“Are you sure it was a good idea to sign up for the Pledis 17 expedition?”

Soonyoung looks up to see Jihoon taking a seat across from him at their usual table in the space station cafeteria, pressing a button on the corner that made the sachets in each compartment liquefy and turn into steaming hot food.

“Uh, of course. Why wouldn’t it be?” Soonyoung answers, watching his friend eat with envy; Soonyoung had already inhaled his entire portion, but since he needed to be lean and fit for the expedition, he couldn’t eat three trays worth of food like he usually did, at least not if he was trying to follow his new diet and exercise plan. For now, he could only watch Jihoon do it for him instead.

“Because I heard from Junhui that—” Jihoon begins, and Soonyoung already doesn’t like where this is going, gut twisting in anger because Junhui’s name always came attached with— “Wonwoo’s research team is going, too.”

Soonyoung groans immediately at the mention of Wonwoo’s name, slamming his fists down on the table and earning them looks from all the other people in the station cafeteria. “Of-ing-course he is!” he cries out, throwing back his head in frustration. Going on the expedition had been his way of getting away from that to begin with. Since they were both in the same graduating class as well as headliners of their respective classifications, the two of them were always working together on surveying operations ever since they were dispatched to this space station four years ago.

Honestly things would be fine if Wonwoo didn’t seriously think that they could learn everything they needed to know about a planet with a well-placed satellite and lots of research samples. Honestly Wonwoo would stay cooped up in a laboratory his whole life interacting with the world through VR modules if he had his way, meanwhile Soonyoung would be out of a career, winding up cleaning wormhole plasma from spacecraft windows at some refueling station for the rest of his life.

“Please, please tell me you’re kidding,” Soonyoung begs, already regretting his life choices. He couldn’t even back out of the expedition now; once you sign up and get accepted, you’re on it for good. “Or at least, please tell me you signed up your team to go, too? Or even anyone else for that matter, to make this more tolerable. Please.”

Jihoon just shakes his head indifferently, more interested in shoveling food into his mouth. “I just went on the Pledis 16 expedition, remember? Got back last month. My team isn’t up for another go so soon. Other than you and Wonwoo, I haven’t heard from anyone else about it. And anyway, I think you’re being overdramatic—you should give Wonwoo credit where he deserves,” Jihoon adds, the sauce on his spoon clean before digging in again into another compartment. “It makes sense to understand your surroundings before jumping into them headfirst the way you always do.”

“Oh no, not you, too!” Soonyoung whines, pouting even when Jihoon looks back at him with his nose wrinkled in mild disgust at his expression. “Don’t tell me that all the enterprise teams side with the research teams’ worldview. Whose droids do you think are going out and getting those samples for the scientists, anyway? It doesn’t make any sense for them to be in charge if the ones lifting all the weight are the engineers!”

“Technically your automatons are doing all your part of the lifting,” a familiar low voice suddenly adds in a pointed tone. “Also, the research teams lead expeditions because we actually try to understand the surroundings first before trampling around in those goliath prawn suits you engineers call ‘innovative’ and damaging the delicate alien ecosystems we come across.”

Soonyoung is suddenly seething with anger, blood curling under his skin as he whips around and sees none other Wonwoo Jeon standing right behind him, holding an empty tray and looking as arrogant and conceited and self-important and horrible and evil as he always does—Soonyoung wanted to punch the smug leer right off Wonwoo’s face, but then he could get demoted and Wonwoo would have yet another reason to make fun of him.

Next to Wonwoo is Junhui, and he waves sheepishly at Soonyoung before scurrying over to Jihoon at the table to avoid the oncoming conflict; whenever Wonwoo is in the vicinity it’s like Soonyoung suddenly has tunnel vision, so he doesn’t even notice the wave, instead trying his hardest not to commit murder in the middle of the canteen with everyone as a witness.

“We went through the same amount of training, jerk! I can’t believe you’re actually implying that the exploration team is full of bumbling idiots who don’t know how to navigate a ing alien environment,” Soonyoung grits out through clenched teeth, trying to burn a hole through Wonwoo’s head with his eyes; it has no such desired effect, but it’s the thought that counts.

“Your words, not mine,” Wonwoo retorts easily, tossing his emptied tray in the recycling bot before heading towards the cafeteria exit without a single glance back. Offended beyond belief, Soonyoung feels just about ready to burst at the seams; he absolutely won’t let Wonwoo off that easily, especially not without getting in the last word for himself. He follows the taller man out of the canteen, hot on his heels and leaving behind a trail of expletives in his wake.