Double Junk - 209

As Ajin gazed at the staff with a feeling of emptiness, a large hand wrapped around his shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

It was Seokju. He was standing beside him, not a hallucination, but real.

His low voice was familiar. His face and eyes were familiar too. But his cool body temperature was different. Instead of the strong smell of cigarettes, there was the soft scent of fabric softener.

Ajin clenched his fist tightly. The bag crinkled as it was squeezed.

He felt wronged. Today, Jin-geol, who had tormented him in his past life, had passed by without causing any trouble. But Seokju, just a hallucination, kept appearing in front of him. A hallucination. Nothing. Yet, another Seokju was already by his side. Why did he keep seeing the past Seokju? He couldn’t understand.

He really couldn’t understand…

While thinking this, Ajin unknowingly called Seokju’s name.

“Hey, hyung.”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t you feel like smoking?”

“…What?”

Seokju’s voice seemed to float in the air. Ajin looked at him with blurry eyes, possibly from the alcohol or something else.

“Try smoking. I think it’d suit you.”

“…”

Seokju’s lips tightened. He alternated his gaze between Ajin’s eyes. It wasn’t such a big question, yet Seokju seemed flustered. After a moment of silence, calming his confusion, Seokju opened his mouth to speak. Ajin smiled slightly.

“I was just joking.”

“…”

Seokju didn’t smile back at that grin. He just stared at Ajin, his face stiff. After a while, Ajin tilted his head towards the store.

“The ice cream will melt. Let’s go inside.”

It suddenly got hot. Ajin hugged the bag full of ice cream like a teddy bear. Still walking unsteadily from the alcohol, he headed toward the store. The shadow of leaves on the streetlight followed him with every step.

Seokju watched his back silently as he walked away.

After taking a shower, Ajin quickly drank two glasses of cold water and soon fell asleep. His cheeks were still a bit red from the alcohol. But it was autumn, so even though he didn’t turn the air conditioner on high, he slept well.

Seokju, sitting on the bed, gently brushed Ajin’s hair aside. Then, unsure if he should disturb his sleep, he reluctantly withdrew his hand.

“…”

Seokju stared down at Ajin for a while. The sight of Ajin sleeping peacefully was so precious. Even though he saw it every day, he couldn’t look away.

Ajin’s closed eyes, his steady breathing, everything was perfect. When Seokju breathed in time with his, it felt like he had entered a different world. A world with no pain, no tears, a heaven-like place. A world where only Ajin existed, and everything else disappeared.

After sitting there for a long time, Seokju finally stood up over an hour later. He had things to take care of, and then he planned to lie down next to Ajin.

He left the room, crossing the living room and heading to the kitchen. It was finally the end of his workday, now that Ajin was safely asleep in bed. He poured whiskey into a clear glass and gulped it down. The drink, without any ice, was strong and bitter.

Seokju moved his Adam’s apple up and down and filled the glass again. Then he searched for his phone and dialed a number. The ringing stopped quickly. Seokju spoke in a flat voice.

“Yes, hello. I’m the person who stayed in room 2801 today. No, there were no issues. Actually, I was wondering if I could get the name of the staff member who delivered room service. They were very kind, and I remember them well. Yes.”

There was a pause on the other end. Seokju could hear the sound of someone typing on a keyboard. He drank his whiskey while waiting. Soon, a name was given to him.

Seokju’s eyes darkened.

“Ah… Park, Jin-geol. Yes, thank you.”

After getting the information he wanted, Seokju put his phone down. He poured more whiskey into his glass, but his eyes caught the honey yuzu tea sitting on the island table. Even after sending off the drunk staff and taking care of Ajin, he hadn’t forgotten it.

Seokju picked up the yuzu tea. The cold tea, once hot, had long since cooled down. It saddened him.

Autumn, the most leisurely yet fastest season of the four, caused the most noticeable changes. The once blue world turned red and orange, and then faded to brown. Soon, fallen leaves began to scatter across the streets. The breeze, which had only felt slightly chilly, quickly became cold and sharp.

During this one season, Ajin changed too. He adapted to the new world, worked hard to learn, and loved passionately.

One early morning, he went jogging with Seokju by the Han River. The cool breeze and the smell of the river made him feel great, like he was a free bird.

