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TL: ALT
Chapter 48 – Pope Francis
Kang Inho.
He’s a patient I treated in the past.
I heard that he runs a staffing agency.
“You’re Hua Tuo Hyung, right? Wahaha! Long time no see!”
Kang Inho approached me immediately and slung his arm around my shoulder. Being sociable is Kang Inho’s defining trait.
He also spoke in a memorable, lighthearted way.
“I had some business in Seoul, so I stopped by briefly.”
“Business? Surely not because of the Pope?”
“Yes, I happened to get a ticket. But more importantly, Mr. Kang Inho, why are you here?
When I asked, Kang Inho smiled confidently.
“Well, I was waiting for you to come, hyung!”
“Huh? So that’s why the place is so clean? Could it be you…?”
“Of course I made our youngest do it!”
Kang Inho laughed and gave a thumbs up.
I felt sympathy for that youngest.
He had to clean this Korean medicine clinic every day just because he was ordered to.
“Anyway, I was shocked! Why did you suddenly disappear?”
“Ah, I moved back to the countryside.”
“Back to the countryside? You? Why?”
“I had my reasons.”
“I see, I see.”
Kang Inho nodded at my words.
“Anyway, it’s good to see you again after so long.”
“How’s Sihyun?”
“Thanks to you, she’s growing up well. Would you like to see a picture?”
He pulled out a photo.
In the picture, a lively little girl was making a “V” sign. Seeing her like that made me feel proud.
“If it weren’t for you, Sihyun wouldn’t be safe like this.”
“It’s all thanks to Sihyun holding on so well.”
“Hehehe! That’s why I can’t help but like you, hyung.”
With that, Kang Inho jumped up from his seat.
“So, hyung, where are you staying tonight?”
“I was planning to sleep here tonight, but…”
“Here? You’re joking!”
“I’m serious, though…”
When I spoke earnestly, Kang Inho shook his head.
“Hyung! Are you really planning to sleep in a place like this? You’ll end up with a chronic illness!”
“…I already heard about it.”
“You’re already a frail gentleman. You should at least take care of your body! Just wait a moment!”
With that, Kang Inho made a call.
Then, not long after, he said with a satisfied smile,
“Hyung, pack your things right now.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I booked a place. You just need to bring yourself.”
“A-a place? I feel a bit awkward about that.”
When I said that, Kang Inho grabbed my shoulder and gave me a serious look.
Then, in a deeper-than-usual voice, he said,
“Hyung, you see, I always repay the favors I receive. The favor you did for me is one that I could spend a lifetime repaying and it still wouldn’t be enough.”
He’s at it again.
I only treated Kang Inho’s daughter.
I didn’t do anything more than that.
But Kang Inho always insists that I’ve done him a great favor.
“If I refuse, will you drag me there by force?”
“Of course! If need be, I’ll call in my family to help.”
“I’ll go on my own.”
Better than being dragged.
“By the way, there’s one problem.”
“Problem? What problem?”
“I have a family of my own.”
I pointed to Nureongi and Hyangdan as I said this.
Then, Kang Inho chuckled and said,
“Hyung, you don’t seriously think I booked a place in an ordinary spot, do you?”
He jingled his car keys.
“Don’t worry about any of that. Just follow me.”
* * *
That’s how we ended up in Kang Inho’s car.
It was a large, black sedan that reminded you of a mafia boss’s ride.
Was that why?
“Ooh! It’s way cushier than the Young Master’s car!”
“It doesn’t shake at all!”
Nureongi and Hyangdan marveled.
Of course, Kang Inho couldn’t understand them.
To him, it probably just sounded like animal noises.
“Hyung, is country life working out for you?”
“It seems to suit me better than I expected. I’ll even have my own private hospital soon.”
“Your own hospital? You mean the national project?”
“You know about it, too, Mr. Kang Inho?”
Kang Inho nodded.
“Seeing that project reminded me of you.”
“Me?”
“I doubt there are many doctors or healers dedicated to the countryside, but I thought you’d gladly step up.”
I couldn’t say anything to that.
What if that situation actually arose?
I would have moved straight from Seoul to the countryside.
That’s how well Kang Inho knew me.
“Ah, right. You know Yunseol, too, Mr. Kang Inho?”
“Yunseol? That woman… Ah, of course I know her.”
“Well, it just so happens that Yunseol moved to the same place I’m staying.”
At that moment—
—crack!
A vein bulged on Kang Inho’s forehead.
Had something suddenly made him angry?
His complexion didn’t look good.
“She moved to where you live?”
“Yes, it really is a small world.”
“…Hm.”
Kang Inho seemed lost in thought for a moment.
Then he suddenly asked me,
“Is raising kids in the countryside really the right thing these days?”
“Of course, living close to nature has its merits, but ultimately, the kids have to like it.”
“The kids?”
“The countryside has clean air and proximity to nature as advantages. But it’s also inconvenient.”
“True.”
The countryside isn’t all advantages.
For young children especially, it would likely feel nothing but inconvenient.
That’s why I couldn’t recommend it lightly.
“Well then, hyung. What if the countryside developed to a certain extent?”
“If the right facilities were built, the kids wouldn’t find it so inconvenient.”
“Right? Infrastructure is what matters in the end!”
Excited, Kang Inho chuckled to himself.
What on earth had he been thinking?
I couldn’t fathom it at all.
“All right, we’re here!”
Kang Inho’s car stopped abruptly.
Looks like we’ve reached our destination.
The moment I stepped out of the car, I was stunned.
No wonder…
“This is Sigmiel, right?”
