A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 107

“Wait.”

I stretched out my palm and held it up in front of Choi Taejoon’s face.

Just as he was about to pick up his espresso cup, he paused and looked at me.

“What? What are you doing?”

“Hold on. Don’t touch anything.”

“…Why?”

“I’m taking a picture.”

He frowned slightly.

“And what exactly are you going to do with that?”

The table was set with colorful desserts and a small espresso cup.

Even though he had said he would take me anywhere I wanted today, I hadn’t expected him to actually follow me all the way to an espresso bar.

“I’m going to look at it later—when I’m alone. Just to remember what we did today.”

“You’re going to look at coffee and cake to remember the day?”

“They’re all part of the memories.”

His gaze shifted past me, toward a nearby table.

There, Team Leader Seo sat, barely holding back a smirk.

But as soon as Taejoon’s eyes landed on him, he quickly looked away, pretending to be interested in something else.

It must have been amusing to him—how just one simple hand gesture from me was enough to make his boss stop mid-action.

“Alright, all done. You can drink now.”

Choi Taejoon finally lifted his tiny espresso cup to his lips and muttered dryly,

“…I feel like a damn dog.”

“Huh?”

“You’re giving me commands like, ‘Wait,’ ‘Eat.’ Those are dog training commands.”

I blinked innocently.

“When did I say ‘Wait’ or ‘Eat’? I clearly said, ‘Please wait,’ and ‘Go ahead and drink—’”

I flashed him a playful smile as I picked up my fork.

“And how dare you compare yourself to a dog? You’re the landlord, after all.”

At my teasing, his expression shifted into something between a smirk and an eyeroll.

It didn’t help that the cake we ordered was decorated like a puppy.

I used my fork to slice off one of its ears.

“Can I get another one after this?”

“Sure.”

Knowing him, he wouldn’t even touch something like cake or cookies.

So instead, I offered him chocolate.

“This place makes all their chocolate by hand. They said these have cherries and whiskey inside.”

I pointed to the glossy chocolates on the plate.

“They call it ‘The Taste of Adulthood.’ Apparently, they don’t even sell it to minors.”

As I rambled on, he sighed and grabbed one, as if to shut me up.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll try it.”

Then, out of nowhere—

“…Do you use social media?”

“Huh? No, I don’t.”

I shrugged.

“I’m just taking pictures because… who knows when we’ll get another day like this?”

I glanced down at the photos on my phone.

Because I didn’t know how long I’d be alone after today.

I knew he was busy and that this was an important time for him—but knowing it didn’t make waiting any easier.

“…Where have you been sleeping lately?”

“Whenever I get the chance.”

“At the office?”

“No particular place.”

In other words, he was barely sleeping at all.

“You’re going to get sick at this rate! Sure, you’re fine now, but as you get older, your body will start falling apart—”

Just as he was taking a sip of coffee, he almost spat it out.

He barely managed to swallow before setting the cup down with a deep sigh.

“…Falling apart?”

“Yes! If you don’t take care of yourself, it’ll all hit you at once!”

“…Did I do something to piss you off?”

“Nope.”

“Be honest.”

“There’s nothing.”

I lowered my gaze and mumbled,

“…I just keep thinking about how long it’ll be before I see you again.”

The moment those words left my mouth, his expression shifted.

A nearly imperceptible smile flickered at the corner of his lips before he quickly suppressed it with a cough.

“…It won’t take long. Since we have a ghost on our side now, things will be over soon.”

“…Ghost?”

I blinked at him in confusion.

What kind of nonsense was that?

Right then, my phone buzzed.

A text.

Director Kim:
Urgent. You’re with Executive Director, right? Please tell him to check his messages.

“…Executive Director, Director Kim wants you to check your texts.”

As I held out my phone for him to see, I suddenly had a realization.

Wait.

By ghost, did he mean—

Meanwhile…

The moment I left for the restroom, Team Leader Seo approached Choi Taejoon.

“Executive Director, I just got word from Manager Yoon.”

“Let me guess. Director Gwak wants to meet?”

“…How did you know?”

Team Leader Seo’s eyes widened.

It was simple—Director Kim was fast.

Without much interest, Choi Taejoon waved him off and picked up my phone.

He scrolled through the pictures.

There were dozens of hidden snapshots taken throughout the day—at the restaurant, the karaoke room, and now the café.

At first glance, it looked like I was just taking pictures of food.

But no.

Instead of food—

Every single photo was of him.

Even earlier, when I had said, “I’m taking a picture of the coffee and cake”—

I had actually been taking a picture of Choi Taejoon.

For a long moment, Taejoon stared at the screen.

Then, as if talking to himself, he murmured,

“…Do I really look like this?”

“…Sir?”

“…Never mind. Continue.”

Somehow, seeing himself through my eyes made him feel… different.

Like he was looking at someone else entirely.

Before he realized it, he had been staring at the screen for quite some time.

