Double Junk - 4

Chapter 4

04

Hanok is truly a fascinating building. It’s beautiful during the day, but it becomes even more enchanting at night. It might be because of the servants diligently lighting the lanterns, but it was beautiful, nevertheless.

Ajin enjoyed placing lanterns all around the house. Each room used electric light bulbs, but the hallways still had traditional lanterns. Underneath the lanterns, flat stones were placed to prevent accidents.

It was incredibly beautiful. The well-fueled lanterns casting a warm glow on the polished wooden floors were beautiful, as were the crimson shadows cast on the paper window frames, and even the wafting scent of food that brushed against your nostrils at the right moment was beautiful.

No, perhaps this was more than just beauty.

Lighting up the house meant it was dinner time. The kitchen was bustling with activity. They had to fill the hungry stomachs of dozens of returning gang members. Ajin, who had lit the lanterns, rushed into the kitchen, which resembled a battlefield.

Tonight’s menu consisted of expensive beef for bulgogi, Busan-style pork soup, well-fermented kimchi and flower radish salad made with the characteristic touch of the ajummas, crispy and golden brown kimchi pancakes, and squid kimchi with white rice.

The ajummas filled plates as if they were mountains of rice. Then, Ajin and the other men moved the food to the dining hall right next to the kitchen.

The spacious hall, originally designed for tea-drinking purposes, was now used as a gathering place for the organization members to have their meals. The ceiling was incredibly high, and if you looked up, the rafters seemed miles away.

Flower-ajumma was delighted, saying, “They should put a dining table in each room.”

Ajin worked diligently, setting hundreds of dishes. He even swallowed hard as he looked at the beef bulgogi beautifully arranged in high-quality ceramic dishes.

With the tables set and thick cushions neatly arranged, the organization members began to arrive one by one. By that time, the servants had left, leaving Ajin alone. He had placed several bottles of soju and whisky under the dining table, even though he hobbled slowly.

The organization members didn’t rush or push him, despite his slow movements.

“Hey, bring two more bottles of soju here.”

“Sure.”

“Hey, Seokju hyungnim doesn’t drink this kind of whisky. He prefers the one in a dark brown bottle with a black band.”

“Oh, okay!”

They only ordered what they needed. It was quite different from the gambling den, where Ajin had heard the insult “cripple” five times a day. There, it was filled with people telling him to jump like a rabbit or race with them, promising to give him 500 won if he won, and so on.

At first, he found it strange that these bad guys who killed people didn’t tease him as a cripple. But later, he learned that there were a few among the organization members who were like him, suffering from various ailments.

Some had their arm tendons cut during a fight and couldn’t move their fingers properly, while others had knives stuck in their knees and had to limp. Maybe that’s why no one teased or ridiculed Ajin. Oh, the servants who had come from the gambling den still called him a legless cripple, a cripple, or a rickshaw puller.

Ajin had just reached the stairs leading down to the kitchen when it happened.

“Hey, guys, hyungnim’s here.”

It was Myungjin’s voice that tickled his neck. Ajin quickly turned his head. Unlike when he was leaving work, Seokju was now entering the dining hall, wearing only a white shirt.

Ajin stared at him in a daze. Even when he wore a jacket, he looked large, but with just a shirt, his broad shoulders and muscles became even more pronounced.

He looks cool. That’s what Ajin thought. A guy like him, sitting on the sidelines, turned to look at Ajin in surprise. Startled by the unexpected attention, Ajin quickly closed the door, worried he might be grabbed by the hair. He hurried into the kitchen.

He was gestured by Flower-ajumma to come over. “Why are you standing there like an idiot? Come here and eat.”

She held a large bowl of pork soup in her hand. Amidst the clear broth, chunks of meat were scattered. A big smile on his face, Ajin, hobbled closer.

Ajin stepped out of the kitchen’s back door and was doing the dishes in the backyard, where the dishwashing rack was stacked full. Various dishes were piled up in a large tub big enough for Ajin to roll in. Ajin sat down with a few servants and diligently scrubbed the dishes.

Despite it being spring, his fingers had turned bright red from using cold water from the stream. His fingertips felt like they were about to burst, much like mountain berries. Others placed their hands in and out of the hot water-filled teapot next to them. However, Ajin’s side remained empty.

The servants didn’t offer to share the hot water with Ajin, and he didn’t ask for it either. It wasn’t a special privilege. The teapot was for the kitchen, and Ajin simply hadn’t bothered to heat up water.

Ajin brought his frothy fingers to his mouth and blew on them, feeling the warmth.

Then, a heavy teapot was placed next to Ajin. He turned his head, still sitting on a small stool. Flower-ajumma looked at Ajin with a displeased expression.

“I told you to heat up water. Anyway, you’re just like a cripple.”

Tutting, Flower-ajumma turned away. Ajin, who had a sly smile, watched her retreating figure as she shook her ample buttocks.

“Thanks, ajumma!”

Ajin plunged his hand into the teapot without hesitation. His frozen fingers thawed, tingling as they warmed up. He playfully tapped the water surface like a drum with his fingers, then resumed washing the dishes.

