Goblin Library - Chapter 135

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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 135.

Yu Tae-poong was watching YouTube. On the screen played Oh Mi-hee’s “Taste Against Taste” series.
“She’s been eating quite a lot of Korean cuisine.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s remark, the Dung Carrier Goblin glanced at the phone and replied.
“Seems like she’s following Lee Yun-jeong’s book, doesn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, of course the book covers Korean food—that’s only natural.”
The book dealt with the cuisine of noble ladies’ inner chambers during the Joseon era, so naturally Korean dishes dominated. In fact, only Korean food appeared throughout.
And Oh Mi-hee was traveling around eating the very dishes featured in Lee Yun-jeong’s work.
By now, she had even begun offering her own culinary critiques.
One day, Oh Mi-hee had set out to eat….

Oh Mi-hee pulled up to a nakji hotpot restaurant. It wasn’t a famous establishment featured on YouTube, social media, or internet forums, but it had earned a reputation as a local gem in the neighborhood.
Recently, Oh Mi-hee had been seeking out hidden neighborhood restaurants that hadn’t yet gained internet fame.
After hearing that there was a place with truly exceptional nakji hotpot, she’d driven over.
But she’d arrived a bit early and caught the restaurant during its break.
『Should have checked the break hours before coming.』
Oh Mi-hee gazed at the sign reading “Nakji Heaven” for a moment, then hesitated and glanced around the area.
Since she had time to spare, she thought she might as well eat something. Scanning her surroundings, she spotted a sign for “Mom’s Kimbap” and headed in that direction.
It had been ages since she’d had kimbap. The thought appealed to her.
Lately, she’d been eating only at fine restaurants and hadn’t had time for simple casual fare.
So she decided to have some simple kimbap—like warming up an engine before a sports car takes off.
Oh Mi-hee entered the small kimbap shop tucked into an alley and surveyed the interior with curious eyes.
The shop had only about four tables. It had been so long since she’d visited such a tiny establishment that she couldn’t remember the last time.
In Seoul, land was expensive, and rent was equally steep. Small shops like this were typically takeout-only; they weren’t places where customers sat down to eat.
When customers ate in, the owner had to worry about table turnover as well.
『Welcome.』
A young Shop Owner who had been sitting at one of the tables with a young girl stood up.
『I came to have some kimbap.』
『The menu is over there.』
Following the Shop Owner’s direction, Oh Mi-hee looked at the menu board hanging on the wall. Being a small kimbap shop, the selection was limited.

「Original kimbap: 2,500 won.
Tuna kimbap: 3,500 won.
Cheese kimbap: 3,500 won.
Ramen: 3,000 won.
Udon: 4,000 won.
Fish cake, ham, and boiled egg toppings are 500 won each.」

