Goblin Library - Chapter 49

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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 49

After finishing the morning cleaning, I strolled through the bookshelves with a pot of freshly brewed chrysanthemum tea.
The books I’d been reading were either completed, or I’d already caught up to the latest serialized chapters of works like Lee Gang-hun, Cha Im-beom, Oh Jang-hyuk, and Lim Sung-un—leaving me with nothing new to read.
As I walked along the shelves, the Dung Carrier Goblin came into view, absorbed in a book.
He was reading my own work—Oh Jang-hyuk.
“Does it entertain you to read your own book?”
At my question, the Dung Carrier Goblin nodded.
“Of course it’s entertaining—I wrote it.”
“Is that so?”
I observed him, thinking that even so, the Oh Jang-hyuk book wasn’t particularly gripping.
The Dung Carrier Goblin, catching the meaning in my gaze, scratched his head and spoke.
“Authors write according to their own tastes, don’t they? So it’s written in my style, and from my perspective, it’s entertaining.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin paused briefly, then sighed.
“Even if it might not be for others….”
“No, I found it entertaining.”
At my encouraging words, the Dung Carrier Goblin smiled and spoke.
“And lately, Oh Jang-hyuk seems to be improving.”
Since the fire incident, Oh Jang-hyuk still threw his weight around, but now he did so with a touch of consideration.
You might wonder what “considerate tyranny” even means—but for Oh Jang-hyuk, it was significant progress.
“Oh! Since some time has passed since I last read it, has the story progressed?”
“It has progressed, but….”
Seeing the Dung Carrier Goblin’s somewhat uneasy expression, I looked at him with curiosity.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well… I’m not sure.”
“Pardon?”
As I continued to look at him quizzically, the Dung Carrier Goblin sighed and spoke.
“Oh Jang-hyuk’s intentions are good, but… his methods seem rather rude. I’m not exactly a goblin known for courtesy myself, but I at least read the room and adjust accordingly. Strangely, Oh Jang-hyuk is rude to Go Gyeong-ha. Ah, but there’s no malice in it. If anything, he’s trying to look after him.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin paused and added with a shake of his head.
“But it comes across as rude.”
I laughed watching the Dung Carrier Goblin ramble on disjointed. Then I picked up the chrysanthemum tea and sat across from him.
“I’ll read it.”
“You want to?”
“I love your books. And I’m curious—what’s Oh Jang-hyuk up to?”
At my words, the Dung Carrier Goblin smiled and slid the book over to me.
I accepted it and opened it.
“Let’s see.”

***

Oh Jang-hyuk’s car sat parked at the Factory entrance. Shortly after, employees began filing out from the Factory as their shift ended.
Watching them leave, Oh Jang-hyuk pulled out his phone and sent a text to Go Gyeong-ha.

「When you come out the entrance, head left. You’ll see a sedan with the license plate 8745.」

Not long after sending the message, a reply came through.

