Double Junk - 41

Chapter 41

Seokju walked toward another car. This car was shinier and larger than the others. Its tires were thick, and it was so massive that Seokju wondered if the house would collapse if it were to rush in.

As Seokju stood in front of it, the car’s door creaked open, and someone stepped out.

The first thing that caught his eye was the pair of boots. But these boots were quite different from the ones the Taeho faction members wore. The leather was crumpled, rough, and had a distinct shine. He later learned that they were crocodile skin boots.

Soon, the owner of the boots revealed himself. He was tall, but there was no sense of bulkiness about him. His shoulders were of moderate width, and his suit pants revealed slender knees. He had a lean body that would make his kneecaps protrude. His appearance clearly differed from the robust Taeho faction members.

The man was a bit shorter than Seokju, and he appeared older. One might generously estimate that he was in his early forties. It might be his age that gave his eyes a deep look, and his eyes were shaped like teardrops. His nose was prominent and straight, while his lips were thin. If the Flower Lady were to describe his face, she might say that it resembled a “face that looks like bad luck runs downhill.”

Nevertheless, the man had a rather handsome face. Of course, no matter how you looked at it, he couldn’t compare to the handsome Seokju, but he seemed more than suitable to lead an organization.

What was his name again? Ah, right. Park Ki-heon.

Ki-heon took a broad look around the front yard before following Seokju into the house. The thugs kept their heads bowed as Ki-heon passed through the courtyard with Seokju.

One of the organization members approached and gave orders, “Dinner will be served in the main hall, not the small room. Also, bring only the alcohol from the small room; the rest of the dishes are already set there. Move through the corridor, don’t wander around the courtyard. Got it?”

“Yes, understood.”

The organization member waved his hand, urging them to hurry. The thugs quickly returned to the house. Ajin also made his way back to the kitchen, glancing back once, but Seokju had already hidden inside the house.

Ajin carefully carried a tray filled with various side dishes along the corridor. The thugs rushed past him, making the wooden floor, usually quiet, creak and groan loudly.

Inside the main hall, there were five long tables for eight people each. Seokju was seated at the head of one, on the left were Ki-heon and the Jung-ho faction members, and on the right were Myungjin and the Taeho faction members.

Ajin, who had placed the tray on the floor, was at the end of the room opposite to Seokju. He knelt down, one knee on the ground, and carefully lifted the dishes from the tray. Another thug picked up the dishes and stacked them in front of Seokju.

As they worked, they could hear Ki-heon’s mellow voice. “I’ve always wanted to meet Chairman Kang at least once. But he wanted to meet me first. He even invited me to his house! It’s a great honor, truly.”

Ki-heon tapped his thigh, smiling. Seokju followed with a smile.

“No, I should have greeted you earlier. I was busy with work, and I’m late.”

“It’s a bit late, isn’t it? But it doesn’t matter. We met like this, and I’m grateful, truly. But your house is really nice.”

“Thank you.”

“Western houses are trendy these days, did you build a Han-ok? I live in a Western house, and climbing the stairs can be a bit inconvenient, but it’s nice to have a house that’s twice as big. Of course, you need money to build a two-story house…”

“Is that so? Next time, if you invite me, I’d like to go see it.”

Seokju smiled and raised his glass. Ki-heon returned the favor, tapping the bottom of his glass on Seokju’s. Clang! The clear liquor filled the small glass.

“Anyway, anyway. You should definitely invite me. But why did Chairman Kang choose a Han-ok that’s hard to maintain? Wearing hanbok and all that. It seems like he’s quite patriotic.”

“Rather than patriotism, I’ve always liked Han-ok houses. They’re peaceful and cool. Even on hot days, the floors are cool.”

“Then what about the hanbok?”

“It gives us distinctiveness. Westerners can’t distinguish Asians, you know. They’ve already been copying our medicine in China and Japan and selling it.”

“Oh, those guys, right? China just blatantly copies everything from the name to the taste. Japan pretends to copy but doesn’t really. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes. It’s a headache, but what can we do? It’s not like they’re stealing something of high quality. They can’t match the original, after all.”

“Ah, I see. I see!”

Ajin was listening intently to the conversation between the two. The main hall was spacious, and even though they were far away, with just the two of them talking, it was impossible not to hear.

Fortunately, the tray was emptied quickly. Ajin got up with the empty tray and left the main hall. Of course, he didn’t forget to steal a glance at Seokju. Somehow, Seokju seemed displeased. Even though he was clearly smiling, he seemed uncomfortable.

…Ah, why would I care about him.

