chapter 15

For a moment, there was some vulgar talk, but...

"Gloves... I need gloves."

My desire for gloves couldn't be dampened by such trivial chatter.

Fortunately, my senior was also showing a great deal of interest.

"Condoms... I know what they are. But I hardly ever use them. They're uncomfortable. But if we could make them properly... Hmm."

"It's huge, right? They can prevent sexually transmitted diseases."

"Yeah, that's right. They can prevent STDs."

"And they can be used for contraception."

"Right, right. That's possible. It could make money. We could make gloves as a side product, right?"

"Exactly."

"The materials overlapping is a bit of a problem... but still, it's good. Let's go. I need to talk to my dad."

And so, we headed to what was written as a banquet hall but should probably be read as a house.

Joseph ended up coming along too.

"Listening to this, it sounds like a good idea. If we can reduce the number of illegitimate children... even the Lord would..."

True to his Quaker faith, he was seeking the Lord.

It wasn't a bad thing.

Everyone here would be seeking the Lord.

It was a bit strange that the British Empire, built on the blood of others, would say such things, but it was that kind of era.

"Ugh."

The place we arrived at was literally just a house.

Everyone had a pipe in their mouth, puffing out smoke, and unlike a typical social gathering, there were no women at all.

'This is better, actually.'

It was a good thing for me.

I hadn't been to one, but I'd heard about them.

What kind of social gatherings were held in the outskirts of London around this time.

Given the era, it wasn't just nobles attending; wealthy commoners could also attend, but the discrimination was said to be unbearable.

And an Asian going there?

Unless I pretended to be Prince Kim, I could get beaten to death.

"Go ahead."

"You first."

"Hey, I said go ahead."

I heard they even discriminated based on language.

Not all English was the same, and of course, the English Joseph and I spoke was that of the commoners.

If we spoke like that there, they'd think we were just errand boys and order us around.

But the English spoken here was really cheap.

"Are you bluffing?"

"No, I'm not. If you're scared, just die."

Isn't that the kind of conversation you'd expect in a back alley rather than an upper-class home?

It made me feel more at ease.

Yeah, this is better.

If we were all stiff and formal, we wouldn't be able to talk about things like condoms.

"Father."

For someone who said, "If you're scared, just die," it was a complete bluff.

The person in question, the senior's father, had lost all his money and was chewing on his pipe.

Seizing the moment, the senior stepped forward.

Naturally, fierce eyes turned to him.

"Did you come to greet me?"

I thought he might hit him, but fortunately, normal words came out.

He must have had a strong character.

Well, that's why he was already a merchant traveling between East and West in this era.

He didn't even give me a strange look.

In comparison...

'Hmm.'

No, the whole gathering seemed similar.

There were five people sitting at the table.

If this were on the street, all five would have looked at me like I was a zoo monkey.

But the people here weren't interested in me per se; they were curious about how I ended up here.

"Oh, can you introduce us? Who is this friend?"

"Is he from the Qing Dynasty? But his hairstyle is completely like ours."

"No, is he Japanese? I heard some people there have hairstyles like this."

It was natural.

The Opium Wars hadn't even happened yet.

Of course, there was already some perception among merchants that "those Qing people are kind of... trash, right?"

But the image of the Qing Dynasty was still that of a great nation.

Japan?

The Meiji Restoration was still far off.

In such a context, the reaction of Londoners seeing an Asian was, in a way, expected.

"Ah, he's from Joseon. Born here... no, no. He's a nobleman who came to learn about our culture."

The senior's father was about to reveal my true identity but then remembered the fake identity we had concocted and changed his story.

Everyone seemed to understand.

"Joseon. I've heard of it. Isn't it a country near the Qing Dynasty?"

"I've bought ginseng from there."

Now I saw that they were all merchants.

Well, neither the senior nor his father looked like nobles.

They must be nouveau riche.

That's why the nobles wouldn't play with them.

"I didn't just come to greet you. I have a business proposal..."

The senior took advantage of the favorable attention directed at me to start his pitch.

"But we're busy."

The gambler who had just lost money, the father, pushed the senior aside.

I wondered how many bad ideas he must have pitched to get that reaction.

Or maybe he had lost a lot of money.

Anyway, the senior was pushed back.

I thought I should step in.

"Wait, wait. If it's about trade with Joseon, what are you planning?"

"Joseon? That won't work. Do you know the Providence?"

"I know, I know. But it's been decades since then, right?"

"Yeah, that's true."

The Providence.

Sorry, but this was the first I'd heard of it.

I thought I should just stay quiet.

'Maybe I should brush up on my history when I have time.'

I did study Korean history.

It was on the college entrance exam.

But...

'Is it Sunjong or Heonjong now?'

