There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 763: Side Story 4. Endless Journey - 46

In a certain candy store’s VIP room located in Althrea, four youngsters huddled together around a table, waiting for their box of seasonal artisan chocolate. A huge jar of common, cheap candy was also there, occupying the seat between two siblings with platinum blonde hair.

Holding a mug of warm chocolate, Nari began her interrogation. "Did you meet her?"

Asa munched on his marshmallow before replying dryly. "Yeah..."

"And?"

"She thanked me, but told me never to talk to her again," Asa shrugged.

To be able to talk to her without incurring too much trouble, Asa visited the spaceship program, which was located in the same city as his university, and was also managed by the university itself. He had waited for a lunch break and sat in front of her to apologize.

He was greeted with a fry response.

Nari raised her brow. "And what would you do?"

"I’ll keep talking to her," Asa smiled deeply; his amber eyes glinted under the room’s warm light. But he was also holding a piece of marshmallow, so nothing about it looked scary. "I’m part of the program anyway."

Nari tilted her head curiously. "Didn’t you say you don’t want her to get in trouble?"

"Don’t you know people in the spaceship program have special protection?" Asa smirked. It was so they couldn’t leak anything from the program itself, but that also extended to digital protection. After all, they couldn’t afford to have the member of research be distracted by...well, social life. "Besides, she didn’t say that because she felt disturbed by the hate comments--she rarely opens her socials, it seems."

"Huh? Why then?"

"It’s because she thinks I’ll enter the spaceship program through nepotism."

The small table was filled with silence for a few seconds before the girls erupted in laughter--especially Nari who slapped her brother while clutching her stomach. "Ahahahaha! But that’s true, though?"

"That’s why I wasn’t angry, although it was a bit annoying," Asa shrugged, putting more marshmallow in his mouth. "Well, I did work hard, but the spaceship program was established in my name, so..."

Not only did Uncle Dia make a spaceship program and encourage a new department in universities, but he also named the program ’Karsa Initiative’ at the start. It had since changed to something more technical sounding, but the initial name was still attached to every paperwork.

"It’s okay; there’s nothing wrong about a hard-working nepo baby," Nari smirked.

"Right?" Asa shrugged. "I mean, we all know full well that we have so much privilege from our parents."

"And Uncle Dia," Lucy clapped.

"Especially Uncle Dia," Asa laughed.

Byul also added while giggling. "People are also calling me a nepo baby."

Asa and the girls looked at the boy worriedly since they knew Byul had a sensitive heart. "You’re okay with that?"

Surprisingly, Byul responded nonchalantly. "Well, even if people say that, as long as I can act well, that’s all that matters, right?"

"Oh, our Byul is growing up!" Nari hugged her brother, squeezing the cheeks that still retained some baby fat.

"Ugh..."

"But, well...even now, no matter how good we are, people would say it’s normal because we inherited our parents’ genes instead of, you know, acknowledging our hard work," Asa said while eyeing the common candy in the jar--their father’s favorite.

Nari scoffed while crossing her arms. "That’s because they don’t know anything."

"That’s right!" Asa slapped the table. "So I stopped caring about their yapping a long time ago."

"Including that girl?" the girl arched their brow.

"Well, Byul said it, right? I just need to show that I can join the program because of my ability too," Asa smiled sweetly, like someone hiding poison.

He was still his Dad’s son, after all.

In reality, Asa also had to pass the test to be able to join the program. Radia did make the program for Asa’s dream, but that didn’t mean he would let Asa build the ship with mediocre skill. If Asa couldn’t pass the test, he was only allowed to board the ship after it was finished being built--not as the maker, but as a passenger.

"Wouldn’t it be nice if I could perform better than her after she called me that?" Asa curled his eyes.

Nari scoffed. "Seems like you like this girl, after all."

"Eh, she was fascinating--who knows? It could be fun," Asa shrugged.

"Have fun, then."

Asa wiggled his dessert fork at the girl. "Did you break up again?"

"Whatever," Nari pursed her lips. "I’m sick of boys. I’ll look for someone older next time."

"What about you, Byul?" Asa shifted his gaze to the quiet boy. "Don’t you meet a lot of interesting people in entertainment?"

"H-huh?"

