A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 108

The designated meeting spot with Director Gwak was at the redevelopment project site managed by Choi Taejoon. Cutting through the eerie night air, a visibly tense Director Gwak finally appeared.

“Sir, Director Gwak Jinsoo is here.”

Team Leader Seo stood close to Taejoon, speaking in a low voice.

Gwak, who had been anxiously scanning his surroundings, came to an abrupt halt when he spotted them. His voice was laced with desperation as he shouted,

“Yujin! Lee Yujin! If you’re here, answer me!”

No one had known that Director Gwak had a hidden lover.

How Kim Seon-oh had uncovered this secret was a mystery, but there was no doubt it had been the most effective approach.

Judging by how Gwak had rushed here without hesitation, it was clear how important this person was to him.

Upon recognizing Choi Taejoon, his voice trembled as he demanded,

“W-Where is she? You said I’d be able to see her if I came here.”

Kim Seon-oh had played the role of the ghost pulling the strings, bringing Gwak here.

Now, it was Taejoon’s turn to break him and turn him into an ally.

“That’s odd. I was under the impression you had something you wanted to say, Director Gwak.”

“You told me she’d be here! What the hell is this? Where is Yujin?!”

This is why Taejoon hated kidnapping tactics.

Too much emotion. Too much hassle.

“If you so much as laid a finger on her, I swear—”

Taejoon barely had to signal before Team Leader Seo stepped forward, his voice brimming with menace.

“You little shit. And what exactly are you gonna do to our boss, huh?”

“I’ll chase him to the ends of hell and kill him.”

At that, laughter erupted.

Taejoon observed Gwak coolly.

Despite working under Kang Jaewook, Gwak wasn’t just another brute. His sharp mind was the reason he had managed to survive by Kang’s side for so long.

Yet tonight, fear for his lover’s safety had dulled his instincts.

Alone and unarmed, he had walked straight into enemy territory—and now he was threatening to kill Taejoon?

Taejoon let out a slow breath and gave a short, simple command.

“Strip him.”

“Understood.”

Team Leader Seo and several men immediately closed in. They grabbed Gwak by his limbs and began stripping him down.

“W-What the hell?! Let go of me!”

“We’ll make it quick, Director Gwak.”

“Get your damn hands off me! You bastard! What the hell are you—?!”

“How do we know you didn’t bring a weapon or a wire?”

“I—I didn’t bring anything! I swear! I’m unarmed! Just trust me, damn it!”

Taejoon ignored him and casually put out his cigarette.

It wasn’t freezing cold yet, but the weather was brisk enough that a padded jacket was needed.

‘Wookyung barely has any winter clothes.’

He made a mental note to take care of that.

A long and a short coat, a thick padded jacket, warm shirts, and insulated pants—enough for daily wear.

He’d make sure to fix that soon.

“Damn, it got cold all of a sudden. Someone might catch a cold at this rate.”

“Huh?”

Yoon Manager blinked at him in confusion, following Taejoon’s gaze.

Then he realized—Taejoon had been referring to Gwak, now stripped to his undershirt, shivering violently.

Yoon Manager nodded as if he understood.

“…Yeah, that bastard deserves to freeze to death.”

Taejoon remained silent.

To Yoon Manager and the others, Gwak was the enemy.

As far as they knew, he was responsible for Kim Seon-oh’s death.

The hatred they felt toward him was immense—almost feral.

If given the chance, they’d tear him apart.

Taejoon turned his gaze back to Gwak.

He had known what would happen if he came here.

And yet—he had still walked straight into the fire.

It was almost admirable.

Before he met Wookyung, Taejoon would’ve dismissed such reckless devotion as laughable.

But now… he understood it.

“Sir, look at this.”

By the time Gwak’s struggles had weakened, Team Leader Seo held up a tiny recording device and a GPS tracker.

“The bastard hid these in his clothes.”

Taejoon exhaled slowly through his nose, amused rather than surprised.

Of course.

It would’ve been more shocking if he hadn’t tried to pull something.

Bringing hidden devices meant he had already fallen too deep into this game.

Taejoon took another slow drag from a freshly lit cigarette and spoke calmly.

“Break him down.”

The deadly chill in his voice made the air feel colder.

Team Leader Seo nodded wordlessly and clenched his fists.

At the same time, Yoon Manager cracked his neck and shoulders, stepping forward with barely restrained excitement.

“You killed Kim Seon-oh, didn’t you?”

His knuckles popped.

“I’ll make sure you end up just like him.”

Of course—Kim Seon-oh was very much alive and well, tucked away somewhere in Seoul.

But there was no need for Yoon Manager to know that.

Thud. Thud.

The sound of flesh meeting fists filled the air.

Taejoon barely reacted.

If anything, he made a mental note—

When the day came that Seo found out Kim Seon-oh was alive, it would be best to be far, far away.

Just then, his phone buzzed.

A text.

Wookyung:

“I’m about to go to bed. Don’t push yourself too hard. Please sleep somewhere warm.”

For the first time that night—

Taejoon smirked.

