Goblin Library - Chapter 204

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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 204.

Yu Tae-poong looked up from his book and spoke.
“So in the end, they’re negotiating.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Dung Carrier Goblin shook his head.
“Isn’t it a bit disappointing? I thought they’d trade blows and fight more thrillingly.”
At Dung Carrier Goblin’s murmur, Yu Tae-poong nodded.
“Compared to how tense things were, the ending does feel a bit anticlimactic.”
Then Yu Tae-poong smiled and continued.
“Still, I don’t think it’s bad. After all, both groups are dealing with criminals, not ordinary people. Lee Gang-hyuk commits crimes against criminals and takes their money, while Lim Sung-un pursues legal punishment against people with money and power. And both sides use the money they gain that way for good causes.”
“That’s true.”
“Lee Gang-hyuk might be rough when dealing with criminals… but when you think about the victims who’ve suffered at the hands of those criminals, it doesn’t seem so bad.”
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Crime for crime?”
“And honestly, I understand why Lim Sung-un agreed to cooperate.”
“In what way?”
“Lim Sung-un told Lee Gang-hyuk that if people like him dished out private punishment, the nation would fall apart… but that’s only if there were tons of people doing it. Who would risk their time, money, and safety to do something like this?”
“That’s true.”
“I actually think it’s good that there are a few people like this. People who can’t be punished by law at least face consequences this way. And one more thing…”
Yu Tae-poong continued while looking at his book.
“Lim Sung-un is protecting his team members.”
Dung Carrier Goblin listened, and Yu Tae-poong explained.
“If Lim Sung-un and Lee Gang-hyuk had actually fought… the Lim Sung-un Team, being short on manpower and resources, would have suffered greatly. As Lee Hye-eun said, Jang Ma-ru and she might have survived, but Choi Tae-sik and Lim Sung-un would have died.”
“He negotiated to save Choi Tae-sik?”
“It seems that way. And…”
Yu Tae-poong smiled and continued.
“There’s a character in a TV series called Suit Man who saves people.”
“Suit Man?”
“Someone who wears a suit and helps people in danger or who need assistance… he had a situation like this too.”
“What was it?”
“There’s a crime boss who controls the back alleys of New York. He does bad things, but he also helps and protects helpless children and people in those back alleys. At first, the two were enemies, but when the boss realized he was helping people, they eventually became allies.”
“They cooperated even though they had different positions?”
“That’s right. They share information and cooperate when catching bad people… but that doesn’t make the boss a good person. He still commits illegal dealings and crimes. You could say he’s the drama version of Lee Gang-hyuk.”
Yu Tae-poong smiled and continued.
“It feels similar to that. And I think it would be interesting if Lee Gang-hyuk and Lim Sung-un cooperated to take down a major power player.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Dung Carrier Goblin nodded.
“That would be interesting. Or investigating a murder case.”
“Anything works. Either way, whatever those two teams do together would be about catching criminals.”
“They could catch them and kill them too.”
“That’s something Lim Sung-un needs to resolve with Lee Gang-hyuk.”
“Fair point.”
Yu Tae-poong nodded and gently ran his hand over the book before speaking with a smile.
“Either way, I’ve been enjoying reading it.”
“Why? Won’t you keep reading it going forward?”
“No, I’ll keep reading. It’s just… the daily serialization leaves me wanting more. I’m thinking of accumulating chapters before reading.”
With that, Yu Tae-poong slid the book onto the bookshelf and murmured to himself.
“What should I read now?”
“You haven’t read Oh Mi-hee’s books in a while. Should we check those out?”
“Oh Mi-hee’s books, huh….”
Yu Tae-poong shook his head.
“Oh Mi-hee’s stories are too calm and peaceful….”
“Is that so?”
“Besides, Oh Mi-hee’s stories are available on YouTube anyway.”
As Yu Tae-poong spoke, he looked at Dung Carrier Goblin.
