Beacon of Light in the Dark Sea

Chapter 140

I’m not sure what Shin Hae-ryang means by saying that. I expected Shin Hae-ryang to suggest evacuating Shu Ran, who’s connected to Baek Ae-young, or his deputy team leader Kang Soojung. I looked around at Baek Ae-young, Tumanako, Kang Soojung, Shu Ran, Shin Hae-ryang, Sumire, and John Doe in turn, then shook my head.

“I remember the Birkenhead. Thank you for the offer, but I’ll pass it on to someone else.”

The rescue priority order is women and children first. This order was created so that everyone can survive together. The more difficult and challenging the situation, the more we need to rescue those with lower survival chances first. Basically, while young men with strength and stamina endure the danger, we quickly finish rescuing the vulnerable, and by being rescued last, everyone can escape danger.

Emotionally, I was desperate to get out of the underwater base, but how could I accept the escape pod over Tumanako or Shu Ran, who looked much smaller and weaker than me? I may not be brave, but I’m not a coward. And I know shame.

Tumanako, wearing one cardigan and draping the other over her head like a cloak, said:

“Are we supposed to give opinions on who should take the escape pod? Me! Me! I want to go out!”

Kang Soojung lowered her gaze to stare at the top of Baek Ae-young’s head and said:

“I’d like Ae-young to go.”

Startled by suddenly hearing her name, Baek Ae-young’s eyes darted around before she answered.

Shu Ran looked at Baek Ae-young and Kang Soojung, sighed, and said:

“I’ll say Deputy Team Leader Kang too. Ae-young never listens to me anyway. She always does whatever she wants.”

“You’re just now realizing that?”

“Listen to me for once!”

Kang Soojung looked at Ae-young and Shu Ran fondly, as if watching chirping chicks. Then, Sumire cut through the warm atmosphere and said:

“I vote for Kang Deputy Team Leader too.”

“Oh really? You’re picking me? Why?”

“Because I don’t want to see your face.”

“Ha. This little thing, really. Can’t even smack her.”

Two pads creaked dangerously in Kang Soojung’s grip. John was shouting “Mmph!” as if he had an opinion, but no one untied his gag. Shin Hae-ryang quietly listened to everyone’s comments, then urged Kang Soojung:

“Hurry and get in the escape pod.”

“Really, me? Not the doctor?”

“There’s not much difference.”

At Shin Hae-ryang’s words, Kang Soojung looked at me and quickly denied it.

“No. We’re completely different.”

I agree. Except for being Korean, there’s nothing in common between me and Kang Soojung. Our build, age, personality – everything is totally different.

Kang Soojung handed the two pads she was holding to the team leader. Shin Hae-ryang had her stand on a designated circle and spoke in a low voice, almost whispering:

“If we haven’t escaped in 3 hours, flee with Lee Jihyun and Yu Geum. Jihyun knows the location.”

“What location?”

“The location of the boat and satellite phone.”

There’s a boat and satellite phone? Kang Soojung’s eyes widened in surprise, just like mine, and she asked the team leader:

“Our team has a boat and satellite phone? Wasn’t the country not supporting us?”

“The boat is hidden on the shore of the island. It’s very small and in a remote place, so it shouldn’t have been discovered. There are two numbers stored in the phone, and you should request rescue from both numbers. The satellite phone won’t pick up high frequencies inside buildings or under roofs, so use it where you can see the sky.”

“Um, Team Leader. I’ve never driven a boat in my life.”

Kang Soojung stammered, sounding bewildered by the flood of information.

“All I have is a regular driver’s license. Are you telling us to escape on the boat so confidently because Jihyun or Geum know how to drive it?”

“I guess one of you three will learn this time.”

“What? Wait.”

Shin Hae-ryang punched the button on the wall. With a beep, before Kang Soojung could say anything more, the escape pod closed instantly and shot out. Baek Ae-young looked at where the escape pod had disappeared and said to Shin Hae-ryang:

“That old boat looked unreliable.”

“Still, it should be able to reach the Solomon Islands or Fiji.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to tell them to hide in the boat and wait for us? Surely we won’t take 3 hours to get out of here with our skills, right?”

“…Just in case.”

Trailing off without confidence, Shin Hae-ryang turned to me and asked:

“Can we leave the underwater base without any problems?”

The question came suddenly, like an unexpected punch. I froze, caught off guard by the unexpected situation. I stammered, unable to answer right away.

“Uh, well…”

“I understand.”

“I haven’t answered anything yet.”

“You have answered.”

“What did I say?”

“Seems like there will be a lot of problems.”

His tone wasn’t particularly sarcastic. He just said it flatly, then looked at Tumanako and said:

“…Let’s check the status of the submersible port, and if we can’t escape from there, we’ll leave East District entirely.”

