Goblin Library - Chapter 196

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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 196

Lee Gang-soon spoke as he looked at Lee Gang-hyuk.
“You’re at an age now where you should be looking for work and thinking about marriage, don’t you think?”
“That’s true.”
“So here’s the thing—I’m planning to expand my business.”
“Expand your business?”
“Ah! You don’t know what I do now, do you?”
As he spoke, Lee Gang-soon pulled out a business card and handed it over.
“I’m running a Mart.”
“A Mart?”
“Not some small neighborhood Convenience Store—I mean a big operation like a supermarket where we sell meat, fish, and all kinds of daily necessities. I’m running it on a pretty large scale.”
“I see…”
Lee Gang-hyuk nodded as he looked at the business card.
“So you’re running a Mart.”
“We have decent competitiveness, and our location gets the most customers in the neighborhood.”
In truth, much of Lee Gang-soon’s Mart’s success came from not having to pay rent, but Lee Gang-hyuk didn’t bother pointing that out and simply nodded along in agreement.
Pleased by this, Lee Gang-soon got to the main point.
“So I’m thinking of opening a second location this time. If you’re willing, I’d like you to manage that branch.”
“Me?”
“When you were in Prison, I should have looked after you better… but I didn’t, did I? I haven’t really done anything for you as your older brother. It’s time I acted like one.”
Lee Gang-hyuk laughed inwardly at Lee Gang-soon’s words and smile.
Anyone listening would think he was the world’s greatest older brother.
If he were truly being given a branch to manage without any conditions attached… Lee Gang-hyuk might even be able to let go of his desire for revenge against the main house. But that’s not how the world works.
And from what Lee Gang-hyuk knew, Lee Gang-soon had no intention of opening a second location. If he did, he would have been scouting locations and buildings instead of frequenting gambling dens.
“I’m not sure if I’m capable of that.”
“It’s not difficult. I’ll check in on the second location from time to time, and I’ll send some sharp employees from the main store to help out. You can leave most things to them. You just need to handle sales calculations and keep an eye on employee attendance.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. What do you think?”
“Well, it does sound good…”
“Right. It’s a great opportunity.”
Lee Gang-soon smiled and spoke casually.
“But I’m a bit short on capital.”
“Capital?”
“You know how it is—there’s a lot of inventory in a Mart.”
“That’s true.”
Lee Gang-hyuk’s eyes grew cold as he answered.
Unaware of this, Lee Gang-soon continued speaking as if it were nothing serious.
“In the beginning, we’re short about 400 million won just to purchase inventory.”
“400 million won?”
“There were several of my friends who wanted to get involved, but I tried to do it without bringing in outsiders if possible. If it really doesn’t work out, I could take out a loan using the building as collateral… but then I thought of you.”
“I don’t have 400 million won anywhere.”
At Lee Gang-hyuk’s words, Lee Gang-soon squinted his eyes.
“Why are you saying something so disheartening?”
“Disheartening?”
“When you got out, the government gave you money, right? They said since you were wrongfully imprisoned, you’d receive compensation at the minimum wage rate per day. You weren’t there for just a year or two—you were there for 15 years, so shouldn’t you have gotten more than 400 million won?”
At Lee Gang-soon’s words, Lee Gang-hyuk looked at him and spoke with a smile.
“How did you know that?”
At Lee Gang-hyuk’s question, Lee Gang-soon seemed momentarily flustered, then laughed it off.
“Well… I was worried about my younger brother, so I looked into it and found out.”
“I see.”
Lee Gang-hyuk shook his head.
“But what can I do? That money… it’s already gone.”
“What? Gone?”
“I… sigh! I was scammed.”
“What! Which bastard dared to—”
Lee Gang-soon, who had started to shout indignantly, quickly shut his mouth. Then he asked carefully.
“You were… scammed?”
“Yes.”
“Then? The money?”
When Lee Gang-hyuk shook his head, Lee Gang-soon’s face hardened. But it was only momentary. Lee Gang-soon forced a smile and spoke.
“At least we still have the house, so that’s fortunate. If we take out a loan using it and make a comeback…”
“The house too… I lost it.”
