Goblin: The Lonely and the Great God - Chapter 2

The Goblin's Bride

The foreign land that they arrived at was similar to Goryeo. There was war there too. First, it was France, then the owner changed to England. Whenever the owner changed, thousands of innocent people lost their lives.  

When people started to think that a person who didn’t age was weird, the Goblin and his servant went back to their country. The grandson of the subordinate had died, and now the grandson’s grandson was serving him. They were all buried in a foreign land. The Goblin could only make gravestones for them, he could not make a gravestone for himself.  

The Goblin’s feet touched his home country again. Now it wasn’t Goryeo, nor was it Joseon, now it was just South Korea. Every time he came back, the evolution was mind-blowing. South Korea had better and worse things than Goryeo. The world he was living in was changing rapidly. The only things left from his time were the buildings and roads that were restored.  

Only people were the same as before. Fighting and loving. They were always repeating the same emotions over and over again. Building it and knocking it down. Shin was walking next to a rock wall, stepping on the crunchy autumn leaves. The place he had lived before was also famous for its autumn leaves.  

While he was walking, he saw a weird wall. It was a wall that wouldn’t have been seen in the eyes of a human. He stopped walking. A man felt the stare from the other side of the wall and looked outside the window.  

“...Goblin?” 

The man inside the window muttered to himself. He was a grim reaper. Only reapers, dead people, and gods could open the doors leading into the grim reapers tea shop. The two men stared at each other. 

“Grim Reaper?” 

Both of them were connected to the gods in some way but had totally different jobs. The Goblin could make bets with the gods, and even no one knew what his next move was going to be. But the grim reaper was different. A grim reaper was a… public official. He did the difficult jobs for the gods. Grim reapers tidied the dead souls from the land and sent them up to heaven. The work was very hard and tiring. Grim reapers were sinners who were being punished. They were similar and different in some ways, but both the Goblin and the Grim Reaper could not avoid being who they were.

The grim reaper was wearing all black clothes finished with a black hat. It was a wide brim hat that covered their faces, but also made themselves invisible to those who were alive.  

“That hat looks disgusting....” 

The grim reaper heard the Goblin muttering to himself.  

“What?!” 

But before the grim reaper could come back with something, the Goblin walked away.  

“I shouldn’t have caught his eye... A grim reaper.” 

But the Goblin didn't know how important that grim reaper was to him.

A huge mansion was situated between the buildings. It was the house Goblin had been coming back to every time. The arch-shaped windows were so wide that they seemed to take in the whole sky. The chandeliers, the antique clocks, and the black and white photos. It was a mixture of Shin’s taste and his servants.  

He put the lights on with a blink. The candle lit up. It had been a long time since he had come home, but there was not even a speck of dust. It was all thanks to the family that served him. Shin opened the curtains. 

“My Lord!” 

An old man came into the house with a young boy.  

“It has been 20 years. Have you been well, sir?” 

“I have been. Have you?” 

“I have grown old. Sir, you are still as marvellous as ever.” 

“He doesn’t look that marvellous to me.” 

The Goblin looked at the young boy. Those arrogant words had come out of the young boy's mouth. The kid was wearing a cute name tag on his kindergarten uniform. Yoo Duk Hwa. 

“Duk Hwa!” 

The man told the young boy off firmly and turned back to the Goblin.  

“This is the grandson I was telling you about. Greet him, Duk Hwa.” 

“Who is this guy?” 

“So you must be Duk Hwa. I am someone who will be your uncle, then your brother, then your son, and then your grandson.” 

The young boy looked up at the tall man. He had no idea what the Goblin was talking about. His face curled. The Goblin noticed and smiled. He crouched down and looked Duk Hwa in the eyes.  

“You must take good care of me.” 

The Goblin had said it softly, but still, the young boy stared at him suspiciously. 

“My apologies, sir. We spoiled him because he was an only child.” 

The man bowed down his head apologetically. The child was only a child, and he was a living descendant of the first subordinates. They had served him for so long. Shin looked at the young boy’s face carefully. In the face of the young boy, he could see the face of the first servant he had taken overseas.  

“Do not worry about it. No one from your family has disappointed me yet.” 

“Hey, Uncle. Why do you keep talking rudely to my grandfather? D’you wanna die?” 

