting for it to boil, I focused on preparing the greens.

Canola greens, also called dongcho, became tough if the stems were too thick.

So while washing them, I removed the thicker stems.

Fresh vitality seemed to pass through my fingertips.

Just as I finished prepping—

The water in the pot began bubbling vigorously.

I grabbed sea salt from the shelf and dissolved some into the water.

Time to start.

“Let’s do this.”

I added the greens to the boiling water.

Once they turned a deep green, I removed them immediately.

After rinsing them in cold water to stop the cooking process, I squeezed out the moisture.

Let’s see if they cooked properly.

Pressing a stem with my fingernail—

Soft.

Perfectly cooked.

“For seasoning…”

I debated between soybean paste and soy sauce.

Soybean paste would be rich and earthy.

Soy sauce would be cleaner and more savory.

“Soybean paste today.”

The seasoning itself was simple.

Into a mixing bowl went the greens, soybean paste, minced garlic, and chili powder.

Then I mixed everything by hand.

Finally, I sprinkled sesame seeds and added a drop of sesame oil.

A nutty, fragrant aroma filled the kitchen.

Siiigh…

Some chopped green onions would’ve made it perfect.

But hunger came first.

“Done!”

Haetae, sunbathing near the entrance, perked up instantly.

“The seasoned greens! Done, meow?”

“Yep. Made them with soybean paste.”

I prepared a small separate bowl for him.

“Want to taste?”

Haetae licked the greens once and swallowed a mouthful.

After chewing for a while, he exclaimed:

“Delicious, meow! But I’m team soy sauce, meow.”

“…Oh? Really?”

“The soybean paste version is good too, but soy sauce tastes better, meow.”

“Okay, next time I’ll make it that way.”

Guess this cat preferred soy sauce.

I quickly piled a generous amount of greens over fresh rice and took a huge bite.

How long had it been since I ate a real meal?

For the past year, I had mindlessly stuffed myself with instant food just to survive.

“Mm! This is it!”

It felt like spring exploding inside my mouth.

The fragrant canola aroma.

The crisp texture.

The earthy umami of soybean paste wrapping around the slightly bitter finish.

Grandma…

It tasted like the seasoned greens Grandma used to make.

Not exactly the same.

But the warmth underneath it remained.

With every bite, the emptiness she left behind ached sharper.

…Can I really do this?

With ingredients this good.

Carrying Grandma’s name.

Could I really fill people’s hearts the way she did?

Just as fear began spreading through me—

“Meow meow meow.”

Haetae whined for more.

I burst out laughing.

Right.

I wasn’t alone.

“I’ll heat up some instant rice for you.”

“You’re not eating more, meow?”

“I still have chili peppers to harvest.”

“I thought you’d rest, meow.”

I popped instant rice into the microwave and smirked.

“Rest my ass, meow?”

The moment I copied his speech pattern, Haetae’s face twisted in irritation.

“Don’t imitate how I talk, meow.”

I quickly took the rice from the microwave and sat down.

“Here. Eat. When you’re done, come back to the garden with me?”

“Meow?”

“I don’t want to be alone. It’s kind of scary.”

Acting reluctant, Haetae buried his face into the bowl.

The canola sauce smeared on his cheeks made me laugh.

Later.

Putting on a fresh pair of gloves, I scooped Haetae into my arms.

“Let’s go.”

Time to finish the tutorial.

The moment we stepped through the back door—

The damp scent of rain hit me.

“It rains here too?”

Haetae glanced at me.

“There’s weather here too, meow.”

“So it rains…”

“That’s right, meow.”

Looking at the innocent expression on the orange tabby’s face, I rubbed his chin aggressively.

“Just wait a little longer, meow.”

“…You really are mysterious.”

“Meow~”

His tone sounded like he was saying, You’re only realizing that now?

I set him down on the damp ground and walked toward the garden.

The crops sparkled, freshly washed by rainwater.

As if someone had carefully polished them.

Especially the droplets clinging to the bright red chili peppers.

Watching them drip onto the soil, I couldn’t help smiling.

“Now I finally understand why you smiled so brightly every time you came back smelling like fresh plants.”

Grandma’s face flashed in my mind.

The way she would smile endlessly while checking every crop in the shop.

“You gonna start or not, meow?”

Haetae tapped my ankle with his dirt-covered paw.

“Yeah, let’s do this!”

Much later.

[Garden Chili Pepper (481/500)]
[Garden Chili Pepper (482/500)]

“You’re not sleeping, meow?”

“I can sleep when I’m dead.”

“Harsh, meow.”

Mechanically moving my arm, I snapped off the final chili pepper.

Without realizing it, I shouted:

“Woooo! I’m done!”

[Garden Chili Pepper (500/500)]

The moment the notification appeared, I collapsed spread-eagle beside the garden.

My fingertips burned.

My arms and legs trembled uncontrollably.

[Tutorial: 1. ‘Harvest 500 Garden Chili Peppers’ Completed.]

“Good job, meow.”

“Thanks.”

“I worked hard too, meow.”

…You just watched from the side.

What hard work?

“…What’s next?”

“Straight to the next one, meow!”

Haetae proudly raised his soft pink paw and pressed the air.

A translucent window appeared before me.

[Tutorial: 2. Wash the chili peppers and dry them in the yard. (0%)]