A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 27

— He has passed away.

— No!

— Bring him back! You incompetent fool!

The doctor pulled a white sheet over the lifeless man’s face. A chorus of agonized wails erupted from those who had witnessed his final moments.

— How could you leave us so suddenly, brother?

— You were our guiding star.

It was the waiting area connected to a VIP hospital room. Separated by just a door, the space resembled a small lounge, complete with a television, refrigerator, and sofa.

The drama on the television continued playing—a gangster, fatally wounded in an ambush, succumbing to his injuries.

I turned off the TV. As if my mind wasn’t already a mess, who the hell decided to play this?

Just then, the door leading to the hospital room swung open, revealing Chief Kim’s ever-stoic face.

“Hyun Woo Kyung, you can go in now.”

The seemingly endless stream of visitors had finally slowed by the afternoon, and after a long wait, it was finally my turn.

Following Chief Kim, I stepped into Choi Taejoon’s hospital room.

A couple of guards stood in the hallway and near the entrance, but inside, it was just the three of us—Taejoon, Chief Kim, and me.

Taejoon sat at the far end of the room, dressed in a hospital gown, resting against the bed.

As I had heard, aside from the cast on his left arm, he didn’t appear to be in particularly bad shape.

Still, seeing him in patient’s clothing, confined to a hospital bed, made him seem more vulnerable—less like the impenetrable figure I was used to.

“I’m getting discharged tomorrow.”

Taejoon didn’t even glance in my direction as he spoke to Chief Kim.

“You can’t. The doctor said you need to be monitored for a few more days.”

“That’s just your opinion.”

“It’s not. I just spoke with your attending physician.”

“Forget it. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“I really don’t think you should.”

“Don’t be dramatic. I’m not dying.”

“This isn’t an overreaction, Executive Director. You were in a coma for two days. At the very least, you should wait until you get full clearance from the doctors.”

I could tell he didn’t like being seen in such a vulnerable state. For someone like him, lying in a hospital bed must have felt like exposing a weakness.

As their argument over his discharge continued, I hesitantly inserted myself into the conversation.

“Um… it’s me, Hyun Woo Kyung. How are you feeling, Executive Director?”

“Why are you here?”

“I… came to visit you.”

I had been admitted to the same hospital, though on a different floor.

“You’re a patient too, so what’s with the hospital visit? Worry about yourself first.”

I had rushed over the moment I heard Taejoon had regained consciousness, but I hadn’t been able to enter his room until now.

Executives, secretaries, and department heads from Taeseong Industries had all taken turns paying their respects.

While they paraded in and out, all I could do was wait.

“I’m getting discharged tomorrow.”

At Taejoon’s insistence, Chief Kim sighed in reluctant resignation and nodded.

Considering how severe the accident had been, it was practically a miracle that he had escaped with only a fractured arm and multiple contusions.

The doctors had called it a miracle.

I, on the other hand, thought: This really is a novel, after all.

Like an action hero surviving a plane crash unscathed or walking through a battlefield of flying bullets without a scratch.

“So, what happened to the truck driver?” Taejoon asked.

“There’s something strange about the whole situation,” Chief Kim said, glancing at me with a conflicted expression before continuing.

The driver of the dump truck had disappeared.

“A stolen vehicle?”

It didn’t make sense. The accident had occurred at a major intersection, where CCTV cameras were everywhere. Dozens of cars had dashcams, and yet—every single recording had vanished without a trace.

The truck’s registered owner wasn’t the driver. The identity on the paperwork was fake.

In short, an unidentified driver had intentionally rammed into our car at full speed—this wasn’t just an accident.

And now that I thought about it, the man who had ambushed me outside the bar was also still unaccounted for.

“There is someone who fits the profile,” Chief Kim added. “Someone who knew your exact movements.”

Taejoon’s expression darkened in understanding.

I also had a pretty good idea of who it was.

Kang Jaewook.

In the original story, he had constantly attempted to assassinate Taejoon. But those attacks usually happened much later in the plot, after their rivalry had fully escalated.

This was happening too soon.

“Enough. Leave.”

“Is there anything else you need, Executive Director?”

“No. I need to rest. Don’t let anyone else in.”

“Understood.”

Since Taejoon wanted to rest, I prepared to leave with Chief Kim.

“Then, I’ll get going too. Please take care.”

“Hyun Woo Kyung. You stay.”

…Huh?

Just moments ago, he had scolded me for visiting him.

And now, he wanted me to stay?

Chief Kim left the room, closing the door behind him.

Now, it was just the two of us.

Why did he ask me to stay? Did he have something to say?

