Double Junk - 103

– Ah, and I told him to apply ointment on the soles of his feet. I confirmed that he did.

– Yes, Boss. I will end the report here.

There was nothing special in the report. Unlike last night’s commotion, Ajin seemed to be doing well.

But strangely, that made Seokju more anxious. Recently, even when given food, he would grumble, but if given half a bowl, he would eat a lot. Today, he finished a bowl. Most of the time, he stared blankly at the paintings or slept. Today, he said he’s reading a book again.

It was good news, but it made him uneasy and scared. There must be something that made Kiheon nervous.

“And there was a contact from Japan asking if we could increase the amount of medicine. They said it’s selling well these days, very happily-”

“Deokjae.”

Seokju interrupted Deokjae, who was speaking busily.

“Yes, Boss.”

Deokjae quickly turned towards Seokju. Seokju, looking restless, licked his dry lips and spoke.

“Has Myungjin been moved to another hospital room?”

“Yes. Nothing much. They’ve been moving him once every half day since yesterday. The doctor said it’s not good for the patient, but what can we do? Geumtae said not to worry about it because Myungjin will avoid it himself if it’s bad for him. And he even gave him a gun.”

“Okay. Good. How’s the drug factory?”

“It’s running smoothly. My son is guarding it properly. Did you know we even placed a machine gun on the factory rooftop? Even the president wouldn’t dare to intrude there.”

“…I see.”

Seokju nodded slowly. Then, he wiped his forehead and sighed dryly. Deokjae’s eyebrows twitched in concern.

“Are you very worried about Pak Kiheon?”

“A bit… Yeah. Worried someone else might get hurt.”

Even though he hadn’t eaten anything, his stomach felt queasy. His heart pounded so hard it was uncomfortable, and the roof of his mouth felt dry. Why was he so anxious? Despite receiving threats during gang activities, he had never been so uneasy. Even though there had been more than a few late-night incidents of people barging into his house. It wasn’t like he had such a strong attachment to life and death.

But today was different. Something unprecedented seemed like it was about to happen.

As Seokju rubbed the flesh on his cheek, urgent footsteps were heard in the distance.

Seokju and Geumtae drew their guns from their waistbands. The gun barrels were aimed at the basement stairs. Only authorized members of the organization could enter the basement. However, it was still strange for someone to run here.

Soon, the owner of the footsteps appeared. It was a familiar face among the organization members. Seokju lowered his gun with a sigh.

The organization member seemed oddly excited. He ran up to Seokju with a loud voice.

“Boss!”

“….”

“Boss!”

“What is it.”

Seokju’s brow furrowed at the unwelcome fuss. As he put his gun back in his pocket, the organization member approached and said with rough breaths.

“Flower Lady…the ajumma…has come.”

It was a strange statement. If the Flower Lady found the ajumma, she found her. Saying she ‘came’ was another matter. Did she appear on her own?

Seokju kept twisting his head even as he went upstairs. What kind of situation would it be for the Flower Lady to say the ajumma ‘came’?

But it was true. The Flower Lady, the ajumma, had come to the company.

According to the organization member who witnessed the moment, she was smoking in front of the company last night. Then a truck passed by. But shortly afterward, it backed up, dropped off a person, and disappeared without a trace.

The Flower Lady couldn’t stand on her own legs. In the end, she was carried by the organization members like luggage and brought into the company.

She stretched her body on the long sofa prepared for guests. A few minutes later, Seokju appeared and stood in front of her. And he silently looked at the Flower Lady, whom he hadn’t faced for a long time.

“…”

Seokju had never scrutinized the Flower Lady before. At most, he had seen her chatting with Ajin from a distance. The Flower Lady was mostly in the kitchen, and it was rare for her to come out into the living room.

Yet Seokju could tell that the Flower Lady had suffered a lot in his absence.

She had lost a lot of weight. She used to have a body twice the size of Ajin’s. Even though her wrists were thick, and her stomach was ample, she somehow looked kind-hearted. But now her cheeks were hollow. The area around her eyes was dark, and her lips were pale. Her wrists were thin, and her ankles, visible under the hospital pants, were as slender as chopsticks. The hospital gown was stained as if it had been rolled on the ground, and the absence of a ring around her finger left a clear mark where bl00d had flowed back. There was also a musty smell of sweat.

In no way did she look like someone escorted by a benefactor. She didn’t seem to have been treated as a family member either. She looked like she had been locked up in a musty warehouse, used up, and discarded.

“Hah…”

Seokju let out a short laugh. What was this again? Was the gift Kiheon promised him the Flower Lady after all? Now that he thought about it, he had mentioned flowers.

