#Balhae | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kiss-me-muchoo · 4 months ago

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𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 || 𝐇𝐚𝐧 𝐘𝐮𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐞 𝐗 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

summary_ no matter what, you’d never be his priority, after Balhae, you decide it’s time to leave him behind and when he wakes up alone, he realizes how stupid it would be live without you.

warnings_ AGE GAP (not specific but implied early 20s), ANGST, SPOILERS, blood, sex pollen lol, BAD smut (not heavily detailed bc I’m lazy), biotechnology inaccuracies, etc, plot twist at the end, NO PROOFREADING YET.

notes_oh to be in a doomed abandoned space station with gong yoo and making him fall in love with me // I refuse to accept there isn’t season two of the silent sea and that Yun Jae is dead + using salesman tags to avoid the flop.

♫ ♪ the worst playlist 4 gong yoo

✰ Index (+ fics here)

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　

You can’t breathe.

Your hands shake in panic and you start violently tapping at the glass in the window.

“DON’T DO THIS!” You scream with evident pain in your voice.

He only eyes you with something you can’t identify. It’s either guilt or sorry, you guess.

“Please, don’t leave me alone again…” he hears you say.

But he prefers to let you live.

Yun Jae barely eyes you, but he’s suffering too.

The worst part? He wanted to make you believe it so badly. And you do…

Jian grabs you by the waist and urges you to get out with Dr. Hong and Luna. You sob and the sweat mixes with the tears as you make everything not fall apart amidst the escape of Balhae.

You see the moon, the stars, the freezing water, and the darkness of space. If you were on earth, you know it’d be crescent.

How can a place so beautiful cause so much pain?

“We have to keep going, y/n,” Dr. Hong says, patting your back and seeing if you are correctly breathing to save oxygen. “Hold the tears, y/n. You can’t lose oxygen now…”

She doesn’t mean to sound insensitive, you know it.

Yun Jae gave you the signals the moment you met him. It was you who thought he could change. By the grace of love, only silly you thought that was possible.

And as you lose oxygen because you can’t stop sobbing, you understand you were never his priority.

…

Your hand never let go of his. Your touch is warm and he remains cold as ice. The reports can’t assure he will get better. The rescue was full of tension and you couldn’t even remember the moment your feet touched the earth. It felt like the woman who boarded the spaceship and the one who returned were two different people. You got scared, of becoming trapped in the horrors of the memories in Balhae.

His daughter died two days before you got rescued. The body was still being held, in hopes Yun Jae awakened and decided what to do. Without water, even funerals had changed. You didn’t want to be the person to tell him the news, you didn’t want to care for him if he showed progress. Just looking at him being in the middle of life and death made you feel sick.

Your heart was beyond broken and your mind was holding you hostage of your own memories. You wanted to go back home.

And when the doctor returned with reports of Yun Jae likely waking up in the following days, you just got a reason to leave.

You eye the man you love one last time and tears pool in your eyes. You deserved to be free from any trace of pain. And of anyone who caused said pain, even when probably it wasn’t their intention.

Your lips leave a gentle kiss on his cheek and you hold your breath as you leave the cold hospital room. Through the corridors, as you walk, you cross into a familiar person.

“Jian…” she looks up and briefly smiles at you before returning to her usual face. Her hair looked longer and there was an improvement on her, she looked less shy and less quiet. “Y/n…”

“How is Yun Jae?” You sigh, remembering the reason why you were leaving the hospital. “He’s officially stable, he’ll likely wake up in a couple of days…”

“Aren’t you happy?” She asks, showing shyness once again but also curiosity.

“I’m going back home…” her eyes snap open. “What? Why, y/n?”

“I can’t be here when he wakes up” You barely hear yourself, Jian only sighs. “I miss my home, my family. I’m tired of waiting for a man and needing him to love me back”

She looks understanding, and Jian slowly nods.

“I understand” She offers you her hand to shake and it’s enough to make you smile because you consider the gesture as a silent ‘We’re friends’.

“I will call from time to time” She nods as you smile at her. “And no matter what, if Yun Jae wakes up, you don’t know where I am”

The agreement disclosure isn’t much of Jian’s liking. She believes Yun Jae loves you too. But she had said it to you multiple times in Balhae and you never believed her.

“Take care of Luna” you lastly say.

“She’s in good hands” Both of you smile again before you leave.

Your throat feels sore, and you feel like you are choking as you try to reach the exit of the hospital.

When you feel like you can’t take it anymore, you start jogging towards a restroom. You lock inside a stall. The quiet public space is interrupted by the disgusting sound of you vomiting.

Curious thing, your vomit was transparent liquid. Just water…

[one month ago]

To say the place you were habituating was cursed, was right. Balhae had proven to be a mystery and danger in less than twenty-four hours. Two people of the crew had died. You barely knew anyone and the captain was the last person you wanted to interact with. Han Yun Jae and you met in a bar. Where drinks were expensive, people judged and everyone mourned something. He grew curious because you looked young and too sane to have access to fine drinks. But it was you who exchanged the first words. There wasn’t much talk before you ended up naked and letting him fuck you in your apartment. He was soft and rough, his hair fell upon his forehead and he prioritized your pleasure before his.

Until there was no trace of him in the morning.

No note, message, nothing.

But why were you expecting such things for starters? He was a man after all…

So when you realized it was too late to back up from going to space, you accepted Han Yun Jae would be your captain whether you liked it or not.

“Do you have the map?” He asks, pointing at the dark alleyway with his flashlight before returning his attention to you.

“I thought everyone had it” he has eyes like you he’s facing the most stupid person in the world. You simply shrug uncomfortably, ignoring his eyes.

“Yes. But I’m specifically asking if you downloaded it” You resist the urge to roll your eyes and huff in annoyance.

“I have it downloaded. Happy?”

“That attitude won’t get us to the food storage,” he says and your hands form firsts. Before stepping closer to him.

“Then fucking stop judging every step I give!”

“I’m not” Yun Jae firmly says.

“Every single time. I know things are hard for everyone, mate. It sucks we had to lose two crew members so early. And I’m sorry we have to work together after our one-night stand. But I know what my job is and I don’t need you picking on me because you think I’m gonna mess up everything” The anger in your voice was hard to miss.

“Once we’re all settled in, we should talk” he attempts, but you won’t agree.

“There’s nothing to talk about” You push past Yun Jae and quietly continue following the path to the food storage.

The captain only stares as you walk away, hands on his hips and sighing in defeat.

He just wanted to protect you.

…

A trail of blood grows as Tae Suk and Yun Jae pull you up, you had just gotten out of the basement where all the lunar water was.

You start holding the tears as your brain processes the pain and you look at your leg.

“You’re losing blood” Doctor Hong alerted, moving you away so the rest of the crew could get out of the growing flooded basement.

“The plant…” you barely say.

“That’s not important right now,” Yun Jae says getting into you and Doctor Hong. You barely eye him, but you know he was fixated on you. “Tae Suk, help me out here…”

Both men slide their arms under your armpits and tangle them around your waist to help you stand up.

“Yun Jae, please bring the plant” you plead with him, starting to see blurred spots through your vision.

He doesn’t reply. The man feels his heart beating faster as your body starts feeling heavier.

He almost yelled when he heard you slipped from the emergency stairs. With the panic of water flooding the place and the mysterious intruder in the base, Yun Jae was hyperventilating when you came out, your suit ripped all the way up your left leg, and blood washing the floor.

Once the door was locked again, he took a breath, the way to the medical aisle felt shorter. Doctor Hong stepped in and helped to place you on a stretcher. You are awake but it was evident you were disassociating.

“I’ll take it from here” the doctor announced and everyone stepped back, except for Yun Jae.

“Is she going to be okay?” Both women apart from you looked at him with subtle arched brows. Soon Jian connected the dots and repressed a smile.

“I promise”

…

Without the sense of time passing, you find yourself in endless agony until the serum pumping through your veins finishes. You remove the needle yourself and it stings, but not as much as your wounded leg.

It was a fluke you could walk without much problem, but the area would be sore for a couple of days, and the suit wasn’t necessarily the most comfortable thing to wear.

Anyhow, the plant found in the basement under the database of Balhae rested in a crystal case on a table near the stretcher you were placed in.

Soon you are dressed again, in joggers and a tank top, but there are gloves, goggles, and a face mask covering you.

The leaves of the plant were oddly thin, the green was just too bright that you almost considered identifying them as neon green. It was dangerous to conduct research given that some of the lunar water must be included in the plant’s DNA.

You’re so concentrated in the process that you don’t see a figure entering the lab.

“How dangerous is the research?” You jump out startled. Your hands drop the cold tweezers and hold onto the table.

Yun Jae stands there, cautiously looking at the plant.

“You scared me to death…” you say, ignoring his question until your heartbeats return to normal. He waits until you take off the gloves and goggles. “It’s not as dangerous as the lunar water. Seems to be less invasive and corrosive”

He nods before tilting his head. You were trying your best to ignore him. But your hands start sweating, a good indicator of how nervous he made you.

“Listen, y/n… I feel like we need to-”

“I don’t want to talk about it” you firmly say, interrupting him and taking the tweezers again.

“Do you regret it?”

Yun Jae was never good enough with words. He lacked the emotional vulnerability to speak his mind. But he was a sensible man, only that he unconsciously locked himself so nobody could see that.

He didn’t know why he suddenly needed to be okay with you. He couldn’t say loved you, he barely knew you, but he was growing fond of you too quickly.

And you hadn’t answered yet…

You contemplate answering. But you don’t…

“I said I didn’t want to talk about it” You carefully grab the plant, rushing to move away from Yun Jae.

But he had other plans.

First, you felt his big hands on you. Left on your hip and right on your forearm. He made you turn back to face him and you stare nervously.

If tension could speak, it would scream.

The proximity was making you even more nervous. And how couldn’t he?

Yun Jae was handsome; tall, had warm eyes, and confident touch. If he hadn’t left without a trace a month ago, you would’ve believed he was a gentleman.

“What are you doing?” You ask.

You can feel the plant in a case being the only thing between, preventing your chests collide with each other.

He doesn’t answer. He just feels your fingers shaking, holding the plant to dear life.

Why he just couldn’t say that he cared for you and never wanted to hurt you in the first place?

“Smells sweet…” he says and you frown, confused. Until the smell hits you and you realize both of you have been inhaling the toxins of the plants without any protection.

“Shit…” you drop the plant and the case shatters, the crystal cracking into million pieces. But not even the loud sound came to be important because the moment you raised your head, you had Yun Jae kissing you.

It took you by surprise at the beginning. And when you were about to pull backward, you felt it.

The warmth growing from your chest down through your ribs, until it has you feeling wet… down there.

Yun Jae gets closer, taking advantage of the proximity, and holds your waist.

You were melting, unable to control the sudden sensation of carnally needing him so bad.

The plant was an aphrodisiac?

“Yun Jae… the plant” you try to say, but he can’t stop kissing you. And you weren’t doing much to stop it.

Your ass was pressed against the table, you want to lay on it and spread your legs for him, but there was a little auto control in your left.

“Let me have you,” he says, almost whispering. You know he’s not thinking straight, but he means everything his mouth says until the effects pass.

The next three hours feel like five minutes. The abandoned dorms were untouched, and clean, and had bunks big enough to allow Yun Jae to fuck you over there.

On your back, on your side, on all fours, on top, you did everything. Until that moment you realized women were capable of so many orgasms.

Maybe both of you passed out when the effects of the plant subsided.

“Why you didn’t leave a note or anything?” you’d ask after waking up in his arms and feeling him holding your hand.

“I wanted to stay” he answers, sounding honest enough to believe it.

“Then why you didn’t?” Yun Jae chuckled.

“I had accepted the mission of Balhae a day ago, I thought I was never seeing you again” you smile, happy to finally understand him. “It was better to leave rather than stay and get to know you. With no attachments, this would be easier, but…” you nod, kissing his cheek.

“Can I get to know you now? Given that we’re straddled in the moon…” he chuckles again, kissing your temple this time.

“Yeah, I think that’d be fair”

You wonder how much time both of you have left before the crew starts asking where the hell the two of you are.

“And if we live enough to go back home, let me take you out…”

“Like a date?” he rolls his eyes but ends up nodding while smiling.

[In the present…]

The sky was always dusty and the heat was unbearable, but the government had implemented a way to protect the households from overheating. Your access to water was almost unlimited but you liked to save the most you could.

Despite it all, it wasn’t that bad. You were close to your family and your days were busy.

You had been in contact with Jian, she said Luna was showing progress and that there were chances of studying her DNA. You never asked for Yun Jae. But you were always thinking about him. While cooking, eating, cleaning the house, before bed, you were always thinking about him. It had been ten months since you saw him the last time

There were nights when you’d wake up from nightmares about feeling like you were drowning. Till that day, you didn’t know why you vomited water. You left the organization in Korea, so you had no updates about the lunar water other than what Jian said over the phone.

The nightmares about Balhae weren’t constantly haunting you, but when they did, that’s when you needed Yun Jae the most.

Cleaning up the fridge of your house, you look at the clock and you sigh, noticing it’s getting late. You had a report due at midnight. It was almost done, and it contained a hypothetical plan to search for a tree that could slowly bring back the normal water. You turn off the light in the kitchen and you stay looking at the living room.

There was your little joy.

In an improvised bassinet, your baby was sleeping.

Min Ho was two months old. Almost three…

His father was alive, but likely, he’ll never know.

Or so you thought because someone knocked at your door.

You open the door, not ready to be shocked.

You expect anyone; family, friends, your boss. Anyone but him…

“Han Yun Jae…” You swear blood stops running through your body as you see him standing at your door.

“Can I come in?” He asks and you move aside, eyeing him.

Both of you stare at each other, trying to describe who were they facing.

His hair was shorter, and he looked less tired, but you knew he was grieving his daughter’s death. The tattoo of him you hated so much was visible through the sweater he was wearing. He looked fine as always.

He sees there's a big change in you, but he can’t tell if it’s your shorter hair or the way your body looks different. He still finds you the most beautiful woman his eyes have seen in a very long time.

And he knows he can’t lose you again.

“I’m sorry…” he says, trying to remain strong and face you.

You are speechless. For some seconds you don’t know what to do. Then you walk towards him and you raise your hand to slap him. But you don’t, because you can’t.

“You leave me… every single time” his arms immediately wrap around you.

Yun Jae feels terrible. He can feel himself growing teary. But you immediately feel his warmth and you find a new reason to keep living.

You missed him so much.

“I’m so sorry” he adds.

“And you hurt me… every single time” he fights the urge to end up sobbing with you. Instead, Yun Jae focuses on holding you tightly.

“I thought I was saving you”

“Deciding if I wanted to risk more for you was my decision to make, Yun Jae” he nods, brushing your hair as you sobbed.

“Yeah, now I understand it…” he started kissing your hair and it soothes you more than it should.

“What are you doing here?” You ask, wiping your eyes.

“When I woke up, you were gone. I spent months asking Jian if she knew anything. She refused to tell me until I questioned if I should stop looking for you…” you stand stiff, wondering if your friend told him about a certain little human sleeping in the living room. “Jian said there was another reason to keep looking for you…”

You sigh, the worst that could happen was that he would leave. Forever this time…

You tell him to stay quiet and to follow you.

Yun Jae secretly looks around your place, noticing how neat and comfortable the place is.

You expect him to get out of the house as soon as he steps into the living room.

But he stands there quietly, acknowledging the baby sleeping on the floor.

The baby is dressed in a green onesie. His skin looks slightly dry but given the circumstance of the weather, he understands. He has matted dark brown hair, almost black. And he doesn’t have to question the obvious, the baby doesn’t have your eyes nor your nose.

It’s a boy…

That was the reason Jian was talking about.

He kneels to brush the back of his hand with the chubby cheek of the baby. Yun Jae instantly feels his eyes getting wet.

“His name is Min Ho, he’s two months old,” you say, kneeling beside the father of the kid. “And of course, it’s your son…”

Yun Jae silently asks if he can carry him and you nod.

He couldn’t process all the emotions he was feeling at that moment. All he knew was that looking at Min Ho caused him joy and pain at the same time. He would always love and miss his daughter. But holding a newborn when he thought he would never see that coming again, was pure happiness.

“Are you leaving again?” You couldn’t help but ask.

Yun Jae locks eyes with you, he savors the sight of your face and knows he wants to see it every morning and every night.

“Never…” he leans and you softly bump your forehead with his, silently forgiving and allowing yourself to stop grieving.

…

The smell of food fills the room. You served two plates and returned to sit at the dining table. There wasn’t enough food but it was okay for you and Yun Jae.

Min Ho had attached to him well. Both of you bathed the baby and felt so odd and domestic at the same time. He told you everything about him, from before and after Balhae.

There’s a secret agreement to stay together. You could easily find a job for him. He could rest a little and take care of your baby. Whatever he wanted to do, you would be okay with it. And he would rely on his promise. Because he never wanted to leave you again.

“I’m still surprised that he’s healthy…” you stop typing in your laptop to eye Yun Jae.

He looked so natural burping the baby. Then you remember he wasn’t new at parenthood. And you hoped Min Ho wasn’t being a painful reminder of it.

“He was premature. But I’m using all of the resources for him. My family has also sacrificed a little bit of theirs for Min Ho”

“I must thank them…” you smile, grabbing his free hand.

“There’ll be time for it…” he nods and you return to typing.

“Wait… So got pregnant on the moon?” Both of you start chuckling.

“Yes, give me my Record Guinness”

The moment of cackling is interrupted by Min Ho cooing.

“He wants to participate in the conversation too,” you say.

Yun Jae looks down at his son. He looks mostly like him, but he has your lips and skin.

Then he looks back at you and sees you invested in writing something.

“What are you doing?” He asks, standing to stand beside you.

“It’s a report, let me submit it…”

Some minutes of silence between you two, just the coos of Min Ho, and then you finally close your laptop.

“So, we’ve found a tree in South America…” Yun Jae widely opened his eyes, looking expectantly at you. “I’m waiting for researchers to bring some evidence”

“We need the evidence to survive the trip back, I’m leading the experiment,” you say, looking away at your sleeping daughter. “If we succeed, we’ll be able to produce water”

Yun Jae hugs you, his big hand caressing your head in his chest, the other holding Min Ho.

“I’m so proud of you” You smile, accepting the compliment and feeling like you are slowly freeing your love for him.

…

It’s at night when you finally accept you have been in love with Han Yun Jae before you could even accept it.

You lay naked in bed, with him on top of you, kissing you softly and possessively.

“I missed you so much”

“I missed you too” he kisses your forehead and proceeds to rub your folds with his length before pushing in.

You close your eyes, savoring the feeling after ten long months.

Yun Jae is fascinated by touching the body of the woman who gave him a child amidst chaos and horror. He can see that you went through changes, the color and size of your breasts, the softness in your stomach, the stretch marks in your inner thighs. He finds beauty everywhere. And at the same time, it drives him crazy.

“Please, harder…” you beg, barely able to talk because he feels too good. The way he slides in and out, stretching you each time no matter how wet you were. You have to bite your tongue to not wake up little Min Ho.

“You want it harder, baby?” You nod and he makes your wishes come true.

“I love you…” he doesn’t stop, he leans down and kisses you before answering you.

“I love you too”

It had been worth the wait.

…

Yun Jae hears you and Min Ho laughing. He was turning two years old and you wanted to celebrate his birthday with your family.

Yun Jae thanked them as he promised.

He was placing the cake you had ordered in the fridge and upon hearing the constant yells and laughter, he went out to see what was happening in the backyard.

He smiled at the sight.

It was Min Ho’s first time using a pool.

Rain was coming back, and woods and jungles were growing green again. Irrigation systems started being used again and the world was healing.

Yun Jae thought both of you would die on the same earth without water, but probably allowing your baby to grow up with hopes of having it again.

To his surprise, he was celebrating his son’s second birthday and soon he would have to buy a first anniversary wedding gift.

“Yun Jae, come to see this!” He hears you calling him and he gets closer, taking a seat in the towel you placed on the floor for him.

He watches Min Ho splashing water everywhere and he has to hug you because the moment felt like it was dream.

But it was real.

————

I’m ignorant, someone pls tell me the correct way of writing Korean names. For example is it…

a. Han Yun Jae

b. Han Yun jae

c. Han Yun-Jae

d. Han Yun-jae

e. Han yunjae

#gong yoo x reader #gong yoo #han yun jae x reader #the silent sea #the salesman x reader #salesman x reader #recruiter x reader

196 notes · View notes

winepresswrath · 2 years ago

Note

ok after a night of thinking about it

mean princess would ideally be a little more homoerotic about being mean. also im pretty sure they're setting her up to be the love rival for her brother who iirc she did marry. this feels a little mean of the show. however there is still time for IU to win her over into her harem! i remain hopeful.

my favourite suitor is honestly the baby who brings IU toys. I do like both 8th and 4th princes! however the baby makes me laugh. i'm not really shipping anything so far but he seems like he would move to a distant villa in a vacation town and avoid all the fratricidal power games if she nudged him in that direction.

i am intrigued by the cousin-wife in a love triangle(?) with her husband and his brother trying to redirect the brother who is in love with her (not her husband) to IU while also kind of trying to get IU to marry her husband. girl. focus!!!

8th prince has so many evil flags and I hope that his face heel turn is satisfying because so far the villains are a little cartoony. tho the moment when all the other siblings were trying to figure out how to make their sister stop beating up their crush while third prince was like "sweety ur doing amazing" was pretty fun. i also like third prince's eyeliner and fur cape and mommy issues. the mommy issues quotient on this show is off the charts. the fourth prince alone. wow. making all the other princelings look so normal.

