Seo Jihyeok, who had been quietly listening to my story beside me, expressionlessly increased the distance between us by about three steps. Where do you think you’re going? After putting a little distance between us, Seo Jihyeok turned to his team leader with a grave expression.
“I don’t know if it’s the food or the air, but if even someone who hasn’t been here long ends up like this, there’s definitely a problem.”
Hahaha. I had no choice but to laugh at Seo Jihyeok’s honest impression. I mean, even I didn’t know until yesterday that I’d end up saying something this strange. Jeong Sanghyeon rolled onto his side with a groan and muttered.
“Terrorizing the undersea base? What is he even saying? Seriously. Shit! I’m dying from the pain, and he’s spouting nonsense next to me. Ow, ow, ow, owowow.”
Seo Jihyeok looked at me with a faintly pitying expression, then spoke with a sigh.
“I’m not saying this because I have some kind of grudge against you, Doctor. It’s just… there are some people at the undersea base who can help you. I don’t really go there, so I don’t know much, but the guys who have been said they’re pretty professional and decent. Apparently a lot of people visit them too. They say it gets better if you take medicine, so don’t worry too much. Once we get out of here, let’s think about it.”
I half-listened to Seo Jihyeok and nodded without much sincerity. I understand why you don’t believe me. Even I’m getting a little embarrassed as I explain it. It felt like trying to explain UFOs to someone who didn’t believe in aliens. Once we escape this undersea base, I plan to grab Seo Jihyeok and tell him about thirty times that he hurt my feelings. Look forward to it.
Shin Haeryang, who had barely managed to raise only his upper body, paid no attention to the various looks of disbelief his subordinates were showing and showered me with questions.
“You said they previously died in pain or were injured. Are you saying the people here have already died once?”
“Not once. Several times.”
Even as I said it, I found it hard to believe. Shin Haeryang frowned and asked.
“How are you certain the vanished people are on Daehan-do?”
“I can’t be certain either, but I have memories of parting from the missing people there last.”
“How long do we have to wait for the pain to disappear?”
“I’m not sure.”
From Shin Haeryang’s perspective, he was naturally asking things he would be curious about, but there wasn’t much I could answer. Every time I received a question, I felt myself shrinking smaller and smaller. This was already the fourth time I’d come back to life, and yet I had so little to show for it. Were all the people who experienced this phenomenon like this? Or was I the only one failing to obtain information related to escape?
…Well, even if I die and wake up again, I’m still Park Muhyeon. Coming back to life doesn’t make my intelligence outstanding, or improve my physical condition.
After asking questions for a long while, Shin Haeryang asked me one last thing.
“Why are you telling us all this?”
“I hope it will be at least a little help in escaping the undersea base safely.”
When Shin Haeryang’s questions paused for a moment, Baek Aeyeong, who had been quietly listening to my answers, took the opportunity to ask.
“Those people. What kind of jewelry are they wearing?”
Out of all the countless things I’d said, the thing Baek Aeyeong was most curious about was precious metals. Was she not curious that the workplace she used to go to was being attacked by terrorists in real time? Was she perhaps considering taking down the Infinite Church believers and stripping off the jewelry they were wearing one by one?
“I don’t think the Infinite Church specifically designates anything. It looked like they just wore whatever.”
Baek Aeyeong stared up at the ceiling with a frown and let out a sigh so deep it seemed the floor might collapse. Shin Haeryang covered his mouth with one hand and remained completely still. Jeong Sanghyeon got up from his spot and tried to board an escape craft.
“I don’t know. Damn it! I’m going to take an escape craft and get out of here by myself! Don’t stop me! …I said don’t stop me!”
However, Jeong Sanghyeon merely flailed around on the floor where Seo Jihyeok had thrown him and couldn’t move properly. Seo Jihyeok watched Jeong Sanghyeon’s actions with his arms crossed and lamented. Huh.
“I’m seeing all kinds of rare sights from morning today. Seriously… I’m even seeing three team members swimming around on the floor. Where on earth did the deputy team leader go? Why is it that both the team leader and deputy team leader are either gone or useless when I need them? Good grief. What a life. I should hurry up and quit this place.”
As Seo Jihyeok grumbled and lamented his lot in life, Team Leader Shin frowned and gave him an order.
“…If what we just heard is true, we need to move immediately.”
“You’re joking, right? What about the escape craft?”
Shin Haeryang didn’t budge and simply stared at Seo Jihyeok. Seo Jihyeok looked at his team leader’s face, then, apparently dissatisfied, turned his head and looked at me, the cause of this order. If you look at me, do you think I’ll oppose your team leader’s opinion for you? When I just stared back at Seo Jihyeok’s face, he shook his head.
“How will you move?”
“I’m fine, so support the other team members.”
Seo Jihyeok approached in an instant and pressed his right foot firmly against Shin Haeryang’s left shoulder as he sat there. Shin Haeryang’s upper body, which had seemed to be holding out, was pushed back by the force and toppled over. Seo Jihyeok withdrew his foot, frowned, and said.
“Right now, you’ve got… no strength, and you can’t even move properly. Where do you think you’re going? If you don’t like it, try coming at me.”
What did you just do, Jihyeok? What are you going to do if that man springs up and starts throwing punches? Do you know how well that man fights? Are you fearless? Or does he go easy on his own team members? Shin Haeryang spoke while lying on the floor.
“We have to get out of Baekho-dong. There’s nothing to gain by staying here. For now, let’s head to Jungang-dong.”
