Double Junk - 137

Embarrassed by the reaction, Ajin scratched his ear with his shoulder and stammered, making excuses.

“I-I… I wanted to eat… cake… Not me, but the lady wanted to eat, no, um, I also… I also wanted to eat….”

“I’ll go buy it now.”

Seokju immediately took his feet off. Ajin shook his head and tried to object.

“N-No, it’s okay. You can buy it tomorrow when you finish work.”

“No. I’ll be right back.”

“It’s really okay. The lady is sleeping now anyway.”

Ajin grabbed Seokju’s hand with both hands and pulled. Seokju reluctantly stopped his steps.

“Okay, then… I’ll buy it tomorrow.”

While doing so, he subtly wrapped his fingers around Ajin’s hand. Though dry, Ajin’s small and smooth hand still felt good. The heat that had been stuck to his spine due to Ajin’s unique cool body temperature seemed to dissipate.

Seokju surreptitiously smiled in excitement.

“Thank you.”

Ajin bowed his head slightly. His black hair brushed against Seokju’s shirt, then moved away. Ajin turned around as Seokju didn’t let go of his hand, causing his arm to stretch out.

Ajin made a confused expression.

“My hand…”

“Oh, sorry.”

Seokju quickly apologized. He was very slow to let go after that. Their palms moved away, fingers brushed, and finally, the two hands completely separated.

Ajin bowed again and turned around. Then, with a pouty gait, he walked unsteadily. Seokju stood in front of him, blocking his path with long strides.

Ajin looked at him as if asking what was wrong. Seokju’s pupils moved busily from side to side. He was trying to find something to keep Ajin a little longer, a little closer. Then, in a rush, he came up with an uncreative remark.

“You haven’t eaten yet, right?”

“No. The Flower Lady is sleeping…”

“Wanna… eat together?”

“….”

Ajin blinked. He turned his head slightly to glance towards the dining room. Loud laughter could be heard from the end of the corridor. Laughing, chatting, clinking glasses.

What would it be like if I sat there? Most likely, I’d just shut my mouth like an uninvited guest. It was obvious that I would feel uncomfortable and others too.

Ajin shook his head horizontally.

“No, thank you. I’ll eat with the lady later.”

“….Okay.”

Seokju’s shoulders, which had been raised with anticipation, dropped. Ajin bowed again for the third time and headed to his room. With a limping stride, he crossed the main hall, turned the corner of the corridor, and unintentionally looked back.

And Seokju was seen standing there. He wasn’t moving, just standing in place, watching my back as if he had no intention of moving until I disappeared completely.

Strangely, the mischief that had been stirring inside me calmed down.

After washing up, Ajin looked into the mirror. He examined his face carefully and then grabbed his bangs.

“My bangs don’t grow well….”

Long ago, his bangs, cut with Jin-geol’s knife, had grown a little. But they never seemed to grow past his eyebrows. The back of his head grew thick and unruly, and when he was in the hospital, the Flower Lady had trimmed it, but unfortunately, only his bangs didn’t grow well.

“Strange…”

Ajin pulled his bangs harder. It felt strange to expose his forehead after living with his bangs covering his eyes for a lifetime. Although having a clearer field of vision was good, it felt oddly uncomfortable.

It was because the words Miss Flower had said to him earlier felt like a thorn stuck in his throat.

“Cover your face a bit.”

“Don’t walk around with your head up.”

“What’s the point of those bangs? Your eyes are visible. Push them forward.”

“That’s what I said. If you walk around with your face exposed, it’s an omen of death.”

If someone had mocked him for worrying about it after he had been going on about wanting to die just a while ago, there would be nothing to say. However, even if it was like that, choosing the day to die and suddenly facing death without any reason were completely different issues.

No, but I don’t have any reason to face death. Could it be that the reason Jin-geol cut my bangs wasn’t for that? Didn’t he just cut only my bangs with that sharp knife? In fact, he was supposed to slit my throat back then, but because he couldn’t do it, he ended up dying.

I heard it when I was at the hospital. Jin-geol was killed by Seokju for his foolish actions. Could it be that his death also reversed my omen of death?

“I don’t know…”

Ajin let out a sigh through his nose. Then, he came out of the bathroom, shaking his wet hair and entered the room.

As he returned to the room, holding a towel, he heard singing. It sounded like singing, close to a lively chorus.

Late at night, the organization members who had been drinking in the common room were all scattered, quite drunk. Some were playing ball in the yard, some were smoking on the veranda, and others were gathering to refill their dwindling drinks.

