Goblin Library - Chapter 139
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 139.
Yu Tae-poong watched Oh Mi-hee’s YouTube video and turned to the Dung Carrier Goblin with a question.
“That egg kimbap looks delicious. Should we get some packaged and try it?”
“Why not.”
With that, the Dung Carrier Goblin stood up.
“I’ll go buy some. Tell Ok-ja to come over. We’ll eat together.”
“Sorry about making you run errands for kimbap like this.”
“It’s just opening a door—no trouble at all.”
As the Dung Carrier Goblin left through the door, Yu Tae-poong called Choi Ok-ja.
“We’re going to eat some delicious kimbap. Do you have time to come over? Yes, ah, yes.”
After receiving confirmation that she would come, Yu Tae-poong hung up and glanced at Oh Mi-hee’s book. There was no new content in it—it hadn’t been updated yet.
Yu Tae-poong placed the book back on the shelf and pulled out Lim Sung-un’s book.
He had been too absorbed in Oh Mi-hee’s book to read Lim Sung-un’s. It had been a while, so the story must have progressed considerably.
‘The last part I read was when Lim Sung-un gathered the prosecutors and gave a case briefing.’
Recalling where he had left off in Lim Sung-un’s book, Yu Tae-poong opened it.
***
Lee Gang-hyuk was receiving a report from Lee Ho-yeol about what had happened at the Prosecutor’s Office.
‘So… we handed over the case files and they opened them all to the prosecutors?’
‘Yes.’
Upon hearing that Lim Sung-un had gathered the prosecutors and disclosed all the materials they had received, Lee Gang-hyuk paused to think before speaking.
‘What does Oh Lawyer say about this?’
Oh Lawyer was the company attorney who handled Lee Gang-hyuk’s company affairs. He had been building connections by eating, drinking, and going to saunas with senior and junior prosecutors, doing everything together.
Of course, all the money spent on this came from Lee Gang-hyuk’s company.
‘He says he’s definitely made a bad impression with the higher-ups.’
‘That figures… So what’s the reaction from the other prosecutors?’
‘It’s like he kicked a hornet’s nest. He touched the former prosecutors—senior prosecutors who held high positions.’
‘Hmm… And even if they left the Prosecutor’s Office, those networks would still be alive.’
Lee Gang-hyuk paused for a moment and looked at Lee Ho-yeol.
‘So that’s all the reaction there is?’
As Lee Gang-hyuk looked as if demanding a more detailed explanation, Lee Ho-yeol answered.
‘There are apparently several types of prosecutors.’
‘Bad ones and good ones?’
‘Broadly speaking, yes… The good ones are… well, it’s awkward for us to say, but they’re the ones who catch bad guys well.’
‘As you said, it’s awkward for us to say, but that’s the truth. A prosecutor who catches bad guys well is a good prosecutor.’
‘Bad prosecutors are divided into types depending on what they want. Some want money, others want power.’
“Is money the lapdog of the wealthy, and power the lapdog of politicians?”
Lee Ho-yeol nodded and continued.
“For now, the wealthy’s lapdogs are in hot water because of this incident.”
“Of course. Money’s at stake, so whether they get caught or someone from their faction does, they’ll scramble. What about the political side?”
“The person handling the cases we transferred apparently has political ambitions. It seems they’re planning to use these cases as a stepping stone to the National Assembly.”
“The National Assembly, huh…”
Lee Gang-hyuk paused to think, then nodded.
“Investigating corruption among current and former high-ranking prosecutors and police—that’s a case the public will love.”
“The prosecutor handling it seems to think the same way. That’s why they apparently assembled a team using only the maniacs from their office.”
“Maniacs?”
“Uncontrollable mad dogs, so to speak.”
“Why would they form a team with people who don’t listen to orders? Oh, I see.”
As he spoke, understanding dawned on Lee Gang-hyuk, and he nodded.
“Former police officers wouldn’t be a problem, but investigating former prosecutor colleagues would be difficult without mad dogs who won’t listen to them.”
“Exactly.”
“Hmm… How are the investigation targets reacting?”
