Goblin Library - Chapter 15

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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 15

The Young Man’s pupils dilated sharply. Though the Lawyer had warned him sternly to keep silent, Lim Sung-un’s words had planted seeds of doubt in his mind.
He’d been assured that since he’d exhausted all his options, the prosecutor would handle things smoothly—but his words suggested anything but.
Wasn’t that essentially saying he wouldn’t be shown any mercy?
Observing the Young Man’s wavering gaze, Lim Sung-un closed the file.
Snap.
With a light tap, Lim Sung-un spoke.
“You have friends, don’t you?”
“Well…”
The Young Man trailed off, and Lim Sung-un continued.
“Your friends are probably heirs to conglomerates too. Ask one of them to send you a lawyer. And ask them who I am—find out what kind of person I am. I’ve got something of a reputation in these circles as a mad dog. And if you have anything to say, say it now. We won’t be discussing your crimes as listed in this file anyway.”
As Lim Sung-un tapped the file, the Young Man hesitated before nodding.
“But I already have a lawyer. Why would you want me to use my friend’s lawyer instead?”
He judged this question safe enough to ask. The Lawyer had only instructed him not to discuss his arrest or drug-related matters—nothing about seeking a second opinion from another attorney.
“If I’m right and someone in your family who dislikes you is trying to send you to prison, then the lawyer your family sent was compromised by that person. So will they give you a straight answer? They’ll just feed you lines like ‘We’ve done all we can, so just endure a few difficult days.’ And the outcome? You’ll get stabbed in the back and end up in prison.”
“That’s ridiculous. Why would my own family do that?”
“Because you’re a conglomerate heir.”
As if that explained everything, Lim Sung-un shook his head and spoke.
“Meet with a new lawyer and discuss it with them. It’ll speed things up.”
Lim Sung-un tapped the desk lightly with his file folder, signaling the conversation was over.
Tap.
An employee then led the Young Man out of the Prosecutor’s Office. As he followed, the Young Man suddenly turned back.
“But why are you telling me all this? If your family really thinks that way, wouldn’t you have an easy time winning in court?”
At the Young Man’s question, Lim Sung-un looked at him.
“You’re not stupid, at least.”
If the Young Man failed to recognize that his own family had abandoned him, he would inevitably serve the full sentence the prosecution recommended.
“We’ll discuss that once you meet with the new lawyer. Oh, and the question you should ask is simple. Just ask: ‘What kind of person is Prosecutor Lim Sung-un?’ That alone will tell you exactly what situation you’re in.”
The Young Man glared at him for a moment, then spun around sharply. As Lim Sung-un watched his retreating figure, he soon reopened the file and studied it carefully.
‘A third-generation conglomerate heir sent to me? Either the Chief Prosecutor has lost his mind, or pressure came from somewhere else. This could be interesting. If I pull the right strings, this could get fun.’
Until now, Lim Sung-un had ignored everything the Chief Prosecutor said and prosecuted strictly by the law. As a result, the Chief Prosecutor had never sent him suspects from powerful families.
But if he’d voluntarily sent a conglomerate heir, his intent was clearly to secure an arrest.
However, Lim Sung-un had no intention of simply complying with the Chief Prosecutor’s wishes by arresting one conglomerate heir and closing the case. He could use this to accomplish something far more interesting.
A cold smile crossing his face, Lim Sung-un pulled out his phone and sent a text to someone.

「Investigate Daelyeong Group’s Succession Structure」

Now it was simply a matter of moving accordingly once the informant brought back information.