“Huh?” 

“Duk Hwa!!” 

A warm smile spread on the Goblin’s face. 

 

* 

 

The full moon filled the sky. Snow had covered the land. It hadn’t been too long since the buildings had been built. The Goblin sat on the tallest building out of all of them. A can of beer was in his hand. A cold, winter breeze blew past the Goblin hands. He took a sip of beer and new emotions filled him. Down below, neon signs flashed brightly, while the sound of travelling cars filled the night.  

“I know it shouldn’t be. But it’s nice to be back.” 

Mutterings of loneliness and warmth. That was how Shin truthfully felt about his country. It was a lonely place, but he always wanted to come back. He was a bit tipsy, so he closed his eyes. From far away, he could hear a desperate voice calling out. 

“Help me, please… Someone, anyone, please.” 

It was a woman’s voice. She was begging the gods for her life.  

“If there is a god, please… save me.” 

The strength that came out of the human was very faint. It was an empty street. A car had driven past without following the signals. It had slipped in the snow. A woman who had been hugging her tummy tightly crashed into the car. The woman flipped over into the snow. The car started to spin as the driver hit the brakes. Tire squeaks filled the street. Fresh blood was gushing out of the woman’s body.  

The Goblin saw what was going on and shook his head. He felt sorry for her but she wasn’t the only one dying out of those hundreds, and thousands of deaths. These days, people didn’t believe in gods so it had been a while since he heard someone beg for their life.  

He took another sip of beer and looked away. 

“Save me. Anyone, please…!” 

She was almost out of breath, life was slowly disappearing from her body, but she kept on looking for the gods. A crease appeared between the Goblins eyebrows. In the end, he got up on his feet and jumped down the building. He vanished into blue fire. 

  

The place he had jumped down to was in front of the dying woman. She was slowly dying near an empty village by the sea. He vanished the blue flames and walked towards the woman. The person who had hit the woman had already vanished. Evil people frequently took things away from good people.  

Brown shoes. The shoes came into the woman’s vision and the half-closed woman’s eyes fluttered open.  

“Who, who are you?” 

“Anyone.” 

“Please, help me.” 

“I don’t involve in a human's life and death. That is my rule.” 

“I can’t die like this.” 

The woman tugged Shin’s leg, crying. The woman’s will to live was extraordinary. That was what humans were like. The Goblin had once been a human so he knew too well how she felt. He looked at the woman with sorrowful eyes. 

“The person you are trying to save isn’t yourself.” 

“Please… Just the child.” 

Strength fell from the arms that held onto his leg. He felt the life in the womb weaken too. The Goblin sighed.  

A child. When he had become a goblin, the first person to serve him was a child. 

“You are lucky that you have met a soft-hearted god. Tonight I do not want to see anyone die.” 

The Goblin made a ball of fire with his hands and gave it to the woman. The strength from the fire entered into the woman and life started to spread over her body. The woman breathed again. Over the snow-covered street, cherry blossoms started to bloom. The petals fell over the bloodstains. The Goblin looked at the odd scene and vanished. That day, that woman lived. 

 

Another pair of shoes arrived at that odd place. It was a man wearing black shoes and black clothes. The woman that needed to be here wasn’t here anymore. The only thing left was the woman’s blood. And what was the meaning of the flower petals? The broken car parts were also on the ground. The accident had happened. The grim reaper took out the card from inside the envelope. He looked at it weirdly. 

 

[Yeon Hee Ji. Age 27. The year 1998. February 14th. 21:05. Accidental Death] 

[No Name. Age 0. The year 1998. February 14th. 21:05. Accidental Death] 

 

He lifted his watch and looked at the time. 21:05. It was exactly the right time. 

 

* 

 

A woman lived in a run-down house near the sea. She was a person who was still alive even after they had been written down on a reaper’s list. People called these cases a miracle. The woman looked at her daughter, lovingly. The wind blew and swished the young girl’s hair to the side. On the neck of the young girl, there was a blueish-green dot. It was a miracle that Eun Tak was now 9.  

“What rice cake do you want to have for your birthday this year, sweetheart?” 

Eun Tak was stroking a puppy. Flower petals flew around her, and she caught one on her palm.  

