Chapter 24: S#5. The Lloyd (1)

For the first time in my life, I was shot.

The shooter was a crazy teddy bear.

Though it was already burned to ashes, the pain it left was clearly etched in my thigh.

“Wow, what excellent quads you have. The bullet barely made it through your skin.”

The doctor who extracted the bullet from my thigh was impressed.

The nurse disinfecting the wound was impressed as well.

Ellen, who was watching, was impressed too.

I was impressed myself.

Just how strong is my body?

It felt like I could survive being run over by a 5-ton truck.

“Mr. Summer, what do you do for a living?”

The doctor who removed the bullet suddenly asked.

I answered honestly.

“I’m a parasite.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m parasitizing a garage of a well-off family’s home.”

“…Hmm. Have you ever considered working in the medical field?”

Out of the blue?

It was an unexpected offer.

The doctor adjusted his glasses and continued.

“Mr. Summer, there’s a place where your robust physique could shine. It’s a hospital about a mile from here.”

“I’d rather not if it’s a psychiatric hospital.”

“A psychiatric hospital? No, it’s a general hospital. It’s called ‘Hive Hospital.'”

Hive Hospital, huh.

I was in need of a job anyway.

I couldn’t keep leeching off someone’s garage forever.

But I needed to be cautious.

In horror movies, hospitals can either be sanctuaries or dens of evil.

The places to be especially wary of are the emergency room, psychiatry, and obstetrics and gynecology.

It’s better to give up hope if you set foot in there.

The doctor started writing something on a piece of paper.

Maybe he was writing a prescription.

“Hive Hospital is looking for a new physiotherapist. I think you’d be the perfect candidate, Mr. Summer.”

“Physiotherapist? But I have no experience or qualifications.”

“I’ll recommend you.”

The doctor handed me the paper.

It wasn’t a prescription but a letter of recommendation.

For some reason, the doctor was strongly recommending that I work at this place called Hive Hospital.

Suspicious.

It didn’t seem like a scam…

But it’s hard to trust a doctor from a horror movie.

“Why are you making such an offer to me?”

“Hive Hospital needs someone strong. They need someone as sturdy as a rhinoceros.”

He suggested I at least go in for an interview.

I left the hospital.

The thigh from which the bullet had been extracted had already fully healed.

The offer to work at Hive Hospital lingered in my mind.

Why were they looking for a strong physiotherapist?

If it wasn’t a psychiatric hospital where patients needed to be restrained, there was no reason for medical staff to need such strength.

Maybe Hive Hospital was a facility disguised as a hospital for some national secret…

As I was pondering this, Ellen suddenly said,

“Summer, if you don’t feel like working, you don’t have to.”

“No, Ellen. I can’t be a burden forever.”

Looking for a job was the next logical step.

I felt guilty living off Nancy and Ellen for so long, just clinging to their garage like a barnacle.

It is true that hospitals in horror movies are dangerous.

But on second thought, so is everywhere else.

Working at a campsite, I’d be attacked by a masked murderer.

At a factory, I’d be swallowed whole by a killing machine.

In a lab, I’d be eaten by a monster born from genetic manipulation.

On a ship, I’d be swept away by a sharknado.

At a swimming pool, I’d be devoured by piranhas.

There are no safe zones.

One has to choose the lesser of two evils.

If you have to eat mustard, choose the less spicy mustard.

Hive Hospital might just be that less spicy mustard.

Even if it were some strange facility, nothing would happen in broad daylight.

Holding the doctor’s recommendation, I went to Hive Hospital.

On the outer wall of the hospital building was a large inscription: “A strong body houses a strong soul.”

As I entered through the main gate, I saw doctors and nurses bustling around the front desk.

They were all muscular.

Every doctor and nurse was massively built, from head to toe, looking as solid as walking rocks.

In this place, me being 2 meters tall and muscular wasn’t anything special.

Ellen seemed surprised too.

“Wow, there are a lot of men like Summer here.”

“Indeed. It doesn’t feel like a hospital…”

…more like a gym.

This hospital is bizarre.

Hospitals in horror movies are usually places to avoid, but it’s a different story if it’s full of macho men.

If a ghost or zombie tried to attack, they’d probably apologize and leave.

