Hongjoong felt his muscles tire quickly while on their way through the ship, and he soon relied solely on PSH on moving any rubble out of their way. The android was more durable than him anyway, and Hongjoong could let his protesting body rest a bit on their way to the next survivor.

Wooyoung and San still stuck to each other as if glued together. Sometimes their soothing whispers to each other traveled to Hongjoong's ears, and every time he heard them murmuring to each other, he wondered about them more. Were they dating? Why would anybody even want to date a piece of metal? Had Wooyoung become one of those mad scientists the world still heard of continuously?

Hongjoong tried not to pay too much mind to it, but he felt himself get distracted by it several times. Once he looked over in the exact moment that Wooyoung rose to his tiptoes to press a little kiss to San's cheek. The android had comfortably wrapped one arm around the other male's waist and let him lean against his body in a way that made them look way too familiar with each other.

When Wooyoung caught Hongjoong's eyes with an impish grin, Hongjoong averted his gaze.

It probably took them two hours to reach the bridge of the ship, and when they were finally there, they had seen more dead bodies than Hongjoong's weak mind could endure. The images of cruelly mutilated bodies that were strewn all around had already ingrained themselves in his head forever, no matter how indifferent he tried to be and no matter how much Wooyoung kept distracting him.

"We should leave soon. The radiation will start to get to you," San quietly remarked from where he just joined them at moving the metal scraps away from the door to the central control room. However, even when they came through, there was still a big beam blocking them from going inside. It had fallen in the open door slantwise and seemed to support too much of the room to be removed safely.

They could see inside of the room still, however, and it sufficed to find the man they had been searching for.

"Can you hear us? This is PSH 22 with Medico Kim. We also have Medico Jung and CS 19 with us.", PSH asked through the narrow gaps carefully. The gap at his eye level was as big as his head but too high up for Hongjoong to actually see through. However, when PSH suddenly turned very quiet, Hongjoong looked around as well, trying to find the source of that change.

"Seonghwa." It came in a rush from inside, like a tensed breath that was finally let go, and Hongjoong knew that voice.

It was the Captain. Captain Bang Yongguk.

"You lived, I'm glad, I- I feared for too many people." Slender and tanned hands reached out through the gap, and PSH took them in his own tenderly, locking their fingers together. The android looked oddly... somber. Hurt was evident in his eyes, but it seemed sincere. There was something Hongjoong was missing.

"You are locked inside? We can break you free, just give me a moment." PSH turned, letting the man's fingers slip away only to be grabbed again. He was held back by the human, leaning in close against the rubble still.

His face was conflicted, the frown he showed painful.

Once again, Hongjoong was missing information. What kind of relationship did PSH have with Bang?

"Don't. Stay here. I need to tell you something. Listen well, Seonghwa, alright?"

"Of course, but- The radiation, are you-"

"I managed to get a hold of one of the suits, yes. Here, wait a second."

Hongjoong did not see what the man was doing, but then the sound of paper ripping could be heard, and he handed over a sheet to PSH.

Yongguk continued talking and his voice was deep and soothing as ever. Hongjoong had always liked listening to him, he was a respectable man. He was one to look after his crew competently, and Hongjoong still remembered coming on board five years ago as a shy little scientist fresh out of school. Yongguk had received him with a big grin and a friendly handshake, his calmness radiant. While Hongjoong did not see him often in the labs of the ship, he for sure enjoyed their sporadic talks in the corridor.

"This is a map I drew. It's ugly, but I saw some things out there while the ship was crashing. There are islands, two of them. You can get there and hopefully find safe surroundings. Here, see? This one has more mountains on it. Take the other one to build a camp. I already sent out multiple distress calls to the bases around here. Maybe soon..." His voice sounded roughened up from speaking that much in a rush. PSH interrupted him again, and Hongjoong felt his fingers twitch into a fist as he kept himself from calling the rude android out.

"But you are... Won't you come with us? We can get you out, really. I can just-"

"Seonghwa."

Bang's hands were gentle when he let go of PSH's fingers. He gingerly cradled the android's jaw in his hands, his thumbs coming down to rub mindless circles onto PSH's cheeks. Hongjoong watched on with wide eyes as PSH's eyelashes fluttered shut, leaning into the welcoming touch of the other.

San gave a low hum, pulling Wooyoung closer to his side.

What the hell was going on here?

"I won't join you out there. I'm the captain. I will stay here and do my utmost to ensure you will survive. You, Kim, Jung, and San too. I'm safe, and I have food rations here. I will direct any incoming messages right to your life pod. If anybody finds us, they will find the Aurora first. Somebody needs to hold the position."

Hongjoong gulped, shuffling a bit over towards PSH so he could get a look at the man. He did not see much, just some dark curls of hair peeking out from behind the metal beam. His hands were firm, however. He had made his decision.

