The dental clinic was established in the underwater base because so many people had dental issues. Even a person with perfect teeth would experience pain from a tiny cavity when the pressure changed, similar to how one might only realize they have a cavity after flying in an airplane.
But what if you got a toothache 3 kilometers underwater, where the pressure is over 300 times greater? It would be far more efficient to visit the dentist once rather than clenching your face in pain, sipping vodka and painkillers, and waiting for a future appointment.
Before the dental clinic was set up in the underwater base, you had to make an appointment at a dental clinic on land and take the central elevator from -3km to 0km (sea level). Since there is no dental clinic on the artificial island (Daehando), you would have to take a helicopter or boat to the nearest place, such as Hawaii or the Solomon Islands, or even Japan or Jeju Island.
The minimum time required to get dental treatment would be at least 5 hours. Of course, this assumes that you can make a dental appointment, immediately board the central elevator which moves every 10 minutes, the weather on the artificial island is good enough to launch a helicopter, the helicopter is fully fueled, at least two people need to go out for reasons other than personal matters, there is magically an empty seat on the helicopter, the weather is good for travel and landing, you have your passport, the country you are landing in allows you to enter, and you can get a taxi or car to the dental clinic in the city where you made the appointment. All of these things must go well for it to take 5 hours.
Of course, you can't do this during your work shift, so you have to do it on your days off or during your vacation. If you can't finish the dental treatment in one visit, it becomes a very troublesome task.
Then, why not bring a dental clinic to Daehando? The people working in the underwater base unanimously agreed that there wasn't enough space in the hospital on Daehando to accommodate a dental clinic, so they decided to send the dental clinic to the underwater base. I later found out that the reason for the tension over whether to include the dental clinic in the artificial island's medical center was that all facilities in the underwater base are free to use. Only cafes, bakeries, and other convenience stores are paid services, which are almost free. A cup of coffee costs 1 cent, and a piece of bread costs 300 won.
However, when I talked to the people at the Daehando Hospital on the 0th floor, I learned that the hospital only provided free medical treatment. Medications were free only if prescribed by the psychological counseling center or the dental clinic. When I asked why they weren't included in the free services, they said it was because everything built on Daehando (the artificial island) is not located underwater. It was a funny situation, almost like an insurance policy.
If it were located in the deep sea, whether you got a gold or duralumin filling, it would be covered by the underwater base's budget, which is why the dental clinic and the psychological counseling center, both very expensive services on land, were placed in the deep sea. Considering that the people working in Daehando and the underwater base come from all over the world, free dental treatment is almost a salvation for some. That's why the people in the underwater base decided to place the dental clinic underwater, where the exorbitant costs on land become free.
I read the underwater base guidebook during a break when there were no patients. It was in English, so it wasn't easy to read, but I thought I wouldn't try to read it later. Once patients started coming in, I wouldn't have time to read it.
If you get injured in the underwater base, you are immediately transported to Daehando via the central elevator for treatment. The elevator moves every 10 minutes, but if you press the emergency button, it will stop wherever it is and head down 3km. Then, you can board the elevator and go directly to the 0th floor.
The 0th floor, known as the Basic Area, allows you to arrive directly at the emergency medical center. This is much faster than calling an ambulance on land and going to the hospital. With an ambulance, you hope the ambulance is empty because no one else called it before you, the traffic is good on the way to the hospital, and there are no patients in the emergency room who are more critical than you. In comparison, you can use the emergency center in 10 minutes by taking the elevator.
Some of the things you must follow in the underwater base include no alcohol, no smoking. Of course, if you are a smoker or an alcoholic, you can go to the artificial island (Daehando) and indulge before coming down. The problem is that the artificial island does not sell alcohol or cigarettes, and bringing them into the underwater base is prohibited.
Air in the deep sea is as important as life. Although the air purification system at 3000 meters underground controls the air for humans without gills, the underwater base doesn't have the luxury to accommodate smokers.
The 20-page contract I signed five days ago clearly stated that alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs are prohibited, and if detected in the underwater base, you will be expelled. However, two days ago, an engineer named Michael, whom I treated, had a strong smell of whiskey when he entered the clinic. His mouth was thoroughly brushed and rinsed, so I found no evidence during the treatment. I also noticed signs of smoking when a Chinese researcher named Zhang Wei passed by in the hallway, but I couldn't find any concrete evidence.
