A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 24

Was it really just a hallucination?

The noise grew louder and closer, and then I clearly heard my name being called.

“Hyun Woo Kyung!”

There was a deafening crash, as though something heavy was slamming against the metal door. The sound of shattering echoed through the room.

Bang!

The rusty hinges snapped, and the door seemingly impossible to open was torn off its frame.

People poured into the narrow room, too many to count, but my eyes focused on only one person: Choi Taejoon.

His face was flushed, his eyes wild with fury, and his bloodied hands trembled as his sharp gaze locked onto mine. In the frantic, rapid movement of his eyes, I saw a mix of anxiety and seething rage.

“…Hyun Woo Kyung.”

“Choi Taejoon?”

When he confirmed it was me, his expression twisted, caught between fury and relief.

“…Ha. Fuck. You have no manners, do you?”

Choi Taejoon wiped his bloodstained face with a hand, a chilling smirk flickering across his lips before vanishing.

“You… You kept calling my name, didn’t you?”

“…Ah, it’s really Choi Taejoon.”

I had never seen him like this before. His eyes brimmed with a chaotic blend of relief, anger, and frustration, and beneath it all was something strangely tender.

Tenderness? On Choi Taejoon? That didn’t suit him at all.

“Thank goodness I found you,” he muttered.

But his words extinguished any lingering doubt about his intentions. His actions, his tone—it was undeniable.

Before I could react, I felt his breath against the nape of my neck.

“…Hyun Woo Kyung, come here.”

“Ugh.”

Curled up in the corner, trembling and hugging myself tightly, I tried to shrink even further into the wall. But Choi Taejoon knelt, scooped me up effortlessly, and made me meet his gaze.

The familiar scent of his cologne—a sharp, clean smell—cut through the stale stench of the room, momentarily covering the filth and decay.

That was when it happened.

“Well, well. You really came all the way here, huh?”

Kang Jae Wook’s voice rang out. His wide eyes sparkled with amusement as if he’d just witnessed something extraordinary. Then, he broke into a fit of maniacal laughter.

“It’s really you, Choi Taejoon?”

In stark contrast, Choi Taejoon’s expression hardened, as if he were staring at something revolting. His teeth clenched audibly.

“Kang Jae Wook.”

“Oh, come on. I was just having a little fun with your… lover? No, wait. Cousin? Why are you so mad?”

Before Kang could finish his taunt, Choi Taejoon’s hand shot out, seizing him by the collar.

“I’ll kill you.”

The grip on Kang’s neck was so tight I could hear the faint sound of bones creaking. Kang let out a strangled groan.

“Ugh, h-hey! Calm down, will you?”

No one dared to intervene. Both sides’ subordinates hovered around nervously, too afraid to step between them.

“Stop this! He’ll die!”

“Sir, you need to restrain yourself!”

It was clear that if no one intervened, Choi Taejoon would tear Kang apart with his bare hands.

Kang, on the other hand, was laughing hysterically, even as his face turned pale and his breathing became labored. He looked like a man who had completely lost his mind.

“Go ahead. Kill me. If you do, you’ll die too. Everyone here will. Do it if you’re fine with that.”

His pale lips kept spewing mockery, even as he gasped for air.

“Damn. Hyun Woo Kyung must be incredible for Choi Taejoon to come here himself. All this… for that little shit.”

Choi Taejoon’s patience finally snapped, and his fist collided with Kang’s jaw.

“Ugh!”

“Sir!”

Even as Kang’s head snapped back, Choi Taejoon didn’t loosen his grip on his neck. His other hand raised for another blow.

“Stop, please!”

The voice of Kim, the manager, trembled as he grabbed Choi Taejoon’s arm. He had no choice but to intervene—it was Kang Jae Wook, after all. If this escalated to the ears of Kang’s father, Chairman Kang, things would spiral out of control.

“Please, sir. Enough.”

Choi Taejoon’s knuckles were white, his veins bulging from the sheer force of his grip. Kang’s face had turned an alarming shade of white, but his mocking grin remained.

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