Double Junk - 205

“He’s the director, you know? He just won an award at Cannes. He’s the most important guest here today. You want to make him wait?”

He looked like he was about to scream. Seokju furrowed his brows. His face showed not so much embarrassment, but irritation, as if saying, “How dare you put anything above Ajin?”

In the tense atmosphere, Ajin lightly ran his hand from Seokju’s elbow to his wrist.

“I’m fine. I can go by myself.”

As he tried to take the key card from Seokju’s hand, Seokju firmly spoke again.

“Tell him to wait.”

“…”

“Secretary Hwang, instead of bothering yourself, why don’t you go to the hotel bar or cafe and have something cold while I take care of this? The director is known for being stubborn when he drinks, so it’s better to wait until he’s completely drunk.”

Myungjin’s mouth opened, but he couldn’t say anything and stepped back. His bewildered expression disappeared as the elevator doors closed. Ajin, feeling a bit sorry, awkwardly raised the corners of his mouth.

The room Seokju had reserved was spacious and neat. Two walls had large windows, and there were two bedrooms, a dining room, and a separate living room. The high ceiling had a chandelier that looked a little old, and a large painting hung on the wall, though it was unclear what it depicted.

Ajin immediately took off his shoes. As usual, he didn’t wear slippers and walked into the room.

“Are you hungry? You couldn’t even eat breakfast because you were nervous,” Seokju asked as he arranged Ajin’s shoes. He hung Ajin’s suit jacket on a hanger in the dressing room, and Ajin’s voice came from a distance.

“I had a little something earlier, so I’m fine. I’m just hot… and uncomfortable…”

Seokju, who came out to the living room, turned the air conditioner to the lowest setting. Ajin was lying on the large sofa, wiggling his aching feet.

“Should I order some shaved ice?”

Seokju placed the hotel slippers under the sofa. He knew Ajin wouldn’t wear them, but it was a habit of his to take care of everything.

Ajin suddenly lifted his head. His navy blue eyes sparkled.

“Shaved ice?”

“Yeah. You like mango shaved ice here.”

“Really? I do?”

Ajin hummed, unsure. A faint image of something yellowish seemed to come to his mind.

“You like it. I know.”

Seokju sat at the end of the sofa where Ajin was lying. Ajin nodded his head.

“Yeah. Let’s eat.”

If Seokju said so, then it was fine.

Seokju smiled gently and opened the room service menu. Ajin crawled over to sit next to him and began browsing through the menu filled with delicious-sounding foods. Seokju picked up the phone on the side table.

“Yes, hello. This is room 2801. I’d like to place a room service order. Yes. One mango shaved ice, please.”

“Cheesecake, too.”

Ajin whispered in a soft voice. Seokju chuckled and patted the back of his head.

“Cheesecake, too.”

“Uh… grapefruitade. Grapefruitade, too.”

“Grapefruitade and—”

Seokju raised his eyebrows, asking if there was anything else Ajin wanted to order. Ajin shook his head as he scanned the menu.

“Croque Monsieur, please. Yes, those four items. Thank you.”

Seokju hung up after a brief greeting. Ajin flipped through the menu and found the Croque Monsieur. When he saw the crispy sandwich with ham and cheese inside, he smiled in satisfaction.

Seokju slowly untied Ajin’s tie and neatly rolled it up, placing it on the coffee table. Ajin, feeling more relaxed, laid down on Seokju’s lap.

Seokju gently wiped the sweat off Ajin’s forehead with his palm.

Ajin closed his eyes, feeling the touch. Then, he puckered his lips and asked.

“Shouldn’t you go downstairs?”

“It seems that way.”

“If I throw a tantrum and tell you not to go, you won’t go, right?”

“Yeah.”

Seokju answered without hesitation. Ajin smiled like a mischievous child. Seokju gently pressed his thumb against the corner of Ajin’s lips and let go.

“What about the director?”

“If he gets drunk, he’ll be fine. He’s famous for being like that.”

“What if he doesn’t get drunk?”

“Secretary Hwang is capable. He’ll handle it well. If he starts crying later, we’ll give him a bonus and a vacation…”

Seokju, with narrowed eyes, listed ways to calm Myungjin down. Ajin giggled. He didn’t want to let Seokju go if it was something he could handle alone. He wanted to enjoy the room service with him.

Just as Ajin was about to say something, Seokju’s chest vibrated with a low hum. Seokju took his hand off Ajin’s face and took out his phone. The name of the PR team leader appeared on the screen. Seokju lightly swiped the screen with his thumb and answered the call.

