A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 82

Park Ha-hyun, the main lead of this novel.

A character destined to be tied to Choi Taejoon, no matter what.

And yet, somehow, I had taken that spot instead of him.

“We both have dangerous jobs, don’t we? We should at least enjoy the small things in life.”

Park Ha-hyun was subtly steering the conversation toward our undercover identities—one as a gangster, the other as a rookie actor.

“Neither a gangster nor an actor is an easy job to juggle alongside being a cop.”

If Park Ha-hyun truly knew the full story of Alcohol Swab—if he was aware of how things were supposed to unfold—what would that mean?

And if he was like me, if he had possessed this body and already knew what was coming, why was he just letting things play out differently?

In the original story, Park Ha-hyun was supposed to be Choi Taejoon’s roommate. He was supposed to be the one thrown into a brutal, life-or-death struggle.

But now? He was living however he pleased, completely untouched by any of it.

He actually seemed happy.

Maybe I hadn’t stolen his place.

Maybe I had taken it off his hands.

Throughout Alcohol Swab, the Park Ha-hyun that suffered under Choi Taejoon’s hands had never seemed even remotely happy. If I had been given a choice, I wouldn’t have wanted that role either.

“Senior?”

“Huh?”

“You said you had something to ask me.”

His pale hand hovered near my forehead, as if he was about to check my temperature.

“You’ve been acting weird all night. Are you feeling sick?”

“N-No. I’m fine.”

I leaned back slightly, shaking my head. Okay. One step at a time. Don’t rush this.

I couldn’t just blurt out, Hey, are you from another world too?

“…Do you really know everything?”

“Hm?”

“You said it earlier. That you know everything about Choi Taejoon, too.”

“Oh, Choi Taejoon? Yeah, I know him very well. I know all of his habits, even the little things—what he eats, his routines, everything.”

“…How?”

My throat went dry. My heartbeat pounded in my ears as I focused on his lips, waiting for his answer.

“Before being assigned to this case, I studied him inside and out. I analyzed him thoroughly—just like I did with Kang Jaewook, Gil Sang-hoon, Chairman Kang, Director Kim, and the other executives at Taeseong Industries. It’s the same for you, isn’t it?”

Because you’re a cop?

“Actually, I probably know more than you do. But why are you asking?”

I stared at him, searching for any sign of a lie.

But all I saw was mild curiosity.

I had no way of knowing if he was telling the truth.

“…No reason. My head’s just all over the place.”

If he was a possessor, then there had to be something only a fellow possessor would know.

But I couldn’t think of anything.

Maybe I should just ask him outright.

Do you know the title?

If I came right out and said, Have you heard of Alcohol Swab?, that alone might be enough to give me an answer.

“…Hey. Do you know Alcohol Swab?”

Park Ha-hyun blinked, then casually nodded.

“Of course.”

“You do?”

I nearly shot up from my seat, even dropping my chopsticks.

“Why are you so surprised? Everyone knows what that is. It’s when you soak a cotton swab in alcohol—”

This little—!

Was he playing with me, or was he really this clueless?

Before I could say anything else, he glanced at the clock on the wall.

“…They should be here by now.”

“Who?”

“The guest.”

And just as he said that—

— A visitor has arrived.

The apartment’s wall pad announced the arrival of a vehicle.

“Oh, looks like they’re here.”

Now that I thought about it, he had been glancing toward the front door and checking the time repeatedly.

“Did you order food? Or is someone coming over?”

“It just seemed a bit lonely celebrating your birthday with just the two of us.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine.

He had invited someone for my birthday.

But there were only a handful of people Park Ha-hyun could have possibly called.

And only one name came to mind.

“…Wait. Don’t tell me. Team Leader Baek? Did you invite Team Leader Baek?”

“Oh, they’re here!”

“Why the hell would you call Team Leader Baek?!”

God.

I almost would have preferred Team Leader Baek.

Because standing at Park Ha-hyun’s front door—was Choi Taejoon.

It had been a while since I last saw Choi Taejoon in anything other than hospital clothes. Dressed in a sharp suit, he looked as polished as ever.

I smacked both of my cheeks, the sound crisp in the silent room, before blinking hard.

It was really him.

“W-What are you doing here?”

“What the hell are you doing here?”

His low, icy voice sent a chill straight to my core.

