Goblin Library - Chapter 132
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 132.
After sharing a meal with Yu Tae-poong and his companions, Oh Mi-hee exchanged contact information with Gluttony Goblin.
Ordinarily, Gluttony Goblin would not have exchanged contact information with the protagonist, as he had no desire to interfere with the narrative.
Yet somehow, through conversation and circumstance, a connection had formed between them.
Faced with this dilemma, Gluttony Goblin deliberated before ultimately deciding to share his number.
The reason was simple: they shared a common passion for food, and as they discussed matters over meat, their conversation flowed naturally and proved genuinely enjoyable.
And goblins cherish amusement—so much so that it could serve as a life’s purpose.
Thus, after exchanging contact information with Oh Mi-hee, Gluttony Goblin had been calling her occasionally.
And at this very moment, he was speaking with her on the phone.
“Right, right. When you get there, there’s a small restaurant tucked in an alley. An old man runs it alone, and his touch with flavors is exquisite. After you finish, order the celebration noodles and the mixed noodles. The mixed noodles come with kimchi, and that’s a delicacy in itself.”
As Gluttony Goblin ended the call, Yu Tae-poong asked a question.
“Was that Oh Mi-hee?”
“She went to Gangwon Province to eat spicy braised chicken. I told her about an alley restaurant.”
At Gluttony Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong’s mouth watered.
“Spicy braised chicken is delicious.”
“The place I just told Oh Mi-hee about has truly exceptional flavor. Especially if you mash the potatoes and thicken the broth a bit—that’s absolutely magnificent. Ah! Should we go eat there this evening?”
Dung Carrier Goblin looked at Gluttony Goblin with an expression of amazement as he spoke.
“But why aren’t you going? Why do you keep staying here?”
Gluttony Goblin answered with a smile.
“Eating together is fun.”
“Eating together?”
When Dung Carrier Goblin looked puzzled, Gluttony Goblin nodded.
“Usually I wander around finding restaurants and eat alone, but after eating with you all a few times, I found it enjoyable. That’s why I’m staying here.”
Dung Carrier Goblin let out a soft laugh.
“Eating with others is definitely fun. You talk while you eat.”
“That’s true.”
Watching the two goblins converse, Yu Tae-poong held out a book.
“By the way, I need to give this book to Oh Mi-hee.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Gluttony Goblin looked at the book he was holding. It was Pot Goblin’s book, 【Lee Yun-jeong】.
For several days now, Lee Yun-jeong had been adding illustrations to her book.
“What’s difficult about that? Just ask her to eat dinner together.”
“Didn’t she go to Gangwon Province?”
“She did. A two-night, three-day culinary tour.”
“But we… oh.”
Yu Tae-poong’s expression shifted to understanding as he regarded the goblins. Distance was no obstacle for them.
With a single door, they could travel anywhere in the nation they wished.
“So what will you eat?”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s question, the Gluttony Goblin raised his hand.
Whoosh!
A book was clutched in his grip.
“Let me see….”
As he flipped through the pages, Yu Tae-poong and the Dung Carrier Goblin caught sight of what he was reading.
“What book is that?”
“A list of restaurants I’ve discovered traveling across the country. Gangwon Province….”
The Dung Carrier Goblin spoke to the Gluttony Goblin as he scanned the list.
“Forget that—let’s go to our farm and roast some doraji. Doraji grilled over charcoal tastes wonderful.”
“You have a farm?”
“I do. It’s in a beautiful location. Right?”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s question, Yu Tae-poong nodded.
“The view from the mountainside was quite lovely.”
“Exactly. Grilling doraji over charcoal in a place like that tastes exquisite. It’ll be chilly once the sun sets, but eating in front of the charcoal fire will keep us warm and add a certain charm to it.”
“Are you only going to grill doraji?”
“Of course not. We’ll have to grill beef too.”
At the two goblins’ words, Yu Tae-poong asked.
“Will Oh Mi-hee be joining us as well? Is that alright?”