By the time he finished the dishes, Ajin had wiped his runny nose and was rubbing his reddened earlobes in the night air. Someone with a hesitant step stood in front of the dishwashing group.

It was Isunyi, her face pale. At twenty-eight, she had moved here from the gambling den along with Ajin. Her flat nose, forehead, and freckles were distinctive features. She stood with her legs crossed, shaking a square box.

“Can anyone take this to the boss’s room? I, uh, need to use the restroom. But I have to do it right now. Some ladies are here. Can anyone do it? It’s not difficult, just open the door and put it on the coffee table next to the couch.”

The dishwashing group hesitated, refusing. Going to Seokju’s room was awkward, to say the least.

But Ajin was different. He jumped up, raising his hand.

“I’ll do it! Noona, I’ll go!”

“Oh, thanks, Ajin.”

Isunyi tossed the box to Ajin. Then, she hurriedly ran to the outdoor restroom next to the storage room. Ajin laughed as he wiped the water off his hand onto his clothes. He then checked the box that Isunyi had thrown to him.

[Condom – For well-endowed males]

Ajin walked down the hallway without going to the outdoor deck. In fact, most of the servants spent their time outside. Even the organization members avoided this corridor, as it led to Seokju’s room.

However, Ajin was different. Since his role was to clean and maintain the corridor, he walked through it nonchalantly. He did that now too. Besides, Isunyi said it had to be delivered immediately, so there was no time to go back.

“Condom…”

Ajin walked briskly along the long corridor, looking down at the box.

He knew what a condom was. Ajin was a grown-up, after all. In fact, he knew even before he became an adult. Working in a red-light district, he couldn’t help but know. Of course, he had never used one. Who would like a malakkangyi with a crippled leg?

But Seokju used them, and not just one at a time, but a whole box.

“Envious…”

Ajin sighed. He would be happy even if he used just one in his lifetime. Ajin was momentarily dejected, but he quickly regained his energy.

Today, he would finally get to go into Seokju’s room and see what it looked like. He was curious about the biggest room in the house. How big was the bed, what kind of wood was used for the desk, and what the interior looked like. Ajin passed through the dining hall, Myungjin’s room, and the indoor garden, finally arriving at the corridor leading to Seokju’s room.

And there, at last, he stood in front of Seokju’s room.

Ajin swallowed hard, his throat dry, as he looked at the much larger and thicker door compared to the other rooms.

Is Seokju inside? If he is, what should I do? I only came here to take a look at his room, I never thought I’d run into him. Well, it’s not like I came here to do something wrong. I came for an errand, so even if we cross paths, it shouldn’t be a big deal. Still, it made him feel uneasy for no reason.

“Phew…”

Ajin took a deep breath, and just as he reached out for the doorknob, the door creaked open. Startled, Ajin took a step back.

“Who are you?”

A woman with long hair that reached her chest was standing there. The scent of cosmetics, reminiscent of the women from the gambling den, wafted towards him. Thin cigarette dangled from her red lips. There was a mole under her right eye. It was hard to tell if it was real or fake, considering it was a trend among Seoul women these days to put moles under their noses or eyes.

Ajin, who was dressed in a worn-out one-piece dress that revealed his bony chest and back, could easily guess why she was here.

“Oh, this…”

Ajin hesitantly extended the condom box. The woman took it.

“Ah, you work here?”

“Yes.”

“Cutie, cutie.”

The woman chuckled softly and pinched Ajin’s chin. Ajin, surprised, pulled back his chin. He waved away her black manicured hand with a look that suggested he didn’t like it.

“I’m not a baby. I’m twenty.”

“What? But why did you grow only that much?”

Ajin pressed his lips together, and his unkempt bangs fell over his eyes, partially blocking his vision. It was a sign of embarrassment.

Why did I grow only this much? Because I couldn’t eat or sleep! I became a cripple at the age of ten, so how could I have grown tall? He wanted to shout that out, but he didn’t have the courage. At 170 cm, he was barely as tall as the woman. Perhaps she was even stronger than him.

Sometime before, Flower-ajumma had said that. That I wasn’t born to live like this. My actions, personality, appearance, everything about me. I was born as the youngest son of a wealthy family and would have lived a life of leisure, loved by everyone.

But even if I said that, it would only bring laughter.

Ajin’s face was filled with injustice, and the woman laughed heartily.

“Cute. Baby, go get me some cigarettes.”

“I’m not a baby.”

Ajin retorted bluntly. It was a bit difficult to buy cigarettes since the mansion was on the outskirts of Seoul. That’s why there was a large stack of the kind of cigarettes the organization members smoked piled up in one corner of the warehouse. It wasn’t difficult to fetch them, but for some reason, Ajin didn’t want to.

“Tsk. Hurry up and go.”

The woman stuck her tongue out. Ajin grumbled as he turned away. He had come all the way here with his troublesome leg, after all. He couldn’t see Seokju or his room. It was frustrating. But he couldn’t do anything about the organization’s orders.

He walked away sullenly. However, in front of him stood a figure in a white shirt.

It was Seokju.