Goblin Library - Chapter 86

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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 86.

Yu Tae-poong explained to the Bamboo Sword Goblin, who was regarding him with a puzzled expression.
“In the Company President’s novel, there are passages about people scheming against Lim Sung-un, aren’t there?”
There was a scene where a wealthy conglomerate chairman, harboring a grudge against Lim Sung-un, ordered his subordinates to harm him. And after reading that, Yu Tae-poong had warned Lim Sung-un about it.
The Bamboo Sword Goblin fell silent for a moment at Yu Tae-poong’s words before speaking.
“Are you saying I should write the story from the opposite perspective of Lim Sung-un?”
“Exactly. While his goal is supposedly to punish corrupt and incompetent police and prosecutors, it’s still vigilante justice. And since it inevitably contains illegal elements, it falls within Lim Sung-un’s domain.”
“That’s… well….”
The Goblin, who had paused briefly, finally spoke.
“No matter how skilled that guy is, he’d be captured if he went up against Lim Sung-un….”
“Of course, since it’s a battle between a criminal and a prosecutor, the conclusion would naturally be that way.”
Yu Tae-poong continued, readily agreeing.
“But if such a character exists, readers would think he’s a villain with opposing tendencies to Lim Sung-un, and they’d anticipate their confrontation.”
“That’s true.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin nodded and continued speaking.
“If someone has the ability to form a criminal organization even inside a Prison, as the Bamboo Sword Goblin said… it would naturally be worth anticipating.”
“Right. The greater the enemy, the more the protagonist’s exploits will shine.”
After hearing both their points, the Bamboo Sword Goblin spoke thoughtfully.
“But I’m not sure if an intersection between the two will actually occur.”
“No, it already has. The moment the two met, the intersection was already established.”
“That’s… true.”
The Bamboo Sword Goblin nodded. Yet he still sighed, seeming somewhat regretful.
“It’s such a waste to use as a subplot….”
“But isn’t using it better than not using it? Besides, you have no intention of passing the material to another Goblin writer anyway.”
After deliberating briefly, the Bamboo Sword Goblin finally seemed to reach a decision and snapped his fingers.
Whoosh!
Goblin fire appeared at the tips of the Bamboo Sword Goblin’s fingers. And the flames began to multiply one by one.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
After creating three Goblin fires, the Bamboo Sword Goblin waved his hand with a flourish, and the flames vanished.
“You’re going to attach three Goblin fires?”
“I already attached one before, so that makes four.”
“You’re going to watch four?”
“I need at least four to observe from multiple angles.”
“Watching them simultaneously would give you a headache.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s concerned remark, the Bamboo Sword Goblin shook his head.
“I won’t ruin a good character just to make things easier for myself.”
With that, he rose from his seat and moved toward the entrance.
“Are you leaving?”
“To write something worthwhile, one must dedicate themselves to research.”
The Bamboo Sword Goblin opened the door. Beyond it lay not a street, but the interior of some building.
It was as if….
‘A prison?’
It resembled the inside of a penitentiary. The door seemed to lead directly into the prison.
Click!
After the door closed, Yu Tae-poong tilted his head in confusion.
He had only just arrived, and now the Bamboo Sword Goblin was leaving again for research. That’s when a thought occurred to him, and he glanced at the Dung Carrier Goblin.
“Could he have come to ask for our opinions?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s question, the Dung Carrier Goblin laughed as if that made no sense, then paused.
“Now that you mention it… could that actually be true?”
The Bamboo Sword Goblin came to the Goblin Library to ask for their opinions? That didn’t match the personality he knew.
“Perhaps he wanted to discuss things with fellow writers.”
“Fellow writers?”
“Writers often talk about themes and plot development with each other, don’t they?”
The Dung Carrier Goblin nodded at Yu Tae-poong’s words but spoke with a note of doubt.
“But I mostly just listened, and you were the one who offered opinions.”
“Well….”
Faced with the Dung Carrier Goblin’s question about what he had actually contributed, Yu Tae-poong hesitated briefly before laughing and responding.
“Come on, you offered your thoughts too.”
Though brief, the Dung Carrier Goblin had indeed shared his opinions.
“Did I?”
“You listened to what the Company President said and even asked clarifying questions sometimes. That’s all part of offering your perspective.”
Seeing the Dung Carrier Goblin still tilting his head in uncertainty about whether he had truly been helpful, Yu Tae-poong rose with a smile.
“Let’s look at Lim Sung-un’s book. We’ll understand what kind of person he is by reading his work.”
Yu Tae-poong retrieved Lim Sung-un’s book from the shelf and brought it over. As he handed it to the Dung Carrier Goblin, the latter took hold of it.
Whoosh!
The book then separated into two volumes.
Yu Tae-poong and the Dung Carrier Goblin resumed their reading with renewed focus.

