Double Junk - 88

A cold wind surged towards Ajin. For a moment, his face felt the chill, causing his throat to contract before relaxing. Then, he took a deep breath. The air, not only chilling his nostrils but also stinging his throat and lungs, felt refreshingly crisp. Yet, it wasn’t unpleasant.

Unlike the static coldness lingering in Seokju’s room, this was a brisk and refreshing coldness. Ajin felt like he understood why Seokju always kept the window wide open, allowing the cool air to circulate while he smoked.

With closed eyes, Ajin continued to inhale the air continuously. The cold water seemed to cleanse his brain, previously stifled by pain, making it feel refreshingly clear.

As Ajin’s nose turned reddish and his surroundings became a pristine white world, he slowly opened his eyes.

“Ah….”

It’s snowing.

He knew it was winter, but he didn’t expect snow. Ajin looked blankly at the snow piled up in the courtyard.

Seoul often experienced heavy snowfall. Every winter was like that, sometimes leaving the gambling den and entertainment venues empty due to continuous snowstorms. However, Ajin hadn’t seen snow many times. Living in the dimly lit corner of a gambling den without windows for his entire life might be the reason.

So, no matter how agonizing or sad the moment was, meeting the snow felt magical.

Ajin stood on the veranda until his knees shivered and his body froze from the cold. Then, as a bird perched on a tree in front of him took off with vigorous flaps, the snow piled on the tree branches scattered like confetti. At that moment, he snapped back to reality.

Ajin noticed people wandering around the yard belatedly. People clearing the snow, breaking frozen branches, tending to the fire, and sighing in front of laundry lines.

But every face was unfamiliar. Not a single person he knew. It seemed like Seokju had completely replaced the household staff.

Ajin’s mouth opened slightly.

In the all-white house due to the snow, with unfamiliar people and unfamiliar scenery, occasional odd glances.

Ajin felt like he had fallen into a completely different world. It seemed impossible to blend in with them, as if he were a thorough outsider. Even when he moved from the gambling den to Seokju’s house, he felt a similar way, but back then, there was Miss Hwa and familiar staff, making it easy to adapt.

However, now, his chest felt tight, as if he had eaten dirt.

Confused about what to do, Ajin descended to the courtyard barefoot. Cold snow crunched beneath his soles. The coldness traveled through his legs, crawled up his spine, and froze his entire back, but Ajin paid it no mind.

With hesitant steps, he roamed the courtyard.

There must be someone. At least one person I know. Holding onto the futile hope that there would be at least one.

Then, he reached the backyard. There, the kitchen door, kitchen storage, the woodshed, and the servants’ rooms were gathered.

When Ajin’s footsteps, now more accustomed to the familiar scenery, were busy, they abruptly halted. At the edge of his calf, he felt a warmth. Ajin turned his head as if enchanted by something.

There was a hearth. A pot, whose contents were unknown, was boiling, and flames were burning vigorously underneath. Beyond the smoky hearth, several logs stuck out. Among them, one entered Ajin’s eyes like a splinter.

A scorched notebook.

Ajin approached it, crunching through the snow. He bent his aching waist and picked up the notebook with one hand. The scorched notebook, burnt halfway, unfolded haphazardly.

[Ashin, Eshin, Ajin, Ajin, Ajin, Ajin, Ajin]

[Gang Seokju, Gang Seokju, Gang Seokju, Gang Seokju, Gang Seokju, Gang Seokju]

The names, written crookedly, were revealed. The names appeared even more distorted due to being burned by the fire. The names were frozen and melted repeatedly, making them almost indistinguishable from mud or snow.

“….”

Ajin stared at it intently. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew. The notebook tore apart and was sucked into the flames. The fire swiftly consumed the fragile paper without a trace.

“….”

Ajin stared at it with a helpless expression. He had been watching the fire devour the names for quite some time. Suddenly, a spark jumped and hit his foot, making him startle and snap back to reality.

Ajin wiped his soot-covered hand on his pants carelessly. Then, he called over an unknown servant passing by.

“Excuse me…”

The servant swiftly turned his head to look at Ajin. In his hand, frozen fish hung together, clattering as he walked. He was a man who appeared to be about twenty-six, roughly seven years older than Ajin. He was the same age as Myungjin.

His face was nondescript, and his broad shoulders suggested strength. Layered clothes made him look even bulkier.

