A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 59

A faint rustling sound reached my ears, someone was approaching our location with utmost caution. The sound came from the door that connected to the back mountain, opposite the path we had entered through.

Choi Taejoon instinctively shielded me behind him, as if protecting me.

“Don’t move.”

His low voice resonated through his back.

The chilling aura he exuded spread outward, like thin ice creeping across a frozen lake in the dead of winter.

Despite the stifling midsummer heat, a cold shiver ran down my spine.

The approaching footsteps halted abruptly in front of the back door.

“Who’s there?”

Through the thick darkness, I saw a child—no older than ten—standing there.

“…!”

In both hands, he clutched a flashlight and an umbrella. His boots were caked in mud, and he wore only shorts. It seemed he had crossed the mountain to get here.

Choi Taejoon’s sharp gaze bore into the child as he questioned him.

“How long have you been here? Who are you?”

“Uh, mister, what about you? Why are you in someone else’s house?”

“Someone else’s house?”

The boy, pale-faced, took a step back, trembling violently. Choi Taejoon moved slightly closer.

“D-Don’t come any closer! I don’t have any money…! I swear, I don’t—hngh!”

The child let out a frightened yelp, abruptly spinning around, and attempted to flee through the back door.

“Wait, hold on!”

The boy froze in place. It seemed he had recognized my voice. As I stepped out from behind Choi Taejoon, his eyes widened in shock as he stared at me.

“H-Hyung…?”

As if unable to believe his own eyes, he vigorously rubbed them with the back of his hands before hesitantly stepping toward me.

Judging by the way he called me “hyung,” he was definitely Woo Kyung’s younger brother. But I wasn’t entirely sure if he was the youngest, Hyun Ikyung. With uncertainty in my voice, I called his name.

“…Hyun Ikyung?”

Woo Kyung’s youngest sibling—said to be around second or third grade in elementary school.

The moment I reached out toward him, his tear-streaked face lit up with relief.

“Hyung—waaahh!”

He burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. It was as if he had been holding it all in, only for the dam to finally break.

“Where have you been all this time?! Why didn’t you call? Why didn’t you answer my calls?! Are you finally back?! Do you have any idea how much I missed you?!”

His words, thick with tears and resentment, poured out like a rapid-fire assault.

All I could do was apologize. That, and tell him that I had my reasons—reasons I couldn’t explain.

“I thought you disappeared, just like Dad!”

The real Woo Kyung had disappeared. And in his place, I had arrived.

“I was so worried. We were all so scared….”

Unfortunately, this child would never get to see his real brother again.

One day, he would learn the truth—that his brother was dead.

A wave of guilt washed over me, as if I had just committed a terrible act against him.

I had only intended to confirm his existence after hearing about him from Chief Baek. Just a quick glance before leaving. But now, seeing his face up close, countless thoughts clouded my mind.

I had known their family was struggling, but not to this extent.

Gently, I ruffled his sweat-dampened hair.

“What happened to your house? Where are your older brothers?”

“Guys like that mister over there did this. They kept coming, smashing things, breaking stuff, and taking things. So we don’t live here anymore.”

Piecing together his words, it seemed they had moved to another neighborhood beyond the mountain.

“You moved?”

It made sense. Loan sharks must have frequently shown up, demanding repayment for the debt their father had left behind. Fleeing was their only option.

“Those bastards.”

I clenched my teeth in frustration.

“Yeah, they’re the worst.”

Ikyung, still clinging to me, turned to glare at Choi Taejoon, pointing at him accusingly.

Caught off guard by the sudden accusation, Choi Taejoon narrowed his eyes. I quickly waved my hands in protest.

“Ah, no, no! He’s not that kind of bad guy.”

The ones who did the dirty work with their fists were usually the underlings. This guy? He was a high-ranking gangster—the kind who got things done with words.

“How do you know?” Ikyung asked, suspicious.

“…I just do.”

“Well, I know too. That guy’s definitely not a good person.”

Considering the original story, he wasn’t wrong. After all, the man standing here was the one who would eventually kill his brother. From Ikyung’s perspective, Choi Taejoon was, without a doubt, a really bad guy.

Tears welled up in his eyes again, and he started sniffling. I shot a helpless look at Choi Taejoon.

Having been outright labeled a villain and even pointed at, I figured the blow to his pride must be significant.

“I-I’m really sorry. If you could just give us a moment, I’ll calm him down and send him home.”

Choi Taejoon let out a sigh, rubbing his temple as if nursing a headache, before nodding.

