Double-Piece

**06**

Seokju’s eyebrows twitched at the unprompted gesture of kindness. If it had been another master, they would have said, “Sure, bring it right away.” But Seokju did not immediately agree. Azin fumbled for an excuse.

“It’s just, um… a bit awkward for you to go into the kitchen yourself…”

A man of dignity doesn’t enter the kitchen. It would be surprising even if a well-mannered gentleman entered a kitchen, let alone Seokju. It was unthinkable for him to go in and fetch the water himself. If the others found out tomorrow, they might even lash out at the servants.

Well, actually, it seemed unlikely, but it made Azin feel more at ease thinking that way.

Seokju remained silent for a moment, then extended the crystal bottle to Azin as if offering a favor.

“Alright, then.”

Azin, who had already lowered his head, dropped it even further and took the bottle with both hands. It was smooth and bulging, surely expensive—probably worth several times Azin’s own worth.

Holding the bottle like a sacred vessel, Azin made his way to the kitchen in quick steps. Seokju followed him.

Azin tried not to limp, though it was impossible to avoid the slight hobbling, he still wanted to appear as normal as possible. No one likes a lame person. Even though he was a servant, he would surely be dismissed if he drew attention.

Luckily, Azin made it to the kitchen without stumbling or breaking the bottle. The kitchen was located in a lower area, and although it was only three steps down, the height made it a difficult climb for Azin.

Seokju did not enter the kitchen but leaned against the door, watching Azin.

Azin stood at the modern sink, washed the bottle, and dried it with a clean towel before filling it with water. The sound of the water triggered the urge to urinate in Azin’s lower abdomen.

He rubbed his knees. It felt as though he was about to wet himself. His bladder seemed to be impatient.

But Azin bit his lower lip and held it in. He didn’t want to give up the moment with Seokju. He didn’t want to be seen as a cripple who couldn’t even fill a bottle properly.

Finally, the bottle was full. Azin hobbled back to the door with it, but as he approached, Seokju reached out his hand. Azin silently stared at Seokju’s scarred hand.

…Did he mean for me to take his hand? Seokju really is kind.

Just as Azin was about to pass the bottle with one hand, Seokju took the bottle instead.

“I’ll carry it.”

“Oh, yes.”

Azin quickly folded his arms. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but his hair covered half of his face, so Seokju probably didn’t notice.

Azin grabbed the doorframe of the kitchen and climbed the steps, bowing his waist.

“Then, good night, sir.”

Seokju furrowed his brow slightly.

“And you?”

“Pardon?”

“Aren’t you going to the bathroom?”

“Oh, um, I’ll use the outside… outside bathroom.”

Azin casually waved his hand toward the outside. Seokju nodded without saying much. He then held up the filled bottle.

“Thank you.”

“Huh? Oh, it’s no big deal… Good night.”

Seokju acknowledged Azin’s greeting and turned away. His footsteps echoed as he walked down the corridor. Azin stared after him, mesmerized by how long Seokju’s legs were and how big his strides were. He must have been carefully adjusting his pace to match Azin’s shorter one as they made their way to the kitchen.

Azin only came back to his senses after Seokju disappeared into the darkness.

“Ahh, I’m going to pee, I’m going to pee…”

Grabbing his lower abdomen over his pants, he hurried outside without even putting on shoes, stomping barefoot across the floor, over the stone step, and across the dirt ground. Luckily, he made it to the bathroom without wetting himself.

The moment the warm stream of water hit, his mind eased.

A smile tugged at Azin’s lips.

**The House**

Seokju’s house is shaped like an inverted “B”. More precisely, it resembles a rudely written character for “red” (丹), with two pointed ends facing the gate.

In traditional Korean houses, rooms are usually divided by function, requiring you to wear rubber shoes and walk across the yard to get from one room to another. However, this trend has been decreasing recently. Much like Western houses, corridors are built between rooms so you can move around without having to take off your shoes.

Seokju’s house was designed this way.

At the left corner of the house shaped like “Dan” (丹) was the kitchen, and on the right were a female servant’s room, two male servant rooms, and the rooms of the organization’s members, who shared rooms according to their ranks, with two to five people in a room.

**And Below the Left Side of the Kitchen**

Below the kitchen to the left, there is a tea room, a bathroom, and Myeongjin’s room. Next is Seokju’s study, his own room, and at the far end, Seokju’s private bathroom. This area corresponds to the straight left line of the “Dan” (丹) shape.

In the middle of the “Mi” (미) form, there is a “Garden of Peace” with a pond and a large, lush paulownia tree. The tree has been there since the house was first built, and when the house was constructed, the tree was left standing without being cut down.

Under the garden, a long corridor stretches in the shape of an “I” (一), with a spacious living room and entrance at the end. On the right vertical line, there is one bathroom, two love rooms, and then more rooms for the organization members, lined up in sequence.

