It seemed my explanation didn't convince him. The man crossed his arms and, while staring at the dark water swallowing the second floor, said:
"If we're lucky, that might be the case. I don't really want to get into that dirty water, though."
Well, even from here, the color of the water flooding the deep-sea pollution center wasn't exactly beautiful. Moreover, the water had submerged more than the second floor, meaning it was at least 6 meters deep. Diving to that depth to find and turn a drainage valve somewhere on the floor sounded like a daunting task.
But if not that, how do you plan to get out of here? Why aren't you more proactive about escaping? Is there another way besides the elevator? The man shrugged and said, almost pityingly:
"You Asians, probably Chinese. You might not even know what a 'rescue team' is, but I'm American. The rescue team will come to save me somehow. I'll just rest and wait instead of wasting my energy. God bless America!"
As he curled his fingers at the word 'rescue team,' a few other men whistled and high-fived. A sigh rose from my gut. I was at a loss for what to correct first.
Eun-je-hyun had dived into that polluted water to try to get the stuck elevator working, even though she believed her guardian was a god. Yet, these guys were making such a fuss about a country that's not even 300 years old. Eun-je-hyun, her eyebrows twisted in anger, clenched her fists and trembled with rage. She looked like she wanted to punch one of the three in the face. Before she could say anything, Kim Ga-young spoke in a calm voice:
"Dustin, the connection between the deep-sea biology center and this deep-sea pollution center is still open. You should go to the deep-sea biology center before the third floor is flooded. Even if the deep-sea pollution center is flooded up to the seventh floor, the deep-sea biology center will still be relatively intact if the barrier walls are lowered."
Miss Kim. Dustin referred to Kim Ga-young and said:
"We can open the barrier walls after we leave for the biology center."
"Still, it's better to go to the biology center. The deep-sea biology center will be flooded much later than the deep-sea pollution center, which we're in now."
Kim Ga-young was right. The barrier walls separating the rare earth center and the deep-sea pollution center seemed to be holding back the water. If we planned to stay in the underwater base for a long time, the deep-sea biology center, which hadn't been flooded yet, would be a much better place to hold out than the deep-sea pollution center.
Suddenly, I remembered the cable car crash in my dream. It wasn't a good memory, even when I thought about it again. The blood, the bodies, and the despair... Damn. My stomach tightened with tension. How long did it take to collapse in the dream? It didn't take long. The fear of needing to get out as quickly as possible hit my brain. Even if I mentioned the dream and said the underwater base might collapse, would they listen to me? Would they treat me like I was crazy? Kim Ga-young, rubbing her shoulders and arms, said:
"It's better to cross over to the deep-sea biology center before the third floor here is flooded. If you want to wait for the rescue team."
"Then what about you? Are you going to stay here?"
In response to Dustin's question, Kim Ga-young pointed in the direction Eun-je-hyun was standing, smiled, and said:
"I'd rather drown in that polluted water with this lady than run away with you and wait for the rescue team."
It was quiet. The sudden pause in conversation made everyone look at each other with troubled eyes. Soon, sighs and murmurs of conversation grew louder. Eun-je-hyun dried her hair with a towel again, and when it was almost dry, she took back the pad she had left with Yoo Geum-i. She looked around at the people and said:
"Those who want to go to the deep-sea biology center, please prepare now. I'll lower the barrier wall in five minutes."
Eun-je-hyun's gaze fell on the seawater, and she looked away from the dark blue water and said:
"If anyone wants to try escaping with me using the elevator, please get ready to swim by taking off your shoes and outer clothes, and gather here in five minutes."
Eun-je-hyun rubbed her head with the towel again and let out a sigh that sounded like it would extinguish her. Then, holding the pad, she slowly walked into the office. When I followed her into the room, she gently placed the pad on the table.
Her expression suggested she wanted to punch something. Eun-je-hyun, who had been making a frustrated face, noticed my presence, bit her lip hard, and said:
"Then let's die! I thought about fixing that elevator, which I believe is the ark sent by the Lord, and trying to escape! Instead of doing that, I wanted to shout, 'Let's drink and take drugs like you guys, and wait for the rescue team until we're just bones, while the seawater fills our lungs!' Oh!"
Eun-je-hyun grumbled with a voice full of frustration.
"I wanted to beat you up! ...I'm sorry. Today, I couldn't love my neighbor as I should. It shows how much I still lack, given how difficult it is to practice the teachings given by the Lord."
I felt sorry for Eun-je-hyun. She paced around the room like a carnivore that had failed to catch its prey. As an engineer, I couldn't imagine how frustrating our situation must be for her. Thinking about the actions of the people from the engineering team, who valued speed and efficiency, I whispered:
"You did well. ...Like an adult."
"I held back because there was nothing I could do by getting angry."
Eun-je-hyun, who had been wandering around the room aimlessly, slumped into an empty chair, closed her eyes, and said:
"Ah. Maybe this is something the team leader is good at, and I lack the ability. I rarely take the initiative to lead others or suggest doing something. I don't like doing that. I just wanted to do my job well and follow orders."
She sighed and continued:
"I'm good at doing what I'm told. In life, I rarely needed to assert my individuality. I could live a normal life by just saying 'yes' to everything. ...Today, I had to make so many choices and take the lead. Even the deputy team leader, how does he manage this?"
"Deputy team leader Kang Soo-jung?"
I thought he was similar to Shin Hae-ryang because they were in the same team and had similar builds. ...This is also a preconception.
"Team leader Shin doesn't think it's necessary to talk at length with people who don't understand. When he goes to a meeting, everything is handled very quickly. Deputy team leader Kang, however, can spend 2 or 3 hours in a meeting, expressing his opinions, discussing with other teams, reaching agreements, and readjusting opinions. ...I feel like I'm going to explode with anger after just 5 minutes. How does he do it every day?"
Kang Soo-jung must also be holding back. Understanding others through conversation isn't easy. Everyone thinks differently, and if their interests don't align, they won't want to cooperate. If humans could solve everything through conversation, there would have never been a war. To comfort the upset Eun-je-hyun, I said slowly:
"You can. I was also very angry. You did a great job today. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have survived this far. Even now, you're the one who noticed and is trying to find a way to escape first."
Eun-je-hyun, who had been slouching in the chair like a zombie, got up and answered somewhat depressively:
"...Any engineer would have thought the same way. I'm not particularly smart or anything."
"To me, you are the best engineer."
As she smiled and shook her head, Yoo Geum-i, who had entered the room, silently hugged Eun-je-hyun and patted her back a few times. Eun-je-hyun, looking dejected, said to Yoo Geum-i:
"I'm wet."
"Sure. It's okay. You've worked hard, Eun-je-hyun."
I looked at the two with warm eyes, trying not to scratch my itchy mouth, and asked:
"Should I go and talk to them again? Maybe one or two of them will change their minds. They don't seem to understand how hard it is to wait for a rescue that may or may not come. And we don't know when the underwater base will collapse. In my dream, it collapsed like a bamboo stick within a day. ...If I keep instilling fear, maybe some of them will reconsider."
As Kim Ga-young entered the room and heard my words, she shook her head and said to me. She also looked tired.
"Maybe it's better to leave them alone, Mu-hyun. Even if we talk, only those who understand will stay, or they'll leave."
I remembered Kim Ga-young's tendency to give up on people who don't listen. Losing people is a disadvantage for us. The labor of those who want to escape through the elevator is needed right now. What's the best way to handle this? Is there anything to