A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 44

Park Ha-hyun, unfazed, continued speaking into the microphone, shaking it slightly as he went on.

The mic’s acting up. Ah, ah! Mic test. Some people just can’t drink in peace, can they? There’s always someone who has to ruin it for everyone.

His voice, mixed with the sharp feedback of the microphone, was enough to make my ears ring.

Song Seo-hee grimaced and waved a hand.

“Ha-hyun, that’s enough.”

But, CEO! I was about to sing. Should I not?

“No, you shouldn’t.”

Ah, such a shame.

Only then did Ha-hyun shrug and step down from the stage, strolling back toward the tables like a singer making his way into the audience.

He came to a stop right in front of the man who had been pestering me and stared at him.

“Ever heard of [The Long-Necked Beast]? It’s a new track. Want to give it a listen?”

The man, clearly thrown off, forced an awkward laugh.

“Haha… What are you talking about?”

“It’s a gangster rap about a drunkard who ruins his life, gets beaten up by a mob, and repents for his sins.”

“Uh, no thanks. I’d rather not.”

“Ah… What a pity.”

Each time Ha-hyun tapped the microphone, an unpleasant screech echoed from the speakers.

“What’s your title again? Director?”

The man’s brows lifted as the microphone was suddenly shoved right in front of his face. The metal mic hovered threateningly close, almost grazing his nose.

“Hey, what’s the deal?”

“Do you like singing?”

“Singing? Uh, sure, I guess.”

“Then go ahead and sing!”

At that, Ha-hyun finally broke into a broad smile.

Taking the cue, Song Seo-hee let out a light laugh and chimed in.

“Oh, I’d love to hear Director Han sing.”

“…Wait, me? You want me to sing?”

“Yes!”

Ha-hyun handed the microphone over to him with an expectant grin.

“Sing? No, no way.”

As Song Seo-hee continued to egg him on, the other CI executives joined in.

“Come on, Director Han! We all know you’ve got a great voice!”

“That’s right! Everyone, let’s give him a hand!”

With applause and cheers erupting around him, the man had no choice but to shuffle toward the stage.

Ha-hyun, satisfied with his work, turned to me and gave a playful wink.

It didn’t take a genius to see that he had done all of this to get me out of a difficult situation.

…Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all.

A little off in the head, sure.

But maybe not entirely bad.

As the music started playing, I took the opportunity to excuse myself.

“I need to step out for a bit.”

Leaving those words behind, I slipped out of the room.

“Phew…”

Stepping outside, I realized I felt even dizzier than before.

“…Ugh. Everything’s spinning.”

I quickly made my way to the restroom, splashing cold water on my face before stumbling toward the terrace.

“Why won’t this open?”

Some fresh air would probably help, but the terrace doors were firmly locked.

It made sense—being on a high floor near the windy coastline, they had likely secured it for safety reasons.

With no other choice, I turned back and sank onto a sofa in a quiet corner of the lobby.

I buried my head in my arms, trying to steady my breathing. Even the heat of my exhaled breaths reeked of alcohol.

This body—Hyun Woo-kyung’s—definitely couldn’t handle liquor as well as my original one.

I had barely drunk anything, and yet I was already this lightheaded.

As I sat there, a thought crossed my mind.

What’s Choi Taejoon doing right now?

His meeting with Director Yoon of CI Plus must have been running long since he still hadn’t shown up.

Maybe it was the alcohol, but Taejoon’s face kept drifting into my thoughts.

I had known from the start that he wasn’t a typical gangster, but when he was in business mode, he exuded an undeniable charisma.

Not that it made anything he did legal.

Right—everything he was involved in was illegal.

No matter how good he looked doing it, the fact remained: every single thing he did to make money was criminal.

That was when someone suddenly plopped down on the sofa next to me, causing me to lean sideways.

My head bumped against their shoulder before I straightened up again.

“Ah, sorry about that—”

Before I could finish, a cold water bottle was placed in my hand.

“Drink this.”

“Huh?”

I looked up to find Park Ha-hyun staring back at me.

“Cold water helps sober you up.”

“…Why are you out here?”

“I came to check on you, of course. Thought maybe you got lost again and were sitting somewhere crying.”

“When have I ever cried?”

“Want me to open it for you?”

The cap wouldn’t budge no matter how much I twisted it.

Clicking his tongue, Park Ha-hyun took the water bottle from my hands and easily popped it open.

“You can’t even open a bottle? Damn, how much did they make you drink?”

I hadn’t realized just how thirsty I was until the first sip hit my tongue.

