Double Junk - 14

Chapter 14

The troublesome monsoon season had come to an end. The organization’s members had been busy preparing for work since dawn. Breakfast was served a bit earlier than usual.

Seokju, dressed in a white shirt and dress pants, entered the dining room. The organization members greeted him with nods.

“Good morning, boss.”

“You came early today, boss.”

“The weather is bright and sunny today. The wheels of the car are going to roll fast, boss.”

“Yeah.”

Seokju smiled slightly in response to their greetings and took the central seat. The servants quickly began serving the food. Seokju observed them closely, as if searching for someone.

However, they were all unfamiliar faces. With their heads bowed, faces concealed, and fair-skinned legs, they were unrecognizable. Not one of them looked like the young lad, and there was no sign of the lad, even after the last dish was served.

It was only when one of the male servants carefully placed a bowl of soup in front of Seokju that the lad was mentioned. Seokju looked at him and asked.

“Uh, where’s the boy with the legs? I can’t see him.”

“Who, Ajin?”

“Ajin?”

Hearing the name for the first time, Seokju frowned. Come to think of it, he had spent the night with the boy, but he didn’t even know his name. Well, when had he ever asked and remembered the names of those with whom he spent the night? Nevertheless, Seokju was surprised that he didn’t even know Ajin’s name.

The servant hesitated, then asked with a puzzled expression.

“Ajin? Is he not the one with the legs?”

“Ah, Ajin. I guess that’s right. What’s his last name?”

“Last name? He doesn’t have one.”

“No last name? Why not?”

Continuing the questioning, the servant, looking around cautiously, knelt beside Seokju. In a low voice, he began to provide information about Ajin.

“Nine years old. He came to the gambling house where we were. We don’t know if he was kidnapped, sold by his parents, or how he got here. He had no name when he arrived. But he was cute, had a lot of charm, so one of the old men who worked with us gave him a name.”

“That’s Ajin?”

“Yes.”

“It doesn’t seem like a common name.”

“Oh, well, that old man was from Pyeongan Province and spoke the dialect quite heavily. He called evening ‘ajojeonyeo’ or something like that. It means ‘early evening.’ Ajin used to doze off whenever it turned evening. Anyway, he doesn’t have a last name.”

Seokju nodded. Ajin. Early evening. The name seemed to suit him in an odd way. His aura, appearance, and even his preference for the night over the day. Although the world was open-minded, there was still a Korean tradition where the higher-ups should start eating first.

Seokju hesitated for a moment, then took a sip of the soup. With a signal from him, the organization members finally began to eat. Seokju, on the other hand, turned his attention back to the servant.

“So, why isn’t Ajin here today?”

“He’s resting because he’s sick.”

“Sick?”

“Yes, his body is extremely cold, he’s shivering, coughing, and it’s a real mess. I don’t know what illness he has. His skin is all red, so he’s lying in the room with a lot of blankets.”

“…”

“You know, I’ve seen him have a high fever, but this is the first time I’ve seen it go down. Especially during this summer.”

Seokju pressed his lips together. He didn’t have much to say; it was clear that Ajin was ill because of him.

Yes, I treated him so harshly, and if he were perfectly fine now, that would be even worse. I didn’t pay much attention to the gangsters around me. Those guys can laugh even after being slashed with a knife.

The servant nodded and excused himself, heading to the kitchen. Seokju silently stared at the closed kitchen door. It wasn’t as though Ajin was going to appear just because he was in pain.

Ajin woke up late in the morning. He had been lying down all day, so his body felt heavy and sluggish. However, the chills that had been gnawing at him all night had subsided after a good night’s sleep. Slowly, he propped himself up and rubbed his arms. When he glanced at the blanket, he noticed something unusual.

“…”

A thick and luxurious blanket covered him. It wasn’t just thick; it was a high-quality blanket adorned with silk and gold threads. It was evident that it wasn’t an ordinary piece.

It seemed like a blanket suitable for a wealthy household… but how did it end up here?

Ajin was startled and pushed the blanket aside with his foot. It felt heavy. He realized that this heavy object was pressing down on his body.

Ajin scratched his head, looking around. Perhaps he had taken someone else’s blanket, thinking it belonged to him because he had shivered all night. However, the room was empty. It was supposed to be the room where the men who stayed with him lived, but Ajin was alone.

“You slept in.”

Ajin suddenly got up, folded the unfamiliar blanket neatly, and placed it on top of the wardrobe. Even when folded in half, it made a heavy thud, but the blanket was so soft that Ajin couldn’t help but stroke it absentmindedly.