***

Lee Hye-eun sat in the passenger seat beside Choi Tae-sik.
She glanced around the interior of the car, examining it from every angle.
Just as it appeared from the outside, it was an electric vehicle with nothing particularly distinctive about it.
“What kind of car is this?”
“What kind of car?”
At his bewildered response, Lee Hye-eun laughed and clarified.
“I’m asking because it’s not the car you brought before. Is it yours?”
[It’s my car.]
At Jang Ma-ru’s sudden interjection, Lee Hye-eun asked with curiosity.
“You can drive?”
[What do you take me for?]
“Some tech nerd stuck at home?”
[…It’s my car.]
“Are you upset?”
[Never mind.]
Hearing the sullenness in Jang Ma-ru’s voice through the speaker, Lee Hye-eun smiled and ran her gaze across the car once more.
A car reveals much about its owner. What lies within it speaks volumes about the driver’s character.
As Lee Hye-eun surveyed the interior through the dashboard camera feed, Jang Ma-ru spoke.
[My brother said he was taking this car to meet you, so I cleaned up all traces of myself. There’s nothing to find.]
“Tsk! Men with too many secrets never get popular.”
[What about you?]
“I’m the opposite. There’s something thrilling and charming about discovering secrets one by one.”
At her words, Jang Ma-ru let out a soft laugh.
“You haven’t owned this car long, have you?”
[How did you know?]
“It has that new car feel to it… But why an electric vehicle? With your wealth, you could’ve bought a sports car or a luxury sedan.”
[I’m not interested in those things. Besides, electric cars consume a lot of electricity, which makes them perfect for me.]
“That makes sense—you use a lot of electronic devices, so a car like this…”
“They’re coming out.”
At Choi Tae-sik’s sudden remark, Lee Hye-eun looked ahead. She saw people emerging from the building entrance.
Among them was a striking figure—a well-dressed man in his thirties being forcibly escorted by police officers.
It was Cha Jang-woo, the owner of Cheongwha Building and her intended target.
When Lee Hye-eun was about to make her move against Cha Jang-woo, Choi Tae-sik told her to wait and observe. So she had been running the flower shop and watching from afar, curious to see how they would handle him. Unlike with Kim Un-hyun, Cha Jang-woo had been formally investigated and was now being arrested by the police.
Watching Cha Jang-woo being loaded into the police car while shouting protests, Lee Hye-eun clicked her tongue.
“By the law…”
Seeing Lee Hye-eun’s dissatisfied expression, Choi Tae-sik asked.
“What’s wrong? Not satisfied?”
“It’s fine that he’s being judged by the law, but… all it amounts to is him sitting in prison. Like I said before, that bastard should’ve had his money stripped away rather than being sent to prison.”
[And you’d pocket that money?]
“Did your sister eat that money?”
『You know how it is. I have a lot of people depending on me.』
It was true. A substantial portion of the money Lee Hye-eun had earned through her schemes went directly to the Orphanage, and the rest funded the education of those who had struck out on their own.
『And you’re supporting others beyond just that money.』
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, Lee Hye-eun wagged her finger.
『Good deeds cost money. I’m no priest—I can’t take care of others if I can’t even fill my own bowl. That’s just reality.』
Lee Hye-eun shook her head.
『You should have kept more for yourself.』
[You don’t need to worry about that.]
『Hm?』
At Lee Hye-eun’s question, Jang Ma-ru smiled and spoke.
『What do you mean?』
[We need funding for our work catching bad people too.]
『Exactly. Any operation requires capital—there’s no way around it.』
Lee Hye-eun smiled knowingly, as if to say: listen to this, Choi Tae-sik—you, who treat money so lightly.
[So whenever we catch criminals, we recover some of the hidden slush funds they’ve stashed away and use that for our operations.]
『That’s right! That’s how it should be done. Good work deserves sustenance. Jang really understands.』
