Gentle Giant 33

Gentle Giant Chapter 33

It was past 12 o’clock. Dain had fought quite a long battle. Because of that, he had way overshot his usual bedtime.

As the tension released, drowsiness suddenly poured over him, so Dain quickly washed up and lay down on his bed.

But just as he was about to fall asleep, a message arrived from Juho.

[Juho: Hyung, do you have a lot of assignments? Don’t tell me you’re still not sleeping? Go to sleep quickly. You’ll be tired tomorrow ㅠㅠ And hyung, I’m so sad that I can’t see you tomorrow either ㅠㅠㅠ│12:32 AM]

At Juho’s cute whining, Dain let out a small laugh and quickly wrote a reply.

[12:34 AM│I finished my assignments to some extent! I’m about to sleep now -.-zZ Don’t be too sad, let’s see each other on Wednesday ^.^ Sweet dreams, Juho!!]

[Juho: Okay ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Sleep well, hyung.│12:38 AM]

As soon as Dain confirmed Juho’s goodnight, his eyes slowly closed. With his right shoulder hunched up, feeling somewhat empty.

* * *

[Our Juho isn’t that kind of lowlife, okay?? Don’t spread rumors >:( ]

In the conference room where all schedules had ended, Juho was lifting the corners of his mouth while looking at a comment captured on his phone. It was the result of the task he had to handle alone, having deliberately sent away the person who said they would stay by his side to the dormitory.

Just reading the text, he felt like he could hear Dain’s clear voice, which made him feel good. Of course, that didn’t mean he planned to quietly overlook the fact that secrets had been created between them.

It was when Juho was meticulously scanning each letter as if licking them. After a short knock, the conference room door opened.

“Did you call for me?”

Managing Director Kim, with his large build, quickened his steps and stood in front of Juho.

“Yes. I have something to ask you. Let’s sit and talk.”

“Yes.”

Juho pointed to the seat in front of him. With his answer, Managing Director Kim briefly bowed his head and sat in the front seat. After confirming he was seated, Juho extended a tablet PC with the screen on toward Managing Director Kim.

“…?”

A puzzled expression appeared on Managing Director Kim’s face as he examined the tablet PC Juho had handed him. It had screenshots of internet community posts and comments without missing any. Looking at the content of the posts, it seemed to be a university community.

“Please examine these posts and comments in detail and investigate all the charges we can extract from them. If it’s difficult for you to handle alone, Managing Director Kim, consult with the legal team or our advisory lawyer – civil or criminal, as many as possible. You don’t need to look at what other people wrote, just this comment marked here. Focus on this person.”

“Ah, yes. I understand. But what happened…”

“Hmm… To put it simply, let’s call it school violence. But the quality is really bad. Can’t even be properly sorted for recycling.”

At Juho’s words, even greater puzzlement appeared on Managing Director Kim’s face. He would do what he was told to do, but he wondered what could have happened when it had only been a week since starting university life.

The calls to clean up people at dawn had just recently ended… Still, fortunately, it wasn’t alcohol or drug problems like the other beast-man chaebol family children.

He had said it was simple school violence, but judging by Juho’s attitude, he was definitely properly entangled with the other party. Managing Director Kim offered his heartfelt condolences to the other party and collected the tablet PC.

“Ah, and do you hire new employees through blind recruitment here?”

“Pardon? No. The Korean branch is not conducting blind recruitment yet.”

“Is that so? That’s good news. Then I’d like to look at the documents of this round’s interview candidates. You don’t need to give me all the interviewees’ documents, just give me the applicants from the school I’m attending. As quickly as possible.”

At his naturally demanding attitude, Managing Director Kim flinched for a moment, but soon answered that he understood and left the conference room.

While Managing Director Kim was bringing the materials, Juho focused on exchanging messages with Dain.

[Dain hyung: I only have two more hours to go and today’s lectures are over! Tuesday is so long ㅠㅠㅠ│3:38 PM]

[3:47 PM│Hyung, hang in there just a little longer! I think I’ll be finishing up soon too ^^]

[Dain hyung: Yeah! You hang in there too! +.+!! But since it’s the last general education class, there’s less pressure ㅋㅋㅋ│3:49 PM]

[3:50 PM│Hyung, you work really hard even in general education classes ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Dain hyung: ㅋㅋㅋ Hehe ㅋㅋㅋ That’s true ㅋㅋㅋㅋ│3:50 PM]

“Ah, I miss him.”

It had been 24 hours since he’d seen Dain’s face. This was the first time being apart for so long since coming to Korea.

Tomorrow was an afternoon lecture, so if they met at school after lunchtime, the time apart would exceed 40 hours. Too long. That wouldn’t do… Juho calculated the time and scowled fiercely.

Knock knock, the knocking sound came again and Managing Director Kim appeared with organized documents. Juho quickly left a message to Dain saying he was working and received the documents from Managing Director Kim.

As he looked through the fluttering documents, Juho’s gaze stopped at an applicant’s documents in the middle.

-Kim Hanseong

It was definitely the face of the man he had encountered at the snack bar. Juho hardened his expression and began examining the documents in earnest.

As the man had boastfully said, looking at just the documents with grades, extracurricular activities, foreign language scores, and even certifications acquired during the semester, he was more than qualified to pass. Even his self-introduction and application motivation were flawless.

The problem was that his character was scraping the bottom in inverse proportion to those brilliant documents.

Juho smiled brightly at Managing Director Kim, who was still keeping his position.

“When is the interview date? I’d like to attend too.”

* * *

They say you meet your enemy on a narrow bridge…! After briefly exchanging messages with Juho, Dain entered the lecture hall and spotted a man.

It was the man who had persistently tormented him from before summer vacation until yesterday.

