Ch.67Chapter 3. Riders Aren’t the Only Ones Who Transform! (4)

I decided to take on the role of the Goblin.

But that was only about me secretly wandering around on my own, not about roaming around as some event for academy students.

So as soon as I arrived at work in the morning, I immediately skimmed through the official document.

Document Number: {TXN}

[March 2025 Ability Development Outdoor Training Plan].

It was probably what people would call a “treasure hunt” document, and fortunately, it was accessible to all faculty members.

“Tsk.”

The information I gathered from the plan was a bust.

Even I, a regular librarian, could access it, and it only contained information that anyone could deduce by simply searching for news about last year’s treasure hunt.

In other words, this wasn’t a conversation that took place in official documents.

It must have been something discussed during a drinking session, company dinner, or tea time before leaving work.

‘Using students to find the Goblin, huh.’

I don’t know whose idea it was, but it’s quite unpleasant yet reasonable.

The Goblin doesn’t kill students.

If students attack the Goblin, it will retaliate, but it won’t actually kill them.

If I were the academy’s president, I would have said something like this:

-The students are future heroes anyway. Even if they provoke the Goblin, it won’t harm them. Who knows? They might actually find the Goblin while searching. Hahaha!

If it works, great; if not, no harm done.

Like scratching a lottery ticket someone else bought for you, there would probably be a “special rule” in the treasure hunt that if you find the Goblin, report it immediately, or some benefit would be given just for finding it and reporting accurate information.

There are so many people targeting the Goblin right now.

“I’d like to check these out.”

“…Ah. Student Yoon Yi-seon, it’s been a while.”

Before me stood the student council president, Yoon Yi-seon, with quite a few books, waiting to check them out.

“What were you thinking about, staring blankly like that? Were you thinking about how you left during our meal together?”

“What if I said I was wondering where to eat next time?”

“Where are you planning to go?”

“How about beef?”

“Someone told me that when a man offers to buy beef, he has ulterior motives.”

“It’s just me lobbying early so that when Student Yoon Yi-seon becomes a hero, you’ll look after me.”

“With Korean beef?”

“Korean beef is good.”

I took Yi-seon’s books and placed them on the scanner.

“…Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Yi-seon, this time your research topic isn’t about mana?”

“No. I’m trying to research something different this time.”

The books Yoon Yi-seon brought to check out were all about our music, that is, “traditional Korean music.”

“Are you interested in traditional Korean music, or are you trying to develop some new ability with it?”

“Both. And one more thing.”

Yoon Yi-seon took out her smartphone and showed me a video.

“Is that you?”

“My parents majored in traditional Korean music, so I learned a lot too.”

“You can play traditional instruments?”

“I specialize in gayageum. …Do you like traditional Korean music, teacher?”

“Me? Well….”

When it comes to traditional Korean music, I only remember failing a test because I couldn’t play the danso properly when I was young.

Or falling asleep during a traditional music performance I attended for a liberal arts report.

“I’m more into Western music. Acoustic guitar.”

“…That’s unexpected.”

“What’s unexpected about it? Isn’t playing acoustic guitar something any man can do?”

“Don’t most men usually play geomungo rather than acoustic guitar?”

This damn Korean-pride light novel again.

“I like classics. You know, like those old college music festivals where bands would play guitars and synthesizers.”

“That’s really old school. You must not listen to much music, teacher. Or maybe foreign rock?”

“…Even if I don’t know the lyrics well. Do you know this song?”

I took out earphones from my bag, plugged them into my smartphone, and played a song.

“What’s this? Hip-hop?”

“No. Rock ballad. It’s by a famous American singer, do you know it?”

“Hmm…. Sorry. I’ve never heard this kind of song before.”

“Then what do you listen to these days?”

“Obanggaksidan’s ‘Mouse Fire Play’.”

“……Let me search that real quick.”

I played it immediately.

And I was shocked.

‘What happened to the K-POP idols I knew?’

Five idols were all dancing in hanbok.

The only saving grace was that they weren’t wearing traditional hanbok or everyday hanbok, but rather idol outfits based on hanbok.

Still, seeing idols dancing to the sound of various drums instead of actual drum beats was a bit…

‘Let’s not take music back with me.’

When I return to my world, if anyone asks about music, it would be better to just keep quiet.

“What do you think? They’re my favorite idol group.”

“The song is good, but the outfits are a bit…very traditional.”

