Plague Doctor in a Peaceful World - Chapter 20

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Plague Doctor in a Peaceful World ◈

Chapter 20: How Much Is All That?

──────

January 1 always feels like a day that shouldn't be spent meaninglessly.

Apparently, other people felt the same way.

Woof woof!

Bark bark!

The abandoned animal shelter had more volunteers than usual.

Lim Hyanggi, my sister's friend who had come with me today, clicked her tongue.

“People should come more often.”

“Why? At least there are a lot of people today, so we can shake out the bedding and blankets and take the dogs for walks.”

When there were few people, it was hard enough just cleaning up poop and feeding them. Often, we could not even think about walking or playing with the animals.

“You haven't been coming much lately either, Hyanggi.”

“Try getting a job someday. On your days off, you're too busy collapsing in bed.”

“You should build stamina through exercise.”

“Excuse me, could I ask you two for a favor?”

A shelter employee approached us with an apologetic expression.

“A lot of people came today. Since you two are veterans here, could you help out the first-timers? The shelter director isn't feeling well and couldn't come in today.”

I asked with my eyes wide.

“Did they catch a cold? Or the flu?”

The employee smiled and waved a hand.

“No, they just threw out their back.”

“What a shame.”

Too bad. If it had been a contagious disease, I could have cured them in one go.

“Bongsik, could you especially look after that person?”

The employee pointed to a skinny, short man with an unusually small head.

“I think he's a celebrity, but he said this is his first time volunteering at a shelter. Since you're around the same age, I thought he'd feel more comfortable with you.”

“A celebrity? He came alone without a manager?”

Lim Hyanggi asked with sparkling eyes.

“I don't know about that. Anyway, please take care of him, Bongsik.”

“Sure.”

Before we started volunteering, we listened to the instructions with the other volunteers. Then, while heading toward the dog kennels, I approached the man the employee had mentioned.

“Hello. I heard this is your first time here. Have you ever raised dogs?”

He smiled awkwardly and nodded.

“Yes. I had three when I was young, back in the countryside.”

“Then you won't mind cleaning up poop.”

“Not at all. I've got a strong stomach.”

“That's a relief. Well, if you've completed military service...”

The man quietly looked away.

“I haven't served...”

“You must be young.”

“No. I'm twenty-three.”

“Twenty-three? Me too.”

“Huh?”

He looked pleased.

“Really? International age?”

“Ah. I'm twenty-one by international age. Twenty-three by Korean age.”

“Ah... But you've already done your military service?”

“Yeah. Put on your mask now. Since it's cold these days, we can't air the place out often, so there's a lot of dog hair and dust inside. And even if the dogs beg for attention, ignore them for now. We play with them after everything is finished.”

“Okay.”

We entered the dog kennels.

All right, time for another rewarding day of Treatment...

“...”

“What's wrong?”

“...Nothing.”

Because so many animals lived in a cramped space, contagious diseases often spread through the kennels. But today, I could not see a single Contagious Disease Patient.

“Let's start from the innermost section.”

“Okay.”

It was only around the middle that I finally spotted three Contagious Disease Patients.

[This is a Contagious Disease Patient. Would you like to treat them?]

[(Expected MP Cost: 30)]

And even those cases were very mild.

It was good that no animals were sick, but it was strange that the number had suddenly dropped.

“The most important thing is securing the doors. Never clean with a door left open. A dog could get outside and cause an accident.”

“Okay. I'll remember that.”

I did not know if he really was a celebrity, but he diligently copied everything I did. Later, even without being told, he cleaned up poop, washed the water bowls, and carried heavy bags of feed.

“We brought the bedding and blankets back!”

The volunteers assigned to the bedding and blankets returned with them after shaking them out.

“Bongsik, here.”

“Yep. Hyanggi, you're covered in dog hair from head to toe. You must be warm.”

“Want me to make you warm too?”

“No, thanks.”

“You must come here a lot. You even have friends here.”

“We already knew each other. She's my sister's friend.”

“Hello.”

“I heard this is your first time here. How is it? Manageable?”

Lim Hyanggi's eyes gleamed with curiosity as she looked at him. She must have been wondering if he really was a celebrity.

