Double Junk - 7

Chapter 7

07

“The rain’s really coming down…”

Ajin, sitting on the outdoor porch, looked up at the overcast sky. Even though lunchtime had passed, the sky was as dark as night.

Ajin, who had been pressing his lips together, stretched his legs out. Beneath the tightly wrapped pants, his smooth calves and protruding anklebones, as well as his white instep, were exposed. Ajin plunged his instep into the rain.

Rainwater, separated from the eaves of the courtyard, flowed down the curved tiles. It then dripped along the eaves. When he put his foot there, it was so cold that his spine shivered. He liked the feeling, so he kept putting his foot in and out.

On rainy days, there was no need to sweep the courtyard or clean the outdoor porch, so there wasn’t much work to do. Once the heavy rain stopped, the work would increase, but that was a problem to think about later, so Ajin didn’t want to worry about it now.

“The scent of grass…”

Ajin, inflating his flat chest as if it were bloating, breathed in deeply. The scent of wet leaves, wood, grass, and soil all rushed in at once.

To Ajin, it was an unfamiliar scent. Since he hadn’t left the gambling den since he was ten, this natural aroma felt completely new to him. He appreciated the hanok for allowing him to experience such scents without any restrictions.

The servants who had gathered various offerings must have been in a frenzy to dry the house quickly, not letting the wooden pillars rot or the kitchen filled with muddy water. They had various concerns, but Ajin simply enjoyed the situation without any worries.

His toes felt a tingling cold, and Ajin folded his knees again. Then, he used his hand to rub his toes firmly.

It had been raining for three days since Jang Dae-bi started. Ajin, who didn’t go outside, was unaware, but yesterday, some of the male servants who had gone to buy goods and food ingredients in the city appeared as if they had fought in the mud. Of course, they couldn’t bring the prostitutes home. They returned with twigs and leaves stuck in their ears.

As a result, the house was noisy. Unlike usual, even at noon, the members of the organization were bustling about. Taeho’s faction had been unable to work since the monsoon began.

It was common for work to be affected by the weather. No one complained. The weather was in the realm of the gods. Even the president was probably sitting in his bedroom, listening to the rain. Gangsters weren’t any different.

However, there was one issue. It was related to Seokju.

It had been three days since the monsoon began. Seokju had also been unable to sleep for three days because the prostitutes couldn’t come home. Myungjin had boldly left the house, saying he would bring women back for Seokju, but late at night, he appeared as if he had fought with ghosts in the mountains. Of course, he couldn’t bring the prostitutes with him. He had twigs and such stuck in his ears.

As a result, the members of the organization were on edge, constantly watching Seokju. Even when they walked through the corridor, they tiptoed and held their breath. Even though Seokju hadn’t directly scolded or lost his temper with any of the members, they voluntarily kept an eye on him.

Well, even if you’re naturally kind, if you don’t sleep for three days, your temperament is bound to worsen. But when someone who originally fought like a madman does that, anyone would be tense.

As Ajin wiggled his toes, the door on the wall creaked open. It was the kitchen’s side door. Miss Flower called for Ajin.

“Ajin.”

“Yeah?”

“Come here and peel some potatoes.”

“Yeah!”

Ajin got up briskly and crawled into the kitchen. It was just after lunchtime, and the kitchen was already busy with dinner preparations.

Ajin sat down in front of a pile of potatoes and diligently started peeling them. Just as he was engrossed in peeling potatoes, his concentration was broken when Isunyi entered through the side door connecting to the hall. She was carrying a small tray in her hands, which held carefully prepared rice, soup, and side dishes.

The meal was as it had been an hour ago when they left. The spoons were still pristine.

“The boss hasn’t had lunch at all. He’s been smoking non-stop…”

Isunyi clucked her tongue in disapproval and placed the tray in the middle of the kitchen.

Seokju hadn’t come out of his room since the second day of the monsoon. So they had to bring his meals to his room, but even that often came back untouched, as if there was no one in the room. The servants were jokingly saying that if it kept raining like this, they would turn into animals or monsters.

“Do you think that big guy will starve to death if he misses a few meals?”

Isunyi sat down in front of the tray.

“Let’s eat something ourselves. It’s a waste to use this as dog food.”

