Goblin Library - Chapter 26

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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 26

The next morning, I woke early and grabbed a quick meal at Jeonjujeon before heading to the Goblin Library for my shift.
Upon arriving, I began with cleaning. Normally I would have brewed myself a cup of tea first, but I’d drunk at the library yesterday.
Of course, I’d tidied up afterward, but having cleaned while intoxicated, there were bound to be spots I’d missed.
Standing at my usual starting point for the cleaning routine, I spoke aloud.
“Let’s begin cleaning.”
My body then moved of its own accord, commencing the work.
After finishing the thorough cleaning, I brewed coffee and mixed it with ice water to create an iced Americano.
The exertion had left me flushed, and I craved something refreshing.
Sipping the cold Americano, I located Cha Dol’s book among the shelves.
I’d retrieved it so frequently that I could find it with my eyes closed now. I pulled the familiar volume from its usual spot and opened it.
True to the nature of goblin books, the pages opened directly to what I wished to see.
I slowly mimicked the martial arts movements depicted. As Cha Dol had cautioned, performing imprecise techniques at speed could injure me.
After moving through the illustrations for a while, I concluded the exercise without overexertion.

***

I was browsing through the shelves. Lately, reading had become genuinely enjoyable.
Truth be told, I’d never been particularly fond of books before. I simply read them if they were available, and ignored them if they weren’t.
When I first took this position at the Goblin Library, reading these books had troubled me. It felt like prying into others’ private lives, which made me uncomfortable.
But I’d abandoned that sentiment now.
Having taken employment at the Goblin Library, I couldn’t distance myself from books.
I scanned the names inscribed on the spines, occasionally pulling volumes that caught my eye and flipping through them.
Then I picked up a particular book.
Examining its cover, I tilted my head in confusion.

【Lee Jong-hyuk】
Author: Bamboo Sword Goblin

“Boss, your book was here too.”
Tae-poong glanced around as he examined the book written by Bamboo Sword Goblin.
“But why is it here? Shouldn’t it be displayed on the front shelf?”
The visitors to the Goblin Library… well, there were hardly any goblins coming by, but if you wanted them to read a particular book, it was better to display it on a shelf visible the moment they entered.
Now that I thought about it, all of Bamboo Sword Goblin’s other books were indeed positioned there.
Tae-poong opened the book with a puzzled expression.
Lee Jong-hyuk was a high school student. Tall, well-built, and skilled at fighting. However…
Tae-poong’s brow furrowed as he skimmed through the pages.
“This guy… he’s a bad person, isn’t he?”
Lee Jong-hyuk in the book was what people commonly called a school bully. And a particularly vicious one at that.
Extorting lunch money was the least of it—he didn’t hesitate to commit heinous acts like collecting protection money from other students.
“No, why would the boss write a novel about a kid like this?”
Bamboo Sword Goblin’s nature was far removed from tormenting others. Even if he did torment someone, he’d target the strong, not the weak—he was a goblin who actually protected the vulnerable.
So I couldn’t understand why he’d written a novel with such a character as the protagonist.
Tae-poong recalled one fact and sighed. The books goblins write are based on true events.
So all the stories in this book about Lee Jong-hyuk bullying other children were entirely real.
There was nothing for it but to sigh. The children who suffered at Lee Jong-hyuk’s hands must have found school to be hell.
“What makes a kid so ruthless?”
Muttering his dissatisfaction, Tae-poong continued reading.
And soon he finished the entire work. Closing the book, Tae-poong squinted his eyes.
The episodes written in the book were far shorter than expected.
Compared to the other books? Maybe half the length?
Yet even that was enough to understand how despicable Lee Jong-hyuk was. Moreover, some of the episodes dealt with actual crimes.
As Tae-poong stared at the book’s cover, Bamboo Sword Goblin’s voice reached him.
[You’ve read an unnecessary book.]
Certainly, it was the kind of book that left you feeling unsettled. But Bamboo Sword Goblin had written it in the first place. If he truly considered this an “unnecessary book,” I was curious why he’d started writing it at all.
“Why did you make a character like this the protagonist?”
[….]
Bamboo Sword Goblin, who had been silent for a moment at Tae-poong’s question, finally answered.
[Lee Jong-hyuk grew up differently than I expected.]
“Differently than you expected?”
[When I first saw him as a child, he would push an elderly man’s cart carrying waste paper from behind, and he played well with his friends. At that time, I thought Lee Jong-hyuk was a decent kid and kept him as material. But later, when I went to write about him… he had grown up differently than I thought.]
At Bamboo Sword Goblin’s words, Tae-poong let out a relieved sigh. Writer goblins tend to write about subjects with similar dispositions to themselves.
So I had worried whether Bamboo Sword Goblin might actually be this ruthless himself, but hearing that he wasn’t was at least some comfort.
“But you keep material like that?”
[Writers, whether human or goblin, jot down new material when it occurs to them while working on a piece. We goblins do the same—when we see a human who catches our interest while writing, we remember them as potential material.]
“So you saw Lee Jong-hyuk while writing another work?”
[That’s right. While writing about Lim Sung-un, I saw a young boy pushing his grandfather’s cart and decided to use him as material. Back then… he was a decent kid.]
At Bamboo Sword Goblin’s words, Tae-poong asked.
“So you abandoned this material while writing?”
[…Unlike what I envisioned, he grew up rough. What I’d hoped for was someone like Lee Jong-hyuk protecting weaker friends….]
At the Bamboo Sword Goblin’s tone of displeasure, Tae-poong paused before speaking.
“I’m sure you hoped he’d grow up well…. What a shame.”
He must have marked this child as promising material. Expecting him to develop properly by now, he was about to begin writing—but his subject had grown in a direction contrary to his expectations.
Tae-poong gazed at the book cover for a moment, then opened it. Having a specific section in mind, he flipped directly to the pages he wished to read.

