Episode 579
Fortunately, the average brain power of the current treasure chest team was not bad.
“It’s number 2.”
“It’s the 13th position on the left side of the wall on the left side of box 2.”
“Oh, I remembered.”
“It’s number 9.”
“It’s the 10th position from the left on the left wall of box 9.”
“I remembered.”
When Jeong Eun-woo said a number on the map, Kim Ki-jeong would figure out which side the sound was coming from and relay it, and Seo Jang-hwa and Do-yoon Han would take charge of remembering it.
However, it wasn’t a situation where the two of us had to remember everything alone. Jeong Eun-woo and Kim Ki-jeong also remembered rough information while talking about numbers and locations. If Seo Jang-hwa and Do-yoon Han were confused, they would correct the error.
“It’s number 19.”
“It’s location 11 on the left side of the wall on the right side of box 19.”
“I remembered.”
Kim Ki-jeong nodded at Seo Jang-hwa’s words.
“Then that’s the end.”
“Yes, that’s the end.”
“I thought so.”
“Maybe we remember something different, so let’s guess.”
“Okay, first of all, it’s the 2nd position on the left wall on the left side of box 8…”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Box 11 is the 8th position from the left on the right wall.”
“That’s right.”
“Box number 27….”
They easily figured out the number and location of the box.
“Then all that’s left now is to wait in front of the box.”
The remaining three nodded at Kim Ki-jeong’s words.
“All you have to do is wait in front of the appropriate box and open it the moment the number comes.”
“I’ll be listening too, so you don’t have to worry about opening the box by mistake.”
After a short discussion, they decided to open box 29, the 7th location on the left side of the left wall.
“The box number on the left wall appeared particularly frequently.”
“That will definitely increase the chances of opening the chest. Since it only lasts 5 seconds, you might miss it if you pay attention for a moment…”
“If Jeong Eun-woo misses the box like that, Kim Ki-jeong should tell him.”
Their plan was simple.
He waits in front of box number 29, located close to the ladder, and opens the box the moment the number on the map that Eun-woo Jeong can see and the sound that Ki-jeong Kim hears match number 29.
At that point, Han Do-yoon spoke up.
“Then I’ll take a quick look at the situation outside.”
“Huh why?”
“Boss Yoon and Park Min-jun are also worried… there might be a monster coming.”
“Ah…”
“If there is any problem, I will come right away, so don’t worry.”
Han Do-yoon swam down again. It seemed like he was planning to check Garam Yoon and Minjoon Park and then go to the opposite entrance to stand guard to see if any monsters were coming.
‘Well, this isn’t a place where you can feel safe.’
I didn’t know. Will monsters from the Amazons of the world or elsewhere smell blood and come rushing in? In that sense, Han Do-yoon’s judgment could be seen as excellent.
Seo Jang-hwa clicked his tongue loudly.
“I don’t like it either.”
Kim Ki-jeong shrunk without realizing it, complaining as if a tiger was roaring its throat.
“Why why suddenly?”
“I just have to watch.”
No matter what anyone says, the main characters in this incident were Kim Ki-jung and Jeong Eun-woo. Unless you are Kim Ki-jeong, who can hear the sound of the winning box, and Jeong Eun-woo, who can check the number of the box, it is of no use.
Kim Ki-jeong muttered with an embarrassed expression.
“But that doesn’t mean Janghwa, a student without a wetsuit, can go in there…”
Returnees Ha Seong-yoon and Yoon Gar-ram led them inside and passed along the information they found out in the previous episode. Thanks to this, Ki-Jeong Kim learned that ‘if you go beyond the glass wall where the treasure chest is without a wetsuit, you will suffocate within seconds.’
“It is difficult to go and get a new certificate when student Da-hoon is trapped, and there is no guarantee that another wetsuit ring will appear… In many ways, the situation is not right.”
“Are you complaining because I don’t know? “I just don’t like it.”
“If I were a normal person, I would think, ‘Oh, he’s just complaining,’ and relax, but I think Janghwa would run off somewhere if he had the chance…”
“What kind of wild boar am I? “Run away?”
“Honestly, it looked a bit like that among my friends by the stream…”
“This guy??”
The trivial fight between the two, who were equals regardless of age and position, was cut off by Kim Ki-jeong’s sneeze, as the temperature of the water was very chilly.
“Hitch…!”
“What is it, a cold?”
