Gentle Giant Chapter 26
“By the way, Juho. How was the lodging you went to see today?”
“Ah, it was bigger than I expected and pretty good.”
“Oh… I see. The company must have taken good care of it…”
At Juho’s words that it was good, Dain’s face visibly darkened. Of course, Juho wouldn’t be staying with him forever, but it was too disappointing that the fun of living together with a friend he was experiencing for the first time would disappear so quickly.
Seeing that extreme change in expression, Juho quickly continued speaking for Dain, who was on the verge of digging a tunnel.
“But the lodging is far from your house, hyung, and also far from school. If it’s okay with you, hyung, I’d like to stay at your place when I go to school. Would that not be okay?”
At Juho’s question, Dain, who had been hanging his head low, raised it sharply and answered loudly.
“Of course it’s okay! Totally okay!! Don’t think of it as imposing, Juho! I’m actually more grateful when I’m with you!! Wow, then we can go to school together on school days. Great!!”
“Really? I’m grateful too, hyung. Please take care of me from now on.”
“Yeah yeah, me too! Then shall we go look at what we need for the second semester tomorrow before I go to my part-time job? How about it?”
“Sounds good. I don’t know how to take classes at Korean universities. I’ll need a lot of help from you, hyung.”
“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything for you.”
With his stomach appropriately full and the happy news that, contrary to expectations, Juho would also be staying at his house, humming flowed from Dain’s mouth.
After completely finishing the last monaka and ice cream topped with lots of fruit, Dain patted his round belly.
At the languid expression of the full cat, Juho could also relax more than at first and enjoy the night view. Though it felt quieter compared to New York, Seoul was also packed quite densely with many cars and buildings.
And among those dense buildings and people, the fact that ‘Jung Dain’ was now with him was moving.
Juho, who had softened his expression with uncharacteristic sentimentality, sent bright eye-smiles to Dain, who was enthusiastically explaining Namsan Tower while looking at him.
* * *
From the luxurious appetizers to the sweet and pretty desserts. What a wonderful dinner it had been—even while crossing the hotel lobby toward the main entrance, Dain’s lips kept moving non-stop.
“Hyung, was it that delicious?”
“Yeah! It was so delicious!! The most delicious in my life!”
“Haha. Hyung, next time when I get my salary, I’ll find an even more delicious place. Let’s go together then.”
“Ah! That won’t do. We just decided to live frugally from now on. My noona said excessive spending is the shortcut to ruin.”
“Hmm? I see.”
From Juho’s perspective, he hadn’t even touched the ‘e’ of excessive spending, but he nodded at Dain’s words and pretended to agree. Actually, since he was in quite a good mood right now, he’d probably just say yes to whatever was said.
Since it was a hotel with many people coming and going, Juho was feeling gazes from here and there watching them. Still, even that was okay enough to just pass by.
“Huh?!! Hey!!”
Until some man grabbed Dain’s hand with a face mixing surprise and joy.
“Uh…?”
Dain also turned to look at the other person with wide eyes, startled by his suddenly grabbed hand. The man who entered Dain’s sight was a rabbit beast-man with bright ivory-colored hair and dark red eyes.
Before Dain could think about where he’d seen that face, non-stop chatter poured from the man’s mouth.
“You, you! Um… ah, what was your name?? Anyway, don’t you remember me? We did group projects together in freshman year and stuff! Hahahaha!! You seem to have gotten even bigger somehow? What are you doing at a hotel?”
The man who showed his joy by patting Dain’s back hard enough to make sounds was still standing in front of Dain with a bright smile.
At the sudden appearance of a college classmate, he barely managed to recall the man’s face from the corner of his memory. Come to think of it, even when doing group projects in freshman year, he had greeted first and smiled like this.
With scenes automatically replaying and a name suddenly coming to mind, Dain greeted awkwardly.
“Uh-huh. I’m Jung Dain. Um, so… you’re Dohyeon, right…?”
“Right! Jung Dain!! I remembered because your face doesn’t match your name at all!! Hahaha! Oh, you remembered my name? Nice to see you, hey!”
The man called Dohyeon was stomping his feet alone, seemingly happy and delighted about meeting Dain. In inverse proportion to those joy-filled gestures, Juho’s mood was on the verge of hitting rock bottom.
“Uh-huh, I haven’t seen you around lately. Or, maybe not…”
“Oh, right! I was on leave of absence and I’m returning to school this semester! Oh! Garam! Come here! Here, here! I met a college classmate! Dain, don’t be surprised! I took leave because I got married and had a baby. This is my husband, Yoo Garam. He’s the same age so talk comfortably!”
Before Dain could be surprised at Dohyeon’s words, he called over a man who seemed to be another rabbit beast-man standing far away from them. Hearing that call, the man gently adjusted the baby in his arms and approached Dain.
“Hello.”
“Yes. Ah, hello.”
“Please take care of Dohyeon when he returns to school.”
The man greeted with a blunt face while stroking Dohyeon’s shoulder. Then, when the baby in his arms started to whimper, he moved away again and began to soothe the baby.
Watching that scene, Dohyeon confirmed the baby had quieted down before continuing his conversation with Dain.
“I came to the hotel for dinner with my husband for our 2nd wedding anniversary. What about you?”
“Oh, I, I also came to eat and I’m on my way out now.”
“I see? This place is expensive, right?? Uh…? Is that person behind you with your group?”
Dohyeon’s gaze reached Juho, who was emitting a murderous aura behind Dain.
Light brown hair close to blonde, golden eyes, huge build and correspondingly large height.
Just seeing the sharp atmosphere leaking from his entire body, Dohyeon realized he was no ordinary beast-man and quickly lowered his eyes.
