TITANIC ~ A Yoonmin Story

My God

Kye and Pom come down the steps to the Mail Sorting Room and finds the clerks scrambling to pull mail from the racks. They are furiously hauling wet sacks of mail up from the hold below.

Pom Hyo climbs partway down the stairs to the hold, which is almost full. Sacks of mail float everywhere. The lights are still on below the surface, casting an eerie glow. The Renault is visible under the water, the brass glinting cheerfully. Pom looks down as the water covers his shoe, and scrambles back up the stairs.

They make their way back up to the Chartroom and Pom unrolls a big drawing of the ship across the chartroom table. It is a side elevation, showing all the watertight bulkheads. His hands are shaking. Wang and Somun Yongjoon hover behind Pom and the Captain.

"Where can we get underway, do you think?" Asks Somun. 

Kye glares at him and turns his attention to Pom's drawing. The builder points to it for emphasis as he talks. "Water fourteen feet above the keel in ten minutes... in the forepeak... in all three holds... and in boiler room six."

"That's right." Nods Kye.

Pom continues. "Five compartments. She can stay afloat with the first four compartments breached. But not five. Not five. As she goes down by the head the water will spill over the tops of the bulkheads... at E Deck... from one to the next... back and back. There's no stopping it."

"The pumps-" Kye starts.

But Pom cuts his thought off quickly. "The pumps buy you time... but minutes only. From this moment, no matter what we do, Titanic will founder."

"But this ship can't sink!" Cries Somun.

"She is made of iron, sir. I assure you, she can. And she will. It is a mathematical certainty."

Kye looks like he has been gutpunched. "How much time?"

"An hour, two at most." 

Somun reels as his dream turns into his worst nightmare. 

"And how many aboard, Mr. Wang?" The Captain asks.

"Two thousand two hundred souls aboard, sir."

After a long pause, Kye turns to his employer. "I believe you may get your headlines, Mr. Somun."

゛・。☆。・゛★゛・。☆。・゛★゛・。☆。・゛★゛・。☆。・゛★゛・。

Pom Hyo is now striding along the boat deck, as seamen and officers scurry to uncover the boats. Steam is venting from pipes on the funnes overhead, and the din is horrendous. Speech is difficult adding to the crew's level of disorganization. Pom sees some men fumbling with the mechanism of one of the Wellin davits and yells to them over the roar of steam. "Turn to the right! Pull the falls taut before you unchock. Have you never had a boat drill?"

"No Sir! Not with these new davits, sir." One of the seamen replies.

Pom looks around, disgusted as the crew fumble with the davits, and the tackle for the 'falls'- the ropes which are used to lower the boats. A few passengers are coming out on deck, hesitantly in the noise and bitter cold.

From inside the sitting room Jimin and his parents can hear knocking and voices in the corridor.

"I had better go dress." Mijeong says as she exits the room.

 His father crosses to Jimin and regards him coldly for a moment, then slaps him across the face. "It is a little slut, isn't it?" 

To Jimin the blow is inconsequential compared to the blow his heart has been given. Pilwoo grabs Jimin's shoulders roughly. "Look at me, you little-" There is a loud knock on the door and an urgent voice.