Kim Taepyeong.
A British national of Korean descent running a hospital on Kensington Road, London's equivalent of Gangnam.
Not just a doctor, but also the leader of multiple gangs, including the Sword Saint Liston…
He has long since absorbed influential figures in London's political sphere, such as Sir Damian and Sir Jamie, along with several other parliamentarians.
His influence even extends to the police, and it's widely known that the police commissioner and several officers frequently visit the hospital he operates.
And now, such a man has become a knight of the British Empire and the personal physician to His Majesty the King.
"The world is truly beautiful."
If there were a biography about me in the 21st century, it might include something like this.
Not just in the UK, but probably in South Korea as well.
-"The pioneer who ensured that red ginseng remains the most favored health supplement in the Western world."
Huh?
That's probably it.
People, as it turns out, are more prone to being trapped in preconceived notions than observing or listening carefully, right?
It's not like I exaggerated the efficacy of red ginseng just to live a comfortable life.
It was solely for the sake of my homeland…
I'm a true patriot.
"What's so beautiful? The weather's so gloomy. It's about time we started heating."
At my words, Liston, who had been staring at the thick fog outside, shook his head.
He doesn't understand my grand aspirations.
Even if he's big, his thoughts are small.
'Well… he probably can't envision the future like I can.'
It must be the limitation of his time.
Thinking that, and because I was already in a good mood, I could still smile warmly.
"That's true."
Besides, it's getting a bit cold now.
London's winter…
It's not as cold as Korea, though.
My proud homeland, the Korean Peninsula…
When it comes to weather, it's cursed—hot in summer and freezing in winter…
The problem is that here, too many people live in the city, and instead of using city gas, they have to rely on coal heating, which is a disaster.
It's humid, rains often, and the fog is thick—those are problems too.
"The coal's here!"
While I was thinking that, my underlings brought in the coal.
By underlings, I don't mean my students.
Our students…
Although they haven't yet earned their medical licenses, we treat them as if they were doctors.
Of course, when clinical trials are needed, I have to step in myself, but…
Haha.
They volunteer for it, after all.
"Ah, just put it there."
"Yes!"
Anyway, the guys delivering now are former gang members.
So, it's hard to tell whether they actually bought what I asked for or just stole it without paying.
Well, what can I do?
I'm doing everything above board.
One concern is whether the changes I'm bringing might accelerate the smog crisis.
"By the way, doesn't it seem like London's population is growing?"
I brought it up while looking toward the slums.
It's just a way of speaking, really—the view of London from Kensington is quite beautiful.
The air is unavoidable, but the appearance of people walking the streets and the cleanliness of the area are all good here.
But the scenes beyond this can't even be called "good" as a polite lie.
It's like hell on earth, you could say.
I'm not exaggerating—it's really like that.
"Indeed, the population has grown. The overflow of industry, isn't it? Our doing, of course. We even subdued the mighty Qing."
"That's… true."
It does seem like the Qing Dynasty has completely bowed its head.
It's called a knighthood, but it's really just an honorary title—it's not like I attend major meetings or anything, but still, I hear things.
The people coming to our hospital meetings and those attending national meetings are pretty much the same, so I end up hearing quite a bit of high-quality gossip.
Considering that, it seems like the UK I'm standing in now is much stronger than the UK of that time.
It's not just about subduing the Qing…
Other things seem to have some influence too.
"The military isn't asking for our help for no reason."
"That's also true."
"But we're not going to war again, are we?"
"Where would they even invade now?"
"The world is vast, and there's plenty to take. They'd want to go anywhere."
"Well… that's true too."
For one, the military has become stronger.
With blood transfusions and all…
The survival rate of wounded soldiers is higher.
Even if limbs are amputated, the phantom pain that follows is acknowledged and somewhat treatable, so there's less to worry about afterward.
There's a rumor…
I really hope it's just a rumor, but there's talk of cocaine being among the military supplies…
Ignoring the long-term side effects, cocaine, being a stimulant, could somewhat help in short-term combat.
'Probably not.'
If it were something like methamphetamine, that's different…
But that's a completely synthetic chemical, isn't it?
There's even talk of German soldiers using it during World War II.
But I haven't heard of cocaine being used that way, so they probably tried it briefly and gave up.
It's not like they wouldn't do it, though—the UK I know has a manic experimental spirit.
Anyway, for these reasons or others, London's population has really grown.
"Anyway, there are too many people… Isn't the air going to get worse?"
