Chapter 24: This Won’t Do...(1).

I got on the carriage.

At first, my heart was pounding like some

one boarding a plane for the first time, but now I felt nothing.

It was more like, "Oh, I'm just getting on again."

If I knew the price, maybe I'd feel differently, but for now, that's how it was.

"Alright, let's go."

Once everyone was on board, the coachman, with a familiar face, started driving the carriage.

*Rumble rumble.*

The wheels, without any cushioning, rolled along.

I thought, "Wouldn't it be nice if they used rubber or something?"

But that seemed like a different world altogether.

Well, if someone wanted to make money, they'd figure it out.

For now, I was satisfied as long as I could live safely and cleanly as a doctor.

'Money, fame...?'

In 21st-century Korea, talent alone wasn't enough to get by, but here, it might be different.

Not because the social structure was favorable, but because my skills were far superior to the other doctors.

No, not just superior—it was impossible to even gauge my level compared to theirs.

'Look at the scenery...'

Unfortunately, I had never been to England in the 21st century.

Even though backpacking was popular when I was a student, I never went.

All I had were stories I'd heard, but the scenery before my eyes now made all those backpackers seem like liars.

I couldn't believe this place would improve so much in 200 years.

"Ugh."

"Cough."

"*Cough cough*."

Not only was the scenery a mess, but the air was too.

It wasn't this bad before, but now I couldn't stop coughing.

Looking around, smoke was billowing from all directions.

It was so intense, it felt like a fire had broken out, but sadly, it was just the industrial area.

Next to it were rows of shantytowns where the city workers lived—if you could even call them buildings.

Our carriage stopped in the middle of what could barely be called a street.

"Hurry inside. Don't wander around," the coachman said, glancing around.

He subtly revealed the firearms he was carrying, not to scare us, but it still made me a little nervous.

"Okay, okay."

We entered the factory and were greeted by a cheerful man with a bright smile.

What he was holding...

What was that?

A sea cucumber?

"Ah, come here."

"Okay, okay."

He called me over, so I ran to him.

He was the one paying, after all.

There was a good chance he'd become the hospital director someday, so I needed to make a good impression.

"Look at this."

The man shoved something black into my hands.

I didn't know what it was, but it looked nothing like what I expected.

'It looks disgusting...'

It was pitch black and not smooth at all.

What even was this?

"You're really inspecting it. Do you like it that much?"

Honestly, I was just pretending.

Working at a hospital, you master the art of pretending to know what you're doing, even when you don't.

It's not like doctors have a plan ready the moment a patient is admitted.

For routine surgeries, sure, but for complicated cases, it's different.

If you show too much uncertainty in front of a patient, they'll get anxious.

It's a miracle if they don't yell, "Why am I even getting this test?"

"Uh... yeah, yeah. But what is this...?"

"It's a condom."

"Ah..."

My acting skills had improved a lot, but even I was struggling now.

This was a condom?

Hearing the word "condom," I started to notice things I hadn't before.

'Why is it so big?'

Is it for an elephant?

My forearm could fit in there.

I was just thinking that when I realized I had already stuck my hand inside.

My fist fit comfortably.

"Wow, you're quite... enthusiastic," the man said, laughing.

"We made it big for the first prototype, but of course, we'll make it smaller."

"Will that be enough to fix it?"

I still had my hand inside.

Even though he called it a condom, it didn't feel like one at all.

I had a few experiments in mind, but I doubted anyone else would see it as an experiment.

"Can you take your hand out first? No, don't touch it. My arm... don't touch it while it's on..."

The man recoiled in disgust.

I was a little disappointed.

So I touched Joseph instead.

"Ah... don't..."

Joseph pulled away and touched Alfred.

"Ah, stop."

This guy just stood there, which annoyed me a bit.

There was no reason to be annoyed, but I was.

Most of the others were thinking something completely different.

'I can't feel anything. This won't do...'

It looked thick, and even though I could feel the rubber with my hand inside, the sensation was dull.

You might ask, "What's the problem?"

After all, it's not like we're using it as a condom.

But that's the kind of thing someone who doesn't know anything would say.

Surgery is an incredibly delicate task.

You're cutting into a living person to save their life—how can you be careless?

The sensation at your fingertips is absolutely crucial.

Especially when dissecting something, if you can't feel anything, it's a recipe for disaster.