The moment Taejoon saw Wookyung’s message, his initial response faltered.

Earlier, when he had casually mentioned he could sleep anywhere as long as he had a place to rest his head, Wookyung must have taken it to heart.

He hesitated over how to respond, but before he could type a reply, something else caught his eye.

Above the message was the photo Wookyung had just sent—the one they had taken together in the car.

“…….”

“Why? It came out pretty well.”

Wookyung’s cheerful voice echoed in his mind as if he were right there beside him.

Taejoon exhaled slowly, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

When he opened them again, another image surfaced.

Wookyung singing into the microphone.

The serious expression on his face, the slightly lower register of his voice compared to when he spoke—

It was as if every time Taejoon blinked, a lingering afterimage of Wookyung remained imprinted in his vision.

Damn it.

He felt like he was under a spell.

“…Enough.”

“…Sir?”

The moment Taejoon spoke, the sound of fists meeting flesh came to a halt.

The air grew tense.

Taejoon’s eyes refocused on the scene before him.

The bright image of Wookyung’s laughter disappeared—

In its place was the cold, dark reality of the construction site.

A man battered and bloodied, trembling at their feet.

Fists clenched, waiting for the next command.

Gwak Jinsoo, who had been wheezing and begging for his life.

Taejoon let out a slow, exasperated sigh.

“…That’s enough.”

Slipping his phone into his pocket, he furrowed his brow, as if to banish the lingering memory of Wookyung’s face.

When his gaze returned to Gwak, the pathetic state the man was in was painfully clear.

Blood dripped from his split lip onto the gravel.

His breath came in ragged gasps, his posture unsteady.

“That recorder—what were you planning to do with it?”

Taejoon’s question hung in the air.

Gwak didn’t answer immediately.

Not because he was refusing to, but because he physically couldn’t.

Thick, dark blood clogged his throat.

He coughed violently, spitting it out onto the dirt, before barely managing a response.

“I… I… I was… wrong…”

Taejoon stared down at him, unimpressed.

“Bringing a recorder? I get it. You came here knowing it could cost you your life.

“But what I want to know is—who were you planning to give that recording to?”

Silence.

Gwak’s glassy, swollen eyes locked onto Taejoon.

“Were you going to take it to Kang Jaewook? The police? The prosecution?”

He scoffed.

“No. None of those.

“I know for a fact you have nowhere to run.”

Gwak visibly flinched.

He wasn’t stupid.

He knew that Taejoon was right.

“…I have no intention of betraying Executive Kang.”

His voice was hoarse but firm.

But even as he said it, his mind was racing.

Who should he side with?

Kang Jaewook or Choi Taejoon?

Which option would secure his survival?

And most importantly—how the hell was he going to save Yujin?

Gwak knew better than anyone that pissing off Choi Taejoon would only make things worse.

“…Betrayal?”

Taejoon let out a short, amused laugh.

“There’s no such thing as betrayal when there’s no trust to begin with.

“Kang Jaewook doesn’t believe in loyalty. You of all people should know that.”

“T-That’s not true. Executive Kang—”

Taejoon cut him off.

A small USB drive landed with a dull thud in front of Gwak.

“…What’s this?”

Gwak stared at it warily.

Taejoon leaned in slightly.

“This contains everything.

“The money you and Kang Jaewook stole from drug dealers in Korea, China, the Philippines, and Japan.

“The funds you embezzled—technically, Kang’s father’s money, but still.

“The illegal gambling profits you funneled into shell corporations.

“The bribes you paid the police.

“All of it.”

Gwak’s jaw clenched.

He wasn’t shocked.

He had long assumed that Taejoon had dirt on him.

But then—

Taejoon dropped the real bombshell.

“…And every single one of those transactions—was processed under your name.”

Gwak’s eyes widened.

Taejoon’s lips curled into a mocking smirk.

“James. Charlie. Steve.

“Oh, right—you went by those names too, didn’t you?”

Gwak felt his stomach drop.

He was fucked.

Taejoon wasn’t scared of law enforcement.

Neither was Kang Jaewook.

But the people whose money they had stolen?

The drug lords, the gangsters, the underground financiers?

They would come for blood.

“…Shit…”

Gwak felt cold sweat trickle down his back.

Taejoon pulled out another cigarette, lighting it at a leisurely pace.

“Kang Jaewook’s about to be summoned for questioning.

“You know what happens next.”

Kang would sit in jail for a while, then walk right back out.

But Gwak Jinsoo?

He was the one everyone would come after.

“…Shit… Shit…!”

Taejoon exhaled a slow stream of smoke.

“Watch your mouth.

“…If you want to see your lover’s face again, that is.”

Gwak’s breath hitched.

“…Sir.”

The arrogance vanished from his voice.

Now, there was only pure desperation.

“…What… What do I need to do?”

Tch.

Taejoon clicked his lighter shut.

Oddly enough…

He remembered the first time Wookyung had found this lighter for him.

That damn brat—always sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.

“…You’re going to do exactly as we say.”

Taejoon turned his head slightly.

“Yoon Manager.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Start recording.”