Gentle Giant Chapter 25
Dain’s eyes widened at the splendor of the hotel lobby he was seeing for the first time. While he wondered if they were really going to eat at a hotel, he had become slightly curious since Juho had specifically chosen the hotel lobby as their meeting place.
He had worn a neat linen shirt after hearing it was a hotel, but seeing the people passing by around him, he thought he should have dressed even more formally. That’s when it happened.
“Dain hyung!”
Juho called Dain’s name from behind. His low yet gentle voice could be heard clearly even in a place mixed with various noises.
Dain turned his head with a smiling face upon hearing Juho’s voice, but ended up gaping with his mouth wide open.
Juho was wearing a cool evening-colored suit perfect for summer with a casual black knit shirt underneath.
Even at a glance, his broad shoulders and slim waist made of solid muscle, and the blazer was perfectly tailored to Juho’s inverted triangle fit connecting the two, and the pants wrapping his long extended legs also seemed made just for him.
He had an eye-catching appearance just standing still, but paired with the hotel’s bright and glamorous chandelier, it looked like a model walking down a runway.
How well his light brown hair and golden eyes reflecting the chandelier’s light matched the suit’s color. Dain once again exclaimed ‘Lee Juho, the male god’ to himself.
Of course, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that everyone’s eyes in the hotel lobby were directed toward Juho, not just Dain’s.
Seeing Dain blinking his eyes while spacing out, Juho waved his palm in front of him.
“Hyung?”
“…Huh?”
“Hyung, why are you spacing out like this? Was the way here too hot? I should have picked you up instead of meeting here.”
“Ah, no, not hot. It’s cool.”
“Really? Then why are you so dazed? Aren’t you happy to see me? We haven’t seen each other in a long time.”
“Huh?”
They had certainly been apart for a few hours, and he did feel happy to see him… but wasn’t it a bit short to call it ‘a long time’…? Dain’s head tilted to the side.
Juho deliberately ignored Dain’s reaction and led him toward the elevator.
“I looked it up and the salmon course at this hotel restaurant is supposed to be really delicious. Luckily they said same-day reservations were available, so I made one earlier. Let’s hurry up.”
“Co, course??”
“Yes. It’s a Japanese restaurant famous for salmon course dishes.”
When Juho said he would buy salmon, Dain had expected just a delicious sushi restaurant or raw fish restaurant, so he quickly pulled his hand away.
Juho silently watched Dain’s hand escape from his in an instant, took a short breath, and grabbed Dain again.
“Hyung, why?”
“Isn’t a course… too expensive? Juho, do you know how expensive hotel food is in Korea!”
“Hotel food in America isn’t cheap either. I’m not that clueless…”
Juho furrowed his eyebrows and smiled with just his lips raised. Dain could feel Juho’s mood gradually taking a downward curve, but he continued his explanation once more.
“Ju, Juho, you might blow your entire month’s living expenses! No matter how much you’re doing an internship, it’s too much. Let’s cancel the reservation and go to a nearby sushi restaurant.”
“One meal is fine! It’s money that would have gone to hotel fees if it wasn’t for hyung anyway.”
“Still… it’s too expensive…”
“It’s okay. I brought plenty of spending money just in case. I’ll eat delicious food just until today and save money starting tomorrow. Really. Should I promise?”
Juho quickly extended his pinky finger. Dain showed a helpless smile at the cute pinky finger wiggling despite not matching his build, and hooked his own finger as well.
“This is really the last time you’re buying me something like this. Got it? Starting tomorrow… um… that’s right! I’ll cook all the meals. You’ll need a lot of money to prepare for school soon.”
“Yes, I understand. But will hyung really cook for me?”
“Yeah. What’s so difficult about that? Don’t worry about that and focus more on school life.”
True to being a model student, Dain began nagging Juho to focus on the second semester life that would soon begin.
The problem was that Juho wasn’t hearing Dain’s nagging as nagging, but recognizing it as cute whining.
Juho simply smiled warmly and just nodded at Dain’s words. While concentrating all his attention on stroking the gray, fluffy hair.
The Japanese restaurant located on the 38th floor, the hotel’s top floor, was decorated with glamorous and luxurious decorations from the entrance. It was famous enough to be selected by renowned international culinary guides.
Dain, who noticed this fact by reading what was written under the restaurant sign, whispered to Juho in a voice that didn’t show in his expression but was clearly excited.
“Juho, this seems to be a really famous place. Do you see that sign under the restaurant sign saying it was selected by a culinary guide? Wow, but how did you get a same-day reservation? We were really lucky.”
Juho, who bent his upper body and brought his ear close to Dain’s mouth at that small voice, also whispered so only Dain could hear.
“Right? It seems like everything goes well when I try to do something with hyung. The internship too, and the exchange program too. Hyung must be my lucky charm.”
“What? Pfft, you came from America but you believe in lucky charms?”
“Why not? There are many people in America who believe in such things too. I think I could become a very devout believer starting now.”
The two people who kept chattering even while the staff confirmed their reservation soon entered a room following the staff’s guidance after confirmation was completed.
“Wow…”
It was a room with a direct view of the beautiful night scenery where Namsan Tower could be seen outside the window and the lights of the buildings below it were twinkling. Since it was summer and the sun set late, the lights looked even more sparkling as they harmonized with the red sunset glow.
“Then we’ll prepare the course you reserved in advance. Please let us know if you need anything else. And as you can see here, there’s also a menu description, so you can read it while waiting.”