Oh Mi-hee glanced up from the menu and spoke.
『One original, one tuna, and one cheese kimbap, please. And one ramen.』
Kimbap and ramen were a classic pairing.
The Shop Owner, who had been preparing ingredients at the small cooking station beside the counter near the entrance, paused and looked at Oh Mi-hee.
『Will you be taking it to go?』
『No, I’ll eat here.』
『Are there others coming?』
『I’m just really hungry.』
Knowing that simply saying she ate a lot wouldn’t convince anyone, Oh Mi-hee patted her stomach as she spoke.
The Shop Owner tilted her head at this, then said.
『Then let me start with just the original and cheese kimbap. If you’re still hungry after eating, I’ll bring the tuna kimbap then.』
『That works.』
There was no point in further discussion—she could simply ask for more once she’d eaten.
As Oh Mi-hee watched the Shop Owner put water on to boil and prepare the ramen, she noticed a young girl.
The girl was studying while reading a book, apparently doing homework with her mother after school.
Sensing Oh Mi-hee’s gaze, the girl looked at her and gave a small bow.
Oh Mi-hee smiled and spoke in return.
『Hello.』
『Hello.』
After returning the girl’s greeting, Oh Mi-hee was setting out chopsticks and a spoon when the Shop Owner brought two rolls of kimbap and a bowl of udon broth.
『The ramen will take a moment.』
『Thank you.』
Oh Mi-hee looked at the food before her. The kimbap was ordinary, but the udon broth contained quite a bit of fish cake.
『You seemed hungry, so I added some extra fish cake.』
Apparently, fish cake didn’t normally come with the udon broth.
『Thank you.』
Oh Mi-hee picked up her chopsticks and grabbed a piece of kimbap. The original kimbap was like any other from a typical kimbap shop.
The ingredients inside were ordinary, and the taste was equally unremarkable—neither particularly delicious nor unpleasant, just the kind of kimbap you could find anywhere.
Since she hadn’t come with high expectations and only wanted to fill her stomach, Oh Mi-hee cleansed her palate with the udon broth.
The broth was made with commercial udon dashi soy sauce.
It too was plain and unremarkable in taste.
Oh Mi-hee reached for the seasoning containers on the table and sprinkled a bit of red chili powder into her broth.
With the broth to accompany it, the kimbap went down smoothly.
“Your ramen is ready.”
Oh Mi-hee smiled as she received the ramen. Strangely, the ramen tasted far more appetizing when eaten at a casual eatery like this than it ever did at home.
As she picked up her chopsticks to eat, she found herself thinking about buying one of those udon bowls—black on the outside, crimson within—on her way back after filming wrapped.
Gazing at the ramen with its egg stirred throughout, Oh Mi-hee took her first bite with her chopsticks.
“Slurrrp! Slurrrp!”
What she was eating now was a style of instant noodles with shrimp paste added to the broth. She must have seen a similar preparation on a variety food show once, where they’d featured ramen with soybean paste and shrimp paste, and decided to recreate it.
But unlike what the show had promised, there was no dramatic transformation in flavor. It was simply… different.
And because of the shrimp paste, it tasted a bit too salty.
While Oh Mi-hee ate her ramen and kimbap, the Shop Owner reviewed her daughter’s studies once more.
“That’s right, well done.”
The Shop Owner, who had been praising her daughter for answering the question correctly, let out a sigh.
“Mom.”
Seeing her daughter’s worried expression, the Shop Owner laughed and shook her head.
“No, it’s fine.”
“It’s just because there aren’t many customers.”
“No, it’s not that… It’s just hard doing this alone.”
The Shop Owner smiled and gently stroked her daughter’s hair.
“Mom is thinking about working in a restaurant kitchen instead.”
“In a restaurant? Kitchen work is tough, though.”
“I think getting a steady paycheck would be better than worrying about rent while running this place. But… if Mom goes to work, what will Eun-sil do alone?”
“I’m grown up now. And with just my phone, I can study, play, do everything. I’ll just stay home and keep myself occupied until you get back.”
“Then you have to call me right away if anything happens while I’m working.”
“Don’t worry.”
As Oh Mi-hee ate her ramen and kimbap together, she felt an uncomfortable weight in her chest. Not every person running a food business could achieve massive success.
The food business was fundamentally simple—if the food was delicious, the business thrived; if it wasn’t, no amount of size or flashiness could save it.
Regardless of the circumstances of those preparing the food, whether they were virtuous or wicked, the food business rewarded only taste.
And there were countless people facing hardship.
As Oh Mi-hee murmured to herself and continued eating, a can of cola suddenly appeared before her.
“You overheard some heavy conversation while eating. I’m sorry about that. This is on the house.”
