Double Junk - 44

Chapter 44

“…”

Seokju raised an eyebrow. Ajin had said ‘our house.’ It felt unexpectedly pleasant. It was an impulsive thought, but it felt like he had married Ajin. Just one word, ‘our house,’ and it felt like they were married. I must be completely insane.

Pressing down the constantly sprouting worries, Seokju answered a beat late.

“We need to know our enemies.”

“What?”

“We’re too small to clash head-on with the Jung-ho faction right now. Even if we manage to win using every possible means, we’ll lose many of our family members. We’ll end up dealing with endless repercussions.”

“…”

“Right now, finding a way to coexist is advantageous. They’re cunning people, so we need to keep them close and be prepared.”

Seokju let out a sigh through his nose. His broad chest swelled up and then deflated. Ajin gently stroked Seokju’s solid chest. Seokju took his hand away and brushed Ajin’s cheek.

“There was an incident at the Incheon factory.”

“I know. Your boss’s family, two of them…”

“Yeah. But I found out it was the work of the Jung-ho faction. They lured out the employees at the factory, stole drugs, and freely distributed them in the village near the pier. Then, when the supply of drugs ran out, the crazy addicts revealed the location of our factory.”

“How did you find out about it?”

“Another employee from there told me.”

“Are you sure you can trust the employee who told you?”

Ajin’s eyes widened. Stealing drugs? That was fearless. Anyone who had seen Seokju in person would never even imagine him doing such a thing.

Seokju narrowed his eyes, recalling Jin-geol. When the Jung-ho faction started their arson, Myung-jin had asked why he was bringing it up now. Then, Seokju had retorted with an indifferent face,

“Why should I tell you? I’m just a random worker at the factory. I work for a day and get my pay and leave. If I grumble unnecessarily and get caught by the Jung-ho faction, my neck might be cut. The boss is generous with money, but those bastards aren’t. They’d slice your throat the moment you speak up. I used to live in Seoul too, so I know.”

It was annoying, but it wasn’t a lie. Seokju clicked his tongue.

“Well… it didn’t sound like a lie.”

“Still, verify and double-check. Be careful. There are too many bad people in the world.”

Seokju let out a puff of laughter at that statement. Bad people, he said. Ajin, who was whimpering such words in front of him, was really cute. Touching Ajin’s chubby earlobe, he said,

“I must be the worst among those you know.”

“…You haven’t worked at a gambling den or a brothel, so you wouldn’t know. You’re a gentleman.”

Ajin dug his forehead into Seokju’s chest. The expression disappeared from Seokju’s face as he laughed. He seemed to have forgotten. How I had crushed him, messed him up, and clung to him. How recklessly I had touched him and how tightly I had gripped him.

It was bitter to think so generously of Seokju, the sole perpetrator. Ajin had lived with such difficulties, not taking to heart the bitterness. He moistened Ajin’s forehead with kisses, repeatedly.

“Regardless, for the sake of the dead and the injured, and for your sake, it’s right to seek revenge, but it’s not right to spill blood for the family we have now. So, for now, we need to know.”

“About the Jung-ho faction?”

“Yeah. How many of them there are, how powerful they are, where the money comes from, how they conduct their business. Things like that.”

“…”

“That way, we can easily dismantle them one by one, even if it takes time. We’ll spill less blood.”

“…”

“I’m the boss, and I have an obligation to protect my people. Hurting other family members in anger and revenge is the wrong thing to do.”

Ajin slowly nodded. He didn’t fully understand Seokju’s words, but he could roughly grasp the idea. Seokju genuinely cared for his family.

Seokju gently stroked the area around Ajin’s eyes.

“So please, just wait a little longer.”

“…”

“In the future, once I gain more power, I’ll take care of the guys who hurt you without hesitation.”

At Seokju’s ominous words, Ajin’s eyes widened. He momentarily recalled a forgotten scene. It was a scene where a thief’s arm was severed. Ajin shook his head, recalling the vivid image of blood splattering all over plastic.

“No, you don’t have to do that. I’m fine now.”

“Why? Did having some chocolate make you feel better?”

Seokju lightly chuckled. Ajin shook his head, gazing intently at Seokju.

“No. It’s because you apologized to me.”

“…”

“The anger I felt wasn’t because of that person; it was because of you…”

“…”

“A few punches, being called a moron, that’s fine. He means nothing to me.”

“…”

“You are the only one that matters to me…”

Ajin’s voice grew quieter. It seemed like he realized belatedly what he was saying. His cheeks turned a bit pale. His forehead furrowed, his gaze dropped, and his thick eyelashes fluttered.

“…”

Seokju took a deep breath, and his ribs creaked. He felt as if his heart was being squeezed. Ajin’s eyes were filled with tears.

You are incredibly beautiful, to the point of dizziness.

So lovely that it blurs my vision.

Seokju lifted Ajin’s chin. Ajin, as if resisting, turned his head, but Seokju didn’t let go. Eventually, Ajin’s face turned upward.

“Ajin.”

Seokju called Ajin in his unique low voice.

“…Yes.”

Ajin replied, as if he could barely hear or speak.

“I love you.”