“Honey rice cake? Rainbow rice cake?” 

Eun Tak closed her small hands around the petal and looked around at the woman.  

“Mum. Do we have to have a feast? Can’t we have a party instead?” 

“But what’s the difference?” 

“The rice cake turns into a cake. I want to blow out candles and make a wish.” 

The woman laughed at the unexpected answer. She had always given her daughter rice cake because Eun Tak liked rice cake. It was her precious daughter's birthday. If her daughter wanted a cake, she would give her a cake.  

 

There was a place the woman went often to get her vegetables. An elderly woman sat on some newspapers and sold things on top of the walking bridge. The shopkeeper knew the woman’s story well. So she told the woman about the god, Goblin.  

The sad story about the goblin’s curse. 

Having woken up immortal, he was always there but never there, but was still looking for his bride somewhere because of the romantic curse. After hearing the story, the woman had thought that the gods were mean. It was the shopkeeper who had told her that if she was stuck between life and death she should beg with all her soul to the gods. Because a soft-hearted god may be listening.  

And the gods were listening. When the woman had begged to the gods, a god that called himself ‘anyone’ had come. He had saved the woman and her daughter. The girl who was supposed to die had lived. Like it was all meant to be.  

“Puppy!” 

Eun Tak ran to the gates of her house and started stroking the puppy again. The woman’s face darkened. It looked like Eun Tak was stroking a very cute puppy. But she was petting thin air.  

Eun Tak was the woman’s miracle. But in exchange for the miracle, Eun Tak could see things that she shouldn’t have. But it was fine. At least she was alive. The woman forced a smile upon her face. She called her daughter and told her that the days were getting colder so she should head back inside. 

 

The woman kept her promise and bought a cake. The lovely steps of her daughter running into the house, the sound of her daughter taking her shoes off. On top of the small table, there was a cake and 9 candles.  

“Cake! Are we going to have a party now?” 

The woman smiled as she looked at her lovely daughter.  

“Yes. Come sit down and light the candles.” 

“Am I allowed to light it?”  

“You are now old enough to light it by yourself.” 

“That's right. I'm 9 now.” 

Eun Tak smiled and lit the match. She transferred the fire to each candle, and soon the candles were brightly lit on the cake. Eun Tak looked at her mother’s smiling face. 

Her mother was always generous and kind. Eun Tak's life was difficult. She didn’t have a father and she could see things that she shouldn’t have been able to. But still, the only reason Eun Tak was so brave was all because of her mother. Her mother always looked at her with a warm smile. Because she had her mother who loved her more than anything in the world because she wasn’t alone. Eun Tak was growing up the way her mother wanted her to be.  

Because she had her mother… 

“What’s wrong? You should make a wish. Happy Birthday, sweetheart.” 

Eun Tak closed her two hands together but she couldn’t make a wish. She couldn’t even blow out the candles. The woman’s smile faded a bit. Her voice calling her daughter's name became significantly quieter.  

“... It’s not you.” 

Tears filled Eun Tak’s eyes. Her lips became crooked. A weep escaped from her mouth. 

“It’s not really you, mum. It’s your spirit.” 

“You really can see everything. I didn’t want you to.” 

The woman’s face grew sadder. Tears streamed down Eun Tak’s face. The woman started to cry too. Her daughter was crying but she couldn’t wipe the tears off her face. 

“Mum… Are you dead?” 

There was silence.

“Really?” 

Words wouldn’t come out so the woman nodded instead.  

“Mum, where are you right now? Where are you?” 

“The hospital in town…” 

Eun Tak was a very brave and smart girl, but she was still only 9. In the end, the sadness overflowed her and she wept loudly. The young girl called out for her mother, and the spirit looked at her daughter with the last moments of this life. How could she leave this small girl behind? Death was always a surprise. Even though she had experienced death before, death was always a surprise. She couldn’t call for the gods again. One miracle in a lifetime was enough. 

“Eun Tak, listen to me. A call will come from the hospital. If you arrive there your aunt will arrive soon after. It’s cold outside, wear your scarf. From now on don’t even look at dead spirits. Do you understand me?” 

The woman didn’t want to leave her daughter behind, but her spirit was slowly disappearing.  

"I'm sorry, mum, for seeing things like that. But because of this, I’m seeing you too. So I’m okay.”  

