WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Plague Doctor in a Peaceful World ◈
Chapter 16: I Can’t Concentrate
──────
Kim Yeong-geon asked cautiously.
“Secretary Lee. Is that person really... a pastor?”
Lee Mun-yeong smiled as she answered, keeping her voice low so it would not echo through the hallway.
“I never said he was a pastor.”
“...?!”
Kim Yeong-geon nearly raised his voice without thinking, then hurriedly lowered it.
“What?”
“But his treatment prayers are real. So real they feel miraculous.”
“Yes...”
Really?
Kim Yeong-geon swallowed the doubt that rose to his lips. It was already written all over his face, and Lee Mun-yeong looked like she understood.
Kim Yeong-geon looked anxiously at the closed hospital-room door.
‘Grandma Bokseon...’
His family had been poor.
His parents were good people and worked hard, but... his older brother had fallen seriously ill, and a considerable amount of money went toward hospital bills every month.
Kim Yeong-geon had studied hard because he wanted to help his parents. He thought he needed to graduate from a good university and get a good job.
But reality was not so easy.
He had barely made it into a good university and received a scholarship, but... working part-time jobs to cover living expenses caused his grades to fall.
As a result, he lost his eligibility for scholarship support.
It was very difficult.
He began comparing himself to others, seeing what he had once thought was normal for them, and his mind filled with thoughts of giving up in the face of such hopelessness.
That was when he met Grandma Park Bokseon.
An envelope with “Scholarship” written on it in crooked handwriting.
Grandma Park Bokseon’s hand as she held out the envelope was covered in wounds and wrinkles. Yet to him, it felt warmer and gentler than any light in the world.
“Don’t give up on studying.”
Thanks to Grandma Park Bokseon’s scholarship, Kim Yeong-geon was able to steady his wavering heart and focus on studying again.
He did not want her to regret spending the wealth she had gathered through a lifetime of collecting cardboard and scrap on him.
He vowed that he would become someone she could be proud of.
But time was cruel, slowly taking away her days.
“Mr. Plague Doctor.”
The man in the bird-beak mask emerged from the hospital room.
He opened his sketchbook toward Kim Yeong-geon.
[I’ll perform the second prayer at dawn tomorrow.]
“Did... something go wrong?”
The Plague Doctor shook his head, then stepped aside by the door as if telling him to see for himself.
Kim Yeong-geon was a little dumbfounded.
Had it even taken two minutes?
How much better could she possibly be after one short treatment prayer that he needed to check right away?
‘He didn’t use some strange drug on Grandma, did he?’
There was a CCTV camera in the hospital room. Kim Yeong-geon decided he would check it later and entered the room.
“...”
Grandma Park Bokseon was sleeping with a more peaceful expression than before.
Her breathing was steady, and she was no longer coughing.
Her condition had visibly improved.
Kim Yeong-geon could not believe it.
‘How could she get better in just a few minutes...?’
Startled, he turned around.
The Plague Doctor was carefully looking over the hallway, as if worried that someone might see him and be frightened.
‘What on earth... did he do?’
The next dawn.
The three of them returned to Grandma Park Bokseon’s room.
This time, the Plague Doctor did not send the other two outside. He had them stand in the corner while he prayed.
He muttered briefly in a very quiet voice.
[It’s done.]
The Plague Doctor opened his sketchbook.
Grandma Park Bokseon, who had woken up, moved her hand.
“Mr. Dapper Grim Reaper... You came again...”
“Grandma!”
Kim Yeong-geon hurried over in surprise.
“How are you feeling? Are you all right?”
“Oh, Yeong-geon... Were you so worried I might die that you kept staying here?”
Her hand was still rough and wrinkled, but warm.
It was not cold or damp with sweat.
Her voice, which had been dry and cracked when he visited yesterday afternoon, had returned to normal, and she even teased him.
Kim Yeong-geon smiled as he held back tears.