No matter how thick or thin it is, it's still not suitable.

"I can't feel anything inside."

"Wow, you're sharp. Do you study condoms all night?"

"No, it's not that."

I shook my head seriously, but the man just made a weird comment.

I denied it, but it didn't seem to matter.

He wasn't listening.

He just kept talking.

"Clearly, a condom needs to be thinner than this."

Now I noticed there wasn't just one prototype.

There were several.

One was in the man's hand, and the others were scattered on the floor, each a different size.

It looked like they were made by blowing them up.

"I can't feel anything at all. But... it has gotten softer, as you said."

The man started swinging the rubber thing—whether it was a condom or not—around.

Even though it had never been used, watching it spin made me feel uneasy.

Joseph and Alfred seemed to feel the same, as they both took a step back.

"It's softer, but it's still waterproof. And very durable. I guarantee that even if we make it thinner, it won't tear easily."

A short man, who had been crouching, stood up.

His face was pale, with round cheeks, giving him a slightly cute appearance.

'Ah... this must be the chemist.'

His name?

I'd heard it, but I couldn't remember.

That probably meant he wasn't very famous.

I'm not exactly a scholar, but I know the names of the big shots.

'Will he become famous because of me?'

He'd be the first person to make rubber condoms—no, rubber gloves.

In other words, he'd be saving countless lives.

Well, I'd be the one directly saving them.

Haha.

"That's a relief. I was worried it might just be my imagination."

"No, no. Rubber... it has some interesting properties. If we make condoms out of this, it'll be a huge hit. You'll get even richer, and we'll get rich too."

"We... will?"

I wanted to keep daydreaming, but if I kept it up, they'd look at me strangely, so I just nodded along.

When he mentioned getting rich, my eyes widened, and I looked at the man—no, the boss.

The boss laughed.

"Did you think I'd take it all for myself? I provided the capital and found the people, so of course I'll share some of it. But don't worry, I'm not planning to wipe you out."

He had a kind smile.

Maybe that's why he didn't shove a contract in my face.

'Usually, this is called a scam, sir.'

But I didn't mind being scammed.

As long as I got the gloves.

"Okay, okay. Thank you so much. But I don't need money... if you could make gloves out of this, I'd be grateful."

And this man is the boss, right?

He might become the hospital director someday?

Even if he gave me a share, it probably wouldn't be much, so why bother?

So I said it was fine and subtly requested gloves.

"Gloves...?"

"Yes, gloves. You remember how my senior injured his hand badly a while ago, right?"

This might sound bad since it's the first time he's hearing it, but...

Since I showed no interest in a share, the boss—I mean, the man—just listened quietly.

"Ah, I remember. He was pretty badly hurt."

"Yes. But if you get injured like that while dissecting a corpse... you've heard about it, right? Sometimes medical students die from that."

"Ah, I know. It's because of miasma, right? Hospitals have such bad air."

The man laughed and nodded.

The air here is much worse, so what is he even talking about...?

"But that's..."

Anyway, I decided to educate our ignorant group.

I'd done the same with professors, so why not with this man?

He wasn't going to engage in high-level conversation anyway.

"If miasma from the corpse enters through a wound on your hand, it can be very dangerous. There's a similar legend in Korea, but after studying here, I've confirmed it."

"Ah... so the miasma isn't just air?"

"Yes, I think it must be some kind of particle. Dr. Robert Liston agreed with me on this."

To be precise, he never agreed it was a particle, but who cares?

The man wasn't going to meet Dr. Liston anyway.

So I just said whatever, and the man nodded.

"Ah, I see. So?"

"If we make gloves out of this material, it'll provide protection. But it's still too thick. If you wear this while dissecting, it'll be hard to do precise work."

"I see. Hmm... what do you think?"

The man turned to the chemist with the pale face and red cheeks.

The chemist shrugged.

"It doesn't need to be as thin as a condom... and the surface doesn't need to be smooth... so I think we can do it in a week."

"That's good. What do you think?"

"Great! Then I'll leave it to you!"

"Haha. Think of this as a bonus. If the business succeeds, I'll make sure you can study without worrying about money."

Haha, just let me live off you for the rest of my life.

I barely held back those words as I walked out.

One week.

In just one week, I'd be able to show Joseph and Alfred, who were always trailing behind me, a whole new world of dissection.