Goblin Library - Chapter 119

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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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Chapter 119.

As Yu Tae-poong stiffened at the sight of snacks and canned beverages floating suspended in mid-air, Lee Gang-jin quickly spoke up.
“We eat snacks with our staff after business hours. You know, ghosts.”
“Ah….”
At Lee Gang-jin’s words, the tension drained from Yu Tae-poong’s body. People naturally feel fear and tension when confronted with inexplicable phenomena.
But once you understood the reason behind such occurrences, the tension would naturally dissipate.
‘It was because of ghosts.’
Of course, the explanation itself—that it was caused by ghosts—might have seemed absurd to most, but Yu Tae-poong had grown accustomed to the peculiarities of goblins and their ways.
Besides, he’d seen objects floating in mid-air countless times through the goblins, and now that he thought about it, he’d simply been startled by the unexpected sight in this particular location.
As Yu Tae-poong stepped inside, Lee Gang-jin spoke with a smile.
“You’ve arrived at just the right time. We were just about to take a break and have some snacks.”
At Lee Gang-jin’s words, Yu Tae-poong looked at the snacks and beverage cans floating in the air.
The snacks and drinks descended slightly before rising again.
‘Huh? Ah! That was a greeting.’
If someone holding snacks and drinks had bowed their head, their arms would naturally have lowered and then risen again.
So Yu Tae-poong bowed in return.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Even as he wondered if such a greeting was appropriate for the deceased, Lee Gang-jin laughed and spoke.
“Our staff members say they’re happy to meet you too.”
“Ah, yes….”
At Yu Tae-poong’s response, the Dung Carrier Goblin observed him quietly before speaking.
“It’s hard to have a conversation if we can’t see them, and I’d like to make them visible, but as we mentioned earlier, the appearance of these ghosts in front of you is the kind that would keep you up at night….”
“Brother.”
“It’s the truth. And they probably know it too.”
“Do ghosts know what they look like?”
“Of course. They look exactly as they did when they died.”
With that, the Dung Carrier Goblin looked toward where the snacks were floating.
“My words might have sounded a bit harsh. Since you’re new to ghosts, I felt I needed to be direct with you. So please understand.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin nodded at whatever the other party had said in response.
“Yes, thank you.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin looked at Yu Tae-poong.
“Anyway, seeing what ghosts look like is too high-level for you right now. But hearing their voices should be fine—how about we let them be heard?”
“Hearing ghost voices?”
“Yes. Since you’re in the same space as the ghosts, they should be able to say something too. Otherwise, you’d be left out of the conversation.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong nodded.
“Then I’ll listen.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin gently stroked the arm of the glasses Yu Tae-poong was wearing.
“Can they hear our voices if we do it this way?”
“Seems like it.”
“Goblins must have more tricks than ghosts. We can’t make people hear our voices.”
“Right. We’re exactly the same as humans except we’re invisible. If anything, we just have more inconveniences.”
“When you think about it, only we ghosts are pitiful. In dramas, Goblins have all sorts of abilities. We ghosts really have nothing. Except for passing through doors.”
“We can’t even pass through private homes though.”
“That’s true. You’re right.”
Suddenly hearing the chatty voices, Yu Tae-poong looked toward where the sound was coming from.
The ghosts were still invisible, but the snacks and beverages within his line of sight shifted slightly.
If he could have seen them, it would have been like a startled flinch.
“It seems they can hear our voices now.”
At the female voice, Yu Tae-poong smiled and spoke.
“I can hear you. A woman’s voice.”
“Oh!”
The woman’s voice let out an exclamation and offered a gentle greeting.
“Hello. I’m Lee Hye-mi.”
“I’m Kang Sun-young.”
“And I’m Bae Yong-su.”
At the voices of two female ghosts and one male ghost, Yu Tae-poong bowed his head toward where the sounds came from.
“I’m Yu Tae-poong.”
“How did you end up working with a Goblin?”
At the male ghost Bae Yong-su’s question, Yu Tae-poong smiled and looked at Lee Gang-jin.
“I wanted to ask him the same thing… Should we share our stories with each other?”
“Let’s do that.”
“Then I’ll start… I am…”
Yu Tae-poong laughed as he spoke. Of course, it was a silent laugh—a broad grin expressed only through his expression.
“Did something amusing occur to you?”
“It’s not so much a thought as… it still seems absurd when I think about it.”
Yu Tae-poong shook his head slightly and smiled as he spoke.
“I’m a descendant of Old Man with a Hump.”
“Huh?”
“Old Man with a Hump?”
The ghosts murmured in confusion. Since they had been Korean in life, they knew at least the most famous Goblin legend—the story of Old Man with a Hump.
“Isn’t that a fairy tale?”
At the female ghost’s question, Yu Tae-poong nodded.
“I thought it was just a fairy tale too. Until my boss arrived.”
“Your boss?”
“I work as an employee at a place run by a Goblin boss.”
Yu Tae-poong continued with a smile.
