Gentle Giant Chapter 92
The atmosphere of crying and making a fuss all night gradually eased while they were eating.
Of course, it was entirely thanks to Dain. Dain wasn’t the type to express aggressive emotions toward others, and moreover, it was absolutely impossible when it came to his lover.
Juho also knew Dain’s nature. That’s why he felt even more sorry, and was more afraid that he might accumulate things inside and turn away all at once.
That’s why his earlier words telling him to hit him were sincere. He hoped that Dain would shake everything off like that, and forgive him without a single bit of resentment.
Though Dain seemed to get angrier after hearing those words.
While Juho was organizing his complicated thoughts while looking at Dain, Dain completely cleaned up the remaining meal. After crying and releasing his emotions right before eating, his lost appetite completely returned.
“Juho, are you done eating?”
“Yes, hyung, don’t you need to eat more?”
“Yeah, I’m full. Juho, you need to take your medicine.”
After Dain organized what he had eaten, he brought over the medicine packet that the nurse had left. This happened before Juho could even move.
Juho felt embarrassed to be in the position of being cared for, opposite to how it had been until now. While Dain, who was actually taking care of him, acted like it was nothing, Juho alone was on pins and needles.
Dain, who poured water and handed it to Juho, glanced at the medicine packet in his hand.
Three pills. Only three was the end. Would Juho really get better with this? Dain’s eyes narrowed and his head tilted at the smaller number of pills than expected.
Under Dain’s persistent gaze, Juho stopped trying to take the medicine and asked Dain.
“Hyung, why?”
“The medicine seems too little.”
“What?”
“No, you were sick enough to collapse, but can you really get better with just a few pills…?”
Dain’s eyes were full of distrust. If there was even the slightest suspicious part, he looked ready to go out and ask immediately.
Juho let out a small laugh at Dain’s overly zealous appearance.
“Originally hormone medication doesn’t require a lot of pills. As long as the levels are properly controlled, it’s fine.”
“Ah, I see. Then this is enough?”
“Yes. It should be fine. Hyung, were you worried the medicine might be wrong?”
“Of course! It would be terrible if you collapsed again like that!”
Dain frowned. It was an experience he never wanted to go through again.
Juho gently rubbed Dain’s furrowed brow with his long, straight fingers. Then, as if he had never frowned, Dain’s eyes softened and he changed to a languid expression.
“Do you have to take the medicine carefully every day?”
“I understand. I’ll take it carefully.”
“Yeah, but until when do you have to take it?”
“Well. I think I’ll have to take it for a while until my body adapts to the hormones. When I get better, they’ll gradually reduce the dosage, right?”
“That’s how it works.”
“Yes. I controlled it like that when I was in America too.”
Juho shrugged as if it was nothing. However, Dain’s heart watching him was only heavy. Hearing the word hormone medication from Juho suddenly reminded him of what his noona had said.
‘You don’t know how strong hormone medication is, whether you’re intoxicated by the medicine or struggling because hormones are going wild. Anyway, when that time comes, both body and mind become exhaustingly difficult.’
Actually, his noona’s condition was particularly bad between late fall and winter. She would just lie down and mutter that she didn’t want to do anything.
If that was the case, wouldn’t the medicine Juho was taking be just as strong? With what the doctor had said earlier, reasonable suspicion arose in Dain’s mind.
Meanwhile, Juho, unaware of Dain’s thoughts, thought he had resolved all of Dain’s curiosities and swallowed the medicine.
Seeing Juho’s Adam’s apple move as he swallowed, Dain also gulped down his saliva.
“Th-then what about side effects from the medicine…? There are side effects too, aren’t there?”
At Dain’s question, Juho made a troubled expression for a moment. He almost naturally lied that it was fine.
“It’s not that there aren’t any, but they’re bearable. I’ve experienced them all before…”
“I thought so.”
“Don’t worry too much. It’s much better than suddenly collapsing. Hyung must have been very shocked because of me this time.”
Juho repeatedly told him not to worry while stroking Dain’s hair. It was sincere without a single lie mixed in.
“But hyung, what about not being able to go on the trip?”
“Trip?”
“Yes. If we go according to the original plan, we should leave tomorrow, but it doesn’t seem possible…”
“What if we go on a short trip this weekend if you’re okay?”
“Really? But then we can only go for 1 night and 2 days, would that be okay?”
“We’ll go short this time and go longer next time when we have time. It’s fine!”
Dain patted Juho’s hand that was on his head. It meant not to feel sorry for no reason.
At Dain’s consideration, Juho kept getting emotional. He wondered when he had become so sentimental, worried that at this rate he might cry just seeing the name ‘Jung Dain.’
Fortunately, whether the prescribed medicine suited him well, Juho spent the evening without major side effects. Occasionally he felt nauseous or dizzy, but it wasn’t serious enough to require separate medical treatment.
