Episode 500
Park Da-young was dumbfounded.
“…Ha….”
There was no way I couldn’t help but laugh.
“This is how it gets ruined.”
After so long, it felt a little funny that the water was up to my thighs. Even though I was sitting down because I couldn’t put any strength to my legs, I thought the water was filling up too quickly.
I felt like I was going to lose my mind if I didn’t say anything.
“I might develop claustrophobia that I didn’t have before.”
Let alone a box that fills with water even though there are no gaps or hoses. Being trapped in a square box barely big enough for a person to stand in and being watched by eyeless mermaids was definitely not a pleasant experience.
Park Da-young muttered nervously, sitting in the water where blood was gently spreading.
“Has Park Da-hoon come to his senses?…”
Telepathy still didn’t work.
I looked down anxiously, but it was difficult to see because of the crowded mermaids. It seemed like it was because the water was strangely fluorescent. Thanks to this, I couldn’t see any of the survivors outside at all.
‘I even saw Song In-myeong open a door and go in.’
The first door I opened seemed shaky and I thought I couldn’t get in, but I saw that I was able to get in easily from the second room. Looking at that, it seemed like a condition was probably needed to open the door.
Currently, the most persuasive hypothesis is that the corresponding door can be opened only when the condition of visiting a specific theme zone is met. There was so little information that it was impossible to know the exact rules.
“Oh really…!”
Dayoung Park grinned at the mermaids beyond the glass box.
“Get out of the way, sisters. I can’t see my younger brother. “You don’t even have to tell me where he is and what he’s doing, so why are you blocking my view like this?”
The mermaids were busy giggling, covering their mouths, with Park Da-young in the middle, perhaps because they understood what she was saying or because they simply found the nuance interesting.
It wasn’t a sneer, but rather an action that seemed to be like looking at the youngest with a much older age gap, and it sent goosebumps down my spine.
“Oh, please don’t do this to me… If you’re a monster, act like a monster…”
In a strange way, the feeling of communicating with a monster took a mental toll on Park Da-young. There was no problem when I was with the Pompitz monster, so what difference does it make?
Of course, it wasn’t an important issue at the moment.
“Well, really… I’m upset.”
I thought I could hear the voices of the survivors mixed with a very weak humming sound, but I couldn’t make out anything at all. I can’t see and I can’t hear anything. I just completely lost motivation.
The hand that was holding on to the glass wall came down and fell to the bottom of the water.
“…I miss you uncle….”
The water had already reached my waist.
It was faster than expected, but it was at this point that Dayoung Park noticed.
‘Oh fuck, I’m going to search.’
I’m trapped in this damn box filled with water, surrounded by monsters, and searching without a single colleague or friend to protect me. The horrible and gut-wrenching end was already visible to my eyes.
“What the heck, really. “You stupid bastards…” Even
Park Da-young herself didn’t know who she was swearing at.
I think it was roughly Song In-myeong. Or this shitty world. A mentally weak younger brother or something. The old man who died first, or the survivors outside who had no intention of coming to save them…
“….”
I thought about it because it was just a time to search.
“…I should have apologized.”
When I acted like I was going to die anyway, when I couldn’t overcome my fatigue and couldn’t pay attention to the kindergarten students. When you feel irritated because everything feels bothersome and cumbersome.
Minhong didn’t know it, but the sound of Seoah crying and breathing came to mind. Even though the child didn’t have a screw loose like Minhong, and it must have been very scary and difficult, he couldn’t even cry once.
In a situation created by Park Da-young, not anyone else.
“I’m crazy.”
Why couldn’t I do better?
“I was crazy…”
Why didn’t they pay more attention?
He should have handled Song In-myeong skillfully. If Park Da-hoon was mentally weak, he had to be taken care of. If the kindergarten students were anxious, they should have taken that into consideration as well when deciding what to do next.
Dayoung Park was relieved to learn that she would probably be the first to die.
“I…”
I won’t come back to life remembering the bad things I did.
