A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 100

“Executive Director… You must be busy. Have you eaten?”

It was a message I had sent to Choi Taejoon yesterday, but there was still no reply. Normally, I would have brushed it off, thinking it wasn’t a big deal, but this time, I couldn’t help but check my phone repeatedly. I knew all too well how precarious his situation was at the moment.

Fidgeting with my phone, I leaned back against the sofa and lay down. Pressing a hand against my chest, I tried to suppress the unnecessary thoughts swirling in my mind.

But lying here with my eyes closed only seemed to make me feel nauseous. The more I thought of him, the stronger the queasiness grew, as if I had been submerged in hot water for too long and was now suffering from dizziness.

I tried to cool down by fanning myself with my hand, but instead, all I could recall was the warmth of his palm cupping my cheek and the deep, gentle timbre of his voice, making the heat inside me intensify.

My goal was to “die without pain and return to my original world,” but rather than dying, I was starting to fear that I might never be able to go back at all.

When I thought about how much my family must be worried about me, waiting for my return, my chest felt tight with anxiety. But when I thought of Choi Taejoon, an entirely different emotion surfaced.

I didn’t want to leave.

I wanted to stay here a little longer. My desire to continue seeing Choi Taejoon, alive and moving, grew uncontrollably, and my longing to return home coexisted with my wish to remain in this world, each weighing equally in my heart.

If there was one thing I had come to a clear conclusion about, it was that no matter how much Park Ha-hyun claimed she would “have Choi Taejoon,” I could never yield to that. My resolve on that matter had only solidified.

At first, I told myself that it was just a way to repay the trust he had shown me, that it was a matter of loyalty and gratitude. I convinced myself that standing by him was the least I could do, the best I could offer him.

But was that really all there was to it?

I must have fallen asleep while lost in these thoughts because the next thing I knew, I heard the front door open, and someone stepped inside.

“Executive Director?”

The relief I felt was brief. As he moved closer, a faint metallic scent of blood wafted through the air, making my heart pound faster. Something had definitely happened.

“…What happened?”

Before me stood Choi Taejoon, his face etched with devastation. Dried blood, darkened to a near-black hue, clung to his face, the back of his hands, and the collar of his dress shirt.

He looked as if he was about to crumble at any moment, his empty eyes staring blankly into space. It was the first time I had ever seen him like this, and the sight of him sent a wave of fear crashing over me. He looked so unsteady that I instinctively reached out to grab him, but he staggered past me and into the house.

“Executive Director, are you hurt? What is all this blood? Y-you need to go to the hospital—”

His voice, slow and heavy, interrupted me.

“I already… went to the hospital.”

“Oh. You already…?”

My heart plummeted again. But upon closer inspection, it seemed the blood covering him wasn’t his own. If he had gone to the hospital, then that meant… someone else had been seriously injured.

Before I could piece everything together, he continued to stumble forward, crossing the entrance hall and heading into the living room. I quickly followed him.

“I was worried because I couldn’t reach you. Why did you go to the hospital?”

I knew the man before me was Choi Taejoon, yet at the same time, it felt like I was looking at nothing more than his shell.

“Whose blood is this?”

He wiped his forehead with the back of his blood-stained hand and finally parted his lips. His expression was impossible to decipher—it looked like he was both laughing and crying at the same time.

“Director Kim.”

“D-Director Kim?”

“Yeah. It’s bad… He’s hurt badly.”

Choi Taejoon whispered hoarsely, his voice barely audible. Then, he stumbled further inside.

I stood frozen, staring blankly down the hallway he had just walked through. In the dimly lit corridor, it felt as if the traces of something horrific had clawed their way through, leaving behind only devastation.

I burned incense and bowed my head in mourning.

It was a modest and quiet funeral. There were no family members, no friends. Due to security concerns, even employees from Taeseong had limited access, leaving the funeral hall eerily empty. For someone who had been Choi Taejoon’s right-hand man and closest confidant, it was an unceremonious and frugal farewell.

Yet, despite the stillness, the atmosphere was anything but calm. Beneath the surface, emotions ran at a boiling point.

“You didn’t have to come.”

After finishing my silent prayer, I lifted my head.

Choi Taejoon stood before me, a cigarette between his lips, his expression twisted in displeasure. The pale, grief-stricken face from that night was gone, replaced by a cold, sharp gaze brimming with hostility. In a way, it seemed as if he had returned to his usual self.

