Seo Ji-hyuk asked, looking at the English version of the underwater base guidebook he had placed next to me, "Have you finished reading the underwater base guidebook?"
I had not even read 40 pages out of the approximately 300 pages of the English guidebook. I shook my head lightly at Seo Ji-hyuk. I can read English, but the problem is that many of the terms related to the underwater base are not commonly used in daily life. There were parts I couldn't understand. Does the thickness of screws or walls really matter? Moreover, my concentration, accustomed to electromagnetic waves, lasted less than 8 seconds.
"There's also a Korean translation available. Do you need it?"
"Yes! I really need it!"
When I excitedly shouted, Seo Ji-hyuk seemed startled at first but then laughed.
"I'll give you the one I have in my room. But it's a few years old, so it might differ from the latest version. You should compare them while reading."
"Yes, thank you. I couldn't make much progress reading in English. Is there a Korean version?"
"Well... I also put the English guidebook aside without reading it when I first got it. Our team leader, seeing the team members' attitudes, must have been frustrated and brought the Korean version after a month. He said we'd be kicked out if we didn't memorize it within a week. I hastily read it. I've highlighted a few things with a highlighter, but other than that, it's in good condition. I'll bring it to you after your treatment."
"It will be a great help. My interpreter can't translate documents."
Seo Ji-hyuk blinked at my old interpreter, which looked like an earring attached to my ear. It was a bit embarrassing because it was so outdated, but it was better than nothing. I hastily added, "Translation services are expensive, you know."
"That's true."
"When you come next time, I'll have read the book. In return, how about you floss next time you come?"
I taught Seo Ji-hyuk the detailed method of flossing, advised him to avoid sweets as much as possible, and handed him some floss. A few minutes later, Seo Ji-hyuk left, giving me a book with "Underwater Base Guidebook Korean Edition" written in large letters. I hugged the book for a while, feeling very happy to see it in Korean.
The dental clinic wasn't very busy, but it wasn't completely idle either. Some people who were curious about the first dental clinic opened in the underwater base made reservations, but most people couldn't make reservations due to conflicting shift schedules or decided to make reservations slowly after hearing reviews from those who had visited the clinic.
Through patients, I occasionally heard about the chaotic state of medical cultures in various countries. For example, William Erickson from the Mining Team 6 ranted about the poor medical services in the United States. He came in with a cavity and demanded to have all his teeth replaced with gold by the end of the day. When I asked if he was going to fast from today, his momentum slightly waned, and I filled the cavity and did a scaling.
He had never had a scaling before and clenched and unclenched his fists during the procedure, squeezing the poor orange whale, Noeul, who he was hugging. Then, his 180+ cm tall body twisted like a grilled squid, and he suddenly said he needed to go to the bathroom and left, never to return.
I sent him a message saying his treatment wasn't finished, but there was no response. It wasn't until Noeul's wrinkles, which had been crumpled, smoothed out that I received a reply saying he would come back next week. The message I sent, saying there would definitely be a dental drill at the front of the hell gate, made me laugh. When I sent a message saying I would give him floss, there was no response.
Team Leader Vladimir Sergeyevich Ivanov from Russia came with a bottle of alcohol. When I greeted him with a "welcome," I didn't realize what it was at first, thinking it was a water bottle made of metal. But the smell revealed it was vodka, which made me jump.
When I extended my hand to him, the 190 cm tall, blonde man handed me the bottle. As I closed the cap of the alcohol-smelling bottle, I realized he had given it to me to drink. I shook my head and instructed him to brush his teeth with a disposable toothbrush and toothpaste at the sink. I put on gloves, and to my surprise, he brushed his teeth and rinsed without a word, then lay down on the dental chair.
His oral condition was quite unique; specifically, all six of his front teeth were implants. He was in his mid-30s, and already had six implants. When I asked about it, he raised his blonde eyebrows and said, "You probably don't want to know, doctor."
I couldn't tell if my interpreter was too outdated or if he was speaking Russian fiercely. I took his statement as an answer and, looking at his broken lower right molar, asked, "Didn't it hurt?"
"Life is pain."
I was about to give him more pain but decided to test his patience for bringing alcohol into a place where it was forbidden. When I told him to raise his hand if it hurt, the American raised both hands and waved them, but Ivanov, like his statement about life being painful, endured well. Noeul, whom I had given to him, was more stable than the previous patients.
