547 days later...
Woohoo....
547 days after leaving Earth, in this place where only the noise of space fills the silence, the Goldilocks planet* exploration team including Yeoju was heading to their final destination, the planet Kepler-1649c.
*Goldilocks Planet:
Planets thought to be habitable
This place, with its atmosphere tinged with a pale purple due to its lower luminosity than Earth's sun, was also visited on the 300th day of exploration. This planet, hidden from view by data from other planets, was discovered during analysis of discarded data, a pearl in the mud. Although not properly observed, the search was decided on based on a slim chance, driven by the need to seize even the slightest glimmer of hope.
“Wow.. I want to stay here for a few days.. Right..?”
Even Yoon-gi, who rarely showed his emotions, was amazed when he first came here.
Unlike the Goldilocks planets of the past, where unstable surfaces made entry impossible, or high infrared or radiation levels made sample collection impossible, this planet was remarkably stable. Yeoju, Yoon-ki, and the rest of the research team marveled at the mauve sky and lush, deep-green vegetation, reminiscent of Earth's sunsets, captured by robotic probes.
“Could this place become a second Earth??”
Yoon-ki didn't really answer the female protagonist's question.
Even if this place became a second Earth, the two had no particular expectations about life on this planet. A day on the spaceship was equivalent to a year on Earth. Since the exploration team was traveling at the speed of one light-year, even if they returned here, hundreds of years would have already passed. After all their families and friends on Earth had disappeared, hundreds of years had passed, and the two had no particular expectations for a new life.
“No, why are you all acting so noisy~~
“It’s okay if this becomes the second Earth, but even if it doesn’t, there are still many candidates, so don’t worry too much.”
Jeong Ho-seok, who was in charge of the team's mental health, observed this and patted the shoulders of Yeo-ju and Yoon-gi, who had remained silent. For Ho-seok, a psychologist, these two individuals were targets of concern. It's no surprise, as Yoon-gi's cynical personality as a scientist and Yeo-ju's depression after being separated from her lover due to her expedition team assignment were key challenges for the team Ho-seok was in charge of.
Yeoju was particularly devastated by the fact that her lover, Kim Seokjin, who had been scheduled to join the exploration team with her, was suddenly excluded from the final roster due to an injury. However, true to her Air Force background, Yeoju never showed her sadness in front of others. She simply checked the daily messages that arrived, never shedding a single tear. After Seokjin left the team, Yeoju requested a replacement from headquarters, but it was denied. With little time left before departure to select a new pilot, it was inevitable. Ho-seok, aware of this situation, joked with Yeoju, chatted with her, and kept a close eye on her every day.
. . .
The samples brought back by the robotic probe were analyzed by researchers on board the spacecraft as it headed to its next planet. Surprisingly, the soil, plants, and atmosphere of the planet Kepler-1649c were all harmless to humans and were very similar to the environment on Earth.
The return order to Kepler-1649c was issued 400 days after leaving Earth. Four hundred years later, Earthlings, based on data from the exploration team, sent a message announcing the start of a migration to Kepler-1649c. The team, hampered by the aging left thruster, headed to Kepler-1649c to comply with the return order.
The heroine smiled bitterly as she recalled the past.
In the end, this place became my second Earth...
They were supposed to return after 500 days, but the ship's condition deteriorated, taking an extra 47 days. As the purple star visible in the distance grew closer, Yeoju sat in the cockpit. Then she turned on the ship's broadcast.
“Hello. I am Kim Yeo-ju, captain of the SIS spaceship.
We will soon switch to manual operation mode for our approach to the planet Kepler-1649c. Before we exit autonomous operation mode, all research team members are requested to enter the survival capsule without exception..”
At Yeoju's words, the research team began to gather one by one in the capsule room located right behind the cockpit. Because it was unknown what kind of accident might occur during landing, everyone except Yeoju, the pilot, was to enter the capsule to survive.
“I thought I would never get into this capsule,
“The day of returning has come..”
Yoon-gi, who came to greet the female protagonist, muttered behind her.
“That's right, Dr. Min Yoongi!
Thank you for everything..!!”
When the female protagonist smiled brightly and extended her hand to Yoon-ki, Yoon-ki quietly shook her hand.
“No, why are you like this, like I'll never see you again?
We will meet again on Earth 500 years from now..!”
Hoseok, who was about to enter the capsule, approached and intervened. Yoongi smiled at Hoseok's words.
“So, if I take a nap in there and come out, will it be 500 years later?”
“Wouldn’t it be exactly 547 years later?
“Anyway, this voyage is coming to an end...”
The heroine looked at the giant purple star approaching ahead and laughed in vain.
“Captain Kim Yeo-ju, I want to get off and say thank you..!
