Beacon of Light in the Dark Sea

Once the decision to move was made, everyone quickly evacuated the escape pod port. D-Team engineers briefly said their final goodbyes to their teammates lying in the chairs, but even that was done hastily.

They planned to stick together until reaching the Central District before splitting up. Baek Ae-young, who was leading the group, looked ready to kick anyone’s ass who didn’t move fast enough.

Borrowing Michael Roaker’s pad that Baek Ae-young was carrying, I checked the facility’s bulletin board to find Kim Ga-young had already plastered it with desperate pleas for help.

I’d hoped that if her posts hadn’t gone through, she might have escaped with others from the dormitory, but apparently not. With each passing moment, my sighs and worries multiplied. I showed Baek Ae-young the posts about the rising water levels and how frightened she was. Ae-young skimmed the messages expressionlessly before passing the pad to Team Leader Shin.

Baek Ae-young seemed to be suppressing the urge to kick Jung Sanghyun, who was dawdling at the back of the group, absorbed in playing games on his pad. Or perhaps she was contemplating how to “handle” him in a way that would become legendary – her glare at the back of his head was downright chilling.

When I carefully suggested to Jung Sanghyun that he should quit the game and walk faster, he snapped “Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?” I shut my mouth with a sigh. The ice in Baek Ae-young’s stare from the rear seemed to be intensifying by the second.

Seo Jihyuk, who had been slowing down to fall back, flashed a mischievous grin at Jung Sanghyun before snatching his pad and sprinting ahead. “This pad’s mine now~!” At that, Jung Sanghyun started chasing after him, yelling “Give it back!” Now Baek Ae-young turned her attention to hassling Sophia and Carlos, who were lagging behind.

Tumanako was chatting with Kim Jae-hee, who had the most striking hair color among A-Team engineers, discussing where he got it dyed and why he chose that particular shade.

It seemed to Tumanako that Kim Jae-hee was the only one here who showed any interest in hair styling. I couldn’t even tell if the Russians had dyed their hair or not. I half-listened as they discussed how almost everyone here got their hair done in Hawaii or nearby cities.

I was getting antsy. No matter how I looked at it, I’d left my room too late, and now I was regretting that wasted time. I wanted to sprint to the South District dormitory right now, screaming Kim Ga-young’s name.

But people were already walking faster than emergency pace under Baek Ae-young and Shin Haeryang’s urging. Going any faster would require running, and I’d probably face-plant on the corridor floor within three minutes.

My mind was racing with urgency, but my body couldn’t keep up. When I get out of here… I’m starting with exercise first thing.

“How’d you get that burn on your left palm?”

I jumped at Baek Ae-young’s sudden appearance beside me. She was openly questioning my left hand, which I’d been keeping in a fist or facing down. What should I say? That I got burned trying to open your jewelry box? Meeting her suspicious glare head-on, I answered.

“Had a small accident.”

Baek Ae-young stared at me silently before saying.

“Humans are insulators.”

“What?”

“Electric current will kill you.”

“Ah… right.”

In my confusion, my mind was throwing up questions like aren’t humans conductors? Then why do we get static electricity in our fingertips during winter? I thought nerves react and muscles move because of micro-currents constantly flowing through our bodies. We die because we’re insulators? Well, if we were conductors, my hand would be fine.

“I really don’t like people who mess with my stuff.”

“Oh. Yes. I’m sorry.”

“Watch your hands.”

I wasn’t sure if her warning about hand amputation meant she’d cut them off herself or make me get them amputated by burning them with electric shock.

I know there’s gold in that jewelry box. Enough that Baek Ae-young would keep thinking about it regretfully while walking around the facility.

I kept quiet, figuring she wouldn’t believe me even if I explained I was planning to steal the jewelry box from the flooding room like some righteous thief and return it to its original owner.

Baek Ae-young seemed to already know I’d triggered the electric trap in her room. How did she know? Did she test it? …She probably did test it. I quietly looked at my palm, still burning from residual heat. Well, it’s not a serious injury, so it’s fine.

Kim Jae-hee, who’d started out fastest from the escape pod port and led the front, gradually fell back while talking with Tumanako until he was somewhere in the middle of the group, slightly lagging. Though maintaining a steady pace, he wasn’t particularly fast. He approached me with a friendly smile and asked.

“Did you know anyone here before coming to the facility?”

“No, nobody.”

If I’d known anyone, they would’ve signaled me to run far away from this place. Like those Infinity Church believers wish for, if I could go back in time, I’d tell my past self to get the hell out of here fast. Kim Jae-hee stared at my left artificial eye before speaking.

