Tobacco.
The more I think about Columbus, the more I realize the immense impact he's had on human history.
I thought he only brought syphilis and sugar, but he also brought tobacco.
Sigh…
This damn tobacco.
-"Old man, you should quit smoking now."
The default response to that is, "All the doctors I know smoke."
Well… that might've been true 30 years ago, but not anymore.
At least among the doctors I'm close with, there's barely anyone who smokes…
Wait, actually, there are.
Oddly enough, there are quite a few smokers in surgery.
They say it's because of "stress," but I think it's just an excuse.
I'm in trauma surgery, and I didn't smoke.
-"Oh, come to think of it, I didn't smoke, and I still got cancer."
Damn it…
I'm cursing.
"Why's that? You've never smoked, have you?"
I'm cursing about the current situation too.
Why are doctors gathering to chat about tobacco and recommending it?
I can understand that much, but when I say I don't like it, they look at me like they don't get it.
"Ah, don't tell me… you're one of those."
Blundell, who's been busy lately with blood transfusions and whatnot, has a condemning tone.
"Are you one of those anti-tobacco people? The ones who spout unscientific nonsense like 'smoking is bad for your health'?"
"No…"
"Ah, I guess not."
"No…"
Sometimes he acts like an icon of innovation, but most of the time… he's just a 19th-century doctor.
It's not just him—they're all like that.
"So… you believe tobacco is good for your health…"
I've been ignoring it until now.
Well, it hasn't bothered me that much.
There are plenty of people smoking indoors and outdoors, but at least at Alfred's place, they don't smoke indoors.
Not because they think it's bad, but because the old man worries that the wooden decorations might catch fire.
The hospital?
At the main hospital, the director doesn't allow it because he'd hold them responsible if a fire broke out.
"Here… Liston and I are in charge, so I can't really tell Liston what to do…"
The tobacco issue came up after this center was established.
Not immediately, though.
The students didn't dare to smoke at first.
But since Liston started puffing away openly, this is where we've ended up.
Does that mean I can hit Liston upside the head?
No.
"It's hard to suggest experimenting, too."
Stuff like arsenic is a real poison—it kills immediately—but tobacco…
Proving that smoking kills people the way they enjoy it would take decades.
That alone is a long shot, but considering how many people die from other causes during this period, proving the harm of tobacco is practically impossible.
"Right, isn't it?"
"If not, try smoking. It's so good."
"Yeah, it really boosts concentration. It's not for nothing that I always smoke before surgery."
"I thought you always smoked… but come to think of it, I've never seen you do it."
But even so, I'm not keen on smoking along with them.
Knowing the harm of tobacco and still smoking is… well.
And saying, "I'll just try it once," isn't easy either.
The addictive nature of this stuff is actually much stronger than cannabis.
"More than anything… I've already done it once."
I unconsciously glanced down at the iron cup decorating my lower body in a grotesque manner.
Others might see it as scary, ridiculous, or, rarely, pitiful…
But to me, it's like a scarlet letter.
It's become a reminder of something I couldn't bring myself to do, even though there's no medical benefit to it.
"Uh…"
"What?"
"What are you trying to say this time?"
Liston and Blundell are teasing me.
It's a rare occurrence, so they're probably enjoying it even more.
As they said, I'm much younger than them, but I've been living as their mentor, right?
The role reversal itself is amusing, so I can imagine how special it must be for these two.
"Honestly, selling Joseon is… hard."
I don't even know if the tobacco pipe they gave me is from Qing Dynasty China, Japan, or actually Joseon…
If I clumsily claim that people in Joseon don't smoke or something, they'll catch on immediately.
Lately, Liston seems to know more about Joseon than I do.
Moreover, Joseon didn't really reject tobacco.
In fact, they liked it.
Since tobacco contains nicotine, it gives a momentary feeling of mental clarity, and its addictive nature makes it a natural cultural phenomenon unless there's large-scale medical research.
"Is it the Lord? No…"
I don't know much about Catholicism, but I think I saw archbishops smoking during meetings in the news or somewhere.
Compared to drugs, whose harm is immediate, tobacco offers immediate benefits while its harm takes a while to manifest.
Of course, smoking too much tobacco at once can cause acute poisoning and even death…
But if they say, "Who's going to do that?" I have no comeback.
"What should I sell, then? Parents?"
