Goblin Library - Chapter 142

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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 142.

Choi Hong-gu explained the Prison System to Lee Hye-eun.
『The Prison System is bearable as long as I don’t bully anyone first. Everyone wakes up at the same time, eats, exercises at scheduled hours, goes to work. That’s how the day ends. No one harasses anyone, and the guards look after the inmates’ needs well.』
Choi Hong-gu nodded and continued.
『It’s a place worth being in.』
Then he turned to Choi Tae-sik and spoke.
『You’re lucky. With that place, you won’t have to worry about your brother.』
『But sir, does the atmosphere really differ so much between prisons?』
Lee Hye-eun asked with genuine curiosity, and Choi Hong-gu nodded.
『It does. I’ve been in places where inmates would beat someone in the same cell for snoring and keep them awake.』
『For snoring?』
『Severe snoring, mind you. Loud enough to hear from the next cell.』
『Then what do you do? I can’t control my snoring.』
『You learn to control it through repeated beatings. If you don’t, you won’t sleep.』
『They keep hitting them?』
『Have you ever seen someone snore severely?』
『Yes.』
When Lee Hye-eun answered, Choi Hong-gu looked at Choi Tae-sik. Choi Tae-sik quickly shook his head.
『I don’t snore.』
『People who snore don’t know they’re snoring. You have to be asleep to snore.』
Then Choi Hong-gu continued.
『Have you heard it yourself?』
『Yes, I have.』
『Then you’ll understand what it’s like to sleep next to someone who snores severely.』
At Choi Hong-gu’s words, both Choi Tae-sik and Lee Hye-eun nodded. Snoring might seem trivial, but when it’s that severe, sleeping beside someone becomes hell.
The snorer sleeps soundly without any problem, but the person sharing the bed cannot fall asleep. It’s not just the noise—it’s the irregular rhythm that keeps jolting them awake.
『A prison isn’t a place where good-natured people come.』
『That’s true.』
『Snoring in a place like that… unintentionally earns you a solid grudge.』
『I suppose so.』
『But the Prison System doesn’t beat people over something like that. They house people who snore severely together in separate cells.』
『So they’re preventing harm to others.』
『Exactly. And if you don’t like being there, you either fix your snoring or leave.』
Choi Hong-gu laughed and continued.
『The funny part is that people in that cell want to get out. They don’t notice when they’re snoring themselves, but they struggle when others snore.』
Lee Hye-eun smiled back at Choi Hong-gu and spoke.
『The Prison System sounds like a good place. From what you’re saying, there’s no violence.』
“That’s right.”
“But why is there no violence there? Other prisons seem to have beatings in the cells and illegal activities.”
“Well, that’s…”
Choi Hong-gu paused briefly before letting out a soft chuckle.
“I’ve washed my hands clean now, so I won’t have any dealings with those people anyway.”
“Those people?”
“The people who go to prison.”
Choi Hong-gu took a sip of his drink and sat down in the chair beside him.
“Let’s sit and talk. It’s an interesting story, so it might take a while.”
Lee Hye-eun quickly sat next to him and glanced at Choi Tae-sik.
“Grab a few more drinks. He’s about to tell us an interesting story.”
At Lee Hye-eun’s words, Choi Tae-sik retrieved several more drinks and sat down beside them.
“Well, the Prison also used to beat new inmates when they arrived, and there were factional fights inside. It was similar to regular prisons. Corruption, violence, all of it.”
“Did you get beaten a lot too?”
“I took plenty of beatings. Being locked up was unjust enough, but getting beaten by criminals who came in for the same reasons—it was so heartbreaking.”
Choi Hong-gu sighed and took a drink, and Lee Hye-eun spoke up.
“I can imagine. So what happened?”
As Lee Hye-eun offered appropriate encouragement and asked, Choi Hong-gu continued.
“Anyway, when I was there, it was similar to other places. Then, about ten years ago? When I went back to the Prison, everything had changed completely.”
“Did the beatings stop from then on?”
“I heard it changed a few years before that.”
“Why? What happened in those few years?”
“I was curious about that too, so I asked around. They said someone who received a weapon changed everything.”
“Someone who received a weapon?”
“That’s right. From what I heard, that person was severely bullied when they first arrived.”
“Why?”
Lee Hye-eun found this strange. While bullying did happen in prisons, it wasn’t usually that severe.
Bullying would concentrate on one person for a while, but once new inmates arrived, the focus would shift to them.
It was about boredom and needing a target, not about harboring a grudge and tormenting one person to death.
“When they came in, they kept muttering and protesting that they were innocent, that they’d been framed.”
“So they got marked?”
“Exactly. Where are there good people in a place like that? Going around saying they were wronged, that they shouldn’t be there—of course they got marked and beaten continuously.”
“And then?”
At Lee Hye-eun’s question, Choi Hong-gu paused to gather his thoughts before speaking.
“After two years of being beaten and bullied, they apparently learned how to fight.”
“Fight?”
“There was a heavyweight criminal in the prison at that time, and they apparently caught that person’s eye.”
“Caught their eye? How?”
“I’m not sure about the details. Anyway, they apparently fought with the other heavyweights in front of that person. Through sparring and learning to fight, they eliminated the prison violence problems.”
“That’s a good person.”
『That’s right. At least since that person gained power, there haven’t been any assault incidents within the Prison.』
[Huh? This is… about Lee Gang-hyuk, isn’t it?]
At the sudden sound of Jang Ma-ru’s voice, Lee Hye-eun glanced at Choi Tae-sik.
Choi Tae-sik didn’t answer her questioning gaze about who Lee Gang-hyuk was. He paused to think, then squinted his eyes. Now that he thought about it, Jang Ma-ru seemed to be right.