***

As Typhoon flipped through the pages and found no more content, she looked puzzled and turned several more blank pages before smacking her lips.
“It stopped right at the most interesting part.”
Based on what she’d read so far about Lim Sung-un, he would surely either make a deal with that third-generation chaebol heir or blackmail him to investigate crimes committed by the chaebol family.
The fun part was how he’d do it—but it just stopped cold.
Moreover, this novel was based on real events. Daelyeong Group was a massive corporation that Typhoon knew well.
She’d even submitted a resume to one of its subsidiaries once. And now a third-generation heir from such a major conglomerate’s founding family had been arrested for drug possession.
As Typhoon pondered this, wondering what would happen next, she heard Bamboo Sword Goblin’s voice.
[What do you think?]
“It was truly fascinating.”
[Right…. It is fascinating.]
Typhoon nodded at the pleased tone in his voice.
“I’m curious about the next episode. This is an ongoing story, isn’t it?”
[Yes. And… things are getting dangerous right now.]
“Dangerous?”
[No matter how much of a prosecutor you are, you can’t easily touch a chaebol.]
“But from what I read, Lim Sung-un has already touched a few chaebols?”
The Chief Prosecutor deliberately blocked cases involving chaebol families from reaching Lim Sung-un, so he hadn’t actually touched many chaebols.
But there were two instances—he’d prosecuted two well-known chaebol heirs for assault and drunk driving.
Even then, there had been intense external pressure and bribery attempts, but he’d ignored it all and proceeded with the cases.
[Those chaebols and Daelyeong Group are different. Daelyeong Group won’t hesitate to do dangerous things.]
“Really?”
[Daelyeong Group started with Daelyeong Construction, where they employed many gangster mercenaries. Reckless thugs who don’t think about consequences…. That’s what makes them dangerous.]
Typhoon tilted her head at Bamboo Sword Goblin’s words.
“But you’ve arrested plenty of gangsters. And Lim Sung-un also uses gangsters, doesn’t he?”
[It’s different.]
With those words, the Goblin Library door creaked open.
The one who entered was Bamboo Sword Goblin.
“Welcome.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin nodded at Typhoon’s greeting and pointed to the book on the table as he spoke.
“This time it’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“Lim Sung-un dug too deep.”
“Into Daelyeong Group?”
Bamboo Sword Goblin opened the book and showed her the final section.
“The suspect’s name wasn’t written, but this man’s name is Go Gwang-jin. Just as Lim Sung-un suspected, Go Gwang-jin’s Uncle is orchestrating things to put him in prison.”
“His Uncle? Why?”
“To catch the general, you must shoot the horse,” the saying goes.
“So you’re planning to take down Go Gwang-jin’s father?”
As Typhoon grasped the meaning, Bamboo Sword Goblin nodded.
“If Go Gwang-jin goes to prison, the chairman’s evaluation of his father will plummet.”
“You’re sending your nephew to prison for the successor position?”
“When money is involved, legal disputes arise not just among conglomerates but among ordinary families too—siblings get sent to prison over inheritance.”
Seeing that Typhoon didn’t understand, Bamboo Sword Goblin spoke.
“Haven’t you ever seen families torn apart by legal disputes over money?”
“Ah….”
Only then did Typhoon nod. My family had never experienced such a thing, but I did have a college friend whose family went to court over their grandfather’s inheritance.
Seeing that Typhoon understood, Bamboo Sword Goblin continued.
“Either way, it’s dangerous. Go Gwang-jin’s Uncle has caught wind of Lim Sung-un’s investigation.”
“What kind of investigation?”
“Tax evasion, violence, drugs, sexual coercion.”
“That’s quite a list.”
“The quality is poor too.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin closed the book about Lim Sung-un that had been spread open and wiped the cover.
“He could die.”
“Lim Sung-un dies?”
“That’s how Daelyeong Group is plotting the story.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin let out a quiet sigh. At that sight, Typhoon spoke.
“Then couldn’t you just stop it?”
“Stop it, you say….”
Bamboo Sword Goblin gazed at the book for a moment, lost in thought, then slowly opened his mouth.
“If I weren’t writing Lim Sung-un’s book, I could stop it through goblin’s whimsy… or perhaps a small stroke of luck that befalls Lim Sung-un.”
“So because you’re writing the book, you can’t?”
“A goblin who writes is an observer, listener, and recorder—not one who meddles in the story. The moment a goblin interferes with the narrative and manipulates causality at will, it ceases to be that person’s life. That’s not the kind of story we goblins wish to witness.”