At least there will be no remorse. I felt relieved and thought that I would not become worse.
“….”
Snap.
I touched the surface of the water that had reached my solar plexus with my hand.
“…I think this is my first time drowning.”
…What would it be like to die surrounded by water?
I would probably learn about the existence of organs I didn’t know existed. Things like the lungs, which I knew existed but never felt existed, or the ear holes, or the bronchi that connect the nose and mouth. If even the smallest pores of your body were filled with water, you would struggle a few times and then lose consciousness.
Then you start a new life without knowing anything.
“I think that’s fortunate.”
We always had opportunities.
Park Da-young wished that her younger brother would have that opportunity, but she thought that would probably be a difficult wish.
If you think about banging on the water tank pipe, it would be a great thing just not to commit suicide right away.
“Haa….”
I just hoped that Song In-myeong would not be the last survivor.
“….”
I tried picturing Park Da-hoon one last time just in case, but telepathy still didn’t work.
The water rises to the tip of my chin.
“…I miss you, uncle.”
If I want to endure it, I can endure it.
It was a situation where that could happen.
“Uncle….”
“….”
“….”
The surface was flooded….
It soon became quiet.
* * *
Boom.
* * *
“What is it?”
Song In-myeong, who was looking through his notes in his room, raised his head and spoke to Park Da-hoon outside.
“Did you look for your sister?”
It wasn’t my intention to start a fight.
It was a question with very pure intentions, asked out of a sense of a slight loss that could never be said to be great. In the current situation, the only person who could suddenly die was Park Da-young.
Of course, there was no way the other person would hear that even if the intention was pure.
“….”
“Oh my. “It’s juicy.”
“…Shut up….”
“You idiot.”
Song In-myeong found Park Da-hoon truly pathetic.
“Are you going to search with me just because I searched for your sister…? Damn, that’s a siscom. Is the dependence real? It’s not a mama’s boy, but what is a sister boy? “He’s so preoccupied with Sister Ji that he doesn’t do his job properly and is acting so frustrating.”
He thought his irritation was justified.
“Can’t you see that I’m the only one working, you idiots?”
Because I was the only one working!
What was the problem was that only one person could enter this room, and as a result, the other survivors had to stay outside the room.
But can kindergarteners be allowed in? no. It’s not a matter of conscience, but how well the kids will do if they do their job well. Because it was useless, this work had to be done by big-headed people.
However, Park Da-hoon was unable to concentrate on work because he was preoccupied with the water tank where Ji’s sister’s body was located, and Jeong Eun-woo had no intention of going into Ji’s room alone to protect the students. In the end, the only person who will do the job is Song In-myeong.
“Anyway, those bastards who can’t do anything always just talk. Always telling me to shut up. Ah, then you are doing your job properly. “Why are you complaining about this nonsense when you’re not even working? Why are you complaining?”
“….”
“Huh? Huh? Are you just sitting down now? This combination is crazy. “It’s a truly mind-blowing combination.”
Park Da-hoon, panting while sitting on the floor, weeping profusely, was enough to get on Song In-myeong’s nerves.
‘This is my first time seeing someone die.’
He was a stupid bastard with nothing to like about him.
“Hey, I don’t know anymore.”
fluttering.
Song In-myeong came out of the room, holding several notes and shaking them.
“Jung Eun-woo, how many times did you say this was your room?”
“Um, room number 9.”
“okay.”
He handed the paper he was holding to Jeong Eun-woo.
“If you look at it, you can roughly understand it, but it’s all survivor records. “Records of survivors who came to the aquarium before us.”
“Why were they gathered in these rooms?”
“If I look closely, it doesn’t seem like there are any records or traces that were in this room from the beginning. Looking at the contents, it seems like the records of survivors left in each theme zone were moved… to the corresponding room?”
“It was moved?”
“Is it room number 8? There, it was text or pictures written on a whiteboard, and room number 9 was written in a notebook. “The format is different, but the collection of survivors’ records is the same.”