1830.

I couldn't even remember who the king was this year.

You might think it's impressive that I became a doctor despite this, but I became a doctor because I studied medicine so intensely that I forgot things like this.

And not just a doctor, but a professor too, so my head is filled with nothing but medical knowledge and experience.

While I was desperately trying to justify my ignorance, the senior continued.

"Since this friend is a nobleman from Joseon, that could be discussed later... but that's not the point. Of course, this is his idea. If you listen to it... I think you'll all be eager to invest."

In the dissection lab, he was cutting fingers or something, but here he was quite sharp.

The others must have thought so too, as their attention turned to him.

Even the gambler who had lost money tilted his head curiously.

"Have you heard of condoms?"

"Condoms?"

"I've heard of them."

"Isn't that something butchers use? There's no profit in that."

The reaction was immediately cold.

It showed what people thought of condoms at the time.

The senior was slightly taken aback.

So he looked at me.

'This guy...'

Well.

If the guy who used to cut hands during dissections could stir up this much interest, he did well.

Anyway, when it comes to medical knowledge, I should step up.

"Greetings. I am Taepyeong Kim from Joseon. You can call me Peace."

"Ah."

"Your English is really good."

"Like a native speaker."

The atmosphere shifted.

An Asian who speaks English this well would be rare even in the 21st century.

It would be hard unless you were an expat.

Also, foreigners who speak their language well are always received favorably.

With one clear difference eliminated, it was natural for the atmosphere to shift.

"As a medical student, let me tell you... condoms are very important. It's not just about preventing illegitimate children. They can prevent sexually transmitted diseases. All of you here must have close ties to sailors... and many of them must be suffering from STDs."

In that atmosphere, I let my imagination run wild.

Well, not imagination.

I had thought about this before, when I was older and reminiscing about the Age of Exploration.

Sailors must have been the breeding ground for diseases, especially STDs.

If you're a medical student, you can't help but think that.

"Hmm."

"Certainly... syphilis and gonorrhea are rampant."

"Just the other day, our captain... retired. His mind wasn't right anymore."

The reason I thought that was, diseases like dengue fever and malaria are transmitted by mosquitoes, right?

They're not transmitted from person to person.

Also, importantly, they could kill you immediately.

But STDs have a long history, so the bacteria that cause them can cling to humans and survive for a long time.

"Starting with sailors, using condoms can prevent that. And... let's look at social gatherings."

"You mean the nobles?"

"Yes."

My imagination extended to the nobles.

It wasn't delusion; it was grounded imagination.

I saw on YouTube that the modern condom originated from a king, right?

Here in England.

Why did he make it?

Because he was promiscuous.

"Even if they don't say it upfront, they're living wildly behind the scenes."

"That's true. Everyone just keeps it quiet... huh?"

"And I've heard there are brothels here in London."

It wasn't just the royals and nobles who were promiscuous.

It was just that kind of era.

From what I saw, this was more of a problem.

Anyway, there were no antibiotics, so treatment was impossible.

They couldn't even control the symptoms.

Life was tough.

"There would be enormous demand in that area too."

"Hmm."

"Hmm!"

"Good idea!"

My words brought color to their faces.

Among them, the senior's father showed the most interest.

"Good, very good. But what do you plan to make the condoms out of?"

He even adjusted his posture and turned to face us.

Part of him must still be thinking about the money he lost earlier.

But it seemed like he was starting to see the potential for even bigger money, so that didn't matter anymore.

'If you talk about intestines, you're...'

Of course, there was some unease.

He was my senior's friend, and since he had some knowledge of medicine, there was goodwill.

But expecting more from a Joseon-born person like me was too much.

"Rubber."

"Rubber...?"

The answer was way off from what they expected.

"Rubber...?"

Rubber.

Yeah, I heard it's soft.

But if you process it properly, it becomes hard.

So it was hardly used as a raw material.

The price?

Dirt cheap.

"Yes. You see, rubber is waterproof, right? It doesn't get wet... and that's a huge advantage. If it gets wet, it's easier to tear when you rub it or something. It shouldn't get wet."

"Is that so? I never thought that deeply about it."

Yeah, I was the same until yesterday.

I never meditated on condoms, that's for sure.

But last night, I thought about condoms all night.

"Look. If paper gets wet... what good is it? That's why they used animal intestines."

"Right. Yeah, definitely... hmm. It's tough too..."

"The key is to make it thin and smooth. This could be a huge hit."

"Hmm... do you know how to do that?"

"Of course not. You'll have to pay a chemist to do it."

"You're quite bold, aren't you?"

"I'm just coming up with the idea."

"But I like it. It's plausible. Definitely... this much... hmm. It seems good."