A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 52

“Park Ha-hyun.”

I needed to hear it straight from him. What the hell was he thinking, feeding me such a blatant lie?

“Oh, sunbae!”

The moment Ha-hyun saw me, he cheerfully waved, only to immediately slump down like a deflated balloon.

“How much did you see? Did you catch that bastard desperately trying to land a hit on me? As if I’d let him. He can keep yapping about ‘realism’ and ‘method acting’ all he wants, but I’m not about to let some second-rate actor use me as a punching bag.”

“Come with me. We need to talk.”

I grabbed him and pulled him toward a quieter spot, away from prying eyes.

“What’s up? What’s with the secrecy?”

Something was undeniably different.

The Park Ha-hyun standing before me now wasn’t the same as the one in the original story.

In the novel, his character was straightforward, almost naive. He had too much pride to consider that the lead actor might actually resent him. So, oblivious to the underlying hostility, he just kept taking the hits, thinking it was all part of the performance—until he finally snapped and fought back.

But this Ha-hyun…

This Ha-hyun wasn’t naive at all.

He was dodging hits like he already knew exactly what was going on. Like he was playing a game he had already figured out.

“By the way, that water—was it for me? Nice timing. I was getting thirsty.”

Reaching out casually, he tried to take the water bottle from my hand.

“…Why did you lie to me?”

I gripped the bottle tighter.

“Lie? What are you talking about?”

Ha-hyun blinked at me, looking as innocent as a clueless puppy.

“The pills you gave me. Turns out they were just regular digestive medicine.”

Not even a flicker of surprise crossed his face.

“Oh, that? Yeah, it’s digestive medicine.”

“…‘Yeah, it’s digestive medicine’?”

I had expected him to feign ignorance, or at the very least, try to explain himself.

Instead, he admitted it so casually, like it was no big deal.

Before I could even process my frustration, Ha-hyun swiftly snatched the water bottle from my grip.

“Thanks! I’ll be having this now.”

He tilted his head back and chugged nearly half the bottle in one go before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Ahh, refreshing. Anyway, you figured it out faster than I expected. Must’ve been really curious. So, who was it? Taejoon? No, wait—was it Director Kim?”

“Hey!”

Ha-hyun chuckled, completely unfazed by my anger.

“Don’t get mad at me. I was just following orders. It’s not like I had a choice.”

“Orders? Who told you to do this?”

Lowering his voice, he responded coolly.

“Who else? Team Leader Baek.”

Baek Team Leader?

The name hit me like a brick.

If Baek was involved, that meant this was connected to the police.

“You’re telling me Baek made you trick me into thinking those were illegal drugs?”

“Well, technically, it wasn’t tricking you—it was a test.”

A test?

According to Ha-hyun, it was all part of some ridiculous assessment.

“They wanted to see if you were ready. If you could follow orders, if you had the guts to do what needed to be done. This was just a little ‘trial run.’”

They had fed me false information—that Taejoon was carrying illegal substances—and then waited to see how I would react.

But the plan had gone sideways when Taejoon unexpectedly showed up, throwing everything off course.

If they don’t trust me, why give me a mission in the first place?

“What, so I should just take this up with Baek directly?”

“Whoa, calm down. No need to get so worked up. You kinda brought this on yourself, you know.”

My grip tightened.

“What?”

“Well, you did disappear for a while. No contact, no updates. Of course, HQ started doubting you. You should’ve just kept them in the loop.”

Ha-hyun pouted in faux sympathy.

“And honestly, if you’d just thought about it for a second, you’d realize I wouldn’t be carrying anything actually illegal. If I got caught at the airport, I’d be the one in trouble. Doesn’t that seem a little suspicious to you?”

“…So what? You’re saying it’s my fault? That I’m the idiot for getting fooled?”

“Not fault, exactly. You’re just too trusting, sunbae.”

Oh, this little—

I clenched my fists, struggling to keep my temper in check.

Taking a deep breath, I lowered my voice, forcing myself to stay calm.

“Why are you blaming me when you’re the one who lied?”

“I am sorry. Look, I’m even giving you a proper apology.”

With a smirk, he dramatically took my hands in his and gave a deep, exaggerated bow.

I wanted to smack him.

Sure, this whole thing had been orchestrated by Baek, but I was mad at Ha-hyun for a different reason.

“Fine. Let’s say Baek planned this whole thing. But why did you keep it up?”

“…What do you mean?”

If this was just a test, it should have ended the moment Taejoon took the pills.

Instead, Ha-hyun had insisted I retrieve them—acting like it was crucial, like everything depended on it.

If the pills weren’t illegal, there was no reason to push me that hard.

It had been dangerous.

Because of this mess, Director Kim now thought I was a drug addict.