“Yes, team leader. Yes. I understand. Ah, right now. Yes.”

Seokju responded attentively while looking down at Ajin. There was a hint of discomfort around his eyes. Ajin pouted, then silently mouthed,

“Go ahead.”

It couldn’t be helped. Seokju wasn’t doing something else; he was just handling his own work. Ajin couldn’t throw a tantrum like a child. If the event went wrong, he would feel sorry for Seonhwa and Mijin, who came all this way for him.

“Yes, I’m going now.”

After finishing the conversation, Seokju ended the call and made a more disappointed expression than Ajin.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Ajin nodded. Seokju lightly patted his cheek as if he were proud of him.

“If you need anything, call me.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t go outside.”

“Okay.”

Seokju tightly closed his lips and stayed still. Ajin looked up at him with wide eyes, as if asking why he wasn’t leaving. Seokju smiled with a deflated expression on his face. Ajin stared at him for a few more seconds, then suddenly realized he was resting his head on Seokju’s thigh.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Ajin jumped up quickly. Seokju laughed again and looked at Ajin with affection. If he could, he would love to spend a week sitting with that cute little creature, but reality didn’t allow it.

Seokju stood up from the sofa, straightened his suit jacket, and fixed his tie without even looking in the mirror. When he took a step forward, Ajin asked from the sofa.

“Don’t you want to give me a kiss before you go?”

Ajin was sitting with his cheek resting against the back of the sofa. His voice was low and attractive. Seokju paused mid-step, and for a moment, without answering, he stared at the floor. Then, he suddenly turned and walked over to Ajin. He gently grabbed Ajin’s head and kissed him.

Ajin stood in front of the bathroom mirror, touching his swollen lips. He had teased Seokju earlier, and now his lips were sore. The lip balm he had put on earlier was completely gone, and his lips were red and swollen. His mouth and throat felt sore from being kissed and kissed again.

“All I asked for was a kiss…”

Though he felt like he lost out a little, he was happy. Ajin smacked his lips and turned on the water to wash his hands. He looked at his face in the mirror—his makeup felt suffocating, and his hair was stiff like a broom. He figured he should shower first.

Ajin adjusted his shirt, which had slipped out of his pants. He could still feel the spots on his waist and back where Seokju had touched him. After their first time, Seokju no longer hesitated to touch his own body. It was as if all the boundaries Seokju had set before had disappeared.

Even while kissing, Seokju would slip his hand into Ajin’s pants to grab his butt, or he would touch his back under his shirt, or even grab his chest. However, they didn’t have s3x often. Seokju would only go that far, and if Ajin didn’t show any further signs, Seokju would pull away without hesitation.

Though sometimes it was a little frustrating, it also felt safe. There was no need to feel anxious or scared. It felt secure.

Just as Ajin was about to mess with his bangs that had been swept back, the doorbell rang sharply.

Ding-dong.

Ajin jolted, blinking quickly. Then he remembered that Seokju had ordered room service a few minutes ago.

“Bingsu!” he muttered to himself and quickly walked to the door. He opened it with a click.

“Hello, room service.”

A male employee, with a large cart beside him, greeted him with a bow. He was dressed in a neat suit. Ajin absentmindedly greeted him back. The employee straightened up and grabbed the cart handle.

“Can I come in?”

“Oh, yes. Please come in…”

Ajin moved aside to let him in, but then froze, unable to finish his sentence. His heart sank, dropping to the floor.

The face was familiar.

It was a face he remembered much more clearly than Changdu, and unfortunately, it wasn’t a face he was happy to see.

How should he describe this connection? Yes, it was a bad connection, or an enemy. Someone he hated deeply, someone who appeared in every nightmare.

The dark skin. Prominent cheekbones. Square jaw. Eyes that were fierce to the point of looking wild.

Ajin stared at the employee’s face and slowly lowered his gaze. A name tag on his chest caught his eye.

[MANAGER Park Jin-gul]

Ajin continued to stare at the employee’s face before slowly lowering his gaze again to see the name tag glinting.

It really was Jin-gul. It wasn’t someone who just looked like him—it was the very same Jin-gul from his past life.

Ajin’s body trembled. His face, which had been flushed from the heat, turned pale, as if he had seen a ghost. His body temperature seemed to evaporate, and his hands and feet grew cold. He felt a chill running down his spine.