Goblin Library - Chapter 147

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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 147.

Yu Tae-poong stepped into the White Rice Restaurant. This was the place where Oh Mi-hee had tasted the menu, pointed out what was lacking in flavor, and they’d created improved dishes based on her feedback.
Since this establishment didn’t accept takeout orders, he’d come today to dine in person.
Observing the bustling crowd inside, Yu Tae-poong spoke to the Dung Carrier Goblin.
“Oh Mi-hee really does excel at food consulting.”
“She certainly does. Most of the dishes Oh Mi-hee has consulted on have sold well.”
“It’s fortunate the business is thriving.”
Each restaurant that Oh Mi-hee had improved had its own story. For instance, the owner of Mom’s Kimbap Shop wanted to continue operating his shop while spending time with his daughter, whom he was raising alone.
Of course, restaurants Oh Mi-hee hadn’t visited also had their own large and small stories. After all, a self-employed person’s shop represents the livelihood into which an entire family pours everything.
As they observed the crowded restaurant, the owner noticed them and spoke.
“Please have a seat at any empty table.”
“Understood.”
Once the two sat down, the owner approached with a cloth and wiped the table.
This too was advice Oh Mi-hee had given. Naturally, the owner would clear and wipe tables after customers left, but she’d suggested that when the next customers arrived and sat down, he should wipe the table once more with a clean cloth just to be sure.
If there were chili powder or seasonings on the table when customers sat down, it could leave a bad impression.
‘He’s doing well.’
“This is your first time at our restaurant, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“We’re a White Rice Restaurant. So our menu consists only of white rice sets. We operate with two varieties: braised pork belly rice and grilled fish rice. The side dishes are the same; the only difference is whether the main dish is pork belly or fish. Today’s grilled fish is half a mackerel and one piece of cutlassfish.”
At the owner’s swift yet courteous explanation, Yu Tae-poong smiled and asked.
“Can we order each one separately?”
“Of course, that’s possible.”
“Then please give us one braised pork belly rice and one grilled fish rice.”
“Understood.”
The owner called out loudly toward the kitchen.
“One pork belly, one grilled fish.”
Then he hurried to the counter and clicked the order details on the monitor.
Watching this, Yu Tae-poong smiled.
“He’s doing exactly as he learned.”
“Right. It must be annoying for him to take separate orders for pork belly and grilled fish from two people.”
Though there were only two menu options, when two customers ordered different dishes, it created extra work in the kitchen.
In such cases, many owners would hope customers would unify their orders, and some would even directly request it.
“That’s why when Oh Mi-hee told the owner to let customers order whatever they wanted, whether there were two or three of them, he seemed troubled.”
“Right, so Oh Mi-hee said this: if you want to create a restaurant where customers feel comfortable coming, you need to let them choose comfortably. And the owner is following that well.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the Dung Carrier Goblin laughed and nodded.
Just as Oh Mi-hee said, if someone running a food business tries to take the easy path, customers won’t come.
The food business was an industry where customers came in greater numbers when the kitchen and owner were busy and exhausted. Actually, this wasn’t unique to the food business—it was true for all industries.
The Restaurant Owner and his staff had to work hard and find it tedious for business to thrive.
A moment later, the Restaurant Owner approached with a cart laden with food.
“Braised pork, mackerel, and grilled cutlassfish.”
As he spoke, a small pot of appetizingly arranged braised pork was placed on the table.
“Our braised pork has plenty of broth. The best way to enjoy it is to soak the meat thoroughly in the broth, wrap it in lettuce, and eat it in one bite. Oh, and please go easy on the tissues.”
The last remark came with a smile that felt slightly like a joke.
“Tissues?”
“The broth drips down your mouth, so you’ll need to wipe frequently.”
The Restaurant Owner flashed a grin to show he was joking, then pushed the tissue box to the side and walked over to attend to other customers.
Watching him go, Yu Tae-poong gazed down at the braised pork.
Just as the Restaurant Owner had said, the braised pork had a thick, gravy-like broth similar to spicy chicken stew.
