WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Plague Doctor in a Peaceful World ◈
Chapter 19: Shouldn’t I Be the One to Eat It?
──────
Hurrah Animal Hospital’s director, Lee Do-han, still could not believe the miracle that had happened at their clinic.
Boogi’s test results from yesterday, when Boogi had been discharged, were displayed on the monitor.
The results from when Boogi had first arrived.
The results from four days ago.
Boogi had been beyond hope.
Even by their standards, Boogi had been in such critical condition that it would not have been surprising if the dog stopped breathing at any moment.
‘And yet.’
Christmas.
While they had briefly gone to organize some paperwork, Boogi had miraculously become completely fine. Nothing remained except signs that the external injuries had been treated.
‘If there hadn’t been photos and videos of Boogi, along with CCTV footage of the treatment...’
Flip.
They turned to the next page.
Boogi’s test results immediately before discharge.
Every value was normal.
‘I would’ve suspected the tests had been wrong from the start.’
And the miracle that had happened to Boogi gave them a strong sense of déjà vu.
There had been Kkami, the cat urgently hospitalized after catching a terrible virus.
Kkami’s prognosis had not been good either, and they had told the owner they should prepare themselves.
But Kkami’s condition suddenly improved overnight. By morning, the cat had recovered completely, as though nothing had happened.
‘Could it be...?’
Lee Do-han entered the hospital room.
The empty room was dim, lit only by the emergency exit light.
They clasped their hands together.
Feeling a little creeped out.
‘Was it thanks to my ancestors?!’
Last year, a large animal hospital had opened nearby, equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and several veterinarians. Since then, their clinic’s income had been rapidly declining.
To make matters worse, the rent had gone up.
Unpaid bills had steadily piled up after they urgently treated sick dogs and cats at the request of animal rescue groups. And after they had gotten into an argument with an irresponsible owner, malicious rumors had spread that they overtreated animals.
So, feeling overwhelmed, they had gone to pay respects at their grandparents’ graves a few months ago and complained for a long time.
“Grandma, Grandpa. Please help me...”
Something like that.
Lee Do-han looked at a social-media post uploaded by Boogi’s owner’s son.
[Our Boogi, who we were told was “at death’s door every day,” has miraculously made a full recovery! #Boogi #ChristmasMiracle #HurrahAnimalHospital]
The first photo showed Boogi just after arriving at the hospital. Next came test results with several values marked in red.
Then came a video of Boogi breathing so heavily it seemed as though the dog might stop breathing at any moment, with the owner’s sobs audible in the background.
[Boogi... Mom’s sorry, Boogi...]
The very next video contained a gentle voice.
[Boogi~.]
Boogi, healthy and being discharged from the hospital.
[Oh my, you’re happy to be going home~.]
- It was a truly deadly virus, and the complications were dangerous too. A dog belonging to someone I know passed away helplessly from it... This really must be a Christmas miracle. T_T
- I showed this to the vet at the hospital my dog goes to, and they said it was practically a miracle. They said they’d never seen a case where an animal improved this much in such a short time after being at death’s door;
- Could the original test results have been wrong??
└ I don’t think so. Look at the older photos and videos of Boogi.
- It really is a miracle. Congratulations. T_T
- My cat goes to this hospital too, and the director is really kind and thorough.
- Apparently, when there’s an inpatient, the vet here doesn’t leave them alone at night. They sleep at the hospital and keep watch. It must be hard when they’re on their own too. T_T
- The dog got better like this in just a few days? That’s seriously unbelievable lol
- What animal hospital is this?
└ Hurrah Animal Hospital in ○○ District.
└ It’s pretty far, but I should still go there.
- The veterinarian who healed this dog is the real miracle.
Boogi’s owner’s son had quite a lot of followers.
The post’s shares were increasing in real time, and perhaps because of that, the animal hospital’s social-media followers were growing as well.
So were appointment inquiries.
Lee Do-han repeatedly bowed toward the empty hospital room.
