Baek Ayeong moved naturally toward the elevator buttons, herding people like sheep with her gun. Those who had boarded were soon driven into the corner farthest from Baek Ayeong and me. Since Baek Ayeong shouted at the top of her lungs for them to sit down while aiming her gun, everyone except Baek Ayeong and me sat on the floor in the corners of the elevator.
The elevator doors didn't close immediately. From far away, very faintly, came dull thudding noises. Bang! Ping! Tang! It was gunfire. Screams of people, footfalls pounding against the floor, and gunshots rang out in succession.
The faces of those who had entered the elevator turned pale, and they began staring at the doors, waiting for them to close. The same was true for me and Baek Ayeong, who were holding guns. Had the elevator wait time always been this long? Baek Ayeong spoke quickly to me.
"Shoot them if anyone inside stands up or approaches."
I had expected her to tell me to shoot anyone trying to rush in from outside, so this was unexpected. Apparently, amidst this chaos, Baek Ayeong was worried that the people inside the elevator might attack us. Jennifer, perhaps uncomfortable in her position, had tried to stand up to stretch her legs, but as soon as she heard Baek Ayeong's words, she quickly planted her backside on the floor.
When I saw that and gave an awkward smile as if to say it was all right, Jennifer's face went completely stiff. One woman whose name I didn't know screamed and sobbed every time gunshots were heard from outside.
"Kyaaaaah! We're all going to die! I said we're all going to die! Kiyaaaaah! Kyaaaaah!"
The outside was so noisy that her scream barely registered properly in our ears. Baek Ayeong positioned herself and me in spots where we wouldn't get hit if shot at from outside, then waited.
I was so tense that every hair on my head felt like standing on end. I had my back to Baek Ayeong and was aiming my gun inside the elevator, so I had no way of knowing what was happening outside. Screams echoing here and there, the sound of something tumbling and sliding, running footsteps, footfalls, and irregular gunshots all mixed together with the screams coming from inside the elevator before the doors finally closed.
With a slight tremor, the elevator whose doors had just closed began to ascend. Some of the people inside let out sighs of relief, while others collapsed onto the floor as the tension drained from their bodies. Thoughts that being trapped meant temporary safety, followed by worries about how to get out when the time came, entered my mind in sequence.
When the woman positioned in the corner of the elevator kept screaming, Jennifer, who had been lying on the floor, yelled at her.
"Dana! Please. I feel like my ears are going to burst! Shut your mouth!"
"We're all going to die! Kyaaaah! Kyaaaah!"
"If you die, at least it won't be so noisy!"
"I said we're all going to die!"
While ascending to the Third Undersea Base, Jennifer leaned her upper body against the wall in annoyance. The woman named Dana, who had been screaming, was now sobbing. Inside the quiet elevator, only the sound of crying continued. Hailey paid no heed to the noise and spoke to Baek Ayeong.
"Ayeong. That thing on your back is a spare gun, right? Give it to me. I'll put it to good use."
Hearing Hailey's request, I was quite surprised inwardly. As if Baek Ayeong would just hand over a gun like that. As I had expected, Baek Ayeong immediately replied to Hailey.
"No! If you want a gun, grab one from the guys who have them and take it yourself."
Ah. As expected. Hailey spoke again without minding the refusal.
"Why? It's better for someone who knows how to shoot to use it than letting it sit unused."
Hailey looked me up and down and asked what I did and what my name was. I had almost answered instinctively, but since I had promised Baek Ayeong, I just gave an awkward smile instead. I never thought ignoring someone would make me feel so guilty.
When I kept smiling without giving any real answer even as time passed, Hailey turned to Baek Ayeong beside her and threw out a question as if feeling awkward.
"Who is this guy? Your boyfriend?"
"No."
"Is he deaf? Why isn't he answering my question?"
"He probably doesn't feel like answering questions, so why don't you stop bothering him and leave him alone?"
Perhaps thoroughly terrified, Dana, who had been wailing as if wishing the elevator away, sniffled and pointed at me as she spoke.
"That person is the new dentist, isn't he? I saw you greeting him at the café."
I couldn't remember Dana's face. Was it because the café was always so crowded? Jennifer and Hailey looked at me simultaneously. When Hailey, wearing a slight smile, tried to get up from her seat, both Baek Ayeong's and my gun muzzles immediately pointed at Hailey.
Baek Ayeong shook her head lightly at Hailey. Hailey grumbled and sat back down awkwardly on the floor, then began speaking to me.
"Ah. You're a dentist? Nice to meet you. I'm Hailey Lancaster, leader of Engineer Team A. Are you Korean by any chance? Are you also barely getting by, slaving away for over ten hours a day, getting paid peanuts, and suffering through customers? If you want to live a happy life in beautiful, magnificent Canada, just let me know. I also do immigration consultations, you know."
Hailey had lowered her voice for the last sentence, but since it was inside the elevator, everyone heard it. I simply laughed it off to end the conversation.
