Gentle Giant 56

Gentle Giant Chapter 56

The contact from Kim Sujeong asking about the research schedule came on Wednesday evening.

While resting after having dinner with Juho, both of them tilted their heads at the sound of the ringing phone. Dain, who had the random thought that his phone, which had only been used for checking time, seemed to ring often these days, hurriedly checked the message.

[Kim Sujeong: Sunbae-nim, when would be good for the offline research schedule? I finish lectures at 5 PM on Thursday and 3 PM on Friday.│8:36 PM]

It was a concise message containing exactly what needed to be said. After thinking for a moment, Dain left a reply.

[8:43 PM│My lectures also end at 3 PM on Friday…… shall we meet on Friday?]

[Kim Sujeong: Yes. Then I understand we’ll meet on Friday. Since we’ll meet during morning lecture anyway, would it be okay to discuss the rest that day?│8:49 PM]

[8:51 PM│Yes yes! Let’s do that!]

[Kim Sujeong: Yes, understood. I’ll see you that day.│8:53 PM]

[8:58 PM│Yes!]

Since Dain had planned to look for materials at the library until Juho’s work hours ended after Friday’s lecture anyway, he wrote the schedule in his notebook as if it worked out well.

Juho, who had been watching Dain exchange messages with Sujeong from beside him, asked in a blunt tone.

“What is it? Kim Sujeong?”

“Oh, did you see? Yeah. Sujeong hoobae-nim and I are doing research together. So we decided on a time to meet. I was planning to look for some materials on Friday anyway, so it worked out well.”

“Just the two of you meeting?”

“Huh? Yeah. Jiyoon is making the PPT, and Minjun hoobae-nim is presenting.”

“Hmm……”

After the follow-up answer, Juho seemed to think about something, then immediately ruffled Dain’s hair.

Seeing Juho just ruffling his hair without saying anything, when Dain made a puzzled expression, he lifted the corners of his mouth in a wonderful smile.

“Then hyung, I’ll also have some business to take care of on Friday. I’ll come pick up hyung at school as soon as I finish my business, so please wait for me.”

“Oh, really? What kind of business……?”

“It’s still a secret.”

At Juho’s words, Dain looked up at him with a sulky expression. A secret. How could he do that?

“Are you meeting someone?”

“What?”

“No, well…… if it’s enough of a secret to keep from me, I wondered if you were meeting someone else……”

“No way, it’s not about hyung.”

“Really? Then why won’t you tell me……?”

Dain muttered to himself while wiggling his fingers. Usually when Dain showed this level of reaction, Juho would laugh as if he couldn’t resist and tell him everything, but today’s Juho was quite firm.

“Why would I? If I tell you, then it’s not a secret. Hyung, I’m not meeting someone else behind your back, so don’t worry. Okay?”

“Hmm……”

When Dain pouted his lips as if unconvinced by that answer, Juho began to gently tickle around Dain’s chin using his long fingers.

Dain was slightly sulking at Juho, so at first he definitely tried not to show any reaction. If he openly showed he liked it here, his dignity as a hyung wouldn’t stand.

However, Juho’s hand movements were so ticklish and dazzling that before long, purring sounds were automatically flowing from Dain’s throat.

Moreover, he was touching his chin, so why were his completely unrelated eyes closing and his body becoming endlessly languid? This was almost at the level of involuntary automatic reflexes.

“Kup.”

Watching Dain, who was now gripping his wrist tightly and pushing his face closer asking for more, Juho couldn’t hold back his escaping laughter.

As expected of a cat. The blatant purring was very cute and adorable.

While Dain was enjoying the tickling sensation, Juho’s laughter could be heard. Hearing that laughter, Dain’s shoulders jumped.

Come to think of it, this wasn’t the time to be purring at Juho. Juho making secrets from him. This should be a situation where he felt bad instead.

However, while his reason was clearly shouting that he should stop now to preserve what remained of his dignity as a hyung, his instincts were gripping Juho’s wrist tightly, saying he should enjoy more ticklish sensations.

Dain’s fingers gripping Juho’s wrist trembled. Dain’s thick eyelashes also fluttered. Reason and instinct were in a fierce battle.

And ultimately, instinct won.

Dain properly leaned his upper body toward Juho. Then he slightly opened his closed eyes and asked him.

“Juho, do it a bit more.”

Dain’s strawberry milk-colored lips seemed to touch Juho’s neck. Dain’s soul seemed to already be in paradise from Juho’s touch scratching his chin.

Juho unconsciously tickled the soft chin while concentrating on observing Dain’s face.

Slightly parted lips, a nose bridge scrunching pleasantly, pupils sparkling under the fluorescent light. The face looking up at him from below seemed more seductive than usual today.

Juho barely removed his hand, which was about to unconsciously apply pressure, from Dain’s chin, held Dain’s cheek, and kissed the tip of his nose.

A short ‘chu’ sound was made, and hearing that sound, Dain’s expression instantly returned to normal as if a spell had been broken.

Both relieved and regretful at that change, Juho also kissed Dain’s cheek.

“Hyung, aren’t you liking it too much?”

“Huh……?”

