Beacon of Light in the Dark Sea

Chapter 124

Gunshots rang out in the distance. It was a dull noise that one wouldn’t recognize without hearing it several times. I didn’t know it was gunfire at first either. I might have thought it was the sound of something metallic falling heavily onto a hard surface.

Shin Hae-ryang, who was next to me, immediately turned his head towards the direction of the sound. Seo Jihyuk and Baek Ae-young, who had been lazily lying on the floor, sprang up like coiled springs simultaneously.

Although the two quickly raised their upper bodies, the others, perhaps because they had never heard gunshots before, were still lying down or half-leaning against the floor. It seemed they thought the sound was nothing special, having already experienced the Central Building shaking or hearing faint noises several times.

Seo Jihyuk, who had slowly crawled from the wall towards the people while avoiding Lee Jihyun’s limbs, whispered softly to Baek Ae-young.

“…Honestly, I only half believed it.”

“Yeah. Then keep lying in the corner.”

When Baek Ae-young, who had been listening intently to the gunfire in the air, spoke sharply to Seo Jihyuk, he sighed and said,

“Ah~ Just forget about that damn box.”

“How can I easily forget that!”

“Doc, you were the last one to leave the dormitory, right? Please tell the Great White Shark that we can’t go back to the dormitory.”

Looks like they left something in the dormitory. A long time ago, Baek Ae-young had asked me if the dormitory was completely submerged in water.

“It’s too dangerous. We can’t go back to the West District dormitory. The entire dormitory is completely submerged, and no one knows what dangers might occur.”

There was no way to know what might be floating in the water that could hit someone. I recalled the experience of having my calves and knees shattered in the South District dormitory. Moreover, while the South District dormitory was in complete darkness due to a power outage, the West District still had its lights on when I left. If unlucky, one could get electrocuted upon entering the water.

Baek Ae-young furrowed her brows and nodded weakly. I very slowly recalled the fact that Baek Ae-young couldn’t swim. What did she leave in the room that made her act like this? Is it important?

“What did you leave in the room that’s making you so concerned?”

Baek Ae-young, who had been unconsciously turning her head towards the sound of gunfire, said,

“There’s a small box on my vanity where I’ve collected… many expensive accessories.”

I suddenly remembered the box with [Touch and your wrist gets cut off] written in various languages. So that’s what she’s talking about. Seo Jihyuk, after hearing Baek Ae-young’s words, quietly replied,

“It’s not just ‘many’. I saw it once before, and you’ve set up a whole jewelry store in that room.”

Baek Ae-young’s pale eyes immediately turned towards Seo Jihyuk. It was a look that meant ‘How do you know that?’, and if Baek Ae-young could attack with her eyes, Seo Jihyuk would have already been in tatters. Kang Soojung, who was nearby, lightly slapped Seo Jihyuk’s back with her palm while lying flat on the floor.

“Don’t bother the troubled girl.”

“I didn’t bother her. Not the box, not her.”

Baek Ae-young rubbed her tired-looking eyes and said with a sigh,

“…Anyway, there are quite a few things made of gold. Actually, that’s all I have. Everything in that room is my entire fortune. I have nothing if I return to Korea.”

I recalled Baek Ae-young’s room overflowing with all sorts of items. And then I thought about my room in Korea. If I were to move all the books and clothes from my room to that small room in the underwater base, there would be even less space to step than in Baek Ae-young’s room.

I wondered if that box would have been full of gold earrings or rings if opened then. Hearing Baek Ae-young’s dejected voice as her entire fortune was submerged in water, I asked what I was most curious about.

“Don’t you use banks? Things like savings accounts, funds, or insurance?”

Surely she didn’t just buy gold. Even though interest rates are at rock bottom, she must have saved at least some money in the bank, right? Baek Ae-young answered in a lifeless voice.

“I don’t trust banks or guardians. I only put enough of my salary for living expenses in my account, and when money accumulates, I buy gold, save more money, and buy more gold.”

I wondered if I should have grabbed it when I scanned the room. I should have quickly snatched it and put it in my bag. …No. I’m only having these regrets now because I know what that object in the room was. I would have felt a strong aversion to taking someone else’s belongings in a situation where I entered their room without permission. I only brought Shin Hae-ryang’s pad because he had mentioned earlier that he left it in his room, otherwise I wouldn’t have touched anything in that room either. …I guess I’m not cut out for thievery.

Lee Jihyun, who had been lying down, sluggishly approached the gloomy-looking Baek Ae-young and hugged her from behind. Baek Ae-young fell backward due to Lee Jihyun’s weight and collapsed limply to the side. Lee Jihyun stroked Baek Ae-young’s shoulder and said softly, as if comforting her,

“The Lord will leave your treasures right there. So you can go find them later.”

