Gentle Giant Chapter 28
“Juho. Are you all ready?”
Dain asked after adjusting his outfit one last time.
Since it was the first day of the semester, Dain said he was wearing a neat t-shirt, but compared to Juho standing next to him, it looked like he had just thrown something on.
A deep indigo-colored shirt with white slacks underneath fit Juho’s solid body like it was custom-made. Dain found himself newly amazed every time he looked at him.
“Yes. Let’s go now. Hmm? You look cute today, hyung. It’s a t-shirt I haven’t seen before. Is there someone you want to look good for…?”
Watching Dain fidgeting with his clothes in front of the mirror, Juho raised and lowered his eyebrows.
“Huh? Right, I’m wearing this for the first time today. How did you know?”
“How could I not know? You can tell just by looking, right? So? Does that mean there’s someone you want to look good for?”
At Juho’s rapid-fire questions, Dain laughed softly and shook his head.
If this level of dressing up was for someone he wanted to look good for, then Juho, who was dressed so stylishly, had decided to seduce everyone at school.
About to tell Juho this, Dain grabbed Juho’s thick wrist instead, worried he might seem petty.
“Where would I have someone to look good for? It’s just because I’m going to school after a long time. Juho, let’s go quickly, okay? Still, it’s good that today’s afternoon class so we could eat lunch at home before going. Right?”
“Right. The meal you made today was so delicious too. Thank you.”
Juho chuckled at Dain’s words quickly changing the subject. He thanked him accordingly and opened the door.
Dain smiled sheepishly. It was just kimchi fried rice with some meat added, but he felt embarrassed that Juho liked it so much.
Throughout lunch, Juho said he was holding back because he might get sleepy if he ate too much, yet he still ate two bowls. Self-restraint being two bowls… it seemed like more than average calories were needed to maintain that big build.
“Hyung, shall we stop by that cafe? Since you made lunch, I’ll buy you coffee.”
“Huh? Really? Then shall we get takeout?”
“Sounds good. You want vanilla latte, right, hyung?”
“Yeah. Vanilla latte. Iced!”
Dain nodded vigorously as he spoke.
Dain liked sweet foods like chocolate, vanilla, and cookies, while he didn’t like sour foods like orange, grape, or lemon. So when drinking coffee, he usually chose vanilla latte or mocha latte.
Having figured out this fact in just a few days, Juho could now order expertly without being told.
At first, Dain felt too sorry to let Juho buy him coffee and absolutely refused. However, the more Dain refused, the more the types of snacks he brought escalated in price—macarons, handmade donuts, canelés, and so on.
Then a few days ago when Juho brought a custom cake from a hotel, Dain finally realized that accepting just one cup of coffee was the best solution.
When Juho pulled the handle, a clear bell rang and the cafe door opened.
Though it was late August, the midday heat was still terrifying, and the air conditioning breeze that greeted them as soon as they opened the cafe door was cool enough to make them groan with relief.
“This is my first time at the cafe in front of school. Ah, look at you sweating, hyung. Hmm, should we have come by car after all?”
“Sweating in summer is natural, Juho. It only takes 20 minutes walking…”
As Dain’s nagging was about to start at the suggestion they should have driven, Juho quickly moved toward the counter. He could hear Dain’s hollow laugh from behind, but this time he deliberately ignored it.
“One iced americano and one iced vanilla latte, please.”
“…Yes, yes?”
“One iced americano and one iced vanilla latte.”
“Oh, yes, yes…! So, so that’s one iced americano and one iced vanilla latte, right…?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, yes! I’ll prepare that for you!”
The part-timer began pressing various buttons on the POS system with a flustered face. Watching this, Juho let out a short breath and held out his card.
“Aren’t you going to ring it up?”
“Oh! Yes!! Yes, uh, yeah. The price, the price is… 9,200 won!”
The part-timer took Juho’s black, shining card with trembling hands, barely managed to complete the transaction, and handed Juho the buzzer.
Taking the buzzer, Juho found Dain standing near where the air conditioning breeze was coming from and smiled. He said it was natural to be hot in summer, yet he can’t leave the air conditioning breeze.
Juho headed toward Dain with a completely different gaze than the one he’d given the part-timer.
“See? On hot days like this, it’s okay to drive once in a while.”
“I’m not hot. The air conditioning here is just cool.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
Juho wiped the sweat beading on Dain’s nose tip and flashed a grin.
Even though he saw it several times every day, instead of getting used to it, Dain’s heart kept beating more and more frantically at that smile each time he saw it.
Seeing Dain turn his ears red and avoid his gaze, Juho’s lips curved up more deeply. However, Dain was too busy trying to calm his rapidly beating heart to notice the change in Juho’s expression.
“Ah, Juho. Give me this buzzer. I’ll go get it.”
After briefly avoiding his gaze to calm his pounding heart, Dain took the buzzer from Juho’s hand.
“No, hyung. I can get it.”
