Double Junk - 13

Chapter 13

“How should I apologize…?”

“Ack… Cough… Cough…”

“Oh, I see. Money. I’ll give you money.”

Seokju’s cluttered mind came up with the best solution. Nothing solves problems like money. It’s a world where even those who’ve been beaten to a pulp will forget it if they receive money. You could break someone’s bones, and if you gave them money, they wouldn’t think you had humiliated them. It was a world where working at a factory or a construction site all day would earn you fifty to a hundred won. That’s why you might work two hundred and fifty days, if not more, just to earn what you could from a single night’s exchange.

Then Seokju stood up and reached for his wallet. He pulled out a thick wad of banknotes and extended it toward Ajin. The bill had the face of a prominent figure printed on it, and it stared back at Ajin.

“…”

Ajin clenched his teeth and said nothing. Just looking at it, it seemed like there were more than fifty bills. That’s over five thousand won.

When Ajin worked at the gambling den, he received thirty won per day. And even then, he had to subtract ten won for food and lodging, leaving him with twenty won.

At Seokju’s house, he got sixty won. Five thousand won amounted to roughly a hundred days’ wages. In terms of the gambling den, it would take him two hundred and fifty days to earn that much. It was an exorbitant amount of money.

Ajin accepted it, and Seokju’s face brightened. It was as though he felt that this was his way of atoning.

“If you need more, I can give you more. I can be generous.”

Seokju returned to his seat across from Ajin and picked up his chopsticks. It seemed like they could now eat in peace. With a faint smile on his lips, he dipped his spoon into the soup.

Splat.

Ajin tossed the money at Seokju’s face. More than just a handful of bills showered down, more than a downpour outside. Ajin let out a yell.

“Why are you giving me money when I said I’m not a man!”

“You…”

“I said I’m not a man, so why are you giving me money!”

Ajin’s bony shoulders tensed up. Money. Of course, it’s good. Naturally, money is the best thing in the world. But Ajin didn’t want to earn money this way. If he had chosen to sell himself willingly, he might have accepted it, but that wasn’t the case last night.

No matter how worthless and insignificant paper money may be, it still comes with some dignity. Especially in a world where class distinctions have all but disappeared. A slave’s pride is quite upright and strong.

Ajin hated Seokju for this. He wanted to yank that straight nose out of place and show him how insignificant he was.

“…”

Seokju stared at the money scattered across his face with an expression like he’d seen a ghost. His face turned colder. Ajin hunched his shoulders. He thought Seokju might throw a punch, stab him with chopsticks, or even call Myungjin to have his throat slit.

But Seokju didn’t do anything.

Wiping away his tears, Ajin hurriedly tidied up the dining table. He separated the soup from the money, and even took the spoon Seokju had been holding. Then, he stood up to leave.

Still in a daze, Seokju seized Ajin’s wrist.

“Where are you going?”

“I have to work. I have to do the dishes, clean the hallway, and do the laundry.”

“What? With your body—”

“It’s fine. I’ve worked even when I was sick. It’s my job. If I don’t do it, someone else has to.”

“…”

Ajin shook his wrist free from Seokju’s grip. With a swift motion, he lifted the heavy table. He carried it across the room and placed it outside the door. Then, he opened the door, and set the table outside. About to close the door, he sniffled, and looked back at Seokju.

Then, he bowed his head.

“Goodbye.”

With a courteous farewell, the door slammed shut. Seokju, surrounded by hundred-won bills, blinked slowly.

Summer Apology

The moment she laid eyes on Ajin, Flower Lady wrinkled her face in annoyance.

“You idiot. Where have you been sleeping all this time, and now you show up…”

She cut her nagging short because she had just noticed Ajin’s appearance.

“Why do you look like that?”

“Old lady.”

Ajin, who had placed the dining table in the middle of the kitchen, repeatedly pushed his lower lip forward and then pulled it back. Eventually, he sat down on the floor, burst into tears, just like a child.

“Is this guy crazy…?”

Flower Lady grabbed him and pulled him up. Then, she scolded the other servants who were lying on the ground, hanging their faces in shame.

“Why are you just standing there like idiots? Get to work! Dinner is in an hour!”

At her command, the servants rushed to stick their faces into pots. Flower Lady dragged the limp Ajin outside of the kitchen. Ajin walked hesitantly, as if being led by her oppressive grip. Then, with a watery voice, he called her.

“Old lady.”

“What?”

“I want to take a hot bath.”

With an air of authority, Flower Lady turned toward the outdoor bathroom.

Ajin knelt down in the bathtub he had cobbled together with wooden planks. Regardless of its size, the thought of immersing himself in hot water was a relief. The rear hole, which had been ruptured by the overnight ordeal, stung a bit, and his buttocks and inner thighs were sore, but it wasn’t painful to the point of crying out in agony.

