GB 114

Haero performed an award-worthy act in front of the pirates who had come to steal Yoon Moo-hwa’s artificial eye.

Curled up and clutching the eye, he shook his head wildly while letting out animal-like cries, causing them to mutter “This kid’s finally lost it?” before shaking their heads and leaving.

After they had all left, Haero re-examined what appeared to be nothing more than a round mechanical device.

After staring at it continuously, Haero could confirm something beyond Yoon Moo-hwa’s survival. After some time had passed, a double lock engaged on the device, and the image of a turtle ship, the navy’s symbol that could be seen at the naval academy, appeared and then disappeared. Had Haero looked away even for a moment, he would have missed it, but he saw it because he had been observing so intently.

This device was clearly classified as military property despite being registered as personal property and a personal body part. It seemed that if it remained separated from its registered body for a certain period without the owner reporting it lost, a double lock would automatically engage and a location signal would be transmitted, regardless of whether the owner was alive or dead.

If that was the case, regardless of whether this was a ghost island or an area with heavy magnetic interference, its position would be shown using military GPS technology. In other words, the location of the pirate island would be exposed.

Haero had intended to fake crying, but real tears poured out uncontrollably. He rubbed his stinging face and sniffled, “He must have sent it deliberately.”

This was nothing less than a signal.

If that was the case, he couldn’t just sit still here. What should he do? If the rocky island had coastal whirlpools, escape by swimming would be impossible. But the pirates wouldn’t use such a place as their base either. They would need to sail in and out at any time, and an unpredictable sea would be an obstacle for them as well as their enemies.

While pondering his options, Haero suddenly remembered a question he had once asked Yoon Moo-hwa, “Why did you let yourself get captured at that time? You did it deliberately, right? Why?”

The hint was there. 

✼✼✼ 

Time passed, and Salmo came in. He had heard that Haero remained curled up without moving.

Coming in to check whether he was alive or dead, he nudged Haero with his toe.

Haero had briefly experienced a state where he could shed tears at will, so he was again sobbing loudly. He could have pursued a career in acting at this point. Although he had no such intention, he needed that skill now.

“Thought you were dead.”

Looking at the gruff-speaking Salmo, Haero thought it fortunate that it was him of all people.

Salmo was taciturn and lacked social skills. It was surprising he was even on the ship. Only Number 3 and Haero knew this, but Salmo was actually very fearful. That was the real reason he had followed the captain again without resistance when the captain came back for him, even though he had actually liked his new life very much.

“Why would I be dead? I’ll be getting out of here soon.”

Salmo was slightly startled by Haero’s tear-stained face breaking into a grin, but he didn’t show it and spoke even more tersely.

“You’re talking nonsense. Putting on airs? How would you get out? This is a ghost island. We’re moving at midnight today. Because it’s an island that will disappear again.”

It appears for a week, then submerges for a week, then reappears again. The period varies somewhat depending on the season, but the ghost island has been erratically evading marine surveys in this way. That’s also why it’s difficult to determine whether it’s a reef or an island suitable for docking. Plus, the heavy fog that sets in every night was also a problem.

“Don’t put on airs yourself. The captain must have been away from the military for too long. He doesn’t seem to know how much technology has advanced.”

“What?”

Apparently Salmo had no idea the captain was ex-navy. 

Good. Haero provoked him further, “Ah. He must have hidden it from you. The captain, he’s an ex-navy. A deserter. A murderer who killed two people and ran away.”

“……”

Salmo couldn’t respond and kept his mouth tightly shut.

He must be very confused. Haero couldn’t miss this opportunity to press him.

Haero took out the artificial eyeball from inside his clothes and showed it. “This isn’t actually an artificial eyeball, it’s a tracking device. It uses military satellites to reveal the location no matter how much fog covers the island. By now, a fleet would have set out from the nearby base, so are you really going to be okay?”

Salmo’s eyes wavered greatly.

Haero swallowed hard, feeling like an angler who had cast his line and was now waiting quietly.

“He told me he was in the navy.” Yoon Moo-hwa had honestly told him about how he had escaped at that time.

“And then?”

“I headed toward the operation zone where there would be a fleet. I had the advantage of being a valuable commodity for negotiation, but I had also scratched their pride.”

