The Black-Haired British Doctor

Once again, I didn't faint.

Apparently, my mental fortitude was much stronger than I had thought.

I mean, seriously, how could I still be fine after seeing all this?

"Come this way."

Robert Liston gestured toward me.

The old man had already run far away, so it was just Joseph and me following him.

To be honest, I didn't want to go either.

'What's up with this light?'

The 19th century was more developed than I had expected, so there were electric lights.

But they were quite different from the ones we commonly use.

How should I describe it…?

It looked like the kind of dim light that would signal the appearance of a ghost.

And considering that we were surrounded by actual corpses lying in rows, it made the whole atmosphere even worse.

"Come, take a look. This is our body."

Robert Liston seemed quite accustomed to it.

Of course, he was.

Despite looking like a gang leader, he was a professor here.

And being a surgeon, anatomy was probably more important to him than to other doctors.

'But I'm pretty sure this isn't the right way to learn…??'

The corpse that Dr. Liston pointed at had its abdomen sliced open.

I didn't particularly like the fact that the incision was made in an X-shape.

Of course, it was a possible incision.

If the goal was an autopsy.

But after seeing how he amputated that leg earlier…

'He wouldn't perform surgeries like this too, right? Right? No way. Right?'

I couldn't shake the feeling that he would.

"This here is the... Oh? The spleen, as they call it. We don't quite know what it does yet, but it must have some function."

The spleen.

Hmm.

That's not how it's supposed to look.

I had no idea how long this corpse had been dead, but its original shape was completely destroyed.

"This is the liver."

At least the liver looked somewhat intact.

Yeah, it should look like that.

"This is the stomach, and below it, you can see the intestines connected. If you look behind it, there's this weird squishy thing."

That's the pancreas.

"Sometimes, if a body comes in quickly enough, we can actually examine this pancreas."

Oh, so they do know what it is.

Thank god.

For a moment, I thought they had no clue.

Yeah, I suppose 19th-century medicine wasn't completely a mess.

It was only 100 years away from the 20th century, after all.

And I was someone born in the 20th century.

"Now, if we look back here… Where is it… Ah, here. These are the kidneys. Do you see this tube? This is where urine flows down."

The explanations continued.

And as I listened, something felt very off.

I had seen so many bizarre things already that I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.

And I didn't have much time to figure it out.

"..."

I was managing to endure this thanks to my knowledge of anatomy and my ability to slap Dr. Liston across the face in terms of expertise.

But Joseph wasn't in the same position.

For him, dissections were limited to shrimp or frogs.

And even then, I was the one cutting and showing everything while he only watched.

"Ughh!"

The fact that he had held on this long was already impressive.

"Here, use this."

"Wow… There's actually something like this? Ugh."

Even Dr. Liston seemed to think Joseph had done well, as he kindly handed over a metal bucket that had been under the dissection table.

Wow.

That was more difficult for me to handle.

Because inside, I could see faint traces of the previous users.

You disgusting bastards.

No matter how dirty an anatomy lab is, you're all medical students and future doctors.

Shouldn't hygiene be second nature to you?!

'If I were a professor here, I'd have a few people executed…?'

While thinking that, I patted Joseph's back as he added his own contribution to the bucket.

'You lasted long enough, man.'

Joseph wasn't just anybody.

I knew he was somewhat decent, but now? Oh? He's got guts.

The fact that he only vomited and didn't pass out was actually surprising.

Honestly, this was…

Not just something a doctor would find gruesome.

It was horrifying to look at, even for an average person.

It was the kind of scene people imagine when they think of an anatomy lab.

Clunk!

At that moment, a door opened.

Not the one we had used to enter.

It was a hidden, dark corner that I hadn't even realized had a door.

"Oh, you're in luck."

"Huh?"

Then, a group of people who looked like they were up to no good barged in.

But… why did he say we were lucky?

Was there going to be a fight or something?

Well, even if they did attack us, our dear Dr. Liston was right here.

The guy amputated an entire leg in 30 seconds—surely he could take off a thinner neck in just one second?

Rattle—

Anyway, the group pulled in something like a cart.

It wasn't exactly a carriage. More like a handcart.

Covered with a rough cloth.

And underneath…

'A corpse.'

Yeah. No matter how I looked at it, it was a corpse.

"This one's in good condition, Professor."

In good condition?

Was it not a corpse?

Were they trading something else?

Whoosh—

But as Liston lifted the cloth, it was, without a doubt, a corpse lying there.

Holy shit.

You bastards.

"Oh. I see. Doesn't even seem cold yet."

"Huh? Oh, yes. We got it right away."

Professor, doesn't that sound weird?

They brought in a corpse that hasn't even cooled down.

Aren't these guys murderers?

