Kiss Me if You Can-Chapter 38Vol. 1 .1

“That kid really! Does he think money is everything?”

“Wait, so you’re saying he’ll give me over $300,000 per person?”

Henry, who was about to get up, stopped at Isaac’s words.

“$300,000?”

When Seth asked in surprise, Mark coughed in vain.

“$450,000 to be exact. There’s still a lot of shooting left, but with this kind of income, I can live off of it for a few years without working… … .”

Mark, who had said that, added as he looked at Henry lying down with a bright face.

“… … As long as I don’t gamble it away.”

Everyone, including Mark, looked at Henry with concern, but it seemed like he couldn’t hear anything anymore. Seth had no choice but to tell Isaac.

“Don’t lend me money anymore.”

“Of course.”

Isaac nodded seriously, but Mark and Seth clearly knew that he would become a beggar for the same reason he started this job. Then, Seth sighed and changed the subject.

“What happened to Josh? He hasn’t been seen since yesterday.”

“Oh, that’s it.”

Mark answered.

“He went to his mother’s house. He said he wanted to see Pete after a long time. Anyway, the original security team came back, so we have some free time… ….”

The moment he said that, Henry asked urgently.

“Then when are you going to give me the money?”

Mark quickly answered.

“After work.”

“Hey, you little punk!”

Seth nodded at him as he swore at Chase.

Good job, Mark.

Mark also nodded. Thinking that I should buy that guy some stocks from now on.

*@Punhap*

Chase had been restless since morning. The reason he could only drink water instead of eating was because Josh had finally decided to bring his son today. The place was a famous amusement park. Chase had chosen this because Pete had never been to an amusement park before, but Laura paid the enormous amount of money for Chase this time as well.

The amusement park, where people were restricted from entering all day, was covered with suspicious groups in black suits rather than regular visitors from early on. They were Chase's bodyguards who had returned. They were very busy checking the facilities in advance, confirming the identities of the employees, and deciding on their respective positions.

In the meantime, time passed quickly and it was soon time for Josh to show up.

Whew.

Chase sat down on the table chair set up outside and let out a sigh that he had already repeated several times. No matter how much he breathed deeply, it was not easy to calm down.

Chase, whose schedule was packed because he had to clear the whole day, had to film until dawn the day before. Despite that, he woke up with little sleep and paced around the trailer. And he arrived much earlier than the appointed time and had been waiting anxiously for Josh.

He was anxious the whole time and couldn’t stand it. Introducing his son meant that Josh was also taking him seriously, but there was something that kept bothering him.

“Don’t worry, he’ll like you. Because… … .”

Because, what was next? Chase was curious, but on the other hand, he was afraid to hear the answer.

Could it be that his son likes my face or something?

He tried to brush it off as lightly as possible, but it didn’t work. Chase was nervous and fidgeted the whole time. In the meantime, his phone finally rang.

“Hello?”

He pressed the call button before he could even check the number, but the other person was already decided. After a brief pause, the voice he had been waiting for came from the other end.

[Hello, Chase?]

Chase let out a trembling sigh without thinking. Josh continued.

[Chase, are you listening?]

“… … tell me.”

When he barely managed to answer, Josh said.

[I just got here, are you ready?]

Chase didn’t know what he meant by ready, but he said, “Yes.” Josh said affectionately.

[It’s okay, Chase. Everything will be okay.]

As if he knew Chase’s anxiety, he hesitated for a moment before hanging up the phone. Chase let out a trembling sigh and closed his eyes.

He had never believed in God in his life, but now he desperately wanted to pray. He clasped his hands together and let out trembling breaths several times, and finally Josh appeared.

“… … .”

Chase slowly straightened his crouching back. Josh, who was guided by his bodyguard and approached him, had a smile on his face as always.

He was wearing a plain T-shirt and ripped jeans instead of his usual bodyguard suit. His hair was roughly combed, but unlike usual, it was messy and disheveled on his forehead. He was wearing basketball shoes from a sports star that were popular a few years ago, and it was just like anyone else’s casual attire, but Josh was different because he had it on.

