A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 38

I quickly gathered all the information I had.

It was possible that this overly familiar man was a fellow officer who didn’t know about my current situation. But if that were the case, it was the worst possible scenario.

If he let anything slip about the police, my cover would be blown in an instant.

“You’re struggling with digestion again, aren’t you? Did you take any medicine?”

He even knew that? Was he close enough to recognize my symptoms just by looking at me?

When I didn’t respond, he continued acting like we were lifelong friends.

“The medicine?”

Still bewildered, I shook my head.

“There’s a first-aid kit on board. If you ask a flight attendant, they’ll bring you something. I’ll ask for you, so just sit tight, senior.”

“Wait, hold on a second.”

I pushed myself upright from my slouched position.

This wasn’t a situation I could just brush off with a vague nod.

Wiping my sweat-dampened hair back, I looked at him carefully, hoping—praying—that he wasn’t connected to the police.

“Uh… who are you?”

“Me?”

He blinked, pointing at himself as if I had just asked the most ridiculous question in the world.

“You don’t know who I am?”

The sheer joy on his face made it almost embarrassing to admit, but I had absolutely no clue who he was. And judging by his enthusiasm, he wouldn’t let this go with a simple excuse.

“Yeah, um… I have no idea who you are.”

His face visibly crumpled with shock.

“Wait, senior… You are Hyun Woo Kyung, right?”

“You even know my name?”

If he knew my name that well, then he must have been someone I knew—at least in this world.

He looked momentarily stunned before clapping his hands together in realization.

“Oh, I get it. You’re messing with me, aren’t you? You almost had me!”

I don’t even have the energy for jokes…

Even as we spoke, my stomach churned violently, and my chest felt as if a heavy stone were pressing down on it, making it hard to breathe properly.

Noticing my discomfort, he frowned slightly, deep in thought.

“You are Hyun Woo Kyung from Seongyeon High School, right? The one from Jeju?”

“…Seongyeon High?”

“Yeah! Seongyeon High School Badminton Team!”

What the hell? Badminton?

So Hyun Woo Kyung had been in a badminton club in high school?

“You were the team captain! And I was the vice-captain!”

He beamed so brightly that his teeth practically sparkled.

Now that I looked at him more closely, something about his appearance felt off—like he wasn’t just an ordinary person.

After spending years in the entertainment industry, I had developed a certain instinct about these things.

His flawlessly maintained skin, meticulously styled hair, perfectly groomed nails, and even his outfit—everything about him screamed someone who was used to being in the public eye.

And while I still had no idea who he was, something about our conversation gave me a strong sense of déjà vu.

“I’m sorry, but… I had an accident. I don’t remember much from before that.”

“An accident?”

“Yeah… Something happened. Since then, my memory’s been foggy. I’m really sorry, but no matter how hard I try, I don’t remember you at all.”

“Oh, no.”

His hands shot up to cover his mouth, eyes widening in shock.

For a brief moment, I thought he might actually cry. His eyes glistened, on the verge of tears, as he looked at me like I had just told him I was dying.

“You mean, like in movies? Memory loss?”

“Memory loss… I guess?”

“So that’s why I couldn’t reach you all this time! I was so worried when you disappeared! But are you okay now?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“That explains why you look so pale and unwell.”

“Mm…”

“No way… You even forgot my face? That hurts.”

“Yeah… I’m sorry, but I don’t remember.”

“That’s impossible! No way!”

Buddy, if I knew who you were, I wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.

And just as things were about to get even more frustrating—

The head of security groaned loudly, lifting his sleep mask with an irritated scowl.

“Why the hell are you two so loud?!”

“Ah… sir.”

The head of security, who had been sleeping peacefully, now had his sleep mask pushed up like a headband, glaring at the man standing beside me. He looked thoroughly irritated at having been woken up.

“And who the hell are you? Why are you making a scene in someone else’s seat?”

But the man didn’t seem the least bit intimidated. Instead, he flashed a bright, cheerful smile and greeted him enthusiastically.

“Hello! I’m a very close junior of Woo Kyung! I was just so happy to see him again that I got carried away. Sorry for being noisy.”

“Junior…? Woo Kyung is a senior?”

The head of security narrowed his eyes, as if turning something over in his mind, before scowling again and asking in a cold, clipped tone:

“Never seen you before. Who’s your boss? What gang are you with?”

To him, the only kind of junior that existed was a gang junior.

“…Boss? Gang?”

