Goblin Library - Chapter 65
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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 65
Yu Tae-poong, curious about what JS Products were, extended his hand.
“Brother, let me take a look at that.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s request, Dung Carrier Goblin was about to hand it over carelessly when he suddenly pulled his hand back.
“You can’t.”
“Pardon?”
“Well….”
Watching Dung Carrier Goblin struggle for words and release only a hesitant sound, Pot Goblin gave a small shake of her head.
“Look, you’re not entirely clueless anyway. I’ll just tell you straight. This is an Afterlife product.”
“An… Afterlife product?”
Seeing Yu Tae-poong’s puzzled expression, Pot Goblin smiled and explained.
“It’s a deodorant used by the staff who manage Excrement Hell in the Afterlife. Since that place reeks terribly, they’ve developed products like this.”
At the unfamiliar term, Yu Tae-poong asked with confusion.
“Excrement… Hell?”
Then Pot Goblin spoke.
“You know that curse adults use—’may you be splattered to death in excrement’?”
“That’s just something adults say as a curse.”
“It’s actually a description of Excrement Hell.”
“Hell? They really splash people in excrement there?”
“That’s right.”
As Yu Tae-poong winced, Pot Goblin continued with a laugh.
“They boil the excrement until it’s scalding hot—imagine how foul it must smell. The sinners deserve their punishment, sure, but the staff working there suffer needlessly. This deodorant was created for those poor workers. It’s incredibly effective.”
“….”
Yu Tae-poong stared blankly at the deodorant for a moment, his mouth opening as if to ask something before closing again.
“Wise choice!”
“What do you mean?”
“You were curious but chose not to ask further. You’ll learn everything once you die anyway, so there’s no need to satisfy your curiosity while alive.”
At Pot Goblin’s words, Dung Carrier Goblin nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. No need to be curious now. If you focus on the present, everything will work out later.”
As they conversed, Kim Mi-sun emerged from inside carrying food in a cart.
She approached the table but stopped short. Dung Carrier Goblin’s attire was remarkably peculiar.
Moreover, while Pot Goblin and Yu Tae-poong wore elegant formal suits at first glance, Dung Carrier Goblin was dressed in a shabby traditional Korean robe, making the contrast even more striking.
“Have you been on a historical drama set?”
As Kim Mi-sun set down the food and asked with a smile, Yu Tae-poong smiled back and answered.
“How did you know?”
It was impossible to explain Dung Carrier Goblin’s traditional robe any other way. It was far too worn to be one of those hanbok costumes people rented at historical palaces for tourism.
Such shabby hanbok would be harder to find than quality ones—there was simply no other explanation besides a historical drama production.
I couldn’t very well stay silent when Kim Mi-sun had asked the question—it would have been awkward for her. So I gave her a reasonable answer.
“I’ve seen that outfit a lot in historical dramas.”
Kim Mi-sun smiled as she arranged the side dishes and placed hot coals beneath the grill.
“Then please enjoy your meal.”
“We’ll have a bottle of soju and two bottles of beer, please.”
At Pot Goblin’s additional order, Kim Mi-sun headed inside. Watching her go, I turned to look at Pot Goblin. She’d brought a car—was it really okay for her to drink?
“Can goblins drink alcohol without any problem driving a car?”
“What are you talking about?”
“In martial arts novels, when people drink, they expel the alcohol’s effects through their inner energy during fights. I was wondering if you do something like that.”
Pot Goblin laughed and answered.
“Why would I expel alcohol I’m drinking for enjoyment?”
“Exactly. If that were the case, why drink alcohol instead of water?”
Dung Carrier Goblin shook his head as if the logic made no sense.
Pot Goblin pulled out her phone and waved it.
“There’s a wonderful system called designated driver services.”
“Oh! You call a driver? You could just use the door to go home, couldn’t you?”
She could leave the car and come back through the door tomorrow to retrieve it. Or she could even use that teleportation technique from earlier. I couldn’t understand why Pot Goblin would bother calling a designated driver.
“Using a door or teleportation while drunk is dangerous, not just driving.”
At Pot Goblin’s words, Dung Carrier Goblin nodded in agreement.
