Double Junk - 152

“Ajin’s house?”

“Yeah. Hmm… that’s strange. Talking about Ajin’s house. Anyway, let’s go to Ajin’s house.”

“Are you going to meet Ajin?”

“No. Ajin wouldn’t like that.”

“……”

“I’m just going to look at the house. Just the house. Quietly. Without Ajin knowing…”

Seokju didn’t want to do anything Ajin would dislike. He put on his traditional coat and briskly left the gukbap restaurant. His sudden action left the members of the group confused, not knowing what to do, glancing nervously at Myungjin, waiting for orders.

Myungjin silently watched Seokju’s broad back. Then he followed behind him, smoothing out the coat’s awkwardly folded collar.

“If you’re just going to the front of his house, why wear a tie and a traditional coat?”

At those words, Seokju suddenly stopped. After blinking a few times, he scratched his forehead.

“Well… you never know. What if I run into Ajin by chance?”

After saying that, Seokju let out a self-deprecating laugh. “What a fool,” he muttered. But his steps toward Ajin’s house didn’t stop. Though he hadn’t visited since Ajin moved, the path was familiar. He had walked it dozens of times in his mind every day.

“Brother, if we walk, we won’t get there until morning.”

Myungjin pulled Seokju towards the car. “Ah, right… of course…” Seokju nodded and slumped into the car.

That night, Seokju fell asleep in the car parked in front of Ajin’s house.

It was the first time he’d slept in a week.

Ajin brought Suncheol into his house. They both knew each other’s situation, so there was no need to awkwardly glance at each other over a wall. Besides, it bothered him that Suncheol was standing outside all day.

At first, Suncheol felt uneasy.

“This doesn’t feel right…”

“Isn’t this how surveillance is supposed to work?”

“Ah, I got caught off guard… Seokju didn’t say much, but still… Is this really okay…?”

Ajin, sensing Suncheol’s discomfort, had him sit on the garden bench. He would make him drinks like barley tea, peel fruit, or bring snacks to share. Gradually, the awkward atmosphere disappeared. Ajin then started chatting away without Suncheol even asking.

“I’m going to plant seeds in the garden soon.”

“I’m watering the plants today. Since it’s spring, they say the sprouts will come up quickly. I read it in a book.”

“The clothesline is loose, and the laundry keeps sliding to one side. Could you help me tie it? My leg’s like this…”

“Would you like lunch? I just need to scoop out one more bowl of rice.”

After a week, Ajin knew all about Suncheol’s family, what they did, how well his mother cooked, how much his father cherished her, and how rude his only younger sister was. They had grown that close.

During this time, Myungjin also stopped by once, bringing Deokjae along. They came with a lot of rice cakes as housewarming gifts and handed them out to the neighborhood. After having a drink at Ajin’s house, they left.

Thanks to those people, Ajin didn’t feel lonely. He even started greeting the neighbors. Yesterday, the family next door shared some pancakes, and Ajin ate them with Suncheol.

His life was full, yet strangely, there was an emptiness in his chest.

While brushing his teeth before bed, Ajin let out a deep sigh.

“Is he not coming, or is he unable to come…?”

He muttered the words absentmindedly, then startled himself. Biting down on his toothbrush, his eyes darted around anxiously. Who was he talking about? Could it be Seokju? Was he unknowingly thinking about him?

“I must be crazy… completely crazy…”

He had left Seokju’s house to avoid seeing him. Yet now, he was waiting for him to visit? He must have lost his mind. This wasn’t right. He needed to forget him. Only then could the past related to him fade away.

But maybe it was because there were too many traces of Seokju. After all, Suncheol, Myungjin, and Deokjae were all connected to him.

But… I don’t want to distance myself from them… That would make things… too quiet and lonely…

Ajin pulled the toothbrush from his mouth and spit out the foam. Then, in a half-dazed state, he finished brushing his teeth and washed his face. His wet hair drooped forward, heavier than usual with water. The weight of it annoyed him.

Brushing his hair back carelessly, Ajin glanced at the mirror.

“It’s gotten long…”

When he was living at Seokju’s house, his bangs never seemed to grow long, which he found strange. Now, they had grown out and covered half his vision. Though it was his natural hairstyle, it felt uncomfortable and irritating.

“…Should I cut it?”

There was no longer anyone like Miss Flower to scold him for having short hair, and Jin-geol, who would’ve endangered him, was dead. Perhaps it was time for a fresh start with a new haircut. After all, letting his bangs hang down gloomily like this probably made him look unpleasant, like a gloomy man.