Queen Filicide is so pretty and yet... five seconds ago you were telling your son to keep an eye on your feral reject child because you need to know what's going on with him and maybe bring him over to your side. he breaks into your room in the middle of the night to tell you that what's going on with him is that he wants to be loved by you and will commit Crimes (mass murder) for you and you violently reject him??? and then tell him to stay away from your other son so he doesn't infect him with bad luck????? this is not good conspiring.

also excited for the 8th prince's mom to step up and do something insane

i like the crown prince and am pleased that he and feral prince are forming an alliance of brothers no one else likes. good for them.

excited to see your moon lovers thoughts!! I am deeply fond of it, despite remembering it being somewhat uneven. (there is one!! perfect!! episode!! among many fun and OK episodes.) now I want to rewatch it again.

I'm very excited for the queen on queen violence! And IU is adorable. It's very fun so far.

#alas i'm pretty sure baby prince's maternal grandpa is gonna do a coup on his behalf #i do not remember if he survives it #i don't think this show cares very much about historical accuracy #so that may not matter #also i really don't know much about early goryeo #and sometimes i get it mixed up with gorguryeo #however i am 95% sure the people feral prince was fostered out to are the same ones who pissed off his dad destroying balhae so there is #that to look forward to. unless it already happened?#maybe i should be less confident #cw incest #my girlfriend is morally opposed to spoilers via the historical record so for now i'm stuck with only what i can remember about this period #not much! thank u six flying dragons for making me sit down and try to decipher this history of silla

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free-for-all-fics · 5 months ago

Text

Another prompt for The Silent Sea! Pls tag me if you’re inspired by this at all and I’d love to read it! 💙🌑

You were Han Yun-jae’s wife. You used to be a scientist of some sort but, following your marriage, you became pregnant with your daughter, Ha-jin. You lost contact with your former colleagues because your husband got in the way, but you didn’t blame him. When you found out you were going to have a child, you made a promise to your husband: No work that would put yourself or Ha-jin in danger - so no SAA, no more trips to other planets, and no Balhae Station. You quit your job and switched to a much safer field of work that kept you on Earth while focusing on being a mother and raising Ha-jin. As such, you and your husband decided to keep your past as an astrophysicist/virologist/chemist/astrobiologist/other form of scientist of your choosing a secret from Ha-jin. You did, however, continue your friendship with some of your former colleagues. One of them frequently visited you after the tragic death of her husband during a mission. This friend tried to convince you to come back multiple times, leading to Yun-jae losing trust in them. Despite your friend’s efforts to get you to come back, you stuck to your promise... Except when they made you break it. Which was...as often as they could. Though you distanced yourself as much as possible, you still sent them secret letters and offered your input or expertise when it was asked for.

Letter 1:

Thank you for the letters, I am fine now. To be honest, I let the letters build up. I won't smooth that over with excuses. I know that it's not your fault everything went south, but I don't think it's likely I’ll be returning. I'm sorry that's where I've landed, but you know why. I'll still look for your letters in the mail, and you can look for mine in the post. If you leave the life, l've got a room for you here. I know you won't. I regret bringing you in - more than anything. Yun-jae’s fine. Still spits fire at the mention of your name, which I'm sure will make you smile a bit. Ha-jin’s good like she always is. She’s picked up my habit of asking strangers the exact questions she shouldn't. It drives Yun-jae nuts...but it cracks me up.

Letter 2:

I do still have my notes - you'll find them at the safe house. You must know that curiosity is twisting my neurons into knots of pure agitation. That's FINE. I'll let that happen. You're a monster. So...all right, I have to know a little. No names, okay? Just tell me about the pattern. Was I right? Has it started up again?

Note 1:

All right...let me know a little. Just a date. Don't send anything else.

Note 2:

It's not the same date, but I know this handwriting. Is it RX?

Note 3:

I can’t come back in.

Note 4:

I am not coming back in!

Letter 3:

Not a word to Yun-jae or anyone in the SAA, but look, here's what's still weird for me: The pattern we spotted — why was it gone for so long? The night of the wavebreak - did we really hit too close to home on that one? If so, that accounts for the long silence. I mean, it's been years since we've caught anything. So did we scare them into silence for a minute there, or did we just lose the thread at that point? I'll help you for the time being, but you've got to get another analyst on board, okay? I've got enough of the notes in my head, but I need you to hit me with the specific dates and locations for all of the events. We subscribe to three papers - you can guess which ones. Drop everything into the want ads. I'm a sucker for the lonely hearts ads; give me a reason to read them.

Letter 4:

Cute ads. Sad though. I know you remember what we learned in school, and then again in training: That every joke travels with a bit of truth in its pocket. You’re clearly lonely. I realize I'm the last person on Earth who should give relationship advice, as I'm the benefactor of an obscene amount of what my mother called love luck. Yun-jae dropped into my life, and that's that. I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop squarely on my nose. Luck like this is unnerving. You know when I approached you with the job at the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association (KSEA)? I hope this doesn't cheapen our friendship in your eyes, but I made a project of you. You were so brutally competitive and - populate your own list of compliments, you know what I think of you. I set my mark on you, and you on me. We became close friends, graduated, parted ways. I kept reading your work - you were still so much better with words than I could hope to be.

Letter 5:

When your articles stopped appearing, I got very worried. I searched for your byline everywhere - found nothing. Then I found out why. My heart went out to you. Your husband would be furious with you right now, you know. He loved you, and the last thing he'd ever want is for you to sit the rest of your life out. I helped you back on your feet because I couldn't think of a better person to do the same for me when my time to fall flat on my face came around. By the way, you were hilariously suspicious at first. Can't say I blame you - losing your husband was a kick to the gut, and anyone who looked you in the eye could see you waiting for the next blow to land. You found your way back, got writing again, but that look you had then, you still have it today.

If true love means never having to say you're sorry, then true friendship between researchers means never having to break out the grease pencil. Fine, here it is one last time: He's dead, you're not. Go to his grave tomorrow, and say goodbye. He loved you, and if he had a voice to speak, it would beg you to stop torturing yourself.

Back to the numbers. I'm selling a bunch of used garden equipment in the papers of record. Tell me if you think I got it right.

Note 5:

I heard you loud and clear. Drive at your own chosen speed. But the numbers - how sure are you that I'm right?

Note 6:

All right. This situation is bad. stand by - the next letter is going to come to you via courier.

You kept your promise with relative ease until there was a really close call one night. As to what happened, your husband would rather not say. He took you and Ha-jin, and left. And he was right to. That time, you chose your daughter over Balhae Station and Director Choi. And you were right to. But it didn’t end there. That incident, whatever it was, caused your daughter’s legs to become damaged and she had to be hospitalized. Five years ago, when Ha-jin was about seven years old, due to your expertise in whatever scientific and/or medical field of your choosing, you were asked to be a part of the team of 117 researchers and scientists to go on the mission to Balhae Lunar Research Station on the moon. Following your daughter’s hospitalization, your friend finally convinced you to help them on the Balhae Operation. But to do this, they lied to you about many things and quite possibly used your husband and daughter to emotionally manipulate you. But, in their mind, it was for the greater good.

Earth was, and still is, undergoing a water crisis. A Class 1 Societal Disruption to be exact, brought on by a severe worldwide water shortage. Rivers, lakes, and even parts of the oceans have dried up, fish are considered extinct, water is strictly and tightly rationed, keeping pets is illegal, riots are common, and there's a general sense of dejection and acceptance of mankind's eventual extinction. The mission to Balhae Station was supposed to fix this, and it might’ve well succeeded in doing so if done right. If done wrong, however, Earth was looking at a Class 2 Societal Collapse at best, or up to Class 4 Multispecies Extinction at worst, depending on how many species are susceptible to lunar water. Though it broke your heart to make such a difficult decision, you were going to keep your mission a secret from your family and leave quietly without saying anything. Once you safely arrived at Balhae Station, you were going to record and send a video message to Yun-jae to explain to him the situation and why you left. Though you knew he’d be angry, you hoped he’d understand in time. You hoped that you’d return home safely to a better world once your mission was completed successfully. That was your plan.

But he somehow found out about the mission and your agreement to go, though he didn’t know all of the details. It resulted in a heated argument that your daughter overheard when she was allowed to be temporarily discharged from the hospital to visit home for a weekend. You and your husband knew how homesick she got, no matter how often you visited her in the hospital and brought her things from home that she asked for. Her favorite was a large nightlight that made the entire room glow a soft blue like the sea or the moon and emit soothing sounds designed for sleep. You gave it to Ha-jin so she wouldn’t have nightmares. You told her,

“We all come from water, so dying isn’t really dying, it’s more like taking a break.”

Your words plus the nightlight helped her sleep.

The doctors told you that Ha-jin could go home for short stays once in a while. It wasn’t that she was better, it was just that it helped ease her homesickness. You and Yun-jae feared it someday would be her last chance. Even so, she was glad to be coming home. She missed her parents terribly. And you missed her too.

“Han residence, Mrs. Han speaking. You know this line isn’t secure. Stop - I’ll call you.” Ha-jin heard your voice as she eavesdropped and watched you from the second floor. You hung up the phone in the living room and walked to your office, shutting the door firmly behind you. She had no idea who you were talking to or what the conversation was about.

“Can I have my notes?” You asked your husband. You couldn’t find them in any of the usual places where you kept them safely locked away, which told you that your husband either moved or took them.

“No.”

“They might be helpful.”

“I bet they would be extremely helpful, but no, you really can't. They're gone.”

“Gone where?”

“I shredded them.”

“You what?!”

“Remember when Ha-jin picked the lock on that filing cabinet?”

“Which one?”

“I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, to my knowledge it was just the one.”

“I mean...which one? The only one ever? That one?”

“I knew she was looking for your notes, so I shredded everything.”

“So it’s all lost.”

“It’s all lost.”

“How could you do that?”

“I thought it might prevent her from someday finding out what you used to do and what you're doing right now. She’s too young and doesn’t understand now, but she won’t be seven years old forever. I don’t want her following in your footsteps when she’s older. I mean, do you even have any idea how selfish you’re being right now?” Ha-jin heard her dad raise his voice at you from downstairs while she was drawing in her room. Though she was only seven years old, she could tell that everything was not okay. That something was going on and it was bad. She snuck out of her room and, hiding behind the railing of the second floor and peeking through the wooden bars next to the stairs, she crouched out of sight as she listened to you and Yun-jae, her parents, argue below her.

“No! You’re not doing this!” He yelled, unable to keep his composure.

“Keep it down!” You hissed under your breath.

“You made me a promise!”

“This is more important.”

“What do you want me to tell Ha-jin, huh? That her mom doesn’t care enough about her to stay?”

“Yun-jae!” You snapped at him, too irritated to call him honey like you normally did. “I’m not suddenly an entirely new person just because I’m your wife and the mother of your child.”

“You don’t understand! We knew the risks of our jobs when we married, but things changed when you became pregnant! We knew that because of our work, Ha-jin may lose us if we both stayed. We agreed that we didn’t want our daughter to be orphaned because of our work, so at least one of us should leave the field and find a safer option! I didn’t force you to leave, you chose to do it!”

“You’re right. I chose to leave. And I don’t regret my decision for a second. I loved that job, but I’m not blaming you for my resignation, Yun-jae. That’s not why I’m doing this.”

“So then why are you leaving?! You promised you wouldn’t do this again!”

“I told you. This mission is more important than keeping the promise I made to you. I can’t tell you more than that.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Can’t. I really can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t?”

“Per the terms of the contract, I can’t disclose any more information about this mission to anyone, not even you - my husband.”

“What? Did you sign an NDA already without consulting me first?”

“I didn’t feel the need to consult you on this because this mission isn’t unlike anything I’ve done before. It’s like you said, I know the risks of what I’m getting into. I can handle myself.”

“But you’ll be gone for years! A lot can happen in that time! Don’t you walk away from me! Just leave then, fly off to the moon!” He yelled after you in frustration as you waved him off and walked away from him, not wanting to continue the conversation if he was going to be like that.

“Oh, grow up, Yun-jae,” you scoffed at him, just as frustrated and exasperated as he was.

You and your husband both needed time and space away from each other to cool off.

“Are you really going to go?” Ha-jin asked you, standing in the doorway of what you called your “artist’s studio”.

Ever since you and Yun-jae bought the house together and moved in, it quickly became the one room in the entire house that was entirely yours. You drew and painted a lot even while pregnant and, once Ha-jin was old enough to pick up a crayon, you shared your special space with her. It was almost like your sanctuary in a way. A room where you could escape reality and let your imagination run free for a few minutes or hours. Many of your paintings and drawings decorated the walls, along with some of Ha-jin’s art. There were art supplies scattered about in what looked like a chaotic mess but, to you, it was an organized mess.

You were sat down in front of a canvas or large sketchbook propped up on an easel, paintbrush or charcoal pencil in hand as you were in the middle of drawing or painting something new. “Have a seat.” You patted the cushioned chair next to you where she usually practiced drawing with you.

She stubbornly stayed rooted where she was and crossed her arms. “No. Dad told me you’re leaving. Why?”

“Ha-jin, it’s not like that,” you sighed.

“Are you coming back?”

“I know you heard some stuff between me and your dad, but you’ve got the wrong idea, kiddo.”

“Then what’s the right idea?”

“You’ll understand when you’re older.”

“Why is that always all you say?”

“Trust me, if I could tell you everything, I would. But for now, I just can’t. Now come and sit.”

“I’m sorry, I just can’t.” She parroted your words back at you.

You chuckled. “Like mother, like daughter I see. Well, too bad. You’re doing it.” You gently grabbed her hand and sat her down next to you, wrapping your arm around her in something of a side hug so she couldn’t get up as you drew pictures together.

“Why are you leaving?”

“You have no idea how much I want to tell you why, but I honestly can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Just know this - if you knew, you would understand.”

“Are you coming back?”

“I really don’t know.”

“That’s not a fair thing to say!”

“Trust me, kiddo, I know.”

Just as you finished suiting up minus your helmet, your phone rang. It was your husband.

“You're going to Balhae Station!” was the first thing he said to you in an accusatory tone when you picked up.

“How did you know?”

“Never mind how I know! That's not the point. You're deflecting.”

“Guilty.”

“You don't have my permission to be in space or go to the moon. Come home, right now.”

“Your permission? I think l'm a little too old for that.”

“What you're too old for is running headfirst into a dangerous situation and leaving the rest of us to clean up after you.”

“What is with you right now? This isn’t my first assignment. I know the risks that come with space travel and am fully trained for this. Calm down.”

“Honey. You don't get it. I am not angry at you.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“I'm scared. Please just come home.”

“Shouldn’t you want me to fight for a better future?”

“No. I want people with political power, around the clock protection, and endless resources at their fingertips to fight this. Not my wife. Not yet at least. Live a little longer before making that sort of decision. Although as your husband, I can't commend your career in the library sciences strongly enough.”

“You want me to be a librarian for the rest of my life?”

“Maybe. They're the world's unsung heroes and they don’t go to space for years long missions. Please just come home.”

“You keep telling me to turn back and come home, but I can't do that. Not just yet.”

“But you and I are married! We have a daughter together! How can you just leave us here? I won’t have it!”

“Earth is cursed. If I remain here and do nothing, when I could go to Balhae Station and do something, then all those dear to me will die and it’ll feel like it’s partially my fault.”

“Are Ha-jin and I not dear to you? Stay with us, and you and I will save Earth together.”

“I’m sorry, Yun-jae. But there are others who are counting on me even more than you.”

“You still don't get it. This isn't dangerous to just you. You’re impacting your entire life. Me, our daughter, your friends…anyone who knows you.”

“I know and I’m sorry, but… I bought my ticket years ago. I can’t just back out now. I have to do this.”

His stomach dropped. He felt as if you weren’t just talking about a ticket for the shuttle but that you were alluding to your own death. It was as you said: You knew the risks.

You didn’t come home. Against your husband’s wishes, you went to Balhae Station, leaving him and your daughter on Earth. The accident caused the chips to go dead. The government couldn’t let the bereaved families know right away. A radiation leak. As far as he knew, that was what killed you and everyone else on board. He and Ha-jin both grieved in their own ways. He’d swipe through the photos of you he had saved on his phone or stare around your house, at the photos of you hanging on the walls - your wedding photo, the photos of you and Ha-jin from her birth to when she was growing up. Or he’d stand in your “artist’s studio” and stare at your artworks, especially the unfinished ones. He did not tell Ha-jin about the true circumstances surrounding your death. For many years, Ha-jin believed you died in a car accident while visiting a friend.

Five years later, your death still remains a painful subject for Ha-jin and Yun-jae, who were both aggravated by your leaving and fought with you before you left. They both regret that the last things they said to you before you left were words said in anger and fear instead of love.

“If you press this, I'll fly over to save you.”

“That means I can always come home thanks to you.”

“That’s right. Can I come with you? I want to see the moon too.”

“Once I get back, I'll never go away again. I promise.”

“Liar.”

That’s what you told her too, before you left. And you never came back.

“I’m not lying. Once I get back, I'm going to teach you how to swim.”

“Swim?”

“It's a way to move freely underwater, like fish.”

“But fish are all dead.” After a long pause, Ha-jin spoke up again. “Why don't we ever talk about Mom?”

“I didn’t want to upset you.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“That's why I never talked to you about her.”

“Oh. I don’t know where to start. You know, when I get back from my mission, when it's time...it's time. We’ll talk then.”

Captain Han stands in front of the memorial with Dr. Song. Unbeknownst to her, the memorial commemorates his wife’s death along with the 116 others, including her older sister.

“This memorial is to remember the 117 crew members who lost their lives five years ago at Balhae Station, a lunar station built by the Republic of Korea SAA. Through independent efforts, the SAA…” The recording of an automated female voice plays.

The Space and Aeronautics Administration offer Dr. Song to join a lunar sample retrieval mission to the deserted Balhae Lunar Research Station, which has been abandoned for five years after most of the crew was killed in a radiation leak. The SAA want to retrieve three "samples", but won’t tell the people on the mission what the samples are. Song Ji-an joins the mission to Balhae, mainly for a personal reason: Her sister Song Won-kyung was one of the crewmembers of Balhae Station who was killed five years ago. The team is led by Captain Han Yun-jae, who has his own personal reasons for going on the mission, and who knows a secret about what happened on Balhae. When he meets Dr. Song, she reminds him of you. Dr. Song is stubborn, headstrong, determined to find answers…just like you were. And, as far as he knows, those traits that he once admired you for, even if they frustrated him at times, got you killed.

“Balhae Station was temporarily closed for five years after the radiation leak. We decided to close it permanently. Your mission is to retrieve an important sample before the permanent closure of the station and return to Earth. Once you land on the moon, your allotted mission time will be 24 hours…”

“Captain Han. Are all your missions conducted like this? It makes no sense to restrict necessary information for the mission.”

“Are you always that passionate?”

“There’s less than 10% probability our whole crew will survive. If you’re worried about their safety, you should reduce the uncertainty as much as you can.”

“Uncertainty lies everywhere, be it outer space or Earth.”

“So I shouldn’t ask any questions and just do as I’m told? The outlook is quite bleak.”

“Aren’t scientists people who find a way in such situations? Are you sure you still want to come?”

“Now that you mentioned my work ethic, I can’t back out.”

“I will ask for your opinion when I deem it necessary.”

“Captain Han. There are too many oddities here. We must conduct an autopsy on that body to find the exact cause of his death.”

“Didn’t you hear what I said?”

“I did. The radiation level doesn’t look right, and the cause of his death is uncertain. We cannot just let this go.”

“I decide what our priority is.”

“It looks like the numbers are at a normal level. But in order to carry out our mission, we must make a full inspection of the station.”

“Our mission isn’t to investigate the cause of the accident at Balhae Station.”

“Traces of them trying to make an escape. It looks like the area was shut down in an emergency right after the accident.”

“I don’t see any burn scars on the dead bodies.”

“Right. They all have the characteristics of drowned bodies. What in the world happened here?”

“Captain Han, if we cannot conduct an autopsy now, why don’t we stop by the infirmary and check their medical records?”

“I thought we were done discussing this.”

“Since the situation has changed, I’m simply sharing my opinion again.”

“What has changed?”

“We found many more suspicious elements on more dead bodies. If we can collect some tissue from the crew, we might be able to find a lead.”

“Can you focus on the mission instead of your personal curiosity?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You heard me.”

Though Captain Han may seem cold and narrow-minded to her at every turn, unbeknownst to Dr. Song, your death is why he is so against her asking questions or going off-mission to fulfill her own curiosity about her sister. He understands where she’s coming from. After finding the corridor with all of the bodies, a part of him wants to find your body amongst the dead and investigate what happened to you too, but he can’t lose focus or let his emotional attachments to you get in the way of the mission or jeopardize his crew’s safety. He’s a Captain first and a husband second.

“Why was the co-pilot in the storage alone? Why didn’t you report as you deviated?”

“Are you interrogating me?”

“Once communications are restored, I must report back on the reasons why I lost two crew members in under an hour. So I need to know exactly what happened.”

“I was just…looking around the area. It’s my fault for not reporting. I’m—”

“I don’t need an excuse. I’ll know once I check your bodycam.”

“I’d like to inspect the medical records and the other bodies.”

“And? What else do you need from me?”

“I just need your permission to conduct an investigation.”

“I thought you didn't need my permission. You've been doing whatever you like.”

“After everything that's happened, don't you get it by now? We can't get any answers if we don't ask questions.”