“Sniff… It’s just chilly…”
“Isn’t this the same as an ordinary swimming pool?”
“Originally, the water in the swimming pool is cold…”
Seo Jang-hwa and Jeong Eun-woo looked at each other as if to say, ‘I may not understand what that means, but I will respect your words.’ Kim Ki-jeong was moved to tears for a moment, but barely held it in. Because I knew that if I told them, I would be treated like a weakling.
Jeong Eun-woo, seeing Kim Ki-jeong like that, said with his characteristic straight smile.
“Then I will go soon. “Conductor Kim Ki-jeong also seems to be losing stamina, so it would be good if we could resolve this as quickly as possible.”
“Oh, that’s true, but…”
Seo Jang-hwa asked instead of Kim Ki-jeong, who trailed off.
“Are you really okay?”
“it’s okay. “I know it’s what I should do.”
“….”
“Then I’ll just go.”
With those words, Jung Eun-woo started to climb down the ladder beyond the glass wall.
“Wow, he looks like a soldier.”
Seo Jang-hwa was impressed.
“I think he was a beloved soldier in the military.”
“Please don’t talk about the military, Student Janghwa.”
“Why is Mr. Kim Ki-jeong so upset?”
“I think it will cause a fight.”
“Oh, then you shouldn’t do it.”
At first glance, it did not seem like an award that would have helped Kim Ki-jung adapt well to the military.
‘This extreme introvert, who is easily discouraged from being around people, must have been difficult to live in a group for over a year. That can’t be possible.’
Seo Jang-hwa decided to respect this weak human being.
She changed the topic of conversation.
“But isn’t this a bit disadvantageous for other survivors?”
“yes? “What do you mean suddenly?”
“No, it’s just… we had Mr. Kim Ki-jeong, so we heard the sound and remembered the location.”
“That’s right.”
“It’s rare to find someone as good at hearing as Mr. Kim Ki-jeong.”
Then I don’t know how this gimmick was created to destroy other survivors.
“I don’t think it would be difficult unless there are more hints somewhere else.”
“Uh um. “You said there was information from the beginning that if you were unlucky, you would die.”
“Well, so… I wonder if there was a story about children who were being cared for by the aquarium being pushed to open the box.”
“If you look at that, it may not be a space created to find a winning box in the first place.”
“Isn’t that too conscienceless?”
“It was such a novel experience in the other side of the world….”
Kim Ki-jeong said with a shy face.
“I don’t know if it’s an accurate analogy, but don’t they say there’s something like that in games? It wasn’t a monster that the developer created to kill, but it’s like players who go out of their way to kill it…” ”
That’s the situation we’re in right now, right? “A problem that shouldn’t be solved was solved with a cheat key?”
“It’s a bit embarrassing to say ‘chi cheat key.’”
“This guy takes pride in strange places.”
“Hmm…”
Kim Ki-jeong cleared his throat and continued.
“It is not an impossible problem to solve as long as you know that the winning box makes a unique sound. If you check the numbers on the map and put your ear to the boxes to check them one by one, even if it takes a while, you will eventually be able to define the numbers and locations of all of them.”
“Wow, isn’t that really a hard work that makes me shudder just thinking about it? “Is there any reason to go to such lengths to obtain the key?”
“…Uh… Well, if it’s that way, there’s a higher chance that the person trapped in the box will die before they can find the key. “I think it’s true that this is a problem that was created not to be solved.”
“This really isn’t an aquarium without conscience.”
Around that time, Jung Eun-woo climbed the ladder and came down to the bottom.
“Im here.”
When he spoke a little louder, Jeong Eun-woo’s voice was clearly audible to Kim Ki-jeong and Seo Jang-hwa’s ears. It seemed to be due to the aquarium’s unique sound quality.
“Can you hear me well?”
“Oh, I can hear you well!”
“Then I will wait in front of the box, so please give me a signal.”
“be careful!”
Jeong Eun-woo nodded and immediately stood in front of box number 29, but that didn’t mean the matter was resolved right away. You have to wait until box 29 out of a total of 29 boxes turns into a winning box.
‘…I guess it’s right for me to keep quiet for now.’
Since Kim Ki-jeong was listening to the sound of the box, it was no good to talk next to him like before.
In fact, Eunwoo Jeong was able to know the timing to open the box just by looking at the map and checking the numbers. I already remembered the locations and numbers of all the boxes.