“I was pretty overwhelmed too, not knowing anyone and working in a place like this for the first time. You’ll get used to it soon. Though with the situation as it is, I’m not sure when the dental clinic will open.”

“Being new to the facility and suddenly dealing with water leaks, people disappearing, deaths… it’s quite shocking.”

Kim Jae-hee nodded in understanding and said.

“I thought the facility would be pretty quiet and peaceful, but there’s drama every day – never a dull moment. Before getting hired, I only heard stories about the facility and thought there’d be no issues being underwater, just occasionally patching leaks and replacing corroded parts.”

“How’s it actually working here?”

Baek Ae-young and Seo Jihyuk don’t seem to think this is a good workplace. Wonder what Kim Jae-hee thinks.

“It’s worse than expected. We have leaks with untraceable sources, daily breakdowns, and when we request replacement parts, they have to come by ship or helicopter with uncertain arrival times. Sometimes manufacturers go bankrupt and stop producing parts altogether. Besides these minor issues, the facility seems to be corroding faster than the researchers initially predicted. According to the concrete structure degradation damage simulation based on MARIA underwater system records, this North Pacific Underwater Facility has less than 30 years of life left. Even the International Space Station launched in 1998 lasted 33 years. As someone employed here, it’s unsettling that this 21st-century hodgepodge of cutting-edge design, construction, and every available scientific technology has such a short shelf life. We’re barely maintaining it with humans and robots, but who knows how long that’ll last?”

Kim Jae-hee shrugged with a laugh.

“How are the people you work with?”

“People are the same everywhere. Always acting in self-interest, full of greed but no self-control. Being confined here makes people more extreme. One day someone flips over another person’s food tray just because the food tastes bad. People try to fight to the death with folks from another country over one sports foul. Some ask why an Asian person dyed their hair, saying we should love our natural color. All sorts of weird stuff happens. At least my team members are decent, so it’s not too bad overall.”

While speaking, Kim Jae-hee kept touching his ear piercing, then used both hands to unscrew the back counterclockwise and remove it. He pocketed the piercing, saying, “It was wobbling, so I took it out.” Then he started asking about my work life.

“How’s the dental clinic? Do you get many cavity cases?”

“Let’s see… First off, there are fewer patients with severe cavities than expected. When Elliot told me on my first day that they’d installed free vending machines from global snack and beverage companies all over the facility, plus practically unlimited chocolates and candies, I was shocked. Actually, I thought the clinic would be swamped with cavity cases. I imagined having one appointment but 80 people showing up unscheduled, grabbing the lone dentist by the collar, threatening that I couldn’t use the bathroom or eat lunch and dinner until I treated everyone that day.”

Seo Jihyuk, walking nearby, cracked a smile hearing my story.

“But I’m busier with scaling for tartar than cavities, and there are more cases of broken, missing, or cracked teeth.”

Seo Jihyuk quickened his pace and whooshed off to the front where Shin Haeryang was. Kim Jae-hee nodded with interest.

“It’s fascinating hearing from a dentist’s perspective. Isn’t it tough working alone?”

Ah, I’ve really wanted to tell someone about this.

“It’s incredibly tough. I wish there was at least one more person. No, actually, two more would be better.”

A dental clinic can somehow function with one dentist, but it’s not sustainable. I really hope a dental hygienist or technician comes soon. Why didn’t they hire everyone at once? The clinic’s barely running because patient numbers are low right now.

The only reason I haven’t collapsed on Deep Blue’s floor declaring I can’t do this is that it’s the facility’s first dental clinic and they’re hiring from various countries. I’m hanging on because of that, not because it’s a good working environment.

No, it’s okay. I’m getting out of here anyway, so they’ll need to hire a new dentist first. As I was frantically gesturing while spilling out stories about Deep Blue, Kim Jae-hee noticed my palm and asked.

“What happened to your palm? Doesn’t it hurt?”

“I touched Ae-young’s jewelry box and this happened.”

Jung Sanghyun, who’d retrieved his pad from Seo Jihyuk, looked at me in surprise and shouted at Baek Ae-young.

“Hey! Did you lower the voltage from before?”

Baek Ae-young ignored him completely.

“Hey!”

“Did you… just call out to me?”

“Who else would I be talking to?”

“Call out to me like that one more time and I’ll make sure the squids feast on your corpse.”

Baek Ae-young’s menacing tone made it clear she was itching to take advantage of the team leader’s absence to quietly kill Jung Sanghyun. Having never heard Baek Ae-young make idle threats, I got serious chills, but Jung Sanghyun casually asked.

“Why are you glaring like that? So scary… Ae-young, did you lower the voltage?”

“No. Why would I?”

“Then why is this dentist still okay?!”