“It's gonna be tough. But we still have a mission to do. You have to remember that.”

The crew confront Han, who admits that he was told by Director Choi that the samples they are collecting is lunar water, though he is unaware of its effects. Lunar water was originally discovered by Song's sister, Song Wonkyong, and the SAA has been hiding its existence for fear that other parties might figure out how to make it safe for human consumption first and monopolize the substance.

“Is it water? The sample we’re here to retrieve. Is it water?”

Captain Han doesn’t answer but, from the look on his face, Dr. Song knows.

“You knew.”

“I’m sure you are aware of the space resource development that countries were competing over. Nobody was interested in the moon. Nothing in particular was found, so most countries had pulled out. However, there is a reason why we never gave up on the moon. We actually found something very profound.”

“What is it?”

“Water. It was a perfect chance for us to catch up to other developed countries as a newcomer in the industry. Dr. Song Wonkyung called it…lunar water.”

“Balhae Station was a place where they studied the lunar water.”

“Is there really water on the moon?”

“That’s everything Director Choi told me. She said we found water on the moon, and if this research is a success, we could save all of humanity.”

“Why did you hide this from us? Why did you go so far to keep this a secret from us?”

“It’s obvious what would happen if this information is leaked. Lee Gisu is dead, but someone is bound to come after us.”

“No. The real reason Director Choi didn’t tell us about the sample is because that water is what killed everyone at Balhae Station as well as Soochan.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think we know why Soochan died. It looks like Soochan was exposed to the lunar water. We aren’t completely sure, but the lunar water seems to act like a virus. It multiplies until it takes the host’s life.”

“It multiplies? The water multiplies?”

“Yes. It multiplies endlessly. I’m sure it seemed like an amazing resource. If we could control its multiplication, if we could commercialize it, they probably thought it could save mankind.”

“If that’s possible, it should happen.”

“That’s what my sister wanted.”

“Dr. Song Wonkyung.”

“Yes, Dr. Song Wonkyung. My sister wanted that too.”

Did you want the same? Is the promise of lunar water the real reason you left? Captain Han doesn’t like the feelings that come over him when he realizes the answer to those questions are most likely yes. If it was possible to feel any worse or guiltier about how he spoke to you in your last days on Earth, he would be. But feeling sorry for himself won’t change the past nor do him or his crew any good.

He has no other choice but to finally come clean. “I was told it’s still under research, so the substance is very unstable. It’s susceptible to external stimulus, so it has to be kept at a low temperature.”

“That external stimulus is coming in contact with a living organism. The researchers here were infected by the lunar water and died, but the government covered up everything to hide the existence of lunar water. We don’t know the symptoms or how you get infected. There are too many things we don’t know.”

“I know as much as you do. I don't understand anything about this lunar water either.”

“I bet.”

“It wasn’t officially given a name back then, but the lunar water, as we now know it to be called, had my wife obsessed for a very long time. She couldn't figure it out either. She was sure it was part of some long term plan.”

“Plan for what?”

“That's where she stopped. She never had enough information to put things together. I thought, what Information could my wife have that's so important? I know I shouldn't be telling you this—”

“But you're going to?”

“My wife somehow was on the verge of a scientific breakthrough before she came here. Her plan before she left, at least from what I could figure out from her notes, was to find some of this lunar water and genetically alter it to make it safe for human contact and consumption as part of a Water Restoration Project on Earth. I don’t know if she was able to do that before she died, but that's all I've been able to figure out from the notes and formulas she wrote.”

“Do you know what the correct formula is?”

He hesitates in answering the question.

“I’m not angry at you or blaming you. I just want information.”

He shakes his head. “Her notes were incomplete. Like the rest was kept locked away safely in her memory and died with her. From what she put down on paper, I assume she was talking about the chemical formula that she hoped was going to be used in the Water Restoration Project. I didn’t entirely understand it, to be perfectly honest. But the thing that really got my wife interested was the fact that it wasn't supposed to be a deadly virus. Which was great, but the why kept nagging at her. She was afraid that the mission from five years ago was a test run for something that could potentially be done on a global scale.”

“Why?”

He almost shudders just thinking about it. “I don’t want to know. You see, it's things like this that make me want to keep you away from your questions. I was against it. I found out you were Dr. Song’s sister and was reluctant to have you on my team. You remind me of her. My wife. What you’re doing now… That's pretty much what she did. She'd head out, tackle some strange mystery that had gotten her attention, and then she'd come back with the answers. What about you? Why did you come here?”

Why was Dr. Song brought to Balhae Station? Is it for the same reason as he?

“My sister called me here.”

“What do you mean?”

He already knows what she means. He just wants to hear what she has to say. He knows why Dr. Song was brought here, because it’s the same reason he was brought here. They thought he might be the key to the secrets you, his wife, left behind. He told them that he wasn’t, but they told him that he could be. You would never give him information that would put him or Ha-jin in danger. But he knows from experience that the more you love someone, the more you show your secrets, whether you mean to or not. That's why the family of an astronaut or scientist is never safe. As he was fond of pointing out to you.

“Captain Han, your wife’s death wasn't an accident.”

“I know. When people came looking for her things, they always wanted to focus on what she was working on last. There was this very persistent woman who wanted everything she worked on, all of her notes. That's what the message that led me here said.”

“And Director Choi gave you that message.”

“Yes.”

“Recently?”

“Yes. I should have just handed them over instead of destroying them. Maybe my wife wouldn't have been drawn into all this. Maybe she wouldn’t have died.”

“Captain Han. I know your wife’s death wasn't an accident. You know it wasn't an accident. The only other people who know...are the people who killed her. That's who sent you the message. You said Director Choi gave you the code to restricted areas. The data storage of Balhae Station is inside the main lab. And I need level one access to get in there.”

“Three died, and one of them was a spy? It’s the worst report I can imagine.”

“You’re the one who approved the co-pilot to be changed right before we departed.”

“Once the Inspection Department hears of this, they’ll conduct a thorough investigation on the reasons for the replacement. Of course, it’ll include me. Is there a possibility that other members could be in league with him?”

“It cannot be excluded.”

“What’s important is catching the intruder who took that sample.”

“Is it more important to stop the intruder than to retrieve the samples?”

“You of all people should know how valuable those samples are.”

Though it goes unspoken, Captain Han knows Director Choi is referring to you and your death. He knows what she’s implying without saying anything. Don’t let her sacrifice five years ago be in vain. If you give up now, her death will have been for nothing. Is that what you want? He lowers his head, staring at the table as he sighs.

“I wouldn’t have started this if I’d let anyone else have it.”

“We need access to level one areas to conduct a thorough search.”

Their exploration of the main database area is cut short when they hear screams and gunfire as the intruder attacks. E1 is clutching the profusely bleeding stump where his hand used to be. With their guns pointed, the crew see the silhouette of not just one intruder, but two. One looks to be a child while the other looks to be an adult woman. The child holds a canister of lunar water and E1’s disembodied hand before dropping the latter. When Kim Sun shoots at her, she drops the canister, causing the light to go red. Both the child and the woman retreat into the underbrush. But before they do, Captain Han feels the woman’s eyes on him, as if her gaze is burning a hole in his very being. When they see movement, they shoot at both the woman and child, but none of their shots hit. The intruders are too fast. Captain Han catches a glimpse of the little girl’s face. Her eyes flicker like that of a reptile with a nictitating membrane. Both she and the woman retreat into the vents and the crew have to evacuate when the lunar water from the broken canister comes in contact with E1’s blood.

“She ripped off his arm. Then they both crawled all over the ceiling. What is this… First, some water killed people, and then a couple of monsters show up too.”

“Could either of them be the one who killed Lee Gi-su?”

“Yes. I think so.“

“Why are they following us around? To kill us all?”

“I think it’s because of the lunar water. I think that’s why they killed Gi-su, and attacked us. Whenever we find lunar water, they show up. Perhaps they’re after it as well.”

“Do you think...it's really possible that they’re survivors?”

“Survivors? But how can they be survivors? I don't think a kid and a woman could survive five years here on their own. It was a kid and a woman, right? Weren’t they?”

“She was a kid. And the other one was an adult woman. We all saw. She was behaving like a child. A child who wanted to keep what's hers. Who didn't want it taken away. I know it sounds odd, but...a child behaves like that. Maybe the child killed Gi-su or maybe the woman did. Maybe they killed him together. Whatever the case, what we just witnessed makes me think that the woman is protecting the child - like a mother protecting her young.”

“Are you saying, from their perspective, we’re the intruders?”

“Just like with Gi-su, they may be using only ventilation shafts to get around. Their attacks have come from the ventilation shaft.”

“You can get pretty much anywhere on board by using this main shaft INP-07.”

“Did you find the intruder?”

“There’s more than one. We’ve discovered two intruders.”

“Two intruders?”

“Yes. And the intruders’ whereabouts are still unknown.”

“What about the samples?”

He sets the intact lunar water canister on the table for Director Choi to see. “We may lose more lives at this rate. Do we have to continue?”

“As I mentioned before, this operation will be a failure if anybody else gets the lunar water. I don’t care if you kill the intruders. You must catch them. Also, make sure you retrieve the lunar water that was taken.”

“It was a kid and a woman.”

“What?”

“The intruders seemed like a little kid and a young woman. They were both wearing lab coats too.”

“So what?”

“Is there a possibility that this woman and this kid are survivors?”

Director Choi laughs. “Stop trying to make things more complicated than they should be. That’s not what’s important. Why does the woman’s or kid’s identity matter? That won’t change your mission. I dream of standing in the rain. When I wake up from that wonderful dream, it's painful beyond words to wake up to this horrendous and sad reality. I want to make sure it rains, once again, over this land, so that water may flow abundantly on Earth. We must recreate that world again.”

Though he hates to admit it to himself, Captain Han can’t disagree. You had the same dream ever since Ha-jin was born.

“Why are you being so difficult? Is it because of Director Choi? Why can’t I go back into the data storage?”

“It’s too dangerous to go back. We don’t know what happened to the lunar water after it leaked.”

“I finally found it. I can’t give up like this.”

“It’s dangerous, and that’s it. I can’t condone more deaths.”

“There were 117 crew members here at Balhae Station. None of them survived. If we take the lunar water back now, we may end up sacrificing more.”

“Dr. Song, if I help you... I'm only pushing you right to your sister who has lured you here.”

“I can handle myself.”

“My wife said the same thing to me before she died. It doesn’t matter what you find out. The lunar water will be taken back with that kid and that woman.”

“Then that’s all the more reason to get the data in the data storage. Now that we know the danger that lies in the lunar water, we need to investigate as much as we can. I don’t care if you don’t trust me. I’m not doing this for personal reasons only.“

“I know you’ll go even if I say no.” He knows that from being married to you for so many years. Dr. Song has the same look in her eyes as you did whenever you had your mind set on something. You were stubborn and, once he saw that look, he knew he couldn’t change your mind. “Go with Doc Hong. You can’t go alone. If you find anything on the lunar water, that woman, or that child, report back right away.”

While Kim Sun and Officer Gong are investigating the ventilation shafts, they encounter more drawings on the walls.

“Oh, shit! Those creepy drawings again. They keep showing up everywhere. This kid must like to draw. They’re a real artist.”

Captain Han is investigating different ventilation shafts. With his flashlight and gun pointed forward, he’s disconcerted when he sees drawings that don’t look like those of a child. They look too polished, too professional, too perfect. Along the corridors, he sees works of art that are eerily similar to the artwork that’s hanging up on the walls back home. Artwork created by your hand. When he reaches out to touch some of them, his fingers come back wet or smudged. Most of these drawings are old, but some are fresh. But that’s impossible. You’re dead….aren’t you? He doesn’t have time to dwell on those thoughts when voices of his crew come through his earpiece, informing him of their status.

“Captain. We've reached the shaft entrance on our end. The cover is still intact. I don't think she escaped through here.”

“Captain, we found a new passage from the hallway. This area of the station is not on the blueprint either. But it looks like...this passage runs all the way to the dorms. We should expand our search and check out the dorms as well.”

“Okay. Be careful.”

“This is very odd. From the blueprint, this passageway should lead us straight to the dorms.”

“I know. But it seems more like we've just been circling the same area.”

“Exactly.”

“It's like a game of hide-and-seek for them. They know exactly where we are and always manage to avoid us.”

“They know their way around here much better than we do.”

“Did we miss a passage on the holographic map?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll check once again when we get to the command center.”

“But why is this girl and this woman... These monsters... Whatever you want to call them. Why do we have to find them? We have the sample. We should just go home.”

In the medical bay, Dr. Hong, Dr. Song, and Lieutenant Ryu are caught by surprise when the little girl and woman stand by the glass doors, just watching. They’re both covered in blood, though the little girl is considerably more bloodied than the woman. She must’ve done most of the killing.

“Captain. Captain! The girl and the woman, they’re here.”

“You have eyes on them? Dr. Hong, respond.”

“Captain Han.”

“No, stop!”

When the woman and little girl try to enter the medical bay, Lieutenant Ryu shoots at them. But he’s no match for their superhuman speed as they sprint all over the walls. The child tackles Ryu and the woman crouches above her on the table, shielding her with her body like a mother protecting her child as they both stare unblinkingly at Dr. Song. She’s holding the canister of lunar water and the unknown child and woman both have a look in their eyes like they want it. Captain Han, Officer Gong, and Kim Sun enter from behind, their guns drawn and pointed at the intruders. Their backs are to them. Captain Han can’t see their faces as he keeps his gun pointed at them. He tries to get a closer look.

“Dr. Song, step away.”

“Wait a second. Don't come any closer. Give me a second.”

Captain Han signals for Kim Sun and Officer Gong to hold their fire. After a few seconds of tense silence that stretch on for what feels like an eternity as everyone is frozen in a confrontation between themselves, the girl, and the woman, the girl lunges for the capsule of lunar water. With it in hand, she and the woman both turn around, only to be shot at by Lieutenant Ryu. The woman, the child, and the lunar water canister are all hit in the process.

When Captain Han finally sees the woman’s face clearly, words like shocked, confused, heartbroken, relieved, skeptical, and conflicted cannot even begin to describe the plethora of emotions he’s feeling all at once when he sees you. His wife. Your hair is longer than it was and you’re covered in blood, but it’s definitely you. Your face that he stared at in photos is the same. Your voice that he listened to on repeat in old videos is the same as you softly speak his name when you see him for the first time.

“Yun-jae…”

You look at him, your eyes filled not just with tears, but longing and remorse. You recognize him. And when he glances down at your hand, you’re wearing your wedding ring. When you notice where his eyes glance to, you toy with the ring as your eyes lock on his own hand, his wedding ring glinting under the fluorescent lights as he keeps his gun pointed at you. While his crew look on in confusion, their eyes flickering between you and their captain, Yun-jae’s hand holding his gun begins shaking as he stares wide-eyed at you, his mind filled with so many questions that he wants to ask you, but can’t in that moment. And when he realizes the lunar water sample capsule had been compromised during the shootout and splashed over you, landing on your skin, he instinctively wants to rush forward to save you. He thinks you’re going to die a horrible death of drowning internally, but instead you and the child thrash and contort on the table, breathing heavily as your wounds close. Your eyes search for Yun-jae’s and, when you find him, you don’t break eye contact. When the child falls off the table, you follow her, once again shielding her with your body. Instead of resulting in a fatal reaction, the lunar water heals her and your wounds and allows you both to escape. Giving one last apologetic look to Yun-jae, you and the child run and retreat back into the vents while Officer Gong shoots at you. Captain Han doesn’t know what to make of the scene he just witnessed. What the fuck happened to you? You have superhuman speed. Your wounds close instantly after getting shot. The lunar water has no negative effect on you. But you recognized him. You said his name. You can speak, which means you can answer his questions. He has to find you. But first, he has to be a Captain.

“What were you thinking?”

“What?”

“Did you think they wouldn’t attack us if you gave them the lunar water? That doing so would solve everything?”

“I didn’t. I only wanted to show them that I wasn’t going to hurt them. That I’m not trying to take the capsule from them. I thought they’d feel that too, that they would understand.”

“If you do things like that and expose yourself to danger, then you bring the whole team down with you.”

“But you saw them. You saw how their bodies reacted to the lunar water. We all witnessed it.”

“The child’s cheek was cut open, and then it just closed. And her wounds healed instantly. It was the same with the woman.”

“So how can you explain that, Dr. Song?”

“How can you explain that the woman knew your name?” She answers his question with a question.

“That’s right. Captain, she knew your name. And she looked at you as if she knew you. Who is she? Do you know her?” Dr. Hong asks.

“That woman…she…at least, I think she’s…my wife.” Captain Han admits reluctantly, still uncertain of many things. As he says it, he toys with his own wedding ring on his finger, spinning it with his thumb as he’s deep in thought. No matter how many years passed, he couldn’t bear to take it off. Taking it off felt like making your death final. After news hit him that you died, he swore to never remarry or even date again. You’d always be his wife. His one and only. Until his own death. He loved you, still loves you, and you can never be replaced by another woman.

Nearly everyone exclaims different questions in unison. Questions like, “Your wife? You have a wife?” and “Your wife was part of the crew sent on the Balhae mission five years ago?” Clearly, they weren’t made aware of this information and why would they have been? His marital status didn’t seem relevant to the mission. Until now.

“Yes. I thought she died here five years ago but it’s her. I know it is. But that means…my wife couldn’t have died five years ago. Could she really be here?” As Captain Han speaks, he begins to doubt himself. “Or maybe it’s not her, just something with her face and her memories. Or maybe there really is a radiation leak and I’m hallucinating.”

“You’re not hallucinating, Captain. We’ve established there’s no radiation leak and we all saw her.”

“But she…she was just a normal human woman when I knew her. She couldn’t move like that or heal like that. I don’t know how she…” He shakes his head, unable to continue his train of thought. “Dr. Song, do you have any idea what kind of being that child is? What happened to my wife to make her able to do those things?”

Song theorizes that you and the girl have a condition or immunity that makes you compatible with lunar water, and that you may be the key to making lunar water safe for consumption back on Earth.

“No, I don't. But what I do know is...their bodies can definitely handle lunar water. It won’t kill them.”

“So, what was that girl and that woman - I’m sorry, Captain. Your wife, I mean - Did the lunar water change them somehow?”

“Well, it seemed like their bodies totally adapted.”

“Adapted?”

“They didn't just adapt to it. Their physical abilities, and speed of recovery showed way more than that.”

“The child may have been born with antibodies for it, or it may be a special case of genetic mutation caused by different environmental factors.”

“Whether or not that woman is your wife, Captain, what we do know is that they’re a danger to us. We should resume the search and catch them, even if that means killing them...”

“No, we can't kill them,” Dr. Song protests.

“We need to kill them and do whatever it takes to put an end to this, so we can go home.”

“We can't do that. They may be the only key to the secret of the lunar water. They might just be the thing we need right now.”

“We'll bait them and capture them. Show me the map of the ventilation shafts, please. INP-07. INP-07 leads to many places. If we lure them with this lunar water capsule and block off this intersection here... The one I've just showed you… They’ll have to come out of the vent in the hallway of the machine room. Then we'll shut both ends of the hallway.”

“Like a dog hunt. So what we wanna do is chase them down and trap them. But the problem is, a wild dog can be extremely vicious and easily rip a person to pieces. And there’s two of them.”

“That is true. Even if we get lucky enough and manage to trap them in the hallway, it's still going to be too dangerous to subdue them and catch them alive.”

“So that's why we need Dr. Song.”

“Hey, Captain. We shouldn't use guns. It's important that we don't provoke them until you and I calm them down.”

“That's my decision to make. One of them is my wife and I won’t let the child hurt her or you. Even within the SAA, some people were against moving the lunar water to Earth.”

“If we carry something back without confirming its safety, it could pose a danger for everyone.”

“But Director Choi or other higher-ups probably thought it’s more important not to let anyone else get their hands on the lunar water.”

“Knowing everyone in this station was killed by that very lunar water?”

“There are enough reasons to take this risk. I don’t care about the child as much as my wife. I have questions, and she might have the answers.”

“I think…my sister and possibly your wife deleted all the research data. Perhaps they hoped no one would find out about the lunar water.”

“Then why do you think they left us those messages? In the end, they both probably thought someone had to do this. Wouldn’t that be why they called us here?”

“I’m not sure. Once I find out the entire truth, what am I really supposed to do? I have no idea.”

He feels the same way.

The crew set a trap for you and the girl. You and she are lured as planned. When Captain Han presses the button to shut the gate, neither of you are fast enough to slide under the door and make it before it shuts completely. When you try to pull her with you, the child’s leg gets trapped while your long hair gets caught under the door and, when you try to pull it free, it only causes you immense pain as you nearly rip your hair from your scalp. You both try to free yourselves, but it only makes it worse as you only hurt yourselves more and more as you struggle. You look up at Yun-jae, your eyes scared and filled with tears as you call his name repeatedly and plead for his help. He approaches you slowly, his gun pointed at the child but not you.

Dr. Song, who was acting as bait alongside Captain Han, comes to your and the child’s side to help. “No, wait. No, wait. Stop moving. You'll get hurt.”

When Yun-jae kneels down to your level and tries to free your hair, it hurts so much that you instinctively bite his neck. Hard. Hard enough to draw blood and make him drop his gun. It’s the only space you can reach that isn’t protected by his space suit. At the same time, the child bites Dr. Song’s hand. That’s when she notices the name and number tattooed on the child’s neck.

“Luna? Luna 073?”

