Goblin Library - Chapter 123

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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 123.

In the Goblin Library, now empty of the Underworld Restaurant staff, Yu Tae-poong was washing coffee cups.
“Kang Jin seems like he has a good personality, doesn’t he?”
“The managers at the Underworld Restaurant generally like people.”
“Is that why you hire people with good personalities?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s murmur, the Dung Carrier Goblin tilted his head in confusion.
“I wouldn’t know about that.”
As Yu Tae-poong finished washing the dishes and turned around, the Dung Carrier Goblin, who had pulled a can of honey water from the refrigerator, asked him a question.
“You want one?”
When Yu Tae-poong nodded, the Dung Carrier Goblin handed him the honey water.
Taking the can of honey water, Yu Tae-poong gathered Oh Mi-hee’s book and sat at the table.
“Let me see where we left off. Should I continue reading?”
When they’d left for lunch, the entry had ended at the scene where Oh Mi-hee went to Han-kki Restaurant.
After returning from lunch and reading until 2 o’clock, the book contained several more mukbang entries after Oh Mi-hee had finished her meal at Han-kki Restaurant.

***

Oh Mi-hee was entering a restaurant to eat a distinctive dish called bean sprout and pork belly steamed in layers.
It was prepared by layering bean sprouts on the bottom, pork belly on top of that, then bean sprouts again, and pork belly once more—cooked in a steamer basket the way dumplings are steamed, which made it quite unique.
Oh Mi-hee had wanted to eat this dish for a long time but had never managed to.
Since steamed dishes basically required ordering for at least two people, they wouldn’t serve her when she came alone. Even when she insisted she could eat more than two servings by herself, they didn’t believe her.
But now she had a job as a mukbang creator and a GoPro camera.
This was a place that had rejected her before, but now they would accept her.
‘If it doesn’t work out, I’ll call Hee-sun and we’ll go in together.’
Oh Mi-hee slipped into the restaurant with her GoPro in hand.
‘Welcome.’
A middle-aged woman who appeared to be a restaurant staff member glanced behind Oh Mi-hee, trying to confirm how many people were in her party.
‘I’m a mukbang YouTuber. I was wondering if it would be okay if I just filmed myself eating alone.’
‘A mukbang YouTuber? Alone?’
‘Yes.’
‘But our steamed dish is a minimum of two servings, so it would be difficult for one person to finish.’
‘I’m a YouTuber who does mukbangs. I’m someone who really eats a lot—I can eat four servings by myself.’
The staff member looked her up and down skeptically.
‘You don’t look like you eat much.’
‘If I couldn’t eat much, how would I do mukbang YouTube?’
At Oh Mi-hee’s confident response, the staff member looked at her and then nodded.
‘It’s true that mukbang people eat a lot even if they’re small… So you really finish everything.’
“Of course.”
“Then enjoy your meal and share some good stories with us.”
“I will.”
The Restaurant Staff guided Oh Mi-hee to a secluded corner table.
“By the way, we’ve never had a YouTuber visit our restaurant before. How did you find out about us?”
“I searched for popular restaurants online and found you.”
“Really? We made it onto a restaurant review site?”
The Restaurant Staff smiled, brought water, and spoke.
“Should I prepare two servings for you?”
“Please make it three servings.”
“Why not try two servings first?”
“I can eat three servings.”
“You know it’s wasteful to leave food uneaten, right?”
“I do.”
After confirming once more with Oh Mi-hee, the Restaurant Staff submitted the order to the kitchen. Oh Mi-hee then glanced around the restaurant.
She had deliberately come around 4 PM when fewer customers were present, and the table held only her.
Oh Mi-hee pulled out her phone and checked her reflection.
Oh Mi-hee was quite famous as a gymnastics influencer. So when she walked down the street, some people would recognize her.
That’s why she had simplified her makeup routine, and now people didn’t recognize her.
Was broadcast makeup really that different?
Oh Mi-hee nodded to herself. During gymnastics and broadcasts, she wore heavier makeup, so her everyday face must look quite different.
After setting down her phone, Oh Mi-hee arranged the chopsticks and spoon on the table.