Ajin had come out to wait for the room to quiet down. He was waiting for it to become quiet enough to sleep. He tried to go back to the room quickly. Miss Flower was waiting. She was already asleep, so she wouldn’t be waiting, but it was still strange to leave her alone. She used to worry about what to do if she couldn’t sleep at night, but after eating dinner, she fell asleep shortly after.

“You’ve been sleeping too much these days…”

Ajin murmured worriedly. Sleeping wasn’t an illness, but now, with everything Miss Flower did, even her sleeping too much seemed worrisome. It was when he let out a long sigh. From not far away, the sound of a car was heard.

Ajin’s room was the first room on the right side of the house. So, he could clearly hear the sound of the cars passing by.

But it was rare to hear the sound of a car at this hour. Who could it be at this late hour? Could it be that Seokju really went to buy a cake? He even had such a ridiculous expectation.

Ajin approached the window as if he were possessed. Then, he peeked outside through the slightly open window.

The bright headlights of a car pierced his eyes painfully. Ajin squinted, trying to see through the glare. The car door opened, and a thick, large foot emerged from under the hefty door.

It was the white foot of a woman wearing pointed heels. And behind her, similar feet followed one after another. Soon, the door closed, and their figures were fully revealed.

Beautifully applied lipstick. Short skirts. Shiny, flowing hair. Laughter with a high pitch.

Ajin quickly hid under the window. He hadn’t done anything wrong, he didn’t need to avoid them, and he didn’t even know their faces, but his body moved on its own.

He took a deep breath. He breathed heavily, as if his chest was swelling, and then again. Doeun came to mind. I heard she had died, but at that time, I was so busy that I couldn’t even grieve.

But I didn’t expect her to come to mind like this.

No, everyone in this house must remember her, what she did, Myungjin, the bl00d of Myungjin that was spilled on the floor, and his fingers rolling around here and there. Calling a prostitute again.

Is everyone insane?

A chill ran down Ajin’s spine. He urgently tried to return to the room. But he stopped after a few steps. Then, he turned his head to the left. At the end of the corridor leading to the main hall, Seokju’s room was visible.

Ajin felt his palate dry up as if he had eaten something bitter. He should go to the room. He should take care of Miss Flower. Strangely, his feet didn’t move.

In the meantime, the women entered the house laughing and talking. Two of the organization members welcomed them with smiles like gentlemen. The women who came in went in different directions through the corridor. Some even passed by Ajin’s side. However, they didn’t even receive a momentary glance. Ajin looked just like one of the servants working in this house.

The strong scent of perfume and the fragrance of alcohol lingered in the air. It was a familiar smell to Ajin, who had lived among prostitutes.

Ajin stood still as the women went into different rooms. His slightly trembling knees didn’t know how to move.

At that moment, the woman who had first stepped out of the car entered through the entrance. While the other women were entering, she had been smoking outside. With a small handbag hanging from her hip, she took off her heels. Then, after looking around once, she headed towards the main hall.

The woman’s long hair swayed beautifully. Her steps were graceful, and even vaguely, she seemed to have a pretty face.

Ajin stubbornly followed her back with his unfocused pupils.

Where would she go? Where was she heading? Which door would she stop in front of? Who would be in that room? He was so curious it felt maddening. His breath was caught in his throat. His hand holding the towel was damp.

And finally, she stopped.

Ajin’s heart stopped along with hers.

She knocked on the door. The sound was distant, but Ajin felt as if someone was nailing something into his ears. The corridor seemed to become distant and then, suddenly, close to his nose. Now Ajin was standing shoulder to shoulder with her and in front of the door.

Eternity passed in a few seconds. The corridor was silent as if all the noise in the world had disappeared.

Soon, the door opened, and Seokju appeared. He was smoking, wearing only a bathrobe.

Ajin’s lips, tightly closed, parted as if something had hit him. His body wavered as if he had been hit by something, and he grabbed the pillar and stood. When he twisted his body, struggling to breathe, Seokju extended his head again beyond the corridor.

Confirming the woman’s presence, Seokju stepped aside, indicating her to enter. Without saying a word, the woman walked into the room.

And then, the door closed.

Ajin couldn’t enter the room where the two had disappeared. He couldn’t go in. The firmly closed door seemed to be pounding at Ajin. How dare you peek? Where are you trying to enter? What are you, a lowly male servant, trying to spy on? It sarcastically rebuked him.

Ajin looked at the closed door with eyes that had lost focus. The corridor leading to the door shrank. The walls around him seemed to approach him rapidly. They pressed against his forehead, then his nose, and came so close that he could feel it, making it difficult for him to breathe properly.

It felt like being trapped in a coffin. It felt like being embalmed alive and laid to rest.

He felt miserable, scared, sorrowful, and… angry.

Ajin stood still, feeling helpless. Then, when his weak knees were about to buckle forward, he turned around.