Kiss Me if You Can Novel - Chapter 2

<Major Accident at V&A Jewelry Event.>

The employee, who had picked up a newspaper next to the counter and was reading the article, grumbled, “Tsk.” The article written below was incredibly obvious. The TV had already made a big fuss about it. The internet, as well as passersby, were all busy talking about it. He didn’t like it.

Just then, a customer placed items to be paid for on the counter. The employee glanced at the gum, bottled water, and a men’s magazine, then casually spoke.

“It’s been quite a commotion, all because of Chase Miller.”

“Well, so I hear.”

The man said briefly, as if not very interested. The employee scanned the barcode and, as if he had been waiting, poured out his thoughts.

“So many people got hurt, it’s a shame. Honestly, shouldn’t people like him not be invited to events like this? They must have expected something like this to happen. And Chase Miller hasn’t even said a word of regret, and it’s all because of him. Doesn’t it seem like he enjoys seeing people go wild because of him?”

“I don’t know much about celebrities, I guess.”

The man skillfully lied. It wasn’t entirely a lie. The part about not knowing much about celebrities was true. More than that, he wanted to finish paying quickly and go home. Just then, another customer stood behind him, glaring at the employee. The employee hastily finished the transaction and looked up.

The man was taller than he had thought. Moreover, his chest, visible in his line of sight, showed clear, firm muscles even hidden beneath his shirt. The moment the employee saw his face, which was positioned higher than expected, he paused.

As the employee blinked with wide eyes, the man himself put the items in a bag, gave a simple greeting, and left. The customer standing behind the employee, who was staring blankly at the man’s retreating figure, complained.

“Why is the checkout taking so long?”

“Did you see the man who just left?”

The customer looked at him incredulously. But the employee was still staring in the direction the man had disappeared and mumbled.

“He must be an Alpha, that man, right?”

“Wow,” the employee exclaimed again, and the customer, frowning, looked in the same direction as him.

“I didn’t smell any pheromones.”

“He’s so handsome, of course he’s an Alpha. And his body is so good too.”

“Was it? His back was really cool though.”

The customer finally showed interest, but the man’s trace was already gone. The employee then came to his senses, scanned the barcode, and sighed. He thought, I wish he would come back.

I’ll never go to that store again.

Josh gritted his teeth, wildly swerving between lanes. Horns blared and curses poured from all directions, but he ignored them and pressed the accelerator harder.

He was already 30 minutes late. Why did he have to dawdle so much? He dragged out a 10-minute task with unnecessary chatter. Moreover, the topic the employee brought up was something Josh really didn’t want to hear. For days, he had been hearing about Chase Miller to the point of getting a headache.

No matter how much he tried to avoid it, he simply couldn’t. When people gathered, everyone talked about him. Chase’s face was on the packaging of the soda that came out when he pressed a vending machine button, news about him was on TV, and his perfume advertisement hung on giant billboards when he drove down the road.

As long as he lived in this country, it was impossible to ignore Chase Miller.

Josh, annoyed, was about to let out a rough curse but managed to swallow it. He had been horrified when Pete, after inadvertently hearing a bad word from him before, casually repeated it. Since then, Josh had been extremely careful not to let harsh words slip out, even by mistake. But on days like this, it was hard to hold back from cursing.

Recalling Pete’s face, he endured and endured, and when he finally arrived home, he genuinely almost cheered.

“Pete!”

Leaping three steps at a time up the stairs to reach his floor in one breath, he called out the child’s name as soon as he opened the door. Pete, who was sitting in the living room playing with the part-timer, turned his head and immediately shouted.

“Daddy!”

“Pete!”

Josh immediately picked up Pete, who stretched out his short arms, and showered his entire face with kisses. The satisfaction that filled his chest made it hard to even breathe. The fatigue that had accumulated all day seemed to vanish in an instant.

Only after an emotional reunion lasting a full five hours did Josh, holding the child, finally speak to the part-timer.

“Thank you for your hard work today too.”

“Not at all. Pete is well-behaved, so he’s very easy to look after.”

The college student worked part-time, looking after the child in Josh’s place. Josh smiled, looking down at the ordinary student who was a head shorter than him.

“You’re always a great help. Your exams are coming up soon, right? You’ll let me know in advance if you can’t make it?”