The heavy roof is supported by thick wooden pillars that have been carved in the “Minheullim” style [2], giving them a solid and sturdy appearance. The outer veranda and rooms are made with large and small paper windows that let in plenty of light.

Outside, there is a parking lot, a place for the organization members to exercise, a garden as dense as a forest, and a vegetable garden, though I will explain that later. In any case, the house is shaped like a “B” (ㅂ), so from the corridor, you could peer through the pillars to the other side.

Azin, who cleaned the house’s corridor, really liked this. Sometimes, he could steal a glance from a distance at Seokju in the garden, or Seokju sitting on the veranda in front of his room smoking, or Seokju talking seriously to the organization members in the living room, without being noticed.

After dinner and finishing the washing up, Azin, as usual, made an excuse that he hadn’t finished cleaning the corridor and sat down on the right corridor, near the love rooms, and began mopping the floor.

Even when the organization members passed by, giving him strange looks for being there at this hour, he sat stubbornly. But after a little while, they all went to bed, so it wasn’t too difficult to endure.

Then, when the house became quieter, Azin moved closer to the entrance and started scrubbing the gaps in the door or the display cabinets. Before long, the door across the hallway opened, and Seokju stepped out.

He was always wearing just pants and a thin overcoat, with the coat becoming thinner with each passing day. A few weeks ago, it had been a beautiful silk, but now, it was so thin that the light outside could pass through it.

Summer was coming.

Azin liked summer. He hated the cold too much. He even slept under a thick blanket in midsummer.

However, from a conversation among the organization members a while ago, it seemed that Seokju, unlike Azin, was very sensitive to the heat.

They talked about how Seokju had become irritable because of the heat, how they needed to buy a lot of ice, how they should build a pavilion in the cool garden so Seokju could spend the night there, and how they should attach a servant to fan him all night long. They discussed various ideas.

Azin wondered just how much heat Seokju must have been feeling for the subordinates to worry so much. Seokju did, in fact, go outside almost every night to cool off in the breeze.

He would come out barefoot, stand on the veranda in front of his room, and irritably brush his hair back. Then, he would take out a cigarette, light it himself, and inhale deeply. He would continue to do this, letting the cool night air soothe him, until he finished the cigarette.

Even from a distance, Azin could clearly see Seokju’s muscular arms moving with every puff.

“…”

Azin stared blankly at Seokju. He had seen this many times before—yesterday, the day before—but it still looked so impressive. In fact, it seemed even more impressive than yesterday.

Since a few weeks ago, when Azin ran into Seokju in the early morning on his way to the bathroom, they hadn’t crossed paths. Apart from Azin secretly watching from a distance, there had been no interaction. Seokju seemed to have completely forgotten about Azin.

Well, why would he remember a servant who fetched water for him in the early morning?

Azin thought this was only natural, but somehow, he felt a little left out. He still replayed that moment in his mind every night.

Ah, why am I doing this? I’m not even looking at a beautiful woman. I’m holding a mop just to see my master’s face…

“Aish…”

Azin sighed softly and gripped the mop tightly. After holding it for nearly an hour and rubbing it, the moisture had transferred to his hand, making his fingertips shriveled and ugly. His hands looked unpleasant. He dropped the mop and rubbed his hands against his pants.

At that moment, the entrance door became noisy. Myeongjin had returned. Azin bent his knees and lowered his body, peeking out. Behind Myeongjin, several women wearing high heels followed him in.

Myeongjin pointed to several rooms and told them to go inside. The woman at the back was directly led to Seokju’s room.

Soon, Myeongjin and the woman met Seokju. Myeongjin bowed and stepped back, and the woman smiled charmingly as she approached Seokju. Seokju personally opened the door to his room for her, and the woman entered with a light step. Azin could almost smell her fragrance drifting over.

Seokju took a final drag from his cigarette, then crushed the butt and casually threw it into the ashtray. He removed his overcoat and entered the room. For a moment, Azin saw the bulging, broad back of Seokju before it disappeared inside.

And so, Azin was left alone.

In fact, he had been alone from the very beginning, but now, it felt like he was just becoming truly alone.

* * *

‘They say the boss calls a woman every night?’

‘He says he can’t sleep. He needs to have sex to sleep for even an hour or two.’

‘Does he have nightmares?’

A part of the rumors about Seokju’s nights came to Azin’s mind.

“Is it really because of nightmares? Or does he just enjoy it…”

Azin murmured a question he couldn’t answer on his own. Then, he shook his head. He didn’t need to know, nor should he be curious.

He picked up the fallen mop and began walking slowly down the corridor. Today, more than ever, he felt how pathetic and miserable he looked.

As he walked, Azin randomly hit his left leg with his fist. His knee hurt strangely.

And that very night, it began to rain. The early monsoon season had begun.

—

**Footnote:**

[2] A style where the pillar grows thicker from top to bottom.