WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Plague Doctor in a Peaceful World ◈
Chapter 28: Equipped Stick
──────
The blue light that had stained the Stick was absorbed back into it and disappeared the moment I let go.
This time, was it only activated rather than triggering on its own because I was some distance from the [False Ones]?
As I clenched and unclenched my hand, I watched the two women being driven away by the security guard.
[False One]
[False One]
The words did not disappear even as they moved farther away.
“Student.”
“Yes, sir.”
I picked up the sticks again.
[System]
-Equipped Stick.
-You can use the skill ‘Divine Punishment’.
The skill ‘Divine Punishment’ did not activate again.
“You should be careful too. If a stranger speaks warmly and says they’re a friend of your parents, or offers a gift for answering a survey, then asks you to open the building entrance, never do it.”
“Yes.”
The guard let out a deep sigh and started walking away.
“Honestly. Their methods keep getting more sophisticated.”
I returned home.
My sister was there.
“Where do you run off to every day? Huh? What’s that? Did you buy it for me?”
“I brought you all those gifts from Japan, and you’re still fishing for more? Have some shame.”
“Then why did you buy it?”
“Because I wanted it.”
“Are you a kid?”
“And you think you’re an adult wearing sleep pants like that?”
“Hey, what’s wrong with these? They’re cute.”
“Ugh.”
I shook my head with a disgusted look and went into my room.
Arong trotted after me.
“Arong, this isn’t a toy. Don’t chew on it. It’s bad for your teeth too.”
I hid the two brand-new, unopened sticks deep inside my closet. I shoved the one I had been holding onto a high shelf of the bookcase where Arong could not reach it.
“Where are you going now?”
My sister asked when I came back out.
“To buy something. Oh, tell me what that bastard looked like.”
“That bastard? Who?”
Ding!
I checked my phone as I answered.
“The dark-looking guy you said was following you.”
Happy Quokka had sent me a DM.
-[Hello, Plague Doctor. Um... Could we possibly meet once before next week’s finals?]
-[I want Plague Doctor’s support T_T]
My singer was not normally the sort of person to make a request like this.
Was she that nervous?
Or had something happened? Had she caught a cold again?
I immediately sent a reply.
[Sure. Let me know a convenient date, time, and place.]
“...Did you hear from Mom?”
“Yeah.”
I put my phone in my pocket.
“If something like that happened, you should have told me sooner. I would’ve rounded up the older guys, friends, and younger kids I know around here and searched for him.”
My sister pouted and squeezed the cushion in her arms.
“Why would I spread something like that all over the neighborhood?”
“Anyway, organize it and send it to me in a message.”
“...”
My sister turned away completely.
It seemed she did not want me to see her expression, so I did not press her any further and put on my shoes.
“Arong, I’ll take you for a walk when I get back.”
Woof!
When I came back after buying materials for a Stick pouch, my sister had already gone to her cram school.
There was a message waiting for me instead.
-[Roughly 168 to 172 cm tall. Big head, forward head posture. I didn’t see his face, but I suspect he was one of the customers from when I worked part-time. That customer had a small white scar, less than 1 cm long, between the middle and ring fingers of his left hand. He ran away fast and seemed to know the area well. And he was skinny.]
Memorized.
* * *
I attached the Stick pouch inside one of the coats I wore often, so I could take it out easily whenever I needed it.
It was a little uncomfortable when I sat down, but I would not be carrying it every day anyway.
“Where are you going again this late?”
“To meet a friend.”
I had deliberately left it behind again today.
I was supposed to meet Happy Quokka.
“I won’t be home late.”
“Okay.”
I arrived at Han River Park.
The cold wind was fierce.
So people would not be startled, I headed to our meeting place while holding up a pure white sketchbook with the words [Sorry for startling you] written on it in large letters.
“Plague Doctor!”
Happy Quokka, bundled up in warm-looking clothes, a scarf, and gloves, waved at me.
“Hello!”
I bowed.
“Thank you so much for coming. And even though there are still a few days left...”
Happy Quokka smiled and held something out to me.
“Happy New Year!”
It was a paper bag with a gift box inside.
So this was why she had wanted to meet.
