A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 61

The name that came out of Ikyung’s mouth was unmistakably Park Ha-hyun.

Hearing that name here, of all places, I hadn’t expected that.

“How do you know Park Ha-hyun?”

Ikyung blinked, looking even more confused than I was.

“Hyung, you asked him to help us move. You gave him the money for it, didn’t you?”

What the hell was he talking about?

Did this happen before I entered this world? If so, it made sense that I had no knowledge of it.

But according to Park Ha-hyun, our meeting on the plane was the first time we had seen each other since high school.

Something didn’t add up.

“When did this happen? When did Park Ha-hyun come here?”

“Wait, hyung… Don’t you hear that? There’s something weird outside.”

Ikyung ignored my question and moved toward the window.

“It sounds like someone’s fighting.”

My thoughts were already a tangled mess. It felt like my brain was spinning in circles, trying to unravel a chaotic web of confusion.

“H-Hyung.”

“What?”

“Come here. Hurry!”

Ikyung raised a trembling hand and pointed beyond the window.

“…What?”

Choi Taejoon—who had gone outside to smoke—was fighting someone.

Though I couldn’t see clearly through the rain, it was obvious that the two figures were tangled in a violent struggle.

I acted immediately, pushing Ikyung toward the back door.

“Go back the way you came!”

“O-Okay! Should I… should I call the police?”

I hesitated for a brief second, worried about making things worse.

But something told me—no, we needed to do it.

“Yes, call the police! And 119 too!”

Ikyung, already accustomed to running and hiding from loan sharks, didn’t hesitate. He dashed off without a second thought.

I grabbed a metal pipe lying on the ground and stepped outside.

The heavy rain masked my footsteps as I approached the fight.

Just as I raised the pipe, ready to strike, the man turned around.

“And who the hell are you?”

His gaze landed on me, and a chilling sense of killing intent pierced through the air.

I instinctively took a step back, my eyes darting between Choi Taejoon and the man.

“S-Stay away from him!”

“‘Stay away’?” The man tilted his head mockingly before letting out a dry chuckle. “Ah… You must be Woo Kyung. Took you long enough to show yourself. I nearly killed the wrong guy.”

“No! Just let him go!”

Choi Taejoon desperately grabbed onto the man’s raincoat, trying to hold him back. But he was badly injured—his movements were sluggish, and he could barely stay on his feet.

“Sir… What’s wrong?!”

“Run! Get out of here!”

Fear gripped me, but if I did nothing, Choi Taejoon would die.

Tightening my grip on the pipe, I steeled myself.

“Didn’t you hear him?! Run, you idiot!” Taejoon roared, his voice raw with urgency.

The man’s eyes flickered between me and Taejoon. Then, rolling his shoulders, he took a step forward.

“So, you’re Woo Kyung, huh?”

“Y-Yeah. I’m Woo Kyung! So what?!”

I wanted to sound confident, but my voice trembled—even I could hear it.

I tried to convince myself that dying to a murderer wasn’t the worst way to go, but my fear remained.

“Woo Kyung… Run, please.”

“…R-Run?”

“Just go…!”

If I let him kill me, at least Taejoon wouldn’t have to bear the burden of murder.

But if I could just stall for time, the police and the ambulance would get here. Taejoon would survive.

I had to lead the bastard away.

That thought alone gave me the courage to move.

I turned and bolted toward the collapsed wall.

“Catch me if you can, you psycho bastard!”

I ran.

I ran as fast as I could, leading him away from the house.

The narrow path wound through orange groves, eventually opening to the coastline.

“Stop right there, you little shit!”

If I kept running toward the beach and then hid under one of the walls, he wouldn’t find me.

At least, that was the plan.

But a plan is just a plan.

Before I could react, a hand clamped onto the back of my collar.

“Ugh!”

The next thing I knew, I was slammed into the mud.

“Hah… Slippery little bastard. Die already!”

His gloved hand wrapped around my throat. The cold, wet leather stuck to my skin as he squeezed.

I struggled, clawing at his wrist, but there was no escaping him.

Was this… really the end?

I hadn’t expected to die today.

Goodbye, Taejoon.

Goodbye, my not-blood-related siblings.

And Chief Kim, Team Leader, Minsu… Live happily, all of you.

Oh… and even that smug bastard Park Hahyun.

I wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, but…

Thanks for taking care of my siblings.

At least now, I can die with no regrets.

Please, someone—anyone—send the police or an ambulance. Taejoon needs help.

At that moment, the man’s grip on my throat tightened. My airway constricted.

