Kiss Me if You Can Novel Completed - Chapter 90 Side Story

From early in the morning, the event hall was bustling with people. Cameramen vied for good spots, engaging in silent battles, while people gathered outside the long photo line continuously screamed with anticipation for the celebrities who would soon appear.

It wasn’t the first time an Italian luxury brand held a collection to mark a new season, but this time was special for a different reason. Expectations were already high after the announcement of a new men’s collection, and the list of invited celebrities was astounding. Among them, the celebrity who garnered the most attention was an actor rumored to be the highest-paid recently, whose private life was almost entirely unknown despite his immense popularity. Not even paparazzi, who clung like leeches to capture secret photos of celebrities, nor persistent gossip magazine reporters, who dug tirelessly to unearth any secret, could uncover his private life.

The reason was simple: everyone valued their own life. The desire to hit the jackpot with a scoop and get rich quickly was universal, but it was meaningless if they couldn’t spend that money. The paparazzi who took nude photos of ‘that actor’ literally almost died. He barely survived but was confined to his bed for life. The actor generously compensated his family through his lawyer and promised to cover his medical expenses.

But what was the point of that? After that incident, reckless individuals who risked their lives to photograph the actor disappeared. Occasionally, those who were still naive or had lost their fear would be blinded by money and take a chance. Though extremely rare, after a few more similar incidents or near-misses occurred, no one dared to even try anymore. Thanks to this, opportunities to photograph him or hear his stories were limited to official events like this.

“It’s incredible. The bodyguards are going to have a tough time.”

A cameraman, who had settled down and finished preparing for the shoot, muttered, and a reporter waiting for an interview replied,

“Of course. Look at today’s list. Everyone must have come prepared.”

“When will he arrive?”

Someone else asked. From one side, a nonchalant voice retorted,

“Who?”

“Who else?”

A sarcastic voice returned.

“Chase Miller, of course.”

Just then, a sedan stopped, and a cheer erupted from the waiting crowd.

“Whoaaaaa…”

At the sound coming from outside the car, Josh unconsciously furrowed his brow, and Henry cursed. Isaac, who was in the driver’s seat, spoke up.

“There’s a huge crowd.”

“Figures.”

Mark, sitting in the passenger seat, continued,

“Our roles are set, so let’s just do our jobs without overdoing it.”

“Yes.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t do more even if they asked.”

Henry added after Josh. Everyone had similar thoughts but kept them to themselves.

Due to a schedule change during filming, Josh’s team, along with the regular security team, left a few members at the filming location to protect Chase and came to the event hall. Seth was among those who stayed behind. He couldn’t hide his relief as he saw the other members off. Henry, who had been badly shoved by fans rushing at Chase, stomped on the lottery ticket he had drawn, tore at his hair, and shrieked, but it was already irreversible.

The crowd outside the car windows grew steadily. It was impossible to guess how many people had gathered at the event hall.

Nothing bad will happen, right?

Josh was nervous for a different reason than Henry. Naturally, no one knew about his relationship with Chase. Pete also didn’t know that Chase was his daddy. Josh’s opinion was to announce it at an appropriate time after Chase finished filming. It took effort to persuade Chase, but he eventually agreed.

The problem was that Josh himself found it difficult to find that “timing.” Even while raising Pete, he had never thought about marriage. He vaguely left open the possibility of marrying a good person someday, but he had never imagined concrete plans.

And to think his partner was Chase Miller.

Just announcing their marriage to those around them was going to be a challenge. Of course, everyone would be surprised and congratulate them, but the partner was the issue. The moment he revealed it was Chase Miller, he could vividly imagine everyone’s horrified faces. And it wouldn’t end there. Mark might have a heart attack when he learned that Chase was Pete’s father. He wasn’t old enough for that yet, but the shock would undoubtedly be enough to cause such a reaction.

