A Contracted Gangster Who Has to Die to Survive - Chapter 84

At the mention of “Director Choi’s house,” Choi Taejoon slowly let go of his stiff expression, as if reassured.

A quiet smile spread across my face as well, failing to suppress my laughter.

“Come here.”

Choi Taejoon lifted me by both arms. I suddenly felt a few centimeters taller.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

He placed me on top of his shoes. Just as I was about to stumble in shock at how close he had become, his firm arms wrapped around my waist, keeping me balanced. He held me even tighter, preventing me from stepping down.

“Just walk. It’s not like you’re seriously injured.”

With one hand supporting my waist and the other pressing the elevator button, Choi Taejoon spoke nonchalantly.

“Stay like this until we get off.”

Though I had experienced physical contact with him before, today felt strangely different. Embarrassed for no reason, I mumbled while averting my gaze.

“Then you could’ve waited for me to put on slippers at least….”

“…There was no time for that.”

Though his tone was indifferent, his expression was filled with guilt toward me. In reality, I was only pretending to complain—my entire body had already become hyperaware of him.

His heartbeat, his pulse, his breath, his scent, and even his voice. Every sensation was transmitted vividly through my skin.

“Uh, by the way, Director Choi… Are we really going to keep walking like this?”

He had said it was just until the elevator ride ended, yet even after arriving at the parking lot, he showed no intention of letting me down. I felt like a child walking on their father’s feet.

“This is embarrassing.”

“Not at all.”

“Well, I am embarrassed. People will think it’s strange if they see us.”

“So what?”

Sure enough, Chief Yoon, who had been waiting by the car, ran out with wide eyes.

“D-Director Choi! Wait, Woo Kyung?”

The man who had once accused me of stealing a lighter and fought with me in front of the store was none other than Chief Yoon.

Judging by the situation, it seemed like he would be temporarily filling Director Kim’s position. Chief Yoon was a loyal, diligent, and dependable man—except for one fatal flaw: his complete lack of tact. I had never met anyone as oblivious as him.

As expected, with a pale face, he whispered urgently to me.

“Hey, Woo Kyung, have you lost your mind? Even if you’re relatives, what do you think you’re doing with Director Choi? Get down this instant!”

“Relatives? Ah, I wish that were the case.”

“…What?”

The only people who knew the true nature of my relationship with Choi Taejoon were Director Kim and the head of security. But to think Chief Yoon still believed we were relatives…

Either way, in his logic, Choi Taejoon couldn’t possibly have lost his mind—so it must be me who wasn’t in my right mind.

His eyes, wide with disbelief, blinked rapidly as he looked back and forth between us, completely at a loss for what to do.

Meanwhile, Choi Taejoon remained as composed as ever, as if nothing was unusual.

“Open the passenger door.”

“O-oh, yes, sir!”

Relieved to finally have something to do, Chief Yoon quickly grabbed the car door handle. Choi Taejoon carefully set me down into the passenger seat before holding out his palm toward Chief Yoon.

“Good work today. You can go home now.”

“…….”

But Chief Yoon stared at Choi Taejoon’s open hand with a confused expression as if to say, “You’re telling me to go home, but why are you holding out your hand?” He even hesitated before nervously reaching out to place his hand on top of Choi Taejoon’s.

“Chief Yoon. No, I meant the car keys…!”

“Oh! The keys? H-here they are!”

Finally realizing, he fumbled into his pocket and handed them over with both hands, bowing deeply.

With how clueless he was, it was no wonder he had mistaken me for a thief back then.

Choi Taejoon shook his head as if exasperated before starting the car.

“When are you going to call him back?”

“Director Kim?”

“Yes. You need him, don’t you?”

There was no subordinate as effortlessly reliable as Director Kim. He was practically an extension of Choi Taejoon himself, predicting situations several steps ahead and ensuring no inconvenience arose.

“I don’t want to talk about that.”

“You should reconsider—”

“So, tell me. What did you and Park Ha-hyun do while I was gone?”

“I don’t want to talk about that either.”

At my response, Choi Taejoon chuckled as if to say, “Fair enough.”

Right, he would figure it out on his own. It wasn’t something I could interfere with anyway.

Lost in thought, I soon realized we had arrived at his house.

“We’re home.”

Now that I was back, I finally understood something.

I had wanted to return here.

No place was truly my home, but somehow, this place had grown familiar to me.

