A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 81

I leisurely watched Park Ha-hyun’s grinning face.

“Who doesn’t have embarrassing moments? That’s just life.”

Even if I resembled Hyun Woo Kyung in many ways, we were still different people. Whatever humiliating things he had done in the past didn’t affect me in the slightest. In fact, I was actually curious about the parts of his past that I didn’t know.

“…So, what kind of embarrassing stories are we talking about? Give me some details.”

The way Park Ha-hyun’s eyes narrowed slightly told me this wasn’t the reaction he had expected.

“Well, I guess your high school days were a long time ago, so I’ll let that slide. But when I found you in that hospital lounge… wow.”

“Hey, why are you bringing that up again?!”

“I just don’t understand how a person can fall apart so completely in just a few days. Your clothes were a disaster, your hair was a mess, and the smell—don’t even get me started….”

It was Park Ha-hyun who had rushed to find me after I sent that email to Team Leader Baek.

And, of all days, he had been wearing white linen pants and a light-colored shirt. The way he had flinched and grimaced every time my filthy handprint stained his clothes had been quite a sight.

“You clung to me and practically whimpered. What was the first thing you said again? Oh, right—‘I’m starving. Woo Kyung is so hungry, he’s going to die.’”

“Ha! When did I ever say that? You must have misheard while I was sleep-talking.”

Still smirking, Park Ha-hyun grabbed a generous serving of bulgogi and placed it on my plate.

“Eat up. Can’t have Woo Kyung starving, can we? Go ahead, eat as much as you want.”

At this rate, I should have lost my appetite. But my irritation was no match for the sheer deliciousness of the food, and my chopsticks kept moving. Stuffing my mouth with bulgogi, I shot back,

“I called Team Leader Baek. Why the hell did you show up?”

“Because I’m your superior.”

“…That again?”

“So, what did you wish for?”

“Huh?”

“When you blew out the candles on the cake.”

“To make money fast so I can move out of your place.”

“Oh dear. You wished for something impossible.”

I swallowed my food and let out a deep sigh.

My money.

I had hoped my salary had been quietly accumulating all this time, but that dream had been crushed.

My police paycheck had been set up under a different name, and every cent had gone to supporting my younger siblings. Apparently, Hyun Woo Kyung had personally requested Team Leader Baek to do so.

If he hadn’t, all of it would have been used to pay off his father’s debts. Worse, if the people from Taeseong Industries found out he was receiving a salary, it would have caused a disaster.

The bottom line?

I was broke. Completely penniless.

“…By the way, if Choi Taejoon finds out you and I are living together, won’t he lose his mind?”

“Why would he? He kicked me out.”

Park Ha-hyun pursed his lips, clearly skeptical.

“What are you talking about? There’s no way Choi Taejoon would do that.”

“It’s true. He had Director Kim pack up my stuff and threw me out. Even changed the house password, so I couldn’t get back in.”

Park Ha-hyun’s voice jumped an octave in disbelief.

“You’re saying you didn’t leave on your own?”

“Exactly.”

“There has to be a reason. Did you do something wrong?”

“It’s… complicated.”

“I have plenty of time. Go on, explain.”

Park Ha-hyun was more persistent than I had expected.

“Why are you so interested in my personal life?”

“Because this isn’t just your business. You were supposed to stick by Choi Taejoon and watch him. But instead, you got yourself kicked out.”

Resting his chin on his hand, he stared at me intently.

“When I heard you left his place, I figured maybe you and Choi Taejoon were in some kind of push-and-pull game. But to think you got kicked out…”

“W-What push-and-pull? We’re not even dating….”

“Right. That’s something people do before they start dating. But you two were already living together, so that ship has sailed.”

“It’s not like that….”

“So—did Choi Taejoon find himself a new lover in your place?”

The idea was so absurd that I let out a laugh.

“That’s ridiculous.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I know him. He’s not that kind of person. And besides, he’s too busy—he doesn’t have time for a relationship.”

“Wow. Look at you, defending him.”

“I’m not defending him….”

I trailed off, watching Park Ha-hyun closely.

If anyone were to become Choi Taejoon’s new lover, it would be you.

“You know what they say—never put too much faith in people. How can you be so sure?”

He had a point. I couldn’t exactly tail Choi Taejoon 24/7, and it was entirely possible there were parts of him that had been left out of the original novel.

“If he’s found someone new, then there’s nothing I can do.”

“Really?”

“…….”

“You could just let him go?”

