Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It Was Too Much Money to Refuse

Happy Quokka conveyed the situation from just now to me intact.

-[Surely the secret wasn’t discovered?? What if the Plague Doctor gets captured as an experimental subjectㅜㅜ]

I only sent a reply after getting in the car parked far away in the paid parking lot.

[I told you it’s not thatㅎㅎ]

-[The business card looks real too?]

-[(photo)]

-[Look]

Could a rumor about me be circulating among the homeless, and someone who encountered that rumor tracked Happy Quokka through SNS?

And that person just happens to be from a pharmaceutical company.

-[Should I delete the posts and comments looking for the Plague Doctor even now? Then it would show, right? I should have erased them earlier, sorryㅜㅜ]

[No. They seem to have some misunderstanding about me too, so I’ll contact them directly. Quokka-nim don’t worryㅎㅎ]

They’ll find out the fact that Happy Quokka knew the ‘Plague Doctor’ but denied it, but otherwise they might come looking for Happy Quokka again.

Our singer, a new song just came out, an obstacle to activities because of me shouldn’t arise.

But what should I contact with?

After thinking for a moment, I sent an email to Lee Mun-yeong.

Only writing my ‘Plague Doctor’ SNS address.

Anyway it’s a person who searched SNS, found Happy Quokka, and abruptly mentioned one million won.

Not even a weekday but Saturday evening.

So the urgent one is them, isn’t it?

***

‘New mail?’

Lee Mun-yeong who was anxiously looking at her phone opened the new mail and widened her eyes.

One line of SNS address.

Pressing the link and entering, a bird-beak mask profile photo came into view.

‘Plague Doctor!’

Just now, Lee Mun-yeong had asked Happy Quokka this.

「Do you know the ‘Plague Doctor’s’ contact?」

Happy Quokka’s answer.

「Yes? The ‘Plague Doctor’··· nim?」

‘Seeing them attach ‘nim’ after ‘Plague Doctor’, I noticed they were deliberately hiding it. But for contact to come this quickly.’

After following she sent a DM.

She didn’t say things like hearing his rumor through the homeless. Because it could first give the unpleasant feeling of secretly digging into his background.

[Hello. I’m Lee Mun-yeong from Kanggeon Pharmaceutical. First I deeply apologize for trying to contact in a rude manner.

Without further ado, I urgently want to request a prayer from the Plague Doctor-nim.]

The homeless had said so.

That the ‘Plague Doctor’ also showed the sentence ‘I will pray briefly.’

So she chose the word prayer instead of treatment.

[As I told Happy Quokka-nim, in case it might be needed for the prayer, I have also prepared a small case fee. Please contact me.]

A reply came.

-[I cannot guarantee if heaven will answer my prayer.]

‘Prayer! As expected, it’s that kind of setting?’

Lee Mun-yeong’s heart pounded.

Because she had inwardly worried whether the ‘Plague Doctor’ would deny saying what are you talking about and ignore it.

‘Going to find Happy Quokka was the right answer. But if I give the impression of holding a weakness the mind can change anytime, so let’s carefully go with a low posture.’

If Kang Nara’s voice doesn’t return by tomorrow and the musical casting gets canceled, the one who gets nagged by the representative is herself.

‘And I’m too curious. How on earth did they cure the cold with one handshake, one hand gesture, poof!’

The sensibility of the puberty period when she was deeply immersed in subculture wriggled.

[There is a person who has worked hard and hard for a long time and now barely grasped the dream of a musical actress···.]

She explained Kang Nara’s situation in detail who needs treatment immediately.

The returned ‘Plague Doctor’s’ answer was concise.

-[Address]

***

I came to this officetel not because my eyes were blinded by one million won.

It was to inform that I’m not a miraculous person who treats people with one prayer.

That it was merely a coincidence, and Lee Mun-yeong wasted only time and nerves on a groundless delusion.

In a word, the story that I’ll only pretend to pray and not treat.

If sick just send them to the hospital.

They seem to have a lot of money too.

The situation that she only just got a supporting role and the casting might be canceled like this is pitiful but···.

Honestly what does that have to do with me.

I’m not even a real doctor, and even less an altruistic guy.

Lee Mun-yeong was outside in front of the officetel.

When I turned the building corner and revealed myself, she approached smiling welcomingly.

“Hello, ‘Plague Doctor’-nim. Really thank you for coming. I’m Lee Mun-yeong from Kanggeon Pharmaceutical. Here is my business card.”

“······.”

I received the business card while bowing my head silently.

Doing the ‘Plague Doctor’ cosplay after a long time the vision is stuffy. Even more because it’s night and dark.

I took out the sketchbook from the briefcase and unfolded it.

[I am performing a vow of silence.]

Lee Mun-yeong smiled and pressed the shared entrance password.

“Yes, I will guide you.”

The security guard and the person who just got off the elevator were startled seeing me.

I boarded the elevator brazenly and confidently.

“You said it’s hard to pray if there are many people, so only Nara is at home.”

I only nodded my head.

A slightly puzzled feeling also arose.

Even though covering the face with a mask, I am clearly a man at a glance.

How can they try to let an unidentified person in this plague doctor cult cosplay into a house where a woman lives alone.

Just in case.

Only other people are not at home, but are they armed with something like a gas gun or stun gun?

Hmm, that makes sense.

They should.

It’s letting a stranger into the house.

They need to be careful.

The place arrived by elevator was the 12th floor.

“This is the house.”

While Lee Mun-yeong pressed the entrance door password, I looked elsewhere.