For a brief moment, I even wondered if I should be grateful to Park Ha-hyun.

It was probably a cruel prank meant to fluster both Choi Taejoon and me, but in the end, it didn’t do me any harm.

“…It’s been a while. You feel the same way too, don’t you, Director Choi?”

“The passcode wasn’t changed by me. It resets after a certain period. Residents receive a notice, but I guess you didn’t see it.”

“Oh, so you weren’t the one who changed it?”

“…I registered your number as well, so you won’t have to worry about it anymore. Unless, of course, you hate it here so much that you want to leave.”

Since Choi Taejoon had been stuck in the hospital after his business trip, this was likely his first time returning home in a while as well.

“I’m never leaving this house again.”

I had decided to behave myself so I could stay here for as long as possible—perhaps even for the rest of my life. At my firm declaration, Choi Taejoon responded with a faint smile.

“Don’t kick me out.”

“We’ll see.”

“Ugh, if you do, I’ll have no choice but to go back to Park Ha-hyun’s place….”

“This little—”

Grinning, I quickly dashed into my room before he could respond.

By now, this place felt just as familiar and cozy as my own room before I possessed this body.

“I’m back….”

It was kind of funny. I was desperate to return to my original world as soon as possible, yet I was happy to be back here.

I kept telling myself that this was only temporary, that I was simply enjoying a comfortable environment for the time being. But my stay had lasted longer than expected, and I showed no signs of dying anytime soon. A worrisome thought even crossed my mind—what if I ended up living a long life here?

For now, though, I chose to be content with being back in this house.

Even the familiar scent of the soap and shampoo I had been using felt welcoming. It was so pleasant that even the soft fragrance of fabric softener on my fresh towels made me hum without realizing it.

I quickly showered and changed into clean clothes. Just as I was putting a bandage on the wound on my foot, I heard Choi Taejoon’s voice from a distance.

“Why is there not even a single bandage or ointment in this house?”

When I stepped out of my room, I found him standing there with a troubled expression.

“If you’re looking for them because of me, don’t worry—I already put one on. Look.”

I flipped my foot to show him.

“I stocked up because I knew something like this would happen. If you need any, just let me know. I have all sorts of sizes.”

As far as I remembered, this house didn’t have a first-aid kit.

In the novel, whenever Choi Taejoon mercilessly injured Park Ha-hyun, he would call a doctor to treat him instead of allowing him to take care of himself. From minor cuts to severe wounds, everything was handled by a physician while Park Ha-hyun wasn’t allowed to lift a finger.

Of course, that kind of thing could never—and should never—happen to me.

A chill ran down my spine at the thought, so I grabbed a glass of water and plopped down on the sofa. As if trying to shake off the unsettling idea, I drained the glass and set it down on the coffee table before casually asking,

“Did you have dinner?”

“Roughly.”

“Don’t tell me… you escaped from the hospital again?”

“No. I was discharged.”

I narrowed my eyes and looked at him suspiciously.

“Wasn’t it a big event when you left?”

“…A big event?”

Choi Taejoon furrowed his brows, as if not understanding what I meant.

“When a leader leaves the hospital, aren’t their subordinates supposed to line up in front of the room and bow at a perfect ninety-degree angle?”

“What have you been watching…?”

“That’s how it is in movies.”

Choi Taejoon let out a dry laugh, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Do you think I was released from prison?”

“Oh, so that’s what they do when someone is released? Not when they’re discharged?”

“No… These days, neither of those things—”

Choi Taejoon abruptly shut his mouth, looking as if he was questioning why he was even entertaining such a ridiculous conversation.

“Everyone was really worried about you, you know? It was chaos. They were all panicking at the thought of something happening to you.”

“…And you? How did you feel?”

“Me?”

I took a small breath and clenched my fingertips tightly.

Then, carefully avoiding his gaze, I spoke.

“I was worried too. It felt like you kept getting hurt because of me, and I couldn’t shake the guilt.”

“There’s no need to blame yourself.”

“I even felt pathetic for constantly asking you to kill me… I won’t do that anymore.”

Choi Taejoon didn’t respond. He simply stared at me in silence, as if my words had caught him off guard.

The prolonged quiet made me even more self-conscious, so I fidgeted with the damp strands of my hair.

“Well then. I should get to bed.”

As I pushed myself up from the sofa, Choi Taejoon finally spoke.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

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