I'll Take Care of My Own Body
"If only something straight out of a novel would happen to me."
That was what I thought as I staggered across Yanghwa Bridge.
And I regretted it immediately.
I never became an oriental medicine doctor for this. I never imagined that my clinic would shut down before even making it three years. I really, truly, never expected to be buried under so much debt.
But at that moment, I had no idea.
That after falling from Yanghwa Bridge...
I would wake up as the crown prince of an empire in a novel.
That I would use moxibustion therapy on a vampire's back.
That I would stick acupuncture needles into a dragon's wing joints.
That I would become known as a divine healer in this fictional world.
At that moment, I honestly, truly had no clue.
♣
[HP (Health Points) System has been activated.]
[You can receive HP from your five internal organs by performing medical treatments.]
[Invest acquired HP to unlock various skills or summon mythical creatures.]
[Current HP: 0]
'Ugh, it's hot.'
A voice tapped against my mind.
An unfamiliar system notification made me frown. Even in my sleep, I could feel the heat.
Was I still drunk?
Or was I suffering from a severe hangover?
Maybe.
A freezing wind had been howling across Yanghwa Bridge just moments ago. If I had collapsed there and fallen asleep, I should be feeling the bitter cold. No, actually…
'I fell.'
I flinched.
Then, it all came rushing back.
I never meant to fall.
I had just felt so suffocated.
With alcohol dulling my senses, I thought about shouting into the night sky for some relief.
I gripped the railing of Yanghwa Bridge and raised my voice.
And then—I fell over the edge.
'So right now, I must be drowning in the freezing Han River.'
Dying like this, without even meaning to? Terror seized me.
But strangely enough… I didn't feel cold.
I felt warm.
Oddly, I found that reassuring.
A small, involuntary smile crept onto my lips.
And then—
"…Your Highness."
A voice unfamiliar yet filled with concern reached my ears.
Softly, carefully, it called out to me again.
"Your Highness, are you awake?"
That wasn't all.
A warm, gentle hand pressed against my shoulder, shaking me lightly with concern.
…What?
Wasn't I supposed to be fully submerged in the freezing Han River?
Had emergency services already rushed in to rescue me before I drowned?
'Damn, Korea's 911 is amazing.'
Relieved, I let out a small laugh.
At least I was still alive.
That was all that mattered. If I was alive, I could start over. Even if I was drowning in debt after my clinic shut down, it was still better than dying.
'I'll make it work this time.'
It wouldn't be easy to pay off my debts.
But I'd grit my teeth and push through.
A fresh start.
Determined, I opened my eyes—
And my mind went blank.
"…What?"
The scene before me was nothing like the Han River.
And the person in front of me was no emergency responder.
"Your Highness! Can you see me?"
A man was gripping my shoulders, his face filled with distress.
A foreigner.
A strikingly handsome middle-aged man, at that.
Chiseled features, brown hair, and a neatly groomed mustache. If Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise were blended together in a perfect 50-50 ratio, this man would be the result.
Overwhelmed by the surreal sight, I blurted out,
"Uh… Who are you?"
"…Pardon?"
It was just one question.
But the man's face immediately crumbled. His voice trembled, as if he was about to cry.
"H-Hrk…! Your Highness, do you truly not remember me? No matter what, I will always serve you! I am your royal physician, Gardin!"
"…"
Something was definitely off.
At first, I thought it was some kind of joke.
But looking at him now, it didn't seem like he was acting.
His emotional turmoil was way too raw.
If this was just a performance, he could easily win an Oscar.
On top of that, the lavish room behind him only deepened my confusion.
'This is indoors… And it's ridiculously extravagant. Where am I?'
I darted my eyes around.
The room was massive—easily 100 square meters, if not more. Every inch of the walls and ceiling was dripping with opulence.
Noticing my bewilderment, the man who introduced himself as Gardin hurriedly explained,
"Do you remember now? This is Your Highness's bedchamber. You were writing in your journal earlier, and when you did not summon me for a long time, I entered the room… only to find you had collapsed after coughing up blood."
Bedchamber? Mine?
'And he keeps calling me "Your Highness." Why?'
My confusion only deepened.
Trying to stay composed, I turned to Gardin.
"Um… I'm really thirsty. Could I get some water…?"
"Right away!"
Before I could even finish my sentence, he handed me a goblet at lightning speed.
Gold. Silver. Embedded jewels.
An overwhelmingly luxurious cup.
"…"
The diamonds encrusted in it… They weren't cubic zirconia.
The handle… It looked like solid 24-karat gold.
I hesitated to drink from it.
But my thirst won out.
I took the cup.
Tilted it.
Gulped it down.
Then—
I caught a glimpse of myself in a large mirror across the room.
In it, a pale young man stared back at me.
"…"
A man sitting upright in bed.
Holding the same ornate goblet.
And then—
"PFFT!"
I spat the water everywhere.
So did the man in the mirror.
At the exact same time.
"Y-Your Highness!"
Gardin panicked and rushed to wipe my face and clothes with a towel.
But I barely noticed him.
I could only stare at the mirror.
The man in the reflection.
'Is that… me?'
Not a man in his early forties.
A young man, barely in his twenties.
And his face—
Looked eerily familiar.
Like I'd seen it somewhere before.
"Laciel Adrian Magentano."
I remembered.
Without a doubt.
That pale face.
That sharp expression and piercing gaze.
It was the exact same as the illustrated character I had seen earlier today—
From the novel The Dark Sword Emperor.
'The crown prince from that story…'
Identical.
A perfect match.
'Wait, does that mean… I've become Laciel?'
Was this… real?
A dream?
But everything around me felt too vivid to be just a dream.
Suddenly, laughter bubbled up inside me.
"Heh… Haha… Hahaha!"
A strange sense of liberation washed over me.
'So I'm the crown prince in a novel now?'
It sure seemed that way.
Which meant—
The enormous debt I had after my clinic went under?
Gone.
I no longer had to fight to survive under crushing financial burdens.
"Hahaha… Hah…"
Like winning the lottery off a random ticket found on the street.
Excitement surged within me.
I shot up from the bed—
But then—
"…Huh?"
Dizziness hit me like a truck.
A wave of weakness crashed over my entire body.
Before I could fully stand, I collapsed back onto the bed.
I didn't just inherit a crown prince's title.
I had also inherited his fatal illness.
And he only had one year left to live.
…Yeah.
I was totally screwed.