The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era



REAS was contemplating whether to ask his brother for advice. He wanted to, but at the same time, he didn't want to. He knew that Astrid could probably shed a light on his confusing feelings right now, but he also knew that the other would tease him incessantly because of it. And didn't he already decided that he should figure this on his own and not rely on anyone?

While contemplating that, he didn't notice that Astrid was already done making snacks. The other put a tray with a plate of scallion pancakes and a teapot on the glass table in front of the couch.

"Let's eat some snacks," Astrid said, sitting beside him.

Reas looked at the mouth-watering scallion pancakes and knew that it would be as delicious as it looked. But the fact that he didn't have the appetite to eat it right now showed just how preoccupied he was with his current 'problem'.

He couldn't help the heavy sigh that escaped his lips.

"What's wrong, Reas? Is there something bothering you?" Astrid suddenly asked, probably noticing that he was acting strange.

Reas looked at his brother, sighed again, and decided to compromise. Because it seemed that he really needed to have a clear understanding of his own feelings. And since his EQ apparently didn't even reach three digits, asking for help was the best solution. But that didn't mean that he should make it so obvious.

"I want to ask you for advice."

Astrid's action of biting the pancake stopped when he heard that. He glanced at his brother. The other had a look of reluctance on his face, as if he really didn't want to ask him, but since he had no other choice, he could only do so.

Advice? Would Reas finally ask him for love advice? He couldn't help but be excited at that thought. So, he put down the plate of pancake and leaned forward, as if silently saying to his brother that he's ready to listen anytime.

But Reas' next words only confused him.

"It's not actually for me, but for a friend."

Astrid narrowed his eyes slightly at his brother. "Really?"

"Yeah. So, this friend, his friends with this guy, let's just call him Ren—"

"Wait- who should we call 'Ren', your friend or his friend?" Astrid cut off, starting to feel amused, but he didn't show it to his face and acted like his question was very serious.

Thankfully, Reas didn't notice that because he was so immersed in telling the story of this 'friend'.

"His friend. Anyway, he and Ren didn't really have a good start in their friendship. He was annoyed at the other first, and he was sure that the other was also annoyed with him. But then, they reached an understanding and fixed whatever misunderstanding they had on each other. And they became friends."

"I don't see any problems with that," Astrid said, barely stopping himself from smiling.

"This is where the problem comes. This friend of mine, there were times when he would... feel confused when it came to Ren. Like, when they were together, he would feel this joy that was different from when he was with his family or other friends. Sometimes when Ren smiles, he would find himself staring blankly at him, he's heart beating like he's having some kind of cardiac arrest. And then, when he hears about the people Ren 'dated', he would feel a knot in his stomach, as if someone were squeezing his insides.

"I don't—I mean, my friend doesn't know what to make of these feelings. So, he asked me. But as Aster already knows, I'm not really well-versed when it came to this sort of thing. That's why I thought of asking you for advice. W-what do you think?"

Astrid stared at his brother, who was fidgeting in his seat, obviously very nervous. Really, he wasn't sure whether he should laugh or cry. He had never once imagined that this aloof kid would one day used the 'I have a friend' excuse to ask him for love advice.

Seriously, he wanted to tease Reas right now because of this. But he was holding himself back because he knew how the other would want a serious answer instead. And since there's plenty of time to tease the other in the future, he decided to just be a good big brother today and give help to his dearest younger brother.

"Well, before wanting to know the answer to that, your 'friend' should ask himself first whether he thought of 'Ren' as just an ordinary friend or someone special. If it's the former, then maybe he's just having indigestion whenever the two of them were together. But if it's the latter, then he should proceed on the next question—does he consider him as a special friend or someone much more than that?

"If it's the former, then maybe he just wanted to monopolize the other's friendship. But if it's the latter, then he should ask himself the 'why' and the 'what'. Why was he more than just a special friend? And what kind of existence does he want Ren to be in his life?

"Let him answer these questions and he would naturally find the answer at the end."

After saying all that, Astrid watched Reas be immersed in silence. As if he was contemplating a very important thing.

Then he suddenly raised his head and looked at Astrid. "Did you also arrive at an answer in regards to the General by using these questions?"

Astrid was slightly taken aback. Why did the topic suddenly make a curveball and hit him? But he still answered calmly, "I'm still looking for the answer for the second question, actually. I'll let you know once I found it."

Now it was Reas' turn to be surprised. Because he didn't expect Astrid to actually answer that. Under normal circumstances, he would be annoyed hearing that answer. But surprisingly today, he managed to accept it calmly.

Maybe because right now, he was also contemplating the answer to that second question.