"What are you worried about? That's not going to cause disease."
"But… it's still toxic… It's suffocating."
"Hahaha! You're the one who discredited the miasma theory, and now you're talking like this? The rationalists would faint if they heard! Do you know how much they respect you?"
"Is… is that so?"
"Of course. To the rationalists, you're practically… haha."
Rationalists…
It sounds so cool.
The idea of being governed by reason is quite plausible, isn't it?
But…
There's a slight misunderstanding about reason and emotion in this era.
How should I put it…?
There's a belief that reason is unconditionally superior to emotion, isn't there?
"Anyway, there's a word going around among those friends recently… I heard it and found it convincing."
To be fair, it's a fitting era for it.
The prevailing artistic trend of this time is Romanticism, isn't it?
It's an era filled with romanticism, so it makes sense.
Not globally, but in Western Europe, especially in the powerhouse nations of Britain and France.
They've traveled the world, beaten everyone up, taken everything valuable, and made money…
There's a pervasive belief that the future will unquestionably be better than the past.
That's why there's this notion that we're far superior to those who came before us… and it seems the rationalists are influenced by it too.
I haven't studied it in depth, but from what I've seen, educated people like Liston are even more prone to falling into this.
I didn't realize it, but now I see it.
"Suppressing sexual desire seems quite important."
"Ah… but why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's no secret that you occasionally take time alone at the hospital or at home."
"Uh… don't you do the same?"
"I engage in normal relations with women. I don't engage in such unclean acts as masturbation."
"What… why is masturbation unclean?"
"Sexual activity itself is meant for procreation… masturbation, that's just wrong. We're not created by God to act that way."
"What the…"
Even if we're created beings, that's probably wrong.
Why?
I've seen some documentaries…
Humans are actually animals that engage in sexual activity for pleasure.
Otherwise, human males wouldn't have such disproportionately large genitals.
'But saying that would make me sound even crazier, wouldn't it?'
We're talking about suppressing sexual desire, and if I spout this nonsense, how would I look?
'Ah… and that time I locked the door, damn it broke.'
I've actually been caught in the act once, so I'm at a disadvantage in this argument.
Is it because of this?
Or because it's started raining?
I'm not sure, but the London scene that seemed so beautiful just moments ago is starting to look dreadful.
"But still… it must be hard for a bachelor like you to hold back. It's… you're such a rational and smart friend, yet even you struggle—how must others fare?"
"Well… I guess so."
Do I really have to hold back?
If it leads to crime, of course that's wrong, but I'm still a teenager, and my hormones are raging, right?
Just let me do my thing in private?
Why's he making such a big deal out of it…
"Speaking of which… according to recent studies, prisoners tend to be quite dedicated to masturbation."
"Isn't that natural?"
"Exactly! I thought you'd deny it, but you're admitting it! That's the spirit!"
"No, that's not what I meant."
"What do you mean 'no'? Haha!"
Prisoners are locked up, so they have no choice but to do it…
They don't have freedom…
I wanted to say something like that, but Liston was ranting so passionately that it was hard to get a word in.
He was talking so loudly that even if I said something random, it would've been hard to keep up, and the content was downright shocking.
"Wouldn't this theory make sense? That suppressing masturbation could reduce aggression or… learning disabilities."
"What… how could that…?"
"Listen. There are already people who've acted on it. I came straight here after hearing about it. We've always been at the forefront of innovation, and I just couldn't stand the thought of falling behind."
"Innovation?"
"Yes, innovation! We're the icons of innovation, aren't we!"
"That's true, but…"
In my opinion, 19th-century innovation is better off not happening.
It's called innovation, but it's more likely to turn into pure nonsense.
While I was struggling to escape the shock of that, our Liston continued.
Still laughing heartily.
"Where does desire come from?"
He suddenly spoke in a serious tone, and it kind of annoyed me.
It's not like I don't know the answer.
It comes from hormones.
But I can't say that, so I stayed silent.
"It comes from the genitals. Men have stronger sexual desires than women… isn't it because their genitals have something unnecessary attached to them?"
"What?"
The conversation seems to be spiraling uncontrollably.
Or has it already spiraled?
"So, someone tried cutting it off."
"Cutting what… the penis?"
"No, are you insane? Why would you cut that? The bigger, the better."
Does this guy realize how contradictory his words are?
Probably not.
Otherwise…
"Circumcision. Circumcision."
"Circumcision?"
"Yes. Cutting the foreskin."
"Ah… circumcision…?"