Double Junk - 58

Chapter 58

Myungjin approached Ajin with determination. Then, he raised his hand over Ajin’s head, hesitated for a moment, and then grabbed his bony shoulder. His hand awkwardly patted the shoulder.

“People with chili sticks together, those with leg disabilities together, whoever says anything, tell me. I’ll chop their heads off. Got it?”

“…Yes.”

“All right. Go.”

“Yes.”

Ajin bowed again. After that, he walked along the eaves with occasional steps. Before turning the corner, he glanced back. Myungjin was standing there, looking intently at him. Ajin bowed again as their eyes met. Myungjin waved his hands playfully.

It was amusing to see him shaking hands with his bulky figure. Ajin chuckled and urged him on the way.

Somehow, it felt like he had become close to Myungjin.

Watching the vacant space left by Ajin, Myungjin twisted his neck. A thumping sound came from his bones. He glanced at the direction where Seokju’s room was before trying to enter the house.

“Hyungnim! Myungji Hyungnim!”

Someone called him through the heavy rain. Myungjin turned his head towards that direction. From afar, a soaked member of the organization was running towards him.

“We found the medicine!”

Myungjin’s eyes widened at the news.

Myungjin waded through the gathering organization members, heading towards the wall between the main house and the back house. Bags of medicine, divided into 1kg each, were haphazardly buried among leaves and dirt. Originally covered with fallen leaves, the shape was exposed due to the rain and wind. The organization member discovered it.

It was a truly insincere deception. The frustration of being fooled by such a trick burst out.

Myungjin let out a wry laughter mixed with self-mockery, and the organization members greeted him awkwardly, shaking their shoulders.

“Seokju Hyungnim. Are you here?”

It was Seokju. He came out of the room at the call of the organization member, wearing only a pair of dress pants. A member standing beside him quickly placed an umbrella over his head.

“Hyungnim, please take a look at this.”

Myungjin shifted his body to make way for Seokju. Seokju looked down at the scattered bags of medicine.

“It seems like it has been here all along. We set the warehouse on fire, and since the fire quickly went out, the person who hastily hid it here while running away, or maybe planned to hide it here from the beginning, we don’t know.”

“Anyway, this guy didn’t intend to steal the medicine. Judging by leaving it here for a day.”

“Yes?”

At Seokju’s words, Myungjin raised his eyebrows. Seokju casually swept his wet bangs in any direction.

“Stealing the medicine wasn’t the goal.”

“Then…”

“We hoped to lose our trading partner.”

“…?”

Myungjin bit his lower lip tightly. Seokju turned around and lit a cigarette. The member standing beside him quickly brought a lighter. The end of the cigarette caught a bright red flame.

“It’s the work of the Jung-ho faction.”

Seokju said with a deep exhale, releasing a white puff of smoke. Myungjin clenched his teeth. Seokju looked at him with cold eyes.

“If it was Jongil, he would have sold it immediately. Since the rumor went around that the value of the medicine is 50 million won, even if he received it as a gift from the Jung-ho faction, he wouldn’t have left it here.”

“…?”

“A guy who isn’t interested in money did this.”

“…Is it Jin-geoli?”

Myungjin asked with a sinking voice. Seokju didn’t answer immediately, sucking on his cigarette. And then, turning his body with a thick smoke, he said.

“You’ll know if you check.”

An unfolded map was spread out in front of Jin-geol. It was a Seoul map about five spans in size. Red circles were drawn all over, marked with a red pen.

All of them were buildings related to the Jung-ho faction. Gihun’s house, a bar, a loan shark, a company, a gambling den, a brothel, the homes of high-ranking members, warehouses, and more. It was a map they had carefully created even before the Tae-hoe faction came to Seoul.

Jin-geol, soaked in bl00d, looked down at it silently. In his eyes, fixed on the map, there was no fear, let alone doubt.

Seokju bent one knee in front of Jin-geol, squatting down. The warehouse, dim and damp with a musty smell, was unpleasant. He had lived in such a house in the past. Now, he didn’t want even a moment of it. How people change in an instant…

Seokju took out the cigarette he was holding and slowly exhaled smoke, then called someone.

“Geumtae, come here.”

“Yes, Hyungnim.”

The staff guarding the door approached Seokju and bowed respectfully. Seokju pointed at the map with his chin.

“Take a shot at one of the circles.”

“Uh… I don’t really know what’s what, Hyungnim.”

“It’s okay. Just pick one.”

Geumtae hesitated. He glanced at Myungjin. Myungjin nodded quickly, signaling him to go ahead. Geumtae reached out his hand, and the hand that had been wandering over the map soon circled one of the circles. It was a large circle in the center of Seoul.

Seokju squinted his eyes at it and nodded.

“Well done. Go.”

