Goblin Library - Chapter 130

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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 130.

Noticing Oh Mi-hee’s displeased expression, Yu Tae-poong quickly apologized.
“I’m truly sorry. My brother meant no harm.”
“I understand. Please, enjoy your meal.”
Just as she turned to leave, Yu Tae-poong gave Dung Carrier Goblin a meaningful look.
‘Why?’
Dung Carrier Goblin’s gaze questioned the gesture, so Yu Tae-poong tapped his own clothes with his hand to demonstrate.
Dung Carrier Goblin looked at him, then down at his own outfit. Now he understood what Yu Tae-poong meant.
If he was going to dress to fit in with humans, he should adapt his manner of speaking to them as well.
Dung Carrier Goblin nodded briefly, then turned his attention to Oh Mi-hee.
‘If I’m going to spend time with Yu Tae-poong, I need to talk to people like a human would. Speaking casually to someone you’ve just met makes you look like a jerk.’
And Dung Carrier Goblin knew jerks well—most of the protagonists in his novels were exactly that type.
“I apologize. I watch your YouTube channel and enjoy it so much that seeing you in person made me forget my manners and speak too casually.”
At the mention of his channel, Oh Mi-hee turned back in surprise.
“You… know about my channel?”
“We’re all subscribers. I watch it so often that I felt like I knew you personally, so I made a mistake. I’m sorry.”
As he apologized again, Oh Mi-hee looked at him and nodded.
“I was a bit startled, but I appreciate you explaining it like that.”
At her words, Dung Carrier Goblin smiled with relief and continued.
“I even bought this insulated bag because of your channel. We all love finding and eating delicious food.”
“Oh… I see. I wondered if there was anyone else out there with the same hobby as me…”
As she spoke, Oh Mi-hee’s cheeks flushed slightly. This was the first time she’d met a subscriber in person.
Dung Carrier Goblin turned to her with an invitation.
“Why don’t you join us if you’re free?”
“Oh… no, I couldn’t.”
Even Gluttony Goblin looked taken aback. After all, Dung Carrier Goblin was inviting his novel’s protagonist to join them.
“It’s fine, really.”
Dung Carrier Goblin chuckled softly and pointed at the grill table.
“What do you think we’re doing here?”
At Dung Carrier Goblin’s question, Oh Mi-hee looked at the pork skin grilling on the table.
“It looks like you’re grilling pork skin?”
“Do you grill the skin side first, or the inside first?”
Yu Tae-poong asked with a smile, and Oh Mi-hee tilted her head in confusion.
“I don’t really think about that when I grill. I just cook it however—it’s not like it’s meat, right?”
“That’s not quite right…”
Pot Goblin interjected excitedly, and catching Yu Tae-poong’s eye, she licked her lips before adding the formal ending to her words.
“The skin should be grilled from the outside first. That’s how you get the crispy exterior and chewy texture all at once.”
“What are you talking about? You have to grill the skin from the inside out so it cooks evenly and gets that perfect chewy texture. If you do it your way, the outside gets overcooked and it becomes unpleasant to eat.”
“That’s exactly why I like it—for that overcooked flavor.”
Oh Mi-hee watched Yu Tae-poong with a bewildered expression at this sudden debate. What on earth was happening?
Yu Tae-poong laughed and explained.
“Simply put, it’s a debate about whether to grill the outside first or the inside first.”
“Ah!”
At Yu Tae-poong’s explanation, Oh Mi-hee nodded in understanding and looked at the skin on the grill table.
“I see—there really is a difference depending on whether you grill the outside or the inside first.”
“Exactly. As expected from someone who does mukbang broadcasts, you understand right away.”
“Then this must be a very important matter. I shouldn’t have spoken so carelessly.”
At Oh Mi-hee’s words, Pot Goblin and Gluttony Goblin looked at her.
“You understand us…”
Oh Mi-hee nodded at Gluttony Goblin’s words.
“People who grill meat well have their own methods, and they really don’t like it when someone crosses that line.”
“That’s right.”
“Exactly.”
As the two clapped their hands in agreement, Oh Mi-hee laughed and spoke.
“For the record, I’m in the camp that believes you shouldn’t touch meat too much while grilling.”
