Gentle Giant Chapter 7
“Noona. Even though I’m your younger brother and blood is thicker than water, that’s still not right… Sometimes when I see male beast-men in heat passing by, they’re all delicate and pretty…”
“So what. What’s wrong with you.”
Even though she said that, Dahee’s wavering eyes couldn’t face Dain and were directed toward the edge of the dining table.
At Dahee’s honest behavior, Dain let out a deflated laugh.
In noona’s eyes, I must be very, very slightly pretty and delicate.
While thinking to himself, Dain suddenly remembered Juho who had called him cute a few days ago. At that time, he had genuinely worried about Juho’s eye for such things.
After hanging up the phone hastily that day, the voice saying “cute, cute” kept filling his head. Eventually, Dain had even made the ridiculous monologue “Am I a bit cute?” in his studio apartment.
Thinking about that day, he suddenly burst into laughter.
Come to think of it, there was someone other than noona who thought of him that way. My friend cheese cat, Lee Juho. Just thinking about him made him laugh naturally.
“Hmm. Alright, noona went a bit overboard. Stop laughing, kid. But you’re also 22 now. Before vacation ends, you should get checked as a health examination too?”
Dahee, thinking Dain was still laughing because of what she said, glared at him as she spoke. Dain coughed lightly and nodded his head.
“Got it. Don’t worry.”
“Right. If anything happens or you need something, contact me. Oh, when do you start your part-time job? I brought the car, should I drive you to where you work?”
“No, I still have some time before work, so I’m going to walk slowly.”
“Really? Then I’ll sit a bit longer and drop you off before I go. It won’t take much time.”
At Dain’s words, Dahee sat back down in the chair she was about to get up from. Dain quickly stood up and stood in front of Dahee.
“Noona, you’re busy. And I want to take a walk. Let’s go out.”
“Hmm, alright.”
After barely sending off Dahee, who was worried about how he would get there walking when it was already late at night, Dain headed to the convenience store where he worked part-time. Since it was midsummer, this time after 10 PM was actually cool and perfect for walking.
About an hour’s walk to his part-time job. A leisurely expression appeared on Dain’s face as he felt the slightly humid but cool breeze.
While Dain was leisurely enjoying his night walk, his phone vibrated briefly in his hand. Looking down at the screen, it was indeed a message from Juho.
[Juho: Hyung, are you still meeting with noona? Or on your way to work?│10:23 PM]
Reading his message, Dain muttered “Wow, ghostly timing” and typed a reply.
[10:24 PM│On my way to work now, it’s cool so I’m walking as a stroll ^.^]
Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.
As soon as Dain sent the message, his phone kept vibrating. This time it was a call from Juho.
“Oh, Juho.”
-Hyung, what time is it and you’re alone! You’ll get in big trouble walking alone at night!
As soon as he answered the phone, Juho’s urgent voice flowed out.
He must be worried since he’s walking alone on the streets late at night. Really an angel, an angel.
Dain chuckled while once again reinforcing the “Lee Juho angel theory.”
“It’s fine, there are lots of people out for walks around here too. And it’s still only 10:30?”
-That’s exactly the problem! If there are many people… what if those people kidnap you because you’re cute? Honestly, I’m already worried about the time it takes to walk from home to your part-time job… I’m even more worried because it’s an unfamiliar neighborhood.
There it came again. The “hyung is cute” attack.
Dain’s ear started itching, so he scratched the opposite ear that wasn’t holding the phone. Getting called cute by a younger brother who looked 12,563 times cuter than himself was harder to get used to than expected.
“J-Juho. Stop saying that cute stuff. People will curse at you if they hear.”
-Huh? Why? It’s definitely not something to get cursed at for.
“No! People will curse if they hear. And the cute one isn’t me, it’s you…”
The “it’s you…” came out so quietly it was almost buried in his breath.
Calling someone cute directly is harder than I thought. This time Dain rubbed his forehead.
And Juho’s excited voice could be heard, having somehow caught the words that were almost buried in that breath.
-Hyung, do you really think I’m cute? Last time you said I looked like an idol. Do you like me, hyung?
“Uh, uh, that’s right. Um…”
-Haha, I got it! You were about to hang up the phone right now! I’ll stop talking about being cute just until here today. Instead, can’t you stay on the phone with me until you arrive at work? I’m really worried.
Whether he could feel Dain getting flustered over the phone, Juho made his characteristic refreshing laugh while soothing Dain. And he didn’t forget to add gentle concern.
“Mmhm, I’ll do that. It’s good for me to go while talking with you.”
-That’s a relief. Oh! Did you have a good meeting with noona?
“Yeah! Noona’s work is going to get busy, so she came to see my face before that.”
-Still, she came specifically to see you before work gets busy, you must be close with noona.
“I think our siblings get along better than other siblings.”
If Dain had to pick the most precious thing he had, he could name his family first.
His always gentle and sincere parents. His cute younger brother who bickers with him but is still adorable. His most beautiful noona in the world.
Though they’re apart now, thinking about his family always warmed a corner of his heart.
-I see. I’m envious. I don’t get along well with my brothers.
