Gentle Giant Chapter 91
“Hyung, just hit me instead, until you feel better. Okay?”
“Wh, what are you saying!”
“Hyung, you’ll get angry anyway if you think about it. You’ll think ‘That fucking bastard Lee Juho, I could tear him apart and it still wouldn’t be enough.’ So hit me first…”
Smack!
At the cheerful sound hitting Juho’s forehead, both of them opened their eyes wide.
Juho was surprised wondering if Dain had really just hit him, and Dain was surprised by the fact that he had hit him with his left hand that was in a cast.
Among the two who had kept their mouths shut blankly for a few seconds, Dain was the first to speak.
“You, Juho, are you going to keep saying weird things?”
He had gotten angry at Juho’s words that crossed the line, calling him a fucking bastard and telling him to hit him to feel better, so he had only intended to give him one flick on the forehead, but it had to be with his left hand.
Dain examined Juho’s forehead with a sorry heart. Then he bit his lips tightly to hold back the laughter that was about to burst out. Not only was he teary-eyed, but seeing the center of his forehead turned red, he looked exactly like a scolded child.
Being angry was being angry, and being cute was being cute.
Juho, who didn’t know that Dain was slowly moving the corners of his mouth, made a somewhat empty expression.
My goodness, he really didn’t expect to actually get hit by Jung Dain.
“Hyung, you’re really very angry…”
At Juho’s muttering as if he had received a big shock, Dain finally let out a small laugh.
“Pfft.”
Even though he knew this wasn’t a situation to laugh, Juho’s expression was too funny. Dain frowned and bit his lips tightly to hold back the escaping laughter. Juho had an expression like he had been stepped on by the axe he trusted most in the world.
After making a flustered expression for just a moment, Juho observed Dain’s face intently.
Although he was frowning, his anger seemed to have subsided a little. The expressionless way he had been saying only what needed to be said earlier was more frightening.
Juho spoke while watching Dain’s reaction.
“But, hyung, can’t you hit somewhere other than my face?”
“…What?”
“I’m already hated by hyung, and if the face that hyung likes most becomes ugly too, I feel like I’ll really be abandoned. Right?”
Juho with a red bump on his forehead smiled sweetly. As his eyes creased, the teardrop that had been hanging fell with a plop. However, whether tears flowed from his eyes or not, Juho just stared intently at Dain’s mouth.
When Dain was horrified by Juho’s blind gaze, there was a knock and a nurse entered.
“Lee Juho-ssi, I’ll change your IV and give you your evening medication.”
The nurse skillfully changed the IV and checked his basic condition. While doing so, she also glanced curiously at Juho’s red eyes and reddened forehead.
Both Dain and Juho pretended not to notice that gaze.
The nurse finished talking about taking the evening medication and left the hospital room.
Dain watched Juho receiving treatment from behind and calmed his fluttering heart somewhat. Juho casually telling him to hit him didn’t overlap with any of the sides he had shown so far.
Of course, people don’t have just one side, but with Juho, the difference was beyond imagination.
The way he looked at him was the same as before, but knowing the truth contained in those eyes made his head throb.
When Dain looked at him with a complicated expression, Juho tilted his head. What was fortunate was that the cold wind that had been blowing seemed to have subsided a little. Just that made Juho feel good as he looked at Dain with a big smile.
“I’m sorry for hitting you earlier. Violence isn’t okay in any situation…”
Dain mumbled an apology at that smile. Since it was the first time in his life he had hit another person, he was quite surprised himself and couldn’t apologize right away. So he was worried it might be too late.
However, contrary to Dain’s worry, Juho just had questions.
It seemed like Jung Dain’s and his own standards for what constituted violence were very different. Could that even be called violence?
Juho had also opened his eyes wide in surprise, but that was literally just surprise. Because he didn’t expect Dain to do the action of ‘giving a flick on the forehead.’
“I was in the wrong. I’ve lied to hyung a lot, and hidden a lot of things…”
“Then, then you won’t do that anymore, right?”
“Hyung…?”
Juho looked at Dain with surprised eyes. It seemed like he was now forgiving him.
Maybe there was a small hope that he could be forgiven. When he was about to quickly promise not to do it again before Dain changed his mind.
Dain’s lips trembled, then his straight mouth corners drooped down sadly. Not just his mouth corners, but his eyebrows and eye corners too… Like the most pitiful person in the world, it was a heartbreaking expression just to look at.
“Ah.”
A low moan flowed from Juho’s mouth. I made him like this, I made Jung Dain the most pitiful and saddest in the world.
Finally, Juho’s heart fell with a thud. Everything he had done trying to be good to Dain had instead only become big wounds, making Dain pitiful.
