There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 675: Side Story 3. Stellar Blossom - 10

Chapter 675: Side Story 3. Stellar Blossom - 10

The atmosphere seemed to turn nicer, and people were blushing or laughing. But the topic at hand was still too heavy for breakfast, so Zein decided to send the twins to the nannies in case something shocking came out again.

And from what had been swirling in his head, there would be.

Using excuses that they had already finished eating their fruit and yogurt, Zein sent Kar and Asa to the prison of the huge playground Radia made on the first floor before returning to the garden.

When he arrived, Han Joon was in the middle of teasing Radia about the slip earlier, looking really happy while doing so. While, it wasn’t like Zein didn’t understand the glee of seeing something so put together like Radia getting flustered.

So he felt kind of guilty about popping the happy bubble created painstakingly.

He considered asking it later in private, but he had learned enough that Han Joon was so good at hiding things if he wanted to. After weighing stuff in his mind, he decided it would be better to just ask it out in the open, rather than causing more heartbreak later.

"Joon, I’m sorry, but...can I ask you something?" Zein asked before he sat down.

Something had been bothering him since earlier, a gut feeling ever since Han Joon said he ’knew’ about the experiment. There was a possibility that he found out about the experiment while investigating the military about Operation Kronos, but there was something about his explanation regarding the experiment that made Zein think the man knew too much.

Too much if it was only something he found out in passing.

Han Joon probably could see the suspicion in Zein’s expression, but he replied positively nonetheless. "Sure."

Bassena tilted his head curiously, and he became even more curious when Zein held his hand while staring at Joon. "When you said the military was interested in the research, did you mean they also participated in it?"

"...yes."

"In what way?" Zein narrowed his eyes slightly. "Like...sending people to experiment on? There must be something like that, right? They must need a non-awaken to test the result of their research."

Han Joon did not reply for a while, and around twenty seconds passed in silence before the corner of his lips lifted slightly. "You’re sharp, aren’t you?"

It was uttered in a rather cold, but also amused tone. The light atmosphere that had been painstakingly created started to crumble again.

"What...what is this?" Han Shin turned his head back and forth between Zein and his brother. "I don’t like where this is going."

"Well, I didn’t like it too," Han Joon chuckled bitterly.

Radia grabbed the man’s hand, frowning deep. He wasn’t stupid--he knew where it was going the moment Zein asked about it. "Joon--"

"You’re right," Han Joon patted Radia’s hand, stroking it gently. While he was answering Zein’s question, his gaze was on the shaking crimson eyes. "I am one of the experiment."

Once again, it was chaos. Plates and utensils clanked as the table shook from how abruptly Han Shin and Bassena stood up. Immediately, Zein pulled the hand he had been holding since earlier, knowing very well this kind of reaction would come.

That was why he sent the twins away first.

"But, Hyung...you’re--"

Han Shin looked at his brother with widened eyes. Naturally, he would be surprised. After all, his brother awakened naturally. Granted, he was still a child when it happened, but he was big enough to remember the moment when Han Joon’s body glowed from the formation of mana core.

"Obviously, it failed," Han Joon raised his hand to calm the agitated younger brothers. If it worked, that method would already be widely known. "I awakened in the middle of the experiment, but it was clear that I awakened naturally."

Radia grabbed the hand that was patting him. "Did it have something to do with your condition right now?"

"Well..."

"Joon!"

Han Joon couldn’t help but smile wryly. It seemed like his decision to hise his condition had erased his darling’s trust in him. Well, it was his fault anyway, so he accepted it easily.

"I don’t know for sure, I still don’t," he shook his head, still staring at the crimson eyes so his darling knew he wasn’t lying or dodging. "Scatach said my core had already been damaged, and that’s why I’ll never be able to reach my full potential. But I had no idea if the damaged core was caused by the experiment or other things."

"Was there even other things to consider?!" Radia glared impatiently. Just from the timing, wasn’t it pretty obvious?

Unless...

"Well..."

"Oh, my Gods--Joon!"

One again, Han Joon patted his darling while smiling sheepishly. Realizing it would be hard to use his charm against his darling anymore, he let out a sigh. "Han Gyeong did give me all kinds of stuff to make sure I was awakened quickly."

He didn’t remember everything, but he remembered being made to eat weird things, calling it medicine. That was also the method that the Golden Viper used on Bassena, although it failed because there was nothing Han Joon feared other than his father. If he recalled correctly, Han Gyeong also brought him to a shaman or something, sitting him in the middle of a spell formation.

As the son that Han Gyeong had been waiting for, he was supposed to be perfect. That would mean awakening quickly; a sign of geniuses. Like Bassena or Radia. But Han Joon wasn’t one, and his father became impatient when he had yet to awaken after his tenth birthday.

"Oh, that son of a bitch!" Radia lost all of his self-restraint. It felt like he didn’t even know his husband properly. He knew they decided to let go of the past, but this...this wasn’t something to let go of easily. It was only after letting out all kinds of curses did he realized that the person he had just insulted was his husband’s father. "Sorry--I know he’s your father and all, but..."