“Right. Remember when Bamboo Sword Goblin used teleportation drunk and crashed straight into an apartment building?”
“Exactly. If you’ve been drinking, you should call a driver or sleep somewhere. Using your abilities carelessly while intoxicated is asking for trouble.”
As I watched the two goblins with fascination—apparently even they made mistakes when drunk—Pot Goblin set her phone on the table.
“Besides, if you only earn money and never spend it, the economy doesn’t function. When you earn a lot, you have to spend a lot to keep the economic flow smooth. The drivers need to make a living too.”
Sizzle!
While we talked, Dung Carrier Goblin placed meat on the grill. As the sound of cooking meat filled the air, I and Pot Goblin looked toward the grill.
“This meat is good.”
“At a meat restaurant, good meat is half the battle.”
Sizzle! Sizzle!
Listening to the meat cook, Pot Goblin picked up the tongs.
“I’ll take over from here.”
At Pot Goblin’s words, I looked at the meat on the grill. Normally I would have said “I’ll do it,” but from my experience so far, Pot Goblin really did grill meat exceptionally well.
Since she was originally a pot, she seemed to have excellent skill with fire and cooking.
So when she said she’d grill the meat, I let her handle it. It was better to enjoy a delicious meal.
Mixing soju and beer, I glanced casually around the restaurant interior.
With all the shop doors open, I could see inside clearly.
Looking at the people working inside, I could see their names and character descriptions floating above their heads.
As my gaze swept across the room, I noticed a young woman.
「Choi Su-ji.
The daughter of the Daebong Restaurant Owner who appears in Bamboo Sword Goblin’s novel 【Kang Young-moon】. She has no interest in studying and has been working at the meat restaurant since graduating from High School.
Though she lacks academic ambition, she possesses a kind heart and deep affection for others. However, she has rather poor manners.
She calls Kang Young-moon “Young-moon, Young-moon” in casual speech, which often gets her scolded by the owner. Yet she genuinely adores him like a close older brother.
On the other hand, she does not care much for Kang Young-sik.」
‘So that’s Choi Su-ji.’
Though she had the impolite habit of addressing Kang Young-moon casually as “Young-moon,” her nature was genuinely kind.
And aside from her casual speech, she treated Kang Young-moon quite well.
Yu Tae-poong observed Choi Su-ji with curious eyes, and their gazes suddenly met for a moment.
At that, Yu Tae-poong quickly turned his head away. Seeing his reaction, Choi Su-ji let out a soft chuckle, then pulled out her phone and held it up to admire her own reflection.
She seemed to be muttering something like “this cursed beauty” under her breath.
Yu Tae-poong suppressed an amused smile, picked up a piece of meat, dipped it lightly in salt, and took a sip from his glass.
“Let’s have a drink.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the two goblins raised their glasses and clinked them together lightly.
Thus Yu Tae-poong and the two goblins spent their time observing the characters from the novel who worked in the establishment, enjoying meat and alcohol.
As Yu Tae-poong was pouring drinks for the two goblins, thoroughly enjoying what felt like being inside a movie set against the backdrop of a novel, he spotted a young man approaching.
As the sun had set and the street had grown somewhat dark, a young man was pushing a wheelchair occupied by an elderly person.
And in the next moment, Yu Tae-poong’s eyes widened in surprise.
「Kang Young-sik.
The younger brother of the protagonist who appears in Bamboo Sword Goblin’s novel 【Kang Young-moon】. He is currently enrolled at a Prestigious Medical School.
He is always grateful and appreciative toward his older brother who raised and cared for him.
His personality is rather cold, and he maintains caution toward people he meets for the first time.」
Yu Tae-poong shifted his gaze from Kang Young-sik to the wheelchair he was pushing.
An elderly man sat in the wheelchair.
「Kang Song-su.
The grandfather of the protagonist who appears in Bamboo Sword Goblin’s novel 【Kang Young-moon】. He raised the brothers Kang Young-moon and Kang Young-sik in place of their parents.
He regrets that he raised his son poorly, the one who abandoned his children, and feels apologetic toward the two brothers.