“Of course, Josh. I’ll try my best not to miss any days. See you, Pete.”

After paying the part-timer, who held the child’s hand and gave a simple greeting, Josh was left alone with Pete. Josh always carried Pete on his shoulders, as Pete loved to climb up and sit there, and began to prepare dinner.

“Wooah, ah-ung, baaaah.”

The child wiggled his bottom and made incomprehensible sounds. It was probably the theme song of his favorite cartoon. Needless to say, it was just a guess.

Josh kissed Pete’s chubby calf with a ‘smack’ and moved familiarly around the small kitchen. He simply grilled a steak, made potato salad, and finished it with beans.

“Don’t like beans.”

Pete, sitting in his high chair, immediately complained as soon as he saw the green. Josh cut the meat into small pieces to make it easier for the child to eat and said,

“Beans are friends with potatoes. They have to go into Pete’s tummy together to be happy. Because they’re friends, right? Pete doesn’t want to be separated from Jason, does he?”

Jason was Pete’s favorite dog doll. It was a fairly reasonable persuasion, but this time, Pete didn’t back down.

“Don’t like beans.”

Seeing him stubbornly pout, someone vaguely came to mind. He paused, seeing the cold face of a much taller man who resembled him.

However, it was Pete in front of him, not that man. That man was never as cute or adorable as Pete. Moreover, Pete’s expression, looking down at the beans with disappointment, was so lovely that he couldn’t possibly win.

In the end, Josh kissed the crown of Pete’s head with a ‘smack,’ then put the picked-out beans into a grinder and pulverized them without a trace. Then, as if showing off, he held up the empty plate and shouted,

“The enemy has been defeated!”

“Wah wah wah wah!”

Pete, excited, bounced up and down in his chair. Josh kissed the child’s cheek with a loud smack and began to feed him dinner. Soon, Pete’s mouth was messy with food. Josh readily took out the handkerchief he always carried and wiped his mouth, watching him. His heart felt like it would burst watching the small hands diligently using the fork.

He walked slowly around the living room, holding the child and waiting for him to fall asleep. After putting Pete to bed, he casually cleaned the house, took a shower, and finally took out a beer.

Phew.

A satisfied sigh escaped him. Though his life wasn’t lavish, he had no complaints. The thought of Pete growing up and leaving home for college already brought tears to his eyes, but that was still a distant future. He emptied one can and went to bed.

Josh was deeply asleep, not even dreaming, when the ominous doorbell rang.

“Yes, hello. …Emma?”

He answered the phone still half-asleep, then was startled by his sister’s sobbing. He hastily checked the clock on the side table and calculated the time difference; it was 8 AM on the West Coast.

[Oh, Josh, wh-what do I do.]

“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”

When he pressed her urgently, Emma answered between sobs.

[Mom, collapsed, h-hic… She’s at the hospital now.]

“What?! …Emma, don’t cry, tell me slowly. What happened?”

Josh’s voice unknowingly sharpened. From the other end of the line, his sister’s sobbing could be heard. He shook his still hazy, half-awake head vigorously like a dog, then pressed her even more sharply.

“Stop crying and tell me. So she’s in the emergency room now?”

[Uh, uh-huh. H-hic….]

Emma began to sob again. It was unusual to see his usually capable sister like this. Josh’s stomach churned, but he couldn’t do anything. He resented the reality that he couldn’t rush to her and reassure her, and waited patiently.

After some frustrating time passed, Emma, who had finally calmed her breathing, began to explain haltingly. In short, his mother’s chronic illness had worsened, and she was currently in the emergency room. He also heard that their savings had run out due to repeated outbreaks.

After she finally finished speaking, Josh asked in a softer tone than before.

“Did you check on the insurance?”

[They said last time that it was the last, and they couldn’t do any more… But just in case, I’ll go check later. I told work I’m taking the day off. I’ll also look into a bank loan, though I don’t know if it’ll be possible…]

Emma, who had barely finished speaking, again took a ragged breath.

[Josh, I really, I thought Mom was going to… Her hands were so cold, and she didn’t answer when I called. And her breathing was so… I really, h-hic, h-hic…]

“Emma, Emma.”

Josh raised his voice slightly and called her name. Before his sister could lose her composure again, he continued.

“Okay, just calm down for now. Mom is going to be okay, right?”

[Yes. She’s past the crisis.]