Goblin Library - Chapter 122

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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 122.

Lee Gang-jin glanced at Yu Tae-poong while surveying the fabric-draped surroundings.
“Can’t you hear anything at all?”
“If my older brother says so, then that’s how it is.”
“Really?”
“An older brother would never deceive his younger brother.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s assertion, Lee Gang-jin nodded and turned his attention to the book.
“So the goblins follow people around and observe them? They observe and write it all down in books?”
“It feels a bit like spying, doesn’t it? Makes you uncomfortable?”
“They’re not observing me specifically, but… the fact that so many people are being observed without their knowledge… it’s rather unsettling.”
“I felt the same way at first, and honestly, I still have some of those feelings now.”
Yu Tae-poong smiled wryly and looked at Lee Gang-jin.
“But this is goblin culture.”
“Culture, you say?”
“Goblins value entertainment above all else.”
“Entertainment….”
“Literally. Goblins consider living amusingly to be the highest good. Life itself is, quite literally, entertainment. And without it, they cannot exist.”
“Cannot exist? Is that a metaphor?”
“I don’t know the exact details myself, but they say that without entertainment, they return. I suspect it’s similar to the metaphor of returning to the heavens.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Lee Gang-jin looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked.
“Do they die without entertainment?”
“In human terms, that seems to be the equivalent.”
“So observing people and writing novels is the greatest form of entertainment for goblins?”
“Yes.”
Lee Gang-jin tilted his head and spoke.
“There’s so much entertainment in the world—I don’t understand why they consider that to be the most amusing.”
“But most of those things originate from human stories anyway. Whether it’s games, dramas, or novels… stories revolve around people, so perhaps real human stories are the most entertaining.”
“That’s… true, I suppose.”
Having glimpsed into the lives of ghosts and lived alongside them, Lee Gang-jin understood that reality could sometimes be more terrifying than any novel, and yet warmer as well.
“All for the sake of entertainment….”
“You have to think of it as a difference in culture. Goblins have goblin culture, ghosts have ghost culture, and humans have human culture. Since I’ve set foot in the Goblin Library, I must adapt to it… and since you run the Afterlife Restaurant, you’re adapting to the world of ghosts.”
“So you read the books here, Yu Tae-poong?”
“Working at the library, I can’t help but read them. Ah! But there’s actually some fulfillment in it.”
“Fulfillment?”
Seeing the skeptical expression on Lee Gang-jin’s face at the thought of finding fulfillment in spying on others’ lives, Yu Tae-poong recounted the events that had transpired.
“So you’ve been helping the protagonists who needed assistance.”
“I think I’ve done some good in my own way.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Lee Gang-jin looked at him and smiled.
“You’re quite similar to me.”
“Similar to you, Lee Gang-jin?”
“Running the Afterlife Restaurant, I’ve come to know customers with difficult circumstances. Those who died first and caused their parents pain… parents who left behind their children….”
As Lee Gang-jin shook his head, Yu Tae-poong asked.
“So what do you do?”
“I can see ghosts and talk to them, so I help when I can. Of course, I don’t tell the living about ghosts.”
Lee Gang-jin continued quietly.
“There’s nothing good about the living knowing about ghosts.”
“Is that so?”
“Do you think it’s good to know?”
Yu Tae-poong thought for a moment before answering.
“If you know a ghost is nearby, wouldn’t you be able to say the things you couldn’t say while alive?”
And he went on to explain his reasoning.
“You could convey the words of love you couldn’t say while alive, or tell them you miss them, or thank them.”
Lee Gang-jin smiled and spoke.
“If you knew the person you miss couldn’t move on to a better place and remained as a ghost in this world… wouldn’t that be even sadder?”
“That’s true.”
As Yu Tae-poong nodded, Lee Gang-jin, who had been watching him for a moment, spoke.
“And even if people can’t hear, ghosts can.”
A bittersweet tone colored Lee Gang-jin’s voice.
“The words you couldn’t say to those who’ve gone… you end up saying them to yourself, speaking to the sky, looking at photographs. So ghosts hear everything. But people can’t hear what ghosts say.”
