A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 72

It felt as if all my senses had vanished.

Whether my eyes were open or closed, my vision remained dark. I couldn’t feel anything not touch, not scent, nothing at all. Everything was uncertain. Where was I? What had happened to me?

But one thing was certain, I wasn’t dead yet.

When I first transmigrated, every time something like this happened, I used to think, I finally died successfully! and felt a strange sense of relief.

Only to wake up each time, feeling nothing but emptiness.

No matter how many accidents I suffered or how brutally I was beaten, I only felt pain, I never died.

A life so stubbornly persistent that after experiencing it a few times, even despair began to set in.

I started to wonder—was it even possible for me to die in any other way?

If things followed the original story, my relationship with Choi Taejoon should have deepened by now, and later, Kim Minsu was supposed to find out I was a cop.

Smaller episodes could change, but maybe the overarching plotlines had to remain intact.

No matter how much I wished for a peaceful, painless death, maybe it was simply impossible.

Hot tears welled up behind my tightly shut eyelids.

This was just too cruel, too tragic. Not only was dying terrifying—I couldn’t even die on my own terms.

“Hey, hey. Why is he crying again? Wake him up.”

Muffled voices drifted into my ears. There were people around me—a lot of them. Of course. I had been dragged here, after all, and what came next was painfully obvious.

“Hngh… I hate pain! Damn it, I really hate it!”

“Wake up! Hey!”

Someone shook me roughly, and my eyes snapped open.

“Ah.”

The first thing I saw was a dazzling cluster of jewel-like lights.

I rubbed my eyes and took a closer look. It was an extravagant chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

The elegant flow of classical music stirred my fading hearing back to life.

What… is this?

The room was filled with blindingly lavish decor and expensive furnishings. For a moment, I thought I had transmigrated into a medieval fantasy novel this time.

“Hah.”

But my own condition remained unchanged—dirty T-shirt, shorts, and exposed limbs covered in bruises and wounds. My eyes were so swollen I could barely keep them open, and my jaw ached with a dull throb.

Holding my pounding head, I slowly pushed myself upright.

Where the hell was I now?

Thinking back to the moment before I lost consciousness, this was not the kind of place I should have woken up in.

I had expected to be tied to a pillar, stuffed in a coffin, or maybe even hanging from a ceiling.

“Are you awake?”

A voice called out from across the room.

I turned my head, blinking several times to focus. My vision was blurry, and the tears pooling in my eyes trickled down my cheeks.

At the far end of a lavishly decorated table, a man who looked just like Kang Jaewook was eating.

“My men were a bit rough with you. If Executive Director Choi sees what they did to that pretty face of yours, he’s going to throw a fit.”

It was Kang Jaewook. I had been brought here, after all.

“You were talking in your sleep quite a lot. Did you have a good nap, Woo Kyung?”

Kang Jaewook spoke with unsettling kindness, casually chewing his food.

I remained dazed, staring at him with unfocused eyes. Sleep-talking? What nonsense was this lunatic spewing now?

“Hyun Woo Kyung. Woo Kyung, can you hear me?”

“……”

“Hey, Gwak. Did we bust his eardrums? How hard did you guys hit him?”

“That shouldn’t be the case. He’s probably just not fully awake yet.”

Ah—so that bastard who baited me with that fake “Geumsan” nonsense was Gwak. Now I remembered. The same guy who had shown up at Choi Taejoon’s hospital room with a wreath. No wonder his face looked familiar.

“Seriously, you guys don’t know when to hold back. What if he had died? How was I supposed to face Choi Taejoon then? I’d have to go find another toy that looks just like him.”

“Apologies, sir.”

I sat in a daze, listening to their conversation.

“Hyun Woo Kyung.”

“……”

Kang Jaewook twirled his steak knife in the air.

“Come here.”

When I didn’t move, the two burly men standing behind the sofa grabbed my arms and forced me to my feet.

“Let’s eat together. Eating alone just isn’t as appetizing.”

I wasn’t hungry. I wasn’t even thirsty.

I staggered toward the table, my entire body aching from head to toe.

Why didn’t they kill me? What for?

“Bring Woo Kyung a chair.”

Kang Jaewook’s thin lips stretched into a smile. At his command, a chair was placed before me, and an elaborate meal was set on the table.

“What are you waiting for? Sit.”

“……”

I remained wary, hesitantly perching on the edge of the chair.

Even at a glance, the food and tableware were clearly luxurious.

He was up to something. But what?

“Eat.”