“My back hurts a little, but seeing the dogs enjoy their clean kennels makes me feel proud.”

“Are you a celebrity by any chance? You sound like you're reciting a prepared interview answer.”

“Huh?”

At Lim Hyanggi's question, the man looked delighted and lowered his voice.

“Is it obvious?”

“Yes. Your face is small and your eyes are so defined. You look exactly like someone in that industry.”

“Haha... Actually, I'm an idol.”

“Really? Can I ask your name?”

“We aren't that famous yet, but our group's name is...”

I was not particularly interested, so I laid the bedding and blankets inside the doghouses.

Soon, he returned after chatting with Lim Hyanggi.

He looked very pleased.

“These were for Walsuni and Walkki, right? Give them to me. I'll lay them out.”

“Okay.”

Once the cleaning was done, we took a short break.

Everyone gathered around, drinking warm, sweet instant coffee and chatting. I casually asked an employee a question.

“The dogs and cats both seem healthier than a few days ago. Is there some secret?”

I had checked the container building where the cats were earlier. There had been no Contagious Disease Patients there either.

“Bongsik, you don't really check our shelter's social media, do you?”

“...?”

“Not long ago, through Mi-hyeon's introduction, actor Lee Hyoseok paid all the veterinary bills that had piled up so far. He also made sure all the animals got basic checkups and vaccinations. He even commented that he'd help from time to time in the future.”

“I see. That's good.”

So that was why.

Even the mild Contagious Disease Patients had dropped sharply.

It was a very fortunate thing, but I was still a little disappointed.

This had been a reliable Experience hunting ground.

Should I try a different shelter next time?

“Um, Bongsik, was it?”

While the employee was talking to someone else, the rookie idol volunteer quietly spoke to me.

“Can we speak casually?”

“Sure.”

“Uh, thanks. You can call me hyung comfortably too.”

I did not even know his name yet.

“Could I ask you a favor?”

“What is it?”

“Could you take pictures of me and post them on social media?”

His voice became quieter.

“Something like, ‘I came to volunteer at a shelter and saw a hardworking beginner volunteer who turned out to be an idol.’”

“...”

“I know it's kind of pathetic, but every little bit of publicity matters right now. Sorry.”

“If that's what you want, you should ask Hyanggi. She has a decent number of followers.”

“I can't ask a woman.”

“Why not?”

“I'm an idol.”

“Ah. But I don't really use social media, and I don't have many followers, so it probably won't do much.”

“It's fine. If you use the hashtags well, I'll like and share it. And I'm not asking you to do it for nothing. I'll give you tickets to our concert.”

I stepped away from him.

“I don't buy things.”

Did he think I would go to a male idol concert? He was not even a girl group idol.

“You can give them to your sister. Which idols does she like?”

They said tickets for popular idol concerts were harder to get than university class registration.

Maybe they did not have many fans.

Well, that was probably why he was asking people to help spread his name like this.

I sighed inwardly.

I did not want to keep looking at a grown man with his eyes sparkling so creepily, either.

“Fine. My face doesn't have to be in the pictures, right?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

We went into the dog kennels together, and I took a few pictures of him playing with the dogs.

He said that if they came out too well, they would look staged, so I made them look amateurish.

“If you use the dogs for publicity and ignore them once you make it big, I'll leave nasty comments.”

“Hehe. Got it.”

I logged into my regular social media account, not the one for the Plague Doctor. His eyes widened as he looked at my phone with me.

“You like Happy Quokka? Then you must watch Unknown Singer too.”

“Yeah.”

I uploaded the photos I had just taken and started writing the post.

“By the way, what's your name and agency?”

“My group's name is Hertz. I'm Burns.”

“Are you foreign?”

“No. Korean through and through.”

[I came to volunteer at a shelter on January 1 and saw an idol. It was so interesting that I asked permission to take a picture. #○○Shelter #AbandonedAnimalShelterVolunteerWork #Hertz #Burns]

“Want tickets to watch Unknown Singer?”

I paused.

“Really? You can get those separately?”

Lee Mun-yeong had also said she could get them through someone she knew, but I had assumed it was possible because she was the secretary to the president of a fairly large pharmaceutical company.