Ajin shook his head and returned to the kitchen.

Time passed quickly. He washed the dishes coming in, replenished the lacking side dishes, and once again prepared the tteokgalbi and jeon, which the hefty young men continuously devoured, not taking a break to eat. Lost in the hustle and bustle, time seemed to disappear quickly.

“Ajin, go and place the side dishes.”

This Soon-yi said to Ajin. Ajin, who was washing dishes, stood up, shaking off the water. Then Soon-yi handed him a large tray.

When Ajin carried the tray full of side dishes back to the main hall, the atmosphere was noticeably heavy compared to before. While the thugs devoured the food like beasts earlier, now they all put down their utensils and kept their mouths shut.

As Ajin knelt at the end of the table, placing the side dishes, Seokju sighed and said in a mixed tone, “We are not interested in Seoul.”

At this, Ki-heon interjected abruptly, “Even if you’re not interested. If you’re going to sit so proudly in Jongno, you can’t help but pay attention, can you?”

“….Please ignore it. Then we’ll all be comfortable.”

“….”

Silence filled the air. Ajin quickly put down the side dishes and left, taking a cue from their mood.

About thirty minutes passed since Ajin returned to the kitchen and started washing dishes.

“Ajin, go and take away the empty liquor bottles.”

Another thug ordered Ajin. It was always like this. Ajin, the youngest among the thugs, was in charge of odd jobs. Ajin followed the instructions without complaint. He knew that if he grumbled, he would undoubtedly get scolded, saying that a lame person gets more work.

Ajin took the empty liquor bottles and headed slowly to the main hall. He felt uncomfortable. Somehow, he didn’t want to go. It was just picking up empty bottles, why was it so difficult? He felt like he wanted to do the dishes until his hands were frozen.

When Ajin arrived in front of the main hall, he let out a deep sigh. Then he took a deep breath and opened the sliding door with a swoosh. Fortunately, no one paid any attention to Ajin.

The atmosphere was different from before. The jumbled smell of alcohol and cigarettes pricked his nose. The organization members seemed lively, with the scent of alcohol in the air, and now there wasn’t anyone busy moving their chopsticks. Instead, the liquor glasses were moving more.

Ki-heon seemed to be the most intoxicated. He leaned sideways, giggling.

“Thanks to Chairman Kang, when foreigners say ‘Korean ginseng! Korea Pharmaceuticals!’ they come waving wads of money, you know? So, these days, I’ve become interested in exporting ginseng. Could you introduce some business partners if you have the means?”

“…”.

Seokju squinted his eyes. Asking for introductions to business partners essentially meant he wanted a piece of the pie for himself. Just a free ride. Seokju maintained a stiff expression, idly tapping the rim of his glass. Ki-heon chuckled and waved his hand.

“Oh, I’m just kidding, I’m kidding.”

“I don’t know much about business partners either. Capable people in each country handle it, and I only provide the medicine.”

“I envy you. I don’t know why I don’t have capable people like that.”

Ki-heon snorted. Then, out of nowhere, he sat next to a man who was eating snacks and gave him a hard slap on the back of his head. The man had a shaved head, and it seemed like he was in the position where Ki-heon’s right arm, or around Myungjin’s location, might be.

The man’s head slumped forward. The atmosphere turned frosty all of a sudden. Regardless, Ki-heon continued to berate the man.

“You, this guy. Don’t just eat, improve your skills too. Learn English or Chinese.”

“…. I’m sorry, hyungnim.”

The man bowed towards Ki-heon. It was a hostile atmosphere. Ajin clenched his lips and carefully collected the empty bottles placed all around the room. Occasionally, the bottles made a clinking sound, and he felt like he wanted to toss them and run away.

But he had work to do.

Ajin filled the empty liquor box carefully and brought it in. They all had large statures, so they drank a considerable amount of alcohol. Ajin, carrying a long tray, slowly approached Seokju’s table, which was piled with dishes.

As he collected the empty bottles, he noticed that one bottle still had some liquor left in it. Not much, about half a glass. What should he do? While contemplating, Ajin poured the remaining liquor into an empty glass next to it. People in gambling dens were very sensitive about wasting leftover alcohol.

Ajin collected the empty bottles and held them in his arms. Suddenly, someone yelled,

“This jerk! The crippled guy is grossly pouring more alcohol!”

It was the man who had been slapped on the back of his head by Ki-heon a few minutes ago. Startled, Ajin’s bony shoulders jolted upward. Everyone’s gaze focused on Ajin. Among the onlookers were Seokju and Ki-heon.