“It seems you’ve experienced many things running the Afterlife Restaurant.”
“There have been quite a lot of things.”
As Lee Gang-jin nodded, Yu Tae-poong spoke.
“From now on, I’ll address you as my elder.”
“Me?”
“You’re clearly older than me, so you’re my elder. Can I call you that?”
“Ha! Sure. It’s nice having a younger brother in a similar business. Ah, I’m dropping formalities now.”
“Go ahead.”
Having received Yu Tae-poong’s permission, Lee Gang-jin suddenly looked beyond the cloth, more precisely toward where the Dung Carrier Goblin was, and spoke.
“By the way, the Dung Carrier Goblin seems to have a good personality.”
At Lee Gang-jin’s words, Yu Tae-poong laughed.
“He seems to have taken a liking to you. Especially calling him ‘elder’ was a masterstroke.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Lee Gang-jin laughed.
“I do tend to be favored by elders and older people.”
Then Lee Gang-jin looked at the cloth and spoke.
“But how do I get out of here?”
At Lee Gang-jin’s words, Yu Tae-poong placed his hand on the book about Lim Ok-beom resting on the table.
“Elder, the story is finished.”
Whoosh!
The cloth rapidly contracted, and the surroundings came into view.
Thwack!
The Dung Carrier Goblin grabbed the cloth and tucked it into his waistband as he spoke.
“If you had something to say, you should have said it earlier.”
“I only asked a few questions.”
“Sounds like you were asking about us goblins.”
“How did you know?”
“What else would you ask a goblin that you couldn’t ask anyone else?”
Then the Dung Carrier Goblin’s expression suddenly turned puzzled.
“By the way, you said you’d never seen a goblin before, right?”
“That’s right.”
“You’ve never seen the JS employees?”
“I have.”
“Most of the employees there are probably goblins.”
Freeze!
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Lee Gang-jin’s face went pale. And then….
“Kang Doo-chi is a goblin?”
At Bae Yong-su’s bewildered words, the Dung Carrier Goblin looked at him.
“You know Kang Doo-chi?”
“You know him too?”
“We’re not close, but I’ve seen him a few times.”
“So Kang Doo-chi is a goblin?”
“I already told you. Most of the JS employees are goblins.”
“Unbelievable. We’ve known him for years and had no idea.”
“Right.”
“We had a goblin right beside us and never realized it….”
As the Afterlife Restaurant staff exchanged glances and murmured among themselves, the Dung Carrier Goblin laughed and spoke.
“That’s why they say the lamp at the base is the darkest.”
As they conversed, the library door opened and Choi Ok-ja entered.
In Choi Ok-ja’s hands was a large bamboo winnowing basket.
“I should have gone to fetch it myself. I apologize.”
“I heard there was a guest at the library, so I came out of curiosity.”
As Choi Ok-ja approached, the Dung Carrier Goblin smiled and pulled out the cloth, spreading it wide.
Whoooosh!
Choi Ok-ja placed the bamboo basket on the spread cloth, then removed the paper covering it. Revealing an array of delicious-looking savory pancakes.
“But there are quite a few guests, aren’t there?”
At Choi Ok-ja’s words, Yu Tae-poong and Lee Gang-jin looked at her with confusion. Currently, there was only one person who could be called a guest—Lee Gang-jin.
If she said there were multiple….
“Madam, can you perhaps see ghosts?”
At Lee Gang-jin’s question, Choi Ok-ja nodded.
“When I was young, the Goblins would often bring snacks to the Goblin Library, and they tasted wonderful. But it turned out they were bringing them from the Afterlife. After eating those snacks, I gained the ability to see ghosts.”
Choi Ok-ja smiled toward the empty air.
“Welcome.”
“Thank you for greeting us so warmly.”
“I’ve brought some pajeon. Please try some.”
At that, the ghosts and Lee Gang-jin thanked her and began eating the pajeon.
Watching this, Yu Tae-poong looked at Choi Ok-ja.
“Have you heard of the Afterlife Restaurant?”