Not just his colleagues, Emma’s reaction would likely be similar. At least Pete’s and his mother’s reactions might be better. His mother wasn’t interested in celebrities, so she wouldn’t know how famous Chase Miller was, and Pete, who had a favorable impression of Chase, might even be happy. Chase was his hero who saved him, and in Josh’s eyes, Pete was completely smitten with Chase. As proof, until just before they parted, Pete had clung tightly to Josh’s leg, constantly stealing glances at Chase’s face.

Is it true that blood runs thicker than water?

Feeling a strange sensation, Josh brought his thoughts back to reality. He would have to tell Pete that Chase was his daddy after they had gotten closer. When would be a good time to tell his colleagues? First, his mother and Emma…

“…”

A faint cheer brought him back to his senses. An enormous crowd had gathered outside the car window. Josh wasn’t the only one who instinctively tensed up. Everyone was on edge, preparing for the situation that was about to unfold.

“Get ready, we’re getting out.”

At Mark’s voice, the remaining members nodded briefly. A moment later, the car stopped, and the door opened.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

The sudden screams deafened him for a moment. A startled Josh flinched, and Henry, who was about to follow him out, widened his eyes. He cursed and said something, but no one understood what Henry said. Henry himself probably couldn’t hear what he said. Would the earphones even work properly in this state? As Josh adjusted his earphones again, Mark’s voice flowed in.

[Can you hear me clearly? Everyone, be careful.]

Although it was buried in the cheers, it wasn’t impossible to hear, so Josh nodded. Henry, standing beside him, muttered something with a disgusted look, and everyone who knew him naturally assumed it was a curse.

Immediately turning around, the leader of the regular security team, who had checked the surroundings, opened the door of Chase’s car.

Ah.

Josh knew Chase’s movements by scent before he saw them. Even among so many people, his sweet scent couldn’t be hidden. It immediately flowed through the air, paralyzing Josh’s senses. For a moment, Josh could feel nothing but Chase’s scent.

Should I have taken more medicine?

He regretted it belatedly, but it was already too late. Josh shook his head hard to concentrate. In a place with so many people, even a slight mistake could sweep him away. Then an irreversible situation would occur. Hadn’t he seen the fans swarming like zombies?

“Whoaaaaaa…!”

The cheer momentarily stunned everyone. It was rare to be exposed to such an enormous roar. Not only Josh’s team but also the existing regular team visibly flinched for a moment. And finally, Chase appeared before everyone.

When was the last time I saw that guy?

Josh vaguely recalled the thought. If someone else had said that, he would have scoffed in disbelief. But since it was his own situation, his lips didn’t even curl up.

Chase still had his black hair dyed for a role. During filming, he usually wore an eye patch over one eye and a colored lens in the other to hide his purple eyes, but now, except for his hair, he was completely Chase Miller. Moreover, wearing a suit specially gifted by a designer, he was impossible to take his eyes off.

Just then, Chase swept his neatly combed hair back from his forehead with a long finger. Simultaneously, the cheers multiplied several times, and the bodyguards quickly exchanged glances.

Damn it.

Josh thought irritably, even in his dazed state.

I want to lock that bastard up.

He genuinely wanted to kidnap Chase right now, drag him to some unknown place, and lock him away. He felt like he would feel relieved if he put shackles on his neck and made him wait for only him all day. Everyone in that place would think the same thing. To that, Josh added regret.

Why didn’t I kidnap and hide that bastard sooner?

He managed to tear his gaze away and looked elsewhere. He felt like he could maintain his sanity if he just didn’t look. If he kept this up, he would definitely become a criminal.

Get a grip, Joshua Bailey.

With irritation and anger boiling up, Josh slapped his cheek hard. Isaac, who saw this, widened his eyes in surprise, but Josh turned his head as if he hadn’t seen it.

Their task was set. Once Chase took photos, answered a few questions from reporters, and entered the event hall, they could breathe a sigh of relief. Getting out afterward would be another problem, but if things went according to the simulation, it would end tolerably. They had also prepared for any potential accidents. He just hoped nothing like that would happen.

Amidst the pouring cheers, Chase walked along the prepared path. Flashes erupted from all directions, and reporters continuously pressed their shutters. The gathered crowd was frantic, screaming and pressing their phone shutters.