「What’s this about?」
「Just come.」

After sending that reply, Oh Jang-hyuk waited briefly before spotting Go Gyeong-ha hurrying toward him.
Oh Jang-hyuk rolled down the window and waved his hand.
Go Gyeong-ha approached and stood before the window, looking at him. Oh Jang-hyuk pointed to the passenger seat and spoke.
『Get in.』
Go Gyeong-ha, reading the shape of Oh Jang-hyuk’s lips, hesitated for a moment before climbing into the passenger seat.
Once Go Gyeong-ha was seated, Oh Jang-hyuk turned around and pulled a shopping bag from the back seat, handing it to him.
Go Gyeong-ha looked at him with confusion, then peered inside the bag. It contained books.
Go Gyeong-ha’s eyes filled with bewilderment as he stared at this completely unexpected gift.
Oh Jang-hyuk cleared his throat and spoke slowly.
『There are several certification exam books in there.』
At Oh Jang-hyuk’s words, Go Gyeong-ha pulled out his phone and typed out a message to show him.
「Certification exam books?」
『As you know, our Company isn’t particularly large. The older employees who’ve been here a long time won’t have much trouble staying, but you’re still young. If you work here for a year or two, you might find that opportunities for other work never come your way.』
「I’m satisfied with being able to work.」
At Go Gyeong-ha’s response, Oh Jang-hyuk tapped his shoulder sharply.
『What if our Company goes under?』
「Is our Company going under?」
Seeing Go Gyeong-ha frantically typing in alarm, Oh Jang-hyuk shook his head.
『I’m speaking hypothetically. Just hypothetically.』
Then Oh Jang-hyuk asked Go Gyeong-ha a question.
『You said you don’t have a single certification, right?』
「Yes.」
『Even with a healthy body, finding employment is difficult—that’s the reality.』
Go Gyeong-ha’s face darkened. He had felt that truth more acutely than anyone until recently.
『But there are places where people with physical limitations like you have an easier time finding work than able-bodied people.』
「Such places exist?」
『I looked into it, and apparently there are positions companies fill through special hiring programs for people with disabilities. You didn’t know about that?』
「I didn’t.」
“I don’t know all the details myself, but when I looked into it, something like that exists. Of course…”
Oh Jang-hyuk trailed off, smacking his lips.
In companies with a certain number of employees, it’s the law of the land that they must hire people with disabilities.
It’s the law, so everyone should follow it… but reality is somewhat different. There are plenty of companies that simply pay fines instead of hiring people with disabilities.
So the law exists, but not many people actually benefit from it.
And Oh Jang-hyuk’s Company was one that paid the fines.
I learned this fact well while investigating, but I didn’t mention it to Go Gyeong-ha.
If Go Gyeong-ha found out that companies pay fines while refusing to hire people with disabilities, he’d be disappointed.
I decided to hold onto hope that at least the system exists and support is possible.
“Anyway… thinking about the future, it’s good to get any certifications you can beforehand.”
Oh Jang-hyuk pulled books out of the shopping bag.
“Hmm, they’re not new releases. But they’re still new books, so there shouldn’t be any problem reading them.”
The books that came out of the shopping bag were all related to various certifications. However, they weren’t from this year—they were from last year or the year before.
It would be nice if new releases sold out completely, but unsold inventory inevitably ends up at the Used Bookstore.
Oh Jang-hyuk had obtained those kinds of books.
“There are quite a few types?”
At Go Gyeong-ha’s question, Oh Jang-hyuk nodded. The certification books I’d bought covered not just one or two types, but many different categories.
“I didn’t know what you should pursue, so I brought several kinds for now.”
“So I’m going to get all of these?”
When Go Gyeong-ha looked at the books with an expression of doubt, Oh Jang-hyuk shook his head.
“You’re not a genius or anything. How could you possibly get all of these? I just brought them for you to look at. If you see something that seems worthwhile or if a certification interests you, then study that one.”
At Oh Jang-hyuk’s words, Go Gyeong-ha lowered his head. Seeing this, I patted his shoulder and said:
“You’re still young. When you’re young, you can take many paths. Don’t let your circumstances or other people limit those paths.”
Go Gyeong-ha looked at me for a moment, then typed something on his phone.
“Thank you for treating me so well.”
Oh Jang-hyuk nodded and said:
“I’m done here, so go.”
At Oh Jang-hyuk’s words, Go Gyeong-ha lowered his head, opened the door, and got out of the car.