“Anyway, one day…”
Yu Tae-poong recounted his encounter with the Bamboo Sword Goblin and added one final remark.
“That’s why I’ve been working at the Goblin Library ever since.”
“So what would have happened if you hadn’t given him that drink and sandwich back then?”
At Bae Yong-su’s question, Yu Tae-poong glanced toward the Dung Carrier Goblin. He suspected something terrible would have occurred, but he couldn’t say for certain what exactly would have transpired.
The Dung Carrier Goblin paused in thought at Yu Tae-poong’s gaze, then answered in his stead.
“If it had been Old Man with a Hump himself back then… the Bamboo Sword Goblin might have killed him. No, he definitely would have.”
“Do goblins kill people?”
Bae Yong-su asked in a startled voice, and the Dung Carrier Goblin replied matter-of-factly.
“It depends on circumstance and causality, but if the circumstance and causality exist, there’s nothing we can’t kill.”
“Wow… so goblins just kill people whenever they want.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin narrowed his eyes.
“Not just whenever. It depends on circumstance and causality.”
“We spirits can never do such things, regardless of circumstance or causality. Either way, being able to do something and being completely unable to do it are different things.”
Lee Gang-jin laughed at Bae Yong-su’s words.
“Why, you got someone you want to kill?”
“I’m just speaking hypothetically. Just speaking….”
At the sound of Bae Yong-su’s laughter, Yu Tae-poong turned toward where the voice came from.
‘His personality really shows through in his voice. He seems like a good person.’
As Yu Tae-poong murmured this to himself, the Dung Carrier Goblin spoke.
“Spirits can also kill people if they become malevolent spirits. It’s not something only goblins can do.”
“That may be true, but… becoming a malevolent spirit isn’t easy either. I doubt there’s even a single malevolent spirit in Korea.”
“That’s true enough.”
As the Dung Carrier Goblin nodded, Bae Yong-su asked another question.
“So Yu Tae-poong could have died at the hands of the goblin?”
“That’s possible, but… after spending time with our president, I think he wouldn’t have killed me even without the drink and sandwich.”
“Really?”
“Probably… he would have attached bumps to both sides of my face and made me suffer for a few years before removing them.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin laughed at Yu Tae-poong’s words.
“You’re saying that because you haven’t been with the Bamboo Sword Goblin for long.”
“Pardon?”
“The Bamboo Sword Goblin follows through when he decides to do something. If he attached bumps for revenge….”
The Dung Carrier Goblin pressed his fists against the underside of his cheeks.
“He wouldn’t have removed them until the day you died.”
As the Dung Carrier Goblin withdrew his fists with a laugh, Yu Tae-poong instinctively cradled both his cheeks with his hands.
“Seriously?”
“Of course seriously. Right now you’re meeting him as president and employee, so he seems quite gentle, but… the Bamboo Sword Goblin is a ruthless one.”
Gulp.
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong swallowed hard. It seemed he had grown too comfortable with the Bamboo Sword Goblin over time, forgetting to maintain proper caution.
“My entire life changed because of a single canned coffee.”
“That’s one way to look at it.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin smiled and patted Yu Tae-poong on the shoulder. Watching him, Lee Gang-jin asked a question.
“By the way, is the Goblin Library… the same as the library I know? The one with lots of books where you read?”
“You could say that. Of course, the patrons are… goblins who visit from time to time.”
“That’s fascinating.”
At Lee Gang-jin’s words, Yu Tae-poong smiled and looked around the restaurant.
“I find this place more fascinating. A restaurant for ghosts, just sitting here so openly like this.”
Then Yu Tae-poong looked at Lee Gang-jin.
“Now tell me your story, Gang-jin.”
“I… didn’t have anything particularly special. I was working part-time while attending university when one day I inherited this building. But there was a condition that I had to operate the restaurant for five years before the ownership would officially transfer to me. So that’s how I ended up running it like this.”
“How did you find out that ghosts were your customers?”
“At first I didn’t know, but when they came as customers… I found out. Phew! I was completely terrified at first. But as I served them, I realized they weren’t any different from living people.”
Lee Gang-jin smiled and turned his gaze toward where the ghosts were, then spoke.
“So that’s why I have ghost employees working here.”
“That’s impressive.”
“I think Yu Tae-poong working with goblins is even more impressive.”
At their words, Bae Yong-su sighed.
“It’s not impressive—it’s strange, isn’t it?”
“We were able to meet like this with Yong-su… so even if it’s strange, I’m fine with it. You’re happy too, right? Meeting me even after death?”
“You’re insane.”
At their exchange, Yu Tae-poong laughed and looked at the snacks and beverages floating in the air.
“But ghosts can touch things too. In dramas, they usually depict that as only possible for special ghosts.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Lee Gang-jin smiled and picked up a beverage can from the table, holding it out.
“Look.”
At Lee Gang-jin’s words, Yu Tae-poong took the beverage can.