“But Pot Goblin and Dung Carrier Goblin did interfere, didn’t they?”
Bamboo Sword Goblin shook his head at Typhoon’s question.
“That wasn’t so much interference as creating a small coincidence so that the protagonists of those two goblins’ stories would meet in a situation that was already destined to occur.”
“A small coincidence?”
“Oh Jang-hyuk’s house was always going to catch fire, and since Cha Im-beom’s fire station has jurisdiction, they would depart from there. I merely created a small coincidence for them to meet in between, and the defect in Oh Jang-hyuk’s car right after they met was also a small coincidence. It’s not something you’d say the writer goblin heavily orchestrated.”
“So you can create small coincidences even if you can’t directly intervene?”
“That’s right.”
Then Bamboo Sword Goblin picked up the book and spoke.
“But this is different. A few coincidences won’t resolve this.”
“So what happens to Lim Sung-un?”
“If things continue as they are, he’ll die.”
“Ah….”
Typhoon looked at the book.
“He’s a good person, even if his methods are rough.”
Typhoon murmured softly, then glanced at Bamboo Sword Goblin.
“But does the protagonist die too?”
“The protagonist is human. And most humans die if a blade penetrates their abdomen by this much.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin spread his thumb and index finger to show the length, and Typhoon’s expression hardened.
“Does he die from being stabbed by a sword?”
“Usually that’s the cleanest and most certain way.”
At Bamboo Sword Goblin’s words, Typhoon sighed.
“The boss must be feeling troubled.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin didn’t answer. He simply gazed at Typhoon for a moment, then walked toward his room.
Shortly after, Bamboo Sword Goblin returned in comfortable clothes and sat at the table with a laptop.
Once seated, Bamboo Sword Goblin opened the laptop, then after a brief moment, he stood up.
Then he looked at Typhoon.
“A cup of coffee.”
At Bamboo Sword Goblin’s words, Typhoon approached the coffee pot beside the counter.
Beside the counter were beverages and snacks arranged neatly. Keeping these snacks and drinks stocked was also Typhoon’s responsibility.
Typhoon ground the coffee beans with an antique machine and brewed a pour-over coffee.
Drip, drip.
As the water poured slowly and the coffee dripped down, a fragrant aroma spread through the air.
‘The library and the scent of coffee really do suit each other.’
With that thought, Typhoon placed the coffee cup along with small cups containing milk and sugar on a tray, then set it beside Bamboo Sword Goblin.
Clink.
After taking a sip of the coffee Typhoon had placed, Bamboo Sword Goblin waited a moment, then pulled out a goblin’s club and swung it.
Whoosh.
A book flew from one of the shelves.
Thud.
As the book landed on the table, Bamboo Sword Goblin pushed it toward Typhoon.
“Read it.”
“What kind of book is this?”
“It’s the story of a human who made coffee.”
“Coffee?”
“You’ll learn something if you read it.”
At Bamboo Sword Goblin’s words, Typhoon looked at him with confusion, then suddenly glanced at the coffee cup.
“I made it the way you taught me… Is the taste not good?”
“It’s just ordinary coffee. I want to drink delicious coffee.”
“Ah… I understand.”
Typhoon answered reluctantly and read the title written on the book’s cover.

【The Fragrance of Kim Hyang】
Author: Da-hyang Goblin

“Da-hyang Goblin? Were you born from the fragrance of tea?”
“Goblins aren’t born only from objects. If you read it, you’ll understand how to make coffee well.”
“I understand.”
Typhoon bowed his head, picked up the book, and walked to a nearby table where he sat down.
Then he opened the book.
‘Hmm? The protagonist of this book lived during the Japanese occupation period.’
The protagonist was a woman who lived during the Japanese occupation. Working as a maid, she happened to visit a coffee shop with her employer and was captivated by the aroma of coffee. So the story began with her quitting her job as a maid and getting hired at the coffee shop.
Though she faced hardships at the shop, the protagonist had a diligent nature that allowed her to overcome everything and learn how to make coffee.
The book was engaging, and it contained detailed explanations about how to brew coffee.
‘There’s a technique to pouring water too. Drawing circles slowly…’
Moreover, illustrations supplemented the explanations, making it easy to follow.
Watching the illustration of hot water being poured in circular motions, Typhoon began to mimic the movement with his hand.

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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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