Gentle Giant Chapter 74
Dain readjusted his grip on his book and looked at the business card.
If he told everything that had happened here, it would be no different from conveying that female student’s request to Juho as she had asked.
Ah, I should have put it in my bag instead of the book, Dain thought as he bit his lip slightly. Knowing that Juho would be uncomfortable, he didn’t feel like telling the truth.
“That, um, I received it earlier.”
“Why did you get this?”
“She asked if I could help when making school promotional materials and gave it to me.”
“Hmm??”
Juho’s eyebrows rose at Dain’s half-hearted answer.
Dain wasn’t even majoring in broadcasting or promotion-related fields, so what help could they possibly need from a student who just came to the library to study?
Dain took the business card back from Juho and said:
“It, it wasn’t a big deal. I refused saying I don’t know much about that stuff. Uh, when she first talked to me, she gave me this while asking, so I just stuck it in my book.”
“Really? Why did that broadcasting club student specifically talk to hyung? Maybe she was interested and deliberately approached you?”
“Huh? No! That’s definitely not it!”
“Hyung, how would you know that person’s feelings? Was that broadcasting club student a woman or a man?”
Juho narrowed his eyes and pressured Dain.
Dain shook his head vigorously. Of course I know. She begged me so much to pass along a message to you. However, he couldn’t bring himself to relay the message completely and just avoided eye contact here and there.
Juho wanted to immediately drag the owner of this business card in front of him and demand a proper explanation, but he quietly composed his expression.
“Hyung, I knew a day like this would come. A day when hyung would receive phone numbers like this. I was mentally prepared for it, but seeing it right in front of me still shocked me so much. Of course, the fact that hyung is cute, kind, studies well, and is a perfect person can’t be hidden.”
“It, it’s not like that…!”
“Of course it is. I was so on guard, but like a ghost, they took advantage of when I wasn’t there. Hyung, you still know that your boyfriend is me, right?”
“Of, of course. No, Juho, let’s stop talking about this now.”
“Hyung, why are you changing the subject? Did you feel a little excited when you received the business card? You didn’t, right?”
“I didn’t!”
“Then why aren’t you throwing away the business card? Why are you keeping it? Are you planning to contact them while I’m at the company?”
Watching Juho’s expression become more hurt, lonely, and pitiful as they talked, Dain wanted to pound his chest in frustration. How could he make such a sad expression over just one business card?
Finally, Dain folded the business card in half in front of Juho and threw it in the trash.
He felt a little sorry about throwing away a business card with someone else’s name on it. However, if he didn’t throw it away now, Juho’s gaze was becoming increasingly murderous, as if he might burn it himself.
“There, is that good, Juho? It really wasn’t a big deal. Interest? That’s really not it, and you misunderstood, Juho.”
“Yes, hyung. I believe you. By the way, hyung, do you know what happens when you abandon a devoted wife like me?”
“…?!”
Devoted wife! Where did he learn such words!
Dain’s face turned bright red at the words that naturally came from Juho’s mouth. Juho gently rubbed Dain’s earlobe while whispering:
“Tears of blood flow from the eyes.”
From the other party, not hyung.
Why were those words, less than ten characters, so chilling? Dain rolled his eyes to look at Juho. Juho wore a languid smile as he moved his fingers from Dain’s earlobe to his lips.
His beautiful long fingers moved gracefully along the shape of Dain’s lips. Dain’s lips twitched every time Juho’s fingers moved.
“So hyung, you can’t lie to me and cheat on me. I think I’d really be hurt if you did that.”
“I won’t, I won’t do that, of course!”
“This time was just my misunderstanding, right?”
“Mm! It’s a misunderstanding, really a misunderstanding! So don’t say things like that, I’m upset too.”
It was really upsetting that Juho misunderstood over something so ridiculous.
Talking about cheating, abandoning a devoted wife – because of things he hadn’t even done, he felt like he had become a bad boyfriend.
Dain’s eyes slowly began to fill with moisture from feeling wronged. Juho, who quickly noticed this change, decided to stop right here.
“I’m sorry, I reacted too sensitively. Just thinking about hyung talking to other people when I’m not there… What should I do? I guess I like hyung too much.”
“Ah, ahh!”
Dain shrank his shoulders in embarrassment at Juho’s unreserved words.
Juho embraced Dain and gently rubbed his tense shoulders. With a completely changed, gentle expression that was 180 degrees different from his earlier frosty demeanor, he soothed Dain.