[T/N: A play on the name of a luxury hotel brand in Korea.]Kang Inho had booked none other than Korea’s top hotel.
But Kang Inho’s shocking words didn’t end there.
“I booked a VVIP room under your name, so relax! Wahaha!”
Leaving us there, Kang Inho disappeared.
Watching him go, I muttered,
“That guy’s definitely not ordinary.”
And just like that, we ended up staying in Sigmiel’s VVIP room.
* * *
At the same time.
There was an SS-rank healer, an old man called the Pope.
Francesco.
He sat on the bed in Sigmiel’s VVIP room and sighed.
“I told them this excessive hospitality wasn’t necessary.”
He found such a luxurious hotel burdensome.
Despite his immense position as Pope, he was very ordinary. He had always lived frugally, shunning luxury and indulgence. Because of that, the Sigmiel Hotel felt like a tremendous burden.
“What I want to see isn’t this lavish scenery.”
Francesco truly wanted to see the real Korea.
Not the lives of the elite, but of ordinary people.
He wanted to glimpse the lives of ordinary Koreans.
After all, that was the reason he traveled to so many countries.
“But I can’t just act on this old man’s stubborn whims.”
On the one hand, he understood the Korean government.
What if they treat the Pope with disrespect?
Then that story would spread worldwide.
Probably.
[South Korean Government Committed an Act of Disrespect Against the Pope?]
[Why the SS-Rank Healer Is Disappointed in Korea! What Could Have Happened?]
[South Korea's Falling Status: All Part of the Planned Sequence!]
[The End of a Healing Powerhouse! Korean Healers Increasing Immigration!]That sort of thing.
Therefore, Francesco had no choice but to remain quiet.
However,
“I suppose I can at least eat as I please.”
He couldn’t stay cooped up in his room forever.
So, he knocked on the door and addressed the bodyguard standing before him.
“I’m sorry, but I’d like to go out.”
“That would be difficult. Information about Your Excellency Francesco’s arrival in Korea has already spread far and wide.”
“Then how about this?”
Francesco deftly opened his bag.
He pulled out some shabby clothes and began changing!
Once he was dressed, he instantly became an ordinary foreign tourist visiting Korea.
“At this point, no one will recognize me, right?”
“…Even so, this is still a bit difficult.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
At Francesco’s request, the bodyguard looked troubled.
He then began talking to someone on his walkie-talkie.
Shortly after, he nodded.
“Understood. But there’s one condition.”
“Hehehe, tell me anything.”
“We’ll continue to protect you discreetly from behind. Is that acceptable?”
“Just granting this old man’s unreasonable request is enough.”
Francesco nodded at the bodyguard’s words.
He clenched his fist inwardly and smiled.
“How much fun could Korea possibly be?”
And so began Francesco’s experience as a commoner.
* * *
This was my first impression of the VVIP room.
“What kind of room is this?”
It was almost like a sports field.
The space between rooms was expansive, and everything felt luxurious.
Most of all, the high-rise city view through the window made my heart feel wide open.
“Young master! We’re up so high!”
“Scary! But it’s so pretty, ppi!”
Nureongi and Hyangdan were thrilled, too.
Honestly, no one could dislike this view.
Even I felt the charm of the high-rise buildings anew.
“And the bed is so soft!”
“This is heaven, ppi!”
What if they refuse to go back to the countryside? Nureongi and Hyangdan were way too hyped up. Still, seeing them so happy made me feel proud.
“I’ll have to thank Mr. Kang Inho later.”
I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but renting a place like this?
That would definitely cost an enormous amount of money.
I felt renewed gratitude toward Kang Inho for securing such a VVIP room.
“But maybe it’s because we came in too early. There’s nothing to do.”
The speech is tomorrow.
Should we stay in this room until then?
That would be tough.
So…
“Does anyone want to go for a walk with me?”
I asked Nureongi and Hyangdan.
But it was already too late.
“Are you both asleep?”
They were fast asleep on the bed. They looked so cute, so I gently stroked their heads.
“Sleep well.”
I decided to go for a walk alone.
Though calling it a walk would be an overstatement, it would just be around here.
Still, it was better than staying in the room.
“I’ll buy some snacks to eat later tonight.”
With that thought, I stepped outside the Sigmiel building.
I slowly strolled, taking in the scenery around me.
It was a huge crowd, unlike the countryside.
The developed city had a different charm.
While wandering aimlessly, a convenience store caught my eye.
“Should I buy something there?”
I thought, stepping inside the store.
Then
“Sigh!”
I heard a sigh from somewhere in the store.
The part-time worker at the counter looked flustered.
I immediately went to where the sigh had come from.
There…
“A foreigner?”
There was a foreigner.
It was an elderly foreign man with a head full of white hair.
He seemed to be struggling alone with some kind of problem.
“Is something wrong?”
I thought, approaching the old man.
I asked him in English,
“Can I help you?”
When I asked, the old man looked at me with wide eyes.
Then, with a kind expression, he replied,
“I can speak Korean. Let’s go this way.”
“Are you sure? English would be easier for you.”
“If you’re visiting as a tourist, it’s polite to use the local language.”
I was impressed by the old man’s words.
Nowadays, most foreigners insist on using English, even in Korea.
Many people come to Korea for fun, yet don’t know a single word of Korean.
“What a cool guy.”
I found myself admiring the old man before me all over again.
Before I could stop admiring him, the old man asked,
“How exactly do you eat this cup noodle thing?”
Apparently, even for such a cool old man, cup noodles were a high wall.
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