Double Junk - 117

Seokju absentmindedly stroked his eyebrows in continued disregard. A faint annoyance flickered across his forehead.

“It’s pointless to try to push me away. I’ll come back every day. Until Ajin wakes up. And when he’s fully recovered, I’ll take him home. To my house.”

At his words, Flower Lady turned her head sharply. She sat up as if she would grab Seokju by the collar, her eyes narrowed into triangles.

“What? You shameless…!”

Her body, trembling with anger, faltered. After undergoing two surgeries, her chest opened and her heart struggling, it was natural that she found it difficult to move properly without proper recovery.

Seokju grabbed her elbow and gently sat her back in the chair. Flower Lady gasped, struggling to breathe, clutching the bedsheet. Seokju looked down at her forehead and spoke firmly.

“I will keep Ajin by my side, no matter what.”

“Ha…”

“I’ll take care of him, protect him.”

“…”

“And if Ajin himself wants to leave, I’ll let him go then. No matter what happens, I won’t be the one to let him go first.”

“…”

“So don’t bother trying to push me away with useless force. What I care about is Ajin, not you, Ajumma. Why do you think I scratch my teeth like a demon, knowing what I’m capable of?”

Ajin stood at the center of Seokju’s world right now. Flower Lady was just a thread supporting Ajin. There was no other reason to keep her by his side, as Ajin would waver and be sad without her.

“…”

Flower Lady tightly sealed her lips. Seokju’s light breaths caught Ajin’s eyes belatedly. Ajin, basking in the soft sunlight with closed eyes, looked so welcoming and so sad that Seokju couldn’t look away.

Seokju, coming out of the hospital room, loosened his tie. He felt drained just by looking at the sleeping Ajin. He tensed up, worried that Ajin might wake up. His shoulders and collarbones were stiff from the tension.

As Seokju rubbed his neck, the members of the organization who were waiting for him rushed over. Their eyes looking up at Seokju were eager.

“Boss. Shall we go for dinner?”

“There’s a new pork soup restaurant at Jjogi Intersection, the broth tastes quite similar to Busan.”

“The boiled pork is also tender and juicy. If you drink soju with it, you’ll finish five bottles in no time.”

“Boss. How about having a drink outside with your son after a long time?”

Deokjae nudged Seokju with a smirk. Seokju looked at his family members carefully. Then, he stepped back, tapping Deokjae’s shoulder.

“Enough. You guys eat together.”

“Ah, Boss, it’s a commemoration from the bakery. You can’t skip it. Your son has been through a lot, too. You should take care of him a bit.”

Deokjae’s voice rose sharply. His creased eyebrows were filled with sadness. Seokju awkwardly bit the inside of his cheek. Myungjin put his arm on Deokjae’s shoulder and leaned in.

“I’ll go too. The doctor said drinking is allowed now. On a day like this, you should wet your throat a bit, Boss. I want to raise a glass with you after a long time. Will you skip that?”

There was mischief in his smiling face. This moment, with everyone gathered, poking fun with their short and stubby fingers, seemed very pleasant.

Behind Myungjin, the members of the organization chatted about various things.

“Let’s order some tofu kimchi too. To celebrate the boss’s release.”

“Release my ass, what release. If someone sees, they’ll think the boss really went in and came out.”

“Hey, there are bars on the windows, locked up, and all. That’s a prison, isn’t it?”

“Buy some extra gram tofu. What’s tofu kimchi anyway.”

“Soft tofu is bland, isn’t it? And our boss is in good health, yet he’s using his hands to eat tofu in front of the police station.”

“Well… that’s true. Anyway, Boss, are you going? Huh? Are you going with us?”

Seokju chuckled at the sight of the children rushing to the cotton candy vendor. He felt sorry for them, begging like this, so he couldn’t refuse anymore. Since Myungjin’s injury, they hadn’t properly shared a meal together, so it was necessary to loosen up the atmosphere.

Although he was not in the mood for drinking and having fun, he couldn’t leave his family members alone. Spending a few hours sitting with them wouldn’t be so bad.

“Alright, let’s go. Let’s go.”

Seokju said, putting his hand on Myungjin and Deokjae’s backs. The members of the organization shouted with excitement but quickly remembered they were in a hospital and quieted down. Then they exchanged glances and burst into giggles.

Seokju returned to Ajin’s room a little past midnight. Unable to withstand the members’ persuasion, he had sat at a traditional Korean restaurant for the second round after passing by the first one. Myungjin, Deokjae, and the other members had gone to another restaurant for the third round, determined to drink themselves to death today.

Why were people from Busan so obsessed with rice soup to the point of risking their lives for it? Seokju was from Busan himself, but sometimes he couldn’t understand.

Standing in front of the door, Seokju let out a long sigh. The smell of alcohol wafted up.

Tonight, Seokju had drunk excessively. Each member had watched him closely, wondering if he would drink or not, so he couldn’t refuse a glass. They filled his glass with soju, claiming alcohol was good for inflammation, and everyone’s flushed faces as they laughed together were adorable.