The conversation we had just before the accident flashed through my mind. What if he started pressing me again about why I had to die? I had no idea how much longer I could get away with simply saying, “I can’t tell you.”

“How’s your arm?”

I hesitated, gesturing toward his left arm encased in a cast.

“It’s nothing. But what’s wrong with your voice?”

“The doctor said it’s just a cold. I took some medicine.”

“A cold? In the middle of summer? You were sick last time too.”

“I don’t know. I hardly ever catch colds.”

This was already my second time catching a cold since arriving in this world. In my old life, I rarely got sick.

“Should I turn off the air conditioner?”

“No, if you turn it off, it’ll get too hot. I’m not even cold.”

After a few exchanges, silence settled between us.

“…….”

The longer the quiet stretched, the more I felt like I should say something—anything—but no topic came to mind.

Apparently, neither could he.

Scratching the back of my head awkwardly, I slowly got up from my seat.

“Um… I should probably get going.”

“Aren’t you scared?”

I blinked. “Of what?”

“Being kidnapped, getting into an accident, ending up in a hospital. Aren’t you afraid?”

“Well…”

Of course, I was scared.

If this had been the real world, I would have been terrified.

But, strangely, it all felt surreal. Like I was just observing from a distance—watching a drama unfold, much like the one I had seen earlier in the waiting room.

“I am scared. It’s terrifying.”

But I wanted to add that dying like this wouldn’t have been the worst way to go.

“When you’re discharged, stay home. Don’t go anywhere.”

“What about my security job?”

“Don’t do it.”

“What about dying?”

“You’re seriously bringing that up right now?”

“I have to die, no matter what.”

“Then tell me why. I’ll kill you myself.”

And just like that, we were back where we started.

The way he looked at me reminded me of what he had said just before the accident.

“As long as you’re Hyun Woo Kyung, that’s enough.”

His voice had been firm, even if his tone was blunt.

It was such an out-of-character thing for him to say that I almost couldn’t believe those words had come from his mouth.

“I can’t tell you.”

“I figured.”

Maybe it was just a delusion brought on by the shock of the crash.

Maybe it was just my own sentimental projection onto the “original” Choi Taejoon.

But one thing was certain—this wasn’t something he would normally say.

And yet…

At the last moment, he had turned the steering wheel toward the passenger side.

The impact that should have hit me directly had been absorbed by him instead.

“By the way… I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Why did you turn the wheel toward me?”

He frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“I saw a documentary once. Apparently, people have an instinct for self-preservation. In an emergency, they subconsciously steer toward the side that feels safest.”

Thanks to that, I hadn’t suffered a single scratch.

“…Did I do that? I don’t remember.”

Taejoon ran his injured hand over his neck, looking indifferent.

I clenched my fists and nodded.

Even now, it felt like the warmth from his hand—the one that had held mine at the very last moment—still lingered.

“That was the perfect chance for me to die. Are you disappointed?”

“No… I’m grateful. Truly.”

Whether he had done it on purpose or just by chance, it didn’t change the fact that I owed him my life.

“If you’re grateful, then tell me.”

Again, he circled back to the same question—why do you have to die?

“I’m sorry, but I can never tell you. It’s a secret.”

“Fine. Then let’s call it even.”

“…Huh?”

“The deal’s off. We saved each other’s lives once. That cancels everything out.”

The first time, Taejoon had promised to kill me because I had saved him.

But this time, he had saved me.

“It’s balanced now.”

“You mean… you’re calling it off?”

“That’s right.”

This was ridiculous!

I was about to protest when the once-quiet hallway suddenly erupted with noise.

Loud voices carried through the door, accompanied by a scuffle.

A commotion was unfolding right outside Taejoon’s hospital room.

“You can’t go in. The Executive Director said no visitors.”

“I don’t count as just anyone, do I, Chief Kim?”

Taejoon and I turned toward the door at the same time.

A loud thud echoed as someone forcefully shoved against the entrance.

Then, the door burst open.

“Ah.”

The scent of strong cologne and fresh chrysanthemums filled the air simultaneously.

And then—

A bright, cheerful voice rang out.

“Our dear, dear Executive Director Choi Taejoon!”

Standing before us was none other than Director Kang Jaewook.

The same man whose face was still bruised from Taejoon’s fists, his swollen lips twisted into an exaggerated grin.

Behind him, Secretary Kwak carried a condolence wreath taller than himself, while Jaewook clutched a bouquet of white chrysanthemums.

The sight was so absurd that everyone—inside and outside the hospital room—stared in stunned silence.

“Oh, this?” Jaewook chuckled, flashing his teeth as he held up the flowers.

“A little gift for our dear Executive Director. Now, where should I put it?”

His lips curled into a wide, mocking smile.

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