Kiss Me if You Can Novel Completed - Chapter 84

Josh was walking down the dirt road with a serious expression. Occasionally, passing staff members greeted him, but he didn’t even notice. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t have time to properly look around.

After receiving a call from Laura, Josh left his lodging. Ever since Mark had told him about it, he had been constantly agonizing over what to do, and it seemed Chase had also heard the news.

“Anyway, Miller doesn’t care about bodyguards, so I wonder why we even bother reporting it.”

Mark had laughed as he said that, but Josh’s thoughts were different. This time, it was finally time to tell him everything. He had spent enough time on it. He needed to take this opportunity to talk things through, calmly, one by one.

He would be very shocked.

It was when he sighed and furrowed his brow that he suddenly felt a strange sensation. Josh stopped walking and looked around once. All that was there was Chase’s trailer. But that was all. The trailer door was wide open, but Henry, who should have been guarding it, was nowhere to be seen. Something was definitely wrong.

Josh turned deathly pale as a face immediately flashed through his mind. Then, a chilling gunshot echoed, “Thwang!”

“Chase!”

He yelled without realizing it and rushed forward.

Becky turned deathly pale and trembled. It took her a while to realize what she had done.

“Oh, what do I do?”

She was so startled that she threw the gun away. The gun bounced once after hitting the floor, then landed in front of Chase.

Below Becky, Henry lay gasping for breath. Red blood flowed between the fingers clutching his stomach.

“Shit, damn it… What… are you doing…?”

Henry gasped, spitting out curses. Becky grew even paler and collapsed onto the spot.

“I-I’m sorry. I just wanted to threaten… Oh, what do I do, what do I do!”

“Damn it! Call an ambulance, you…! Are you really trying to kill me?”

Henry yelled. But that was his own thought; in reality, his voice was just a strained whisper, mixed with groans of pain.

“Hmph…”

Becky’s eyes welled up with tears, then she suddenly turned her anger towards Chase.

“This is all your fault!”

Chase frowned at the sudden accusation.

“My fault?”

“Yes!”

Becky shouted, glaring at him again with tear-filled eyes.

“If you hadn’t ignored me from the start, this wouldn’t have happened! After you pushed me away that day, do you know how much I suffered? Looking at me with those eyes, saying those things to me. Why did you do that? What was wrong with me?”

Tears mixed with her voice as the revived memory seemed to torment her.

“How much I loved you… I waited throughout the filming, believing you would apologize to me! But what is this? I even prepared water for you, and you threw it away, saying it smelled like an Omega! Then, just when I was about to forget, you smiled at me. No one noticed, but I know, you smiled at me!”

Becky then whispered with an excited face.

“Of course, you’re Doctor Flame, and I’m your flower. I’m the bride who burns in your eternal flame…!”

Chase didn’t react. His lack of reaction made her face twist, and she suddenly widened her eyes.

“But look, what’s your attitude now? This is all your fault! If you had apologized to me earlier, if you hadn’t kept messing with me like this, none of this would have happened! It’s all your fault, if it weren’t for you, this person wouldn’t have been shot!”

“Damn it, you’re the one who shot him, why are you…”

Henry, groaning in pain, pointed out in disbelief. But neither Chase nor Becky listened to him. Chase, who had been leaning against the panel in silence until then, glanced down. The gun Becky had dropped lay there.

Becky watched, sobbing, as he bent down to pick it up. Chase rotated the small handgun, which still faintly smelled of gunpowder, and spoke indifferently.

“Oh? So, should I just die?”

Suddenly, he pointed the gun at his own head. Becky’s eyes widened in shock, but Chase continued nonchalantly.

“It’s simple. I just have to blow this away, right?”

“Chase, I didn’t mean that.”

“What are you doing right now?”

Suddenly, an interrupting voice made Chase and Becky turn to the entrance simultaneously. Beyond the wide-open trailer door stood a pale-faced Josh, gasping for breath.

“What in the world…”

His gaze swept from Henry lying on the floor to the woman, then to Chase, finally fixing on the handgun in Chase’s hand.

“What are you doing?”

He looked stunned, his expression blank. Becky nervously looked back and forth between Chase and Josh. Josh couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Why was Henry shot? Did that woman start it? But why was Chase pointing a gun at his own head?

