CH 8

Since Tyler, one engineer and one miner had visited the dental clinic. After analyzing the statistics of visitors for three days, excluding those who came for dental problems or had missing fillings, it was discovered that there was only one person who needed dental treatment among them.

“If only the engineer team leader can stay, I would be able to relax and enjoy myself. Otherwise, I will have to work non-stop with little rest,” I thought to myself. So, I searched for Shin Hae-ryang, the engineer team leader, using the search function in the underwater base program.

Seeing the chat function, I thought about messaging him, but I hesitated. Was it appropriate to contact someone who was on break during work hours? And even if I did, what should I say? In the end, I was too nervous to message him.

Later, I searched for all the names of the employees I had heard during the three days, but to no avail.

Eventually, I mustered up the courage to use the chat function for the first time. “Hello, Kang Soo Jung. Thank you for carrying my bag. Thanks to you, it arrived safely in my room. I will buy you something delicious later. Have a great day today!” After browsing the underwater base bulletin board and restaurant menus, I called my next patient.

Overall, women seemed to have better dental hygiene than men. Although both genders had terrible teeth conditions during their teenage years, from their twenties, there was a distinct difference. Although there were many individuals who smelled like beasts and roamed around without brushing their teeth, drinking alcohol or smoking, the ratio of males was overwhelming. However, surprisingly, many people in the underwater base tried to take care of their teeth regardless of gender.

Well, it was understandable. If I were in space, I would be diligent about brushing my teeth. Just being on a spacecraft would be enough to make my head spin, and I wouldn’t want to add tooth decay to the list. Since it wasn’t easy to receive medical attention at the desired time in an isolated environment, many individuals in the underwater base tried their best to take care of themselves. Of course, there were still those who didn’t.

Sato, a man in front of me, was one of the few people who “properly” flossed among those who had visited the dental clinic in the underwater base. The reason was simple. He had two extra teeth that couldn’t be brushed with a toothbrush, so if he didn’t floss, foreign substances would get stuck.

“Can you correct teeth with braces?” he asked.

“Do you mean braces for your extra teeth?”

“Yes. Is it possible?”

“As for braces, there are no regulations yet. I have already inquired about it, and they said it would take about a month for them to decide. I will let you know when I get an answer. But as you may already know, it will take at least 2-3 years to correct it, and it will be inconvenient, uncomfortable, and painful.”

Sato Ryusuke was in his early thirties and had severe malocclusion, so he had to screw nuts into his gums, which could take at least two to three years. I explained the general idea of dental correction. If he were to correct it, he would have to extract his healthy teeth, and he would also have to avoid certain foods.

I wondered if people who repaired underwater bases and were constantly diving could even undergo dental correction. If he were to correct it with dental braces attached to his teeth, I also explained how much money he would have to spend based on Korean medical service standards. I also advised him to be especially careful with fighting or accidents, just in case.

“I don’t have to worry about fighting in the underwater base if it’s not Team Leader Shin Hae-ryang.”

“Oh, the engineer team leader?”

“Have you met him?”

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

Sato started to mumble something in Japanese. It seemed like he was wishing Team Leader Shin Hae-ryang physical well-being, but he spoke too quickly for my outdated translator to catch anything.

“What does he do?” I asked.

“He’s the team leader of our Korean engineering team, but his personality is a bit peculiar,” Sato replied simply.

The Japanese pronunciation of “peculiar” stretched eerily through my old translator. I opened my mouth to ask what he meant, but stopped myself. I could see the hatred festering in this man, like old gasoline. As someone who also harbors hatred, I recognized it easily. He was openly showing an inexplicable emotion, making me uncomfortable. I tilted my head slightly.

“Are your teeth all right?” he asked, and then smiled. As his thin lips curled up, a problematic tooth was revealed. His pupils widened. He had been playing with a tangerine-colored whale.

“Did you come from China? Or the United States?” he asked.

Although the Sea Base’s staff search did not reveal any nationality, age, race, or gender, in reality, most of the staff grouped themselves with people of the same nationality. Most team leaders had male names, and there were some sneaky things going on, such as task allocation depending on age. However, most of them already knew each other’s nationality and age. Perhaps he thought I was Chinese since I looked mostly East Asian, except for one thing. Maybe it was because of my eyes.

“I’m Korean.”

Instantly, Sato’s smile disappeared.

“But your left eye is blue. The other one is dark red.”

I had acquired heterochromia after a car accident when I was young, but luckily, I didn’t go blind. I don’t remember, but apparently, I had multiple surgeries. It doesn’t make much of a difference in everyday life, but depending on the angle of light, the iris looks blue.

Sato just raised the corner of his mouth and said softly, “We’ll send our new team leader to keep you company.”

That was a little spine-chilling. It was similar to the terror I felt when I descended 3,000 meters in the central elevator of the Sea Base. According to Elliot, everyone working in this base has to receive mandatory psychological evaluation. Only those who pass the test are eligible to work in the sea. So, most people I meet are experts who have been certified by professionals as having no major psychological issues. Sato’s madness was quickly suppressed and vanished.

I replied nonchalantly, “That’s alright. I just want to get paid without doing any work.”

My itchy heterochromatic eye reminded me of the damaged iris from the accident. I complimented the patient on their relatively good teeth management and handed them dental floss. We exchanged goodbyes with promises to meet again.

When I returned from the bathroom, I saw the dental floss neatly placed on the waiting table. Perhaps they had their own dental floss, or maybe they didn’t like the one I gave them. Either way, I chose to see it positively as I still had a new dental floss in my hand.

The team leaders probably weren’t close enough to go drinking or hang out together, especially not Sato or Team Leader Shin. Now that I thought about it, even the other team leader, named Lee, didn’t seem particularly sociable.

After tossing the dental floss in the air a few times, I tossed it into the box full of dental floss. Was the patient suggesting that I should visit a dentist? Or was it a warning of impending physical violence? I sighed and called in the next patient.