Goblin Library - Chapter 181

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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 181.

Lee Hye-eun pondered Choi Tae-sik’s words for a moment before speaking.
『So you’re saying you felt a sense of kinship with someone who used to throw tantrums?』
『Kinship?』
Choi Tae-sik mulled over Lee Hye-eun’s words briefly, then nodded.
『That’s what it felt like.』
At Choi Tae-sik’s response, Jang Ma-ru spoke up.
『Then why don’t you meet them once, hyung?』
『Me?』
『Either way, we already have this information. If our theory is correct and the Administrator is a hacker who wants The One to collapse or everyone to get arrested, we might be able to get their cooperation.』
Jang Ma-ru continued while looking at the monitor.
『Then we could input more information into that system.』
『But can Tae-sik pull this off?』
Lee Hye-eun looked at Choi Tae-sik.
『You need to find out if they’re actually a hacker, confirm whether they could be on our side if they are, and keep your identity hidden. Can you manage all three?』
『Tae-sik hyung can do it.』
Jang Ma-ru said, looking at Choi Tae-sik.
『Because Tae-sik hyung is popular with men.』
『Popular with men…』
Normally, Lee Hye-eun would have cracked a joke—popular with men? Is that your taste?
But this time, she didn’t tease.
She could tell Jang Ma-ru was speaking in earnest.
Lim Sung-un nodded and gave Choi Tae-sik his orders.
『Go meet them once. As for the situation…』
After organizing his thoughts, Lim Sung-un laid out the scenario for meeting the Administrator and how to steer the conversation.
The way he meticulously set up every detail of the encounter—how to meet, what to say, how to guide the dialogue—was almost like directing a play.
And then…
『It’ll be much smoother if Hye-eun directs while the conversation unfolds.』
『Understood.』
Lim Sung-un looked at her, his expression satisfied.
『Why?』
『In the past, I used to direct in situations like this, but now that Hye-eun is here, my workload has decreased. I like that.』
『Leave dealing with people to me.』
Lim Sung-un chuckled softly and looked at Jang Ma-ru.
『Good work. And connect the incident news stories from this list for me.』
『Understood.』
As Lim Sung-un stood and left the safe house, Jang Ma-ru began typing at his keyboard, searching for news related to the incidents.

