Double Junk - 38

Chapter 38

Seokju glanced behind him, and Myungjin discreetly looked at Ajin. It meant that having Ajin present during the conversation made him uncomfortable. Seokju was about to say it’s okay, but then he saw Ajin turning pale.

“Go inside and get some rest first.”

Seokju personally opened the door. Ajin, as if he had been waiting, quickly entered the room. Then he closed the wide-open window and crawled under the blanket as if collapsing into it. Seokju, who saw him covering himself with the blanket, closed the door.

“What’s going on?”

Myungjin took a step closer to Seokju.

“I got a call from Jongno Hospital, that guy just woke up.”

Seokju’s eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of “that guy.” He recognized who “that guy” was right away.

A month ago, at the Incheon factory, when they were attacked by the drug dealers. Seokju had almost died when a knife struck him, leaving a snake-like scar on his back.

“Someone” had pushed the drug dealers away with immense strength. One of them fell straight into the sea. The remaining one had pulled the knife from Seokju’s back and thrust it into the “someone’s” belly. “Someone” had its intestines spilling out. On the way to the hospital, another gang member had held “someone’s” intestines in their hands.

“Someone” had suffered the second most severe injuries after the two gang members who had died, and had been in a coma ever since. But today, he finally woke up.

It was good news. However, Seokju couldn’t help but feel a heavy heart. He had saved someone, whether he wanted to or not.

Seokju wiped his cheek.

“…Right. Let’s go to the hospital before work tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“Did you investigate?”

“Oh, yes. Our guy at the factory says he’s a quiet and diligent guy. As you can see, he’s well-built.”

“…”

“Our guy had been working at the factory even before we took it over. He’s 24 years old, and he’s been in Incheon for about three years. Originally, he lived in Seoul, but he moved to Incheon after his younger brother died. He did odd jobs in Incheon, like fishing boats and construction sites.”

“Family?”

“He has a deceased younger brother. He’s not dating anyone. He lives alone.”

Seokju’s eyebrows twitched.

“Why doesn’t a guy his age have a girlfriend?”

“Well, he occasionally visits the red-light district, so I asked the women there too. But they don’t really know him well. Nevertheless, after asking around, there’s no record of him having a girlfriend, causing trouble, or taking drugs.”

“…”

Seokju let out a muffled sigh. His thick neck moved up and down. It was too clean. Well, it was fortunate that he had no flaws, but for some reason, it made him feel uncomfortable.

A new member needed to be careful. He could be someone who would stay and not just be a fleeting connection.

With a serious expression, Seokju added.

“Double-check, just in case. Find out why he ran in without fear, why he tried to save me. We need to know.”

Myungjin raised his eyebrows in response.

“Really? Can’t we just give him a little money and be thankful? He’s a decent guy, but…”

“Look into it.”

Myungjin nodded vigorously. They might need to dig a bit deeper because he could potentially become a member of their family.

“We’ll investigate thoroughly.”

“Sure.”

After finishing his words, Seokju turned around. Myungjin bowed slightly. He had been greeting Seokju until he opened the door. Seokju suddenly turned back and called out to Myungjin.

“Myungjin.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Sleep well.”

At the unexpected sweet farewell, Myungjin looked up. Then he quickly bowed again.

“Yes. Good night to you too, sir.”

“Okay.”

With this short response, the door closed. Myungjin, now at ease, stared at the squeaky door and muttered words that no one would hear.

“You really need to sleep well, sir.”

Ajin, wearing rubber shoes, walked briskly on the cement floor. Newly built, towering buildings surrounded him, and people in Western clothes brushed past him.

Ajin looked up at them as he walked. Suddenly, he realized that his body had shrunk. It was as if he were ten years old again. He also noticed the basket in his hand. The green basket, just hanging on his arm, scraped the ground with each step.

Ajin lifted the basket onto his shoulders. If it got a hole in it, he would be scolded and beaten when he returned.

But no matter how much he lifted it, the basket kept dragging on the ground.

Ajin had always been small since he was young. His bones were thinner compared to other kids his age. It didn’t make sense for him to be the one sent for groceries. His body could barely handle carrying even a bunch of cucumbers.

Ajin let out a deep sigh. Suddenly, the basket became heavier. It had been empty just a while ago, but now it was filled with carrots. The carrots of various sizes were still covered in dirt, making them even dirtier and heavier.

Ajin put the basket down with a thud. His palm stung.

