Double Junk - 22

Chapter 22

The factory entrance was dark, making it impossible to see inside. However, the sounds of things breaking, crumbling, someone shouting, and screaming continued to echo.

Seokju reached for his gun inside his suit jacket pocket, while Myungjin retrieved a large fish knife from his back pocket. The nearby organization members also produced their weapons, and those without any used broken pieces of the fish crates to fashion makeshift clubs.

As they approached the factory, employees with their clothes stained in blood poured out of it in a state of chaos. Their hurried footsteps left red footprints on the ground. In the midst of them, some members of the organization who had just entered the factory under Myungjin’s orders were now supporting others as they emerged.

Seokju and Myungjin were about to rush toward them when a shadow emerged from behind the organization members.

“Screaam!”

A sharp knife pierced through the back of an organization member.

“Drugs, give me drugs!”

The man was skinny, wearing only loosely-fitted pants. His face and body appeared dirty, as if he hadn’t washed for a month. There were glass shards embedded in his shoulder blade, and his thigh had deep cuts and bruises from some sort of ax. Despite all this, he didn’t seem to be in pain or fear. He continued to laugh until his heart stopped beating, seemingly unfazed by the agony.

“A damn junkie…”

Myungjin cursed. Dealing with addicts was often more challenging than fighting experienced brawlers. No matter how hard you hit or break them, they wouldn’t feel pain. They would continue to fight until their breath completely gave out. Moreover, they possessed extraordinary strength, making it challenging to handle them within reasonable bounds.

Seokju fired a shot with his gun.

The bullet went straight through the right side of the skinny man’s chest. Upon impact, the man fell backward. Other organization members nearby rushed to tend to the fallen individuals. Some of them surrounded the skinny man and relentlessly stabbed him with knives.

However, despite multiple gunshot wounds and countless stabs, he continued to laugh and did not show any sign of pain or fear. He even laughed as he lay there, seemingly unaffected by the ordeal.

“Damn junkie…”

Myungjin muttered, struggling with the situation. Addicts were often difficult to deal with. They didn’t feel pain or fear, and their excessive strength made them hard to control within normal boundaries.

Seokju checked his gun’s ammunition. He had used one round, leaving six more. This wasn’t enough. Seokju casually tossed his half-smoked cigarette and picked up a wooden plank from the scattered crates on the floor. Myungjin raised an eyebrow.

“Hyungnim?”

“There’s more.”

“Uh… sure?”

Just as Myungjin questioned him, eighteen men rushed out of the factory. They all looked similar to the skinny man, thin and dirty, with their mouths, noses, and clothes covered in white powder. It seemed they had discovered the drugs in the factory.

They brandished knives and danced vigorously. They waved knives at the organization members, spun around, and screamed loudly. Each one of them was clearly deranged.

All the organization members turned to Seokju, waiting for orders. Seokju glanced at them. Excluding the two fallen individuals and including Myungjin and himself, there were only eight of them. The rest were still at Jongno.

Fighting with fewer numbers than the junkies was not going to be easy. Even if they shot them, unless they hit a vital organ and killed them with one shot, these crazed addicts would keep getting back up.

But what could they do? Even if their arms were cut off, it would take more than that to stop the relentless addicts.

Seokju lightly swung the wooden plank in his hand and nodded. The organization members roared and charged at the addicts.

Late in the afternoon. Ajin, having finished sweeping the veranda, was in the kitchen, trimming bean sprouts. Compared to onions or potatoes, it was an easy task. He sat down, his toes leisurely tapping away.

Tonight’s dinner was bean sprout bulgogi. It was a dish where plenty of bean sprouts were stir-fried with spicy seasoning to create a sweet and crispy texture. Other side dishes included beef and seaweed soup, braised eggplant, pumpkin pancakes, and more.

While the servants would generously ladle rice into the seaweed soup, the organization members would still have the chance to taste the leftover bean sprout bulgogi. Lady often prepared extra, ensuring there was enough for the servants to have a few bites.

Ajin kept swallowing his saliva as it constantly formed between his teeth while letting go of the ends of the bean sprouts. It was when his itchy legs forced him to lift his buttocks.

Dang, dang, dang!

The bell rang. It was a loud sound that made the large house tremble. The servants, each busy with their tasks, quickly turned their heads. Ajin also widened his eyes.

“What’s going on? Why have they arrived now?”

“Dinner isn’t prepared yet!”

“What time is it?”