「Great Inferno Hell Coffee
The exquisite flavor of premium beans roasted with Great Inferno Hell’s intense heat.」

“Great Inferno Hell Coffee…?”
I read the label on the canned coffee with a puzzled expression. It was a brand name I’d never seen before in my life.
‘What kind of coffee brand puts hell in its name?’
Well, it could happen. After all, there were spicy instant noodles these days called Hell Ramen.
I examined the beverage can carefully, then suddenly sniffed at it.
“Wow… the aroma is incredible.”
It carried a quality of coffee fragrance you couldn’t find in ordinary canned coffee. There was a slight burnt note to it, but the aroma was so rich and aromatic that it couldn’t be masked. Actually, that distinctive charred scent was quite pleasant too.
“The aroma is nice, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
I wanted to take a sip, but seeing that the lid was already open, it looked like someone else had already drunk from it.
“Um, would it be okay if I had a can of this too?”
At my words, Lee Gang-jin laughed and shook his head.
“I’m afraid not.”
“Yes, thank… what?”
Surprised that he’d refuse, I looked at him with confusion, and Lee Gang-jin explained with a smile.
“This isn’t something from the Living World—it’s from JS… do you know what JS is?”
“Yes, I understand it to be the Afterlife.”
“That’s right. I brought this from the Afterlife. That’s why ghosts can drink it and touch it. But if someone from the Living World drinks it, there are side effects.”
“Side effects?”
“You’d be able to see ghosts.”
“I see…”
“When you consume food from the Afterlife, you absorb its spiritual energy. That’s how you’d be able to see ghosts, hear them, and touch them. For me, since I’m accustomed to ghosts, it’s not really a problem. But later, once you interact with ghosts and become familiar with them, it might be different… but for now…”
Lee Gang-jin glanced to the side, then raised his arm over something.
Thud!
His arm settled naturally across what appeared to be empty space.
“It’s a face too embarrassing to show in front of people. I’m too ashamed to do that.”
“What are you talking about? I’m a ghost right now, sure, but when I had a human form, I had a handsome face.”
At Bae Yong-su’s shout, Lee Gang-jin laughed.
“Truly a face too embarrassing to present to others.”
At their exchange, I let out a small laugh. He seemed like quite an interesting person.

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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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