Double Junk - 53

53

Seokju went out with Myungjin. Left alone in the room, Ajin briefly worried about Seokju, but soon turned his attention back to the photos.

It seemed like there was some issue in the back of the house, probably related to the drug manufacturing factory. Regardless of the problem, this was the headquarters of the Taehwapa, with members all around, so there shouldn’t be any harm coming to Seokju.

Maybe there was an issue with the drug production – the ventilation might be malfunctioning, the machinery might be broken, or there could be a shortage of materials. Whatever it was, Ajin couldn’t do anything about it.

Ajin tapped his feet under the sofa, casually observing the photos. It was the first time he had scrutinized his own appearance so closely.

“I don’t look that bad, huh? Not a hint of idiotic vibes.”

Ajin pursed his lips. He had thought he looked terribly disheveled because Seokju often teased him about looking like a fool. However, his face wasn’t that unattractive, even though it lacked the masculinity Seokju possessed.

After examining the photos for a while, Ajin picked up the group photo that Seokju had put down. His large eyes fluctuated between growing and shrinking as they alternated between the clear pupils in the photo.

Suddenly, he blinked. It seemed like he had some thoughts.

Ajin, who had risen from the sofa, headed to Seokju’s study. Seating himself at the desk, he carefully pushed aside the piled-up documents, placed the group photo down, and took out a utility knife from the pencil holder.

Ajin meticulously cut one side of the photo, then the bothersome other side. He swapped their positions, glued them together, and blew on them to make them dry. The finished photo pleased him greatly.

Holding the photo, Ajin surveyed Seokju’s room extensively. Eventually, he found a large drawer. It was a drawer where Seokju stored watches, ties, and other items. On top were pottery, a desk clock, a stack of lighters, and a low desk lamp.

Ajin neatly stood the photo there, placing the one taken with just Seokju on one side. However, it kept tipping over, so he secured it with a lighter.

Stepping back, Ajin looked at the photo. A proud smile formed on his lips.

* * *

Ajin dozed off for a moment but was awakened by a noisy sound. The room was brightly lit, and Ajin was alone. The clock indicated it was past ten at night. Ajin stared at the clock oddly.

Seokju had gone out around six o’clock with Myungjin, and he hadn’t returned since. Ajin had dozed off while waiting for him. Now, awakening after ten, he mumbled to himself, “I should eat…”

Ajin sluggishly got up. Did everyone else eat, except for me? Seokju too? Why didn’t he wake me up…

With a disappointed expression, Ajin pouted his lips and rubbed his eyes.

Kudangtang!

A heavy thudding sound echoed from outside. Ajin, startled, twitched his shoulders. Only then did he realize he had awakened because of the noise.

Curious, Ajin opened the bathroom window and peeked outside. The main porch and front yard were empty. There was no one around. Ajin, coming out of the bathroom, this time opened the lattice door. The left yard came into view, also empty. Dimly lit lights were all that adorned it.

“Hmm…”

Ajin moaned. At that moment, another kudangtang! resonated, accompanied by someone shouting. Ajin sensed that something unusual was happening. Perhaps something had happened to Seokju.

Anxious, Ajin rushed out of Seokju’s room.

The origin of the noise was the right yard. It was unusual because the right side of the house had only rooms for organization members. Ajin, crouching more due to his already thin frame, infiltrated the crowd of people. It was crowded with people and organization members, making it impossible to see what was happening.

“You bastard! Tell the truth!”

A yelling voice reached Ajin’s ears. Ajin shuddered, and as he wondered who was speaking, he realized it was Myungjin, who sounded as if he had boiled with rage.

Ajin anxiously shook his shoulders. He couldn’t see clearly who was shouting, but it seemed like Myungjin, who had been enraged beyond measure.

Ajin, with a desperate effort, carved his way through the people. Soon, the full view of the incident came into his sight.

In the spacious yard, a familiar face was kneeling in the middle, nursing a swollen eye and bloodied nose—it was Jin-geol. Despite the chaos surrounding him with various members holding weapons, he showed a different side from the pig caught in a similar fashion before. He didn’t show fear, didn’t plead for mercy, nor did he apologize. This was despite the fact that some members had knives and other tools.

Jin-geol wiped the bl00d from his split lip with the back of his hand, all while keeping his fist raised on his knee. He stared directly at Myungjin and Seokju, who were facing him. Seokju observed Jin-geol with an indifferent expression, while Myungjin was on the verge of exploding, glaring at him.

