Farewell, Neverland (Choi Yeonjun x Reader)

Chapter 21: Welcome to Earth

CHOI YEONJUN

Because the rocket wasn't in the best condition, the trip lasted into its eighth day. I recalled reading a book at my uncle's explaining that it takes about seven months to get to Mars from Earth. I wonder if the journey will be that long.

Y/n was asleep in her chair. I had just dozed off in mine when the screen on the dashboard began beeping. I jolted awake and read bold red words.

"Approaching Earth. Have your seatbelts buckled and belongings in hand."

I was surprised; the trip didn't last seven months. It made me wonder if a rocket had ever left Mars before. From what Y/n told me, there were enough rockets to transport Earth's population to the red planet. After each rocket landed, they were destroyed by a machine.

"Then why was this rocket left in the barn? Why didn't they destroy it?" I asked her afterward.

Y/n shrugged. "That, I don't know."

I saw Y/n yawning and stretching her arms from the corner of my eye. She faced the window, and her eyes widened with amazement.

"It's been so long since we've come to Earth, Yeonjun," she said. "I can see some of it's color coming back."

Y/n was right. From the pictures I've seen of Earth in the past, blue waters, green plants, and white clouds covered the planet's exterior. There were no white clouds, only brownish-gray ones. The water was still transforming into its original blue from the murky brown in some areas. But the plants? They were everywhere.

As we continued to gaze, I remembered something from one of my uncle's books. When something approaches Earth's atmosphere, gravity takes over. Objects speed up, and friction creates heat.

Thus, the gravity was beginning now.

I didn't know if this rocket could withstand the heat or gravity; it hadn't been flown in years. Nervous, I reached over and grabbed Y/n's hand. She gave me a baffled expression. "Yeonjun, are you okay?"

"Of course," I said, trying to sound calm. "It's just that we'll feel different once we start approaching Earth's atmosphere. No need to panic."

She wasn't convinced. "Yeonjun, are you sure-"

But Y/n didn't finish her sentence. Our bodies jolted forward with a powerful force as the rocket sped into Earth's atmosphere. The orange fire glowed around us. Y/n screamed and hugged my body, hiding her face on my chest.

"I need to control the rocket so we don't get ourselves killed!" I shouted over the whooshing air. "Hold on!"

My fingers moved along the buttons and switches. I tried to remember as much as possible from my uncle's books. How do I slow down a rocket? Was that even possible? The Earth's surface was getting closer, and from the looks of it, we weren't going to make it in one piece.

I pushed more buttons and moved around the switches, and finally, I felt the rocket slowing down in speed. Friction was finally doing its job.

I programmed the rocket to land in its starting position, and the dashboard screen lit green, showing the approval.

The rocket gradually landed on the ground. Smoke rose from the windows, so the view outside was nearly impossible to scope. The screen lit up with different red words:

The rocket has landed safely. Please wait for further instructions.

I smiled, proud of myself for the task. I tapped Y/n's shoulder. "Hey, we're here now. You can look up now."