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.