Chase, who was staring blankly at him as he waved one hand in greeting, belatedly noticed a small child walking toward him while holding his other hand. At the same time, his heart sank.

If you wanted to know what Josh looked like when he was young, you could just look at the child. The two were so similar. Chase stared blankly at the child.

“Have you been waiting long? When on earth did you come out?”

Josh came closer and spoke with a smile. As always, the voice was so affectionate, but Chase’s gaze never left the child. Josh glanced down, knelt on one knee, and met the child’s eyes.

“Pete, I told you when I came here. Now, say hello.”

The child looked up at Chase hesitantly. The way he was sucking on one hand and holding a stuffed dog in the other hand was just like Josh. Chase’s heart suddenly ached.

“Hello, Pete?”

He barely managed to say that and quickly closed his mouth because his voice had become hoarse. The child’s eyes widened and he suddenly hung on Josh’s neck. Chase’s face turned pale in an instant at the unexpected reaction. Josh burst into laughter at the sight.

“No, it’s not. I like you.”

“What?”

Chase looked at the child again in disbelief. Pete buried his face in Josh’s chest and looked at him furtively, then hurriedly turned his head away when their eyes met. Josh still smiled as he spoke to Chase, who held out a hand as if to tell him to look.

“I’m just being shy. He’s a bit… … bright-faced.”

When he added bitterly, Pete turned his head away again. Chase smiled with difficulty, and the boy suddenly shouted.

“You villain!”

“Pete!”

Josh hurriedly made an excuse to Chase, who seemed shocked and frozen.

“This is a habit these days, he always says this to people he meets for the first time. Anyway, it’s all because Emma taught him strange words… … .”

He kept saying something, but Chase couldn’t hear him. Only after hearing the testimony that he had said the same thing to other bodyguards the whole way did he come to his senses a little. Josh didn’t miss the moment and sternly reprimanded him.

“Pete, I told you not to say bad words. If you say that again, I’ll put beans in every meal!”

Pete’s face turned pale at those words. Chase, who was listening from the side, asked.

“Beans?”

“Pete hates beans.”

Josh, who had answered absentmindedly, looked back at Chase in confusion. Of course, he didn’t notice at all. Josh avoided eye contact and forcefully pulled the child away from his arms. He lifted Pete, who was struggling, and put his other hand on his arm, extending his other hand to Chase.

“Let’s go. What should we ride first? Did you look at the pamphlet beforehand?”

Chase looked back and forth between the hand in front of him and Josh’s face. Josh bent down and took his hand first because he seemed to be hesitating. Chase hurriedly rubbed his face with his free hand. Josh turned his head as if he didn’t notice when he saw his ear turn red.

“I used to come here often when I was young, but this is the first time I’ve never had to wait in line.”

“… … You lived in California?”

“This is my hometown. I graduated from D High School… … .”

The two walked along, chatting naturally. Several security guards followed them at a distance.

The child had great stamina. He didn’t look tired at all even after riding several rides in a row.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

On the other hand, Chase and Josh were already at their limit despite riding the rides for children. Josh unconsciously rubbed his shoulder as he watched Pete ride the same ride alone for the third time from outside. He glanced at Chase and saw that he too had a look on his face as if his soul had left him.

The slow-moving train just made a turn and Pete came toward them. Chase smiled and waved. Pete also looked back at him with a big laugh. As soon as Pete disappeared from sight, Chase’s smile also disappeared.

Josh, who was watching the scene, ended up laughing. Josh let out an “ahem” to Chase, who turned around without saying anything.

After a moment, he opened his mouth.

“Thank you, Pete, it’s his first time at an amusement park.”

“I know.”

He said in a still listless voice. The reason Chase had chosen this place was because Josh had casually let it slip. Josh noticed his thoughts and smiled affectionately. No matter how you looked at him, it was clear that he wasn’t used to playing with a child, but Chase was patient with Pete. He didn’t get annoyed at all when the child hesitated or avoided answering.

