Beacon of Light in the Dark Sea

As Kim Ga-young’s voice grew lower and lower, seeming upset at the memory, Yoo Geum-yi comforted her in a soothing tone while stroking her back.

“Don’t stress over it too much. You already got out of there, eonni . You’ll never have to go back into that awful dorm again. Just think about getting out of here now.”

“I hope that bastard trips and breaks his nose on the way out.”  

We all laughed at Jihyun’s curses. I also pondered if I had any encouraging words for Ga-young and replied,

“Not taking the evacuation pod back then might’ve been a blessing in disguise.”

When Ga-young looked at me, I gave a sly smile and added,  

“Since we met each other.”

Ga-young watched us and squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head wildly.

“Listen, I’m not the type to get touchy-feely emotional okay? I’m a logical, scientific thinker you know? How are you all so cheesy.” 

“I’m a liberal arts major too. Very cold-hearted.”

“I studied science as well. Extremely objective.”  

“Us engineers are obviously science people. Very tough individuals.”

We teased Ga-young as we slowly walked towards the evacuation pod port. Occasionally we could hear her snorting. The posts talked about typing while crying with no copy-paste, or thinking everyone else had escaped leaving them alone in the entire Fourth Underwater Base. Too scary to be singing by themselves with no one else in the dorms. Watched horror movies together with the researchers the day before but didn’t dare look behind, wondering if someone was there.  

It must’ve been very frightening in the darkness. Though for me too, I was scared every time I went down. As we walked I dug through my bag and took out some sugar-free candy, passing it around. Having something sweet dissolve in my mouth calmed me. Talking made me feel even more at ease.  

We slowly ambled our way to the west building’s evacuation pod port. There was discussion of leaving Yoo Geum-yi and Kim Ga-young at the entrance while Jihyun and I checked inside the port first. Hearing this, Yoo Geum-yi shook her head.  

“Let’s go in together.”

“Why?”

“It’s scarier with just you two in this hallway!”

Seeing Yoo Geum-yi look warily up and down the deserted corridor, Kim Ga-young vigorously nodded her head. ….Geum-yi must’ve been very frightened. Wow, waiting alone while we went to the west building dorms must’ve been hard on her. Surveying the eerie surroundings, Kim Ga-young gave an exaggerated shiver before speaking,  

“There’s safety in numbers.”  

I snickered at her words since it reminded me of a joke a friend once told me. 

“If a bomb goes off you should run away so as not to die together.”

“If something might explode around us that badly we should just die, no?”  

When Yoo Geum-yi said that, Lee Jihyun made an ambivalent expression before instructing Kim Ga-young and Yoo Geum-yi to walk behind her and me. The four of us entered the evacuation pod port where two engineers were in front of the pod controls. Seeming startled at our arrival, they held monkey wrenches at the ready as if to throw them and asked sharply,  

“Stay there and speak, don’t come closer.”

“Why haven’t you escaped…Marcus?”

When Jihyun questioned them like so, one person waved upon recognizing her face. Still holding his tool, the other engineer looked us over and said,  

“The monitors showed the podes malfunctioning so we didn’t board. What about you all?” 

“We just got here wanting to use the pod.”

Lee Jihyun omitted any mention of our rescue efforts and such. Seeing how the two didn’t seem ready to immediately charge at us with their wrenches, she kept her distance and turned her head towards the large monitor screens. All the escape pods displayed were returning back to the ocean’s embrace, unable to break past the middle bathypelagic zone (-1000m). The pods congregated around that depth, assuming it was the apex before gradually descending again. Having seen this before I was less shocked, but Yoo Geum-yi couldn’t tear her eyes away from the spectacle. She watched the parabolic trajectories form on the monitors almost blankly.  

Kim Ga-young’s reaction was stranger. Watching the escape pods’ positions and how they battered back into the seafloor at certain intervals, she gave an empty laugh several times. Feeling my gaze, she covered her mouth with one hand. After keeping it there a while, a smile still remained when she lowered it. Kim Ga-young looked at me with anger-filled eyes and said,  

“Isn’t it funny? They were desperately running away together, ignoring screams pleading for help, not caring if fingernails were torn or throats ripped out shrieking to be saved, but now those people are all coming back to the seafloor.”

Twisted. Twisted bastard. I pretended not to hear Kim Ga-young’s muttered words. She must’ve felt extremely wronged and upset. Jihyun’s expression was distraught. Mouthing something inaudible, she kept making small crosses. Finally pulling herself somewhat out of her stupor from staring at the monitors, Yoo Geum-yi asked the two engineers,

“What are you planning to do?”  

“About what?”

“Escaping from here.”

“What we do is our business.”  

When the black-haired man called Marcus dismissively answered Yoo Geum-yi, Jihyun’s face contorted as she spoke.  

“Marcus. If you’re thinking of fixing the remaining pods, give up.”