“And they just believed what you said? That’s practically suicide. Your plan seems too amateurish.”

“That’s exactly what I was counting on, Haero.” The face of Yoon Moo-hwa as he quietly smiled while saying those words was still vivid in Haero’s mind. “People tend to believe they’re smarter than their opponents. So if you scratch their pride and act a bit ignorant and reckless, they become convinced of their mistaken choices because of their self-assurance that they couldn’t possibly have been deceived by someone like you.”

So Haero would provoke Salmo and foolishly reveal all his cards. In mahjong terms, it was like declaring riichi and waiting quietly.

“You, wait here.” Salmo left the room hurriedly, pretending not to stammer.

He even forgot to close the door, leaving it wide open, but Haero didn’t rush out prematurely. There was no way he could evade everyone here by himself. He needed to appear foolish without actually being foolish.

After a few particularly anxious minutes, not the captain but the female leader who seemed to have some romantic involvement with the captain entered.

She looked extremely angry. Her bright red hair looked like flames.

“Have you seen these fucking bastards? I knew this would happen. Bring out this rat bastard!”

Though she didn’t seem to shout with particular force, the room echoed loudly.

In an instant, Haero was seized by people and dragged out of the room.

Outside was bustling. Everyone was preparing to leave the island and relocate. The timing couldn’t have been better. It seemed that both Yoon Moo-hwa and Haero had at least some good luck.

“We’re going to Elephant’s Grave.” The leader muttered through clenched teeth. She was giving orders in a lowered voice. 

Haero kept his head down while observing his surroundings. Something unusual caught his eye. Though they were clearly part of the same group, there seemed to be an atmosphere of wariness or displeasure among them. It appeared that the captain’s group and this place’s original group were divided. 

Only Salmo’s presence was puzzling.

Perhaps… Salmo had become a being that belonged nowhere. Someone who had adapted to land but couldn’t stay there. Perhaps that’s why there had been friction with the captain after his return.

But Haero’s gamble was too urgent to wonder about Salmo’s circumstances.

The numbers were somewhat fewer than the navy had estimated. Perhaps they had already divided, with some leaving the island earlier and others forming a team that had set sail for plundering.

Haero deliberately pretended to resist and was beaten several more times. Without time to understand the island’s geography, he failed to find the makeshift port used by smugglers or pirates. But somehow, he was determined to escape…

“You coward! Are you scared? You don’t have the courage to fight fair and square, so you just keep scratching from the side and running away like a petty thief!”

Adding some provocation earned him another beating until his lip burst. 

Bleeding profusely, Haero was dragged to a place called “Elephant’s Grave.”

From a distance, especially with the sunset as a backdrop, it was a rocky cape that resembled an elephant about to collapse with bent legs. It wasn’t terribly high, but that made it look even more pitiful. Because it looked like a baby elephant.

The leader who had dragged Haero there still seemed unable to calm her anger, placing her hands on her hips and fidgeting for a while.

“It’s all fucked up, actually, that bastard was also persuaded. That’s why he brought the rat here. Do you think the navy really wants us eradicated?” Rambling wildly, she approached Haero, grabbed him by the hair, and spat in his face. “That navy you believe in is nothing more than a sea police without us. It’s because we exist, and sea monsters exist, that they can act as they please. So we’re actually in a symbiotic relationship, did you know that?”

Whether it was true or not, Haero didn’t care. He hadn’t joined the navy to save the world, nor because of some great aspiration for the military, nor for some noble belief in justice. Haero’s purpose was solely Yoon Moo-hwa. To be on the same ship as him. The longing to stand as his equal, to still keep him within his nest, that was all.

The leader, assuming Haero’s silence was due to shock, took Yoon Moo-hwa’s eyeball from his pocket. It was made of material so strong that it couldn’t be destroyed without a press machine. With her experience of smuggling weapons for years, she could immediately tell how close to indestructible this object was.

“You think anything will change because of this thing? Do you think melting glaciers will suddenly freeze again, or that you’ll get out of here alive?! Nothing changes! This is forever! We’re all dying together!”

She threw it away in a rage. It bounced twice, then rolled over the crown of the baby elephant and down its trunk, disappearing into the pitch-black sea.

“No, don’t!”