Double Junk - 77

Ajin stood out from the beginning. The day I first saw him at the gambling den. He had only an upper garment, exposing his pale and slender legs. Although there were many women half-undressed, he was the first to catch my eye.

That gaze wasn’t mixed with desire. He covered his face with his hair, and I looked at him with a sense of curiosity.

The next distinct memory was when he appeared drenched in rain, overturning a basin of water in front of me, intoxicated by alcohol and drugs. He revealed his face, showed his soft-looking arms, and even displayed pink n1pples, whimpering, “Boss, Boss.”

I fell recklessly for his beautiful and refreshing body. Although I struggled with the first button, I took pride in handling the rest with ease.

So, I lived enjoying the happiness and peace that I had never experienced before. And then, Kiheon appeared.

Seeing Ajin tidying up the bottles, Kiheon said, “I heard there’s a cripple in the house… Your tastes are good. Leaving a cripple at home. Kang Boss didn’t seem that kind, but people are truly kind.”

He heard there was a cripple.

He heard there was a cripple.

He heard there was a cripple.

At that time, I didn’t think it was strange. Ajin, who had been emotionally beaten and was barely alive, had all my attention.

Well, in truth, it wasn’t strange that Kiheon knew about Ajin’s existence. He had been diligently investigating the Jungho Club and Kiheon. He even knew how the inside of his house looked, a place he had never visited. Kiheon probably did a similar investigation, so he shouldn’t be unaware of Ajin’s existence, the cripple man who, as I claimed every night, was my lover.

A few hours later, I saw them together in the backyard. Yeah, that was strange.

The two stood awkwardly in the quiet yard. No matter how you looked at it, it was an incongruous pair. However, Kiheon casually tried to pat Ajin’s head, and Ajin didn’t avoid his touch.

With a sudden appearance, Kiheon said, “Ah, I couldn’t find the bathroom. But this guy showed me.”

And Ajin said, “Uh, I’ll be going now…” muttering the end of his words, he quickly turned around before I could figure out why he was in such a hurry. I vividly remember his limping steps disappearing into the kitchen.

At that time, my only concern was Ajin. Did Kiheon say something nasty to him? Did he hurt him with unkind words? What if Ajin, with his conspicuous appearance, got into trouble later? Such worries.

But the next day or so, Ajin asked about the Jungho Club.

“The people who came then were from the Jungho Club, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Aren’t those people enemies of the Boss? They were really bad people. They caused a lot of trouble even at the gambling den.”

“I heard they have a low rank.”

“But why did you invite them home?”

In an uncharacteristically inquisitive manner, Ajin probed. I remember him asking questions persistently. At that time, I don’t recall what I thought. Since nothing comes to mind, I probably didn’t have any particular thoughts. Without any suspicion or hesitation, I listed out my plans for him.

And a few months later, Jin Geol came into my house, and we held a welcoming ceremony. We took pictures with family members, and I caught Ajin at work, secretly taking pictures with him. Afterward, I took Ajin, who said he was full, for a walk behind the house.

At that time, too, I took Ajin first. I did. Ajin, who had not mentioned a word about the backyard, did not express any doubts. I thoroughly explained everything to him without him asking about the backyard.

And a few days later, he asked about the Jungho Club.

“Those people who came then were from the Jungho Club, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Aren’t those people enemies of the Boss? They were really bad people. They caused a lot of trouble even at the gambling den.”

“I heard they have a low rank.”

“But why did you invite them home?”

“Uh… Well, I’m not sure if you know, but there’s a factory producing drugs over there.”

“Drugs?”

“Yeah. Philophon. I sell it overseas.”

What thoughts crossed Ajin’s mind as I recited information like a fool? Did he find it amusing, thinking, “What on earth is this?” Or did he mockingly wonder if such a foolish guy was the boss?

After the walk a few days later, the drugs in the backyard disappeared.

And foolishly, I didn’t even suspect Ajin, actively preventing any suspicions from flowing to him, narrowing my eyes.

Recalling that time, Seokju let out a bitter laugh. Every time his Adam’s apple moved, the tobacco smoke spewing from his mouth danced.

Seokju, who was listening to the noisy commotion from Ajin’s household, shifted his gaze to the yard. Ajin, dragged like a dog, was sprawled on the ground.

His face was covered in ash and dirt. There were bloodstains on his nose, whose origin was unknown, and dried leaves were stuck in his hair. He seemed to have desperately tried to escape.

His complexion was pale, his gaze unsettled, and he couldn’t fix his eyes, glancing at the organization members, then at the surrounding ropes like a spectator, finally looking at me.

“Boss, Boss…”

A small voice calling me sounded distantly. The slightly chubby lips on that budding flower-like mouth were quite charming.