“Yes. You promised, Grandma. You said you’d come to my wedding dressed beautifully in hanbok.”
Then he turned to thank him.
But the Plague Doctor had already left the hospital room.
* * *
“Thank you so much. And...”
Kim Yeong-geon honestly confessed that there was CCTV in Grandma Park Bokseon’s room and that he had checked it because he was suspicious.
“But you really did only pray. I’m sorry for doubting you.”
I waved it off.
If some suspicious cultist dressed like this had shown up, I would have done the same.
“This is the amount we agreed on. I added a little extra as an apology.”
The envelope was alarmingly thick.
I accepted it politely without refusing.
After the first treatment prayer yesterday, Lee Mun-yeong had told me that Kim Yeong-geon was a lawyer at a successful major law firm and made plenty of money, so there was no need to turn it down.
“And this as well.”
Kim Yeong-geon held out a business card.
“Please contact me anytime you need help.”
I accepted that gratefully too.
You never knew when it might come in handy.
Kim Yeong-geon went back into the long-term care hospital.
Lee Mun-yeong stretched lightly, then looked at me with a smile.
“Then I should be going too. I need to get to work on time. Mr. Plague Doctor, you worked very hard.”
I nodded and fiddled with my phone.
[Did you receive a referral fee?]
Bzzz.
Lee Mun-yeong checked the DM I had sent and burst out laughing.
Kang Nara was the daughter of Kang-geon Pharmaceuticals’ CEO, and the Contagious Disease Patient with athlete’s foot was a Kang-geon Pharmaceuticals researcher.
Ju Hye was a child Lee Mun-yeong personally supported, so she had wanted to help and asked me to do it, but...
Kim Yeong-geon was not with Kang-geon Pharmaceuticals. Judging from how they treated each other, they did not seem particularly close in private either.
Someone who had work that day would not have driven all the way out here, far from Seoul, simply because they felt sorry for someone.
[What percentage should I give you?]
“No, Mr. Plague Doctor. I don’t need a commission. It’s enough that Kim Yeong-geon owes me a favor.”
Ooh.
The secretary of a major pharmaceutical company’s CEO had made a lawyer at a major law firm owe her a favor.
That was kind of cool.
[I won’t get caught up in something scary someday, right?]
“No. Nothing like that will happen, so don’t worry. Get home safely. See you again.”
Only after Lee Mun-yeong’s car had left did I get into mine.
After driving slowly for a while, I pulled over to the side of the road.
I took off the stifling mask and hat, then changed out of my shirt and coat.
“Yaaawn.”
I had gotten up early at dawn and had not slept properly, so I was sleepy.
Still yawning, I checked the envelope.
“Wow... Four million won?”
No wonder it had been so thick.
But could I deposit this money into my account?
Would I get in trouble over taxes later?
If they asked me to explain where the income came from, what was I supposed to say?
“Ah, whatever. I’ll keep it like this for now.”
I found a decent hotel, slept soundly until afternoon, then drove around here and there.
Since I had come all this way, it felt like a waste to go straight home.
Two days later.
I returned home.
“What is all this?”
“I heard there was a famous hundred-year-old bakery there, so I bought some. Take them to Mom and Dad’s workplaces and share them with your coworkers.”
“I’m grateful, but aren’t you spending money too freely? It’s good to keep some savings in your account for emergencies.”
“Then I won’t give you Christmas spending money this year...”
“What are you saying, son? Don’t make me sad.”
“You should be filial whenever you get the chance, so you have fewer regrets later.”
“Hey, what about mine?”
“Just take whatever you want from these.”
Woof! Woof!
“Yeah, Arong. There isn’t any for you.”
At the word “isn’t,” Arong’s muzzle slowly closed.
Whine.
“Sorry. I’ll take you for a long walk tomorrow.”
I went into my room and unpacked my bag.
I took only part of the cash from the envelope and put it in my wallet, then hid the rest somewhere suitable.
