Double Junk - 130

‘Brother. It’s me. Ajin is very ill. He’s trembling violently, can’t open his eyes, can’t comprehend what I’m saying. But it’s not…it’s not that a specific part hurts, he is in pain, but it’s not something that requires hospitalization… Anyway, you’ll understand when you see him. Please come quickly. At this rate, before Ajin dies, this old lady Flower Lady might be the one meeting her end.’

Seokju, who was at the office, came home immediately after receiving the call. He jumped out of the car and rushed to Ajin’s room, not even taking off his shoes as he strode across the stone path and wooden floors. He flung open the door.

Inside were a few household staff members, the associate who had called Seokju, Flower Lady, and Ajin cradled in her arms.

“Ajin-ah.”

Seokju knelt down in front of Ajin and brushed back his disheveled bangs, fully revealing his haggard face.

Ajin looked severely ill at first glance. His black hair was damp with sweat, and his body intermittently convulsed with tremors. His lips were pale, his eyes half-open but vacantly staring, seemingly unaware of what he was looking at.

“He kept saying he was thirsty, so I gave him water, but he still complained of being thirsty…”

The associate explained Ajin’s condition. Flower Lady shoved him aside, accusingly at Seokju.

“Why is our Ajin like this? Huh? Why? What did you do to our Ajin this time?!”

Her bulging eyes swirled with rage and terror.

“…..”.

Seokju clamped his mouth shut, speechless. He truly had ‘done something’ to cause this. Ajin’s current suffering was indeed his doing.

The ghost-like Flower Lady instantly sensed from Seokju’s silence that he was to blame. She grabbed his collar, her withered hands trembling with fury. Her bloodshot eyes looked ready to weep bloody tears.

“You wretched bastard…..”

“Aigo ajeemah, please calm down a bit. The Director needs to examine him first before deciding if we take him to the hospital or do something else.”

The associate pulled Flower Lady back as he reasoned with her. At those words, her frantic movements stilled. She released Seokju’s collar, realizing helping Ajin took priority over venting her anger.

With that implicit permission, Seokju carefully gathered Ajin into his arms like a newborn. Tenderly massaging the sunken eye sockets with his thumb, he called out to him.

“Ajin-ah. Look at me.”

“Uhh…”

“Ajin-ah.”

Despite Seokju’s persistent calls, Ajin could not regain his senses. Meanwhile, his body grew increasingly feverish, his unrestrained limbs limp on the floor – he looked like he had the flu compounded by a heavy drinking binge.

Watching over Seokju’s shoulder, Myungjin murmured worriedly,

“Hyungnim, this is…”

“Yes. It seems to have set in now.”

Seokju nodded briefly. Ajin’s illness was none other than withdrawal symptoms from the drugs. To be precise, from abruptly stopping the medication.

Ajin had been taking the drugs while confined in Seokju’s quarters all winter. At the hospital, they reduced the dosage to help wean him off, only giving small amounts. After being discharged, he had been sneakily taking it until finally stopping completely, hence the withdrawal symptoms appearing now.

Still, this was a relatively mild case, since the dosage had been gradually decreased before stopping. Other drug addicts sometimes vomited or lost control of their bladder and bowels, had grotesquely contorted facial muscles, or had their limbs seize up and petrify.

As a drug dealer, Seokju had witnessed many suffering from withdrawal, if not to the same degree as hardcore addicts. So he knew how to handle such situations.

“What? What is it? What’s happening to Ajin?!”

Flower Lady barked harshly at the exchange between Seokju and Myungjin she could not comprehend. Seokju was about to explain when –

“Hot…”

Ajin groaned, tugging at the collar of his jeogori. Seokju refastened his disheveled clothes and instructed the associate.

“Fill my bathroom tub with cold water.”

“Yes.”

“Myungjin, bring thick blankets to my room.”

“Yes, hyungnim.”

The two hurried out. Seokju scooped Ajin up, supporting his back and legs. His frail body felt so light. As Seokju strode out of the room, Flower Lady jumped up and clung to his clothes.

“Wh-Where are you going? To the hospital?”

“No. To my quarters.”

“Why! What’s there! Why are you taking Ajin to that dreadful place again! If there are medicines, just tell me where and I’ll get them. Where are they?”

“Nothing untoward will happen. I just want to help lower his fever, so don’t worry.”

“How can I not worry!”

With Ajin carried helplessly in your vile arms! Flower Lady shouted as if the world was ending, her disheveled hair whipping wildly.

“…..”.