But I had not prepared anything.
...Oh, right. I had that.
I took a thin envelope from my coat pocket.
“Uh...”
Happy Quokka looked surprised.
“Did you prepare a gift too, Plague Doctor? You really didn’t have to...”
I accepted Happy Quokka’s gift and handed her the envelope instead.
She checked what was inside and broke into a wide smile.
“Wow, tickets to a musical! Aren’t these expensive? Can I really accept them?”
Scratch scratch.
[I received them from someone else, but I don’t know much about musicals.]
“Then... would you like to go see it with me?”
I shook my head and turned my sketchbook back to the first page.
[Good luck in the finals!]
It was the message of support I had written in the car beforehand.
Happy Quokka smiled brightly.
“Thank you so much! I’ll make sure to sing you a great song in next week’s finals!”
That was when it happened.
“Huh? Aren’t you Happy Quokka? I’ve been enjoying Unknown Singer!”
A couple passing nearby greeted Happy Quokka warmly.
Happy Quokka ducked her head shyly.
“Hello...”
“Your friend has a really unique style too. We’ll be cheering for you next week too. Good luck!”
“We’ll definitely vote for you!”
“Thank you...!”
They said fewer people watched TV these days, but its influence still could not be ignored.
Her social-media followers had increased enormously, and people were starting to recognize her even outside Hongdae.
Seeing my singer become more well-known made me oddly proud.
If she became even more popular and her value went up, she would be able to focus on writing songs without worrying about money, right? Then she would naturally make lots of good songs too.
Happy Quokka gave a small laugh.
“It’s a little embarrassing. Hehe.”
I nodded and waved.
“You’re leaving already? I wanted to talk a little longer...”
Scratch scratch.
[It’s cold. You might catch a cold.]
“...Okay. Thank you so much for coming out today. And for the gift too.”
No, thank you.
I held the gift Happy Quokka had given me carefully against my chest and bowed. After watching her get into a taxi, I returned to the parking lot.
“Phew.”
I took off my stuffy cap and bird-beak mask, then checked the gift box.
Inside was a crow doll wearing a top hat and a cross necklace, along with a small card.
[Thank you always! Happy New Year☆ -Happy Quokka]
In a good mood, I started the car.
* * *
A barbecue restaurant in Gangnam.
“Wow, how long has it been? It’s good to see everyone.”
“Park Taegwon, are you late again?”
“Hey, cut Park Taegwon some slack. They work at a zoo. They must have a lot to worry about.”
“True. Is zoo work manageable?”
“It’s manageable, except the smell never leaves my body.”
“Now that you say that, you do seem kind of smelly.”
“Hey, I washed up properly, okay? And these are new clothes.”
They had all graduated from the same veterinary school.
Since it had been so long since they had met, they spent a long time catching up while eating meat and drinking soju.
“Hey, that medicine your company released recently wasn’t very good. Did it even go through proper clinical trials?”
“Oh? You’re questioning my company?”
“Ah, Lee Do-han. Your hospital has become a huge success, hasn’t it? What happened?”
“Ah.”
Lee Do-han, who ran a small animal hospital, smiled awkwardly.
“I got a little lucky. A dog I thought truly had no hope made a miraculous recovery, and the owner posted about it on social media. Word spread that I was some miracle-working veterinarian.”
“How hopeless was it?”
“Well...”
Lee Do-han explained about Boogi, a dog who had made a miraculous recovery from the brink of death overnight on Christmas.
Everyone listened blankly, including the classmate carefully grilling the meat so it would not burn, before letting out incredulous laughs.
“Hey, does that make any sense? All the levels that had shot up sky-high returned to normal overnight?”
“Maybe the tests were wrong from the beginning. I told you to replace that old equipment ages ago.”
“I ran the tests twice before that, and the equipment is fine. It was not an error.”
“A real Christmas miracle, then?”
“Probably.”
Lee Do-han lowered their voice slightly.
“I think my ancestors helped me.”
“Your ancestors?”
“Yeah. Something happened before too. A cat with feline panleukopenia came in. Its immunity was severely weakened, so it was in bad shape... Then it suddenly improved overnight and was completely fine the next day.”
