Goblin: The Lonely and the Great God - Chapter 4

I Love You

The Goblin could not believe that he could still hear the girl’s voice behind his back. When he turned around, Eun Tak was standing there, a shocked look on her face. He was lost for words. After he had met this girl, surprising things kept happening to him. This time, it was mind-blowing. The Goblin had always been the one who surprised the world, but now this girl was surprising him. 

“Did you just come in? Through that door? Following me? How in the world did you come in?”

“Grab the handle. Pull the handle. Follow you through the… But where in the world are we?”

Was coming through a door that astonishing? The world behind the door was more astonishing. Eun Tak looked around her surroundings. It looked a bit like the English village in Paju. More like a scene from a movie. The blonde-haired people; the blue-eyed humans; all of it. Foreigners were walking past her from every side. Eun Tak opened her eyes wide and stuck close to the Goblin.

“Where are we, really?”

“Canada.”

“Can… Ada? Canada? That maple leaf place? That aurora place…? We’re overseas?”

She was certain she wasn’t in Korea. She lifted her head and saw the falling leaves. In foreign lands, autumn was so colourful. Eun Tak took a deep breath. Even the air seemed more clean and fresh. The whole situation became more real when she saw the enormous castles. 

The Goblin left Eun Tak and started walking. This child was not the Goblin’s bride. She was just close to the woman he had saved. But how had she followed him through the door? The light steps of the girl behind him were fast and cheerful. A few minutes ago, she had been on the verge of tears.

The streets Eun Tak was walking in were so beautiful. It was a place where no pain or sadness could be felt. 

“You have these kinds of powers too?”

“You do too. What are you really?”

“If this is really Canada, and your powers are this strong, I’ve decided.”

“What?”

“I’ve made up my mind.”

The girl tucked her chin into her scarf, a bit embarrassed. Her rosy cheeks were dumbfoundingly cute. The Goblin was scared about what the girl was going to say next.  

“I’m going to marry you.”

The girl's words astounded him. From the million things the Goblin had expected the girl to say, nothing was right.

“I’ve thought about it again and again, but I’m certain you are the Goblin.”

The man froze.

“I love you.”

She was like a widely bloomed buckwheat flower. The girl who had told the Goblin she loved him. He got annoyed that her words kept ringing in his ears. He had told her that she wasn’t his bride, and he had told her to live in the present, but she had confessed her love so easily. The Goblin had lived for 939 years. He had lived for 938 years, but still, he couldn’t do anything about this girl who had only lived for 18. The words kept ringing in his ears. Time seemed to have stopped, but Eun Tak looked up at the Goblin and smiled. 

“You’re pretending that you’ve heard it for the first time, aren't you?”

“Stop it.”

“You’re not even strongly refusing me, aren't you?

The Goblin was about to remark angrily, but Eun Tak walked straight past him towards the streets. She was so fast that the arm trying to hold her back dangled in the air shyly. 

It was the first time Eun Tak had felt free, although she had never felt trapped before. She felt free now. Shining things were everywhere on the street, and Eun Tak ran around to see every one of them. She went from place to place, calling out to the man walking slowly behind her. The excited voice was now on a walkway full of maple leaves. Every time a breeze blew, leaves would fall all around her like confetti. Eun Tak jumped up and down, reaching out her hand, trying to catch a falling leaf when she turned around and saw the man holding a leaf in his hand. 

“Did you catch that? No, you didn’t! Say that you picked it up! Quickly!”

The Goblin looked at the girl, confused. 

"If you catch a falling leaf, you'll fall in love with the person you're walking with! Throw it away quickly!"

Eun Tak tried to take the leaf from the Goblin but he lifted it higher so she could not reach it. He laughed.

“You said you loved me.”

“Are you the Goblin?”

“No.”

“Then I don’t love you, so give it to me!”

“Then why were you trying to catch it?”

“Because I was walking with that man.”

Man? The Goblin raised an eyebrow. As soon as the Goblin looked to where the girl was pointing towards, Eun Tak jumped up and took the leaf. A handsome blonde man stood at the place Eun Tak's finger had indicated. The girl rushed over to the blonde man and came back screaming.

“It’s a ghost! A Canadian ghost!”

