Chapter 29

Chapter 29

I slowly pondered before speaking to Yoo Geum-yi.

“······I, too, if I stay here for about a year, might turn into a person who, if I dislike the people here so much, could potentially dig a hole in the seabed base floor with a spoon. But yes, I agree, taking out 72 people is a bit extreme. If I were to hold a grudge against someone, I’d probably dig a hole in his room, but I wouldn’t destroy the escape route.”

Yoo Geum-yi tapped my arm with her small hand, an action made easy by our mutual seated position on the floor, as a way to comfort my nervousness.

“Why are you so weak? Have some confidence. And don’t go around making assumptions depending on the situation. You’ll end up being accused of wrecking the seabase!”

As Yoo Geum-yi rummaged through the backpack I had been carrying, belonging to Baek Aeyoung, she discovered a bottle of Ballentine’s liquor. Her eyes widened at the sight before fiddling with the cap.

“I wouldn’t argue if you call me naive. But when the time comes, discarding one’s humanity and fighting like a beast, that’s too... primitive.”

“······You’re really strong, Geum-yi-nim.”RêAd lateSt chapters at nô(v)e(l)bin/.c/o/m Only

“Where exactly?”

“Your mentality is strong. Even in this situation, you try to think positively and make moral judgments. Even when you’re in a garbage situation, you don’t try to throw others in the trash like a water ghost. You don’t abandon me, who’s acting like a complete loser, calling me a stupid kid... there’s so much more. Is today particularly tough for me? I’m acting way too self-deprecatingly.”

“Everything. Your knee seemed strong too when you fell earlier.”

“Pain is just something to endure.”

‘Pain is just something to endure.’ That felt like a useful life quote. I mulled over that phrase, and then looked at the liquor cap that Yoo Geum-yi had been fiddling with.

“Are you going to open that?”

“Here, now? Liquor? Absolutely not! I don’t know who put it in the bag─,” she quickly answered. “It’s Seo Ji-hyeok-ssi─Ah, I thought so. Absolutely not. Maybe when we’re outside, but we shouldn’t drink now.”

Worried that I might try to drink it, Yoo Geum-yi hastily zipped up the backpack.

“I don’t intend to drink either. I’ll drink when we get out. ······If I get out, I’ll buy all the drinks at the bar. Really. I’ll spend my first paycheck here on liquor.”

“Who knows if you’ll get a paycheck? Hmm. ······The nearest bar is in Hawaii.”

“There’s not even a single bar on this damned artificial island?”

“Do you think the engineers and the mining team would work sober?”

I had no response to that. I recalled the engineer who had gotten drunk, passed out, and became a bad example for the others. Especially if a bar was established, the psychological counselor Elliot would flip. Prescription drugs don’t mix well with alcohol.

“Elliot!”

“Yes?”

“She’s a specialist, isn’t she? She should’ve been staying in the West district!”

“Save me!”

“I can’t!”

“Save me!”

“I don’t have the strength!”

“Save me!”

Suddenly, I woke up with a start. Baek Aeyoung and Yoo Geum-yi were looking at me as I was sprawled out on the floor, swimming on all fours. I got up from the floor in a daze.

“How long was I asleep?”

Yoo Geum-yi checked the time and said, “About 5 minutes.”

I thought I had slept for about 5 hours. Baek Aeyoung, who had gulped down the water handed to her by Yoo Geum-yi, pointed at the elevator.

“I went to the submarine area, but all the usable submarines have already left. There was one manual two-seater submarine, but I won’t bother asking if either of you have ever driven a submarine before. (Yoo Geum-yi laughed nervously.) Anyway, you two need to take the elevator to the 3rd Seabase right now.”

The elevator was already activated, whether she had already pressed the button or not. Yoo Geum-yi, hearing Baek Aeyoung’s answer, frowned and asked, “What about you, Baek Aeyoung-ssi?”

“I’m going to the escape port. You two should go ahead.”

“Are you going to help them? I’ll go too!”

Baek Aeyoung smiled at my words.

“You think I’m going to help those two? I just want to know what’s happening. You two, as Shin Team Leader-nim said, go ahead.”

Yoo Geum-yi spoke anxiously towards Baek Aeyoung, “Those two could be in great danger. They knocked twice! Not three times. I definitely heard it! Baek Aeyoung-ssi could be in danger as well.”

“I know.”

Unable to stay still at her simple and chic response, I added, “There was someone who suffered a wound to the femoral artery and died from excessive bleeding. It might be safer for you to come with us,”

Baek Aeyoung, having presumably already heard from Yoo Geum-yi, nodded her head. “It’s probably a gunshot wound.”

“Excuse me?”

“There were a few people who died from gunshot wounds in the submarine. I also saw the sight of the submarine’s inner panel riddled with bullets.”

“But... the two didn’t mention anything like that.”

At Yoo Geum-yi’s words, Baek Aeyoung squinted and chuckled.