“The upper echelons of the Prosecutor’s Office told them to either accept being investigated or not leak information, so it seems the targets still don’t know much.”
At Lee Ho-yeol’s answer, Lee Gang-hyuk paused to think before speaking.
“Oh Lawyer is quite skilled at this.”
“Sir?”
“The way you’ve brought back information that even former prosecutors couldn’t access shows it.”
“Preventing prosecutors from making requests of us seems to have been a good move.”
At Lee Ho-yeol’s words, Lee Gang-hyuk nodded. Following his instructions, Oh Lawyer had built connections with prosecutors through school and regional ties, yet never made any requests of them.
He simply approached them as a likable senior from school, a fellow regional acquaintance who bought good drinks.
Because of this, the prosecutors felt comfortable around Oh Lawyer and gradually leaked information while drinking.
And each time, Oh Lawyer brought it to Lee Gang-hyuk.
“What about Lim Sung-un’s situation?”
“He’s handed over all those cases and is now continuing with his original case.”
“The wealthy businessman’s drug case?”
“Yes.”
At Lee Ho-yeol’s response, Lee Gang-hyuk paused in thought before asking.
“We don’t have anyone dealing in drugs, right?”
“No, sir.”
“Check once more. Anyone involved in drugs or human trafficking… clean them up.”
At the word “clean,” Lee Ho-yeol nodded.
“Don’t worry. We’ve already cleaned up several like that, so our people don’t even touch those areas.”
“Then now…”
Lee Gang-hyuk pulled out a file folder and opened it.
“Let’s do some garbage disposal.”
The folder contained the names of corrupt current and former prosecutors and police officers, along with records of their crimes.
“But hyung—I mean, Chairman.”
Lee Ho-yeol asked cautiously as Lee Gang-hyuk looked at him.
“Wouldn’t it be problematic for us to directly interfere with the police?”
Even if there was corruption, the police were still the police. For a criminal organization, the best policy was to avoid any contact with law enforcement.
Lee Gang-hyuk nodded at Lee Ho-yeol’s concern.
“We are a broom.”
“Pardon?”
“A broom gathers garbage. But it doesn’t dispose of it.”
As he spoke, Lee Gang-hyuk swept the items on his desk together with his palm. Then he brought a piece of paper and placed it underneath.
“You need a dustpan to actually get rid of the garbage.”
“Are you saying we need a dustpan other than ourselves?”
“Send the documents to the families of those who were innocently harmed by these cases. Organize everything so that anyone can see their innocence proven.”
“Even if we send the documents, it would be difficult for ordinary people to deal with the police, wouldn’t it?”
At Lee Ho-yeol’s words, Lee Gang-hyuk looked at him and spoke.
“There should be human rights lawyers or attorneys who help the socially disadvantaged. Ask Oh Lawyer—he’ll know people. Include their business cards when you send it.”
Lee Gang-hyuk flipped through the documents and looked at Lee Ho-yeol.
“And make a donation to that lawyer too. They’ll need money to do their work.”
“Would a lawyer accept a donation?”
“Tsk!”
Lee Gang-hyuk inhaled sharply in disapproval, and Lee Ho-yeol quickly bowed his head and spoke.
“I’ll consult with Oh Lawyer and find a way to send the money.”
At Lee Ho-yeol’s response, Lee Gang-hyuk nodded and looked back at the documents.
Hye-eun and Choi Tae-sik were in the car. Sitting in the passenger seat, Hye-eun appeared lost in deep thought about something.
Choi Tae-sik glanced at her. He parted his lips several times as if wanting to say something, then closed his mouth again.
Since getting in the car, Hye-eun had been contemplating something continuously. He was curious what occupied her mind, but hesitated to ask directly.
Noticing Choi Tae-sik’s gaze, Hye-eun spoke.
“That’ll be ten thousand won every time you look.”
“What?”
“You want to see a pretty face for free?”
“Crazy.”
Choi Tae-sik muttered quietly, then finally voiced the question he’d been wanting to ask.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
Hye-eun, who had been silent for a moment, opened her mouth.
“That company called The One International.”