Juho embraced Dain with careful hands. Dain came along with the touch and buried his head in Juho’s shoulder. Juho’s shoulder became damp with the tears Dain poured out.
“Again, you can’t deceive me again. *sniff* How bad lies are…!”
“You’re right. Hyung, I really did wrong. I’m really sorry…”
“*sob*…! My goodness, ah! How could you even hide being sick!!”
Dain’s wailing continued.
More than anything else, thinking that Juho probably couldn’t even show that he was sick even at home made his heart hurt too much. How much pain had he been in until he collapsed.
He hated Lee Juho who only said mean things, and Lee Juho who only lied, but he hated Lee Juho who didn’t even say he was sick the most. That was the saddest.
The large hospital room was filled only with Dain’s crying for a long while. Juho could only pat Dain’s back and repeat words of apology.
Dain, who had poured out all his emotions to some degree, raised his head with his eyes and nose red.
Even while making eye contact with Dain, Juho was afraid of being turned away again. Juho’s golden eyes that had always been unwavering trembled helplessly.
Did he feel Juho’s emotions? Dain stared at Juho intently, then slowly brushed his wet hair aside.
“Now that Juho promised not to do that anymore… I’ll accept your apology too.”
“…!”
“But, but you have something to do for me.”
“What is it? Just tell me, hyung, I’ll do everything!”
Just the fact that Dain accepted his apology and wasn’t casting him away made Juho feel like he could fly to the sky.
If it were him, the moment he found out he had been deceived, he would have turned everything upside down to feel better, but Jung Dain was too gentle. To shake off pent-up emotions with just a flick on the forehead and crying pitifully was ridiculous.
Of course, it was because of such gentle Jung Dain that Juho, who had only been knocking on the gates of hell, was pulled back up.
And because of those pitiful tears, Juho realized what a truly mortal sin was.
“First eat and take your medicine, then slowly. I also need to prepare something.”
“Uh, what do I have to do that requires hyung to prepare…?”
At Juho’s question, Dain closed his mouth and turned his head. It was a gesture meaning he didn’t want to tell him the answer. Juho also had committed sins, so he couldn’t force him to tell him more and closed his mouth.
Knock knock.
When the atmosphere was about to become awkward, Managing Director Kim entered with a knock. In his hands was food for dinner.
Managing Director Kim, who set dinner on the table with his usual expressionless face, turned to Juho and asked.
“Young master, are there any items you need or anything uncomfortable?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Yes. Then I’ll be going now. I’ve reported all the test results and the prescription medication you’re taking to the chairwoman. She said she’ll contact you soon.”
Hearing Managing Director Kim’s report, Juho frowned slightly, but soon nodded to show he understood.
Dain looked at Juho who just nodded without saying anything to a man who looked at least 10 years older than him. It was still the ‘Young Master Lee Juho’ he couldn’t get used to.
Perhaps feeling Dain’s obvious gaze, Juho’s shoulders trembled slightly.
If it had been the usual Dain, it would have been a situation where he would have scolded him for being rude. However, Dain was just looking at Juho.
Pricked by that gaze, Juho politely bid farewell to Managing Director Kim. Managing Director Kim briefly widened his eyes at the unexpected greeting, then silently bowed and left the hospital room.
“Hyung, come here. Let’s eat together.”
“Mm.”
Dain sat at the table following Juho. On the table was a lunch box that looked full of sincerity. Actually, it was too fancy to be called a lunch box.
Juho took care of Dain, whose arm was uncomfortable, as usual. Dain, who had already gotten used to being fed by him, opened his mouth small to receive the food. Just watching Dain chew and swallow made Juho feel full.
Earlier, he hadn’t even dared to hope that he would be able to feed Dain in the future. Uncharacteristically, this moment was so moving that his nose stung.
“Juho, aren’t you eating? Your food is untouched.”
“Maybe because of the IV, I’m not hungry. Hyung, eat slowly and a lot.”
“Still, you should eat at least a little. You have to take medicine too.”
“Mm, okay.”
Juho started eating his portion of food with a smile.
Even though it had decreased a lot compared to dawn, several IVs were still entering his body through needles all at once.
Feeling sorry for that again, Dain quickly moved his chopsticks to put meat side dish on top of Juho’s rice.
“Thank you, hyung.”
At the words of thanks heard in his ear, Dain just opened his eyes wide. For gratitude about the meat side dish, the tone was too serious.
Juho looked at Dain’s face and said once more.
“Just, everything about hyung is grateful to me. Hyung’s very existence seems like something to be thankful for to me. I’ll really do well from now on.”
At Juho’s tickling words, Dain’s face turned bright red. Dain’s chopstick movements became faster as he nodded his head big enough to make a buzzing sound.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
