**Chandler's Apartment**
Upon learning about the forces of evil, Joey became extremely excited, even declaring that he wanted to run for President one day to change everything.
Everyone laughed at him.
Except for Adam.
After all, actors had become Presidents before.
Besides, in America, practically anyone could become President.
After teasing Joey for a while, everyone eventually went their separate ways.
By then, it was already past midnight.
Adam returned to his studies, pushing himself to the limit.
The Next Morning
As always, he woke up early and dragged Chandler and Monica out for a morning run.
Then, he headed to class.
The Anatomy Lab
Rows of cadavers lay on tables. Students were grouped in teams of five, each gathered around a single cadaver, observing and discussing, while the professor moved between groups to provide explanations.
"I can't wait until we get to perform real dissections," Iliad muttered beside Adam.
The cadavers in the lab had all been pre-dissected and treated beforehand, allowing students to clearly observe the structures of human tissues and organs.
"Have you never been hunting?" Adam asked absentmindedly while examining a human heart in his hands. "Plenty of animals out there—you can dissect them however you want."
"Hunting animals isn't the same as dissecting humans," Iliad scoffed. "We're training to be doctors, not veterinarians."
"There's not much difference," Adam said with a grin. "If you dissect enough animals, cadavers won't seem so lifeless to you. Eventually, you'll be able to see a beating heart, even when it's still."
"Seriously?" Iliad looked skeptical.
"Absolutely." Adam nodded confidently.
Iliad rolled her eyes and fell silent. Dissecting a bunch of animals? That sounded like too much trouble—completely impractical.
Adam ignored her. After examining the heart for a while, he handed it to Bianca, the girl beside him, and took a kidney in exchange. As he worked, his gaze occasionally drifted toward the covered eyes of the cadaver on the table, filling him with deep respect.
Modern medicine was built on dissection. In the past, doctors had to take enormous risks to study human anatomy, often resorting to stealing freshly buried corpses.
Now, however, many volunteers selflessly donated their bodies to medical schools for the education of future doctors. That kind of courage was truly admirable.
At the very least, Adam knew he'd feel incredibly uneasy if he were the one lying on the table.
Interestingly, while every part of the cadavers had been fully exposed for study, their eyes remained covered.
The eyes, after all, are the windows to the soul.
Covering them was both a sign of respect and a way to ease the discomfort of students who might be unnerved by the thought of meeting a dead person's gaze.
Adam, Iliad, Bianca Samson, and two other students formed a group.
Through conversation, Adam learned that Bianca was from Chicago. Her father was a dentist, but she had no interest in following in his footsteps—she wanted to be a *real* doctor.
Her father had always joked that dentists weren't considered "real" doctors. And while he enjoyed his job, appreciating the flexible hours and high income, he often lamented the fact that dentists sat at the bottom of the medical hierarchy.
There was even a saying: "A dentist isn't a real doctor."
Still, her father had hoped she'd become one.
Being a doctor was grueling. The road to becoming one was long and exhausting. Doctors had notoriously high divorce rates—many went through second, third, even fourth marriages. Even the strongest relationships couldn't survive the lack of quality time together.
And time was exactly what doctors didn't have, especially during their intern and residency years.
By the time they graduated from medical school and earned their M.D., they were already at the age when most people got married. But then came residency—years of grueling shifts, sometimes staying in the hospital for days without rest.
A year of that, and marriages started to crumble.
A new couple could hardly survive under such conditions.
Even after residency, attending physicians remained incredibly busy. Those who endured it never wanted to go through it again.
Bianca's father couldn't bear the thought of his beloved daughter choosing such a punishing career.
Why not just be a dentist?
But Bianca was both obedient and strong-willed. Having grown up listening to her father's complaints, she became even more determined to prove herself as a real doctor—someone her father could be truly proud of.
Adam found her quite likable. Not only did she seem familiar, but she also had a quiet elegance about her—something reminiscent of East Asian female doctors in TV dramas.
So, whenever there was an opportunity, he included her in study sessions and group activities.
Along with Iliad, the three of them became a tight-knit group—an iron triangle.
Meanwhile, the F5 Squad had their own trio: Steven Murphy, William Haver, and Alice Kidman, with Alice as the center.
William Haver's infatuation with Alice was obvious and understandable.
But Steven Murphy?
What was *his* deal?
A rich kid, practically orbiting around Alice, even engaging in a subtle rivalry with William Haver—competing for her attention while *also* being part of her support system.
Adam found the whole dynamic fascinating.
What a brilliant maneuver on Alice's part.
After weeks of study, certain patterns became apparent.
Strangely enough, a student's talent for medicine seemed to correlate with their attractiveness.
The F5 Squad clearly outperformed everyone else.
Bianca was close behind.
Of course, hard work played a role too.
Adam's work ethic was unmatched, but Iliad and Bianca weren't far behind—they latched onto him and pushed themselves just as hard.
Alice was just as diligent.
And because of her, her "wings"—Steven and William—worked just as hard.
Good looks *and* relentless effort? How was the average student supposed to compete?
But that was just the way things were in this TV-drama-like world.
In the end, **looks were everything.**
---
**Meanwhile… in Texas**
** Outskirts of Dallas – Newt Town**
As Adam examined a heart in the anatomy lab, Heather arrived in a small town that could be considered her true hometown.
After renting a car, she drove to the address written in the letter she had received.
She soon arrived at the gates of a grand estate.
The entrance featured a modern electronic keypad lock. Beyond the towering iron gates, a long road lined with massive trees stretched into the distance, creating an air of serenity and seclusion.
The entire property was surrounded by a tall fence, obscuring the mansion inside. But judging from the sophisticated entrance alone, the estate was undoubtedly luxurious.
Heather's emotions were mixed.
The beauty of the place made her happy, yet she couldn't stop thinking about her biological mother—who had met a tragic end at the hands of her adoptive parents. The thought filled her with sorrow.
Then, she noticed something unsettling.
On the estate's outer wall, someone had spray-painted a large, bold word:
**"Bitch."**
Clearly, someone *really* hated the owner of this estate.
As she stood there, taking it all in, a white sedan slowly approached from the distance…
---