“But marinated meat needs to be flipped frequently.”
“I agree with that.”
When Oh Mi-hee nodded at Pot Goblin’s words, Pot Goblin laughed and continued.
“We’re really on the same wavelength. Let’s share a table! Oh, I forgot my manners.”
“Sharing a table might be… I don’t want to intrude… and it’s fine if you speak casually. You seem to be someone who loves food like I do, and you seem older than me anyway.”
“Right, then let’s speak comfortably with each other. You can drop the formality too.”
Pot Goblin continued speaking to Oh Mi-hee.
“If sharing a table is uncomfortable, just taste the skin and decide which one is better.”
“Me?”
“Since you’re seeing us for the first time, you can judge objectively which one tastes better, right?”
Then Pot Goblin looked at Yu Tae-poong.
“I was originally going to let him judge, but he’s closer to me. If he says the outside-grilled version tastes better, even though it’s the truth, that guy will suspect bias. And if he says the inside-grilled version is better, people might think I’m just favoring him out of friendship. So I need you to judge objectively.”
The conclusion was clear—Pot Goblin believed the skin grilled from the outside was more delicious.
After a moment’s hesitation, Oh Mi-hee answered.
“Then shall I? Just give me a moment.”
Oh Mi-hee went back to her seat, moved the meat she had been grilling to the side, and licked her lips before speaking.
“Manager, I’ll move my seat over there.”
It seemed awkward to just taste the skin and come back, so she decided to share the table instead.
“Please do. Just bring yourself. I’ll move your things for you.”
“Thank you.”
Though she said that, Oh Mi-hee moved the things she could carry herself.
As Oh Mi-hee brought over the side dishes and condiments, Yu Tae-poong also stood up and brought over the things from her seat.
After joining the table, Oh Mi-hee pointed to the meljeot.
“Have you tried dipping meat in meljeot?”
“Is there anyone who hasn’t tried that?”
“Some people hate it, but others love it. And I’m one of the ones who loves it.”
“I thought it was delicious too.”
At the Goblins’ words, Yu Tae-poong nodded as well.
“I like it too.”
In response, Oh Mi-hee placed the meljeot on one side of the grill table so everyone could share it.
The Dung Carrier Goblin and Yu Tae-poong then dipped the meljeot deeply into the meat and ate it.
“You know how to eat it.”
Seeing Yu Tae-poong, Oh Mi-hee smiled, picked up some meat, and lightly dipped it in the meljeot as she spoke.
“People who aren’t familiar with it should dip it lightly like this.”
At Oh Mi-hee’s words, the Pot Goblin spoke.
“People worry it might be too salty since it’s called jeot, a fermented condiment.”
“That seems to be the case. But this isn’t salty even when you dip it deeply like that.”
“Even if it were salty, it doesn’t matter. You just wrap it in lettuce and eat it.”
As she spoke, the Pot Goblin looked at Yu Tae-poong.
“Try wrapping one that way.”
Since the Pot Goblin was pressing down on the shell with one hand and couldn’t wrap the meat herself, she ordered Yu Tae-poong to wrap it.
Yu Tae-poong then placed lettuce, sesame leaves, and bracken fern on top, dipped the meat in meljeot, wrapped it, and handed it to her.
The Pot Goblin received the wrap, put it in her mouth, and nodded.
“It’s delicious.”
“Me too. I want the doraji.”
At the Gluttony Goblin’s words, this time the Dung Carrier Goblin placed doraji on lettuce, wrapped it with meat dipped in and removed from the meljeot, and handed it over.
“Here.”
The Gluttony Goblin received the lettuce wrap from the Dung Carrier Goblin, put it in his mouth, and nodded.
“Delicious. I like it.”
Then the Gluttony Goblin carefully lifted the shell he had been pressing and checked it, then flipped it over.
Sizzle!
The inside was cooked through transparently, so the Gluttony Goblin spread his tongs and chopsticks and pressed the edges.
“Aren’t you flipping it?”
When the Gluttony Goblin asked, the Pot Goblin carefully lifted the shell with her tongs and spoke.
“The nurungji isn’t done yet.”
“Nurungji?”