“Please take care of me until the end..!”
When Ho-seok bowed politely, Yeo-ju bowed in return.
“Thank you.. for taking such good care of me!”
“Captain, I want to hear something else besides that...”
“Um... See you soon at Borabyeol..! I'll make sure you get there safely.”
As the female protagonist spoke with a bright smile, Hoseok seemed satisfied and headed to the capsule room. Yoongi, who had been following Hoseok, turned around and added.
“No kidding, Miss Yeoju,
See you at our real purple star.
We didn't have high expectations, but we found it anyway.
We just have to live our future lives giving them our own meaning.
right?"
At Yoon-ki's words, Yeo-ju only nodded slightly and didn't say anything else.
Confirming that everyone but herself had entered the capsule, Yeoju turned on the capsule's life support system. Soon, the sleeping gas began to flow, and the exploration team members fell into a deep sleep. Yeoju sat in the cockpit and turned on the video Seokjin had initially sent her.
“Hey, how are you?
The data you guys send every hour comes here once every few days. Has it been a day there now?
It's been exactly one year since you left here.
I've always had trouble figuring out what to say when sending videos, but I think I have one thing to say.
I love you, heroine. I believe you will do well and stay strong!
I'll visit you every day~ See you tomorrow~"
Seokjin's eyes were swollen, as if he'd cried a lot. That part was both poignant and endearing. Before boarding the spaceship, during their final embrace, Seokjin had also cried a lot. It felt like Seokjin was crying his share of the tears, and the woman felt grateful and heartbroken at the same time.
After that, Seokjin's images were received by the spaceship every day. After 10 days, Seokjin's face also began to show the passage of time. Since 10 years had passed, the female protagonist felt very sad because the sight of Seokjin aging seemed like proof that they were living in different times.
But surprisingly, Seokjin's video continued for the past 500 days. The female protagonist could tell. Seokjin's appearance hadn't changed much since the 15th day. It was probably a recorded video. Since the exploration period could take hundreds of years in Earth time, it seemed like they had recorded it in advance to prevent Seokjin from aging any further.
Did he marry me? What kind of family did he have?
Or would I have lived single?
Until the final scene, Seokjin offered only encouraging words to Yeoju, never mentioning his own well-being. Yeoju, on the other hand, felt as if Seokjin was pressuring her to complete her mission.
Can we never meet again?
Although a part of her heart was sad, the heroine had to succeed in her mission. Earth was preparing for a large-scale migration. A new planet was needed for people to live on.
So, until this mission is over,
Wouldn't it be okay to just do your best?
Seokjin seemed to want that too. That thought was etched more and more strongly in Yeoju's mind. And soon, this mission would be over.
. . .
After watching the first video in the cockpit, the heroine looked through the list of past videos in the folder.
Did Kim Seok-jin stop filming the video here because he thought I would return to Earth after 500 days? Or did he stop filming the video because he started a new life after filming this video?
The heroine closed the window, took a deep breath, and pressed the button.
[End autonomous driving mode. Switch to manual driving mode.]
As the guidance voice came on, the female protagonist displayed the coordinates she had recorded in advance on the screen and grabbed the steering wheel.
The spacecraft began to separate several parts in order to enter the atmosphere. To reduce friction with the atmosphere, the spacecraft had to enter the atmosphere after being reduced to a minimum size.
He opened the cover and began pressing the return buttons. Click, click, with each press of a button, the passageway closed, the air circulation system stopped, and there was a brief commotion inside the spaceship.
The living room where the dormitory was, the laboratory where the research supplies were, and other large parts of the spaceship fell away one by one and disappeared into the black space. As the female protagonist watched the disappearing bodies, she suddenly thought that she wanted to disappear too when this was over.
Kurrurururur....
The simple spaceship, with only a capsule and a control room remaining, began to vibrate violently as it calmly entered the atmosphere of the massive purple star. Yeoju gripped the shaking steering wheel tightly, constantly thinking of Seokjin. It had been 47 days since the daily messages stopped arriving, and it had been about a month and a half since she last saw him.
If I could see you just one more time... how great would that be..?
The true feelings of the evil woman slowly leaked out through her lips.
“I miss you so much... Seokjin..”
Only then did Yeoju shed a single tear. But soon, Yaju absentmindedly wiped it away. The spaceship began to plummet toward the surface, battling the increasingly dense atmosphere. Yeoju's entire body ached from the pressure of gravity, which she hadn't felt in a long time.
As we passed through the cloud layer and entered the stable atmosphere, we saw a dark green continent beneath the purple atmosphere. The dark sea and landscape resembled Earth at sunset.
ah...
Yeoju's heart began to pound at the sight of the continent she hadn't seen in a long time. Without hesitation, she followed the manual and opened the parachute.