***

Around 11 AM the next day, Choi Tae-sik headed to the Family Goshiwon dressed in a tracksuit.
Upon arriving at the Family Goshiwon, Choi Tae-sik approached the glass door and peered inside. Through the Management Office window, he could see the Administrator sitting at his desk.
Tap, tap, tap!
As Choi Tae-sik tapped a coffee can against the glass door, the Administrator looked up, saw him, and stepped outside to open it.
Standing with the glass door between them, he spoke.
『What brings you here?』
At the Administrator’s question, Choi Tae-sik smiled and tapped the glass door with his coffee can as he spoke.
『I drank too much yesterday… and ended up doing something I shouldn’t have. So I came to apologize.』
Tap, tap!
Choi Tae-sik pressed the coffee can against the glass door again and continued.
『I haven’t had a drink today. I won’t do anything strange, so just open this door for me. It’s embarrassing trying to apologize like this.』
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, the Administrator regarded him with brief suspicion before opening the entrance.
Choi Tae-sik smiled and held out the canned coffee.
『You like coffee, right?』
『That’s fine.』
『Yeah, well…』
Choi Tae-sik nodded and let out a quiet laugh.
[Speak with a touch of shyness. But with confidence.]
[Older brother, you’re better at this than we are. We just need to set up the situation.]
[This is setting up the situation too.]
Lee Hye-eun’s voice continued in his ear, giving him instructions on what to do, and Choi Tae-sik muttered inwardly.
You guys are so loud.
Suppressing the urge to say it aloud, Choi Tae-sik spoke.
『Something unfortunate happened yesterday. So this morning while eating, I had a drink with my meal… and I made a mistake. I’m really sorry. I’m not usually like this.』
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, the Administrator nodded.
『I understand.』
As the Administrator lowered his head and turned to leave, Choi Tae-sik quickly spoke up.
『Wait.』
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, the Administrator turned back to face him.
『An apology is an apology, but… I have a debt to repay.』
At the mention of a debt, the Administrator looked at him, then shook his head with an “ah.”
『Money isn’t necessary.』
『I wasn’t planning to repay it with money anyway.』
Choi Tae-sik said with a smile.
『Come on. Let me buy you a meal.』
『A meal?』
『It’s almost mealtime anyway. If you don’t have any plans, let’s go.』
『I’m accustomed to eating alone.』
『That works out well.』
At those words, the Administrator looked at him.
『If you’re used to eating alone, you probably haven’t grilled meat very often, have you?』
『That’s… true.』
『Let’s go. I’ll buy you meat.』
Choi Tae-sik continued with a smile.
『I felt bad about yesterday.』
『I…』
『Come on, let’s go.』
When Choi Tae-sik pressed again, the Administrator, who had been standing silently for a moment, nodded and asked.
『By the way, how old are you that you keep speaking informally?』
『How old are you?』
『I’m twenty-six.』
『I’m twenty-eight.』
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, the Administrator fell silent. As the Administrator left the Study Hall Dormitory, Choi Tae-sik spoke.
『There’s a Frozen Pork Belly Restaurant nearby. The meat is imported, but it’s decent.』
Choi Tae-sik led the way, and the Administrator followed behind him.
As they entered the Frozen Pork Belly Restaurant, the Shop Owner came right over and began setting the table.
『How would you like the meat prepared?』
『Three servings for now, please.』
『You can help yourself to any side dishes you need.』
When the Shop Owner brought over a plate of meat, Choi Tae-sik held his palm near the Grill Table to check if it was properly heated.
Choi Tae-sik smiled as he placed the meat on the Grill Table and sprinkled pepper over it.
『You have to sprinkle pepper here to make it taste good.』
After flipping the meat several times to cook it, Choi Tae-sik wrapped it in lettuce and ate it, and the Administrator ate as well.
『The meat is delicious.』
『Since I’ve been living here, I’ve found places that are cheap and tasty. But it’s hard to go to a Meat Restaurant alone and eat, isn’t it?』
『That’s true.』
When Choi Tae-sik had invited the Administrator to share a meal, he had said something similar.
『So I haven’t had meat in a long time either.』
Of course, this was a restaurant that Jang Ma-ru had found through searching. As the Administrator quietly grilled and ate the meat, he spoke softly.
『By the way, hyung… Can I call you hyung?』
『Sure.』
『Why do you live here? You don’t seem like a test-taker…』
At the Administrator’s words, Choi Tae-sik ordered two more servings of meat and spoke.
『The rent here is pretty cheap.』
『The Study Hall Dormitory rent is cheap?』
『You know Study Hall Dormitories have different grades, right? Working here, you probably know that better than anyone.』
『Even working at a Study Hall Dormitory, I don’t know much about other ones.』
Choi Tae-sik laughed at those words.
『Work at a Study Hall Dormitory and not know about it?』
He continued speaking.
『I’m at the cheapest Study Hall Dormitory in this neighborhood. It’s so cramped that if you stretch your legs to lie down, there’s no space left… but still, having a wall to lean your back against is something, right?』
Choi Tae-sik grilled the meat while smacking his lips and spoke.
『By the way, do you like soju?』
『Soju?』
The Administrator squinted his eyes as he looked at Choi Tae-sik. At that gaze, Choi Tae-sik laughed awkwardly and spoke.
『Yesterday I had something unpleasant happen, so I drank a lot. I don’t usually have a weak constitution for alcohol.』
『What happened to you?』
As he spoke, the Administrator raised his hand and ordered soju. At that, Choi Tae-sik laughed and said.
『I got fired from the restaurant where I was working.』
『Why?』
『I don’t know. They just told me not to come in starting tomorrow with no reason given. I never learned any skills, but I was blessed with natural strength, so I worked hard. Getting fired like that overnight felt suffocating and pathetic. It felt like I was trapped behind invisible iron bars in this society.』
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, the Administrator sighed, opened the soju bottle, and poured it into his glass.
Choi Tae-sik, watching the Administrator, spoke.
『But why did you give me money yesterday?』
『Ah….』
『I was drunk, but… something felt odd about it.』
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, the Administrator looked at him and spoke.
『I thought you should at least eat.』
『Did I look like someone who couldn’t even afford to eat?』
As Choi Tae-sik asked with a laugh, the Administrator shook his head.
『No, it’s just….』
The Administrator hesitated and couldn’t answer easily.
Rather than rush for an answer, Choi Tae-sik placed meat on the grill table.
Sizzle! Sizzle!
And as he did, the Administrator finally opened his mouth.
『…I saw myself in you.』
『You?』
As Choi Tae-sik looked, the Administrator sighed and spoke.
『You’re trapped in a suffocating society, and I’m trapped in the Study Hall Dormitory. The situations are different, but being trapped seemed the same. That’s why I told you to at least eat.』
『Why are you trapped in the Study Hall Dormitory? If you don’t like working there, you could go work somewhere else, right?』
『That’s true. I could go work somewhere else… sigh!』
To the Administrator laughing self-deprecatingly, Choi Tae-sik spoke with a smile.
『Anyway, both you and I are trapped. Me in society, you in the Study Hall Dormitory.』
『That’s right.』
[This guy seems to be that hacker.]
[But is there someone watching around this guy?]
[I checked the CCTV footage of the route he took, and there’s no one following or keeping watch on him.]
[At the restaurant too?]
[There’s nothing at the restaurant either.]
[Could they be wiretapping us or something?]
[No. Tae-sik hyung brought a wiretap detector, and nothing showed up there either.]
[So what do we do? Are they saying they’ll get him out?]
Listening to the voice reaching his ears, Choi Tae-sik picked up the soju bottle and offered it to the Administrator.
『Everyone has frustrations, you know. That’s why alcohol is so good.』
『Alcohol?』
『When you think about it, you and I are practically strangers meeting for the first time today, yet here we are sharing a drink and talking like this.』
Choi Tae-sik continued with a smile.
『Let’s have another drink next time.』
『Then I’d be delighted.』
This was a signal.
[It seems like Tae-sik hyung is suggesting we wait for the next opportunity.]
[Right, we only just met today—we can’t expect results right away.]
The two men, having shared meat and a bottle of soju, soon stood up.
『Next time, you’re buying.』
『Of course, hyung. But what’s your name?』
『Let’s exchange names next time. For you and me, this bond was forged over drinks—it feels too light otherwise. Once we’re closer, we’ll do it then. Until then, you’re the Administrator, and I’m….』
Choi Tae-sik paused, searching for the right words, then let out a soft laugh.
『Just call me the Drunkard.』
Stepping out of the restaurant, Choi Tae-sik stretched and spoke.
『Well, I should go find myself a job. See you next time.』
Choi Tae-sik waved his hand and began to walk away, but suddenly turned back.
『Hey.』
『Yes?』
『I left a canned coffee behind.』
As Choi Tae-sik held up the canned coffee in his hand, the Administrator exclaimed and went back inside the restaurant, returning with the canned coffee he’d left behind.
The Administrator, now outside, looked around searching for Choi Tae-sik, who had already vanished, then turned his steps toward the Family Goshiwon.