You and Luna both cry as you struggle. With no other choice, Yun-jae pushes you away and grabs his gun, quickly shooting both you and Luna with tranquilizer darts.

“This is the best that we can do for them.”

Dr. Song opens the gate, freeing you both. While she checks on Luna, Yun-jae checks on you, holding you in his arms as you grip onto him until you fall asleep.

“I'll get them ready to be transported,” Officer Gong says, ready to handcuff you both.

Captain Han stops him. “They need treatment first.”

While Dr. Song carries Luna, Yun-jae lifts you bridal style into his arms.

“Are we handing them over to backup as soon as they get here? They will take them to Earth, won't they? Do you know what will happen to them when they get there, and where they’ll go?”

He looks at your face as you sleep. You’ll return home with him, he thinks. The lights turn red as the gate closure commences, and you immediately wake up and push him away from you, rolling out of his arms. You and Luna run and retreat into the vents. Before he can follow after Dr. Song, the gate closes on him. He hits it in frustration. No. He can’t lose you. Not again. He crawls through vent AP-4 to get to where Dr. Song is at the second intersection. Wherever she and Luna are, you’re bound to be also.

You and Luna split up. While Luna leads Dr. Song through the vents to her sister’s old room, you lead Yun-jae through the vents to your old room.

“Where did you go? Were you...waiting for me?”

He finds you sitting on your messy bed in your room. You’re crying, your head in your hands. He approaches, lightly touching your shoulder.

“Are you okay? Is your head hurt? I’m so sorry. I don’t know how this happened. I’m gonna have a word with Dr. Hong and we can get you checked out…”

You sniffle and wipe your tears before you look up at him. “It hurts, but not terribly. My wounds will heal. Though they’d heal faster with lunar water. I’ll be fine, Yun-jae. Physically, at least. It’s not my head that’s hurting the most, honey. It’s my heart. It’s just…the reality of all this is hitting me for the first time,” you sob.

“I know, it’s crazy. But I’m right here with you. We’re together again.”

You stare at him for a few seconds, just taking him in. He does the same with you. Finally, you speak again. “I didn’t think you’d come. I thought you had gotten my last message but…if you’re here now, then that means you didn’t,” you say with a heavy sigh.

“Message? What message?”

You pat the bed for him to sit next to you. When he does so, you open a laptop and click on a video file. You show him the screen and let it play. The video starts out normally, with you in your room. You’re sitting by the large window that looks out to space, Earth visible in the distance. You’re beaming, a big smile on your face.

“Hey, baby! I just wanted to send you and Ha-jin a quick ‘hello’ and ‘I love you’. I'm far away now. In a quiet, beautiful place. Please forgive me for not saying goodbye properly before I left. Be well, Yun-jae. And tell Ha-jin not to be too hard on her nurses.”

The video cuts and skips forward.

“Hi, honey! Good news! I'm gonna be coming home soon! Yay! I cannot wait to be done with this job—And come home to my loving husband and wonderful daughter. I miss you both so much. I gotta get back to work. I love you, Yun-jae. I miss you so much. I'm sending tons of kisses. Bye, baby!” You blow a kiss.

He remembers receiving those messages. He still has them saved on his phone. He’s played them over and over for himself and for Ha-jin, both before and after your death.

The video then cuts forward and shows you again, but you’re different this time. Your hair is longer and messy as if it hasn’t been brushed in days. And your eyes are filled with tears. You look scared. The lights are red and there’s an alarm going off and screaming in the background.

“Yun-jae... You were right. I did lie to you. I shouldn't have, but— All I can say is that if you get this... Stay away.”

You drop the camera in your haste to get away. The last thing he hears on the recording are the sounds of screaming and gunfire coming from a closed off corridor. The very corridor where he found all those bodies. The last thing he sees is you crawling into a vent to safety. The video abruptly ends.

“I tried to press the send button so you’d get that final message, but I realize now that I must not have pressed it properly. My hands were shaking so bad, I could barely hold the camera.”

“I- I don’t- I don’t understand,” Yun-jae stammers. He’s never seen this video until now. “When everyone else died…did you escape? Have you...been living here all alone?”

You shake your head. “Not entirely alone. I’ve had Luna with me. She’s become like a daughter to me. I’ve taught her everything I could. How to read, how to write, how to draw, how to talk.”

“She hasn’t spoken a word since we encountered her.”

“Not to you, no. She’s shy. I know she’s killed members of your crew and I’m sorry for that, but… She’s scared. She doesn’t know any better. For the past five years, I’ve been the only one she can completely trust. Though she’s warming up to…Dr. Song, was it? She’ll warm up to you too. Just give her time. Give her a chance.”

“I was only allotted 24 hours for this mission. I don’t have a lot of time to give. I’m not here to talk about Luna. I want to talk about you. I thought you were dead. Ha-jin believes you’re dead. What the hell happened here five years ago? What the hell happened to you?”

His words make your crying start up anew. Your sobs turn almost violent as your whole body shakes. “Yun-jae…don’t ask me that. Please. Don’t do it. Don’t you ever ask me that. If you ask me, I’ll have to tell you. And I hate to think what would happen then.”

“I’m sorry, I know this is hard for you, but I’m asking. I need to know. Don’t you think I deserve to know?”

“Yes, of course you do, but… I can’t do this. Unless…” You lick your lips and sit up straighter as you face him. “If your marriage is still going to work, it needs to be built on trust, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“You have to understand, she’s not sorry that she lied. I'm sorry that I have to be the one to tell you the truth. It was hard for her to be one hundred percent honest with anyone, so it’s hard for me too.”

“I know that.”

“She came back to work, came to Balhae Station, because they begged her to. She told them for months. That her work was like her family, but you and Ha-jin were her family. She had a responsibility to her daughter. She had made a promise to you, her husband...and she meant it. But they begged. They told her they believed she was the only one who could help them save the Earth. That wasn't the lie.”

“What was?”

“Director Choi promised her she'd have a rescue shuttle sent once the mission was completed successfully, that your wife and her team would have around the clock protection from liftoff to meeting you at baggage claim back home. She trusted her.”

“There was never going to be a rescue shuttle, was there?”

“No.”

“Wait…why are you talking about yourself in third person like that?”

“I have a confession to make but I’m afraid to tell you what it is.”

He holds your hand, placing it over his thigh. “Hey. You never have to be afraid with me. You can tell me anything, and I’ll only love you more.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive.”

“Okay. Here it goes.” You take a deep breath. “I’m not your wife, and I never was.”

He blinks at you. “Excuse me?”

“Your wife…is dead.”

He just stares at you in confusion. “Huh? But you’re right in front of me. Are you messing with me?”

“No, I’m not. It’s the truth. I’m not your real wife. I’m a clone of her.” You let go of his hand to push down your shirt collar and move your hair to the side, revealing your name followed by a number tattooed on your neck.

He lightly traces the silver letters with his fingertips, as if needing to prove they’re actually a part of your skin and not just stickers like the one on his bodycam. You pull your collar back up and let your hair fall back into place. You turn to look at Yun-jae again, though neither of you make a move to hold hands again.

“Your real wife died after being exposed to lunar water in the first round of human experiments. She drowned. She didn’t make it. But before she died, she volunteered her genetic material to be used in cloning so she could continuously be an adult test subject for the lunar water in the name of saving humanity. The scientists of Balhae Station were trying to brute-force the development of an immunity to the lunar water's effects by exposing dozens of clones of a pre-teen to it - Luna - hoping one would prove to be naturally immune. But your wife thought just a child’s body wasn’t enough. She thought there should be testing done on adult subjects too. Morally bankrupt, but scientifically sound - it was basically enforced natural selection. They took your wife’s DNA and, after her death, they mass-produced her in Balhae Station for years along with Lunas. You saw the room with all the Lunas in body bags, didn’t you?”

He can only shakily nod, too stunned to speak.

“There’s failed clones of me kept in body bags too. But I purposefully kept you away from that area of Balhae Station. I didn’t want you to see. I still don’t want you to see. You should know that I was grown in a lab with all of your wife’s memories like the others, but I’m the only one who survived. All of the Lunas and copies of your wife were clones, meaning they were genetically identical, which in turn means that after your wife didn't survive the lunar water, all of her clones should’ve shown the exact same reaction. Yet Luna 073 and I still somehow came out on top, immune to the incredibly virulent effects of lunar water. There was genetic engineering going on, so Luna and I may have been altered in this fashion. Let me show you.”

You show Yun-jae the video log of the experiments done on you and your clones. At the same time, Dr. Song finds the station's missing research data in Wonkyong's room, which includes details of the SAA's experiments of lunar water on genetically-modified clone children tagged with Luna numbers. The girl, Luna 073, and you are the only clones who did not die, and you are the only survivors of the Balhae accident.

“Lunar water injected. Proceeding with first human test. Dr. Han shows no signs of life. Prepare her genetic material for cloning.”

“What did they do?” Yun-jae breathes in shock as he watches his wife die over and over and over and over in the pursuit of saving humanity.

“Y/N 027, failed. Y/N 037, failed. Y/N 041, failed. Y/N 054 shows no signs of life…” And then came your number which is different from Luna’s 073. It turned out that getting a successful adult clone was either harder or easier than a child clone. “…all vital signs are stable. No proliferation of lunar water detected. No adverse reaction in the body cells.”

Minutes that feel like hours pass until you finally conclude your harrowing tale.

“…So our creators were killed and Luna and I ran. If your wife didn’t want a synthetic organism made in her likeness, she wouldn’t have sold her genetic material to a shady company for a higher water rank.”

“Let me get this straight… Y/N…”

“No, I’m not her. You can keep calling me that, but I am not her. But if you wanna know anything else about me, or where I come from, I’m an open book.”

“Okay. Okay. Okay. So my wife died and you’re one of her clones? The only surviving one? The last surviving remnant of her?”

“Yes. You believed her to be dead all these years, and that’s technically true, as the original version of her died in the experiments. But me, a perfect carbon copy with all of her memories, thoughts, and emotions, survived.”

“Prove it. Answer my questions.”

“Okay. Ask me anything.”

“How did we meet?”

“You were both in the same college program. She was better at chemistry than you were, and you hated her for it, a fact you made plainly clear. After graduation, you were happy you’d never have to see that smug face of hers ever again. Until of course, in her true style - she called out of the blue to say she'd set you up with a job at the SAA, where she'd been working. You don't know if she mistook your hatred for healthy competition - or what it was all about. Your wife had this infuriating habit of expecting the best out of people. She confused you into being nice to her - I dare say I miss her almost as much as you and Ha-jin must. Is it possible to miss myself? I don’t know.”

“How did my wife and I become friends?”

“You worked together at the SAA. Though you were in different departments and had totally different jobs, you kept crossing paths and started talking in the hallways and at lunch. She was a good friend. The two of you worked together a lot back then. You kept your love life a secret for the longest time. Your coworkers didn’t even know you were together. You didn’t even announce your engagement. They saw the engagement ring on her finger and then she had no choice but to come clean. Instead of a big wedding, you eloped. You didn’t have much of a honeymoon. You went on a romantic weekend getaway trip to your family’s cabin and went back to work on Monday. Ha-jin was conceived shortly after.”

“Did we live in that cabin after Ha-jin was born?”

“Not quite. Your wife would come out there for months at a time, with you and your daughter. Back then you were still working for the SAA while she was a stay at home mom in between jobs. Ha-jin wasn’t in school yet, so she was good to go anywhere. And you used to like it there. Those were good times.”

He keeps questioning you like that until he’s satisfied by your answers to what he thinks are increasingly harder, near impossible questions. You’re walking around with his wife’s face, her life, her history. You even think like her!

“This is amazing,” you say, your voice filled with awe.

“What is?”

“That she picked you. That means, in some way, I would pick you. It’s like, why?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you had to be there.”

“Listen, I know you’re having a hard day. Not worse than mine, but it sucks to be you right now. You seem like a nice guy. What she did to you isn’t fair. And you really saved my ass back there. So, I don’t know…you wanna take your earbud out, take our clothes off, and see where things go?”

He snorts in disbelief. “That’s exactly what she said to me the first night we made love.”

“Man. She’s stealing all my moves. Or I guess I’m stealing hers. Anyway, you get what I’m hinting at. I mean, you’re my husband, right? I’m curious. If I bought the car, I wanna look under the hood.”

“But you’re not my wife.”

“No, I’m not. I’m a murderer who’s lied to you this whole time. But I haven’t gotten any action for the past five years. So, what do you say? We doing this or not?”

“Oh…it is tempting, but I can’t. She’s my wife. Not you.”

Instead of looking hurt or rejected, you smile. “I’m proud of you, Yun-jae. I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist your charms. The question was, could you resist mine? And you did. You’re a loyal person. I’m sorry that the wife you know isn’t here. I’m sorry I’m not your wife…but I could be if you let me.”

“Is that why you took my wife’s wedding ring and put it on your finger?”

“Well, I know it sounds bad when you say it like that, but I don’t think about it like grave robbing. I mean, yes, I stole her name tag and her clothes and spacesuit. But, It’s more like what I did with her phone. I found something in storage that no one was using, I picked it up, and I kept it. She left her things here. I scrolled through her pictures and videos on her camera roll and that’s when I saw you. My - her husband. You were in tears, begging her to come home. I knew your wife died. But when I scrolled through the pictures of you on her phone, and watched all those videos she filmed over the years, it was like you were talking to me like I was her. I decided then that I didn’t have the heart to tell you that she was gone if and when I made it back to Earth. I would pick up where she left off, and you and Ha-jin would be none the wiser. You’d be mad for a while, but then you’d be happy. We’d be happy. It didn’t seem fair that she got to have this perfect life and I was gonna be left here in some secret mining colony on the moon forever or shipped off to some government lab to be held captive and poked and prodded at like an animal. I don’t know why, but I wanted that perfect life she had.”

“Perfect? Her life was far from perfect.”

“Was it? A loving husband, a bright and beautiful daughter, a warm and welcoming home. It seemed perfect to me. It had been so long since your wife left home, and I look exactly like her, so I thought everyone would just accept me. God, and thinking about it, it felt so good! I never had a real family, Yun-jae. I never had anyone except Luna. I wanted to live my life freely as a human, with full human rights. So I called for a rescue shuttle to come so I could come home to you and Ha-jin. But, instead, they killed everyone. I escaped with Luna through the vents. We couldn’t save anyone but ourselves. Years went by, one thing led to another, and then I met you. I saw you in the flesh for the first time in the medical bay, and it was so bittersweet. Looking at your face, I felt as if I’d known you for years, even though we technically only just met. Still, there was so much I wanted to say to you. But I had to protect myself and Luna first and foremost.”

“Um, this is a big reveal. I…I don’t really know what to say.”

“Yeah. It’s a lot to process all at once. I know it’s overwhelming, but it’s a huge weight off my shoulders. Just remember, Yun-jae: I may not be the original, but I am still a perfect copy. I’m the woman you fell in love with in every way. Why should it matter if I was grown in a lab and that my name isn’t really Y/N? That doesn’t change who I am now. That doesn’t change what we have.” You scoot closer.

Yun-jae backs away, sweating, panicking.

“I’m still technically the one you built something with, Yun-jae. You can still build something with me. What about our life, Yun-jae? Director Choi is gonna destroy everything we have if we let her! Do the right thing and let’s take our life back.”

“Our life? We have no life. What we have is a lie!”

“What you have is a wife who loves you. And as surely as your wife wanted to save untold lives with her sacrifice, Director Choi took your wife’s life with her lies. She took her from you with those lies. But she also brought her back to you through me. I’m made from her. Everything that she was, I am too. Don’t you see? I’m still the one you fell in love with, honey.”

“Don’t call me that. You’re just using her face and her name. You really want to take over her life?”

“I know it sounds selfish of me to want everything that she had, to want you. I know things between us aren’t perfect. We’ve hurt each other. I’m a murderer. But if you stopped overthinking it, you’d realize that nothing has to change. Nothing has to be different from the way it was. I may look a little different, but I’m still the woman you should be in love with.”

“But you don’t love me back!”

“Of course I love you back!”

“No, you don’t. You’re only saying that because you have her memories and don’t know any different.“

“I know I just met you, but you look all right to me! You’re tall and handsome, loyal and brave… What’s not to love about you? Honey, you made a vow to me. Remember? Forever and always.”

“Vow? Are you kidding? Our marriage would be bullshit. Your plan is idealistic and flawed. How can we possibly go back to Earth and pretend that everything is fine?”

“I know I’m asking a lot of you and my request may seem unreasonable, but I assure you it’s not impossible. I know you can’t see my vision of our future now, but what I have in mind for us and Ha-jin can be more than just a beautiful dream. But it’ll be very hard to make into a reality. We won’t live happily ever after at first, but we’ll get there eventually. You just have to believe in and out your trust in me, your crew, Luna, and yourself. Try to think of it, Yun-jae. Our home, our dreams, our past, our future, and… Our daughter.”

“Our? There is no our. All of those things are mine. My daughter… Do you expect me to be able to go along with your plan and lie to Ha-jin for the rest of her life?”

“I know it sounds deceptive and cruel, but I’ve thought about it every which way, played out every possible ‘What if she knew the truth? What if we told her?’ scenario I could think of in my head, and I kept coming to the same conclusion. Keeping her unaware is really what’s best for her.”

“Even when she’s an adult?”

“Yes, even then. It’s a secret we should take to our graves. It’s how we’ll keep her safe. Isn’t that what we, as her parents, should want for her?”

He rubs his temples. “Just stop it. You’re confusing me. I thought you were my wife…and my crew…all those people think you’re someone else…”

“I know! I don’t blame you if you hate me now. I don’t blame you if you want to kill me.” Your head falls back into your hands. The tears stream down.

Captain Han knows that this moment will define the rest of his life. What kind of a man is he going to be?

He takes deep breaths to steady himself and his racing thoughts. He kneels down beside you, and takes your hands in his own. “Honey…” Knowing what he knows now, the pet name he used to use for you so often feels odd on his tongue, yet it feels right at the same time. “Look at me. I love…you. Whether your name is Y/N…”

“It’s not.”

“Still, you may be right. I made a vow to you. The woman I met years ago. If we just talk to Ha-jin, I’m sure we can work this out. And, as much as I hate to admit it, I agree with you that we can never tell her the truth. She’ll never understand and she’ll never be safe if she finds out.”

“As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss,” you try to joke to lighten the mood. You quickly become serious again. “The less she knows, the safer she’ll be from Director Choi and people like her. People who are greedy, selfish, and corrupt. People who might want to steal our work or misuse it for their own agendas. Director Choi won’t live forever, but we can’t be certain that, someday, someone just as bad or worse won’t try to be opportunistic and take her place.”

“Right. But from me… You don’t need to hide anything. I’ll accept you for who you are. And you’re right about something else: How you came into existence shouldn’t matter. I’ll take any version of you I can get over not having you at all. But what about Luna?”

“She’s a reasonable person.”

“Tell that to my dead crewmates.”

“Like I said, she’s probably scared, okay? She’d never do anything violent unless she felt threatened. You don’t know her. But you will if you give her a chance! If we’re gonna make this marriage work, we have to trust each other. It might be hard sometimes. We might even have to kill a few more people. But I promise, no more secrets. I guarantee, whatever your wife did will never affect our lives going forward. It may as well have never happened—”

He looks as if he’s about to protest and argue with you, but you gently place your hand on his mouth to stop him and let you finish.

“—but I’d never go so far as to ask you to forget your wife or discard all traces of the memories you have of her. I’d never demand for you to carry on with your life by pretending that none of what you or Ha-jin went through five years ago was real just for my sake. It happened. There’s no denying it, but there’s no changing it either. All we can do now is move forward. We promised each other till death do we part and, in a manner of speaking, I was brought back from the dead. I was brought back to you to be your wife again. I will love you until the day you die, Yun-jae. But until then, you will know me as your wife, even if I’m not actually her. If you can accept that, then be my husband again. Right now. Do you accept that, Yun-jae? Do you?”

“…I don’t know. I think-I think I can. Maybe. I want to, but…this-this is all happening so fast.”

“I know it’s hard, but please…forgive your wife. Better yet, don’t forgive Director Choi. Get angry, and leave and go home.”

“You keep telling me to turn back and come home, but I can't do that. Not just yet.” He parrots the last words you ever said to him before you went to the moon.

You sigh and look out the window. “She and Ha-jin talked a lot about the silent sea.”

He remembers.

You were lying next to Ha-jin in her hospital bed, her head on your shoulder while you read a story to her. Your husband sat in a chair by the bedside, watching you both. The children’s book was full of colorful pictures. You pointed to one of the night sky.

“Hey. It’s the moon. Do you see those dark spots? It’s called ‘The Silent Sea.’ Long ago, Galileo thought that was a sea. That’s why he named it the silent sea. But once we got to the moon, there was no sea.”

“Just like how it is here. I heard all of this used to be the sea a long time ago. The Earth will end up like the moon. Right?”

You kissed Ha-jin’s forehead and rubbed her arm as you squeezed it lightly in reassurance. “Don’t worry. One day, your dad and I will fill up this entire place and turn it back into the sea.”

“You will?”

“Yes. Wait and see. One day, it’ll happen.”

“She really wanted to come back. She also thought a lot about you, you know. She even…” You trail off.

“What? What is it?”

“Well… There, kinda, were these letters. One was for you and the other was for Ha-jin. The envelopes have your and her names on them.”

“Did you read them?”

“I know what they say because, technically, I remember writing them. Still, I…wanted to open them. This one time, I almost did. Figured you’d never, ever receive either of them. But then I thought…if you did manage to make it here, your wife wouldn’t want me to keep them from you. So I just, sorta, kept them…for you.”