Paaaat..!
As the parachute opened, the spaceship shook violently and its descent slowed significantly. Yeoju headed toward the coast, leaving the increasingly large continent to her side. The continent drew closer, but no artificial buildings or structures were visible. A dark shadow fell over Yeoju's eyes.
Has it not yet arrived from Earth?
In this uncertain situation, the heroine suddenly thought. Still, she must complete the mission. After landing, she will confidently go meet Seokjin.
In an instant, the coastline seemed to be approaching, and at that moment, the distant land surface seemed to be coming closer to her, when a black structure appeared on the sandy beach where Yeoju was heading.
"shit..!"
The heroine tried to avoid the structure as much as possible by turning the spaceship. However, the spaceship, with its parachute deployed, didn't change direction very well.
Kwaaang!!
The spaceship was stuck on the sand, turned sideways.
The wind sent shockwaves through the heroine, causing her to lose consciousness.
. . .
“Hmm.....”
The heroine slowly opened her eyes to a warm feeling. The white ceiling, the feel of soft fabric beneath her hands...
““Huh? The heroine opened her eyes..”
It was Yoongi's voice.
“Huh? I thought you said you shouldn't move slowly yet.
Captain, please stay still..”
Ho-seok's voice was also heard, making a fuss. Yeo-ju covered her eyes with her hand as if it was dazzling.
“... Have we... succeeded...?
Perhaps because they hadn't spoken for a long time, their voices were hoarse. Yeo-ju turned her head slightly and looked to the side. Next to the bed, she saw Yoon-ki and Hoseok, no longer in spacesuits, but in their regular clothes.
““Yeah, Miss Yeoju… How come, it seems like it was a success?”
As Yoongi spoke softly, Hoseok shouted happily from the side.
“We had a successful landing
Captain..! You really brought us home safely..!
Captain Kim Yeo-ju, mission accomplished now..!”
Even in the midst of her confusion, the female protagonist burst into laughter at the words, “mission accomplished.”
Is this really the end now..?
A moment later, the door opened and the exploration team began to enter. Yeoju, who had become accustomed to the team over the past few hundred days, was delighted to see them. As she greeted them, she soon spotted a man limping in.
Although his hair was a bit messy, his face was familiar. With his straight forehead, straight nose, and thick lips, he was someone I could never forget.
“Yeojuya”
A month and a half ago, Seokjin was exactly like in the video.
Seokjin limped over and lightly kissed Yeoju on the forehead.
“...Why is your leg... like that? Did the injury from back then not heal well..?”
The heroine, who had tried to appear calm, began to cry heavily as her eyes reddened. Seokjin cupped her cheeks with his hands and wiped away the tears, but they continued to flow.
“Ah... this, ha, isn't it funny??
I actually just got out of the freezer...
“It’s a bit awkward to walk.. hahaha”
Seokjin smiled awkwardly. Yeoju couldn't believe her eyes. She touched Seokjin's face in front of her.
“"But didn't you receive the video I took a few days ago?"
"Sob sob... Yeah... That... It's been pretty much the same since the 15th... sob"
"I recorded it...."
The female protagonist answered Seokjin's questions diligently while sobbing. Seokjin held her hand tightly as if he felt sorry for her and as if he missed her so much.
”Lady, I just couldn't do it.
So I decided to wait for you too..
“Because you will come back someday...”
“Ugh, uh, but why didn’t you tell me..
Even if I come back, you, of course, won't be there anymore.
Thinking about it, sob sob
”I was going to talk to you, but I didn't know how you would feel... I told you not to get too emotional at the space agency.
“Yeoju, I really missed you too.”
Seokjin gave the crying female protagonist a gentle hug.
”Our heroine, you worked really hard...
And thank you! For coming back safely...
The female protagonist looked up at Seokjin's face and smiled. Seokjin's encouragement no longer felt like pressure to complete the mission.
. . .
A few days later, Yeoju and Seokjin came out to the beach deck in front of the hospital.
The deep blue seascape against the purple sky was now quite familiar and pleasant to look at.
When she first crashed here, the colors were so different from Earth's that she couldn't see any buildings or structures. As she became accustomed to the landscape, she began to notice the Earthlings who had moved here and settled there.
"Thanks to you, people have the Earth again...
Everyone here is grateful to the exploration team.
Of course, it would have been better if I had gone with you..."
As Seokjin spoke to Yeoju while feeling the cool sea breeze, Yeoju leaned against Seokjin as if responding. Yeoju just quietly watched Seokjin as he spoke, as if she liked the way he looked.
He is alive and he is next to me.
That alone made Yeoju feel that this very place, at this very moment, was so precious.
END.