***
 

The planet of Altin. The sole survivor of a solar flare in a lost, forgotten galaxy. 

The planet of Altin. A land of gold held together by a Tesseract. A sacred object with endless energy. With the power to create gold out of anything. 

The planet of Altin. A myth. A rumor. A story. A lie.

Choi Minho had set out to prove it true. And perhaps more.

But to make it happen, he needed one more person. As awkward as it was, his ex, Lee Taemin, was his best option.
 

***
 

Taemin was super annoyed. Anyone would be if their ex-boyfriend–a fanatical scientist at that– crashed their date and ruined it. And if that wasn’t enough, followed him back to his spaceship, speaking incessantly about their incredible findings and extremely profitable endeavor.

There was a time when Taemin found Minho’s obsessive nature adorable, but it was only because Minho was obsessed with him. Then Altin became the third wheel in their relationship. And Taemin walked out on both Minho and his fantasies about a planet of gold and the sacred Tesseract that powered it. Taemin had already compromised with the day, but Minho had begun to spend his nights researching too instead of ing him. Or cuddling with him. Or just talking to him about anything and everything until they fell asleep.  

Maybe Taemin could’ve been mature about it. A year had passed since their breakup, but he hadn’t found anyone yet who could replace Minho wholly from his mind and heart. 

Maybe Taemin needed more time. Or to find someone who rivaled Minho in all the things Taemin loved about him. Taemin felt the latter wasn’t quite plausible, given the kind of man Minho was.

“Imagine the glory! Our names will go down in history!” Minho was explaining avidly, “For discovering Altin—”

“Rediscovering.”

“Yes, that, and we’ll keep the Tesseract. We’ll say the Tesseract was the myth and generously let the authorities take the gold and—”

“Keep the hen that lays the golden eggs. Understood. Still don’t wanna do it. Get out.”

“But you’re the only pilot I know who makes space leaps.” Minho whined softly, “I seriously need you for this, Taemin.”

“Then,” Taemin said bitterly, “You shouldn’t have let me go.”

“I didn’t. You left.”

“And you let me go.”

Minho sighed as he adjusted his rimless glasses, “This ain’t about us. It’s about being rich. Let’s fix our relationship after we get the Tesseract, yeah?”

Taemin was silent, still opposed to the idea.

“If you agree,” Minho tried again, “We’ll split equally.”

Taemin raised a brow, “What if this doesn't work?”

“I’ll give you whatever you want. From my pocket.”

“Okay,” Taemin agreed finally, “Upgrade my ship. It might take around 32 full space leaps for the round trip to these coordinates. Mind you, this doesn’t count as my price if it doesn't work.”

“Got it.” Minho beamed and gathered his material. “I’ll have it done overnight. We leave at dawn!”

“Overnight?” Taemin turned in his seat, calling to Minho’s leaving back, “Dawn?!”

“Yes!” 

Taemin watched Minho get into his jeep from the window. “What have I gotten myself into…?”
 

***
 

Sixteen space leaps later, Taemin was flying through an asteroid field. Asteroids weren’t just drifting but constantly colliding with each other, creating more debris every second. Minho gripped his seatbelt for life, watching Taemin chew on a licorice strip as he got the spaceship through the field deftly. He was the best pilot Minho knew. But he was also as rash as they came. His license was revoked, but that hadn’t stopped him. He had been flying illegally for years, making covert commissioned trips without getting caught. 

“There you go.” Taemin beckoned Minho, “Your golden pl