Chapter 102: Money Comes In, Money! [1]
Since I decided to spend money, it was time to talk about how to earn it. I know, it sounds backward, but that was just how my heart felt right now. I would not pretend this was the typical nineteenth-century mindset. Honestly, even back in Korea, I was not particularly interested in economics.
I didn’t have money… I just never had the time to think about it.
I had never made much, either. Interns, residents, surgeons, fellows, and professors did not make much at the start. So what about before that? I never had a reason to learn about investing or anything like that.
“So… now you’re finally curious about how things are going?”
Alfred’s father approached me with a slightly puzzled look. Why the confusion? It did not take much to figure out. This condom business was entirely my idea, wasn’t it? And I heard my stake was ten percent. Honestly, that was crazy. I only gave them the concept and did nothing else.
“If you weren’t the man who saved my son’s life twice, I might’ve stabbed you in the back. But if I did, the Lord wouldn’t let me sleep at night.”
Right. There was value in his son’s life, too. So, even if it seemed like a lot, maybe ten percent was not excessive.
“Anyway, I managed to get a bit of this during the social gathering season.”
“Oh? How did it go?”
“How? You may not know it, but this past season might have been the happiest in living memory. Imagine young men and women acting on impulse for a night of passion, and no babies afterward. That’s revolutionary.”
He muttered something like, “If only I were ten years younger,” but immediately shut up when Alfred shot him a look. Ten years ago, he was not just married. He already had four children. Twenty years ago would have sounded a little less pathetic.
“Anyway! It’s been a hit. I’m telling you, people are lining up to get it.”
“Oh? Then shouldn’t we open a store?”
“No, no, there’s no need. What’s the point in opening a store when the orders are flooding in on their own?”
“I see…”
“I’ve already applied for a patent. Not that anyone else could reproduce this without knowing the raw materials. Anyway, that’s how it is.”
“I understand.”
He changed the subject and pulled something out from under the table. It was a package. Inside was silver. A whole pile of silver coins.
“You’ve already earned this much?”
At this rate, we would break even on the initial investment in no time. And once the costs were recovered, we agreed that we would start splitting profits at ten percent each. My mouth practically watered just looking at it. As I started fantasizing about the future, the man pushed the silver my way.
“Huh?”
“This is yours. You earned it. It’s your share.”
“Wait, already? Are you saying we’ve already made back the investment? And this is my ten percent?!”
“It’s worth it. Think about it. Sure, you’ve got people like Blundell trying to market this as part of a marriage strategy, but the real buyers are the wealthy. The truly rich are those who never made a penny themselves. They inherit wealth. That’s the British way.”
Alfred’s father, who was a self-made man, did not seem bitter about it.
Why? Because he knew. In this era, the most reliable path to wealth was inheritance. Especially for the British nobility, who sat back while the Royal Navy conquered the world, brought in spoils from every continent, and squeezed out profits without lifting a finger. People like Alfred’s father were the exception, and even he had to hand over a portion of his earnings to nobles for “protection” or “investment.”
“So what motivates these people? Money? No, they’re given that. Power? That too, they’re born with. Even women, well, if you have money, you can get as many as you want. Though, granted, the number of brothels is limited.”
“…Hmm.”
That got a bit uncomfortable. I still had a twenty-first-century moral compass. Before I came here, I was a lifelong single man. Still, the man kept talking, oblivious to my internal objections.
This was the kind of conversation that came up when you started a condom business. Honestly, what did I expect?
“Having a baby means marriage. Otherwise, in London society, it’s a scandal. That’s just how it works.”
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
Affairs and infidelity were common in high society. Compared to twenty-first-century South Korea, London’s moral standards were practically a free-for-all. Everyone still went to church, but maybe they believed weekly repentance wiped their slates clean.
Still… touching someone’s unmarried daughter and acting like it’s nothing? That’s deranged.
Apparently, it was fine for married men to see other married women. Many even had mistresses. If nothing else, they would just fool around with commoners. As long as it was not a noble girl, no one batted an eye.