At Oh Mi-hee’s question, the Pot Goblin smiled and answered.
“When the shell is cooked well, the surface changes to look like nurungji. That’s when you flip it.”
As she spoke, the Pot Goblin continued cooking the shell that way for a moment, then flipped it.
Sizzle!
As the oil pooled on the shell dripped onto the charcoal and smoke rose, the Pot Goblin pointed to the surface.
“See? It looks like nurungji now.”
“That’s right.”
“Just press down gently now so it doesn’t dry out.”
Pot Goblin, like Gluttony Goblin, spread her tongs and chopsticks wide, pressing down to keep the skin from drying.
Watching both goblins use both hands to cook the skin, Yu Tae-poong wondered if this was really a dish that required such intense concentration.
Usually when friends ate together, they’d be careful not to let it dry, but once it started drying, they’d just cut it with scissors and cook it as is.
Even if the skin dried that way, it would only make a slight crackling sound—perfectly cooked without much fuss.
But these two goblins were using both hands to grill it without letting it dry at all.
Seeing this, Oh Mi-hee quietly asked Yu Tae-poong a question.
“Those two seem really serious about the skin.”
“They do.”
“But… if I taste it and choose one of them, I’m worried the other will be disappointed….”
At Oh Mi-hee’s words, Yu Tae-poong’s expression grew serious, and he carefully cautioned the two goblins.
“Listen, once the host tastes it and chooses one or can’t decide, you absolutely cannot be disappointed or wish bad things on them.”
“What kind of worry is that?”
“Right. We’re not thugs or anything. Don’t worry.”
At the two goblins’ words, Yu Tae-poong nodded. Oh Mi-hee then asked him a question.
“Bad things? What do you mean by bad things?”
For a moment, Yu Tae-poong’s eyes wavered, then he smiled and explained.
“It’s like wishing harm on someone.”
“Wishing harm?”
“It means don’t pray for bad things to happen just because you weren’t chosen.”
When Oh Mi-hee tilted her head in confusion, Yu Tae-poong laughed.
“You came to try the vegetables, so why don’t you taste some?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s suggestion, Oh Mi-hee nodded and looked at the vegetables set aside beside her.
They’d been moved to the side because overcooking them would ruin their texture.
Oh Mi-hee hesitated over what to try, then shook her head.
‘Better to eat than spend time thinking.’
Muttering to herself, Oh Mi-hee picked up some bracken fern, avoided the skin, and gently rubbed it against the grill table.
“It’s fully cooked?”
“It’s cooled down.”
“Ah….”
“The best tip for enjoying food deliciously is… eating hot foods hot and cold foods cold.”
Smiling, Oh Mi-hee gently shook the bracken fern on the grill table, then picked up some meat with it and brought it to her mouth.
Watching Oh Mi-hee eat it plain like that, Yu Tae-poong asked.
“You’re not dipping it in sauce or seasoning?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Oh Mi-hee slowly chewed what was in her mouth and answered.
“For the first bite, I want to enjoy the pure taste. And from the second bite on….”
Oh Mi-hee placed the bracken fern and meat in the front dish and topped it with a pickled red chili.
“I’ll eat it this way.”
Oh Mi-hee carefully picked it up with her chopsticks, put it in her mouth, and nodded.
“It’s delicious.”
“Isn’t it?”
“The bracken fern absorbed the pork fat, so it’s a bit greasy, but the sourness and spice of the red chili paste pickle blend so smoothly. It’s really delicious.”
At Oh Mi-hee’s words, Yu Tae-poong picked up some bracken fern, put it in his mouth, and nodded.
“At first, I wasn’t consuming this much oil.”
Yu Tae-poong looked at the plate. There, stacked together, were the meat and vegetables that had been set aside to grill the skin.
“I’ve absorbed quite a bit of oil.”
“Exactly.”
With that, Yu Tae-poong took out a little bracken fern from the insulated bag and gently placed it at the corner of the grill table.
“It will taste different if you eat it right after grilling it.”
As Yu Tae-poong spoke and Oh Mi-hee nodded while looking at the bracken fern, Gluttony Goblin picked up the scissors.
The skin that had been grilling from the inside was now fully cooked.

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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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