At this rate, using this smiling-face conversation method, I felt like my insides would burst before I parted ways with these people. Baek Ayeong's expression had noticeably worsened. Just looking at her face, she seemed like she was about to vomit from feeling unwell. Jennifer stared at me intently, then without saying a word, turned to the leader of Engineer Team A and asked.
"Langcaster. While you were running, did you happen to see anyone from my team?"
"No. Why are you asking me about your team's situation?"
Hailey answered, seeming to enjoy teasing Jennifer. Jennifer turned her head and now asked Baek Ayeong.
"Ppaek. Where did all the Koreans on your team go? Did they escape?"
"...Why are you asking me about our team's situation?"
When Baek Ayeong shot back just like Hailey had, Jennifer bared her teeth and cursed at them both. The most worthless, garbage-like bastards in the world. Neither Baek Ayeong nor Hailey so much as snorted at Jennifer's cursing. Dana pressed her back firmly against the elevator wall and spoke to me and Baek Ayeong between sniffling.
"What do you want? Money? Or a hostage situation? Please kill the others instead of me. There are plenty of people in the world anyway. Just spare me. I haven't done anything wrong. Why should I be the one to suffer in something like this?"
Baek Ayeong frowned and answered upon hearing Dana's words.
"What? I only snatched a weapon in the heat of the moment. Go tell that to the terrorists who took over this place."
"I don't care if you kill each other with guns! I'm not interested! I have nothing to do with this fight, and I want completely out. So don't touch me either! I just want to use this elevator to get out of here!"
With that, Dana curled up in the corner of the elevator and hung her head deeply. In my opinion, Dana seemed to be under the mistaken impression that this situation was caused by strife between team members from different countries, rather than a terrorist organization seizing the undersea base and shooting at people.
A brief silence fell, and Jennifer pointed her chin at Baek Ayeong as she spoke.
"Weren't you close with Engineer Team N? Engineer Team N was at the escape pod port in Hyeonmu-dong, fighting with words and shooting guns. Aren't they on the same side?"
Baek Ayeong looked like she had a lot to say, and at the same time, like she wanted to shoot Jennifer dead. Her fingers itchy, Baek Ayeong gritted her teeth and shook her head.
"I've never been close with Engineer Team N."
"But you looked close. You even talked to each other."
"'Get lost' counts as conversation?"
Hailey raised the corners of her mouth and asked Baek Ayeong.
"Team Leader Sato and that short guy, was it Itchi—didn't they like you?"
"I'm the one who told those bastards to get lost the most."
"They were handsome; what's wrong with dating them a little?"
Baek Ayeong seemed so furious that she wanted to shoot someone right then and there but was holding back. Hailey spoke, eyeing the spare gun on Baek Ayeong's back.
"Then since it's not even yours to begin with, you could give us one gun."
"I'd rather kick you all out. I don't give my weapons to others."
"Really? This guy might disagree with you. Isn't that right?"
Hailey sat with her chin in her hand, looked at me with a similarly smiling face, and said.
"What's your name? Are you not going to answer forever? Asians aren't my type, but looking at you, I guess you're pretty cute. You said you're a dentist, right? Will you take a look inside my mouth too? I've waited so, so, so long for you. You know it wasn't just me—our team members have also been waiting for you to arrive until all their teeth fell out. Have you heard about dental treatment in Canada? A single root canal costs over a million won. That amount doesn't even include X-rays, anesthesia, or consultation fees. Listen. If possible, I'd like to keep you locked up in our Engineer Team A quarters. I'll take care of all your basic necessities, so won't you come to our side? I heard you're staying in Baekho-dong. If you want, immigration can be arranged immediately."
A million won for a root canal per tooth? Telling me to inquire about immigration if I want to live a happy life? Hiding my inner astonishment, I stood in front of Baek Ayeong with a troubled smile. It was an action prompted by the fact that Baek Ayeong looked like she wanted to pull the trigger on Hailey or Jennifer at any moment, but unexpectedly, Hailey lowered her eyebrows and closed her mouth in disappointment.
Baek Ayeong wiped the sweat from the bridge of her nose with the back of her hand and spoke, suppressing her surging anger.
"I'm not getting off this elevator until we reach Daehan Island. What about you guys?"
Judging by her tone, Baek Ayeong seemed to want to kick these people out the moment the elevator stopped at the Third Undersea Base. Dana, who had been crying quietly in the corner, was the first to answer.
"Hic. I'll stay on here until we get to Daehan Island too!"
"I want to get off at the First Undersea Base."
"I'll stay on until Daehan Island too."
Baek Ayeong deftly opened the panel near the elevator buttons. A jumble of tangled wires came into view. Baek Ayeong glanced at me once, then took her hand off her gun and began fiddling with the panel. Jennifer asked uneasily toward Baek Ayeong's back.
"What are you trying to do?"
"I'm making this elevator run nonstop until Daehan Island."
"Didn't you hear me earlier? I'm getting off at the First Undersea Base."
"That's none of my business. If you really want to get off, jump out when we pass by."
"Where do you see anyone doing that!"
"I've chartered this central elevator. Now you can only get off when I want you to."
Jennifer seemed to have a lot of complaints, but since I had my gun trained on them, she couldn't rush at her.