Seokju’s mouth set in a hard line, displeased with Flower Lady picking an argument at this urgent time. While he understood her concern, Ajin was the priority now. Seokju stepped close and asked bluntly:

“Can you carry Ajin to the hospital yourself?”

“What?”

“Can you take Ajin to the hospital?”

“…..”.

“Do you know why Ajin is suffering, or how to treat him?”

“…..”.

“Right now, I’m the only one who can do that, Ajeemah. Isn’t that why you came running to call me?”

“….”.

“This is why I had Ajin stay at my home. So I could treat him when he’s ill, comfort him when he cries.”

Seokju cradled the back of Ajin’s head, tucking his face into his chest. After some squirming, Ajin settled familiarly into his embrace, clutching Seokju’s clothes and mumbling:

“Director…I’m hot…”

Flower Lady’s face fell, anger and resentment visibly draining away. Patting Ajin’s bony back soothingly, Seokju continued:

“I don’t want Ajin to be sick either.”

“…..”.

“So please don’t interfere while I do everything I can to prevent that.”

“…..”.

“All you need to do is stay by Ajin’s side. That’s why I had you turned immortal, why I give him those medications – so he won’t feel lonely without you there, so he won’t cry.”

“…..”.

“Save the rest of your grievances for after Ajin recovers, and don’t be so distressed for now.”

With that, Seokju walked past Flower Lady, who watched him go wordlessly.

Seokju dipped his hand in the tub to check the water temperature. The instant contact made his fingers cool – it was icy like a mountain stream. Satisfied, he nodded and sat Ajin down by the tub, unfastening his jeogori. But then he froze, glancing back to order curtly:

“Get out.”

At the terse command, Myungjin and the associates clustered by the door hurriedly exited. Myungjin was the last one out, bowing deeply as he closed the bathroom door behind him.

Finally alone with Ajin, Seokju removed his jeogori, revealing his pale torso. It was a striking sight after so long.

Seokju averted his eyes downward, refusing to indulge any impure thoughts. He moved to take off Ajin’s pants too, but stopped himself from crossing that line.

Seokju gently lowered Ajin into the tub, concerned he might be startled by the cold water. Fortunately, Ajin only let out a faint sigh of relief, his deeply furrowed brow relaxing.

Seokju exhaled in shared relief, but as he withdrew his hands, the unbalanced Ajin slipped completely under the water surface. The rippling water lapped over his parted lips. Alarmed, Seokju quickly pulled him back up.

“Geez…”

Seokju pursed his lips in dismay. After a moment’s thought, he loosened his necktie with one hand. Then, removing only his shoes and socks, he stepped into the bathtub with Ajin.

Seokju settled Ajin against his chest, sitting him between his legs. His large frame caused water to slosh over the tub’s edges. Seokju opened the drain, allowing the water level to lower until it lapped just below Ajin’s collarbones.

He then draped Ajin’s bandaged wrists over the tub’s rim, straightening his bent legs and leaning his drooping head back against his own chest. With one arm, Seokju encircled Ajin’s waist to secure him in place.

Despite being submerged in the cold water, his body flushed with tension-induced heat from such intimacy.

“Haah…”

Seokju tilted his head back, exhaling a long sigh towards the ceiling as he wiped the beads of sweat from his brow. After blinking his strained eyes a few times, he gazed down at Ajin again.

Ajin looked considerably more at ease now. He no longer writhed claiming to be hot, and the feverish flush had drained from his sunken eye sockets and hollow cheeks. Though his ragged breaths remained labored, he seemed free of agony.

Seokju kept trailing water over Ajin’s shoulders. The round, pale slopes glistened as they absorbed the moisture. Seokju stared at them vacantly, his dark pupils losing and regaining focus repeatedly.

“……”

He shouldn’t do this, he knew he mustn’t…but unable to resist his cravings any longer, Seokju ultimately surrendered to desire.

Holding Ajin tighter, he buried his face into the crook of his neck. Past the faint mineral scent was Ajin’s own fragrance. The smooth, supple warmth of his skin was maddening.

Seokju’s features crumpled helplessly. He felt pathetically on the verge of tears, but swallowed them back – he had no right to cry in front of this man.

“Ajin-ah……”

He wished time could stand still. Since he couldn’t bear Ajin suffering more, everything should just stop, if only for this blissful, cherished moment to linger a little longer. Shamelessly, deliriously, he wanted nothing more than this.

Ajin was so precious to him. So endlessly, inexpressibly precious. Seokju was awash with regret that he had failed to fully grasp what an immense miracle it was to be skin-to-skin like this, until now.