As he lowered his head, he saw his palm had turned red. His fingers, pressed against the basket, also had red marks.

“Ouch…”

Ajin rubbed his hands in the air. While he was blowing on his palms, someone approached him. Then, suddenly, he felt a smack on his head.

“Hey, why did you take so long?”

The boy who was a bit taller than Ajin was his age. Unlike Ajin, he had grown tall quickly. His hands were much larger too. Ajin looked at him with an intimidated expression. Then suddenly, he remembered his name. Jinsu. His last name didn’t come to mind.

Jinsu wasn’t carrying the basket. He was just holding a small carrot and chewing on it.

“Yeah…sorry…”

Ajin apologized with a dejected face.

In fact, going grocery shopping wasn’t Ajin’s task. He was not strong enough to bring back proper groceries, so there was no reason to send him. Normally, an adult would do it, but it was an urgent errand.

Even that errand was initially assigned to Jinsu, but Jinsu had naturally brought Ajin along. Ajin, who was sorting cards with his dry hands, followed him without saying a word.

That was how it always went. Jinsu was always unhappy about something and constantly harassed Ajin, treating him like a nuisance. Whenever he got the chance, he would push him over, hit him with a stick, and even curse at him, making the adults wonder why this kid was so unruly.

But Ajin never rebelled. Once, when he had resisted, Jinsu’s older brother had locked him in the warehouse and beaten him to a pulp. At that young age, Ajin had to realize what it meant to be close to death.

Since then, Ajin had flattened out. As days went by, Jinsu harassed Ajin more. Yet no one sympathized with Ajin or took care of him.

“Stand up straight, you idiot!”

Jinsu smacked Ajin’s head again. Ajin gritted his teeth and quickly lifted the basket. He lifted it with all his strength, but he could only see half of what was ahead of him.

Ajin swayed back and forth under the weight of the basket. Then, a large sedan passed by Ajin with a whoosh, spewing dust. Startled, Ajin quickly stepped aside. He then blankly watched the car move away, kicking up dirt.

“Amazing.”

Ajin, who was muttering to himself, looked ahead again. Jinsu was flying in the sky. Wait… why? As the thought crossed his mind, Ajin, too, began to rise into the sky.

The sky came closer. The roaring of the car engines, like the growl of a tiger, filled his ears. The weight of the heavy basket he had been pressing down with his palms disappeared. The dirt-covered carrots appeared to be floating in the sky.

In a moment of emergency, Ajin descended at a very high speed. Before he could touch the ground, another car hit him. His leg, hitting the glaring headlights, twisted grotesquely. Like an arrow released from a bow, Ajin flew forward.

Ajin rolled on the ground for a while. Then, he stopped with a sense of pain as if his whole body had shattered.

Ajin stared blankly for a while. He could see the sky, the buildings, the spinning car wheels, and amidst them, Jinsu lying on the ground.

Jinsu had his eyes wide open. He was bleeding profusely, and his limbs were twisted like a loose puppet. There was no back of the head.

Ajin let out a faint groan, but no words came out.

“Oh my god!”

“Unbelievable!”

“Someone come over here!”

“Shouldn’t we take him to the hospital?”

“Where are his parents? Only kids were here?”

“What should we do? He’s already…”

People murmured in disbelief, but their voices didn’t last long. The world darkened, and the people disappeared. The buildings flattened and buried themselves in the ground. All that was left was a brightly lit car and the two halves of a headless Jinsu and Ajin lying scattered.

The world had become dark. Only Ajin and Jinsu were brightly lit, as if they were in a spotlight. Ajin looked at his leg again. His sunken knee and the twisted calf at an odd angle were both unfamiliar and yet oddly familiar.

Ajin looked at Jinsu again. It was grotesque, and he couldn’t help but look at him.

And then, at that moment, as Jinsu, who had been staring into the distance, suddenly rolled his eyes and looked at Ajin.

Their gazes met.

In the late dawn, Ajin blinked as if he had just finished running. His breath was heavy, as if he had been running. He was panting, “Huff, huff, huff,” and his chest was heaving. Suddenly, someone’s hand swept through his hair. It was a large, warm hand, Seokju’s hand.

“Ajin, what’s wrong?”

The worried eyes of the current Seokju were fixed on Ajin.

“…,”

Ajin stared at Seokju with a vacant look. His pupils, which hadn’t yet left the dream, wavered. Then Seokju gently stroked his eyelids with his thumb.