I’m not sure if it’s Shin Haeryang’s habit or a trait of the engineering team members, but they always walked at the very front or very back. Now, since I was lagging behind, carrying the child, Shin Haeryang walked beside me at the very end.
I glanced at Shin Haeryang and spoke, “May I ask you a few questions out of curiosity? Some might be uncomfortable. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
Shin Haeryang, whom I thought would cut me off at once, looked at my face for a moment and then nodded, “Sure.”
“Why did you decide to go to the South district? You could have gone to North district like the Russian team.”
It didn’t seem like the engineering team came to the South district for any valid reason. The north district is where the mining staff are. The core of this underwater base is mining and research. Even if robots or androids were to replace everything, the South district and the mining-related area of the West district would likely be preserved.
The initial reason for building the underwater base was to obtain oil, gas, and natural resources. It was built 200 meters below sea level and gradually went down to 3,000 meters underground, where a temporary place for unmanned robots was created. That was the beginning of the underwater base. Over time, the small robot charging station turned into a mining area, which grew into a mining complex.
As various countries began pouring money into deep-sea research and conservation, an underwater pollution research center was built and connected to the mining complex. As a result, the underwater base grew larger and larger as more necessities were added.
According to the guidebook, the mining staff had the second-highest population after the researchers. That was also why there were many escape pods in both South and West districts. After asking the question, it seemed like I was accusing him of rescuing Kim Gayoung.
Instead of shouting at me about my iniquitous question, Shin Haeryang calmly answered, “The mining team was mining near the South (central) research center, so the probability of them being caught in the collapse and dying was high. Therefore, we judged that the escape pods in the North district would not have been used during the time we stopped the outer wall work and entered the West district. But, when I saw the request for rescue, I thought that the South district would be in better condition than expected after the collapse. Considering that most of the South district’s personnel would stay inside the research center, I thought there was a high possibility that there were still escape pods left. …Of course, prioritizing the rescue of our compatriots was also a factor.”
‘How do I determine if someone is considered humane if they went to a mining site where people were likely to die quickly?’
I tried my best to look forward without looking at Shin Haeryang’s face. ‘If we had gone to East district…’
“Would there be a high possibility of fighting amongst the remaining people if there are not enough escape pods? Not something like yielding to each other?”
Shin Haeryang glanced at my face and then answered, “Yes. The engineering team would definitely prioritize their own escape.”
All that mental evaluation and ethics education was wasted. ‘I know that you have to go through a mental evaluation to join here, right? Didn’t they say you can’t enter without receiving more than 100 hours of ethics education?’
“…Do you think there are still escape pods left in the East district?”
“I don’t know.”
“What would you do if the escape pods in there were ‘tampered with’ like in the South district”
“Then we would either check the East district’s submarine or use the elevator.”
Out of curiosity, I asked about Shin Haeryang’s way of speaking. “Why do you use informal language with your team members but formal language with others (me)?”
His smooth flow of words seemed to halt momentarily. “Well.”
“?”
Shin Haeryang’s mouth closed, and it took him a while before he opened it again, “…I suppose I use informal language with my team members during work. Does it bother you?”
“No… I’m fine with it.”
“Then it’s settled.”
“While I was working, I inevitably found out that some people from other teams are not very friendly towards you, Team Leader Shin Haeryang.”
For the first time, Shin Haeryang revealed his canine teeth and smiled, “I rather like that.”
In the middle of the walk, Baek Ae-young, who was ahead, turned her head towards us at the back, saw Shin Haeryang’s smile, and, as if regretting catching his smile, quickly turned her head forward and went towards Seo Jihyuk, who was leading the group.
Even though I was expecting a less-than-positive response, I asked a question as if grasping at straws, “What do you think if I offer to help in fostering camaraderie with other engineering teams?”
“I recommend you take personal rest instead of that.”
Ah… I see. So that’s it.
Shin Haeryang, with a cat pouch slung on his back, turned to me and spoke, “Can I ask you something?”
“Uh… Yes. I’ll answer as best I can.”
“If there’s a dental treatment that’s the most painful, takes a long time, and isn’t covered by the underwater base’s insurance, where would that be?”
My words seemed to be stuck at the tip of my tongue. I pondered, hearing his polite question. ‘Why do these crazy people even have such pleasant voices? Perhaps changes in oral structure or vocal cord frequencies are part of human evolutionary methods for survival?;
“…What will you do with that information?”
“It’s to maintain camaraderie with people from other departments.”
