Goblin Library - Chapter 82

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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 82

Lee Gang-hun tilted his head at the peculiar abundance of defective products in only the last worker’s box, then retraced his steps.
He made his way to where the first worker stood and slowly examined the defective items in the box once more.
“About the defective product screening process…”
As Lee Gang-hun called out loudly, the Factory Manager raised his voice in response.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Is it done by visual inspection?”
“First we verify with machines, and then a person does the final check. No matter how good the machinery is, human sensibility is essential for the final inspection.”
Lee Gang-hun spoke in response to the Factory Manager’s words.
“But… the items next to the inspectors appear to be defective products…”
Lee Gang-hun picked up one of the defective products.
“I’ve only seen photos, so seeing the actual product for the first time, I’m not sure where the defect is.”
“Let me see it.”
The Factory Manager took the product and examined it briefly, then pointed to a spot.
“There’s a gap opening here.”
“I see.”
Lee Gang-hun set down the defective product and pointed to the box of the last worker.
“This person’s station has an unusually high number of defective products.”
Lee Gang-hun approached and picked up one defective product. Even as he lifted it, the inspector never glanced his way, continuing to pick items passing on the conveyor belt one by one, swiftly examine them, and set them down.
Most people would turn around at least once if someone picked up an item beside them.
Lee Gang-hun watched that person for a moment, then shook his head. He hadn’t come to observe people—he’d come to examine products—so there was no reason to pay attention to him.
As Lee Gang-hun slowly examined the product, he tilted his head.
“Where exactly is the defect in this one?”
In response to Lee Gang-hun’s question, the Factory Manager took the product and turned it over, then pointed to one side and spoke.
“Ah… the size came out a bit small here.”
Then he pulled out a notebook and wrote something down.
He seemed to be checking why such a defect had occurred.
At this sight, Lee Gang-hun examined the defective products with apparent admiration.
From his perspective, many of them were difficult to identify as defective or not. They appeared to be products with minor defects that wouldn’t be easily noticeable to the average eye.
“To catch such minute defects… that’s impressive.”
At Lee Gang-hun’s words, Kang Chung-shik smiled and looked at the final inspector, speaking.
“Since this guy came on board, our defect rate has dropped dramatically. He picks out defective products like a ghost.”
At Kang Chung-shik’s words, Lee Gang-hun observed the worker.
“His concentration is exceptional!”
Even with the loud machinery, most people would turn around if someone shouted beside them, but this worker never glanced away, keeping his focus entirely on the conveyor belt—it was remarkable.
Then Kang Chung-shik spoke to Lee Gang-hun.
“He can’t hear.”
“Pardon?”
“My hearing isn’t great. But I have excellent eyesight and concentration, so I’m very good at catching defective products!”
Kang Chung-shik laughed and gave the Factory Employee a friendly pat on the shoulder.
Flinch!
Startled, the Factory Employee quickly rose from his seat. Noticing the people behind Kang Chung-shik, he hastily bowed in greeting.
“He’s truly a treasure to our company. Ever since he arrived, our defect rate has dropped dramatically.”
Unable to understand Kang Chung-shik’s words, the Factory Employee looked uncertainly at Oh Jang-hyuk.
Oh Jang-hyuk moved his hands and spoke softly. Of course, speaking quietly meant the words weren’t audible, but….
“The president is praising your work. He says the defect rate has decreased significantly since you joined.”
The Factory Employee broke into a bright smile and bowed.
Observing this exchange, Kang Chung-shik turned to Oh Jang-hyuk with curiosity.
“Oh, I didn’t know you could use sign language?”
“I can communicate with Go Gyeong-ha through lip-reading and mouth shapes to some extent, but I thought it would be better to speak in sign language. I’ve been teaching myself online recently.”
“Oh! That’s impressive!”
At Kang Chung-shik’s words, Lee Gang-hun also looked at Oh Jang-hyuk with surprise. The Oh Jang-hyuk he’d known before wasn’t the type to learn sign language for an employee with physical limitations.
He’d been the sort who enjoyed throwing his weight around with subordinates and was skilled at flattery.
Kang Chung-shik caught a glimpse of Lee Gang-hun’s astonished expression. Then he spoke to Oh Jang-hyuk, who was pleased by the praise.
“Tell him I’m grateful for his hard work. Our company thrives because of employees like him.”
“Understood.”
Oh Jang-hyuk conveyed Kang Chung-shik’s words to the Factory Employee through sign language, and the employee smiled and bowed.
Kang Chung-shik gave his shoulder an affectionate pat and turned to Lee Gang-hun.
“Would you like to see the manufacturing process as well?”
“No, this is sufficient. Shall we head to the warehouse?”
At Lee Gang-hun’s words, Kang Chung-shik gestured to the Factory Manager, who then led the way forward.