Just look at their faces.

I know it's a stereotype, but even a 20-year veteran detective would arrest them on sight.

"Well done. Well done."

"Oh, then… how much…"

"Here you go. It's in great condition. Still young, too. This will be very useful for our research."

"Ah, thank you as always."

"No, no. I should be the one thanking you. Thanks to you, our students become doctors. You should take pride in that."

"Yes, Professor!"

Wait. You're paying them? Professor.

Do you even know where they get these corpses from?

Wait…

Are they really… bringing them in?

Or are they… you know… making them?

"There are many unexplained deaths in London."

Dude! Stop saying stuff like that!

You can't just lump all deaths together as 'unexplained deaths'!

"But these guys are trustworthy. The others bring in bodies with stab wounds or strangulation marks… Look at this one."

…Hearing that made me feel a little less angry.

I mean, Dr. Liston is supposedly the best doctor in London.

Surely someone of his caliber wouldn't accept corpses from murderers.

That would be common sense, right?

"Nice and clean, isn't it?"

"Oh. Yes. Very clean."

"Yes. I hear they wait at the hospital for patients who are beyond saving and then bring them in. But I don't know the exact details."

"Hmm, I see."

The way he phrased that was unsettling.

It sounded like he didn't want to know the details.

As if knowing too much would be dangerous.

"Well, we're busy now."

Regardless of what I was thinking, Dr. Liston quickly got to work.

Why the rush?

Was something urgent?

"You two can leave now. Call for your father."

"Oh, yes."

That was a relief.

I really wanted to get out of here.

But I was too afraid to make it obvious, worried he'd get offended.

Seeing his face and build, anyone would realize he had no trouble controlling his temper.

"Let's go."

"Huh? Oh, okay."

"You alright?"

"Huh? Yeah. I think so."

"Think you can be a surgeon?"

"I want to be."

"…Oh. Okay."

I helped Joseph clean up.

At least wipe the vomit off your lips before saying that.

Otherwise, you have zero credibility.

Creak—

As we stepped outside, the old man was standing there, looking exhausted.

Clearly, stuffing cotton in his nose wasn't enough, as he was now pressing his entire forearm against his face.

"Ah, Mr. Liston."

"S-Sorry about earlier…"

"No, no. It's fine. Ha ha. In any case, these two seem quite talented."

"Huh? Really?"

Really?

Are you a fortune teller?

All you know about us is our names and faces, and you're already talking about talent?

"Especially this one. He's incredibly composed—perfect for surgery. Your son as well… Most fathers react the way you did."

"Haha. Then…"

"He's welcome to enroll. As long as you pay. The new semester starts next month, so you can come then."

Wait.

Enroll?

He's going to study here?

…That doesn't seem like a good idea.

And they're letting students in without an entrance exam?

"Oh, we'll do that. Absolutely."

Of course, my opinion didn't matter much.

The one paying had the final say.

"Yay! Hooray!"

And Joseph was over the moon.

Joseph, after seeing all that… you still… you really…

'Wait… this guy is actually amazing, isn't he?'

Then it finally hit me.

Why something had felt so wrong.

This man.

Dr. Liston.

He wasn't wearing gloves.

He performed surgeries and dissections with his bare hands…?

If only he limited his bare hands to martial arts.

'Did he even wash them?'

Didn't seem like it.

There wasn't even a water system in there.

I hadn't heard any running water either.

And yet, we were going to study here?

"Here, this is… just a small first donation."

The old man truly had the heart of a businessman, unlike a coward like me.

I really wished he wasn't so generous, though.

He was already handing over money.

And it didn't seem like a small amount.

Dr. Liston peeked inside and beamed like a full moon.

"Haha! You're excellent students already!"

And just like that, before even enrolling, we were excellent students.

Clip-clop.

On the way back, I felt so drained I could barely speak.

Meanwhile, the old man and Joseph were chattering away happily.

"Father, is there anything I should prepare?"

"Well, you'll need some books. And a place to stay in London."

"Oh, so I'll have to live separately?"

"You'll be close by. And I'll visit every week, so don't worry. I'm more concerned about him. Taepyung, your name means 'peaceful life,' but why do you look so troubled?"

Because this isn't a peaceful situation, old man…

After seeing all that… oh?

A medical school that accepts students with money…?

And that… situation…?

'No, no. It's not like I had other options.'

Trying to see the bright side, I realized this wasn't necessarily bad.

This was a time when many Westerners didn't even consider Asians human.

No matter how smart I was, would they have let me into medical school?

Probably not.

So this was my only chance.

"I mean, this is good. It's a good thing, but…"

That didn't make me feel any better.

All the things I had seen replayed in my mind like a panorama.

"Hey! Hey!"

And finally, I fainted.