Double Junk - 25

25

Yet, Ajin couldn’t open his eyes. Seokju chuckled. Nevertheless, he was quite a coward… Ajin’s blush and flustered expression were endearing. Seokju gently flicked his lips that stuck out like a duck’s beak with his index finger and lifted him up.

“Uh…”

Ajin twitched his arms and legs, but quickly gave up. He had learned during the days they had spent together that he couldn’t get out of his embrace until he let him go.

Ajin clasped his hands neatly under his chin and entrusted himself to Seokju. Then he asked, “Where are we going?”

“The bathroom.”

“Why?”

“I need to soak it in cold water.”

“You don’t really need to…”

Ajin wiggled his foot. It hurt and stung, but it wasn’t unbearable. Ajin despised pain but had a high tolerance. Having lived through hardship, he had developed a strong spirit. However, the words he wanted to say were blocked by his front teeth, which he clicked in irritation.

Seokju reached the bathroom stubbornly despite whatever Ajin said. The bathroom was slightly cooler than the room. The large window allowed the summer crickets’ chirping to resound brightly.

Seokju cleaned the small table next to the bathtub and seated Ajin there. Then he went back to the room and brought a basin. It was a basin with his own handkerchief floating on it, soaking with blood.

Seokju poured out the bloody water and carelessly threw the handkerchief onto the sink. Ajin’s lips twitched when he saw that. If he left it like that, the sink would be stained. He should rinse the handkerchief quickly to get rid of the blood. Those thoughts lightly touched his mind, almost absentmindedly.

Seokju poured cold water into the basin, and after testing the temperature with his hand, he placed it beneath Ajin’s feet. He carefully led his thin ankles into the water. Then he began gently dabbing the cool water over his red instep.

“Does it hurt?”

Seokju asked.

“A bit.”

Ajin replied. It was a vague answer, but Seokju seemed to interpret it as, “It hurts so much I feel like I’m dying.”

Seokju continued to gently apply the water, his touch cautious and delicate. Ajin watched him silently.

This handsome gangster boss was strange. He worried about him, wiped his eyes and nose, and genuinely cared. He remembered how the boss of the gambling den warned that if the workers complained about feeling unwell or did half-baked work, he’d break their necks.

Ajin wriggled his toes. His instep was stinging and it was difficult to immerse his foot in the cold water. The sensation of her spine tingling occasionally made him tremble.

Ajin was about to say that he was cold when he opened her mouth. Drops of sweat were visible on Seokju’s forehead. He appeared to be much hotter than Ajin. Frowning occasionally, he seemed to dislike the heat. Despite putting his hand in cold water, he seemed to be burning up. Ajin couldn’t understand this at all.

“Boss.”

“Yes.”

“You’re sweating.”

“It’s fine.”

Seokju held Ajin’s small foot again. Examining it under the light, he seemed to be confirming if the redness had subsided. It appeared that he would need to consult a doctor for a detailed diagnosis.

Seokju placed Ajin’s foot back in the water. His white hand reached out, and his thin fingers dangled in her field of vision. Then, they quickly snatched the coldness from Seokju’s neck.

For a moment, the fingers that touched and then dropped felt as cold as ice. It didn’t seem real at all.

“…”

Seokju stiffened abruptly. Even his slow eyelashes stopped moving. The sweat that was slowly trickling down his forehead paused. Ajin, however, gently picked up the sweat with his fingers. The sensation of his fingertips was cold, causing Seokju to shudder and shake his shoulders.

He looked at Ajin slowly.

Ajin remained expressionless. His eyelids were halfway closed as he gazed at Seokju. His navy blue irises were darker than usual. His face seemed new, and there was a sense of unfamiliarity as if he were seeing Ajin for the first time.

Amid the white coldness emanating from Ajin, his moon-like beauty, Seokju’s heart began to beat loudly, thump, thump, thump.

Already, the summer’s typical heat made it feel as though their blood was boiling. Their hearts were pounding so hard that it felt like their bodies might explode. The sound of their breathing and heartbeats echoed loudly in their ears.

At that moment, Ajin reached out both hands towards Seokju. His fingertips, bathed in the bright light, touched Seokju’s cheek. In an instant, his hand enclosed Seokju’s cheek. The cold hand instantly absorbed the searing heat.

“Wow, Boss, you’re incredibly hot,” Ajin said with a faint smile, squinting his eyes lightly. Seokju’s lips slightly parted in response.

