A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 71

The front of the store, which had yet to open for business, was quiet. Occasionally, a few early visitors would disappear inside, prompting the burly men standing guard at the entrance to mutter something into their walkie-talkies, repeating the routine over and over.

I sat in the car for a long time, watching as if I were observing a different world through the glass.

It was unclear whether I was waiting for someone or simply unable to make up my mind. However, one thing was certain, Kim Minsu was in an extreme state of tension.

He reached into the seat’s back pocket and pulled something out. A long stick wrapped in newspaper or rather, a weapon.

At that moment, it finally dawned on me why I had been brought here.

“Ah… You’ve found out who ordered the hit, haven’t you?”

Kim Minsu didn’t answer. Instead, he glanced at the small electronic clock attached to the car. When I woke up, I had assumed it was still early morning, but the time had already crept into the evening.

Kim Minsu remained completely still, staring straight ahead in absolute silence.

“Who is it? Who’s the culprit?”

The words Kim Minsu had spoken to me in the warehouse that day echoed in my ears.

‘I will repay it with my life. I will take responsibility through death. If I’m going to die anyway, I might as well take the bastard who did this to Executive Director Choi down with me.’

Just then, a black Rolls-Royce pulled up in front of the store. The man who stepped out of the car was none other than Kang Jaewook—Vice President Kang.

Kim Minsu’s shoulders jerked in shock, and my mouth fell open. Was I seriously supposed to kill someone of his stature? No wonder this was aligning perfectly with the warning Team Leader Seo had given me.

Forget about killing him—I probably wouldn’t even get close enough to touch a single hair on his head before I ended up dead myself!

“…Do you have proof?”

“I heard it with my own ears.”

If Kim Minsu himself had heard it, there was nothing more to say. I wiped my dry lips with the back of my hand. I was parched.

Did he really think I could kill Kang Jaewook?

“I don’t think I could even get near him… let alone carrying a weapon like that. I’d get caught instantly…”

And those bouncers would make sure I was minced into tiny, tiny pieces.

Kim Minsu spoke coldly.

“This is entirely your decision, choice, and execution, Hyun Woo Kyung.”

“…That’s not true. You’re the one who decided and forced me into this. I’m not doing it. I changed my mind.”

I needed to escape. But no matter how hard I pulled or pushed at the car door, it wouldn’t budge. If I was going to die like this, I wouldn’t have bothered suffering through everything up to this point.

“Minsu, unlock the door.”

Kim Minsu slowly, creakingly turned his head to look at me. Then, as if playing a recorded message, he spoke in a mechanical voice.

“No. I can’t. If I open the door, I’ll die.”

Poor guy. Why do you keep getting dragged into my mess and tossed around like this?

Looking at the setup Kim Minsu had arranged, the sacrificial pawn was me—Hyun Woo Kyung, the new recruit seeking revenge for Choi Taejoon. And the opponent? Kang Jaewook.

Maybe the true culprit was never even important in the first place.

To Kim Minsu, the real mastermind might have been someone to be grateful for—someone who handed him the perfect opportunity to eliminate both me and Kang Jaewook in one stroke. Two birds, one stone. A clean sweep.

I barely managed to calm myself before asking,

“What if I refuse to go through with it?”

“Then Kim Minsu will have to do it.”

Kim Minsu?

“W-Woo Kyung…”

Kim Minsu looked at me with teary eyes, on the verge of crying.

“T-Then… what if Minsu refuses too?”

Kim Minsu’s sharp, icy gaze pierced through me.

“What happens if I fail? If I can’t even lay a finger on Kang Jaewook and only end up dead myself?”

“That won’t happen.”

If I died, there was no way Choi Taejoon would sit still. That meant the only thing left was a war between the two men. Was that Kim Minsu’s real goal all along?

After a brief pause, Kim Minsu spoke firmly.

“You only need to remember one thing: this is all for Executive Director Choi Taejoon.”

From his perspective, my death would be far more beneficial to Choi Taejoon.

In the rearview mirror, I could see Kim Minsu crying. His hands gripping the steering wheel and his shoulders were trembling violently. If I refused, he would be the next sacrificial lamb.

Geez, this guy… Once this is over, he needs to find a job that actually suits him.

“…Fine.”

First things first, I needed to get out of this car. After that, I could figure out a way to escape from Kim Minsu’s grasp.

“But I have a condition.”

“What condition?”

“If I go in there, you let Kim Minsu go.”

Kim Minsu considered it for a moment before nodding in agreement.

“Woo Kyung…”

“Don’t worry, Minsu. The moment I step inside, you get the hell out of here. Got it? Run.”

I tucked the knife wrapped in newspaper under my jacket and stepped out of the car. Walking as casually as possible, I crossed the street and slipped into the alley beside the bar. There, I hid next to a large trash bin.

A van was still slowly circling the area, making it too risky to flee immediately. But my eyes were already calculating an escape route.

I pressed my fingers against the cold, hard steel hidden in my coat.

Killing someone?

I’d rather go into hiding somewhere and wait for an opportunity to escape. That was a thousand times, no, a million times better.

Once I made up my mind, I felt strangely lighter. Except for one lingering thought.

