Goblin Library - Chapter 138

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 138.

Oh Mi-hee laughed and shook her head at the concerned words of the person watching her.
“I’m not running a promotional event. I came to help because I’m close with the owner here. Oh! We developed this kimbap recipe together. Please, try it.”
Oh Mi-hee held up a plate and offered finger vinyl gloves. The finger vinyl gloves were plastic products designed so that only the fingers slipped inside.
She couldn’t have customers eating with bare hands and getting oil on them, but using metal chopsticks for a tasting event would be terribly inefficient.
She had no choice but to use disposable items, but using toothpicks risked crumbling the egg kimbap.
Using wooden chopsticks would generate too much waste. After much deliberation, what Oh Mi-hee had brought was these finger vinyl gloves.
By wearing the gloves only on the thumb and index finger, she could reduce disposable waste.
The man put on the vinyl gloves Oh Mi-hee offered and picked up a piece of egg kimbap, placing it in his mouth.
Then he smiled.
“This is delicious.”
“Isn’t it?”
The man laughed and offered more detailed impressions.
“It’s like eating Japanese egg nigiri sushi as Korean kimbap.”
“Would you like to purchase some?”
“Yes. It’s delicious.”
“Then the shop is right here.”
As Oh Mi-hee smiled and pointed inside the Kimbap Restaurant, the man hesitated for a moment before laughing and entering the shop.
After watching his retreating figure briefly, Oh Mi-hee turned toward the other people and offered them plates of kimbap.
“You’re welcome to say if it doesn’t taste good.”
At Oh Mi-hee’s words, people one by one put on the finger vinyl gloves and tried the kimbap.
Overall, the women’s reactions were better than the men’s.
“Wow, this is really delicious.”
“Right. It feels like eating a dish, not kimbap.”
“The texture is insane. It’s so soft.”
When everyone who tasted the kimbap said it was delicious, Oh Mi-hee smiled and looked at the egg kimbap.
In truth, the egg kimbap still had a long way to go. While egg was the main ingredient, the rice and other ingredients that would complement this egg kimbap still needed research.
By her thinking, simply changing the rice or the seaweed wrapper could make it even more delicious.
But that was work for the Shop Owner, not for her.
The people who had tasted it went into the shop and came out with kimbap they had purchased.
Some bought just one roll because of Oh Mi-hee’s presence, while those who truly loved the egg kimbap bought two or three rolls to take home and share with their families.
And gradually, more people began gathering in front of the Kimbap Restaurant.
Since Oh Mi-hee was such a famous person, those who had come contacted their neighborhood friends and acquaintances.
The famous Oh Mi-hee was here taking photos with them, so they suggested people come see her and try this unique kimbap while they were at it.
There were various types of kimbap—tuna kimbap, vegetable kimbap, special kimbap, and more—but egg kimbap like this wasn’t usually sold at ordinary kimbap restaurants.
Oh Mi-hee found this fact slightly puzzling.
When she thought about it, making it didn’t require that much labor. Just a bit of inconvenience?
But my thoughts were quickly interrupted by the crowd pressing in around me.
I helped Oh Mi-hee take photos with people while facilitating tastings of the egg kimbap.
The Shop Owner, who had been bringing out sliced kimbap for samples, whispered softly to me.
“We’re running low on ingredients.”
“Did we sell out?”
“Yes, if we stop sampling here, I think we could sell about seven more rolls.”
At the Shop Owner’s words, Oh Mi-hee looked at her.
“No, let’s not sell anymore. Let’s use everything for samples instead.”
“For samples?”
“It’s nice to earn money by selling one more roll, but it’s better to let even one more person taste this and discover how delicious it is.”
“Understood. I’ll cut them up and bring them out.”
“Don’t cut them—bring them whole. I’ll slice them fresh right when people taste them.”
“That’s a good idea.”
The Shop Owner brought out a cutting board with kimbap and a knife.
And so I offered kimbap samples to the people, and the customers and fans ate them delightfully.
Once all the kimbap for sampling ran out, I said goodbye to everyone and carried the table inside with the Shop Owner.
After closing the door behind us, the Shop Owner looked outside and spoke.
“People keep coming—should we buy more ingredients and continue now?”
At the Shop Owner’s suggestion, I looked at the crowd murmuring in front of the restaurant.
There were still many people outside who had arrived late to see me.
“I think the samples will be sufficient for those who came within an hour or two of the business opening.”
“Why is that?”
“Most people who heard about my tasting event here and came within an hour or two are probably locals from this area.”
“Ah, I see.”
“On the other hand, the people arriving now likely came from far away, so they won’t help with kimbap sales. Nobody travels far just to buy kimbap.”
“That’s true.”
The Shop Owner nodded and glanced away, looking at the people pressed against the window peering inside. She spoke.
“Still, I feel sorry. You came all this way for them to see you.”
“But I can’t stay here all day either.”
“That’s true.”
As we talked, I checked my phone and spoke.
“The taxi is almost here.”
I had called a taxi in advance once the ingredients ran out.
“Didn’t you bring a car?”
“I did bring one, but I need to get away from them first.”
I slung a thermal bag over my shoulder and spoke.
“Am I being too cold?”
It might seem that way since I was even taking a taxi to escape the fans. At my question, the Shop Owner laughed and replied.
“Not at all. It’s only natural. I treasure my customers too, but I can’t keep the restaurant open until dawn just because they come. Oh!”
The Shop Owner held up a bottle containing broth.
“Just like the broth in an egg roll, moderation is best, wouldn’t you say?”
At the Shop Owner’s words, Oh Mi-hee nodded and waved toward the fans visible through the glass window.
“You’re absolutely right. I’m grateful for everyone’s love, but I can’t dedicate all my time to them.”
As she spoke, Oh Mi-hee glanced toward the street. A taxi was parked in front of the Kimbap Restaurant.
“Well, I should get going. Oh! If business goes well, please contact me.”
“How should I contact you?”
“There’s a YouTube channel called Taste vs Taste. Send me a message there. I’ll be going now! Oh, and…”
Oh Mi-hee looked at the Shop Owner and spoke.
“Try switching up the seaweed and rice.”
“The seaweed and rice?”
“I think there might be seaweed and rice that would suit egg kimbap better. Try a few different varieties.”
“Thank you for thinking of such details.”
At the Shop Owner’s words, Oh Mi-hee smiled softly and spoke.
“On the YouTube channel, it’s a secret that I’m Oh Mi-hee, so please don’t mention it.”
“Oh, of course.”
Oh Mi-hee took a breath and composed her expression. Then, putting on her signature smile for her fans, she left the shop.
“Thank you for coming.”
“We’re fans.”
“It’s Oh Mi-hee!”
“We’ll buy egg kimbap too.”
At the people’s words, Oh Mi-hee smiled and replied.
“Unfortunately, we’ve sold out of kimbap for today. We’ll be open again tomorrow, so please come back and try it. It’s really delicious.”
Then Oh Mi-hee approached the taxi, cracked open the rear door slightly, and spoke.
“I’ll give you an extra five thousand won if you can wait just a moment.”
“That’s not necessary. Wait, are you Oh Mi-hee?”
To the Helpful Driver who recognized her, Oh Mi-hee gave a small smile and spoke.
“Please wait just a moment.”
After placing her bag in the taxi, Oh Mi-hee stood in front of it and addressed the people.
“I need to leave now. Anyone who wants a photo, come here.”
At Oh Mi-hee’s words, the people glanced at each other uncertainly, unsure who should go first.
So Oh Mi-hee approached the person in front and stood beside them.
“Get your phone ready for a selfie.”
As she stood beside the person, they quickly switched their phone to selfie mode and looked at Oh Mi-hee.
“Alright, let’s take it.”
Oh Mi-hee smiled, made a peace sign with her hand, and looked at the phone as they took the selfie.
Then Oh Mi-hee quickly moved to the next person and got ready, and they too took their selfie.
Moving swiftly from person to person who were already prepared, she stood beside each one for photos, allowing everyone to capture their selfies with her.
After taking photos so quickly, Oh Mi-hee looked at the people with an apologetic expression.
“If it weren’t for my schedule, I’d love to spend more time with all of you. I’m truly sorry to those who came from far away.”
As Oh Mi-hee bowed deeply in apology, the people laughed and reassured her it was fine.
Oh Mi-hee pointed toward the Kimbap Restaurant.
“The egg chrysanthemum kimbap was something I developed together with the Company President here. If you happen to try it and find it doesn’t taste good, please let me know anytime. Then I’ll come back to check on things.”
Oh Mi-hee bowed once more before climbing into the taxi.
“Please, let’s go.”
“Where shall I take you?”
“Just start driving for now.”
As the taxi pulled away, Oh Mi-hee rolled down the window and waved to the people outside.