The staff member who guided them with a kind face closed the door and left. Dain kept saying “Yes, yes” and bowing his head at that excessive kindness. Juho was busy covering his mouth and laughing at that dumb and cute appearance.
“Hyung, how is it? Do you like it?”
“Yeah! The room is so pretty, and the staff is kind…! But did you already make a reservation for what to eat?”
“Ah… well, when I made the reservation earlier, they asked about that too. So I just asked for a course with lots of salmon that hyung likes. I don’t really know what’s coming out either.”
“Haha. The staff must have been flustered. Just asking for something with lots of salmon.”
“They’ll probably give us something good…”
Juho, who laughed along with Dain, briefly wondered if Managing Director Kim had made the reservation properly. But thinking of Managing Director Kim, the upright half-moon bear beast-man, he soon shook off his worries.
If he had risen to managing director at such a young age, even setting aside being a higher-class beast-man, his work handling as well as his intuition would be considerable.
While looking at the menu and anticipating what foods would come out, they heard a ‘knock knock’ sound and a staff member entered with appetizers.
“On the left is a roll using tofu and salmon, on the right is an appetizer with tuna belly and natto on liver. Please let us know if you can’t eat natto. We’ll serve it again excluding the natto. And at the bottom is cuttlefish topped with salmon roe. Please call us comfortably if there’s anything inconvenient.”
Dain, who was earnestly looking at the food with his eyes following the staff’s continuous explanation, asked Juho.
“Juho, can you eat natto?”
“Um… no.”
“Should I ask them to change it?”
“No. There’s no need to be troublesome. If hyung is okay with it, please eat mine too.”
“Huh…? Is that okay?? I eat natto fine, but you’re hungry.”
“There are many other dishes coming out, so it’s okay. This is just an appetizer.”
“Then when other delicious dishes come out, I’ll give mine to you, Juho!”
Dain picked up the liver with natto with his chopsticks. He slightly furrowed his eyebrows at the sticky feeling filling his mouth, but soon his lips curved greatly at the nutty and moderately salty taste.
Such a luxurious menu from the start. Dain gently rubbed his upper stomach, hoping his stomach wouldn’t be surprised.
Meanwhile, Juho across from Dain tried not to… but he absolutely couldn’t find a way to stop the wicked imagination that arose while watching Dain with something white and sticky in his mouth.
Crazy… I was such a fucking beast bastard. Shit. Yeah, let’s be a beast starting today. I’m fucking born to be a beast.
Juho recited vulgar curses inwardly while outwardly looking at Dain with a gentle expression completely opposite to that.
Juho had a benevolent smile like a father watching his son eat well. However, his mind was already filled with all sorts of lewd fantasies starring Dain.
Unaware of this fact, Dain moved his chopsticks here and there and smiled brightly.
“Juho, it’s really delicious. Wow, it’s really delicious!”
“Really? That’s a relief. I was worried about what to do if it didn’t suit your taste…”
Dain, who thanked Juho several times, quickly devoured the assorted sashimi, soup with seafood and abalone, and sushi with salmon by parts that came out afterward, like covering one’s eyes to avoid seeing something.
Of course, during this time, Juho’s chopsticks moved only very slightly. Juho had no appetite at all.
And it was the same when the Korean beef sous vide came out, but as soon as meat appeared in the course that had been all seafood, Dain moved the plate to Juho.
“Juho, eat this.”
“Ah, hyung. No. Hyung can eat it.”
“No. It seems like you’re not eating much, Juho. You don’t really like seafood after all?”
At Dain’s words, Juho waved his hand. It was partly that he wasn’t fond of seafood, but right now he had no appetite because he was concentrating more on watching Dain eat than on eating. However, Juho didn’t try to clear up Dain’s cute misunderstanding.
“No. Actually, I don’t eat it often, but I eat salmon and other seafood well. I’m sorry if I made you worry.”
“No, it’s not that I’m worried… I just wondered if only I was eating deliciously. I’m full from eating lots of salmon and fish. So you eat the meat, Juho.”
“Hyung. I’m completely moved. Come to think of it, I saw somewhere before that giving Korean beef means you have some ulterior motive. Hyung, could it be…?”
“What?! No, no! It’s not because I have ulterior motives toward you, Juho…!!”
Dain’s face turned bright red. Unthinkable! He had never even imagined looking at Juho with such eyes.
If he’s a top-tier beast-man, setting aside even an intimate relationship like friendship, how many people would show interest in Juho?
Even though same-sex couples among beast-men were quite common, with himself being a cat beast-man without even a heat cycle, and with his plain appearance that gets mistaken for a wildcat, it was a position he couldn’t even dream of.
“Hey, I thought so too. Haha. I’m joking, hyung. Brighten your face! Then since hyung gave it to me, I’ll eat it deliciously. Thank you.”
“Yeah. Eat a lot, Juho.”
When the word ‘joke’ came from Juho’s mouth, his fingertips somehow twitched, but Dain just smiled awkwardly and answered.
Juho nodded and smiled brightly as he put the Korean beef sous vide in his mouth.
The combination of the red meat piece being sucked into Juho’s bright red lips was sensual. It was just a scene of eating food, but when Juho did it, it somehow looked like a decadent advertisement snap you’d only see in foreign magazines.
Dain quickly shook his head vigorously to erase the imagination growing in his mind.
Repeating ‘delicious food, delicious food’ to himself.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
