Goblin Library - Chapter 76

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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 76

Kim Un-hyun stepped out of the Convenience Store and set the carbonated water he was holding on an outdoor table.
Then he sat across from Lee Hye-eun, sipping the carbonated water while they chatted about something.
Though the distance made it impossible to hear them, I could see Lee Hye-eun laughing.
“Huh! That Kim Un-hyun fellow is being cautious.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s suggesting they go sightseeing in Jeonju.”
“Jeonju?”
“He says it’s just a trip, but he’s really trying to see Lee Hye-eun’s home. Checking whether she’s actually from a wealthy family, you know.”
“Well, all we know about Lee Hye-eun is what she’s told us herself. Won’t that be a problem when they go to Jeonju?”
“Hmm… It seems she’s already prepared for it. She agreed to go.”
“Given Lee Hye-eun’s character, she would have anticipated this situation.”
“That’s true.”
At Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong looked up from the book.
“But why isn’t there anything written about how she’s preparing for it?”
“Right?”
Then Dung Carrier Goblin turned his head to the side.
“Why didn’t you write about that?”
Following Dung Carrier Goblin’s gaze, Yu Tae-poong was startled.
Bamboo Sword Goblin was sitting beside him without a sound.
“When did you arrive?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s question, Bamboo Sword Goblin glanced toward the Convenience Store before answering.
“You seemed curious, so I came.”
“Ah….”
Yu Tae-poong glanced at the book. It seemed Bamboo Sword Goblin had sensed the emotions of both him and Dung Carrier Goblin through it.
“I apologize for taking the book outside.”
“No, it’s fine. If you want to read it, you can carry it around and read it. Just keep it clean.”
“I’m being careful with it.”
“And don’t be too nervous about the book getting soiled or damaged. If it gets dirty by accident or mistake rather than on purpose, no Goblin writer would blame you for it.”
“Surely not? A book is like a child to a writer… If something happens to such a book, the writer Goblins would be angry.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Bamboo Sword Goblin turned to look at Dung Carrier Goblin.
“What do you think?”
“If the book gets soiled, I think I’d dislike it.”
“Of course you would. But what if a reader who found your book entertaining enough to carry around with them accidentally dropped it or spilled something on it?”
“Then… I’d be grateful. Because it means they found my book interesting enough to carry around. Ah!”
As if understanding what was meant, Dung Carrier Goblin exclaimed.
“That’s right.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin nodded.
“Handling books carelessly, using them as coasters as people commonly do—that’s disrespecting the author. But the wear and tear that happens when someone like you reads with genuine enjoyment, carries it around wanting to see more, is unavoidable. Books inevitably bear the marks of human touch.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin looked at Yu Tae-poong.
“Of course, that doesn’t mean read recklessly. You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”
“I do.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin nodded at Yu Tae-poong’s response and continued.
“I didn’t intentionally leave it out, for the record.”
“So there was content about Lee Hye-eun preparing for the trip to Jeonju after all.”
“Of course.”
At Bamboo Sword Goblin’s words, Dung Carrier Goblin asked.
“Then why didn’t you write it? You need to write it for the timeline to make sense.”
Bamboo Sword Goblin paused for a moment before speaking.
“I watched a drama recently.”
“A drama?”
“In it, an incident happens, and later the protagonist says, ‘You thought you could do this, so I prepared this countermeasure,’ and explains their prepared measures. That scene really stood out to me.”
“Ah….”
“When you think the protagonist has fallen into the enemy’s trap and is in crisis, but then they reveal they had this prepared all along—it creates an even greater sense of satisfaction. Watching that felt like a fresh experience. So I decided to try that approach myself.”
At Bamboo Sword Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong spoke with a note of regret.
“So if things don’t progress as planned, we won’t know about it.”
“You’ll find out as you read. It’s not like you won’t know.”
“Ah… well….”
Yu Tae-poong, who was about to speak, let out a sigh.
“There’s no point asking you to write faster, then.”
“That’s right. I write based on what I see from them.”
While Yu Tae-poong gazed at the Convenience Store with a look of resignation, Lee Hye-eun stood up from her seat.
“She says she’s tired today and is going inside to rest.”
At Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong looked at Kim Un-hyun. Kim Un-hyun said something briefly, waved at Lee Hye-eun as she left first, then pulled out a cigarette.
“We can go now.”
At Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong nodded as well.
Watching Dung Carrier Goblin quickly devour the remaining cheesecake, Bamboo Sword Goblin held out a small bag.
“Here.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“Cheesecake. You seemed to like it, so I bought one. Take it and eat it.”
“You’re… giving it to me?”
Seeing Dung Carrier Goblin’s surprised expression, Bamboo Sword Goblin cleared his throat and spoke.
“I didn’t expect you to enjoy my book this much.”
Then Bamboo Sword Goblin stood up and left the Coffee Shop, as if he had said all he needed to say.
At the sight of Bamboo Sword Goblin’s departure, Yu Tae-poong quietly placed the book on the table and spoke.
“He seems embarrassed.”
Dung Carrier Goblin looked at the bag on the table and laughed.
“Did I become friends with Bamboo Sword Goblin too?”
“You’ve made another good friend.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, Dung Carrier Goblin let out a hearty laugh and carefully picked up the bag.
“A good friend who gave me cheesecake.”
Yu Tae-poong smiled faintly. Then he rose from his seat and spoke.
“Let’s head home, throw in some pork, make kimchi stew, and have a drink of soju.”
Dung Carrier Goblin nodded and stood up to follow Yu Tae-poong.
He cradled the bag containing the cheesecake tenderly in both hands.