“…I think it would be better if that Lord directly put my treasures in my arms.”

Seo Jihyuk, hearing Baek Ae-young’s muttering from the side, tried to suppress his laughter. Shin Hae-ryang spoke to Baek Ae-young, who was sprawled on the floor with Lee Jihyun,

“Your safety is the top priority. Nothing is more important than that.”

“…That’s true.”

“Hey, don’t worry too much. If we get a chance to enter the dormitory later, I’ll retrieve it for you.”

“…I don’t even expect that.”

The intermittent gunfire was getting louder. The noise that had sounded like light rain now sounded like hail. Even Yoo Geum-yi and Tumanako, who had been lying still, got up from their seats with anxious expressions.

“I guess these are gunshots.”

“Seems so.”

The two whispered to each other and then looked around with frightened expressions. However, it seemed that Shin Hae-ryang had explained something to them beforehand, as they didn’t show much agitation.

As the gunfire continued, people’s faces became tense and anxious. I took out two towels and covered Henry’s ears as he slept. It probably wouldn’t help much, but it might reduce the sound a little. I opened my bag and handed out candies or towels to those who needed them.

Yoo Geum-yi received a towel from me, put it on her head, and lay face down on the floor, covering her ears with both hands, including the towel. It seemed she had decided not to listen to the gunfire at all. Tumanako put on the headset that had been hanging around her neck and closed her eyes, perhaps playing music. And occasionally, she swayed her body.

Kang Soojung crunched on a sugar-free orange candy and anxiously shook her feet, while Lee Jihyun closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. The only people who didn’t seem particularly tense were Shin Hae-ryang, Seo Jihyuk, and Baek Ae-young.

I flinched and trembled every time I heard gunfire. I didn’t want to be scared, but I was just terrified every time I heard gunshots. In my head, I tried to stay calm, thinking it’s just a loud noise, it’s nothing, but my body was stiff, and my lower abdomen ached with tension.

I was so scared inside that I wondered if I had always been such a coward. Why? I’ve shot someone directly with a gun before, and I’ve been in the middle of a gunfight. Why am I so scared now when I’m just hearing the sound from a safe place? It’s not like I haven’t been shot before. Calm down. My body was shaking with tension, but I took long, slow deep breaths, trying to shake off the emotions that were washing over me.

As time passed, the gunfire got closer, and screams and shouts were heard from the surroundings. What was scarier than hearing the voice of someone running and screaming was when that voice suddenly stopped.

The thought crossed my mind that it might be less frightening if I couldn’t hear anything at all, but covering my ears was scarier than not covering them, so I had no choice but to listen. I thought that if I covered my ears, it would be scarier not to know if gunfire suddenly sounded right next to me. Even though knowing wouldn’t necessarily allow me to do anything about it.

In the midst of this contradictory conflict, my eyes met with Yoo Geum-yi’s, who was lying face down. Yoo Geum-yi’s eyes were brimming with tears. It seemed that covering her ears with a towel and her hands couldn’t completely block out the gunfire. Yoo Geum-yi barely managed to say one thing to me.

“I’m so scared.”

“Me too.”

“You don’t seem very scared.”

“…No, I’m terrified.”

Is my fear not visible on the outside? If so, that’s good. In reality, I’m extremely scared.

I licked my parched lips and took another deep breath. I wanted to burst into tears and cling to anyone, saying I wanted to go home, but I’m a grown adult. Baek Ae-young, who looked much younger than me, was enduring without any agitation, and Henry was sleeping, so I couldn’t show weakness.

“Even when terrible and difficult things come.”

I said, holding Yoo Geum-yi’s trembling hand,

“I try to think that no one can hurt me without my permission.”

The distant gunfire can’t scare me. Holding hands made me feel a little less scared. I hope Yoo Geum-yi feels less scared too.

As I listened to the gunfire, worry for others overwhelmed me. We’re hiding here, but what will happen to the people out there? Did they evacuate to other safe places after hearing the broadcast? If those people don’t come to the South District, maybe there won’t be any damage there. If they could block the entrance with something like at the research center.

I asked Shin Hae-ryang in a small voice,

“Is it possible to physically block or separate them before they enter the South District?”

“We can lower the barrier wall, but that would isolate the people in the South District inside.”

What would be scarier, encountering people with guns or being trapped in a leaking building with no means of escape? I think both would be scary to me. I couldn’t tell which would be scarier for others. I’m not sure which has a higher survival rate either.

Thinking about past events, if it was someone familiar, there was a chance of survival even when encountering armed people. However, it’s impossible to negotiate with pouring seawater. …It could be the opposite too. They might be more intent on killing someone they know.

It seems really fortunate that I haven’t made enemies with people since I haven’t been at the underwater base for long.

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