Lee Gang-hun, observing the boxes of goods stacked in the warehouse, suddenly posed a question.
“You’ve accumulated quite a substantial inventory, yet you haven’t secured distribution channels before manufacturing. Is that intentional?”
Kang Chung-shik smacked his lips and shook his head.
“Originally, I had a buyer lined up. But the company I was supposed to deliver to went bankrupt.”
“I see.”
“So that’s why…”
Kang Chung-shik spoke while surveying the goods in the warehouse.
“If our company can’t move this inventory quickly, it becomes a liability. That’s why I’m asking for your help.”
In response to Kang Chung-shik’s words, Lee Gang-hun examined the goods before speaking.
“Since you’ve entrusted this to me, I’ll do my absolute best.”
And he added one more thing.
“I can take a few boxes as samples, correct?”
“By all means.”
Kang Chung-shik had an employee move the boxes to where Lee Gang-hun’s car was parked, then spoke.
“Then let’s discuss the formal contract terms.”
“Let’s do that.”
Having smoothly negotiated the detailed contract conditions, Lee Gang-hun returned to his company.

***

Yu Tae-poong gazed at the Dung Carrier Goblin with an expression of admiration.
“Oh Jang-hyuk learned sign language?”
“Through goblin fire vision, I saw him learning sign language on YouTube. That’s what made me happy.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin smacked his lips while looking at the Shoe Goblin.
“I wanted to feel the sense of surprise you’d have watching my book.”
“I was sufficiently surprised.”
At the Shoe Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong nodded.
“Oh Jang-hyuk has really changed so much. I can’t even imagine he’s the same person who used to chase after fire trucks.”
“Exactly. He’s changed tremendously.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin gently stroked his book before speaking.
“In a way, he’s no longer the character I favored.”
“Learning sign language for Go Gyeong-ha is unexpected, but in some ways, Oh Jang-hyuk might be the character most similar to you.”
“Similar to me? I’m not nearly as kind as that.”
At the bewildered Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong laughed.
“Why not? You treat me well.”
“Well… that’s true.”
“Oh Jang-hyuk also seems to treat people who rely on and depend on him with kindness and care. It’s like he views his people as something he must protect.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin pondered for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
“That’s right.”
“Isn’t it?”
“My master was the same way. People would complain about the smell, and he’d get angry or turn cynical, but he treated those who followed him well. Oh! There was a neighborhood dog back then, and it would wag its tail whenever it saw our master.”
‘Is that why they call it a shit dog?’
If a dog that eats shit could develop affection for the Dung Carrier Goblin’s master who reeked of dung?
As I entertained this thought, the Dung Carrier Goblin continued speaking.
“So whenever my master went out to defecate and saw bones or scraps lying around, he’d bring them back and give them to the dog.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong laughed and spoke.
“You’re just like him. You’re warm to those who come into your circle too.”
At the word “warm,” the Dung Carrier Goblin laughed awkwardly and spoke.
“Read the Shoe Goblin’s book and then read mine.”
“Understood.”
Yu Tae-poong opened the Shoe Goblin’s book again.
After reading for a while, he turned to the Shoe Goblin with a puzzled expression and spoke.
“But… there’s no content about overseas business trips.”
I had expected there to be episodes of him going abroad and moving around to sell goods, but there was nothing like that.
There were only a few phone conversations mentioned in passing.
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the Dung Carrier Goblin spoke.
“Going abroad is inconvenient for us goblins.”
“Why? Can’t goblins go abroad?”
The Shoe Goblin glanced at the Dung Carrier Goblin. He had been about to answer Yu Tae-poong’s question, but the Dung Carrier Goblin had cut him off.
Unwilling to lose, the Shoe Goblin opened his mouth before the Dung Carrier Goblin could give a detailed explanation.