“You…”

“…”

“You’re truly…”

Seokju struggled to form the words, but couldn’t find a suitable response. He remained frozen while Ajin absorbed all of his warmth. His forehead, previously covered in sweat, rapidly cooled down.

Ajin withdrew his hand without any hesitation. Seokju was still in a rigid state. Ajin shook his foot back and forth.

“Boss, my foot is itching.”

“Oh, um, okay.”

Seokju quickly brought a basin and poured out the water. He then fetched a soft, new towel and dried Ajin’s foot. As the seconds passed, his wandering thoughts gradually returned.

While inspecting Ajin’s refreshed foot, Seokju muttered, “Is this scar fading? I’ve been stabbed with a knife many times, but I’ve never had a scar, so I’m not sure.”

“What does it matter if there’s a scar? My leg is already messed up. Who cares about it?”

Ajin said as he stood up from the small table. Despite referring to himself as “messed up,” he didn’t feel embarrassed at all. It was as if he heard and lived with that label every day. Even in an age where “messed up” was a common curse, not many referred to themselves that way.

Seokju was not pleased with how Ajin worded it. He flicked his nose with his index finger, making a sharp jab.

“Ah!”

Ajin held his nose with both hands. For a moment, he thought his nasal bone had been twisted. Tears welled up. He stared at Seokju without fear. However, Seokju didn’t even flinch.

“I care.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re mine.”

“…”

Seokju chuckled and then headed out of the bathroom. “Follow me. I’ll apply the ointment.” Ajin clenched his teeth. He remembered what he had said a while ago.

“I’ll pay you well, give you time off if you’re sick, listen to your requests, and if someone tries to make your life miserable, I’ll step in and get revenge for you.”

“I’m responsible because I took away their homes and workplaces and brought them here.”

Reluctantly, Ajin followed him. Seokju rummaged through a drawer and eventually found a half-empty ointment.

“Sit on the couch.”

Following Seokju’s command, Ajin sat down quietly. Seokju, as before, knelt by his feet and squeezed the ointment onto his palm. He gently applied it to Ajin’s instep, and the familiar, slightly greasy smell of the ointment reached his nostrils.

Sniffing involuntarily, Ajin cautiously addressed Seokju.

“Um… Boss.”

“Yes.”

Without raising his head, Seokju replied. Although it was just his instep, he was paying meticulous attention while applying the ointment. Ajin watched him closely, wondering why he was being so thorough.

“I’m one of the sisters who work in the kitchen.”

“Yeah.”

“There’s Sister Isunee. She also cleans your room and brings you condoms.”

“Oh, I see who you mean.”

“Yesterday, Sister Isunee was doing the laundry and fell, injuring her elbow.”

“Yeah.”

“She applied ointment to her elbow. Did she do the same for you?”

Out of the blue, Seokju raised his head. His face expressed puzzlement.

“…No?”

“She’s also one of your people. Otherwise… Uh…”

Ajin’s eyes shifted randomly. Seokju could easily see through his thoughts.

Seokju chuckled. Wiping his hands with a towel, he sat down beside Ajin. The couch sank to one side due to his weight. Ajin slid down, ending up right next to Seokju. He wrapped his arm around her waist and whispered softly in her ear.

“You’re special, Ajin. You’re so special that I apply ointment personally to you.”

I don’t do it for anyone else.

Ajin blinked his eyes, then burst into laughter, his lips parting in a bright smile. He felt a warm sensation in his heart, which had always been cool. Ajin brushed his forehead casually. His palm was damp with sweat.

It had been a long time. It was hot.

Rain fell on and off from early in the morning. Whenever the ground seemed to dry up, a heavy shower would come. Oddly enough, the sky remained clear, and the sun was bright. Thanks to the rain, the heat was more bearable. Opening the doors of the entire house allowed a cool breeze to flow through.

As a result, Seokju and his organization members, even in their suits and ties, could avoid sweating profusely.

“Seems like Sangpil and Deoksu didn’t like the heat, so they exerted themselves, huh? Kids, they’re doing well even up there.”

Myungjin, holding a black umbrella, laughed in the drizzle. Seokju, wearing a funeral badge, joined in his laughter.

“It seems that way.”

Today was the day of the funeral for the organization members who had died in the attack by the drug peddlers at the Incheon factory.

The solemn and simple funeral was held in the backyard of the house. It was different from the flashy funerals held by other gangsters, with no flower wreaths or mourners.

After the quiet funeral, everyone sat down to eat and drink. No one cried or seemed sad. Unless they were wearing mourning clothes, it could have been mistaken for a feast.