A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 22

Every time I blinked, my vision wavered, going in and out of focus.

Where was I? Could this be that warehouse by the sea from the original story?

The deep breath I drew in carried the salty scent of the ocean, stinging my nose.

It was the sea.

Suddenly, nausea rose in my throat, and the suffocating sensation in my chest released. Thankfully, the plastic bag that had been covering my face was gone.

“Coming to your senses?”

“……!”

I clenched my eyes shut.

“Open your eyes. Come on, I know you’re awake.”

It was him—the man I had spoken to on the phone earlier. The ominous suspicion I had felt turned into certainty. They had figured out my true identity.

My trembling gaze darted around the room.

The humid air, the dark surroundings, fishing nets, buoys, and other gear strewn about—above me, a single bare light bulb hung from the high ceiling.

This was it.

The warehouse where Hyun Woo Kyung met his end.

My heart pounded so violently it felt like it would burst.

This was a death flag, plain and simple.

Here, I would endure unspeakable torture and die a meaningless death. My entire body trembled from the mounting tension and fear.

The man nudged my back with his foot.

“You were snoring and sleeping so soundly. Had a good rest, huh?”

“Wh-who are you? Why are you doing this?”

Get a grip. I already know what’s going to happen. As long as I don’t let them control the pace, I might survive this.

“You should know better than anyone why this is happening.”

His narrowed eyes glinted with a mix of amusement and menace.

I tried to recall the dialogue that followed in the original story.

‘There’s another rat in the police force besides you. Who is it?’ Then they’d start questioning me about the information stolen from Taeseong Industrial, my purpose, and the police insider connected to Hyun Woo Kyung.

The foolish Hyun Woo Kyung had denied everything, insisting he didn’t know a thing.

It was probably because he naively believed Baek would protect his family.

Eventually, as all this unfolded, Choi Taejoon coldly ordered:

“Bring the drum.”

A sudden splash of icy water hit me, shocking me back to the present.

“Ugh!”

The salty seawater filled my nose, mouth, and eyes, choking me.

“Stop trying to think your way out of this and just answer the damn questions.”

My attempts to recall the story’s events must have made me look like I was scheming. Panicked, I flailed my arms and tried to crawl backward.

“W-wait! Hold on! Please, calm down and listen to me.”

“Listen to you? Why?”

But who was this man?

In the original story, it was Kim, the manager, who had doubted Hyun Woo Kyung and dragged him to the seaside warehouse—not this guy.

I tried to remember more details from the story, but I couldn’t figure out who this person was.

“Let’s just talk this through. Please.”

“Talk? Your friend already spilled everything. Don’t waste energy lying—just confess.”

Before I could process his words, a faint, pained voice pierced the air.

“Ugh… p-please… please spare me…”

What now?

About ten steps away in the darkness, something writhed and moved. A weak, trembling voice begged for mercy.

“Friend? I don’t have any friends. I really don’t.”

“Sure, you do. Right there—your friend who’s holding your hand all the way to the afterlife.”

I squinted at the dim figure in the shadows, bound tightly in an opaque plastic tarp.

“Wait, is that…?”

“H-help… Woo Kyung…”

The bloodied face was hard to recognize at first, but the shaved head and familiar voice gave it away.

“Minsu? Kim Minsu? Why are you here?”

As soon as I said his name, a heavy blow struck my abdomen. I couldn’t even scream as I collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain.

It had begun.

“He’s your friend, isn’t he?”

This was it—the brutal beating from the original story.

I curled into a ball, trying to shield myself from the relentless kicks, but it was no use.

“He’s not my friend—just someone I barely knew! W-wait, please! Sir! Why are you doing this to me?”

This didn’t make sense. Even Kim Minsu’s appearance deviated from the original plot, and the man who had kidnapped me wasn’t Kim, the manager. Who the hell was this guy?

“Damn noisy. Where’s the tape?”

“Tape? N-no, not the tape!”

This part was just like the original. They’d use the tape to seal my mouth and nose… No. I couldn’t let that happen.

I pressed my lips together tightly and shook my head.

“I’ll be quiet. Shh, shh. I’ll stay quiet, I promise.”

The man stared at me with disdain, then dragged a metal chair over and sat down. He motioned to his men, jerking his chin toward me.

“Fine. Don’t kill him. Just beat him until he’s about to die.”

“W-wait a second!”

The resounding agreement of the men echoed through the empty warehouse. How many of them were there? Large men, each at least twice my size, began to encircle me.

“W-wait, please! Just listen to me for a moment! I don’t even know why I was brought here! Minsu—Kim Minsu! What on earth did you say?”

