Goblin Library - Chapter 38

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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 38

The book was quite lengthy—a life story spanning twenty years.
It chronicled Oh Ja-myeong’s two decades serving four terms in the National Assembly, working tirelessly for his people.
What struck me most was that throughout those twenty years in the National Assembly, Oh Ja-myeong had never belonged to any political party.
He had practiced politics as an independent for two decades.
Whenever he encountered a good bill, he supported it regardless of whether it came from the opposition or the ruling party.
Because of this, he faced criticism for being a fence-sitter, but he paid it no mind.
In particular, he held deep convictions about the rights and medical welfare of firefighters, undertaking numerous initiatives on their behalf.
He was a man who actively championed reform for firefighters injured while extinguishing fires, who were forced to pay for their own medical treatment without state support.
In any case, I was reading the book with genuine enjoyment.
It was fascinating. Especially intriguing were the various conspiracies and machinations unfolding within the seemingly tedious and suffocating world of politics.
“Politics really is a mess.”
At my murmur, the Dung Carrier Goblin glanced at me.
“Why?”
“There’s a story about the National Assembly here… there are all sorts of schemes and tricks. And people backstab each other constantly.”
“That’s just how politics is.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin set down his book and spoke.
“I was born in the late Joseon period, and even then, the politicians were terribly corrupt.”
Then the Dung Carrier Goblin stared blankly into empty space for a moment before continuing.
“But if there are a hundred scoundrels, there are also ten righteous politicians. That’s how the nation manages to hold together.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin looked at me and continued.
“So, have you finished it?”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, I nodded and stroked the book.
“It’s really entertaining.”
As I spoke, a voice reached my ears.
[Did you enjoy it?]
Though I had never heard this voice before, I knew who it was. Such instances happened often enough.
It was the Shoe Goblin, the author of the book.
“Very much so.”
At my response, the Dung Carrier Goblin glanced at me, then turned his attention back to his book.
He had recognized that the Shoe Goblin was speaking to me.
[I’m grateful. It was quite a lengthy book, and I’m glad you read it all the way through.]
“It was engaging, so I read it completely. I should be thanking you for sharing such an interesting piece and introducing me to such a remarkable person.”
[Your words mean even more to me. It’s been so long since my book has been read. Goblins these days simply don’t read.]
I laughed at the Shoe Goblin’s words.
“Goblins certainly don’t come to the Goblin Library much.”
[That’s the problem. They wonder where the goblins are who will read their books, yet they don’t come to read themselves. Where else does such a thing happen?]
‘And yet he doesn’t even show up himself.’
As Yu Tae-poong muttered this unconsciously, the Shoe Goblin let out a dry cough.
[I’ve been so busy with my writing lately. I don’t have time to visit the library.]
Yu Tae-poong, realizing the Shoe Goblin had read his thoughts, laughed bitterly and spoke.
“Ah… could you please stop reading my thoughts?”
[Huh?]
Yu Tae-poong spoke to the Shoe Goblin, who seemed puzzled by the request.
“Please just listen to what I say. It’s a bit uncomfortable to have my inner thoughts exposed during a conversation.”
[Huh?]
The Shoe Goblin, uncertain what he meant, paused before saying, “Ah.”
[Ah! You’re human.]
“You didn’t know?”
[I would know if I looked, but… I haven’t been looking.]
“Either way, having my inner thoughts read is a bit uncomfortable. I’d appreciate it.”
[Ah… sorry, sorry. We goblins can hide our thoughts if we don’t want them seen. I thought you were willingly sharing your mind with me. From now on, I’ll just listen to your voice and not read your heart.]
“Thank you.”
[No, no. You shouldn’t do things that bother others. But why did the Bamboo Sword Goblin hire a human? What happened?]
“I ended up taking the job somehow.”
[Somehow… well, for goblins it’s goblin fate, but for humans it should be human fate. Anyway, most of life tends to happen that way.]
Yu Tae-poong nodded at the Shoe Goblin’s words. He was right. Life wasn’t like a winter break schedule—even if you made plans, things didn’t go according to them. If they did, everyone would exercise and finish their homework.
As Yu Tae-poong nodded, the Shoe Goblin spoke.
[Oh Ja-myeong is quite a good character. Sometimes I encounter people whose nature matches mine but who have terrible personalities… but Oh Ja-myeong matches my nature while being virtuous. Especially, he has compassion.]
“Compassion? That’s the feeling of sympathizing with people’s suffering, right?”
[Exactly. And that compassion leads to the desire to help others. There’s no politician more needed by the people than one with compassion. Someone who feels sympathy for others wouldn’t commit fraud or break the law.]
Yu Tae-poong, who had been nodding at the Shoe Goblin’s words, suddenly asked.
“But among your protagonists, do you have any with bad personalities?”
[Plenty.]
“The piece I read earlier was like that too, but it seems you write about good people.”
The Shoe Goblin laughed at Yu Tae-poong’s words.
[That’s not it. My favorite theme is the desire for growth. I love people with a strong desire to grow.]
“The desire for growth…”
[It’s similar to the ambition you mentioned. I was born from shoes… shoes that contain the wish to walk only on flower paths, as people say nowadays.]
“Ah… from such shoes?”
[That’s right. They say that when you receive nice shoes as a gift, you end up going to places worthy of those shoes. I was born from such a heart—the Shoe Goblin. That’s why I choose people who wish to go to good places as the subjects of my novels.]
As the Shoe Goblin spoke, Yu Tae-poong, who had been reading the book, asked.
“But Oh Ja-myeong doesn’t seem to have any particular desire to go to a good place himself, does he? He wasn’t even interested in places like Cheongwadae?”
