With a towel flipped over my head, I asked Gim Jaehui in a quiet voice.
“What does he look like besides his height?”
“Mmm. It looks like his entire body is overflowing with protein. He looks like an American bison, and his neck and face look like five radishes lumped together.”
What is she saying. Realizing I couldn’t obtain proper information from Gim Jaehui’s description, I approached from a different angle.
“Is it a man?”
“Yeees.”
“Is he armed?”
“No. ……Is that important? With a body like that, he could break my or Muhyeon-sshi’s neck like a sorghum stalk with his bare hands. The Vice Team Leader is approaching him.”
From the way Gim Jaehui spoke, it seemed she didn’t know him.
“Then he must be one of the outsiders hired by the Muhan-gyo. Even without a rifle, he might be armed with a knife or handgun. In my memory, he seemed to use both hands. He’s an extremely dangerous person. Be careful, Jaehui-sshi. He could attack at any moment.”
“Really? If he was sent by the Muhan-gyo, Muhyeon-sshi seems like he’d be in more danger than me. If you’re found in your current state, a Muhan-gyo believer would probably want to harvest just your head.”
Since I had the towel flipped over my head, I couldn’t see what was in front of me. Listening to Gim Jaehui’s reply, I felt the urge to get up from the sand grave and flee immediately, but I held back.
“Are you going to tell him I’m here?”
“Hmm. I wonder.”
Gim Jaehui dragged out her words, stoking anxiety.
“Just like Muhyeon-sshi’s fingers, you can’t return to an ordinary life now.”
Whether because Gim Jaehui was sitting perched and leaning back against the beach bed, a creaking sound rang out.
“Depression will come too, and the things from the Loop will become nightmares that appear constantly in your dreams whenever you’re idle. You’ll be crushed by guilt every day, and you’ll react sensitively whenever a similar situation occurs around you. You might panic just from hearing loud water sounds. And no one will be able to understand Muhyeon-sshi.”
“……That might be true.”
When my physical condition is poor, I still dream about the traffic accident, or recall the words of people who hated me. Looking back on today, which was like hell, I can’t even guess how many new nightmares have been added to my brain. My brain has always enjoyed replaying terrible or embarrassing situations before sleep, so for years, I’ll probably kick my blanket with my feet before bed, chewing over things like *I should have acted like this, I should have said that* and regretting.
Already, I vividly remember the sensation of seawater rushing in and soaking my bare feet the moment the door opened, and the fear I felt then. The pain of my fingers being severed, the endless stairs, the occasional selfishness seen in people, and the sensation of my hair standing on end due to the falling elevator too.
“If that person is a professional at killing people, trusting and leaving it to him might be the easiest way to find peace.”
I heard Gang Sujeong’s voice engaging the other person in conversation. Along with first-time pleasantries, questions like whether he was hurt, where he came from, and how he had avoided the undersea base that was said to have been occupied by terrorists—these questions repeatedly faded in and out of hearing due to the sound of waves.
“You have to live in a reality that miserably repeats without being able to return to the past. How long must you live suffering. Living is so tedious and hard, how long must you live through identical, repeating days. There will definitely come a time when you tire of worrying. Later, even that worrying will become tedious. Tomorrow coming is so tiring and hateful. ……That person. He’s taller than the Vice Team Leader. Wow. His hand is almost the size of a rice cooker. He looks like he could easily pluck off Muhyeon-sshi’s head.”
Then he must be a man over two meters tall and weighing about 150 kilograms. I think his name was Ramunas. I remember getting stepped on by his feet a few times.
“Not today, Jaehui-sshi. Tomorrow I might be desperate to die, but today I’ll live with all my might.”
I tried to breathe as slowly as possible. Don’t make any signs of presence. I tried to relax my body as much as possible, but it wasn’t easy when I thought about the assassin sent by the Muhan-gyo being nearby.
“I’ve had many opportunities to think I should end my life. I wondered for quite a long time about when I should die to be less of a burden, both mentally and financially, on my parents or younger brother.”
I had to avoid being found as much as possible. I might have to fight if unfortunately discovered. But I can only use my right hand, Gim Jaehui has difficulty moving, and Emma seems to be drunk. Gang Sujeong is the only one who can actually fight properly.
“Someday I might get so tired that I want to throw away my family, friends, and the life I’ve worked for and leave. But I don’t want to die to a bastard like him. I had my fingers taken by those pseudo-religious bastards, do I have to die too? I wish I could decide how I die. Until then, I’ll live with all my might. Jaehui-sshi…… while watching my head get plucked off, harvest my heart or something from the side.”
When Gim Jaehui kicked her legs and shook them, the beach bed creaked under the weight of her prosthetic leg.
“People who like plants are greedy. If possible, I’d want to have both. The Vice Team Leader just lightly offered a handshake, and the other person took it. The man is looking at the Vice Team Leader’s hand carefully. Doesn’t seem like he’s fallen in love. Ah. The Vice Team Leader’s expression isn’t good. She’s smiling with her eyes, but. It seems she felt threatened by that man without realizing it.”
