There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 697: Side Story 3. Stellar Blossom - 32

"Oh, my...aren’t you looking dashing!"

Laurel clasped her hands when Han Joon arrived at the dining room. The enthusiastic response made him feel a little bit self-conscious. Honestly, he had no idea what he looked like since he refused to look into the mirror--it was just too weird for him to look at the adult version of himself. He didn’t always do this too--having his hair styled. It was just...he wanted to look at his best when the red boy--umm...man--was there.

After all, Radia wasn’t always there during breakfast, although he did come every day. Laurel said Radia had a hard time waking up, so he usually just had breakfast on the way to work. But Laurel, Calix, and, of course, Ludya were always there during breakfast, and it was nice to eat with people who told him to call them his family.

"Come, come--sit here," Laurel patted the chair beside her, which Joon took shyly with gratitude--because it was right in front of Radia.

The breakfast itself was very different from the breakfast he remembered back home. There were lots of variety, but he didn’t have to eat them all. There were house staff ready to bring him anything he wanted to eat or drink, and it took him three days to get used to it. Or that he was allowed to speak during mealtime.

Laurel or Calix would ask about what Joon usually did before, although his answer would turn the mood sour, more often than not. He liked it that they included him in the conversation though, but he was also completely contented with just hearing them talk--even if he didn’t understand. Mostly about work, which meant he could hear Radia’s voice.

It was nice and soothing, a bit different from the high- pitch-scolding he heard the first time he met the red boy. The voice, like always, made his heart race. Han Joon wondered if it would be bad for his health to be near Radia too much, because he seemed like going into a heart attack often. But at the same time, it gave him a thrill, and he loved it.

Hmm...even if he got ill from it, Han Joon wouldn’t mind too much. Oh, but it would be bad if he caused inconvenience to these sweet people because of it. Oh, what to do...?

"It’s fascinating how Joon can eat neatly even while being absentminded," Laurel chuckled, prompting Han Joon to return his mind to the breakfast table. "Look--you even keep your back straight."

"Oh, I’m sor--"

"He always has perfect posture. It had already been ingrained in his daily life," Radia commented, which made Joon stop his apology. Radia never said anything about him before, almost like he avoided saying anything that might allude to the nature of their relationship.

So...it was kind of nice.

"Ah, I learned an etiquette lesson last year..." Han Joon paused. Wait--it wasn’t ’last year’ since he wasn’t really seven. Oh, how complicated.

While Joon pondered the complexity of time, Laurel put her hand on his arm. "That’s very good. It’s nice to know how to act during a formal occasion," she smiled sweetly. "But Joon..."

Han Joon flinched slightly, wondering if he had done something wrong. Thankfully, Laurel’s smile did not falter.

"When you’re with family, you don’t have to be so formal," she continued. "Look at us--none of us sit straight or use utensils in a strict manner. Just eat comfortably."

"Comfortably..." Han Joon tilted his head, wondering what ’comfortable’ for him was. He had been living under order for so long that he became comfortable with it.

"Just figure it out slowly," as if knowing what happened in his mind, Radia threw a piece of advice. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

The tone was nonchalant, but Han Joon strangely felt very warm and happy. Actually...it felt hot? Maybe this sweater was too thick. Laurel laughed and pinched his cheek, which was reddened--but he didn’t know that, so he just looked at her in surprise, and she laughed even harder.

Well...at least they seemed to find his presence nice, so Joon was quite satisfied. He even got to see Radia and Calix off to work, waving at them from the front doors while Laurel linked their elbow.

"Work..." he muttered when they had their post-breakfast walk around the garden. "Do I have a work, Ma’am?"

"Oh, you did..." Laurel replied with a slight hesitation. "You were a Captain of a special force."

Huh...so he was in the military after all. Han Joon nodded, thinking it made sense. But...did she say ’did’? So he wasn’t working there anymore?

"Did I stop working?" Han Joon tilted his head.

For all he knew, being a part of the military was a lifetime profession. He knew because he had to learn about it. Once you were in, you could not get out easily unless you were dishonorably discharged or had an injury that rendered you unable to perform.

Laurel bit her cheek, thinking hard about what she should answer. After all, this thing connected too intricately with the whole truth of his conditions. "That’s..."