Yes, parents, perhaps?
Even in non-Confucian societies, touching parents is taboo.
After all, everyone is someone's child, so it's inevitable.
"Parents are the best thing to sell, aren't they?"
I nodded contentedly, gently removing the tobacco pipe from my mouth.
Of course, my expression was calm, but my mind was racing.
Even if parents are the best material to sell, they need processing first.
Luckily, ever since I started monitoring their exercise and blood pressure, my parents haven't come near the hospital, and despite being ascetics, they don't smoke. Instead of drinking alcohol, they, amusingly enough, avoid smoking.
"Brother, listen to Blundell too."
"All right, let's hear it."
"Pyeong was an anti-tobacco advocate… really… how could this be?"
The two shook their heads in disbelief.
It's really frustrating.
Knowing the answer but not being able to explain it convincingly, I just have to endure it.
I've been quite content with my position lately, but it seems I'm still lacking.
I should grow stronger to enforce my will through logic—or, if necessary, force.
"Well… physically forcing Liston would still be hard…"
Making a noble vow to rise in life for the sake of others, I continued.
"Some people experience breathing difficulties when eating certain foods, right?"
Food allergies.
Some say allergies are a modern phenomenon, but they're not.
Sure, they've increased explosively in modern times, but they existed before.
I don't remember the details, but…
I think I heard that in Joseon or China, people with certain skin conditions were advised to avoid shrimp or chicken.
There were even stories in Joseon of people dying after eating chicken with lacquer.
"Hmm… I think I've heard that before."
"But that's food, isn't it?"
"Tobacco is food inhaled through the nose."
"Haha, you don't know much! You exhale it."
"Watch."
Blundell and Liston expertly inhaled tobacco smoke and exhaled it through their noses.
It's frustrating, but it's also kind of cool.
Both have stylish mustaches, so it gives off a… dreamy vibe?
Of course, it's not just them—the other guys, like the disciples, can do similar tricks.
They have to—I've heard that at school, during breaks, teachers teach students various techniques while smoking together.
Oh, by "school," I mean actual schools, not prison slang.
"But can you say they exhale all of it?"
"Hmm. Well…"
"Anyway, tell us."
"I almost died once while smoking tobacco."
"Huh…?"
"How could that be…?"
The two looked incredulous.
Damn, probably because I heard it from Liston earlier—the Chinese characters came to mind again.
Anyway, the moment has ripened.
I'm ready to put the parents on the market.
"Have you ever seen my father or mother smoking?"
"Uh…"
"Now that you mention it…"
But I should go home quickly today.
They probably won't follow me to investigate, but…
You never know.
Besides, Alfred and Joseph live with me, right?
Of course, they're nowhere near as fluent in Korean as Liston and have no intention of learning, so sharing secrets is easy.
"It's a trait I inherited from them. I can't smoke."
"An experiment…"
"Hey, you. What if Pyeong really dies?"
"Ah, right."
"Ah, right, my foot. Tobacco is nothing. They even do opium. It's fine, this much."
Luckily, Liston reacted sensitively to the mention of death.
After all, he has some affection for me.
Well…
He had to bring up opium too.
"Aah… feels good."
"Yeah, it's been inconvenient going outside to smoke at the main hospital."
Now that I'm aware of tobacco…
Smoking indoors is starting to bother me too.
Since there's no filter this era, secondhand smoke is just as harmful as firsthand smoking.
At least I'm not smoking while complaining about others smoking…
But I'd rather not be exposed to this continuously, especially since I don't smoke.
Even in 21st-century Korea, I avoided e-cigarette vapor—this is incomparably worse.
"How do I overcome this crisis?"
Most importantly, hearing these guys talk, it seems they'll continue… no, increasingly smoke indoors.
The smell of tobacco will fill my space.
Harm aside, the smell alone is unbearable…
"I need to do something about my quality of life."
Recruit old people who didn't smoke and those who did?
No, that's meaningless…
Almost everyone smokes, to the point where not smoking makes you look strange.
Women smoke much less, but…
In this era, most people believe the differences between men and women go far beyond physical traits.
If I want to persuade them, I need tailored persuasion, that's what.
"Ah."
Something came to me then.
Why didn't I think of this earlier?
When did I start thinking of experiments only in terms of human experiments?
It's a bit absurd.