“Why is he pissed off about being assigned such trivial work, isn’t it, sir?”

Seokju remained silent.

“That bastard, after we picked him up and fed him… arrogant bastard. There’s a limit to being shameless. How should we cut him from the arm this time? Since it’s a big deal, we shouldn’t just cut off his arm, right?”

Seokju didn’t respond easily. He simply stared at Jin-geol with an expressionless face. Myungjin seemed frustrated, but he didn’t rush Seokju.

Ajin rolled his eyes. It would be welcoming news for Jin-geol to receive some beating, but he couldn’t understand the situation. Watching Jin-geol and Seokju alternately, someone grabbed his wrist from behind and pulled him.

It was Kkot-nim.

“Where were you?”

“I was in the boss’s room.”

“Continue.”

“Yeah.”

“Does the boss know about it?”

“He does.”

Ajin held her hand with both of his and pressed his body against hers. Kkot-nim, with her rough hands, gently stroked Ajin’s head. Ajin raised his eyebrows and asked.

“But what’s going on here?”

“The drugs are missing.”

“Drugs? What drugs? Philophon?”

“Yeah, that. Don’t you know anything?”

“What should I know? I’ve been in my room all day writing singles.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, well, just studying.”

As Ajin finished speaking, another crashing sound followed. Furniture was thrown through the wide lattice door. It was a larger wardrobe than Ajin, falling over in the yard. As it toppled, the nearby organization members struck it with axes.

The drawer broke, and clothes presumed to belong to Jin-geol tumbled onto the ground. Members with axes slashed through the clothes, searching for the drugs. Jin-geol looked at it indifferently, as if it was someone else’s business.

“…Did Jin-geol steal it?”

Ajin furrowed his brow. He knew Jin-geol was a bastard, but to be this audacious? He looked at Jin-geol again. The surrounding servants were muttering.

“How much of the drug is missing?”

“They said about 5kg.”

“Just 5kg? And he’s causing such a commotion over that? It hasn’t been that long since the welcoming ceremony…”

“Just 5kg? Isn’t that quite a lot?”

“He said, even if it’s 1g each, or 3g each, it’s just a tiny amount. But if 5kg is gone…”

“Whether it’s 1g or 3g, 5kg is still significant, right?”

“This guy. Worried about 5kg of meth costing as much as 5kg of rice? I heard from the members earlier; it’s worth 50 million won.”

“50,000 won? Oh, that’s expensive.”

“No, 50 million won!”

“…50, 50 million won? Where on earth is that kind of money? I’ve never even heard of such an amount. Did he say the drug is worth 50 million won? More than 50,000 won? 50 million won?”

“That’s right! There’s a reason why the atmosphere is so tense. With 5kg, more than a thousand people could get high.”

“Huh… Over a thousand? Are there that many drug addicts? With that many people wanting drugs, and now that it’s all gone, it’s going to be a disaster…”

Ajin’s mouth hung open. The other servants around him were also stunned. 50 million won. Such an amount of money was beyond belief. Even the 5,000 won Ajin had received from Seokju was the most significant amount in his life. To think of that amount multiplied by 10,000, 100,000, 1 million… Anyway, that kind of money. The atmosphere was indeed unsettling.

Ajin tightly held Kkot-nim’s hand, and then there was another crash. The servants collectively took a step back. Afterward, they murmured again.

“If it were me, I’d make it again while holding a person like that.”

“It seems like it was the drugs that were supposed to be sent overseas next week. But since they’re gone, the boss is in a real bind.”

“A bind? Is that man ever in a bind? How big of a deal is it?”

“It’s a big deal. If he can’t meet the delivery date for the textile factory, the contract will be messed up. But it’s not just a few bucks; it’s 50 million won worth that’s gone… The boss might go crazy.”

“Really. Is he in deep trouble? That guy who was nonchalant when cutting off the pig’s arm. Now his face is as if it’s cursed by a ghost…”

“It’s terrifying. If Jin-geol is the culprit, will he cut off his arm again? Oh, it’s dreadful.”

“Right. Should we go in? It might cause trouble if we stay here.”

“Sure. Let’s go in.”

The murmuring servants disappeared from the crowd. Other servants also slowly began to disperse.