‘Thank you. Thank you so much, ancestors.’
* * *
“Thanks, Kang Bongsik.”
Still wearing new clothes with their tags attached, my sister struck a strange pose.
“How do I look?”
I stretched with a loud yawn.
“Yeah. You finally look like an unemployed bum who’s escaped the rags.”
“What did you say, punk?”
The day before yesterday, the day after Christmas, I slept all day.
Maybe it was because I had kept using my skills, or maybe because I had spent hours walking around. I had been pretty tired.
I’d worked hard to gain Experience, so I figured it would be fine to rest for a day.
Yesterday, Saturday, I lazed around as usual.
While walking Arong, I luckily found a [Contagious Disease Patient] in a park where dogs often gathered and earned a little Experience.
“By the way, Kang Bongsik.”
I was wondering what to do tomorrow to kill time when my sister came into my room.
“Did you see this?”
“See what?”
“The animal hospital Arong goes to. It’s on YouTube and social media.”
“Hurrah Animal Hospital?”
“Yeah.”
My sister showed me someone’s social-media post.
[Our Boogi, who we were told was “at death’s door every day,” has miraculously made a full recovery!]
“They lost Boogi a month ago and barely found Boogi, but Boogi was covered in injuries and had a really dangerous disease.”
When I checked the other posts, they described in detail how hopeless the dog’s condition had been.
“But on Christmas, when the hospital said Boogi was really at death’s door! Boogi suddenly became completely fine, like a miracle! Only the injury scars remained, and all Boogi’s values returned to normal. Look.”
“...Yeah. That’s amazing.”
So this was the dog I had treated with the Christmas Special, Christmas Miracle.
“I knew that vet had a good reputation, but they must be really skilled. The full story is on YouTube too, and apparently they stayed at the hospital the entire time Boogi was admitted to keep watch.”
I shamelessly smiled.
“Ha ha. The heavens must’ve been moved by the doctor’s care and effort.”
“This person has so many followers. What if it gets hard to book appointments for Arong from now on?”
I hadn’t meant to heal Boogi all at once, but I had wondered if the veterinarian would gain a reputation as a miracle worker because of me.
Still, I hadn’t expected things to get this big.
“We can go somewhere else.”
I got out of bed.
“I’m going to buy bread.”
“Out of nowhere?”
“Seeing that made me want bread from the bakery beside the animal hospital.”
“At this time, all the good stuff will be sold out.”
“I’ll buy something else.”
A little later.
I checked the alley between the animal hospital and bakery, the surrounding area, and even across the street.
Still no CCTV.
And it didn’t look like the cars that were always parked nearby were around either.
“Phew.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Coincidences stopped being coincidences when they kept happening.
I should refrain from treating animals admitted to this hospital from now on.
I was thinking that as I crossed back in front of the animal hospital.
Rustle.
“Huh?”
“Ah...”
In the narrow alley between the animal hospital and the bakery, I ran into a man taking makgeolli and boiled pork out of a black plastic bag.
He was the veterinarian from the animal hospital.
“Hello, Doctor.”
“Yes, hello. You’re Arong’s owner, right?”
“Yes. But... what are you doing there?”
“Ah.”
The veterinarian smiled awkwardly.
“Something I’m grateful for happened recently, so I was going to make a small offering. It wouldn’t be hygienic to do it inside.”
“Right...”
My eyes went to the boiled pork, wrapped in plastic inside a disposable container.
Then shouldn’t I be the one eating that?
If I said it aloud, I’d definitely be treated like a lunatic, so I gave him a small bow.
“I’ll be going, then.”
“Yes, get home safely.”
Tsk.
I should order some bossam when I got home.
* * *
December 31.
SBC’s Unknown Singer aired.
During last week’s broadcast, the vote counts for everyone except a few contestants had been revealed.
Today’s broadcast was the same.
Happy Quokka’s vote count was censored.
But I didn’t think Happy Quokka would be eliminated. There were contestants who sang better than Happy Quokka, but there was no way she wouldn’t be chosen among the ten.
