A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 65

Startled, he hurriedly powered off the phone, but it was already too late.

In that brief moment, his entire back was drenched in sweat, and his heart pounded violently, as if it were about to explode.

“Huh? Didn’t anyone else hear that? I definitely heard a ringtone just now. Was that yours, President Song?”

Hahyun directed his question at President Song.

“Hmm? No, not mine.”

If he got caught now, not only would the person who let him in be in trouble, but more importantly, how ridiculous would Taejoon look for hiding him under his blanket?

His palms were damp with nervous sweat, and his vision darkened with panic.

He wanted to cry.

“That ringtone… I’m sure it was Woo Kyung’s. One of those weird default tones that no one else would ever use.”

“Uh… now that you mention it, I think I heard it too.”

“Right? Should I try calling again?”

Even President Song, who had initially tried to stop Hahyun, seemed curious now and didn’t intervene this time.

“Huh? Now it says the phone is turned off.”

Director Kim finally spoke up.

“Then, would it be alright if I take a look around?”

Even he sounded suspicious now.

The moment Director Kim got involved, Taejoon finally spoke up.

“Leave it.”

“Of course, I doubt there’s any issue, but isn’t it better to be thorough? We wouldn’t want a repeat of what happened to you, sir.”

His reasoning was for security—to ensure Taejoon’s safety.

Taejoon paused for a moment, then sighed as if annoyed and waved a hand dismissively.

“Do whatever you want.”

What? No! What the hell are you doing?!

Given permission, Director Kim began checking the hospital room.

The sound of doors opening and closing echoed, followed by the rustling of objects being moved.

His measured footsteps moved steadily around the room, before finally stopping—right next to the bed.

The ominous sound of shoes approaching, step by step, made it feel like the grim reaper himself was closing in.

“Sir, if you don’t mind, I’d like to check under the bed.”

Director Kim crouched slightly, his gaze scanning beneath the bed.

Then, slowly, he straightened up and spoke in his usual, calm tone.

“The room is clear. No one is here.”

“What about under the blanket?”

Hahyun’s voice shot up, clearly frustrated.

Taejoon let out a short, mocking laugh.

“Go ahead.”

Director Kim hesitated.

“Sir… that won’t be necessary—”

“You said this was a security check. Do it.”

“But—”

“Check.”

With no other choice, Director Kim stepped forward and pressed down on the mattress as if checking for anything hidden beneath.

And then—

His gaze locked directly with Woo Kyung’s.

For a brief second, everything froze.

Woo Kyung was too stunned to even scream.

His entire body tensed, and his jaw trembled uncontrollably.

To Taejoon and Director Kim, he was fully visible, but to the others, he was completely hidden from view.

His heart pounded wildly, as if it were trying to claw its way out of his throat.

But Director Kim didn’t react.

Without a single change in expression, he simply pressed the mattress lightly, then stood up straight.

“Apologies for the disturbance.”

Taejoon, completely unfazed, casually pulled the blanket back over them and let out a long, tired sigh.

“Strange. I was sure I heard a ringtone. Let me just—”

This time, Director Kim intervened first.

“Sir, you must have misheard.”

Hahyun stepped forward, looking like he wanted to get closer to the bed.

Fortunately, President Song grabbed his arm.

“Enough. What’s with you today? We’ll be late. Don’t you have another appointment?”

“Executive Choi needs rest.”

Director Kim personally opened the door, gesturing for them to leave.

“And there’s no need to worry, Mr. Park. I saw Woo Kyung myself earlier today.”

“What? Really?”

“Yes. He’s doing quite well. Healthy enough that you needn’t worry.”

Yeah. You literally just saw him.

“Then tell him to call me. Or else, I’ll go find him myself.”

“…I’ll pass along the message.”

For Director Kim, Executive Choi’s safety always came first.

He would never do anything that put Taejoon’s reputation at risk.

If, by some insane turn of events, he had dragged Woo Kyung out from under the blanket, it wouldn’t be Woo Kyung or himself who’d take the biggest hit—it would be Taejoon.

A man recovering from a life-threatening injury, hiding a subordinate suspected of conspiracy, would humiliate him in front of his superiors.

Taejoon must have known this would happen.

That’s why he hadn’t stopped Director Kim from seeing him.

And, in hindsight, Director Kim himself might have been protecting him in his own way.

If he hadn’t intervened and shut things down, Hahyun might have gone through the entire hospital looking for him.

Now, only three people remained in the hospital room—Woo Kyung, Taejoon, and Director Kim.

“Is there anything else you need, sir?”

A long moment of silence followed.

Taejoon said nothing.

Then, in a tired, weary voice, he finally spoke.

“No. Leave.”

With a polite bow, Director Kim exited the room, not asking a single question.

The tension in the air slowly dissipated.

It felt like they had just survived a tsunami.

His head spun, his nerves still frayed.

The entire ordeal had felt like a scene from a horror movie, where one wrong move meant instant death.

