Beacon of Light in the Dark Sea

Chapter 116

I placed a random colored candy on the pad and handed it to Shin Haeryang. He nodded slightly, took the candy, and turned on the pad. I distributed sugar-free candies to Yoo Geum-yi and Tumanako. Yoo Geum-yi chose randomly, but Tumanako took a while to pick a flavor.

Seo Jihyuk quickly snatched the orange and strawberry flavored candies from my hand, unwrapped the strawberry one, and put it in the mouth of Lee Ji-hyun, who was lying down. Baek Ae-young picked up a plum-flavored candy but didn’t eat it. The sugar-free candies made a round among the people in the escape pod port. After checking the pad and turning it off, Shin Haeryang asked me:

“What do you think is the most urgent matter to deal with right now?”

“Rescuing Kim Ga-young.”

“Is she in danger that requires rescue?”

“Kim Ga-young is trapped in Room 77 of the South District. Water is coming in, and the door won’t open.”

“Is there a possibility of encountering dangerous individuals on the way to the South District?”

I had gone to the South District from the West District twice, but I hadn’t encountered anyone in between.

“No. It’s difficult to rescue her once we get there, but there’s no problem on the way. There’s a high possibility of a gunfight from the North District towards the Central Zone on the way back after the rescue.”

“I see. Deputy Team Leader!”

Kang Soojung, who had been chatting and giggling with Nikita from afar, heard Shin Haeryang’s call and ran towards us.

“Team Leader. You called?”

“Did they say they would move together?”

“They said they have no intention of going together even if the Kremlin Palace collapses.”

As Shin Haeryang raised his head towards Vladimir, Vladimir was holding his fist with his thumb pointing downwards. I’m not sure what it meant, but I could tell it was a sign of refusal.

Then Vladimir pointed at Shin Haeryang, pressed one finger against his head, and then spread his five fingers towards the people. It seemed like he was pointing at the people around Henry with his fingertips, but Shin Haeryang ignored Vladimir’s hand gestures and said to Kang Soojung:

“A few team members need to go to the South District.”

“Why is that?”

“It seems Researcher Kim Ga-young is trapped in Room 77 of the South District.”

“Do we need to go get her?”

“Yes. Deputy Team Leader and Jihyuk will go together.”

Seo Jihyuk, who had been half-lying down eating candy, got up unsteadily.

“I wanted to be lazy a bit longer.”

“Oh. As if you’ve ever not been.”

Baek Ae-young, who had been standing all along, looked around cautiously, and as Seo Jihyuk got up, she sat down on the floor. Lee Ji-hyun, who had been lying on her back on the floor, squirmed and crawled over to use Baek Ae-young’s calf as a pillow. Baek Ae-young adjusted her leg position to make it easier for Lee Ji-hyun to rest her head. Then she waved in advance to Kang Soojung and Seo Jihyuk, who hadn’t left yet. Kang Soojung looked at the two team members on the floor and then at me, saying to the Team Leader:

“Is the dentist coming with us too?”

“I might not be of much help, but if I’m to go along, I’ll do my best to assist.”

Shin Haeryang thought for a moment and then nodded.

“Then, doctor, please go with the two of them. We’ll be moving to the Central Zone soon as well.”

“Pardon? Where in the Central Zone are you going?”

“We’re going to Orphion.”

Orphion was the gym inside the underwater base. I hadn’t been there yet, but I heard rumors that it was full of equipment for weight training and cardio exercises. It’s a facility in the Central Zone, but why are they going there? Seeing my expression, Shin Haeryang answered:

“The walls have been broken a few times, so it’s been renovated several times. It’s the sturdiest place in the Central Zone.”

“How did the walls end up broken?”

There was a moment of silence from Shin Haeryang. When I looked at him because there was no answer, he replied after a brief pause:

“The partition walls couldn’t support a person’s body weight.”

What on earth did they do? Beside me, as Seo Jihyuk was receiving the pad from Lee Ji-hyun, I made eye contact with Lee Ji-hyun, who had been lying on the floor all along. Lee Ji-hyun greeted me while making all sorts of expressions, still lying down.

“I’m Lee Ji-hyun. It might be hard to believe in this situation when we’re meeting for the first time, but I’m not a disrespectful person.”

“Ah. Yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Park Moohyun. Please stay lying down, don’t get up.”

Lee Ji-hyun, who had been pale, answered with a slight smile:

“I’m suddenly not feeling well. I don’t usually lie around like this.”

I barely swallowed the words “I know” that were about to come out. The Lee Ji-hyun I knew was someone who was more active than others.

“What exactly doesn’t feel well?”

“Every part of my body was aching. It felt like I had been ground into powder.”

“When did you start feeling unwell?”

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“Hmm. Not long ago. A few minutes before the broadcast. I feel much better now. Can muscle pain suddenly occur all over the body like this?”

“······I’m not sure.”

If a virus or something invaded the body, it could happen. When you get the flu, your whole body aches. Muscle pain can also occur from dehydration or electrolyte deficiency. Why is her physical condition poor? Wasn’t Ji-hyun okay when I met her before? ······Or not? Was she unwell then too but didn’t tell me? When I handed her the acetaminophen-based painkiller from my bag, Ji-hyun swallowed it without water.