So he worked diligently to raise the two children. And now he only feels sorry for being a burden to them.」
Yu Tae-poong sighed as he read Kang Song-su’s character introduction.
‘There’s nothing to apologize for. It’s only natural for a father to raise his children, and for the eldest son to support his father in return.’
Yu Tae-poong shook his head while looking at Kang Song-su, then shifted his gaze toward the two goblins. They had noticed the two men and were watching them with curious eyes.
“Looks like today is meat day.”
“Seems like it.”
At the goblins’ words, Yu Tae-poong recalled a memory. Kang Young-moon ate out with his family once a month.
When he was young, Kang Young-moon had envied his friends who got to eat out. His family’s circumstances back then were poor, so they couldn’t afford to dine out.
Young and still naive, when Kang Young-moon threw a tantrum at his grandfather, Kang Young-sik made him jjajangmyeon ramen instead.
Kang Young-moon’s limited intellect meant he couldn’t safely use the gas stove. Well, he could use it, but the risk of an accident was too high.
That’s why Kang Young-sik cooked for him instead, keeping Kang Young-moon away from the gas stove.
After making the jjajangmyeon ramen, Kang Young-sik stepped outside with Kang Young-moon.
-Brother, we’re eating outside the house. This is what eating out really is.
-Yeah. This is eating out.
-Brother, when you make a lot of money later, let’s promise to eat out once a month for sure.
-I’ll make a lot of money and take you out to eat once a month for sure.
And once Kang Young-moon started earning money, he kept that promise—eating out on payday. At first, they went to Chinese restaurants, then later to grilled pork belly places.
Now they came here to this meat restaurant. When the owner heard that Kang Young-moon’s family ate at a grilled pork belly restaurant every payday, he invited them to dine at his establishment instead.
Though famous for beef, the restaurant also served pork at prices comparable to ordinary grilled pork belly restaurants, making it an affordable option. So from then on, Kang Young-moon’s family held their payday meal here.
“It must be payday.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Pot Goblin laughed.
“We timed it perfectly. I was wondering how those two would look, and here they are.”
Yu Tae-poong nodded at Pot Goblin’s remark.
“Young-sik!”
From an alley nearby, Kang Young-moon came running with a bright smile.
“Young-sik! Grandfather!”
Calling out with genuine joy, Kang Young-moon rushed forward, prompting Kang Young-sik to shout urgently.
“Brother, don’t run. You’ll fall!”
“That’s right! Brother, don’t fall. Walk carefully.”
Kang Young-moon answered in a loud voice and slowed his pace. But his steps remained quick.
Standing before his family, Kang Young-moon spoke with a bright smile.
“Let’s eat meat, meat.”
Kang Young-sik laughed at Kang Young-moon’s words.
“Today is meat day.”
“That’s right. Today is meat day.”
Then Kang Young-moon grabbed his grandfather’s wheelchair and pushed it.
“Grandfather, meat!”
“Yes, let’s eat meat.”
“I must chew it well and eat it.”
“Yes, yes.”
Kang Young-moon, pushing his Grandfather’s wheelchair, caught sight of Yu Tae-poong eating meat alongside the two goblins and bowed deeply.
“Hello!”
At Kang Young-moon’s greeting, Pot Goblin rose with a smile and returned the bow.
“Looks like you’ve come for a meal. Enjoy your food.”
“Enjoy your meal! The tea is clean.”
“Thank you.”
Receiving Pot Goblin’s greeting, Kang Young-moon’s expression brightened further as he pushed his Grandfather’s wheelchair into the restaurant.
Following behind Kang Young-moon, Kang Young-sik caught sight of Yu Tae-poong and the goblins and gave a small bow.
Then he whispered softly to Kang Young-moon.
“Who are they?”
“Customers from the Car Wash.”
“Ah….”
With that, Kang Young-sik paid them no further attention. As the three entered the restaurant, the Daebong Restaurant Owner approached with a smile.
“Welcome, sir.”
“I’ve come to enjoy another delicious meal.”
“As it happens, knowing you’d be coming today, I’ve prepared especially tender meat.”
As the restaurant owner showed them to their seats, Kang Young-moon’s family sat down at the table.
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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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