Each time, feeling Dain’s restlessness beside him, Juho clung to Dain even more.
Dain barely got the constantly clinging Juho to lie down and watched over him until he fell asleep.
Even after closing his eyes, Juho would suddenly return with bright, alert eyes to check if Dain was beside him. After repeating this five or six times, he finally showed steady breathing.
“Phew.”
Dain waved his palm over Juho’s face to confirm he was deeply asleep, then carefully left the hospital room. He even wrote a note in case Juho woke up and looked for him.
When he quietly opened the door worried about making noise, the security guards were already back guarding the door. After seeing Dain’s face, they silently stood and looked ahead again. Dain told them that if Juho looked for him, to tell him he was going home and would return, then left the hospital.
* * *
Fortunately, Juho didn’t wake up until Dain finished his business at home and returned to the hospital. Dain quietly closed the door again and took his place next to Juho.
*Knock knock*, short knocking sounds were heard and the doctor who had been treating Juho and a nurse came in. It was morning rounds time.
Dain quickly woke up Juho. Juho frowned, his sleep interrupted. However, after confirming that it was Dain waking him up, he regained his senses and looked around.
“Patient Lee Juho? How are your symptoms?”
“I’m fine.”
“There are no reported side effects, but any discomfort after taking the medication?”
“Except for being a little dizzy and nauseous, there’s nothing uncomfortable.”
The doctor quickly wrote down Juho’s answer and nodded.
“Those side effects can sufficiently appear while adapting to the medication, so you don’t need to worry too much. However, since the current dosage is on the high side, you should get tested precisely on your checkup date to reduce long-term use so there won’t be strain on your body. Then let’s observe for one more day and discharge you tomorrow.”
“Yes, understood. Thank you!”
The response to the treatment came not from Juho but from Dain’s mouth.
Dain, who had been listening with tremendous concentration as if he would memorize everything the doctor said, nodded greatly and answered politely. Juho, who was actually the patient, was focused on Dain who was listening with sparkling eyes.
After finishing the morning examination, taking care of meals and all the prescribed medicine, time had already reached almost 10 o’clock.
“Right! Wait a minute, Juho!”
Dain, who remembered something he had forgotten, took out several sheets of paper from the bag he had brought from home.
Juho’s head tilted as he watched Dain’s actions. Exam period was over, so he was curious why he was bringing such things.
And Juho’s curiosity wasn’t resolved even after seeing the papers Dain handed over.
“Hyung, what is this?”
“Yeah! This is 100 Questions 100 Answers!”
“No, I can see that because it’s written on top. But why this…?”
Looking at Juho who still couldn’t manage his expression, Dain spread out the several sheets of paper. Since Juho probably didn’t know Korean culture well, it might be unfamiliar, so he planned to explain it step by step.
But that expression is so cute!
Dain giggled inwardly while looking at Juho who had bed hair and a blank expression.
“You know, these days couples do this kind of thing a lot.”
“Hmm? Really?”
“Yeah yeah! We first met through chatting, right? When I thought about it yesterday, what you said seemed right too. How many people would tell only 100% truth to someone whose face they haven’t even properly seen?”
But that uncommon person was Jung Dain.
Juho knew that even if it wasn’t him, Dain wouldn’t deceive anyone with lies. So he was so grateful, he felt like he could bow to the random chat developer who had matched Dain with him.
Anyway, Dain’s story was a bit insufficient as a reason for why they needed to do 100 Questions 100 Answers.
Juho tapped Dain’s hand as if telling him to continue talking.
“So I thought we needed this more… Um, I thought it would be good if we got to know each other better from now on! So I went home yesterday and wrote down all 100 things I was curious about you!”
“Hyung did it directly?”
“Yeah! I referred to the internet a little, but most of them are things I’m curious about. How is it? It’ll be fun! I’ll do it together too.”
“100 Questions 100 Answers…”
Juho muttered lowly.
After deciding to meet Dain, he somehow felt like this day would come. Whether writing exchange diaries, folding a thousand paper cranes, or riding a couple’s bicycle. He felt like the day would come when they’d do such things, but 100 Questions 100 Answers exceeded his expectations… He must have underestimated Dain too much.
Juho scanned through the 100 questions organized in Dain’s neat handwriting.
From basic personal details to respected figures he had never thought about in his life, everything was very thoroughly filled out.
He let out a short sigh, then resolutely nodded. If he could regain Dain’s trust like this, he could do even 1,000 Questions 1,000 Answers.
Juho brought a pen from the bedside table and handed it to Dain.
“Hyung, let’s start.”
After Dain smiled brightly, he placed the first page in front of both Juho and himself. He was so curious about the answers Juho would write that his heart was pounding.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