Upon hearing this, the servants’ faces lit up. They gathered around the tray. Ajin quietly watched these people. Well, even so, isn’t it obvious? He hadn’t eaten a proper meal for two days. Shouldn’t they at least prepare some porridge for him?

As Ajin peeled the potatoes with pursed lips, a sudden blow hit the back of his head. It was Isunyi.

“You, what will you do when you’ve peeled all the potato skins off? Such a waste.”

“Ow… Auntie, that hurts…”

“Did I hit you because it tickled you? Eat this.”

Isunyi held out a handful of bulgogi, sweetly stir-fried in soy sauce. Ajin extended his lips and accepted it nonchalantly. The bulgogi Auntie had cooked was sweet, savory, and tender.

Seokju couldn’t understand why he wasn’t eating something so delicious and valuable. Ajin thought he would eat it even if his throat was torn apart.

After dinner, there was one task left, washing the dishes. The Flower Lady, who had worked hard to prepare three meals, left early for her room, leaving only Ajin and two other junior servants to start washing dishes.

Today, they chose to do the dishes in front of the kitchen eaves instead of the washing stand next to the large rice jar as they usually did. It was raining heavily, so they couldn’t wash dishes while getting soaked.

Even though Ajin was sitting outside late at night without being exposed to the rain, goosebumps rose on his arms.

Ajin was the one who did the most dishes. Normally, women did kitchen work, and men did outdoor tasks, but due to his current physical condition, Ajin usually did kitchen work. It hurt his pride.

Even though it was the same work, in reality, kitchen work that went on all day without a break was more tiring. But, to Ajin, who had been incapable of being a man since he was young and couldn’t find even a single manly quality in himself, it was a rather bitter task.

So, when he did the dishes with the Aunties and Noonas, he took on the heavy and large items himself, such as cast iron pots and lids. The Noonas would find such actions cute and pat his head or give him candies they had acquired from somewhere.

Today was no different. A mountain of dishes piled up in front of Ajin. The Noona who had finished washing early wiped her hands on her apron and asked Ajin.

“Ajin, want some help?”

“Nah, go on inside.”

“Alright, then. Sleep well.”

“Yeah, you too.”

The Noonas left without lingering. Left alone, Ajin continued his work diligently. Today, there was no Flower Lady to bring him hot water, and his hands were turning bright red. It wasn’t chilly; it was the night wind that whipped through his dry body that made it feel colder.

Ajin closed the faucet tightly and finished washing the dishes. He moved the cleaned dishes back into the kitchen and propped up the full basin. But why was it so heavy? And why weren’t his knees cooperating?

“Ugh!”

Caught in the weight, Ajin’s body swayed as if it were about to fall, and then it toppled over the eaves. Unlucky Ajin was carried over the gutter by the raindrops. Splish! Water splashed, drenching his entire body. A startled Ajin, as if a mudskipper leaping onto a tidal flat, shivered.

He got up from the ground. Water dripped from the ends of his sleeves and hair. Even in this situation, the relentless rain kept hitting Ajin’s forehead like it was trying to feast on it.

“Ugh… damn it…”

Ajin awkwardly cursed under his breath while limping back under the eaves. It was so unfair and annoying that tears welled up in his eyes. He couldn’t sleep like this. He needed to wash up. When could he heat the water, when could he bathe, and when could he dry his clothes?

Ajin used both hands to push his wet, limp hair away. It felt like his mind cleared up a bit when the hair that had been blocking his vision disappeared.

Sitting here and crying won’t change anything. Ajin had known since he was very young that crying didn’t help with survival.

Ajin took off his upper garment, and then he squeezed the water out of it. He thought about taking off his pants too but decided against it. If someone saw him like that, they might think he was some crazy pervert.

Ajin rinsed the disheveled basin with water and set it neatly against the wall before finally entering the kitchen. He started heating water in the cauldron. He sat down in front of the fire, huddled, and let out a deep sigh.

“If only it weren’t for my legs…”

Ajin scolded his knees with his fist. Then, creak, creak, thunk. Unfamiliar sounds reached his ears. It was coming from the hall, as if someone was searching for something.

Could it be a thief? Or perhaps one of the organization’s members?

Ajin slowly got up and approached the side door. The moistened door didn’t even make a creaking sound when he opened it. Thanks to that, Ajin was able to see the intruder in the hall without making a sound.

It was a large figure, someone he recognized.

“The boss?”

It was Seokju.