“Did you see Oh Mi-hee recommend Pot Goblin’s book?”
“Yeah, I even called her about it.”
“You called Pot Goblin? When?”
“She came by when you went to the bathroom earlier. Apparently the book sold so well they’re printing a second edition.”
“A second edition?”
“The first printing sold out, so they’re printing and selling a second edition.”
“That’s great. But why didn’t you mention it?”
“My stomach was bothering me.”
“Ah….”
Yu Tae-poong chuckled lightly and surveyed the bookshelves.
“What would be good to read….”
As Yu Tae-poong examined the shelves, his phone rang.
He checked it and saw it was Bamboo Sword Goblin calling.
“Boss.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.
[Lim Sung-un is heading your way.]
“What’s this about?”
[This time, meet him without knowing anything. It’ll be more interesting that way.]
After the call ended, Yu Tae-poong stared at his phone for a moment before looking at Dung Carrier Goblin.
“Lim Sung-un is coming here.”
“Why?”
“Not sure. The boss said to meet him without knowing what it’s about.”
“Unexpected situations do tend to be interesting.”
With that, Dung Carrier Goblin grabbed a few drinks from the refrigerator and left the Goblin Library, with Yu Tae-poong following close behind.
When they opened the door again, the interior of the bookstore came into view.
Yu Tae-poong entered the bookstore and glanced around before speaking.
“This place would be good for business too….”
“If we did that, we’d need to hire staff here too. But having only one entrance is inconvenient.”
“That’s true.”
If there were an employee in the bookstore and I went into the Goblin Library and came back out, it would look strange—no, suspicious.
After all, someone would enter through the bookstore door but never actually come in, and people would exit the bookstore without anyone having entered.
Yu Tae-poong nodded and looked around, spotting a copy of Hong-ae displayed on one shelf.
“It’s here too.”
Yu Tae-poong picked up the Hong-ae book and handed it to Dung Carrier Goblin.
“Pot Goblin gave us one before.”
“That one came from the author, but this one came into the bookstore, so it’s different.”
Smiling, Yu Tae-poong scanned the barcode on the Hong-ae book.
Then he pulled a card from his wallet and swiped it at the bookstore’s card reader to complete the payment.
“You should buy one too, hyung.”
“I already have one.”
“You could give copies to acquaintances. Or give them to the people managing your farm to read.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Dung Carrier Goblin considered it, then nodded and handed over his card.
Yu Tae-poong processed the payment with the card and placed the book in an envelope from under the counter.
The envelope had a cute goblin drawing on it and the shop name “Goblin Library” written across it.
“You’ve got everything you need.”
“We don’t use it much, but it’s a bookstore, after all.”
At Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong gazed at the bookstore with a hint of regret.
Hardly anyone buys books from bookstores these days. Even when they do, the trend is toward large chain bookstores rather than neighborhood shops like this, so I’m not sure if business would generate any revenue… but it was still a shame.
As Yu Tae-poong and Dung Carrier Goblin were examining the bookstore, the shop door opened.
As I’d already anticipated, the person who entered was Lim Sung-un.
“Welcome.”
Lim Sung-un looked around as he watched Yu Tae-poong bow slightly in greeting like a proper shopkeeper and examine the books. Seeing this, Yu Tae-poong spoke.
“What brings you here?”
Lim Sung-un sat down in a chair and spoke.
“Want to hear what’s going on with our side?”
“I heard things are flowing peacefully.”
“Peacefully, huh… So you’ve been hearing about it.”
Lim Sung-un looked at Yu Tae-poong and spoke.
“What do you think?”
“About what?”
“Should we join hands with them?”
Rather than answer immediately, Yu Tae-poong picked up a drink from the counter and handed it to Lim Sung-un. The drink was one Dung Carrier Goblin had brought.
As Lim Sung-un accepted the drink, Yu Tae-poong spoke.
“Are we moving from peace to cooperation?”
“Cooperation, huh….”
After a moment of thought, Lim Sung-un spoke.