“Haah…”

A sigh rose from deep within. It was a lecture he had forced himself to add because he was exactly 2 credits short in general education.

It was still the course adjustment period, so should he just cancel the registration? No, why should I avoid him? I need this lecture too…! Dain’s mind became complicated with various thoughts.

To make matters worse, it was a general education course with many students, so many students from other departments were also taking it.

While Dain was wavering about what to do, he steadily moved his legs and sat down.

“Hey hey, look at this here??”

“Ah, what have you been telling me to look at since yesterday?”

Dain’s face gradually frowned as he heard the man’s voice loudly chattering with his friends at the end of the lecture hall.

The man was showing his friends the community and badmouthing Juho.

Yesterday was fighting with just fingers without seeing faces directly, but now they had to face each other directly.

For Dain, who had never even had a verbal fight with anyone when he was in elementary school, this was a situation that required real firm determination to move.

However, this was no longer insults about himself but slander about Juho. Not just anyone else, but ‘angel Lee Juho’ who had even become friends with someone as frustrating as him.

Dain clenched his fists tightly and put strength in his lips. There were still about 10 minutes until the lecture started. It was enough time to exchange a few words.

Screech. The sound of a chair being dragged was heard and Dain stood up from his seat. Then he went up against the tiered lecture hall seating and stood in front of the man.

Although he was smaller than Juho, Dain’s height easily exceeded 180cm. Just standing still, he had an intimidating build.

The man, who seemed startled for a moment at Dain’s face appearing from an unexpected place, soon equipped himself with a sneer. It was because he had looked around and confirmed that Juho, who always stuck around, was nowhere to be seen.

Only after looking around did Dain look at the man sneering at him with incredulous eyes.

“Hey.”

“What…? Are you talking to me?”

“Yeah, that’s right, you. I want to talk to you.”

“Ha, I have nothing to say to you though?”

The man said while looking up at Dain. He hadn’t known since they had only talked while sitting before, but he was a bit intimidated by Dain’s more threatening build than expected.

At the shameless man’s words, Dain got angrier and angrier.

“I have a lot to say though. Should I say it all here?”

“Fuck, what do you have so much to say?”

“What do you think? The comments you wrote on the community…”

“Hey!! Wait. Ah. Got it. Let’s go outside. Let’s go out and talk.”

When Dain started rummaging through his phone to read the comments he had saved, the man hurriedly stood up.

He had only talked to his friends about the community, but hadn’t mentioned a word about the fact that he was the one posting malicious comments. If he got caught here, there would be more than one or two witnesses. Several students were already looking at the two of them with curious eyes.

The man quickly escaped the lecture hall as if avoiding their gazes.

“So, this is fucking framing an innocent person? Do you even have proof that I wrote those comments?”

As soon as the man came out of the lecture hall with Dain, he spoke roughly. Even though he spoke that way, seeing him lower his voice and look around, he seemed to absolutely not want to be caught having written the comments.

“Why? I think it’s harder to find proof that you didn’t do it? Since I found proof that you did it, you have to find proof that you didn’t do it yourself.”

“What?! This bastard?!”

At Dain’s calm words, the man burst into anger.

Normally, Dain would have quickly shrunk his shoulders, but this time he didn’t back down and faced the man directly.

Now that he was standing in front of him looking straight into his eyes, the man was smaller in height and build than he had thought. When he was hurt by the man’s nasty words, he had seemed like the biggest person in the world…

Dain put strength into his clenched fists. His legs felt like they might shake, but he couldn’t show weakness here.

Even when he deliberately spoke more threateningly to make him scared, the man felt something strange about Dain’s attitude of widening his eyes and staring at him instead.

The Jung Dain he had seen throughout last semester wasn’t like this. He was just quiet like air with no presence at all. Hadn’t he even run out of the lecture hall over something that wasn’t even an argument? But what was this now?

The man gradually began to think that he might have crossed the line.

Pupils gradually narrowing, eyes becoming threatening. Along with that change, seeing Dain firmly clenching his fists, the man unconsciously shouted.

“Fuck! Why?? Are you going to hit me?! Hit me! Try hitting me!! Damn!! Did you prepare compensation money for assault?!”

At the shameless attitude of making a bigger fuss instead, Dain realized that this was what adults meant when they said they were “dumbfounded.”

To the man who spoke more and more nastily, Dain also responded with determination.

“Yeah!!! If you get caught writing comments like this again next time, I’ll really prepare compensation money and definitely! beat you up, so take care of yourself! So take good care of your fingers!”

“…?!!”

Leaving the man with a dumbfounded expression behind, Dain returned to the lecture hall.

Yesterday’s comment fight was nothing. Today he had won against the man face to face.

Uh… that was winning, right…?

Dain clasped his hands that were trembling with nervousness while tilting his head.

What if he posted malicious comments on the community again today after all this? Then should he probably prepare com-compensation money…? If he really had to prepare it, how much should he prepare…?

Even though he had clearly warned him, if the man ignored it and cursed Juho again, then he really felt like he wouldn’t be able to stand it and would hit him. And if he hit someone like that, he’d go to the police station, right…? Then who would take care of Juho…?

With his imagination growing bigger and bigger, another worry was added to Dain’s mind.

Fortunately, the man who had stayed quiet throughout the general education class hurriedly led his friends out of the lecture hall as soon as the lecture ended.

Seeing that quick movement, Dain also left the lecture hall. Due to the incident he had caused before the last lecture, the fatigue his body felt made it seem like it was already Friday.

With heavier steps than ever, on his way home, when he had reached the front of the villa with his head deeply bowed feeling intimidated for no reason.

“Dain hyung!”

At Juho’s voice calling him, Dain’s head, which had been looking only at the ground, snapped up toward the sky.