“Really? You said last time you have two older brothers?”
-Yes. My brothers are greedy so none of us give way to each other. It’s like spitting while lying down for me to say this with my own mouth, but when we really fight, it’s cursingly brutal.
“B-brutal to that extent?”
-Well, when I was young, my brothers fought each other and both ended up hospitalized.
“Whoa. To that degree??”
Dain was shocked at the words that flowed out as if it were nothing. If they fought to the point of going to the hospital… He had never fought with noona and only had a few arguments with his younger brother Dahoon, so this was quite a shocking story for Dain.
-I hope not, but it’s true. Honestly, just watching them fight like that makes it hard to get close to my brothers, and there’s quite an age gap too.
“I-I see. I thought siblings were somehow more…”
-There’s nothing like that at all. That’s why I like you more, hyung. The hyung I really want is someone cute like Dain hyung…
“Again. Again, again! You said you wouldn’t say such things.”
Dain scolded Juho, not missing the naturally continuing word “cute.”
-Oops! Without realizing it, the words in my heart.
At Juho’s sly answer, Dain let out a hollow laugh. He could feel that as time passed, Juho’s attitude toward him was becoming more and more comfortable. He was happy that they had become close enough to exchange such silly jokes. Of course, they were still friends who had never met even once…
He resolved to study hard for exams next year and definitely go to New York if he passed where he wanted. If the opportunity arose, he wanted to see his face directly and have a conversation with him.
“Well, I’ll let it slide this time.”
-Ah, hyung…
At Juho’s groaning sound, Dain’s shoulders flinched.
It wasn’t like he had made a big mistake, and he wondered if he had said something too presumptuous about what was just a joke-like comment. “I’ll let it slide”… why did he say such a thing?
Dain frowned. He couldn’t take back words already spoken. Increasingly worse thoughts were growing.
“J-Juho. Sor…”
-Hyung, can’t you really be my hyung?
“Can’t… huh?”
Dain, who was about to quickly apologize, made a dumb sound instead of an apology at Juho’s words. Wasn’t he upset?
“Juho?”
-I really wish you were my real hyung! I think I could carry you around every day! Why are you so kind, hyung??
“Mmm…”
What about him was kind? Even recalling all the conversations from just before without missing anything, Dain couldn’t guess.
-What do you think? A younger brother like me?
“You?”
-Yes yes! What would it be like if you had a younger brother like me?
A younger brother like Juho. That would be good.
Lee Juho, who was kind, affectionate, gentle, courteous, nice and pretty even to someone like him, enough to firmly believe in the “Lee Juho angel theory.” Lee Juho, whose face was as pretty as his personality.
Dain answered without hesitation.
“That would be good. If you were my younger brother, I’d carry you around every day too.”
-Hyung…
Dain, embarrassed by his own words, stopped walking and tapped the ground with the toe of his sneakers.
Embarrassing words he had never said in his life flowed out smoothly without him knowing when talking with Juho.
-Hyung, this won’t do. I’ve decided again today.
“Huh? What, what did you decide?”
-I want to go to Korea.
Question marks sprouted in Dain’s head at the words heard through the phone.
Come where? Korea?
“You’re coming to Korea?? Uh, when?”
-I’ll tell you the details next time.
“Are you really… coming??”
-Mm. Actually, I was going to tell you when it was definitely decided. Now it’s definitely decided. I’m going to Korea.
“You decided just now? Still, for a student to come to Korea, hmm. Plane tickets are expensive too…”
Juho haltingly added his opinion to his words.
It wasn’t just a distance like Seoul to Busan, but a place with a 14-hour time difference. The plane ticket, which would be at least in the millions, would be quite a burden for student Juho. To make such a decision while talking with him.
He wondered what happened, but concluded that he didn’t really know what influence he had on his decision.
-I have some allowance saved up. You don’t need to worry about that. Don’t you want to meet me, hyung? You said it would be good to have a younger brother like me. You said you wanted to get along just like real brothers with me.
“Uh, it would be good to meet. It’s good, but…”
When did I say I wanted to get along “just like” real brothers?
Dain’s head tilted in confusion again. Did his words sound that way to Juho, who didn’t know Korean deeply?
-And last time you said people were bullying you, asking me to scold them for you.
“Th-that. I didn’t ask you to scold people…”
I didn’t ask you to scold them, you said you would scold them after hearing my story. Feeling like he was getting increasingly petty by picking at words, Dain swallowed his following words and just laughed “hehe.”
It seemed like Juho was currently full of thoughts that he absolutely had to go to Korea.
-Hyung… do you dislike me coming?
“No?! I don’t dislike it!”
-But why do you keep talking like I shouldn’t come? I’m hurt…
Feeling dejected just from his voice, Dain quickly inhaled.
Maybe because he suddenly said he was coming to Korea, he unconsciously took a defensive stance out of habit. Even though this wasn’t immediate, he had just resolved to definitely go to New York to meet Juho.
When Juho was saying he’d come, instead of welcoming him…
Dain scolded himself for disappointing his friend and quickly began to comfort him.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