When I turned to Minsu, his feeble voice rasped out, like someone on the brink of death.

“S-sorry, Woo Kyung. I’m so sorry. Don’t resist—just tell them everything.”

“T-tell them what? What am I supposed to say?”

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry.”

Stop apologizing! You’re making it seem like we’re on the same side!

There was no way I could be in cahoots with Kim Minsu.

Someone who didn’t even know if “Imjeonmu-to” meant something good or bad couldn’t possibly be a cop.

Or… could Minsu actually be a cop too? Was his cluelessness just an act all along?

Maybe, just like Baek pretended to be a thug, Minsu’s role was to pose as a naïve, clumsy brute.

Undercover cops often kept their identities hidden, even from each other, for safety. If Minsu had gone undercover, it wasn’t entirely impossible that Hyun Woo Kyung didn’t know.

But even if I stretched the benefit of the doubt and assumed Minsu was a cop, how did he figure out I was one?

If he wasn’t, then what exactly did Minsu say that dragged me into this mess?

A punch came flying toward me, but I ducked quickly, crouching low before throwing myself between the legs of the men surrounding me.

“No way! If I was going to die like this, why would I have gone through hell just to get here?”

“Where do you think you’re going!”

There was no way I was going to die such a painful, brutal death. Never.

In the original story, after being beaten into a pulp—skull cracked, eyes bulging—Choi Taejoon would make his dramatic entrance. What followed would be unimaginable cruelty.

“Let me go!”

The moment one of them grabbed my arm, I drove my knee into his groin. A mix of curses and groans erupted as he stumbled back. Seizing the opportunity, I sprinted toward what I thought was the exit.

“Get him! If he escapes, all of you are dead meat!”

I had to escape. I had to get out of here. My body moved on pure adrenaline as I ran with everything I had toward the door I assumed was the exit.

“Grab the weapons!”

At the man’s command, the others picked up steel pipes and baseball bats, chasing after me.

“W-Woo Kyung… you have to escape! You have to survive!”

Minsu’s desperate, wailing voice echoed behind me. Why did he keep tying his fate to mine? Stop it! Just stop!

Finally, I reached the steel door and tried to push it open. It wouldn’t budge.

“What the… Why isn’t this opening? Damn it. I’m screwed.”

I took a closer look—it wasn’t the exit at all. It seemed to be a door leading deeper into the warehouse, locked tight with a padlock.

In the dim lighting, I couldn’t tell which way was which, and I’d made a critical mistake.

“Well, well, Hyun Woo Kyung. Where do you think you’re going? Hahaha, you crazy bastard.”

It felt like standing at the gates of hell as I turned to face them. One of the men waved at me mockingly, his grin stretching wide.

“Our little rat. Stop squirming and come here already.”

The sound of steel pipes scraping against the floor and the sight of bats spinning menacingly in the air made my throat dry up. I swallowed hard, trying to think of a way out.

“Haha… L-listen, everyone! I have something to say! Let’s calm down, okay?”

“Calm down? You little—!”

A sharp, chilling whoosh passed by my ear. It was a steel pipe this time. Covering my head with my arms, I squeezed my eyes shut and screamed.

“Ahh! We’re all reasonable people, aren’t we? What do you want to know? I’ll tell you everything! Everything!”

Thwack!

It sounded like the crack of a baseball bat hitting a ball.

Or perhaps the clean, crisp sound of a golf driver striking a ball, sending it flying into the air.

But why was that sound coming from my head? Strangely enough, there was no pain.

Had I died so quickly that I didn’t even feel it?

Was it really over that easily?

“Huh?”

I cautiously opened my eyes. I was still in the abandoned warehouse, the salty scent of the sea heavy in the air.

But instead of me, the man holding the steel pipe was the one on the floor, clutching his head and groaning in pain.

“What the…?”

A sharp, lively voice cut through the silence.

“I told you not to mess up the face.”

The man who had struck him slowly stepped forward, and I recognized him immediately.

“Kang Jae Wook…?”

The flamboyant shirt gave him away. It seemed to be his signature style. Even at the funeral, he had worn something similar. Tonight, he sported a loud shirt adorned with large red flowers and yellow stamens, grinning widely as he approached me.

“Hello.”

Kang Jae Wook flashed me a bright smile.

“I told you we’d meet again soon, didn’t I?”

What on earth was happening? I already knew the story had gone off the rails, but why was Kang Jae Wook here?

Wasn’t it supposed to be Choi Taejoon trying to kill me in this warehouse?

I glanced at the man groaning on the floor, clutching his head.

Then it hit me, the ones who had dragged me here must have been Kang Jae Wook’s subordinates, including the one writhing in pain.

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