Then, someone approached.

“You must be Mr. Summer! I just got the message.”

He introduced himself as the director of Hive Hospital.

A man with a shiny bald head and a mustache.

Like everyone else in the hospital, he was built.

His massive pectorals and lat muscles were clearly visible under his white coat.

“Mr. Summer, may I take a moment?”

“For what?”

“Your magnificent biceps.”

He wanted to see my arm.

Hesitantly, I rolled up my sleeve, revealing my log-like arm.

The director’s eyes sparkled.

“Beautiful…!”

The director exclaimed with ecstasy, almost like a pervert.

Feeling a bit creeped out, I rolled my sleeve back down.

“I heard this hospital is looking for a physiotherapist. But I don’t have any qualifications.”

“No qualifications? What do you mean?!”

The director pointed at my arm.

“That muscle is the highest qualification!!!”

“But I have no experience in physiotherapy.”

“No matter! I’ll teach you everything from A to Z!!”

The director was passionate, almost like a cult leader desperate to recruit a new follower.

I was bewildered.

“But Director, why does the hospital need a strong physiotherapist?”

“You need to understand our hospital first. Follow me, Mr. Summer.”

I followed him.

We passed through hospital corridors and many patient rooms.

I suddenly realized.

Not just the doctors and nurses, but all the patients were muscular too.

“Our Hive Hospital is the world’s first muscleman hospital.”

“Muscleman… hospital?”

“Our primary patients are muscular men. Bodybuilders, construction workers, pro wrestlers, rock climbers, special forces, etc.”

I had never heard of such a thing.

“How is it different from other hospitals?”

“In other hospitals, patients naturally lose muscle. But in Hive Hospital, they gain muscle strength because we focus on muscular strength in our treatments!”

Gaining muscle strength while hospitalized.

I wondered how that was possible without making bedridden patients exercise.

The director stroked his mustache and explained.

“Patients can’t exercise in bed. Their muscles and joints inevitably stiffen.”

“…”

“To prevent that, we need regular manual therapy to loosen the muscles.”

“That’s why you need a physiotherapist. But why does it have to be someone strong?”

“Because it’s not typical manual therapy. Ordinary strength won’t do; we need someone with special strength, a man with a very strong grip.”

I could guess why.

Hive Hospital’s patients had large, solid muscles.

To knead or press their muscles, you’d have to be strong.

The director put his hand on my shoulder.

Not the delicate hand of a doctor, but the rough, coarse hand of a fisherman.

His gaze was sticky.

“Mr. Summer, to be honest, we’ve been waiting for a man like you for a long time.”

“That… Thanks for the offer, Director, but I think I need to think it over a bit more.”

“I’ll pay you three times what a regular physiotherapist earns.”

Was he trying to buy me with money?!

It was too much money to turn down.

I signed the contract.

Humming a tune, Ellen and I left the hospital.

Work starts tomorrow. My very first job.

Thinking about it, Hive Hospital seemed safe.

‘Strength’ is the farthest thing from horror.

No matter what bizarre situation might arise, Hive Hospital would stand firm.

“How about it, Summer? Do you think it’s a good place?”

“Yes. It’s a bit unusual, but it doesn’t seem dangerous. It might be a great opportunity.”

“Hehe. It’s like getting an early birthday present.”

Ellen said.

What does that mean?

“Next month is Summer’s birthday, right? Getting a job is like a present.”

“Ah, you remembered my birthday.”

“Of course.”

Ellen smiled warmly.

The fact that she remembered my birthday touched me a bit.

Suppressing my emotions, I continued calmly.

“I’m happy about getting a job, but I’m also worried. Truth be told, I’ve hardly ever even given a massage, let alone done physiotherapy.”

“Practice makes perfect. I’m sure Summer will do well.”

Ellen stretched, her slim waist and pronounced hips forming a stark contrast.

“Now that I think about it, I’ve never given or received a massage before. I’ve always wanted to try it.”

“…..”

“My shoulders often feel tight. My neck is stiff… and lately, my back too…”

Ellen is a novelist.

Given her profession involves sitting for long periods, it’s natural that fatigue would build up.

“…Summer.”

Ellen gently grabbed my arm.

“Would you like to practice on me?”

—