After securing the blanket on top of the wardrobe, Ajin turned around. He saw a neatly placed wooden box on the clean floor. It was a square wooden box with a lid.

Ajin left it untouched, as it wasn’t his to touch. Even if you live with nothing, you shouldn’t do bad things. That’s what Hwadan, the older sister, used to say. She said that even if you don’t go to the police station or get a beating, you’ll eventually face consequences for your actions, and karma will catch up with you.

Ajin changed into clean clothes. Among the clothes hanging in the wardrobe, there was the shirt Seokju had given him two days ago. It was an exceptionally fine piece among the rags, even though it was considered trash by others.

“…I have to return it.”

He still didn’t have the courage to show his face, not just yet. Maybe later.

Ajin suddenly shut the door, noisily so. He had to go clean the hallway and the floor as usual. However, a passerby, Flower Lady, stopped him and handed him something. It was a small brown bottle containing medicine, along with something that looked like herbal medicine.

“Take it. It’s good for your health. Heat it up before bed, and drink a cup of herbal medicine.”

“Ugh… Did you buy this, Auntie? It’s expensive, you know?”

“…No.”

“Then?”

“I don’t know. I found it. Just take it.”

Flower Lady handed the medicine to Ajin, then walked away without saying anything more. Ajin stared at the bottle, sniffed it, and a pungent and thick scent rose from it. He grimaced, tilting his chin back and swallowing it.

That was the beginning of strange days.

After the dinner with the Taeho faction, Ajin, as usual, sat by the sink and began to wash the dishes. However, his cheek itched. Someone lurking in the darkness far away was watching Ajin.

It had already been an hour. Maybe they thought they weren’t seen, but with their large build, broad shoulders, and shining eyes, even in the dark, Ajin couldn’t miss them.

Ajin sighed deeply, washing a pot. Tonight, there was steamed egg on the menu for the Taeho faction, so there was a lot to clean. Egg dishes were among the organization members’ favorites. Flower Lady, in particular, made it better than usual, adding a bit more salt and sprinkling red pepper flakes. Ajin liked it too. It was soft, tasty, and full of flavor.

Ajin was preoccupied with these thoughts and tried to ignore the gaze from the darkness. The girls who sat around him exchanged nervous glances.

“Why is the boss standing over there?”

“I don’t know. Is he watching us do the dishes?”

“The boss? Watching us wash dishes? Why?”

“Maybe he wants to see if there’s any rice left stuck to the bowls.”

“Really? We’re so thorough with the dishes. Ajin, do you know something?”

The question arrowed towards Ajin, who hesitated before replying, “I’m not sure, but I don’t think he came here to scold us.”

“How do you know?”

“If he intended to scold us, wouldn’t he have just come over and hit us on the head with a pot instead of waiting until we finish washing the dishes?”

Ajin held up a foam-covered pot to make her point.

The older sisters fell silent. She had a point. After all, weren’t those crazy people at the gambling den known to cut someone’s throat for asking a single question? If they did something that annoyed them, they’d be dead on the spot.

The girls busily wiped the dishes. But Ajin was the slowest. He knew that once he finished this dishwashing, an uncomfortable encounter awaited him.

“Ajin, would you like some help?”

The sisters, who had already finished their dishwashing, asked softly. Ajin smiled faintly and nodded. They cheerfully bid farewell and left, aware of Seokju’s presence.

Ajin was alone when Seokju came up, his wide hanbok making the sound of a crackling cigarette’s odor wafting in Ajin’s nose. He sat down beside her on a small stool.

“Let me help you.”

Seokju reached over and pulled the pot that Ajin was washing toward him. Then he picked up a scrubbing brush and started cleaning.

Startled, Ajin jumped back and said, “What are you doing?”

“I’m washing dishes.”

“But why are you, as the boss, doing this?”

“So what? It’s my dish, so I’m washing it.”

“This is mine!”

“Yours? Did you buy it?”

“No, no, it’s my job!”

“I’ll help.”

“Why, Boss? You don’t even know how…”

Ajin glanced at Seokju. He had expected him to do something when he came, but he hadn’t expected him to wash dishes. Seokju, who ignored her words, chuckled. His attractive lips curved upward.

“Why? Have I never done something like washing dishes before?”

“Have you?”

“Well, I haven’t been a gangster my whole life.”

“Since when were you a gangster?”

“From a young age. But not my whole life.”

Ajin considered how it seemed like he’d been a gangster all his life but didn’t dare say it out loud. Instead, he discreetly swallowed his words.