Amused, the Goblin looked at the girl. It must have been true that she could see ghosts. 

They arrived at the place Eun Tak had thought was a castle. It turned out to be a hotel. Like the streets, the hotel was amazing too. It was obviously the first time Eun Tak had been to these excellent hotels, in Korea and overseas. Everywhere she had been, and everything she had felt today was a first. The Goblin made Eun Tak sit on one of the sofas in the lobby.

“Wait here.”

“Where are you going?”

“I have somewhere I need to be.”

“Where? Can’t I go too? Who are you meeting?”

The Goblin had no intention of answering any question.

“Are you meeting a woman? Oh right. You must have had a reason for coming all this way to Canada. You must have had a reason for saying that I wasn’t the Goblin’s bride. Alright. Have a nice time. I don’t have any money or friends, and my breathing is a bit uneven but I’ll wait for you alone…”

Eun Tak pouted her lips as she saw the man walking away without a word.

*

The green grass field touched the wide blue sky. The Goblin walked through the middle of a field where gravestones were placed. The black suit and the flower bouquet were all for them. 

[Geum Seon Yoo. Born in Goryeo, and rests in a foreign land.]

“Have you been in peace?"

The gravestones stood on the ground, all different in size and colour.

[Seo Won Yoo. Hope the dirt on top of you is light.]

[Mun Soo Yoo. A wonderful friend and a wonderful teacher lies here.]

He looked at every single word on the gravestones. 

“Have you been well? I am still alive like this, but I’m not doing well.”

The beautiful town of Quebec could be seen behind the lonely standing figure of the Goblin. He had first come to this land when the buildings had been forests. Time had passed, and like Korea, Canada had changed too, the only thing that hadn't changed was him. Living with the memories of his past life was like living in hell. He was in the middle of hell. 

The Goblin had tried to end this long and boring life. He had tried to pull the sword out of his chest, he had tried to beg the gods for forgiveness, but nothing had happened. The sword would not move, and his life had not ended. The only person who could pull out his sword was his bride. He was waiting for the person who would give him death. 

It was a very long wait. 

Eun Tak found the Goblin sitting near the gravestones. She had been bored waiting at the hotel, and she had been on her way to find him when she had spotted him in the distance. The man was sitting on a grass field. Eun Tak wanted to walk up to him, but the man’s face looked too sad. 

He looked deep in thought. The scene looked like a piece of art, a quiet and sad piece of art. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. She blew on the dandelion seed in her hand, and the seeds spread out through the air and flew around the man. It was a beautifully sad view, so Eun Tak decided not to bother him. 

The sun was setting. 

He had been lost in his thoughts for so long; it was already evening. The Goblin quickly stood up. He had left Eun Tak at the hotel for too long. About to go back to the hotel, the Goblin turned around and saw Eun Tak looking at him. The Goblin sighed. He had been worried for a moment. 

“I told you to stay still.”

“I stayed still; you didn’t even know I was here. Was this the place you needed to be?

Eun Tak walked towards the man

"But why don’t you have anything written on yours?”

A gravestone with a black-and-white photo stood on the ground next to the Yoo’s family's stones. It belonged to the man standing next to her. There was nothing written except ‘~1801.’ 

“Is this how you leave the place you lived? How many times have you moved?”

“I haven’t counted.”

Even the truthful answer seemed lonely. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Eun Tak bent over and greeted the man’s gravestone.

“Hello, my name is Eun Tak Ji. After about 200 years, I will be your bride.”

“You’re not.”

“Apparently I’m not. But you’re still marvellous after 200 years.”

The Goblin looked at the girl, surprised.

“You are a bit mean sometimes, but you’re growing up nice and well, so don’t worry about it too much. Goodbye.”

Eun Tak smiled widely at the man and walked down the hill. The Goblin stared at the girl for a while and then walked slowly down too. 

“Did you live here for a long time?”

“The hills turned into cottages and the cottages turned into buildings. I left and came back numerous times. This was the first place I moved to after I left my homeland.”

The Goblin was speaking in a quiet voice, so Eun Tak had to perk up her ears. 

“What a waste! You should have bought those cottages back then. Then those hotels would be yours.”

