Goblin Library - Chapter 63

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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 63

“Excuse me.”
At the sound of someone calling to him, Yu Tae-poong turned his head and saw Lee Ho-jun.
“Me?”
“You seem to know quite a bit about coffee… am I right?”
“A little.”
“Ah… is that so?”
Lee Ho-jun pressed the button on the massage chair to stop it, straightened his posture, and spoke.
“Are you perhaps a barista?”
“Not quite. I make coffee for the people who visit where I work.”
“Ah… I see.”
As he spoke, Lee Ho-jun looked Yu Tae-poong up and down. Yu Tae-poong responded to that gaze.
“But why are you asking such a thing?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s question, Lee Ho-jun smiled and replied.
“I’m thinking of opening a cafe. You seem like someone who’s tried plenty of high-end coffee.”
Both Yu Tae-poong and Pot Goblin were dressed in luxury brands from head to toe. Anyone could see they were wealthy people.
The car they’d arrived in was a high-end foreign vehicle, after all.
At Lee Ho-jun’s words, Yu Tae-poong smiled bitterly to himself.
‘The Car Wash Owner is going to have another headache.’
From the looks of it, Lee Ho-jun was about to squander his money. After observing Lee Ho-jun for a moment, Yu Tae-poong spoke.
“Do you know how to make coffee?”
“Of course I know how to make coffee.”
At Lee Ho-jun’s response, Yu Tae-poong shook his head.
“I misspoke. Do you happen to have a barista certification?”
“I don’t.”
After hearing Lee Ho-jun’s answer, Yu Tae-poong offered advice.
“First, get your barista certification and think it over.”
“Can’t I just hire an employee with a barista certification?”
“Could the Car Wash Owner here wash cars? Could he or couldn’t he?”
“Well…”
Lee Ho-jun squinted and couldn’t continue. Yu Tae-poong smiled and spoke.
“On any street you go to, there are one or two cafes. If you think positively, you could say there are so many cafes because business is good, but if you think about it the other way, it means you have to survive competing against all those cafes.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Lee Ho-jun stared blankly at him. Seeing Lee Ho-jun like that, Yu Tae-poong shook his head.
“Get your barista certification and visit many other cafes. If you think you can make coffee more delicious than theirs, then consider starting a business.”
Then Yu Tae-poong took a sip of his coffee and smiled as he spoke.
“At least it should taste better than this.”
“Isn’t all coffee pretty much the same?”
Yu Tae-poong froze at Lee Ho-jun’s words. He barely managed to swallow the sigh threatening to escape.
Here was someone who wanted to run a Cafe without even knowing what coffee tasted like. From the situation, it seemed someone had tempted him with words like, “Wouldn’t running a Cafe be fine? And it sounds better to tell people about your job that way. A Cafe owner sounds better than a Car Wash Owner.”
‘Car Wash Owner, I sincerely hope you remain healthy and live a long life.’
Yu Tae-poong muttered this to himself, then took a sip of coffee and smacked his lips. At his reaction, Lee Ho-jun tilted his head in confusion.
He wondered if he’d misspoken somehow. Yet for some reason, Yu Tae-poong’s words had sounded oddly meaningful.
It sounded like the kind of secret to making money that a wealthy person would share.
Leaving Lee Ho-jun to his thoughts, Yu Tae-poong whispered to Pot Goblin.
“So we’re going to keep waiting here?”
Pot Goblin shook her head.
“We came on a novel exploration tour—we can’t just stay here. Let’s meet the protagonist, get the car washed, and then head to the Meat Restaurant from the book.”
“That place serves short ribs, so the prices will be a bit steep.”
“I’m a goblin who’s never worried about money in her entire life.”
Pot Goblin pointed at her car with her finger as she spoke, and Yu Tae-poong nodded before squinting his eyes.
“But… you won’t be able to go inside, will you?”
“That’s just my fate.”
Watching Pot Goblin speak with a laugh, Yu Tae-poong shook his head.
“Then you’ll just watch from outside. I’d feel uncomfortable eating meat with you waiting out there.”
At that, Pot Goblin laughed and replied.
“I’m joking. From what I saw, there are two tables set up outside the shop. If we eat there, the smell won’t be so bad. And since the meat will be grilling, the scents will mix together anyway.”
“When did you go check it out?”
From the moment we started reading the book today, I’ve been with Pot Goblin the whole time. So how could she have gone to scout it out beforehand?
“There’s a way to know without going.”
As she spoke, Pot Goblin subtly raised her finger.
Whoooosh!
Then a small goblin flame materialized at the tip of Pot Goblin’s finger.
At the sight, Yu Tae-poong quickly shielded it with his body from the gazes of the people around them.
“There are people here—how can you create something like this?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s hushed words, glancing nervously at those around him, Pot Goblin laughed and replied.
“People can’t see it.”
“But I can see it?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s question, Pot Goblin shook her head.
“That’s because I let you see it.”
Then Pot Goblin held up the finger with the goblin flame attached to it.
“We can’t always stay right beside the protagonist, so I attach goblin flames like this. Then the flame becomes my eyes and ears, reporting everything back to me.”
“Ah! So that’s why you know the protagonist’s movements even when you’re at the Goblin Library.”
“Exactly.”
Pot Goblin nodded and blew out the goblin flame, then spoke.
