Double Junk - 174

At the end of the workday, Ajin climbed into the passenger seat as usual. Seokju closed the door for him and got into the driver’s seat. The engine started, and the car gently vibrated, soon speeding up as the scenery outside changed quickly. The view, covered in raindrops, became blurry. The sound of rain hitting the car was loud and noisy.

Ajin looked out the window for a moment, then lowered his head to look at his phone. He wasn’t scared of the car anymore. The huge vehicle that had crushed his knee was completely different from the normal cars in this world, so he now saw them as something entirely different. Occasionally, when he saw a big truck on the road, he would flinch, but that was all.

Leaning his body against the back of the seat, Ajin swiped up his phone screen. He was looking at a list of media created by the company. He had recently become interested in work. He wondered if, someday, he might become the real boss and not just the figurehead.

He thought he had seen books about media or films at home. He should look for them too.

Ajin gently stroked the corner of his phone with his finger, making plans to study. Meanwhile, Seokju, who had been glancing at him from the side, licked his lower lip. Then, in a quiet voice, he called out to Ajin.

“Boss.”

“Yes, secretary.”

Ajin immediately placed his phone on his thigh and focused on Seokju. His face had no shadow at all. It was pure and clear. Seokju, who had licked his lower lip again, parted his lips slightly.

“…Did I do something wrong?”

Ajin raised his eyebrows at the sudden question.

“Secretary? Did you do something wrong? No.”

“But… why… never mind.”

Just as Seokju was about to press the accelerator harder, the light turned red. It was as if the traffic signal was urging Seokju to finish his unfinished sentence. With a soft sigh, Seokju stepped on the brake, and silence filled the car.

“If you have something to say, go ahead, hyung.”

Ajin spoke softly. The title had changed to “hyung.” At the company, Ajin always called Seokju “secretary,” but outside, he called him “hyung.” Whether he was aware of it or not, Seokju was very sensitive to the change.

The change in how Ajin addressed him wasn’t very pleasing. Ajin still spoke politely even though he called him “hyung.” It felt too different from their past.

Seokju knew that Ajin had problems with his memory, but while his head could follow, his heart couldn’t keep up.

“…”

Seokju closed his lips tightly and turned his head toward Ajin. His beautiful face filled Seokju’s vision. Seokju’s dark eyes captured every detail of that face.

“I feel like you’ve been keeping your distance from me recently.”

“…Did I… do that?”

Ajin awkwardly pretended not to know. His lips formed an embarrassed smile. Seokju’s eyes darkened in a sad way.

“If you keep distancing yourself like this, I…”

“…”

“…”

Seokju couldn’t continue easily. Ajin tilted his head. It was strange for Seokju to keep starting sentences and then stopping. He wasn’t the type to do that, whether in his past life or now.

“…Me?”

Ajin followed Seokju’s unfinished words, prompting him to speak. Seokju, in a suppressed voice, said,

“I… I’m a little sad.”

Ajin blinked quickly.

“…Sad?”

Why?

No, more importantly, Ajin hadn’t been keeping his distance from Seokju. He had been trying to be independent, trying to adjust to this world, and avoiding bothering Seokju. So how did that turn into him distancing himself?

It didn’t make sense.

Moreover, they weren’t even lovers, right? He didn’t want to become lovers either, so why was Seokju sad?

Ajin furrowed his brow in confusion, and Seokju quickly retracted his words.

“No, I misspoke. Don’t mind it.”

“…”

At that moment, the traffic light turned green. Seokju slammed on the accelerator and smoothly turned the steering wheel. However, Ajin’s gaze stayed on Seokju’s cheek.

In the continuing dream, Ajin was wearing a school uniform. He had on a white short-sleeve shirt, a gray tie, and dark gray pants that fell straight down. In front of him stood Seokju, who appeared slightly younger than he did now.

Seokju was wearing a white t-shirt that looked soft, with a semi-formal jacket.

Ajin stepped forward and stood too close to Seokju, looking up at him. His large eyes sparkled. His skin, clean and flawless, looked even whiter under the light.

‘Is he the new tutor? Wow, he’s so handsome. He’s so tall. His hands are huge.’

‘…’

‘I’m too scared to talk back. My mom probably hired someone like him because I’ve been disrespectful to all the teachers, and this time she doesn’t want me to talk back.’