Having gone to the National Assembly, one might think he’d reached a good place… but Oh Ja-myeong didn’t like the National Assembly.
And typically, for a politician, ambition ends with the presidency, but he had absolutely no interest in becoming president.
In fact, he was sick of politics. His constant refrain was how much he hated going to the National Assembly.
The Shoe Goblin laughed at Yu Tae-poong’s words.
Oh Ja-myeong doesn’t wish for his own prosperity—he hopes the people of South Korea will walk a righteous path.
“Ah!”
As Yu Tae-poong exhaled in admiration, the Shoe Goblin spoke.
[That’s why I favor Oh Ja-myeong. Throughout history, I’ve encountered countless characters striving for their own advancement, but never one who exerts such effort for the happiness of others.]
“Truly. He wishes the people to walk a righteous path… and the Shoe Goblin chose him. He must be a remarkable man. I wish someone like him would become president.”
[That won’t happen.]
“It won’t? Why not?”
The Shoe Goblin answered Yu Tae-poong’s question.
[Because Oh Ja-myeong has no party affiliation.]
“Ah….”
Yu Tae-poong nodded as if understanding, then asked.
“Why doesn’t he join a party? Wouldn’t he accomplish more of what he wants by joining a party and cooperating with its members rather than working alone?”
Though I learned much about Oh Ja-myeong through the novel, this reasoning wasn’t written there.
It primarily documented the policies Oh Ja-myeong implemented and his collaborations and conflicts with other politicians.
[If he joins a party, he’d have to do things he dislikes. But without a party, he can pursue only the policies he wants or support whichever party he chooses. Following Oh Ja-myeong around, you’ll find people who are good-hearted but hesitate to support bills they believe in because of party pressure—especially if the opposing faction created them. That’s why Oh Ja-myeong remains unaffiliated. When a good policy exists, he can support it regardless of whether it comes from the ruling or opposition party.]
“So he gets called a fence-sitter often.”
In the novel’s early chapters, fellow politicians had cursed the still-inexperienced Oh Ja-myeong as a bat.
[If a bill is good, he goes left or right without hesitation. That’s just how Oh Ja-myeong is. And among the protagonists I’ve written, many are the opposite—they struggle to walk a righteous path alone. Actually, most of them were like that.]
“You write about such people too.”
[I favor characters with ambition to reach good places. I don’t judge the morality of their methods. I love watching them strive to approach their ambitions by any means.]
The Shoe Goblin paused briefly before speaking.
[I favor Oh Ja-myeong because his ambition is extraordinarily vast. His ambition isn’t for himself alone—it’s for the welfare of all Korean citizens.]
“Well, an ambition for the entire nation rather than oneself is certainly grand.”
[Exactly so.]
“But it seems Oh Ja-myeong hasn’t retired. Why are there no more stories about him?”
At some point, there were no more stories written about Oh Ja-myeong.
[Someone’s preventing me from writing about Oh Ja-myeong, so I can’t anymore.]
“Preventing you from writing?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the Dung Carrier Goblin looked at him.
“Preventing you from writing?”
“Someone’s preventing you from writing about Oh Ja-myeong?”
The Dung Carrier Goblin tilted his head, then tapped his finger sharply on the book.
“Someone’s preventing you from writing?”
[Dung Carrier Goblin? I remember you reading my books before. Are you still in the Goblin Library?]
“I’ve been reading at the library lately. But who would dare obstruct a goblin’s writing?”
The Dung Carrier Goblin’s eyes narrowed fiercely as he spoke.
“Is preventing someone from writing such a serious matter?”
“Our goblins cherish entertainment above all. And what we enjoy most is observing humans and writing about them. For someone to prevent that… it makes no sense.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin looked at his book.
“It’s not us goblins, since we don’t concern ourselves with other goblins’ affairs. So who is it? This is a challenge to our goblin world.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin’s voice had turned distinctly cold, laden with a fury that promised no mercy once the culprit was identified.
[Kim So-hee.]
At the Shoe Goblin’s words, the Dung Carrier Goblin let out an exclamation of recognition, and his expression immediately softened.
“If Kim So-hee said not to write it, then I shouldn’t. Well done.”
Yu Tae-poong watched him with bewilderment as the Dung Carrier Goblin’s demeanor—which had been angry mere moments ago, even turning icy—shifted in an instant.
“Weren’t you upset because someone blocked you from writing?”
“I was upset. But Kim So-hee told me not to write it, so I shouldn’t write it.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin nodded as if it were obvious and laughed.
“Now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense.”
“What does?”
“The only insane being who could tell a Goblin to stop writing is Kim….”
The Dung Carrier Goblin abruptly closed his mouth mid-sentence. Then he raised his fingers and began counting something.
After counting one, two, the Dung Carrier Goblin smacked his lips.
“That was close.”
“What was?”
“You can’t call that name three times.”
“What?”
Confused, Yu Tae-poong looked at the Dung Carrier Goblin, and the Shoe Goblin spoke.
[We cannot call that name three times.]
“That name? Kim So-hee?”
[That’s right.]
“Why that name?”
When Yu Tae-poong asked with confusion, the Dung Carrier Goblin replied.
“If you call that name three times, she will hear it. That’s why we can’t.”
Then the Dung Carrier Goblin looked at Yu Tae-poong.
“But since you don’t know who she is, you could call that name a hundred times and it wouldn’t matter.”
Yu Tae-poong tilted his head in confusion and asked.
“Is Kim So-hee a Goblin too?”
“Not a Goblin. Goblins have no surnames, so they don’t use names like that.”
“Then what is she?”
“You could say she’s the most insane being among Korea’s Spirit Servants.”
“Insane being?”
“Dangerous, in other words.”
And the Shoe Goblin spoke.
[She’s a virgin ghost.]

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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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