Chapter 67: It's Not Only Riders Who Transform (4)
I decided to head out as the Goblin.
However, that was only for me sneaking around personally. It was not for parading around in an event for the academy students.
So, I quickly glanced over the official document at work first thing in the morning.
[Document Number: 2461V-2PGCP1A]
[2025 Psychic Ability Development: March Outdoor Training Plan].
It was the official document for the event that people would likely call ‘treasure hunting’; fortunately, any faculty member could view it.
“Tsk.”
What I understood from the plan was useless.
Even an ordinary librarian like me could access it, and it was just information to the extent that you could infer the whole process if you just searched for last year’s treasure-hunting news.
In other words, the Goblin portion was not a conversation that took place in the official document.
It must have been one of the stories that went back and forth either at a drinking party, dinner party, or a place where they had tea time before leaving work.
‘Using students to find the Goblin.’
I didn’t know whose idea it was, but it was both pretty annoying and plausible.
The Goblin would not kill students.
If a student attacked a Goblin, they would fight back but not kill them.
If I were the academy’s president, I would have said this.
-After all, these students are going to be heroes. Even if they quarrel with a Goblin, the Goblin will not bother the students. What if, you know? If they really look for it and find a Goblin. Ha-ha-ha!
If it worked, it was a jackpot. If not, no big deal.
It would be like a ‘special rule’ of the treasure hunt to report immediately if you found the Goblin like scratching off a lottery ticket someone else bought for you, or some benefit would be given just for discovering and delivering the correct information.
Because there were a lot of people targeting the Goblin now.
“I’d like to borrow some books.”
“…Ah, Student Yoon Iseon, it’s been a while.”
Before I realized it, the student council president, Yoon Iseon, had appeared in front of me with quite a few books, waiting to check them out.
“What are you daydreaming about? Are you reminiscing about our interrupted meal?”
“Have you decided where to go next time?”
“Where do you plan to go?”
“How about going for some beef?”
“I heard that when a man treats a lady to some beef, it usually means he has ulterior motives.”
“I’m just starting to lobby you early in case Student Yoon Iseon becomes a hero later on.”
“Will it be Korean beef?”
“Korean beef is great.”
I took Yoon Iseon’s books and placed them on the scanner.
“…Huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Student Iseon, your research topic isn’t about mana this time?”
“Yes. I’m planning to research something else this time.”
The books Yoon Iseon brought for checkout were all about our country’s music, ‘Gugak’ (traditional Korean music).
“Are you interested in Gugak, or are you trying to develop a new ability with this?”
“Both, and one more thing.”
Yoon Iseon took out her smartphone and showed me a video.
“Is that you, Student Iseon?”
“My parents majored in Gugak, so I also learned a lot about it.”
“Do you know how to play a traditional instrument?”
“I specialize in the Gayageum (traditional Korean zither)… Do you like Gugak, teacher?”
“Me? Well….”
When I thought about Gugak, I only remember failing an exam because I couldn’t play the Danso (Korean bamboo flute) when I was young. Or that time when I fell asleep while watching a Gugak performance for a humanities class report.
“I’m more into Western music. I play the acoustic guitar.”
“That’s unexpected.”
“What’s so unexpected? Isn’t playing the guitar something that any guy can do?”
“Don’t most people prefer playing the Geomungo (Korean zither) over the guitar?”
This blasted nationalistic light novel setting again.
“I like the classics. You know, when bands played guitars and synths at old college music festivals.”
“That’s really old. You must not listen to much music. Or maybe you prefer foreign rock?”
“Well, I don’t understand the lyrics, but… Do you know this song?”
I took out my earphones from my bag, plugged them into my smartphone, and played a song.
“What’s this? Hip-hop?”
“No. It’s a rock ballad. It’s a song by a famous American singer, do you know it?”
“Um… Sorry. I’ve never heard this kind of song before.”
“What do you listen to these days, then?”
“I listen to ‘Mouse Fire Play’ by Five-Directions Band.”
“……Let me search for a moment.”
I played it immediately.
And I was shocked.
‘What happened to the K-POP idols I knew?’
Five idols, all dressed in Hanbok, were dancing their idol dance.
The only slight relief was that the outfits were idol costumes based on Hanbok rather than traditional or casual Hanbok.
Still, idols dancing not to the sound of drums but to multiple Buk sounds was a bit…
‘Let’s not even consider the music.’
When I returned to my world, it would be best to just keep quiet if someone asked about the music here.
“What do you think? They’re my favorite idol group.”