Then she adjusted her GoPro to show only below her face, watched the screen briefly, and waited for the food to arrive.
After waiting about ten minutes, the Restaurant Staff brought out a steamer basket with dumplings. As she set it down, she lifted the lid.
Whoooosh!
As the steamer lid opened, white steam rose up, revealing the food beneath. Thinly sliced pork belly was laid out in neat rows.
“Wow…”
The Restaurant Staff spoke as she watched Oh Mi-hee filming the dish with her GoPro.
“It tastes best when you dip the bean sprouts and meat together in the sauce. If you get tired of that, you can eat it with onions, and afterward, you can wrap it in lettuce.”
“Got it.”
Oh Mi-hee smiled and gently lifted a piece of pork belly. Beneath it, the pile of bean sprouts was revealed.
And below that, more pork belly appeared. The dish was made by alternating layers of bean sprouts, pork belly, bean sprouts, and pork belly, then steaming them—this was steamed pork belly with bean sprouts.
The pork belly lost its fat and became lean, while the bean sprouts absorbed the oil, becoming moist. When dipped in a spicy soy sauce, it was supposed to taste absolutely delicious.
Recalling what she’d read online, Oh Mi-hee picked up an appropriate amount of pork belly and bean sprouts, lightly dipped them in a sauce mixed with red chili powder and soy sauce, and put them in her mouth.
Slurp. Crunch. Crunch.
The bean sprouts had a crisp texture, and the pork belly’s fat was savory and rich.
The pork belly, steamed until tender, had a much softer texture than grilled meat.
The harmony of lean pork belly, moist and fatty bean sprouts, and spicy sauce exceeded her expectations.
“Wow, this is delicious.”
Oh Mi-hee murmured softly, then grabbed a generous amount of pork belly and bean sprouts and stuffed them all into her mouth at once.
As Oh Mi-hee savored her meal, the Restaurant Staff approached and spoke to her.
“Though we call it planed pork belly, we actually purchase premium pork belly from the butcher, flash-freeze it, and slice it fresh. That’s why it has no off-odor and tastes wonderful.”
“You’re right. Without any gamey smell, it tastes even better.”
“But do you think you’ll really be able to finish all of this?”
“Of course.”
The Restaurant Staff smiled as she spoke with such confidence, then said:
“If you can’t finish it, just let me know. I’ll pack it up for you.”
“Okay.”
Oh Mi-hee nodded at the staff’s words and continued eating, picking up bean sprouts and pork belly, dipping them in sauce.
As she ate, Oh Mi-hee suddenly opened the bag placed beside her.
“Let me see what I have…”
She pulled out sauce containers, seasoning jars, and side dish containers from her bag.
The seasoning jar held salt, pepper, and wasabi, while the side dish container held various fermented seafood and banchan.
Tap, tap!
Oh Mi-hee picked up pork belly and bean sprouts, then sprinkled salt from her seasoning jar over them.
As she placed them in her mouth, Oh Mi-hee smiled.
While the sauce was good, sprinkling salt lightly offered a distinctly different flavor.
Not stopping there, Oh Mi-hee tried her next portion of pork belly and bean sprouts with both salt and pepper sprinkled on top.
Savoring this new flavor combination, Oh Mi-hee nodded in satisfaction.
“This tastes good too.”
Oh Mi-hee continued eating her food with various seasonings and sauces as accompaniments.
Seeing her like this, the Restaurant Staff approached with a smile.
“What is all this?”
Oh Mi-hee grinned and pointed to the containers on the table.
“I enjoy eating food in many different ways.”
“So you carry all these seasonings around with you?”
The Restaurant Staff examined each seasoning and fermented seafood in the containers with curiosity.
“Salt, pepper, gochujang… this is doenjang, and this is wasabi?”
“Yes.”
“Is this pollock roe?”
“That’s right.”
“You carry fermented seafood around too?”
Oh Mi-hee nodded. Her containers held not only pollock roe but also shrimp sauce, oyster sauce, and various other fermented seafood.
“The meat tastes better when eaten together with fermented seafood.”
“So which way tasted the best?”
“They all tasted so good I can’t choose.”
The Restaurant Staff started to say something in response but caught herself, covering her mouth.
Then she smiled and said:
“You’re so pretty and cute—like a daughter—that I spoke without thinking. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. You felt like an aunt to me, so I was comfortable. And everything really was delicious.”
