Beacon of Light in the Dark Sea

I thought about Kang Soo-Jung and Yoo Geum-yi as I climbed the stairs, pausing to rest, then climbing some more. Objectively or subjectively, they are good people. I can’t go on suspecting everyone around me. Of course, there are people who live like that. But I couldn’t be that type of person. My mental fortitude is not strong enough to constantly live with that kind of stress.

I have to be thankful for the goodwill they extended to me at that time, and believe it was genuine. I didn’t want to flounder in a swamp of distrust, whose depth I couldn’t even measure. Seo Jihyuk’s opinion has been quite helpful. But if Seo Jihyuk were to… Never mind.

“Geum-yi!”

“…Yes.”

A feeble voice answered from a distance. As I climbed the stairs, I could see Yoo Geum-yi’s dark figure, hunched over like a zombie. The distance between us was probably around 20 steps. She wouldn’t go down anymore, whether someone ahead or behind her called. She would just rest and wait for people below to catch up and, if someone above called, ascend with a sigh. Efficient, indeed. I took a deep breath after observing her sluggish movement, swaying like a kite in the wind.

“How many steps have you climbed?”

“…I’m standing on the 3025th step. There may be a margin of error of plus or minus 10 steps.”

We’ve rested a total of five times so far, and 3000 steps? Yoo Geum-yi and Baek Ae-Young must have really climbed 450 steps each before taking a break, or perhaps actually 500-600 steps. No wonder it felt so exhausting. There’s nothing to see in the darkness, so it’s easy to be deceived. I wished they had lied and said we were on the 4000th step. …Humans are so deceitful. Or rather, I am so deceitful.

“I thought we had only crossed about 2000 steps.”

“We still have over 1300 steps left.”

“But we’ve passed the halfway point.”

Like me, Seo Jihyuk panted as he spoke.

“I swear I’ll never use stairs again. Once my legs recover, I’m going to live in an elevator. Seriously.”

“Sounds good. I don’t want to leave my lab either. I’m tired of stairs.”

Shin Haeryang, who had been listening to Yoo Geum-yi, checked his watch and said, “We haven’t lost much time.”

“How long did it take?”

“About 40 minutes.”

“Is that fast or slow?”

“…Considering the number of people, we’re making good time.”

I nodded, unseen in the darkness. If this taciturn man isn’t saying that we’re all doomed, things must be okay. Seo Jihyuk unleashed a string of expletives. His complaint mainly centered around how his knees hurt so much, he wished he could make the person who shot him feel three times the pain. I almost tripped laughing at his claim of refraining from doing so because he was such a wonderful person. To be exact, I missed a step.

“Huh?”

The moment I started to lean, Seo Jihyuk put his arm around my shoulder. Seo Jihyuk himself was being supported by Shin Haeryang, so both caught me simultaneously. One of my feet was completely off the ground, but they pulled me back with incredible speed by holding onto my shoulders and arms, preventing me from falling into the darkness.

After instructing Seo Jihyuk and me to stay close to the wall, Shin Haeryang inspected the ground with his flashlight. Upon closer inspection, the width of the step I was on had narrowed by 2-3 cm compared to the previous steps. Baek Ae-young and Yoo Geum-yi, who were ahead of us, were walking down the middle of the stairs. In the dark, it would have been hard to notice the difference of a few centimeters.

“Doc, that was a close one.”

“It was risky. …Thank you, both of you.”

Shin Haeryang furrowed his brow as he looked at the stairs.

“Shall we walk on the outer edge? It will be safer.”

It would be more tiring and difficult to walk along the outer edge, but I switched places without complaining. Better safe than sorry.

Shin Haeryang reached around his neck and took something out. Even in the dark, something small was glinting around his neck. As he approached, I realized it was a necklace. I hadn’t noticed before because of the special suit he was wearing up to his neck, but it seemed he had a necklace underneath. As he offered it to me, I stepped back, visibly displeased.

“You really don’t have to go this far.”

“I’m lending it to you. Give it back once we get out of the dark.”

Shin Haeryang’s necklace was soon around my neck. I couldn’t tell what it was made of, but it glowed faintly in the dark, about the size of a pinkie nail. I had never heard of a gemstone glowing in the dark without a light source. I looked at the glowing blue color around my neck and asked in a voice tinged with concern.

“What is this made of?”

I just hope it’s not radioactive. If a gem glows, it’s that, right? Radioactivity.

“It’s a lapis lazuli coated with a fluorescent material.”

I let out a sigh of relief internally. But I wasn’t the only one walking in the dark. Looking into the darkness, I asked, “Wouldn’t it be better for Yoo Geum-yi-ssi to wear the necklace?”