“When I scratch your chin, you really……”

“Huk! N-no! I didn’t know that either, yeah! I really didn’t know……! I found out I like having my chin scratched……”

“That’s right. Hyung liked it more than when I touched you last time.”

“Did I……?”

“You did.”

So much that he wanted to just lay him down right there. Juho hid his following words while tapping Dain’s chin.

While giving an embarrassed laugh at Juho’s hand movements, Dain thought.

Juho is a tiger beast-man, so how does he know everything that cat beast-men like him enjoy so ghostly well? Maybe because his boyfriend is a cat beast-man, he’s secretly studying……?

Dain gave a proud smile while looking at the handsome Juho today too. He really did well getting this boyfriend.

In the end, Dain, who couldn’t extract even the letter ‘ㅂ’ from Juho’s secret, headed to the bathroom to wash while just feeling good.

* * *

Today too, Jiyoon, who naturally sat next to Dain, was chattering non-stop. Dain was responding awkwardly while occasionally agreeing with her words.

Despite Dain’s clumsy and passive responses, Jiyoon, who had been talking and laughing for a while about what was so good, suddenly seemed to remember something and rummaged through her bag, then pulled out a small bag of snacks.

“Sunbae. I bought this because they said it’s a snack that cat beast-men like, please have it, sunbae!”

“Huh……?”

What Jiyoon handed over was a snack made of dried chicken breast chips with added tuna flavor.

Dain stared at the snack bag Jiyoon offered for a while, then gave a beaming smile.

“Oh, I heard this is only sold overseas. How did you get it? Thank you.”

As Jiyoon said, it was already quite a famous cat beast-man snack overseas. In Korea, there still weren’t many cases of selling snacks suited to each beast-man’s individual characteristics. So Dain had only heard it was delicious, but to receive it as a gift like this.

Seeing Dain’s smiling face, Jiyoon became happy as if she owned the world. Look how his eyes disappear when he smiles. That’s a true cat eye-smile……!

Jiyoon grabbed her heart that was beating with emotion and said to Dain.

“These days there’s overseas direct purchasing too, and it’s not that difficult to get. Sunbae, if this is delicious, please tell me! I’ll buy it for you again and again!”

“Ah, no! Just this is more than enough thanks. I’ll eat it when I get home. Hehe, I should savor it.”

“No! Giving snacks to sunbae-nim is something I really wanted to do…… something I definitely wanted to do…… so if you tell me it was delicious and ask me to buy it again, I think I’d be so happy……!”

“Uh, uh……? I-I see…….”

“Of course, of course! If you want to eat it again, please definitely tell me!”

Jiyoon pushed her face close to Dain’s. Her expression was so desperate that Dain unconsciously nodded. Jiyoon is sincere about giving to others. Yeah.

Having gained a philanthropic hoobae, Dain just gripped the snack tightly in his hand and stepped back from Jiyoon’s momentum.

“But, sunbae. You have a boyfriend, right?”

“Yeah.”

After the snack commotion ended, Jiyoon called Dain with yet another topic. Dain was genuinely amazed by her small head that endlessly produced different stories.

“That…… sunbae and your boyfriend together, I mean, do you live in the same house……?”

Jiyoon looked around and spoke as if whispering only in Dain’s ear.

After hearing her words, Dain’s ears, which had been blank for a moment, turned red as if they would burst after understanding the meaning.

At Dain’s reaction, Jiyoon quickly waved her hands and corrected her words.

“No, no. I mean, your boyfriend came to sunbae’s house really naturally, yeah. Like that? I wanted to stay and play at sunbae’s house until late at night…… but I thought I shouldn’t stay long at a house where you’re with your boyfriend, so that’s also why I got up quickly.”

Jiyoon stuck out her lower lip. It seemed like she had stayed quite late already…… Dain thought to himself, but seeing her expression that seemed truly disappointed, he quickly answered Jiyoon’s curiosity.

“Oh oh, we don’t exactly live together, it’s just that my house is closer to school than Juho’s place, and closer to his company too. So he often comes to my house……”

“Ah! I see!”

“Yeah. That’s right, Juho has a separate dorm that his company provided.”

Juho quickly added.

Before they started dating, living together didn’t seem like anything, but now that his and Juho’s relationship had changed, he thought such topics could come up.

“Anyway, Dain sunbae’s boyfriend is kind of a scary beast-man……”

“Ju-Juho might feel a bit scary, right? It’s because he’s very shy with strangers, but he’s really kind. Don’t find him too difficult.”

“Sunbae’s boyfriend is……?”

“Yeah! He’s really kind. He can’t say bad things to other people, he’s very considerate, and polite.”

“Sunbae’s boyfriend is……?”

Jiyoon asked sincerely. Does Dain sunbae not know his boyfriend’s true nature? Or does he know but lovingly embrace it? She seriously pondered.

Seeing Dain even counting on his fingers while defending Juho at her words, it seemed like Dain didn’t know his boyfriend’s true nature.

If he knew, he couldn’t talk like that. If he had heard that sharp tongue even once, he couldn’t say such things. Right.

Jiyoon just laughed “haha” and said to Dain.

“So that’s why I was saying let’s meet and hang out somewhere other than Dain sunbae’s house from now on!”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

Dain nodded while smiling.