‘Why did Choi Taejoon kick me out of the house?’

Did he really despise seeing me so much that he had to throw me out as soon as possible? It wasn’t like we would’ve crossed paths anyway since he was hospitalized. There was no reason to rush it… so why?

Just then, Kim Minsu’s van slowly passed in front of the store. It would take about five minutes for it to circle back.

Still crouched behind the trash bin, I stretched my neck to scan my surroundings. Now all I had to do was dash toward my planned escape route.

Just as I was about to sprint at full speed—

“Hey. Stop right there.”

Someone grabbed the back of my shirt collar and yanked me up.

“Who the hell are you, lurking around here?”

I recognized the face. I was sure I had seen him coming and going before—one of Kang Jaewook’s men, no doubt. But… who exactly was he?

I lowered my head and mumbled in a timid voice.

“Why are you harassing a passerby? Let go of me.”

“Hold on a second. You look familiar… Huh? What’s this?”

There was no way he wouldn’t notice the knife tucked into my waistband under my thin T-shirt.

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

“Nothing? What the hell is this? Who sent you? Han Joon? Woo Il? Or maybe Executive Director Choi?”

“Let go! Can’t you let go? Don’t touch me!”

The knife, wrapped tightly in newspaper, slipped into his hands. In the next instant, the sharp edge of a Japanese sashimi knife glinted in the air.

I was screwed.

The guy’s eyes widened in shock as he glanced between me and the knife, stammering.

“A… a knife?”

By then, the other gang members who had been alerted were starting to gather around us.

“Who the hell carries something like this?”

He seemed unsure, probably because my appearance and demeanor didn’t exactly match that of a professional hitman.

Just then, the back door of the store swung open, and I locked eyes with a kitchen assistant who had come out to take out the trash.

“Take him inside.”

“Yes, sir.”

“W-wait! I’ll talk! I’m, I’m—”

Screw it. I didn’t care anymore.

“I’m a chef!”

“…A chef?”

“Yes! A Japanese cuisine chef. That knife is for slicing sashimi and making sushi—it’s my cooking tool.”

“A cooking tool…?”

Even I had to admit that was an impressive bit of improvisation. I straightened my hunched shoulders and continued with as much confidence as I could muster.

“It’s a professional chef’s knife. A master artisan painstakingly crafted it, so I can’t afford to get any scratches on it. Give it back.”

“Ahh. A chef.”

He gave a barely perceptible nod as he eyed the knife suspiciously.

“Being a chef is a good job. My brother’s a Japanese cuisine chef, too.”

“…Ah, I see. That’s great.”

“So, where do you work? What’s the name of the restaurant?”

His face was still full of doubt. My heart was pounding, but I deliberately feigned nonchalance.

“Well… I work over there… across the street.”

“Oh, at Geumsan? That high-end Japanese restaurant?”

Geumsan? What the hell is that?

As he tried to recall the name, his grip on my collar loosened just slightly. Seizing the moment, I yanked myself free and nodded vigorously.

“Yes, yes! That’s right! Geumsan! Now, give me back my knife.”

Geumsan, Eunsan, whatever—it didn’t matter. I just wanted to get out of here as fast as possible.

“So, you’re saying you work at the Geumsan by the convenience store intersection?”

“Y-yeah. The convenience store intersection.”

His mouth, which had been slightly open, suddenly shut tight, and his expression twisted into a mocking smirk.

“Who sent such a clueless idiot?”

“…Huh?”

“Hey, grab this guy.”

At his command, the watching thugs started advancing toward me.

“W-what are you doing?”

“There aren’t any Japanese restaurants in this area, dumbass. There’s no Geumsan. If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable.”

It was a trap!

He had lied just to test me. This dumb-looking bastard had actually used his brain.

“Shit!”

“Hey! Catch him!”

I shoved him aside and sprinted with all my strength.

“Stop right there!”

If they caught me, I was dead. In situations like this, it was better to run toward crowded areas rather than deserted alleys.

That’s when I spotted it—Kim Minsu’s van, tinted dark, coming back around. It had made a full circle around the block.

“Shit, what do I do?”

In front of me was Kim Minsu. Behind me was Kang Jaewook’s gang.

Like a pack of hyenas chasing their prey, I was now face-to-face with a venomous snake with its jaws wide open.

Would I rather be torn apart by the hyenas or take my chances with the snake, hoping for an antidote?

Unable to decide which was the better option, I hesitated for just a second.

A blinding flash of light exploded in front of my eyes.

I couldn’t even scream before I hit the ground.

“Hah. A sneaky little rat.”

“Ugh… Ugh.”

I clutched my head and rolled on the pavement, groaning in pain.

“A chef, my ass. Get up!”

Ignoring my suffering, they grabbed me and dragged me off somewhere.

My limbs felt weak, and my vision spun in circles. Even though my feet were still on the ground, I felt like I was floating.

What happened next unfolded beyond my control, a chaotic blur.

I knew this was some gritty underworld crime novel setting, but wasn’t I the one getting beaten up way too much?

In my mind, I spoke to a being I had never met.

“Is this happening because a character who should’ve died is still alive, Creator?”

I continued blaming the so-called creator in my head until I lost consciousness.

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