Chapter 10: Senior's Rich Family.

I imagined myself fanning a fan in my mind, a carriage stopped in front of the school.

Crazy.

He's really rich, isn't he?

We walk everywhere.

And he's just a student, but he rides a carriage?

"ot Et?"

This made me think that people who own nice cars must be like this.

When he said, "Aren't you getting in?" I felt a little excited.

It was a big deal.

This guy is the one who dissects corpses without gloves.

In other words, even though he's stamped as an idiot in my mind, I still felt excited.

"Well, let's go."

Anyway, as soon as I got in, the coachman started driving the carriage forward.

London at this time was so densely populated that we couldn't go very fast.

If we drove the carriage freely, we'd probably kill someone every 100 meters.

'Ah, the smell.'

As we drove, a faint smell of sewage wafted in.

The Thames River was the source.

In my past life, one of the items on my bucket list was traveling to Europe, and one of the things I wanted to do was sit in a café by the Thames and look at Big Ben or whatever that clock tower was called.

But now, when I think of the Thames, all I can think of is the smell of sewage.

It's probably because Big Ben hasn't even been built yet.

"We're almost there."

Of course, there were plenty of other buildings worth seeing besides Big Ben.

As if to show why London is called the center of the world at this time, the streets were lined with stone buildings.

There were also a lot of carriages.

Most of them were incredibly luxurious, making it clear that this was indeed London.

"That's it."

When the senior pointed to the mansion, I couldn't help but look around.

Be relieved that this is London.

If only bamboo grew here, I'd grab a spear...

'No, no. Isn't this guy about to become friends with me?'

A rich friend.

Wouldn't that be nice?

With that thought, I held back.

"..."

On the other hand, Joseph kept exclaiming in awe.

He had only seen desolate scenes since leaving Upton and arriving in London.

Moreover, the senior's mansion was even more grand than the Lister house in Upton, despite being in expensive London.

"It's really nice, huh?"

"Huh? Yeah. Well... my father does a lot of trade. My older brothers all went into trade, and I'm the only one who went to medical school."

"Of...."

I've heard that this kind of thing happens often.

At this time, the eldest son was prioritized, so even if the youngest was from a wealthy family, they had to fend for themselves.

Of course, their "fending for themselves" was very different from that of poor people.

Anyway, it was usually the second or third sons who went to medical or law school instead of inheriting the family business.

*Clatter*

The carriage soon stopped in front of the mansion's main gate.

A butler who had been running out from inside stopped when he saw me.

The synchronization with the carriage was so perfect that it felt like we were filming a movie.

"Well."

Joseph, who was used to such situations, was about to step forward, but surprisingly, the senior took the lead.

"This friend is my junior from a country called Joseon."

"Ah... Joseon...?"

"You don't know it, do you?"

"No, I don't."

The senior walked past the elderly butler, who was about to nod, and entered the house.

The stairs were high, so it took a while to climb.

"I've heard of China and Japan, but Joseon isn't familiar to me."

"Yes, well... that's to be expected. We're a mysterious country."

"otot."

While climbing, we had some time to kill, so we exchanged some nonsense.

Joseph was looking at me with a "What nonsense are you talking about?" face, but it was fine.

I knew I was talking nonsense too.

Anyway, the important thing is that we're here today.

The house is big, so if I'm lucky, I might be able to live here.

I could even help with household chores, so I really hoped for that.

"Oh."

Inside the large door was a lobby.

There might be another term for it, but I have no idea.

Anyway, the spacious area was filled with all sorts of things.

In display cases, on pillars...

"Ah, these are things my father brought back from trading. Some of them are said to be very valuable."

"Ah... they look like it."

Is that Goryeo celadon?

These guys are exporting national treasures.

Or is it?

Is it Chinese celadon?

I don't think there were many ships going back and forth to Joseon...

"What's... what's this?"

After passing by those seemingly precious items, we sat on the sofa in the reception room.

There was something under the table, so I picked it up. It was something I hadn't seen in a long time.

'Rubber... isn't this rubber?'

Rubber.

A product of 21st-century civilization.

You might think I'm overreacting to a mere piece of rubber.

But here, you can't even find plastic.

"Ah, this? I'm not sure. My father probably brought it as a sample and left it here."

"Sample...? Hmm."

"Why?"

"No, it's just..."

Anyway, there was rubber.

One thing I've been thinking about for a while now is gloves.

No matter how much I don't want to, I'll have to do dissections.

I can't do it bare-handed.

No, surgeries are done bare-handed...

If dissections are just uncomfortable, surgeries would weigh too heavily on my conscience.

No matter how much strong disinfectant I pour, my entire hand won't be sterilized.

'But making gloves out of regular cloth would be insane.'

They might provide some protection.

If I make them thick enough... surely they won't get pierced.

They'd be safe for dissections.

Even if they're too thick and make movement clumsy, it wouldn't matter.

But doing surgery with cloth gloves?

I'd rather just clean my bare hands thoroughly.

"What's that? Can you disinfect me a bit more here?"

