Frozen Sea

19. Degasi

Hongjoong was trapped between Seungyoun and the table, with no place to flee to. Even with that knowledge, though, Surprisingly enough, his heart even told him to stay instead of running as would be fit for the obvious danger he was in.

Seungyoun had betrayed them. He had never even planned to return to his home, to leave this planet, or to accept Alterra as they were. He had merely gotten close to the team for his selfish goals.

Hongjoong still found himself not detesting the man. He wanted to hear more, wanted the whole story that had led to this mess. Thus, he stayed, with his heart still racing, to listen. If he fled, there would only be death awaiting him anyway.

"You wanna talk while the ice is melting? I won't try to change your mind, but I would like to hear your story." Hongjoong inclined his head, staring at the man calmly. This was just Seungyoun. Compared to the beast he in the ice behind him, the human seemed like a minor threat.

Seungyoun chuckled amusedly at the question. He still looked dark and dangerous, seemingly having lost all the soft and cute aspects about him. His eyes were sharp as they scrutinised Hongjoong, trying to find a hint of a trick. When he came up empty, he finally let go of him. With a dull throb, Hongjoong's wrist was released.

"Fine. I'm glad you're open to this. I would have asked you to listen to me anyway; this makes things easier. Sit down there and keep your fingers off the pannel."

Hongjoong willingly went over to the crate he was pointed at, sitting down on it. His hands were shaking, and his eyes kept flickering back to the ice that groaned and creaked under the heat it was faced with. A constant stream of water came from the edges that were melting first. It travelled down the sides to form a pool at the ground.

But it was slow. Slow enough for Hongjoong to wait and hope to come up with a plan for how he could get between Seungyoun and that pannel.

"I won't lie, right now, I'm terrified of you and this plan. However, since I get where you are coming from, I want to listen."

Seungyoun dropped down on the chair behind the console and kicked his feet up on a free corner of the table. As he leaned back, some strand of his hair also slipped to expose more of his face. He looked at peace and not hurried at all.

"That's good. I expected nothing less. I think if you were less terrified and would have had less horrible experiences on this planet, you might even have agreed with me."

Now, it was Hongjoong's turn to laugh disbelievingly. He might have, yes. If he was alone, maybe. Suppose he had fallen for Seungyoun, maybe. But not with his team out there.

Seungyoun continued speaking as he was staring against a wall. The ice behind them slowly and gradually shrunk, making Hongjoong more nervous by the minute.

"After some time here, good things start to happen. I made friends, discovered lots of new things, and learned not to fear even the most dangerous of the creatures out there. After ten years of surviving off nothing, you become part of this system. And you begin to see its beauty."

Hongjoong understood. His fascination and love for any living being went deep. Even when things tried to kill them, he still found something that amazed him about them. If he had been in Seungyoun's shoes, he might have felt the same.

"Yunho and Mingi are the same. They love it here, Hongjoong. Sure, things are a few sizes bigger than on Earth, but it's safe as soon as you know your ways. They wouldn't leave. Especially not to go back to the people who ditched them and would turn them into science experiments."

He grimaced and crossed his arms over his chest.

Hongjoong fiddled with his thumbs to keep his hands busy.