I wondered how different all these developments were from a dream. The escape pod control panels in Baekhodong were broken, showing nothing on the screens and not responding to button presses, but when we went to Jujakdong, we might have found the escape pods functioning normally. The people who left through the escape pods might not have died. And the shootout in Cheongryongdong might not have happened.
As I looked at Kang Soo-jung, who was walking behind us, I shouted out of an inexplicable sense of unease.
"Be careful! More prohibited items might have come into the underwater base. If they can bring in children, what else can't they bring in?"
Kang Soo-jung looked at me with a curious expression, then waved her hand and caught up with Jeong Sang-hyun, who was walking ahead.
Yu Jin and I, along with Lee Ji-hyun, started walking towards Jujakdong. Yu Jin glanced at the people who had shrunk to the size of a pinky finger. Lee Ji-hyun, noticing this, asked Yu Jin.
"Are you worried?"
"Yes. ... I'm worried about the child who went with them. What if they get hurt? Mr. Jeong Sang-hyun doesn't seem to like bringing children on escape missions. Wouldn't it have been safer to bring the child with us?"
"It'll be fine. Team Leader Kang is someone who has a minimum moral line. Even if Sang-hyun acts recklessly, he can't ignore Team Leader Kang's orders."
I asked out of pure curiosity.
"Why can't he ignore them?"
Lee Ji-hyun laughed lightly. As we passed the Central District Cinema and looked towards Jujakdong, she slowly said,
"Team Leader Kang was a heavyweight boxing champion. There was a time when Sang-hyun publicly ignored Team Leader Kang's instructions. Once, he let it slide, but another time, when Team Leader Shin was on leave, things got really bad."
Ah, that's why the teeth. To an ordinary person, they might look fine, but I could see a few of Kang Soo-jung's teeth had been repaired due to fractures. There were no policies related to mouthguards in the Deep Blue Dental Clinic, but we could make them for patients. Occasionally, boxers or taekwondo practitioners would come to get custom mouthguards. Of course, more often, they would come because they hadn't worn a mouthguard and ended up with broken or knocked-out teeth or a cracked jaw.
"Did he get beaten up?"
"According to Sang-hyun, they had a few words and peacefully resolved their misunderstandings."
"Wow... really?"
"Team Leader Kang isn't the type to give less work to someone just because they're lazy. He'll make them do the work, even if it means forcing them. If they don't do it properly, their colleagues will have to bear the burden."
That's something a supervisor should do, but in reality, there are many people who don't. I've seen many times where a lazy subordinate and a supervisor who plays along with them leave the work to other employees unfairly. After my father passed away and our family's fortunes declined, I did various part-time jobs. Many times, because I worked diligently, the lazy ones' work was thrown at me. They would say, "He's always like that," and the supervisor would give their work to me without any extra pay.
"Fair, huh?"
"He's the best to work with. And so is Team Leader Shin. I've worked in a few other places, and often quit because the supervisors or coworkers were a mess, even though the work itself wasn't that hard. At least here, the work is tough, but there are fewer external factors causing stress."
I recalled that Shin Hae-ryang had fought for Baeg Ae-young. It seems he's trying to prevent that stress from affecting the employees. Yu Jin, seeming relieved, sighed and said,
"That's a relief, at least."
"Right now, he's probably desperate to get away from Team Leader Kang."
"Why?"
"Maybe he wants freedom."
"Is it that restrictive here now?"
Lee Ji-hyun smiled awkwardly and was about to speak when she suddenly crouched down. Crack! A loud noise came from far away, and the floor shook. Rumble! The ceiling and walls were vibrating.
I swayed with the building, rolling forward to avoid the children in my backpack from falling on me if I fell backward. Ouch. I'm going to die. Yu Jin had already fallen stably to the ground. Lee Ji-hyun was the only one still standing. After about 2-3 minutes, the shaking finally subsided. Lee Ji-hyun, after checking the surroundings, helped Yu Jin up and then grabbed my hand, saying,
"Let's go faster. The shock might cause the Jujakdong dormitories to flood."
"Is it an earthquake?"
Yu Jin asked, and Lee Ji-hyun shook her head.
"Doesn't seem like it. Probably."
Lee Ji-hyun frowned and looked at the ceiling for a few seconds before saying,
"If it were an earthquake, it would be at least magnitude 8. Then our survival here would be a miracle."
