There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 683: Side Story 3. Stellar Blossom - 18

Was it in the spring?

Han Joon did not experience snow blindness anymore, but when he came out thinking that the plum blossom petals were pieces of torn paper, he knew something was wrong again.

It took him a week and more tests until he was sure that he couldn’t see some colors anymore. This time, however, he dutifully told his darling about it. Well, he had no choice anyway, because some of Radia’s ties and suits started to look like different shades of gray.

For a second, the crimson eyes shook in dread. The fear, however, disappeared the next second--or rather, it was hidden deep, deep inside where even Joon couldn’t see. He was worried that Joon would refrain from telling him anything more if he saw what Radia truly felt.

So he took a deep breath and managed his emotions. "Anything else?" he scooted closer. "Did you feel bad anywhere else?"

"No," Han Joon looked at the crimson eyes with a clear gaze; with no lie. "Don’t worry, darling. I won’t hide things from you again."

Before, Radia would be convinced by this statement. But he couldn’t do it now. Not because he thought Han Joon would lie; he just wasn’t sure if the man himself knew what was wrong with his body.

But he smiled gratefully, reaching out to stroke his husband’s cheek. "Thank you for telling me, darling."

Han Joon held the caressing hand and pressed his lips on his darling’s palm. "It’s not really affecting my life," Han Joon said. "Although I won’t be able to help you dress well anymore."

Radia laughed, and Gods...he loved this man with all his being. They indulged in a long, tender kiss that ended in another laugh. A time like this, brief as they were, always managed to make them forget about the possibility of a gloomy future.

Still, Radia took his husband to the hospital to find out the extent of this sudden partial color blindness. It seemed that even though the cold energy was sealed inside his core, it still seeped out bit by bit when the seal of the Saintess weakened at the end of the healing period.

And that leaking energy, rather than his body, crawled to his head.

"At this point, it seems like Sir Han can not perceive blue," the doctor explained. "There’s a possibility that it will worsen in the future, so please be careful and check your condition often."

"I see..."

"I will give you special glasses to help you with it, but it’d still be better to refrain from driving."

Han Joon was quiet for a few seconds, blinking slowly. The voice coming out of him was unusually weak. "Even driving, huh..."

With him getting banned from the gym and the arena, driving around was the only thing he did for fun in the real world. There was a driving game and simulation in the virtual world, but...that just wasn’t the same.

"Then, I’ll drive."

Han Joon turned to the side, widening his eyes. "Darling?"

"You can’t drive, but it’s not like you can’t enjoy the drive, right?" Radia faced the surprised black eyes with a clear gaze of his own. It didn’t matter if he had to move his schedule again; his husband was more important than his work.

"...you can drive?"

At the bewildering question, Radia smacked his husband’s arm. Granted, he always had a driver or Joon driving him around, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t drive! Han Joon laughed at the glaring crimson eyes and leaned down to kiss the twisting lips. "Thank you, darling."

The doctor was not impressed being fed dog food in his own office.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat loudly. "Please monitor your condition closely. How about doing your check-up once every two weeks?"

"Sounds good," Radia nodded.

Han Joon smiled, still not letting go of Radia’s waist. "I’ll do what my darling tells me to do."

"How obedient."

"Haa..." the doctor sighed and cursed his single life inwardly. This was why he needed to go on a vacation--so he could look for a girlfriend, damnit! "I’ll send the glasses by courier tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Doctor," they stood up, and Radia looked at the doctor with a simple smile. "Once everything is over, I’ll personally handle your vacation."

The doctor raised his head. "Huh?"

"Let’s see..." Radia tilted his head in contemplation. "How about the new resort in the Far East? A month? Or maybe two? Of course, all-inclusive."

"...I’ll try my very best."

"Good night, Doctor."

"Good night, Sirs."

Han Joon chuckled and kissed his darling’s temple on their way out. Well, Radia was just happy that his husband was no longer dejected. "Now, should we have that drive before going back?"

"I won’t refuse."

So, there wasn’t much change in Joon’s life aside from the fact that he should wear glasses sometimes. It did not really affect his daily life, however, so he rarely wore the glasses too.

But like what the doctor said, his condition worsened. In the middle of the summer, he could no longer perceive green. He had to wear new glasses and this time, he wore them more often.

At least, it wasn’t red.

With that thought, he still faced everything with a light heart. The glasses weren’t uncomfortable anymore, although he did need to explain them--especially to the curious twins as they gathered in Shin and Reina’s lakeside villa while Bassena and Radia had a meeting in the guild.

"I see..." Zein nodded. "That glasses are cool, though. Is it bad?"

"Not really. It’s not like I can’t see things, and there are labels to differentiate. But there’s a delay in my brain while perceiving traffic lights, as I have no idea which one is on."

"So that’s why the doctor tells you not to drive," Reina clapped her hand.

