Kiss Me if You Can Novel Completed - Chapter 113

Two weeks had passed since they returned from the villa. In that time, Chase had been cleared of any issues, and Josh, though belatedly, contacted his friends. Edna and Tommy, perhaps worried sick, immediately yelled and repeatedly asked if he was okay. It required quite a bit of creativity to give vague answers to their questions and brush them off. Anyway, Josh finished his rough explanations and hung up after a non-committal promise to see them next time.

His return to the security team was still undecided. Mark, who had contacted him for the first time in a while, said that Chase would have to attend events for his movie release for the time being, so the period had been extended again.

“There’s talk of you coming back next month.”

Mark didn’t forget to encourage him before hanging up. Before returning to work, he and Chase also needed to decide on their future schedule based on their relationship. Josh first set a date for Chase to meet his mother.

*

*

On the day Chase was scheduled to visit, his mother woke up early in the morning and bustled around. Even though she had called a cleaning service for a thorough cleaning the day before, come morning, she was again vacuuming, dusting, and busily running all over the house.

Woken by his mother’s footsteps and the whirring of machines, Josh yawned and went downstairs, then stopped short. His mother was moving around the kitchen, frantically pulling out various ingredients from the refrigerator and spreading them on the dining table.

“Mom, you don’t have to go to this extent.”

He had repeatedly told her the day before that Chase didn’t eat much, but his mother seemed to think differently.

“Still, I need to prepare a decent amount. Oh, I’m so busy. Right, could you get the tapestry from the garage? Hang it on that wall over there. Did I paint the peeled paint on the back door? Josh, I told you, didn’t I? Oh, and mow the lawn and water it too.”

Unable to resist his mother’s nagging, Josh busily moved around the house, doing as he was told. He checked that the paint he’d applied the day before was perfectly dry, mowed and watered the lawn, and took out his mother’s cherished tapestry, dusted it off, and hung it on the wall. He also didn’t forget to play with Pete, who had woken up in the meantime.

“What clothes should I wear? I should have gone shopping yesterday. Is it okay for the first meeting? Josh, I’ve laid out some clothes on the bed, take a look. Which one do you think is best?”

“You look pretty no matter what you wear.”

Josh spoke sincerely, but it didn’t work.

“Josh, hurry up and go.”

With that firm command, Josh reluctantly went upstairs and entered his mother’s bedroom. Three outfits were laid out on the bed. Considering her usual preference for blue, he picked one up, and then noticed a yellow dress next to it that also looked nice.

Is this one brighter?

He pondered for a moment, but it was still difficult. She should ask Emma for something like this, he thought, scratching his head before finally giving up. He took photos of each outfit and sent them via message. After a few anxious minutes, the awaited reply came.

[Green.]

Emma’s message ended with that single, simple word. Josh frowned and looked down at the two-piece he had put off. With a mix of doubt and hope, he picked it up and went downstairs. His mother, who was busily tidying the living room, looked up and her eyes sparkled.

“Oh, you thought so too! I’ll wear that today. You truly are my son, Josh.”

His mother, happily kissing his cheek, snatched the clothes and went back to her room. Josh awkwardly clenched and unclenched his empty hands, then shrugged.

“Just a moment, Pete.”

Josh, asking for Pete’s understanding as the child played with the remote control, turned on the TV. He simply intended to watch a highway chase program, but as he flipped through channels, he stumbled upon an unexpected news report.

[Chase Miller has once again assaulted a paparazzi.]

Josh flinched at the smooth words of the anchor. On the frozen screen, the anchor continued to speak with a guest.

[With Chase Miller’s movie release approaching, such a scandal won’t be good. Will it affect the movie’s success?]

[It depends on the extent. Critics’ reactions have been very positive. But is that paparazzi crazy? Leaving all other stars alone and going after Chase Miller? Do they have a death wish?]

The guest deliberately chose provocative words and spoke with exaggeration. They continued to list, one by one, how brutally Chase Miller had dealt with paparazzi in the past, leading to an endless discussion about how much privacy stars should reveal, and whether paparazzi should always be seen as bad. Watching, Josh was incredibly anxious. If Pete hadn’t been playing with his toy car at his feet, he would have immediately cursed.

Stop spouting nonsense and show the screen already.

Josh clenched his fists, barely suppressing his anger, and quickly straightened his posture when the awaited screen finally appeared.

The cause of the incident was completely unknown. All that was visible on the screen was a paparazzi pointing a camera at Chase, Chase snatching it away, followed by security guards trying to intervene, and Chase, undeterred, beating the paparazzi until the camera shattered, then kicking him while he was down, and finally, even strangling him.