“Yes, Hyungnim.”

Geumtae bowed and stepped back. Seokju lightly tapped the circle that Geumtae had circled with his index finger.

“Go set it on fire.”

“…”

“When all the buildings are burning, and dozens of Jung-ho faction guys are dying in those pits of fire, come back to me as my family.”

Seokju smiled slightly. At first glance, it seemed like a compassionate smile, but Jin-geol, watching him up close, felt a shiver. Seokju tapped Jin-geol’s shoulder lightly.

“I’m counting on you.”

Seokju finished speaking and stood up. As he turned to leave, Jin-geol, in a loud voice, called out to him.

“Boss.”

“…”

Seokju stopped abruptly. However, he didn’t turn around. Jin-geol bowed deeply to Seokju’s back, an acknowledgment so deep that it felt like his forehead was pressed against the ground.

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I will handle it properly.”

“…”

Without a word, Seokju exhaled cigarette smoke once and left the warehouse. The door closed with a creaking sound.

“Are you really going to send him? What if he goes and runs away?”

Myungjin asked with a worried expression. Seokju affectionately stroked his broad back. The short hairs felt good against his palm.

“It’s okay.”

“But still…”

“It’s okay. Geumtae, Myungcheol, and Ki-taek. Come here for a moment.”

Seokju called a few sturdy subordinates.

“Yes!”

They rushed up to Seokju.

“Release Jin-geol, fill the car with gasoline and give him a lighter. When you go out, follow him quietly. Carefully observe whether he meets anyone, if there are any suspicious signs, observe how he acts as if taking a photo.”

“Yes, Hyungnim.”

“When you come back after setting the fire, go out and say thank you. And on the way back, set fire to one more place. Tell him to burn anywhere without giving him a choice, and if he refuses, makes excuses, or says he’ll do it later, kill him on the spot. Bring the body home.”

“Yes, Hyungnim.”

“Take a gun. If, by any chance, the Jung-ho faction tries to deceive Jin-geol while protecting him, don’t fight, just come back immediately. Turn off the car headlights. It’s dark, so it won’t be very noticeable.”

“Yes, understood.”

The three men who received the orders bowed and entered the warehouse. Seokju, who watched them for a moment, tapped the cigarette butt against the warehouse wall and put it out. Then he walked steadily towards home.

“Myungjin.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s eat. I’m hungry.”

“…Yes, Hyungnim.”

Myungjin quickly followed behind Seokju.

Ajin was sitting next to the sink, squatting down to do the dishes. The cold water, scratching at her fingers, was painful. The chilly wind that intensified after the rain stopped was also painful.

The fingertips froze, occasionally slipping them under the knees, making a muffled sound, and the chilly autumn night wind swept past, brushing against the nape of the neck, causing occasional shivers.

On the other hand, sitting next to him, Isun and the female servant chatted away, seemingly unaffected by the cold.

“Is Doeun getting married?”

“Yeah, that’s right! Oh, what was the company? Oh, yeah, a company that makes hair dye. She married the owner of that company.”

“Doeun noona?”

Ajin asked with wide eyes. Doeun was the woman who worked at the gambling den. On the day when Taeho’s Faction attacked the gambling den, she was the one who helped him up and comforted him. After Taeho sent all the women away and brought only the servants, Ajin hadn’t seen her since.

“Yeah. It worked out well. Thanks to my awful dad’s debts, she was dragged here to sell herself. She finally found her way in life.”

“That’s right. Besides being pretty, she’s smart and quick-witted.”

“What about her husband? Is the person she’s marrying nice?”

“Well, I don’t really know about that. Since he’s rich, he’ll probably treat her well.”

“Ah, there are so many rich bastards, though…”

A smirk appeared on Ajin’s lips. While the guests coming to the gambling den to buy women were usually worthless, occasionally there were rich ones. Were they all nice guys? Definitely not. Those were the guys who silenced others with money after causing trouble.

“I want to get married too. Marriage.”

Isun muttered. Whether she spoke or not, Ajin, who was busy wiping the dishes, raised his head momentarily. The bustling servants quieted down for a moment. In the chilly silence, Ajin raised his head.

“Ajin, hello.”

Seokju stood there.

Ajin’s eyes widened at his sudden appearance. He had behaved as if he wouldn’t come out of the room for a while, so Ajin was pleased when he came out for dinner. He had planned to quickly finish the dishes and go to Seokju’s room. He hadn’t expected Seokju to come like this.

“Uh… Hello….”

Ajin bowed his head while sitting. “Hello,” “Hello, sir,” the frozen Isun and the female servant greeted awkwardly. Seokju, who received the greetings casually, sat down in front of the dishwashing basin where Ajin was and locked eyes with him. In the cool silence, Ajin raised his head.