"Yeah," Han Joon turned his gaze toward the lake. It was also colorless in his eyes. "But there are no traffic lights on the lake."

"Pfft--so that’s why you’re here instead of staying with your darling," Reina giggled.

Han Joon glanced at the children playing in the room. Nari could sit without any support and even crawl now, so the children could play more games. "Well, it’s fun watching them too."

"We don’t have to drive if the ’vehicle’ is sentient," Zein muttered.

"But autopilot is not fun."

"I’m not talking about autopilot," Zein curled his lips and stood up, whistling toward the lake.

Reina and Joon looked at the guide curiously, but the twins perked up at the whistle; Asa scrambled to the patio door while Kar carried the little princess carefully there. Their sparkling eyes watched the lake closely and, after a few minutes, the water splashed high as a giant sea serpent surfaced.

"Epiyy!" Asa raised his hands high to welcome their playmate? Pet?

"Yiii! Daaa! Da da!"

Kar put Nari on the floor, and she swiftly crawled to the door before her mother caught her. The older twin pulled on Zein’s sleeve. "Dada, we laid Epil?"

"You can," Zein glanced at the energetic princess. "Not with Nari, though."

"No Nayi?" Asa gasped.

"Nari is still too small."

The younger twin looked at the little girl in contemplation. "Mm...Aca no yaid!"

"Really? You’ll stay with Nari here?"

"Ung!"

Zein chuckled and ruffled the platinum hair, before shifting his gaze to his older son. "What about you, Kar?"

Kar looked at his brother and sister in dilemma. He clearly wanted to ride their friend Zephyr, but what about solidarity? At that time, his beloved uncle patted his head.

"Want to ride with me?"

Kar turned his head quickly; eyes sparkling, but gaze cautious. "Ankel okay?"

"We’re just going to go around the lake, right? It should be fine," Han Joon shrugged. There was no way the sea serpent would go hard with its master’s child on its back. "How about it?"

"...ung," Kar nodded shyly, and Han Joon swooped the boy off his feet.

"Alright, let’s go!"

Reina watched the older man practically bounce to the dock, to the Sea Serpent cheerfully greeting the little boy. "Heh--he’s rather excited," she giggled.

"He must have been feeling stuffy staying inside all the time," Zein chuckled, patting Asa’s head once more before following Joon and Kar to the lake.

Instructing the sea serpent to go easy, Zein helped Joon and Kar climb to the back of the serpent and sent them away. They went around the lake and scoured the middle, even circling the island where the guild was. Staff manning the bridge lifted it for them to pass, and it became a spectacle for the people around the lake--citizens and tourists both.

"I saw you from the guild," Bassena laughed after finishing the meeting and returned to the villa, picking up the older twin in his arms. "Do you have fun?"

"Ung," Kar let out a rare wide smile as he hugged his Baba, feeling happy from the satisfying play season with his favorite uncle.

Bassena flicked the boy’s nose and corrected. "Yes."

"Yethhh," Kar repeated with a slight hissing that made Bassena laugh.

"Why didn’t Asa go?" Radia asked curiously.

"Because Nari couldn’t," Reina laughed.

Radia chuckled and patted the platinum hair. "My little gentleman," he pinched the grinning boy before looking around the room. "Where’s Joon?"

The crimson eyes landed a gaze on the chaize under the window, where Han Joon was lying down after changing his clothes.

"Huh? Is he asleep?" Bassena asked curiously.

Radia approached the chaize quietly and touched the cool cheek gently, calling in a whisper. "Darling?"

The black lashes fluttered and Han Joon blinked his eyes open, smiling and speaking normally as if he never fell asleep. "Oh, you’re back,"

"Are you tired?" Radia caressed the cheeks that gradually getting warmer beneath his palm.

"Hmm...no?" Han Joon raised his upper body, but also leaned on the caressing hand with a smile. "I just closed my eyes a bit."

Radia almost failed to hide his stiffening expression. He glanced at the calendar in his commlink, checking the check-up time. It was in two days. Well, if there was something wrong, they should be able to find it in two days.

"What’s wrong?"

"Nothing," Radia smiled and kissed his husband briefly. "Should we go home so you can go to sleep properly?"

"Don’t we have a dinner plan with the others?" Han Joon glanced at the children. The twins would probably cry if they abruptly left. "I was just accidentally taking a little nap--I don’t even feel sleepy now."

"Well...if you say so."

Radia smiled at the end of his effort to not look worried. Thankfully, nothing seemed to be off and they went through a nice dinner with the children, continuing their life as usual. Just like that, the season changed without notable events.

At the end of autumn, however, Han Joon couldn’t perceive red. He looked at the grey scenery outside, and when he turned to look at his darling, tears fell from his shaking eyes.

For the first time since he had this condition, he cried