The three of us are going up as a set, but she’s going up alone. How scary it must be for her in the dark.

“Yoo Geum-yi has never fallen once in the 3,000 steps she has taken.”

“How do you know?”

“The sound.”

At Shin Haeryang’s words, I had no further objections and closed my mouth. My calves and knees were already aching. They’re probably bruised. Walking in the dark where the stair heights are inconsistent and supporting another person is not easy. According to Shin Haeryang’s judgement, I must have tripped too many times. Well, one person tripping could make all three of us fall. The stone hanging around my neck emitted a lone blue light in the dark. It was only the size of a thumbnail, but it gave me some comfort.

I asked Shin Haeryang as I looked at the glowing necklace.

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone coat a necklace with fluorescent material.”

A sound of agreement, “yeah,” came from Shin Haeryang. I realized that Seo Jihyuk had quietly shut his mouth and was climbing up the stairs. I had thought he would have a field day making fun of me for tripping on the stairs or for wearing Shin Haeryang’s necklace, but surprisingly, he was silent.

We climbed the stairs in silence for a while. Shin Haeryang seemed naturally quiet, and I wasn’t exactly the most sociable person either, plus I was out of breath just from walking up the stairs. Seo Jihyuk was usually the one who started conversations, but he seemed to be out of topics to discuss today. In the darkness, I heard him sniff loudly before he spoke.

“I’m reminded of the time Team Leader made the necklace.”

As I touched the gemstone of the necklace with my right fingertips, it felt smooth. Lapis lazuli. If my memory serves me right, it would probably look like a deep blue sea under the light.

“Did you make it yourself?”

“No.”

“Could you please elaborate, Team Leader? I should know what I’m wearing around my neck.”

I had noticed that whenever Shin Haeryang’s team members asked him to elaborate, he would do so. Was there a reason? Seo Jihyuk chuckled at my question.

“It’s a rule we made because Team Leader is so reticent. If we ask him to explain something in detail, he’s obligated to do so. It stops the team members from going crazy.”

“…I was fortunate to find a small piece of lapis lazuli in Afghanistan. I was told that its size would be good enough to make two necklaces. After receiving the finished gemstone cut, I applied a non-toxic dye multiple times to ensure it would be visible in the dark. Once I was sure it glowed properly under fluorescent light, I applied a coating and let it dry completely before giving one as a gift.”

“So, this was made as a set?”

“Yes, originally it’s a set of two.”

I felt a shiver down my spine. Could it be that I was wearing one of a couple’s set? Surely not.

“Is the other one currently being worn by your significant other or something?”

An ambiguous voice floated in the darkness.

“Um…No, the other one is mine.”

It was the first time I’d ever heard Shin Haeryang respond so ambiguously. Damn it.

“I’ll give it back right away. My God, why would I be wearing this when you should be giving it to your loved one?”

“…There would be no issue since they have passed away.”

In a calm voice, my neck, now adorned with a necklace, felt somewhat relieved. It seemed that Seo Jihyuk, who was silently standing in the darkness, didn’t expect this sort of explanation either. Seo Jihyuk withdrew the hand he had rested on me, scratched the back of his head vigorously, and then spoke.

“No, I thought you were going to give a brief explanation as to why you made it visible in the dark.”

“…You asked for a detailed explanation.”

“I’m fully awake now.”

“Jihyuk-ssi, were you dozing off?”

“Let’s keep climbing the stairs in the dark. Do you not feel sleepy?”

He says that, yet he makes a ruckus in this situation; is he implying that he’s sleepy?

“I don’t feel sleepy.”

“Then it seems you and I have different constitutions.”

And then there was silence. I felt as though the weightless necklace suddenly became heavy. In the dark, it felt as if some woman was glaring at me, which sent shivers down my spine. I’ve come to realize for the first time that I’m such a coward; I had never noticed it before. So I asked Shin Haeryang.

“Right now, wearing this on my neck feels like a tremendous burden.”

“Oh.”

“If it’s not rude, may I ask how that person passed away? I can’t see anything in front of me, and I feel like I might trip with every step. I just want to return it. If it’s a difficult question, please ignore it.”

“Three years ago, that person was swept away by a sudden rush of water in a stream while out playing in the water with friends.”

“Ah… May the deceased rest in peace.”

“Yes. I also believe so.”

As Shin Haeryang quietly ascended the stairs, I felt so uncomfortable that I thought I’d turn back. Seo Jihyuk seemed to feel the same way. He was quietly ascending the stairs when he suddenly slapped Shin Haeryang on the back and spoke.

“Come on, you need to explain this in more detail. Team leader, your communication skills are severely lacking.”

“…Suddenly, I strongly agree with Jihyuk-ssi’s words.”