After that, Oh Mi-hee’s YouTube broadcast style changed somewhat. As she found joy in cooking, she even enrolled in a separate culinary academy.
Before, she had simply made whatever she wanted to eat without much thought—things like grilled pork belly or short ribs that only required grilling and seasoning.
But now, having learned to prepare food systematically, she could make dishes that tasted even better.
So while Oh Mi-hee continued visiting restaurants as she had before, she also frequently stopped by small establishments like Mom’s Kimbap.
After tasting the food, if she noticed something seriously wrong or room for improvement, she would gently bring up the topic of the dish with the shop owner.
If the other person seemed ready to accept her words, she would offer advice.
But if they reacted sensitively to food talk or seemed stubborn, she would simply leave without saying anything.
These people took pride in their cooking. When she suggested there might be room for improvement in taste, they’d respond as if to say, “What do you know!”
She had left with hurt feelings a few times after approaching with good intentions.
Still, there were shop owners who listened to what she had to say, and that made Oh Mi-hee happy.
When she returned next time and saw that they had accepted her suggestions and the taste had improved, she felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
What she knew was how to eat delicious food more deliciously, not how to make delicious food in the first place.
So Oh Mi-hee devoted more time to learning cooking.

***

Yu Tae-poong loved Oh Mi-hee’s YouTube channel. Usually, mukbang channels introduce food by eating a lot deliciously, but Oh Mi-hee’s channel eats a lot deliciously while introducing ways to eat even more deliciously.
On top of that, she now also teaches restaurants struggling with business how to improve their food’s taste.
In truth, if you go somewhere once and the food tastes bad, you simply don’t go back next time. There’s no real reason to move your mouth and point out that something seems off with the dish.
But Oh Mi-hee wanted to tell people when something tasted wrong. The reason was simple.
If she found something tasteless and strange, others would likely feel the same way.
Running a food business requires significant investment. Most people stake everything they have on it, and if the food doesn’t taste good, the business is bound to fail.
So she wanted to help. It might be overstepping, but those running food businesses are also someone’s father, mother, or sibling.
When she thought about how their families would suffer if the business failed due to poor food taste, she found herself overstepping her bounds.
Just as she had done with the Mom’s Kimbap shop owner and his daughter.
Of course, this was limited only to people who were ready to listen.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————