"It’s fine," Han Joon chuckled coldly. "If anything, he was nothing more than a sperm donor."

Reina coughed--not because she was surprised, but because she was laughing while drinking her juice. Han Shin even raised a thumb of agreement while stroking his wife’s back and cleaning up the mess.

"Perhaps it was something like helping a butterfly out of its cocoon?" Reina explained after she stopped coughing.

"Huh?"

"You know that butterfly came from a cocoon, right?" she raised her finger. "I heard that if you ’help’ the butterfly to come out of the cocoon instead of letting it do so naturally, the butterfly would lose a necessary development that gave it the strength to fly."

"Ah!"

Hmm...that was a good lesson for the twins later--Zein made sure to commit it to memory.

"So, because they tried to artificially make a core for me, when the real core formed, it got damaged?" Han Joon concluded.

"Something like that."

"It makes sense," the ex-soldier nodded. "Well, that already happened, so let’s not be preoccupied with the why."

"But...can’t you repair the core, instead?"

"Then the cold energy will persist since it has already taken root in my core."

"Oh..."

Han Shin pressed his lips, sighing deeply and slumped his shoulder again.

"So, it’s back to sealing," Radia stroked his chin. Han Joon was right--thinking of a solution was better than dwelling on how it happened. "Do you have some results regarding that?"

If he recalled correctly, Joon had been visiting Shiroin five times. He wouldn’t keep doing it if the case was completely hopeless, but since nothing changed, it would mean they also failed to find a cure. Still, perhaps a hint or something...

"Hmm...not really," Han Joon, unfortunately, shook his head and deflated their hope. "I just know sealing it would make me unable to use my core."

Han Shin and Reina gasped. "That means..."

"I won’t be able to be active as an esper anymore."

Radia clenched his jaw, muttering firmly as he stared at his man. "You don’t have to."

It was an unwavering gaze that told Han Joon that he didn’t need the man to be anything other than his husband, other than his partner, other than the love of his life. They could still live together, forever, like their sweet teenage promises, even if Joon wasn’t an esper.

After all, Radia did not fall in love with an esper; he fell in love with a boy with a mysterious smile and the sparkle of a star inside a pair of black eyes.

Han Joon smiled, brushing the red hair aside to see the fiery crimson eyes clearly. "I know, darling."

At first, he pursued power and strived to be the best to acquire his father’s acknowledgment. Once he met Radia, however, it was to keep meeting the red boy, his one and only flower. Later on, his only goal was to eliminate the threat directly targeting his darling.

Since he had achieved his goal, he didn’t particularly feel attached to his power.

As long as his darling kept Joon by his side.

"Hmm...should I ask around?" Zein tapped on his arm in contemplation.

Han Joon shifted his gaze to the guide. "To who? I had tried..."

"I know someone you don’t."

"...who?"

"Another Goddess," Zein shrugged.

Silence fell as realization gradually entered their mind. Han Shin smacked his forehead, and Radia exhaled in self-disappointment. "I almost forgot you have connections."

"Why? Because I had been busy being a father?" Zein smirked.

"That," the summoner nodded and chuckled.

Well, after having the twins, Zein dedicated almost all his time to taking care of his sons. It was a perfect excuse for him to retreat from the world; rather than going out, people came to him for their business instead. He had a high enough position for that kind of clout. All his guiding duties could be done in-house, in the most effective way. It had been almost two years since he actively made public appearances.

Han Joon arched his brow and poked his darling’s cheek. "Oh, you laugh."

"Shut up," Radia rolled his eyes. "Now that I think about it...I better ask her."

"The Eastern Sun?" Bassena guessed.

Radia nodded. "She had some problems with her core too. Perhaps she will know something."

"Yeah," Bassena exhaled in relief as the atmosphere shifted to a hopeful one. "For now, it’s important to make sure Joon’s condition isn’t worsening."

"Ah, I’ll speak to the new Saintess," Zein added.

They raised their brows in surprise. The only new Saintess was the one from their region. "From Mago?"

People were under the impression that Zein had a bad relationship with the Temple, but ever since they implemented the changes that Zein proposed, he had been more lenient.

As a bonus, he even had some perks over them.

"Hmm...have her guide you," he tapped his chin in contemplation, speaking easily as if he could just bypass any queue. Well, he actually could. "I’ll guide her so she can regulate your cold energy to prevent it from spreading."

"Zein..."

"I’ll do it myself if I can, but..."

Zein glanced at his esper, who scratched his head awkwardly. "Uhh...sorry about that."

Han Joon blinked at the unexpected plan that kept on rolling before he knew it. "Thank you," he looked at Zein, feeling quiet in a daze.

It was a feeling that Zein was quite familiar with. If you used to do everything alone, facing others’ help would feel rather...strange. It needed time to get used to.

"Isn’t that what families are?" he shrugged in a nonchalant tone. "For you to not carry the burden alone."

"Haha..." Han Joon let out a hollow laugh, clutching his chest at the sharp comment. "That stung."

"Good."

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