Soyuz 4 sounded full of admiration, while Valentina was surprised that he could remember all those famous names after reading them only once.

  “Look here.” Soyuz 4 flipped back a page. “This page talks about the first female astronaut in the history of human space exploration. A Russian woman named Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova. Her name is way too hard to pronounce.”

  He stuck out his tongue, pretending his jaw had twisted while trying to read the revered astronaut’s name. Valentina burst into laughter at the sight. Soyuz 4 laughed along with her, and the atmosphere between them suddenly felt strangely peaceful. His eager eyes and innocent smile warmed her heart. Sitting side by side, they shared their joy through bright, ringing laughter. At that moment, the universe seemed to shrink, fitting neatly inside a small book, where astronauts stepped out from the pages and into a vivid, living world. Everything felt light and magical – just like the fairy tales Valentina often read.

  “Haha, you must really like her, huh? She’s brilliant and beautiful too. Valentina really is a lovely name.”

  Suddenly, Soyuz 4 turned toward her so abruptly that she flinched. He tilted his head, studied her for a moment, then pointed back at the page and said:

  “That’s right, 27. We don’t have real names either. Calling each other by code numbers all the time feels pretty awful. How about I call you Valentina?”

  Before she could even respond, he quickly flipped through the pages again, determined to find a name worthy of himself. His gaze stopped on the image of an astronaut with golden skin and jet-black hair. The man’s face radiated integrity, his eyes fixed firmly forward, leaving a strong impression at first glance. What caught the boy’s attention most, however, was the bright five-pointed yellow star set against a red background on the astronaut’s suit – an emblem identical to the one on the silver superhero’s cape. A sudden sense of familiarity surged within him, and the word slipped from his lips:

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  “Ph?m Tuan.”

  Valentina didn’t quite catch what he said. She followed Soyuz 4’s gaze and saw the image of a Vietnamese astronaut printed on the page. Having only studied international languages, she accidentally misread his name as something she loved dearly.

  “Tuna? Like… tuna fish?” Valentina asked.

  “Tuna? No, no. His name is Tuan. Not tuna, 27. Just look at him – he totally looks like a superhero already. All he’s missing are two swords on his back, and he’d be exactly like the Silver Superhero.”

  After a brief pause, Tuan made his final decision.

  “Alright, it’s settled. From now on, your name will be Valentina Tereshkova, and mine will be Ph?m Tuan. We’ll call each other by our real names instead of those numbers. Deal… Valentina?” The unfamiliar name still felt strange on his tongue.

  Valentina nodded, then replied half-seriously, half-teasingly:

  “Okay, Tuna.”

  “No! My name is Tuan. U-?-N, Uan. T-Uan, Tuan. Ph?m Tuan!” he protested, spelling each letter slowly in frustration so she would understand.

  Valentina giggled. She kept calling him Tuna, Tuna just to tease him, until he finally gave up and let her call him whatever she pleased. Later on, he started calling her Vale to get back at her – but contrary to what he expected, Valentina loved the nickname. And so, from that moment on, the two of them began calling each other Vale and Tuna, replacing the cold, lifeless strings of numbers that once defined who they were.

  ***

  The surge of memories from that distant past eased Valentina’s sorrow, if only a little. Warmth slowly filled her heart, pushing back the fear that had taken root there. She reached for her left wrist, where the code VOSTOK-27 was etched – unchanged by time. It was the chain that bound her to a past she wished to forget, yet also the sole vessel preserving countless vivid fragments of memories she could never truly discard.

  Like Tuan, Valentina felt profoundly fortunate to have him as a friend. She was two years younger than him, and to her, Tuan was the embodiment of an older brother – someone who belonged to family, and family meant unity and unconditional care. After a long silence, Valentina spoke softly through the door, responding to Tuan’s words of encouragement:

  “Thank you, Tuna. I feel much better now. I just want to stay in my room for a while and think about a few things. You should go back to the control room first.”