Double Junk - 71

Ajin realized that something was wrong. From the moment Doeun stabbed the knife into Myungjin’s chest and mentioned my name, to when he escaped to the mountains chased by the pig and Jingul, and even when he was dragged like a dog by the faction member, he had known it, but he had been deliberately ignoring it.

He could no longer deny it. Something was wrong. And it seemed like he couldn’t easily withdraw his foot from this darkness swallowing him.

Ajin’s pupils swirled roughly. It was when he hesitated to call Seokju, who was about to say, “Boss-”

“Hyungnim! We found it!”

One faction member came out of the room holding a white envelope. It was promptly handed over to Seokju. Opening it with a cigarette in his mouth, he found money inside. At a glance, it seemed to be about 5,000 won. And there was also a business card and a photo that Seokju had given Ajin sometime before. It was a photo of Ajin and Seokju taken together.

Seokju stared at it intently. Ajin crawled towards him clumsily. It was to say, ‘That’s the money you gave me, right? It’s the 5,000 won you gave me as an apology. I didn’t steal it. You know that, right?’

At that moment, another faction member waved his arms.

“We found something here too!”

Everyone’s gaze turned in that direction. Seokju also threw an envelope onto the porch, turning his head towards it.

A large bundle was being pulled out from under the porch. The bundle, piled with rough cloth, looked big and heavy at a glance. It required a strong faction member to pull it out with a grunt. Another faction member helped to unfold the bundle.

All sorts of odds and ends spilled out. Broken crystal cup of Seokju, ceramics placed on the corridor shelf, desk clock, ties and wristwatches presumed to belong to faction members, a bunch of keys, a chubby paper bag, a slightly divided bag of medicine, Seokju’s lighter, a gun, an overdose of bl00d…

The servants murmured at the sight of it. Faction members also spat out words one by one.

“Oh, that’s my tie.”

“That’s my wristwatch. I thought I lost it.”

“That damn thief…”

Ajin’s mind went blank at those words. The situation was unfolding in a direction it shouldn’t.

While he hesitated and was lost in thought, Seokju, who had risen from the porch, approached the cloth with a basin. Then, he bent one knee, sat down, and began to rummage through them with indifferent gestures.

The first thing his hand reached for was the bundle of keys. The keys were still relatively new, as if they had been copied recently. They were all familiar to everyone – the keys to the main door, warehouse, Myungjin’s room, Seokju’s room and study, and even the key to the bathroom. Nothing was missing.

Seokju’s cigarette smoke spewed out. Hollow marks were engraved above his eyebrows.

He casually threw the key bundle and looked at other things one by one. He picked up a bag of money that looked like it contained more than 50,000 won, a gun, and a dose of drugs. He picked them up and put them down. Then his gaze fell on a small black leather box.

Seokju, fixing his cigarette, opened the box. A shiny gold watch appeared. It was the watch Seokju had given Myungjin as a birthday present a few days ago.

At the sight of it, faction members jumped up from their seats. Swearing, cursing, and insults like “damn bastard,” “son of a b1tch,” and “crazy bastard” rained down on Ajin. The words of the servants, like how could he, a demon-like guy, and an disgusting guy, were also heard.

Ajin shook his body and came to his senses with a start. Crawling towards Seokju, he groaned, shaking his head like he was in a daze.

“Boss… This isn’t mine. It really isn’t mine, boss. I didn’t do it.”

That was all he could say. He couldn’t say it wasn’t true or come up with any other excuses. So, he was scared. Scared that Seokju would misunderstand. In a situation where misunderstanding was inevitable.

Tears welled up in Ajin’s large eyes. His cheeks, reddened by the cold, trembled, and the hand covered in bl00d from being scraped against the wood and soil hesitated on the ground. It caressed his own thigh, clenched into a fist, and went wild.

Ajin opened his mouth again.

“Boss, I really didn’t do anythi…”

But he couldn’t finish his poor excuse. Thud. Along with a sharp sound, his cheek flew off. Due to the tremendous force, Ajin fell to the side. It seemed like his cheek had detached. His head buzzed, and his eyeballs trembled as if they might pop out.

Ajin gaped with a dazed expression. Who hit him? Who? Why? How? Rusty gears in his mind squeaked. Amid the pain and confusion, as he struggled to break free, his hair was grabbed. Ajin’s upper body was lifted straight up by the intense force.

Only then, finally, Ajin could clearly see who the ruthless person attacking him was.

It was Seokju.

In disbelief, Ajin stared at him, and Seokju’s hand flew again. Thud, and Ajin’s body trembled. This time, Seokju held onto his hair, preventing him from falling sideways.