Now, from the person whose mouth was open, I could smell a faint bitter scent despite thorough brushing and rinsing. I glanced at the chart to remember his name. Engineer Seo Ji-hyuk from Team A. I scribbled a T on the electronic chart on the pad, only for me to understand. After he rinsed his mouth and spat out blood and saliva, I asked:
"Is there a place to smoke in the base?"
Seo Ji-hyuk's eyes widened, holding a small glass cup. He hesitated, then seemed to find an answer and countered:
"Ah... Doctor, do you smoke?"
"No."
I am a non-smoker. To be precise, I quit because I couldn't afford it. I smiled, and Seo Ji-hyuk smiled back. The orange whale, Noreum, in his arms also smiled.
"I don't smoke either."
"Your teeth say otherwise."
"......My teeth are lying, I guess."
"You like chocolate and candy, chew mostly on the right side, smoke, have a lot of stress, and have a habit of resting your jaw on one side."
"......You won't tell anyone, right?"
"Sure."
"Especially not my team leader?"
"......The team leader of Team A, Shin Hae-ryang, right?"
"He has a temper that defies imagination. If he finds out I haven't quit smoking, it will be a headache."
I agreed, and surprisingly, Seo Ji-hyuk started to talk freely. There are quite a few heavy smokers in the underwater base. I thought, "Well, that's humans for you," and continued the treatment. Then, I suddenly thought of something and asked again:
"They don't sell alcohol or cigarettes in Daehando or the underwater base, right?"
"Right, so if you bring them in, it's a goldmine. A pack of cigarettes costs 60 dollars."
I laughed in disbelief at the price. A pack of cigarettes was several times more expensive than my minimum wage when I worked part-time on land.
"Is there anyone who buys them at that price?"
"It seems they can't get enough. Americans buy a lot, Chinese buy some, and Russians buy a lot."
Seo Ji-hyuk scratched his cheek and said. Some people quit as soon as they arrive, but others find it hard to quit cold turkey.
"......Does Team Leader Shin not smoke?"
"Smoke? Our team leader wouldn't bleed even if you pricked him."
I learned more details from Seo Ji-hyuk about why the engineering teams' names are in alphabetical order and why the island is called Daehando. Apparently, when the employees voted, there was a lot of pressure to name the island after their respective countries' languages.
The voting was done over two days through the underwater base program, logging in with their IDs and passwords on their electronic pads. On the first day, Team Leader Shin Hae-ryang cast all the votes of the engineering teams (ABCDEFGH) and the mining teams (ABCDEFGH), totaling 160 votes, for "Daehando." With about 190 people at the time, it became Daehando. Seo Ji-hyuk scratched his cheek and said:
"Originally, Team Leader Shin wanted to name the island 'Democracy.'"
I burst out laughing. This underwater base was built with money from eight advanced countries, and more than half of them only pretend to be democracies.
"I also wanted to see some countries have a fit. At the time, Chinese and Japanese were arguing that Taekwondo was theirs, so Team Leader Shin, unable to control his temper, wanted to name the island 'Taekwondo,' but was talked out of it and named it 'Daehando.'"
I couldn't help but smile. I thought of Team Leader Shin as a white Maltese dog with no patience, then shook my head twice to clear my mind.
"How did you gather the votes?"
"Gambling. Doctor, our team leader might not invite you to play poker, but if he does, never sit down."
Gambling is one of the things not allowed in the underwater base. I wondered how many of the prohibited things the people here actually follow.
"Are you that good?"
"He's a demon."
I can't play poker or GoStop well. I have no connection with gambling or money. I've never even won a cheap instant lottery.
"Why are the team names in alphabetical order?"
"The stakes were too low, so they bet on the team names too, and it ended up like this."
I finally laughed, and Seo Ji-hyuk chuckled. He told me that all the engineers in Team A are Japanese, and all the engineers in Team D are Russian. He explained the nationalities of the engineers in Teams L and M and the English number teams, but I couldn't remember them all. I lamented my memory and consoled myself that it all went downhill after electronic devices became widespread. ...It didn't help much.