I had meant it when I first said, If he’s moved on, then so be it.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had always believed that this wasn’t my place. That I was only standing in for the real Hyun Woo Kyung, just temporarily borrowing his life.

But the moment Park Ha-hyun questioned me, doubt crept in.

“After all that effort, you’re just giving up?”

“There was never any effort to begin with. And it’s not like I had anything to ‘give up’ in the first place.”

“This is work, isn’t it?”

“…Work?”

Park Ha-hyun was thinking practically. Meanwhile, I was the one overcomplicating things with emotions.

He clicked his tongue, as if he had read my thoughts.

“You’re being dense. If Choi Taejoon really discarded you, do you think Team Leader Baek would let it slide? He’s going to do everything in his power to push you toward Kang Jaewook instead. And you know better than anyone that Kang Jaewook is an actual lunatic, right?”

Oh, I knew. The guy was completely unhinged.

“Team Leader Baek was always looking for a way into Taeseong’s inner circle. His original target was Kang Jaewook. The moment he finds out you’ve been ‘abandoned’ by Choi Taejoon, he’ll switch strategies. Hell, he might’ve been planning this all along.”

A slow smirk spread across Park Ha-hyun’s lips as he bit down on his lower lip.

“Honestly, it’d be pretty entertaining. If you ended up with Kang Jaewook, I’d love to see Choi Taejoon’s reaction.”

A love triangle? Was that what he was suggesting? I frowned.

“Quit talking nonsense. Do I get a say in any of this, or am I just some object you guys can toss around? What am I, a damn Post-it note?”

“I’m on your side, senior. But who the hell knows what’s going on inside Team Leader Baek’s head? The important thing is—you need to hold onto Choi Taejoon.”

I had thought getting kicked out of that house was my own decision.

That, or maybe Choi Taejoon had just wanted to get his affairs in order.

Or maybe… he had gotten fed up with my constant Kill me requests.

To be honest, I hadn’t thought my pleas had been that much of a burden on him. Based on the original novel, Choi Taejoon was the kind of man who could take a life without hesitation, without so much as a flicker of emotion.

He was built for a world that thrived on bloodshed.

But after stopping him from killing Kang Jaewook that night—and after having too much time alone to think—I had started to regret it.

Maybe I had been too much.

Maybe that was why he had kicked me out.

Because who in their right mind would want to live with someone who constantly begged for death without ever explaining why?

“…It’s my fault.”

“You finally remembered something you did wrong? Go on, spill it.”

“Maybe I just… got on his nerves. But at the same time, it doesn’t feel like that’s the only reason.”

“What do you mean?”

I wasn’t even sure myself.

And the one person whose actions confused me as much as Choi Taejoon’s—was sitting right in front of me.

“Park Ha-hyun. What’s your deal?”

“Hm?”

“You’re the one who’s been messing with Choi Taejoon, planting ideas that we were together. So why are you suddenly acting like you care?”

He grinned, tilting his head slightly.

“Because Choi Taejoon is at his best when he’s jealous. That expression, that gaze—it’s so unmistakably him.”

“…Oh. I get it. That cold, hardening stare.”

“Exactly! That sharp, well-structured face with those depraved eyes—and an even more depraved body. You know what I’m talking about.”

He was practically gushing about Choi Taejoon now, listing every one of his distinct traits.

At first, I was nodding along—but then, something felt off.

The way he described Choi Taejoon’s appearance…

It sounded exactly like the descriptions from Alcohol Swab.

“There is beauty in discord—an asymmetry so striking that it is perfection itself. His decadently sharp gaze, contrasted against a face of cold refinement…”

I went completely silent.

And as soon as I stopped talking, so did Park Ha-hyun.

Noticing my reaction, he shifted away from the table, putting some distance between us.

“…Did you know about Choi Taejoon before?”

“Of course.”

An unfamiliar chill ran down my spine.

All this time, I had thought Park Ha-hyun’s I know everything remarks were just playful exaggerations.

But now, I wasn’t so sure.

When he said everything, was he including Hyun Woo Kyung’s past? His present? His future?

A creeping suspicion took hold.

“…What are you?”

For the first time, I wondered—was he like me? Another outsider?

“What do you mean? Are you asking about my role?”

“…Role?”

“Yes. My role.”

I swallowed dryly. “…And what exactly is your role?”

He smirked.

“I’m the jealousy instigator—the one who strengthens the bond between you and Choi Taejoon. So really, you should be thanking me. I’m here to help you.”

As if to prove his point, his lips curled into a slow, knowing grin.

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