Our pace quickened. The feeling of being trapped in a place where the water level was rising had happened twice, no, three times, and if you count the cable car, four times. I didn't want to experience it again. I was always scared when I had to go into the water.
We walked non-stop to the corridor connecting the Central District and Jujakdong. After walking silently for a while, Lee Ji-hyun asked me,
"Mr. Muhyeon. What do you mean by 'there might be more prohibited items'?"
Hmm... Oh, I shouldn't mention the animals.
"Drunk Russians sleeping and people hiding somewhere to smoke and pretend they didn't when they come to the dental clinic. There was also a child hidden in an empty room, so it wouldn't be strange if guns or drugs appeared."
Thinking about it, drugs didn't appear. I hope they never do. Guns are already enough. My statement indirectly suggested to Kang Soo-jung that a fierce battle might ensue, but I wasn't sure if she understood. Lee Ji-hyun seemed lost in thought and then asked me,
"Mr. Muhyeon. Does Ji-hyuk smoke?"
Huh. Taken aback by the sudden question, I pondered for a few seconds before answering. I remember Seo Ji-hyuk liked Lee Ji-hyun.
"I can't disclose a patient's medical information."
"He said he quit. Yes, I understand."
Where did she get that information from my statement? While I was flustered, Lee Ji-hyun naturally looked at me. I quickly shut my mouth, fearing that defending Seo Ji-hyuk would only confirm her suspicions. Lee Ji-hyun continued,
"Let's go to the escape pod port first, then to the dormitories."
"Why not go to the dormitories first?"
"There are a few reasons, but if there are any escape pods left in this situation, it's better to send them out as quickly as possible. There's no need to suffer unnecessarily in this underwater base."
Lee Ji-hyun looked at Yu Jin's back as she walked ahead, then turned to me.
"Also, going to Jujakdong is not only to rescue the five people trapped in the dormitories but also to secure any remaining escape pods. That's the top priority."
While walking through the corridor connected to Jujakdong, I noticed Lee Ji-hyun muttering something and asked what it was. She said, a bit embarrassed,
"W... Well, I'm a Christian. I'm praying to the Lord for help."
"Does it work?"
"I haven't died yet."
Yu Jin, hearing our conversation, chuckled. We walked quickly through the corridor and arrived at the entrance of Jujakdong, where we faced a large Jujak statue. There was also a four-legged animal statue when we entered Baekhodong, but it didn't look like a tiger at all.
Yu Jin headed straight for the research center from the entrance of Jujakdong and stopped in front of a large metal door. I don't remember such a door being there before. It seemed to completely block the path to the research center. Yu Jin frowned and touched the panel next to it.
[Beep. The Jujakdong Research Center is closed.]
Lee Ji-hyun approached and tried the panel several times. She then tried her own hand, but it didn't open, even though she was an engineer. What about me? I tried my hand, but it didn't open either. Lee Ji-hyun, after touching the panel, said to Yu Jin,
"It seems only the center director can enter."
"When does it close?"
In response to my question, Yu Jin bit her lip and said,
"There are many reasons. It could be due to a fire, a gas leak, or for laboratory safety. Since the Deep Sea Biology Center is the closest research center, it's likely that Angela Malon, the director, closed it. The center directors are responsible for the safety management of their respective laboratories."
As soon as I heard that name, I thought of the long blonde hair swimming in the water. It was the first time I had seen something like that outside the underwater base. Could Director Angela Malon have come to close the path to the research center? Lee Ji-hyun quickly concluded,
"Since we can't enter, let's go see the escape pods."
Yu Jin looked at the door regretfully and turned away. She had mentioned that her advisor and researchers were all in the research center. I haven't experienced a Ph.D. program, so I can't fully understand her feelings, but from the complaints I've heard from those who have, it must feel like years of her career are hanging in the air. Especially with the situation where people she knows have all disappeared when they woke up.
I knew that in the dream, Yu Jin had given up on going to the research center to rescue Kim Gayoung. But now, she doesn't know who is waiting to be rescued. Should I tell her? But I don't even know who Kim Gayoung is. As we walked, I opened the pad and checked the underwater base bulletin board.
Title: People are heading towards the Jujakdong dormitories.
Content: Please provide accurate information about the number of people and their identities trapped in the rooms for rescue purposes.
Comments:
HELP: Actually, there is only 1 person in room 77, not 5.
...I could feel how much Kim Gayoung must have agonized over writing this comment. I told the people ahead about the comment.
"The person trapped in the Jujakdong dormitory is one, not five."