“Are you embarrassed? Why are you embarrassed? How many times does hyung need to hear that I like you before you’ll be okay with it? Hmm, 100 times?”
“No, even if I heard such words 1,000 times, I think I’d still be embarrassed…”
“Oh, so you’re saying to keep doing it over 1,000 times!”
“Ahh! That’s not it! Juho, let’s really go eat now, okay?”
Dain, unable to bear the embarrassment any longer, grabbed Juho’s hand and led him. Juho pretended to be defeated and laughed as he was pulled along by that weak force, leaving the library.
* * *
The broadcasting club room was quiet. They had planned promotional videos and approached model candidates they had selected from within the school, but most had refused.
Of course, there were also people who volunteered first. However, those people alone weren’t enough to make the video.
Especially the broadcasting club students facing graduation wanted a completion level high enough to earn admiration from industry people and graduated seniors. That way it would have a good influence on their employment too.
The seniors who had delegated model recruitment to their juniors were gathering the juniors under the pretext of thoroughly checking progress, while openly pressuring them.
“Lee Youngju. You said you talked properly to that Lee Juho’s boyfriend, right?”
“Yes, yes?”
“Why, you said you met him at the library a few days ago.”
“Yes. I said I would definitely pass along the message.”
The senior’s sharp gaze swept over Youngju. Youngju had lied impulsively.
Unlike her answer, Dain had clearly expressed his intention not to pass along the message. However, Youngju couldn’t tell the broadcasting club peers and seniors that she had been refused. She also thought that since she had conveyed the broadcasting club’s position anyway, it was the same as the message being properly delivered.
At her confident answer, her peers breathed sighs of relief, and the seniors’ worries deepened.
“But why isn’t there any contact? By now there should be some kind of response, shouldn’t there?”
“Right? Youngju, you gave them the contact information too, right?”
“Yes? Of course! I gave them my business card. That person definitely received it!”
“Really? Ah, there’s no time… Youngju, you go talk to them once more today.”
The broadcasting club president counted the packed dates, ruffled his hair, and told Youngju.
At his command, Youngju’s expression hardened. Again…? That one time had been so difficult to arrange.
When she didn’t answer, the president made an irritated expression.
“That’s why you should have talked properly so we’d get contact in one go. I already said we don’t have time. At this rate, we’ll be the only ones getting scolded by the upper-class seniors for making a failed promotional video. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Lee Youngju. Yes or no. Come back with a definite answer. Understood?”
“Yes. I understand.”
Youngju answered in a crawling voice.
I should have said they refused if I knew this would happen. The two characters for ‘disaster’ floated in Youngju’s mind.
Time was really running short now. If persuading Lee Juho was difficult, it was time to think of other alternatives. The problem was that finding other alternatives was also something the juniors had to figure out together.
After the broadcasting club president and seniors pressured the juniors once more, they left the club room.
In the cold atmosphere created by the seniors, Youngju and the remaining peers sighed deeply.
“Seriously, the seniors always make us do this kind of thing.”
“Right. They’re super sensitive bosses because their employment is on the line. But anyway, Youngju, what are you going to do?”
“Ah, I don’t know! He hasn’t even been visible at the library lately. I’ll have to stake out in front of the humanities building.”
“Should we just say they refused and look for someone else?”
“But besides Lee Juho, who could we bring to satisfy those seniors?”
At the last student’s words, everyone shut their mouths.
It was true. To satisfy the currently sensitive seniors, they needed Lee Juho or someone with similar buzz-worthiness, but recruiting alternative people was also failing one after another. Everyone’s expressions soured at the situation with no answer.
“Can’t be helped. I’ll try talking to them once more. If that doesn’t work, then there’s nothing we can do, right?”
Youngju said while gathering her belongings.
The peers who had been watching her movements helped Youngju without exception. It was already unfair to become the victim of a ladder game, but it was pitiful that she was getting scolded by the seniors as the representative.
“Right, right. No, and that person who completely ignored us when we asked to pass along the message is ridiculous too. Really, after making promises to you.”
“Uh, huh?”
“Right! We even gave them a business card, but look at them not saying a word. What about their character?”
“Hey, their boyfriend is Lee Juho. Would they notice other people?”
“Still though. Kind of off-putting. Right?”
The peers started badmouthing Jung Dain, Lee Juho’s boyfriend, under the pretense of comforting Youngju.
Although she felt uncomfortable that the arrow of criticism had suddenly turned toward Dain, she smiled without saying much and left the broadcasting room.
I’ll just go one more time today. Youngju headed toward the humanities building on the hill.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
