Goblin Library - Chapter 89

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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 89.

Lee Gang-hyuk sat in a small neighborhood Chinese restaurant, eating the dishes he had ordered.
As Lee Gang-hyuk ate his noodles with black bean sauce, Lee Ho-yeol spoke as if embarrassed.
“There are so many better dishes available…”
Then Lee Gang-hyuk replied.
“Our prison has everything, but it’s difficult to have noodle dishes delivered.”
“Isn’t there a Chinese restaurant nearby?”
“There is. But when you order delivery, the noodles get soggy by the time they arrive.”
Ordering Chinese food at a prison? It was possible for the guards, but for inmates, it was nothing but a dream.
However, Lee Gang-hyuk made it possible. He had even ordered Chinese cuisine with baijiu and held several company dinners.
The only problem was that noodle dishes like black bean noodles and seafood noodle soup arrived soggy. He had even tried having the prison kitchen prepare them, but whatever they made that way felt somehow lacking.
That’s why he had chosen a Chinese restaurant for this evening gathering.
As Lee Gang-hyuk picked up a pickled radish, Lee Ho-yeol asked him.
“But will the number of people really be just this many?”
“It’s fine.”
“According to the report, the HR Manager left with about twenty people.”
At Lee Ho-yeol’s worried words, Lee Gang-hyuk let out a quiet laugh.
“Don’t worry.”
“Understood.”
Lee Ho-yeol, who trusted Lee Gang-hyuk absolutely, said nothing more.
Just as Lee Gang-hyuk had emptied about half his noodles, a man approached.
“The HR Manager has arrived.”
“Let him in.”
At Lee Ho-yeol’s words, the man signaled. Soon the door opened and a sharp-featured middle-aged man entered.
As the men behind him tried to follow, the people at the entrance stopped them.
At this, the man glanced back at Lee Gang-hyuk. With a chopstick of noodles in his mouth, Lee Gang-hyuk spoke.
“Come on in. Since you’re here, you should eat.”
At Lee Gang-hyuk’s words, the people guarding the entrance stepped aside, and the men entered the restaurant.
Watching the men pour in, Lee Gang-hyuk scooped up some seafood noodle soup broth with his spoon, took a taste, and then pointed ahead.
“Sit down.”
At Lee Gang-hyuk’s words, the HR Manager came forward and sat down.
“What would you like to eat?”
“I’ll have black bean noodles.”
Lee Gang-hyuk turned to Lee Ho-yeol and gave an instruction.
“Order black bean noodles for everyone.”
“Understood.”
Lee Ho-yeol noticed the restaurant owner standing off to the side with a stiffened expression. Since the distance wasn’t far, there was no way he wouldn’t hear the conversation taking place here.
The Company President quickly placed an order with the kitchen.
『Jajangmyeon….』
Uncertain how many bowls to order, the Company President glanced around for guidance. Lee Gang-hyuk answered tersely.
『Thirty for now.』
There weren’t thirty people present, but leftovers were preferable to running short. Besides, the atmosphere was already tense enough.
Once the kitchen received the order, Lee Gang-hyuk spoke to the HR Manager.
『The sweet and sour pork here is decent. Try some.』
『Thank you.』
Watching the HR Manager pick up chopsticks and eat the sweet and sour pork, Lee Gang-hyuk poured soju and offered it to him.
『Have a drink.』
『Thank you.』
As the HR Manager accepted the glass and brought it to his lips, Lee Gang-hyuk opened his mouth.
『You don’t like that I’ve come back?』
『Cough! Cough!』
Caught off guard by Lee Gang-hyuk’s sudden words, the HR Manager choked on his soju and quickly covered his mouth.
『That… that couldn’t possibly be true.』
At his reaction, Lee Gang-hyuk pulled out a tissue and handed it to him.
『I hope so. But I’ve heard some things myself. So you want to take me down?』
Despite the friendly gesture, the sinister implication made the HR Manager’s face go rigid.
The people the HR Manager had brought along sensed the shift in atmosphere and quietly unfastened their shirt buttons.
As the buttons came undone, revealing the hilts of blades, Lee Gang-hyuk spoke.
『You seem to have grasped the situation well enough.』
Lee Gang-hyuk wiped his mouth with a tissue as he continued.
『Our Company already has a solid system in place. Whether I’m chairman or someone else, we’d still generate decent profits.』
Watching the HR Manager’s hardened expression, Lee Gang-hyuk went on.
『And before you, there were others who harbored such thoughts. Maybe five or so since I founded the Company.』
『Chairman, I….』
『Listen.』
When Lee Gang-hyuk met the HR Manager’s eyes, he fell silent.
『Since our Company was built by gathering criminals, there aren’t many people I can truly trust. Still, I test people, and when I think someone is reliable enough, I give them responsibility. But then their greed makes them think differently.』
Lee Gang-hyuk took a sip of water and continued.
The HR Manager’s face went pale. He understood what Lee Gang-hyuk was implying.