That damn lunatic Hahyun had actually called him.

And in the end, the very thing he had tried to avoid—getting caught by Director Kim—had happened anyway.

Now, all that was left was figuring out how to deal with the aftermath.

There was no way Director Kim would let the security team, including the guards stationed outside, off the hook.

Woo Kyung slowly slipped out of the bed.

“Then… I’ll come back again. Executive Choi, you should also—”

Right in front of him was Taejoon’s face—pale, almost ghostly, with lips slightly redder than his complexion, and disheveled hair.

He looked entirely different from the usual Taejoon.

An inexplicable sense of pity stirred within Woo Kyung.

“…Say it.”

A low, raspy voice flowed out slowly.

“Huh?”

“You must have something to say to me.”

Taejoon ran his long fingers through his hair, revealing a damp forehead glistening with sweat.

Though he sat upright, he clearly wasn’t in great condition.

“Ah. Right. Actually, about that… Director Kim has strictly forbidden me from entering this room, so I had to sneak in.”

“Not that.”

Ah, not that? Then…

“Actually, I wanted to ask for a favor regarding the security team and the other staff members. I think they might get in trouble because of me, so I was hoping—”

“Were you two dating?”

Between the strands of hair falling over Taejoon’s brow, his bloodshot eyes glowed with intensity.

“How serious was it that he could say something like that so boldly in front of everyone? He called you his lover.”

The phone call incident had been so overwhelming that Woo Kyung had completely forgotten about what Park Hahyun had said before that.

“We were lovers. It was pretty serious. Sure, we were young, but still.”

Woo Kyung had no idea what kind of life the original Woo Kyung had led.

The main lead and the secondary lead had been in a relationship?

That wasn’t even a hinted subplot in the original story.

It was likely a hidden backstory only the author knew—but in Park Hahyun’s memory, it was very real.

Real, but only inside Hahyun’s head.

“That… I have no recollection—”

Seeing Woo Kyung’s bewildered expression, Taejoon let out a dry laugh.

“You don’t remember?”

“Y-Yes. I have absolutely no memory of it. I didn’t even recognize Park Hahyun at first.”

His exhaustion gradually morphed into frustration.

“And now you’re saying you don’t remember.”

“…”

“Next, you’ll say it’s because of the accident—that you lost your memories.”

He didn’t believe it.

Taejoon’s mocking tone made Woo Kyung’s voice shrink.

“…It’s true. After the accident, I lost most of my past memories.”

“How convenient.”

“It just feels like Hahyun is talking nonsense on his own… and I don’t understand why he would bring that up in the first place.”

He really wanted to kill Park Hahyun.

“You really don’t know? He wants to make me jealous.”

“Ah!”

Woo Kyung clapped his hands together.

“Right! That must be it! That bastard was trying to make you jea—wait, what?”

He blinked rapidly at Taejoon.

“What… what did you just say? Jealous?”

Taejoon bit his lower lip so hard that all color drained from it before he let go.

As if he regretted saying it aloud.

“Wait. Are you jealous? Over me and Park Hahyun? Over a past I don’t even remember?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. You literally just said that. That Park Hahyun was doing it to make you jealous—”

Seeing Taejoon’s expression twist in an exaggerated scowl, Woo Kyung knew he had struck a nerve.

That was the exact expression Taejoon made when he was caught off guard.

“Get out.”

“Oh my god. It’s true.”

“If you don’t leave, I’ll press the call button.”

“I’m going, I’m going….”

Taejoon reached for the bed’s remote control, adjusting the angle slightly.

But in doing so, the remote at the foot of the bed slipped and fell to the floor.

Woo Kyung quickly bent down and picked it up, placing it back into Taejoon’s hand.

Taejoon adjusted the bed to lie completely flat.

If he had full mobility, he would have rolled over to avoid looking at Woo Kyung.

Instead, he yanked the blanket over himself with his one functional hand.

Just as he was awkwardly fumbling to pull it up—

“Let me help you.”

His ears flushed faintly, his eyes wavered, and even his breathing hitched slightly.

A rare, vulnerable expression from Taejoon.

Woo Kyung’s lips curled upward, his eyes softening.

So rare, it was almost priceless.

Taejoon, realizing how ridiculous he must look, took the remote and muttered in a wavering voice.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“No, of course not. I’m taking this very seriously. I came here for a hospital visit; it would be inappropriate to find it entertaining.”

“You’re enjoying it.”

“No, I’m not.”

Woo Kyung shook his head fervently, but the smirk tugging at his lips was undeniable.

“Then why does your face look like you’re having fun?”

“Me? Oh no, not at all. I would never.”

“Stop smiling.”

“Yes, sir.”

He forced his lips into a straight line but failed miserably.

Taejoon glared daggers at him, then snatched the blanket and yanked it over himself—

Only to miscalculate the force, sending it fluttering past him and tumbling to the other side of the bed.

A heavy silence followed.

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