“The song is good, but the outfit is a bit…too much.”
“This is considered modest, you know? They even wear stockings. If you saw their hip-hop outfits, you would be really surprised.”
“Is it an outfit that awakens the scholar in me?”
“Yes.”
Yoon Iseon showed me a video of the Five-Directions Band almost wearing outfits close to rated 17+, holding microphones, and doing hip-hop.
That outfit was.
A ripped Hanbok.
“I don’t think everything can be forgiven just because it’s Hanbok.”
“They actually got into trouble for that outfit. But some people also say it’s a reinterpretation of Hanbok.”
“Hold on, the song…?”
I felt a familiar rhythm and beat somewhere.
Following the beat with my fingers, it was a rhythm that seemed familiar as I tried to recall it.
“Is this a song?”
“Yes. Hwimori.”
“…The Hwimori I know is a rhythm.”
“It’s a rap created with that as the theme. It’s also a song that became controversial in the hip-hop scene for the first time in nearly 10 years for containing a lot of English.”
“English in hip-hop?”
“Yes. Around 2010, there was a neo-Confucian trend in the hip-hop scene. They rapped with words made up of our language and all. Now it’s much more free.”
“Huh….”
The more I listened, the more I felt a strange unease and something stabbing in my lungs.
‘Hwimori rhythm ruling the world of hip-hop. This world is definitely crazy.’
I was giving up on music.
If I brought the music of this world to my original world, the paradigm of the traditional music field would certainly change, but I couldn’t bear to watch five curse-spewing grandmothers from all over the country turning over a U.S. concert hall for that.
-Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Hell-show-sion! This is, Halmi-----enm-----!
-You goddamn gold-digger brats!
… I’d watch it once, at least.
‘After all, the story is interesting.’
When I returned home, saying it was a travelogue of god-tier Korea from another world would be a good excuse to tell a tall tale. It was better to store various stories in my head.
“Why are you like that?”
“…No, I just felt a little dizzy. So, what kind of research are you going to do with traditional music?”
“Um… That’s a secret.”
Yoon Iseon seemed to have something in mind, but I didn’t dig deep.
“Thank you. Are you free this weekend? Would you like to have dinner together on Sunday?”
“Sunday? Ah, I’m on leave on Saturday. Is that okay?”
“Um… Saturday is a bit difficult. I have to support a school event on Friday with the student council.”
“The student council has to attend these school events too?”
“Yes. It’s because I’m sort of… scapegoated.”
Yoon Iseon’s voice was slightly lowered.
She glanced around once or twice, then sighed deeply and gathered her books.
“The president asked the student council to prepare a surprise event. The thing is, they prepare the whole event themselves and ask us to announce it under the name of the student council.”
“What’s that?”
“It exists. …Sir. You can’t mention it anywhere else, can you?”
“Even if there is someone who has talked about it, I’m just a person lending books here quietly.”
“It’s this.”
Yoon Iseon clumsily took out a poster-like thing from her bag.
“…….”
The content was about the ‘Goblin Hunt’, which I had learned from Baek Seol-hee yesterday, and already knew about before talking to Yoon Iseon.
“The person who finds the Goblin while treasure hunting will receive all the prizes equivalent to first place in each area?”
“100 million won, five days of vacation, and a midterm free pass.”
“…… The Goblin is supposed to appear?”
“Not at all. Honestly, isn’t this thoughtless and impromptu? What if there’s an accident?”
Irritation and contempt were mixed in Yoon Iseon’s voice.
“So, you’re supposed to announce it as if you, Student Iseon, initiated it, implying that the student council is hosting…”
“To take the fall. Saying the young ones thoughtlessly hosted the event. If the academy officially conducts such an event, it would receive backlash. But if the student council does it, the high-ups in the academy won’t be criticized.”
“And what if the Goblin really does appear?”
“That’s what I’m saying. It will be a mess if he appears and a mess if he doesn’t. But….”
Yoon Iseon packed her books into her bag with a resigned laugh.
“Personally, I hope the Goblin would appear, but I would prefer it if there was no reason for him to appear.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Because if the Goblin appears, it means that someone has died somewhere, or a demon has appeared, or a heinous crime has occurred.”
“…….”
“Personally, I have one thing I would like to ask if I met the Goblin, but I don’t want to meet him when he’s executing a villain.”
“What would you ask if you met him?”
“……That.”
After packing her bag, Yoon Iseon squinted at me and put her index finger to her lips.
“That’s a secret for you too, teacher!”
“…….”
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