However, he must have had his limits when it came to riding the rides, because after a few attempts, he went outside and changed his direction to cheer Pete on. When Pete came back again, Chase waved with a bright smile.

“It’s my first time, too.”

“What?”

Josh looked back at him in surprise. Chase fixed his gaze on Pete, who was walking away, and answered.

“It’s my first time at an amusement park.”

But the movements while riding the rides seemed familiar. When I pointed that out, Chase answered nonchalantly.

“I’ve ridden the rides. Most of them are in my garden.”

Josh didn’t bother to ask how big the garden was. The ride just slowed down, so they went to pick up Pete.

“What else do you want to ride? … … Should we have lunch first?”

Josh asked after checking the time. Josh, who was holding one of the child’s hands out of habit, glanced at Chase. It was a sign to hold the other hand, but he didn’t understand. Pete also naturally clung to Josh’s leg, so Josh silently carried the child in one arm and walked with Chase with the other hand.

All the facilities in the park were operating as usual. They went to Pete’s favorite soft-serve ice cream shop and Chase bought strawberry ice cream for the child and gave Josh a vanilla ice cream. Then, when Chase was about to leave, Pete braced himself with his feet and asked.

“Don’t you pay?”

Chase hesitated at the boy’s question. It was clear that the boy was not convinced by the situation. Chase bent down and met Pete’s eyes, just as Josh had done.

“Pete, I bought the whole park today. So you don’t have to pay.”

“Buy? All of this?”

Pete tilted his head. It was clear that it was still too difficult for him. Chase calmly explained.

“Everything here today is yours.”

Pete looked up at Josh with a puzzled expression. Josh smiled and said, “That’s right.” The boy still tilted his head and asked again.

“Then, can I have another ice cream?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Pete had a strawberry ice cream in each hand, stacked like a tower.

*@Punhap*

After simply feeding the kid a hot dog, Josh and Chase each put a hamburger in their mouths. Josh was amazed at Chase eating without spilling the contents or getting them on his lips.

On the other hand, Pete got a stain on his chin as expected of a kid, and even on his new shirt he bought the day before. Josh wiped the ketchup off with a napkin and gave the kid a drink.

Chase, who had been watching his skillful behavior, opened his mouth.

“… … You’ve been raising him alone for a long time?”

Josh hesitated, but instinctively knew that now was the time to tell the truth. After confirming that Pete was busy eating, he lowered his voice and answered.

“I raised him alone the whole time. So… … Pete’s dad doesn’t know about Pete.”

“You don’t know?”

Josh tried hard to recall the words he had prepared the day before. However, he couldn’t speak easily because he didn’t know where he had gone wrong. While he hesitated, Pete turned his head.

“Daddy.”

“Oh, juice?”

Josh, who was packing the drink for the child, stopped. There was a bug inside. Josh clicked his tongue briefly and stood up.

“I’ll bring it back, can you wait a minute?”

Josh smiled at Pete and asked.

“Daddy will get this back.”

Pete turned his head from Josh to Chase. The child’s face was filled with awkwardness, but Josh pretended not to notice.

“Then please.”

“Josh, wait… ….”

Chase called him belatedly, but he had already strode away with long strides.

An awkward silence flowed between Chase and Pete. The child started eating the hot dog again, but his chewing speed slowed down as if his throat was choking. Chase, who had been watching, offered him his drink.

“Milkshake, do you want a drink?”

The boy hesitated and looked back and forth between Chase and the drink. Chase held it out again as if it was okay. Pete said a small “Thank you” and sucked on the straw. Chase’s heart swelled with pride at the fact that the boy had accepted his kindness. Only then did he realize why Josh had left him alone.

He was probably trying to get to know him better.

Chase made up his mind and looked at the boy’s round head. The blond boy, who looked just like Josh, was so affectionate that he couldn’t approach him easily.