“It’s 4:30, 4:30.”

“Don’t they usually come around 7? Even if they finish work at 6, why are they here so early?”

“Oh, I don’t know. What kind of gangsters finish work in broad daylight.”

The servants made a commotion. In response, the lady of the house banged the pot lid with a ladle.

“You girls, why so chatty? It’s because he’s the boss, he comes home when he pleases. Go out and greet him.”

At her words, the servants threw off their aprons and turned off the gas stove. Ajin quickly wiped his wet hands on his pants and then followed the other servants out through the front door.

Ajin, as usual, arrived last and stood at the far end. He had run on the dirt floor, making his knees ache, and his breath was heavy. Ajin wiped the sweat on his forehead with his bangs, and as his itchy leg was raised toward his hip, the door opened, and a car came in.

Ajin extended his neck to gaze at the car. It was to see Seokju, who would be the first to get out of the car.

When Ajin first came to this house and saw the car, he felt a shiver down his spine. But after seeing it for months and concentrating only on Seokju getting out of the car, it wasn’t as terrifying as before.

The black car came to a halt. The thick, heavy door opened, and men in traditional Korean shoes stepped out. Strangely, their shoes were covered in stains. The servants diligently polished the organization members’ shoes every morning, so it was a mystery where and how they got them so dirty.

Ajin furrowed his brow in annoyance. Seokju got out of the car, followed by other organization members. Simultaneously, the servants huddled together and whispered to each other.

“Oh my, oh my…”

“It’s so gruesome…”

“Ugh, I can’t bear to look.”

Ajin clenched his lips. His eyes trembled as if in an earthquake.

The organization members were donning crimson robes. If it were someone else’s blood, they might have seemed like monsters, but at a glance, it was evident that their condition was far from normal.

Arms and thighs were haphazardly torn, some had their jawbones sliced, causing their upper bodies to be drenched in blood. Others had been punctured somewhere, and with each breath, blood spurted from their mouths.

Their well-pressed suits were soaked with blood, and the usually clean jeogori were hastily used to stop the bleeding.

Ajin’s eyes, which had struggled to focus amid this crimson spectacle, finally found Seokju.

But before Ajin could fully locate Seokju, the organization members had busily entered the house. The dirt floor they had passed over was now vibrant with blood. Ajin stared blankly at the car’s wheels and the blood-splattered around.

At that moment, one of the organization members approached the lady of the house. He was a member of the organization in a lower position than Myungjin.

“Prepare dinner at the usual time. Make porridge and heat up a pot of hot water. Prepare clean towels, and plenty of them.”

“Yes.”

The lady nodded. Ajin, standing by her side, bit his lip. He wanted to ask, “Is the boss also injured? Is he seriously hurt?” He was about to step forward, but the lady held Ajin’s elbow and pulled him behind her.

Thankfully, the organization members didn’t spare Ajin a glance and hurriedly left.

“Why are you acting like that, lady?”

Ajin asked irritably. The lady’s eyebrows shot up fiercely.

“Don’t sass me. I told you to live quietly.”

“I am living quietly. How can I live any quieter here?”

“Noisy idiot. You’re still grumbling. Go to the kitchen and heat the pot.”

“Gee…”

Ajin mumbled and turned away. He limped toward the kitchen through the yard, but he meticulously observed the inside of the house.

Yet, he couldn’t spot Seokju.

Ajin filled a large basin with hot water. The male servants swiftly carried it outside and emptied it. Not long after, the basin returned, dyed a bright red. Ajin rinsed it and refilled it with water.

After about an hour, various rumors reached his ears.

“They say they pulled doctors from the Jongno Hospital. They paid a lot and even threatened them with knives.”

“Yeah, the floor is entirely covered in blood. It’s going to take a while to clean it up. If we keep scrubbing the floor, blood will keep flowing. Could it be haunted?”

“They say two of them died? And a gang of quacks swarmed in.”

“The atmosphere is really grim. They’re all wearing veils as if they’ve been to a funeral.”

“Did they say they died? Then it must be a funeral.”

“Isn’t the Taeho Faction going down? Where will we go? This place pays the most… The gangsters don’t act like gangsters anymore…”

“Why go down? Just ten out of nearly a hundred got hurt…”

Ajin listened to their chatter like a cat and pricked up his ears. But not a single person mentioned Seokju. Who’s the dead one? Whose blood is on the floor? Who are the ten injured ones!