Baek Ae-young explained in a low voice to Yoo Geum.
"Given that we're trapped in a submarine base that's already leaking and has a malfunctioning life support system, and we've made it all the way to Blue Dragon, there's no need to make things more difficult by telling you about the armed lunatics roaming around. Have either of you ever fired a gun before?"
"No."
"No."
"That's good. You can live your whole life without ever needing to."
As I listened to her, I automatically wondered what I would do if I ever had to fire a gun. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Baek Ae-young pushed Yoo Geum and me inside. There was only one button for us to press.
[Third Submarine Base]
- A space built 1,000 meters below sea level. Baek Ae-young removed the panel under the elevator. It seemed she was trying to force the elevator to operate.
"Even though it's nerve-wracking, I can't think of any other way to get you two out of this Fourth Submarine Base more safely. Normally, all elevators stop when an accident occurs. The escape pods are the safest, but they're out of commission."
Is it really safe to ride this? What if the elevator collapses while we're in it? We'll just die, right? Baek Ae-young started to voice her unease.
"If we can't reach the surface in the escape pods, we have to take the elevator. Or we have to swim out of here. To rise from the bottom of the ocean at 3,000 meters, a human would need to be able to withstand the pressure and swim up, which would make them a mermaid, not a human."
"......Are there no stairs?"
In response to my question, Baek Ae-young, who was pulling a wire and pressing a button, snorted.
"From here to the surface, it's at least 2,000 meters, which is about 400 floors. To get to the Third Submarine Base, it would be roughly 10,000 steps."
Upon hearing the number of floors, Yoo Geum's face turned pale. The Third Submarine Base has an excellent bakery. I had used the central elevator to buy a few loaves of bread, and it took about 2 to 3 minutes to travel between floors. How long would it take to walk up? Were the stairs even built? Is humanity crazy for building a base this deep under the sea? Baek Ae-young finished touching the panel and let go.
"Or you can ride the elevator, prepared to die."
Baek Ae-young looked at Yoo Geum and me one last time.
"The elevator is dangerous too. I have no idea how the torpedo impact affected it, but it doesn't seem to be leaking."
While touching the panel, Baek Ae-young kept muttering anxiously, turning Yoo Geum's already pale face into a sheet of white. I probably looked similar. It's going to be a hellish 120 seconds. Finally, the light on the only button for the Third Submarine Base in the elevator lit up. I recalled movies about water and asked,
"Once the submarine base starts to flood, won't the water pressure decrease as we go up?"
"It will collapse before that happens."
Great. Baek Ae-young finished her explanation simply. If I were an engineer, I would have been grabbed by the collar several times by now for asking such stupid questions. She never once hit me for asking too many questions. How much did that guy in the laundry room provoke Baek Ae-young to get punched? Baek Ae-young, who showed great patience, said as she got off the elevator,
"I hope you make it safely."
Seeing her tense expression, Yoo Geum and I answered enthusiastically to dispel the unease.
"We'll see you in good health later!"
"Be careful! See you later!"
With Yoo Geum's farewell, the elevator doors closed. As the elevator started to ascend, Baek Ae-young began to run in the opposite direction. Through the long window in the elevator, we could see her running towards the escape pods, her legs stretching out like a gazelle. Her ponytail, tied up on top of her head, swayed like a horse's tail behind her.
Occasionally, her figure was obscured by the body of the Blue Dragon, and each time, she seemed to get smaller until she finally disappeared. As the elevator entered the depths of the sea, it was pitch black. The only thing visible was the darkness reflected in the window. If the interior of the elevator wasn't lit, it would be quite terrifying. How far have we gone? While I was watching Baek Ae-young run through the window, Yoo Geum was apparently looking at her watch. At least one of us is smart.
We would arrive at the Third Submarine Base, located between the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones, at 120 seconds. To avoid missing any numbers, I started counting silently as well.
Suddenly, the ascending elevator jolted and stopped.
"Huh?"
Then all the lights went out.
Yoo Geum screamed in surprise, and I started screaming too, and we both screamed like magpies, making the elevator echo. When we regained our composure, we both shut our mouths. The interior of the elevator was pitch black. There was no light outside the elevator window, so we couldn't see anything. I asked quietly into the dark void,
"The elevator stopped, right?"
"It seems so."
Hearing her frightened voice, the word "fucked" started floating around in my head. It was probably the same for Yoo Geum. We could only hear each other's breathing in the darkness. Then the sniffing continued. I was the first to drop my pride and speak honestly.
"I'm scared to death."
"Me too."
"Have you ever been trapped in an elevator before, Yoo Geum?"
"No."
"Me neither."
After a few sniffles in response to my pointless question, Yoo Geum spoke.
"Both you and I have been lucky so far."
"That's true. I hope we're lucky today too."
The sound of our clothes rustling was heard. I leaned against the wall, listening to the sniffing. There are probably fish swimming outside this elevator wall. If we go outside, we'll be crushed by the water pressure and die. The fact that the elevator has stopped is a miracle. If we're unlucky, it will descend 2,000 meters and crash.
"Earlier, you were counting to 110 seconds, Yoo Geum."
"Yes. Sniff."
"How much further do we need to go out of 2,000 meters? If it's not much, let's try to get out of this situation on our own."
"Maybe about 10 meters left?"
Yoo Geum's sniffing soon subsided at the sound of my voice. When no sound came from the darkness, I called out, "Yoo Geum?" in a low voice. A voice came back, "I'm doing mental arithmetic to divide by 120, so be quiet!"
After a few sniffles and the sound of clothes rustling, Yoo Geum's usual voice came through.
"By simple calculation, if we've traveled 1,833 meters, we have 166 meters left."
Hearing the number, I couldn't help but laugh. I must be going crazy. 166 meters. I thought we were almost there because there were only 10 seconds left out of 120 seconds. There's still a lot left.
"Yoo Geum, do you know how to hang from a rope or something? You know, in movies, when an elevator accident happens and it stops, people go up through the elevator ceiling and climb the elevator cables using their arm strength."
Yoo Geum's laugh, full of disbelief, echoed. Sniff, sniff. Ahahaha!
"166 meters? Ahahaha! It's impossible unless you're a spider. I can't even hold a bar for 3 seconds. I can't climb 2 meters."
"Same here. Let's wait for help then."
When I suggested we try to get out of the situation on our own, it only took 10 seconds for us to decide to wait for help. Neither Yoo Geum nor I are good at survival. After all, we're both people who just sit in chairs and work. How could we be good in a disaster situation?
"What if no one comes?"
"Then there's nothing we can do."
As I slumped to the elevator floor, Yoo Geum also sat down opposite me. A few seconds later, I heard sniffling. Oh, dear. I wanted to cry out loud but couldn't say anything, just closed my mouth.
Trying to suppress the urge to cry, I said in a low voice to the darkness of the spacious elevator that could hold 50 people,
"If I had known, I would have followed Baek Ae-young."
Yoo Geum sniffed a few times before answering.
"......Who would have known we'd be trapped in an elevator? We can't change the path we've already taken. Don't regret it. Sniff. Regret won't change anything."
"You're so hopeful, Yoo Geum."
"I try to be."
"It's a genuine compliment. I'm not mocking you."
"I know. But being pessimistic won't change anything."
The sound of a runny nose and sniffing filled the air, then it became quiet. How much time had passed? In the midst of the silence, Yoo Geum suddenly shouted,