Hmm, hmm, Chase hesitated for a long time before finally bringing up the topic.

“What do you like? So, animation?”

Pete mentioned a famous train character as he tried to recall the kids’ tastes.

“I like it! Chitchookbokbok.”

Was it the train or the character? Chase was faced with a dilemma, but once he saw the child’s face brighten, he felt hopeful. While he was at it, he asked one more question.

“Don’t you like ‘Easter’?”

Does that seem a little too old for the child?

When he mentioned the title of the animated version of the movie he was currently filming, Pete blinked. He thought, “I guess he doesn’t know,” and Pete answered.

“I know that.”

“Really? Which one do you like the most? Do you know Dr. Flame?”

He asked excitedly without realizing it. Pete seemed to think for a moment and then hesitated before answering.

“I don’t like Dr. Flame. Sorry.”

Chase was discouraged, but when he saw him bowing, he had no choice but to control his emotions.

“Then who do you like?”

When he asked with a forced smile, Pete, who had tilted his head, smiled brightly.

“I, the Glacierman.”

“… … .”

Children don’t like the main character.

Chase was convinced. It was such an obvious truth.

“Ha.”

He rubbed his eyes with a sigh and thought. Why did he obediently take on the role of Dr. Flame as Keith told him to?

“Huh?”

Pete suddenly opened his eyes wide and started running somewhere. Chase, who had been absent-minded for a moment, came to his senses belatedly and followed him. What he found was a large signboard about a theme park made of train characters that he had said he liked.

“Daddy, daddy.”

Pete looked around anxiously. His face was filled with the hope that Josh would come and take him to this paradise. Of course, Chase also had a ticket there. However, he couldn’t readily pick up the child and instead spoke.

“Shall we go? Just tell Daddy to come this way.”

“Can I?”

The child asked with an excited expression. Yes, Chase nodded, and Pete suddenly held out his hand. For a moment, Chase didn’t understand what he meant. He realized belatedly, “Ah,” as he saw him waving his hand that had been stretched out eagerly.

He gently grabbed his hand, and his hand, sticky with ice cream, came into his hand. His heart almost stopped for a moment because his hand was so small and soft. He wanted to hold the child like Josh, but he was afraid that he might drop it, so he walked slowly to the theme park, following the child’s stride.

That’s when he heard an unexpected sound. Chase froze in place at the sudden barking of a dog. Pete turned his head in surprise and opened his eyes wide.

“Huh? It’s Jason!”

He shouted happily.

“Look, Jason! It looks just like Jason!”

Pete shook the stuffed dog he was holding and chattered excitedly. But Chase didn’t hear a single word. Even after Pete, who had been chattering for a while, let go of his hand and ran away, Chase still couldn’t come to his senses for a while. The team leader, who noticed that his condition was strange, hurriedly approached him.

“Mr. Miller, are you okay? You don’t look well.”

“… … .”

“Mr. Miller, come to your senses!”

The team leader shook his shoulder lightly and shouted loudly. Chase blinked in surprise. It took him a little longer to realize reality. The bodyguards were looking at him with serious faces. One by one, the amusement park facilities came into view, and he remembered why he was there.

Pete.

He realized it too late and hurriedly looked down to see that his hands were empty. His face soon turned blue.

“What about Pete?”

The team leader looked around after hearing that. The bodyguards who had been fixating on Chase looked around in confusion, but Pete had already disappeared from sight. Chase's mind went blank for a different reason than before.

"Find me now… … !"

The guards scattered in a hurry at his shout.

"Go inside and rest for a while, Mr. Miller. I feel like I'm going to collapse… … ."

The team leader spoke worriedly, but Chase ignored him and hurriedly went to find Pete.

This is ridiculous.

He thought in a panic. It was only a few minutes, no, a few seconds? It was really just a moment, how could he disappear like this in such a short time? How could all these people not see the child properly? How, why.

They were only looking at me instead of protecting Pete.

He barely held back the urge to scream and yell right away. First, he had to find Pete. The child's pace must be limited. He had to think, he had to think… … !

