Standing in front of the exhibition, Shin Hae-ryang looked at the small sign that read "Modern Jewelry Exhibition" with a puzzled expression and asked,
"Are you interested in a jewelry exhibition?"
"Team Leader, I'm a delicate man."
"......"
Shin Hae-ryang just glared at him without saying anything. Just by looking at his face, Seo Ji-hyeok started spilling the truth after three seconds.
"I went there because they said there weren't enough lights, and I helped install them while smoking a bit. Who would steal such things in this vast ocean? If you go inside, you'll see they've displayed rocks and other ridiculous things."
Is that one of the interrogation techniques? Shin Hae-ryang looked like he was shooting laser beams from his eyes, but it's a useless skill for me. People who come to the dental clinic know exactly why they're visiting. The important thing is how well the dentist understands and locates the problem area when they say, "This part of my tooth hurts."
But it seemed a bit surprising to Yoo Geum-i. He flicked Shin Hae-ryang's finger lightly, making him meet his eyes. Shin Hae-ryang's confusion spread across his face, but they just stared at each other for a few seconds. It had no effect on Yoo Geum-i. After Yoo Geum-i's smile and my smile, Baek Ae-young's giggling, we decided the order to cross.
First was Baek Ae-young, second was Seo Ji-hyeok and Shin Hae-ryang, third was Yoo Geum-i, and fourth was me. If Baek Ae-young failed, no one would be able to go to the exhibition hall. If Seo Ji-hyeok and Shin Hae-ryang failed, we would be split between the exhibition hall and the deep-sea aquarium. If Yoo Geum-i or I failed? I don't know.
Baek Ae-young fixed her bag to fit snugly on her back and asked for the bag with the cat. After I handed it over, she put it in front of her. She then stretched her head out to observe the outside for a while, then moved about 5 meters smoothly and pushed the door of the exhibition hall open slightly, slipping inside. It was almost as graceful and silent as a hawk descending. The door opened slightly after about 20 seconds, and from Baek Ae-young's hand signal, it seemed we could enter.
I peeked out through the windows of the deep-sea aquarium to see people patrolling the central square. They were all armed with guns, and in the center of the square, people were kneeling and lying on the ground. There were bloodstains, large pools of blood, and people who looked like corpses, completely motionless. The area around the central elevator was soaked in blood, and a group of people were talking while pointing their guns at the elevator. Armed men were patrolling the area.
Looking at the blood-soaked floor made my head feel numb. It felt like my heart was pounding in my ears. I took a moment to calm myself, suppressing the urge to vomit and cry uncontrollably. When no one was looking in our direction, I signaled Shin Hae-ryang to run.
Shin Hae-ryang almost carried Seo Ji-hyeok on his back, and despite the weight, he disappeared into the exhibition hall as if he were floating, touching the ground only three times. It probably took less than three seconds. Baek Ae-young timed it perfectly, catching Seo Ji-hyeok and Shin Hae-ryang, and the door naturally swallowed them. Yoo Geum-i and I waited because Baek Ae-young didn't come out for a few seconds.
Baek Ae-young was looking at us through the slightly open door again. Yoo Geum-i, who was tying his shoelaces, seemed unsatisfied and retied them several times before holding the shoes in his hand and getting ready to run in his socks.
"My heart feels like it's going to burst."
Yoo Geum-i's voice came from beside me. I feel the same way. If my heart could jump out of my mouth from shock, it would have already escaped from the fourth underwater base. Two men with guns turned their heads toward us, so I quickly pulled my head back into the aquarium. The gap between the doors of the exhibition hall and the deep-sea aquarium became very narrow, less than half an inch.
"......I feel the same way, Geum-i."
"I want to go home."
"Same here."
"Why is it so hard to make a living as a marine biologist?"
"I didn't know it was this hard to make a living as a dentist either."
Yoo Geum-i let out a sigh like a deflating balloon, wiped his nose with the back of his hand, and sighed again. His eyes sparkled behind his glasses. His left hand, which was tightly gripping the shoelaces, trembled, but his sock-covered feet were rubbing the floor repeatedly. I tried to peek out again, but a sound made me stop. Footsteps were approaching. Two men were walking toward us. Yoo Geum-i covered his mouth with his right hand, and I waited silently. Please, don't come. Don't come. Don't come.
The footsteps grew closer. I was tense. Panting. Panting. Panting! What should I do!
The men reached the entrance of the deep-sea aquarium. Because Yoo Geum-i had left one door open, the two men were standing by the other door, and they could see inside the aquarium. If they adjusted their angle, they might even see Yoo Geum-i hiding behind me. I held my breath. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst, and my vision went dark. The footsteps were right next to the door where we were hiding.
The men were talking, mostly cursing Tyler. One of them was complaining about him not coming out of the bathroom. The man closest to the door kicked the closed door of the deep-sea aquarium. Bang! I snapped back to reality. The shock came next. It felt like my side was kicked.
Even though the man kicked the door, the door we were hiding behind didn't budge. I was leaning against the right side of the door, and Yoo Geum-i was leaning against me. The weight of the two of us kept the door from moving, and the man who kicked it was heard cursing and shaking his foot. The other man's giggling laughter echoed.
Their voices grew distant. I heard the other man mock the one who cursed, asking if his leg was okay. The footsteps faded. When Yoo Geum-i reached out and touched my back, I jumped. But he was just soothing my tense back with his hand. I finally breathed out slowly. The pain from my head, waist, and arm, which had been numbed by the tension, now hit me.
"How. Why. The door. Why. Only one?"
"Calm down, Muhyeon. I just thought if I left the door open, they wouldn't open it."
"......What if they stuck their head in to check?"
"Then there's nothing we can do."
I couldn't help but laugh at his simple answer. I was so tense I felt like I was about to burst. When the footsteps were far enough away, Yoo Geum-i peeked out and said no one was looking in our direction.
Yoo Geum-i and I rested for about two minutes. We were too tense to run without a break. The open door was left as it was, and as I kept an eye on the exhibition hall, the gap in the door widened. I saw Baek Ae-young's eyes. Baek Ae-young and I both looked toward the central square.
"Geum-i, you go first. I'll go last."
I looked outside and, at some point, told Yoo Geum-i to run. He darted out like a squirrel and slipped into the exhibition hall through the door Baek Ae-young opened. Worried that someone might have seen him, I quickly glanced at the square, but no one was looking our way.
Damn. Now it's my turn. I'm going to go crazy. I checked my shoes first. I tied the shoelaces and pushed the remaining laces into the crossed laces to prevent them from coming loose. Was I good at running? Not really. Thinking about it, I didn't have much talent for sports. What skills do I have? None. Damn. I peeked out the door to time my run.
In the square, many people were lying down with their hands tied behind their backs. A woman with messy blonde hair twitched and caught my eye. She saw me peeking out from the deep-sea aquarium exit but immediately turned her head away.
It was Jennifer Smith, the team leader of the engineering department. If it weren't for her long blonde hair, I wouldn't have recognized her. I was so shocked that I couldn't move for a few seconds, but Jennifer didn't tell the armed men that I was hiding there. She just pretended not to see me and wriggled forward like a worm. Then, she bit the ankle of the man in front of her, who was also tied up like a worm.
"Ah!"
The man in front of Jennifer screamed, and all the armed men's attention turned to him. As soon as they turned their heads, I ran out toward the exhibition hall. I clenched my teeth as I ran. It was only about 5 to 6 meters, but it felt like I had run 20 meters. I couldn't feel my legs moving or the ground beneath me.
Baek Ae-young, who was waiting right in front of the exhibition hall door, pulled me in and closed the door silently. I exhaled and fell forward.