The Shop Owner smiled as she set down the cola, and Oh Mi-hee hesitated before bowing her head.
“Thank you.”
She looked at the cola for a moment, then spoke softly.
“Are you closing the kimbap shop?”
At Oh Mi-hee’s question, the Shop Owner smiled and looked around her store.
“Yes, it seems like that’s what needs to happen.”
Then, with a note of regret in her voice, she shared her circumstances.
“I used to do different work, but it was hard to spend time with my daughter while working. I thought running a shop while being with her would be nice, so I opened this place.”
“So that’s why you chose menus that are quick to prepare.”
“You understand?”
“Kimbap, udon, ramen—none of them require much preparation.”
Kimbap requires considerable effort in preparing the ingredients, but once that’s done, the actual assembly doesn’t demand much work. You simply add the fillings and roll it up.
Of course, if you put in extra care and effort, kimbap can be quite time-consuming as well.
『Running this place is exhausting, but at least I can be with my daughter after school and help her with her studies… business just isn’t picking up. Even paying the monthly rent is tight.』
Hearing the Shop Owner’s bitter laugh, Oh Mi-hee paused for a moment before speaking.
『Um, ma’am… why not try adding a signature touch to your kimbap?』
The Shop Owner laughed awkwardly.
『Our kimbap is rather plain, isn’t it.』
Oh Mi-hee, unsure how to respond, simply smiled and continued eating her kimbap, prompting the Shop Owner to sigh.
『I know that much, but adding a signature touch means using more ingredients, which raises the cost per unit… and I can’t exactly raise the price for a single roll of kimbap.』
At the Shop Owner’s words, Oh Mi-hee looked at her and spoke gently.
『Adding one extra strip of ham could be your signature touch, and so could adding more egg strips.』
She continued with a light laugh.
『If you just add a bit more without raising the price… it’ll taste better than it does now.』
『That’s easier said than done.』
At the Shop Owner’s remark, Oh Mi-hee shook her head slightly. She picked up a piece of kimbap and put it in her mouth before speaking.
『I once heard this on a cooking variety show: the chef has to put in the effort and care for customers to truly enjoy the taste.』
『Ah….』
Watching the Shop Owner hesitate, Oh Mi-hee continued.
『I can teach you a kimbap recipe with a signature touch. It does require more effort, but it only needs one extra egg, so it should be manageable.』
At the mention of teaching a kimbap recipe, the Shop Owner looked at her with curiosity.
『Are you a chef?』
『I’m not a chef—just someone who loves good food. Would you like me to teach you?』
At Oh Mi-hee’s question, the Shop Owner glanced hesitantly at her shop. Seeing this, Oh Mi-hee looked at her daughter.
『Don’t you want to spend time with your daughter?』
『Of course I do. That’s why I opened this shop in the first place.』
At the Shop Owner’s words, her daughter looked shyly at Oh Mi-hee.
『If I learn that from you, will our shop do better?』
『That, I can’t say for certain.』
『You can’t?』
『If the food is delicious, customers will come, but even that requires luck.』
Oh Mi-hee looked at the Shop Owner and spoke.
『Unless you’re planning to close the shop anyway, try learning it and add it to your menu. And if customers like it and it sells well, you won’t have to close, right?』
『But… will the taste really improve just by adding one more egg?』
『Among all the kimbap I’ve eaten, the ones with character, good taste, and something uncommon—customers who enjoy those will come back for more.』
『If I add an egg, I’d have to charge about 500 won more.』
『If it tastes good, customers will gladly pay 500 won extra.』
Oh Mi-hee smiled as she ate her kimbap and spoke.
『Think about it while I finish this. And please calculate the bill for me.』
Oh Mi-hee handed over her card, and the Shop Owner took it, processed the payment, and returned it.
『Hmm!』
Oh Mi-hee paused mid-bite of her kimbap and ramen, then spoke up.
“Oh! Did you charge for the tuna kimbap?”
“Ah… not yet.”
“Please add that to the bill as well.”
“You’re going to eat the tuna kimbap too?”
“I eat well.”
The Shop Owner nodded at Oh Mi-hee’s words, then suddenly looked at her more closely.
“Then… why don’t you share your recipe with me? I’ll make kimbap using your recipe for you.”
At the Shop Owner’s suggestion, Oh Mi-hee nodded and spoke.
“There’s nothing special about the recipe, really. First, take out three eggs.”
The Shop Owner retrieved three eggs at Oh Mi-hee’s instruction. Watching her, Oh Mi-hee picked up a piece of kimbap and placed it in her mouth.
In her mind, she recalled the tamago sushi she had eaten long ago in Japan.

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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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