A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 68

Park Ha-hyun simply stared at me, saying nothing. It seemed like he didn’t believe me.

Of course, he didn’t.

I leaned in, bracing myself against the table, and spoke as sincerely as I could.

“If you want, I can do it today.”

“…….”

His expression remained unreadable behind the sunglasses, but I thought I saw the tension in his lips ease just a little.

“That’s a relief.”

I nodded vigorously—then paused.

“Wait… You don’t mean this in some symbolic way, do you? Like how medieval knights swore to ‘lay down their lives’ for their lords? If that’s what you mean, then forget it.”

Instead of answering, Park Ha-hyun simply smiled.

“Why—why are you smiling?”

“You have such colorful reactions, Senior. Watching you is really entertaining.”

So, it was a joke after all?

With him, it was hard to tell. He was always so cryptic.

Like with the ulcer medication incident. Or the way he kept getting tangled up with the police.

But then, his next words convinced me that this time, he wasn’t joking.

“I mean it literally. Death. Dying. Complete erasure. The end. Eternal rest.”

“Perfect.”

I could have cheered.

Suppressing my grin, I swallowed hard.

No, if I acted too eager, he might get suspicious. If he suddenly changed his mind, that would be a problem. I had to stay calm.

Forcing down my excitement, I sat back properly in my chair.

“So, when?”

“…I don’t know. But it won’t take long.”

The vague response was a bit disappointing. Leaning back, I asked,

“Is it because you need a bodyguard now that you’re a celebrity?”

If he was going to be famous, he’d probably need security.

It was a bit extreme, but if he needed someone willing to risk their life for him, I could see why he’d be so serious about it.

“I don’t need a bodyguard. I don’t plan on doing this for long. It’s not as fun as I thought.”

“Then why did you say all that?”

“You ask too many questions. And you lost the game, too. I think that should be enough answers for today.”

“…….”

Between the one asking someone to die for him and the one eagerly agreeing, neither of us were normal.

But in my eyes, Park Ha-hyun was the weirder one.

I had my reasons—being trapped in this novel was enough to make anyone desperate.

But why was he like this?

“What are you staring at?”

I narrowed my eyes, rubbing my chin thoughtfully.

“Aren’t you curious about me?”

“No.”

“Doesn’t it seem weird to you that I’d just agree to die?”

“Not at all. Some people want to live, so it’s only natural that some people want to die.”

Shrugging, he took off his sunglasses.

“Anyway, Senior, don’t forget your promise. If you try to back out later…”

He paused for a few seconds, locking eyes with me.

“I’ll destroy everything you hold dear. Every last thing. So don’t come crying to me then.”

His expression was unsettling—it was like a sulking child who just had their toy taken away, or a mischievous noble brat watching his own sinister prank unfold.

He looked like a petulant kid, but there was something about him I couldn’t take lightly.

Suppressing my unease, I forced a stiff smile and nodded.

But then, a thought hit me.

What did I even have in this world that was precious to me?

This wasn’t my family. I had no real friends. The only people I interacted with were Choi Taejoon and Director Kim. And there was no way Park Ha-hyun could go up against them.

“Mr. Woo Kyung, sorry to keep you waiting.”

At that moment, two men who looked like detectives entered the waiting room.

One of them gave Park Ha-hyun a brief glance before taking a seat.

They gestured for me to come over.

“See you later,” I muttered.

Park Ha-hyun nodded, putting his sunglasses back on.

But instead of leaving, he slowly tidied up the table, then pulled out a book from his bag and started reading.

“Mr. Woo Kyung, this way, please.”

“Ah. Right….”

I glanced at Park Ha-hyun once more before taking a seat across from the detectives.

Their questions were simple and repetitive.

Do I remember a specific date? What was I doing at the time? Then, the questions expanded to the people connected to me.

“Do you have an alibi for the day of the incident? I mean, is there anyone who can verify your whereabouts?”

The detective asked as if I didn’t understand what ‘alibi’ meant, even going out of his way to explain it again.

But this was already the third time they’d asked me the same thing.

“I was at home the whole time, and the executive director didn’t come back that night. That’s all I remember.”

Repeating myself over and over was getting exhausting.

“…You must have checked the building’s CCTV, right? I didn’t step outside even once that day.”

Listening to their questions, I realized something.

This wasn’t about the Jeju Island incident.

They were still investigating the unsolved murder of Chairman Gil.

They were desperately looking for evidence to pin Choi Taejoon for a crime Kang Jae-wook had committed.

Of course, they wouldn’t find any.

“When did you two start living together?”

The detective staring at me asked bluntly.

His rude and direct tone caught me off guard, and before I could respond, Park Ha-hyun, who had been sitting a little apart, suddenly spoke up.

“Isn’t that a bit too personal?”