“Yeah. He’s a fr-, friend I’m close with! Um… then Dohyeon, see you at school next time.”
“Yeah! Go safely! If we see each other at school, let’s acknowledge each other!”
“Uh-huh. You too.”
Even while walking toward his husband and baby, Dohyeon waved his arms vigorously while greeting Dain.
Dain also tried to timidly raise his right hand and wave gently to match. If only Juho hadn’t grabbed that right hand and lowered it.
“Hyung. You said you don’t have friends.”
“Huh??”
“Isn’t that person a friend?”
As soon as Dohyeon’s family disappeared from sight, a dissatisfied voice burst from Juho’s mouth.
Since he couldn’t bring himself to ask ‘Who the hell is that clueless rabbit bastard??’, Juho had asked as mildly as possible.
Dain shook his head with a flustered face at Juho’s question. What kind of friend doesn’t even know their name? He was just a classmate he’d done a group project with in freshman year, someone he’d gone to a cafe with exactly once.
Of course, back then Dain had thought he could become friends with Dohyeon. If only Dohyeon hadn’t disappeared from the end of first semester.
Looking at it now, it seemed like there were circumstances, but back then he had been quite disappointed. Even though he didn’t have the courage to ask for contact information first…
“Oh, just a classmate I did group projects with in freshman year.”
“But why was he so happy to see you? Did you have something going on with that person?”
“What??? No! Nothing like that! I don’t even know his phone number??”
“Hmm, really? I thought maybe.”
Juho narrowed his eyes and looked Dain up and down. It was a gaze as if suspecting a lover’s past.
Though Dain didn’t know the exact meaning contained in that gaze, he had enough sense to notice that Juho didn’t particularly like Dohyeon’s appearance.
“Uh-huh. Really… I’m seeing him for the first time in 2 years too… Um, I didn’t even know he was married.”
“I see. Then that beast-man must have had his heat during the semester.”
“Right…? Is that why he stopped coming to school in the middle??”
“What. You said it’s been 2 years. Do you even remember when that person stopped coming to school??”
“Gasp.”
Dain, who hadn’t known Juho would be jealous over something like this, made a gasping sound then soon laughed quietly.
When Juho grumbled like this from time to time, he was honestly too cute. It was a different kind of cuteness from his younger brother Dahoon.
When Dain looked at him with eyes crinkled in laughter, Juho also had no choice but to relax his expression and laugh along.
“But Juho, did you see Dohyeon’s baby? When it started crying, its rabbit ears perked up and it was so cute. Right?”
“Hmm, was it? I didn’t look closely. Do you like babies, hyung?”
“Yeah, I like them. They’re cute, and pretty just to look at.”
“Then do you want to have a baby too, hyung??”
“Me, me??”
Dain’s face turned red. He seemed embarrassed just hearing about having a baby. Seeing that face, Juho mischievously curved his lips and said.
“Hyung, what are you imagining? Are you imagining how babies are made??”
“It’s not that! Ah, I’m still a student, what baby…!”
“Your friend also had a baby when he was a student.”
“That’s true, but anyway, I don’t think I’ll have a heat period…? I think I’m still growing taller…”
Dain tilted his head. Cat beast-men also sometimes had cases where males became mothers like other beast-men, but he had never once thought that would be him.
He had talked with his noona about it before, but ‘heat periods’ must be the biggest concern for beast-men of this age. He thought he wouldn’t care about such things, but was Juho actually interested too?
Dain turned his head and asked Juho back.
“Are you asking because you might have a heat period too, Juho?”
“Me? Haha, no. Tiger beast-men don’t have heat periods that go against male-female gender. I’ve never heard of a male tiger beast-man having a heat period.”
“Ah, I see! I didn’t know that! Um, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of men having heat periods in our family either.”
“Really? A baby that looks like you, hyung, would be completely cute. Want to go get tested together sometime?”
At Juho’s suggestion, Dain quickly shook his head.
Such tests would be embarrassing even going alone, but if he went with Juho, he’d be compared in everything from one to ten. Even though they were born as different species, he thought it would hurt his pride a bit.
“Ah, no. I decided to go with my noona next time.”
“Ah, I see. I’m a case where secondary sexual characteristics came suddenly. When I was in America, I received regular checkups at a clinic.”
“Regular checkups?? Were you that unwell physically??”
Just looking at the changes in appearance, one could guess how sudden the growth had been, but if he needed to be managed at a clinic, Dain wondered if it had been quite serious, and his face filled with worry.
“Um, not to that extent. I just felt growing pains, but my mother worried that my hormones might become imbalanced. Since our family isn’t a common type of beast-men.”
“Right… your mother must have worried a lot. Did she oppose you coming to Korea because of that?”
“She doesn’t worry to that extent. Also, it’s stabilized a lot now. I had everything checked before coming, so don’t worry.”
Juho patted Dain’s shoulder reassuringly.
Having heard about how important ‘heat periods’ and ‘secondary sexual characteristics’ were to beast-men since childhood until his ears were calloused, Dain finally softened his expression and nodded.
“But if you feel unwell or anything, you must tell me right away, okay? I’m your guardian in Korea. Got it?”
“Yes, hyung. Ah, our Dain hyung is really reliable.”
Juho hung on Dain’s shoulder and rubbed his face against it. At that ticklish feeling, small laughter also burst from Dain’s mouth.
“Hyung, I’m really your only friend, right? That person is a married man. If you get close, it’ll be adultery!”
Until the very end, Juho made cute threats telling Dain not to get close with Dohyeon as they came down to the parking garage. Dain repeatedly promised he understood while stroking Juho’s soft hair.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
