A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 53

In a way, it was Park Ha-hyun who ultimately led Choi Taejoon to his death.

My feelings toward him leaned more toward resentment than goodwill.

Of course, that was the perspective of readers like me.

From Taejoon’s point of view, it wasn’t that he died because of Ha-hyun, it was that he died for him.

Taejoon had committed inhuman acts, while Ha-hyun had been subjected to relentless abuse, making him seem pitiful at times.

But personally, I had never been attached to Park Ha-hyun’s character in the original novel.

My preference had always been Choi Taejoon.

I looked at Ha-hyun again. He gazed at me with a face so pure, so childlike, it almost felt artificial.

Suppressing a sigh, I carefully pried his fingers off my wrist.

“Thanks for remembering me so fondly, but…”

“You’ve always been like this, sunbae. Every time I said I liked you, you’d just thank me. That hasn’t changed. Do you remember?”

“…Sorry, but I don’t remember anything from back then.”

Though I do know everything about your future.

“Anyway, I’ll handle reporting back to Team Leader Baek. You don’t need to worry about it.”

He was offering to speak on my behalf, probably intending to put in a good word.

For Woo Kyung, the ever-loyal officer who dedicated himself to both the police and the organization, this might have been a considerate gesture.

But for me?

It meant nothing.

Just as my phone rang with a call from Taejoon, someone on the set called out for Ha-hyun as well.

It seemed filming was about to resume.

“Looks like Executive Director Choi is looking for me. I’ll get going.”

“Sunbae.”

“Hm?”

I paused before answering the call, turning back to him.

“If you ever have any questions, call me anytime.”

Before I could react, Ha-hyun swiftly snatched my phone from my hand.

And without hesitation—he hung up on Taejoon.

“What the hell—”

Ignoring me completely, he dialed his own number, saving it onto my phone.

“There. My number.”

“You just hung up on him—”

Ha-hyun barely acknowledged my irritation.

“I’m always available. Call me whenever you need to. If you’re curious about anything, just ask.”

“I’m not curious about anything.”

I tried calling Taejoon back, but this time, he didn’t answer.

“You lost your memories in an accident, right? Who knows? I might be the only one who remembers certain things.”

I narrowed my eyes.

What other lies are you planning to tell me now?

I wasn’t interested in this world’s Woo Kyung, and I certainly wasn’t about to believe anything Ha-hyun said.

If he had gone this far over a single offhanded remark, who knew what else he might pull to cause trouble?

Without another word, I turned and walked away, ignoring Ha-hyun as he waved.

Just then, my phone rang again.

“Executive Director, I—”

The call cut off before I could finish.

It seemed the connection was unstable due to the valley and the surrounding forest.

I hurried down the path, but something felt off.

Had I taken a wrong turn?

The trail I was on didn’t seem to lead back to the set.

As I turned around to find the right path, a familiar figure came into view.

Choi Taejoon.

Strangely, he was alone.

Director Kim and his security team, who were usually by his side, were nowhere to be seen.

I almost called out to him but stopped myself.

Instead, I stood still and observed him in silence.

He was standing with an unlit cigarette between his lips, his complexion slightly pale.

His usual composed demeanor was shadowed by an unfamiliar intensity.

He stared at his phone screen, absentmindedly rubbing his temple with his fingers.

“…We might have to…”

I couldn’t hear the full sentence due to the distance, but I caught a few distinct words.

“…track his location.”

Wait—what?

Taejoon clenched his jaw as if solidifying his resolve.

Oh, hell no.

I knew exactly what he was talking about.

In the original story, when Park Ha-hyun kept trying to escape, Taejoon had implanted a medical chip in his back.

“Don’t remove it without my permission. If you try to run after taking it out, I’ll make sure your family, your friends, your colleagues—anyone connected to you—doesn’t get away unscathed.”

That moment had marked the true beginning of Taejoon’s terrifying possessiveness.

And now—he was planning to do it to me.

A shiver ran down my spine.

Just then, my phone finally reconnected, and the call went through.

“Executive Director! I—I’m here!”

—Where are you?

His voice was deep, steady—but there was a weight to it.

“I’m right behind you! Look back.”

—Behind?

Lowering his phone, Taejoon scanned his surroundings.

I waved my arms wildly.

“Over here!”

His sharp, upturned eyes briefly widened with recognition.

Then, the corners of his lips parted slightly before pressing shut again—a motion so subtle that it might have gone unnoticed.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it almost looked like he was smiling.

