A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 43

If this were the original Park Ha-hyun, he would have recognized Choi Taejoon at a glance.

Yet, even after looking him straight in the face, he acted as if he had never seen him before.

If he was, like me, an undercover cop, he should have been able to identify Taejoon instantly, he should have his face memorized to the point where he could recognize him in his sleep.

If Ha-hyun really was an undercover officer and this was all just an act, then his performance was truly remarkable.

He was bound to have a successful career in acting at this rate…

“One-year age difference?”

“That’s… what I was told.”

That’s what Ha-hyun had claimed.

“When was the last time you saw him?”

I remained silent, prompting Taejoon to ask another question.

“You must have been close.”

“I don’t remember.”

“Before he transferred?”

“I really don’t remember.”

“…How convenient.”

Taejoon’s lips curled slightly in dissatisfaction as he unfolded his arms and slipped his hands into his pockets. His expression, reflected in the elevator mirror, was a mix of skepticism and frustration.

He clearly didn’t trust me, but at the same time, he had no choice but to accept what I was saying.

What else could he do? I genuinely had no recollection.

And it wasn’t even a lie.

The Park Ha-hyun standing in front of me now was completely different from the one I remembered. It was throwing me off. I felt like I had been blindsided.

The character I knew wasn’t this talkative or quick to smile.

Just then, the elevator doors slid open on the 33rd floor, and Mr. Kim greeted us with a deep bow.

“Director Yoon is waiting inside.”

“How’s the atmosphere?”

“It doesn’t seem bad. More importantly, CEO Song Seo-hee has arranged a private meeting between you and Director Yoon.”

As we stepped into the lobby, the chime of another arriving elevator sounded behind us.

Ha-hyun, who had hesitated upon seeing us ahead, seemed to notice Taejoon’s irritation and simply offered a polite bow before following from a distance.

That didn’t stop him from subtly tugging at my sleeve.

“Senior.”

“……”

“Did you get some rest? How’s your stomach?”

I gave a small wave to indicate I was fine and started walking again, but Ha-hyun stepped closer instead.

“But, senior.”

He took a quick breath before lowering his voice.

“Are you attending the drinking party tonight?”

I glanced at Taejoon walking ahead and answered in the quietest voice possible, almost like a ventriloquist.

“…No personal conversations while on duty.”

“Oh, sorry! I’ll keep quiet. My bad.” Ha-hyun pressed both hands over his mouth before whispering, “But wow, you sound really professional when you say that, senior.”

He genuinely looked happy to see me.

But why?

His friendliness was completely unexpected.

I wasn’t sure how to react.

Honestly, I wanted to tell him, You’re directing all this energy at the wrong person. The one you should be clinging to is over there—Choi Taejoon.

“Senior. After the party, let’s—”

The moment Ha-hyun said ‘let’s’, Taejoon’s shoulders tensed.

He came to an abrupt stop and turned to stare at Ha-hyun.

“You’re attending?”

“Me?”

Taejoon gave him a look as if asking if he was seriously playing dumb.

“Yes, why?”

“You should sit this one out.”

“I’d love to, but maybe you should take that up with CEO Song instead. I just go where I’m told.”

Ha-hyun was all playful and sweet when talking to me, but the moment he turned to Taejoon, his tone sharpened like claws unsheathing.

After tossing out his remark, he flashed another bright smile at me.

“Senior! Want to go to the beach after? The Jeju night sea is stunning. Or how about the sky lounge upstairs? I checked it out earlier—it was amazing. What do you think?”

“…Sorry, I’m too tired.”

“Right, you must be exhausted. You already had a rough time on the plane.”

He nodded understandingly, then continued without missing a beat.

“Then how about tomorrow? Based on the schedule, we should be back at the hotel by around 8 p.m. after filming. I’ll call you.”

Taejoon’s face, which had been gradually contorting into an irritated scowl, suddenly returned to its usual blank expression—like a crumpled paper being smoothed out again.

With a sharp smirk, he pulled out a cigarette.

“…Annoying.”

Then, as he flicked his lighter, he muttered,

“CEO Song must be terrible at managing her actors.”

“……”

“No matter how much being ‘easygoing’ is supposed to be his persona, this is too much.”

“…Excuse me?”

“What, didn’t you understand?” Taejoon’s voice dropped to a chilling low. “I’m telling you to stop pestering my employee.”

The air grew tense.

Ha-hyun’s lips parted slightly as if he wanted to argue back—but then, he hesitated.

