Double Junk - 78

Ajin, shaking his head, uttered desperate words.

“T-then, I’ll pay… I-I’ll pay for that. Uh, I’ll pay, so please…”

Tears streamed down Ajin’s face, following the traces of mud on his cheeks. The blood that had flowed between the swollen lips and the chin had solidified, making it unpleasant to look at.

Now, Ajin looked exactly like a beggar.

Seeing this, Seokju furrowed his brows in disdain. His usually attractive face didn’t look so appealing today.

He subtly moved his foot, brushing off Ajin’s hand, and bent one knee, sitting down. Then, he met Ajin’s tear-filled azure eyes.

“1 million won.”

“Wh-what?”

“1 million won. That’s the value of your wrongdoing.”

“What is… No… How can I repay such a large sum…”

“Well, how are you going to repay it?”

Ajin’s pupils trembled. If he asked for a way to repay, there was only one answer. He wiped the tears with his reddened lips.

“By working. I’ll repay by working.”

Upon hearing this, Seokju chuckled. The feeble plea sounded pitiful. Repay 1 million won by working. At best, he might get paid 50 cents for a day’s work, and usually, it was no more than 3 or 4 cents. How could he repay with that?

Seokju stared at Ajin with mock tenderness.

“It won’t take too long, will it?”

Ajin bit his lower lip. 1 million won. It would take a long time to repay that amount through daily labor. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to repay it until he died. But there was no other way.

What else can I do besides working? I am a cripple, an orphan without a family, and a semi-literate beggar who can’t even read properly.

Ajin closed his eyes tightly. Thick tears fell like drops on the ground. It was miserable. What was even more miserable was that Seokju was someone who knew all about his circumstances.

Knowing all this, he still said such things. To insult me and inflict pain.

Damned… bastard…

Ajin gritted his teeth. Anger surged in the eyes that were filled with injustice and sorrow. He clenched his fist, grabbing a handful of soil. The grains of soil felt like coarse particles scratching his hand.

“So, what should I do?”

Ajin spoke in a low voice. Seokju’s eyelids twitched. Ajin stared at him directly and urged.

“Why should I repay for something I didn’t steal-”

But before finishing his sentence, he was grabbed by the shoulders by the organization members. Ajin was dragged back lifelessly. Seokju, who was close by, seemed to move far away. Although it was only a few steps, it felt as if he would never be able to reach him again.

Ajin soon landed on the plastic sheet. There was a musty smell emanating from the plastic. It smelled similar to the stench of rotten meat. Probably because of the pig’s blood that hadn’t been properly cleaned.

Ajin was quickly captivated by fear again.

“No, no. Boss. I’ll repay. I’ll repay!”

Ajin screamed. However, no one answered. No one helped. The organization members subtly approached. It seemed they wanted to see Ajin’s arm falling off up close. There was a twisted desire in their eyes as they stared at the trembling eyeballs.

The organization member pressed Ajin to the ground. With a cruel force, Ajin’s face smeared against the plastic. His legs were tightly bound, and a burly organization member climbed onto his back, stretching Ajin’s left arm outward.

Above it, a knife with sharp teeth approached.

Terrified, Ajin twisted his body. However, the organization members didn’t flinch. They easily subdued a pig with a massive body, and dealing with Ajin, who was far inferior, was child’s play.

Ajin’s eyeballs turned a sickly yellow. Such a threat was unprecedented in his life. When he had an accident, he couldn’t feel fear unexpectedly, and when he was attacked by surprise, there was no time to feel terror. But now, he had to endure the severing of his arm with a clear mind.

He felt powerless. He even had thoughts like he’d rather have his throat slit.

Ajin, with his face pressed down, looked up at Seokju.

“N-no! Boss! Please, spare me. Boss!”

“……”

“Ack! I’ll do anything, anything… Huuuh, I’ll do it all… Spare me, pleeease…”

Ajin sobbed, tears streaming down. The organization member holding the knife glanced at Seokju, waiting for permission.

“……”

Seokju stared at Ajin with his usual expressionless face.

A strange emotion arose as he looked down at Ajin’s crying face. What’s odd… Ah, come to think of it, he doesn’t have bangs anymore. The hair that usually covered his face was now halfway cut. Whether it was burned and eaten while setting a fire at the back or attempting to change his identity while escaping, no one could tell.

The flower lady advised him not to expose his face, right? Did he forget about that? Or is it that it doesn’t matter now whatever happens? Or is it another ploy? Or was that statement also false?

Seokju casually blew cigarette smoke and gazed at Ajin. It wasn’t just a gaze; it was a mocking look.