“While I was reading the book, the protagonist caught my interest, so I took a look around with the goblin flame.”
“Did the protagonist catch your interest too?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Pot Goblin nodded.
“I like people with warm hearts. The people in Kang Young-moon’s story all have warm hearts and care for their families—they’re exactly the kind of material I prefer.”
With that, Pot Goblin glanced at Kang Young-moon beyond the glass window.
“But I’m puzzled why Bamboo Sword Goblin chose him. It doesn’t quite match his taste.”
“Why not?”
“He’s good material, but he doesn’t quite meet Bamboo Sword Goblin’s standards. That one prefers people with courage and their own sense of justice.”
Though Yu Tae-poong found it slightly uncomfortable to refer to people as “material,” he knew better than to view goblins through a human lens, so he refrained from pointing it out. Instead, he answered while gazing at Kang Young-moon.
“Perhaps he showed courage to protect his family?”
“Courage, you say…”
As Pot Goblin looked at Kang Young-moon, Yu Tae-poong spoke.
“There’s no episode directly related to courage, but when he was looking for a part-time job at the Meat Restaurant, that was an act of courage in itself.”
Though it seemed Kang Young-moon had simply gone to the Meat Restaurant asking for work, he had actually agonized over the decision for a long time.
He understood he needed money and had to find a new job. But he wasn’t confident he could actually get one.
He was terrified of being called stupid if he went looking for work and failed.
Being called stupid didn’t mean he lacked feelings. He simply struggled to express himself.
Yet Kang Young-moon gathered his courage and found work. Using what wit he had, he sought a place where he could do simple labor—the Food Restaurant.
He’d heard from someone that they’d pay just for washing dishes. But he was rejected repeatedly.
Each time, Kang Young-moon would cry alone in a corner of the Alley, telling himself he was stupid, too stupid to earn money.
But he’d dry his tears and try again. He had to earn money to pay for his younger brother’s tuition and his grandfather’s living expenses.
After hearing “no” at four places, on his fifth attempt at the Meat Restaurant, the owner gave him a test and hired him.
“I believe asking directly if you can work requires more courage than submitting a resume.”
“Is that so?”
“A resume is just paperwork you submit and it’s done. But going in person means showing your face and making a request—it’s not easy.”
Yu Tae-poong looked at Kang Young-moon.
“Especially for Young-moon, it must have taken even more courage. That’s probably why the owner chose him as material. He’s a man who shows courage for his family.”
Yu Tae-poong paused briefly before continuing.
“Protecting his family… that’s his justice.”
“Yes, I see.”
As Pot Goblin nodded and looked at Kang Young-moon, he finished washing the car and raised both hands high.
“Looks like he’s finished washing the car.”
“Now he’ll take a break.”
Knowing that Kang Young-moon rested briefly after washing each car before starting the next one, this was an obvious observation.
But Kang Young-moon emerged from the Office and approached Pot Goblin’s car.
“Looks like he’s starting right away?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Pot Goblin snapped his fingers.
“Ah, that’s right.”
“What is?”
“Young-moon gets off work at 8 PM.”
“Right…”
Yu Tae-poong nodded. Now that he thought about it, Kang Young-moon worked from 10 AM to 8 PM.
Then he’d go home to check on his grandfather before heading to the Meat Restaurant for his evening shift.
I would clean the griddles that had accumulated there until 1 a.m., then clock out.
So if I wanted to wash a luxury car like Pot Goblin’s, I had to hurry.
Since the price was steep, I needed to wash it more meticulously and spend more time on it. And since it was already around 6:30 p.m., time was tight.
“We’ve kept Kang Young-moon from even taking a break.”
“That’s how it turned out.”
Pot Goblin smacked her lips and left the Rest Room.
“Are you going to meet him?”
“Since I’ve come this far, I should at least exchange a few words….”
As Pot Goblin spoke, she looked up. Yu Tae-poong followed her gaze skyward.
There, standing atop the Car Wash’s rooftop in a sharp suit, was Bamboo Sword Goblin.
“Just watching from nearby would be enough… but he has to make such a show of it.”
At Pot Goblin’s murmur, Bamboo Sword Goblin, who had been looking down from the Car Wash rooftop, squinted his eyes.
[You’re not planning to do anything unnecessary, are you?]
Though his lips barely moved, the voice came through clearly to Yu Tae-poong’s ears.
And it seemed the message wasn’t just for him—both Pot Goblin and Dung Carrier Goblin shook their heads simultaneously.
[I just came because I liked the protagonist and the people around him and wanted to see once.]
Following Pot Goblin’s words, Dung Carrier Goblin spoke.
[Same here. Ah! This material is really good.]
[Right. It really doesn’t suit you at all.]
[Exactly, exactly. The materials I saw before didn’t warm my heart, but this one really appeals to me. Caring for family… it’s truly important. My protagonists also live diligently for their families.]
After hearing what the two goblins said, Bamboo Sword Goblin paused and looked at Yu Tae-poong.
[Do you think so too?]
“Yes.”
Yu Tae-poong nodded slightly in response, and Bamboo Sword Goblin paused before speaking.
[I told you before. There was a reason I wrote the beginning like a fairy tale.]
At Bamboo Sword Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong recalled what he had said.