The Goblin laughed at the disappointment in the girl’s voice. Eun Tak turned her head around at the man’s heavy laugh.

“No way! Are those hotels…?”

“Aren’t you late?”

“To where?”

“School.”

Eun Tak screamed. She could understand how Cinderella had felt when the clock struck 12. Eun Tak didn’t know the time difference between Canada and Korea so she had no idea what time it was right now. The Goblin looked at his watch slowly and told her the time. It was 10 am in South Korea. 

The cars were driving loudly. People walked as if they were being chased. A familiar scene could be seen in front of her. They had opened a random door and here they were, back in South Korea. Eun Tak breathed in the stuffy air and smiled.

“That was a nice sleep.”

The Goblin was confused by the sad laugh. 

“I just woke up from a good dream. I had never imagined I would ever go abroad, but thanks to you, I did. I’m really grateful. Truly.”

Eun Tak looked at the strange man once more. She was grateful that he had given her a nice memory. The Goblin felt troubled as the girl bent her head down in thanks. It was Eun Tak who had followed him; he had done nothing for her, but still, the girl smiled. 

“Then I’ll be off. I’ve woken up from my dream, and now I have to get to school. Let me off easily this one time if I was a nuisance. I was just so excited.”

Eun Tak left the man behind and ran towards her school. She grabbed her memories that were trying to fly away in the wind. It was one of the most precious memories she had. No one whispered behind her back, and no one bullied her at that place. Her guardian spirit had walked next to her. It was a memory she wanted to cherish for a lifetime. 

His eyes whenever they met hers; his eyes when she had told him she loved him. She wanted to remember it all.

She got in trouble from her form teacher for coming in late, in what mind had a Year 13 come into school at 10 am. Eun Tak’s teacher mistreated her too. Although her teacher knew that she was good at studying, the fact that she was an orphan was the problem. But Eun Tak didn’t mind. Her teacher wasn’t the first or the last person who would dislike her. Eun Tak listened to the radio again. The sweet voice of the DJ comforted her. 

Eun Tak took out a pamphlet from her bag and opened it. Inside the pamphlet was the maple leaf the man had caught. A smile spread on her lips. The memories of Canada filled her again. Eun Tak opened the same door in the library, but it was just an entrance to a toilet. 

“What were you doing till now? Coming in at night”

As soon as Eun Tak walked through the front door, her aunt shouted at her. When she answered that she was at school, she got in more trouble for talking back. Kyung Mi and Kyung Sik were shouting too. They were hungry, and Eun Tak had made them dinner. Everyone in the family had their hands and feet, but for some reason, they couldn’t do anything without Eun Tak. After sighing silently, Eun Tak pushed up her sleeves.

There was nothing much in the fridge, so she decided to make seaweed-rice balls. Eun Tak boiled the spinach and cooked the eggs. Shaking a pamphlet in her hand, Kyung Mi came out of Eun Tak’s room. Recognising the booklet, Eun Tak put down the knife and rushed over to grab it back. 

“I think she’s planning on running off abroad! Apparently, this is Canada.”

Her aunt snatched the pamphlet from her daughter’s hands and looked at it. 

“Oh yes. I knew you would be like this. Are you going to take your mom’s insurance and run off? And you say you don’t have the bank book.”

Eun Tak tried to ask for it back, but her aunt ignored her. If she could have what she wanted, she would have run off already. She would have run off anywhere. Anywhere but here.

“Give it back; it’s mine. I was just keeping it as a souvenir.”

“Why is this a souvenir? When have you ever been abroad to keep a souvenir like this? Don’t even try to make excuses. You’re dead today. I feed you and let you sleep under my roof, and you repay me like this?”

Her aunt started to hit her back with the pamphlet. Eun Tak cried in pain as she tried to avoid it, but the pamphlet kept finding her back. She did not want to give up the pamphlet. It was hers. 

Kyung Mi saw that everything had gone as she had planned and went to the kitchen. She started to cut up the rolls when the knife slipped and cut her hand. Screaming for her mother, Kyung Mi fell onto the floor. Eun Tak’s aunt finally stopped hitting her and rushed over to her daughter. 