“Um, no. I want to get it.”
“…You want to? Thank you, hyung.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Oh, that part-timer seems to be a beginner. He kept making mistakes while ringing up too. When he gives you the coffee, he might make mistakes too, so check carefully, hyung. Got it?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry.”
Dain nodded while gripping the buzzer tightly. Even so, he couldn’t hide his slightly protruding lips.
That wasn’t a mistake because he’s a beginner—it was a mistake because you, Juho, are too handsome. That blockhead.
Though his head told him he should tell Juho the truth, Dain kept his mouth firmly shut while pretending to feel the air conditioning breeze.
Actually, Dain was watching the counter while cooling his sweat with the air conditioning breeze below.
The part-timer at this cafe in front of school also seemed flustered at first when seeing Juho’s face. And that face soon turning red too…
Watching this, Dain unconsciously let out a short sigh. It was exactly the same reaction the part-timers at other cafes they’d been to had shown, without a single deviation.
A tall height well over 190cm, an unapproachable atmosphere, looks that seemed to belong in heaven, and a low voice that matched insanely well with all of it. Finally, bright hair and shining golden eyes that showed he was clearly a top-tier beast-man.
People who saw him for the first time fell for his charm instantly, regardless of age or gender.
At first, Dain also thought the part-timers stumbling in front of Juho were probably making mistakes because they were still new, but that wasn’t it.
They were making mistakes because they were nervous, captivated by Juho’s looks and voice.
And he realized this precisely when they went to the third cafe. When he witnessed the part-timer writing down their number and handing it to Juho along with the drink in that short time of making the payment and preparing the beverages. Dain still couldn’t forget the shock he felt then.
He wasn’t proud of having a younger friend who was loved by others. For some reason, he felt spiteful toward Juho who received the note with the cute part-timer’s number.
It was a wicked desire for Juho to have only him as a close person. Juho might be disappointed if he found out about such feelings.
However, Dain didn’t want to see such a sight ever again. So after that, he stubbornly insisted on taking the buzzer from Juho and going to pick up the drinks himself every time.
“Uh…? Please enjoy…”
“Yes! Thank you!”
The part-timer who had been waiting for Juho after the buzzer went off was startled by the scary-looking man who appeared instead. He wondered if it had buzzed by mistake, but seeing him confidently take the exact drinks Juho had ordered, he seemed to be with his group.
Brief irritation flashed across the deflated part-timer’s face before subsiding. His companion who came to pick up the drinks had been watching the whole time.
Feeling unnecessarily embarrassed, the part-timer quickly turned around to continue making drinks. At this sight, Dain also briefly furrowed his brows before heading toward Juho.
“Here. Iced americano.”
“Ah. Thank you.”
“You’re the one buying it, so what.”
“Still, you personally brought it to me.”
It wasn’t Juho’s fault that he was handsome. However, the more people who blushed when seeing Juho, the more Dain disliked that Juho was handsome.
Unaware that Dain was deliberately responding curtly, Juho smiled brightly and expressed his thanks.
At that greeting and smiling face, Dain felt his conscience being pricked. He’s so nice that I can’t even be spiteful.
After a short sigh, Dain sucked hard on his vanilla latte and sorted out his protruding spitefulness.
Monopolizing a friend is bad. Let’s act maturely, like a hyung.
Making this resolution to himself several times, he headed to the lecture hall with Juho.
* * *
Clatter, clatter.
Even while waiting for the lecture, the sound of moving the straw continued. With a somewhat dissatisfied expression, Dain was having a staring contest with the ice cubes in his cup.
Watching this, Juho’s head turned to the opposite side of Dain’s face. And along with that, silent laughter filled his face.
He’s definitely in a bad mood. But he probably can’t bring himself to show it.
Juho had been watching all of Dain’s behavior at the cafe.
How he stared intently while Juho was paying, then pretended not to while feeling the air conditioning breeze. How he insisted on taking the buzzer and had a subtle confrontation with the part-timer before returning triumphantly.
Jung Dain’s jealousy that only Jung Dain didn’t know about.
Going around various cafes with Dain these past few days, he had unintentionally received attention from others many times. At first, Dain didn’t know what was what, but after it happened several times, he seemed to have noticed the attention people were paying to Juho.
And along with that, he probably felt a sense of crisis too. Knowing that people’s attention was focused on Juho, who said he only had him, in various ways. He probably thought his friend might be taken away.
After that, Dain observed Juho’s every action from behind him. Even pretending not to, how intense that gaze was… pretending not to know was quite difficult.
That timid cat going this far to show his feelings while trying to hold onto me.
Coming to Korea wasn’t without any gains. Juho felt deep satisfaction every time Dain showed his cute possessiveness toward him.
If they continued like this, that dense Jung Dain would realize someday. That this kind of possessiveness was definitely not because of pure friendship.
Juho’s mouth stretched long to the side as he watched Dain still battling with the ice.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
