A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 47

I stepped carefully into Choi Taejoon’s suite.

Was this really a good idea?

I had followed him in on impulse, but if he asked why, what was I supposed to say?

That I was just curious about how a luxury hotel suite looked?

Or that I simply wanted to make sure he got to his room safely before heading back to mine?

As I racked my brain for a plausible excuse, Taejoon was already on the phone.

Judging by his tone, it wasn’t Kim or anyone from work, it sounded like hotel concierge.

“What flavor?”

The abrupt question caught me off guard.

“…What?”

“What flavor do you want?”

Still holding the phone to his ear, he looked directly at me.

I hesitated, unsure how to respond, but before I could decide, he made the choice himself, muttered a few final words, and ended the call.

“…Did you order something?”

“Ice cream.”

“Oh! I was actually craving some.”

It was a bit of a drunken habit of mine—eating something sweet and creamy after drinking, like yogurt, strawberry milk, or ice cream. It always helped clear my head.

This was perfect.

“How’d you know I like ice cream?”

I had never seen Taejoon eat it before.

If anything, I’d noticed him ignoring it whenever it was served as dessert.

He gave me a blank look, as if the question itself was ridiculous.

“It’s not for you.”

“…Oh.”

Wait.

“So… you like ice cream?”

For some reason, the thought had never crossed my mind.

I had always assumed he wasn’t interested in sweets.

His lips twitched slightly—like he was on the verge of smirking but holding back.

“What flavor did you get?”

“All of them.”

“…You ordered every flavor?”

I blinked in disbelief.

“Wow… so you really do love ice cream.”

I tried to imagine Taejoon eating it.

Would he casually lick it from a cone? Take small bites from a popsicle? Or eat it neatly with a spoon?

No matter how I pictured it, the image was so absurdly out of character that I had to suppress a laugh.

But if I did see it in real life, I was definitely taking a picture.

“Quit grinning like an idiot and wash your face.”

“…Huh?”

He gestured toward the mirror.

I turned and caught my reflection.

…Oh.

Damn.

Even I was startled by how awful I looked.

I had wiped my face earlier, but faint smears of dried blood still streaked across my skin.

There were even stains on the collar of my shirt.

“…Can I use the bathroom?”

I glanced around, spotting two doors.

Which one was it?

“That one.”

Taejoon opened a door for me.

Then, just as casually, he asked,

“So, Hyun Woo-kyung. Why’d you follow me in here?”

I froze.

When I turned, he was right there—so close our noses could nearly touch.

Well, there it is.

I forced myself to keep a straight face.

“…I just…”

“You’re not here for ice cream.”

His gaze flickered, like ripples spreading across the surface of a lake.

But the emotion disappeared just as quickly, replaced by his usual unreadable expression.

“…I just wanted to wash up.”

“You have a bathroom in your own room.”

His voice was flat.

“What’s your real reason?”

“I-I don’t have one.”

The excuse I had been preparing never even made it past my lips.

And with my voice trembling like that?

Yeah. There was no way he believed me.

He was too sharp to miss it.

Luckily, I wasn’t looking directly at him—I could only imagine how piercing his stare was.

“I’m not giving the pills back.”

My heart stopped.

I spun around, eyes wide.

He knew.

And he was smiling.

Not the kind of smile that reached his eyes, but the kind that a predator gives its prey.

The kind that says, Run. Run as far as you want. I’ll catch you anyway.

“It’s not about the pills,” I blurted.

“Oh?”

“Really, it’s not.”

“Then why are you here?”

I had to choose.

Either admit it or keep lying.

“…I…”

Taejoon cut me off before I could answer.

“Forget it. Just wash up. Don’t try anything, eat your damn ice cream, and go back to your room.”

He turned away as if he had lost interest.

Which meant one thing:

He had no intention of giving up on analyzing the pills.

That meant I had to retrieve them.

Now, more than ever, I couldn’t let them end up in his hands.

Wait.

I hadn’t noticed before, but… something outside the window sounded off.

The sky looked as if a bottle of ink had been spilled across it, streaked with flashes of lightning. Thunder rumbled, rolling in waves, and at that moment, something clicked in my head like a sudden jolt of electricity.

“I-I came here because I was scared!”

“…Scared?”

