𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋! | ateez

𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼: long journey

OCTOBER 17TH, 2118 A.D.
—KQ SPACE ADMINISTRATION.

"director kim, you asked to see me?"

"officer park? yes, take a seat, please."

a tall man steps into the head director's brightly-lit office (the intense white lights are blinding, and he has to refrain himself from reacting too dramatically from them) with shoes that bounce and cushion his silent steps. he's wearing a royal blue jumpsuit- the standard KQSA uniform for all training pilots. though, by taking one glance at him, you'd never guess he was the head training officer for aspiring astronauts preparing for flight.

he seemed more fit to be on the cover of vogue, or perhaps clutching a diamond sceptre and expecting a crown to be placed on top of his jet-black hair.

maybe these were the reasons he was well respected by officers alike, and why it was so easy for him, as head training officer, to produce the best pilots the world had ever seen. he liked his job, and was damn good at it, too.

his name is park seonghwa, codename: mars.

he makes sure the satisfactory click of the door locking is heard before sitting at the desk where the head director is waiting.

it's important to show a professional cover to the rest of the agency, and keep their friendship behind closed (preferably, locked) doors. this is where titles are dropped, and the term 'friends' is much more fitting than 'co-workers'.

(the two men did this to ensure their safety- KQSA was a national government administration well connected with korea's head politicians, which meant there were far too many workers with bad motives than good. seonghwa has only joined the agency to follow his childhood dreams of becoming an astronaut, and he'd be damned if he were to be roped into one of the  government's many untrustworthy schemes.)

the head director smiles warmly at seonghwa, his steely manner from a few seconds ago instantly dissipating.

his name is kim yonghwan, codename: eden.

"am i here for business, or for a break?" seonghwa asks with a similar, teasing grin.

"business, i'm afraid. but it's the interesting stuff, don't worry."

"...mission sunrise?" seonghwa questions hesitantly. from the lit-up expression and humourous quirk of eyebrows from the elder, it's clear he's hit the jackpot. eden flits through numerous files and folders- complicated data that seonghwa could never wrap his head around on his own, and what makes eden's skills as head director of the agency so admirable.

though eden isn't the boss, and there are a hundred higher-ups that earn more than both their salaries combined in the business ladder, he does most of the work. this is shown by the many file cabinets stacked behind him and his heavily stained coffee mug sat beside his computer, with the beverage neglected and cold.

the files land in front of seonghwa with a heavy thud. he picks up the first on the pile curiously and reads.

it's the mission plan and route and specifics of the research mission that they (himself, eden, and a couple dozen others) have been planning for the past two years.