“You put me in a huge mess. If this was just a test, then why did you keep lying to me? Why keep pushing me to get the pills back?”

Ha-hyun blinked. Then, scratching his head, he let out an awkward laugh.

“Well… if you promise not to get even angrier, I’ll tell you.”

“Too late. Just spit it out.”

Looking almost sheepish, Ha-hyun met my gaze.

Then, with a completely unrepentant grin, he tossed an empty plastic bottle at me.

“I was just messing with you. Thought it’d be fun to see you freak out.”

I caught the bottle midair, gripping it tightly.

For a second, I just stood there, processing what I had just heard.

He had toyed with me?

For fun?

“A joke?”

He had the audacity to call that a joke?

My last shred of patience was hanging by a thread.

I clenched the plastic bottle in my hand, crushing it with a sharp crack as I took slow, deliberate steps toward him.

“A joke…? That was a joke?”

“Well, calling it a joke makes me sound like a terrible person… Maybe I should say I was being mischievous? Or how about petty?”

“…Do you even hear yourself? Why the hell would you do that to me? Did I do something to you?”

“Not wrong exactly… but I was upset. Yesterday, you said I was a nuisance.”

“…I did?”

Ha-hyun’s expression turned childishly sulky, like a kid throwing a tantrum.

“When Taejoon told me to stop bothering his employee, you backed him up. Remember?”

The moment he saw my reaction, he smirked.

“There it is. You do remember.”

His voice took on a teasing edge.

“So, what do you say we call it even?”

“…Even?”

“That comment really stung, you know. I almost cried.”

“So let me get this straight—you didn’t care what happened to me. You just got mad over a single offhand remark and decided to screw me over?”

“Not screw you over, just… mess with you a little.”

He was unbelievable.

Ha-hyun tilted his head, looking me over with a thoughtful expression.

“Judging by the look on your face, though… I might’ve gone a little overboard. You must’ve had a rough time.”

He let out a small chuckle before sighing dramatically.

“Okay, okay. I’m really sorry. No more pranks.”

But the more we talked, the more the fire inside me fizzled out—not in a good way.

It wasn’t just anger anymore.

It was exhaustion.

Disillusionment.

A hollow realization that no matter how much I struggled, the pattern of the original story refused to change.

The events may have derailed, but the underlying themes remained the same.

Just like in the novel, Woo Kyung’s safety was never a priority.

The police had used him when it suited them, discarded him when they didn’t need him anymore, and in the end, he had died at Taejoon’s hands.

That part of the story remained unchanged.

The trajectory may have shifted, but I was still being steered toward the same inevitable conclusion.

Woo Kyung’s purpose had always been to serve as a stepping stone for Park Ha-hyun’s rise.

And now, the realization sat in my chest like a block of ice.

“Where are you going?”

I ignored him and started making my way down the valley.

“Sunbae.”

My initial resolve had wavered in the face of all these unexpected changes.

But I couldn’t let that happen.

I needed to stick to the plan.

I had to die properly.

And soon.

“Wait.”

Ha-hyun grabbed my wrist, pulling me back.

“…What the hell?”

“I told you—I was upset because I actually like you.”

I exhaled sharply through my nose.

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

But it won’t last.

Soon, he’ll fall for Taejoon instead.

Ha-hyun blinked, momentarily thrown off by my dispassionate response.

Then, as if doubling down, he tightened his grip.

“You don’t believe me. But I mean it.”

“Sure.”

“I do like you. Don’t get the wrong idea—I don’t mean romantically. I just care about you, that’s all.”

I studied his face carefully.

For once, he actually looked sincere.

“…And?”

“…What?”

“I don’t see how that changes anything.”

His brow furrowed in confusion.

“I like you, so what? Does that mean I should just put up with your antics?”

He hesitated.

I pressed on.

“Do you think liking someone gives you the right to mess with them? To make their life harder?”

A frown tugged at his lips, like he hadn’t considered that angle before.

“And for the record,” I added coldly, “I have no interest in you whatsoever. So I’d appreciate it if you stopped acting like I should.”

“…Are you saying you dislike me?”

“No. I don’t like you or dislike you. I don’t care.”

The words hit him like a physical blow.

His eyes widened slightly before his expression darkened.

“…You really don’t remember anything, do you?”

I didn’t respond.

Ha-hyun let out a slow breath before speaking again.

“In high school… I was the only one you ever brought home. I still remember the names of your younger siblings.”

My fingers twitched at my sides.

So, in the original story, Woo Kyung and Ha-hyun really had been close.

Ha-hyun searched my face for some flicker of recognition.

But I had nothing to give.

“…You really don’t remember, huh?”

“…Not even a little.”

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