“Wait… So there really are letters?”

“Oh…yeah. Wanna read them?” You get up and open a drawer, sifting through some books before handing him the letters tucked inside. “Here.”

He opens the envelopes but… “They’re both empty. Y/N, there’s nothing in them!”

“What?! But… I didn’t take them! I swear!”

“Well, where are they then?”

“I-I must’ve lost them! I gotta find them!” You’re frantic and about to run out of the room, but he grabs your arm to pull you back.

“Wait! You can’t go out and let anyone see you like this! We have to do something about your tattoo!”

Together, you use a device or laser to cover up or remove your name and number tattooed on your neck. Your skin looks clear. Like your name and number was never there.

“Come on, we need to go.” He grabs your hand.

“But I need to find those letters! They were the last things she wrote before she died! They have to be in the station somewhere!”

“There’s no time! Come with me!” He insists, trying to pull you along with him.

“I’ll make time! I’ll find them and make my way back to you, I swear! Now let me go!” You break free from his grip and are about to run off, but he stops you by grabbing your arm again.

“Wait! There’s something I want to give you first,” he says.

You turn back to look at him. “What is it?”

He holds out a white band with a small device in it. “Location tracker. For just in case."

Your eyes soften as you realize why he’s so paranoid. He lost you once. He doesn’t want to lose you again. You stay still just long enough to let your husband put the location tracker around your ankle. Once he confirms on his device that the tracker is functional, you bolt out of the room and through the vents and corridors, ignoring his desperate calls for you to wait and come back. You’re on your own personal mission and won’t come back until it’s successfully completed. He should’ve known. In all the time he knew you, one thing about you never changed: Your stubbornness. Once you had your mind set on something, there was nothing and nobody who could change it. Not even him.

At the same time, Dr. Song is getting closer to Luna.

“Would you... Would you like some of this food? Mm? Here.”

Luna tries to eat the candy without taking it out of the plastic wrapper. She immediately spits it out in disgust.

“No, no. Here, I'll show you.” Once Dr. Song shows her how, Luna takes the candy from her and eats it. She then stares out the window.

“Oh. That one's Earth. Do you know what Earth is?”

“Ea...Earth...”

They turn when they hear someone enter the room from behind.

“Officer Gong, put down the gun.”

“Move aside, Dr. Song.”

“I swear, I can calm her down. It's all right.”

“You saw what she did to our crew members. Get out of the way.”

“I've been with her this whole time, and she hasn't attacked me. She won't try to hurt us anymore. Please put down the gun, Officer Gong.”

“I found Dr. Song and the target. I failed to secure the capsule or locate the other target.”

You and Captain Han rush down separate corridors.

“Ryu Taesuk is headed your way. Escort them both to the main lab. I’ve talked to the other survivor and confirmed she is my wife. She’s no longer a target. If you see her, do not shoot her. That’s an order.”

“‘If’? What do you mean, ‘if we see her’? Is she not with you? Did you lose her?”

“I let her go.”

“You what? How could you do that?”

“I had to.”

“But why?”

“Are you questioning your Captain’s decision? She’s looking for misplaced letters she wrote to me and our daughter. She wants to bring them back to Earth with her because they hold sentimental value to her. Satisfied? Or do you want to waste more precious time questioning my authority? She is not a threat. She will not attack, so do not get in her way. I repeat, if you see my wife, do not shoot. We need them both alive, understood? I repeat, don't kill them. Do you think you can manage that?”

When Captain Han sees Lieutenant Ryu getting splashed with lunar water, he decides that the traitorous Tae-suk isn't worth a bullet and allows him to suffer a much more protracted and painful death. However, some of the water particles splash onto his skin as well, causing him to become infected.

Everyone is gathered in the medical bay. You and Luna are off to the side, playing together while everyone watches. You joined them after you found the letters you were looking for in record time, though you nearly scared the crap out of them with the noise you made from when you crawled through an overhead vent instead of using the door because it was quicker that way. You’re keeping the letters safe in your pocket. You just need to give them to Yun-jae when there’s an opportune moment to do so.

“So she’s really the Captain’s wife?”

“Yes, it would appear so. She’s been alive all this time,” Dr. Hong confirms.

Unbeknownst to them, Captain Han has no intention of telling them that you’re a clone. They don’t need to know what you really are. He fears you’ll be killed if they know.

“So we've now confirmed they can survive contact with lunar water?”

“Looks like it. Lunar water has similar characteristics to a virus that changes each time it comes into contact with a new host. As we can see, a pretty major change took place when it came into contact with them. Or at least contact with whatever they put inside the Captain’s wife and Luna. Something unknown inside their bodies.”

“These researchers at Balhae Station…the Captain’s wife…studied cell fusion and genetic recombination as ways to make humans survive lunar water. And the organism they created as a result is named Luna. Human experiments and human cloning, both illegal.”

“So that means...the reason the government shut down this station five years ago was because they cared more about hiding the experiments than about the results or retrieving the lunar water. If this gets out, it'll cause a panic. I mean, shit.”

“It's considered an act of treason for us to disclose state secrets no matter what the secrets are.”

“You realize, even if we swear to never speak of this again, no one in charge will believe us for the rest of our lives! People will watch our every move, or we might just end up dead like the crew members here!”

“That's why Director Choi wanted me and Captain Han here. I see the logic. She probably thought we wouldn't be able to tell the truth. The atrocious crimes my sister and his wife committed as head researchers.”

Captain Han enters the medical bay.

“What happened to Lieutenant Ryu?”

“We aren't safe here anymore. Something's wrong.”

“What do you mean, Captain?”

“A shaft blew up during my struggle with the Lieutenant. There was spurting water. Dr. Song. Are you all right? Dr. Song!”

She doesn’t answer. She suddenly feels unwell.

A few moments later, Captain Han’s vision turns completely blue. He looks down at his hands. He sees starfish. Dr. Song experiences similar symptoms at the same time. They were exposed to lunar water at some point during the mission.

"What's wrong?"

He and Dr. Song don't say anything. They just turn and rush to another room, closing and locking the door behind themselves in an attempt to self isolate before they can infect Officer Gong and Dr. Hong.

"Dr. Song. Captain Han. Are you all right? Dr. Song!Captain!"

"What is it? Dr. Song. Captain. Let us help. Open up!"

"I'm sorry." Captain Han and Dr. Song both say, breathing heavily.

"Are you feeling sick?"

They hunch over, holding their stomachs.

"Dr. Song!"

"Captain Han!"

"Wait, I..."

"Dr. Song!"

"Captain!"

“What’s the problem? Open up! I'm sure we can help you! Dr. Song! Captain!”

“Captain Han! Dr. Song!”

Being shorter and smaller than him, Dr. Song starts vomiting first. Captain Han’s tall stature means it takes longer for the cells to multiply enough to infect his entire body, but the few seconds he has over Dr. Song to get a few more short, uneven breaths in don’t last long enough to make much of a difference as he also succumbs. The remaining crew watch helplessly in horror as Dr. Song and Captain Han vomit copious amounts of water. The last thing they see is you and Luna watching them from the window. They both lose consciousness. While Dr. Song dreams of her sister, Captain Han dreams of you and his daughter.

“Ji-an. Are you all right?”

“Yun-jae. Are you feeling okay?”

“What happened?” Captain Han and Dr. Song both ask.

“You were infected just like the others were. But somehow, your bodies are fighting back. I think...possibly, Luna's and your wife’s mutated genes, they act like a sort of antibody. They suppress the multiplication of lunar water in your bodies. Or It could be you're both just lucky. I’ll have to keep an eye on both of you. It's too early to tell, but...this poor girl and your poor wife…they just might be the key to saving the whole world.”

“She's Luna.” Dr. Song says.

“She’s Y/N.” Captain Han says at the same time.

“What?”

“Those are their names. Luna and Y/N.”

"The backup from SAA has entered the landing orbit. Just as you mentioned, we spotted another spacecraft also entering orbit around the same time."

"It's probably a small transport ship often used by RX mercenaries."

"We need more time to retrieve the capsules. We'll have no way of saving them once RX mercenaries arrive. Please give us a hand in delaying their spacecraft from landing."

"What will happen to Luna and Y/N? What will happen to them after they're brought to Earth?"

"Mrs. Han will be free to return home and be with her family. Although, since you’ve reported and proven to us that she’s adapted to lunar water, she may be put under tests to further the research on it.”

“I won’t let my wife be treated like a guinea pig and subjected to inhumane tests in a cold and sterile government lab!”

“No, no. Of course not. These tests would be conducted only when absolutely necessary. Think of it like a doctor’s appointment. A blood draw every six months. A full physical exam once out of the year. It’d all be painless. It’d be nothing your wife hasn’t done before. It’d be no different from what everyone has done at some point in their lives so medical professionals can monitor their health. Bringing her back from the dead will be a legal hassle, but not impossible. Once successful completion of their mission has been confirmed, she and Captain Han will be rewarded with a higher water rank as promised. But lunar water and Subject 073 do not officially exist in this world. She’ll be sent to a Grade One facility at the Ministry of National Defense. And our government will continue with the experiments conducted at the station.”

"That’s too dangerous. The lunar water is still very unstable. It can put the entire Earth in danger. And if she’s sent there, Luna will only be used as a tool to study the lunar water."

"What about my request?"

"Unfortunately, Director Choi holds a strong political position, so everyone is hesitant to step up."

"What is he talking about?"

"Captain Han asked me to contact a higher official who can keep Director Choi under control. The lunar water and Subject 073 cannot be monopolized by anybody. Captain Han and I agreed upon that. Thankfully, more people in the SAA are starting to see the problem in this. I will come up with a measure before you return to Earth."

The remaining crew agrees that, though lunar water is dangerous, it could be the salvation of humanity, but if they take Luna to Earth, she will be treated as an experiment forever. Dr. Song suggests that they take Luna to the International Institute of Space Biology, a space station and neutral territory, to ensure both Luna's safety and that the benefits of further researching the lunar water will be shared with everyone.

"The International Institute of Space Biology. We cannot return to Earth. The IISB. We should be safe there. This must be studied in a neutral area to stop anybody from monopolizing the lunar water. I'll take Luna there myself."

"Location tracker. For just in case." But Captain Han hesitates and almost gives the other location tracker to Dr. Song so she can put it on Luna instead of him.

"You can put it on her... It looks like now she trusts you."

Luna stands up. While you offered your leg to your husband right away, Luna is hesitant. She looks to you and Dr. Song first for reassurance before offering her leg and letting Captain Han put the tracker on her ankle. Her eyes are drawn to his bodycam with the cartoon face on it. You recognized that sticker as belonging to your daughter when you first saw it.

When he notices Luna staring at it, he offers it to her. She snatches it from his hand right away, admiring it.

"She’s not wary of you anymore. If she goes to Earth, she’ll die in a lab."

"They won't give up on lunar water. Her fate won't be any different no matter where she goes. Luna and Y/N are coming to Earth with us."

"You're calling her Luna now. Just as you said, we're desperate, and we end up making the wrong decisions. And those decisions always come with a price. We cannot repeat the same mistake."

"The only choice I can make right now is to complete this mission for my wife and daughter's sakes. Right, honey?” He turns to look at you for support and reassurance in his stance.

You nod. “Right. We’ve come too far and lost too much to give up or turn back now. We’ll go home together and, once this is all over and we return to Earth, we’ll go to the hospital and visit Ha-jin. She will have me back. She will have both of her parents and we’ll be a family again.”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise.”

He kisses you. As he does, he thinks of when he saw Ha-jin in the hospital just before he went on this mission and what her doctor told him.

"You'll need a higher water classification to stop her condition from worsening. If her condition worsens, she may lose her legs forever. There isn't much we can do with the class you currently hold."

He loves you both so much that he wants to save you and his daughter at all costs. Even if it means doing so at the cost of his own life. He kisses you like it’s the last kiss he’ll ever be able to give you. Like he’s savoring the moment because it’s his last chance to feel your lips against his.

When everything goes to shit and the station starts flooding with lunar water, you do everything in your power to ensure your husband’s survival at all costs. You and Luna lead him and the surviving crew to safety. You don’t need help suiting up so, while Dr. Song helps Luna and Yun-jae puts on the rest of his gear, you try to open the door. But the door won’t open due to sensor failure. In order for the group to ascend to safety, they need to activate the decompression chamber from outside. While nobody’s looking, you bravely volunteer yourself to activate the airlock, much to the horror of the others, especially your husband, when they find out what you’ve done. He’s the Captain. If anyone is to go down with the station, it should be him. Not you. That was his plan.

“Where are you? What are you doing?” He demands. “Why didn’t you stay by my side like I told you to?”

“You should go first,” you say, your back to him. If you look him in the eye, you’ll lose your nerve.

“No. No, we can’t. You said we’d go back together! No, wait. Open this. Hold on! Stop this thing! We said we’d complete this mission for our daughter! No, you… Honey! You can’t stay here!”

You turn to face him from the other side of the door. “Wherever Luna goes…please be there with her.”

“No…don’t do this. I just got you back. I can’t lose you again. Not now. Please.”

“Yun-jae, it’s okay. It’s what I want. Whatever my fate ends up being, I’m at peace with it because I chose it. If this is it…just know that I’ve loved you very, very much.”

“This isn’t it, darling. We won’t let this be it!”

“If this is it… I leave behind no regrets because I successfully completed my mission. I found the letters she left for you and Ha-jin. They’re tucked safely in your space suit. Right here.” You point to a pocket. You remember word-for-word what the letter his wife wrote says. Looking deeply into his eyes, you recite it to him in what you think are your last moments, your voice thick and heavy with emotion as your eyes water.

“My dear Yun-jae, are you well? Though I'd like nothing more than to see you again, I'm afraid I no longer have the ability to do so. You don't know how many times I've thought about you over the years. I often wonder if you hate me for what I did. Do you? When I decided to leave, I was only thinking of you and our child. When I became pregnant with Ha-jin, I was so happy. But I was also afraid. Infant mortality was so high, and among the main causes mentioned were various infections and diseases caused by the consumption of contaminated water. I couldn't bear exposing our daughter, that tiny life, to such danger. And when she had her accident and became sick, I knew your position, and understood you didn't have the option to leave the SAA right then and there. I knew you couldn’t come with me. It wasn't an easy decision to leave. I know it was very cruel to you too. But I thought it was something I had to do…for the sake of everyone's future. I thought that, if this mission succeeded, it could save humanity. Even though I did the only thing I could, I'll always regret leaving you and Ha-jin that way.

But there are two bright spots in this sad story, and they are you, Yun-jae, my dear husband, and our lovely daughter, Ha-jin. My departure all those years ago will give you both the chance to live in a world where fish swim, plants flourish, and waterfalls rush. And now, though my time here is likely drawing to a close, and even though our life together had to end like this, I still wouldn't trade it for the world. We had some wonderful years together. I like to think we'll meet again someday, somehow. Even if it’s in a way neither of us expect. I told my colleagues to give this letter to a surviving Luna, so that she could give it to you after I'm gone, in the event neither me, nor any of my clones, nor any of my colleagues survived our mission.

If I’m standing in front of you now and giving you this letter, that means one of two things. The first, highly improbable outcome: That the experimentation of lunar water on an adult body was successful on the very first trial. That I’m still alive and there was no need for further cloning. Or the second, much more likely outcome: That, as you read this, I'm already dead. That I died but one of my clones survived alongside one of the Luna clones. I'm so sorry for what I did to you, did to us... I can't tell you to remember me, but I can't bear for you to forget me. You've given me so much and I haven't been able to return a single thing. You may feel sorry for me. Sorry that I died on the moon, in a dark and cold place without you. Don’t be. What’s wrong with dying alone? Who says dying alone can’t be peaceful? Humans are fundamentally alone, but we forget because we’re afraid. Arguing otherwise won’t change that. Once you accept it, it stops being so overwhelming. If we weren’t fundamentally alone, how could we ever truly love someone else? You’ve been in love before. And you can be again. Whether it’s with me or another woman, you are capable of loving and deserve to be loved in return. That's why I want you to live for yourself and Ha-jin now. Do what's best for you and for her.

Yun-jae... You made me happy. Even now, the thought of seeing your face in some capacity after my death warms my heart. No matter what happens to me, be well and be happy, honey. Well, this letter has gone on too long, so I'll say goodbye. Goodbye, but just for now.”

Captain Han watches as the water consumes you seconds later. Staying behind in raging lunar waters looks like certain death. He cries. He yells in agony until his throat is sore. He repeatedly hits the walls with his fists. But they have to go. When he and the remaining crew make it outside, they find remains of a spacesuit. They follow a set of footprints and see Luna standing without her spacesuit. A few feet away, they find you, injured but alive. You surprisingly got blasted out of the space station alive. Even more surprising, once outside the station, it turns out that both your and Luna’s genetic modifications enable you to survive exposure to the moon’s vacuum (the moon has such a rarefied atmosphere that in any practical case can be defined as vacuum) without a space suit. You don’t need the suit or the helmet and can breathe just fine in the lunar atmosphere. You and Yun-jae hold each other in a tight embrace, unwilling to let go even as he helps you stand up. You both shed tears of relief. Moments later, a bright light shines down on you from overhead, making you break apart to shield your eyes as the rescue shuttle arrives to take you all back to Earth. You’re finally going home.

The first thing you and Yun-jae do upon arriving home is go to the hospital. Your husband has you sit and wait in the hallway outside Ha-jin’s room for a few minutes while he talks to her. Though he knows Ha-jin will be excited to have you back, he wants to explain the situation to her as gently as he can to soften the blow your sudden reappearance into her life will inevitably give her. You and he both know she’ll recognize your face despite the years apart and you coming back from the dead will be a shock to her system no matter what he does or says. It’ll take time for her and for you to adjust to a new normal, but the least he can do is give you both time and help Ha-jin understand why you and he lied to her about your work and cause of death. When Ha-jin first sees you, it’s a highly emotional and tearful reunion, albeit awkward at first. You were dead for years and suddenly you’re alive again. Still, the awkwardness quickly wears off when she shows you her drawings and stickers. You do arts and crafts together, play together, hug and kiss. It’s like you never left. But you did. You have a long, serious talk about it.

“I thought of this moment, of our reunion, every day for the past five years. When your father and I stepped through the door and I walked through these halls towards your room after so many years away… I was afraid, Ha-jin. I was afraid you didn’t really want me to come home. I didn’t know if you’d hate me or pity me... Or maybe I’d just disgust you... I remember when you were little, when your father and I came to see you in the hospital, I could tell how hard it was on you...and now look at you. You’ve grown up so much. How old are you now?”

“Um, I turned twelve last week.”

“I’m sorry I’m late, but… Happy twelfth birthday, Ha-jin. I love you so, so, much,” you say with a watery, bittersweet smile.

She bursts into tears. “In my dreams, I saw the moon. You promised that you’d take me there someday. But you never did. I felt so pathetic and ugly laying here, waiting for you... Every day I dreamed that I was with you, but then you’d go away and I’d be alone... In our 'special place'... Waiting for you... Waiting for you to come to see me. But you never did. And so I waited. And when I woke up, I stared up at the cracks in the ceiling and all I could think about is how unfair it all is...”

Both you and Yun-jae hug her as she rambles and cries. Together, you wrap her in a cocoon of love and warmth. You and he rub and pat her back and pet her hair as you console her. You just hold and hush her until she calms down.

“Shhh. Shhh. I know. I know you thought I was dead, that you grieved and mourned me all these years. And now I’m trying to come back into your life as if nothing happened and causing you even more pain. I know I've done a terrible thing to you. Something you might never forgive me for. I wish I could change that, but I can't. I’ll always be sorry about how I left you. That's why I understand if you do hate me. But I want you to know this, Ha-jin. Even if you hate me, I'll always love you. I did what I did for you, to give you a better world to live in. To give you the future you deserve. I understand if you don’t think I deserve it but, if you’ll give me a chance to be your mother again, I promise I’ll stay this time. I’ll never go away again.”

“Pinky swear?” She sticks her pinky out towards you.

You lock your pinky around hers, kissing her hand. “I pinky swear.” You then open your purse and pull out an envelope. “I have something for you. I wrote this to you when I was on the moon. I didn’t know if I’d make it back to Earth, if I’d make it back to you and your dad or not. It’s five years late, but I’m glad I’m here so I can give it to you now. Consider it part of your birthday present.”

She opens the letter. You and Yun-jae hold hands and watch as her eyes dart from side to side as she reads it.

Ha-jin,

I know you're upset with me for leaving, and you should be. I shouldn't have come here, I see that now. I don’t know if I’m going to make it back home - I don’t even know if this letter will ever reach you. If the world is good, and I do believe that it is, then I will see you again for I had hoped to have a lifetime to teach you everything you need to know. I wish I had a lifetime for you to teach me everything I need to know. I'll do my best in the short time I have left.

I am imperfect, I am flawed, but my love for you is not. The same can be said of your father. And Ha-jin, about your father... I know you hate him because you think he leaves you alone too much and you miss him, but please give him a chance. It's true he may be a little surly sometimes, and he doesn't laugh much. But underneath he's really a sweet person.

You aren't perfect either. I see you trying to be perfect, but you don't need to be. You just need to find life that fills you with energy and purpose. Be fair, and truthful, and take care of those who need you. The rest, well, that's the living.

I want to throw everything at the wall right now, every bit of motherly advice. School, boys, college, career, travel, marriage - but my mind keeps returning to something small. The memory won’t get out of the way of the advice, so maybe it’s more important.

