Kiss Me if You Can Novel Completed - Chapter 103

“Welcome. Wow, your complexion is quite something.”

The moment Steward saw Chase, his eyes widened in surprise, and he let out an exclamation. It was a few hours before dawn when Chase and his security guards visited Steward’s consultation room. Steward, who greeted them, had bloodshot eyes as if he had stayed up all night, but otherwise showed no signs of fatigue. He came out to the entrance to greet them, and far from being tired, his eyes sparkled as he examined Chase all over, then spoke seriously.

“Just how much blood did you vomit for your complexion to be… Did you bring the test results? Let’s see.”

As Laura hastily handed him a bundle of documents and a USB, he simply gestured for them to follow, then turned and headed to his office. As pre-arranged, some remained outside the building while the rest all entered with Chase. Josh felt uneasy as he heard the rough sounds of footsteps echoing chaotically in the still desolate hospital corridor. Ignoring them, Steward opened the office door himself and turned to Chase, saying, “I have something to ask. Would you like to come in with Mr. Bailey?”

Everyone’s gaze simultaneously focused on Josh. Josh also blinked in surprise, pointing to himself with his finger. “Yes,” Steward smiled. “You.”

And he turned his gaze to Laura, who was about to follow. “For privacy, it would be best if only the two of you came in.”

Laura paused, and everyone again looked back and forth between Steward and Laura. But Steward didn’t explain further and went inside first. Chase followed him, and Josh, after a brief hesitation, also moved. As Josh was the last to enter and closed the door, Laura and the rest of the group were left in the corridor.

The team leader looked down at Laura. With a puzzled expression, silently asking what was going on, Laura could only shake her head.

I hope it’s nothing serious.

Laura thought, furrowing her brows.

Recently, Chase had often looked for Josh. If he called him to his trailer, he wouldn’t come out for hours, and even when Laura asked Josh what was going on, he would always vaguely gloss over it. Laura could only roughly guess.

It must be related to the medicine, right?

During the last examination, Steward had also left Josh and Chase alone. Given that he was keeping it a secret even from his assistant, something serious was definitely being discussed. What was certain was that after that, Chase didn’t skip his medicine and had been doing well without any particular trouble for a while. But now this happened.

Nothing bad will happen… right?

Laura stared intently at the closed door with a serious expression.

Thud.

The sound of the door closing seemed unusually loud. As Josh, who had entered last, closed the door and turned, he saw Steward’s back as he walked around the desk. He soon sat in his chair and checked the data. Chase sat on the consultation chair, and Josh stood beside him. The quiet silence naturally created tension. He glanced down at Chase, who was looking at Steward with an expressionless face. After confirming that his complexion was somewhat pale but otherwise not much different from usual, Josh turned his gaze to Steward.

For a while, only the sound of a mouse clicking echoed between them. Chase sat on the consultation chair, silently waiting for the results. Steward, who seemed to be looking at the screen and clicking various things, finally became quiet. His serious expression, with his chin propped on his hand, as he stared at the monitor for a long time, somehow felt ominous.

“Hmm.”

Steward finally cleared his throat as if to say something, but words didn’t immediately follow. He clasped his hands together on the desk, glanced at the monitor, and then turned his body towards Chase.

“What should I say about this… It’s difficult.”

His sigh even suggested something unusual. What was he trying to say that he was taking so long? Steward thought for a moment, as if choosing his words, and finally opened his mouth.

“Did you take all your medicine, Chase?”

“Of course, I didn’t skip any.”

Chase nodded without hesitation at the question. Since the remaining medicine had been checked, it wasn’t a lie. Steward also knew this. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead.

“This is the first time I’ve encountered a case like this… I’ll have to look for precedents, but currently, there’s nothing that comes to mind.”

Josh gradually became annoyed by his constant hesitation. He clenched and unclenched his fists several times, trying to overcome his impatience and not urge him, and only then did Steward finally speak as if he had made a decision.