“Is something bothering you about it?”
At Choi Tae-sik’s question, Hye-eun sighed.
“Why didn’t I think of this?”
“What?”
“Think about it. The One International… I’m not certain yet, but if that company connects released criminals and has them work, they’d be collecting substantial commissions.”
“They probably would.”
“But all that company does with those commissions is manage people and make phone calls. The only expense is the phone bill.”
“Managing people costs money too. Plus there’s the overhead for running the company.”
“That’s true, but even adding all that, it’s nothing compared to the commissions.”
Hye-eun looked at him as she spoke.
“Do you know how profitable brokerage businesses are?”
“Brokerage business?”
“Like… freight transportation dispatch, for example.”
Hye-eun continued.
“I had a friend who used to run a dispatch company called Lucky Cargo. It was cash-heavy work, so the income was quite decent. If you land one company as a steady client through good sales, it’s really solid.”
At that, Choi Tae-sik furrowed his brow and asked.
“So? What’s your point?”
Hye-eun sighed and leaned her head against the window.
“I just regret not thinking of this kind of business when I was in prison. A criminal labor agency… wouldn’t that be a goldmine?”
At Hye-eun’s words, Choi Tae-sik looked at her in disbelief, then laughed.
“You’re saying you wish you’d created that organization?”
“Yeah. There’s probably no easier way to rake in money like that… You really do need to use your head. Columbus’s egg exists for a reason.”
Columbus’s egg.
In the past, Columbus posed a problem to people: stand an egg upright.
People tried to stand the egg up, but of course it wouldn’t. Before their eyes, Columbus cracked one end of the egg and stood it up.
There was nothing saying the egg couldn’t be broken.
From this story, Columbus’s egg became a metaphor for thinking of something no one else had thought of—a tale about originality.
And Hye-eun wondered why she hadn’t thought of such a business while in a prison cell surrounded by so many criminals.
Crime pays. If I could just control it properly and shake down bad guys like I do now….
『Even becoming a tycoon wouldn’t be a dream. What a shame. Such a shame.』
Hye-eun, muttering softly to herself, squinted her eyes.
『So the real money-maker is Columbus’s egg, after all.』
As Hye-eun spoke, Choi Tae-sik hesitated for a moment before saying something, when Jang Ma-ru’s voice reached his ear.
[Columbus’s egg means… something like this.]
At Jang Ma-ru’s explanation, Choi Tae-sik nodded, then tilted his head and looked at the dashcam in the car.
The dashcam was set to record not just the exterior of the vehicle but the interior as well.
Right now, Jang Ma-ru was watching what was happening inside through the dashcam and listening to the conversation.
[I made it so only you can hear me.]
『….』
Jang Ma-ru smiled and spoke to Choi Tae-sik, who was silently staring at the dashcam.
[If you ask outright like that, it looks a bit… ignorant, doesn’t it?]
At Jang Ma-ru’s words, Choi Tae-sik squinted his eyes.
『Pointless.』
『What do you mean pointless? Do you think you can live in this world without money?』
Thinking his words were directed at her, Hye-eun grumbled, and Choi Tae-sik shook his head slightly before speaking.
『That’s why we’re meeting someone from ** Prison now.』
『Right.』
The two of them were now on their way to meet someone from ** Prison, where former inmates of The One International had been released.
『But how do you know them?』
『I met them while doing volunteer work.』
『Volunteer work? You?』
At Choi Tae-sik’s look of surprise, Hye-eun smiled and spoke.
『Even though I look like this, I volunteer twice a month.』
『At the Orphanage?』
Knowing that Hye-eun was very interested in Orphanage welfare, Choi Tae-sik asked, and Hye-eun shook her head.
『A nursing home.』
『A nursing home?』
Choi Tae-sik, bewildered at first, soon squinted his eyes.
『You volunteered to seduce wealthy elderly people?』
At that, Hye-eun retorted as if offended.
『What… how do you see me?』
『Then what?』
『The children or acquaintances of wealthy elderly people.』
At Hye-eun’s words, Choi Tae-sik shook his head slightly.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————