Song In-myeong muttered while folding his fingers.
“There are only 6 rooms…”
Room 7, which was not open, was ‘the underwater world’, room 8 was ‘friends by the stream’ and room 9 was ‘food corner’. Each theme zone and room were linked, and the information recorded in the theme zone seemed to be organized and moved according to the format of the room.
Actually, I didn’t check room 7 directly, but when I looked at the rest of the rooms, I got a rough idea of the angle. Oh, that’s right.
“I wonder if I search further and find something great. Wouldn’t it be better to go back to the entrance and jump out anyway? “Do you know anything about how to escape the aquarium?”
“I know there’s an exit beyond the souvenir shop.”
“But I heard that the man went in there and died in an instant. It seems like it’s too dangerous to leave, and if possible, running towards the entrance won’t work… Oh, that’s right. “A monster was chasing me.”
Song In-myeong sighed deeply.
A large slime monster that almost ate Park Da-hoon. That guy was probably still looking for us. If you were unlucky, you might have already come close.
“I’m not in a bad condition to deal with, but I don’t really feel like fighting a monster. If possible, it might be better to run away to the souvenir shop….”
“I will follow writer Song In-myeong’s judgment.”
“…Oh really?”
“yes.”
“….”
Song In-myeong, who was staring at Jeong Eun-woo as if assessing something, asked.
“…What did you say?”
“I told them to help the students.”
“and?”
“You asked me to make it easier for you when it gets to the point of no return.”
“After that… did I tell you to follow my orders?”
“you’re right.”
“This guy really makes me crazy.”
Song In-myeong’s face was strangely distorted. The corners of the mouth went up, the eyebrows were frowned, and the eyes were narrowed.
It might make you laugh, but it might make you angry too.
Well, that’s fine.
“….”
Song In-myeong pursed his lips as he looked at the glass box in the tank with blood smeared on it.
“…Really fucking….”
“Writer?”
“Fuck you didn’t even care about me. right?”
Jaeheon Lee was considerate of the students and appointed Eunwoo Jeong.
If the situation was favorable to the students, they would follow their orders, and if the students were unable to recover, they would be killed. Other people wouldn’t believe that was consideration, but Song In-myeong knew. He understood Jaeheon Lee.
This was an order given because he knew that killing them would make them more comfortable. In comparison, Song In-myeong just left it to the students to take care of things after they died.
“This is a bit disappointing.”
I’m not your chick, right?
“….”
“….”
“…Writer Song In-myeong did a lot of things to Manager Lee Jae-heon for you to feel sad about….”
“I didn’t see it that way, but it’s secretly hurting me, isn’t it?”
“I asked because I didn’t understand why you were feeling disappointed because of your confidence. “Would that have been rude?”
“I can’t tell if he’s asking this because he’s having a mental breakdown or if his personality is like this.”
“I don’t know either.”
“Oh really?”
Song In-myeong sighed deeply.
“Anyway… if that’s the case, there’s nothing I can’t do to save those idiots.”
It’s something I really don’t like, but if Lee Jae-heon had hoped and wished that much before he died, there was nothing that couldn’t grant his wish.
This was because Song In-myeong thought that he and Lee Jae-heon were quite close.
That was when Song In-myeong clicked his tongue and looked back at Park Da-hoon.
“Hey you….”
“….”
“…what.”
Park Da-hoon was looking up at the large fish tank as if he were possessed.
“….”
It was the same face as before, when he was sitting on the floor, but Song In-myeong could sense a more qualitative difference.
In a split second, Song In-myeong read many emotions from that face. Pain joy. Loneliness pleasure. Happy or unhappy. agony and pleasure. In addition to this and that… it is a sight that naturally raises questions in the viewer.
Let’s follow Park Da-hoon’s gaze without realizing it.
“….”
“….”
Something between the mermaids.
A young, familiar-looking monster was looking at us.
“…Uh….”
It was beautiful.
(Continued in the next part)
