Beacon of Light in the Dark Sea

Chapter 8

After Tyler, one person from the engineering team and one from the mining team came to visit. Excluding patients who visited purely for cavities and fallen dental prosthetics, the statistics for the three days showed that a handful of people were visiting the dental clinic all because of one person.

If only I could win over the leader of the engineering A-team, I feel like I could get by doing nothing. Or perhaps, I would need even more patience, working non-stop.

I searched for Shin Hae-ryang in the employee search bar using the pad connected to the underwater base’s program.

[Engineering A-Team Chief Shin Hae-ryang *Resting]

I considered chatting with him but hesitated, wondering if it was really appropriate to contact someone who was resting after work hours. And as I thought about what to talk about, I lost the courage to start a chat.

What should I ask if I do contact him?

“Hello, Mr. Shin Hae-ryang. My name is Park Mu-hyun, a dentist who has been at the underwater base for three days. I heard that you’ve been breaking the engineers and mining team’s defenses. Is that true?” What? You say you’ve never done such a thing? That I must be mistaken? I apologize. By the way, can we meet in the back alley, if there is one in the underwater base? Since I’m the only dentist within a 30 km radius, could you at least hit me somewhere I can hide my face?”

I shook my head while imagining the conversation, smiling to myself. We’ll meet someday.

I then searched for all the names I had heard over the past three days in the employee search bar.

[Engineering A-Team Employee Kang Su-jeong *Resting]

After hesitating for a while, I tried the chat program for the first time.

[Hello, Ms. Kang Soo-jung. Thank you for carrying my luggage. My bag found its way to my room thanks to you. I’ll treat you to something delicious later. Have a great day today.]

Then, I looked at the underwater base’s bulletin board and the restaurant’s menu before checking the reservation time and calling in the next patient.

Overall, women’s oral health is much better than men’s. Teenagers, regardless of gender, have similarly disastrous dental conditions, but from their twenties, the difference becomes clear. This is because the ratio of males indulging in alcohol, smoking, and neglecting oral hygiene is overwhelmingly higher. Surprisingly, the people in the underwater base made an effort to take care of their teeth regardless of gender.

That makes sense. If I were in space, I would diligently brush my teeth. I wouldn’t want to suffer from the headache of cavities on top of the already overwhelming experience of being on a spaceship. Since it’s not easy to receive hospital services promptly in an isolated situation, many people made an effort to take care of themselves. Of course, there were still plenty who didn’t.

The man named Sato in front of me was one of them. Sato Ryosuke, a member of M team and an engineer, was one of the few people at this underwater base who properly flossed their teeth when visiting the dentist. The reason was simple: he had two extra teeth, and there were many areas that could not be cleaned with a toothbrush alone, so if he didn’t floss, debris would accumulate.

“Can you do orthodontics here as well?”

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“Are you looking to correct your extra teeth?”

“Yes, is it possible?”

“There’s no set policy on orthodontics yet. I have already made an inquiry, but it will take about a month to establish the regulations. I will let you know once I get a response. As you may already know, orthodontic treatment takes at least two to three years and can be bothersome, uncomfortable, and painful.”

Sato Ryosuke was in his early 30s and had a severe malocclusion¹, which would require screws to be inserted into his gums. The treatment would take at least two to three years. I explained the general details of orthodontic treatment in depth, mentioning that it would involve extracting healthy teeth and that certain foods would become off-limits.

I wondered if someone who dives underwater to repair underwater bases should really be getting orthodontic treatment. It seemed like it wouldn’t be a problem to move around the underwater base with braces on. I went on explaining how much it would cost based on South Korean medical service standards if he chose to have the orthodontic treatment using a tooth-attached method. I also added that after the treatment, he would have to be cautious about everything, including fights and accidents.

“There’s no need to worry about fights at the underwater base, except for Team Leader Sin Hae-ryang.”

“Are you talking about the Team Leader of Engineering Team A?”

“Have you met him?”

“No, not yet. I’ve only heard his name.”

Sato began mumbling something in Japanese. It seemed like he was saying something to wish Team Leader Sin Hae-ryang’s well-being, but he spoke so quickly that not even the translator could understand him.

“What does he do?”

I expected stories about him being a farmer harvesting corn underwater or a deep-sea version of Muhammad Ali, but Sato’s answer was simple.

“He’s the team leader of the Korean Engineering Team, but he has a somewhat peculiar personality.”

From his thin lips, the pronunciation of ‘peculiar’ in Japanese was stretched out strangely in my old translator. I was about to ask what was peculiar about him, but I stopped. I could see the hatred simmering in this man. It was like aged gasoline. People like me, who harbor hatred, can recognize it more easily. He was openly displaying his deep-rooted emotions, but facing them made me uncomfortable, so I slightly lowered my head.

“I guess you have healthy teeth.”

At that, Sato smiled, and as his thin lips curled upwards, the problematic double-layered teeth were slightly exposed. His eyes twinkled. Sato, who had been fiddling with an orange-colored whale, asked, “Did you come from China? Or the United States?”

I knew from the underwater base’s employee search, but none of the people at the base had their nationality, age, race, or gender listed. It was meant to create a life free from discrimination and prejudice at the underwater base, but in reality, people of the same nationality tended to group together in teams. Most of the team leaders had male names, and it seemed that there were quite a few cunning schemes, such as work assignments changing depending on age.

It seemed like such questions should not be asked in the first place, but most of the underwater base staff seemed to already know each other’s nationalities and ages.

He must’ve thought I’m Chinese.

After all, most of my appearance resembled that of an East Asian. Except for one part: my eyes.

“I am of Korean descent.”

Sato’s smile vanished in an instant.

“But the color of your pupils.”

“Yes. One eye is sky blue, while the other is pitch black.”

I acquired heterochromia after a traffic accident when I was young, but luckily, I did not go blind. I don’t quite remember, but I was told that I had undergone several surgeries. It doesn’t make much of a difference in daily life, but depending on the angle of the light, my iris looks blue.

At my response, Sato slightly lifted the corner of his mouth and spoke softly, “I will send our new team leader to keep you from getting bored, doctor.”

Wow…

I got chills down my spine. It was slightly similar to the fear I felt when I rode the central elevator of the underwater base down 3000 meters.

According to Elliot, everyone working at this underwater base is required to undergo a mental evaluation. Only those who pass can work underwater. So, most of the people I meet have been proven by experts to be mentally sound. The hint of madness that Sato briefly revealed was skillfully hidden and disappeared.

I responded as if his words were not a big deal. “······That’s fine. I just want to get paid without working.”

I felt my damaged iris itch. After praising my relatively good dental care a few times, I handed Sato handed some dental floss. We exchanged words about seeing each other again next time.

When I returned from the restroom, I saw neatly placed dental floss on the waiting table. Sato must have had his own as he didn’t take mine. Or maybe he didn’t like the one I gave him. I decided to think positively that I still had a new piece of dental floss in my hand.

Perhaps the engineering team leaders are not close enough to drink or hang out together. Or maybe it’s just Sato and the new team leader, Shin Hae Ryang.Come to think of it, that other team leader named Yi Ban didn’t seem very sociable either.

After tossing the dental floss into the air several times and catching it, I threw it into a box filled with dental floss. Was that remark a recommendation to get a dental checkup? Or was it a warning of assault, as I thought? I sighed and called the next patient.

1. A condition when upper teeth overlap lower teeth excessively.[↩]