Seokju rubbed his throat with a grin, dispersing the alcohol’s effect. He considered going home to wash away the smell of alcohol but decided he might as well come back when the sun rose.

Tonight, Seokju had decided to personally watch over Ajin’s room. He left the organization members to enjoy themselves.

Seokju carefully surveyed the quiet room. Flower Lady was lying on the makeshift bed against the wall, sleeping calmly. Despite Seokju’s arrival, there was no noticeable change; she seemed to be in a deep sleep, her back gently rising and falling.

Seokju quietly settled into the chair by the bedside. Then he gazed at Ajin.

Ajin still had his eyes closed. His peacefully closed eyes were lovely. He even had a faint smile on his lips, as if he were having a good dream.

The blue moonlight cast over his face was beautiful, but it also made him seem cold. Ajin often felt cold.

“…”

After hesitating for a moment, Seokju slowly reached out his hand. Then he gently touched Ajin’s face. A shadow fell over Ajin’s face as a result.

However, the hand was quickly withdrawn. Ajin’s face was obscured by the shadow, making it difficult to see. Wondering what to do, Seokju pulled the curtain and turned on the small bedside lamp. The warm crimson light gently illuminated the room. A warm glow also fell over Ajin’s face.

Satisfied, Seokju smiled and sat back in his chair.

Seokju lifted and lowered the blanket covering Ajin’s chest, bustling about. He wanted to touch Ajin, but he was afraid. He was afraid that if his hand touched Ajin’s body, a gruesome scar might form.

Seokju leaned on the bed, his chin resting on his hand, and began to admire Ajin in earnest.

During the week Seokju spent at the police station, Ajin had steadily recovered from his injuries. His torn lips, swollen lips, and bruised eye sockets had all healed remarkably well. The bruises from my fingerprints and lip prints on his neck had disappeared without a trace.

Fortunately. It would be nice if the scars in your heart healed at this pace too.

“Ajin…”

Seokju called Ajin in a very soft voice. Worried that he might burst into laughter, he pressed his lips together.

Ajin. I am so shameless.

After committing such a mountain of sins, I feel overwhelmingly happy looking at you now. I’m glad I can call your name. I’m happy that I can touch you just by reaching out my hand.

This is what I want. When you open your eyes, even if you beat me up, I might laugh with relief.

For over an hour, Seokju stared at Ajin without moving.

“Ajin… I missed you…”

Sometimes, he would express his longing that no one else could hear. Then, unable to resist, he gently caressed Ajin’s cheek. The skin beneath his fingers felt moist and soft, then cool.

Seokju’s forehead creased with sudden worry.

“Are you cold?”

He asked.

“…”

Ajin didn’t answer. Nevertheless, Seokju looked around busily as if Ajin had responded that he was cold. Was there anything that could warm Ajin up? It would be nice if they could lay ondol (underfloor heating) even in the hospital. Maybe he should cover Ajin with another blanket.

Thinking so, he lifted the spare blanket under the bed, then hesitated and put it back down. The low-quality blanket was heavy and rough. He couldn’t cover Ajin with it, fearing it might suffocate him.

Unable to come up with another solution, Seokju’s sigh was barely audible. His gaze fell on Ajin’s foot, which peeked out from under the blanket.

“…”

Seokju stood up straight. Hesitatingly, he gently grasped Ajin’s foot.

Ajin’s hands and feet were particularly cold. Every night when he came to my room, he would press his cold, chubby lips against my side and complain about being cold. Then I would sit him down on my lap and warm his white feet in my hands.

Ajin liked my hands. He said they were big, firm, and warm. At first, he was hesitant and avoided having his feet touched. But later, he would extend his feet first, laughing with a “I’m cold.” His smiling face was so beautiful.

I greatly appreciated his actions. Him getting used to me, his feet warming up as my body temperature seeped into them. Sometimes, I even enjoyed tickling the soles of his feet with my fingernails, making him laugh with delight.

Seokju pulled Ajin’s foot out from under the blanket.

Unlike elsewhere, Ajin’s foot still had many wounds. Bandages wrapped thickly around his ankles, which had borne heavy shackles, and the skin on his instep was so swollen that it seemed it would take quite some time to heal. The once pitch-black, dead skin was now changing color to purple.

“…”

Seated in the chair, Seokju carefully wrapped his hand around Ajin’s foot. The small foot was completely covered by his hand. Seokju slowly let his heightened body temperature, warmed by alcohol, flow into Ajin’s foot.

He gently massaged his toes and caressed his prominent ankle bone or soft calf.

Then, unable to resist, he pressed his lips against Ajin’s instep. A tingling sensation ran through his lips as they touched Ajin’s skin.

For a long time, Seokju caressed Ajin’s foot. Color returned to Ajin’s once pale foot. The pink color spreading to his heel as it ripened was incredibly charming.

Fulfilling his selfish desire under the pretext of warming Ajin’s foot, Seokju absentmindedly lifted his head.

But. Ajin’s eyes were open. Seokju felt his heart skip a beat.

“…Ajin.”

The large eyes that had been gazing at the ceiling slowly descended. Eventually, Seokju’s face reflected in his mysterious navy blue eyes.