***

Lee Jong-hyuk leaned against the wall, gazing up at the sky.
『Ugh!』
Turning his head this way and that, Lee Jong-hyuk glanced ahead. In his line of sight, his companions—or rather, his subordinates—were speaking to Noh Hong-su, a classmate with a slight build.
『Just go in, grab something, and bolt. That’s all.』
『But… what if I get caught….』
『You won’t get caught. It’s a small shop run by just one old man. You’re not seriously worried he’ll catch you, are you?』
『Still, if I do get caught, I’ll get in trouble….』
He was currently trying to get Noh Hong-su to steal.
Of course, that was merely the surface; there was a different purpose underneath.
Once Noh Hong-su entered the small convenience store, grabbed something, and ran, the elderly owner would chase after him.
That’s when Lee Jong-hyuk and his subordinates would slip into the empty store and pilfer cigarettes.
For delinquents, cigarettes were the most troublesome commodity. Even with money, they were difficult to obtain.
When Noh Hong-su hesitated and refused, Lee Jong-hyuk slowly approached him.
Noh Hong-su watched him come with frightened eyes.
To the cowering Noh Hong-su, Lee Jong-hyuk smirked and spoke.
『Are you saying you can’t do a favor for a friend?』
『No, Jong-hyuk. It’s just….』
Crack!
Lee Jong-hyuk slapped Noh Hong-su’s cheek and spoke.
『If you get caught, you might get hit. Actually, you will get hit. That old man’s got a nasty temper. But….』
Lee Jong-hyuk looked into Noh Hong-su’s eyes.
『The old man scares you, but we seem easy to push around?』
『No…. It’s just….』
『And I’m asking you. You’re going to refuse my request? Between friends?』
At Lee Jong-hyuk’s words, Noh Hong-su trembled.