That lunatic, Park Ha-hyun, had called him here. This wasn’t just bad—this was terrifying.

If Choi Taejoon had come all the way here, that meant he was beyond pissed.

Park Ha-hyun, still grinning, glanced between his phone and Choi Taejoon.

“Welcome! Wow, by the way, it took you exactly 19 minutes to get here after reading my text. That’s impressive! The drive from the hospital should’ve taken at least 30 minutes.”

“Wait. You invited him?”

“Yep! I figured the more, the merrier. Wouldn’t want you feeling lonely on your birthday.”

Park Ha-hyun casually slung an arm around my shoulder, pulling me in close. It was painfully obvious what he was doing—he was deliberately provoking Choi Taejoon.

And it was working.

Though his expression remained neutral, I could feel the shift—the slight twitch of his brow, the tightening of his lips, the way his fingers curled into fists.

“No, no! It’s not what it looks like! And you, get off me!”

Don’t fall for it, Taejoon! Don’t let him get to you!

“Oh? You didn’t even know your ex-roommate’s birthday, did you?”

That was the final straw.

Choi Taejoon’s face twisted into something truly menacing, his ears burning red as he stormed inside.

His gaze swept across the dining table, taking in the remnants of the meal—cake with extinguished candles, a champagne bucket filled with ice, and an array of appetizers.

And then—his eyes landed on my damp hair.

“You showered?”

His furious glare suddenly turned ice-cold.

“Calm down. I—I think I know what you’re assuming, but it’s not like that.”

Park Ha-hyun, still wearing that infuriating smile, wedged himself between us.

“Come on, you should be thanking me, Director Choi! There’s still time left before midnight, so now you get to celebrate, too.”

This bastard! He called himself a jealousy instigator, but at this point, he was just asking to get punched.

“What’s wrong? I’m only stating facts.”

“Shut up before you really get punched.”

Did this guy enjoy pressing every single one of Choi Taejoon’s buttons?

But the scariest part?

Choi Taejoon didn’t even see Park Ha-hyun anymore.

His eyes were locked onto me, ignoring everything else.

“Get outside.”

The next thing I knew, I was being dragged out of the apartment—barefoot.

“W-Wait! What are you doing?”

I stumbled as he pulled me along, his grip strong enough to make me trip over my own feet.

“When did you get discharged?”

“…….”

“And why the hell did Park Ha-hyun send that stupid text? He did that on purpose, you know. He was just trying to provoke you! Are you listening to me?”

No response.

Choi Taejoon didn’t even glance at me.

He just kept walking, his only goal seemingly to get as far away from that apartment as possible.

We stepped into the elevator, passed through the lobby, and entered the underground parking lot.

And then—

A sharp sting shot through my foot.

I gasped as pain flared up, making it impossible to put weight on my foot.

“Agh! W-Wait—”

We had barely reached the automatic doors leading to the garage when I cried out.

“M-My foot….”

Choi Taejoon’s gaze flicked downward.

For a second, he just stared.

Then, with a short sigh, he knelt down.

“…Tch.”

Blood was already welling up from a deep cut across the sole of my foot.

“What the hell did you step on?”

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, wrapping it tightly around my foot.

“I don’t know.”

Still kneeling, he tapped his back.

“Get on.”

Seriously?

If he didn’t want me barefoot, maybe he should’ve given me time to grab some shoes!

And why was he even offering to carry me when he hadn’t fully recovered yet?!

“No, thanks. You should be taking care of yourself—not running around outside without your doctor’s permission.”

I turned toward the elevator, pressing the button.

“I’m going back upstairs.”

“…Upstairs?”

Choi Taejoon finally looked up, his brows furrowing.

He was still crouched down, waiting for me to climb onto his back.

“Where else?”

I gestured toward the upper floors.

“If I’m already staying at Park Ha-hyun’s place, I might as well keep crashing there for a while.”

“Don’t push it.”

His voice dropped an octave as he slowly stood up, stepping toward me.

“If you don’t want to drive me insane, you’ll shut up and follow me.”

He loomed over me, his presence suffocating.

I swallowed hard.

“…You’re not seriously telling me to move back into your place, are you?”

He paused.

Then, as if he found the question ridiculous, he ran a hand through his hair and scoffed.

“…What? You don’t want to?”

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