Even at this moment, I wanted to hug Ajin and sleep. Damn it. I felt a desire that if I held that small, refreshing body, maybe all these nightmares would end. In the morning, I could sweetly ask if he slept well while exchanging kisses. Such a longing arose.

However, that desire was brutally suppressed within a few minutes. The moment Jin’s watch fell out of Ajin’s handkerchief.

Seokju’s field of vision was engulfed in an unrelenting darkness.

Ajin, collapsed under Seokju’s dagger, sobbed tearfully. His eyeballs were swollen, nose bleeding, and bl00d oozed from his tongue. The pain was so overwhelming that he couldn’t regain consciousness.

As Ajin writhed in agony, one of the organization members approached. Then, he picked up something that slipped from Ajin’s pants pocket. With a sigh, he extended it to Seokju.

“Boss, take a look at this.”

It was Seokju’s lighter and the key to the backyard. The somewhat worn-out key, reminiscent of newness, seemed to be a pair with the key bundle in the handkerchief.

Seokju only took the lighter from the organization member’s hand. Then, he lit it with his thumb. A crimson glow passed over Seokju’s nose.

Turning the light on and off a few times, Seokju, lost in thought, picked up Ajin’s notebook scattered on the ground. He ignited it with the flame. The fire, meeting its prey, leaped joyfully. The burning notebook soon fell onto Ajin’s bundle.

The fire instantly grew in size. Sparkling ashes, crystal cups, money, drugs, and worn-out clothes, chocolates, the jacket Seokju bought, and even the photo they took together, all ignited.

Ajin, still sprawled on the ground, stared blankly at the scene. The flames flickered before his eyes, but they weren’t warm. Instead, it grew colder and colder. His hands, feet, back, and even his throat froze. Ajin couldn’t move as if something was pressing down on him.

“About how much is it?”

Seokju, pulling out his cigarette, asked.

“About 150,000 won. If you include the drugs, it’s another 300,000 won.”

The organization member answered, looking at the blazing fire. Seokju sneered at the cost. Considering the damage to Myungjin and the burned backyard, it might be around 1 million won. Maybe…

1 million won. To Seokju, it wasn’t a significant amount, but to others, it was a jaw-dropping sum. Money that could fix their fortunes with one bet.

“Should we get a knife…?”

The organization member asked cautiously. At those words, Ajin opened his eyes wide. The image of a pig getting its shoulder and elbow cut off came to mind. I didn’t remember how much he had stolen at that time. Certainly, it must be much less than the burning belongings, which were not even Ajin’s, compared to my belongings.

Since the pig’s shoulder and elbow were cut off, I didn’t know if the upper body, or maybe even the whole body, would be sliced off.

For a moment, Ajin saw a fantasy of me with no shoulders and legs, begging for food. Living in disgrace, he silently died without a sound, receiving all kinds of disgust and contempt.

Ajin sprung up as if startled and began to beg, pressing his palms together.

“Please, spare me. Spare me, Boss. I didn’t do anything. I swear, I didn’t do anything…”

I had never touched anything that didn’t belong to me. I had not even taken permission for a single chocolate or candy in Seokju’s room. How could someone like me steal a watch, a cup, money, and drugs? It was out of the question.

Ajin was truly unjustly treated. But now, fear overwhelmed him more than injustice. Tears filled his eyes, and the world spun around him. Seokju’s face blurred. Even that was terrifying, so he wiped away tears with the back of his hand.

Seokju remained silent. With one hand in his pocket, he stood diagonally, smoking his cigarette without a word.

Ajin felt a tremor of fear every time Seokju’s cigarette diminished and a shiver ran down his spine as the remnants of burning tobacco fluttered away.

Then, Seokju lightly nodded toward the organization members. With that single nod, Ajin lost his arm. Several members rushed toward the warehouse. Ajin blankly watched the organization members moving away, kicking up dust.

It felt like a dream. But he vividly realized that it wasn’t a dream.

Unbelievable. What was happening? Why was I here, feeling like a criminal, and why did Seokju look at me like an enemy? Why did everything turn out this way?

Since the moment Myungjin was stabbed with a knife, Ajin’s world had been strangely turning upside down.

The preparation for punishment happened in an instant. Vinyl was spread on the floor, a large saw suitable for slaughter came in, and two organization members approached Ajin. By then, even the fire burning the belongings and not belonging to Ajin had extinguished. The world grew darker and colder.

Two organization members grabbed Ajin’s shoulders. Ajin, who woke up shaking, approached Seokju with unsteady steps. Then, gripping Seokju’s trouser leg, he looked up, pleading.

“Boss, really, I didn’t do anything. I didn’t steal anything. I don’t even know what that is. I just… I just stayed still. Please don’t do this. Please. Okay?”

Seokju said nothing in response to Ajin’s earnest plea.