Dad and I dropped you off to your very first day of school. You were wearing that shirt with the horses on it, the really ugly one. It was the first thing you picked out for yourself and you were so proud of it. As you ran to beat the first bell, Dad made us late - doubt that will ever change - and I remember asking your father, "Do you think she’s ready?" He was too nervous to even guess. It's funny what makes you worry.

That's not the story. The story starts later that night. You had locked yourself in your room after school. Your dad couldn’t lure you out, and it took a lot of pushing to get you to let me in. It took even longer to get the story out of you. If you don't remember, your classmates had made fun of your shirt, and you had cried. You were hiding because you thought your dad and I would be upset that you had cried. You felt you had let us down.

First, there's nothing you could do to let us down. Don't ever forget that. We will be proud of you long after we’re gone, long after you’re gone too. That’s just how it is. But here’s why I bring this up again… The next day, you went back in, and you wore that shirt again. And the next day. For the next few weeks it took a crowbar to get that thing away from you long enough to get it washed.

Each time you’d wear the shirt, the same kids would make fun of you, and each day you’d come home looking just about as despondent as can be. I remember I asked you why you kept wearing the shirt, and you told me, very seriously, “I want people to like me.” My first thought was, okay, great, let’s go burn that shirt. But then I understood what you really meant. You wanted people to like you. Even then you knew that you had to be yourself, even when it’s the most difficult thing you could possibly be. It would have been easier to hide who you were, but you wouldn’t even consider doing that. You wanted people to like you, the real you. The Ha-jin I know who is brilliant, kind, strong, a little bit of a dork (hey, takes one to know one) and determined to live her life like it’s an adventure.

I think of that often because that day is when I knew you were going to be okay, no matter what life threw your way.

I was hoping to have this conversation when you were older, a phrase which I know always upsets you, but you do deserve an explanation. I wanted to...explain everything to you one day. Please know that I had a chance to save the lives of a lot of good people. Sometimes as a parent, the best way to show your love is by doing everything in your power to make the world a better place. Sometimes, the best option is to stay home, to ignore the world and make your home a better place. I wish there was a way to do both, because that’s what you deserve.

One day you will find yourself facing a similar choice. If I’m not there to help you decide, think about that little girl in the ugly horse shirt (sorry, kiddo, that thing was grim). She knows what to do. Trust me, she’s who I think of whenever I need help myself. More than anything, I want to make it home to see you grow up. I want to show you the sea. I love you today, and always, and even when I’m gone.

Be good. Be a little bad. Be who you are.

Love, Mom

P.S. Please tell your father if he wants to hear what I have to say to him, he should look up the word ‘apology’ in the dictionary.

P.P.S. I’ve left more than a few things behind for you - but I’ll never tell you where. Look and you’ll find them.

P.P.P.S. I’m not talking about my work papers. Your father will lock those up if anything happens to me. Balhae Station is my mission, and you don’t need to pick it up just because you’re my daughter. You’ll find your own adventures.

Later, after you read Ha-jin a bedtime story like you used to do and she falls asleep to your voice, Yun-jae lays down beside you in her hospital room on the pullout bed meant for guests. Not the original you, not the one he married, but the only you that’s left. Together, you watch over your daughter as she finally gets some much needed sleep.

“Are you awake? I moved you because you seemed uncomfortable in Ha-jin’s bed,” Yun-jae murmurs as he adjusts himself so you’ll have more room and be more comfortable. The bed is big enough to fit both of you, but you still find yourself resting your head and arm on your husband’s chest, using him as a pillow and listening to his heartbeat.

“Despite my absence, our daughter grew up strong and sweet just the same. You did well in raising her all by yourself. It couldn’t have been easy.”

“The nightlight you gave her helped for a while. But it started giving her nightmares after you passed.”

“Doctor. Did you say Ha-jin is gone?” He asked, alarmed and concerned.

“Oh. We just located her.”

“So, what happened to her?”

“I'm not so sure. She must've had a bad dream. She kept looking for her mom and just managed to fall asleep.”

“When she first learned that you died, she just didn't want to accept it. She was so angry all the time and she struck out at everyone she loved most. Even me. Especially me. She’d yell at me, asking why you did it. ‘I hate you! I want her back! Give her back to me! I knew it! You didn’t care about her! I hate you, Dad! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!’ It hurt, but I knew she didn’t mean any of it. She was just acting as any kid who lost their mom that they loved very much would. I couldn’t blame her for her reaction. I wasn’t coping much better with your death than she was. Despite it all, no matter how much time passed, she never gave up hope that you were alive somewhere, somehow. She was always waiting for you. She reminds me of you every time she smiles. With her around, I could never forget about you, even if I wanted to. You've been in my thoughts since the day we parted. Just as you’ve been in Ha-jin’s.”

With your mission successfully completed, you both have been given higher water rankings. Ha-jin will receive the treatment she needs and won’t lose her legs. Water will be restored on Earth. Hong and Ji-an both had the water samples and they should be enough to save the planet. A cure to the lunar water disease will be found from Luna and potentially yourself, and will be used to offset the effects of the water, making those vaccines you contributed in creating mandatory in order to drink the water safely.

You look up at your husband, smiling. Your eyes flicker with nictitating membranes as you blink. It’s so quick nobody would notice unless they were looking for it. Ha-jin stared right at you and didn’t notice at all. “I think you made the right choice, honey,” you say, holding his hand.

“It was the only choice I could make.”

“Do you really like me?”

“I do.”

“Do you still love me?”

“I do.”

“Then I will do anything to stay by your side.”

“I know you will. I love you.”

“I love you too. And Ha-jin...I love her like my very own daughter.”

“Well, that’s good because she is your daughter.”

You wrap your arms around each other and share a long, passionate kiss. He pulls away first. He looks at you as if he has something pressing on his mind.

“What’s the matter, honey?”

“Nothing. Nothing’s the matter. Nothing at all. Really.”

“Then why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Honey, you always have that look on your face when you want to ask me something important but are unsure how to word it or are scared of how I’ll react. It’s the same look you had when you asked me to marry you and if I wanted to try for a child with you. Is that it? Do you really want to have another baby?”

“No! I mean, not now or anytime soon, but…someday. Maybe. When the water crisis is solved and the Earth is saved. Can you…can you even get pregnant?”

“I…don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. I’m someone…who might never have a child. You know why, don’t you? I started out as a perfect clone of your wife and I got my menstrual cycle while on Balhae Station, even if it was irregular at times. But then my genetics were altered and I developed mutant abilities and characteristics, but I still bled occasionally. It just wasn’t every month like it used to be. Conditions being what they were and all… So I think…maybe? But then again, the chances of me getting pregnant might have gone down from the experiments and my fertility rate may be incredibly low. I hadn’t ever thought about the implications of what it’d mean if I, a mutant clone, reproduced with a man like you, a normal human. You’re asking me these kinds of questions for a reason. What is it?”

“I’m not sure if this is the right time to say this…but I think I want to sleep with you. I wish I could sugarcoat it, but that would sound too contrived. I’m telling you this instead of holding it in…because I’m worried nothing will happen if I don’t tell you now. I’m always subtracting things in life. I’ve subtracted and subtracted, and finally ended up with a rather simple equation…but I can’t figure out where you fit in. I can’t tell if I want to sleep with you mere hours after meeting you…simply because you’re a woman, or because you’re a clone of my wife and I’m supposed to love you. I hope…it’s simply because you’re a woman.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for telling me, honey. And please don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed about how you feel. It’s okay to feel that way. You’re right that we’ve technically only known each other for a few hours, but an hour in space can feel like a year. I won’t be mad or upset if you only want to sleep with me because I’m a clone of her. It’s only natural that you still lust for your wife. That you’re still attracted to her and desire her. You’ve been without her or her touch for far too long, you must be starved of physical affection.”

“It’s not like that. It’s just…”

“Just?”

��I’ve had no trouble sleeping since you arrived. I sleep at night and wake up in the morning. I’m bothered by the changes you’ve made, but more bothered with myself for being so bothered.”

“So you want to do it with me, a woman who bothers you because I’m your wife yet not at the same time.”

“Or maybe I just need a different woman to do it with.”

“You’re not fifteen. You’re over thirty. You should be able to tell the difference. Why don’t you figure out if it’s a need or if you’ve actually fallen for me?”

“I haven’t fallen for you. I just need a woman or my wife, and I can’t decide which.”

“But you said you love me.”

“I do love you, but I haven’t fallen in love with you yet. There’s a difference. I want to get to know you for you first. You don’t have to completely conform to who my wife was. You don’t have to copy her all the time. People can change, and so can you.”

“You’re so wise and so clever, honey. It’s why you don’t listen to know-it-alls who’ve read just one book or dated one person. What would they know? I can see you’re in a dilemma and need time to think it through and mull it over. Take all the time you need. I’ll still be here when you’re done subtracting.”

“And if I still don’t have an answer?”

“I’ll still be here.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He turns away from you and curls up, as if trying not to look at you and hide his face from you out of embarrassment, trying to shrink away from the awkwardness of what he just admitted.

You adjust again, this time curling up beside him and wrapping your arms around him from behind and resting your head on his back. You wait for him to turn over to face you. Could be minutes. Could be over an hour. Once he does, you kiss him. He kisses you back and wraps his leg around your waist. You move your hands to his shoulders and his neck to pull him closer to you. Once he’s close enough for your liking, your arms are wrapped around his back, your fingers pressing into his flesh there and feeling his muscles while your lips are locked in passionate kissing. You stop and pull away before anything more can happen. It’s not the right time or place to take your clothes off and make love. You don’t want to traumatize Ha-jin in case she wakes up in the night.

“Feel better?” You ask.

“Much better. Never mind. I was talking nonsense.”

“It didn’t seem like total nonsense to me. I guess today was one of those days you needed relief.”

“A little.”

“If you’re okay with it, we can do more when we’re home alone.”

“We can?”

“Of course. We’re both adults and married, aren’t we? So it’s okay to do…that…if we both want it.”

He removes his hands from underneath your clothing. “It’ll be a while then, I guess. I’m rather shy, you see.” He still holds your hand or touches your leg with his foot, as if scared you’ll disappear if he isn’t touching you in some way. “For now, let’s just get some sleep. It’s been such a long day and we’re both exhausted. We’ll need all the rest we can get to face tomorrow.” He gives you a goodnight kiss. “Goodnight, honey. I love you,” he murmurs as he closes his eyes to finally sleep.

You brush his hair back with your fingers when loose strands get in his eyes. “Goodnight, honey. I love you too,” you murmur back before closing your eyes to join him in slumberland.

#gong yoo x reader #gong yoo x you #gong yoo #Han yunjae x reader #han yun-jae x reader #captain han x reader #the silent sea #the silent sea Netflix #the silent sea prompt #pls tag me if you’re inspired by this #i’d love to read it

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scavengedluxury · 1 year ago

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Intersection of Rákóczi Avenue and the Grand Boulevard viewed from what is now Balha Lujza Square, Budapest, 1898. From the Budapest Municipal Photography Company archive.

#budapest #hungary #cityscapes #architecture #1890s

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anditwentlikethis · 1 year ago

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acabei de ver um tweet a propor uma receção épica ao autocarro antes do jogo

dérbi em Alvalade com o Sporting em 1°lugar com mais 1 ponto que o Benfica e com o Sporting a ser claramente a equipa que joga melhor futebol esta época

#não me levem a mal aquilo em 2016 foi de facto épico e a equipa merecia muito uma coisa assim no sábado #mas epaaa #vamos mesmo testar os deuses desta forma? se calhar não né #ganhar o jogo > receção ao autocarro #mas porque não os dois?...#ser Sporting é eu estar traumatizada com uma fucking receção ao autocarro balha-me deus

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alukaforyou · 7 months ago

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my sukuna brainrot had me researching goryeo period hanbok if sukuna was born around late 900s thats riiight about when goryeo was achieving true unification of the kr peninsula tbh im more versed in joseon era hanbok cuz thats like THEE PEAK of hanbok aes imo we all kno these iconic looks

we have artwork & photos even so researching joseon era hanbok is easy peasy but idk SHID abt goryeo period the only drama i've seen from that era is "shine or go crazy" where my gay ass fell in love w lee hanui its a made up story but it does mention later balhae which is 927-935 but like idk if this costuming is anywhere near accurate @_@ and i've seen a bit of queen woo but kr articles were criticizing the historically inaccurate costuming so welp also that one is set in like late 100c so wrong era!

i found a neat little source here that seems legit and i gotta say i love the little ribbon bow thing on the side thats really cute it looks like its just on one side ????? i wish we had more pics :(

the best thing i found on my search is this design supposedly worn by royal consort sunbi, one of king chungseon's wives from the early 1300s this is p close to early joseon era tho not rly 900s-1000s :(

like no way that is so pretty? the little pleated trim on the arms? 1000/10 ik this is a recreation and probably nicer than how the original design likely was but i'll take it! very nice 👍🏻 additionally found this source by googling sunbi it is v academic omg i just kinda skimmed it but they have some info on womenswear from 13-14c and even a section on the details of sunbis banquet attire :0

aaaand just some extra pics to end, uhhh basically 900-1000s era hanbok ref pics are hard to find ;~;

#pic collages due to post photo limit #i need to kno this info cuz i need to kno wat kind of clothes sukuna would be ripping off me like it needs to be slightly #historically accurate LMFAO WJO #ugh the royal gown thing is such a banger #too bad they probably didnt have pink dye back then #or maybe they did idk #i need more angles on that dress tho like whats that white thing on the back! i wanna see how the #layers are!!! give me more diagrams ahhhhh #.txt

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sidekickcore · 1 year ago

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get to know me :9

— tagged by @aroveins

balha blah blah my name is stevie blah blah balh

fav colour ; greeny blue :3c but i like yellow A LOT

last song ; toro by remi wolf !

currently reading ; interview w the vampire ^v-v^

currently watching ; sex education rewatch

currently craving ; chips.. so bad

coffee or tea ; tea , if i drink coffee i CRY !!

sweet spicy or savoury ; savoury 😞

relationship status ; singlee ..

current obsession ; i wouldnt be able to tell u but ive had a sinjin drowning bingewatch resurgence.... .

i would tag other ppl but the moots i talk 2 r devoid of fun and whimsy 😞

#🗯️#frying pan to the head 🍳

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robotalien · 4 months ago

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🪴 one song you recommend everyone to listen to?

🍋‍🟩 favorite rapper?

🍓 when you got into kpop?

🪻 a crossover you want to see (idols, groups, variety shows)?

🙇‍♀️

🪴 one song you recommend everyone to listen to? tri-angle by tvxq!!!!!!!! funnily enough the One Time someone irl asked me to recommend a kpop song, i recommended dreaming of balhae by seo taiji and boys. i also forced a friend of mine to listen to stayc but he didn't like them....

🍋‍🟩 favorite rapper? moonsua from billlie <3 i think she has a beautiful raspy voice and she has a nice flow too. but if we're being real most kpop rappers are not That good if you compare them to actual rappers (with a few exceptions, of course). and as much as i make fun of him i actually like some of mark raps lol

🍓 when you got into kpop? early 2010s!! probably 2012 but i'm not sure. i knew about kpop before because of 2ne1 and snsd but i only got into it forreal because of exo!! i rmr an 1d artist and a friend of mine started posting about them and i got interested lol then around the mid 2010s i completely cut kpop (well, i only followed exo closely, really) off my life bc they kept losing members 😭😭😭 then in 2020 i got back into it bc of superm. such a shame bc i missed a good part of one of the most interesting eras of kpop.....

🪻 a crossover you want to see (idols, groups, variety shows)? i'd love to see another ses x aespa collab 😭😭😭 i need yoo youngjin to get his shit together and come back to sm 😭😭😭 and i kinda miss old variety shows like golden bell and xman.... also #NEED that ningning x ten collab to become real. & that bigbang year stage made me realize that they really do need to bring 2nd gen groups together more often... those were basically the groups current gen idols grew up watching and it's also refreshing to see the realness they have that current idols simply don't lol

#yay this was fun thank you ily #hejihra #ask game

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444names · 1 year ago

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Names generated from daedra names (The Elder Scrolls) and theological angels and demons

Aademixasa Abaly Abiah Addogtru Adjudgerata Adrigion Adronianama Aecer Agara Agastalar Agherworai Akaaki Akalan Alavend Alawoorel Aleth Aliony Amalaxes Amancifeyak Ambri Aminurazan Amixar Anash Anira Arkifurr Arkyth Arras Asmon Astart Asuraldanow Athoor Atormen Aventon Azachedriel Azail Azfyli Azfylomeje Azudia Azulunta...

Badeka Badermwon Badruk Baleg Balha Banchalis Banumbrus Barch Bardandren Barmura Barve Batakaer Bator Battykena Bazapt Bazep Bazureel Beggma Begozzaka Behel Belekh Berubim Betron Bhamsits Blaningda Blekab Blias Blorgorne Blotell Bodavakata Boglammar Bomeruttaaf Bomet Botinaf Bridran Briell Broel Bruchan Bruint Brutstear Caagonophon Caldus Canah Cantanev Ceriel Chberus Chcus Chcustor Chich Clest Collaki Corge Cresal Crykun Daebloke Dagorveplar Dajjala Dakelvel Dalivora Damnevin Danim Daveshas Davilfrozu Deelith Demvatix Dendhazena Deranzoul Dezber Dicub Dolamata Dolarayla Dominaphaz Donotu Doshatim Drephaz Driel Driell Droganron Dumirr Dyzachahaed Dyzormang Ebatorsis Ebodwyr Ebolame Eissoyozt Elila Enaeder Enaket Eneep Enkyn Enneineth Erilitenkyx Erwilavasal Esilqon Feachenova Flamanyiel Flartar Flarut Flawori Focor Forgriel Forni Fregahas Fremon Fring Furax Furfuriel Garrber Gelleyarak Giraphk Glakh Gleceraffa Glogon Gonfes Goras Gregisth Gremvarrut Grith Grosheusih Gucinerz Gucing Gucingentor Guilqoth Gurotarbata Gwaila Habrae Hango Hauter Havar Hazuomal Hexes Hiker Himalev Himightmous Hishavy Hoatrona Holsouth Horymorch Hravyriel Hriel Hrightris Hrine Hulfrows Hunne Hutanexx Hylarbii Hylivel Ibaddyzai Ibatemnaman Iblygda Ibron Icullharru Ighterim Iguali Ilatirux Ilfilagath Iligor Imarkaroth Imsiel Ipasuuldus Iremir Isoyeqothxu Izzlech Janth Junalxong Junnax Jyner Kaboor Kaduugri Kaliah Keemyai Kelli Keriel Khaakhan Kikokvonth Kintura Kmorim Knind Kotepenehum Kotmare Kotter Krahiel Kroor Kuvamez Kynas Lahrinevan Lesnoctor Lilaas Lotmaez Lubiel Lubithoale Maasardha Magolaber Malas Manigna Marespinfla Meguright Mezat Mielar Mincifeshax Mineus Minnightbra Minolfri Miraz Mogol Morge Morger Mueliki Murch Murerion Murner Mysolail Nacruz Nantoshl Neing Nezaphon Nifrinkyn Nighassimer Nigma Ninas Ninger Noamyse Nolsu Nuesats Nurain Nurilaalana Nzolaz Nzured Oceraylor Ofatork Ofephaeo Omachel Orgon Oshambell Osuphan Ozaind Ozakhring Ozoah Oztiel Ozurgenka Paruxies Pasaktan Paylar Penaas Perang Petalkyu Phant Plikhel Postos Prigorlyn Print Pritterene Pulanazind Pulfatard Pumah Pumpha Puran Purerothar Pyashedru Qaphki Quara Rachavon Rahena Ralpharve Raxuu Rectom Reetate Rinoctoni Rixaster Rixth Ronshyang Rrahand Rrven Rsoyel Rusojopel Sachil Sadkiess Sakith Scremhue Scron Scrosheal Scrosti Seeclorax Sendar Senex Serbats Sermura Setatera Shaed Shalam Shane Shaskohzu Skorchingon Skraz Slarizulun Slasax Soirrus Squnt Stabata Stazzam Stemasord Stophaylo Stornosh Strim Surashyxes Teginthym Telak Temyser Tepaidaezen Terrus Tharvenim Toragat Toralth Torchab Torynower Traif Trogrozurs Troodameth Tudhodwyr Tuzak Tzanions Ukhen Ukhes Ukhrilock Ulghtegel Ulgogatis Ulucheach Uzakhemes Uzranhal Vangos Vaphiel Varkynaf Varnapt Varrokh Varuthung Varuz Veluz Venkerbwd Veperkynez Viasher Vicera Virel Vitlers Voraz Vorok Voulubiel Vouts Vrearus Vrechikhes Vrelduuta Vrele Vrinzil Vrius Vrozzaph Vrukkrut Wadra Walagon Warak Warow Weruzainn Whiskoel Whodae Winkel Wintewhim Wista Woorgozanth Xalvach Xatorn Xignaerzix Xilasker Xishmetear Xivik Xobli Xorinoctuz Xoruth Xvanderna Xvion Xxtorion Xznothidaez Yelluz Yerana Yersiel Ygdrex Yggmal Zaidiarione Zaing Zaphqien Zebah Zebralak Zebus Zebut Zebuth Zedinrhae Zeligood Zends Zentorhah Zethiell Zienazfyl Zikotuz Zopel Zormwor Zymormhue Zymorufa Zyraces Zyzakumel

#444names #444 names

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denizeyuruyen · 1 year ago

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Kore usulü bilimkurgu dizisi:

🎬 The Silent Sea / Sessizlik Denizi (2021)

"Olası ve korkunç bir gelecekte kuraklık ve aşırı nüfus nedeniyle insanlık yok olmanın eşiğindedir. İçme suyu o kadar değerli hâle gelmiştir ki, insanlara toplumdaki konumlarına göre suya erişim hakkı verilmektedir. Yakın gelecekte mümkün olabilecek bu distopyada sınıf eşitsizliği tüm çıplaklığıyla yüzümüze çarpılmakta... İşte bu çalkantılı zamanlarda Ay’ın yüzeyindeki Balhae İstasyonu‘na gitme ve Dünya’daki su krizini çözmenin anahtarı olabilecek önemli örnekleri alma görevi verilir."