I wonder what Shin Hae-ryang is thinking. Was he always like this? When I used to go around with Shin Hae-ryang before… I just went where he said to go and did what he said to do. I didn’t really have any opinions of my own.

The back of my neck and back felt chilly, like the empty space. I’m afraid to ask what the temperature is right now. I remembered I had packed a towel in my bag. I took out a towel and wrapped it around my neck like a scarf. Sumire was looking at me, so I asked:

“Want a towel?”

“…Why did you put a towel around your neck like that?”

“Because it’s cold.”

The best way to keep warm in cold weather is a scarf and a hat. If you can only choose one, it should be a scarf. Sumire frowned as if what I had done was an insult to fashion and shook her head. Even though she was dressed quite thinly, she had never once mentioned being cold or anything like that.

Looking now, only Tumanako, Sumire, and John Doe are in casual clothes, while everyone else is wearing full-body suits. As Tumanako left the escape pod port, she whispered to me in a weak voice:

“How close are you with the Engineering Deputy Team Leader?”

“…I don’t really have anyone I’d call close here.”

I’ve only been here for five days. Ignoring the feeling that I’ve already been here for over a week, I said that, and Tumanako frowned and said:

“Just… seeing the escape pod being used, I’m not Korean, so I feel like I’ll be the last to leave. You and I aren’t close to those people, but I feel anxious that I’ll be left behind. Am I being too honest?”

Tumanako said with a face full of anxiety.

“…It’ll be fine. I’ll probably be the last one, so don’t worry. The people who came first should leave first. If we leave in order of arrival, won’t you leave right before me, Tumanako?”

“I was anxious about being left behind, but hearing that makes me feel better. Let’s leave together. In the end, no one gets left behind. How about it?”

Recovering quickly from disappointment, Tumanako smiled and said to me.

“Sounds good. When the next escape pod comes, I’ll insist you get on first, Tumanako.”

“If you come to my salon to get your hair done, I’ll dye it so it shines like a prism. It’s the most expensive dye.”

“Is that actually a good thing?”

“The trend these days is for your hair color to sparkle every time it catches the light. I’ll set a date and turn you into a shimmering peacock.”

Seo Jihyuk, who had been waiting for people outside the escape pod port, said:

“Did Jihyun go up?”

“Yes.”

With that one-word answer, Seo Jihyuk nodded lightly. Then, after taking just three steps, he had his gun snatched away by Baek Ae-young again.

As we were walking, Sumire mumbled something into John’s ear. However, John completely ignored Sumire’s words and kept walking. John was following behind Shu Ran, which didn’t seem to be what Sumire wanted.

Sumire mumbled into John’s ear again, and John ignored Sumire once more. Before I could ask what was wrong, Sumire bit John’s ear hard. John jumped in surprise and stepped back, intentionally slamming Sumire into the wall with a loud thud. Sumire, her back hitting the wall hard, bit the back of John’s neck with a ghostly expression.

By this point, Seo Jihyuk, who had been trudging along after having his gun taken away, approached and asked with a sigh:

“What now? What’s the problem this time?”

“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!”

“He suddenly slammed me into the wall.”

“Mmph mmph! Mmph!”

“Guess he got tired of carrying me. Aren’t you a cult follower? Your stamina is poor. You’re staggering.”

John, seemingly at his wit’s end, thrashed about wildly with his mouth gagged and hands tied, carrying someone on his back. More precisely, he hopped up and down in place on both legs with Sumire on his back. Seo Jihyuk, who had been staring blankly at this, chuckled and pulled off the gag tied around John’s mouth. John immediately shouted at us:

“This crazy woman! She’s telling me to change direction to her quarters in East District!”

Then, as if overwhelmed by everything, he burst into tears. Sumire frowned as she looked at John. Then she said:

“A man crying so much. And tattling too.”

“Hey, you, Sumire or whatever! Get off right now! Untie this! Whatever religion I believe in, I don’t deserve to be treated like this! You’re all doing the wrong thing! Why are you doing this to me! Why did you put me with this insane, crazy person-“

John couldn’t finish his sentence because Sumire headbutted the back of his head with a loud thud. John trembled, unable to say anything due to the sudden pain.

Watching from the side, it was mind-boggling. Am I just a coward? Have I just encountered fewer strange people in my life? I thought I’d had my fair share of social experiences, but the people and situations I’ve met in this underwater base have been consistently novel and surprising.

Sumire shook her head as if dizzy. John’s body, hit on the back of the head, slowly sank down. As John slumped to the floor, Sumire automatically sat down on the floor too. Sumire shook her head vigorously once and said:

“I just want to go to my room. I’ve been saying that all along. I only suggested going because the East District quarters are right next to the escape pod port.”