“My cousin is on the production staff for Unknown Singer. Not the finals, but I think I can get tickets for next week's special-stage recording. I heard they're giving some out for staff and associates. What do you think?”

The offer was for Kang Bongsik, not the Plague Doctor.

I nodded without hesitation.

Songs were best heard live, not through a video.

And this was a television studio stage.

It would be on an entirely different level from hearing them in a small venue or on the street.

“Deal.”

I pressed the button to publish the post.

Burns grinned.

“I'll give you tickets to our concert too.”

“No, I'm good on those.”

* * *

Burns, the leader of the idol group Hertz, got into a taxi with a smile on his face.

‘I'm glad I came after listening to Senior Mi-hyeon.’

It had already been four years since their debut. But at this rate, Hertz could disappear without a trace.

Thinking they had to do something, he sought advice from actress Shin Mi-hyeon, with whom he had once trained.

“Getting your name out there, even a little, is important. You're already uploading cover-song videos, so how about doing good deeds? Something like volunteering at an abandoned-dog shelter.”

She then told him about a shelter she visited sometimes.

“There’s a college student around your age who comes often. He's kind and cheerful, so I think it would be good if you became friends with him. When things are hard, don't you need to widen your relationships and your perspective to find a way forward?”

Burns was not yet sure whether Shin Mi-hyeon's advice was appropriate, but he smiled as he looked at Kang Bongsik's social media.

-Oh, an idol.

-You hit the jackpot, Kang Bongsik.

-Take me with you next time.

-Even in those clothes, his proportions look good. He really is an idol.

Kang Bongsik had said he did not use social media much. He did indeed have few followers, but most of them were ordinary college students.

In other words, the public.

‘Don't get greedy. Don't get impatient. Let's slowly make our name known, even like this.’

Burns shamelessly left a comment that gave off the impression that he was a little embarrassed. Then he liked and shared the post.

After that, he called his cousin.

“Hey, hyung. Can I get some tickets for the Unknown Singer special-stage audience? ...What? You caught a cold?”

* * *

“...Yes, thank you! Thank you!”

“Who are you talking to? You keep saying thank you.”

After hanging up, I grinned at my sister.

“It was a call about the Unknown Singer audience tickets.”

My sister shot up from the sofa.

“The finals?!”

“No. The special-stage recording.”

I did not tell her that I got them because of an idol. They were payment for putting up the social media post.

“Ooh... Is it only for one person?”

“No. It includes one guest. Want to come?”

“With you? No thanks.”

“I don't want to either, Kang Hyunseo. I only asked to be polite.”

“Stop casually calling your older sister by name, you rude little brat.”

What should I wear?

I would not be meeting Happy Quokka separately, but I was still going to a broadcasting station. I could not dress sloppily.

I took out the envelope of cash hidden in my room.

“Hehe.”

Time passed, and the day of the Unknown Singer special-stage recording arrived.

Park Jaeyoon and I arrived in front of the SBC broadcasting station.

“Hey. What if the security guard thinks I'm an idol and just lets me through?”

Ignoring Park Jaeyoon's nonsense, I headed toward the sign for Unknown Singer audience members.

Unlike the Music Stage audience sign next to it, where young students were packed together, this place was quiet.

“Kang Bongsik. Can't we go over there? I heard IAB is making a comeback today. I want to see IAB.”

“I shouldn't have brought you. If you're going to whine, go slice some raw fish at your parents' restaurant.”

“No.”

We showed the message we had received from Unknown Singer in advance and our IDs, then received ticket wristbands.

“Let's eat first.”

“Yeah. What's good around here?”

“Don't know? Want to go here? They sell spicy pork rice bowls.”

“Sure.”

We chose a restaurant using a map app, left the broadcasting station, and started walking. A long line of people stretched ahead of us.

“This must be it. The music-show commute route.”

Then, a completely black van slowly approached from the distance.

People holding large cameras stirred excitedly.

“They're here! Actis! Actis!”

“Actis?!”

There were even female students holding signs with Actis slogans.

“Wow...”

I also watched the passing van in awe.

[Contagious Disease Patient]

How much Experience was all that?

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