A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 28

Choi Taejoon’s expression turned ice-cold as he alternated glances between Kang Jaewook and the condolence wreath that Secretary Kwak was holding.

“Hey, Kwak! That spot by the window gets good sunlight. Looks perfect. Put it there nicely.”

“Yes, Director.”

At Kang Jaewook’s command, the large black-ribboned funeral wreath was placed conspicuously in the room. It was an unmistakable insult.

Taejoon’s subordinates stood tensely, ready to spring into action at the slightest signal. Among them, I caught sight of Chief Kim, his expression rigid with barely restrained fury.

“Tell them to leave. No need for a scene,” Taejoon ordered.

If not for his command, a full-blown brawl would have already erupted. Once the others had cleared out, Chief Kim remained behind, his clenched jaw betraying his anger.

“What the hell is this? A funeral wreath?”

At his sharp reprimand, Jaewook merely smirked, his signature grin ever present.

“Chief Kim, look at that fire in your eyes. It’s been a while. I missed that.”

“Show some respect! You’re a director, for God’s sake!”

“Watch your tone. Who do you think you’re staring at like that? Careful, or I might have to pluck those eyes out.”

I pressed myself against the wall, covering my mouth with my hand.

Seriously, how childish can they get?

Hearing grown men throw around threats like schoolyard bullies was exhausting.

I stole a glance at Chief Kim, who was grinding his teeth so hard it looked painful. His hand was already tucked into his jacket’s inner pocket, where I knew he always kept a well-maintained dagger. He was on edge—ready to strike at any moment.

Jaewook, on the other hand, was completely unbothered. Pouting dramatically, he swung the bouquet of chrysanthemums lazily before stepping toward Taejoon.

“Ah, Executive Director. What an unfortunate sight. A gangster, hospitalized from something as lame as a car accident? Next time, just say you got stabbed by a contract killer. It’ll sound better.”

Then, his eyes landed on me.

I had been keeping quiet, blending into the background as much as possible, but now it was too late to slip out unnoticed.

Please, don’t talk to me. Just ignore me and leave.

“Well, well, look who we have here!”

I should have left earlier!

Squeezing my eyes shut, I turned my head away.

“How are you, Woo Kyung?”

He spoke as if we were old school friends bumping into each other on the way to class.

The moment Jaewook said my name, Taejoon’s brow subtly furrowed.

“Ah… Hello, Director.”

I bowed my head, bracing myself for whatever nonsense was about to come next. I just wanted to look like a weak, exhausted patient—anything to make myself seem uninteresting.

“Such good manners! And still so pretty. That’s what I like about you.”

Jaewook ruffled my hair, treating me like a child.

“If I’d known you were hospitalized too, I would have brought another bouquet! Don’t worry, I’ll bring yours tomorrow.”

His unnaturally stretched grin sent a chill down my spine.

“T-That won’t be necessary.”

The memory of the encounter at the docks resurfaced, making my stomach turn. I instinctively stepped sideways, pressing myself closer to the hospital bed and gripping Taejoon’s hospital gown tightly.

Jaewook was unpredictable. Who knew what he would do next?

“You two still seem as close as ever.”

His lips curled as he looked between us.

“Then again, that night, Taejoon did make a grand entrance like a prince saving his princess. What a heartwarming bond between relatives! Your parents must be so proud.”

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he gasped dramatically.

“Oh, wait. My mistake. Taejoon doesn’t have parents. He’s an orphan. Whoops—my bad.”

Despite the relentless provocations, Taejoon remained impassive as he finally spoke.

“If you’re done, leave.”

“Of course, I’ll leave. After all, I came here on behalf of the chairman. Can’t just rush through the visit.”

Though he said he was leaving, his demeanor suggested otherwise.

“Our old man hasn’t been doing so well lately. That means I’ve been getting busier.”

With a casual flick, he tossed the bouquet onto Taejoon’s lap.

“Take it. A personal gift from me. Executive Director Choi Taejoon…”

His smile remained, but the malice in his eyes was unmistakable.

“I sincerely hope your short life ends as painlessly as possible.”

There was no mistaking his tone—he was telling Taejoon to hurry up and die.

Taejoon responded coolly.

“Right. I’ll be sure to throw a party when you die, too, Kang Jaewook.”

Jaewook’s grin widened.

“Ah, I almost forgot. When would be a good time? Can’t have a party without the guest of honor, now can we?”

Taejoon remained unfazed as he calmly asked,

“So, did you cause the accident?”

His detached tone sent a chill through the room.

Jaewook, however, showed no sign of surprise. Instead, he simply smirked, meeting Taejoon’s gaze head-on.

“The accident? The car crash?”

“Yeah. You were behind it.”

Kang Jaewook dragged out his words, feigning indignation.

“Are you seriously suspecting me right now?”

“First in Sinsa-dong, then in Jamsil. Both times, it was your doing.”

The smirk on Jaewook’s face slowly faded, replaced by a sharp, murderous glare.

“Don’t go blaming the wrong person. Is this how you treat a visitor here to check on you?”