The detective who had asked the question turned to look at him.

“Excuse me, what did you say?”

Park Ha-hyun’s sunglasses, which covered half his face, were directed toward us.

I wasn’t the only one who found his presence oddly fly-like—one of the other detectives let out a brief snicker.

“Oh, you heard that? I was talking to a character in the book I’m reading. Please, go on with what you were doing. Don’t mind me.”

The detective who had laughed earlier clicked his tongue, clearly irritated by Park Ha-hyun’s arrogant tone, then turned back to me.

“Let’s cut to the chase. What exactly is your relationship?”

Why did that even matter?

The detective must have read my thoughts because he continued,

“We need to understand the level of intimacy and the nature of your relationship to see the bigger picture.”

“He’s my employer, and I’m his employee.”

“An employer and an employee… who live together.”

“I don’t have a place to stay. And for your information, I still pay rent every month.”

The detective lightly smacked the table.

“Come on, quit stalling and just tell us the truth!”

“T-Tell you what?”

As if the sudden change in his attitude wasn’t unsettling enough, he had started speaking informally.

“Choi Taejoon has never let anyone live in his house before. You’re the first.”

I hadn’t known that.

“That means he trusts you more than anyone else.”

“I don’t see what my living arrangement has to do with Chairman Gil’s murder.”

The detective took that as his cue to raise his voice.

“Then why! Why is Choi Taejoon keeping you locked up and watching your every move?”

“Oh, so what you’re saying is…”

From the way they were speaking, they seemed to believe that I either knew one of Choi Taejoon’s secrets or that I had acted under his orders to kill Chairman Gil.

“I was never locked up.”

Well… there was a brief time when that wasn’t entirely true.

The detective, who had been glaring at me in frustration, asked,

“Mind if I ask you something personal?”

“No, I do mind.”

Not that my permission seemed to matter.

“As his live-in companion, you must do whatever Choi Taejoon asks, right? Whether it’s work-related or personal.”

“…….”

I could hear Park Ha-hyun’s breathing grow heavier as he sat silently beside me.

I, too, felt my patience reach its breaking point.

The other detective chuckled mockingly and chimed in,

“There must be plenty of people willing to throw themselves at his feet. But for someone as picky as Choi Taejoon to keep you around, you must be really good at pleasing him.”

“I think I’ll leave now. I don’t see why I should sit here and listen to this kind of insult.”

Now that they had verified everyone’s alibis and locations on the day of the incident, it seemed like they had moved on to targeting the easiest person to pressure—me.

“Sit down. We’re not done here.”

I wanted to scream, Chairman Gil was killed by Kang Jae-wook! I read it in the original novel!

“Word is, Choi Taejoon is very fond of you… So, is that his type?”

That was the last straw.

I turned toward them, exhaled sharply, and folded my arms.

“Yeah, you’re right. Even I think the executive director dotes on me a lot.”

I flashed them a bright, exaggerated smile and continued.

“What the— Who do you think you’re talking to like that?”

“What? I thought we were getting friendly. Got anything else you want to ask?”

Park Ha-hyun suddenly burst into laughter, his voice echoing through the waiting room.

“You little— We’re not done yet. Sit back down!”

The detective glared at me in disbelief, while the senior detective, who had been flipping through papers, scoffed.

“You’re mad because we’re talking about Choi Taejoon, huh? Look at you defending him. You two are practically married at this point. Since we’re on the subject, why don’t you tell us? Just how fond is he of you?”

It was obvious they were deliberately provoking me, trying to get me riled up.

I swore to myself I wouldn’t take the bait.

But it was too late—I was already caught.

Smiling sweetly, I spoke in a syrupy voice.

“Oh, we can’t live without each other. We’re so in love, it’s painful. If we go even a minute without seeing each other, we’d just wither away!”

Both detectives widened their eyes in shock.

Meanwhile, Park Ha-hyun doubled over, laughing so hard he started coughing.

“W-Wither away?!”

“T-That’s right!”

…Maybe I had gone too far.

I hesitated for a moment, gauging their reactions. But at this point, I might as well follow through.

“I mean, since we’re so close, obviously, I’d only ever say things in his favor. I’d never betray him. Which means no matter what I tell you, it wouldn’t be useful for your investigation, right? So, wouldn’t it be a waste of time to keep questioning me?”

I wrapped up with a casual shift back to formal speech.

By now, Park Ha-hyun was clutching his stomach, rolling on the floor in laughter.

“Haha, Senior! You’re hilarious! I take back what I said about you not being the smart type!”

“Are you still not done questioning him?”

A firm voice cut through the room.

All eyes turned toward the entrance.

Standing by the door, looking absolutely livid, were Choi Taejoon and Director Kim.

I had no idea how long they had been standing there.

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