“Unlike formless ghosts, we goblins can go to other countries. We have passports and resident registration cards and everything.”
“Then you’ve traveled abroad a lot?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s question, both the Shoe Goblin and the Dung Carrier Goblin shook their heads.
“So you haven’t been much.”
“I’ve gone a few times, but I don’t particularly enjoy it.”
Following the Shoe Goblin, the Dung Carrier Goblin also answered while smacking his lips.
“I… you know. When I get on a plane.”
Yu Tae-poong nodded as if he understood.
The Shoe Goblin could go to other countries but disliked doing so, while the Dung Carrier Goblin disliked being around people.
Now the Dung Carrier Goblin no longer smelled and dressed properly, but in the past that wasn’t the case, so taking a plane would have been impossible anyway.
“But couldn’t you go through doors without taking a plane?”
I asked this recalling how we had gone to Gangwon Province and back through a door in an instant. The Dung Carrier Goblin shook his head.
“There are restrictions because jurisdiction differs.”
“Jurisdiction?”
The Dung Carrier Goblin turned to look at the Shoe Goblin as he was about to explain.
“I haven’t been abroad, so I don’t know much. But you’ve gone a few times, so you explain it.”
The Shoe Goblin nodded and spoke.
“The myths and ghost legends passed down in each country are all slightly different. For example, Japan has creatures called oni that they call goblins, but they’re fundamentally different from us. Japanese goblins harm people and are filled with resentment, but we Korean goblins love to play joyfully and merrily. If Japanese goblins are made of resentment, we are made of joy.”
The Shoe Goblin continued, looking at Yu Tae-poong.
“Anyway, since each country has its own unique ghosts and legends, they monitor and watch for Spirit Servants from other countries coming in. It’s like a Spirit Immigration Office for us ghosts. You could say it prevents ghost smuggling.”
“Spirits have an immigration office too?”
“We do. They check why you’re coming and send you back if your reason is unclear or suspicious. And even if you pass through, we can’t use our full power in foreign lands. We place restrictions to prevent accidents. So we can go, but we rarely do.”
“So we can’t use goblin clubs either?”
“We can if necessary, but then we have to fill out tedious paperwork afterward. Why did you use it, did you harm anyone, and so on.”
The Shoe Goblin shook his head as if annoyed, then added with a laugh.
“Whether you’re human or spirit, once you leave home, life becomes a struggle—it’s all the same.”
“The goblin world seems quite similar to the human world.”
“Not completely identical, but we do follow the flow of the human world. It’s too difficult to adapt if things are too different.”
“Still, it’s much better than the old days. Back then, if spirits crossed borders, we’d immediately draw swords. Now it just ends with paperwork.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin nodded at this, and the Shoe Goblin returned to the main point.
“Anyway, that’s why I didn’t follow Lee Gang-hun. And since it was a foreign country, I couldn’t send my goblin fire either.”
“So that’s why the foreign section was lacking in detail.”
Yu Tae-poong’s words made the Shoe Goblin squint.
“As a writer, I failed to research my material thoroughly. It left a flaw in an otherwise good work.”
At the Shoe Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong’s expression grew puzzled.
“But isn’t that not quite right?”
“What do you mean?”
“You have material, don’t you? You can understand how things unfolded simply by listening to phone conversations.”
“That’s true.”
“You can use a writer’s imagination to fill in the gaps between those pieces of information.”
At this, both the Shoe Goblin and the Dung Carrier Goblin spoke simultaneously.
“Imagination?”
“A writer’s imagination?”
Until now, the goblin writers had been writing, but it was merely describing what they had seen and heard. Yet now Yu Tae-poong was suggesting they employ imagination to fill the blanks between fragments of information.

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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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