He lifted his chin, indicating Ajin to continue with his question.

Suppressing the stinging sensation of the swallowed needle-like spit, Ajin asked softly, “Doeun… Is Doeun still in the storage? How about her treatment? Did she get it?”

“Doeun? Who’s Doeun?”

“Over there, in the parking lot storage… There should be a woman…”

Ajin pointed towards the distant storage in the yard. The man raised an eyebrow.

“Why would a woman be in the storage on such a cold day, risking freezing to death?”

Ajin drew in a sharp breath. Was Doeun gone? The man spoke as if the presence of a woman in the storage never happened.

Did Seokju… kill Doeun?

Or did Doeun die without anyone knowing? Considering she was shot and bleeding without proper treatment, she would have been in a life-threatening condition.

No, maybe… Did Doeun escape? Yes, that day was the last time I saw Doeun. The day the pig and Jin-geol appeared. Perhaps Jin-geol took Doeun away.

If that’s the case, it’s fortunate. She must have received treatment somehow.

…It’s not fortunate for me, though. Without Doeun, who will prove my innocence?

Ajin nervously bit his lower lip. Then, urgently, he asked the man, “Choi Jin-geol. Where is Choi Jin-geol?”

“Where would he be going?”

“He’s new to this house, or rather, to the Taehoepa. He’s about this tall, and, uh…”

Ajin tried to describe Jin-geol in various ways. The man, however, shook his head decisively.

“A new person? I haven’t seen him. Isn’t the youngest member of Taehoepa Geumtae? Didn’t Geumtae join three years ago? There hasn’t been any new member since then… Seokju hyungnim is very picky about accepting people.”

“….”

“Geumtae is still the youngest. What could a student have done wrong?”

The man inquired. He seemed to be quite knowledgeable about Taehoepa. The familiar dialect in his speech hinted that he might be from Busan.

Ajin’s pupils floated like buoys on the waves. They were all gone. The servants, Doeun, Jin-geol, and Miss Hwa. Now, only he remained. The fact was terrifying beyond words.

The forgotten coldness suddenly engulfed Ajin. Clutching his arms, he shivered violently.

The man squinted his eyes. A mixture of caution and disgust reflected in his gaze as he observed Ajin’s numb face, injured lips, shabby clothes, bare feet, and limping.

“But who are you? Why are you wandering around barefoot in this cold?”

“Oh, no… it’s nothing.”

Ajin shook his head timidly. He walked unsteadily through the yard as if he were drunk. The man’s gaze felt like a fierce stab in the back. Still, Ajin didn’t turn around.

Ajin traversed the spacious yard halfway and carefully scanned the house. It looked almost the same, but something subtly different. He couldn’t pinpoint what had changed.

Ajin stood on the snowy field, contemplating. How long had he been standing there? Only later did he notice the changed detail.

In front of the members’ rooms, the sneakers placed beneath the porch had changed.

Members usually wore formal shoes. Since they often wore silk robes over their suits, it was impractical to wear sneakers or rubber shoes. Their formal shoes were usually kept in the entrance shoe rack.

On the other hand, sneakers were often placed under the porch of each member’s room. This was due to the exercise equipment in the backyard, where members would wear sneakers or slippers during weekend exercises.

The number of sneakers was significantly higher than before. It was unlikely that they had collectively purchased new, dusty sneakers. It meant that there were more people now.

Seokju had called in more people. Since the man mentioned that there were no new members, they were probably recruits from somewhere else, perhaps from Busan. What could be the reason? What was Seokju thinking?

Ajin stared intently at a pair of sneakers under the porch. Afterward, he slowly turned around.

Ajin sat crouched behind the storage where Doeun had been confined. He had come to verify the man’s claim about Doeun and Jin-geol not being present. To his dismay, there was no sign of Doeun. Not even the hanbok and chocolate he had given her were visible.

After spending a considerable time inspecting the musty-smelling storage, Ajin emerged. Then, wandering around the house for a while and finding nowhere to go, he simply sat down behind the storage. His leg, unable to bend properly, extended straight towards the snow-covered outside.

“Sigh…”

Ajin sighed as he gazed at the thickly piled snow on the wall. A dense breath escaped from his lips, reminiscent of cigarette smoke.

Ajin gathered his chapped lips, blowing out breaths like puffing a cigarette, recalling Seokju’s smoking habits. He also reminisced about the day Myungjin taught him how to smoke.