『The only difference between them and you is whether I was inside or outside the Prison at the time. Surely you don’t think they couldn’t touch me because I was locked away?』
『No… no, that’s not it.』
The HR Manager knew well. If someone wanted to kill you, the Prison was actually the easiest place to target.
It was a place where criminals gathered—people who would kill without hesitation for money.
『So why am I still alive? And where did all those who tried to take me down end up?』
The HR Manager’s rigid face turned as he subtly scanned the Chinese Restaurant.
Among the people inside, twenty were those he’d brought… and those who came with Lee Gang-hyuk were Lee Ho-yeol, two at the entrance, and two outside….
『What about the kitchen?』
The sound of food being prepared drifted from the kitchen. Yet given how cramped the space was, there couldn’t be many people working back there.
Since there were no separate private rooms, there was nowhere for anyone to lie in ambush either.
Lee Gang-hyuk, noticing the HR Manager’s searching gaze, shook his head slightly.
“This won’t do.”
“Sir?”
“What you should be doing is lowering your head in apology, not counting how many people are here.”
Lee Gang-hyuk picked up the soju bottle and brought it toward the empty glass in front of the HR Manager.
Splash!
But the soju spilled onto the floor instead of into the empty glass.
“You won’t be getting any more drinks from me.”
Begging for forgiveness would be pointless now. If he delayed any longer, he’d be purged without so much as a chance to resist.
Reaching that conclusion, the HR Manager shot to his feet and shouted.
“Get him!”
Crash! Bang!
As chairs clattered across the floor, the HR Manager drew a curved blade from his jacket. The moment he lunged toward Lee Gang-hyuk, a knife was pressed against his throat.
“Gasp!”
The startled HR Manager glanced sideways at whoever held the blade against him. His face went pale with shock.
The one wielding the knife was one of the men he’d brought with him.
“Jae-sik? You?”
“Boss, I’m sorry.”
The HR Manager stared in bewilderment at the man apologizing while keeping the blade pressed to his neck.
The men who had jumped up alongside the HR Manager in the sudden chaos froze in place.
As they hesitated, uncertain what to do, several others tapped them on the shoulder.
“Sit down, sit down. It’s already over. Don’t throw your lives away for nothing—just sit.”
A few of the men who had come with them forced them back into their seats and confiscated the curved blades hanging from their waists.
The revelation that one of his own subordinates was taking orders from Lee Gang-hyuk left the HR Manager not merely shocked but looking as though he’d been possessed by a ghost.
These were his personally cultivated elite guard… How was this possible?
Watching the HR Manager’s expression, Lee Gang-hyuk spoke.
“Want to know why I’ve managed to stay alive all this time?”
“Chairman… please, spare me. I was wrong.”
Ignoring the HR Manager’s pleas for forgiveness, Lee Gang-hyuk spoke in a cold voice.
“I don’t trust people.”
At Lee Gang-hyuk’s words, Lee Ho-yeol’s expression hardened momentarily. For someone as devoted to Lee Gang-hyuk as he was, it stung a little to hear.
Lee Gang-hyuk turned to the HR Manager, whose eyes were wide with fear.
“I’ll give you two choices.”
“I’ll accept whatever you decide.”
Lee Gang-hyuk gave Lee Ho-yeol a subtle nod. Lee Ho-yeol then produced something from the side.
“A wheelchair?”
What Lee Ho-yeol had brought was a collapsible wheelchair.
“If you get in this, I’ll let you live.”
At Lee Gang-hyuk’s words, the HR Manager stared at him with a hardened expression. Though he presented two choices, showing only one, it was as good as revealing both.
Take the wheelchair and live, or refuse it and die.
The HR Manager swallowed hard and bowed his head in resignation.
“Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for all your care until now.”
Then he gestured to Jae-sik, who held a sashimi knife against his throat.
As Jae-sik lowered the knife, the HR Manager walked forward and climbed into the wheelchair. Living without the use of his legs for the rest of his life was better than dying.
Once the HR Manager sat in the wheelchair, Lee Gang-hyuk gestured. Lee Ho-yeol then produced a silver case from his pocket and handed it over.
Click!
As the lid opened, a surgical scalpel came into view.
“Painkillers.”
At Lee Gang-hyuk’s word, Lee Ho-yeol retrieved medication from his pocket and handed several pills to the HR Manager.
“Take them.”
“Thank you.”
After the HR Manager swallowed the pills, Lee Ho-yeol offered him a bottle of soju.
“Hah…!”
Gulp, gulp. The HR Manager took several swigs of soju while breathing deeply, then closed his eyes. Lee Ho-yeol crumpled an apron hanging on a chair and shoved it into his mouth.
Lee Gang-hyuk picked up the surgical scalpel and grabbed the HR Manager’s ankle. And then…