Seokju clenched his fist tightly and then repeated the action. He couldn’t understand Kiheon’s intentions.

Why did he bring the Flower Lady here, only to leave her, and then bring her back? It was almost like throwing away the Flower Lady in this situation, just before a war was about to break out. What was the reason for tossing the Flower Lady aside like garbage at such a time? What kind of motive did Kiheon have in showing me the Flower Lady, covered in signs of abuse and neglect?

His head throbbed. This kind of mind game was difficult. It would have been much easier with clear goals like knives and guns.

Seokju slowly closed his heavy eyelids and then opened them again. He glanced at the Flower Lady’s chest, peeking out from her hospital gown. He saw bl00d-stained bandages. It seemed like there had been no postoperative care. If left like this, she would almost certainly die for no reason.

“For now… let’s take her to the hospital.”

Seokju stepped back as he spoke. Whether the Flower Lady was a pawn of the enemy or a betrayer of the enemy, she must know the answer herself. Whether to believe her or not was up to him to decide, but in any case, if she was alive, she might be able to hear something.

“Yes, Boss.”

Deokjae gestured to the organization members standing behind him. They rushed forward, and with careless hands, they tried to lift the Flower Lady. The Flower Lady’s wrinkled eyelids fluttered. Her lips were parched. “Wait a moment.” Seokju approached the Flower Lady again.

“Water… water…”

The Flower Lady murmured in a dry, twisted voice. One of the organization members brought water discreetly. Seokju supported the Flower Lady’s back and fed her water with his hands.

The Flower Lady drank the water eagerly. Even though it caught in her throat, she managed to finish a glass of water with great difficulty. Only then did she open her eyes laboriously. For a long time, she rolled her hazy eyes as if she didn’t know where she was. Then, belatedly, she recognized Seokju.

“Boss…?”

“Ajumma.”

“Where is this…?”

“We’re at the Taehoe Trading Company.”

After blinking several times, the Flower Lady nodded soon after. Then she let out a long sigh of relief. Seokju watched her carefully. It was a gaze mixed with suspicion and vigilance.

At that moment, the Flower Lady suddenly opened her eyes wide and abruptly stood up. Then, in this space, she mentioned a name that made everyone except her uncomfortable.

“Ajin, where’s Ajin?”

“…”

“Is Ajin doing well?”

Seokju pressed his lips tightly together. He didn’t want to talk about Ajin. He didn’t intend to tell the Flower Lady, who he didn’t know why she was brought here, obediently.

No, actually, the guilt was overwhelming. Regardless of whatever mischief the Flower Lady and Ajin might be up to, the two were close. In that regard, revealing how Ajin was confined in my room was a despicable act.

As Seokju remained silent, the Flower Lady scolded him appropriately. It was an unfamiliar sight from her. Perhaps she didn’t even realize it herself, sensing the unusual atmosphere.

“Let’s see Ajin. Oh, he must be at home. Let’s make a call first. Ajin knows, right? That I’ve disappeared? Goodness gracious. How worried he must have been. He must have cried his eyes out in worry. Clumsily, all day long, again. Ugh, what a sensitive soul he is…”

“What are you doing? Hurry up and make the call. If you go in person, he’ll think something’s wrong, or rather, my voice is a mess… If I call, he’ll cry again. How can a man cry so much…”

“Just tell the Boss. That I found you well. That those Jinghopa bastards didn’t do anything. Don’t worry, and go have a meal. I’ll be back soon.”

Seokju didn’t respond at all. Flower Lady stood firm against the echoing silence. In a low voice, almost as if reprimanding, she asked:

“Why are you just standing there quietly?”

Seokju kept his lips sealed despite her pressing. Flower Lady stared at Seokju as if trying to pierce through him. Then, she made a strange wind sound with her mouth. Her pupils grew deeper. It felt as if she were looking into an abyss.

Seokju felt sucked into those eyes. It was like falling into a distant, quiet pit.

Feeling his back suddenly chilled, Seokju instinctively moved backward. Flower Lady’s face turned pale. It was a strange expression, as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.

“Why are you… so… dark…”

Muttering incomprehensible words, Flower Lady scrutinized Seokju’s forearms, neck, thighs, and earlobes, among other places.

Seokju swallowed dryly. It was just a gaze, and he was fully clothed, yet he felt oddly dirty. It felt like something undesirable, something he didn’t want others to see, had been exposed. The more her gaze pierced him, the colder he felt. It was unsettling. It was the first time he didn’t welcome the cold.

Then, Flower Lady squinted her eyes into triangles. It was a gaze filled with anger.

“Why does Ajin’s soul ooze so much in front of the Boss?”