At Seokju’s sudden words, Ajin’s already flushed cheeks reddened even more. He tried to lower his head, but when he did, Seokju pressed his lips against Ajin’s.

For the first time in a while, their lips met. Ajin opened his mouth as if he had been waiting for it. Hot breath, so hot that it could scorch the throat, rushed in like waves. Ajin gulped it down, as if his throat would sizzle. After a few days of Seokju’s coolness, his body was melting.

Seokju pulled Ajin closer and slowly undressed him. He casually tossed the hair tie that had been binding Ajin’s hair.

Soon, Ajin’s black hair scattered on the white sheet.

A month had passed since autumn began in earnest. The weather was getting colder day by day. The clocks sang and said it was the perfect weather, but Ajin had to put on and take off his clothes repeatedly to keep warm. Seokju had bought a warm padded jacket, so he managed to withstand the chill.

Winter was still ahead, and Ajin couldn’t help but worry about how harsh it would be.

Ajin lay in the guest room, taking deep breaths. It was so bitterly cold. With each breath, he felt like he was exhaling a frosty cloud. He tried to cover himself with a blanket, but his body temperature was too low for it to make any difference.

Unable to stand it any longer, Ajin suddenly got up. He was heading to Seokju’s room.

As the days grew colder, it became the time for Ajin to seek Seokju. Seokju was fine with it, but Ajin felt awkward. Seokju had even suggested that Ajin stay in his room, but Ajin had been shaking his head since then.

There was no reason he couldn’t stay in Seokju’s room. They were all under the same roof, after all. But it still made him feel embarrassed. They might engage in all sorts of indecent activities, but he was still a servant in this house, and Seokju was the master.

“Mr. Kang, the disgusting man who hangs around with men.”

“Ajin, the disabled guy who sells himself.”

There were rumors like these circulating. Even if he had shed his former self, it still bothered him.

However, if it got any colder, he might end up spending all his time in Seokju’s room, clinging to his warmth. In the scorching heat of summer, Seokju had clung to him, but in winter, Ajin had to stick to Seokju. So, these days, Seokju had teased him, saying that he wouldn’t cuddle him or hold him unless they kissed.

However, Ajin liked how Seokju used his big, warm hands to gently massage his cold feet. So every time he did that, Ajin would gladly give him kisses.

“Summer, just wait… I’ll cuddle you…”

Ajin sniffled as he walked through the corridor. He passed through the courtyard and headed to Seokju’s room.

The chilling weather made it necessary for Ajin to look for Seokju. Seokju didn’t mind, but Ajin was a bit annoyed by it. Seokju had even suggested that he could live in his own room, but he kept shaking his head.

There was nothing wrong with living in his room. After all, they were all under the same roof. However, it still made him feel embarrassed. Even though they engaged in all sorts of indecent activities, he was still a servant in this house, and Seokju was the highest authority.

“Mr. Kang, the disgusting man who hangs around with men.”

“Ajin, the disabled guy who sells himself.”

There were rumors circulating about him. Even though he felt like he had changed, he still had concerns.

If it got any colder, he might end up spending all his time in Seokju’s room, clinging to his warmth. In the scorching summer, Seokju had clung to him, but in winter, Ajin had to stick to Seokju. So, these days, Seokju had teased him, saying that he wouldn’t cuddle him or hold him unless they kissed.

However, Ajin liked how Seokju used his big, warm hands to gently massage his cold feet. So every time he did that, Ajin would gladly give him kisses.

“But if you don’t kiss me, I won’t hold you.”

“Fine, I’ll kiss you.”

He found it amusing. Ajin felt somewhat intimidated by Seokju’s imposing presence, but not as much as before. There was no sign of Seokju picking a fight or hitting him. Ajin suspected that Seokju considered him to be a man just like anyone else in this house, even though he was more handsome than half of Seokju’s followers.

Seokju’s room was at the end of the corridor. Ajin walked through the courtyard, and as he approached Seokju’s room, he saw someone coming out. It was Myungjin.

“Hello.”

Ajin respectfully bowed. In this house, he had the most frequent encounters with Seokju’s room, along with the maid cleaning the room and Myungjin.

Thanks to these frequent encounters, he was less scared of Seokju. Myungjin never provoked him or hit him, and there was no sign of hostility from him. Ajin even thought that Myungjin might have regarded him as a nobleman if he was only half as handsome as Seokju.

“Oh, Ajin.”

Myungjin nodded politely.

“Is he inside?”

Myungjin kindly moved his big body to the side to make way for Ajin. Ajin mumbled his thanks and walked past.

It was only after he passed Myungjin and looked at the person behind him that he realized it.

Ajin’s gaze met someone else’s face, and he suddenly felt a choking sensation in his throat. It was as if he had swallowed something wrong, and his breathing was constricted. He couldn’t breathe, and his heart was pounding wildly.

It was Choi Jin-geol. He was the person that Ajin ‘knew’ the most in the world. He was the man he had met at the gambling den, and he was the one who had also visited Seokju’s house. Knowing him meant he had been at the gambling den.

Jin-geol was his brother, his older brother. Eighteen years old. He had been involved in the car accident.