The Black-Haired British Doctor

The place where I was born—or rather, reborn—was a small town called Upton in 19th-century England.

"Hey, monkey!"

A small town with a population of about 12,000.

Honestly, compared to my memories of the 21st century, it felt more like a rural village than a city.

"You wanna die? How dare you mess with my friend!"

"Ooh, Joseph's mad!"

"Hey, you should say something too! They're acting like this because you're staying quiet."

"Well... what can I do? I look different."

Racial discrimination existed even in the 21st century.

But in an island nation like England, it was even worse.

And the era I was reborn into was the 19th century.

Most people here had never even seen an Asian like me before.

'Why... why was I reborn in England instead of Korea?'

Even I was puzzled.

How did this happen?

Later, I found out that my family was one of the first Catholic families in Korea.

'Our ancestors were on their way to Macau to become priests and nuns when they fell in love...'

My parents were among those who, along with Father Kim Dae-geon, were heading to Macau when they fell in love during the voyage.

They could have just returned to Korea, but they decided to follow Father Aidan to England, thinking they might as well see the country while they were at it.

And during that time, they did something on the ship that resulted in my birth and eventual settlement in England.

"We're all God's children! Just because I look different, you call me a monkey? I'll show you!"

Thanks to the priest's help, we didn't face too many difficulties.

Especially since my father got a job at a wine merchant company run by the devout Quaker Lister family, we lived better than most families.

Me?

Well, I became friends with Joseph Lister and got along well with him.

"Anyway... want to try again today?"

"Ah, are your eyes okay? It hurts if you do it too often."

"It's fine. It's just a simple thing... I can handle it."

The kid was fine, but the problem was the microscope.

It was such a primitive device that it felt like my eyes would fall out after using it for a while.

But in the 19th century, where I had returned from the fascinating 21st century, the microscope was one of the few interesting toys I had.

"Then let's catch something first."

"Sure."

Being Asian, I could go anywhere as long as I was with Joseph, the local socialite.

Since his family was one of the wealthiest in town, everyone tried to stay on his good side.

Of course, there were still some kids who didn't know any better and picked fights.

But hey, I was a professor in 21st-century Korea.

No one could match me in terms of guts or toughness.

"Uh, uh. Pull!"

"Okay!"

Anyway, I often went to the nearby beach with Lister to catch shrimp or fish.

We would then perform simple dissections and observe them under the microscope.

For me, a beating shrimp heart wasn't that fascinating.

"Wow... it's really... beating..."

But for Joseph, it was a whole new world.

"I really want to go to medical school."

Because of this, his dream was to become a doctor.

Shrimp and humans are quite different, though.

I wasn't sure if this was enough to decide his future, but Joseph's father was thrilled with his decision.

"Really? You want to go to medical school?"

"Yes, Father. I want to go with Taepyeong!"

"Taepyeong. Hmm."

"I know medical school is expensive. But Taepyeong is my best friend... and he's really smart. If we go together, we'll be able to pay it back in no time."

He was so excited that he even promised to send me to medical school as well.

"Don't just say it—why don't you go to London and see for yourself?"

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes, really. Taepyeong, you should ask your father for permission too."

"Yes, thank you, sir."

With the offer to pay for it, my father couldn't refuse.

Besides, we weren't planning to enroll in university right away—it was just a visit.

"London...?"

"Yes, London. We're going along with the wine-selling trip."

"Well... that sounds good. Just don't go alone, okay? It's dangerous."

"Ah, yes. Of course."

Getting permission was easy.

Of course, he was worried.

But I was just a kid.

Well, 15 years old, so still a kid, but in this era, 15 was practically an adult.

Plus, if you added my previous life's age, I was over 50.

In fact, I was older than my father.

'I'm so nervous...'

Still, the journey from Upton to London was exciting.

I had never left this small town since being reborn, so it was only natural.

But that excitement began to fade as soon as we set off.

'The roads... are a complete mess.'

I had forgotten this was the 19th century.

Even though England was rapidly developing due to the Industrial Revolution, the 19th century was still the 19th century.

"Ugh..."

"Hey, hold on tight."

Joseph was in the same boat.

He was a country boy from Upton, so this kind of road was new to him too.

But he was probably even more shocked than I was.

His family was practically nobility.

From the oriental-style bridge in their garden to the well-maintained trees...

Compared to that, this road was hell.