“No problem. It’s not like the place has no roads.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin looked at the Gluttony Goblin.
“I’ll show you the way. You go meet her and bring her along.”
“We’ll need to take a car then.”
“That’s right. We can go through the door, but if you’re bringing Oh Mi-hee, you’ll have to drive.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, the Gluttony Goblin nodded and stood up.
“Then I should head out first.”
“Where’s the car?”
“Chungcheong Province.”
“That’s quite far, isn’t it?”
“My home is there.”
With that, the Gluttony Goblin left the Goblin Library and glanced at Yu Tae-poong.
“Don’t forget to bring the book when you go.”
“Understood.”
The Gluttony Goblin grasped the library door and pulled it open.
Whoosh!
Beyond the threshold, the interior of what looked like a kitchen came into view.
As the Gluttony Goblin stepped inside, voices of people could be heard.
“Welcome, sir.”
“Yes.”
Click!
As the door closed and the voices faded, Yu Tae-poong looked at the Dung Carrier Goblin with a puzzled expression.
“It looks like you’re heading into the kitchen. Do you run the Gluttony Goblin’s restaurant?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s question, the Dung Carrier Goblin nodded.
“Not all goblins are close with each other or keep in touch. Besides, until recently, the Gluttony Goblin and I weren’t on good terms. It felt awkward to exchange pleasantries.”
“I suppose that makes sense.”
The Gluttony Goblin only approached after the Dung Carrier Goblin changed his appearance; before that, he’d avoided him.
To the Gluttony Goblin, who loved food, the Dung Carrier Goblin—reeking of excrement—was someone who’d ruin anyone’s appetite.
“Well, I’ll ask anyway.”
With that, the Dung Carrier Goblin pulled out his phone and made a call.
[What?]
“Do you run a restaurant?”
[Oh, didn’t I mention it?]
“You didn’t.”
[I opened a restaurant so I could eat whatever I wanted.]
“What do you sell?”
[Set meal dinners. Usually, I sell whatever side dishes I’m craving that day.]
“Is it good?”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s question, the Gluttony Goblin laughed.
[Have you ever seen me eat something that wasn’t delicious?]
“You eat whatever’s available if there’s nothing else.”
[Well… I suppose I eat when there’s truly nothing else… but! In this age when there’s so much food available, why would I eat something tasteless?]
“That’s fair.”
[So there’s your answer. Our restaurant is delicious.]
“You don’t cook yourself, do you?”
[I don’t cook myself. But because I want to eat deliciously, I hired skilled older women to do it. And I don’t skimp on ingredients—I use them generously… so the food has to be good.]
The Gluttony Goblin spoke with a laugh.
[Skilled mothers and a boss who doesn’t spare on ingredients. When those two come together, the food can’t help but be delicious.]
“Doesn’t using a lot of ingredients reduce your profit?”
[That’s people’s mistaken thinking. If you want to make money, first you need to get people to come. To get people to come to a restaurant, you have to use ingredients generously and abundantly… and when you do that, even if you give out more rice and more side dishes, you end up making money. Anyone who tries to make money by skimping on food shouldn’t be in the restaurant business.]
At the Gluttony Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong thought for a moment, then nodded.
‘I see. Since it’s his business to eat deliciously and abundantly, people have no choice but to go there.’
I’m not sure what the price range is, but people don’t hold back spending money on delicious food with generous portions.
People these days will seek out expensive places if the food is good—that’s why they spend over a hundred thousand won per person for sushi omakase.
“But you don’t employ a chef—the older women cook the food?”
[They say the most delicious food in the world is what a mother makes. Of course, that’s limited to her own family… but still, if they’re people who can make delicious food for their own family, they can make delicious food for others too.]
“That’s true.”
[And what’s so special about a chef? If someone makes food that people eat deliciously, that person is a chef.]
The Gluttony Goblin spoke with a laugh.
[The chef who makes delicious food for my palate and puts it in my mouth—that’s the greatest chef there is.]
“That’s true, I suppose.”
