“Lee Sungjong! Come over here!”

There was an agitated shout from Sungyeol as Sungjong dodged a ladle that came flying his way.

“How many times must I tell you to put in effort for your school work before you get sent to the ghettos? You have only two months left and you still can't get the content right! That place is dangerous, and you won't get the luxuries you have here!"

Sungyeol continued his rant as he continued hurling things at Sungjong. The duo were in their shared apartment with Woohyun and Sunggyu after a long day of work and school, and Sungyeol was once again disappointed by the results of Sungjong’s mock examinations.

Sungjong was on the brink of tears as he got hit by one of the spoons thrown at him. “I can’t study! I don’t understand what is going on!”

“If you had listened to Myungsoo when he was trying to explain the concept of teleportation you would have dodged all my attacks by now!”

“I can’t hit the activation energy level!”

“How do you lower the activation energy of a reaction?”

Sungjong was wailing loudly this time as he plopped himself onto the ground in resignation. “I have no idea!”

“Use a ing catalyst!” Sungyeol screamed at the top of his lungs, slamming his fist onto the table, causing Sungjong to jump at the noise.

As if on cue, the door to the apartment opened with a beep, revealing Sunggyu and Woohyun who had ended work for the day. "Hey, you guys need to calm down, we could hear you guys at the other end of the corridor." Woohyun piped, setting his suitcase on the ground beside his shoes. 

"How do I calm down? Woohyun, Sungjong has no idea what a catalyst is, he's going to fail the exams!"

Sungyeol turned his attention to Woohyun, complaining as drops of saliva flew out of his mouth. Woohyun switched his attention between the Lee brothers, before taking a seat at the couch in the middle of the room near Sungyeol. 

Sunggyu, on the other hand, made his way to Sungjong's side and took him into a small hug. "I believe Sungjong will pass, the smart genes are present in your family." Sunggyu attempted to pacify Sungyeol and held Sungjong's trembling body gently. 

"Hyung, I won't pass." Sungjong's voice had a resigned tone to it as he focused his eyes on the ground. "Even if I were to pass and stay with you guys, I would hate whatever I'm doing. I'll just get disposed of quietly, as they do to all who fail the exam." His voice was small, meant for only Sunggyu to hear. 

"Lee Sungjong! Go back to your room!" Sungjong's voice did not go unnoticed by Sungyeol, who sent Sungjong back to his room. 

"Sungjong, your brother…" Sunggyu's voice trailed off, as Sungjong shut him down with a forced smile through his trembling lips. He pushed Sunggyu gently away, before trudging back into his room, slamming the door shut. 

"Don't worry too much, I'm pretty sure it's not as bad as it seems," Woohyun tried this time, directing his words toward Sungyeol. "If it was that bad, the establishment would not have lasted this long and someone would have started a revolution."

"I heard the state would give them a job, and they would live out their lifespan," Sunggyu added, joining the other two males on the couch. "They will also have access to basic healthcare, so it's not as bad as it seems. It only seems bad because well, it's the less well-to-do regions of our star system."

"And no right to reproduction," Sungyeol reminded, slightly peeved at the way Sunggyu and Woohyun talked as if Sungjong was not someone they knew personally. 

Woohyun rolled his eyes, "There is no reason to be passive-aggressive at us right now, we have been helping Sungjong with his preparation." His voice was laced with disdain, and Sunggyu shot him a look of warning before dragging him into their shared room, leaving Sungyeol alone with his thoughts. 

As soon as they were out of earshot, Sunggyu chided, "Nam, do you know what you were saying?"

Woohyun did not attempt to hide his irritation as he dropped himself unceremoniously onto his bed. "We are helping Sungjong out of goodwill, if there is something Sungyeol is getting angry about, it should be the system, not Sungjong, let alone us!" He threw his hands up in frustration, his voice raising as he gave up controlling his temper. 

"Sungjong is not stupid he…"

"He's smart," Woohyun acknowledged, "but not in the way our star system requires him to be. He would have flourished during the common era when there was a place for political and artistic discourse." 

Woohyun had hit the nail on the head, and there was nothing Sunggyu could say to dispute it. 

Sunggyu sighed as he settled himself down beside Woohyun and leaned on his shoulder, wrapping his arms around his waist. "Sometimes I feel that what I'm trying to do is futile. Biotechnology is supposed to help level the playing field for everyone, but that doesn't seem to be happening. I wonder if the situation is the same for the other star systems."

Woohyun slung an arm over Sunggyu's shoulder, pulling him clos