I asked Eunji Hyun about what I was most worried about in my dream related to the elevator.
"Would it be okay if the power went out a few times?"
The despair I felt when I learned that the elevator I was in with Yugeum had stopped about 160 meters from the third underwater base. I don't have the confidence to jump or fly even three meters vertically.
This cargo elevator at the Jujadong Research Center moved straight for 3000 meters. If it went up smoothly without stopping, we would reach the surface (0th floor) right away. But I didn't even want to think about what would happen if it stopped halfway. Would it be okay if the power went out several times again?
"The elevator will probably stop if the power goes out. Actually, elevators aren't my main specialty, so I'm not sure."
What does that mean? Eunji Hyun looked at my expression and chuckled softly. The droplets on her short hair trembled and fell to the floor. She spoke to me in a tone that showed no worry at all.
"Don't tell the others. ...Honestly, I'm a bit worried. My major is naval architecture and ocean engineering, so I learned about this stuff after coming here. Ae-young is good at fixing elevators. Engineers all have their own specialties. Ji-hyuk is good at fixing automatic doors and lighting. There are people who are good at repairing the outer walls, but only the team leader and deputy team leader can fix everything. ...And there are no tools or anything here, and I'm the only engineer left."
...It would be better than the people here. I would trust Eunji Hyun to fix the elevator even with her eyes closed rather than entrusting it to me or that ax-wielding man. I sighed, drawing a breath from deep within my stomach.
"They said this place is run by some cogeneration or something."
I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds dangerous. Eunji Hyun looked at me and her eyes sparkled. She smiled faintly and replied.
"You must have read the underwater base guidebook. Most people skip over those parts and only read about the amenities."
I didn't read it thoroughly either. I only looked at the pages about the restaurant, restroom, laundry room, exhibition hall, coffee shop, and bakery, and read the free facilities section carefully. The reason I was forced to learn about escape pods and elevators was because, unlike the English version, the Korean translation placed the escape and underwater base equipment sections at the beginning.
"Will the research center be okay until we escape?"
"I was surprised by how intact the research center is. The rare earth center seems to be completely destroyed. Look, we all swam out of the water, but we're not freezing, are we?"
That's true. When we entered the water, it was as cold as ice, but after drying off and putting on our clothes, it didn't feel like we had lost a lot of body heat.
"The temperature is constant. It's maintained at 25 degrees. It should be okay for now. Even if it breaks down, there's nothing we can do about it."
The engineers in my dream seemed to have a lot of worries. Eunji Hyun, on the other hand, seemed to worry less the more difficult the situation became. Maybe she handed her worries over to God. At least it's fortunate. How many people here are less burdened by the pressure and worries of survival?
I stopped talking to Eunji Hyun and approached Yugeum and Kim Gayoung. They were talking to each other and looked at me with their eyes, asking what was going on.
"Can I ask what religion you two follow?"
"Religion?"
"Why?"
"If the elevator starts working, we'll have to ride with those people. I want to pray. Maybe the more gods who listen to prayers, the better they'll be answered."
Kim Gayoung laughed in exasperation and said, somewhat awkwardly.
"I don't really believe in anything. My grandmother is a Buddhist, so I go to the temple with her sometimes. Should I count that as Buddhism?"
"Sure. Count it as Buddhism."
Yugeum, leaning against the railing, answered.
"I don't follow any religion. If I have to, I believe in science."
"I see. I believe in science too."
...None of us three will pray. I guess I'll have to do it.
Scientists, please let me out of here. Renowned physicists, please ignore all the laws of physics you've discovered so far and send me and these people back home immediately. If everyone in the underwater base can return home safely, I'll light a candle on this date every year until I die to honor you and your achievements. I'll burn incense too. Please. Get me out of this hellhole right now!
I felt that it would be fortunate if the dead physicists didn't gather to beat me up for my ridiculous prayer and threats.
I glanced at a woman who was standing far away from the others and slightly shook my head at Kim Gayoung.
"Do you know her?"
"Well, I know her, but we're not that close. Emma mostly hangs out with a guy named Lucas from her lab. We just said hello when we saw each other."
From the fact that the woman is alone, I can't tell what happened to Lucas. He either escaped, ran away, or died.
Since I learned the name of one person, I should ask about the others. I took a deep breath without realizing it and tried not to look in that direction as I asked.
"Do you know the person who brought the ax?"
"I know."
Unlike me, Yugeum looked directly at the person and said.
"He's Kevin Roy from the deep-sea biology center. He's Canadian and usually walks around the break room with a cup of coffee, chuckling. ...I've never seen him like this before. He used to brag about his bicycle from Vancouver, and I think he asked if he could ride it inside the base, but was told no."
Kim Gayoung snapped her fingers and said.
"Oh, I remember that. From bicycles to inline skates, electric kickboards, electric wheels, and everything else, they all concluded that it wasn't allowed. Everything except for mobility aids for the disabled and medical equipment was banned."
Is the 4th Underwater Base larger than I thought? Do we have to walk or run everywhere? There are more things that are not allowed in the underwater base than I expected.
"Why? Is there a reason we can't use them?"
Kim Gayoung tried to recall the past and said.
"Riding those things would cause vibrations and continuous noise, which would stress out the deep-sea creatures, even though they don't have brains, or something like that."
While listening to this jumbled explanation, Yugeum, who studies deep-sea creatures, chuckled. As everyone around her looked at Yugeum, her laughter gradually faded.
Yugeum, covering her face with her hands, asked me through her palms.
"Why Kevin?"
"I thought it might be good to have a weapon. If we stick together, we can defend against attacks from outside."
"If we're a mess of allies, wouldn't having a weapon be more dangerous? It might turn on us."
Hearing Yugeum's words, Kim Gayoung lowered her voice and said.
"An ax? Hehehe. Since our engineer isn't saying anything, I guess he's just going to take it with us on the elevator."
Kim Gayoung, with a troubled expression, seemed to think that no one could stop the man if he caused a commotion with the ax on the elevator. I looked at the towel wrapped around the man's calf and asked Yugeum.
"Would I get hit by the ax if I approached him to offer treatment?"
I put the towels from my backpack into the emergency kit. Whether he's an ally or not, it seemed better to treat him here rather than let him enter the water with a bleeding calf. If the water doesn't completely drain, everyone will have to ride in the elevator with his blood and water.
Just imagining it made me feel like I would go insane from a hygiene standpoint. It felt like putting a bloody gauze used in a patient's mouth into another patient's mouth.
Moreover, looking at Yugeum, Kim Gayoung, and Eunji Hyun, it seemed that I was the only one with even a little knowledge about treatment. And I was the only one among them who had items that could be used for treatment.
I'm not a doctor, but it felt like neglecting the task if I could do it and didn't.
Hearing my question, Yugeum sighed deeply.
"The Kevin I saw in the break room or cafeteria was just a normal person, but I'm not sure about him now."
As Yugeum shook her head while watching Kevin play with the ax handle, I looked at Kim Gayoung. Kim Gayoung, stretching her neck and shoulders, said.
"To tell him not to... I can't really say anything. I was rescued, so I'm not in a position to criticize someone trying to help others."
Looking around, everyone seemed to be trying not to pay attention to each other. Or they simply didn't care.
I slowly approached the man named Kevin. The man, who had been touching the ax handle with his fingertips, immediately looked at me. I could feel the gazes of everyone around me piercing my back. The back of my neck and back felt hot from the stares.
"Hello. I work as a dentist here in the underwater base..."
"Get lost!"
Kevin shouted at me in a hoarse but loud voice. Well... Just from his shouting, he seems to be in pretty good shape.