Beacon of Light in the Dark Sea - Chapter 97

As the elevator passed the 5th, 6th, and 7th floors, the lights illuminating the building interior entered the transparent elevator, so it didn’t feel too dark. But as soon as the elevator left the undersea pollution center building, it was briefly engulfed in the darkness of the deep sea.

The sudden contrast of shadows wasn’t too frightening due to the fluorescent lights on inside the elevator, but as it was my first time riding the main operations freight elevator, I felt that overwhelming sensation again from when I first took the central elevator. It felt like a rectangular box completely submerged in the ocean, carrying a tiny light as it pierced through the abyssal darkness.

However, the feeling I had in that fleeting moment seemed completely different for those already accustomed to riding this elevator. Unlike me who was slightly startled, everyone else sprawled out in relief, sitting or lying on the floor.

In the case of Kim Ga-young, Yoo Geum-yi , and Jihyun, they leaned against the elevator wall, exhausted, only occasionally blinking. As soon as the elevator moved, I thought of the disasters that occurred in my dream and checked the time on my tablet, while Yoo Geum-yi  occasionally turned her head to watch the numbers ticking by.

James and Sam chattered about finally escaping, and Kanu put out his cigarette after Jihyun’s reprimand. Carter raised his phone, waving it at the ceiling, while Benjamin glared at Logan with displeasure.

But when Logan glared back, Benjamin turned his head away. Kevin was looking outside at the darkness, gripping the axe handle. Emma sat leaning against the elevator wall, unblinking like a doll.

As I looked around at everyone, I raised my head and spotted Chinese characters written on the elevator ceiling. Why are there Chinese characters here?

[自燈明 法燈明]

[TL/N: It means “Be a light unto yourself, the Dharma is a light.”  smthg like this, I guess?]

What do those characters mean? I asked Yoo Geum-yi , who was blankly staring at the time on the tablet next to me.

“Geum, do you know what it says on the ceiling?”

Yoo Geum-yi  looked up, saw the characters, and furrowed her brows.

“I’m not sure.”

I see. …I’m not sure either. I only recognize the characters for “self”, “bright”, and “light”. Kim Ga-young, who practically lives at this undersea pollution center, haltingly read the characters.

“Ja-deung. Is that middle one ‘deung’ for light? Or not? Ja-deung-myeong beop-deung-myeong?”

“Ooh.”

As Yoo Geum-yi  and I let out a dumb exclamation, Jihyun raised her head to glance at the ceiling, then spoke. The polyglot among us confirmed it for us.

“That’s correct in Chinese – ja-deung-myeong beop-deung-myeong.”

What does that mean? Kim Ga-young stretched her arms high above her head and frowned.

“My grandma said something about that a long time ago. …I can’t remember.”

Then Carter, who had been waving his arm with his phone toward the air, looked at the Chinese on the ceiling and spoke to us with a pitying look.

“Are you guys really Asian? Those are Chinese characters. Isn’t it related to Buddhism then?”

“I’m irreligious.”

“I believe in science.”

“I’m an instant Buddhist who visits temples once or twice a year.”

“I believe in the Lord.”

Taken aback by the Asians’ responses, Carter clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Right before Buddha died, his disciples asked him – who should we rely on and believe in when you’re gone? That’s Buddha’s answer before entering nirvana.”

As Kanu said that while looking at the ceiling, everyone’s gaze focused on him.

“Rely on yourself as the light.”

…Good words. But how do I make myself the light to live by? Kanu, who seemed completely unrelated to Asia, explained the Chinese phrase to the Asians and let out a big yawn. Logan pointed at the ceiling and said,

“Originally they were going to engrave something in English there, but I heard the Asian countries fought hard to put Chinese instead.”

When I looked at the other Asians around me, they had puzzled expressions. Hmm. I have no idea either. I thought the researchers who practically live here would know a lot about the undersea base, but judging by Kim Ga-young and Yoo Geum-yi ‘s faces, that wasn’t really the case. They said they spend most of their lives in the lab researching. I asked Kanu,

“Like the Bible verse engraved in the central elevator, I guess they engraved a line on each elevator?”

“Probably. I only ride the ones I take, so.”

Kim Ga-young snapped her fingers at Kanu’s words and said to Yoo Geum-yi ,

“Ah, right. That elevator thing, you know. If you’re sure to die, you will live; if you’re sure to live, you will die. (必死則生 必生則死).”

Yoo Geum-yi , whose eyes had been hazy with fatigue, widened them and spoke to Kim Ga-young.

“That’s the elevator that goes to the 1st undersea base and Daehan Island!”

“What does that mean?”

At my question, Jihyun said dismally,

“There’s an elevator Korea actively participated in engraving a phrase on. Team leader Shin said some lunatic at the undersea base headquarters insisted one absolutely had to be engraved and caused a ruckus. They put “If you’re sure to die, you will live; if you’re sure to live, you will die” in Korean in the 1st undersea base elevator, and Sang-hyun always spouts nonsense that the elevator will crash whenever he rides it.”

