Double Junk - 93

In the past, few people came to the company since we only dealt with foreign transactions. At most, it was the captains of ships that transported goods or the aunties delivering lunch. The rest were all members of the Tae Hoi Faction.

But now, customers overflowed. They were all owners of businesses in Seoul. Owners of gambling dens with signs that said “Dabang,” pub owners, owners of places that simultaneously functioned as cafes and sold women, hotel owners, and even the owner of a department store in Jongno.

They all couldn’t forget the taste of Seokju’s drugs that had recently spread through Seoul. They were the ones who came here to sign contracts with clients brought in by that taste.

‘Contracts.’

Among those dealing with buying and selling drugs, it wasn’t a common practice. However, the Tae Hoi Faction always stuck to the cumbersome task of contracts.

They didn’t directly sell drugs to street peddlers. Instead, they regularly contracted with businesses, specifying the amount of money, and on the agreed-upon date, they would either visit the establishment or, if the owner came to the company, provide the drugs and receive payment.

Simply exchanging drugs openly could lead to rumors and an easier chance of getting caught. So, they included other items in the contract as well. They sold various things needed in pubs, gambling dens, or places like brothels, such as whiskey, poetry, and pre-made dishes, at a reasonable price, subtly slipping drugs in between.

Expanding their business to Seoul, increasing customers, and consequently dealing with more complications, they also increased their staff.

All those employees were either part of the Tae Hoi Faction or members of Seokju’s family. Some had come up to Seoul together from the beginning, while others had recently come up through the organization due to Seokju’s call, taking advantage of easily accessible herbal ingredients through Busan Port. The rest were siblings, sisters, brothers, parents, etc., of those organization members.

No matter how you called them, they were people fitting the term ‘family.’ To prevent betrayal or information leaks, they strictly composed the organization only with family members.

Seokju, exhaling cigarette smoke, stared at the first floor for a long time. The focus of his gaze seemed oddly off. He was clearly lost in different thoughts.

When Jinmi, who showed no signs of waking up, Myungjin’s worrying without any clear leads, Hwajeop’s indifferent reaction to the fact that the Tae Hoi Faction’s drugs were spreading in Seoul, and… Ajin. Ajin. Ajin.

Seokju scratched his forehead with his thumb behind his ear. There was nothing vividly clear. He had been in this line of work for about 20 years since joining the organization at the age of fourteen. It was the first time he felt like he was walking through darkness since his father’s unjust death.

Ironically, he even had such thoughts. When Jinmi opens his eyes, when he strangles Geiho, the head of Hwajeop, after everything is settled, go down to the countryside with family, and maybe try farming.

And the futile thoughts concluded with Ajin.

When he gave up everything and went down to the countryside. In that peaceful moment when the sun was shining brightly, and well-grown rice plants were swaying like waves. Would Ajin be by his side, in that…?

It was when Seokju’s black pupils were gradually becoming clouded.

Ding, ding.

The phone rang sharply. Seokju, approaching the desk, extinguished the cigarette by flicking it into the ashtray. Then, with a dry mouth, he picked up the receiver.

“…”

Even after picking up the phone, Seokju didn’t say anything. He was waiting for the other person to reveal their identity first.

A familiar caller to Seokju quickly spoke up.

– Sir, it’s me, from the house.

“Sure.”

– I called to report after two hours.

“Yeah.”

– That guy woke up an hour ago. I gave him food, but he emptied it without saying a word, and neatly stacked the dishes. And now…

“…”

– He’s gone again.

At those words, Seokju let out a bitter laugh. Since yesterday, he had received reports from his organization members at home every two hours regarding Ajin. He didn’t want to experience the feeling of Ajin disappearing again when he went home. Because he didn’t know what Ajin would do or how he would behave.

– When I woke up in the morning, the door wouldn’t open, so I tried opening various places, but he just slept as if nothing happened? But after eating, he disappears again. Is the kid very tired…?

“Do you shout that you want to go out or kick the door?”

– No. Not at all. There’s no sound at all. It’s too quiet, so I secretly opened the door and checked inside. But he really just disappears.

“All right…”

– Yeah… Well, there’s nothing specific to report. I’m sorry.

“No, it’s fine.”

– Then I’ll call you again in two hours, hyungnim.

“Yeah.”

Seokju hung up the phone. He, who had been staring at the phone for a moment, poured whiskey into a glass. Then, he swallowed it in one go.

Ajin does nothing. At first, he cried and complained. But for the past few days, he hasn’t rebelled or even said he doesn’t like it.