“You goddamn idiot!”
“Brother?”
At the words that he’d lost even the house, Lee Gang-soon’s face contorted. He needed something to fall back on to maintain his composure… but with no money and the house gone, there was nothing left.
“You should have just stayed locked up in Prison! Why did you come out only to get scammed? At least this house would still be here! I believed in a worthless bastard like you and came all this way. A son like you—”
Crack!
In an instant, Lee Gang-soon’s face went blank. Lee Gang-hyuk had slapped him across the cheek.
“Huh?”
Immediately after, Lee Gang-hyuk’s other hand whipped across his opposite cheek.
Crack!
“You!”
The startled Lee Gang-soon tried to swing his fist at Lee Gang-hyuk, but his head was grabbed.
And then…
Crash! Clang, clatter!
Lee Gang-soon’s head slammed directly onto the Dining Table. The side dishes bowls fell below the table and shattered, scattering across the floor.
“Ugh!”
Pressing Lee Gang-soon’s head down against the Dining Table, Lee Gang-hyuk sighed and spoke.
“I stopped myself because I thought I’d kill you if I heard another word. Be grateful for that, you bastard.”
“You… why are you like this?”
“You’re still rotting away in Prison, aren’t you?”
“Ah… Gang-hyuk… that’s because you said you got scammed. I was just… so worried….”
“Yeah, you should worry.”
Lee Gang-hyuk pressed harder with the hand holding Lee Gang-soon’s head and spoke.
“Do you know what Prison is like?”
“Well… I wouldn’t know.”
“It’s a place where all kinds of criminals gather. Assault, drugs, fraud, murder… I spent fifteen years there. Do you know what happens when you’re there for fifteen years?”
Lee Gang-hyuk whispered softly into his ear.
“It becomes home.”
“Home?”
“Yeah. For me, that place is more comfortable than here, and criminals feel more familiar than ordinary people. You know why? Because I’ve become just like them.”
At Lee Gang-hyuk’s words, Lee Gang-soon stared at him with hardened eyes. He wanted to tell him to go back to Prison if it felt so much like home.
But… the murderous intent radiating from Lee Gang-hyuk’s eyes prevented him from saying such things.
“But you offered me a good job opportunity.”
“That’s… the thing is. The money… isn’t enough.”
Of course, I couldn’t tell him that I tried to scam him.
“400 million? That’s something we can get through a loan… and I really like the job you’re offering me. I’m looking forward to it.”
Lee Gang-hyuk smiled and removed his hand from Lee Gang-soon’s head, then picked up chopsticks.
“Don’t give me any bad ideas. I told you. Prison is as comfortable as home for me.”
Lee Gang-hyuk held the chopsticks against Lee Gang-soon’s neck and pressed lightly, dragging them across.
“Even if I go back, I’ll be as comfortable as coming home.”
Gulp!
“Ah… I understand.”
As Lee Gang-soon barely squeezed out an answer with a dry throat, Lee Gang-hyuk chuckled and spoke.
“Oh! And… I’ve been thinking of you and Uncle as family.”
“Then… we’re family anyway.”
“So I’ll show you how to make 400 million.”
“400 million? How?”
“The insurance money that came out after our parents passed away and the assets our father had at that time… I entrusted all of that to Uncle.”
“What? Really?”
“You didn’t know?”
“I didn’t know.”
“I was in Prison at the time and didn’t know when I’d get out, so I entrusted it to Uncle… but he hasn’t come by since then.”
At Lee Gang-hyuk’s words, Lee Gang-soon asked urgently.
“How much is that?”
“I don’t know exactly.”
“You don’t? Why?”
“If you were me, you’d say Father left behind a certain amount after he passed—wouldn’t that reach your ears?”
“That’s…”
Lee Gang-soon would certainly remember. It wasn’t a trivial sum.
“Still, it has to be at least 500 million won. Death insurance payouts are usually in the hundreds of millions. And there’s Mother’s inheritance too.”
“That’s… that’s right.”
“Get it from Uncle and use that to cover the shortfall.”
“Me… I should?”
“He’s Father’s older brother, so it’s awkward for me to ask directly. You go and handle it. Keep whatever’s left over—I don’t care.”