‘…’

‘I’d get knocked over if I tried to argue.’

Ajin, without hesitation, rubbed Seokju’s arm. It was so big and thick that he couldn’t hold it with one hand. Amazed, Ajin continued to ask questions.

‘What’s your major? Something physical, right? Sports, physical education, something like that?’

Seokju, who hadn’t taken his eyes off Ajin since their first meeting, slowly moved his lips.

‘I majored in business administration. And I don’t hit people.’

Ajin, startled by his deep voice, shrugged his shoulders playfully, then laughed.

“Pfft… That’s a ridiculous answer.”

Laughing with a chuckle, he tilted his head and looked up at Seokju. His small and thin body mixed playfulness and charm in perfect harmony. There were no wrinkles, and it was obvious he was raised with love.

“I like that hyung. I’m Han Ajin. I’m Han Ajin. What’s your name, hyung?”

“…Kang Seokju.”

“Okay, Seokju hyung. No, maybe teacher. Seokju teacher, please work hard and raise my grades.”

“…”

“Then we can see each other for a long time.”

Ajin smiled brightly at Seokju, who stared at him with that innocent smile. Seokju slowly nodded.

The scene soon changed.

Ajin and Seokju were sitting at a desk. Behind them was the familiar library, and in front of them were various reference books spread out.

Ajin placed a mechanical pencil horizontally across his upper lip, puffing out his lips like a duck. Seokju was saying something, but Ajin didn’t seem to be paying attention at all.

Then, the pencil Ajin had been playing with dropped. Seokju picked it up and handed it back to Ajin. Ajin accepted it with a big smile and asked another pointless question.

“Teacher, are you good at basketball? You’re tall and have big hands, so you must be really good.”

“Well… I haven’t played since I graduated from high school.”

“Let’s play basketball together. I really like sports, but I’m not good at basketball. Maybe because I’m short. But I’m average, I guess, and I still can’t play well.”

“Ajin.”

“Let’s do it later. Okay?”

“Sigh… Fine, but let’s focus on studying first.”

Reluctantly, Seokju nodded. Ajin smiled with satisfaction, adjusted his pencil, and started doodling on the workbook. Then, looking at Seokju, he began chatting away again.

“By the way, teacher, you’re still really handsome. You’re probably popular at school, right?”

“No.”

“Big lie. Do you know how rare handsome men are in Korea? My older sister wants to get married, but she says there are no handsome men, so she can’t. That’s why she went to Sweden to study abroad. To find a handsome man.”

“…”

“In this reality, in Korea, no one likes your face? That doesn’t make sense. Unless you’re gay, maybe. But even if you’re gay, popularity doesn’t have much to do with it.”

Ajin made a noise in his throat, tilting his chin. He kept glancing between Seokju’s face and the air, clearly thinking random things.

Seokju sighed again. Then, with one large hand, he grabbed the crooked leg of Ajin’s chair and pulled it closer to himself. Ajin’s body wobbled and then stuck to Seokju’s arm.

“Ajin.”

“Yeah?”

“Read your book.”

“Ugh, what is this… It’s boring.”

“Okay, let’s start here. ‘The premiums paid by members of a risky community and the insurance benefits they receive are based on the accident probability of that community…’”

As Seokju read the passage in a monotonous voice, Ajin rested his chin on Seokju’s arm and asked again.

“Teacher, have you ever had s3x? I’m sure you have.”

Seokju couldn’t hold back anymore and rubbed his forehead. Still, he didn’t push Ajin away from him. There was visible tiredness in his eyes.

“Sigh… Did you ask other tutors those kinds of questions too? That’s sexual harassment.”

“Why would I ask that? Why would I be interested in someone else’s s3x life?”

“Then why ask me?”

“Because I’m curious about you?”

Ajin winked mischievously. His long lashes fluttered cutely. Seokju let out a short laugh. Ajin moved even closer to him, like a cicada sticking to a tree.

“Oh, so… have you had s3x? Huh? Why aren’t you answering?”

Seokju sighed, then rubbed his forehead with the back of his pencil. He then gently cupped Ajin’s cheek with his large hand. The young, soft skin of Ajin completely filled Seokju’s palm. Tilting his head slightly, Seokju locked eyes with Ajin and whispered.

“When you’re older, I’ll tell you.”

With that low voice, the dream ended.