‘But it’s better to be certain about anything.’
If Kim Ki-jeong could verify the box one more time, Jung Eun-woo would feel much more at ease.
“….”
And around that time.
“….”
Crackling.
Jung Eun-woo’s finger wearing the ring twitched.
‘I feel…’
I felt a strange sense of frustration.
‘…what?’
It was a feeling of frustration that was difficult to define.
It was a completely different feeling than when I put the ring on at the concert.
At the time, there was nothing wrong with it, so much so that I didn’t even know if I was really using the ring, but now I felt a strange discomfort, as if I had a sticky wrap wrapped around my whole body.
“….”
Jeong Eun-woo was able to figure out what the problem was by looking at the ring.
“…ah.”
Are you on guard again?
‘It’s difficult.’
Seeing the ring shaking slightly, it was clear that Jung Eun-woo was feeling uncomfortable again.
‘But why?’
Wasn’t it pretty good until now?
‘What was the problem?’
He knew that the more he became aware of Jung Eun-woo, the user of the wetsuit, the more dangerous he became. As soon as the transformation into a monster begins, it becomes faster and it cannot even function as a diving suit, so it suffocates.
“….”
Jeong Eun-woo saw Kim Ki-jeong and Seo Jang-hwa looking down at him from above.
“….”
And then I looked at the map again.
Box 3.
‘1st position from the left of the right wall.’
It hasn’t reached box 29 yet.
‘Then we’ll have to wait and see.’
What Jung Eun-woo has to do is find the key here. And saving Park Da-hoon with that key is Jung Eun-woo’s final task. The winning box changes every 5 seconds, so if you miss your chance, you never know when you’ll get it again.
Here, if Jung Eun-woo cannot withstand the pressure of the wetsuit and gives up, there is no telling when the ring will function again. It takes time to go to the concert hall again and see Jung In-ho.
‘It is said that the speed of the water in the glass box is determined based on the mental strength of the trapped survivor… If Park Da-hoon’s anxiety grows rapidly, we cannot save him.’
So Park Da-hoon could have died.
‘That can’t be said.’
I did not want to fail the orders given by Lee Jae-heon like this.
“Conductor Kim Ki-jeong?”
“What’s wrong?”
“No, I was wondering if you could still hear well, so I called you.”
“Don’t worry, I’m listening carefully and I won’t miss anything.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Kim Ki-jeong’s ears are still working properly.
‘Even if I miss the number due to the pressure of the ring, Kim Ki-jeong will give me orders.’
When I thought about it like that, my heart felt at ease and at the same time, it became hard as if a ring was tightening around my finger.
“….”
Jeong Eun-woo realized.
‘The more I give up my options, the more wary I become.’
If someone had known about Jung Eun-woo’s condition, they would have figured out what the problem was right away.
Jung Eun-woo was originally a person who did not have a wide range of emotions, and although he said that he became a decent person by teasing Jung In-ho, that was a private area. Also, the current situation of finding the key to save Park Da-hoon was closer to a public affair.
That kind of thinking made Jung Eun-woo calm like a machine again, and the ring quickly noticed the change. This was the whole story that Jung Eun-woo did not notice.
And Jung Eun-woo… had no desire to get better.
“….”
at that time.
Seo Janghwa shouted.
“―Jung Eun-woo, if you mess around, it will reach your nephew!!”
…This is an unexpected statement.
Jeong Eun-woo blinked foolishly.
“yes?”
“It’s reaching Uncle Jeong In-ho! So, do well!!”
“….”
“Oh no, do you want to get scolded by your nephew?!”
“….”
“Wow… Look, you’re saying you were just fooling around with that guy?”
Kim Ki-jeong shouted as if he was embarrassed by Seo Jang-hwa’s words.
“Jung Eun-woo, you shouldn’t be absent-minded right now…! “No matter how tired you are, how can you doze off in front of a box?”
“right? Am I right? That person was half asleep. “I saw all your blinking.”
“I wasn’t going to say this, but is the Changhwa student Mongolian?”
“Let me hit it.”
“No… Well… Anyway, Jeong Eun-woo, come to your senses! Do you understand?”
ah.
“…Ahaha…!”
Jeong Eun-woo burst into laughter.
“Yes, I will be careful.”
In those words.
The ring stopped shaking.
“You don’t have to worry.”
Really.
* * *
Jeong Eun-woo safely got the key.
(Continued in the next part)