I heard the sound of someone walking this way. The sound of sand being stepped on, followed by small sounds of sand being stepped on hurriedly following that person. Don’t be scared. If I get scared, my heart rate will increase. If my breathing quickens, my breathing sounds will grow louder too, and might unnecessarily draw the opponent’s attention.
“If you protect Muhyeon-sshi from that bastard, what will you give me?”
“Do you have the ability to do that?”
I only thought that Gim Jaehui would charge at Ramunas and break like a sorghum stalk. Gim Jaehui smiled briefly and answered.
“He’s coming this way, so answer quickly.”
“……I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.”
What would you expect from a new hire who hasn’t even received their salary yet. The sound of trudging through sand gradually approached. When Gim Jaehui rose from the beach bed she had been lying on, a loud creaking sound was heard.
“Hello. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Gim Jaehui. Your body is quite impressive. What on earth do you do to get like that? Have you eaten about two people?”
“Is there a person named Bak Muhyeon here.”
“No. Everyone here is right here. Why are you looking for Bak Muhyeon?”
“Because I’m curious if he’s alive.”
I almost stopped breathing. I was careful not to make my swallowing sound too loud due to tension. My heart was beating so fast that I was afraid it might reach the opponent’s ears. However, reminding myself that there was no way my heartbeat would be heard by the opponent on this beach where the sound of waves could be heard, through clothes and sand and air, I only guarded my breathing sounds.
Like a stone statue, I waited motionless without moving my head and with my eyes closed. Ramunas looked around, and I heard him asking someone else.
“Hey. You. Have you seen a person named Bak Muhyeon?”
Who was he asking. A mangled pronunciation came back. Could it be…… was he asking Jeong Sanghyeon. I thought Jeong Sanghyeon might point to my location with his finger even if he couldn’t answer properly. And he would, because in the past, Jeong Sanghyeon had once sold me out to the Muhan-gyo for personal gain.
I heard Jeong Sanghyeon answer with the towel in his mouth, in a mangled pronunciation, “I don’t knooow.” I was inwardly surprised by Jeong Sanghyeon’s answer but also greatly relieved.
The only ones remaining were Emma slowly drinking alcohol and Riko sleeping soundly. Emma didn’t seem to be answering the man’s question at all. She was probably glaring at him with a gaze like she was looking at a creature of low intelligence. Gang Sujeong spoke to Ramunas in a voice that seemed slightly tense.
“As you can see, Bak Muhyeon isn’t here. I saw him a few days ago, but I haven’t seen him today.”
“……He has black hair and black eyes, uses Korean, and is in a state with two fingers amputated. Haven’t you seen him?”
Gim Jaehui showed her own hand and quipped.
“Like me?”
At the same time, I felt someone sit on the beach bed placed over my body. The beach bed didn’t touch my body directly, but my body was pressed into the sand. I bit my lip to stop a scream from coming out. Could it be that Ramunas sat down? I didn’t know who had sat down, but as the sand shifted, my chin and mouth were immediately buried in sand. I slowly inhaled through my nose and then held my breath. My nose was barely safe too.
“Yours seem to have been cut off quite a long time ago.”
I heard Gang Sujeong warning Ramunas, who seemed to be rummaging around here and there.
“Why are you looking for someone with amputated fingers here? If you really want to find him, go to a hospital or something. Don’t disturb our team members while they’re resting.”
“Why would he be here instead of going to a hospital?”
“He hurt his teeth and tongue. He dropped his teeth on the beach; if we find them, we’ll take him to the hospital.”
She was probably talking while pointing at Jeong Sanghyeon. An uncomfortable atmosphere lingered, but more than that, I felt like I was going to die because the sand tickled my nose every time I breathed. Half of my face was buried in sand. Without a sound, the sand slid and completely buried my mouth. I might really die.
I felt someone’s gaze looking my way. The others seemed to be the same, desperately trying not to look at the same spot. This is just a beach towel fallen on the sandy floor. Please turn your gaze elsewhere.
Then it happened. Acrid smoke covered my nose once more. Soon, a familiar voice was heard.
“What business do you have?”
By voice alone, it was Sin Haeryang. When did he get here?
“I’m looking for an East Asian male with severed fingers. His name is Bak Muhyeon. I heard he’s scurrying around Daehan Island like a rat, haven’t you seen him?”
“Then ask a rat. What reason do you have for looking for a Korean dentist?”
“I have a use for him. If you find him, I’ll give a reward. You’re Koreans, right? Koreans would find Koreans well.”
Listening, it was quite a logical statement. Right? Koreans would find Koreans well? But it seemed Ramunas wanted to hire the Ga Team engineers with money.
“We don’t need it. You’re disturbing the team members while they’re resting, so go elsewhere.”
“Won’t you even hear the amount?”
“Rather than having exhausted team members who escaped from the undersea base scour the island for petty cash, I will let them rest quietly here.”