***

When Kim Un-hyun arrived in Jeonju around lunchtime, Lee Hye-eun spoke to him urgently.
‘That’s right. Oppa, I need to stop by my dad’s company first.’
‘Your father’s company?’
‘He said since I’m coming to Jeonju today, I should stop by the company.’
Kim Un-hyun, who had been planning to learn more about Lee Hye-eun anyway, had no reason to refuse.
‘Then let’s go. Where is the company?’
‘Glory.’
‘Got it.’
Kim Un-hyun entered the company name into the navigation system and started the car. Even as he drove, his mind raced with calculations.
Glory was a company that manufactured many paper products—notebooks, drawing pads, and the like.
Kim Un-hyun wasn’t a fool; he knew how many companies and factories existed in Korea. There were countless companies he’d never heard of, but if he knew of one and had heard its name, it had to be a fairly substantial enterprise.
Kim Un-hyun silently cheered at his unexpected good fortune.
As Kim Un-hyun’s car approached the company, Lee Hye-eun spoke.
‘Drop me off here.’
‘Why? Aren’t you going inside the company?’
‘If Dad finds out I came in a guy’s car, he’ll scold me.’
‘Is your father really that strict?’
‘A bit… If he finds out I came to Jeonju with you, he’ll be angry.’
‘Then… okay.’
Kim Un-hyun stopped the car as she requested, and she shouldered her bag and got out of the passenger seat.
‘It’ll take about thirty minutes. Want to do some sightseeing?’
‘No. I’ll be nearby, so just call me. Then I’ll come pick you up here.’
At Kim Un-hyun’s words, Lee Hye-eun smiled and hurried toward the company, bowing deeply with a smile to the security guard at the entrance.
After exchanging bows with the guard and exchanging a few words, she went inside.
Kim Un-hyun watched as Lee Hye-eun, who had paused at the company entrance, waved at him before he started the car.
Vroom!
As the car pulled away and passed the company, Kim Un-hyun turned his head.
Lee Hye-eun was hurrying into the company with quick steps.
‘The daughter of Glory…’
Kim Un-hyun, who had been smiling, opened his mouth.
“Hi, phone. How much is Glory stock trading at right now?”
The phone then reported Glory’s current stock price.
“In the 3,000 won range… Huh! That’s excellent.”
Kim Un-hyun laughed with satisfaction and steered his car toward a nearby Coffee Shop.
Meanwhile, inside the building that Lee Hye-eun had entered, people were gathered. Today was the day Glory was recruiting new employees.
Lee Hye-eun had previously searched for companies of a certain size or larger located in Jeonju with interview schedules coming up soon and whose representative had the surname Lee, and Glory was the company she had selected.
The security guard had let Lee Hye-eun in precisely because he regarded her as an interview candidate.
And when Lee Hye-eun smiled first and bowed in greeting, the security guard returned the gesture—but Kim Un-hyun mistook it as the guard greeting the Company President’s daughter who had arrived.