Something about Kang Jaewook’s poised demeanor felt entirely out of place, making me even more suspicious.

Could the food be poisoned?

If it was just regular poison, that might actually be a relief. But if he had laced it with those strange drugs he was known for trafficking… that was an even worse possibility.

It was exactly the kind of thing Kang Jaewook would do.

“I said, eat.”

I stared at him blankly, my eyes unfocused.

“No? Then I guess I’ll have to send you back to the warehouse.”

Warehouse? My head tilted slightly. My mind felt foggy, but then—

The memories started coming back.

The terrifying command—“Beat him just enough to keep him alive.”

“Hic.”

As my face twisted, on the verge of tears, Kang Jaewook frowned and turned to Gwak.

“…Gwak. Send Woo Kyung back to the warehouse.”

“Hngh… Ugh…”

I bit down on my cracked lips and shook my head.

I wanted to say I’d sit quietly and eat, so he didn’t have to do this, but for some reason, my voice wouldn’t come out. It felt like a lump of dust had clogged my throat, sealing it shut.

I was parched.

Desperate to show that I was willing to eat, I reached for the water glass as if proving my sincerity.

Cool water slid down my throat. The blood from the wounds inside my mouth mixed with the liquid, washing away the metallic taste. Only then did the searing pain become fully apparent.

After hastily downing the entire glass, Gwak refilled it to the brim.

By the time I had drained about half of the second glass, Kang Jaewook finally spoke.

“Our little Woo Kyung is in big trouble now.”

“…?”

“Because I spiked that water with something.”

“Pft—!”

I spat out the water, immediately choking on it. A fit of coughing wracked my body as I clutched my chest.

That bastard. I knew it. What the hell did he put in it?

“Hah… Hah… W-what do you mean, drugs?”

“Oh? Finally, I get to hear your voice!”

Kang Jaewook, now completely devoid of amusement, swallowed the piece of meat he had been chewing. Then, taking a slow, deliberate breath, he added:

“You already drank it, so it’s too late. Feel free to keep drinking.”

I stared at the half-empty glass, unsure if he was joking or serious.

Suddenly, the aftertaste seemed bitter, my mouth oddly dry and rough.

“W-what kind of drug?”

“A truth serum.”

“Y-you’re lying.”

“A magic potion that makes you spill everything exactly as it is.”

This bastard. Did he think I was stupid?

I had to keep my mind sharp.

A lunatic like him could do anything.

He was already insane when he acted normal—when he seemed insane, he was even worse.

“So, let’s see… Kim Minsu sent you here, and you had no intention of hurting me. That’s what you told my men, right?”

It seemed like Kang Jaewook had already been informed of everything I blurted out while getting beaten.

“That’s right. Kim Minsu ordered me to come here.”

Kang Jaewook pouted slightly before picking up a knife and slicing his steak.

Something felt… off.

“Ah.”

The knife he was holding wasn’t an ordinary steak knife—it was my sashimi knife.

My shoulders trembled violently.

Noticing my reaction, Kang Jaewook let out a thin, eerie smile, glancing back and forth between me and the knife.

“This knife… is razor sharp. Just a little pressure, and the meat slices effortlessly.”

“Hic…”

“Alright then. Let’s start with some questions.”

I already told him everything. What else could he want?

“I-I already told you everything…”

“First question.”

Kang Jaewook lazily leaned back, slipping another bite of steak past his glistening lips.

“Was Choi Taejoon your first love?”

I blinked at him, dumbfounded.

“Look at that face. So it’s a no? Or is he, like… your third? No, maybe your tenth?”

“N-no!”

“Our Woo Kyung may look innocent, but… don’t tell me it’s in the dozens?”

“It’s not!”

“Gwak, give him some more.”

As if this kind of twisted exchange was routine, Gwak replied politely and promptly refilled my glass, letting the water overflow.

“Alright, second question.”

Kang Jaewook wiped his greasy lips with a napkin, then stood up.

Grabbing the knife he had been using, he slowly approached me.

“But before that…”

He glanced down at the oily sheen on the blade, frowning as if displeased. Then, with an exaggeratedly apologetic look, he turned to me.

“I used this without the owner’s permission. I should clean it before returning it. Let’s see…”

As Kang Jaewook stepped closer, I squeezed my eyes shut.

Just keep the knife. Please. I don’t need it back.

That’s when something cold pressed under my chin.

“…!”

My heart lurched, as if it might leap out of my chest and run away.

“You came here to kill me?”

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