***

Yu Tae-poong chuckled as he spoke.
“Oh Jang-hyuk’s personality has really improved. He’s thinking about other people now.”
“That’s true.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin, who had spoken, let out a sigh.
“But don’t you think he’s being a bit old-fashioned about it?”
“Old-fashioned?”
“I mean, he’s being too forceful. He should have asked first, and if the person wanted to study, then given them the book. But he’s pushing the certification exam book on them right away, which feels like he’s forcing them to study.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong looked up from his book and nodded.
“He does have a tendency to treat people like they’re younger than they are… but that’s just Oh Jang-hyuk’s style.”
“True enough.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin smacked his lips and spoke.
“And that last line he said… wasn’t that a bit old-fashioned?”
“Old-fashioned, huh.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong nodded. When an older person lectures a younger person about life, it’s called advice in polite terms, but nagging in blunt ones.
Life doesn’t change just from hearing a few words of advice—that only happens in novels. Most people treat advice as nagging and let it go in one ear and out the other.
People didn’t even listen to health advice from doctors.
Advice only becomes advice when it’s helpful and when you feel inclined to follow it. Without that inclination, it’s nothing but nagging.
Yu Tae-poong, who had been lost in thought while looking down at his book, spoke.
“I think it’s good, actually.”
“You do?”
“Usually, when old-fashioned people give advice, it’s just a few words tossed out at drinking sessions or while smoking. Starting with ‘back in my day’ and ending with ‘you can’t live like that!'”
The Dung Carrier Goblin listened, and Yu Tae-poong continued.
“But Oh Jang-hyuk took his own time to go to the Used Bookstore, searched for the book, and bought it with his own money.”
“That’s right.”
“When you look at it that way, you can’t really dismiss it as old-fashioned nagging. If someone just talks about how things were in their day and acts superior, that’s just nagging—but…”
Yu Tae-poong paused for a moment and glanced at the book.
“Even if his method is a bit rude, Oh Jang-hyuk is giving genuine advice. Who would spend their time and money like that just to nag? When you see that…”
Yu Tae-poong took a breath before speaking.
“Everyone has different personalities, so I don’t know how Go Gyeong-ha will take it, but I’d like to have someone like Oh Jang-hyuk by my side.”
You could get upset at his rude behavior. But if there’s someone who spends their time and money to look after you, it doesn’t seem so bad.
Of course, everyone is different, and no matter how good the intentions or sincere the heart, you can still dislike it if you want to.
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the Dung Carrier Goblin nodded, then suddenly laughed.
“That’s right. That’s exactly right.”
“What is?”
“Now that I think about it, Oh Jang-hyuk’s style is exactly my style.”
Yu Tae-poong looked at him with a puzzled expression. The Dung Carrier Goblin spoke somewhat sheepishly at that gaze.
“Now that I think about it… that’s my style. I do what I want regardless of what others say. I don’t care about other people’s opinions.”
“That’s definitely your style, hyung.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin, who had been nodding, suddenly looked at the book and sighed.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think I’ve been reading far too many books lately.”
“Pardon?”
“While spending time with my younger brother, I’ve read quite a lot of the books here.”
“That’s true.”
Yu Tae-poong nodded, and Dung Carrier Goblin hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Originally, I was hoping to learn how to craft foreshadowing well like Bamboo Sword Goblin does by reading books… but it seems I’ve been influenced by other authors’ styles instead.”
“I see….”
Dung Carrier Goblin sighed.
“The old me wouldn’t have found anything strange about Oh Jang-hyuk’s behavior. I would have thought, ‘So what if it’s rude? His heart is sincere.'”
“That would have been the case.”
“But now, I find Oh Jang-hyuk’s behavior to be rude.”
Seeing Dung Carrier Goblin lost in thought, Yu Tae-poong spoke up.
“But would that be a problem? Oh Jang-hyuk’s behavior is actually rude, isn’t it?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Dung Carrier Goblin paused. Then he looked at Yu Tae-poong.
“Oh Jang-hyuk’s behavior is rude, yes. But… I shouldn’t feel it as rude. I am Dung Carrier Goblin. The material I love to write about is people who don’t care about what others say or think, who live earnestly for those they cherish. If I start thinking Oh Jang-hyuk’s behavior is rude, I won’t be able to use that material anymore.”
“That’s… true.”
Dung Carrier Goblin spoke with a serious expression.
“If that happens, my originality as a writer—as Dung Carrier Goblin—will disappear.”

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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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