And….
‘The Prison is where Lee Gang-hyuk was. Why didn’t I think of this?’
After Lim Sung-un had met with Lee Gang-hyuk, he’d noticed something unusual about the atmosphere and ordered an investigation.
According to that investigation, Lee Gang-hyuk had learned martial arts after entering the Prison and brought it under his control.
His status was said to be like that of a king. There were also rumors that he used funds from unknown sources to bribe the Prison guards.
Back then, he’d assumed it was protection money, but when he connected the source of those funds to the criminal organization, the puzzle pieces fell into place.
At that, Choi Tae-sik squinted and stood up from his seat.
『Let me make a call for a moment.』
『Sure. Go ahead.』
Choi Tae-sik pulled out his phone and moved to a corner, whispering.
『Let my voice be heard by my brother and Hye-eun too.』
[Understood.]
Jang Ma-ru acknowledged Choi Tae-sik’s request and made the connection.
[Tae-sik hyung is asking to connect. Jang Ma-ru, Choi Tae-sik, Lee Hye-eun, and Lim Sung-un are now connected.]
Choi Tae-sik spoke while listening to Jang Ma-ru announce who had joined the call.
『Do you remember the investigation we did on Lee Gang-hyuk at the Prison?』
[Lee Gang-hyuk… I remember… ah.]
As Lim Sung-un recalled his memories of Lee Gang-hyuk, he let out an exclamation.
[The Prison, controlling the Prison, funds from unknown sources. That’s the guy.]
The moment Lim Sung-un heard the name Lee Gang-hyuk and recalled that memory, he found the answer immediately.
『It’s embarrassing that we didn’t think of this sooner.』
『What are you talking about? Who is Lee Gang-hyuk?』
Choi Tae-sik, who had been speaking, gave Lee Hye-eun a brief explanation as she approached.
After hearing his explanation, Lee Hye-eun let out a small laugh.
『That’s why they say the lamp at the base is the darkest.』
『The lamp at the base?』
『You know the saying—the area directly beneath the lamp is the darkest.』
Then Lee Hye-eun shook her head and continued.
『You already had the information, but you failed to connect it to the current situation.』
[That’s because there have been multiple cases. We weren’t focusing solely on Lee Gang-hyuk… and back then, we didn’t even consider it a case.]
Though it sounded like an excuse, what Jang Ma-ru said wasn’t wrong. Lee Gang-hyuk had simply been something they’d looked into briefly because of some unusual points.
Besides, he was an innocent person serving time in Prison who would be released soon, so he wasn’t even a target that would fall under cases handled by Lim Sung-un’s team. That’s why they hadn’t thought to make the connection.
Only now did it become clear that the criminals from The One International were from the Prison where Lee Gang-hyuk had been, that Lee Gang-hyuk had controlled that Prison, and that he’d used funds from unknown sources—connecting him to The One International.
『So what do we do? Is there nothing more to hear from here?』
After Lee Hye-eun spoke, there was a brief silence from the earpiece before Lim Sung-un spoke.
[Subtly ask about Lee Gang-hyuk. Don’t seem too curious—just bring it up in passing.]
“Okay.”
Once Lee Hye-eun agreed, Lim Sung-un turned to Jang Ma-ru with instructions.
[Maru, check Lee Gang-hyuk’s location and pull up his asset records.]
[Already on it.]
[Got it.]
With nothing more to say on the matter, Lee Hye-eun looked toward Choi Tae-sik.
“That organization is surprisingly sloppy.”
At Lee Hye-eun’s remark, Choi Tae-sik hesitated briefly. This time, he couldn’t deny the fact that they had been careless.
“We have a lot on our plate.”
“Didn’t look like much to me.”
“That’s because you don’t know the full picture.”
Choi Tae-sik let out a sigh.
“And Lee Gang-hyuk was someone who spent 15 years in Prison on a false charge. He wasn’t a criminal. That’s why we couldn’t pay as much attention to his situation.”
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, Lee Hye-eun nodded.
“That’s true—when people look at things from different angles, they can miss money lying right in front of them.”
Then Lee Hye-eun walked toward Choi Hong-gu and spoke.
“Sir.”
“What was that urgent call about?”
“It was a work call.”
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, Choi Hong-gu nodded and spoke.
“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“Well…”
Just as Choi Tae-sik was about to ask about Lee Gang-hyuk, Lee Hye-eun stepped in.
“What do you need when you visit someone in Prison?”
“You don’t need anything special for a visit. Just bring some money and deposit it for them.”
“Is that so? Are there limits on the amount?”
“Well…”
Choi Hong-gu explained various things about what was needed for visits and Prison procedures, answering Lee Hye-eun’s questions.
Of course, these were matters Lee Hye-eun already knew well, but she asked about things she knew he was familiar with to get him talking naturally.
As he spoke about things he knew well, Choi Hong-gu’s words flowed easily.
And between his explanations, Lee Hye-eun asked questions about Lee Gang-hyuk.
“So you’ve also seen that person who fights well?”
At Lee Hye-eun’s question, Choi Hong-gu paused for a moment before speaking.
“Let’s not talk about that person.”
“Why not?”
“Just know that such a person exists.”
Choi Hong-gu, who had paused briefly, sighed and looked at Choi Tae-sik.
“When your younger brother goes to that Prison, he’ll see that person. Tell him not to get involved with them, or better yet, to avoid them if possible. Don’t even make eye contact.”
“Isn’t he a good person?”
“That’s right. Didn’t he eliminate all the violence inside the Prison? So why avoid him?”
At their question, Choi Hong-gu paused before speaking.
“That person is fire.”
“Fire?”
Lee Hye-eun looked puzzled, and Choi Hong-gu nodded in confirmation.

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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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