As Yugeun looked at us and then gazed down the empty corridor of the dormitory, she looked at the dark stairs and said,
"I want to go down and help too."
"We don't know how high the water level is," Eunji-hyeon immediately opposed. Oh, right. I remember the water level was extremely high before. Yugeun was the shortest among us. As I hesitated to take off my shoes, Eunji-hyeon firmly said,
"Keep your shoes on. If you hurt your feet, you won't be able to move."
I was about to take off my shoes to avoid getting wet, but now I realize she's right. I put my bag on the floor and held the axe in one hand. Yugeun said to Eunji-hyeon and me,
"Please be careful and come back safely."
Eunji-hyeon, who made the sign of the cross, turned on the flashlight and held it in her mouth, while gripping a flathead screwdriver in one hand and leaving the other free, started descending the stairs. Wouldn't it be easier to hold the flashlight in your hand?
I carefully descended the wet stairs to avoid slipping. Sometimes I forgot I was holding the axe, which made me feel a chill. I recalled the dream where I almost drowned, with the water almost up to my chin. It's okay. I can do this. The water level is lower, so it should be easier to rescue her this time.
Eunji-hyeon moved forward almost silently. She occasionally shone the flashlight into open doors and then continued forward. How can she walk so well? I splashed and made noise as I clung to the walls and doors like an octopus. While walking in the cold and dark, a strange thought suddenly came to me.
What if the person walking in front of me isn't Eunji-hyeon?
What if the real Eunji-hyeon didn't come down and I'm walking alone in this darkness?
What if Eunji-hyeon suddenly dissolves into the dark water?
Or turns her head, grins, and tears her mouth from ear to ear?
What if the flashlight suddenly goes out and I'm trapped in the darkness?
...Have I watched too many movies? But as time passed, I became so scared that I could scream at the slightest touch. My grip on the axe weakened, and my body trembled. Even holding the axe felt terrifying. In my frightened state, I shouldn't be carrying something I can't handle. It was even more important for our safety. Unable to bear the fear any longer, I called out to the person who was about two meters ahead of me.
"Ji, Ji-hyeon. Ji-hyeon!"
When Eunji-hyeon turned her head, the flashlight beam shone directly on her face, blinding me. Eunji-hyeon took the flashlight out of her mouth and asked, her face barely visible in the light.
"Why?"
"Let's go together."
My voice sounded more pitiful than I expected. However, Eunji-hyeon didn't say much to me and just gestured. It was a gesture for me to come closer, and I swallowed my fear and approached Eunji-hyeon. We had been walking in a single file, but now we started walking side by side. While I was pushing a chair out of the way, Eunji-hyeon, who had been shining the flashlight on the chair and my hand, turned it forward and asked,
"Was Baekhodong also flooded to this level?"
"Huh? No, it was up to the top of my head. It was almost impossible to survive without gills."
"I see."
"Why are you asking?"
"Some evil people can do anything."
"Even though you think that, we're still here to save people."
We could have ignored the effort of walking in this cold water and darkness. I smiled slightly and said this, and Eunji-hyeon, with her usual expressionless face, replied,
"Follow me. I will make you fishers of men. ...You came here to fish for people, didn't you?"
Then Eunji-hyeon smiled slightly. I remember this phrase from the Bible, where Jesus recruited a few people, but I can't recall it exactly.
"How many people do you need to catch to be satisfied?"
"As many as possible."
I'm an atheist and have a strong aversion to religion, but there are times when I'm impressed. Walking in this water, despite her age and not being in the best physical condition, Eunji-hyeon seems less afraid because she believes God is behind her, or that she's trying to do good through her faith.
Of course, I know there are rotten apples who use religion to spread evil and harm others. But Eunji-hyeon is here, risking her life to save others for whatever reason. As Eunji-hyeon approached Room 77, she called out,
"We're here to rescue you. Is anyone inside? Is anyone there?"
When Eunji-hyeon knocked on the door, a woman's scream came from inside.
"I'm here! Someone's here! Help me!"
It's Kim Ga-yeong. I was relieved to hear her voice. Kim Ga-yeong spoke rapidly.
"The door won't open! It's either stuck or blocked. It won't open automatically, and even when I press the manual button and push with all my strength, it won't budge! Please get me out!"
Eunji-hyeon handed me the flashlight. She touched the door, lowered her hand, took a deep breath, and submerged her head in the water. I was startled and shone the flashlight on Eunji-hyeon's face.
Eunji-hyeon's short hair swayed in the water. I could see her inserting the flathead screwdriver into the door. Then she lifted her head and came out of the water. I offered her the axe I had been carrying. Eunji-hyeon pushed her hair back and wiped the water from her face with her hand.
"I don't think it will be useful... No, wait. Who opened this door in your dream?"
"Shin Hae-ryang."
"Do you remember how he opened it?"
"Not really, but when Shin Hae-ryang went in, he had an axe, and when he came out, it was gone."
Wow. Even when I think about it, my words are really... I'm being very helpful. It's amazing that Eunji-hyeon doesn't throw me away as useless.
"Our team leader can break it with his strength."
Eunji-hyeon took the axe, took a deep breath, and submerged her head in the water again. I shone the flashlight down, and Eunji-hyeon was using the axe handle to create a gap where she had inserted the screwdriver.
When Eunji-hyeon came out of the water again, there was a gap of about 3 cm in the door, wide enough for a finger. I shone the flashlight into the gap, and I could feel something moving on the other side. When Kim Ga-yeong, who had approached, stuck her eyes into the gap, my heart almost stopped. My heart rate skyrocketed. Ah, my timid nature is really showing.
When our eyes met, I felt a sudden fear, along with the question of why the whites of her eyes were visible even in this dark situation. My heart was pounding so hard in my ears that Kim Ga-yeong asked me,
"How can I help?"
"Um... Ji-hyeon. Can we push the door to the side?"
"No, think about lifting it up."
The three of us tried our best to lift the door, which had no handle, from the bottom. Eunji-hyeon kept kicking the axe handle stuck in the door. Suddenly, Eunji-hyeon submerged her head in the water again, and I was startled and shone the flashlight on her. Eunji-hyeon did something, and the door slowly started to open to the side. When the door opened about 30 cm, Eunji-hyeon came out of the water and said to Kim Ga-yeong,
"Ga-yeong-ssi, try to get out through the gap."
Kim Ga-yeong started with her head. Her head barely fit through, and I sighed in relief.
"Since your head can fit through, you should be able to get out without much trouble."
Eunji-hyeon, who had been wiping the water from her face, coughed and asked me,
"Cough. What about your hips?"
"Speaking extremely, you can't cut your skull, but you can cut your hip fat."
"Nothing needs to be cut!"
Startled, Kim Ga-yeong quickly wriggled her body through the narrow gap. As soon as Kim Ga-yeong came out of the door, Eunji-hyeon said,
"Let's get out of here quickly. The water is still rising."
When I came to my senses, the water level had already risen to our shoulders. When did it rise so much? Have I already adapted to this situation without noticing? Eunji-hyeon, holding the flashlight, started moving like a crab, clinging to the walls and doors. Kim Ga-yeong and I followed her.