Youngjae sighed and put down his oversized goggles tiredly, rubbing his eyes whilst staring at the screen under the brain structure. Ririkimi sat on his head, dozing with a piece of lettuce in her fluffly hands, and emitting soft snoring that sounded like bubbles popping. Daehyun had his feet up on the desk next to him, and was fast asleep as well. The spaceship was finally peaceful, and an hour ago, Youngjae would have found it hard to believe that it would gradually settle to this state when at that time, Ririkimi, Him Chan and Daehyun had been running around making a huge mess and yelling at the top of their voices as though they were of any help in a room full of stock brokers. Finally, after hours of patient waiting, and at the same time, putting his sanity on the line, a green icon on the light-screen flashed and Youngjae sat up suddenly, Ririkimi almost sliding off his head of glossy hair. She had made a pillow of his half-mohawk, and seemed to be in deep sleep. Youngjae barely touched the icon, and it enlarged, transforming the desktop into a view of a laboratory of his own at Planet Mato, where a curious blue concoction was brewing in a blender-like apparatus. He reached into the screen and clasped his fingers over the beaker of turquoise liquid and pulled it out. His fingers sizzled slightly at his touch, but it felt cold. 

He took a short whiff and smiled. 

Perfection.

  With Ririkimi still in his hair, he opened another window on the screen and it formed into the image of my bedroom, where I was fast asleep. He climbed onto his desk and walked straight into my bedroom, where Yongguk and Him Chan were fast asleep on the floor, snoring quietly. He walked over their outlines with inaudible footsteps and towards my desk-table by the bed where there were pills and a glass of water. Holding the beaker in his hand, he tipped it over and watched as three drops flopped into the transparent liquid. It sizzled for a minute and finally turned into the colour of water again. He smiled.

  Then, he walked over to the kitchen and to the flask of boiled water and poured all the contents into the flask. After that, he finally went to sleep.

Ririkimi never stirred.

*

  Eun Chae woke up early the next morning at six, before going off to school, to make breakfast. She peered into the refridgerator and realized that there was leftover meat and kimchi in there. That was all. Sighing, she made a mental note to tell Jong Up to go shopping later. She pulled out the dish of beef and placed them on the stove to heat up, all the while cooking making broth. She took the flask of water and poured it into the rice cooker over the washed grains and closed the lid. She took a shower as she waited for the broth to cook, and when she came out, it was ready. She scooped out eight bowls of broth and set the table, along with the beef and cold kimchi.

"Breakfast," she called and knocked on her brother's door. Knowing that Him Chan had heard, she went and knocked on Jong Up's door, where he was sharing with Zelo and Youngjae that night. Daehyun was probably still at the ship.

Soon enough, everyone except Daehyun and Youngjae had arrived at the table.

"Where's Youngjae and Daehyun Oppa?" Eun Chae asked as she sat down to her own bowl.

"Youngjae worked up late last night, he'll be sleeping in till evening I expect." Him Chan said, yawning. Zelo's eyes widened at the sight of the beef.

"Mine!" he squealed and attacked a piece, the others stared on in disgust.

"Yah, have you no manners? Let the elders take first!" Him Chan scolded. Yongguk and I were still half-asleep, so we simply ate whatever that was in our bowls without comment.

"Oppa, kimchi." Eun Chae said and slid the platter towards my end. I shook my head.

"EAT." Daehyun said firmly and everyone started.

"Where did you come from?" Yongguk demanded, staring at him, from his messed up hair to his slippers.

"Ship. Teleported. Yum, meat." Daehyun commented and helped himself.

"Dongsaengs these days," Yongguk commented as he watched the Jong Up try to stuff a tomato into Zelo's already full mouth.

"Eat, eat, eat." Jong Up said and shoved a piece of beef into my mouth, along with a quarter of the chopsticks.

"Yah, I could've died!" I said and pulled out the chopsticks.

"Oppa, more broth?" Eun Chae asked Zelo and he nodded, smiling as sweetly as he could.

"Hand over the pepper." Yongguk told Daehyun.

"Come get it."

Yongguk glared at him.

"Here you go, Commando." Jong Up said, grabbing it from Daehyun and tossing it into Yongguk's outreached hands.

"Traitor!"

"Just eat, you kid."

"Yum, Zelo likes meat."

"Yah, are you a pig? Stop hogging the meat!" Him Chan complained.

"Pigs don't eat meat."

"You little..."

"The pepper won't come out!"

"Yongguk, you're holding it upside down."

"Oh."

"Jong Up, I saw it first, gimme that tomato!"

"Grabber's keepers, loser's weepers."

"I want that TOMATO!"

"Just give it to Zelo, man. There are about ten in here." I said tiredly.

"No way, this one's the biggest in the plate." Jong Up replied and popped it into his mouth. Zelo's face darkened and he whacked him on the chest.

"Tomato-thief!"

"Grow up," Youngjae grumbled as he walked out of the room.

"Morning, Oppa." Eun Chae said and he smiled at her with his eyes closed, flopping down in his seat.

"Eat, you look dead." Daehyun said, and he obeyed blindly.

"So how did the experiment go?" Him Chan asked. He grinned, eyes still closed.

"Great, I..." he turned to the flask and his eyes shot open. 

  The flask was empty.

"What happened to the water?" he asked, leaping to his feet.

"Eh, I used it to make this." Eun Chae said, pointing at her own bowl.

"Broth? You used it to make broth?" He asked, his eyes twice its original size.

"Yes," she said quizzically. He clasped his hands over his own mouth.

"Oh, my gawd." he murmured softly.

"What's wrong?" Yongguk asked, but he kept on murmuring madly.

  Then, he fled from the dining area.

"What's up with him?" I asked, scooping up a spoonful of the white substance and sniffing it, "there's nothing wrong with this." As soon as I said it, I felt my fingers shake. My chest turned cold and I dropped the spoon with a clatter.

"Do you feel something?" Eun Chae asked, and she dropped her own chopsticks, clutching at her own shoulders. Him Chan suddenly grabbed at his own chest.

"I feel..."

Yongguk leaned to the side of his chair, his eyes wide.

"...like my wires are going to burst..."

Daehyun groaned with pain as Jong Up slid off his chair, writhing. Zelo's head was buried between his own knees as he clutched at his shirt.

"It hurts..."

"Youngjae! What is..."

  Then, everything went dark.