Seo Jihyeok looked at Shin Haeryang and heaved several heavy sighs before asking.
“What about the two missing team members?”
“Later.”
Seo Jihyeok made a simple hand gesture toward Shin Haeryang. The arrow stabbing into his palm in the middle seemed to be pointing at me. Shin Haeryang arched an eyebrow, then answered Seo Jihyeok.
“That too, later.”
Seo Jihyeok twisted his face in dissatisfaction, but he didn’t ask any further questions. Instead, he reported on the current situation from a realistic standpoint.
“Even if I sprout wings and crawl, I don’t think I can move three people at once.”
Then he looked in turn at Shin Haeryang, Jeong Sanghyeon, and Baek Aeyeong, all lying down, before offering Jeong Sanghyeon a refreshing farewell.
“Thanks for everything until now, Sanghyeon. Take care.”
Jeong Sanghyeon flailed in horror at Seo Jihyeok’s words.
“What are you saying, hyung! Ah! Don’t say stuff like that, it makes me anxious!”
“In your next life, kill that temper of yours and live a little more kindly.”
“Ah! Seriously! Hyung! What’s wrong with you! You’re supposed to protect me! What are you talking about!”
“Give my regards to the fish. If I make it back onto land, I’ll give your regards to the ants.”
“Agh! Team Leader! Look at Jihyeok-hyung! He’s trying to abandon me!”
“You wanted to take an escape craft. You can have all four over there.”
“Why are you suddenly acting like this, hyung! Are the escape crafts really broken?”
Kim Jaehee let out a small laugh as he watched the two of them from the side. Shin Haeryang, who had half-raised his upper body again, looked at Kim Jaehee, then turned to me and threw out an unexpected question.
“Ah, right. Doctor?”
“Yes?”
“Is there an Infinite Church believer among the people here?”
At that question, I almost reflexively looked toward Kim Jaehee, then realized what I’d done and immediately turned my head back toward Shin Haeryang. I hadn’t meant to reveal it like this. I’d been planning to talk to Kim Jaehee first. I trailed off awkwardly.
“…Uh. So. That’s.”
I gave Shin Haeryang an embarrassed smile and said.
“…Could you ask me that again?”
“I… understand.”
While Shin Haeryang gave that reluctant answer, looking at Kim Jaehee, Seo Jihyeok’s mouth, which had been watching me, fell open. Everyone’s heads turned toward Kim Jaehee. Under the sudden shower of gazes, Kim Jaehee shrugged and answered slowly in his usual tone.
“Mm. I’ve been found out.”
“Hyung! Are you a terrorist?”
Jeong Sanghyeon asked Kim Jaehee with a horrified face.
“To be precise, I’m a member of a pseudo-religion, but as of today, I guess we should add that too?”
Jeong Sanghyeon, who had been closest to Kim Jaehee, flailed in shock and retreated to Shin Haeryang’s side. Seeing Jeong Sanghyeon’s panic-stricken behavior, Kim Jaehee burst into laughter.
“Jaehee. Then everything Muhyeon-ssi said is true?”
Seo Jihyeok, who had been teasing Jeong Sanghyeon, was now standing upright and staring straight at Kim Jaehee. His tone and behavior weren’t much different from usual, but an indescribable tension seemed to spread through the air. I had a feeling that if Shin Haeryang gave even the slightest signal, Seo Jihyeok would immediately pounce on Kim Jaehee, but I couldn’t tell whether that was just my imagination or not. Kim Jaehee spoke as if he didn’t feel that pressure at all.
“Probably? I’ve never participated in someone else’s miracle, so I don’t know the details.”
Seo Jihyeok lightly looked Kim Jaehee over and said.
“You don’t carry a gun?”
“They said if you want to learn shooting, you don’t just learn how to fire a gun, you have to receive about three weeks of separate training. Apparently you have to train together in teams of several people. It seems a little better for people who already know how to use guns from the start, but I heard people who don’t have a pretty hard time. And you have to get up from dawn for about a week, carry a gun around, haul a lot of luggage, and they said you might have to shoot people, so instead of doing that, I decided to just act like I usually do.”
“Was the missile fired at Jujak-dong also the work of that organization called the Infinite Church?”
“Hahaha. Team Leader. If they’d told me in advance that something like that was going to happen, I would’ve taken leave today if anything. I definitely wouldn’t have done exterior wall work. I almost died along with everyone else while making repairs.”
Shin Haeryang looked at the smiling Kim Jaehee and asked.
“Can you help us move by supporting Aeyeong or Sanghyeon?”
Kim Jaehee glanced at me, then answered Shin Haeryang.
“Yes. If we move slowly, I can. You’re coming with us, right?”
“Yes.”
I, too, quickly said to Shin Haeryang.
“I should be able to move one person as well.”
“Thank you.”
Seo Jihyeok looked at the three patients, then asked the heaviest one.
“If I support Aeyeong in this situation, you’re going to curse at me, aren’t you?”
“Do you want to die by my hand before the terrorists get you?”
Without a peep, Seo Jihyeok helped Shin Haeryang up and slung one of Shin Haeryang’s arms over his shoulder. With one person taken care of, the remaining two became the problem. Baek Aeyeong looked at Kim Jaehee and spoke as if she found it all deeply troubling.
“A cult member and a terrorist? Even one of those would be awful enough. Why do you live like that?”
“When people live long enough, they lose legs, lose fingers, join cults. Things like that happen.”
“Go over there. You’re giving me a headache, so stay three meters away from me.”
“You’re cold, Aeyeong.”