“Once Gwak realizes he’s betrayed them, Kang Jaewook will become even more reckless.”

And as he thought about how things were unfolding, he couldn’t help but recall something else—

Park Ha Hyun.

A long time ago, in a dimly lit karaoke bar, someone had once looked at him the way Wookyung did now.

Except back then, it was different.

Because Park Ha Hyun’s eyes were never filled with warmth.

Only fear.

“Guess so.”

Choi Taejoon answered indifferently as he scrolled through another album on the phone. But all he found were pictures of landscapes and food.

It suddenly hit him—he didn’t have a single picture of Wookyung.

He never liked taking photos, often skipping out on group pictures even during official events.

If his face was captured anywhere, it was probably in covert surveillance photos taken by the police for evidence.

“…You do realize this is a misdemeanor, right?”

Taejoon looked up.

Wookyung, who had just returned from the restroom, was narrowing his eyes at him.

“Violation of the Information and Communications Act. Punishable by a fine of up to one million won. Or it could be classified under the Crime of Privacy Invasion. Secretly looking at someone’s phone? That’s a crime, you know.”

Taejoon smirked and casually handed the phone back.

“You’re the one who took pictures of me without permission.”

“…D-Did you see them?”

“And besides, whose name is this phone registered under?”

“…That’s just unfair.”

“Unfair? Who’s the one sneaking photos of someone else?”

“…Okay, okay. I admit it.”

Wookyung readily admitted his wrongdoing but quickly grinned playfully afterward.

“Then how about we take a picture together?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t like it.”

“What’s there to like or dislike about taking pictures?”

“It’s pointless.”

“I take them to remember things.”

“There’s nothing worth remembering.”

Taejoon’s response made Wookyung’s face fall.

“…Do you even like anything?”

“Like?”

Nothing really came to mind.

He had preferences, sure—but those weren’t the same as liking something.

To him, liking something meant it had to go beyond mere preference—it had to matter.

He glanced at Wookyung, who was now staring expectantly at him.

“Then just one picture. Just one.”

Taejoon didn’t even bother answering. He simply stood up and turned to Team Leader Seo.

“Let’s go.”

At that, Wookyung had no choice but to gather his things and follow them out.

Outside, the sky had already turned completely dark.

Leaning back into the car seat, Taejoon ordered,

“Drop Wookyung off at home first, then head to the office.”

“Understood.”

As the car pulled away, the backseat fell into a comfortable silence.

For once, Wookyung wasn’t chattering away and simply sat quietly beside him.

Taejoon, meanwhile, was deep in thought.

If they could fully turn Director Gwak to their side, they might be able to take over Taesung without shedding a drop of blood.

That’s why he had entrusted the job to Director Kim. And judging by today’s progress, it seemed like he had done exceptionally well.

“Leave this to me. If it’s about Director Gwak, no one knows him better than I do. Just assign me a few reliable men.”

Then—

Just as he was sinking further into his thoughts—

Wookyung suddenly slid closer.

Taejoon cracked open one eye.

“What are you thinking about?”

He was about to answer when—

“Say cheese! Look this way! One, two—”

Click!

“…What the hell?”

Taejoon reached for Wookyung’s phone.

“Give it to me.”

“N-No! Please!”

“Hand it over.”

“W-Wait! Just let me check first! I need to see how it turned out! Hold on!”

Clutching his phone like his life depended on it, Wookyung quickly pulled up the photo.

“Look, just check it out! Let’s see first, then decide whether to delete it, okay?”

Taejoon reluctantly glanced at the screen.

They were sitting side by side, shoulders touching.

Wookyung was clearly suppressing a laugh, while Taejoon… had his usual stoic expression, staring straight at the camera.

For a moment, he just stared at it.

“…You look like you took a mugshot.”

“…What?”

“Your expression. Look at it.”

At that, Wookyung burst into uncontrollable laughter.

“…I told you I don’t take pictures.”

“Why not? It came out pretty well. A very dignified mugshot.”

“Delete it. If you don’t, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

“No way! I’ll delete all the other photos, okay? This is our only picture together… Please?”

Just as Taejoon reached to snatch the phone, his own phone buzzed.

A text notification.

“Just sent it! Our picture. The one we just took.”

…He sent it to himself.

Taejoon let out a silent exhale.

“…Fine. But delete the rest.”

As Wookyung cheerfully agreed, Taejoon leaned back in resignation.

From the driver’s seat, Team Leader Seo was visibly trying to suppress his amusement. But Taejoon ignored him.

As Wookyung happily resumed his chattering, Taejoon absentmindedly stared at the photo.

“……”

Sure, he looked like a criminal getting booked at the police station—

But Wookyung didn’t.

His cheeks were flushed, his lips pressed together as if barely holding back laughter.

His eyes sparkled.

He looked happy.

And for some reason,

A small, involuntary smile crept up on Taejoon’s lips.