I intervened to lower Yugeun’s blood pressure, which was rising as he grabbed the back of his neck.
"Isn't it true that Greenland sharks live in the North Atlantic? Why are they causing trouble at a North Pacific undersea base?"
"They also live in Canada."
I couldn't help but laugh. Haha. This uncle should either become a comedian or treat people with low blood pressure. I wracked my brain for old memories.
"Religion should have a deity, priests, believers, scriptures, and temples. Let's say the deity is an octopus, the priest is a shark, the believers are squids, and the money is shells. Do you have a temple? Do you own any real estate? In front of the three elevators of the Second Undersea Base? Or the Dragon Palace Wedding Hall? The First Undersea Base? Or are you homeless on this beach?"
"Stupid brats. We are a very old religion. Temples exist in every country, city, and sea. Your family is already part of our territory."
It seemed Baegae-young thought he had given enough warning. Without a word, he struck the man’s cheek from behind with a gun.
I was stunned, my mouth agape at the sudden violence, and Yugeun, who was behind me, was so startled that he stepped back. The man’s face turned almost 90 degrees. It seemed like a tooth had been knocked out. As the man tried to spit out the tooth with his tongue, I instinctively covered his mouth with my palm. Shocked, I stammered.
"Don't spit out the tooth; keep it in your mouth. ...You need to have the tooth. That's how we can treat it."
"Are you a new dentist?"
There's no material as good as your own teeth, whether ceramic or gold. Growing new ones with stem cells takes too long. Besides, there's no equipment here. The man's pronunciation was a mess, mixed with blood and saliva, but I could hear him clearly.
"Didn't you think we wouldn't know? We've already investigated you and your family. You have a lot of debt, right? Fool! If you don't join the Infinite Bridge now, not only will your family be in danger, but you won't be able to leave this undersea base alive—."
Yugeun gasped. The man was cleanly knocked out by Shinhaeryang's punch, which seemed to have broken his nose and two front teeth with one blow. The man, who had been kneeling and mocking me, rolled onto the floor.
Hitting the philtrum also broke the nose and two front teeth. Shinhaeryang simply shook the blood off his hand. I stared blankly at the man lying on the floor; with that kind of impact, he would need to visit not just a dentist but also an ENT specialist and a plastic surgeon.
I picked up the tooth that had fallen to the floor, still in shock. Human teeth don't come out so easily.
Do you know how much strength it takes to pull out a wisdom tooth? The same goes for front teeth. How can you pull out someone's teeth so easily? How much effort and money will it take to treat this? I was so dazed, touching the white tooth, that Shinhaeryang lightly tapped my shoulder.
"Let's move."
I jumped at the touch on my shoulder. Without asking about what had just happened, he simply helped Seo Ji-hyuk, who was sitting on the floor. Yugeun, who was at a loss, started to follow us after a nod from Baegae-young. I could see Baegae-young dragging the body of the man who had died with a pair of scissors in his neck.
The pool of blood, the tooth rolling on the floor, the broken face, and the gushing blood were all too vivid. I don't need to hit someone like that. I don't need to hit someone like that. As I held the tooth, still in shock, I said, trying to say something to stop myself from crying.
"Most of what that man said isn't wrong. If that cult has investigated my family, they might be in danger right now."
Shinhaeryang, who had been listening quietly, shook his head.
"Ignore it. There's no more effective way to recruit someone like Mr. Muhyeon than with that kind of threat. And if they investigated someone who has only been here for five days, they must have already investigated us."
His words were as heavy and solid as a rock, leaving no room for even a pinprick of doubt. I felt a bit more at ease about the cult's piercing gaze and voice. I held the tooth, which was stained with blood.
I really hate this. I didn't know seeing a tooth outside the dentist's office could be so terrifying. The storm of anxiety that had been raging inside me was now starting to subside into a drizzle. I barely managed to suppress the feeling that was about to burst. If someone pressed hard, I might have cried. Seo Ji-hyuk hesitated and then said.
