A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 56

At the time, Taejoon had been an 18-year-old high school student.

“A… high schooler?”

So, even as a student, he had been on track to becoming a full-fledged gangster. What had he been doing at such a young age to end up as a suspect in an assault case?

With a bitter expression, Taejoon continued.

He had been the prime suspect in a violent assault case, and the officer who arrested him had been none other than Director Kim.

“In the end, Vice Chairman Gil, who was my legal guardian back then, took care of everything. But Kim wouldn’t let it go, and things got complicated.”

That was how their paths first crossed—an ill-fated beginning.

Taejoon furrowed his brow as if the whole thing was hardly worth remembering.

“Anyway, a few years later, I ran into him again….”

It had happened in a narrow alleyway, barely wide enough for a single person to pass through, right next to an office building.

Kim had been sprawled on the ground, barely conscious, dressed in nothing but a short-sleeved shirt in the dead of winter.

“W-what happened to him?”

“No idea. I never asked, and he never told me.”

“So… you saved his life.”

Even without hearing the full story, it was clear that something significant had happened between them—enough to turn their initial hostility into something close.

Taejoon, unwilling to delve into the complexities of their past, simply muttered a curse under his breath before moving on.

“That explains a lot. At the airport, he and that detective seemed to recognize each other.”

Now that Woo Kyung knew Director Kim had once been a police officer, it made sense why he had reacted so aggressively when Detective Lee Jin-soo confronted Taejoon at the airport.

That day, Kim had been uncharacteristically tense.

The man who usually remained calm and rational in Taejoon’s presence had been replaced by someone volatile, defensive, and visibly on edge.

Perhaps his former career made him hypersensitive to anything involving the police.

“Ah, right.”

A sudden realization struck Woo Kyung, and he quickly covered his mouth.

“What is it?”

“Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud….”

Now that he thought about it, in the original novel, it had been Director Kim who exposed Woo Kyung’s identity as an undercover officer.

Considering how much information Kim seemed to have access to, it wasn’t surprising—but it still sent a chill down Woo Kyung’s spine.

Still gripping the wheel, Taejoon glanced at him.

“Now that I think about it… you and him are kind of similar.”

“What do you mean?”

Woo Kyung swallowed, suddenly uneasy.

“You and Kim.”

Taejoon was implying that his encounter with Woo Kyung mirrored his reunion with Kim. Both had been moments of rescue—both involved someone on the verge of collapse, unable to remember the full story.

“…I suppose so.”

For Woo Kyung, their first meeting had taken place in a hotel room.

But for Taejoon, their connection had begun earlier—when he had found Woo Kyung injured and fleeing from Kang Jae-wook, and taken him in.

That memory, however, belonged to the original Woo Kyung, not him.

The “Woo Kyung” Taejoon had rescued that night had been someone else entirely.

“Before I picked you up, you said you were attacked by Kang Jae-wook.”

Breaking the silence, Taejoon spoke again.

“Yes.”

“So how do you remember that part so clearly, but not how I found you?”

He was bringing up their conversation at the funeral—when Woo Kyung had teasingly promised to tell him everything.

Taejoon sounded mildly offended, as if he had been unfairly excluded from the narrative.

Woo Kyung smiled slightly, turning to gaze out the window.

Of course, he already knew the answer.

He had read the novel.

The scene had been short—just a few lines of dialogue, a brief description. But it had been a significant moment, marking the start of their entanglement.

It had also been a defining scene for Taejoon’s character.

“P-please… just save me.”

In the original story, Woo Kyung had collapsed in the street, grabbing onto a random passerby and pleading for his life after escaping from Kang Jae-wook.

But when he woke up, he realized that the man he had begged for help wasn’t just anyone—it was Taejoon, one of his primary targets.

The higher-ups had ordered him to get close to Taejoon at all costs.

That night, instead of escaping, he had ended up in Taejoon’s bed.

For Taejoon, it had been an unremarkable evening—just another forgettable night.

But for Woo Kyung, it had marked the beginning of his downfall.

A cruel twist of fate.

“Woo Kyung. What are you thinking about now?”

Taejoon’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Woo Kyung turned his head, watching the man beside him.

Of course, in reality, he had parted ways with Taejoon that night without incident.

“…I am curious about something.”

“What is it?”

“Why did you save me?”

And why had he let him go so easily afterward?

Taejoon didn’t answer immediately.

Only when the car came to a stop did he finally speak.

“Because I wanted to.”