"Bir düzine mürettebata ev sahipliği yapan uzay gemisi, yolculuğun sonuna doğru ortaya çıkan teknik bir arıza nedeniyle Ay yüzeyine acil iniş yapmak zorunda kalır. Uzay aracını zar zor tahliye etmeyi başaran ekip ölümden kıl payı kurtulur ve numuneyi aramak için Ay üssüne doğru çetin bir yürüyüşe girişir."

"Ekip, üssü tanıdıkça ve bazı gizemleri keşfettikçe olayların kendilerine anlatılandan ibaret olmadığını dehşetle fark etmeye başlar…"

Alıntı Kaynağı:

https://www.bilimkurgukulubu.com/televizyon/dizi/iddiali-bir-kore-bilimkurgusu-the-silent-sea/

#the silent sea #sessizlik denizi #dizi #series #bilim kurgu #science fiction #kore #korea #korean #distopya #distopia #uzay #ay #space #moon #bea donna

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anditwentlikethis · 1 year ago

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o golo do Geny foi muito mais que um golo

pronto aí está o momento Bryan Ruiz pqp a história está mesmo a reescrever-se

#os flashbacks de guerra que eu tive balha-me deus #há algum sportinguista que não se tenha lembrado do bryan ruiz quando o dani falhou aquilo? até suei

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whencyclopedfr · 1 year ago

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Balhae

Le royaume du Balhae (ou Parhae) en Mandchourie (698-926) était une puissance régionale importante qui entretenait des relations, plus ou moins pacifiques, avec ses voisins, le royaume unifié de Silla en Corée et la Chine des Tang. Cette dernière exerçait une forte influence culturelle, et le Japon était lui aussi un allié fidèle. Le royaume affirmait être le successeur culturel de l'ancien royaume de Goguryeo (Koguryo), dans le nord de la Corée, et le Balhae prospéra pendant deux siècles grâce à ses riches terres agricoles et à ses relations commerciales florissantes. Le royaume s'effondra au début du 10e siècle lorsqu'il fut attaqué et conquis par la tribu mongole des Khitan.

#Histoire #DynastieTang #Corée #Khitan

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free-for-all-fics · 5 months ago

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My prompts for The Silent Sea were too long to put all together in one post so I’ll just post them separately but the Gong Yoo obsession is still going strong lol. Pls tag me if you’re inspired by this at all and I’d love to read it! 💙🌑

You’re another clone of a female child. Besides Luna 073, you’re the only other successful clone. You were cloned from another girl who was admitted at the same hospital where Ha-jin is, so that the researchers could have another set of genetics from a different pool to expand and further their research. You and Ha-jin became best friends as your rooms were right next to each other and you were able to get out of bed with or without the assistance of nurses to visit her every day. You drew pictures together, talked together, played games together. You met Ha-jin’s father, Yun-jae, when he came to visit. He got to know you too. Though your parent(s) visited you, you began to see Yun-jae as another parental figure and Ha-jin as a sister because you were an only child. He didn’t mind. He was glad his daughter had someone around her age to keep her company so she wouldn’t be lonely whenever he had to work.

But then the original version of you died in the hospital and Ha-jin was so devastated she was nearly inconsolable. As were your parent(s) and Yun-jae himself. He grew to love you like family in the short time he knew you. But before you died, your parent(s) secretly sold your genetic material to be used in the Balhae cloning experiments five years ago. They’d get a higher water ranking in exchange for their generous donation and keeping quiet.

While you had a real name, the clone version of you was given a nickname by the scientists who created you - something like Star, Aurora, Celeste, etc. followed by a number. After everyone became infected by the lunar water and succumbed to internal drowning, you and Luna were the only survivors and left all alone. You had no choice but to stick together to survive and cope with the loneliness. You were all each other had, and you quickly became like friends or sisters. For five years, you and Luna survived together, played together, drew pictures together, etc. while your hair grew longer and longer. Neither of you spoke much, if at all. Luna can’t understand much Korean, only bits and pieces that she’s heard the scientists use. You, on the other hand, can understand much more than she can because, unlike her, the original version of you wasn’t grown in a lab. The original version of you was born and received proper socialization and education before you were hospitalized. You were taught how to read, write, and talk.

For five years, you and Luna were all alone. You’re all alone…until you aren’t. Captain Han and his crew come to Balhae Station to retrieve a viable sample of lunar water and, suddenly, you and Luna are on high alert, unsure if the humans pose a threat to you or not. Your survival instincts take over and you kill a man when he tries to take a sample of the lunar water.

“Immediate cause of his death is a cervical spine fracture. He died on the spot. He has a fractured skull, right arm, ankles… His entire body is damaged. Even if he fell from the ceiling, he couldn’t have been injured this badly. It means he didn’t simply die from the fall.”

“What could they be?“

“They didn't seem human to me, sir.”

“But they took the sample. If those creatures were aware of the sample's value, then they are most likely human.”

“Then I think it looks like they’re probably intruders or something. Like that dead mercenary at the gate.”

“We'll catch them and find out.”

“The culprits got away through ventilation shaft INP-07. It passes through all the key facilities of this station.”

“Captain. Captain. I see two biosignals approaching us from the front.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, they're right ahead of us. They just passed by us. They’re moving forward, back towards us!”

“Captain Han, wait. There's something I'm concerned about. It's the intruders. They did not try to hurt me or you.”

“How can you be so sure of that?”

“It's called ‘critical distance.’ When animals find intruders, they watch them at first. Then they attack them when they come into a certain distance. That's why it's very important that you don't get too close. On top of that, they move by using the shafts, and escape because they’re always a step ahead of us. It seems like they're familiar with the internal structure of this entire place.”

“Are you suggesting they could be survivors? The government would have known if two of the crew had survived. It's been five years. It seems impossible. How could there be survivors?”

“It's not so impossible. The radiation level turned out to be completely normal. So if they rationed their food and their water, there's a chance they'd survive.”

“And tell me why haven't they informed us of any of this before? If these weren’t intruders, there'd be no reason to steal the sample. If they survived...they'd be welcoming us, not attacking.”

“Three died, and one of them was a spy? It’s the worst report I can imagine.”

“You’re the one who approved the co-pilot to be changed right before we departed,” Captain Han points out.

“It cannot be excluded.”

“What’s important is catching the intruders who took that sample.”

“Is it more important to stop the intruders than to retrieve the samples?”

“You of all people should know how valuable those samples are.”

Though it goes unspoken, Captain Han knows she’s referring to you and your death. He knows what she’s implying without saying anything. Don’t condemn your daughter to the same fate that befell her best friend. If you give up now, she will lose her legs and possibly her life. Is that what you want? He lowers his head, staring at the table as he sighs.

“I wouldn’t have started this if I’d let anyone else have it.”

“We need access to level-one areas to conduct a thorough search.”

Their exploration of the main database area is cut short when they hear screams and gunfire as the intruders attack. E1 is clutching the profusely bleeding stump where his hand used to be. With their guns pointed, the crew see the silhouette of not just one intruder, but two. Their faces are obscured by the dark, but they both look to be children. Little girls. They look to be the same age. Are they sisters? Or they might be twins. One child is holding a canister of lunar water and E1’s disembodied hand before dropping the latter. When Kim Sun shoots at her, she drops the canister, causing the light to go red. Both children retreat into the underbrush. But before they do, Captain Han feels eyes on him, as if one of the girls’ gaze is burning a hole in his very being. The crew try to shoot at the girls, but they can’t see much of anything, let alone their targets. When they see movement, they shoot blindly at both children, but none of their shots hit. The intruders are too fast. For a second, Captain Han see just a glimpse of the faces of the little girls. Their eyes flicker like those of a reptile with nictitating membranes. The crew’s lack of vision gives both girls the advantage they need so they can escape through the vents using their super speed and wall climbing abilities to retreat into the vents and hide elsewhere in the station. The crew have to evacuate when the lunar water from the broken canister comes in contact with E1’s blood.

“They ripped his arms right off. Then they crawled all over the ceiling, like a... What is this… First, some water killed people, and then a couple of monsters show up too.”

“Could either of them be the one who killed Lee Gi-su?”

“Yes. I think they were.”

“But...but why are they following us around the station? Are they trying to kill us all?”

“I think it's the lunar water.”

“Huh?”

“I think that's why they killed Gi-su, and why they attacked us. Whenever we find lunar water, they show up. Perhaps they’re after it as well.”

“Do you think...it's really possible that they’re survivors?”

“Survivors? But how can they be survivors? I don't think a couple of kids could survive five years here on their own. It was a couple of kids, right? Weren’t they?”

“They were kids. Little girls. We all saw. They were behaving like children. Children who wanted to keep what's theirs. Who didn't want it taken away. I know it sounds odd, but...children behave like that.”

“Are you saying, from their perspective, we’re the intruders?”

You and Luna are merely children, yet you can both easily rip a man in two if you so desire. You’re both prone to acting like children and are struggling to acquire more water for yourselves. Rather than being malevolent people, you’re merely trying to keep what you consider yours. Any deaths incurred by you and her are not intentional but the results of normal children’s temper tantrums who just both happen to have superhuman strength.

“Survivors?”

“I don’t agree with Dr. Song’s theory, but there were questionable aspects when the co-pilot was killed.”

“What do you mean, Captain Han?”

“There are no signs of radiation leaks in the station. Were you already aware of this?”

“What?”

“You seemed to be very shocked when I mentioned the spy, but you seemed indifferent when I mentioned that there could be two survivors.”

Director Choi laughs. “You’re the first person who told me that there are no signs of radiation leakage. And…it’s because you mentioned there are two people who could be alive. Although it was closed for five years. Captain Han, perhaps you’re starting to believe Dr. Song’s absurd theory.”

“If you’re hiding any information that could jeopardize my crew’s safety, the success of this operation is no longer my interest.”

Director Choi quickly turns serious. “As the chief officer of this mission, I wish for the crew’s safe return more than anybody. There’s no reason for me to hide anything from you. You must complete the mission successfully. Not only will it save your daughter, it could also save all of us.”

“Why can’t I go back into the data storage?”

“It’s too dangerous to go back. We don’t know what happened to the lunar water after it leaked.”

“I finally found it. I can’t give up like this.”

“It’s dangerous, and that’s it. I can’t condone more deaths.”

“There were 117 crew members here at Balhae Station. None of them survived. If we take the lunar water back now, we may end up sacrificing more.”

“It doesn’t matter what you find out. The lunar water will be taken back with those kids.”

“I know you’ll go even if I say no. Go with Doc Hong. You can’t go alone. If you find anything on the lunar water or either of those children, report back right away.”

While Kim Sun and Officer Gong are investigating the ventilation shafts, they encounter more drawings on the walls.

“Oh, shit! Those creepy drawings again. They keep showing up everywhere. These kids must like to draw. They’re real artists.”

With his flashlight and gun pointed forward, Captain Han investigates different ventilation shafts. He doesn’t have time to explore too long when voices of his crew come through his earpiece, informing him of their status.

“Captain. We've reached the shaft entrance on our end. The cover is still intact. I don't think she escaped through here.”

“Captain, we found a new passage from the hallway. This area of the station is not on the blueprint either. But it looks like this passage runs all the way to the dorms. We should expand our search and check out the dorms as well.”

“Okay. Be careful.”

“This is very odd. From the blueprint, this passageway should lead us straight to the dorms.”

“I know. But it seems more like we've just been circling the same area.”

“Exactly.”

“It's like a game of hide-and-seek for them. They know exactly where we are and always manage to avoid us.”

“They know their way around here much better than we do.”

“Did we miss a passage on the holographic map?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll check once again when we get to the command center.”

“But why are these girls... These monsters... Whatever you want to call them. Why do we have to find them? We have the sample. We should just go home.”

In the medical bay, Dr. Hong, Dr. Song, and Lieutenant Ryu are caught by surprise when the little girls stand by the glass doors, just watching. They’re both covered in blood, though one little girl is considerably more bloodied than the other. She must’ve done most of the killing.

“Captain. Captain! The girls…they’re here.”

“You have eyes on them? Dr. Hong, respond.”

“Captain Han.”

“No, stop!”

When the little girls try to enter the medical bay, Lieutenant Ryu shoots at them. But he’s no match for their superhuman speed as they sprint all over the walls. The children tackle Ryu and crouch on the table as they both stare unblinkingly at Dr. Song or, more specifically, what she’s holding in her hand. A canister of lunar water. Both girls have a look in their eyes like they want it. Captain Han, Officer Gong, and Kim Sun enter from behind, their guns drawn and pointed at the intruders. The girls’ backs are to them. Captain Han can’t see their faces as he points his gun at them. He tries to get a closer look.

“Dr. Song, step away.”

“Wait a second. Don't come any closer. Give me a second.”

Captain Han signals for Officer Gong to hold his fire. After a few seconds of tense silence that stretches on for what feels like an eternity, the children go for the capsule of lunar water. With it in hand, they turn around, only to be shot at by Lieutenant Ryu. The children and the canister are all hit in the process. When Captain Han finally sees your face clearly, words like shocked, confused, and skeptical cannot even begin to describe the plethora of emotions he’s feeling all at once when he sees not just the unknown girl that has been killing his crew, but you too. His daughter’s best friend. Your hair is longer than it was and you’re covered in blood, but it’s definitely you. Your face is pretty much the same. Your voice that he listened to on repeat when you excitedly rambled to him about imaginary nonsense that made perfect sense to your childish mind is the same as you softly speak his name when you see him for the first time.

“Mr. Han? Mr. Han, is that really you?”

You recognize him. While his crew look on in confusion, their eyes flickering between you and their Captain, Yun-jae’s hand holding his gun is shaking as he stares wide-eyed at you, his mind filled with so many questions that he wants to ask you, but can’t in that moment. And when he realizes the lunar water splashed on your skin, he instinctively wants to rush forward to save you, to protect you like a father would his daughter, despite not wearing the proper PPE. He almost forgets about how contagious lunar water is and the risk of becoming infected. He has to be stopped from approaching you by Officer Gong, who physically holds him back. He thinks you’re going to die a horrible death of drowning internally, but instead you and Luna thrash and contort on the table, breathing heavily as your wounds close. Your eyes search for his and, when you find him again, you don’t break eye contact. When Luna falls off the table, you follow her. Instead of resulting in a fatal reaction, the lunar water heals her and your wounds and allows you both to escape. Giving one last look to Captain Han, you and Luna run and retreat back into the vents while Officer Gong shoots at you. Captain Han doesn’t know what to make of the scene he just witnessed. You died. He saw your body when he and Ha-jin attended your funeral five years ago. It was one of the hardest days of their lives. So how are you here now? You were so sick when he knew you. But now you aren’t sick at all. You have superhuman abilities. Quick reflexes, speed, advanced healing as he watched your wounds close instantly. The lunar water has no negative effect on you. How? But it has to be you, he thinks to himself. You recognized him. You said his name. You can speak, which means you can answer his questions. He has to find you. But first, he has to be a Captain.

“What were you thinking?”

“What?”

“Did you think they wouldn’t attack us if you gave them the lunar water? That doing so would solve everything?”

“I didn’t. I only wanted to show them that I wasn’t going to hurt them. That I’m not trying to take the capsule from them. I thought they’d feel that too, that they would understand.”

“If you do things like that and expose yourself to danger, then you bring the whole team down with you.”

“But you saw them. You saw how their bodies reacted to the lunar water. We all witnessed it.”

“One child’s cheek was cut open. The other’s shoulder was hit. Then they just closed. And their wounds healed instantly. It was the same in both of them.”

“So how can you explain that, Dr. Song?”

“How can you explain that that child knew your name?” She answers his question with a question.

“That’s right. Captain, she knew your name. And she looked at you as if she knew you. Who is she? Do you know her?” Kim Sun asks.

His entire crew stares at him expectantly as they wait in silence for an answer.

“That child…she…at least, I think she’s…my daughter’s friend. No. She’s much more than that. When I knew her in the hospital, she was like Ha-jin’s sister in every way except blood.” Captain Han admits reluctantly, still uncertain of many things. As he says it, he toys with his bodycam, touching it with his thumb as he’s deep in thought.

“Your daughter’s friend?”

“Yes. But…she died. Ha-jin and I attended her funeral. We saw her body. This doesn’t make any sense. She…she was just a normal human girl when I knew her. She couldn’t move like that or heal like that. She died. I don’t know how she’s here. And she looks taller and older from when I last saw her. It might not be her, but something else. Something with her face and her memories.” He shakes his head, unable to continue his train of thought. “Dr. Song, do you have any idea what kind of being those kids are?”

Song theorizes that you and the girl have a condition or immunity that makes you compatible with lunar water, and that you may be the key to making lunar water safe for consumption back on Earth.

“No, I don't. But what I do know is...their bodies can definitely handle lunar water. It won’t kill them.”

“So, what were those girls? Did the lunar water change them somehow?”

“Well, it seemed like their bodies totally adapted.”

“Adapted?”

“They didn't just adapt to it. Their physical abilities, and speed of recovery showed way more than that.”

“The children may have been born with antibodies for it, or it may be a special case of genetic mutation caused by different environmental factors.”

“Whether or not that child is your daughter’s friend, Captain, what we do know is that they’re both a danger to us. We should resume the search and catch them, even if that means killing them...”

“No, we can't kill them,” Dr. Song protests.

“We need to kill them and do whatever it takes to put an end to this, so we can go home.”

“We can't do that. They may be the only key to the secret of the lunar water. They might just be the thing we need right now.”

“Did you find them?”

“The intruders’ whereabouts are still unknown.”

“And the samples?”

Captain Han sets the intact canister on the table for Director Choi to see. “We may lose more lives at this rate. Do we have to continue?”

“As I mentioned before, this operation will become a failure if anyone else gets the sample. I don’t care if you kill the intruders. You must catch them. They can't be allowed to go free. Also, make sure you retrieve the lunar water that was taken.”

“They were kids.”

“What?”

“The intruders seemed like little kids. They were also wearing lab coats.” He doesn’t mention that one of those kids recognized him and appeared to be his daughter’s best friend from the hospital. He doesn’t trust Director Choi with that information. That is - if she doesn’t know it already.

“So what?”

“Is there any possibility that they’re survivors?”

“Stop trying to make things more complicated than they should be. That’s not what's important. Why do the kids’ identities matter? It won’t change your mission.”

“We'll bait them and capture them. Show me the map of the ventilation shafts. INP-07. INP-07 leads to many places. If we lure them with this lunar water capsule and block off this intersection here... The one I've just showed you… They’ll have to come out of the vent in the hallway of the machine room. Then we'll shut both ends of the hallway.”

“Like a dog hunt. So what we wanna do is chase them down and trap them. But the problem is, a wild dog can be extremely vicious and easily rip a person to pieces. And there’s two of them.”

“That is true. Even if we get lucky enough and manage to trap them in the hallway, it's still going to be too dangerous to subdue them and catch them alive.”

“So that's why we need myself and Dr. Song.”

“Hey, Captain. We shouldn't use guns. It's important that we don't provoke them until you and I calm them down.”

“That's my decision to make. Even within the SAA, some people were against moving the lunar water to Earth.”

“If we carry something back without confirming its safety, it could pose a danger for everyone.”

“But Director Choi or other higher-ups probably thought it’s more important not to let anyone else get their hands on the lunar water.”

“Knowing everyone in this station was killed by that very lunar water?”

“There are enough reasons to take this risk. I don’t care about the unknown child as much as my daughter’s friend. I have questions, and she might have the answers.”

“I think…my sister deleted all the research data. Perhaps they hoped no one would find out about the lunar water.”

“Then why do you think she left you those messages? In the end, she probably thought someone had to do this. Wouldn’t that be why she called you here?”

“I’m not sure. Once I find out the entire truth, what am I really supposed to do? I have no idea.”

He feels the same way.

The crew sets a trap for you and Luna. You and she are lured as planned, with Captain Han and Dr. Song acting as bait. When Captain Han presses the button to shut the gate, you try to pull Luna with you while making a run for it, but neither of you are fast enough to slide under the door and make it before it shuts completely. Your leg or long hair gets caught under the door and, when you try to pull it free, it only causes you immense pain as you nearly rip your hair from your scalp or cut your leg deeper and deeper while Luna’s leg gets trapped under the gate. You both try to free yourselves, but it only makes it worse as you only hurt yourselves more and more as you struggle. You look up at Captain Han, your eyes scared and filled with tears as you call him, calling him Dad like you used to do and plead for his help. His resolve wavers as he sees you not as a murderous mutant that poses a threat, but as the child you are. You remind him so much of his daughter, Ha-jin, in many ways. He approaches you slowly, his gun still pointed at Luna but not you.

Dr. Song comes to your and Luna’s side to help. “No, wait. No, wait. Stop moving. You'll get hurt.”

