Goblin Library - Chapter 32

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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 32

As I bit into a piece of sirutteok, I suddenly noticed the Dung Carrier Goblin enjoying the steamed rice cake with evident pleasure.
“But doesn’t the Goblin dislike red beans?”
“Red beans?”
“They say red beans ward off malevolent spirits and misfortune. Oh, not that I’m calling you a malevolent spirit or anything!”
The Dung Carrier Goblin laughed at my words and looked at me.
“You knew that and still ordered sirutteok?”
“I didn’t do it intentionally. It’s just that in my family, whenever something good happens, we eat sirutteok. So I ended up ordering some without really thinking about it.”
Then I glanced at the sirutteok.
“If you actually dislike it and are only eating it because of me, you don’t have to finish it.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin shook his head at my concern.
“That’s a misunderstanding that got passed around. We Goblins actually love red beans.”
“You do?”
“Among the common folk, there’s this belief that Goblins hate red beans, so they scatter them during moves or when something important happens to keep malevolent spirits away. But the truth is, we originally left them out as offerings for us Goblins to eat.”
“Offerings for you, sir?”
The Dung Carrier Goblin nodded at my question.
“You know how it is—Goblins repay kindness with kindness.”
“That’s true.”
“The common folk think Goblins dislike red things, so they make food with red beans and scatter or leave it outside their homes. But really, when they do that, any passing Goblin will eat it.”
“I had no idea.”
“Goblins love sweet things, after all. Anyway, when we eat food that’s been scattered or left out like that, we protect the household from misfortune and such.”
“Ah! So all of that is for the Goblins?”
“Not all of it is meant just for us. There are ghosts and other spiritual beings too. Regardless, someone eats what’s left, and they repay the favor. We Spirit Servants always repay what we receive—whether it’s kindness or grudges.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin spoke while taking another bite of the rice cake.
“But at some point, the story got twisted. People started saying that scattering it prevents malevolent spirits from entering, so nothing bad happens. But the truth is, we repay the kindness when it’s scattered.”
I nodded at the Dung Carrier Goblin’s explanation, then asked a question.
“Spirit Servants… does that include ghosts?”
“It does.”
“So there are ghosts?”
The Dung Carrier Goblin looked at me, then smiled and spoke.
“Goblins exist.”
“So they exist? Or they don’t?”
Pressed further, the Dung Carrier Goblin shook his head slightly.
“Working alongside a Goblin, you’ll come to understand Spirit Servants to some degree. But there’s no benefit in too many people knowing about it.”
“I see…”
“You can’t even see ghosts yourself, so there’s no need for you to hear from my own mouth that they exist.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin spoke as he reached for another piece of rice cake.
“If I hear from your own mouth that spirits exist, then I’ll truly know they do—and won’t I start worrying about whether there’s one here or there? Plus, walking down dark streets at night would become even more terrifying.”
“Ah….”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Typhoon looked at him with an expression of admiration.
“I had no idea you had such profound thoughts.”
“There’s nothing good about humans knowing about our world. Oh, and don’t ask me later things like ‘where do we go when we die?’ We really don’t know that either.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Typhoon nodded.
“Understood.”
As Typhoon ate rice cakes while conversing, the Dung Carrier Goblin spoke softly.
“My protagonist has reformed quite a bit.”
“Really?”
“After a fire broke out at his house, the kid’s heart changed somewhat. He’s trying to be nicer to people now, and he’s learning to make concessions.”
“That’s good.”
“Read it sometime when you have the chance.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Typhoon nodded with a smile.
“Of course. I’m curious to see how Oh Jang-hyuk has changed too.”
And he hoped the man would become a better person. That was exactly what the Dung Carrier Goblin wanted—someone like that.
Someone who threw his weight around and was disliked by those around him, yet possessed goodness and humanity beneath the surface.
As Typhoon ate rice cakes while anticipating his transformation, the Dung Carrier Goblin spoke.
“What books are you reading these days?”
“I’m reading the boss’s Lim Sung-un book. And I check Cha Dol’s work frequently.”
“Is the Lim Sung-un book interesting?”
“It is. And there are many satisfying moments. Oh! Right now Lim Sung-un is dealing with a school violence incident, and it’s quite good.”
“School violence… Looking at the news lately, school violence is serious. How can kids be so cruel.”
“Right?”
“So how is he resolving it?”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s question, Typhoon smiled and answered.
“There’s a former school gang member. Someone who regretted his gang life and straightened out, and through him, he’s taking down the school gangs.”
“Taking down school gangs?”
Seeing the Dung Carrier Goblin’s puzzled expression, Typhoon brought over Lim Sung-un’s book.
Then he opened it and showed him, saying:
“Look from here. You might not understand the full story so far, but even just this episode should make it clear.”
At Typhoon’s words, the Dung Carrier Goblin gazed at the open pages with curious eyes.