“Your pheromone control isn’t working at all, is it, Chase? Did you not know?”

At those words, Josh flinched and looked down at Chase.

He didn’t intentionally release pheromones; he just couldn’t control them?

To the silent question, Chase’s face remained expressionless and unchanged. This time, he paused before answering. “…I was going to tell you during the regular check-up. It’s not that it doesn’t work at all, it just happens sometimes.”

“Has this happened before?” Steward asked, and Chase was silent for a moment before nodding.

“Sometimes.”

Josh had been completely unaware until now. No, only Chase would have known. Even Steward couldn’t hide his surprised expression.

“So it wasn’t because you stopped the medicine arbitrarily. But why didn’t you say anything until now?”

Steward mumbled to himself, then asked, “…It really was only sometimes.”

Chase replied in a low voice, then fell silent. But Josh felt he didn’t need to hear his next words to know. Recalling Chase’s past self, no great deduction was needed. He had constantly tried to die, and his future life held no importance whatsoever. Rather, he endured each day, only wishing for it to end. Until he met Josh and fell in love.

“There are people who sometimes live without thinking about the future,” Steward said, looking at Chase’s face for a while. Chase regretted his past and even stopped taking his medicine arbitrarily, but it was no use. Steward continued, still not taking his eyes off him. “If you’re not going to die right away, you shouldn’t do that. …The past always comes back to haunt you.”

He said something meaningful, then suddenly gave a wry smile. At the self-deprecating expression, which Josh had never seen before, he felt puzzled. But now was not the time to be curious about him. Josh’s attention immediately shifted to Chase, and Steward also changed the subject.

“Looking at the test results, there isn’t a single proper value. It’s fortunate he didn’t die instantly. All the side effects of the medicine he took have appeared… What to do.”

His fingers tapping the desk were more serious than ever. Steward also seemed bleak, as if there was no particular solution. Josh raised his hand and gripped Chase’s shoulder. Not because he thought he would collapse, but to give Chase strength.

It’s okay.

He thought inwardly and opened his mouth.

I’ll be by your side, it’s okay.

“They say marking stabilizes pheromones, couldn’t that method work?”

“Oh?” Steward blinked. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, would any Omega easily do it? Do you perhaps have a partner?”

It was clear he had already noticed, but he shamelessly pretended ignorance and asked. Josh paused for a moment, then replied, “It’s me.”

Steward’s expression froze. Josh spoke with more emphasis, “I am that partner, the Omega.”

“Oh dear…”

Steward muttered an exclamation whose meaning was unclear. “I thought you were a Beta.”

It was a phrase he had heard countless times since his presentation. Steward had suspected their relationship, but he hadn’t seemed to think Josh was an Omega.

“Sometimes people buy Omegas to mark them, you’re lucky.”

Steward made that excuse, but Josh ignored him and continued, “Then is it okay? If I leave a mark, will his pheromones stabilize?”

Chase looked up at him. Feeling his gaze, Josh lowered his eyes, and the complex mixture of emotions came into view. Josh lightly patted the hand holding Chase’s shoulder, then looked back at Steward. Steward, whose gaze met his, smiled faintly. Just as Josh was about to feel relieved, he spoke.

“No, you can’t.”

“…”

For a moment, Josh looked down at Steward with an expressionless face. Before he could ask why, Steward continued.

“In a state where we don’t know what side effects might occur, we can’t just use any method. It could be like fighting poison with poison. Moreover, there has never been a case where pheromones became unstable due to medication. Of course, there has never been an extreme Alpha who took so much medicine for so long… As you already know, marking, though rare, sometimes doesn’t take, doesn’t it? We can’t take a rash risk when we don’t know what the outcome would be if it fails.”

“Then…”

As Josh asked hesitantly, Steward gave a wry smile. “First, let’s try other methods that are available, and we’ll use that one last.”