At this point, I started to wonder why it was even considered shameful to meet someone at a social gathering. But then again, when you were told not to do something, it became irresistible.
“But this product works. That’s a miracle for them. Even if it’s expensive, they’re buying it. Can you believe people are offering whole silver pieces for one?”
A silver piece. That was a small fortune. But hey, I was not complaining. There was nothing wrong with making money, especially in an era like this, when I still had so much I needed to do.
“This isn’t just for contraception, though. It also helps prevent the spread of venereal disease. That’s even more important for the common folk… If it’s too expensive, though, it defeats the purpose.”
It was not that I expected to become a saint. But from my perspective, this era was miserable. And this was supposed to be the mighty British Empire. No wonder Marx was writing about class struggle. Even if he was only twelve or thirteen right now, he must already feel how broken things were.
“Hmm… I see what you’re saying. But look at this.”
He waved a silver coin in front of me like a lure. It sparkled brilliantly. I felt a headache coming on.
“Yes, yes.”
“This just came in. I’m not doing anything, and it keeps rolling in. Remember how you said we should hand it out for free at first? I thought you were nuts! But look at us now!”
He kept shaking the coin gleefully.
“Of course, I’m not blind to the misery out there. I came from nothing too, you know.”
Really? Compared to factory workers, you seemed to have it pretty good… If a landowner said something like that, he would get beaten up before finishing the sentence.
“Yes, that’s why.”
“Anyway. Is it really necessary? I’ve heard people say syphilis clears up if you eat stale bread.”
“Oh, that nonsense…”
Of course it did not. You might get lucky a few times, but it was basically Russian roulette. When the stakes were that high, prevention was everything, and in this era, condoms were essential.
“It’s not perfect… I’m not saying everyone should use them, but if you can avoid infection, you should.”
“Yeah, I get that. But our factory’s not fully equipped yet. We need more capital.”
That was fair. This was where my business knowledge ended. I did not know much about this stuff. Better to keep my mouth shut than pretend I did.
“So maybe let’s hold off for now? I’m reaching out to the French market, too. You know how the French are. They’re the ones who brought us the ‘French disease,’ after all. If we sell it to them at this price…”
“France, huh?”
Honestly, it sounded plausible. I always thought the promiscuous-French stereotype was a joke, but maybe it was not. The British certainly believed it. They hated the French enough to say anything about them. And well… now I was British too.
“Yes, the French are promiscuous.”
“Exactly! We Brits have our social season, but they’re in heat all year round.”
It sounded rude, but not by nineteenth-century standards. Gossip was practically a sport here.
“Right.”
“So let’s take our time. Mass production will take around six months. Until then, we keep the price high. Once we’ve saturated the market, we can lower it.”
“Sure. You handle the business side. Honestly, I didn’t expect to make this much.”
“What? If the French start buying it, the price will skyrocket.”
“I look forward to it.”
All right. I could deal with the rest later. Honestly, would any of this have happened without me? From a broader perspective, I had already saved countless lives.
And what would I even do with this money? Not that I was against living comfortably, but I was not planning to hoard it for myself.
Whoever sent me back here…
If it really was God, there must be a reason. It surely was not to destroy humanity. If that were the case, He would have sent someone evil, not me.
I was not just a doctor. I was a doctor who saved people.
What I’m supposed to do here… I’m still not sure.
But one thing was clear. If I did not do something worthwhile, I had a strange feeling a bolt of lightning might come down from the sky and yank me right back to where I came from.
I knew it sounded crazy, but, well, being here at all did not make much sense either.
So I’d better do some good while I can. I don’t want to get dragged back just yet.
Footnotes
Translator’s Notes
French disease — A historical English term for syphilis. Different European countries often blamed the disease on rival nations, resulting in names such as “French disease,” “Neapolitan disease,” or “Polish disease.”
Karl Marx — German philosopher, economist, and political theorist, born in 1818. He later became known for his analysis of capitalism, class struggle, and communism.
Royal Navy — The naval warfare force of the United Kingdom, historically central to British imperial expansion, maritime trade, and military dominance.