[Anyway, I need to drive. See you later.]
Yu Tae-poong said after hanging up with Gluttony Goblin.
“Shoe Goblin runs a custom shoe boutique, Gluttony Goblin runs a restaurant, and you, hyung….”
Dung Carrier Goblin laughed at Yu Tae-poong’s gaze.
“I run a farm.”
Dung Carrier Goblin nodded after speaking.
“Now that I think about it, each of you does something that resembles your true nature. Do you find enjoyment in what you do?”
“What about you, hyung?”
“Me? I started during the war, bringing in orphans and trying to feed them something. There wasn’t really any enjoyment in it.”
“I see.”
Yu Tae-poong, muttering to himself, asked.
“Then what does Pot Goblin do?”
“Well… Pot Goblin must be doing something, but what exactly?”
“Should we ask?”
“Yeah, let’s ask. I’m curious too.”
At Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong took out his phone and called Pot Goblin.
[Hello.]
“It’s Yu Tae-poong. I called because I was curious about something.”
[Curious about what?]
When Yu Tae-poong mentioned the side businesses the goblins ran, Pot Goblin laughed and spoke.
[So you’re curious about my side business?]
“It’s not really a side business, but I was wondering what you do separately.”
[Well, my side business is… being rich.]
“How conceited.”
Pot Goblin laughed at Dung Carrier Goblin’s remark.
[But being rich is a fact.]
Pot Goblin said, still laughing.
[Anyway, like Dung Carrier Goblin and Shoe Goblin, I do have one separate thing I’m involved in.]
“What is it?”
[I run a kindergarten.]
“A kindergarten?”
[Why, did you think I’d run some kind of dishware shop since I’m a pot?]
“A dishware shop would suit you too, actually.”
Pot Goblin laughed lightly at Yu Tae-poong’s words and spoke.
[My true nature is that of a pot. But I’m only a pot in form—what fills me is a mother’s heart. A mother who cooked rice in a pot, made soup, and prepared food for her family… her heart fills my pot. That’s why I love children. When children grow up and become adults, they leave their mother’s embrace, but for children, mother is their whole world, and for a mother, her child is her whole world. A kindergarten where such children can eat freely, play comfortably, and rest… that’s what I do.]
“A kindergarten… you’re doing good work.”
Pot Goblin laughed at Yu Tae-poong’s words and spoke.
[It’s good work, and it’s work I love. Anyway, that’s what I do. Anything else you’re curious about?]
“Nothing else. Oh! Tonight we’re going to Dung Carrier Goblin hyung’s farm in Gangwon Province to grill bellflower root and meat over charcoal. Would you like to join us?”
[I have some things to take care of today.]
“Ah… that’s unfortunate. Well, it can’t be helped then.”
[Have a good time.]
After ending the call, Yu Tae-poong looked at his phone and smiled.
“A kindergarten, huh? That suits Pot Goblin perfectly.”
“That one has a warm side to her. She’s got a lot of affection.”
“I suppose it’s because she was the mother’s pot.”
“That could be it.”
Dung Carrier Goblin, who had been conversing with them, rose from his seat.
“I’ll pick you up right when you finish work.”
“Where are you going, sir?”
“I invited some guests over, so I need to prepare.”
Yu Tae-poong nodded at Dung Carrier Goblin’s words.
“Ah, you should prepare some ramen too.”
“Ramen?”
“The weather’s getting chilly. After eating meat, ramen would hit the spot.”
Dung Carrier Goblin nodded at Yu Tae-poong’s suggestion.
“But a few packages might not be enough.”
“Come on! After grilling aralia shoots and meat, how much more could anyone eat?”
“Even when full, a true Korean will devour a bowl of ramen as dessert.”
Dung Carrier Goblin paused for a moment, then chuckled and spoke.
“With those guys, I’d better buy ten packages of ramen.”
As Dung Carrier Goblin left the Goblin Library while speaking, Yu Tae-poong watched his departing figure and opened Lee Yun-jeong’s book.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————