“This isn’t a high school reunion. Don’t bother people who are working. Go find someone else to entertain you.”

Park Ha-hyun’s neck was flushed red as he turned to me and asked,

“Hah. Senior, why don’t you say it yourself? Am I annoying you?”

“…What?”

“Am I a bother? A nuisance? Is that what it is?”

“I, uh—”

Choi Taejoon was also watching me intently, as if silently urging me, Go on, Hyun Woo-kyung. Say it yourself.

Were they seriously putting me on the spot like this? Were they really going to make me say it out loud?

Ha-hyun continued, his voice carrying a slight whine.

“What’s so wrong about asking to meet outside of work? It’s not like we’re strangers. I was just happy to see you after so long. Tell me, senior, is Director Choi right about me?”

Caught between their gazes, I awkwardly looked away and hesitated before mumbling,

“Uh… yeah. You’re… kind of a bother.”

“Seriously?”

“…Yeah.”

Ha-hyun stared at me in shock, mouth slightly open as if he had been struck.

Meanwhile, Taejoon, still wearing his usual smirk, flicked his half-burned cigarette toward the security team leader and casually stepped into the private room.

“…Liar.”

“It’s not a lie.”

“What exactly did I do to annoy you?”

Of course, he was annoying.

His reckless behavior was bound to provoke Taejoon, and when that happened, the backlash would inevitably fall on me.

I just wished he’d stop stirring up trouble and quietly fade into the background. But something about his actions made me uneasy—like he was teetering on the edge of causing a full-blown incident.

At that moment, Mr. Kim’s voice called out from the doorway.

“Hyun Woo-kyung, come inside.”

“Yes! …Uh, Ha-hyun, let’s talk later.”

Without waiting for a response, I turned and stepped into the room, leaving Ha-hyun standing there, frozen.

Honestly, what kind of answer was he expecting from me?

His expression had been so full of resentment, as if I had betrayed him. But I was the one caught off guard by his reaction.

Choi Taejoon had come to Jeju for one reason—business negotiations.

And the person he needed to meet was Yoon, the Korea branch director of CI Plus.

On the surface, it was just a courtesy visit to thank CI Plus for casting ST Entertainment’s rookie actor, Park Ha-hyun, in one of their productions.

But in reality, the goal was much bigger—to use CI as a stepping stone to further expand ST Entertainment’s influence.

While Taejoon and Director Yoon held private discussions, the rest of us entertained the CI executives in another room.

Drink after drink.

Was everyone always this good at holding their liquor?

Mr. Kim downed glass after glass without so much as a twitch, and CEO Song Seo-hee was no different.

“Come on, one more round.”

“Cheers, everyone!”

The glasses clinked nonstop, and the table was overflowing with extravagant food.

Despite the luxurious setting, I wasn’t fully recovered yet, and forcing down drinks only made my stomach churn.

“Don’t forget mine.”

“And mine next.”

“Uh… actually, I—”

The endless toasts had me breaking out in a cold sweat.

I squeezed my eyes shut and lifted my glass to my lips.

This was a business event. No matter how I felt, ruining the atmosphere wasn’t an option.

“You should take mine, too.”

A heavy arm draped over my shoulder.

For the second time that night.

“…If you’re going to get drunk, at least do it gracefully.”

“Huh?”

“Haha, come on, lighten up.”

I shifted my body, shaking off the unwanted contact, but the man only got bolder, sliding his hand over my shoulder and rubbing it.

“What’s wrong? We’re all men here! Here, have another drink.”

This bastard.

Was he asking for a death wish?

—Mic test. Mic test.

Just as I was about to say something, a voice rang out through the speakers.

—Stop. Right. There.

The man’s hand, which had been creeping toward my waist, froze in place.

The voice over the speaker grew clearer.

—Yes, you. The one who just made eye contact with me. You might want to keep your hands to yourself unless you want to lose them.

That wasn’t me speaking.

I had been thinking something along those lines, but I definitely hadn’t said it out loud.

—Everyone here knows who Taeseong Industries is, right? You wouldn’t have come here without knowing that, would you?

The man, now awkwardly laughing, tried to brush it off as if he had no idea what was going on.

—If you really don’t get it, go ahead and keep doing what you’re doing. But I’m warning you—if you cross the wrong line, you’ll be lucky if losing your hand is the worst that happens.

All eyes turned toward the stage.

Standing there, microphone in hand, was Park Ha-hyun.

—BEEEEEEP—

A sharp, ear-piercing feedback noise filled the room.

Everyone instinctively covered their ears.

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