Gentle Giant Chapter 48
“Hyung, are you okay? What if you got bruises on your back?”
As soon as Juho moved away from Dahee, he stroked Dain’s back while worrying. At that ticklish and affectionate worry, Dain let out a short “puha” laugh and shook his head.
“It really doesn’t hurt. You saw how thin noona’s arms are. And noona doesn’t hit me hard either.”
“Even so… hyung is also this small and weak. Hyung, have you been constantly bullied by noona like this?”
“What? Bullied! It’s not like that. It’s okay, Juho. Really, really, you don’t need to worry. More than that, let’s hurry home.”
Although Juho made a displeased expression at Dain’s words, he soon nodded his head. Seeing his face with pouted lips, Dain could only smile awkwardly.
Dain was both grateful and embarrassed by Juho’s excessive worry. Even though Juho had been sticking with him all this time, he still thought of him as the smallest and most fragile person in the world. Even in the same department, he had a large build not only among most female students but even among male students.
Still, Dain liked Juho, who wrinkled his expression with worry for him. Even though he got nagged by Dahee, he was also happy that they had become a relationship that could be introduced to family as a “boyfriend.”
However, good things aside, it seemed like he would get a phone call from his mother in the countryside tomorrow. His noona, who learned that he had gotten a boyfriend, wouldn’t just stay quiet.
Dain made a slightly gloomy expression while worrying about the nagging bomb that would fly his way. It was a very small change in expression, but Juho, who had been staring intently at that face from beside him, noticed immediately.
“Hyung? What’s wrong?”
“Huh?”
“No, hyung’s expression… are you tired? That’s why I said let’s just take a taxi.”
“It’s too far to take a taxi. The bus will come in 5 minutes. And it’s not because I’m tired, but because I feel like I’ll get nagged by mom tomorrow.”
Dain answered with a short sigh. However, Juho tilted his head as if he didn’t understand the reason even after hearing Dain’s answer.
“No, noona will definitely tell mom about us. Of course mom will nag saying I’m not studying and meeting a boyfriend instead.”
Dain’s lips pouted. Of course, he felt like he would get double the nagging for it being a boyfriend instead of a girlfriend, but he left that part out. Juho might feel bad if he heard it.
When Dain’s additional explanation continued, Juho finally understood with an “ahh.”
However, Juho was confident that Dain wouldn’t get a phone call from his mother tomorrow. That woman would definitely not tell the family. She would just quietly wait for them to break up.
Thinking of that woman who had glared at him with a displeased face, the words she had said naturally came to mind as well. And the more he recalled those stories, the more tendons stood out on his hand that wasn’t holding Dain’s hand.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah? Why? Ah, Juho, don’t worry. I’ll talk to mom well! And she won’t make you get on the phone or anything. Yeah yeah! Our mom isn’t that scary a person!”
Dain hurriedly comforted Juho. He thought Juho might be worried about getting scolded together. Of course, except for Dahee, Dain’s family didn’t have the guts to nag even complete strangers.
“Haha, hyung. I’m not worried about that. And if she nags, it can’t be helped. I’ll have to kneel next to hyung and listen.”
Juho made his sparkling eye smile that shone even at night. At that dazzling sight, Dain’s ear rims turned red as he tickled the back of Juho’s hand with an embarrassed face.
At that timid expression of affection, Juho squeezed Dain’s hand tightly then released it, and whispered in Dain’s ear.
“Hyung, when we get home, let’s do a lot.”
“…!!”
Dain, who could understand what that meant without it being said, just nodded his head with his face turning red. He looked exactly like a broken wind-up doll, but even that was cute, so Juho ended up biting Dain’s hair.
“Ah, hyung. And what I was going to ask wasn’t that…”
“Huh? Then what?”
“Hyung, um… you said you’re preparing for the civil service exam…?”
Juho asked, trailing off his words unlike himself. At the sudden mention of his career path, Dain raised his eyebrows but answered faithfully.
“Mm-hmm. I’ll be a senior next year, so I have to properly prepare for the exam. The civil service exam is really difficult, so I’m worried. I took it once last year, but as expected, I failed.”
“I see… What about the region? Where you’re living now…?”
“Ah, no! Starting next year, I’m going to apply for our home, I mean, the countryside. If I pass the civil service exam there, I’m planning to live with my parents.”
Juho was quite flustered by the words that came out without a moment’s hesitation, as if the plan was already completely set.
It matched perfectly with what he had heard from Dahee at the aquarium. Honestly, he thought half of it would be exaggeration. However, Dahee had only told Juho exactly what she had heard from Dain.
Civil service was understandable since it would be a job that would control his life, but why choose a region to live with his parents? Wasn’t Seoul, where he was living now, obviously the best place? Juho couldn’t understand Dain’s standards.
“Why?”
“Huh?”