Jason.

Suddenly, one thing flashed through Chase's mind. The stuffed dog that Pete carried around. He said he saw a dog like that.

The dog barked again. Chase, who had frozen for a moment, asked, holding back his rapid breath.

"... ... Is there a dog kennel nearby?"

*@Punhap*

Josh, who was sitting on the bench eating ice cream, felt a

He checked his watch. This should be enough. He gave them almost 30 minutes, so they must have built up some rapport.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

If they haven’t, then there’s nothing he can do.

He got up and headed toward Chase and Pete, thinking. Even if nothing had changed, he should tell them everything now. There was no reason to delay any longer. All he needed was his own courage.

Josh let out a short sigh and suddenly realized that there was something strange about the people coming and going in a hurry. He noticed Chase’s bodyguard among them and approached him and asked.

“Why are you doing this? Did something happen?”

The bodyguard recognized his face and froze in confusion. Something was wrong. An ominous feeling flashed through Josh’s mind.

Haa, haa.

Chase’s shoulders shook as his breathing caught in his throat. The sound of people searching for Pete echoed from all directions. The child had gone somewhere in the meantime, and there was no sign of him.

That must be right, it’s so small.

Chase barely managed to recall it with his complicated mind. It was good that he had thought of a dog kennel, but the high fence was locked with a key, making it impossible to get inside. Pete would be the same.

Chase couldn’t even get close because of the constant barking of dogs. All he could hear was reports from the guards. Chase avoided that place and searched for Pete, but as expected, there was no result.

Joshua.

Josh and Pete’s faces kept coming and going in his head. He was disillusioned with himself, but now was not the time to wallow in self-loathing. He got up again and began to look around.

How could he not see it?

Chase couldn’t believe it. While he was frantically searching for the child, he realized that he had separated from the guards and was near the dog kennel. It was a different location from the area near the barbed wire that the guards had been checking, and Chase, who had climbed up the low hill, stopped in surprise at the sight of the endlessly long barbed wire below and the wide kennel beyond it.

If it was that big, it wouldn’t have been confirmed just by looking around briefly. He should have ordered the facility staff to open the door and search inside, but they were scared by the sound of the dog and ran away. Chase’s face distorted.

How cowardly am I?

A dog barked again from somewhere. Chase flinched and froze as soon as he heard the sound. His feet wouldn’t move. He took a deep breath and counted.

It’s okay, there’s the barbed wire. I’m safe, nothing’s going to happen.

He tried to calm himself down by repeating the same words over and over again, but his pulse didn’t go down easily. His memories quickly returned to that day.

Grayson, who was smiling brightly, the peaceful sound of the leaves, his own image of himself clinging to the wall and desperately screaming for help, the sweet scent of pheromones that continued to confuse his mind, and finally the Rottweiler’s exposed teeth and strong body odor, when he came back to life, he miraculously found the child he was looking for.

“What do you mean Pete is missing?”

Josh came running in thoughtfully. The security team leader spoke with difficulty with a pale face.

“I’m sorry. Mr. Miller’s condition got worse, so while I was looking in that direction for a moment, he suddenly disappeared… … . I’m looking for him now, so he’ll be there soon.”

“Chase’s condition got worse, or, you mean you haven’t found Pete yet? No, wait a minute.”

Josh was in a panic and couldn’t think properly. He looked around hurriedly, but all he could see were the security guards.

“… … Where is Chase?”

The team leader paused at Josh’s question. He turned his head in thought, but what he saw was no different from Josh’s. The team leader belatedly gave an urgent order.

“Teams 1 and 2, find Mr. Miller! Teams 3 and 4, find the child!”

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Josh gritted his teeth, holding back the urge to collapse. Come to your senses, this is not the time to lose your mind. He shook his head sharply and focused his eyes. He had no idea where either of them had gone, but he couldn’t just wait.

He started searching the area, calling out Pete and Chase’s names out of nowhere.