Sycophantism

23. Twosome Time

Hongjoong and Seonghwa spent another week on Ginda until all preparations were ready and they got notified of their incoming flight date. The ship they had been offered for their flight back to Earth was smaller than the SS Elysium, but a scout ship similar to her. It was called the SS Kimi, and Hongjoong adored the yellow hues the smaller ship had as they visited her on the docks one afternoon.

They would depart in three days, and already Hongjoong was excited to return home and leave this entire journey behind to write it off as a dreadful dream. He had yet to contact his father and inform him about Jongho's predicament personally, but with how close he worked with Bang Yongguk, Hongjoong didn't doubt that he had caught wind of the matters already. Hongjoong suspected he would worry for both of his sons, and that he would understand Hongjoong's emotional split on what side to take.

Seonghwa and Hongjoong had nothing to pack. So while their new crew of ordinary academy graduates got the ship ready and moved the crates with Hongjoong's crew's belongings over, the couple could still laze around in their room. Currently, Hongjoong laid with his head on Seonghwa's stomach and read an article about Ginda on his tablet while the other man had slipped a hand under Hongjoong's shirt to draw idle circles on his stomach.

"Did you know Ginda is the only planet in this solar system with no moon? All the other ones have at least three," Hongjoong asked, to fill the comfortable silence between them with unnecessary banter. Seonghwa hummed, his hand slowing down as he thought about it. He let his own tablet sink, not giving away what his reading had been.

"Makes me wonder why we didn't build our bases over there first. We made pleasant experiences with moons."

Hongjoong adjusted his head so he wouldn't press his skull against Seonghwa's ribs.

"Well, with one. I visited Jupiter for a school trip once and it sucked. Moons wherever you looked, and the sun didn't come through well. We needed coats there."

Chuckling, Seonghwa lifted his tablet to his face again. His warm hand rested against Hongjoong's skin like a personal heating pad as he dived into his article again.

Bored by Ginda's lack of anything interesting, Hongjoong switched over to the tab with his mission's details again. Yongguk had updated it since it was accessible to not only the department but also the general population of their station so they could follow the milestone they had been about to set. As Hongjoong scrolled through the list of involved crew members and their profiles, he gulped at the familiar faces that smiled brightly at him.

He tapped Wooyoung's profile, and the hologram popped up above his tablet as Wooyoung gave his introduction.

"Hi! My name is Jung Wooyoung, I'm the Systems Engineer on the SS Elysium. I'll get our ship safely where we want to be and will be overjoyed to come back to share everything I saw, no matter how trivial! I look forward to engaging with my crew and work hard! Any comments are appreciated!"

His smile was big and infectious, making his eyes disappear and his face shine like the sun. Back when he had taken it, his hair had still been longer and curled around his ears in adorable blond strands. He waved at the video cutely before it cut off.

With a heavy heart, Hongjoong scrutinised him as he tried to remember the man like this. Smiling and full of life, not the shadow he had become after San's death.

He tapped Mingi's profile next. The man was seated stiffly on a chair and noticeably hesitated in the first second as he checked if the camera was running. Then he smiled awkwardly.

"Hello, I'm Mingi. I take care of IT and light stuff on our ship. I actually still can't believe I get to come, but I have huge respect for our captain and navigator, they are infamous among the students. I'm delighted to go on a trip with them and will strive to meet their expectations so I won't fall behind. Wish me luck." He ended his awkward fumbling with troubles to shut off the camera, but his smile was genuine.