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?"