"Th... That crazy guy was barking even when the doctor wasn't around. So don't worry too much."
"Understood."
It seemed Seo Ji-hyuk thought I was shocked by the violence rather than the content of the cult member's words. I had never seen or experienced such violence.
Yugeun glanced back at me. When Baegae-young was no longer in sight, he seemed worried.
"Where's Ae-young?"
"Ah, Yugeun. Don't worry! She'll catch up soon. Remember, she's much faster than us."
We were walking back to the convenience store, passing by the sandwich shop. When we got close enough to see Ha-yoon's body lying on the floor, Baegae-young was already at the back of our group. Yugeun asked Shinhaeryang, who was walking ahead.
"Where are we going?"
"To a place the cult doesn't know about."
"Is there such a place? To get to the Second Undersea Base, we can only use three elevators, including the central one, and two escape hatches."
"There is one more."
"There's one more? But it's written in the guidebook, the map, and the design plans."
I didn't know how many elevators were here. Even Yugeun, who had been here for over a year, and Seo Ji-hyuk and Baegae-young, who had been here even longer, looked puzzled about where Shinhaeryang was heading. However, Baegae-young didn't ask, and Seo Ji-hyuk, who was being dragged by others with an injured leg, started to complain.
"Team leader? Team leader? You seem quite upset because of that crazy guy who was barking. Calm down. What do you think about somehow getting on the central elevator and going up? We could break it so the doors don't open at the Second Undersea Base. Or we could just have a gunfight. Wouldn't it be better to take the elevator and go up quickly rather than taking those lousy escape pods?"
Shinhaeryang, who was supporting Seo Ji-hyuk, stopped walking. So, I, Yugeun, and Baegae-young, who were walking behind, also had to stop. Shinhaeryang asked me and Yugeun.
"There are two options: a difficult but safe route to the Second Undersea Base without encountering anyone, or an easy route that will definitely lead to a confrontation with armed fanatics. Which do you prefer?"
"I want the safe route without encountering armed people."
Seo Ji-hyuk laughed. I shook my head, thinking about what had just happened.
"I don't want to meet those guys."
I didn't want to be with Shinhaeryang, Seo Ji-hyuk, and Baegae-young either. I wanted to stay in my room all day, vomit, and lie down, but I couldn't show it. Am I too weak? ...No. After my father's death, I lived as a commoner among commoners in Korea. I thought my life was like grass growing in a field, but now it seems that field was actually a greenhouse.
How many times have I seen someone die with scissors in their neck? The madness. Speaking of someone's misfortune without hesitation, and people hitting each other with fists, causing teeth to fall out...
The fewer times I meet those cult members, the fewer times I'll see such scenes. Baegae-young didn't answer Shinhaeryang's question. Shinhaeryang asked Yugeun again.
"Have you ever fired a gun?"
"No."
When Shinhaeryang turned to me, I shook my head again. Seo Ji-hyuk spoke like an old man. This is the problem with the mercenary system. A man who doesn't know how to shoot a gun is holding one.
"Exactly. A man who doesn't know how to shoot a gun is just getting shot."
Baegae-young, who had been on guard with a gun, looked at Seo Ji-hyuk, who was leaning on my arm, with a look of disbelief and said disdainfully.
"Exactly. A man who doesn't know how to shoot a gun is just getting shot."
Baegae-young poked Seo Ji-hyuk's splinted left leg with her toe, and Seo Ji-hyuk couldn't scream but only flailed his hands comically.
"Ugh! Baegae-young! Just wait until I get out of here!"
"Ha! Kill me here. Kill me here. Oh, idiot."
While Baegae-young teased Seo Ji-hyuk, Shinhaeryang seemed to have decided that the less dangerous option was better. The smell of bread was in the air near the bakery, but as we followed Shinhaeryang, we moved away from the central area, heading towards a corner.