***

“Ugh!”
Yu Tae-poong winced as he read the book.
“Really… he did it.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the Dung Carrier Goblin nodded while reading the book.
“I don’t understand why he’d do that to a person.”
“And… ugh!”
As Yu Tae-poong spoke, he trailed off with a grimace and closed his mouth, prompting the Dung Carrier Goblin to look at him.
“What?”
“In movies and dramas, they only destroy one Achilles tendon, but this guy made both of them unusable. Ugh!”
Watching Yu Tae-poong’s disgust, the Dung Carrier Goblin spoke.
“Still, he spared the life of someone who tried to kill him.”
“That’s true, but he’ll be confined to a wheelchair for life.”
“That was his choice. What I don’t understand is why Lee Gang-hyuk only crippled the ankles of someone trying to kill him. If it were me, I would’ve killed him.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin actually thought Lee Gang-hyuk’s handling was far too lenient. Yu Tae-poong nodded at this.
‘Given his personality, I suppose that’s possible.’
With a “if you dislike me, I dislike you” temperament, the Dung Carrier Goblin was one who literally practiced an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
Treat him well and he’d treat you well in return; dislike him and he’d dislike you even more.
So someone tried to kill him? Then it was obvious he’d try to kill them back.
“But this is something that actually happened.”
“The Goblin’s novel writes reality.”
“That’s impressive, though. How did you know he’d betray you, and how could you plant so many people around him like this?”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the Dung Carrier Goblin shook his head.
“I didn’t plant them because I knew he’d betray me. I planted them with the premise that he would betray me from the start. I’m sure I’ve placed people not just with the HR Manager, but with his other subordinates as well.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course. Fundamentally, everyone around Lee Gang-hyuk is a criminal. How could I trust such people?”
“I suppose that’s true enough.”
Not everyone who’s been to prison is necessarily a bad person. There are surely those who repent for crimes committed in a moment of weakness and live diligently.
But those around Lee Gang-hyuk were true criminals—not only had they committed crimes and gone to prison, but afterward they never reformed; instead, they built their enterprises through crime itself.
So there was nothing to trust or believe in. The moment profit and gain presented themselves, they would undoubtedly stab him in the back.

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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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