"I... understand. But I will try to check up on your health regularly. I know I will not be able to sway your mind, but please... Take care. We will find you before we get to leave. We will take you with us," PSH promised quietly. He put his left hand over Yongguk's, embracing the warmth of the captain.

Yongguk gave a low chuckle, humming at the other man.

"I will. I get the calls first, you know. You are in good hands here. They are in even better hands. Take care."

"It's Lifepod 5." PSH turned his head, pressing a little kiss - one that felt way too intimate for the current setting - against the knuckles of Yongguk's hand. Hongjoong felt himself blush, quickly looking away.

What the hell? Did the captain have an affair with that android? Impossible. It had to be some kind of respect thing. PSH was programmed to obey this man, and this man only, it had to be some God complex.

Hongjoong felt mightily repelled, and Wooyoung clinging to the last android in the room with a fond smile did not make things better. How was everybody around him suddenly dating their androids? It was weird and wrong.

"Understood. Don't worry about me. I will also find a way out if I deem it necessary. But you should leave soon. Your dive suits are not made for staying in here for long." Yongguk directed that sentence at Hongjoong, finally letting go of PSH again. The man stepped back remorsefully, rolling up the paper in his hands before putting it in his thigh compartment.

"You're sure you don't need help?" Hongjoong stepped a bit closer to the opening now, peeking in. Yongguk was looking down at him with those dark eyes of his, his lips set into a grim line. He nodded once.

Hongjoong could respect that. It confused him to no end as to how a man like Yongguk could have a close relationship to the androids and not feel strange about it, but he would not begin to question his captain now in those difficult times. At least he didn't seem to have suffered any significant injuries from the crash. He was probably better off inside there as long as he chose to stay. That special radiation suit might help too, even if it didn't look very different from Hongjoong's own.

"I'm fine. You should really leave now. I have your data, some of the machines are still working. I will come to find you if I have to." He'd said it in a sincere tone, so Hongjoong just nodded with another gulp. He would not have to see the man die today, but the knowledge of him still being here on this ghost ship was disturbing to him. He hated leaving him behind, even if he could be sure that he would survive.

He couldn't imagine staying here, hoping and waiting while surrounded by all those dead bodies. But he also wasn't Captain Bang. Bang had lived much longer than him, was older, more experienced. He knew what decision was best for them.

"Will another explosion be likely? We can get you off before that," San carefully spoke up, his voice small, and his lips formed into a pout as he was speaking. Wooyoung smiled torturedly at him, but his worried eyes were fixed on Yongguk too. The captain merely pushed his hair back with his left hand, shaking his head.

"I don't think so. There is nothing left to explode. However, your life pod and Seonghwa's PDA will tell you if there is any danger coming up. You just need to make sure to stay out of harm's way. I will find a way out if I need to."

San nodded in a troubled manner, moving back into Wooyoung's embrace once more. PSH nervously played with his hands next to Hongjoong.

"If you do, beware of the fish outside. There are some vicious ones around." Hongjoong was already turning to leave. He would not risk his health for a man that had made a decision. He had to go think, and they had to go to that island. Maybe Jongho had crashed there and was only thinking he was in a cave because it was dark out in front of his window? At least they could explore a bit better from an island.

"I will, thank you. I will try to collect as much data on this planet as possible. The Aurora has a quite functional scan system." He sounded confident, his eyes still locked to PSH who seemed unwilling to leave just yet. Hongjoong couldn't even bring himself to roll his eyes. Somehow his stomach told him that this was something deeper, something more serious.

"Then... see you. Hopefully, you can join us as soon as possible. We can still wait for the reinforcements together." Hongjoong noticed the crack in PSH's voice, the way his eyes still showed hurt. Of course, he might not understand how the human concept of sacrifices worked, but Hongjoong just knew he wouldn't look at just anybody like that.

He sure was programmed well. Hongjoong suspected that they had taken that function of dog-like obedience from the newer robots, though. San didn't look nearly as affected, holding Wooyoung calmly.

"Yeah. Leave now. You will hear from me." Yongguk lifted his hand in greeting, giving a little crooked smile that Hongjoong returned as earnestly as possible. And then they turned, walking back towards the entrance. It felt strange, leaving the man here. Hongjoong did not stop thinking about it, wondering whether he should go back or if that would hurt Yongguk's pride.

They did try to get through to the other side but had to give up when soon all the corridors had basically been folded in half by the explosion, making it impossible to get through. For a while longer, they dug around, desperate and hopeful until PSH finally shook his head.

"The signal is getting weaker. I do not think we will get to save her."

And with that they stopped, reluctantly turning to head back.

They would go find those islands tomorrow. And from there on, they would go to every single life pod and save whoever was possible. Jongho, Lydia, and all the people on the ship Hongjoong only ever saw in passing.

On their way home, they heard the leviathans roar in the distance. But once again, they made it back to Lifepod 5 without getting attacked.

Hongjoong's heart still felt heavy for a long time afterwards.