“Why are you going down to the countryside? Seoul is much better. And it’s not like you’ll live with your parents forever…”
At Juho’s question, Dain made a blank expression for a moment, then soon became refreshed. As if he had never worried about it even once.
“Noona has to be in Seoul for work, and now the youngest also has to live in Seoul while attending university. There’s no one in the countryside. So I have to go. My job is something I can do even if it’s not necessarily Seoul.”
“…”
The words ‘Then what about me?’ rose up to his throat. But he was afraid that if he asked that, Dain might answer ‘You’re not our family. Why would I?’ and then he might pathetically get angry at Dain telling him to only look at him, so Juho just kept his mouth shut.
When Juho wasn’t answering, Dain carefully examined his face.
“What’s wrong, Juho? Is there something uncomfortable? Are you feeling sick?”
“No. I just thought it would be hard for hyung to prepare for the exam now.”
“Huh? No, no, what I’m most confident about is studying in the library. It’s okay! I need to pass the exam quickly and earn money. That way hyung can do more good things for you Juho.”
Dain said while showing his arm like Popeye.
He was confident that he wouldn’t lose to anyone in terms of stamina and endurance. And the region where his parents lived wasn’t as competitively intense as Seoul. Until then, he had no thought of breaking up with Juho.
As soon as Juho heard Dain’s words, he could feel his head, which had been full of anger, melting sweetly.
Ah, how could this be? In less than 20 seconds, Dain had made him laugh helplessly. Until now, no one had ever exercised this level of influence on him.
Right, he had known and liked that he was this cute, sincere person who was even kind to online friends he didn’t know. He had taken this person to heart because he was like this.
Well, it can’t be helped. Since he also couldn’t give up Dain, he had no choice but to go down to the countryside together.
Juho tightly held Dain’s hand with the rising sense of fulfillment. Dain also liked the large hand that completely covered his own, so the corners of his mouth naturally went up.
As soon as the two people’s conversation ended, the bus arrived. Since it was close to the last bus, quite a few people were sitting, and the only remaining seats were in the very back row.
Dain, who sat in the empty seat, seemed conscious of the gazes of people sitting next to him, so as soon as he sat down, he tried to let go of Juho’s hand.
The more that happened, the more Juho deliberately moved closer to Dain and fiddled with Dain’s soft palm with his long fingers.
He wrote the character ‘hyung’ on his palm, and also wrote fairly long sentences like ‘I like you’ and ‘I want to kiss you.’
When there was still no reaction from Dain, Juho thought Dain had fallen asleep and turned his head to the side to look.
“Pfft…”
Juho couldn’t hold back his bursting laughter. Dain’s face had turned from red to dark red. So much so that anyone would mistake Dain for the one who had been drinking, not himself. Dain had definitely tried to guess every single letter Juho had been writing.
Feeling Juho laughing beside him, Dain glared at him with resentful eyes. Of course, even looking at him with such eyes wasn’t scary at all. Juho quickly shut his mouth and removed his finger from Dain’s hand. Thinking that his hyung’s dignity had worked, Dain’s face finally returned to being clear again.
As the bus passed bus stops, people began getting off one by one. The packed seats became empty in one or two places. The people who had been sitting next to Dain and Juho also got off.
Dain looked around observing the people, then secretly pulled Juho’s palm toward his thigh.
‘Me too.’
He slowly wrote one character at a time on Juho’s palm. This much, he probably couldn’t not understand, right?
Dain looked at Juho with his face that was about to turn red again.
“Hyung. Let’s get off. Let’s get off and walk.”
Juho said urgently. Dain couldn’t even confirm whether Juho understood his answer and had no choice but to get off the bus almost running, led by Juho’s hand.
Since it was already late, a moment of silence fell between the two people who got off as if spat out at the empty bus stop.
He had gotten off because Juho said to get off, but while Dain was bewildered not knowing why, something suddenly occurred to him. Dain quickly came to his senses and stood on tiptoe to examine Juho’s face.
“Juho, why! Is your stomach hurting because of drinking? Or did you get motion sick? Why did you want to get off?”
“Hyuung…”
“Yeah yeah, what’s wrong. Tell me.”
Dain stroked Juho’s face with a worried expression. Fortunately, his complexion and skin temperature seemed okay.
Juho, who had been fully feeling Dain’s touch, wrapped his arm around Dain’s shoulder and looked around before entering a nearby alley. Just when Dain was about to ask again because Juho was frustrating, just walking without saying anything.
“Juho, mmph…!”
Juho’s lips hastily stuck to Dain’s lips. Literally stuck and had no intention of separating.
Even when Dain was startled and opened his eyes wide, even when he patted Juho’s back telling him to move aside a bit, even when he lightly bit Juho’s tongue in his surprised state, Juho didn’t separate from Dain.
After struggling several times, Dain, who finally declared surrender, wrapped Juho’s back with gentle hands. Juho, who noticed like a ghost that Dain was accepting him, clung to Dain even more.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