"Ah, right. Look at me."

As I was distracted by the rubber, the senior, seemingly anxious, spoke up first.

Right.

I did come here for some benefit.

But first and foremost, I came to save this guy.

'Can he survive...?'

He might die.

Even though I treated him, if even a little bacteria got in, an infection could occur.

I'm not sure if disinfecting the outside is that meaningful in this situation.

'But I should still do everything I can.'

Even though I was doubtful in my mind, my hands didn't hesitate.

First, I distilled alcohol to make pure alcohol.

It was such a rudimentary process that it probably wasn't pure alcohol.

"..."

"Where did you learn this?"

All I did was boil alcohol in a pot, cover it with a round metal basket, and collect the condensed liquid below.

Still, the senior and Joseph were looking at me with shining eyes.

Glancing around, even the butler had shining eyes.

In this situation, I guess it's only natural to feel like I have to live up to their expectations.

"I learned it in Joseon... hehe."

I smiled as mysteriously as possible.

"Wow."

"No, you were born here..."

Joseph tried to pick a fight, but it was no use.

This was the moment when Kim Taepyeong, the medical scholar from the mysterious land of Joseon, turned alcohol into pure alcohol.

"Let's disinfect with this first. It's going to hurt a lot. Alcohol really stings when it touches a wound."

"Hmm."

At my words, Joseph shut his mouth, and the senior nervously held out his hand.

To the naked eye, there didn't seem to be anything wrong.

But that didn't mean I was sure he'd be fine.

We'd have to wait a day or so to know for sure.

'If it swells, we'll just cut it.'

Since there's a surgeon here, I figured his chances of survival were higher than most, so I cleaned the wound with alcohol.

"Ah, ah. This..."

"It's a burning pain, right? I know. You might lose some sensation here later."

"Why, why?"

If I said it's because the alcohol toxicity is killing your nerve tissue, I'd look less like a mysterious Easterner and more like a child of Satan, right?

"It's the energy..."

"Ah, I see."

So I said something that could make me sound like a child of Satan, and it was accepted according to 19th-century logic.

'Ah... I want to change this quickly.'

I want to baptize these ignorant people with 21st-century science!

But if I rush too much, I'll probably end up nailed to a cross and burned, so I have to take it slow.

"First, we'll do this... and then we'll have to wait and see. If it turns red and swells tomorrow, we might have to cut it open a bit."

"Cut off my finger?"

No, you idiot.

Why would I cut off your finger?

Ah, no.

It's not entirely unreasonable.

'Ah... this is an era where they just cut things off.'

Should I call it a bold era?

Or should I call it an era of thoughtless people?

Anyway, I shook my head.

"No, no. Just a small incision to drain the pus."

"I'm a living person, and pus will form?"

What is this crazy guy talking about?

I wanted to slap the back of his head, but I held back.

"Yes, it can form. If it spreads into your bloodstream, it's a big deal... Anyway, the important thing is to properly treat the injured area."

"o..."

After saying that, I wondered if I sounded too much like a doctor, so I stared at the senior.

Fortunately, he seemed too distracted by the memory of the seniors who had died horribly.

If we hadn't done anything... he would've died.

You know, like in Game of Thrones, when someone got stabbed with a contaminated knife and died.

Ordinary people... and with a contaminated knife from a corpse, it's a done deal.

"Anyway, we'll have to check first thing tomorrow morning... Our house is a bit far from here. What should we do?"

I started selling the idea.

I didn't show it, but I had been calculating everything since we followed him here.

Even though I disinfected him, the chance of him dying dropped significantly, but we'd need to treat him daily to be even more sure.

When could we be completely sure?

By my calculations, it would take about two weeks.

Evidence?

I don't know, but judging by the number of rooms here, I could probably sneak around for two weeks.

"Ah... we have a lot of rooms here. If it's okay, you can stay."

Instead of answering, I looked at Joseph.

His pupils were shaking uncontrollably.

He was holding back because of his determination to become a doctor, but he's still a rich kid at heart.

But would he want to go back there?

"What about Pyeong? It's getting late, and today..."

He's trying hard, really trying.

Alright, I'll let you mooch off here, man.

Looking at the situation, I don't think you need to feel sorry.

"Alright. Let's stay here tonight."

And tomorrow, after cutting it open, I'll talk my way into staying longer.

After about two weeks, things should settle down, right?

As I was having these wicked thoughts, someone knocked on the door.

It wasn't even closed, so it was just a gesture.

Anyway, the senior turned around, and the butler who had knocked spoke.

"The master has arrived."

"Ah, yes. Let's go greet him. My father is a bit peculiar... but he's not a bad person, so don't be too nervous."

The master.

His father.

Hearing that a white conservative had arrived, I couldn't help but feel nervous.

Don't call me a coward.

Anyone would feel this way if they were here.

"Can I come too?"

I asked, hoping to be refused so I could avoid it, but the senior laughed.

"Of course. The people he trades with are all from the East anyway."

"Ah."

"Then let's go."