A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 67

But today, the atmosphere in front of the hospital room felt unusually unsettled.

I wondered if something had happened again, but Minsoo, who spotted me first, quickly cleared up my curiosity.

“It’s the police. They showed up early in the morning and have been a nuisance ever since.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. They called me in earlier too, asked a few pointless questions, and then let me go.”

“What about the executive director?”

“He’s in the hospital room….”

It was at that moment.

“You there. Hold on a second.”

A detective, who had been watching us closely for a while, approached and tilted his head.

“Are you… Woo Kyung?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

The detective let out an exasperated sigh and placed his hands on his waist.

“Do you have any idea how long we’ve been looking for you? Once we’re done questioning Choi Taejoon, we need to talk.”

“What is this about?”

Ignoring my question entirely, the detective raised his hand and called over his colleague.

“Hey, Detective Choi! We found Woo Kyung. Take him to the waiting room.”

I had no idea why this was happening, but before I could even dwell on it, I was practically shoved into the waiting room.

“You’ll need to wait here.”

“…Alright.”

The waiting room, which was usually crowded, was oddly quiet today.

With burly men exuding an intimidating atmosphere and police officers coming in and out, it seemed like regular patients and visitors had chosen to avoid the place altogether.

“Keep your phone on. This is your number, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

The detective reminded me multiple times not to go anywhere, then quickly disappeared.

I sat there blankly for a few minutes.

Footsteps echoed in the distance, gradually drawing closer.

Judging by the light, almost frivolous steps, it didn’t seem like a cop or a gang member. Then… who could it be?

As I glanced toward the entrance, the wooden door suddenly burst open.

Through the gap, a pale face appeared.

“Found you!”

At first, I didn’t recognize him right away. The oversized hoodie and large sunglasses threw me off.

“…Park Ha-hyun? What are you doing here?”

“You said if I didn’t hear from you, I should come find you.”

That was what Manager Kim had said before I left the hospital room last time.

“Senior, you were hiding under Choi Taejoon’s blanket, weren’t you? Pathetic. You wouldn’t even answer my calls.”

So, he had known I was hiding that day.

“How… how did you know?”

“The timing of your phone ringing was way too perfect. Manager Kim pretended not to know, but I bet even CEO Song figured it out.”

Park Ha-hyun placed a large bag on the table in front of me.

“Why are you here? And what’s with this bag?”

“I came to see you, of course. You ignored all my calls and kept avoiding me—why are you making me feel so unwanted?”

Despite his words, he didn’t look the least bit offended. If anything, he seemed oddly excited.

“Senior.”

“Huh?”

“What are you thinking about? Focus.”

My reflection was visible in his mirrored sunglasses, which covered half his face.

“It’s your turn. Even if you concentrate, you’ll barely stand a chance against me. Are you really going to keep spacing out?”

Resting his chin on his hand, Park Ha-hyun tapped the game tiles on the table and tilted his head when our eyes met.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Don’t you have a schedule? You’re supposed to be an entertainer. What kind of celebrity just roams around like this?”

To my disbelief, his bag was filled with board games. The one he picked out was Rummikub.

Park Ha-hyun picked a tile from his hand, then laid out a sequence on the table.

“An entertainer? Please. I haven’t even properly debuted yet. I’m just another hopeful, no different from any other trainee.”

The film he had shot in Jeju was supposed to be his debut work, but it was still in its early stages, with no promotional material out yet. Since he was a rookie, it made sense that not many people recognized him.

And yet, seeing him up close, I couldn’t help but think, So this is what a born celebrity looks like. He had an undeniable glow about him.

I wondered what I had looked like before. Before I ended up inside this novel, what had the idol Woo Kyung been like in other people’s eyes?

“It’s your turn now!”

“If it’s your day off, take a break. Don’t just sit around here—go out and meet some friends or something.”

“I don’t have any friends. And I have nothing else to do.”

“…I knew it.”

“What’s with that look, Senior? You look like you expected this.”

“With your personality, do you think you’d be able to make friends?”

Park Ha-hyun chuckled, idly fiddling with the Rummikub tiles.

Idols like us, who mostly worked in groups, had it a bit easier. But I had often heard solo artists or actors, like him, say the same thing.

“Then what do you do when you’re alone?”

“Hmm….”

Resting his chin on his hand, Park Ha-hyun tapped his lips with his fingers. Then, in a voice that sounded hollow, he answered,

“I think about the past.”

“Your childhood?”

“No. …A really long time ago.”

The past? Something about his expression, tone, and the air around him felt inexplicably sorrowful, making me hesitate to ask further.