“Since they work in the shadows, they shared a few cases that haven’t been made public. They’re bad people I’d like to catch, but I’m uncertain whether I should take on the cases they’ve given me….”
At Lim Sung-un’s words, Dung Carrier Goblin let out a soft chuckle.
Suddenly noticing Dung Carrier Goblin laughing, Lim Sung-un looked at him.
“What’s so funny?”
At Lim Sung-un’s casual tone, Dung Carrier Goblin laughed and shook his head.
“If catching bad people is your goal… why not just do it?”
At Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Lim Sung-un watched him silently.
“The criminal information The One gave you is probably true. But they likely shared it with you because those people are inconvenient for The One to touch. Or perhaps they need a hit-and-run insurance scheme.”
Yu Tae-poong nodded.
“The One wouldn’t have given information without reason… that makes sense.”
“And this person probably suspects as much. But they want to confirm whether this is the right move.”
Dung Carrier Goblin looked at Yu Tae-poong.
“I’m talking to you.”
At Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong paused briefly before looking at Lim Sung-un.
“Whether The One wants a hit-and-run insurance scheme or is trying to create a situation favorable to themselves… what matters is that you’ve become aware of the crime, hasn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
“Then arrest them for the crime. After all, they’re criminals, and there are victims who’ve suffered from them… shouldn’t they be caught? Whether it benefits The One or whether you’re being used by The One.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Lim Sung-un looked at him and nodded.
“You’re right. A crime is a crime, nothing more.”
Then, as Lim Sung-un rose to his feet, Yu Tae-poong looked at him.
“Is that your only question?”
“If I ask something else, will you answer?”
“It depends on what you ask.”
“Is Lee Gang-hyuk someone I can trust?”
At Lim Sung-un’s question, Yu Tae-poong looked at him and spoke.
“Rather than my word, examine The One’s business plan.”
“A business plan?”
“Why do you think Lee Gang-hyuk wanted peace with you, Prosecutor Lim? Because you’re a prosecutor?”
Lim Sung-un shook his head.
“That wouldn’t be it.”
“Correct. Lee Gang-hyuk chose peace with you because he likely learned about the cases you’ve handled over the years.”
“My cases?”
“Lee Gang-hyuk despises criminals. But you’ve prosecuted and imprisoned those who torment people through force, money, and power. It wasn’t because you’re a prosecutor—he made a peace agreement based on trust in the cases you’ve handled.”
“So you’re telling me to look at the businesses Lee Gang-hyuk has conducted?”
“Doesn’t a person’s habitual conduct inspire more trust than a hundred words?”
Lim Sung-un nodded. Then he pushed the door to leave the bookstore.
“Wait a moment.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Lim Sung-un looked at him. Receiving that gaze, Yu Tae-poong pulled an envelope from the counter and began placing books inside.
After placing about ten copies of Hong-ae into the envelope, Yu Tae-poong spoke to Lim Sung-un.
“Please buy it from me.”
“Is this coercion?”
“It’s a gift.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Lim Sung-un looked at him with confusion. If it were a gift, one would give it, but he’d said to buy it.
Watching Lim Sung-un’s expression, Yu Tae-poong smiled and continued.
“I meant for you to buy it from me and give it as a gift to your acquaintances. It’s awkward for me to say this as someone selling books, but the content is truly excellent.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Lim Sung-un looked at him, then extended his hand to receive the envelope. He then pulled out the book to examine it.
“Hong-ae?”
“It’s the true life story of a woman who participated in the Independence Movement during the Japanese occupation.”
“A real historical figure? Hong-ae… I’ve never heard of her before.”
“There must be more than one or two Independence Fighters whose names weren’t recorded in history.”
Yu Tae-poong continued, looking at Lim Sung-un.
“She truly devoted all her strength to independence and did her best for her descendants.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Lim Sung-un looked at him, then pulled out a card and offered it.
Yu Tae-poong smiled and processed the payment.

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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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