“I’ve never had braised pork with this much broth before.”
“Me neither. Let’s give it a try.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin piled rice and braised pork onto a piece of lettuce that came with the dish.
Then he added garlic and popped it into his mouth.
Splurt!
Broth streamed down from the corner of the Dung Carrier Goblin’s mouth in a thin rivulet.
“Slurp!”
The Dung Carrier Goblin quickly sucked in air to draw the broth back, then grabbed a tissue to wipe his mouth.
“So that’s why he mentioned the tissues.”
“It seems you’re meant to eat this while the broth drips.”
Yu Tae-poong wrapped his own lettuce bundle and ate, but when broth dripped from the corner of his mouth, he quickly wiped it away as he spoke.
Despite being careful, it had still spilled.
“But the broth filling your mouth really brings out the flavor.”
“It really does. The taste is quite intense.”
As he spoke, Yu Tae-poong flipped the meat over. The meat was thin. And rather than pork belly or shoulder, it was hind leg meat.
But eaten together with the thick, gravy-like seasoning, it wasn’t dry at all—it was delicious.
“Oh Mi-hee really did grasp the key point well.”
If they’d used pork belly, neck, or shoulder instead, the portion would inevitably be smaller.
Braised pork, unlike grilled pork belly where raw meat is cooked at the table, didn’t depend heavily on meat quality. What mattered was how the seasoning was prepared.
Moreover, a white rice restaurant was primarily where customers with light wallets came to eat cheap, generous portions. If the portions were small, no matter how good the taste, they would certainly be disappointed.
That’s why Oh Mi-hee had advised using the cheaper hind leg meat while increasing the portion size.
Yu Tae-poong wrapped the braised pork in lettuce once more and put it in his mouth.
The seasoning spread across his palate, striking his tongue with intensity.
He scooped up rice and put it in his mouth, nodding his head. Because the braised pork had such strong seasoning, eating it with rice was perfect.
And….
Slurrrp!
The glass noodles lying beneath the braised pork were saturated with seasoning, making them exquisite.
“The glass noodles are incredible.”
“They really are.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin slurped down the sweet potato noodles, then halved the mackerel and placed a generous chunk into Yu Tae-poong’s bowl.
“The mackerel might feel lonely.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong picked up the mackerel, placed it in his mouth, and smacked his lips.
“This is a bit underwhelming.”
It wasn’t that the taste was bad, but after eating the intensely flavored spicy braised pork, the mackerel’s delicate taste didn’t make much of an impression.
“I see what you mean.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin nodded in agreement and glanced around the restaurant.
Then he whispered softly.
“It seems most customers come here specifically for the spicy braised pork.”
When Yu Tae-poong looked around at the Dung Carrier Goblin’s observation, he confirmed that indeed, most customers were eating the spicy braised pork.
“Still, there are people who can’t eat meat or prefer fish, so adding grilled fish was probably the right call.”
While more people preferred meat to fish, there were certainly those who favored grilled fish instead.
Besides, even if someone typically preferred meat, they might want fish for lunch today. That’s why Oh Mi-hee had advised adding grilled fish to this restaurant that previously sold only spicy braised pork.
“At this rate, Oh Mi-hee’s channel will become like Alley Restaurant.”
“Alley Restaurant?”
“There was a variety show back then that helped struggling restaurants in alleys.”
“Now that I think about it… Oh Mi-hee has already consulted for ten restaurants.”
“Fortunately, all ten have kept their promise to Oh Mi-hee and haven’t compromised on food quality. That’s wonderful.”
While it was hard to call it food consulting, Oh Mi-hee had now visited and given advice to ten establishments.
The most important thing Oh Mi-hee emphasized when giving food advice was not to take shortcuts for convenience—no matter how tedious or bothersome, they must never sacrifice the taste and quality of the food.
And fortunately, all the owners had been making the effort to cook more deliciously, following Oh Mi-hee’s guidance despite the inconvenience.