Lee Hye-eun’s eyes sparkled as she laughed. Then a single word caught her attention, and she asked.
『But only some of it?』
[We only take what we need for operational expenses. The rest is returned to the national treasury.]
At Jang Ma-ru’s words, Lee Hye-eun’s eyes narrowed.
『What a waste.』
[It’s money that belongs to the country anyway.]
『You should donate it instead. Once the country gets its hands on it, the people at the top will just pocket it—what else would they do with it?』
[That’s a decision our commander made, so I have no say in it.]
Lee Hye-eun shook her head.
『Still, it feels like a missed opportunity….』
At Lee Hye-eun’s comment that confiscating the slush funds and prison time alone seemed insufficient, Jang Ma-ru laughed and spoke.
[When you consider the amount, it’s definitely enough to make that person cry.]
『How much are we talking?』
[That’s classified.]
At Jang Ma-ru’s answer, full of amusement, Lee Hye-eun let out a small laugh and spoke.
『So now….』
Lee Hye-eun paused for a moment, then smiled as she spoke.
『Our partnership ends today.』
Choi Tae-sik looked at her. And in a serious voice, he spoke.
『Don’t do anything too wrong.』
『What, are you going to arrest me too?』
『If you cause people suffering, we’ll come find you.』
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, Lee Hye-eun shook her head and brought her hand to her ear as she spoke.
『Jang, this was fun. Take care of yourself.』
[Sister, are you leaving?]
『Why? Do you want to keep working with me?』
[I do.]
『You catch bad people, and I’m a con artist. How does that work?』
[But you only con bad people, sister.]
Lee Hye-eun paused at Jang Ma-ru’s words before laughing.
『A con artist is still a con artist, no matter how you look at it. Anyway, I’m going. Oh! Don’t just sit in that corner staring at your computer all day—get outside and soak up some sunlight.』
[Could I… contact you sometimes?]
『Contact me?』
[Yes.]
Lee Hye-eun laughed at the wistfulness in Jang Ma-ru’s voice.
『Sure. It’s nice having a tech-savvy younger sibling around. My computers seem to break down all the time for some reason.』
[If that’s the case, I’ll help anytime.]
『I wish you could help with other things too.』
[What kind of things?]
『Information gathering, and sometimes… hacking?』
[Hehe! If the target is really a bad person, I’ll help out occasionally.]
『Jang Ma… Ahem!』
Choi Tae-sik nearly blurted out Jang Ma-ru’s name without thinking and quickly cleared his throat. He was listening to their conversation through an earpiece.
『That’s not allowed.』
Jang Ma-ru laughed at the warning Choi Tae-sik gave him.
[Anyway, sister, that was fun.]
After saying goodbye to Jang Ma-ru, Lee Hye-eun removed the earpiece from her ear and placed it in the cup holder before looking at Choi Tae-sik.
『I’ve repaid that debt.』
Choi Tae-sik replied to Lee Hye-eun, who pointed to where she had been stabbed before.
『That time, you were lucky. Next time, there might not be anyone to take the blade for you.』
『Are you worried about me?』
『Don’t do dangerous work.』
Lee Hye-eun chuckled and opened the car door.
『I have no intention of becoming unemployed anytime soon.』
Lee Hye-eun stepped out of the car and looked at Choi Tae-sik.
『Don’t see me again next time.』
Lee Hye-eun smiled brightly, closed the door, and walked away. Choi Tae-sik watched her receding figure—dressed in jeans and a white shirt, creating a light and carefree impression—and shook his head slightly.
『Right, let’s not see each other again.』
[But I want to see you again…]
At Jang Ma-ru’s reluctant voice, Choi Tae-sik chuckled lightly and asked.
『Where is the boss right now?』
『He went to the Prison to visit Lee Gang-hyuk.』
At the mention of Lee Gang-hyuk, Choi Tae-sik nodded and picked up his phone.

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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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