Hearing Jihyun’s explanation, Kim Ga-young replied with a delighted air.

“Still, whenever I miss Korean, I sometimes go ride that elevator to see it.”

Kim Ga-young gazed into the air as if looking at a distant place. I mulled over the 8 characters in my head and said,

“They really engraved that in the elevator? How did that get approved?”

No matter how I think about it, it’s not a phrase fit to be engraved in an elevator moving in the deep sea. When I asked Jihyun, she shrugged.

“That person apparently lobbied the undersea base headquarters and navy hard, saying it reflects the reality of 21st century humans who have to abandon land and live in the deep sea. What was it originally? It was so unique I memorized it. Something more abstruse. What was it?”

Jihyun pondered for a bit, then told me.

“…Ah. ‘If you abandon life, you gain it. Tomorrow becomes the light.’ I think. When that person was yelling to engrave it like that, I heard our team leader stopped him, asking if he was insane, if that was a suitable phrase to put inside an undersea elevator. So it was changed to Yi Sun-sin’s famous quote.”

Kevin, who had been staring into the dark blue ocean, glanced at the ceiling. Then he spoke to us, sounding slightly flustered.

“…Canada engraved ‘From sea to sea’ (a mari usque ad mare).”

Out of everything I’ve heard so far, that seems the most normal. …Or not. In a way, that also gives the impression the elevator might fall into the ocean. Can’t they pick something brighter and more positive?

If it were me, I’d probably engrave something like “Regular brushing habits guarantee lifelong health”. …That’s not suitable for an undersea elevator either.

We were talking about how the 8 countries desperately tried to claim at least one more name or phrase they knew in the undersea base, when suddenly the lights went out and the elevator stopped.

As the elevator abruptly halted, dizziness and nausea from inertia washed over me. Don’t panic. You can’t panic. Let’s not panic. You know. The elevator just stopped. It’s only a temporary power outage.

Enduring that nausea for a few seconds, I now saw the endlessly moving numbers in front of my eyes. Seeing the light from my tablet that I had left on, I stopped at the numbers passing on the screen first. 5 minutes 31 seconds. At that moment, screams erupted around me.

“Kyaaaaaaaaah! Aaaaaah!”

“Uwaaaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah!”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Eeeeeek! Eeeeeeeeek!”

“Dear God! Jeeesus! Oh! Gooood!”

…Fortunately, since everyone was sitting or lying down, no one seemed hurt from the elevator stopping.

Instead, people were screaming randomly in the darkness. They probably never experienced a power outage while riding the elevator before. If it weren’t for what I went through in my dreams, I’d probably be yelling with them right now.

The terrified people shrieked for 1-2 minutes, then startled by their own voices, began screaming again. Only after about 3-4 minutes did they slowly start to quiet down, perhaps gradually calming. But one man kept screaming incessantly.

“Uwaaaaah! We’re all gonna die! We’re all gonna die! Fuck! We’re all dying! Aaaaaaaaargh!”

“Shut up!”

The sound of someone viciously kicking that person was heard. And at last, the inside of the elevator fell silent. Kanu lit a lighter, and I turned on the tablet light, then reached into my backpack to find the flashlight at the very bottom. Tablet and phone lights appeared here and there.

I found the flashlight in my backpack and turned it vigorously. The flashlight only came on after a while, but it was the brightest light source inside the elevator. With nowhere suitable to shine the flashlight, I pointed it toward the window showing the dark ocean. Seeing that, Emma spoke as if having a fit.

“Point the light somewhere else! What if someone comes after seeing your flashlight in the deep sea?!”

I don’t think anyone could come to this depth of the deep sea after seeing this light. At most, wouldn’t it be fish? Ghost fish? Vampire squid? Tripod fish? If we’re lucky, maybe something like a fanfin anglerfish might come. Depending on the depth, maybe a giant squid. Can they even see this with their eyes? Logan sneered at Emma.

“Wouldn’t it be better if someone came?! Submarine, rescue team, fish, let them all come!”

“Move the light somewhere else!”

Since Emma seemed scared, I immediately shone the flashlight at the ceiling. Emma crawled in the dark from the front window to the elevator door.

I tried my best to ask the frightened-looking person as kindly as possible.

“Are you afraid of someone coming? Don’t worry. I won’t shine the flashlight at the window again. It’s understandable to be scared trapped in a powerless elevator.”

After a few seconds, Emma, who had been looking at the flashlight beam on the ceiling, whispered in terror,

“…Dagon.”

What’s Dagon? Is it a fish I don’t know? Kim Ga-young next to me asked Emma dispiritedly,

“What’s Dagon?”

The answer came not from Emma, but from Jihyun.

“It’s a demon. A demon.”