Oh, no.

Josh, who had been staring blankly at the screen, hastily picked up Pete and hugged him. Pete, oblivious, rolled his toy car on Josh’s shoulder, mimicking engine sounds with his mouth. Josh habitually patted the child’s back, thinking blankly.

What on earth is that…?

“What on earth is going on?”

His mother, who had come downstairs at some point, shrieked. A flustered Josh hastily tried to change the channel, but it was too late. His mother stared at the screen with wide eyes, repeatedly exclaiming, “Oh my, oh my.” Meanwhile, the same scene continued to replay on the TV. Josh could only sweat, unable to do anything.

Finally, the screen changed, and the anchor reappeared.

[It’s been a long time since Chase Miller was so enraged. They say that paparazzi will need 12 weeks to recover, right?]

The guest picked up her words.

[There hasn’t been a paparazzi brave enough to point a camera like that before either.]

The guest seemed somewhat sympathetic, perhaps due to a negative perception of paparazzi, but the anchor was not.

[Isn’t it something stars should expect, that their private lives are exposed? I think Chase Miller went too far. I just hope this doesn’t affect the work.]

Josh soon understood why she was so negative towards Chase.

[I really love the original work too.]

That meant she was also a fan of the character Chase played, Dr. Flame – in other words, a ‘Flamer.’ The guest, also seeming to notice this fact, said with surprise,

[What more can be said about Chase Miller’s acting skills? I’m also really looking forward to this movie.]

But the anchor remained negative. She concluded with an unpleasant expression.

[Acting ability and personality don’t always correlate.]

The anchor smiled as if making a joke, then quickly moved on to the next topic. But anyone who wasn’t a fool would know she wasn’t joking. His mother, who had been watching the screen until then, shook her head and said,

“Even if paparazzi are annoying, that’s scary. You should have changed the channel so Pete couldn’t see it.”

Josh replied indifferently to his chiding mother.

“I’m holding him like this, aren’t I?”

Just then, Pete, standing on tiptoes in Josh’s arms, drove his toy car along his back. Seeing the child’s back, making “vroom” engine sounds, his mother shrugged.

“Well, that’s fine then. Anyway, there are all sorts of strange people in the world.”

His mother shook her head again, then looked at the clock on the wall and was startled.

“Is it already this late? I need to get ready. Josh, what are you doing? You hurry up and wash up and change your clothes too. Even if it’s our house, someone’s coming to greet us. And wash Pete while you shower.”

His mother had forgotten to buy her own clothes the day before, but she hadn’t forgotten to buy new clothes for Pete. When Josh went to his room, Pete’s clothes, prepared by his mother, were laid out on the bed.

…It’ll be fine, probably.

He secretly felt uneasy as he undressed Pete and went into the bathroom with him. His mother didn’t know much about celebrities or famous people, so there was a high chance she wouldn’t recognize him. Josh hastily bathed Pete, comforting himself that it would probably be okay.

Only about an hour remained until Chase was scheduled to arrive.

“Hey, why are you fidgeting so much? It’s distracting.”

His mother, setting out the dishes she had prepared earlier, frowned and chided Josh. Josh just gave an awkward laugh, having nothing else to say.

Time continued to tick by. The time for Chase to appear drew closer.

Suddenly, the sound of an approaching car engine was heard. He quickly looked out through the living room window and saw a familiar car slowing down and stopping in front of the house. It was Emma.

“Wow, what’s wrong with the house?”

As soon as Emma entered the living room, her eyes widened. She had also taken a special day off to meet Josh’s partner today. Unusually dressed in a suit, she subtly whispered as she passed Josh.

“It’s Chanel.”

Josh, who had thought she didn’t need to put so much effort into it, belatedly remembered that the two-piece she had chosen for their mother also had the same logo. To top it off, Emma tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and declared confidently,

“Every woman should have at least one Chanel outfit. Just in case, you know.”

“In case of what? What ‘case’?”

To Josh, who genuinely didn’t understand and asked, Emma’s eyes sparkled.

“To assert dominance, first impressions are important.”

Soon after, she crossed her arms and muttered to herself in a combative stance.

“I’ll see for myself just how beautiful this person is, that both of them are so completely smitten.”

Unlike outside, where she was constantly called a pumpkin or ugly at home, Emma seemed to have come prepared this time. Once, when Josh was teasing Emma as usual, she had genuinely gotten angry. But Josh had said this, for the first and last time:

“No one thinks their own sibling is pretty.”