“Where are you going now?”
Mom asked after I changed clothes and came out.
“To see a play.”
“With a girl?”
“I wish.”
There would be women among the people I was meeting today, but not in that sense.
“Our son isn’t bad-looking. Why doesn’t he have a girlfriend?”
“Dad, Kang Bongsik is secretly picky. He needs to realize his place soon.”
As if there was anyone better than me at knowing my place.
I snatched the bread from my sister’s hand.
“Don’t eat that. I bought it.”
“Hey, how cheap can you be, snatching food out of someone’s mouth?”
“He got his high standards from me. Right, honey?”
“Why are you being so cheesy?”
I left our warm and happy home once again.
I arrived at a café in Daehangno.
Park Jaeyoon raised his hand.
“Kang Bongsik.”
My college classmates who had agreed to watch the play were gathered around the table.
There were five of us including me.
Two women and three men.
Seong Eunji had kept posting promotional messages for the play in the group chat, so Park Jaeyoon said it was annoying and gathered people together.
No Contagious Disease Patients.
My MP was full, so it would have been nice if there was even one. Gaining experience would have been easy.
“Bongsik, hi.”
“Yeah. Isn’t it finals season? Is it okay for you guys to be out like this?”
“It’s fine to take one day off.”
“I...”
“Students on leave don’t need to answer.”
“Hey. I came out even though I’m busy helping at my parents’ restaurant.”
“Kang Bongsik, I heard you bought a car. Did you drive it here today?”
“No. Why would I bring my car when we’re drinking later?”
“I saw it when I gave Bongsik some blankets I didn’t need. It’s small and cute.”
“Kang Bongsik?”
“Not Kang Bongsik. The car.”
“I almost got excited for a second. I’ll go order drinks.”
“Yeah.”
After chatting for a while, we headed to the theater to see Seong Eunji’s play.
It was in the basement of a rather old building, and there were rows of flyers advertising horror plays, making the atmosphere creepy.
“They say places like this have lots of ghosts.”
At Park Jaeyoon’s words, Jang Hye-rim recoiled.
“Don’t.”
“Eunji said one of the actors had something strange happen to them. For real.”
“I said don’t, Park Jaeyoon.”
After getting our tickets, we went inside.
It was about the same size as the small venue where Happy Quokka had released her new song before, and the stage was very small.
“What? There are a lot of people.”
“Seong Eunji was exaggerating.”
“...”
After sitting down, I quietly took out a mask and put it on.
Jang Hye-rim, seated beside me, tilted their head.
“Why the mask all of a sudden?”
“It feels a little dusty.”
In the front row, a Contagious Disease Patient was seated.
And then.
[Predator Relationship Activated]
Above the stage lighting equipment.
[Rat]
[Rat]
Bright red text darted around chaotically.
Beyond the door the actors used to enter and exit, Contagious Disease Patient text was moving too.
The ventilation was poor and the space was cramped, making this the perfect place for something to spread.
It might not be something transmitted through the respiratory system, but an illness like athlete’s foot.
Still, it was better to be careful.
A few more audience members came in and took their seats, and right on time, the horror play Turtle’s Eye began.
“...”
“...”
The audience focused intently, tense as they waited for something scary to jump out.
Only the actors’ voices, sound effects, and eerie music echoed through the theater.
[Then the turtle!]
Whoosh.
Suddenly, every light in the theater went out.
“Eek!”
“Ah, that startled me!”
There was no problem with the performance. It was simply an effect meant to create fear.
Squeeze.
Jang Hye-rim gripped my clothes tightly, apparently frightened.
But I was not scared at all.
Even in the darkness, the Contagious Disease Patient text floating above the audience was visible.
The Contagious Disease Patient on stage stood out in vivid green as they crawled slowly up the stairs.
“...”
Above us, bright red [Rat] labels moved about chaotically.
I could not concentrate on the play at all.
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