6. The Eternal Darkness (2) Pleasure

"Did you find Sun-woo?"

"No."

"You haven't given up, have you?"

Do-hyeon asked again.

"No. Actually, a lot has happened in the past few days. There's this couple, my closest seniors, one of them suddenly died. The other one left for the South Sea. I'm trying not to fall apart. Someone has started following me recently. Maybe because I've been using the teleporter. But still... Sun-woo... I'll keep looking for him."

I elaborated on what Do-hyeon was curious about. Even in moments of pause between sentences, choosing what to say next, Do-hyeon waited for me calmly.

I reached out and touched Do-hyeon's arm. The crinkly texture of his thin jacket brushed against my fingertips. Tracing down his sleeve, I finally held his long fingers. It was a signal that I had finished saying everything I wanted to. Do-hyeon pulled me closer by my hand. I went to him and embraced him. At that moment, I wanted to live in the now more than ever. I wanted to be completely honest, no longer hiding too much, even if it meant Do-hyeon might step back from me.

I once heard about his hometown at the swimming pool. Beyond the red and dry land, there were long green trees forming a forest like a massive castle, where living and inanimate things freely intermingled. At night, the navy sky hung with stars like chandeliers, and during the day, the light ivory sky floated with pink clouds.

"It sounds like a story from another world."

"Our home was by the sea. The coast sparkled with each wave, as if stars were shattering. I only realized how beautiful and special that sight was after I left my hometown. I spent more time in the sea than on land. On land, I had to stick to the ground, but the sea allowed movement in any direction. It was freeing and happy. So, honestly, all my fond memories of my hometown are in the sea."

Do-hyeon smiled softly. I remembered a documentary about Celuabay in the Indian Ocean, where the sea glittered with bioluminescent plankton at night. The scene of tiny, blue lights twinkling on the night beach might have resembled his hometown.

"It must have been beautiful."

"It was. The purple sea... My father said our hometown's seabed was like the Jacaranda forests in November, similar in color and scent. And he was right."

When I fell asleep next to Do-hyeon, I dreamed of swimming in his sea. Like most dreams, vivid scenes flew away, but the feeling of him being by my side as we swam through that sea remained unforgettable.

We didn't want to leave any regrets in what felt like our last moments together. We forgot how fast a day could pass. The mix of longing, desperation, and the loneliness felt even when together intertwined. Thus, we didn't delay experiencing any pleasure that could be shared. There were no regrets, no reproaches.

In the meantime, more explosions were heard. Sometimes, when the sirens stopped, gunfire as if in an exchange of attacks could be heard. The ground vibrated with tremors, and looking outside, the quiet neighborhood's narrow streets were occasionally traversed by modern tanks shining bright lights in a line.

What exactly was happening? Every time I tried to connect to the internet on my phone, Do-hyeon would stop me with words like, "Stay a little longer." or "Stay another day." He seemed afraid of our time together ending.

The emergency generator started beeping warnings. When I went to the back to check, the generator's small screen was flashing a red message to refill fuel. But there was no fuel left.

The refrigerator in the lab stopped. Now, everything that operated electrically began to turn into mere sculptures. Closing the lab door behind me, Do-hyeon appeared from the darkness and hugged me. In his hand was a radio. The announcer's voice came through the static.

On August 17th, amidst simultaneous explosions at transmission towers across the country, resulting in 46 casualties, the government has declared these acts as severe terrorist activities threatening national security, vowing to find and severely punish those responsible. Currently, about 5.6 million households are estimated to be affected by the power outage, with more than half unable to even receive emergency power, exacerbating the damages. Access restrictions around the transmission tower areas were lifted yesterday. Today, four days after the incident, the Power Company, in cooperation with military and police forces, has formed emergency repair teams to restore the damaged towers. The authorities have pledged to mobilize all necessary personnel and equipment to minimize the community damages caused by the blackout.

Recently, deaths caused by an unidentified skin disease have surged, with the cremation and funeral system essentially paralyzed. This has led to frequent illegal dumping or burial of bodies on private property. Local governments, including Seoul, are setting up communal crematoriums and funeral systems in response, but issues of dignity for the deceased have led to public demands for improved measures.

Last night, in a large psychiatric hospital in Sobaek, Gyeongsangbuk-do, two doctors and eleven elderly patients were found dead. One of the doctors was identified as the hospital's director. With the discovery of a lethal electroshock weapon at the scene, police are leaning towards homicide in their investigation. Additionally, all the hospital's medicines have been stolen, prompting thorough investigations into any connection with terror groups known for their indiscriminate looting and attacks.

"It sounds like someone I know."

I stopped listening to the radio and spoke to Do-hyeon.

"Who?"

"The doctor from the psychiatric hospital in Sobaek, Dr. Lee Won-young."

"The one just reported dead?"

Do-hyeon turned off the radio.

"Yes. He said he couldn't leave the elderly patients behind, so he stayed to care for them. With hardly any medicine in the hospital, why..."

I couldn't finish my sentence, overwhelmed by despair.

"Look at this."

Do-hyeon searched something on his phone and then showed it to me. SSEDD, in yellow letters, followed by their post on social media.

SSEDD has never engaged in illegal activities. Why are the sirens blaring day and night? Why does the skin disease that comes with the sirens kill people instantly? Is it really a skin disease? We have demanded the truth and defended ourselves legitimately against forceful suppression. The social system has collapsed, and where people are needed, there are no longer people. Silence in the dark and cold, the media is manipulated. To cover this up, they label us as a terror group. Hope has vanished, and the end is near. Do not be deceived by distorted information anymore. Only through constructive destruction and faster death can we reduce the total amount of pain left for us.

The message cunningly mixed right and wrong, embedding dangerous ideologies persuasively.

"Thieves."

I blurted out without realizing.

"We need to be careful too."

Do-hyeon turned towards the window, holding my hand.

Then, an email notification sounded on my phone. It was from Kate at Valkama. I hurried into the lab and opened my laptop. The battery warning showed only 10% remaining. I dimmed the screen to barely readable brightness and read the email.

Dr. Hee-jae, Kate here. I wonder how your experiments are going. I've heard about the massive power outage in Korea. Our foundation is actively supporting researchers impacted by the blackout. We can provide fuel, emergency power batteries, food, and necessities, so please request anything you might need. We understand the challenging situation you're in. However, we hope you won't be swayed by the surrounding changes and crises and continue your research steadfastly. Warm regards, Kate from Valkama Foundation.

I recalled what I heard at Valkama's branch at Daeseok Harbor. Valkama doesn't let those who access their secrets without permission live. They had been following and monitoring me. Yet, the email contained no threat. Were they pretending not to know? Or trying to lower my guard? I quickly replied before the laptop battery ran out further.

Hello, Kate. This is Hee-jae. Firstly, regarding my research progress, muscle relaxants like Vecuronium have proven effective in reducing tissue necrosis rates. More experimentation is needed to determine the success rate based on the duration of hibernation. I've developed a method to cool the blood with cooling fluid to counteract rapid temperature increases during hibernation. Applying a simple external device could address the shortcomings of Herit317, potentially significantly extending the hibernation period. I'll attach the detailed methodology and data for computer simulation. Oh, what I currently need is fuel for the generator. Thank you. Hee-jae.

As I was about to close the laptop, another email from Valkama Foundation arrived.