There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 717

Chapter 717: Side Story 3. Stellar Blossom - epilogue

Radia’s biggest regret when Joon got sick was that he couldn’t spend much time with his husband.

Everything came down to work. Work to finish the reclamation project, work to develop the Far East district, work to establish the guild branch, work to keep the government in their lane...

Radia’s life had been consisting of working, and after doing it for more than a decade, it became an inseparable part of him. It was hard for him to just let someone else take care of the group and the guild, even though he had a lot of qualified subordinates.

What if something happened and they couldn’t take care of it? What if the group and the guild got into trouble? The lives of millions of people working under Mortix and its subsidiaries were on Radia’s shoulders.

So, even after getting back together with Han Joon, nothing much changed in his schedule. He did spend the morning and the evening in the mansion more, instead of working from dawn to midnight like before--but that was about it.

He rarely took vacations and hardly had free time on the weekends. In the rare chance he took a break, it was to be spent with a whole bunch of people--not just with his husband.

On the other hand, Han Joon thought it was his fault. Radia built his working habits in an effort to distract himself from the heartbreak that Han Joon caused. He was the one who caused it, so he didn’t think he had any right to demand more changes.

Besides, he could only meet Radia once in a few months before, so...just being able to sleep beside his darling, had breakfast and dinner together...it was enough for him.

At least, it was enough for the forty-year-old him.

Twenty-year-old Han Joon did not experience the guilt. He was daring, he was clingy, he demanded attention after holding it in during his teenage days. He knew very well that Radia felt guilty and weak to his request, so he cheekily used that to ask for more dates.

The more Radia did these ’dates’ that Reina and Shin suggested--where the only thing they did was have fun without thinking about how he had to return to do some work--the more he realized his regret. Doing this kind of date didn’t even take long. He only needed to free up several hours of his time or take a day off to go somewhere nice.

Why didn’t he do it before? Radia felt so stupid. Especially because he realized he had been too haughty and arrogant. The world would not collapse if he stayed away for a few days. The guild and the group could still run with the executives. He could ask his father and his friends--brothers--for help. Even while he was away to take care of Joon, the group and the guild were still running normally.

Yeah. There was no reason to shoulder everything alone. It was funny because he kept criticizing Han Joon for doing things alone, but he had been doing the same.

In a way, they did resemble each other, just like Bassena said.

But even after having more days off to spend time with Joon, Radia didn’t feel satisfied. He remembered the way his husband asked to come with him before he fell into a coma, and decided to do the same with this Han Joon.

That was then. People started to see Radia and Han Joon together. Everywhere. In the company, in the guild, in public. It was a rare occurrence before, but now, Radia always brought Han Joon to any functions.

People might think that Joon was a bodyguard at first since he didn’t lose his physique even though he was no longer an esper. But there was no bodyguard resting their hand on their charge’s waist, or being kissed lovingly every now and then. It didn’t take long for people to recognize the face of Radia Mallarc’s husband.

It was also apparent to everyone how happy the couple was. They never shied away from showing their intimacy; they held hands, exchanging kisses, and spreading bitter jealousy for the singles.

The couple were practically glued together that it was easy for the reporters to get their pictures. What was not easy was getting their story, which none could provide.

How they got together remained a mystery, and they let the public speculate on all kinds of theories. Reading them had become one of their fun times while cuddling before bed, helping to send them to sleep with a laugh.

And Radia always hoped it could fill the persisting hole in his heart.

* * *

"Darling, it’s time to wake up," a soft voice grazed Radia’s senses, pulling him out of a nice dream. "Come, you will be late."

"Nngh..."

Radia whined and, instead of opening his eyes, raised his arms lazily to bring the man who woke him up back to bed. He heard an amused chuckle and felt his upper body get pulled gently. A pair of warm warms held him and carried him somewhere.

Unh...where? Radia had no idea. It just felt warm and nice. It just felt familiar.

"Can you stand?" a fond, chuckling question was delivered, but Radia just leaned against the warm chest, blinking his sleepy eyes.

Soon, a warm, wet towel was carefully swiped over his face; it woke Radia enough for his teeth to be brushed and a lotion to be patted on his skin. Warm fingers unbuttoned his pajama and wiped his body with a different warm towel, before shrouding him in a fluffy bathrobe and kissing his cheek.

"What would you like to wear today, darling?"

The gentle voice left him, disappearing toward the walk-in closet. At this point, something flickered in Radia’s mind, and he blinked his brain awake.

What...

He looked at the reflection in the sink’s mirror. His fresh face and the bathrobe. It was...familiar. No--not familiar. It was nostalgic.

Because he hadn’t experienced it since the fall of last year.

Radia gasped and turned his head, following the muttering voice. "I check the weather, and it seems like today is going to be cold. I think you should wear something warm."

Waking him up gently. Preparing his morning. Choosing his outfit. The twenty-year-old Han Joon didn’t know about this habit. They had been rolling around in bed and took a shower together before heading down for breakfast.

"Hmm...should we go with a turtleneck today? Or would it be too warm?"

"Wait--"

Radia grabbed the arms busily choosing clothes and yanked the man around. The black eyes were deep, but also sparkling. Like galaxy. Like a mysterious star corridor.

"Ah," the thin lips smiled gently. "Are you fully awake now, darling?"

The soft voice, with not a hint of cheekiness but for the twinkle in the black eyes, matched well with the deep gaze and mature smile. At last.

"...Joon?" Radia found his voice shaky--as shaky as the hands reaching out for his husband’s cheeks.

"Yes, darling?"

His husband.