When Choi Tae-sik returned to the Safe House that evening, he laid bare the conversation he’d had with the Administrator.
『…After meeting him and speaking directly, I could tell he was quite intimidated.』
『Intimidated?』
Lim Sung-un posed the question, and Choi Tae-sik responded.
『He seemed to be suffering from a loss of confidence.』
Jang Ma-ru nodded in agreement.
『If he’s bound to gangsters, I’d probably lose my nerve too.』
Lee Hye-eun, who had been listening to their exchange, spoke up.
『But looking at it, there’s no wiretap, and no one’s watching him. Right?』
『That’s correct.』
『Then why doesn’t he just run? With his hacking skills….』
Lee Hye-eun looked at Jang Ma-ru.
『He could probably create some app or other to mask his location, just like you do.』
Jang Ma-ru pondered her words for a moment before responding.
『You’re right. If it were me, I’d hack all the surveillance cameras in the area to track the gangsters’ positions, map out an escape route, and then flee. On top of that, I’d hack their phones and strip them of all their information.』
As Jang Ma-ru spoke, he stroked his chin thoughtfully.
『It’s definitely possible.』
『Really?』
『Of course. The Administrator can access The One’s servers anyway. So installing hacking programs through the internet is nothing—hacking phones would be child’s play.』
Then Jang Ma-ru gazed at the monitor with a puzzled expression.
『Why doesn’t he just escape?』
『Then… there must be some reason he can’t escape.』
At Lim Sung-un’s words, Jang Ma-ru nodded. Whatever it was, there had to be a reason preventing him from fleeing.

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