When Captain Han kneels down to your level and tries to free your hair or leg, it hurts so much that, when he leans in, you grip onto his spacesuit so tightly that he can’t get away from you and bite his neck. Hard. Hard enough to draw blood and make him drop his gun from the shock of your attack. Because of his spacesuit, it’s the only part of him you can reach. At the same time, Luna bites Dr. Song’s hand. That’s when they notice the names tattooed on your and Luna’s necks, followed by numbers.

“Luna? Luna 073?”

You and Luna both cry as you struggle. With no other choice, Captain Han pushes you away and grabs his gun. He slowly approaches you again as if you’re a spooked wild animal, comforting you and hushing you as you continue crying. Once he gets close enough, he pets your hair. While you’re distracted by his hand movements that seem to calm you down, he shoots both you and Luna with tranquilizer darts.

“This is the best that we can do for them.”

Dr. Song opens the gate, freeing you both. While she checks on Luna, Captain Han checks on you. He keeps holding you in his arms even after your grip on him finally relaxes when you fall asleep.

“I'll get them ready to be transported,” Officer Gong says, ready to handcuff you both.

Captain Han stops him. “They need treatment first.”

While Dr. Song carries Luna, he lifts you bridal style into his arms and carries you.

“Are we handing them over to backup as soon as they get here? They will take them to Earth, won't they? Do you know what will happen to them when they get there, and where they’ll go?”

He looks at your face as you sleep. He doesn’t have time to answer before the lights suddenly go red as the gate closure commences, and you immediately wake up and push him away from you, rolling out of his arms, while Alina does the same to Dr. Song. You and Luna split up and run, retreating into the vents. While Dr. Song chases after Luna, Captain Han chases after you. He has to crawl through vents to follow you. While Luna leads Dr. Song to her sister’s old room, you lead Captain Han to your room that once belonged to another researcher.

“Where did you go? Were you...waiting for me?”

When he enters your room, he sees your drawings scattered around. You’re sitting on your messy bed. The more he looks at you and your room, the more he sees you for the scared and lonely child you are. Upon closer inspection, he notices that, like Luna, you have gills and scales that enable you to thrive in lunar water, though they’re not as prominent or noticeable as hers. They can easily be covered with makeup or something like a scarf or thick ribbon choker. You’re crying, your head in your hands.

He approaches, lightly touching your shoulder. “Hey there. It was you, wasn’t it? You’re the one who bit my neck like a little vampire.” He tries to joke with you like he used to do back on Earth to lighten the mood and get you to cheer up and warm up to him.

“Hmph. Maybe I did.”

“You…you can talk?”

“Of course I can. I can read and write too.”

“Did the researchers here teach you how to do that?”

“No, silly! I learned in school before I was hospitalized. You know that.”

“Wait, so you… You really recognize me?”

Your eyes light up in happiness and excitement. “Of course I do, silly! You’re Han Yun-jae, Ha-jin’s dad. Ha-jin’s my friend. We met at the hospital. I got to know you whenever you visited. You look older, though.”

“Well, it has been five years. You look older too. You’ve gotten taller and your hair has gotten longer.”

You fidget with the bloodied clothes you’re wearing and play with and twirl your hair. You blow air out of your mouth to get your bangs out of your face. “Ugh, I know. Don’t remind me. I felt disgusting when I had to steal scrubs off of some of the bodies because the unworn ones in the lockers were too short and my legs kept growing. And I can’t find anything sharp enough to cut my hair with. Everything that’s supposed to be sharp has dulled.”

“Y/N, Why did you keep running away from me?”

“Hmpf. I just did. What’s the big deal?”

“Why can’t you just tell me?”

“You gonna yell at me if I don’t?”

“No. I won’t. Please, just…I need to know. Did you not know it was me?”

“In the data storage, I could see your face clearly even though it was dark. I just kept staring. I couldn’t stop. I don’t know why I ran. I just did. I was afraid, I guess, and my gut was telling me it was the only thing I could do. You and my parent(s) always told me to trust my gut.”

“I’m glad you remembered our advice, but… So you did know it was me? And you ran anyway?”

You shrug your shoulders. “I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. It was like…I knew it was you, but I didn’t want to believe it was you.”

“What are you doing here?”

“This is my room,” you say like it’s the most obvious thing in the world and you look at him like he’s weird for asking such a dumb question because, in your mind, grown-ups like him are supposed to be super smart and know all the answers.

“No, I mean… You died in the hospital. Ha-jin and I attended your funeral.”

“Oh.”

“So what are you doing at Balhae Station?”

“I don’t know.”

Though he doesn’t raise his voice at you, In a moment of weakness, he lets himself be overwhelmed by the stress of the situation and accidentally snaps at you in irritation, “Don’t lie! Not to me!”

“It’s true! I don’t know!” You insist. “I tried to read the old books and files the grown-ups left lying around. There weren’t very many and most of them were incredibly boring, though. I knew the words, but I didn’t really understand them.”

He takes a deep breath. “I’m-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

“Hmpf. Whatever. Don’t believe me. See if I care!”

“Can-Can the other one—?”

You scoff in annoyance. ��Are you really going to keep talking about her like that?”

“Like what?”

“‘The other one. The intruder. The monster.’”

“Ah. So you heard us from inside the vents. I should’ve known.”

“Mhm. I know you and your crew were confused and scared, but those things you guys said weren’t very nice. You were talking about us like a bunch of mean playground bullies!”

“Could she… Can she understand us?”

“Not like how I can. She doesn’t understand your words, but she understands enough in her own way. She may be different from you and me, but she’s still a person and has a name, you know.”

“What is it?”

“You know what it is. Luna.”

“Right. Luna. Can Luna talk? Can she read and write like you?”

“Not really. I tried to teach her, but she didn’t want to learn. She prefers to draw instead. We’ve spent a lot of time drawing pictures and playing together. We’ve been like sisters. What about you? What’s a big dumb-dumb like you doing here anyway?”

“Hey. That’s not very nice.” He parrots your words back at you. “Now who’s being the bully? Didn’t your parents teach you any manners?” He says with an air of teasing.

It doesn’t get the reaction out of you that he’s hoping for. Instead of relaxing or laughing, you tense up when Captain Han mentions your parents.

“My parents… Are they alive?”

Crap. He’s walked himself into a trap. He can’t tell you yet that your parent(s) are dead. It’s too soon. Now is not the right moment. So he deflects your question and instead asks a question of his own. “Whatcha got there?” He asks, looking at the object you’re holding. Whatever it is, it appears to be something of sentimental value to you.

“None of your business. You didn’t love Ha-jin anyway!”

You try to run off, but he grabs your arm before you can.

“Hey!”

“Let go!”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t just let you run around this place, you might get hurt.”

“Hurt by what?”

“Look, just stay with me, okay? This is no place for a kid. I just want to talk.”

“Fine. But first… There’s something I gotta get.”

“We don’t have time for this…”

“It’s important!”

“What is it?”

“A letter. For your daughter.”

“What?”

“I wrote it, but I hid it. In there.” You point to a dark corridor across a long hallway from your room.

Captain Han takes out his flashlight and looks around. “You sure this is where you left it?”

“It’s in the back. Behind an old pipe.”

“Okay. Wait here.”

You close the door on him from behind. “Haha!” You laugh as you stick your tongue out at him through the viewer window.

“Y/N! Open the door.”

“Why should I? I’m a liar, right? Want me to open it? Huh? Do ya?”

“Open this door right now.”

“What’s the magic word?”

“Y/N!”

“Nope. That’s not it. I guess I won’t open it.”

“Damn it! Let me out of here, you little brat!”

“Pfft. In your dreams.”

He hears the sound of pipes shifting. Or he sees a broken lunar water canister that’s spilled on the ground and on the verge of coming in contact with him or other organic material. He’s nervous that pipes filled with lunar water might burst at any second or that he’ll be infected by the spilled lunar water if he doesn’t evacuate soon.

“Y/N, Please open the door. There’s something in here.”

“Sure there is. A big lying buttface! See you, buttface!” You run off, leaving him locked in the room.

“Y/N, Stop! It’s dangerous! Come back here!”

He makes it out of the room after finding and crawling through a vent that isn’t marked on the map. Luckily, the pipes don’t burst or, if they do, or the lunar water is spreading and getting dangerously close to organic material, he makes it out in time before it can touch him. He finds you, kicking your feet lazily as if you’re waiting for him. Like what you just did was all part of a game you were playing. He notices your wounded leg or head. It isn’t bleeding anymore but it still looks painful.

Forgetting what just happened, he goes into full Dad Mode again. “Are you okay? Are you in pain? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for that to happen. I’m gonna have a word with Dr. Hong and we can get you checked out at the medbay…”

You wave him off. “I’m fine. It’ll heal on its own with or without lunar water. Lunar water would just help me heal faster. Did I scare you?”

“Yeah. You did. Guess I deserved it, huh? The buttface that I am.”

“Maybe. Then again, maybe you are not so bad. Just…annoying.”

“Uh-huh. So… You got any other things planned? I think I saw a another dark room back there you could lock me up in.”

You laugh, suddenly back to your cheerful self. “Mmm… No. I think you’ve had enough. For now.”

“Well, that’s reassuring.”

“Just don’t tell Si-eun about what I did, okay?”

“Who’s Si-eun?”

“She’s our nurse.”

Now that you’ve had your fun, you let him inject the capsule of lunar water he has with him to heal your injury. He reasons with himself that there are hundreds in the station and he can easily get another.

When Captain Han sees Lieutenant Ryu getting splashed with lunar water, he decides that the traitorous Tae-Suk isn't worth a bullet and allows him to suffer a much more protracted and painful death. However, some of the water particles from the bursted pipe splash onto his skin as well, causing him to become infected. He doesn’t realize it right away as he’s already running, too focused on making it back to the rest of the crew to tell them of the emergency as soon as possible.

Over the course of the mission, while Luna and Dr. Song form a bond and get closer, you form an attachment to Captain Han and view him as your father. You develop a father-daughter dynamic, especially once Captain Han softens up to you and Luna. You and Luna, obviously being clones/genetically-engineered hybrids, and having zero human contact for the past five years, have little to no concept of morality as the crew sees it. Luna begins to show some semblance of human emotion around the crew while almost everyone is gathered in the medical bay. You and Luna sit somewhere off to the side, away from everybody else, but the crew still watches closely as you teach her how to play games like Rock, Paper, Scissors, Patty Cake, and Thumb Wars. In that moment, you don’t seem like dangerous mutants capable of murder, but two little girls just having fun playing silly little games to pass the time and satiate your boredom.

“So we've now confirmed they can survive contact with lunar water?”

“Looks like it. Lunar water has similar characteristics to a virus that changes each time it comes into contact with a new host. As we can see, a pretty major change took place when it came into contact with them. Or at least contact with whatever they put inside Y/N and Luna. Something unknown inside their bodies.”

“These researchers at Balhae Station…studied cell fusion and genetic recombination as ways to make humans survive lunar water. And the organisms they created as a result are named Luna and Y/N,” Dr. Song says. “Human experiments and human cloning, both illegal.”

“It's considered an act of treason for us to disclose state secrets no matter what the secrets are.”

“That's why Director Choi wanted me here. I see the logic. She probably thought I wouldn't be able to tell the truth. The atrocious crimes my sister committed as head researcher.”

Captain Han enters the medical bay, almost out of breath.

“What happened to Lieutenant Ryu?”

“We aren't safe here anymore. We have to get out of here. Something's wrong.”

“What do you mean, Captain?”

“A shaft blew up during my struggle with the Lieutenant. There was spurting water.” He looks down at his hands. His vision turns completely blue. He sees starfish. Dr. Song experiences similar symptoms at the same time. They were exposed to lunar water at some point during the mission.

“What’s wrong?”

He and Dr. Song don’t say anything. They just turn and rush to another room, nearly falling over their own feet and each other as they scramble to close and lock the door behind themselves in an attempt to self-isolate before they can infect Officer Gong and Dr. Hong.

“Dr. Song. Captain Han. Are you all right? Dr. Song! Captain!”

“What is it? Dr. Song. Captain. Let us help. Open up!”

“I'm sorry.” Captain Han and Dr. Song both say, breathing heavily.

“Are you feeling sick?”

They hunch over, holding their stomachs.

“Dr. Song!”

“Captain Han!”

“Wait, I...”

“Dr. Song!”

“Captain!”

“What’s the problem? Open up! I'm sure we can help you! Dr. Song!”

“Captain Han!”

The crew watch helplessly in horror as Dr. Song and Captain Han begin vomiting copious amounts of water. The last thing they see is you and Luna watching them from the window. They both lose consciousness. While Dr. Song dreams of her sister, Captain Han dreams of his daughter.

“Ji-an. Are you all right?”

“Yun-jae, how are you feeling?”

“What happened?” He and Dr. Song both ask, still halfway in a dreamlike daze when they regain consciousness.

“You were both infected with the lunar water just like the others were. But somehow, your bodies are fighting back. Your symptoms are getting better.”

While Dr. Song looks down at the bite mark on her hand that Luna gave her, Captain Han reaches a hand up and feels at the bite mark you left on his neck. It’s so dangerously close to his jugular yet saved his life. Because you and Luna bit them, their bodies have developed some resistance to its effects, and they are able to recover.

“I think...possibly, their mutated genes act like a sort of antibody. It suppresses the multiplication of lunar water in your bodies. Or It could be you're both just lucky. I’ll have to keep an eye on you both. It's too early to tell, but...these poor girls, they just might be the key to saving the whole world.”

“She's Luna.” Dr. Song says.

“She’s Y/N.” Captain Han says at the same time.

“What?”

“Those are their names. Luna and Y/N.”

“The backup from SAA has entered the landing orbit. Just as you mentioned, we spotted another spacecraft also entering orbit around the same time.”

“It’s probably a small transport ship often used by RX mercenaries.”

“We need more time to retrieve the capsules. We’ll have no way of saving them once RX mercenaries arrive. Please give us a hand in delaying their spacecraft from landing.”

“What will happen to Luna and Y/N? What will happen to them after they’re brought to Earth?”

“Lunar water and Subjects 073 and…” your number is said. “…do not officially exist in this world. They’ll be sent to a grade one facility at the Ministry of National Defense. And our government will continue with the experiments conducted at the station.”

“That's too dangerous. The lunar water is still very unstable. It can put the entire Earth in danger. And if they’re sent there, Luna and Y/N will only be used as tools to study the lunar water.”

“What about my request?”

“Unfortunately, Director Choi holds a strong political position, so everyone is hesitant to step up.”

“What is he talking about?”

“Captain Han asked me to contact a higher official who can keep Director Choi under control. The lunar water and Subjects 073 and…” Your number is said. “…cannot be monopolized by anybody. Captain Han and I agreed upon that. Thankfully, more people in the SAA are starting to see the problem in this. I will come up with a measure before you return to Earth.”

The remaining crew agrees that, though lunar water is dangerous, it could be the salvation of humanity, but if they take Luna and you to Earth, you will both be treated as experiments forever. Dr. Song suggests that they take you and Luna to the International Institute of Space Biology, a space station and neutral territory, to ensure both your and Luna's safety and that the benefits of further researching the lunar water will be shared with everyone.

“The International Institute of Space Biology. We cannot return to Earth. The IISB. We should be safe there. This must be studied in a neutral area to stop anybody from monopolizing the lunar water. I’ll take Luna and Y/N there myself.”

“Location trackers. For just in case.”

“You can put them on them... It looks like now they trust you.”

You and Luna stand up. While you offer your leg right away, Luna is hesitant. She looks to Dr. Song first for reassurance before offering her leg and letting Captain Han put the tracker on her ankle. Your eyes are drawn to his bodycam with the cartoon face on it. When he offers it to you, Luna takes it instead. Instead of being angry or upset, you take turns holding it and both look at it in awe.

“They’re not wary of you anymore. If they go to Earth, they’ll die in a lab.”

“They won’t give up on lunar water. Their fates won't be any different no matter where they go. Luna and Y/N are coming to Earth with us.”

“You're calling them by their names now. Just as you said, we're desperate, and we end up making the wrong decisions. And those decisions always come with a price. We cannot repeat the same mistake.”

“The only choice I can make right now is to complete this mission for my daughter's sake.”

He thinks of when he saw Ha-jin in the hospital just before he went on this mission.

“You'll need a higher water classification to stop her condition from worsening. If her condition worsens, she may lose her legs forever. There isn't much we can do with the class you currently hold.”

He wants to save his daughter at all costs. Even if it means at the cost of his own life.

When everything goes to shit and the station starts flooding with lunar water, you do everything in your power to ensure Captain Han’s survival at all costs. You and Luna lead him and the surviving crew to safety. While Dr. Song helps Luna into a spacesuit, Dr. Hong helps you. Captain Han tries to open the door. But the door won’t open due to sensor failure. In order for the group to ascend to safety, they need to activate the decompression chamber from outside. While nobody is looking, he bravely volunteers himself to activate the airlock, much to the horror of the others when they find out what he’s done. But he’s the Captain. If anyone is to go down, it should be him.

“Where are you? What are you doing?” Dr. Song demands.

“You should go first,” he says, his back to her.

“No. No, we can’t. You said we’d go back together! No, wait. Open this. Hold on! Stop this thing! We said we’d complete this mission for your daughter! No, you…! You can’t stay here!”

He turns to face her from the other side of the door. “Wherever Luna and Y/N go…please be there with them.”

Dr. Song watches as the water consumes him. Staying behind in raging lunar waters looks like certain death. She cries. She yells. But they have to go. When she and the remaining crew make it outside, they find remains of two spacesuits. They follow a set of footprints and see Luna standing without her spacesuit. A few feet away, they find you next to Captain Han, who’s injured but alive. He surprisingly got blasted out of the space station alive. Even more surprising, once outside the station, it turns out that both your and Luna’s genetic modifications enable you to survive exposure to the Moon's vacuum (the Moon has such a rarefied atmosphere that in any practical case can be defined as vacuum) without a space suit. You do just fine in the lunar atmosphere. You and Luna both having nictitating membranes possibly explains why your eyeballs don’t rupture in hard vacuum.

Thanks to your bite on his neck, Captain Han is able to breathe despite his space suit not having much oxygen left. You, Dr. Song and Dr. Hong help him up. You hold onto him tightly just as the cavalry arrives. Thanks to you, he, you, Luna, and the rest of the surviving crew are picked up by the rescue shuttle.

On Earth, Subject xxx doesn’t exist. Your parent(s) died sometime in the last five years and you have no other surviving family, so Yun-jae has your name changed to Han Y/N and adopts you as his daughter, while Ji-an adopts Luna. The legalities and technicalities or how exactly they were able to accomplish this despite Director Choi’s power aren’t that important. What is important is that they’ll all be sorted out and you won’t be taken away from him by Director Choi or the government to be experimented on. He’ll raise you and give you a warm and loving home and a normal childhood alongside his daughter, Ha-jin. Your new sister. You’ll go to school and have friends like any other kid. Maybe you’ll have romantic relationships when you’re older and he’ll be every bit of lovingly embarrassing to you. There are ways to hide your inhuman physical characteristics, both in appearance and abilities. As your dad, he will be there to reintegrate you into society and teach you how to be normal again in public. He’ll keep you hidden and protected from those who want to hurt or exploit you, but he’ll never shame you or make you feel bad for being a mutant. In the privacy of your home, you’ll be free to use your abilities if you so want to. Despite being a clone, you age like a normal human. He’ll treat you and love you as a normal human too. Even more important, he’ll love you as his daughter.

When you arrive to the hospital, Yun-jae, who insists you call him Dad now, has you sit and wait in the hallway outside Ha-jin’s room for a few minutes while he talks to her. Though he knows Ha-jin will be excited to have a sister so she won’t be so lonely anymore and have someone to play with, he wants to explain the situation to her as gently as he can to soften the blow your sudden reappearance into her life will inevitably give her. You and he both know she’ll recognize your face despite how much time has passed, and you coming back from the dead will be a shock to her system no matter what he does or says. It’ll take time for her and for you to adjust to a new normal, but the least he can do is give you both time and help Ha-jin understand. When Ha-jin first sees you, it’s a highly emotional and tearful re-introduction, albeit awkward at first. You were dead for years and suddenly you’re alive. But the awkwardness quickly wears off when she shows you her drawings and stickers. You do arts and crafts together, play together, hug, and cuddle. After overcoming the initial awkwardness, it’s like you never died and no time passed at all as you pick up right where you left off.

With his mission successfully completed, Yun-jae has been given a higher water ranking. Ha-jin will receive the treatment she needs and won’t lose her legs. Water will be restored on Earth. Dr. Hong and Ji-an both handed over the water samples for testing and they should be enough to save the planet. Together, they’ll find a cure to the lunar water virus without subjecting you and Luna to too many tests beyond the occasional blood draws and what an average kid usually experiences at the doctor. They can potentially use that to offset the effects of the lunar water, making vaccines mandatory in order to drink the water safely. While Ha-jin is asleep, you turn to your dad, smiling. Your eyes flicker with nictitating membranes as you blink. It’s so quick nobody would notice unless they were really looking for it. Ha-jin stared right at you and didn’t notice at all either because of the tears clouding her vision or she was too happy and excited to pay much attention. Your dad smiles back at you and kisses your forehead as he tucks you into bed, softly telling you to get some sleep because tomorrow is going to be a great day.

#gong yoo x reader #gong yoo x you #gong yoo #Han yun-jae x reader #captain han x reader #captain han and child reader #captain han yun-jae x reader #child reader #the silent sea #the silent sea netflix #pls tag me if you’re inspired by this #I’d love to read it

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