***

In the end, Noh Hong-su rushed into the convenience store, grabbed a few sausages from the counter, and fled. While the owner chased after Noh Hong-su, Lee Jong-hyuk and his gang snatched up cartons of cigarettes and made their escape.
As I felt pity for Noh Hong-su and contempt for Lee Jong-hyuk, Bamboo Sword Goblin spoke.
[And so, after that, he stopped writing.]
At Bamboo Sword Goblin’s words, Tae-poong nodded.
“When did this happen?”
[Last year.]
“Then he must still be a student?”
[He’s a senior now.]
After Bamboo Sword Goblin’s reply, Tae-poong paused before speaking.
“What should we do about this bastard? For the kids who attend the same school and class as him, school life must be hell.”
Even as a senior, there’s still a long stretch of time remaining. For the children being tormented, merely enduring each day is agonizing, yet they still have over two hundred days of such suffering ahead of them.
[If we goblins punished every single one of these wretches, what use would human law and police have?]
“That’s… true.”
[We goblins merely enjoy ourselves. We do not punish humans.]
At Bamboo Sword Goblin’s words, Tae-poong let out an involuntary chuckle.
‘Yet you punish those who wrong you goblins just fine.’
The moment that thought crossed my mind, Bamboo Sword Goblin’s voice reached me.
[Those who wrong humans are dealt with by humans themselves, and those who wrong goblins are dealt with by goblins. Is there something wrong with that?]
Startled that my thoughts had been read, Tae-poong quickly spoke.
“Of course not. That’s only natural. You’re not a judge or prosecutor, after all. If you only punish the ones who fall into your hands…”
Tae-poong trailed off, thought for a moment, then asked.
“Are there more works he abandoned while writing?”
[Many.]
At Bamboo Sword Goblin’s answer, Tae-poong finished shelving the book.

***

「Cheongseong High School」

After work, Tae-poong stood in front of Cheongseong High School. It was the very school Lee Jong-hyuk attended, the one I’d seen in Bamboo Sword Goblin’s book.
There was a reason for coming here. I wanted to see the face of this thug called a school bully and also catch a glimpse of the pitiful Noh Hong-su.
The school had many classrooms lit up, apparently conducting evening self-study sessions. Observing the school building, Tae-poong turned away.
School bullies wouldn’t be attending evening self-study. According to what I’d read in the book, they’d be loitering in the back alleys nearby or hanging out at the PC Bang.
Though I didn’t know the exact location, there were several places mentioned in the novel, so Tae-poong headed toward one of them.
And soon enough, I spotted them. They had changed into casual clothes by then.
Though it was my first time seeing them in person, Tae-poong could identify the bullies immediately.
Since they were the protagonists and characters from the book I’d read, their names floated above their heads.

「Lee Jong-hyuk.
The protagonist of Bamboo Sword Goblin’s novel 【Lee Jong-hyuk】.
The leader of Cheongseong High School’s delinquents.
A former wrestler. He excels at cursing and enjoys tormenting others.
Rumor has it he’s on close terms with gang members, like a brother.
Currently, Bamboo Sword Goblin has stopped writing about him.」

Reading the description floating above Lee Jong-hyuk’s head, Tae-poong glanced at the other kids.

「Hong Guk-jin.
A subordinate of Lee Jong-hyuk who appears in Bamboo Sword Goblin’s novel 【Lee Jong-hyuk】.
A kid who boasts about learning boxing in middle school. But his skills are mediocre at best.
He’d fake his own death if Lee Jong-hyuk told him to. He wants to join the gang along with Lee Jong-hyuk.」

As I finished reading the character descriptions of the other kids, one of them came running over.
“Jong… Jong-hyuk.”
Tae-poong tilted his head curiously as he watched the kid calling out to Lee Jong-hyuk.
‘Where have I seen this kid before? Oh!’
After a moment of contemplation, Tae-poong suddenly realized who the kid was.
It was the same child who had papers reading “idiot” and “fool” stuck to his backpack on the day I first met Bamboo Sword Goblin at Han River Park.
And….

「Noh Hong-su」

That kid was none other than Noh Hong-su.

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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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