“What? No, surely there was something particularly delicious?”
Oh Mi-hee smiled as she pondered for a moment, glancing at the sauces and seasonings in response to the Restaurant Staff’s question.
“I really enjoy eating it with salted shrimp and garlic.”
“Salted shrimp and garlic?”
When the Restaurant Staff looked at the salted shrimp, Oh Mi-hee encouraged her.
“Try it once.”
“How could I eat the customer’s food?”
Oh Mi-hee shook her head at the sight of the Restaurant Staff politely declining with a smile.
“It’s nice to enjoy delicious food together. And…”
Oh Mi-hee beamed brightly.
“Discovering a flavor you’ve never tasted before is such a joy.”
As Oh Mi-hee urged again, the Restaurant Staff hesitated for a moment before responding.
“Well, since the customer is telling me to eat it, I suppose I will try it.”
“Go ahead. Oh! First, try it with just garlic and salted shrimp, and the second time, wrap it in lettuce. The taste is completely different.”
Following Oh Mi-hee’s instructions, the Restaurant Staff set the pork belly and bean sprouts to one side, then placed salted shrimp and garlic on top.
Then she put it all in her mouth at once and chewed.
Crunch, crunch!
A smile immediately spread across her face.
“It’s delicious.”
“Isn’t it?”
“The salted shrimp really pairs well with pork.”
“It does. The pork’s juices tame the sharp garlic flavor, and they complement each other perfectly.”
“Exactly.”
“Now try wrapping it in lettuce.”
The Restaurant Staff nodded and placed the pork belly, salted shrimp, and garlic on the lettuce.
“Oh! Try adding some ssamjang to it.”
“But we already have the salted shrimp?”
“Since you’re wrapping it in lettuce, you’ll need a bit of ssamjang to balance the seasoning. Just a little, not too much.”
At that, the Restaurant Staff smiled and delicately picked up a small amount of ssamjang with her chopsticks, asking.
“This much?”
“I’d add just a tiny bit more…”
Following Oh Mi-hee’s words, the Restaurant Staff picked up a little more ssamjang and placed it on the lettuce, then put it in her mouth.
Then she nodded.
“It’s delicious. Really delicious.”
“Isn’t it? It’s delicious.”
Oh Mi-hee smiled brightly, and as she spoke, the Restaurant Staff kept nodding before suddenly looking at her.
“I wondered how someone so small could do mukbang, but you certainly know how to eat food properly. You really do.”
“Even when eating one meal, I want to enjoy it fully and eat a lot. Oh! And that three-person serving…”
Oh Mi-hee, who was about to order three more servings, suddenly looked at the menu and said.
“Could I get two servings of the thinly sliced pork belly instead?”
“Sliced pork belly instead of steamed? Wait, are you going to eat even more before that?”
“My aunt was right—the pork belly is delicious. I want to try it grilled too.”
At Oh Mi-hee’s words, the Factory Employee looked at her and laughed.
“Where does all of that go?”
“Right in here.”
Oh Mi-hee patted her belly with a natural smile, and the Factory Employee nodded in acknowledgment.
“Got it. Just a moment then.”
The Factory Employee lifted the metal cover from the griddle on the table, moved it aside, placed the griddle on top, and lit the flame.
Whoosh!
After igniting the griddle, the Factory Employee told me to wait a moment and returned with the pork belly.
“It’s circular shaped?”
The meat the Factory Employee brought was sliced thin like ordinary pork belly, but instead of being rolled up, it was formed into a circular shape.
“I asked the butcher to prepare it this way specially.”
“Why?”
“Watch.”
The Factory Employee picked up one slice of pork belly and placed it on the heated griddle.
Sizzle!
The meat began cooking rapidly. Because it was so thin, it cooked simply from touching the hot griddle surface.
“One side cooks evenly.”
“Yes.”
“If it’s rolled up, the part touching the griddle cooks first while both sides cook later, so it doesn’t cook evenly.”
Sizzle!
The Factory Employee immediately flipped the meat, gave it one quick swipe across the griddle, and placed it on the serving plate.
The pork belly, glistening with oil, was cooked perfectly without a single overcooked spot.
Just looking at it, Oh Mi-hee could sense the tender texture and savory flavor, and she smiled.

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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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