Beacon of Light in the Dark Sea

Seo Jihyuk smiled lightly at me and said, “I guess that’s how it looks to someone who hasn’t been here long.”

“If we look close, assassination requests for Team Leader Shin won’t come in. I need to betray him big time and run away someday.”

I doubt it. Maybe they should look like they don’t get along from the outside? When Seo Jihyuk was shot in the leg, there were no exchanges of blame or criticism, even jokingly, about having to abandon him or why he got his leg injured in such a situation.

I looked at the submersible port door behind Seo Jihyuk and asked:

“Aren’t you going into the submersible port?”

“No. Let’s wait here until they come out. It shouldn’t take long.”

“There are no functioning submersibles.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Escape through submersibles is impossible.”

“Well, who knows, we might scrape together decent parts from here and there and make a Frankenstein submersible. A doorkeeper should just guard the door well.”

Seo Jihyuk, who had been aiming his gun at Zhu Shi’an, looked me up and down from head to toe.

“Doctor, you look much worse than when I saw you at the dental clinic before. …Hey, how much did you scare him for him to be in this state?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

Zhu Shi’an answered as if wronged. I too, after visually confirming my state to Seo Jihyuk, said:

“Is that so? I feel fine. There’s no external injury.”

“From my perspective, you’re not.”

“I’m fine.”

Seo Jihyuk had somehow pocketed three pills, and he crushed one with his fingertip. He was about to hand me half of the crushed pill, but seeing that both my hands were covered in blood, he forcefully threw it into my mouth. The pill that touched my tongue was incredibly bitter. As I was flustered, Seo Jihyuk said as if it was nothing:

“Just swallow it. …Hey, did you really hit him on the way?”

Seo Jihyuk asked, looking at Zhu Shi’an.

“I said I didn’t do anything!”

“Did you at least scare him to death? Why is the doctor in this state then? …Excuse me.”

Seo Jihyuk told Zhu Shi’an to stop the bleeding on her shoulder herself and forcibly pulled me away. I was dragged about 5 meters away from Zhu Shi’an by Seo Jihyuk’s strength. Then suddenly, Seo Jihyuk started kneading my shoulders with his hands. Seo Jihyuk’s grip was so strong that it felt like both my shoulders were being crushed. Seo Jihyuk, who was squeezing my shoulder muscles with his hand strength rather than loosening them, frowned.

“Try to relax your whole body a bit. How tense are you? You’re as hard as a rock.”

“I’m fine.”

“Usually in disaster situations, or when taken hostage by guys with guns, people go into shock. It seems like an acute stress reaction.”

Is that so? I think I’m normal. Seo Jihyuk massaged my shoulders vigorously. I felt like screaming but swallowed it down my throat. Is he torturing me? However, Seo Jihyuk, while looking at Zhu Shi’an, said to me:

“When you see a lot of people dying and experience extreme stress in a short time that’s different from usual, people’s bodies can stiffen or become numb.”

Zhu Shi’an, frowning while clutching the blood-soaked towel with her left hand, said:

“No matter how I look at it, I seem to be in a more serious condition.”

“No matter how I look at it, it seems you did hit him? …Ah, doctor. Don’t misunderstand. I have absolutely no interest in men. When we get out of here, get a massage or something. Go to a Korean medicine clinic and get some acupuncture. Your body condition is definitely not normal.”

Seo Jihyuk pressed my shoulders and the back of my neck with his fingertips. Seo Jihyuk’s grip was so strong that it felt like my neck and shoulders were cracking. There were cracking and popping sounds from bones wherever he touched. Your massage might ruin me. I decided to accept Seo Jihyuk’s kindness and mentioned the most recent shocking scene I had witnessed.

“I guess seeing the corpses in East District was shocking. I feel guilty about many things too. And someone I know pointing a gun at me…”

“Is that so? But that’s not your fault, doctor. Rotate your arms widely backward. That’s right. Now forward too.”

In fact, I feel guilty about everyone I meet. The last images I saw of them overlap too. I also feel a sense of helplessness, wondering if I can really get out of here well. But I was thinking it was hopeful since some people had gotten out through the escape pods.

After I awkwardly rotated both arms in circles about twenty times, Seo Jihyuk made a sound like “Emergency treatment finished!” with an unsatisfied expression and added:

“Don’t worry too much. You’ll get out.”

Do I look like I’m not worried? The gunfight with the Infinite Bridge believers in the second underwater base would wake me up even in my sleep. How can I not worry about that? …Seo Jihyuk doesn’t know. I sighed deeply inside.

Suddenly, the submersible port door opened. I was startled enough to jump, but Seo Jihyuk didn’t even look behind him. He just kept watching Zhu Shi’an. Baek Ae-young, who came out first, looked at me and said with a faint smile:

“You caught up, doctor.”

Then she glared at Zhu Shi’an, who was lying on the floor. Behind Baek Ae-young, Tumanako walked out of the door listlessly. Walking dejectedly like a seagull that failed to fly, she saw me and smiled happily.