The raindrops striking my face, the howling wind, the metallic tang of blood mingling with the salty scent of the sea—every sensation felt sharper than ever.

Though the setting was different, the atmosphere was eerily similar to the abandoned warehouse where the original Woo Kyung had died.

This time, I thought, maybe I could finally die peacefully.

Just as my consciousness began to blur, there was a sharp crack—the unmistakable sound of something breaking.

At the same time, the pressure around my neck vanished.

I gasped for air, my head lolling back just in time to see Choi Taejoon’s pale face emerge from the darkness.

“Kuh… huuh… S-Sir…?”

And then I saw it—the knife buried in Taejoon’s abdomen.

“Haa… Hah…”

Even in his battered state, he had somehow managed to drag himself here and attack the man.

The assassin, now momentarily free from strangling me, shifted his attention. He reached for the hilt of the knife lodged in Taejoon’s stomach, twisting it cruelly.

“I should’ve finished you off in one strike.”

Taejoon choked down a scream, his trembling hand clamping down on the man’s wrist.

“Hah… I’m not dying at the hands of some third-rate thug. That’d be fucking embarrassing.”

“You piece of shit…!”

Desperate, I lunged, grabbing onto the assassin’s leg with all my strength.

Taejoon wasn’t supposed to die here. He couldn’t.

The three of us were locked in a vicious deadlock—each like a snake, biting the other’s tail.

This fight wouldn’t end until one of us was dead.

Taking advantage of the brief moment where the man’s movements slowed, Taejoon struck his vital point.

This time, the assassin stumbled back.

For the first time, hope sparked—maybe we could actually win this.

Taejoon didn’t hesitate—his fist slammed into the man’s jaw, sending him staggering.

The man let out a strangled scream before lunging straight for Taejoon.

“……!”

We were so close to winning.

But then—

“Taejoon!”

I froze.

Through the darkness, I could barely see, but the sickening scent of blood—thick, metallic, and overwhelming—was unmistakable, rising above the rain like a putrid fog.

The assassin yanked the knife from Taejoon’s stomach.

“N-No…!”

Everything happened in an instant.

My breath hitched as I pressed my hands against Taejoon’s abdomen, trying desperately to stop the bleeding.

I wanted to scream, but my voice wouldn’t come out.

I could only watch in horror as the assassin, still gripping the bloodied knife, staggered toward me.

He lifted a trembling finger, pointing directly at me.

You’re next, Woo Kyung.

I squeezed my eyes shut and wrapped my arms tightly around Taejoon’s limp body.

This was it.

I was going to die.

I’m sorry. This is all my fault….

CRACK—!

Suddenly, a loud, splintering sound tore through the storm.

The assassin collapsed.

“H-Huh…?”

Shaking, I lifted my head.

A towering figure loomed in the rain, standing over the fallen man.

He was looking down at the assassin, his fists clenched.

“T-Team Leader…?”

“You motherfucker,” a familiar voice snarled. “You really wanted to fucking die tonight, didn’t you?”

It was Seo, the head of the security team.

His appearance was a mess—bloodied, drenched, and furious.

Whatever he had been through to get here, it hadn’t been easy.

Wiping the blood from his face with the back of his hand, Seo drove his fist into the downed assassin’s face.

I barely registered the repeated, wet impacts of fists meeting flesh.

Instead, I focused on the weight in my arms—Taejoon’s unconscious body.

“Sir…”

His final burst of strength had run out. His body was completely limp.

And the amount of blood loss—it was terrifying.

“Taejoon…! Can you hear me? Wake up! Open your eyes!”

For a moment, I thought I felt his fingers weakly squeeze mine.

A surge of relief crashed over me.

“Thank God…! You’re awake, right? It hurts, doesn’t it? Just hold on a little longer! The ambulance is coming. It’ll be here soon.”

But then—his hand went completely still.

There was no movement. No response.

A deep, suffocating fear settled into my chest.

For the first time, the real possibility that Choi Taejoon might actually die struck me with full force.

“Taejoon… Taejoon!”

The wailing of approaching sirens, the relentless downpour, the crackling of thunder, and Seo’s furious shouting all blurred together in the night air.

“Stay with me!”

I barely registered the hands gripping my shoulders.

Paramedics flooded the scene, surrounding us.

“Just hold on a little longer! Please, you can’t die here. You know that, right? You’re not allowed to die!”

Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.

For the first time, the thought struck me like a bullet—

Maybe this really was the end.

The night stretched on, drenched in rain and sorrow.

It had always been this way.

Whenever there was thunder, whenever it rained,

Not once had those nights ever brought happiness.

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