A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 21

Baek, who had followed behind me, grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him.

“Listen to me.”

He let out a heavy sigh, then patted my back as if he understood everything.

“Alright, alright, Hyun Woo Kyung.”

It seemed he still thought it was best to coax me into compliance while he could make use of me.

“You must be scared. I get that. You’re probably feeling conflicted, torn between all the different things you have to deal with. I know it’s not easy.”

“……”

“But this is your responsibility. Don’t you think you should see it through? I understand how you feel, so let’s start by getting this done first.”

What exactly did he want me to do? I looked at him, thinking I’d at least hear him out.

“Gather internal information on the newly restructured Taesung group.”

“Restructured?”

“Yes. Since Vice Chairman Gil’s death, the organization has been restructured. We need the new network map and contact information. Find out what you can from your position.”

After finishing his explanation, Baek pulled a phone—the same model as mine—from his bag and slipped it into my suit pocket.

“Report Choi Taejoon’s movements promptly whenever we request it.”

“That’s it?”

Was this all just for some organizational chart? What a hassle.

Baek frowned, clearly irritated.

“And the basics—make sure you’re checking your email directives and answering calls promptly.”

It felt both sloppy and as if something was being withheld.

“Alright, fine. Anything else?”

“And soon, we’re going to request cooperation from Choi Taejoon for a murder investigation.”

A murder investigation… It was probably about Vice Chairman Gil’s case.

“Director Choi is the prime suspect. I’m telling you this now so you can prepare to get out of the way and avoid getting caught up in it.”

The police probably knew it was Kang Jae Wook’s doing, but it seemed like they intended to pin it on Choi Taejoon instead.

“I don’t think Director Choi would have done it….”

Baek’s unusually pale lips twisted into a grim smile.

“That’s not the point. It’s not about who did it—it’s about who we decide to catch. You know how this works.”

The truth didn’t matter. What mattered was who they decided to frame. Was this really how the police operated? Anger flared up inside me, but this wasn’t my fight. It was their world, their problem.

I pulled my arm free from Baek’s grip, breaking the figurative noose he had placed on my wrist. Then, I asked him something I had been meaning to confirm.

“There’s something I’m curious about. Do you know my home address?”

Before I died, I wanted to resolve something that had been bothering me.

“Why would I know your home address?”

“I can’t remember things clearly after the accident. What was my home address again?”

Even if the father was a fugitive because of his crimes, the siblings who relied on Hyun Woo Kyung were innocent.

With the father on the run and the only guardian entangled in this mess, I couldn’t help but wonder how the younger siblings were managing to live.

Maybe, on my day off, I should check on how they were doing.

“The aftereffects must be serious. My memory keeps cutting out. I think our house was in Seoul, right…?”

“It’s not Seoul—it’s Jeju Island.”

“Jeju… Oh, Jeju. Wow, that’s really far….”

I smiled awkwardly at Baek, who looked at me with disbelief.

Choi Taejoon, honestly.

“See you at home tonight,” he said. How could he expect me to make it home when things were this chaotic?

This afternoon had been unusually hectic.

Choi Taejoon’s movements were erratic, and the security team was constantly splitting and regrouping in a noisy flurry.

Just when I thought, Finally, time to clock out!, Baek’s warning proved true—police officers showed up to confront Choi Taejoon. They had been a nuisance just a few days ago and seemed intent on causing more trouble this time.

The security team leader waved us over.

“Kim and I will stay behind. The rest of you, head out.”

“No, we’ll stay too.”

“There’s no need. You’ll just get dragged into this mess. Leave, now.”

The team leader, perhaps recalling something he needed, turned to us again.

“Before you go, run an errand for me. Go to the convenience store nearby and stock up on energy drinks.”

The team leader and Kim followed the police officers upstairs, leaving me with another guard.

But the man beside me didn’t look well. Sweat dripped down his face, and his lips trembled visibly.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Hyung… I need to use the bathroom. My stomach….”

“Ah, yes! Go ahead. I’ll handle the store run.”

Before I could finish my sentence, he bolted for the restroom without a word.

The sound of clinking bottles echoed as I walked through a dim alleyway, carrying a black plastic bag filled with energy drinks.

“See you at home tonight.”

It was something Choi Taejoon had said in the morning. But could I really make it back home today?

I wondered why he rarely ever made it home, but now it seemed obvious—he was drowning in work. It felt like he was single-handedly running the entire underworld in South Korea. Watching him work nonstop all day made me wonder if he was even eating properly.

