A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 62

This was the worst possible scenario no, the absolute worst scenario.

“Get up, you son of a bitch!”

“Because of you! Our boss!”

Right now, I was getting the living shit beaten out of me by Choi Taejoon’s subordinates.

The reason? Because I had not only failed to protect Taejoon but had also led him into danger.

But the most infuriating part was that they were accusing me of being in cahoots with that bastard.

And it was all because of the damn man, the one who was currently biting his tongue, refusing to say a single word.

“Woo Kyung, you… You were working with him, weren’t you?”

One of them pointed at the unconscious man sprawled on the ground.

“P-Please! You have to believe me! I would never—I swear, I have nothing to do with him! Why the hell would I be working with that guy?! Stop making baseless accusations! I— I feel like dying because of what happened to Taejoon too!”

At first, I thought, Fine. Go ahead. Hit me. I deserve it.

The guilt of Taejoon getting hurt because of me, the helplessness of failing to protect him—it dulled the pain.

But then, when I heard that Taejoon wasn’t in critical condition—that all he had to do was wake up—I had a thought:

Maybe I don’t need to get my ass kicked this much…?

“Not enough. Keep going,” Manager Yoon ordered.

The men surged forward without hesitation.

“W-Wait! Ah—!”

Of course, I understood why they were doing this.

I had read enough gangster novels to know that when a boss gets attacked, the subordinates take out their rage on whoever was with them at the time—even if it was just another subordinate.

To them, this was a warning—a way to prevent future failures. Or maybe it was just an outlet for their anger.

Fine. Logically, I understood.

Physically? No amount of understanding could make this bearable.

“Ugh—!”

I flinched, dodging a kick—only for a fist to slam into my jaw.

The moment I hit the ground, I was hauled back up. Again and again, fists and kicks rained down on me—ribs, chest, stomach, thighs—no place was spared.

I couldn’t even scream.

The next time I collapsed, someone grabbed me by the collar and yanked me upright.

“Stay up, you bastard. We’re not done.”

“Ugh…”

Then, in a hushed tone, someone whispered to me.

“Woo Kyung… are you okay?”

Who…?

Through blurred vision, I forced my eyes open.

Ah. Kim Minsu.

A fellow underling from the same low-ranked division as me.

You think I’m okay, asshole? Would you be okay if you were getting the life beaten out of you?

“J-Just… hold on a little longer. It’ll be over soon.”

“Minsu! What the hell are you doing?!”

“Boss, I— I think he passed out.”

“Then keep beating him until he wakes up!”

Yoon, you son of a bitch. I’ll remember this.

“Are you seriously questioning me, you little shit?”

Minsu hesitated for a split second, his expression wavering.

Then, clenching his jaw, he silently mouthed, ‘I’m sorry’ before sending a brutal kick to my stomach, knocking me forward.

Ah. So this is why people curse when they’re in pain.

Right now, more than anything, I wanted to let loose every single curse word I knew.

“Enough.”

That voice.

At Kim’s sharp command, the beating stopped.

“Ugh…”

With my hands tied behind my back, I had no way to support myself. The moment I collapsed, I couldn’t get back up.

I lay there, gasping for air, flattened against the ground like a crushed bug.

The pain was so all-encompassing, I couldn’t even tell where I was injured anymore. My entire body felt like it had been thrown into a furnace.

My ears rang. My vision spun.

I had no idea what Kim intended to do next.

All I could do was wait for his verdict.

“Kneel.”

The order barely left his lips before someone grabbed me and slammed me onto my knees.

“Ugh…”

It felt like my body was sinking. Even sitting upright was impossible.

I just wanted to collapse completely.

Looking back, I should have let that guy choke me to death.

That probably would have been the happiest ending.

Just as my body started tipping forward, a gloved hand gripped my chin, forcing my head up.

“…We’re going to hear about this later,” Kim murmured. “Leaving his face in this condition… The boss won’t be pleased.”

His usual emotionless expression bore down on me.

I met his cold, indifferent gaze and clung to a single, desperate hope—

Please. Just end it already. Let me die in peace.

“Kill me,” I whispered. “Just do it. Kill me.”

Kim’s grip tightened.

“Woo Kyung,” he said slowly. “Do you remember what I told you?”

His fingertips dug into my bruised cheek, sharp enough to sting.

“What I told you—about what would happen if so much as a single hair on Taejoon’s head was harmed.”

That day… it had been a warning. A threat.

And now, he was making good on it.

“…Yes,” I rasped.

“Good. Then I won’t need to explain.”

Kim’s piercing stare locked onto mine.

And at that moment—

I braced myself.

“But, Director Kim…”

“Yes. Speak.”