As Ajin playfully splashed the water with his fingers, Flower Lady, who had been drying his back, asked, squinting her eyes.

“So, it was the boss who did that, huh?”

“Yeah, suddenly in the middle of the night.”

“That bastard… Should I poison his food, or maybe put pesticides in the soup?”

“No, please don’t.”

“Why not?”

“I… I’m sorry.”

“Is it the boss?”

“Yeah.”

Flower Lady pursed her lips. Apology. Why was that so difficult to hear, she wondered, but it wasn’t easy to say either. Especially for someone in a higher position. And even more so for a man.

Although the fact was surprising, it didn’t mean she could just let this matter slide. Tomorrow morning, she could add some poison to Seokju’s meal. Flower Lady grabbed Ajin’s shoulder, and he flinched.

“Ah!”

“…So, did that dumbass accept the apology and leave?”

“No, it didn’t happen that way. He gave me money, and I threw it back at him. I said I’m not a man.”

“Goodness, you little fool. You should’ve taken the money. If you took it and it wasn’t enough, you should’ve asked for twice as much. In any case, you shouldn’t…”

Seokju may be a man who kills people and did terrible things to Ajin, but he’s no small fry. If he was giving money, he would have surely handed over a hefty stack. To throw it away like that was inexplicable.

Flower Lady clicked her tongue. Sometimes, this kid acts like a fox, and other times, he’s as dumb as a dog.

With that, Ajin opened his eyes wide and sat tightly against the wall of the tub.

“…Really? Should I go back and ask for it again? Five thousand, right?”

“Offered that much? You must be desperate for it.”

Ajin nodded. There was no hesitation in taking that much money.

Recalling Seokju, who had offered him a wad of hundred-won bills, Ajin muttered with his mouth agape.

“Does the boss give five thousand won to other ladies too? Then, maybe I should sell my body. If I do it twice, I can even buy a house-”

Thump. This time, a fist came flying towards his back. Ajin cringed in pain, clutching his waist.

“Old lady, I… It hurts.”

“Don’t even think about it. Selling your body is dangerous.”

“Dangerous?”

“You might end up dead. Have you ever heard of a lady surviving after they’ve been through fifty?”

“…”

“Men, especially those kinds, don’t treat women as human beings. Those who pay for women treat them even worse.”

“But I’m a man.”

“Once you sell your body, you’re no different from a woman.”

Ajin nodded slowly. He didn’t fully understand the words, but he had a vague idea. He had seen the girls he worked with at the gambling house get hurt frequently.

Men usually used their fists. When had they ever been kind to the pretty and sweet girls? They had hit the girls with their fists, leaving bruises on their beautiful, pearl-like skin. As he had treated the injured girls and wiped away their tears, young Ajin had felt angry and sad.

Ajin, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, raised his head and looked at Flower Lady with his big eyes. Flower Lady gently wiped the teardrops from his eyes with her fingers, her expression softening. There were times when she couldn’t help but laugh.

Flower Lady embraced Ajin. Even if her words were rough and straightforward, she was the only one in the world who cared for Ajin and worried about him.

Ajin was nine years old when he had ended up at the gambling house after rolling from place to place. It was a combination of a bar and a gambling house. Ajin wandered between the tables, clearing ashtrays, selling cigarettes, and fetching drinks.

At that time, Flower Lady had no interest in Ajin. He was an orphan without parents and without money. There was no need to pay him any attention or sympathy.

But Ajin liked Flower Lady, and he followed her like a puppy.

Then, one day, Flower Lady fell ill. She had a stomachache or a headache, or perhaps both, and no one took care of her. The boss only complained that nobody would take over the kitchen work. The other employees did the same. No one cared about the sick Flower Lady. Only Ajin, an insignificant child, worried about her. He would sneakily ask if she was okay while wiping tables, bring her some gruel that looked like dog food, and lay a rag, the only one he had, gently on her forehead. At night, he would snuggle up to her side and whine.

From that day on, Flower Lady looked after Ajin, despite the boss’s scolding.

Ajin had his back turned to her as she lathered soap on his hair. When Flower Lady reached to scrub, Ajin, squinting one eye, called out to her.

“But, old lady.”

“What now?”

“The boss said I’m pretty.”

“…”

“Don’t hide your face.”

Flower Lady, who had been busy, abruptly stopped. Her eyes turned cold. Her gaze pierced through Ajin, making it clear that she was furious. Her face was like that of a ship’s captain staring at a storm on the sea.

However, Ajin was facing away and couldn’t see her expression.

“As if the boss treats me like a cripple. Is he blind? Why would he call me pretty? I even have a chili pepper.”

“…”

“…Old lady?”

“Fine, call me a cripple.”

In response to the belated answer, Ajin nodded his head.

Ah, our boss is a cripple.

A blind cripple who calls a male servant pretty.

That’s what he thought.