While quietly walking through the aquarium, Yugeun, who had been deep in thought, spoke to me.
"I've been thinking about what that cult member said earlier. There must be some important day today, which is why they're doing this. But no matter how much I think about it, all I can remember is that May 31st is Ocean Day in Korea."
"Is there really an Ocean Day in Korea?"
At my stupid question, Shinhaeryang frowned as if looking at something far away.
"......It's probably the day when Jang Bogo established Cheonghaejin."
I was speechless. Really, they designated such a day as a memorial day? Then, is there a Land Day too?
"There's a day to commemorate that?"
My exclamation surprised Yugeun, who then asked Shinhaeryang.
"How do you know that, Mr. Shinhaeryang?"
"I know someone in the navy. How about you, Miss Yugeun?"
"My hometown is Wando."
Seojihyuk grunted and said,
"World No Tobacco Day! World No Tobacco Day. Today is World No Tobacco Day. If the cult leader is Korean or if today is the cult leader's birthday, it would be more plausible."
"Do you hate smoking?"
Yugeun hummed and fell back into thought. I wrapped my arm around Seojihyuk's shoulder, which had slipped, and tried to bring Yugeun back to reality.
"What are you thinking about, Yugeun?"
"To survive, we need to understand the enemy, so I was thinking about the cult. They did this to gain eternal life. If today isn't certain, maybe the cult members will just stop what they're doing and go home."
Seojihyuk chuckled and then winced in pain.
"My goodness, Yugeun. If you think the cult members will say, 'Oh, we got the date wrong!' and just disappear, you're way off. They're the ones who armed themselves and attacked a four-story underwater base. These kinds of terrorists spend a lot of time and money preparing."
Seojihyuk didn't say, "What kind of stupid idea is this?" because he knew he was probably the most foolish person in the group during the escape from the underwater base. It's not Yugeun's fault that she doesn't know much about terrorists or cult members; most people don't carry such knowledge in their heads.
Yugeun, while walking and supporting Seojihyuk, asked me,
"Um...... What did you say, Muhyeon? What did you call the elements of a religion? You mentioned something at the Third Underwater Base."
"Doctrine, leader, and congregation?"
"......Can I ask how you know that?"
I shook my head, thinking that explaining my family would take too long.
"I don't really want to answer that."
Yugeun surprisingly backed off.
"Okay? Then tell me when you want to. ......Leader. The person who created the religion is the leader, right? Um...... The teaching of the religion is to gain eternal life. But I was surprised by how specific the rules are. Like, putting something in your teeth or something. Or being told to carry a gun today. Or investing a lot of money in people who aren't very interested in religious rituals. Usually, it's the opposite, right? They explain things ambiguously so they can cover up problems later. And I've never heard of a cult investing money in its members."
Listening to Yugeun's explanation, I nodded and said,
"Right. I've never heard of that either. Most religions are only interested in taking people's money under the guise of faith, not giving it back. I was surprised by the shark part. If you join the wrong one, you might think it's an environmental group."
"Why did they choose that concept? I thought cults were created by leaders to exploit the labor and funds of their followers."
I imagined a religion with an enormous amount of money. No matter how I thought about it, it seemed like a group of lunatics, but if they offered a lot of money, people who needed it might join. If someone isn't very sensitive to religion, they might even line up to join. The word 'infinite' is the same. Why promise something infinite? Nothing in the world is infinite.
"If the leader is already rich, wouldn't they not need to raise funds through followers?"
"Then a very wealthy person believes today is the right day to live eternally, and they have their followers get dental treatment with their own money, bring guns, and kill a lot of people, so they can enjoy an infinite life."
"......Right?"
Yugeun thought for a moment, frowned at my answer, and pointed out the exact thing I was wondering about.
"But the idea of an infinite life is strange. Living forever? How long do you have to live to be considered forever? Life spans are limited, even the Earth's."
Sinhaeryang, who had been listening quietly to my conversation with the marine biologist, said,
"......I don't even know if there's a reason to live an infinite life."
"Would you choose to live forever if you could, Mr. Shinhaeryang?"
"No."
It was a sharp answer. He must not like the idea of living forever. I looked at Seojihyuk, who grunted and said,
"I don't care about eternal life. I just want my leg to heal. I'd be happy with a dose of morphine."
Bae Ae-young, who was at the front, rolled her eyes and said,
"Living a long time is good. Vampires are cool, right? But living forever alone is a bit......"
She shook her head, and her long, wavy hair swayed gently. Yugeun, who had been thinking, frowned.
"I don't think I could live like a jellyfish. I'd rather live a finite life and die."
Surprised, I asked,
"Jellyfish live forever?"
"Some species have almost immortal abilities."
Seojihyuk was also surprised and asked,
"Really? So there are other creatures that live as long as the Greenland shark?"
"Jellyfish don't have brains or hearts, though."
I groaned at Yugeun's words. Oh no. My goodness. Missing such important parts. Seojihyuk shook his head.
"......Everything comes with a price. I remember you said the Greenland shark doesn't have eyes."
"What about you, Muhyeon?"
"Living forever without a family? What if I get tired of living someday? I'd rather live a full life and then die."
It seemed that if the Infinite Church wanted to recruit followers from us, they would need to offer other incentives. It would be hard to lure us with the promise of an infinite life. Maybe money? But escaping safely seemed more attractive than receiving money right now.
At the end of the deep sea aquarium, Bae Ae-young waited. She gestured for us to crouch, and Seojihyuk and I almost lay on the ground, while Shinhaeryang and Yugeun just lowered their bodies. Bae Ae-young peeked out of the aquarium and then came back. She whispered,
"There are 16 of them in my sight. Three in front of the central elevator, five in the central square, three at the right escape boat port, two in front of the Black Pearl cafe, and three at the second elevator. If there are three each at the first and third elevators, there are at least 22 of them."
"If there are about twenty each at the Third and First Underwater Bases, Tyler's information is correct."
About 60 people. We have to escape through all of them? No, let's think positively. If there are 20 at the Third Underwater Base, there are about 40 armed people left in front of us. Is that more hopeful? ...Whether it's 60 or 40, the situation seems equally desperate.
Everyone's expressions were grim. Yugeun's face was pale. No one seemed to have the grand dream of taking over the Second Underwater Base by fighting 22 people with guns. Seojihyuk, with his injured leg, and Yugeun, who had just picked up a gun, were probably the least capable. Bae Ae-young and Shinhaeryang seemed the closest to being capable. After listening to my action movie fantasy, Bae Ae-young smiled, Shinhaeryang shook his head, and Seojihyuk just chuckled.
"Reality is different from movies. If James Bond or Ethan Hunt were in that situation, they might dodge bullets, but in reality, numbers matter. Is shooting one person with ten guns the same as shooting ten people with one gun?"
"......I'll give you my gun and wait for you to come back, Muhyeon."
Sinhaeryang rubbed his eyes, looking tired.
A few steps from the deep sea aquarium exit is the entrance to the exhibition hall. We have to pass through the exhibition hall to reach the cable car. The problem is that when we open the door and go out, we'll be visible to the people in the central square for a moment. Yugeun looked at the distance outside the aquarium door and said,
"About......5 meters. If we run......we'll be exposed to people's eyes for 4 to 5 seconds. I hope no one sees us during that time."
"What if someone does?"
At my question, Yugeun was flustered, but Seojihyuk just sighed deeply.
"What do you mean? We'll be caught."
Seojihyuk seemed to be using up all his lifetime sighs here. He probably couldn't run that short distance quickly, so he didn