"Oh, that must be why I was in a hospital," Han Joon muttered on his own. "I can’t be working anymore if I’m too sick to perform."

That wasn’t it, but it was true that he was too sick to perform anything. Laurel just let the question slide, suddenly recalling how hard it was during Radia’s childhood--the many curious questions that she nor Calix could answer, and ended up with Radia looking for it himself.

Having smart children around was indeed hard work.

She glanced at the giant boy who was deep in thought. "What are you thinking about so deeply, Joon?"

"Umm...do you think I can still work if I start now?" he asked shyly.

"Of course you can! I know you have been spending time in the library all by yourself, you diligent child," Laurel chuckled. "I know you’ve been doing what your father told you to do, but you can use this time to think slowly about what you yourself want to do. Once you find it, you can tell me or Radia--or even Grandma!"

Really? Han Joon still found it hard to talk to her. She had this aura that made him afraid to make a mistake. But she was very kind, so perhaps he just hadn’t been able to get out of his father’s shadow. Perhaps one day...

"Then, umm..." he glanced at Laurel and fiddled with his sleeve.

"Yes? Do you have something you want to do?"

He knew there wasn’t anyone in the garden, but he couldn’t help but lower his voice, whispering closely. "What...what do I need to do if I want to work with Dee?"

Laurel blinked silently for a few seconds before bursting into laughter, making Han Joon flustered. "Oh, Gosh--you really are adorable."

* * *

In the end, Laurel cruelly told him to ask Radia himself. How could Joon do that? It was so hard just to have a decent conversation without his heart trying to burst.

Weird. Really weird. Why couldn’t he be calm in front of Dee? He contained himself better in front of his father, even though Dee wasn’t scary at all.

Weird. Really weird.

But Laurel said Shin would finally come, so he immediately put that thought aside. As Laurel suggested before, Shin was supposed to stay there too. However, Shin’s current house was too far away from Althrea, so he needed some time to prepare--because he wouldn’t come alone.

Han Joon wondered who he would come with, but he couldn’t wait to see his baby brother again. Well...he wasn’t a baby anymore, but it was nice nonetheless.

Laurel said they would gather in the sunroom for afternoon tea, so Joon headed there when Badri told him their car was entering the hill. It was snowing lightly outside, probably the last one for this season. The surroundings looked very pretty from the sunroom’s many windows, but the room was nicely warm and comfortable.

Surprisingly, the sunroom had been rearranged; the table and sofa had been put aside, so there was a wide carpeted area in the middle. Aside from cushions, there were all kinds of plushies on the carpet--those soft things his sister had always wanted to have.

Han Joon wondered why it was arranged like that, and his question was answered through the sound of small footsteps and a baby’s shriek.

Han Joon turned around in surprise to see a baby running into the room while laughing--and tripping on the carpet in the process. With agility he didn’t know he had, Han Joon caught the baby, who seemed to be around twelve months of age, and she laughed even more instead of crying. He ended up sitting on the soft carpet while holding the baby, who acted too comfortable with a stranger like him.

Han Joon blinked at the baby, who looked at him with clear black eyes. The wavy black hair was bouncing cutely beneath her ears, and she wore a warm-looking knitted white dress. She smiled brightly, looking very pretty with white lily clips on her pigtails, and a set of colorful butterfly wings behind her back.

"A...snow fairy?"

"Chuun!"

Huh? Did the snow fairy just call his name?

As if to make sure, the little snow fairy clasped Joon’s cheeks while calling out his name again. "Chuun!"

Right--that was his name, right? And she seemed to be very familiar with him, climbing to his lap as if she had done it often. Oh, now that he looked at her, there was something familiar about her face...

"Nari! Oh, I’m sorry, Oppa!"

Suddenly, a woman rushed inside, calling a very familiar name. "Nari..." Han Joon blinked and stared at the little snow fairy. "It’s noona’s..."

"Yeah, I named her after our noona, hyung."

Han Joon raised his head in surprise, looking at his newly arriving brother. He had his arm wrapped around the woman, who seemed to be the snow fairy’s mother. Wait...was this snow fairy...Shin’s daughter?

His baby brother...had a baby?