Why?
Our singer could sing too.
More importantly, wouldn’t she have received better scores for writing her own songs? She had even arranged the song she performed today herself.
[We will now announce the contestants advancing to the third round, the finals. We will reveal tenth place later. Starting with ninth place.]
Ju Hye was in ninth place.
Mom and my sister, who had been cheering for Ju Hye, nodded with satisfied expressions.
Eighth, seventh, and sixth place were announced.
[We will reveal fifth place later. Now, third place. Third place is...!]
Happy Quokka’s performance video appeared on the huge screen.
[Happy Quokka, with 273 points, congratulations!]
I clenched both fists.
“Yes!”
I knew our singer would make it!
The remaining finalists were announced afterward.
[Next week, we’ll take a break before returning with special performances from the contestants instead of a competition. Thank you.]
The broadcast ended.
“Mom, should we apply to attend the finals?”
“I don’t think I’ll have time. Go with Bongsik.”
“It’s not like everyone who applies gets picked.”
“You should still try~.”
“Yeah. You apply, Sis.”
“If I get picked, I’m not going with you. I’m going with a friend.”
I pushed Arong toward the back of my sister’s head.
“Arong, bite her.”
“Ugh, you’re so childish.”
I returned to my room, went to SBC Unknown Singer’s website, and clicked the audience application.
Ding.
“...?”
Lee Mun-yeong had sent me a DM for the first time in a while.
-[Hello, Plague Doctor! Did you watch today’s episode of Unknown Singer?]
[Yes, I did.]
-[Would you like me to send you tickets to attend the finals? I happen to know someone involved there, so I think I can get them for you. :)]
I thought for a moment, then turned my head.
The audience application form displayed on my monitor.
To prevent ticket transfers, it asked for my name and the phone number registered in my own name.
It also stated that they would check ID at the venue.
If I received tickets through Lee Mun-yeong’s connections, wasn’t there a risk that my information would get passed along?
Though they might have already found out who I was.
[I appreciate the thought.]
-[Okay, hehe. I’ll contact you again later. Happy New Year!]
[Happy New Year to you too, Secretary Lee.]
I sent Happy Quokka a congratulatory DM and New Year’s greeting, then finished filling out the audience application.
It would be nice if I got picked. If not, then not.
The finals would be live, and I could vote through the app anyway.
By the way, it seemed there was no one who needed my treatment prayers these days.
Well.
Among the people I knew who could keep a secret, it wasn’t as though someone who urgently needed a cold or flu cured would show up often.
Still, it had been pretty profitable.
My Plague Treatment skill had reached level 2, and my MP had increased to 130, so I could one-shot most flu patients now.
I relaxed into my chair.
Tomorrow, I should go to an animal shelter.
The next morning.
I woke up without an alarm and checked my phone first.
Since it was January 1, I had received several New Year’s greetings from friends and acquaintances.
After replying, I logged onto social media.
Happy Quokka had replied at four in the morning.
-[Thamk you T_T Plague Doctor, happy new year to you too♡]
Judging by all the typos, she must have sent it while drinking.
When I went out into the living room, my sister was lying on the sofa looking like a bum again.
“Where are Mom and Dad?”
“At the temple. Yunjeong will be coming over later.”
“Why?”
“She wants someone to prick her finger.”
“...?”
“Her indigestion still hasn’t gone away, and you’re good at it, so I told her to come over.”
“What am I, some kind of Korean medicine doctor?”
“She said she’ll give you 5,000 won if it works.”
I brushed my bangs back.
“I’ll make sure I draw blood.”
“Ugh.”
A little later.
Lee Yunjeong sat in front of me, clean and neatly dressed.
[System]
-‘Bloodletting’ Proficiency +1
-Experience +1.2%
Burp.
A refreshing burp.
Lee Yunjeong immediately covered her mouth with an embarrassed expression.
“Sorry.”
“...It’s fine.”
I had earned 5,000 won, but somehow I felt a little sad.
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