As our eyes met, he scoffed and spoke dismissively.

“There was no reason for you to come all this way.”

I couldn’t fully grasp what was going through his mind, but at the very least, I knew that his words didn’t reflect what he truly felt.

“I wanted to pay my respects.”

“…Pointless.”

Still, he seemed in better shape than I had feared.

He hadn’t even flinched when Vice Chairman Gil, his former guardian, had passed away. And now, even after losing Director Kim, he appeared unshaken.

Flicking the cigarette away, he turned to Assistant Manager Yoon and spoke.

“Take her with you. Make sure she eats something.”

“…What?”

“You heard me. Hyun-wook, take her and get her some food.”

Leaving those words behind, he turned and approached an elderly man with silver hair who had just entered the funeral hall.

“Director Myung, thank you for coming.”

“What on earth happened, Executive Director Choi? I came as soon as I heard about Director Kim.”

“The circumstances weren’t ideal, so I apologize for meeting you here.”

This was Director Myung Tae-kyun, who had been a close associate of Vice Chairman Gil. From what I remembered, Director Myung would later play a crucial role in Choi Taejoon’s power struggle against Kang Jaewook. Among the senior executives, he was one of the few who favored Choi Taejoon.

As I quietly stepped out of the memorial hall, I spotted Assistant Manager Yoon and Team Leader Seo standing a few steps away.

Team Leader Seo had resigned after the last incident, but it seemed he had returned. His expression was just as grim as everyone else’s.

He looked as though he was ready to strangle Kang Jaewook the moment Choi Taejoon gave the order, his face contorted with barely restrained fury.

“…Follow me.”

Just as I was about to greet Team Leader Seo, Assistant Manager Yoon grabbed me and dragged me off somewhere. We arrived at a secluded corner of an empty restaurant.

“I’m not really hungry…”

“Shut up and eat. The Executive Director told me to make sure you eat before sending you back.”

His face twisted with irritation, and his sharp tone sounded more like a threat. Soon, a steaming bowl of spicy beef soup, complete with red chili oil floating on the surface, was set before me, along with side dishes and slices of boiled pork.

“Uh, thank you for the meal. Aren’t you going to eat, Assistant Manager?”

“You think I can stomach anything right now?”

I had just picked up a spoonful when I quietly set it back down.

“Eat. If you don’t, I’ll be the one in trouble.”

His glare was seething with resentment. I knew he had never been particularly fond of me, but he had never shown such open hostility before. Something about him felt different today.

As I stared at him blankly, his face twisted further, and he practically barked at me.

“I said, eat!”

“Y-yes! I’ll eat!”

Flustered, I hurriedly shoveled plain rice into my mouth. Eating in such a tense atmosphere made me feel like I would choke, but not eating seemed like an even worse option. I risked a quick glance toward the memorial hall where Choi Taejoon was, thinking it would be best to eat quickly and leave.

I had just taken a big bite, mixing rice into the soup, when—

“Do you know how Director Kim died?”

I widened my eyes and shook my head.

“That goddamn ice cream.”

“…What?”

I swallowed the food in my mouth and looked at Assistant Manager Yoon.

“I-ice cream?”

His bloodshot eyes glowed with barely restrained rage, as if they might pop out at any moment. I could understand his grief and anger, but I had no idea why he suddenly brought up ice cream.

Lowering his voice, he let out a bitter scoff, struggling to contain his emotions.

“Right in the middle of Gangnam Boulevard, the Executive Director suddenly saw an ice cream shop and told us to stop the car.”

“…Oh.”

“Why do you think he did that?”

My mind went blank. The rest of his words came to me in fragmented pieces.

So, Choi Taejoon had told them to stop the car because he wanted to buy ice cream… for me. And while buying it, Director Kim had been caught in an accident.

“This is your fault, Hyun Wookyung. You son of a bitch. If it weren’t for you…”

Yoon trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. His eyes went wide, frozen in place.

It was as if he had seen something terrifying behind me.

“…Ah.”

A shadow slowly approached and took a seat beside me.

I turned my head, wearing an expression similar to Yoon’s.

“Eat slowly.”

It was Choi Taejoon.

At his arrival, Assistant Manager Yoon turned pale and began trembling.

Once Choi Taejoon sat down, Yoon seemed unable to even stand. He stiffened like a statue, unable to move.

But Choi Taejoon simply shot him a cold glance, not saying anything more.

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