Grabbing her pamphlet and schoolbag, Eun Tak rushed out of the house. She didn’t want to cry over stupid things like these, but after seeing the crumpled up pamphlet, tears kept trying to flow out. Her memories seemed crumpled too. She had a seaweed-rice roll she had brought at the last minute. Eun Tak was hungry too; she hadn’t eaten either. On a deserted street, Eun Tak walked and ate her roll, sorrowfully. She was walking past the same place for the fourth time already; she had run away from home, but she had no friends to visit. Every once in a while, when some people actually walked past her, they all walked in groups. It hit her again and again that she was a loner. Even up till this morning, she had been walking with someone… 

“Huh?”

Eun Tak saw a man watching her from the top of a building. The man often looked at the humans from up high. It was one of his hobbies. Today he was looking at a girl. A girl who had said that she loved him. 

“It hadn’t even been that long since we last met. Why did you call me again?”

“I didn’t call you.”

The girl’s sad face was slowly becoming happier. 

“You did.”

“I didn’t. I’m telling the truth this time.”

“Did you just think about me or not?”

Oh. She did. Someone who walked with her. A guardian spirit. 

“See. Told you. Because you keep thinking about me; I keep getting dragged here. I’m a very busy man. I can’t keep coming and going as you wish.”

“Do you get summoned if I think about you”

“I don’t really know, but I’m a very sensitive and delicate person so let’s do our best to respect each other’s privacy."

Eun Tak apologised to the man. It must be very troublesome for him.

“Why did you think about me? What were you thinking about?”

“Um… Well, Canada was pretty. I might be happy if I lived there. At least I was happy for a while. These thoughts came into my mind, and naturally, you came into my mind too. His clothes looked expensive, his watch looked more expensive, that hotel looked like his, everything good looked like his… But why did he look so sad?”

Eun Tak thought properly again while talking. He had looked sad. The man sitting in front of the gravestones. That was why she had brightly greeted the stones instead. Did he look lonely because his coat flew in the cold winter wind? Or was it because she had been lonely at the time she had looked at him? Eun Tak regretted telling the man her thoughts. 

The Goblin avoided the girl’s eyes. The girl had a knack for saying things that surprised him.

“Well, that’s that. Why do you keep walking round and round the streets? Suspiciously? At night?”

"How did you know that?”

“I wish I didn’t know things like these, too.”

She had not wanted to cry, so her tears dried up like this. She had wanted to be with someone, and he came in front of her like this. He kept coming into her mind. That sorrowful face. 

“I’m waiting for my aunt’s family to go to sleep. They don’t even notice if someone carries them away in their sleep. I’m going to go to sleep quickly and then come out early.”

The Goblin looked at the girl with a weird look. Was she going to walk around here suspiciously till midnight? That girl had no fear. The Goblin was walking around the streets with Eun Tak. They had walked around the streets once, twice, and now were on their third. 

She was thankful that he was walking with her, but she couldn’t say she was thankful. The Goblin kept saying that he was digesting his food. 10 minutes ago, she had been on the verge of tears, but now she was on the verge of laughter. 

They walked past a high school student. She was Su Jin, one of the girls that bullied Eun Tak. A man in his mid-thirties and Eun Tak. If she spread the rumour right, it would seem like Eun Tak had been doing Compensated Dating. Su Jin lifted her phone and tried to take a photo behind a car. She was about to take it when the car door opened. She was in so much pain she couldn’t even shout. About to rage at the person who had opened the door, she looked inside the car, but there was no one inside. Su Jin looked around shocked when the door slowly closed again. Screaming for her mother, Su Jin ran away into the night.

It had been Goblin who had opened the door. He had conversed with Eun Tak naturally in case she had noticed. The Goblin had noticed the students whispering behind Eun Tak’s back when he had met her coincidentally. Su Jin had left, and Eun Tak smiled innocently at him. She had lived a hard life.

“But when will I get my part-time job?”

“Tomorrow.”

“It wouldn't be a job as a chicken on a chicken farm, would it?”

“Do you want to?”

“What kind of guardian spirit is this? What about my aunt’s family?”

“They’re sleeping. Go inside now.”

The Goblin walked away from her without turning back. Eun Tak turned around to say goodbye, but he had already left. He always came and disappeared as he wished.

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