He understood nothing. But one thing was clear: he had to stop him.

“Calm down, Chase. I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s talk this out.”

Josh spoke to Chase, approaching him step by step. It felt as if Chase would pull the trigger any second. A shiver ran down his spine, and cold sweat trickled down his temples. Becky just watched them, trembling.

Josh slowly approached Chase, one step at a time. In the tense silence, only his own breathing seemed to loudly pound in his ears.

Chase still looked at him with an expressionless face. But the hand holding the gun was perfectly steady. Josh, without taking his eyes off the hand holding the gun, spoke.

“It’s okay, Chase. First, put the gun down. Then, let’s talk. …You like bubble baths, right? I’ll put in lots of soap. Yes, it would be good to have a massage too. Is there anything you want to eat? Tell me anything, donuts or cookies, I’ll make anything for you…”

Josh was desperate. He had to persuade him somehow. Just a few more steps. Josh quickly checked the distance between himself and Chase.

Almost there, Chase. Just a little longer.

He desperately wished, reaching out his hand, but all he received was Chase’s cold smile.

“Too late.”

And he pulled the trigger. Becky screamed, and a loud gunshot echoed through the trailer.

“…!”

The acrid smell of gunpowder stung his nose. Chase, who had closed his eyes for a moment, slowly lifted his eyelids. Nothing in the world had changed. Becky was still crying, and Henry, bleeding and collapsed, was still there.

Only Josh, looking deathly pale and gasping for breath as he stared at him, was different from before. He stood incredibly close.

“…Damn it!”

Josh cursed, throwing away the gun he had snatched. It was the same gun Chase had just tried to shoot himself with.

“You bastard, you…!”

Josh, seething with anger, grabbed Chase by the collar. Chase was pulled along limply. The glaring eyes, clenched teeth, looked menacing enough to beat Chase to death right then and there.

If he died like that, it wouldn’t be so bad.

It was when Chase thought indifferently. Josh, who had raised his fist, stopped. He seemed to bite his lip and tremble slightly, then he brought his hand up. He expected to be hit, but it gently touched Chase’s temple.

Only after the soft touch did Chase realize that a bullet had grazed that spot.

“Why.”

Josh spoke.

“Why are you doing this?”

He asked with a sigh.

“Why do you keep trying to die?”

Josh’s eyes welled up with tears, heartbroken. Chase blinked in surprise. For a while, they both said nothing. They just silently listened to each other’s breathing.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard from outside, and then Isaac rushed in.

“What’s wrong? Mr. Miller, are you okay…?”

He stopped, startled by the sight inside the trailer. Seth, who had been on patrol with him, also appeared behind him, widening his eyes in surprise.

“What is all this?”

He then paused, spotting Becky. She was the woman he had encountered during his patrol. She was an actress he saw often, so he hadn’t thought much of it, but what was happening now?

But there was no time for confusion.

“Henry! My God, what a mess!”

Isaac then shouted and rushed to Henry. Henry, who seemed half-conscious, spoke. He seemed to whisper something, and Isaac looked down at him in bewilderment.

“What’s wrong? Is he saying he’s going to die?”

To Seth’s question, Isaac blinked, said no, then let out an exasperated sigh before speaking.

“Just call an ambulance.”

“And the police too.”

At Josh’s voice, Isaac and Seth both turned to him. Josh, who had calmed his emotions, wrapped the gun he had thrown on the floor in a handkerchief and handed it to Seth.

“Tell the police to investigate the details… And tell C that he’ll cooperate with the witness investigation once he’s stable.”

Seth glanced at him and asked.

“Is C okay?”

“It was just a graze. I’ll tell the medical team to treat him.”

Following Josh’s answer, Isaac chimed in.

“Before 911 arrives, it’s better to go to the infirmary for first aid. Henry, can you hold on?”

“It was a graze, you idiot.”

“Right, that’s a relief.”

Isaac replied casually, then quickly put his arm under Henry’s shoulder to help him up. Henry limped out, leaning on Isaac’s support, followed by Seth, who led Becky out of the trailer. She seemed completely dazed, no longer crying, just walking listlessly as she was told.