Taejoon picked up the bouquet Jaewook had placed on his lap, his voice as lazy as ever.

“If you’re going to arrange a hit, try being a little more creative. Crashing a truck and running, then crashing another one and running—it’s getting old.”

With that, Taejoon tossed the bouquet straight into the trash.

Jaewook’s face darkened, his temper clearly fraying at the edges. His neck and cheeks turned visibly red as he shoved his hands into his pockets, standing at a slight slouch as he watched us.

“Taejoon, that mouth of yours is filthy. I don’t expect you to speak formally, but calling me a worthless bastard? That’s a bit much, don’t you think?”

For the first time, Taejoon let out an amused chuckle.

“Brother?”

“I’m not the kind of coward who’d resort to such cheap tricks. If I wanted you dead, I’d take you on one-on-one with a weapon, not some damn dump truck.”

Taejoon’s voice dropped a note lower.

“So, is that what you did with Vice Chairman Gil Sanghoon?”

Jaewook’s expression stiffened, caught off guard. He didn’t respond immediately, just glared at Taejoon with a mix of surprise and frustration. Then, as if finding the whole thing ridiculous, he threw his head back and laughed exaggeratedly.

“Now you’re blaming me for that old man’s death too? I told you, it wasn’t me.”

“That’s enough. Just leave. We’re not exactly close enough to be making hospital visits for each other, are we?”

Tension filled the room.

The five of us—Taejoon, Jaewook, Chief Kim, Secretary Kwak, and me—radiated enough heat to suffocate the space with hostility.

“Alright, alright. I get why you’d suspect me. If I were you, I’d think the same way.”

Jaewook was the one to break the silence, his voice artificially bright.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he leaned in slightly, resting a hand on Taejoon’s bed.

“Ah, almost forgot. The old man wanted me to pass along a message.”

The old man.

That meant the chairman had sent Jaewook to relay something to Taejoon.

“From now on, Executive Director Choi, you’ll have to withdraw from all your current projects.”

Jaewook pursed his lips in an exaggerated expression of regret.

“The old man is just so worried about you.”

“When he heard you were in a coma, he was beside himself with concern. Told me to make sure you take it easy for a while—stick to light work, nothing too demanding.”

Taejoon’s fingers, which had been loosely resting on the bed, slowly curled into a fist.

“Light work?”

So that was it. They were using this accident as an opportunity to push him out.

“Light work as in… what? Farming?”

“We can’t waste someone as talented as you like that. But ST Entertainment is expanding globally.”

Jaewook’s eyes glinted with satisfaction as he watched Taejoon’s reaction, eager to see how pissed off he would get.

“Entertainment?”

Taejoon’s voice remained composed.

Jaewook had clearly expected him to explode in anger, but instead, Taejoon was unnervingly calm.

“Huh. That reaction’s kind of underwhelming.”

“Entertainment’s not bad.”

Taejoon nodded, completely unfazed.

But the moment I heard that, I was the one who nearly jumped.

ST Entertainment.

Was the plot finally moving toward the main storyline?

ST Entertainment was a subsidiary of Taeseong Industries, a talent agency owned purely for the chairman’s personal amusement. With real estate and finance as the main pillars of the conglomerate, running an entertainment company was little more than a vanity project.

Telling Taejoon to work there was “light work.” It was also a way to force him out of the real power structure.

But for me, the important part was that ST Entertainment was where the main character of Alcohol Swab, Park Ha-hyun, made his debut.

Of course, in this altered timeline, I had no idea how things would unfold.

“You hate this kind of work, don’t you?” Jaewook teased.

“If it’s the chairman’s order.”

Taejoon smirked. Then, turning to Chief Kim, he gave a slight nod.

“Chief Kim, escort our guest out.”

“You? Following orders? Don’t make me laugh, Taejoon.”

Taejoon glanced at the condolence wreath and added,

“Make sure you repackage their little gift and return it properly.”

With that, Jaewook and his entourage were finally ushered out, leaving behind an unsettling silence.

Chief Kim, still visibly tense, turned to Taejoon with a deep frown.

“Executive Director. Are you really going to just sit back and take this?”

His voice trembled with rage. His eyes burned with intensity, and even his slightly parted lips seemed to vibrate with barely contained fury.

“Find out where the chairman is.”

At Taejoon’s command, Chief Kim fell silent, then lowered his head in acknowledgment.

The conversation between them continued, but I had no reason to stick around.

Now was my chance.

Without another word, I slipped out of the room.

Taejoon didn’t stop me.

As the hospital door slowly shut behind me, I caught one last glimpse of him.

For some reason, he looked lonely.

Maybe it was just a trick of the setting sun casting its glow over him, but for a brief moment, he seemed almost… lost.

I exhaled, murmuring to myself.

“Finally, Choi Taejoon and Park Ha-hyun are going to meet…”

If I was lucky, I might even get to see the protagonist before I died.

As I made my way down the hallway, I mentally ran through the events of the original novel.

Just how incredible was this guy, for Taejoon to be so obsessed with him?

Support