The boy almost spilled his drink in flusters, but fortunately, he was a trained actor--even if he was still a rookie. He could even control his breathing at this point, so he only looked like he was in a daze slightly.

"...actors shouldn’t have a relationship," he said.

"Say who?"

"Young and rookie actors should be careful about that," Nari replied instead. "It’s not like they can’t--it’s just that they shouldn’t be found out...right?"

Byul nodded hurriedly. "Yeah."

"So, it’s alright to do it in secret?" Asa stroked his chin.

"I...don’t have any interest in dating," Byul said after clearing his throat quietly.

"Hoo..."

Nari patted the boy’s back to rescue him from further scrutiny. "It’s okay, my baby brother," she said. "Stay single so you can dance with me at my graduation, okay?"

Byul laughed and nodded, even though he knew there was no way his sister could dance with anyone other than him. Not unless she wanted their Appa to call Uncle Dia for some profiling on the poor boy.

Since they were talking about it anyway, Nari turned to the youngest. "What about you, Lu? Want me to introduce you to some boys? Or girls? Both?"

With her situation, it would be hard for her to find anyone unless someone brought some candidates for her. But this idea was not very welcomed by her brother. Asa raised his hand and frowned. "Now wait a minute--"

"Oh, shush--stop being so protective," Nari clicked her tongue. "Lucy can try falling in love if she wants to."

Lucy giggled in response, while Asa rolled his eyes. "That would be Kar; I’m more worried about whoever it is you want to introduce to her."

"Hey!"

Asa laughed when his sister hit his shoulder in protest. "Do you know who is more protective than Kar? Our fathers."

Nari winced at the thought of someone going through Luzein and Bassena Ishtera. Definitely scarier than her Appa doing some profiling. "Still, if Lu wants it, I don’t think Uncle Zein will oppose it much," she argued. "And if Uncle Zein let her, Uncle Bas won’t be able to say anything."

Asa narrowed his eyes while doing some calculations, before nodding in agreement. "Well, that’s true."

Lucy giggled and propped her chin on the table, using her cute voice. "But Lu likes strong people, Ayi. Do you have someone like that?"

"...how strong?"

"Mm...stronger than me?"

Nari rolled her eyes. "You’ll be forever alone, girl."

Asa laughed while patting the huge jar of candy beside him. "Well...they have to be that strong to face our fathers, don’t you think?"

"Oh, whatever," Nari waved her hand in surrender. "Maybe someday you’ll just stumble upon someone and fall in love--or not, and just enjoy being single while traveling the world or something. You do you, girl."

"Fathers were like that," Asa laughed again. "They met in a cave or whatever."

Lucy clapped her hands excitedly. "Papa punched Dad, you know! And then Dad fell in love!"

"...no wonder none of you are normal."

* * *

The graduation party was truly as grand as people thought. Byul thought it was even grander than some celebration parties at the end of a shooting.

Well, he wasn’t that big yet, so perhaps he was just not going to enough parties yet, but...it was still grand, alright.

That fascination, however, only persisted for a minute or two. As he stepped further into the party hall, going passed the corridors and pillars, looking at the food and entertainment programs, all he could think about was a certain young man.

Yeah...he must have seen this view too, right? This was what he saw; those corridors were where he walked for years. Was the food also the same as that day? Which one did he choose to consume? Must be the savories.

Byul wasn’t sure if the food was the same as two years ago, but there was something that he knew was the same.

Yes, the music for the Last Dance.

"Oh, aren’t you good?" Nari smiled as they had their dance.

"Do you forget that I have to learn all kinds of dances to train my flexibility?" Byul grinned.

He also did it while imagining having a certain someone as a partner, but no one needed to know that.

"Did you also learn the other way?"

Byul tilted his head in confusion. "The other way?"

Nari curled her eyes and swung her brother, changing their positions. Byul might have grown to be--slightly--taller than her, but she was still stronger. "Because it seemed like you wish you’d be dancing in this position," she said, holding her startled brother’s waist. "With someone else."

Byul froze, only moved by his sister and instinct. Nari stared at his eyes so keenly that Byul felt like she was looking into his soul.

Perhaps because she was, because she asked mercilessly. "Are you still onto him?"