There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 694: Side Story 3. Stellar Blossom - 29

Laurel would happily hug the trapped kid for the rest of the day, but Han Joon awkwardly pulled away just a minute later, wiping his eyes quickly and took a deep breath to stop his stuttered breath. He was back to his calm self, but Laurel could see the unraveling tension.

Well, it wasn’t like he could change right away. At least, they had gone through the first hill of informing Joon about his father’s death.

"Good job," Laurel smiled and ruffled the black hair. When else could she have a chance to treat her son-in-law like this? Seeing Han Joon looking awkward and shy from the affection was particularly lovely. "You should do that more often. No longer doing what your father told you to do, no longer hiding your emotions, okay?"

"Will you...kick us out if I can’t do that?"

"Pfft--of course, not!" Laurel chuckled, before seeing the real worry in the black eyes, and got annoyed instead. Not toward Joon, of course. "What kind of parents kick their children out just for something like that?"

She grumbled slightly, and Joon was shocked enough that his stern, serious expression cracked into astonishment. Well...he also knew parents weren’t supposed to be like that. His mother was very sweet and gentle and loved him very much, after all. She was just too weak and powerless to stand against his father.

Still, he heard enough things in his kindergarten and primary school to know that not all adopted children had the luck to meet a nice family. While this motherly lady seemed nice, what if her family didn’t like Joon or Shin? What if he made a mistake and they disliked him because of that?

After all, his father was family, but he hated mistakes. If his own father disliked him, what prevented strangers from harboring the same distaste?

Seeing the concern was still there, Laurel sighed and held Joon’s hand. "I promise I won’t kick you out no matter what, okay? But...can you promise me you’ll try?"

The answer was immediate. It was his and his brother’s lifeline now. "Yes, I’ll try."

"Good," Laurel smiled, looking pleased. The pair of black eyes stared at her face, somehow stunned. For a second, the gaze shifted toward somewhere over her shoulder, before turning back toward her face. Laurel asked curiously. "What is it?"

"Excuse me, Ma’am, but..." Joon’s voice turned quiet, and her whole demeanor suddenly changed. A surprising innocence and shyness as he lowered his voice as if he became conscious of the other’s presence. "Do you probably have a grandson? Or--or a son?"

Laurel raised her brows, staring at her son from the reflection in the window behind Joon. "I do have one, why?"

"Oh, it’s...I met a boy with red hair and red eyes before, and someone called him ’young master’. You said you’re the owner, so I was thinking..."

Look at this smart kid? Laurel smiled and tilted her head, trying to hold herself from teasing the kid. "Do you want to meet him?"

Han Joon paused for a moment with slightly frowning brows as if contemplating hard on his choice. "I...I don’t have to meet him. Just seeing him again is enough."

It was a soft voice, and a blooming spring was spreading on the surface of the fair cheeks. Laurel was stunned for a few seconds, and the delayed response made Han Joon think he had made a mistake.

"Oh, I’m sorry if I ask for too much," he added quickly.

"I guess everyone was innocent once..." Laurel replies dazedly.

"Yes?"

"Don’t mind it," Laurel laughed softly, stroking the black hair again. "I’ll bring that kid later."

"Thank--thank you."

It was a small voice, and the tone was awkward. Laurel realized it was born from something Han Joon rarely felt before; joy. The black eyes sparkled slightly, and the corner of his stiff lips was twitching--like someone trying to smile but hadn’t used to it yet.

"Oh, gosh--I didn’t know you could be so adorable," Laurel couldn’t hold back from hugging the big son again, sighing before pulling back to hold the surprised face. "Do you need anything else for now?"

"Oh, just one..."

"Yes, tell me!"

Laurel looked at Han Joon eagerly, feeling pleased that the ’boy’ was making requests. "Is it possible to bring my brother here right away? I’m worried about leaving him with just the nanny," Han Joon bit his cheek, the concerned look was back again. "The relatives...might come to get the house."

"You even understand that?" Laurel frowned, and Han Joon pressed his lips in response. "They must have spoken a lot behind your family’s back, huh?"

Han Joon started to fidget restlessly. "Can...can you, Ma’am?"

His voice turned careful and cautious, head lowered in a plea. Perhaps it was too much, after all?

Laurel sighed and closed her eyes in dilemma. Their initial plan was to reveal things one by one so as to not burden his psyche--especially because his mental age was that of a child at this point. But...there was no way to fulfill his request without revealing the truth. It wasn’t like they could bring a fake baby as Shin’s replacement.

There was of course an option of denying the request by making up some excuses until they knew his condition more, but...what if this state persisted for a long time? Wouldn’t it be cruel to keep lying to him? More than anything...Laurel couldn’t keep deceiving Han Joon who was making such a desperate plea.

Laurel sighed and turned to look at her son. "What to do, Dia?"

Han Joon raised his head and wondered who the lady was asking to. Wasn’t she the hospital owner? Han Joon thought she was holding the highest authority there, but she was asking for someone’s permission now.

