WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Plague Doctor in a Peaceful World ◈
Chapter 2: I Awakened as a Plague Doctor (2)
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Lee Jinseok had asked me to meet them at a bar. When I walked in, an ugly mug I hated seeing grinned and raised a hand.
“Hey, Kang Bongsik.”
My face twisted.
“Fuck, you invited Kim Jaewon too?”
At that moment, the green [Contagious Disease Patient] text floating over Kim Jaewon’s head barely registered.
“Hey, hey. You think I called you for no reason?”
Lee Jinseok spoke quickly, watching my reaction.
“Kim Jaewon said they wanted to make up with you, so I asked you to come. It’s not like you two will never see each other again for the rest of your lives...”
“I’ll never see them again. I’m leaving.”
“Hey, Kang Bongsik.”
Kim Jaewon blocked my path.
“I really was wrong back then. There are things a person should and shouldn’t do, and I did it because I was stupid and had no common sense. I’ve reflected on it a lot. You’re smarter than me, aren’t you? Just think of it as being generous to an idiot. Yeah?”
“Get lost, asshole. Unless you’re trying to turn an innocent person into a criminal.”
Back in high school, Kim Jaewon came to my house and stole the envelope of money from my desk drawer.
It was the last spending money my grandmother had given me before she passed away.
Her touch still lingered on it, so I’d kept it safely in that envelope...
But this bastard stole it and blew it all.
And that wasn’t enough. They spewed bullshit about how it would be fine if they paid it back, how they’d meant to pay it back, and how I was really going to do this to a friend over a little money. So I beat them up.
Kim Jaewon said they would report me for school violence, but when I reported them for theft first, they only pretended to apologize after getting beaten like a dog at home.
“Hey. It’s been years, though...”
I raised my hand to shove Kim Jaewon aside.
“Move, you bas...”
That was when it happened.
A pale blue system window appeared.
Along with the Plague Treatment skill icon.
[This is a Contagious Disease Patient. Would you like to treat them?]
[(Expected MP Cost: 80)]
“...?”
Out of nowhere?
I lowered the hand I had raised.
The system window vanished.
I raised it again.
[This is a Contagious Disease Patient. Would you like to treat them?]
[(Expected MP Cost: 80)]
“...”
“Hey, I said I was wrong... I’m going to get my act together from now on...”
Perhaps thinking I might hit them again, Kim Jaewon hesitantly backed away.
The system window disappeared.
So this was it.
Did raising my hand within a certain distance of a [Contagious Disease Patient] activate the skill?
My sister had eaten dinner separately in her room earlier, so it made sense that I’d noticed it late.
“Hey, Kang Bongsik. This is the first time you’ve seen me since I got out of the army too. Just sit down first...”
Still, figuring out the activation condition was one thing.
Ignoring Lee Jinseok, I left the bar.
One bastard stole money from a friend’s house, then had the nerve to act like the victim. The other bastard tried to mediate and get me to make up with them.
“Fuck. I just ended up taking a walk in the middle of the night.”
I should’ve brought Arong along. Arong liked night walks.
For the sake of my mental health, it was best to forget unpleasant things quickly.
Thinking about the system message from earlier and our dog, I kept walking.
Before I knew it, I had arrived at my apartment.
Before going upstairs, I looked over Mom’s car.
That lifted my mood even more.
It was a little old and had some minor scratches, but knowing it would soon be mine made it look lovely.
How could its tires be so adorable?
“Who’s there... Ah, Apartment 503’s son?”
“Hello, sir.”
The security guard switched off his flashlight and approached.
“Were you looking at your mother’s car? I thought you were breaking into cars.”
“Do we get people like that in our apartment complex too?”
“Those kinds of people are everywhere in the country. But why? Is there a problem with the car?”
“No. I just got my license. Mom said she’d give me this car, so I was just taking a look.”
“Ooh, congratulations. Drive safely.”
“Yes, thank you.”
After saying goodbye to the guard, I went upstairs.
The next day.
“Ugh, I can’t exactly take it back after promising. Here.”
Mom bestowed the car keys upon me.
“Thank you, Mom! I love you!”
I threw myself at her.
“Why are you being so creepy? Anyway, be careful not to get into an accident. The hospital said you were fine, but just in case, never get behind the wheel if you feel even a little unwell.”
“Yes!”
Sniff.
My sister sniffled and asked, “So what’s Mom going to ride now? A BMW?”
“BMW? Since when did we have one of those?”
“Bus, Metro, Walk. BMW.”
Mom turned away from her.
“I signed for a new car. It’ll be here in two weeks.”
“Whoa.”
“Wow.”
Anyway, I had a car now.
Happily, I put on my coat and headed down to the parking lot. Mom and my sister came along too.
“Let’s see how well my newly licensed son drives.”
“Let’s go to the supermarket first, Kang Bongsik.”
“Wait. Let me adjust the seat.”
It had been set for Mom, so it was far too high and cramped.
I adjusted the seat to fit myself and buckled up.
Vroom.
“The engine starts fine.”
“Before you move, don’t just check the side mirrors. Turn your head and look around properly. Check behind you with the rearview mirror too!”