“Alright, it’s my turn again, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

As soon as my turn ended, Park Ha-hyun swiftly placed his tiles down on the table.

“I won again!”

“…Now spill. What’s the reason?”

“The deal was that you just had to win one out of three rounds.”

“Ugh, you sneaky little—”

Park Ha-hyun was the one who had arranged a home for my younger siblings. But why? What had driven him to do something like that? Was there something I didn’t know? When I asked, he had simply laughed and dodged the question, saying he’d tell me if I managed to win at least one round of Rummikub.

“A deal’s a deal, Senior.”

“Forget it. If you don’t want to talk, just drop it.”

“How can you not win even once?”

“Hey, it’s my first time playing!”

“Well, you were never exactly the ‘intelligent type’ to begin with.”

His teasing tone was just insulting enough to make me bristle, but before I could retort, Park Ha-hyun had already started reshuffling the tiles on the table.

“Alright, one more round!”

“No way.”

“Come on! I’ll tell you after this one, I swear.”

“…Really? No backing out, even if I lose again?”

And just like that, I took the bait and started another round. If I were being honest, the game had grown on me—I kind of wanted to play another round anyway.

Of course, the result was yet another loss for me.

“Okay, now talk.”

By now, Park Ha-hyun was practically bursting to say something. His face was full of anticipation, like a kid struggling to keep a secret.

The more I looked at him, the more baffling he seemed.

In the original novel, Park Ha-hyun was a victim, a weakling, and nothing more than Choi Taejoon’s plaything. He never once smiled.

He was quiet, oblivious, and so mild-mannered that he endured every injustice in silence. That was precisely why he ended up being the target of Choi Taejoon’s twisted affection.

Yet the Park Ha-hyun in front of me was the complete opposite.

“…Where’d you get the money to buy a house for my siblings?”

He was supposed to come from a struggling family. In the novel, his “study abroad” in the U.S. had been a complete lie.

“One house isn’t a big deal. I’ve made some investments here and there. But that’s not what you’re really curious about, is it?”

What I really wanted to know was why he had gone so far for Woo Kyung’s siblings.

“This isn’t just buying them a meal… It’s way too much. Why did you go so out of your way to help them?”

Park Ha-hyun idly rolled a game tile in his palm, the clacking sound filling the silence.

“Annoying.”

“Huh? What is?”

“I helped them, and instead of thanking me, you’re suspicious. Should I just kick them out?”

That snapped me out of my thoughts. I quickly waved my hands, repeating that I didn’t mean it that way.

“Of course, I’m grateful! Seriously, thank you so much.”

Park Ha-hyun watched me for a moment, then smiled, seemingly satisfied with my response.

“Right now, we’re in the same boat. And we also have some history together… So, let’s just say I did it for both reasons. No need to overthink it. You should just be grateful and leave it at that, Senior.”

I had wondered whether he was a good guy or a bad one, but this bastard…

“You’re actually a really good guy, huh?”

All for a fleeting high school relationship—one that, by the way, he had one-sidedly claimed existed—how many people would be willing to spend that much money?

It wasn’t as if he expected anything in return. I had nothing to offer him, so whether his words were true or not, I had no choice but to believe him.

“Thank you for helping my siblings.”

I lowered my head in a deep bow toward Park Ha-hyun.

“…That’s it?”

There was something odd about his tone, making me raise my head.

“Huh?”

“You’re not seriously thinking of brushing this off with just a ‘thank you,’ are you?”

“Uh… Then what should I do?”

“Pay me back.”

“How? That’s a huge amount of money. My salary’s a joke, and I’m freeloading at Choi Taejoon’s place. I know it sounds shameless, but I literally don’t have a single cent to my name.”

Through the gap in his lowered sunglasses, I caught a glimpse of his eyes glinting playfully.

“You’ll be able to pay me back.”

“Me? How?”

“…With your life.”

“What?”

I thought I must have misheard, but Park Ha-hyun repeated himself without hesitation.

“That’s the price. Your life.”

“My… life?”

“Die for me.”

I burst into laughter, as if I had just heard the best news of my life.

Behind him, a brilliant light seemed to radiate.

An angel.

Park Ha-hyun wasn’t just a good guy—he was a literal angel.

If someone, anyone, could grant me a swift death, I would be nothing but grateful.

He had given my siblings a home, and now he was offering me a way out.

That made Park Ha-hyun my savior.

“When, where, and how do you want me to die? You don’t know this yet, but I’m someone who’s been dying to do exactly that.”

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