After all that hesitation, Taejoon’s answer was undeniably true to his character.

I blinked, momentarily stunned, before quietly smiling.

For someone who had taken his time answering, he sure made it sound like it was no big deal—like he was just suggesting a casual meal. That straightforwardness made him seem almost endearing.

“You didn’t even know who I was. What if I had some weird illness, or was a kleptomaniac, or completely insane? What if I suddenly lost it and did something strange?”

“Like what?”

“You know… weird stuff. Inappropriate things.”

Taejoon’s gaze flickered toward me in the rearview mirror before shifting back to the road.

“Yeah, I did think you were a bit off. You rambled on about hidden cameras, fines for smoking indoors… Honestly, I thought I’d picked up someone not quite right in the head.”

He chuckled as he said it.

Caught off guard by his charming smile, I blurted out something I probably shouldn’t have.

“Then why didn’t you do anything with me? You just let me go.”

I clamped my lips shut the moment the words left my mouth.

But Taejoon, as usual, seemed completely unfazed. He simply shrugged.

“I didn’t realize how badly you were hurt.”

“…….”

“How could I touch someone covered in bruises?”

His voice, low and smooth, sent a strange pang through my chest.

I instinctively pressed a hand over my heart, glancing at him as dozens of questions surfaced in my mind.

So, he had intended for the night to go differently but stopped because I’d been too injured.

That meant… if Woo Kyung in the original story hadn’t actively approached him, Taejoon might have just let him go as well.

Would he have lost interest if I had followed the novel’s events and spent the night with him on the first day? Or would something entirely different have happened?

I pressed my palms tightly over my mouth.

“What?”

“N-nothing. It’s nothing.”

Why was it suddenly so hot in here?

I fanned myself lightly and turned to stare out the window, gnawing at the inside of my cheek in an attempt to avoid Taejoon’s gaze.

For once, I was actually grateful for the heavy rain drumming against the car’s roof. Otherwise, he might have heard the sound of my breathing, the rapid beating of my heart, or even the way I swallowed.

“Snap out of it.”

A long finger flicked my cheek, and the breath I had been unconsciously holding escaped all at once. I blinked dazedly at Taejoon.

“Huh?”

“We’re here.”

As I rubbed the spot where his finger had touched, I turned to look out the window.

We had arrived at the front entrance of the hotel.

“You can’t meet your family looking like that.”

After giving me a once-over, Taejoon stepped out of the car first.

“Why did we come here?” I asked as I followed.

“So you can clean up and change.”

“I could’ve just showered in my own room. Why did you bring me to your room?”

I was standing in Taejoon’s suite, watching as he lazily loosened his tie.

“Use the shower here.”

I took a step back as he casually unbuttoned the collar of his shirt. My hand instinctively found the doorknob behind me.

“I-I can just go back to my room and—ah!”

Taejoon caught hold of my tie before I could turn away, giving it a firm tug.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

The force pulled me forward until we were practically chest-to-chest.

A warm breath ghosted over my skin.

“Just stay.”

“B-but I want to shower in my own room. I’d feel more comfortable there.”

“You don’t have a room anymore.”

“What? What do you mean I don’t have a room?”

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

Taejoon finally released my tie, casually dusting off my chest as if brushing away imaginary lint.

“Go open it.”

Still slightly dazed, I loosened my tie before opening the door.

“Sir, where would you like me to put your luggage?”

I stared in shock at the bellboy standing outside, holding all of my belongings.

Why did he have my bags?

Taejoon gestured toward the entrance.

“Just leave them there.”

“Understood.”

I stood there, dumbfounded, glancing between Taejoon and my suitcase.

“You’ll be staying here until we leave for Seoul.”

“Why?”

“You eat and sleep here anyway. What’s the difference?”

Taejoon casually undid the rest of his shirt buttons.

The smooth lines of his torso peeked through the open fabric, muscles subtly shifting with each movement.

“Ah.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and turned away.

Even though my tie was now loose, I still felt like I couldn’t breathe properly.

It was as if something was constricting my throat, making every inhale feel restricted.

“But… if we share a room, people might get the wrong idea.”

“Didn’t you say you can’t sleep alone when it rains?”

I froze, my jaw dropping in disbelief.

‘I’m scared of sleeping alone when it rains.’

That had been my excuse last night.

Taejoon smirked knowingly, tossing his shirt onto the sofa.

“I’m taking a shower too. Hurry up and get ready. We need to leave before it gets dark.”

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