I gave up on figuring out how Shin Haeryang managed to reduce the number of people coming to the dental clinic. He seemed intent on continuing with his antics, like pulling out front teeth or crushing molars.
“Please avoid the jaw and mouth area. It’s a hassle to work on.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
I chuckled at his nonchalant response. Before the smile left my face, Baek Ae-young, who had entered the central area, suddenly stopped. It seemed like there was some noise in the distance, and as the one leading the walk stopped, the pace of the group slowed down.
Baek Ae-young twisted her index finger and swung her hand once, and Shin Haeryang, who was next to me, handed me his cat backpack and sped off to stand next to her. Then Seo Jihyuk, having seen this, he put only his index finger to his lips.
“Let’s be quiet. Quiet. Until I say to speak again, let’s be as quiet as ten dead mice.”
Yoo Geum-yi and Kim Gayoung, who were chatting about the researchers, closed their mouths, and I, who was standing at the very end, tiptoed and craned my neck out of curiosity. Shin Haeryang gestured, and Baek Ae-young, who had stepped forward, lifted the hem of her skirt and pulled out a knife of excessive size from around her ankle.
My eyes, along with Yoo Geum-yi’s and Kim Gayoung’s, widened at the sight. Baek Ae-young silently turned into the left wall of the central area. The central area was crowded with a movie theater, cafes, and restaurants, and it seemed that Cinema 1, the closest to Baek Ae-young, was her destination. Cinema 1 was a small multimedia room where about ten people could sit on a carpeted floor with cushions and watch a movie, while Cinema 3 was the largest.
When Baek Ae-young signaled with only her fingertips from a distance after going in and out of Cinema 1 or from the broken wall, Shin Haeryang began to move people through Seo Jihyuk. The two researchers and I followed the other three’s tense attitudes and instructions quietly. Shin Haeryang and I were the last to enter the theater.
I put the child on my back down on the carpet and sat on the floor. Baek Ae-young and Shin Haeryang stood beside the door, while Seo Jihyuk stood slightly away from the door. Since the multimedia room had no lights on, we had to sit in the darkness.
“Why is this happening?”
Kim Gayoung, frightened and speaking in a low voice, asked Baek Ae-young as everyone else fell silent. But before Baek Ae-young could respond, we heard a sound that made us all freeze. It was the sound of popcorn popping from a distance.
“Kyaaaaaah!”
“Uwaaaaah!”
“Help!”
“Save us!”
Terrifying screams echoed through the air as someone ran from the north side of North district towards the central area where we were. The tension in the room heightened. The sound of footsteps indicated that it wasn’t just one person running. The sound of running grew louder.
Baek Ae-young silently stood by the wall of Cinema 1, holding the knife with the blade pointed downward, while Shin Haeryang stood beside the door, seemingly waiting for something. The sounds of frantic footsteps grew closer.
It was at that moment, with a sudden realization, that the others and I were captivated by fear. We could feel our anxiety building up as we heard the footsteps approaching.
Help me! Please help me!
The cries for help echoed from the front door in various languages. My heart started pounding. Thankfully, it was a movie theater, so the external noise was minimized. However, I couldn’t help but imagine that if I were to step outside the theater, the screams would be incredibly loud.
It couldn’t have been more than a minute since the hidden time began, but in my mind, it felt like more than five minutes had passed. As I listened to the screams, someone grabbed my hand. I was so startled that I jumped. It was a child lying on the floor, rubbing their eyes with the back of their hand and making whimpering sounds.
Translator’s Notes
I just want to clarify some things about the current location of Park Muhyun and his team. It may be a bit confusing because they have been moving back and forth in different directions. However, I will try to explain where Muhyun’s team and the Russian team are in this chapter.
On a side note, after translating around 20 chapters, I have come to believe that the South District is actually part of the central district, as the novel consistently refers to it as such. So, if you come across the term “Central district” in the chapters, just remember that it refers to the area from the center to the south of the undersea base.
The Russian team parted ways with Muhyun’s team while in the West district and headed for the North district after learning that there are still escape pods available there.
After discovering that a Korean member named Kim Gayoung was trapped in the Research Center, Muhyun’s team altered their course from the North District to the Central (south) District.
Upon realizing that the escape pods from the Central District were being sabotaged and failing to resurface, Shin Haeryang concluded that the safest option for their team was to utilize the elevators in the East District, taking them up to the 3rd base instead of risking the North District for escape pods or the Central District for a direct elevator.
Hence, based on this chapter, they are currently en route from the South district to the East district.