“I’m going out for a smoke.”

“Okay. I’m really sorry. Thank you.”

The moment Taejoon left with a lighthearted expression, Ikyung finally loosened his grip on me.

“So, how did you find this place? You said you moved. Where are your brothers? Why are you wandering around alone like this?”

“I snuck out.”

“Why would you do that? What for?”

“Dad doesn’t know we moved, does he?”

“…Dad?”

The boy pointed to the broken picture frame in my hands.

“I thought Dad might be surprised if he found out we were gone. I came to leave him a letter. I was going to write down our new address and leave it in our secret spot.”

“Why are you even worrying about Dad?!”

If he had four kids, he should’ve taken responsibility for them. Instead, he abandoned them in this state and ran off to an island to live on his own.

And yet, here was this child—still waiting for him.

“And if you were that worried, why didn’t you come in the morning? Why show up in the middle of the night, especially when it’s pouring like this?”

As if my question was unnecessary, the child’s swollen eyes narrowed slightly.

“Dad only comes secretly on rainy nights.”

A fugitive, their father had always visited in secret, sneaking into the house only when it rained, avoiding the eyes of others.

It seemed like ever since the rain started falling continuously, Ikyung had been hoping his father might return to their old home.

“I thought he might come today. But when I saw the lights on from a distance….”

Ikyung suddenly smiled, his tear- and snot-streaked face brightening.

“But I’m so happy to see you, hyung.”

“…….”

I was at a loss for words. The unexpected weight of it all pressed down on my chest.

“Hyung, let’s go home together now.”

“But….”

Wait. If they moved, how did they manage to get a new house?

“Ikyung, where’s your new place?”

“Puleundeul Apartments.”

“…Where did the money come from?”

“Money? You sent it, hyung.”

“I did?”

The child gave me a puzzled look. Had Woo Kyung sent them money right before I took over his body?

“You told us to move.”

“I did? Told who?”

Was it Chief Baek? Maybe Woo Kyung had been secretly helping his family from behind the scenes.

“Your friend came by. A hyung who’s really pale and pretty.”

Pale and pretty? Who the hell was that? One thing was certain—it definitely wasn’t Chief Baek.

“What was his name? Do you remember?”

“Yeah! I remember it perfectly.”

“Who was it?”

“He said his name was Park Ha—like in ‘Park Ha-satang’ (peppermint candy)! Park Hahyun.”

The unexpected name hit me like a ton of bricks, my heart dropping instantly.

Park… Hahyun?

Outside

Taejoon stepped out and pulled out a cigarette, about to light it when he glanced back.

Inside, the tearful child was still clinging to Woo Kyung, whining incessantly.

Shaking his head, he moved away from the entrance and found shelter beneath the eaves, as far as possible from the house.

Kids were a hassle. Crying kids were even worse. He hadn’t been around one for more than a few minutes, yet his head was already pounding.

Honestly, when Woo Kyung asked him to step out for a bit, it was a relief. Now, he could finally have a smoke in peace.

“Haa….”

The eaves barely extended two spans, offering little to no protection from the rain. Instead, water poured down like a waterfall.

“This rain is relentless.”

Clichés like ‘Did the sky spring a leak?’ crossed his mind as he stuck a cigarette between his lips.

He looked up. Every time lightning flashed, the world lit up like a photograph, only to plunge back into darkness.

Despite his words, Taejoon’s expression wasn’t one of annoyance.

“…….”

Lately, he didn’t mind the rain as much.

‘I get scared when it thunders and can’t sleep alone.’

For the first time, he thought it wouldn’t be so bad if it rained every day. Somewhere in the world, he had heard, there was a country where it rained 365 days a year. Maybe living there wouldn’t be so bad.

Embarrassed by his own ridiculous thoughts, he quickly lit his cigarette, inhaling deeply before exhaling a slow stream of smoke, trying to sort out his thoughts.

First, he needed money. How much did he have available right now?

Splash—

Taejoon lifted his head and looked beyond the gate.

“…….”

He was sure he had heard something.

But all he could hear now was the endless downpour.

‘Did I imagine it?’

He stepped out into the rain, moving cautiously.

“Who’s there?”

No response. He scanned his surroundings.

‘What the hell….’

Come to think of it, the car’s headlights had been on when he left. But now, they were off.

‘Did I turn them off? I could’ve sworn I left them on.’

An unfamiliar sense of unease began to creep in, settling deep in his gut.

A feeling honed from years of survival, a predator’s instinct.

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