CH 3

“I’m new here. Could you tell me where to go? And could you recommend a good dentist, including the one mentioned below?”

“Try the macarons at the bakery in the 3rd Undersea Base. They’re great if you like sweet things.”

I nodded in agreement with Freya’s suggestion. Despite giving up sweet things to avoid cavities, it didn’t make life any easier or happier. It simply meant that I had become an individual who consumed more bitter things, like coffee.

“Where can I find good coffee?”

“There are two cafes here in the 4th Undersea Base, but they each use different types of beans. I prefer Red Coral Cafe that uses Yegacherp beans.”

Red Coral, the name of the cafe, or perhaps they grind up coral and put it in the coffee. Either way, as long as the coffee tastes good.

“Thank you. I’ll have to get a cup of coffee later.”

“Afterwards, be sure to check out the beach, the aquarium at the 2nd Undersea Base, and the cable car. The beach is especially beautiful since it was designed to be an island. It’s quite stunning at night. The 1st and 2nd Undersea Bases will be open for tourists early next year, so it’s best to see them before then.”

“Thank you. Do you know where the central elevator is located?”

I was reading the text engraved in the central elevator.

“Ecce extendit circum se lumen suum et fundamenta maris texit.”

What does that mean? It’s not English, and it’s not Spanish. Is it Latin?

The latest translation device can translate 36 languages and any document written in that language. The set includes an earpiece, finger-mounted speaker, and lens placed on the eyes.

My mother’s outdated translation device, which was more than ten years old, did not have the ability to read text and could only translate ten languages. Plus, it was so bulky that it stood out. I couldn’t afford a new translation device that could translate every language in the world. It was as expensive as a new car.

After paying for my brother’s college tuition, I had no other options. Furthermore, older translation devices required that you insert them into your ear or place them in your mouth to communicate. Since my device was too large to fit in my ear, I had it half-buried in my lower jaw using my little finger. My mother told me not to worry because the translation device was working properly. Seeing that Freya’s conversation was perfectly translated, I felt relieved. But meeting a foreigner suddenly made me nervous. Is it Latin?

“Is it a quote from the Bible?” I asked, guessing blindly. 

I only remembered a few verses that I learned while going to church with friends and eating snacks. Love your neighbor. Throw stones. Something like that. Does that mean the light of God shines in the depths of the sea? Then, wouldn’t all the creatures in the sea die?

“It’s from Job. He spreads his light around him and covers the bottom of the sea with his light,” Freya replied.

“I wish they could share some of that great love with me. But no, according to their interpretation, that love has already been poured onto me, so who knows if I’m even here because of it. Suppressing my distrust and resentment towards religion, I reached out my hand first.

“I am Dr. Park Mu-hyun, the new dentist here at the underwater base.”

A strong-boned man shook my hand firmly. A white man in a suit looked at me and spoke, “I am Michael Locker, the chief engineer of the deep sea. Are you on your way to the dentist?”

“Yes. I’m curious about where my workplace is located-“

Suddenly, I lost my words as the elevator that was previously on the surface plunged into the sea. I was mesmerized by the sight reflected on the elevator’s transparent wall. As the transparent elevator descended, more and more different fish were visible. I saw shades of blue and schools of fish. Is that a shark? The people who rode the elevator with me laughed and giggled as they saw me gawking at the outside scenery. 

Michael smiled at me and said, “You’ll get tired of this view in just a few months. Well, I’ll see you at the dentist later.”

Before I knew it, the elevator had arrived. Most people followed Michael and got off, leaving me alone in the elevator. The silver sticker on the elevator wall of the Second Underwater Base indicated that we were at a height of -200m.

When I descended to the Second Underwater Base, I was fascinated by the many fish and the green and blue colors of the sea, and I didn’t even realize how fast time passed. But as we descended deeper, nothing was visible. At first, I was excited and enjoyed watching the sea, but as the elevator went down, my expression disappeared. Is this normal? The outside of the elevator that goes down to the Third Underwater Base was pitch black. There was nothing visible. Only a dense darkness.

Several hologram fish stickers, shining as if to comfort the passengers who suddenly faced the darkness, were attached to the elevator wall. As I looked at the pictures on the stickers, I saw that giant squid and other creatures live at this depth. I started to try not to look at the elevator wall. Although I have no fear or terror of seafood, being alone in this darkness made me feel like I was developing a fear of the deep sea as a souvenir.

As the elevator doors opened, a flood of bright light and the aroma of fresh bread filled the space. A woman with black hair, around 167cm tall, stepped into the elevator, holding a large bag of bread. She looked directly at me and greeted me with a friendly smile. 

“Hello! Nice to meet you! I’m Yu Geum, I work at the research center. You’re the new dentist, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. My name is Park Mu-hyun. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise. I heard the dental clinic is opening tomorrow. But I haven’t heard anything about it. You might need to make some reservations or update the information. You can go to the underwater base’s program on your pad and change it. Is this your first time here?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, I don’t even know where the dental clinic is yet.”

“Really? That’s a big problem.” Yu Geum laughed as if it was no big deal. She grabbed a bread roll from a paper bag and took a bite. She then handed me a palm-sized roll and told me to try it. Inside the bag, there were many rolls, maybe from the bakery. “Third Underwater Base is built in the middle of the abyss, so no light reaches it. Are you surprised?”

“Yes.”

“Anything below -200m is already considered the deep sea. So, you won’t see anything below the Second Underwater Base.” Yu Geum spoke effortlessly, even with a mouthful of bread. I couldn’t help but notice her light brown hair as I chewed the warm, delicious roll. The elevator was filled with the fragrance of fresh bread. “Eat it while it’s still warm. It just came out of the oven.”

“Thank you,” I said gratefully as I devoured the sweet red bean bun. It had been so long since I’d tasted anything with such a rich sweetness that my brain seemed to scream out in delight. The bun was soft and delicious, the perfect treat after a long day of travel.

Before I knew it, we had arrived at the fourth underwater habitat. As we stepped off the elevator, a group of people rushed in, eager to take our place. I turned to our guide with a question.

“Is the wait time for the elevator always this long?”

“Well, we are 3000 meters below sea level,” she replied. “It takes about ten minutes for the elevator to travel the entire habitat. But during that time, you’ll have a chance to meet all sorts of interesting people!”

As we made our way through the central hub, I thought about tomorrow’s dental appointment with growing concern. I didn’t even know where the dentist’s office was, let alone whether they had the necessary equipment to provide basic medical care. Would they even have a simple dental tool, or would they just hand me a screwdriver and tell me to get to work?

Regardless, I was determined to face whatever challenges lay ahead.