“I’m really glad. If the food quality changed, Oh Mi-hee would be deeply disappointed.”
“She would be. She gave food advice in good faith, held fan signing sessions, and even promoted their shops—if the taste changed, that disappointment would be significant. But since the new dishes are still fresh, who knows what will happen going forward.”
“Still… I hope this taste remains consistent in the future.”
As they talked and ate, the restaurant door opened and a man walked in.
“Hello.”
At the loud greeting, Yu Tae-poong lifted his head, and confusion flickered across his face.
The man who entered was Kang Young-moon—a character from one of the Bamboo Sword Goblin’s novels, someone of modest intellect but admirable in his dedication to his family.
‘Is Kang Young-moon’s neighborhood around here?’
As Yu Tae-poong watched Kang Young-moon, the Dung Carrier Goblin also turned to look at him.
“It’s Kang Young-moon.”
“Right? He doesn’t live in this neighborhood, does he?”
“No, he lives in the next neighborhood over. Did he come for a meal?”
“At this price point with this quality of spicy braised pork, it’s definitely good value.”
“Still, it’s not the kind of place you’d travel far out of your way to eat at, is it?”
As the two spoke, the Company President also noticed Kang Young-moon and approached with a smile.
“Young-moon, did you come for a meal?”
From the way the Company President knew Kang Young-moon’s name, it seemed they were acquainted.
“My mother is crying.”
“What?”
“Restaurant Owner’s Mother is crying. My phone number is 010-****-****.”
At Kang Young-moon’s words, the Company President looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“I’m sorry… Young-moon, what are you saying?”
“Restaurant Owner’s Mother is crying. My phone number is 010-****-****.”
The Company President’s face grew serious as he grasped the meaning of Kang Young-moon’s repeated words.
“You’re saying I should call your phone number?”
“Yes, that’s right. You need to call quickly. Mother is crying.”
The Company President pulled out his phone and looked at Kang Young-moon. Then Kang Young-moon spoke again.
“My phone number is 010-****-****.”
At Kang Young-moon’s words, the Company President dialed the number. And then…”
“What? Mom? Mom, why are you answering this phone? What? The password… you don’t remember? Is that why you’ve been standing outside the house this whole time? Sigh… why didn’t you call me? Don’t you have your phone? No, okay. Mom, just stay right there… no wait. Mom, the villa entrance code is our house number followed by ****. You remember how to do it, right? Don’t cry, it’s okay. These things happen. That’s right. Don’t be so scared. Mom, it’s not dementia. Dementia, what… you just forgot for a moment. Everyone does that when they get older. Did you enter the code? Yes? You’re inside the villa now? Then don’t hang up and try the house password too. The house password is ****. So you’re inside the house now? Yes, okay. Don’t panic and just rest comfortably. I’ll head home as soon as I finish up here. Don’t worry too much. Yes, okay. Yes.”
After hanging up, the Company President sighed deeply and looked at Kang Young-moon.
“Young-moon, I really can’t thank you enough. If it weren’t for you, my mother could have been in real trouble.”
“No, it’s nothing. I know Grandmother’s face. She was very scared. She was crying.”
At Kang Young-moon’s words, the Company President looked at him and asked.
“But how did you get here?”
“Mother told me the location. So I came.”
“Mother knew my number…?”
He wanted to ask if she didn’t know his number. The Company President almost asked this.
It would have been an easy problem to solve with just a phone call.
But the Company President couldn’t finish his sentence and sighed, shaking his head. In an age where people save numbers in their phones and call from contacts, he too had forgotten his mother’s number.
It wasn’t that his memory was poor—it was simply that whenever he pressed the name saved as “Mother” in his contacts, the call would go through, so the number naturally faded from his memory.
And how could his mother remember his number when she couldn’t even remember the password and was locked out of the house?
Thinking about how frustrated, anxious, and frightened his mother must have been outside, the Company President felt his own heart grow heavy.
He hoped it was just a momentary lapse in memory, but the thought crossed his mind that his aging mother might be developing dementia.

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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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