It started after mentioning Miss Flower’s name. His face turned pale as if he would die right away, lost consciousness for a while, and then became quiet. Maybe Geiho lost Miss Flower. So, he seemed worried that he might lose Miss Flower.

If that’s the case, it’s fortunate. It means Ajin doesn’t have the intention to leave me, whether through death or escape or escape through death, as he might think.

Seokju sat down on the chair with a sigh and crossed his legs. Then, he pulled out a square photo from the drawer. The crumpled photo portrayed Ajin like livestock, with a number tag hanging on his chest.

“…”

Seokju lightly traced Ajin’s face in the photo with his thumb.

The Ajin in the photo is the real Ajin. The Ajin who worked in the gambling den, the head of Hwajeop, who injured Myungjin, set fire to the back alley, killed Doeun, stole items, and deceived me. The real Ajin.

Seokju knew it was a fake Ajin. The Ajin who had a pretty smile, was innocent, scared, liked chocolate, had impeccable manners almost to the point of being useless, was occasionally cheeky, liked me, said things like, “I missed you,” and so on… That Ajin is no longer here.

Sadness settled in the corners of Seokju’s eyes. Although it’s a reality he repeats every day, it still hurts. If anger was prioritized in the past, nowadays, pain… and regret were stronger.

But yesterday was okay. Yesterday felt like we had returned to the happy times.

Looking forward to the night we spent together, and the Ajin who knocked on my door every night, politely greeting, “Hello, sir.” Lying side by side, looking at each other until we fell asleep, playing silly pranks, touching each other, and gently biting each other’s lips. It felt like going back to those times.

Experiencing that feeling again after a long time, Seokju was captivated by the indescribable ecstasy. However, when he woke up in the morning, an immense emptiness choked him. And that emptiness led to negative thoughts.

If what the false Ajin wants is the real Ajin, can’t I just exchange the false Ajin for the real one? It’s a terribly wicked and desperate thought.

As Seokju, recalling the round pills piled up in the basement of the company, was about to tap his foot, a loud thud shook the building.

Bang!

It was a gunshot. Seokju, wide-eyed, grabbed the gun from the drawer and rushed out of the office. The photo of Ajin he was holding fell to the floor, scattering.

Luckily, the source of the gunshot was a Tae Hoi Faction member. Seokju felt relieved as he didn’t hit someone, but the person was lying on the ground, holding his side, and bl00d was trickling through his fingers. In front of him, a man was dancing, waving a knife, with his pants discarded somewhere, and swinging his shriveled p3nis like a dog’s tail.

“I’m the boss! Ahaha, I’m the boss, you bastards! Suck my d1ck! I’m the best! Uhahaha!”

Clearly, he was a drug addict. His appearance wasn’t much different from the drug addicts Seokju had seen in Incheon. Although there was a gunshot wound on his thigh, he didn’t seem to feel any pain.

But there was one thing that worried Seokju. In the hand opposite the one holding the knife, there was a grenade. The pin, hanging on his index finger, jingled as it shook. I don’t know how powerful it would be, but if that exploded, the company would turn into chaos, and people were likely to get hurt or killed.

Seokju furrowed his brow as he observed the situation. One of the organization members approached him and reported in his ear.

“Hey, is there a singing bar in the alley near Jongno? We went there together, but the owner disappeared, and only that guy is making a scene like this. Ah, a damn druggie…”

The organization member shivered as if his patience was running thin. Seokju patted his shoulder reassuringly. Then, he aimed his gun towards the head of the druggie who was dancing wildly. However, he hesitated to pull the trigger easily.

“…”

I am a gangster, and this is a company. Externally, we don’t engage in illegal activities, diligently pay taxes, and regularly report to customs. But having a corpse with a gunshot wound coming in and out of the door would undoubtedly lead to rumors.

Seokju tucked the gun back into his pocket. He then approached the druggie step by step.

He grabbed the hand of the druggie holding the grenade from behind. Seokju, with a height of over 190 centimeters, had large hands, and his grip strength was formidable. The druggie twisted his body, mumbling, while Seokju avoided the knife swung towards him with a quick movement of his head. Simultaneously, Seokju lowered the druggie’s arm, lifting his elbow with his knee. The druggie’s scarf draped over his shoulder fluttered dramatically.

A crisp sound, like bones crunching, echoed. The elbow twisted, and the part connecting the elbow to the wrist sharply broke through the skin, bl00d splattering.

“Uhahaha, do more. Do more!”

However, the druggie continued to shake his body, laughing uncontrollably.