Looking for who the lady was asking, Han Joon caught sight of the red-haired man he had seen when he opened his eyes earlier. "Oh..."

Han Joon muttered quietly to himself, wondering why the room was suddenly filled with tension. He observed the red-haired man who reminded him of that boy he wanted to see.

The man, for some reason, was looking stressed out and...sad? The expression reminded Joon of his mother when she dressed the wound he got after his father punished him.

In the end, the man only said one word. "Shin."

Huh? Why did the man mention his baby brother’s name? Moreover, someone who was crouching near the door abruptly stood up and raised his head. A pair of black eyes looked at Joon, and tears were flowing there. "...hyung."

"Huh?"

Han Joon blinked in confusion. He couldn’t take his eyes off the man who rushed toward him, muttering a strange word. There was something familiar about this man that did not put Joon on alert despite the abrupt movement.

"H-hyung," the man crouched in front of Joon, knees on the ground, and held his hands tightly. "Hyung, I’m...I’m Shin..."

"...huh?" Han Joon was blanking. What was this man talking about? Shin was still an infant; he couldn’t even sit yet. Besides, it didn’t make sense to be called ’hyung’ by someone who looked as old as his father’s aides. "I’m sorry, but..."

"Joon, can you look at me for a bit?" Laurel stroked the confused boy.

"Ma’am?"

With a warm hand on Joon’s back, Laurel spoke carefully. "I know you think you’re seven years old, but...you’re turning forty this year."

In her other hand was a hand mirror, and Han Joon stared at the unfamiliar reflection. The person he saw inside the mirror was the face of an adult, with sharp but neat features. He blinked, and frowned, and turned his head to avert his gaze--and the man inside the mirror followed his movement.

"...how?" he frowned deeply, the seven-year-old mind trying to digest the situation. He was a grown-up? But...that couldn’t be. Was there something wrong with him? With his head? His wandering eyes caught the sight of the bed and medical equipment and suddenly remembered where he really was. "Oh...was that why I’m in the hospital?"

"...yes," Laurel nodded. She couldn’t believe how fast that child’s mind adapted. "You were in a coma."

It wasn’t a lie, although it wasn’t entirely the truth. But there was no need to go into details and technicality just yet.

"Ah," Han Joon returned his gaze to the man in front of him, who looked at him with eyes glazed in tears. "So...you’re really...Shin?"

"H-hyung, I know it might be hard to believe, but..."

"Oh," Han Joon muttered in a daze as he finally recognized why the man looked familiar. "You look just like mother." freewebnøvel.com

Han Shin blinked and stared at the way Joon’s eyes softened and turned into a crescent. Oh. He remembered that gaze from his childhood.

Han Joon raised his hands and stroked the familiar face in front of him. Strangely enough, he didn’t feel much difficulty accepting the fact that this adult was his baby brother. Him being an adult was another thing, but knowing his baby brother managed to grow up into an adult was enough to make him happy. He kept stroking the familiar face with an unconscious smile, until he felt something on Shin’s forehead.

"Is this..." Han Joon brushed the fringe away and stared at three white scales embedded there. They glistened under the sunlight coming through the window behind him. Joon heard about something like this before--or was he reading it? Anyway, he knew it was either a stigma or an awakened skill. "Are you an esper?"

"Yes, hyung. I’m--I’m a healer."

Han Joon frowned. A healer...father wouldn’t like that. He knew their father was already dead, but how long ago was that? How many years did they live under him before that moment?

"Was father--"

"No! No," Han Shin shook his head quickly, holding the hands on his cheeks tightly. "That man did not touch me."

That man. Han Joon blinked in surprise, but that wasn’t important. He exhaled promptly and stroked his brother’s cheeks. "Oh, what a relief."

"Because you protect me, hyung."

The round black eyes stared at him keenly, with a smile made of a pair of trembling lips.

"I’m...glad," Han Joon smiled too. At least, he knew he did it. He protected his brother. His biggest concern and fear. "Yeah, I’m glad."

Han Shin bit his lips and got up to hug his hyung tightly. His pitiful hyung. His beautiful hyung. The warm hyung from his memories.

But the hug ended abruptly when Han Joon pulled away. "Wait..."

"What’s wrong, hyung?" Han Shin asked in concern, looking at Joon from head to toe in case his hyung was hurting.

"That boy..." with widened, dazed eyes, he looked at Laurel. "He’s not a boy anymore, isn’t he?"

"No," Laurel chuckled. "But you’re right about him being my son."

Still with eyes opened wide, Han Joon turned his gaze toward the red-haired man on the other side of the room. The man raised his head, and a pair of crimson eyes landed on his sight.

Suddenly, he felt like the world stopped moving. The sight of an adult man overlapped with a boy scolding him for not crying, calling him weird. Again, it overlapped with a voice calling his name full of affection, and a hand stroking his head so softly when he woke up this morning.

For some reason, his heart was beating so fast that he thought he was falling ill again. His neck and face felt hot, and Joon wondered if he caught a fever.

"Oh," Laurel covered her mouth amusedly. "Would you call this awkward or interesting?"