-It’s… at least a little less depressing that way. Look.

But the content I’ve seen so far hasn’t been particularly melancholic. There were some sad moments, certainly, but nothing that stirred genuine sorrow.
“Did you perhaps… omit the more depressing episodes?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Bamboo Sword Goblin nodded.
[‘Life is a tragedy when viewed up close, but a comedy when viewed from afar’—the saying goes. It means that even people who appear bright and successful on the surface harbor their own struggles and sorrows when you look closely enough.]
Bamboo Sword Goblin paused briefly, then looked at Kang Young-moon.
[Young-moon appears from a distance to be the village fool, yet he is also a fine young man who works diligently, attends medical school, and supports his ailing grandfather and his younger brother. But when you look closely… he is merely a child with the intellect of a seven-year-old, trapped in an adult’s body, dedicating his life to his family.]
“….”
When Yu Tae-poong couldn’t respond, Bamboo Sword Goblin continued.
[A child in an adult’s body bearing the weight of family responsibility… there can be no comedy in such a life.]
At Bamboo Sword Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong turned to look at Kang Young-moon. The goblin was right.
A child with the intellect of a seven-year-old would receive society’s protection, but a child with a seven-year-old’s mind in a fully grown adult’s body would face prejudiced gazes from society.
It could never be easy. Never…

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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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