“…..Why?”

“Are you serious? You think you’ll have the leisure to calmly repair those not knowing when the flooding could start?” 

“Mind your business Miss Lee. If we fix them before the water comes we can still escape. If not we get submerged.”

The bearded man beside Marcus brandished his wrench towards us.  

“The two pods here are ours so if your business in this port is done, leave.”  

“Have fun with your broken escape pod.”  

As Kim Ga-young backed away mockingly, the wrench-wielding man asked me,

“Doctor, did everyone from the north building already escape?”

“Huh? I confirmed the rooms past 38 were all emptied out.”  

“You didn’t see room 20?”

“No I didn’t….Do you know them?”  

“I saw you at the dental clinic before.”

“Oh uh…! Ah!”

There may be only one dentist, but multiple patients. How would I remember all their faces? Recalling their dental conditions comes much quicker. The man interrogating me with the wrench has light brown hair down to his chin. In comparison his skin had been tomato red before but was now pale, plus there was no messy beard. So of course I wouldn’t recognize him.  

“Mr. Harry Woods?”

“You remembered.”  

That’s right. This guy was from New Zealand. So Marcus must be from there too? Suddenly patient information began popping into my head one after another. He said he lived in Queenstown or somewhere, and complained when he came to the clinic about not being allowed to drink here. He had multiple adjacent surface cavities, diabetes, and hypertension but judging by his teeth there was clear alcohol addiction too. When he opened his mouth coming to his dental appointments I could smell the alcohol emanating to make my head spin. He also had periodontal disease so had to quit drinking, but this guy vented all his irritation at me.  

His face was tomato red back then too. My last memory is of him angrily cursing at a native woman living across from him before storming out of the clinic. Harry asked me,

“Did water also fill up the north building dorms?”  

“Oh, yes it did.”

“Then there’s no one left now I guess.”  

Obviously since it flooded. A thought suddenly occurred to me and I asked Harry,

“…..What was in room 20?”

“None of your concern.”  

And he didn’t elaborate further. The man called Marcus directed a question at Jihyun.

“What are you all planning to do? How will you escape?”  

Jihyun coolly threw his own medicine back at him.  

“That’s our business.”

Giving him the same dismissive response Yoo Geum-yi received earlier. They all seemed completely unwilling to share any escape-related information, not feeling mutual goodwill. Jihyun stretched her arms back and waved them, signaling me and the others to slowly back away. Seeing this, Marcus jeered,  

“Don’t be scared. We won’t randomly attack you or anything. You don’t look to have anything worthwhile anyway.”  

Harry made mocking feints as if to charge us while laughing. I flinched but Jihyun showed no reaction, only watching fixedly until everyone else had exited the pod port before finally leaving last.  

“The people who escaped on the pods must all be dead now.”  

A chill seemed to run through Yoo Geum-yi’s body making her shudder violently as she spoke those words. Walking beside her, Kim Ga-young firmly grabbed her shoulder with one hand. After Jihyun drew a cross and muttered a few lines she let out a deep sigh. She then said quickly to Kim Ga-young nearby,

“Ga-young eonni . Please write on the Underwater Base message boards that the west building evacuation pods cannot be used, all disabled. Use pods with caution when escaping.”  

Hearing that, Kim Ga-young hurriedly took out her waterlogged but vinyl-wrapped tablet from her bag. Her fingers danced rapidly over the keyboard. Glancing warily behind as we walked down the corridor, Jihyun asked me,

“What should we do now?”  

“Huh?”

“What will happen?”

“There’s gunfire from the east building with people escaping from there into the central building. And some armed people there start shooting everyone dead. In the dream I ran away to the East District building.”  

Glancing around the passageway nervously, Yoo Geum-yi must’ve been frightened. Gazing towards the central building corridor, Jihyun seemed to be considering whether it was wise to enter.   

“So like Moohyun-ssi said, if we go into the central building we might encounter armed people?”

“If we don’t head there immediately, what should we do instead?”

“Why not sprint full speed now from the central to East District building instead?”  

Having silently listened to the discussion between Jihyun and me, Yoo Geum-yi asked me,

“Is the East District safe?”

Her question made me feel choked, like a hand suddenly gripped my throat. Hearing Yoo Geum-yi and thinking it over, the East District building was not secure whatsoever either. Didn’t Ha-yoon die in the elevator there? Seo Ji-hyuk took a bullet to his knee too. Plus Kang Soo-jeong and Jung Sang-hyun already went that way with still no news… I sensed an ominous premonition. That Blue Dragon twisting its body around the elevator to watch us and the terror of running over there.  

“Ah no, it’s not safe either. Armed people also wait by the escape pod port there and shoot at you.” 

“Then how did you escape?”

“By taking the elevator that keeps malfunctioning from blackouts.”  

“…..So one way or another, we have to ride the East District building elevator up into another Underwater Base.”