"Look, that's London."

No, I take that back.

Hell was London.

"That... gray city?"

Wait, that can't be right.

The man said London was the greatest city in the world.

But that...

"Yes, that black smoke is the symbol of London."

No... don't make that your symbol...

We shouldn't go in there...

Clack-clack-clack—

Despite my wishes, the carriage soon entered London.

What looked like a tragedy from afar was even worse up close.

"Ugh."

"Hahaha! You country folks can't handle the city smell, can you?"

The smell was disgusting...

I looked at the man who called me a country bumpkin.

In my head, I was cursing up a storm.

No matter how you look at it, swearing is best done in your native language.

No matter how bad the situation, saying "shit" makes you feel a little better, right?

'No, not today.'

Today was different.

I couldn't feel better.

London was...

"Ugh, ughhh!"

People vomiting next to the carriage as we passed by.

"Move along, move along!"

Next to them, something covered in burlap passed by, and I caught a glimpse of what looked like a human foot.

I tried to convince myself it wasn't what I thought, but the man spoke up.

He was smiling for some reason.

"That's a body being delivered to University College London's medical school. That's why their dissection skills are top-notch!"

What?

What did you say?

Delivering bodies?

The word "delivery" itself was problematic, but I could chalk that up to the man being a wine merchant.

The real issue was the body itself.

'It looks... pretty decomposed...'

If they dissect that, they'll catch a horrible infection before they learn anything.

"Haha. I've told Joseph a lot about London, but Taepyeong, you look frozen since it's your first time! Stand tall! You have to be confident in the big city!"

"..."

It's not about confidence, man.

"You shouldn't dissect something like that.

And you shouldn't go to that university.

"Ah, we're here. Let's stop for now. The work will be done quickly since it's routine. Wait here, and we'll go see the medical school later."

Unaware of my thoughts, the man got off the carriage and went into the shop.

He and the workers busily carried the wine inside.

I couldn't just stand there, so I helped out, but a kid from the shop started staring at me.

"What?"

I thought he was going to call me a monkey again, but instead, he said something unexpected.

"Wow, you look really unique."

Was this a pure attack?

To say I looked unique with such a bright face.

"Insuk, get inside!"

Fortunately, the shop owner was kind.

"Sorry about that, he doesn't know any better. Haha. He must have found your yellow skin, small eyes, and black hair fascinating."

Kind? Scratch that.

He just dug the knife deeper.

In the 21st century, I could have sued him for racial discrimination.

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

But this was the 19th century.

A time when bad men could kidnap you and sell you to a circus.

So, for the past ten years, I had followed my father and the priest's teachings and kept my head down.

"Ah, really? We're in luck."

As we continued carrying the wine, the man started chatting with the shop owner.

It wasn't anything unusual.

The boss didn't have to do the heavy lifting.

"That's great. Your son is interested in medical school? That's wonderful. I'll finish up here, so you go ahead."

"Ah, alright. Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

As they chatted, the man suddenly tapped me and Joseph on the shoulder.

"Let's go."

"Huh? Where?"

"To see a surgery. Let's go watch."

"Huh?"

We're going to watch a surgery?

What kind of crazy idea is that?

You're not supposed to watch that.

As I stood there dumbfounded, the man laughed again.

"Our country boy is going to be shocked today. There's something called surgery in this world!"

I know, sir.

I was a surgical specialist and a professor.

Although I became a professor only to get brain cancer...

No, actually, I died after being hit by a truck.

"Let's go. If we're late, we'll miss it. Surgery is quite something to see."

"Uh..."

"Come on, what are you doing? Are you scared? You're good at dissections, aren't you?"

"No, it's not that..."

Before I could say anything, I was dragged along by the man and Joseph.

"Good. There's a spot over there."

The place we arrived at wasn't even indoors.

It was a square.

A wide-open square.

In the middle of what would normally be an empty space, there was something like a table.

"No! I'd rather die than go through that!"

Wondering what was going on, I heard a scream.

I turned my head and saw a man being dragged in by four men.

"Are they executing him before the surgery?"

"No, it's the surgery."

"That?"

"Yes. It's your first time, so you don't know. Surgery is one of the ways to save people."

The man smiled kindly as he watched the scene.

I couldn't take my eyes off the man being dragged in.

What should I call that?

Yes, terror.

The patient was filled with terror.