“I’ve heard stories about it from the ghosts. The place that cooks for ghosts….”
Choi Ok-ja paused mid-sentence and looked at Lee Gang-jin.
“Don’t tell me you’re from the Afterlife Restaurant?”
“I’m Lee Gang-jin, running Han-kki Restaurant in Gangnam.”
“This is my first time meeting someone from the Afterlife Restaurant in person.”
Choi Ok-ja smiled and conversed with Lee Gang-jin.
“I’ve heard so many stories about the Afterlife Restaurant from the ghosts.”
“I hope they were good stories.”
Lee Gang-jin spoke with a smile, and Choi Ok-ja answered with a warm expression.
“They were good stories. I run a pajeon restaurant called Jeonjujeon in the alley over there. Please stop by sometime. I’ll prepare something delicious for you.”
Choi Ok-ja turned to Yu Tae-poong.
“Then enjoy your meal.”
“Are you leaving?”
“I need to prepare for the evening service.”
Smiling, Choi Ok-ja left the Goblin Library, and Lee Gang-jin, who had been eating the pajeon, suddenly checked the time and spoke.
“Then we should be going as well.”
“Please have a bit more before you go.”
“We need to get ready for the evening service too.”
Lee Gang-jin continued with a smile.
“Even though our restaurant is small, we have many regular customers. We need to leave now to prepare the ingredients.”
“Then please take the pajeon with you.”
Yu Tae-poong pointed to the platter of pajeon. They had brought quite a variety, but after eating only a few, much remained.
“I won’t refuse. Yong-su’s favorite food is… food prepared by others.”
At Lee Gang-jin’s words, Bae Yong-su chuckled.
“Even instant ramen tastes better when someone else makes it.”
Lee Gang-jin nodded and glanced at a book, then asked Yu Tae-poong.
“Would it be alright if I took a book with me to read?”
“Of course. Oh, but just so you know—the Goblins absolutely hate having their books handled carelessly.”
“Of course I’ll read it carefully.”
Lee Gang-jin smiled, gathered the book, and moved toward the library door, whereupon the Dung Carrier Goblin approached and opened it.
Whoooosh!
Then the interior of Han-kki Restaurant came into view.
Lee Gang-jin lowered his head and entered with the staff.

Click!
As the door closed, Lee Gang-jin glanced at it before setting a platter of pan-fried dishes on the table.
“By the way, that Goblin sure knows how to do a lot of things.”
“Tell me about it.”
Lee Gang-jin stared intently at Bae Yong-su, who answered lightly.
“Really… the difference is huge.”
At Lee Gang-jin’s gaze—as if asking what exactly can you do—Bae Yong-su widened his eyes and met his stare.
“I can turn invisible, at least. You can’t even do that, can you?”
“I can talk to people.”
“I can talk to my seniors too.”
“But I can talk to literally anyone.”
“Tch!”
As Bae Yong-su snorted, Lee Gang-jin chuckled. Then he pointed to the pan-fried dishes on the platter and spoke.
“The pollock pancakes were delicious. Try some.”
At those words, Bae Yong-su murmured as he looked at the pollock pancakes.
“When I was young, I didn’t really like pollock pancakes.”
“I was the same way. But these days, pollock pancakes taste good.”
“Especially when eaten warm. Oh! They’re delicious in stew too.”
At Bae Yong-su’s words, Lee Gang-jin withdrew his hand that had been reaching for the pollock pancakes and looked around at the staff.
“Let’s make stew with these instead.”
“Pancake stew?”
“Stew made with pancakes is delicious, isn’t it?”
At Lee Gang-jin’s words, Bae Yong-su snapped his fingers.
“That’s tasty. Let’s eat it that way.”
The two female ghosts also smiled and nodded.
“Yes. We may not have the Goblin’s skills, but we certainly have the skill to eat well.”
“Right, let’s eat! A ghost who eats and passes on looks radiant, after all.”
As Lee Hye-mi and Kang Sun-young spoke with laughter, Lee Gang-jin picked up the platter of pancakes and headed into the kitchen.

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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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