With my hands tied behind my back, I couldn’t reach out to grab him, but instead, I pleaded as if praying for salvation.

“Director Kim… I…”

“If you’re about to beg for your life or ask for forgiveness—”

“No! That’s not what I meant.”

I shook my head violently. I had fought too hard to stay alive—if they let me go now, that would be the real problem.

“I’ll take full responsibility for today. I’ll pay for it… with my life. So please, just kill me cleanly.”

The moment I finished speaking, a murmur spread through the room.

It wasn’t mocking, but it wasn’t approval either. It was the kind of stunned reaction people gave when listening to a madman’s last words.

“…What did you just say?”

My mouth was busted up, making my words slurred, but I forced them out again.

“You said I have to take responsibility. I’ll pay for it with my life.”

“You’re saying… you’ll atone with your death?”

The disgust on his face made it clear—he didn’t think my life was worth the same as Taejoon’s.

I didn’t care.

I ignored his expression and kept talking.

“I committed a sin worthy of death, so I should pay for it with death. Just kill me. Please.”

“You think I’m joking, Woo Kyung?”

The grip on my jaw tightened, sharp pain shooting through my already bruised face.

“…I’m serious. I feel nothing but regret and guilt for what happened to the boss. So please, just end it.”

Tears, blood, and snot dripped down my face, indistinguishable from the rain-soaked grime.

I guess this is how I’m going to die—pathetic and ugly.

I gathered every ounce of sincerity in my voice and said it one last time.

“Kill me.”

For a moment, Director Kim’s eyes narrowed in thought.

Then, after a few seconds, he released my jaw.

His face had grown even colder.

“Bring it here.”

“Yes, sir.”

One of his men moved quickly.

A moment later, he returned—holding a knife.

A sharp, gleaming blade.

Shit, that looks like it’s going to hurt…

If I could, I wanted to ask for anesthesia first.

Director Kim took the knife and examined the blade, turning it in his hand.

Meanwhile, I tried to sort through my chaotic thoughts.

Should I ask for more time? No—this might be my only chance.

But this is way too hardcore—wait, does it even matter? I’m about to die.

But still, my original goal was to die painlessly. Getting stabbed sounds painful as hell…

CLANG—

The sound of metal hitting cement snapped me out of my thoughts.

I opened my eyes and looked down.

The knife lay right in front of me.

He had dropped it at my feet.

…Is he telling me to do it myself?

Isn’t that too much?

If I could’ve killed myself, I would’ve done it a long time ago.

I shook my head, pleading.

“T-That’s too much. Someone just—just help me a little—!”

“You’re not getting off that easy, Woo Kyung.”

“What…?”

How could he say something so cruel?

“You said you’d take responsibility, that you’d pay with your life. But before you die—”

Director Kim’s jaw clenched as he pulled off his gloves.

“You’re going to find out who ordered this hit.”

But… wasn’t the bastard already caught?

They had already beaten him to a pulp, leaving him barely clinging to life.

I glanced toward the half-dead man slumped in the corner.

Director Kim followed my gaze, then let out a cold, humorless laugh.

“That scum? He’s just a tool.”

His voice sharpened.

“I’m talking about the one who hired him—the one who ordered the hit on Taejoon. We’ll find out who it is.”

Then his icy stare landed back on me.

“And when we do—you will finish the job.”

“Ah…”

So that’s what he meant.

Once they found the mastermind, I was supposed to kill them myself.

“…….”

I had spent countless nights thinking I needed to die to survive.

But I had never once considered that I might have to kill someone else.

This was on a completely different level.

“You’re telling me… to kill someone?”

“A moment ago, you said it yourself. You’ll take responsibility with your life. You’ll pay for your sins with death.”

His voice was smooth, coaxing, logical—twisting my own words against me.

“If you’re going to die anyway,” Director Kim continued, “then take the bastard who hurt Taejoon with you to hell.”

At his signal, someone untied my wrists.

“Or…” He tilted his head slightly. “Are you saying you can’t do it?”

I stared at the knife on the ground, unable to bring myself to touch it.

“Taejoon is fighting for his life, and yet you—you’re sitting here without a single scratch.”

“…….”

“Even the head of security—someone trained to fight for a living—got taken down. And yet… you’re completely fine.”

It wasn’t an unreasonable suspicion.

Both Taejoon and the security chief were professionals.

But I—a complete amateur—was left unscathed.

I could see why he was doubting me.

I looked down at the knife on the floor.

“So prove it,” Director Kim murmured. “Show us that we can trust you. Get revenge.”

Revenge…

At that moment, Manager Yoon suddenly rushed in.

“Sir! The hospital just called!”

His voice was breathless, his expression frantic.

“Choi Taejoon, he’s regained consciousness!”

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