“Thank you, sweetheart, for seeing me.” 

The two looked at each other for the last time. For the first time, Eun Tak felt grateful for being able to see spirits. 

“I think I have to go now… I love you, sweetheart.  

“Me too, mum. I love you too. Bye, mum… Goodbye.” 

Eun Tak became more upset as she saw her mum disappear.  

“Make sure you go to heaven mum.” 

The woman nodded. There was no one in front of Eun Tak anymore... As if no one was there since the beginning. The young girl sprawled on the floor, calling out for her mother when the phone bell rang.  

It was from the hospital in town. 

“Is this Yeon Hee Ji’s house?” 

Her mum’s name. Eun Tak started to cry again. She remembered her mother’s last words and wrapped the red scarf around her neck. As she was about to leave she saw the candles still burning on the cake. The candles had melted to the stub, the flames were about to go off.  

“I’m not going to wish for anything. I’m never going to wish for anything again. Who would I wish to? No one is listening.” 

Eun Tak slammed the front door shut. She wore her shoes and wiped the tears from her face. She walked out to the front yard and saw a man wearing black clothes.  

“Who are you?” 

“... Can you see me?” 

Her mother had told her not to look at spirits. She grimaced. The grim reaper was shocked too. Someone alive had seen him with his hat on. 

“Scarf. I haven’t put on my scarf.” 

“You have worn a scarf.” 

Eun Tak tried to pretend that she hadn’t seen him, but the grim reaper didn’t let her off easily. Eun Tak put her hand up to her neck and grimaced again. She was in big trouble. 

“Is this Yeon Hee Ji’s house? She wasn’t at the hospital, so I came here.” 

The grim reaper looked at Eun Tak. She was a child that should not have been alive. He remembered the No Name that was under Yeon Hee Ji’s. The grim reaper figured that the No Name from back then had been living here all this time.  

“Did you turn nine this year?” 

Eun Tak’s head turned blank. She didn’t know what to do. But an elderly woman walked into the front gates. It was the shopkeeper.  

“Grannie!” 

Eun Tak quickly ran behind the shopkeeper's back. The elderly woman wasn’t just a shopkeeper. She was the Samsin goddess that gave life to the children and lived around them to keep them happy. Eun Tak and Eun Tak’s mother were all her sweet children. All the people were lovely to her.  

The grim reaper was more shocked. A child that could see him and now the Samsin Goddess.  

“Leave this child alone.” 

“You are interfering with my business.” 

The grim reaper complained to Samsin but she ignored him. 

“That’s your side of the story. Do you have her name on your list? Back then that child was a No Name, but this girl has a name.” 

“If I want to get her name on the list, I need to send in 9 years of paperwork. You know how it is done... Let’s meet again next time, kid.” 

The grim reaper decided to give up. He was just doing his job, but Samsin was being too overprotective again. The innocent-looking grim reaper didn’t have enough time today. He had to find the people who were on the list first. The grim reaper nodded his greetings to them and left into the darkness. 

Once the grim reaper left the house, Eun Tak grabbed Samsin’s clothes and started to cry again. 

“Mum… Mum has…” 

Samsin soothed the young girl.  

“I know. But we can’t do anything about that. You have to live your life too. Move houses in 3 days. That way he can’t find you. You can’t live here anymore. You have seen a grim reaper.” 

“If I move houses, will he not be able to find me?” 

“Yes, he won’t. That’s why housing points are so crucial. After midnight today, 1 man and 2 women will come to find you at the funeral. Follow them. You will have a hard time, but you’ve got no other choice.” 

Samsin handed over lettuce to Eun Tak. The young girl took the lettuce and nodded.  

That night, the elderly told quite fascinating things to Eun Tak. About how her mother had stayed alive, and all the things Eun Tak didn’t know before.  

Eun Tak’s eyes became shinier after hearing the story. Samsin patted Eun Tak on the head. Eun Tak was a pretty child. Every child was precious, but Samsin felt exceptionally happy when she was creating Eun Tak. She felt sorry for the hard times she would have in the future, but there was no other way.  

(This is a translated version of "Goblin: The Lonely and The Great God" written by Eun Sook Kim and Soo Yeon Kim)