The morning was quiet. The sunlight filtered through the kitchen and bathed our kitchen in a warm golden light. Maki and I sat opposite to each other at the table while enjoying a slow breakfast together. She stirred her tea absently while I was halfway through my second piece of toast. The atmosphere around us was peaceful… no tension… just you and your wife having breakfast….
Suddenly, my phone vibrated on the table beside me, its notification light blinking insistently. I turned toward it. I thought maybe it was a message from Abdul or Joseph, but the very moment I saw the subject line, my heart skipped a beat….
Departure Date Confirmed: Kepler-009 Mission.
I blinked…. My breath caught in my throat as I opened the email. It felt surreal…. It felt like something I'd been waiting for but wasn't quite ready to face yet. My departure date... it was right there, staring back at me in black and white….
"Shin?" Maki's voice pulled me out of my daze. She was watching me with a curious smile on her lips. "Who's it from?!"
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. "It's... it's from the Japan Space Research Institute. They've confirmed my departure date for the Kepler mission…."
Her smile faded slightly, replaced by a look of concern. "Oh…" She swallowed, and I could see the worry in her eyes, hidden behind an encouraging smile. "So, when are you leaving?!"
I looked down at the date on the screen and felt this weird mix of excitement and fear. "In six weeks…"
Maki nodded slowly, her gaze dropping to her cup as she absorbed the news. "Six weeks... that's not a lot of time…"
"No," I murmured, still processing it to myself. "It's not..."
We sat there silently for some time. Both of us were lost in our own thoughts. I knew this was something I had been dreaming this since I was a kid…. something I had worked so hard to achieve... But now that the date was set, the reality of leaving her…. of stepping into the unknown…. weighed on me like a heavy stone.
Maki looked up with a small but brave smile on her face. "You're really going, aren't you? You're going to explore another planet…"
"Yeah." I smiled, trying to match her courage. "And Joseph is coming too. We'll be the first ones from our training group on a mission this big…."
She nodded, her fingers playing with the edge of her napkin. "I'm so proud of you, Shin. I always knew you'd go far... even if that means going light-years away…"
I reached across the table and took her hand in mine. "I'll be back before you know it…"
She gave a soft laugh while squeezing my hand tightly. "You better be. I'll be waiting here... holding down the fort…."
Over the next few weeks, everything started moving faster than I had expected. The reality of my departure still hung over me. I was thrown into intensive training, mission briefings, and final preparations. Joseph and I barely had any time to catch our breath. But whenever we did, he always managed to lighten up the mood with his usual jokes and laughter…
One day, after an intense simulation, Joseph clapped me on the shoulder as we walked out of the training room, both of us dripping with sweat…
"Think about it, Shin… us, in space. It's like every sci-fi movie we've ever watched, but we're the main characters…." he said with a grin on his face.
"Just don't get any wild ideas out there…." I replied, chuckling. "No hero stunts. Let's both make it back in one piece..."
Joseph smirked. "You can count on me, Shin. As long as you don't start giving any motivational speeches about friendship conquering all or something…."
I laughed, grateful for the distraction. "Noted. I'll save the speeches for when we're back on Earth…"
Whenever I came home from training while being fully exhausted and drained, Maki was always there beside me. She'd wait for me at home, sometimes with dinner ready or with a cup of tea, and we would sit together on the couch, finding comfort in each other's company.
One night, as I slumped onto the couch, she settled beside me while resting her head on my shoulder and asked, "How was it today?!..."
"Intense… I guess…" I replied, rubbing my temples. "But we're almost ready. Joseph says we're practically invincible now…"
Maki laughed softly. "I'd believe that if it weren't for the fact that you two are always competing at everything…"
I smiled, wrapping an arm around her. "You're right. But it's not so bad when he's on my side. It makes everything feel... a little less scary…"
She nodded, her hand resting on mine. "I'm glad he's going with you. You'll have someone there who's family, in a way…"
Her words stayed with me, and as the days passed, I found myself looking forward to our quiet moments more than anything else, treasuring each one like it was a small piece of home I could carry with me into the unknown.
Finally, the night before departure arrived. The house felt eerily quiet as if the walls themselves knew I was leaving. I was packing my last few items when Maki came into the room while holding a small box in her hand...
"What's this?!" I asked, glancing up at her.
She held it out to me, a soft smile on her face. "Just... a little something. To remember me by."
I opened the box and found a small, silver pendant with the constellation of Orion engraved on it. "Maki..."
She shrugged, looking a little shy. "I thought maybe you'd like a piece of the sky with you. Even if it's just a reminder of Earth."
I reached out, pulled her closer to me, and held her tightly. "Thank you. I'll keep it with me…"
We stayed like that for a while, wrapped in each other's arms, neither of us wanted to break the peaceful moment…
"Promise me you'll stay safe, Shin…" she whispered, her voice breaking slightly.
I pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "I promise. I'll come back to you…"
The dawn of the next day arrived. The house was quiet and dark as I moved through it, my bag slung over my shoulder. Maki was sleeping still, all curled up under the blankets, and I just stood and watched her in the dim light through the door of our room...