“I’m telling you, replace that equipment.”
“It can’t get better from panleukopenia overnight...”
“Feline panleukopenia? Lee Do-han, did you perhaps use a new drug from Kang-geon Pharmaceuticals?”
“No? I used the one I normally use.”
“Why Kang-geon Pharmaceuticals? Did they release a new drug for panleukopenia?”
“Isn’t Kang-geon still weak in veterinary medicine?”
“Why bring them up all of a sudden?”
Park Taegwon put down their chopsticks as they answered.
“Actually, there’s a tiger at our zoo called Kongkong. Kongkong got panleukopenia recently too.”
“A tiger? Is it okay?”
“It would be a huge loss if something happened to a tiger.”
“It would be all over the news.”
“Of course it wasn’t okay. We could not even figure out how Kongkong got infected. Anyway, the condition kept getting worse, so we strictly isolated Kongkong and kept watch...”
Park Taegwon paused for effect.
“Then a strange order came down from above.”
“What order?”
“Everyone in the indoor enclosure had to leave for an hour.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Later, I quietly heard that someone from Kang-geon Pharmaceuticals had visited. Anyway, I was out for that hour too, and when I came back in...”
Everyone’s eyes and ears focused on Park Taegwon.
Park Taegwon spoke with a face that still could not believe it.
“Kongkong was completely fine.”
“Hey, does that make any sense?”
“A cat was already unbelievable, and now a tiger too?”
“...”
Everyone except Lee Do-han burst into laughter.
“Did you two plan this? Huh?”
“Honestly, meeting after so long just to talk nonsense like this. I guess we really are getting old.”
“Ugh. Just drink, doctors. I listened seriously for nothing.”
“Your zoo needs to replace its testing equipment too.”
“But it’s true... They even turned off the CCTV for that one hour.”
Park Taegwon felt wronged, but even Park Taegwon would have reacted the same way as an outsider.
That was why Park Taegwon could not insist any more strongly, only looking at Lee Do-han with a laugh.
Lee Do-han scratched an eyebrow and shook their head.
* * *
The long Lunar New Year holiday began that weekend.
My parents had gone on a trip to Jeju Island and did not return until Lunar New Year’s Eve.
“Bongsik, are you coming separately tomorrow morning? There’s no point going today. There won’t be anything to do.”
“I’ll come help prepare the food too, Mom and Dad.”
“No. You’ll only get in the way.”
“If you go too, Hyunseo will be alone today.”
“I’m fine. I have Arong too.”
Mom looked at my sister worriedly.
“I heard the café asked you to work closing shifts today and tomorrow. Can you get home alone?”
My sister smiled and waved a hand.
“I’m fine now. It’s been so long already.”
I nodded and spoke to my parents.
“I’ll come tomorrow morning. I need to take Arong on an evening walk too.”
“Okay.”
“I’m fine...”
“I’m not worried about you. I’m worried about Arong.”
Thwack.
“Ow.”
“Drive carefully when you come tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
My parents packed up a great deal of luggage and left for Grandpa’s house in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province.
That night, I took Arong to the café where my sister worked.
We were a little late because Arong had done his business on the way and then became obsessed with a tree, refusing to move.
Maybe because it was Lunar New Year’s Eve.
There were not many people on the streets.
“Oh. It went out.”
When I was only about ten meters away, the lights inside the café went out.
“Should I wait here and surprise her?”
Woof!
“Hey. If you bark, she’ll notice right away.”
Having heard Arong bark, my sister came out of the café and tilted her head in our direction.
Under the still-lit café sign, I could see her smiling when she spotted Arong.
That was when I saw it.
“...?”
Three or four buildings behind my sister, some dark, shadowy figure poked its head out before disappearing again.
“Hey, Bong...”
“Shh.”
I naturally handed Arong’s leash to my sister as I passed her.
Then I ran.
Because...
「Roughly 168 to 172 cm tall. Big head, forward head posture.」
The shadow poked its head out again, and it matched the description my sister had given me.
[System]
-Equipped Stick.
-You can use the skill ‘Divine Punishment’.
[MP 140/140]
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