As I walked, I thought I heard a sound and stopped in my tracks, straining my ears. It sounded like someone was nearby—or maybe it didn’t.

“Who’s there…?”

I took a couple of cautious steps, then stopped again, peering into the darkness.

It was an empty alley I passed through often, but tonight it felt unusually eerie and silent. It was so quiet that it felt like a ghost might leap out from the corner at any moment.

Gripping the plastic bag tightly, I quickened my pace. Feeling uneasy, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Calling someone—anyone—might make the walk less frightening.

Just as I was about to dial, my phone rang.

“Ah!”

Startled, I nearly jumped out of my skin and almost collapsed onto the ground.

“H-Haha… who… who is it?”

A nervous, unsteady laugh slipped out of me. Who would be calling me at this hour? Maybe it was the partner who said he was going to the bathroom, or perhaps Choi Taejoon. But the number on the screen was one I didn’t recognize.

“…Hello?”

— “Hyun Woo Kyung.”

It was a high-pitched, unpleasantly casual voice.

“Yes, that’s me. Who’s this?”

The caller let out a short, mocking snort, followed by a long, drawn-out sigh.

— “Wandering around alone this late at night? That’s pretty dangerous, don’t you think?”

What the hell? This was creepy.

“If you don’t tell me who you are, I’m hanging up.”

Before I could even finish my sentence, I heard footsteps—several of them—closing in on me.

“Wh-who’s there?”

— “Our dear Hyun Woo Kyung.”

This time, the voice came from right in front of me, not the phone. Slowly, I lowered my phone from my ear.

The dark alley was unlit, and I couldn’t make out any faces. The only thing piercing the silence was the unnerving sound of laughter.

As my eyes adjusted, I realized a group of men—at least a dozen—was closing in, forming a circle around me.

“Wh-what do you want? Who are you?”

“What do you think? We’re here to take you in.”

“Don’t come any closer! I’ll call the cops—112!”

“Go ahead, you little shit.”

At a signal from one of the men, the others rushed toward me.

This was bad. I had a gut feeling that if they took me, something horrible would happen.

Clenching the plastic bag tightly, I swung it with all my strength.

Thwack!

The sound of cans bursting echoed as energy drinks splattered everywhere. The unexpected resistance made them pause for a moment, giving me just enough time to take off running at full speed toward Choi Taejoon’s office.

Who were they? What did they want with me?

“Get him!”

But every escape route was blocked. Everywhere I turned, more men appeared, as if they had been waiting for me.

“Let go of me! What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Quick, get him in the car.”

This… this felt disturbingly familiar. Was this that scene? It wasn’t supposed to happen yet. In the original story, Hyun Woo Kyung’s identity as an undercover cop was revealed after a major incident—not now.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, pouring every ounce of desperation into my voice.

“Help! Somebody help me!”

“Shut this bastard up!”

Something crinkled as it was pulled over my face. A plastic bag. It was the very bag I had thrown earlier—they had used it to cover my head.

“Mmph… mmph!”

“Stay quiet if you don’t want to die.”

“Ugh… ngh…”

My vision blurred, and my head started spinning.

I was going to die.

Though I had wished for death before, the overwhelming fear that now consumed me was unlike anything I’d felt before. I wasn’t afraid of death itself—I was terrified of being brutally killed.

The car sped off, and I could feel it lurching forward, my consciousness slipping away inside the suffocating darkness of the plastic bag.

A man’s voice pierced through the ringing in my ears.

— “You must be dying to know why you’re here. Or maybe you’ve already figured it out? You’re human, after all—must have something to feel guilty about.”

His words stood out sharply in my hazy mind.

— “We know everything, you bastard. Thought you could fool us, huh?”

They had figured it out. They knew I was an undercover cop.

The very thing I had feared most had come true.

Terror, despair, and panic gripped me. My breathing grew shallow, and tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.

Now, all that awaited me was torture, beatings, and eventually, a gruesome death.

No. Not like this. I didn’t want to die like this.

I gasped for air, but each breath only caused the bag to collapse further, suffocating me more.

Oxygen was running out.

My lungs felt like they were collapsing, and my eyes bulged from the pain. For a brief moment, I wished for it to end quickly.

Yes, if I had to die, suffocation seemed better than being killed by them.

Using the last bit of strength I had, I started slamming my head against the car seat, over and over again, desperate for an end.

“What the hell is this crazy bastard doing?! Stop him!”

The frantic voice of one of the men was the last thing I heard before I lost consciousness.

Support