As I drank, it felt as if every dried-up cell in my body was finally waking up—like a withered plant being revived by water.

“…Hah, that’s better. Thanks. And, uh, thanks for earlier too. You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

Ha-hyun gave me a lopsided grin and threw a glance toward the room we had come from.

“That bastard had sleazy written all over him. Want me to call the cops?”

“Wait, was that song you mentioned real? Something about a long neck?”

“Do you really think it was?”

He chuckled, his expression relaxing into amusement.

“Besides, I’m not the one you should be thanking. That guy is. If Director Choi had noticed what he was doing, he would’ve—”

Ha-hyun made a slicing motion across his throat.

I stared at him, my gaze hazy from the alcohol.

So he does know Choi Taejoon.

He had been pretending not to back on the plane.

Fiddling with the empty bottle, I carefully asked,

“…Who are you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, who are you?”

Ha-hyun raised a perfectly shaped brow.

“Seriously? You forgot already? Didn’t I tell you who I was?”

“Jeju Seongyeon High School junior. Park Ha-hyun.”

“Exactly. We always joked about how your name, Hyun Woo-kyung, and my name, Ha-hyun, matched so well, remember?”

His voice carried a nostalgic warmth, but I could barely process his words.

I wanted to ask something else—something deeper, something more secretive.

Was he, like in the original story, an undercover investigator? Or was he just an ordinary rookie actor?

But before I could push further, Ha-hyun smoothly changed the subject.

“Not just my name. What about me? What do you think I am?”

For a brief moment, a flicker of something unreadable passed through his expression.

But it disappeared just as quickly, replaced by his usual, calm demeanor.

“I could ask you the same question. What do you do, senior?”

“Me?”

“Yes. You go first, then I’ll answer.”

He smiled leisurely, his gaze locking onto mine without hesitation.

The sheer confidence in his eyes made it feel like he could see straight into my thoughts.

How was he always so composed? So damn sure of himself?

“You wanted to go to the police academy, didn’t you?” Ha-hyun mused. “So why are you working for a company like Taeseong Industries? Do they pay well? What, is your salary in the billions?”

It wasn’t an outright interrogation.

But it didn’t sound like genuine curiosity, either.

His question was unsettling, making my thoughts spiral.

Still, one thing was clear—he knew that the real Hyun Woo-kyung had once aimed for the police academy.

He must not have known what happened after he left for the U.S. in high school.

“I never got in.”

“Why not?”

“Didn’t have the money.”

At least, that’s what Woo-kyung’s fabricated records said.

“And now? What do you do?”

“I’m Director Choi Taejoon’s personal secretary.”

“…Ah. Right.”

“What about you?”

“If you’re Director Choi’s personal secretary, then I’m…”

His lips curled into a slow smile.

Against his pale complexion, his red lips stood out like a blooming flower.

“…I guess I’m supposed to say that I’m ST Entertainment’s rookie actor, Park Ha-hyun, right?”

“Supposed to say?”

What was that supposed to mean?

Was he simply mirroring the level of information I had given?

Talking to him like this, I felt sobered up despite the alcohol still clouding my system.

He was more unhinged than I expected.

It was probably best not to get involved any further.

“Forget it. If you don’t want to answer, don’t.”

“Aww, ask me again. Aren’t you curious?”

I grabbed the nearly empty bottle and chugged the last of the water before crushing it in my hand.

With a flick of my wrist, I tossed it toward the trash can.

It landed cleanly inside.

“Not curious at all.”

Then, without waiting for a response, I turned toward the room.

Going back to Mr. Kim seemed like the better choice.

But just as I was rising from my seat, Ha-hyun’s quiet voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Acting is just a hobby.”

“…What?”

“My real job…”

He lifted his hand, shaping his fingers like a gun, and mimicked pulling the trigger.

Then, with a playful smirk, he brought his fingers to his lips, blowing away imaginary smoke.

“…is being a spy.”

What the hell?

Was he just a little crazy?

Or completely out of his mind?

“A spy?”

His half-lidded eyes held an odd gleam, his lips hovering just close enough for his breath to brush against my skin.

“Mm-hmm. A spy. But wow, you really don’t remember, huh?”

My heart pounded hard against my ribs.

“Technically, I should be your superior. You should be saluting me right now. How about it? Give me a little ‘Loyalty!’ with a cute salute.”

“…What?”

“You know, Director Choi isn’t the only boss you have.”

Ha-hyun grinned, tilting his head.

“You should take better care of me, senior. It’s unfair that you only treat Choi Taejoon so well.”

Support