***

After dating Lee Hye-eun in Jeonju, Kim Un-hyun now completely trusted her.
So Kim Un-hyun made an effort to introduce her to his parents.
He went to the rural home and knelt before his father and mother, begging their forgiveness while promising to return the building deed to them.
His father flew into such a rage that he even splashed water on his own face, but his mother’s heart seemed to soften.
She shielded Kim Un-hyun, urging his father to forgive him since their son was going to such lengths.
After a considerable time had passed and his father’s anger had cooled somewhat, he said he would forgive him once the building deed was changed back to his name, and Kim Un-hyun hastily made the transfer.
He needed to comply with his father’s demands so that when he brought Lee Hye-eun to visit, his father would at least show his face.
And today, Kim Un-hyun went to the rural home with Lee Hye-eun to pay his respects.
“The countryside is really quiet and lovely.”
At Lee Hye-eun’s words, his mother smiled and spoke.
“Lovely, is it? Here, have some of this.”
Lee Hye-eun ate the fruit his mother had peeled for her and chatted away with a bright smile.
Seeing how well his mother and Lee Hye-eun were conversing, Kim Un-hyun smiled and looked toward his father.
“Even if you like the countryside, you’re getting older now, so why don’t you come back up to Seoul? I’ll take care of you.”
“Hmph! That’s enough. I like it here.”
At his father’s curt response, which suggested his feelings still hadn’t softened, Kim Un-hyun looked slightly flustered and let out an awkward cough.
Just then, Lee Hye-eun clung to his mother and spoke.
“Mother, would you show me around the neighborhood?”
“Of course. Let’s look around here and there, and while we’re at it, let’s greet the villagers.”
At their words, Kim Un-hyun quickly interjected.
“The people in this neighborhood are a bit… rough around the edges.”
There were unfavorable rumors about him circulating in the village, and if the villagers said anything, it could be disastrous.
Kim Un-hyun, who had been anxiously fretting, finally felt relieved at his mother’s next words.
“Yes, then it would be better to just enjoy the scenery rather than go around meeting people.”
“That sounds good. Let’s go then, Mother.”
At Lee Hye-eun’s words, his mother smiled, stood up with her, and left the house.
Watching them go, Kim Un-hyun looked at his father.
“Still, please be nice to her.”
“What do you mean, ‘well done’?”
“I returned the building deed to you, didn’t I?”
At Kim Un-hyun’s words, Gambling Father stared at him silently for a moment, then rose from his seat as if he had no desire to engage further, grabbed his cigarettes, and left.
Left alone, Kim Un-hyun squinted at the spot where his father had disappeared and muttered under his breath.
“The old man’s stubbornness. Once I marry into that wealthy family and take the building deed back, he’ll be finished anyway.”
He had no intention of giving up the building just because he was marrying into a rich household. He didn’t even plan to wait until his parents aged and died.
All that consumed him was the greed to seize the building by any means necessary.

Lee Hye-eun, who had stepped outside, quietly turned back to check whether Kim Un-hyun had followed her, then looked at her mother.
“You did well today.”
Her mother sighed and gently stroked her chest with her hand.

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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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