“Ugh…”

Due to the forceful blow, bl00d burst from Ajin’s nose. His cheek and lips burst open, and a bitter taste of bl00d filled his mouth. The bridge of his nose throbbed, and everything before his eyes became hazy.

Ajin wheezed, trying to speak with a trembling breath. Although he had been slapped countless times while working in the gambling den, this was the first time his nose and lips had burst open with a single blow.

“Kuk… Boss…”

Ajin tried to grab Seokju’s wrist, which held onto his hair, with his trembling hands. However, before his fingertips could touch, Seokju swiftly withdrew his hand. Ajin toppled to the side. The hand that failed to reach Seokju also fell limply to the ground.

Seokju looked down at the crumpled Ajin with a cold gaze. The smoke from his cigarette poured out with a chilling presence. The smoke covered Ajin’s face, or rather, Seokju’s vision entirely.

Three days ago, when Myungjin was stabbed with a knife, Seokju came to the hospital with Myungjin. Myungjin, with the knife still in his chest, went into the operating room. Finger stitching surgery was also performed.

Throughout the surgery, the doctor repeatedly came out and cried that there was not enough bl00d. Faction members offered their arms to each other, eager to give bl00d, but were rejected due to the lingering effects of alcohol.

So, in the early morning, he had to wander through the city with a bundle of cash. If he shared bl00d, he would be given money. After collecting and collecting, they barely finished the surgery when it was already late at night and dawn was breaking.

Looking at Myungjin lying with a pale face, Seokju sighed deeply. Then, he patted his face with his hands.

Myungjin had been stabbed with a knife more than once. Although he had never been so seriously injured that his life was in danger, there were still numerous knife marks all over his body. However, the shock and agony of this injury were incomprehensible.

Perhaps.

“Ajin, today.”

“Today! If it’s today, I can kill them all!”

“You bastard! You say it’s today! Hey, you son of a b1tch! You say it’s today!”

The yelling voices echoed in his head, and Seokju pressed his temples with his thumb and forefinger. It felt like his head was about to split.

Seokju lit a cigarette. The faction member standing beside him quickly offered a lighter, but he waved it away. Then, gnawing at the filter, he stared at Myungjin’s hands covered in bandages.

The carefully preserved fingers were useless. The hesitant doctor, unsure whether they would reattach, eventually returned the fingers entirely. They went back to the pocket of one of the faction members. Since Myungjin was still alive, he couldn’t bury them in the ground, burn them in the fire, or carry them around as a memento, so he was told to keep them for now.

Closing his stiff eyes and opening them again, Seokju fixed his gaze on Myungjin.

“What was her name… Doeun, right? That woman?”

“I’ve confined her to the warehouse for now.”

“She’s not dead?”

“No.”

Seokju let out a bitter laugh. Whether Doeun’s long thread of fate was fortunate or unfortunate, he couldn’t decide. There was a lot to find out when he went there, but he was afraid to hear it.

“But, Hyungnim, that woman… according to Deokjae, she’s like a drug addict.”

“A drug addict?”

“Yes. Even after being shot, she doesn’t seem to feel pain, and she has the strength of a bull, screaming and attacking like a madman… Isn’t that like a drug addict?”

Seokju repeated the word ‘drug addict’ with his lips pursed. Avoiding encounters with drug addicts is inevitable when you’re involved in making and selling drugs. Every time he unexpectedly encounters them like this, it always ends up with bl00dshed. It was incredibly unpleasant.

Seokju squinted his eyes, and about seventeen faction members approached him. They held a fairly high position within the Tae Hwapa, especially under Myungjin. They were also long-time associates with Seokju.

“It was clearly planned. Were we all drunk, not in our right minds? It’s clear that they deliberately attacked on Myungji’s birthday.”

“Yes, and… I think, it’s just my opinion, we weren’t drunk, but drugged.”

“Huh. Did you also feel that way? Something strange? Hyungnim. Am I being persuasive? But damn, I drank two bottles of soju yesterday and got drunk immediately.”

“We might be used to drinking, but even those who don’t usually drink were all completely out of it. It’s definitely strange.”

“We were given drugs in advance.”

“No, it’s not laced with the alcohol.”

As the conversation buzzed, a faction member standing in the corner suddenly raised his voice. All eyes turned in that direction. He pushed through the big guys and approached Seokju.

“Jeongseok was on duty guarding the backyard yesterday, so he didn’t even touch the alcohol. After dinner, he went straight to the backyard.”

“But.”

“But when that guy came to his senses, he was sprawled out in a corner. So, I think he must have put drugs in the food. It must be evident if he laced it with something in the soup or kimchi.”

Seokju raised an eyebrow, absorbing the information.