Looking at the ailing Ji-hyun, I suddenly remembered something Kang Soojung had said before. Before sending them off on the escape pod, she mentioned that Seo Jihyuk had been rolling on the floor, saying his legs hurt.

Was that an exaggeration? The current Seo Jihyuk was walking around perfectly fine. Moreover, he looked much healthier than Ji-hyun who was lying on the floor. Seo Jihyuk was pacing around next to Ji-hyun, skillfully hopping to avoid Baek Ae-young’s attempts to grab his ankle like a trap. There was no trace of the man who had to walk up over four thousand stairs with someone’s support after being shot in the knee. Kang Soojung, who had been talking with Shin Haeryang, said to me and Seo Jihyuk:

“Let’s go quickly.”

“Yes.”

“Yep.”

After walking a few steps, I asked towards Seo Jihyuk’s back:

“Jihyuk. Are you in any pain?”

“No? Oh? My tooth is fine now.”

Seo Jihyuk mistakenly thought I was asking about the tooth I had treated a few days ago.

“I see.”

He must really be in good physical condition. Yoo Geum-yi, who was watching me about to leave the escape pod port, remained next to Henry. Tumanako waved at me. I took in the sight of the Russians and the rest of the people as I left the escape pod port.

As we quickly left the escape pod port and turned into the corridor, we encountered Kevin Wilson’s corpse. As before, he was dead near the start of the corridor leading to the Central Zone. It seemed he had hit his head hard on the metal handrail when the underwater base shook. The first time I encountered this person’s corpse, it was terribly frightening, but now that I’m seeing it for the third time, it wasn’t particularly scary. I just felt sorry that he died in a place like this.

Unlike before, neither Kang Soojung nor Seo Jihyuk tried to stop when they realized someone had died; instead, they attempted to pass by quickly. Rather, Kang Soojung spoke to me, who had stopped in front of the corpse, as if urging me on:

“We need to get to the South District as quickly as possible.”

I nodded and said to Kang Soojung:

“Give me just 5 seconds! I won’t ask for more than that.”

I quickly took a photo of the face with the pad and scribbled the current time and name on it. Kang Soojung and Seo Jihyuk stood still, watching what I was doing. Then, as I approached, they started walking briskly again.

As we fully entered the corridor leading to the Central Zone, Seo Jihyuk, who had been walking quickly ahead, asked:

“Um, about what you said in the broadcast. I’m starting to forget more than half of it.”

“Yes.”

“So where in the underwater base should we go to survive?”

“······I’m not sure about that either.”

Since I’ve never succeeded in leaving the underwater base myself. Kang Soojung looked at the window in the corridor and grabbed Seo Jihyuk’s shoulder.

“I can see why you mentioned the research center.”

Seo Jihyuk looked in the direction Kang Soojung was pointing and said while staring into the darkness that seemed to be made of black water:

“Deputy Team Leader. Why is it so dark outside? There used to be lights near the research center, like on a squid fishing boat. They said they kept them on permanently for underwater research.”

“I don’t know either. Doctor, do you know who fired the torpedo?”

“I have no idea at all.”

The conversation between the three of us ended there. Seo Jihyuk and Kang Soojung were walking slower than running but much faster than normal walking. I was barely keeping up with them. After a few more steps, Kang Soojung asked me:

“I’m curious about going to the South District now. How did you know Kim Ga-young was trapped in the South District dormitory? She was almost always in the research center except when she was handing out bread.”

“In a little while, Kim Ga-young will post a message on the underwater base bulletin board asking for rescue.”

“She ‘will post’ a message?”

“Yes.”

Kang Soojung looked at me curiously and then looked ahead again, saying:

“I’m just going along believing what Team Leader Shin said about ‘your words not being lies.’ I really hope they’re not lies.”

“There are no lies among the things I’ve told you. ······How does Team Leader Shin Haeryang know such things?”

“He said you’re a person whose face reveals everything.”

Is that so? I rubbed my face with my hand. I don’t even know what expression I’m making right now.

“Then may I ask a question?”

Kang Soojung looked at me upon my question, smiled, and nodded.

“Yes. Feel free to ask.”

“Why are the two of you going? There are other people too.”

Previously, it was Baek Ae-young, Seo Jihyuk, and Shin Haeryang who went.

“Well, besides Team Leader Shin, we two have the best physiques in the team? Jihyuk, what do you think?”

“That’s true, but we don’t plan to throw a great white shark into the sea, and Ji-hyun is sick. The Russians decided to stick together. We have no choice.”

At Seo Jihyuk’s mention of “Russians,” I recalled the hand signals Vladimir was sending to Shin Haeryang. I asked Kang Soojung, who had also seen the hand signals:

“Do you know what the hand signals Vladimir was making to Team Leader Shin meant?”

“That he refuses?”

“I think I understood that part.”

“Ah. The next part was ‘You idiot. Abandon those guys.'”

The place Vladimir pointed to was where Henry, Yoo Geum-yi, and Tumanako were gathered, sleeping.