On weekends, he went to Jeju Island to see Miss Flower. He spent the whole day at her cafe, helping her with the dishes and sweeping the floor. In the evening, they went to her house for dinner, with Seokju also joining them.

On another day, when Seokju was busy with work, Ajin went shopping at the department store with Seonhwa. They bought clothes, earrings for Seonhwa, and shoes for Seokju. Ajin didn’t know Seokju’s shoe size, so he struggled with it, but Seonhwa surprisingly figured it out in an instant. She even knew Seokju’s shirt size. It seemed Ajin had bought gifts for Seokju more than once.

Ah, and I also received driving lessons from Seokju. Since I was with him every day, I didn’t really feel the need to drive, but seeing the car keys hanging in a row on one side of the room, I suddenly wanted to drive.

So, I learned to drive from Seokju. I was scared at first, thinking about driving that monstrous car! But once I sat in the driver’s seat and held the steering wheel, I felt at ease. According to Seokju, he drove all over the place to the point that it became a hobby. Of course, his favorite thing was buying cars.

Before the lessons, I had read a couple of books about traffic, so maybe they helped, or maybe it was just my body getting used to it. I checked the traffic lights and the navigation, and automatically turned on the turn signal or stepped on the brake. I haven’t reached the point where I truly enjoy it yet, but I’m gradually developing an interest.

Also, I played tennis with Mijin. While Seokju was away for a call, I fell and scraped my knee, which made me get scolded and worried him, but it was still quite fun. It wasn’t a serious injury, but Seokju insisted that I shouldn’t walk for a while, so I ended up crawling around on the bed like a worm for a few days without going to work.

Another thing I’m proud of is that I now attend company meetings. It was the result of consistent studying. Unfortunately, I didn’t take the lead in the meetings or offer any opinions. I couldn’t do that. It’s still too much for me. But I was able to sit still, listen to the employees’ discussions, and understand them.

I was very proud of that, and Seonhwa and Seokju were also very pleased with it. Seonhwa praised me, saying that her youngest son was finally earning his keep. But the truth was, I wasn’t doing anything yet. Seokju just seemed to think it was cute that I sat with wide eyes, listening to the employees’ opinions. He showered me with compliments.

Life was becoming more fulfilling day by day.

I occasionally froze while looking at empty air or strangers, but it didn’t really affect my daily life much. It was just a bit of discomfort. It was much lighter than the inconvenience of limping in my past life.

So, it was something I could easily ignore.

In the dim dressing room, two silhouettes were pressed tightly together, moving vigorously.

“Hnng…”

Ajin, gripping Seokju’s wrist with both hands, sucked on his fingers in her mouth. When the thick p3nis deeply penetrated him, he moaned, spitting out the fingers in his mouth as if gagging.

His body rocked quickly. The stinging slapping of their hips felt good. The throbbing in his abdomen and the tingling pleasure made his legs close in. Seokju then placed one of Ajin’s legs on top of the necktie display case, spreading him wider and deepening the penetration.

“Ah, ugh, nngh…”

“Ah, Ajin…”

Ajin scratched the glass covered in handprints. His carefully styled hair was drenched in sweat and fell forward. The untied necktie was twisted like a pretzel, and his suit pants were crumpled and hanging from her ankles.

It was a late afternoon on the weekend, and I was getting ready to go out with Seonhwa to see an opera performance. I naturally put on a suit, as Seokju had said I should dress neatly. He chose a suit that was a bit looser than the one he wears to the office, and had me wear a soft t-shirt instead of a dress shirt.

Seokju himself wore a suit not too different from his work attire. I stood leaning against the side of the dressing room, watching him get dressed. When he grabbed the necktie, I immediately offered to tie it for him. Seokju raised his eyebrows in surprise, then looked at me with an interested expression.

I confidently stepped in front of Seokju and began tying his necktie. My clumsy hands moved slowly, but I managed to follow the proper sequence.

As I concentrated intently, furrowing my brow, Seokju gently rubbed my furrowed forehead with his thumb. Then he caressed my cheek, softly kneading the flesh, and suddenly showered my face with kisses – on my forehead, nose bridge, and under my chin, pressing his lips against mine.