***

Kang Woong now stood before a Middle School in Gyeonggi Province.
Kang Woong brushed his hand down his chest with an awkward expression, looking at the uniform he wore. There was no helping it—he was dressed in a school uniform.
Choi Tae-sik approached him with a grin.
“Suits you well.”
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, Kang Woong scratched his head.
“Brother, I never thought I’d wear a school uniform at my age.”
Choi Tae-sik chuckled.
“You’ll get used to it. Once your face gets more weathered, you won’t be able to wear it anyway.”
Kang Woong smacked his lips and gazed at the Middle School.
“So we’re starting with the middle schoolers?”
“What, embarrassed because they’re middle schoolers?”
“Not exactly… but wearing a uniform to beat up school gang members feels a bit awkward.”
At Kang Woong’s words, Choi Tae-sik flicked his forehead lightly with his finger.
Snap!
“Ugh!”
Kang Woong let out a small groan and rubbed his forehead with his hand. That the legendary Kang Woong would take a finger flick to the forehead from someone else—anyone who knew him would be shocked and disbelieving to hear such a thing.
But the hierarchy between them had already been firmly established. Two men, both proud of their fists, would naturally clash once Kang Woong agreed to work with Lim Sung-un—it was inevitable.
They had sparred before Lim Sung-un’s eyes, and after a fierce battle, Kang Woong acknowledged his defeat to Choi Tae-sik.
That was why Kang Woong now treated Choi Tae-sik as his senior. He had the stronger fists and was older, after all.
Choi Tae-sik, watching Kang Woong in his uniform, spoke.
“Pull out your phone and check the photos.”
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, Kang Woong took out his phone and opened the photo file. The pictures showed the faces of several middle schoolers.
“We’ve already spoken with the victim. When you go and talk to them, they’ll call you ‘brother.'”
Kang Woong nodded at Choi Tae-sik’s words.
“So I approach as a cousin and beat up the school gang members, right?”
“That’s not the end of it. Maru checked, and those kids are connected to older students—school gang members from a nearby High School. While you’re at it, call out those gang members too and beat them all down.”
Then Choi Tae-sik looked at Kang Woong.
“You need to come across as a vicious school gang member. That’s how you’ll scare them.”
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, Kang Woong chuckled and climbed onto one of the two motorcycles parked in front.
Then he looked at Choi Tae-sik.
“I’m naturally vicious anyway.”
With those words, Kang Woong put on his helmet, started the engine, and took off.
Vroom!
Choi Tae-sik followed on his own motorcycle, trailing behind Kang Woong as he disappeared toward the Middle School.
Since this was Kang Woong’s first assignment, he wanted to observe from behind.

***

The Dung Carrier Goblin, who had been reading a book, tilted his head in confusion.
“Didn’t you decide to eliminate school violence?”
“That’s right.”
“But this kid Kang Woong seems to be going around beating people?”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, the Typhoon nodded.
“That’s right. He’s beating up the kids.”
“You’re going to stop school violence by beating up the school gang members?”
The Typhoon, seeing the Dung Carrier Goblin’s bewildered expression, gently stroked the book with his hand and spoke.
“If this were truly a novel and not reality… we would make them understand that violence is wrong and that what they’ve done is a mistake. We would reform them and end it that way. But this is reality. That’s why we’re trying to resolve it quickly, even if it means being forceful and violent.”
“Violence is the solution?”
“Violence is part of it, but the main method is intimidation.”
Then the Typhoon pointed to the book and spoke.
“What kids fear most these days isn’t their parents, teachers, or the police. It’s people who use violence. That’s why they’re afraid of older guys in the neighborhood or seniors. And by resolving things quickly, the kids suffer less damage.”
The method Lim Sung-un had Kang Woong use was violence and intimidation.
Kang Woong is still in his early twenties. Depending on what uniform he wears, he could pass as either a young professional or a student.
Of course, he might look a bit older for a high school student, but his appearance was mature enough that he could insist he was just older than his peers and get away with it.
Lim Sung-un, who had disguised Kang Woong as a student, found school violence victims and contacted them.
And now, having identified their movements, he was putting his plan into action.
“So we’re starting now.”
After the Typhoon explained the situation that had occurred earlier, the Dung Carrier Goblin asked.
“But why are the targets middle school students? Aren’t they too young?”
“Being young doesn’t make them any less cruel. Actually, some of them are even worse than high school students.”
“That’s true—the younger they are, the more vicious they can be.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin squinted his eyes.
“Back in the day, there were kids who would follow me around mocking, ‘You stink, you stink,’ when I was carrying the dung carrier. People looked down on me, so they thought it was okay to make fun of me.”
“My goodness.”
“My old master would scoop up a bucket of dung and throw it at them.”
At the mention of throwing dung, the Typhoon squinted his eyes and then laughed.
“The kids must have been terrified.”
“They were.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin, recalling old memories with a smile, began reading his book again.

***

Vroom!
As Kang Woong rode his motorcycle into the alley near the School, his eyes caught sight of the School Gang members and several cowering students huddled before them.
Whoosh!
The motorcycle surged directly toward the School Gang members.
“What… what is this!”
“What’s happening all of a sudden!”
As the School Gang members panicked and scattered backward, the motorcycle skidded to a halt.
Screech!
Kang Woong removed his helmet after stopping the motorcycle.
The School Gang members approached him with glaring eyes as he took off his helmet.
“What is this!”
“We almost got hurt….”
The School Gang members, who had been cursing moments before, fell silent.
It was because Kang Woong’s face, now bare of the helmet, appeared remarkably strong and capable. Not frightening or rough—rather, he simply looked like someone who knew how to fight.
Moreover, he appeared to be a High School student.
Seeing the School Gang members’ expressions, Kang Woong hung his helmet on the motorcycle and looked at one of the cowering students.
“Sung-sik.”
At Kang Woong’s call, the student named Sung-sik looked at him with anxious eyes.
“Uh….”
Hearing Sung-sik’s uncertain voice, Kang Woong spoke.
“Your aunt contacted me, saying she was worried about you. But….”
Kang Woong looked at the School Gang members.
“It seems she was right to reach out.”
To the School Gang members, who still didn’t understand the situation, Kang Woong spoke in a deliberately lowered voice.
“I’m Sung-sik’s older cousin.”
At Kang Woong’s words, the School Gang members’ faces hardened. They wouldn’t have looked so grim if Sung-sik’s parents had shown up.
Sung-sik’s parents wouldn’t strike them, after all. But an older cousin was different.
Older cousins were the kind of people who could beat someone several times over if that person laid a hand on their younger relative.

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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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