“So glad to see you again.”

“I’m glad too.”

When I managed to smile back at Tumanako, she said, slightly tearfully:

“I thought I might not make it.”

“Me too.”

Next, John Doe came out, but unlike before, there was no gag in his mouth, only his wrists were tied in front. John Doe’s gaze brushed past my back and he smiled broadly, giving a thumbs up. …He probably thought I had abandoned Sumire somewhere and that’s why he was doing that.

Finally, Shin Hae-ryang came out of the submersible port. I checked twice, but Shu Ran wasn’t in the group. Shin Hae-ryang saw my gaze and answered:

“Shu Ran left.”

“I guess there was a functioning submersible after all.”

“One Mary Gilmore was operational. It was hiding Engineer D Team (Australia)’s Summer.”

Apparently, Summer had secretly hidden in the submersible, drinking hidden alcohol and happily falling asleep after congratulating a friend’s birthday via video call. Then she woke up to some noise and found Engineer B Team members walking around and shooting inside the submersible.

The inside of a two-person submersible is narrower than a studio apartment bathroom. There’s absolutely nowhere to hide, they say. When she thought she was done for, Shu Ran opened the submersible door and their eyes met. However, Shu Ran said there was no one there and shot towards the outside of the submersible.

After hearing Shu Ran’s words, Ha Yoon also came to check and looked inside the submersible, and despite seeing Summer’s face, he nodded and said let’s go.

Even after the footsteps faded away, Summer was too scared to leave the submersible and kept hiding inside, she says. She was afraid that if she went outside the submersible, someone might point a gun at her, saying they were waiting for someone to come out.

Shu Ran thought the submersible Summer was in had already left, but when she saw it was still there and opened it, she found Summer still inside. Baek Ae-young, like someone who had thrown away a rock of responsibility, said to me in an elevated voice:

“Summer left in the submersible with Shu Ran. I’m so glad she got out.”

It’s the happiest story I’ve heard recently. Baek Ae-young was genuinely happy even though she wasn’t the one who left.

“That’s great.”

Zhu Shi’an frowned upon hearing those words. But she didn’t say anything separately to Baek Ae-young. Seo Jihyuk showed off Zhu Shi’an’s captured gun like a pirate who had found treasure and handed it to Shin Hae-ryang, who didn’t have a gun. Come to think of it, now Seo Jihyuk and Baek Ae-young were the only armed ones. While watching Shin Hae-ryang check his gun, Zhu Shi’an said:

“Let our team members out of West District. I’ll give you as much money as we have.”

“Didn’t you say your team only has 1 billion?”

Seo Jihyuk interrupted, interfering with Zhu Shi’an’s words. Zhu Shi’an hesitated, glared at Seo Jihyuk, and then spoke to Shin Hae-ryang again:

“It’s true. Check my messenger. Our team members said they’d rather give you money to get out of there than be trapped with those Japanese bastards.”

“But you said 1 billion was all you had? Getting scammed by cult members, trapped in West District. How much did you spend on guns? Even in black market deals, if it’s over 100 dollars for a gun like this, you’ve been totally ripped off…”

“How long are you going to keep other team members trapped in West District like that? What you’ve done is practically a crime.”

“Hey, Great White. I bought Zhu Shi’an’s boat for one painkiller pill? Let’s take it for a ride as soon as we get out. Your oppa is now a man with a boat!”

Seo Jihyuk kept interjecting into Zhu Shi’an’s words. However, Zhu Shi’an ignored him and stubbornly tried to speak to Shin Hae-ryang.

“Cooperating with our team won’t be disadvantageous to you or your team. We keep our promises.”

“Team Leader, earlier Zhu Shi’an told me to take your head for 1 billion won. But I refused. 1 billion is too cheap. The implants and tooth regeneration for these guys must have cost over 1 billion. Shouldn’t you get at least half the treatment cost from that dentist in Hawaii?”

At Seo Jihyuk’s sudden tattling, Zhu Shi’an’s face, which had been pale from the gunshot wound, turned white as a sheet.

“Shut up!”

Zhu Shi’an, who could no longer hold back, shouted at Seo Jihyuk. I don’t think she’d be this surprised even if bitten by a shark. Baek Ae-young, watching this scene from the side, laughed incredulously. Tumanako whispered to me:

“Is 1 billion won in Korean currency?”

“Yes, it’s in Korean won.”

“How much is that in New Zealand dollars (NZD)? I’m still not quite familiar with the units.”

“I’m not sure. Would you attack Team Leader Shin Hae-ryang if you knew?”

“No. I’m just curious. Aren’t you?”

John Doe watched from a distance, as if he was completely unrelated to this messy situation of the engineers. Zhu Shi’an, who had been gritting her teeth at Seo Jihyuk, closed her mouth for a few seconds and then said to Shin Hae-ryang:

“Are you afraid of our team members?”

Even at this provocation, Shin Hae-ryang looked at Zhu Shi’an with emotionless eyes and said:

“We’re going to North District.”

“Oh really?”

“Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you before we go.”

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