He quickly masked the expression, furrowing his brows.

But that, too, was a tell.

When Taejoon was pleased, he had a habit of forcing his face into a scowl.

“Where the hell were you?”

His voice was calm, but I barely heard it over the alarm bells blaring in my head.

Right now, my mind was consumed by one thought—

The damn tracking device.

“It’s probably because we’re deep in the mountains. The signal is weak here, right? A tracking device wouldn’t even work properly in a place like this… Right?”

Taejoon turned to me, staring like I had just said something completely absurd.

“W-what I mean is, I don’t want anything like that. Implanting something like that into a person’s body… That’s just wrong.”

“Why the hell would I put something like that in someone’s body?”

I blinked at him, caught off guard.

“…Wait, what?”

“What are you standing there with your phone for? Just install a tracking app.”

“Oh.”

Oh.

So at least for now, he wasn’t completely unhinged.

If all he meant was a tracking app for my phone, he could install a hundred of them for all I cared.

I let out a relieved breath—but weirdly, the fact that he was still so rational was almost more unsettling.

“What were you doing alone?”

“Oh, uh… I talked to Park Ha-hyun for a bit.”

His expression immediately darkened at the mention of Ha-hyun, but it didn’t last.

Instead, his lips curled in understanding.

“Ah. The aphrodisiac guy?”

He smirked.

“So, what did he say?”

“Oh, you know. He insisted he was tricked too and that it wasn’t his fault.”

Since he had claimed Team Leader Baek was behind it, this explanation would do.

“But why were you looking for me, Executive Director?”

Taejoon tilted his head back, looking at the sky. The brief clearing in the clouds had darkened again—rain was coming soon.

“We should go.”

“Already?”

“You want to stay longer?”

“…No, not really.”

“Then let’s go.”

One hand in his pocket, he started walking ahead of me.

As he moved, he absentmindedly pushed aside broken branches from the storm, kicking large stones off the path.

Thanks to him, all I had to do was follow.

Then, in a low voice, almost to himself, he muttered—

“Should we go now?”

I stopped walking.

He did too, turning back to look at me.

“Didn’t you want to visit your family?”

“Oh.”

Taejoon had been clearing the path when he must have misjudged his strength. A thick branch snapped clean in his grip.

He looked at the broken piece for a moment before tossing it into the undergrowth.

“…If you approve, I’d like to go.”

I had already decided to see my siblings before I died.

This might be my only chance.

And really—when else would I get to visit Jeju in this life?

“I’ll take you.”

“Oh, no need! I can go by myself. There’s no need for you to go out of your way.”

“…It’s not out of my way.”

Would it be okay to go with him?

Even though they were my siblings, I had never actually seen them before.

“I’ll be fine going alone.”

“You won’t be going at all if I don’t come with you.”

I frowned.

“…What?”

“…We’re still on work hours.”

This guy.

Even he seemed to realize how ridiculous that excuse was, hesitating slightly as he said it.

“Oh. Work hours.” I nodded dramatically. “Then I’ll just go after work.”

“You’re not getting off work today.”

“…How about tomorrow?”

Taejoon just looked at me.

It was obvious he had already made up his mind, and nothing I said would change it.

“…Fine. Let’s go together.”

As soon as I agreed, we resumed walking.

The path only got worse.

“Be careful. You could slip.”

What had been a mix of dirt and dry patches earlier had turned entirely into mud.

Rainwater from the hills had pooled into small streams, cutting across the path.

If I walked through, my shoes—and my pants—would be ruined.

“Should we turn back?”

“It’s fine. We just have to get through quickly.”

Going back would mean retracing our steps all the way to where I had met Ha-hyun.

That sounded far more annoying.

And judging by the way the sky was getting darker, the rain wasn’t going to wait much longer.

“I think we can make it across here.”

Without hesitation, I took off my shoes and shoved my socks inside them.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Barefoot is fine. I can just wash my feet later.”

“You’ll get hurt. Put your shoes back on.”

The cool, soft mud between my toes was oddly refreshing.

Almost pleasant.

“Can’t show up to see my siblings covered in mud, can I?”

I rolled up my pant legs, turning to Taejoon.

Then, holding out my arms, I motioned for him to hop on.

“You’ll get mud on your clothes. I’ll carry you.”

He looked at me in utter disbelief before huffing out a short laugh.

Then, without another word, he grabbed my waist and effortlessly lifted me instead.

“…You’re the one making this complicated.”

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