Ajin twisted his head left and right, trying to see his hair from different angles.

The next afternoon, after lunch and finishing some chores, Ajin got dressed and gathered a little money before heading out the door. Suncheol, who was lying on the bench with his fedora covering his eyes, was snoring loudly. It seemed he had drunk too much the previous night during Deokjae’s birthday celebration.

Ajin limped over to the bench and sat down. Then, he gently shook Suncheol awake.

“Suncheol-hyung. Suncheol-hyung.”

“……”

“Suncheol-hyung…”

At the constant calling of his name, Suncheol choked and gasped for breath before opening his eyes. His fedora had rolled off to the side. Suncheol, attacked by the glaring sunlight, furrowed his brow. Ajin picked up the fallen fedora and handed it to him.

“I’m going to the barber to get my hair cut.”

“Uh, uh…”

“Should I go alone?”

“No, no. We should go together. Let’s go.”

Suncheol sprang up and stretched with a groan. Ajin headed towards the gate first. Suncheol, with his healthy legs and quick pace, would catch up soon.

While Suncheol twisted his stiff body, he fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his pistol. After checking the magazine and bullets, he strode quickly behind Ajin.

* * *

On a Monday morning, the doorbell rang. It was the usual time for the doorbell to ring. It was always Suncheol. Ajin hurriedly went to the gate to open it.

It was annoying to do this every time. Maybe he should just copy a key to the gate and give it to Suncheol. While thinking this, he opened the door and bowed.

“Suncheol-hyung, you’re here…”

Ajin, lifting his head, tightly closed his gaping mouth.

“Ajin, hello.”

The voice delivering the greeting was unfamiliar. Though Suncheol had a gruff voice, the voice calling his name was low yet sweet.

Ajin blinked slowly. His surprised eyelashes fluttered widely.

“…Boss?”

The person who had rung the doorbell was none other than Seokju. Still with his handsome face and neatly dressed in a suit, Seokju, with his large frame, seemed to block out the sunlight, casting a shadow that almost swallowed him up. It had been a while since Ajin had seen Seokju.

Startled by the sudden visit, Ajin was frozen, unable to react. Seokju smiled, pulling the corners of his mouth up.

“I heard you got your hair cut.”

“…Yes? Ah, yes. I got it cut yesterday.”

Ajin pressed down his hair from the crown to the bangs with his palm.

He had just gotten out of bed and was still groggy. It was embarrassing. Seokju, standing before him, looked impeccably neat and polished. Ajin, in his old clothes, felt exceedingly shabby.

Flustered, Ajin swept his hair around. The already messy hair became even more disheveled. Seokju slowly reached out his hand. Ajin flinched but didn’t step back. Seokju’s hand soon touched his hair.

With a gentle touch, Seokju tidied Ajin’s hair. His fingers moving between the strands felt oddly vivid.

“I came to see how your haircut turned out.”

“Ah…”

“I was so curious. I couldn’t imagine it even if you told me.”

Withdrawing his hand, Seokju gazed intently at Ajin’s face. His hair had been cut quite short. The bangs that used to flutter near his eyelashes were now up to his eyebrows, and the back of his head, which had been bushy, was now neatly trimmed. His ears and face were fully exposed, looking quite… handsome.

Seokju had come because he couldn’t imagine how the haircut looked based on Suncheol’s description, which said, “It’s cut neatly like this and that, shorter here, shorter there, and the ears are visible.” He was glad he came.

Ajin looked even more beautiful than he had imagined. He looked like a sparkling youth. Fresh, innocent, and bright.

“It’s just a little cut… It’s my first time getting a haircut at a barber, so it feels a bit awkward…”

Ajin scratched his neck as he spoke. Seokju shook his head firmly.

“No, it suits you well. You look great.”

“…Thank you.”

Ajin smiled awkwardly and bowed. A silence followed. The chirping of sparrows in the early morning, the distant sound of a child’s laughter, and the engine noise from Seokju’s car parked at the gate peacefully floated over the silence.

Seokju was the first to break the silence.

“Maybe I should have called…”

He had briefly considered calling but couldn’t bring himself to do it, fearing Ajin might ask him not to come. When Ajin would ask why he came, he wasn’t sure he could honestly say it was just to see the haircut.

He was embarrassed that he had endured so much, and over something as trivial as a haircut, he couldn’t hold back and rushed over.