Inside the exhibition hall, the words "The Sea, the Birth of Great Life and Time" were prominently displayed in English, and beside them, Yujin sat next to Seo Ji-hyuk and Shin Hae-ryang. Seo Ji-hyuk was panting, and Shin Hae-ryang had his eyes closed.
"Mr. Shin Hae-ryang?"
Thinking he might be asleep, I asked, and Shin Hae-ryang opened his tired eyes and said,
"Let's go."
"Yes."
I supported Seo Ji-hyuk as I walked and told the others about what had just happened. Shin Hae-ryang sighed deeply while looking ahead. Baek Ae-young, who had said she liked her sister's personality, held a gun and walked ahead of everyone. Seo Ji-hyuk, despite his pain, asked me if I remembered the hairstyle of the guy who bit Jennifer's ankle.
"I couldn't see it because I was too panicked."
"I was curious if it was Daniel or someone else."
He chuckled, then winced in pain again.
The exhibition hall, which advertised a jewelry exhibition outside, was set up to allow a 360-degree view of the primordial sea with its waves. It explained how the Earth was formed, when the sea was created, how cells were generated, and how they evolved into living organisms. If I hadn't been in such a situation, I might have enjoyed it quite a bit. The videos cast a dizzying light on our bodies. As I supported Seo Ji-hyuk and walked, the screen suddenly changed to a dark blue sea, and the sound of waves and music filled the air. The longer we walked through the exhibition hall, the more the number and variety of fish in the sea seemed to increase.
As we moved deeper into the exhibition hall, it felt like we were walking underwater. All we could see around us was a deep blue sea. Yujin, looking at the 360-degree projections on his body, walls, ceiling, and floor, said in amazement,
"Quite... well done, huh?"
Is it? I remembered seeing a hologram that looked like a school of dolphins passing through my stomach. I saw a school of flying fish swim past Shin Hae-ryang's head and through Seo Ji-hyuk and me, and rays passing by Baek Ae-young's side. I also saw mackerels passing by Yujin.
When we thought we had walked a considerable distance, I saw a blonde mermaid pass through my body in the "Sea Legends" section. The mermaid, as tall as a person, passed through everyone walking in the exhibition hall and then brushed past a statue on display. A black-haired mermaid was smiling and circling Yujin, while Baek Ae-young waved away a green-haired mermaid that was blocking her view. Various mermaid legends from around the world were displayed in a line with maps. A mermaid's tail passed by Shin Hae-ryang's head.
"There are mermaid legends in Korea too?"
I muttered to myself, readjusting Seo Ji-hyuk's arm on my shoulder, and lightly scanned the Asian mermaid legends. At that moment, a statue next to me moved.
"There are similar legends spread around the world."
I was startled, and Shin Hae-ryang and Baek Ae-young quickly aimed their guns. The statue turned out to be an android. It was a tall, blonde man with an appearance that didn't look human. If I hadn't heard his voice, I would have thought it was a woman. His attire looked like something from ancient Greece, with a white cloth wrapped around his body. Baek Ae-young, who had scouted ahead, must have mistaken him for a statue or exhibit.
"Damn."
I heard Baek Ae-young swear for the first time. She must have been very surprised. On closer inspection, he didn't look human at all. His body and face looked like well-crafted marble. The android had an incredibly handsome face. Did they base it on a famous actor? A few famous faces flashed through my mind when I saw him.
While androids are used in various places, their faces usually don't look human, so it's hard to mistake them for humans. But this android looked very human. I thought the team leaders of the underwater base were chosen based on both ability and appearance, but I didn't expect the androids in the exhibition hall to prioritize appearance. Shin Hae-ryang, still aiming his gun, asked,
"What are you?"
"I am a traveler. I have been waiting for the life forms born in the sea to pass through this time."
People's reactions varied. Baek Ae-young and Shin Hae-ryang remained still with their guns aimed, Seo Ji-hyuk muttered something about being crazy, and Yujin opened and closed his mouth in disbelief. I responded,
"Then I am also a traveler. We are trying to find a safe place. Can you help us?"
"There is no place safe from time."
The android's eyes, which looked like molten gold, stared at me. I couldn't tell if he was in a trance or if his eyes were naturally that large. If I saw him in the dark, I would have been scared. ...It sounds crazy, but it's true. However, there doesn't seem to be anyone here who can share and satisfy the literary sensibilities of this android. Why is it set up like this? If it were me, I would have placed it at the entrance to help children, the disabled, or pregnant women.
Seo Ji-hyuk, who seemed to be losing consciousness, cut through the situation with a sharp rationality, saying, "This android seems weak. I don't know who programmed it, but they must have been drunk."
Shin Hae-ryang and Baek Ae-young, standing next to Seo Ji-hyuk and in front of us, seemed to agree. Time was of the essence. Baek Ae-young cautiously approached the male android and circled him, even lifting the white cloth to check inside. When I was shocked by her actions, she muttered something about bombs. Then she shook her head.
"There are no weapons."
"Doesn't seem to be related to a cult."
"Is there anyone else in this exhibition hall?"
"Besides the five humans in the Sea Legends section, there is no one else. Do you need help?"
"How big is this exhibition hall, and how far have we walked?"
"The total area of the first exhibition hall is 2000 square meters, and the total length is 400 meters. We are currently at 114.6 meters."
It's bigger than I thought. Is an exhibition hall usually this large? Maybe I just don't go to many exhibitions. Yujin looked at Seo Ji-hyuk and said,
"We need help. Someone has a gunshot wound to the knee."
"Unfortunately, I do not have a system to provide medical assistance."
Seo Ji-hyuk sighed and shook his head. I quickly asked the android,
"Can you carry one adult to the end of the exhibition hall? The program to assist the elderly and weak should be installed, right?"
"Up to 250 kg is possible."
I immediately looked at Seo Ji-hyuk. He looked at me, then at Shin Hae-ryang, Yujin, and Baek Ae-young.
"Are you... going to hand me over to this dumb robot?"
The dumb robot knelt down, extended his arms, and raised his palms upward. Seo Ji-hyuk looked at me and Shin Hae-ryang, then sighed deeply. He grabbed the android's shoulder.
"Hey. I got shot in the knee, so I need to keep it straight. If it bends, I'll be in trouble, and you'll be in trouble. If you bend my knee while carrying me, I swear I'll sell you for scrap."
"You can sit on my arm."
The android easily lifted Seo Ji-hyuk, who wrapped his arm around the android's head and grabbed its shoulder. When the android fixed its arms vertically, Seo Ji-hyuk entrusted his lower body to the android and hung onto it with his upper body. Baek Ae-young, seeing this, shook her head and said,
"No dignity."
"Is dignity important? Living is important."
"Let's see how well you live without dignity."
The android slowly walked to the next exhibit. Baek Ae-young, thinking she could easily subdue the android, followed at a distance. The next connected exhibition hall displayed minerals, which looked more like a jewelry exhibition to me.
There was a black stone the size of a human torso, which was labeled as "Obsidian." Next to it was "Peridot," and a "Quartz" larger than a person. Yujin and I were busy admiring the large, sparkling, and shining stones. However, Shin Hae-ryang, Baek Ae-young, and Seo Ji-hyuk, who was on the android, were looking around to see if anyone else was hiding.
"Does it say 'Carnotite' here?"
"What is it?"
"It's glowing with a fluorescent color, right? I remember it's a uranium-related mineral. The lighting here must be ultraviolet."
"Does it emit radiation?"
Yujin looked thoughtful and said uncertainly,
"Maybe... I'm not sure. Minerals aren't my specialty. But these prices seem ridiculous. They can extract actual uranium from these minerals."