The man’s eyes flickered slightly, shifting side to side as if assessing the situation.

Anyone looking at the head of security could tell what kind of work he was involved in. The man must have realized immediately that gang didn’t mean some school club or social organization—it meant organized crime.

But instead of panicking, he remained calm.

With an unshaken expression, he smiled lightly and nodded.

“A club is technically an organization, right? Woo Kyung was our leader, and I was in the badminton club.”

The head of security stared at him, then at me, before sighing in exasperation and pulling his sleep mask back over his eyes.

“I don’t care what kind of relationship you two have. Just keep it down so I can sleep.”

Realizing he wasn’t dealing with a gang member, the head of security lost all interest.

The man quickly apologized again for being too loud before turning back to me.

Lowering his voice, he spoke in a quiet, almost conspiratorial tone.

“Senior, can I have your new number?”

“My… number?”

“Yeah, your phone number.”

I hesitated, glancing at my phone, which was resting on the table beside me. Normally, I didn’t even take it out, but I had powered it off earlier and left it there, completely forgetting about it.

Seeing the phone, the man’s shoulders slumped slightly, his expression tinged with disappointment.

“…It’s okay if you don’t want to. I understand if it’s too much.”

The phone Taejoon had given me was strictly for work, and the one Baek Team Leader had provided was a burner phone. Neither number was something I could just hand out.

Especially not to someone I didn’t even remember.

“I don’t think I can give you my number. Honestly, I barely use my phone—I forget I even have it half the time.”

“That’s a shame.”

For a moment, his face fell, but then he brightened up again.

“But at least we met again! That must mean we were meant to see each other, right?”

His voice was full of conviction, his lips pressing into a confident smile.

“Excuse me, sir. Can I assist you with anything?”

A flight attendant had approached, looking at us with a polite but slightly concerned expression.

Before I could say anything, the man spoke up first.

“He has trouble digesting food when he’s stressed. He also can’t handle wheat very well, but he eats it anyway. And now, on top of all that, he’s on a plane, so I think he has acute indigestion. Right, senior?”

He knew all that about me?

Or rather, about Hyun Woo Kyung?

Even in my original life, I had always loved wheat-based foods, despite knowing they would leave me feeling terrible.

The man continued speaking to the flight attendant, effortlessly taking charge of the situation.

“Can you bring him something to keep his stomach warm? A heat pack or a blanket, maybe? Also, some lukewarm water and medicine. And if there’s a medical professional on board, could you ask if they’d be willing to check on him?”

I quickly waved my hands in protest.

“Oh, that’s really not necessary! You don’t have to go that far—”

Like an echo, he repeated my words.

“You don’t have to go that far, senior? Alright, then no need for a medical professional.”

The flight attendant jotted down the request before nodding. “I’ll bring everything shortly.”

And then—

“What are you doing here?”

A smooth, composed voice interrupted us.

A woman had placed a hand on the man’s shoulder.

“Ah, Director. I was just about to head back to my seat.”

The Director tilted her head slightly as she studied me, her gaze slowly trailing from head to toe, assessing me.

“This is my high school senior. Senior, this is our company’s director.”

She looked down at me, sprawled in my seat, looking utterly miserable.

There was a faint air of condescension in her eyes.

“Ah, hello.”

I had seen that look before.

Back in my idol days, TV station executives used to give me that exact same look—analyzing me as if I were a product, calculating my worth. Back then, it had made me feel small and insignificant.

But now, feeling as sick as I did, I barely cared.

Instead, I just wondered, who the hell is she to act so high and mighty?

“Let’s go, Ha Hyun.”

The director gave a small nod and led the man away.

“……”

Wait.

Did she just say Ha Hyun?

I shot up from my seat so fast it made my head spin.

“Wait a second!”

The man turned back. “Yes?”

“Your name… is it Park Ha Hyun?”

For a brief moment, something flickered across his face—something subtle but undeniable.

It was the look of someone who had just caught their prey.

“You finally remember, senior?”

“The Park Ha Hyun?”

“That’s me!”

His smile was so bright, so genuinely happy, that for a split second, I felt guilty for not remembering him.

“Senior, you finally remember me?”

My heart plummeted, and my mind went blank, as if I had just been hit with a brick.

Wait. He’s really Park Ha Hyun?

The Park Ha Hyun?

Choi Taejoon’s eternal lover, his first love, the one he could never forget.

The main protagonist of Alcohol Swab?!

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