This looks very expensive.

How much is the monthly rent?

“Come in.”

I politely took off my shoes and changed into living room slippers.

A green [Contagious Disease Patient] text was visible.

A young woman coming out to the living room moving unsteadily.

“You came···. Cough, cough!”

“Nara, I told you to lie down.”

Wow.

A more serious appearance than Sister who was groaning from a cold a month ago.

In the bright red bloodshot eyes even teary tears were welling up.

“I heard from unni, cough···. Please make me better···.”

“The doctor said it’s not good if you talk too much.”

“I have to go to practice tomorrow···. Sob, otherwise··· I’ll really become a woman who got the spot through connections···.”

“What?”

“······?”

Kang Nara sobbed.

“A call came from senior earlier···. They said even if I skip practice I won’t get cut so rest well···. Unni, what do you think that means? Dad sponsored this performance···! Cough, cough!”

“Ah, I know so stop. Drink water first.”

When people are sick they become emotional.

If lying powerlessly on the bed, negative thoughts tend to come more easily.

“Teacher···.”

Kang Nara pleaded in a thoroughly hoarse voice.

“Please help me a bit···. I really studied and practiced hard···. I don’t want all that to be completely denied···. Really without skill, without effort being branded as an actress who took someone else’s spot···.”

“······.”

Not that it’s upsetting that the casting might be canceled because of the flu after working hard, but already resentful and unfair because of the gazes she’ll receive while continuing to hold the role even if skipping practice.

Honestly the latter resonates more than the former.

The suspicion she would have received from other people usually. That unfair feeling is felt acutely.

But.

Sorry.

If I treat you here···.

“If you make me better···.”

Kang Nara staggered, then pulled out the bag that was under the table and held it out to me.

“I’ll give you this···!”

Two bundles of 50,000 won bills.

A total of ten million won.

“······.”

I quietly pointed to the bedroom.

It was too much money to refuse.

***

Lee Mun-yeong supported Kang Nara and laid her on the bed.

Kang Nara lay with both hands tightly clasped looking at me earnestly.

[This is a Contagious Disease Patient. Do you wish to treat?]

[(Estimated MP cost 130)]

I made the sign of the cross then clasped both hands and prayed.

“Treat, reul.”

I mumbled so it only circled inside the bird beak.

“Yes, the Lord permits.”

I’m sorry. God, Jesus.

Please give the punishment to the ones who gave the system.

And thinking about it isn’t this dereliction of duty by God and Jesus, Buddha?

A warm-colored heat haze flowed from my hand and was absorbed by Kang Nara.

[System]

-Used ‘Plague Treatment’.

-‘Plague Treatment’ proficiency +2

-Experience +6.4%

[MP 6/110]

“······.”

“······.”

“······.”

I flipped through the sketchbook with a rustle.

[It’s over.]

Lee Mun-yeong made a flustered expression.

“Yes? This··· is the end?”

“Unni···.”

Kang Nara who was likewise flustered slowly raised her body.

“My body···. Huh? My voice! The voice came back!”

A clear and beautiful voice resonated loudly.

“Kyaa!”

Ai, startled me.

The vocal cords are really loud.

Kang Nara flipped the blanket and got down from the bed. And firmly grabbed both my hands.

“Thank you! Really thank you! I don’t know the name, but I won’t forget this grace for life! Really thank you, teacher!”

I carefully pulled out the grabbed hands. The gloves became damp with Kang Nara’s sweat.

I turned the sketchbook.

[If you carelessly go around telling others my story you will receive heavenly punishment. Please keep that in mind.]

“Yes! Yes, I will!”

Kang Nara who had been staggering until just a few minutes ago ran over energetically like our Arong who came out for a walk and brought the money bag.

“Here it is, teacher! Really thank you!”

From the brightly smiling face emotions of truly rejoicing overflowed.

“······.”

“Teacher?”

And I, belatedly came to my senses.

Kang Nara who became energetic in a few minutes.

Lee Mun-yeong with an expression that looked like she would shout ‘Hallelujah!’ any moment.

The eyeballs and reason that had flipped at ten million won returned to their place.

Is it really okay to receive this money?

Right now she put out the large sum of ten million won to protect her self-esteem, but later might a regrettable feeling arise?

What if they send scary older brothers to track me and ask to return the money?

Did I watch too many dramas and webtoons?

I took out one money bundle, removed only a few bills appropriately, and returned the rest.

Scratch scratch.

[It is grace bestowed because your earnestness reached heaven. Please use it for the right things.]

“Teacher···.”

Kang Nara clasped both hands with a moved face.

Don’t look with that kind of face.

I’m doing this because I’m scared.

I bowed and left that place as if escaping.

Using a secluded path without CCTV while filming a spy movie alone, after getting in the car I returned home.

The next day.

I frequently checked outside the window.

No suspicious person was visible.

I also thoroughly checked the car.

Nothing abnormal.

Yeah.

No matter how big a pharmaceutical company, tracking CCTV backwards by using people like in dramas, hacking base stations to find out information would be hard.

The next day too, the day after that too.

Only peaceful days continued, and on a certain day when I was gradually letting my guard down.

Buzz.

-[Hello, Plague Doctor-nim!]

Lee Mun-yeong sent a DM.

-[After hearing the Plague Doctor’s words, I donated the remaining amount to a good cause!]

-[(photo)]

-[And by any chance···.]

-[Do you also accept 300,000 won prayer requests?]

Cough.

While looking while eating ice cream I almost choked.

© TofuSpirit#1bejl