“Isn’t this moderate? They’re even wearing stockings. You’d be shocked if you saw their hip-hop outfits.”

“Clothes that would awaken the Confucian scholar in me?”

“Yes.”

Yoon Yi-seon showed me Obanggaksidan holding microphones and performing hip-hop in outfits that were almost R-rated.

That outfit was…

Torn hanbok.

“Not everything in hanbok gets a free pass.”

“They actually got caught up in censorship because of that. But some people call it a reinterpretation of hanbok.”

“Wait, the song…?”

There’s a familiar rhythm and beat.

As I tapped my fingers to follow the beat, trying to recall where I’d heard it before, it seemed familiar.

“Is this a song?”

“Yes. Hwimori.”

“…The Hwimori I know is a rhythmic pattern.”

“It’s a rap based on that rhythm. It caused controversy in the hip-hop scene for being one of the first in nearly 10 years to incorporate a lot of English.”

“They caused controversy for using English in hip-hop?”

“Yes. Around 2010, there was a ‘domestic products only’ trend in the hip-hop scene. They rapped using only Korean words. It’s much more free now.”

“Huh….”

The more I listen, the more I cringe and feel something piercing my lungs.

‘A world where Hwimori rhythm dominates the global hip-hop scene. This world is seriously messed up.’

I’m abandoning music.

If I took this world’s music back to my original world, it would certainly change the paradigm of traditional Korean music, but I can’t bear to see five foul-mouthed grandmothers from all over Korea turning American concert halls upside down.

-Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Hell-Jo-seon! This, is, Hal-mi-nem!!

-You damn good-for-nothing bastards!

…I might watch it once though.

‘Stories are better after all.’

When I go back, it would be better to just share anecdotes about “My Adventures in a Korean-Pride Fantasy World” rather than taking actual content. It’s much better to just store various stories in my head.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing. Just felt a bit dizzy for a moment. So what research are you planning to do with traditional music?”

“Hmm…. That’s a secret.”

Yoon Yi-seon seemed to have something in mind, and I didn’t bother to dig deeper.

“Thank you. Are you free this weekend? Would you like to have a meal together on Sunday?”

“Sunday? Ah, I’m taking a day off on Saturday, would that work?”

“Hmm…. Saturday is a bit difficult. The student council has to support an event happening on Friday.”

“The student council has to participate in these school events too?”

“Yes. We’ve become a bit of… scapegoats.”

Yoon Yi-seon’s voice dropped slightly.

She looked around once or twice, then let out a deep sigh as she gathered her books.

“The president told the student council to prepare a surprise event. They’ve actually prepared everything themselves but want us to announce it under the student council’s name.”

“What is it?”

“Well… Teacher, you won’t tell anyone about this, right?”

“Whoever might have talked about it, I’m just a person who quietly lends books here.”

“It’s this.”

Yoon Yi-seon fumbled in her bag and pulled out what looked like a poster.

“…….”

The content was about the “Goblin Hunt” that I had learned about yesterday through Baek Seol-hee, and had figured out before talking with Yoon Yi-seon.

“Anyone who finds the Goblin during the treasure hunt will receive all the prizes equivalent to first place in each zone’s treasure hunt?”

“100 million won, five days of vacation, and a mid-term exam free pass.”

“……Is the Goblin even going to appear?”

“Not at all. Honestly, isn’t this thoughtless and reckless? What if an accident happens?”

Yoon Yi-seon’s voice was mixed with irritation and contempt.

“Making it look like you announced it, saying it’s hosted by the student council….”

“They’re making us scapegoats. So people will say it’s just young kids thoughtlessly holding an event. If the academy officially held such an event, they’d be criticized, but if the student council runs it, the higher-ups at the academy won’t face any backlash.”

“What if the Goblin really shows up?”

“Exactly. If it appears, there’s trouble, and if it doesn’t, there’s still trouble. But….”

Yoon Yi-seon let out a hollow laugh as she put the books in her bag.

“Personally, I hope the Goblin appears, but without a reason to appear.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Goblin appearing means that somewhere, someone has died, or a demon has appeared, or some heinous crime has occurred.”

“…….”

“I personally have something I want to ask the Goblin if I meet him, but I don’t want to meet him when he’s executing villains.”

“What do you want to ask?”

“……That’s.”

After packing her bag, Yoon Yi-seon winked at me and put her index finger to her lips.

“That’s a secret from you too, teacher!”

“…….”