Having finished speaking, Lee Gang-hyuk hurled his chopsticks onto the Dining Table and spoke in an icy tone.
“Get out.”
Lee Gang-soon nodded hastily and rushed out of the Home.
Slam!
As the door shut, the subordinates who had been waiting in the Hotel Room emerged.
Lee Ho-yeol squinted at the door through which Lee Gang-soon had left and spoke.
“Trying to con his own brother… and with criminal compensation money, no less. That bastard isn’t even human.”
Lee Gang-soon, who had tried to swindle his younger brother—who had spent years in Prison without guilt—was certainly not human.
Moreover, the money he’d tried to steal was the very compensation that had changed those years of imprisonment….
At Lee Ho-yeol’s words, Lee Gang-hyuk smiled bitterly and moved toward the window.
“Still, this is better.”
“Better, sir?”
As Lee Ho-yeol spoke and gestured toward the Dining Table, the subordinates began cleaning around it.
“If he’s going to treat me like a dog like this… then I can treat him like a dog without hesitation.”
Then Lee Gang-hyuk chuckled softly.
“And he didn’t even do his homework properly.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“Fifteen years can’t possibly be worth just 400 million won.”
At Lee Gang-hyuk’s words, Lee Ho-yeol nodded. Lee Gang-hyuk had received over a billion won in criminal compensation, so 400 million was far too low.
“It’s unpleasant, certainly… but having him show his true colors like this actually makes work easier. If he’d come with genuinely good intentions, it would’ve been awkward.”
“Exactly.”
“But didn’t you originally plan not to bring up the inheritance?”
“I did. But… giving him this opening like this should actually improve relations between brothers. Heh! With Uncle’s temperament, he’ll be so furious he’ll want to tear him apart.”
Choi Jin approached at Lee Gang-hyuk’s words.
“Since you’ve given him both the pretext and justification, Lee Gang-soon will ask Father directly for the money.”
“That’s what I want. With Uncle’s nature, he won’t give in… they’ll fight.”
“Uncle might even come looking for you.”
“He will. With that man’s temperament… I’m curious to hear what he’ll say.”
Choi Jin spoke at Lee Gang-hyuk’s words.
“When that happens, we can legally recover the money through the fund transfers.”
Lee Ho-yeol added with a smile.
“Of course, we can recover it privately as well.”
Whether by law or through private means, Lee Gang-hyuk held both justification and power.
Lee Gang-hyuk looked at Choi Jin.
“Get me a lawyer’s business card. People listen better to someone holding a lawyer’s card than to me speaking directly.”
“Understood.”
Lee Gang-hyuk then gestured to one of his subordinates, summoning him over.
“Activate Lee Gang-soon’s phone.”
“Understood.”
The subordinate brought a laptop and began typing on the keyboard, and a voice emerged from the speakers.
[Damn it. I knew it. I wondered how he bought the building, and it turns out it was Gang-hyuk’s money. And yet he says he has no money to give me.]
Lee Ho-yeol smacked his lips while listening to Lee Gang-soon’s voice cursing continuously.
“That hacker was quite useful.”
The ability to hear what Lee Gang-soon was saying through his phone right now was thanks to the program the hacker had created. Beyond that, he’d made many other useful programs, and with him gone, the situation had become somewhat inconvenient.
“Hackers aren’t easy to employ, are they?”
“The ones you can hire immediately lack skill, and the skilled ones work freelance. And those types are difficult to track down.”
At Lee Ho-yeol’s words, Lee Gang-hyuk looked at Choi Jin.
“Look through the people who’ve come into the Prison. Find any with hacker potential. Judge by character rather than skill, and if there’s someone with a legitimate grievance, recruit someone like that.”
“Understood.”
Lee Gang-hyuk nodded at Choi Jin’s response.
The mysterious gang had been weighing on his mind lately, but venting his anger on Lee Gang-soon seemed to have eased some of the tension.
Is this why people seek revenge?
Lee Gang-hyuk let out a quiet chuckle.
Some wise men say forgiveness is the greatest revenge, but he doubted he could ever become such a sage.

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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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