“Yes. I… I can’t sleep alone when there’s a thunderstorm. It terrifies me.”

His expression subtly shifted, as if he had just heard something utterly ridiculous. Then, without a word, he turned to glance out the window.

Right on cue, another bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the dark sky for a split second before thunder cracked so loudly that the entire room seemed to shake.

I hugged my trembling shoulders and curled in on myself.

It wasn’t a lie.

Stormy nights had always unsettled me—especially when I wasn’t feeling well. When I was younger, I used to sneak into different rooms, burrowing under someone else’s blankets whenever it rained like this.

Of course… that was back when I was ten.

“…So that’s why?”

“Huh?”

“That night. When you fell asleep in my bed.”

I blinked, not immediately following what he meant.

Then it clicked.

The night I had dozed off in Taejoon’s room.

Coincidentally, that had also been a stormy night.

It had happened by chance, but from the way Taejoon looked at me now, it was clear—he thought he understood everything.

A sudden knock at the door broke the tense atmosphere.

Room service.

That must be the ice cream.

“I-I’ll just wash up real quick.”

Seizing the opportunity, I darted toward the bathroom, slipping inside as quickly as possible.

With the sink running, I leaned against the counter, staring blankly ahead.

Damn it.

He had seen right through me.

And now, he probably thought I was in on something with Park Ha-hyun.

On top of that, I had just blurted out an excuse that made it sound like I was asking to sleep in his room.

What the hell was I thinking?

The moment I realized it, heat crept up my neck, burning my ears.

I must be out of my mind.

I had originally planned on just washing my face, but there was more blood than I thought.

There was no choice—I had to take a full shower.

Out of habit, I also rinsed out my socks and underwear, even washing my bloodstained shirt by hand.

As I wrung out the fabric, a sudden realization hit me.

I don’t have any clothes to change into.

I couldn’t exactly walk out half-dressed, wearing only my suit jacket and pants over bare skin.

…There had been a robe near the entrance, right?

That would have to do.

I carefully cracked the door open and peered outside.

The suite’s living area was empty.

Taejoon was nowhere in sight.

I could hear faint running water—it seemed like he was in another bathroom, taking a shower himself.

Moving quickly, I dried off, slipped into the bathrobe, and slid my feet into the hotel slippers before stepping into the living room.

“Ah… that’s better.”

The first thing that caught my eye—the ice cream.

Laid out on the table was a feast of frozen desserts.

Am I dreaming?

There was yogurt, sherbet, parfaits—it looked like he had ordered every type of ice cream available.

Classic flavors like vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate sat alongside more unusual, brightly colored ones.

Everything was served in elegant glass bowls, making it look almost too pretty to eat.

“…What’s this?”

Next to the ice cream, on a small tray, was a tube of ointment—likely for treating bruises and swelling.

It must have been something Taejoon had specially requested for my nose.

I picked up the ointment and carried it over to the sofa, sitting cross-legged as I glanced toward the bathroom door.

The sound of running water continued.

“…Hurry up. It’s going to melt.”

I rested my head against my knees, waiting.

If he had just reacted like usual—demanding answers, interrogating me with that sharp tone—I might have been able to handle it better.

He was good at pressing people into a corner.

That would have been easier.

Instead…

He had told me to stay.

Told me to eat ice cream.

And then… this ointment.

It was confusing.

I filled my lungs with air, holding it for a moment before exhaling slowly.

…I don’t get it.

Why is he acting like this?

Outside, the storm raged on.

Thunder rumbled, momentarily illuminating the dark sky.

I shrunk into myself instinctively, feeling my shoulders tense.

He’s taking a long time.

My eyelids grew heavy.

The tension in my shoulders eased, my cheeks, once pale, warmed slightly.

Before I knew it, my body felt heavier, sinking deeper into the plush cushions.

“…Mmm.”

Maybe it was the sound of running water.

Maybe it was sheer exhaustion.

Or maybe it was simply the unreasonably comfortable sofa.

Either way, the endless worries in my head dissolved into a single thought:

I’m tired.

I just need to rest my eyes for a second.

That’s all it was supposed to be.

But before I could resist it, sleep took over.

Come to think of it…

From morning until now, I hadn’t stopped moving.

It had been a long, draining day.

Maybe just for a little while…

I’d rest until Taejoon came back.