I habitually praised him for his endurance, as I would with well-behaved young patients, but then realized I was praising a Russian man who drank vodka like water. I fell silent and continued the treatment. In the quiet dental clinic, only my hands and feet were busy.
"You need to come back next week. Until then, don't eat hard foods, don't chew on the right side, brush your teeth well, and don't drink alcohol."
Vladimir put the bottle I had placed on the table into his arms. I wasn't sure if he would follow my advice. I almost habitually threw him a piece of floss as he left. The man caught it in mid-air, frowned, and left.
Since finding a box full of floss, my goal has been to get everyone in the underwater base to floss and brush their teeth. Since it's a salary-based job, wouldn't it be better if there were no patients? But the start is weak. In the past two days, I've seen the teeth of people coming to the dental clinic, and while some floss, it doesn't seem to be many.
I need to have hope. There have been fewer than 10 visitors. It's not too early to feel discouraged. I hope this new hobby spreads in the gloomy underwater base. Or, a scary rumor might start that a dentist threatens patients, saying, "Your teeth aren't layered like a shark's, so floss more."
No matter how well you brush, floss, eat less sugar, and rinse with mouthwash, there's no answer to direct impact. In the past four days, I've treated five very unique men. Their front teeth were broken, their molars had cracks, or they had received a strong blow to the jaw that made their teeth wobble.
Some had objects other than dental prosthetics stuck in their teeth. They were all from the mining and engineering teams. When I asked what they were doing to end up like this, I got all sorts of bizarre excuses: "I fell while walking, and there was a step in front of me," "I fell off the bed," "I don't know," "When I woke up, I was like this," and so on.
No matter how I looked at it, these were the results of fistfights. From the condition of the people coming to the hospital, I could tell that the person who did this was tall and right-handed. They all came in with anger, not boasting, so the people I treated had all tasted bitter defeat at least once or twice.
I started treating old, neglected injuries and impacts, and the most recent act of violence arrived in the clinic. Yesterday's loser had a broken lower molar, aside from wobbly teeth. I examined the broken molar and sighed.
"That guy must have a strong punch."
Violence is not tolerated in the underwater base, but I don't know where they are getting into fistfights. When I asked, Tyler from Engineering Team A got excited and started talking. "That lunatic threw the first punch. Of course, I hit him more. Just wait. I'll make him walk around like a jellyfish without any teeth. I'll make him suck soup for the rest of his life!"
I calmed down the 2-meter-tall, muscular man and pondered whether to fix his fantastically broken molar like a puzzle or extract it. At that moment, I heard a familiar curse. "Shin Hae-ryang, that bastard!"
"Was this about the team leader of Engineering Team A?"
Tyler, feeling wronged, started cursing the other person with all the curses he knew. I had heard that Engineering Team A was made up of Canadians, and I had never seen a Canadian, known for their peaceful demeanor, so passionately wish for someone's misfortune.
Apparently, Engineering Team A never compromises or backs down, even over minor issues, and their team leader, Shin Hae-ryang, instigates conflicts. I was only half-listening to the beaten man's account, but now he was enthusiastically cursing the entire Engineering Team A.
Thanks to this, I could remember the names of the seven people from Engineering Team A, whom I had never met except for Seo Ji-hyuk. It must have been tough for you. You must have been in pain, but you've been very patient. Anyone who provides a service to people is in the service industry. I spouted a few insincere, flattering phrases and then cut off the conversation, saying I had to start the next appointment.
The treatment room was filled with incoherent sounds. After a long and short treatment, Tyler shuddered and got up from the medical bed. I had saved his molar, but Noeul, who he had been hugging, had a squished face.
"Rinse your mouth and you can go. I'll see you next week."
"I'll never come back!"
I patted Tyler's hand, which was holding the floss, and gave him more floss. The people in the underwater base, who prioritize equipment repair and mining, have quite fierce faces and are generally large, but they surprisingly didn't throw the floss away and took it with them. It seemed they were in a daze after the treatment or took it unconsciously as they fled.
Just making a dental appointment can make people lose their courage. I tried to encourage and praise people who came to the dental clinic as much as possible. Coming to the dentist, despite their condition, is already a great achievement.