“Yep.”
“Hey, hey, there’s a motorcycle coming. Stay focused.”
The supermarket was a five-minute walk away.
It took five minutes to get there by car, while I listened to Mom and my sister nag the entire way.
“Look at that crooked parking job.”
“You’ll get better with practice.”
“You absolutely can’t drive at night for a while. Once you’re a little more used to it, only take short drives.”
“Yes...”
Those five minutes felt like an hour.
They say you shouldn’t learn to drive from family. Apparently, you shouldn’t even take family along for your first real drive.
“Lock the doors properly too.”
“Oh, right.”
Beep.
“Mom, did you hear? The security guard said car burglars are prowling around our apartment complex too.”
“They have two legs, so of course they’re prowling around.”
After shopping and returning home, I ate and headed out alone.
Car-washing supplies in hand.
“Hehe.”
Mom told me to use an automatic car wash and relax, but this was my first car. How could I do that?
I’d watched more than ten self-service car wash videos on YouTube for this.
First, I stuck the “New Driver” magnetic sticker I had bought at the supermarket onto the back of the car with a smack, then headed to the car wash. There, I reviewed the washing videos once more and diligently cleaned the car.
By the time I got home again, the evening sun was sinking low.
Whew.
It had been a fulfilling day.
I gathered my car-washing supplies and got out.
Ah. I couldn’t forget to lock the door, either.
Beep.
That night, I was stretched out on the sofa, petting the dog and watching TV.
“Hey, Kang Bongsik! Kang Bongsik!”
Beyond the wall where the TV was mounted, the [Contagious Disease Patient] text moved, and my sister came out of her room.
It was amazing that the system radar detected people even when I couldn’t see them.
“What?”
“The convenience store has Dujjonku in stock! Go buy some! Now!”
“Dujjonku? That trend was ages ago.”
“Hurry!”
“Why should I?”
“That umbrella was really precious to me. A friend gave it to me as a birthday present before they left the country.”
“...”
Without another word, I got up.
As if she’d been waiting, Mom said, “Bongsik, take out the trash while you’re at it.”
I had been taken to the hospital after lightning struck right beside me, but I’d been so energetic yesterday and today that Mom seemed to have finally stopped worrying so much.
She was sending me on errands as usual, after all.
“Yep.”
I put on a hooded zip-up jacket, slipped into sandals with bare feet, and left the apartment.
It was chilly at night in October, but the convenience store was right nearby anyway.
“No, I’m telling you, it really happened!”
When I got off the elevator, a woman with [Contagious Disease Patient] floating above her head was talking on the phone in front of the building entrance, spraying spit everywhere.
Was she sick with a cold like my sister?
She didn’t look like she had a cold, but my sister still had the [Contagious Disease Patient] tag despite getting better.
I held my breath and hurried past the woman.
“...Phew.”
I only breathed again after I had gotten far away outside.
I’d only just recovered from a cold myself, so I probably wouldn’t catch it again...
But contagious diseases weren’t limited to colds, were they?
Thud.
After tossing the trash bag into the recycling area, I turned around.
“...?”
Green [Contagious Disease Patient] text scurried past at a very low height.
It was a cat that still looked young.
“Poor thing.”
I clicked my tongue.
They said stray cats often caught contagious diseases.
Wait, this showed up on animals too?
Did that mean I could treat them too?
I could catch one and experiment on it... But what if something went wrong with the cat?
“Is there a decent test subject somewhere?”
Someone I wouldn’t feel too bad about if things went wrong.
A little later, at the convenience store.
[Contagious Disease Patient]
“You little shit! When a customer tells you something, you move fast! Huh? Do you think I won’t pay? Think I’m not going to pay?”
A man who seemed completely drunk was harassing the part-time worker.
The worker trembled with fright, then spotted me standing by the door and gave me a desperate look.
It was a convenience store I had visited often since leaving the army.
We’d never spoken, but how many people would ignore a familiar worker’s plea for help and run away?
And, conveniently enough...
There was also a test subject I wouldn’t feel too bad about if something went wrong.
It wasn’t like he would die... right?
“You motherfucker! Can’t you hear me?!”
Jingle.
I threw the door open and walked in.
“Sir, is there a problem?”
My voice rang out loudly.
I wasn’t particularly tall or well-built, but drunks like this tended to hesitate when faced with a healthy young man.
If he were truly so drunk that he couldn’t see straight, he should already have been sprawled out on the street.
“Are you feeling unwell? Do you need help?”
“Wh-what? Do you work here?”
I strode closer.
“If you’re not feeling well, shall I treat you?”
When I gently raised my hand, the system window appeared.
[This is a Contagious Disease Patient. Would you like to treat them?]
[(Expected MP Cost: 80)]
Would this really work?
What if some flashy effect appeared?
Now that I was about to do it, curiosity made my heart race.
It would be safer to lure him outside first, right?
“...What? Do I look like a patient to you?!”
Oh.
Footnotes:
Dujjonku is a Korean abbreviation for “Dubai chewy cookies,” a viral snack trend.
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