I wanted to wake her up, I wanted to say a proper goodbye… But I couldn't bring myself to disturb her peaceful sleep, to make things harder for both of us. So, I swallowed down the tight feeling in my chest and took one last look at her, memorizing every detail of her peaceful face, her gentle breathing…
"Goodbye, Maki…" I whispered softly, almost to myself. "I'll be back soon…"
With that, I turned and slipped out of the house. The air of the dawn was quiet and crisp. So, I took a cab and went to the launch station…
A few hours later, I was at the station. I was standing in the changing room, suiting up in my space gear. The reality of it all hit me harder with every buckle and strap, every adjustment to my suit. My departure was real and inevitable, and each second brought me closer to that final step into the unknown…
Just then, my phone suddenly vibrated in my bag, and Maki's name flashed across the screen. My heart raced as I answered…
"Shin?!" Her voice was soft and a little breathless as if she'd just woken up. "Are... are you really gone already?!"
"Yeah..." I replied, my voice low. "I didn't want to wake you. Thought I'd leave you to sleep in peace..."
She let out a soft laugh, though I could hear the sadness beneath it. "You're an idiot, you know that? I wanted to say goodbye…"
"I know…" I murmured, feeling my chest tighten. "But I figured it'd be easier this way. I didn't want to see you crying while leaving…."
There was a pause on the other end, and I could imagine her standing there, probably in her pajamas, holding the phone tightly. "Promise me, Shin…" she said, her voice steady but trembling. "Promise me you'll come back…"
"I promise, Maki. I'll come back, no matter what…" I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of that promise settle over me. "You're my reason to return, Maki. Nothing can keep me away from you…"
She went silent for a moment before letting out a shaky sigh. "I'll be waiting, then. And... I love you, idiot…"
A smile tugged at my lips. "I love you too. More than you know…"
As I finished suiting up and got ready to head to the shuttle. I took a deep breath before leaving to prepare myself mentally to leave everything I knew behind...
I was reaching for the door when suddenly I felt someone rush into the room, and the familiar scent of Maki's perfume washed over me…
I looked up, and there she was… Maki in her office uniform, her hair pulled back. Her eyes were filled with emotion. For a second, we just stared at each other, the world around us fading away...
"Maki?" I barely managed to breathe out. I was surprised and overwhelmed after seeing her suddenly…
Before I could say anything more, she took a few quick steps toward me, and I moved to meet her halfway, our arms wrapping around each other in a fierce embrace…
"You didn't think I'd let you leave without a proper goodbye, did you?" she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
"I didn't think you'd make it…." I admitted, holding her close, feeling the warmth of her against me.
She pulled back slightly, her eyes searching mine, and at that moment, we both knew that words wouldn't be enough. I leaned in, pressing my lips to hers, and she responded with a kind of urgency and tenderness that felt like a promise without any words…
When we finally pulled back, both of us were breathless. She rested her forehead against mine, her hands still clutching the front of my suit.
"Don't you dare make me worry like this again…" she murmured, her voice trembling. "I'm already going crazy just thinking about it..."
I gave her a small, reassuring smile. "I'll be back before you know it. And I'll be dreaming of this moment every single day…"
Maki's eyes softened, and she reached up, brushing a hand through my hair. "You better come back home, Shin. And when you do, I'll be here, waiting... forever if I have to…"
I nodded, feeling the weight of her words sink into me, filling me with a fierce determination. "I'll come back, Maki. I swear it. I'll come back to you, no matter what..."
She smiled through her tears, nodding as if trying to convince herself as much as me. "Then I'll be here, right where you left me…."
With one last, lingering kiss, she stepped back, letting go reluctantly as I turned to leave. But as I reached the door, I looked back one last time to her, her image burned into my mind like a beacon…
"See you soon, Maki…" I whispered and with a final nod. I stepped out of the room, leaving her behind…. but carrying her with me in my heart.
The walk to the main ship was surreal. The path was lined with sleek lights embedded into the ground, guiding Joseph and me toward the massive vessel that awaited us at the end of the runway. The shuttle stood tall and gleaming, a testament to the marvels of futuristic technology.
Its surface was smooth and metallic, reflecting the lights around it with an almost hypnotic glow.
Joseph walked beside me, arms swinging confidently. But I noticed him sneaking glances my way, his expression somewhere between amusement and mischief…
"You look like you're heading to your wedding, not outer space…." he teased, nudging me. "Gonna cry if I don't hold your hand on the way up?!..."
I smirked, rolling my eyes. "You're the one who insisted on tagging along, so if anyone's going to cry, it's you…"
Joseph held up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm only here to keep the mood light. Think of me as your personal space jester. You know, making sure you don't get too sentimental about Earth and all that…"
I chuckled while trying to hide the nervous energy bubbling inside me. This was it…. The start of the mission I had trained my entire life for. Yet, with Joseph joking by my side, it almost felt like another one of our wild adventures, just with a far more impressive destination…
"Just keep your jokes to yourself until we're out of Earth's atmosphere, alright?" I said, giving him a playful shove…
"Or what?" he replied, pretending to be offended. "You'll space me? I dare you..."
TO BE CONTINUED