The ash-stained lips, frozen cheeks turned bluish from the cold, swollen eyes from crying, clearly visible eyebrows due to the short hair, collarbones and chest peeking through the clothes – his gaze lingered on these features.

“Boss… I made a mistake… Please, spare me, Boss…”

The white face stained with ash, blood smeared around the lips, tears streaming down – it stimulated carnal desires. Strangely, strength entered his lower body.

Seokju’s lips twisted into a wry smile.

It’s been a few days since I last had sex. I haven’t done it since two days before Myungjin’s birthday, so it’s been about a week. How long has it been since I had a proper sleep? I couldn’t sleep for days after Myungjin got stabbed.

Realizing this, the fatigue that he had forgotten came up. In addition, he felt annoyed and angry. He had to figure out how to clean up and deal with all this mess. His head throbbed.

He needed a momentary escape. He wanted to take some medicine. Or maybe drink a strong cocktail. Or maybe have vigorous sex until his body tingled.

Seokju chewed on the cigarette filter thoughtfully. Then, he spat it out on the floor. He sat down, leaning against the sofa, and motioned to the organization members who were restraining Ajin. They stepped back.

Ajin got up quickly. How long had he been pressed down? His shoulders and back were sore, and he even used both arms to wrap around his body.

“Ugh….”

His body tensed excessively at this harsh sight he experienced after a long time. Since entering Seokju’s house and falling asleep in his arms, this treatment was the first, and he couldn’t get used to it.

Ajin, with tears silently streaming down his cheeks, looked at Seokju. Seokju, sitting on the sofa, patted Ajin’s head gently. The slightly shortened hair was still thin and soft.

“Ajin.”

“Huuu… Boss, please spare me…”

“Do you want to work?”

Ajin quickly nodded his head. He nodded several times, moving his jaw.

“Yes, yes. I’ll do it. Huhuh, I’ll do anything…”

“You’re good at something, though.”

“……”

“I’ll pay you a lot.”

Seokju smiled, pulling up the corners of his mouth. Ajin stared at that splendid smile with vacant eyes.

Ajin was led to Seokju’s room. He couldn’t fathom what Seokju was thinking. Still, he was relieved that he probably wouldn’t cut off his arm in this room.

Standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, while Seokju casually took off his jacket and threw it onto the sofa. Then, he lit a new cigarette, sat down on the sofa, and breathed a sigh. Fatigue was deeply ingrained in his handsome face.

Ajin wiped his tear-streaked face with his hands. Dry blood, frozen tears due to the cold, all smeared. He roughly wiped his hands on his pants, now dirtied.

While doing so, he continued to nibble on his lips. There were many things he wanted to ask. Is Myungjin okay? What happened to the flower lady? Did the surgery go well? Etc. But he couldn’t bring himself to ask. He thought Seokju wouldn’t tell him even if he asked, fearing he might get slapped again for daring to inquire.

Ajin, whose cheeks had become slightly heavier, continued to stroke them. Seokju, exhaling cigarette smoke, spoke.

“Undress.”

“… What?”

“…”

Seokju didn’t repeat himself. Ajin blinked slowly, realizing only belatedly. What ‘task’ Seokju was trying to give him, what the ‘work’ he was good at meant.

Ajin bit his lip tightly. The split lip from Seokju’s blow began bleeding again. He wiped the blood flowing down his mouth with the back of his hand.

Seokju, watching Ajin, sucked on his cigarette vigorously. The embers gradually burned up the cigarette.

“I said I’d do anything. I’ll buy your body. So undress.”

Ajin closed and opened his eyes again slowly. Then, with eyes now calmer than before, he stared at Seokju.

“…”

Ajin was accustomed to a life misunderstood. He had experienced receiving punishment for sins he didn’t commit quite a lot.

In the gambling den, he was often treated like a thief. If the pickpocket kid stole a wallet, hid a playing card, or if a cigarette left on the ashtray disappeared, he was treated like a dog.

So, receiving such misunderstandings, being treated like a thief, was tolerable. It didn’t bother him.

Yeah, surely… it should be like that. But now, he didn’t know why it felt so heartbreaking. In the gambling den, he just felt unjust and angry, but now, the sadness was greater than that.

Seokju didn’t trust him. It seemed painful that he was demoted from being treated as a special person to being a shameless thief.

Ajin slowly licked his torn lips.

“Even if I… say something, you won’t believe me, right?”

“…”

Instead of answering, Seokju blew out smoke. Though it was nothing, it was ultimately affirmative. Seokju had already defined Ajin. As ‘that’ kind of guy.

Ajin looked down at the floor. His dirty foot showed on the polished floor, shining with a layer of oil. Dust and dirtied wounds made his slightly crooked legs look more unattractive today. Looking at it, his disgrace and his theme came clearly to him.