The reporters lined up began to move busily, vying to say even a single word to Chase. As expected, questions about the movie currently being filmed, his fashion today, and other trivial and obvious questions followed.

What was different from usual was that Chase, who usually gave short, nonchalant answers or openly showed his annoyance, did not do so today. He wasn’t particularly affectionate or talkative, and his unenthusiastic attitude remained unchanged, but there was a somehow softer atmosphere, prompting a reporter to ask a bold question.

“Were there any special episodes during filming? Like, did you meet someone nice?”

In fact, such questions usually didn’t have much meaning. The truth of a scandal wasn’t very important, and the public also preferred gossip over truth. Most of Chase’s scandals were similar, and this time, too, everyone was ready to fabricate stories to their liking if given even a slight pretext.

Chase glanced down at the reporter, who was full of anticipation and looking for an opening. He neither denied nor affirmed, merely casting a brief look.

But the camera didn’t miss that moment. His atmosphere changed abruptly with a faint upward curve of his lips and gently curving eyes. He must have recalled something. That alone was enough to churn out speculative articles, but it didn’t satisfy the reporter’s curiosity. He couldn’t resist and opened his mouth to ask another question. But Chase’s attention had already shifted elsewhere. The reporter followed his gaze, but there were only screaming people and bodyguards restraining them.

Is something wrong?

The bewildered reporter questioned someone else with his eyes. The response he received was not much different from his own. Everyone expected it to be just a meaningless glance and that he would soon turn his attention back to entering the event hall, but they were wrong. Chase stood motionless, staring intently in the same direction.

Surely, he wouldn’t be that interested in fans.

Just as he was wondering and trying to make his own guesses, Chase suddenly moved.

“Chase?”

“Mr. Miller!”

“What? What’s wrong?”

People shouted in confusion from all directions, but no one could stop his sudden action. Simultaneously, one side of the line collapsed, and Chase suddenly started running. Following that, the cheers grew several times louder, momentarily stunning the minds of the gathered people.

“Josh, block that side!”

Before Isaac’s shout even finished, Josh used his body to block people trying to cross the safety line.

“Step back, quickly!”

Amidst the screaming people reaching out their hands, someone began taking photos of Josh’s face. Since he was wearing dark sunglasses, half his face was covered, and he was often photographed like this while working, so Josh focused on his job rather than feeling displeased.

Meanwhile, people freely took pictures of Josh without restraint. The shouts from all directions were buried in the cheers, making it difficult to understand properly. Other sounds, buried in screams and cries, finally reached Josh’s ears, which were mechanically moving, after a long while.

“Who is it? A rookie actor? A model?”

“Chase, Chase Miller! I love you!”

“Is he a bodyguard? Or a performance?”

“Move, I can’t see! Damn it, argh!”

“Let’s take a picture together! Look here!”

“Chase!”

There was no need to reply, so Josh ignored them and focused only on keeping them from crossing the line.

If Chase would just go inside quickly, this situation would get better.

But the time they had scheduled was too long, the reporters’ questions were endless, and the sound of shutters taking Chase’s photos continued without a break. There was no need to invoke the theory of relativity. Every minute and second was simply overwhelming.

“Oh, whoa!”

As he struggled to hold back the surging crowd, an ominous sound came from behind him. He instinctively turned around to see Isaac staggering. An event staff member helped him, but it was futile. The line was about to collapse, and it felt like a nightmare was about to repeat itself.

Chase?

An unbelievable sight entered Josh’s vision as he instinctively turned his head. Chase was running towards him.

“Tha…”

He tried to shout, Don’t come, but before he could, cheers poured into his ears. Then the line collapsed, and the crowd swarmed over Josh.

“Joshua!”

Chase shouted, reaching out his hand. Josh frantically pushed people away and yelled,

“Go, go! Get inside, quickly!”

He shouted repeatedly, but his cries were buried in the cheers of the crowd, to the point where even he couldn’t hear them. Beyond the greatly increased number of event staff and bodyguards, Chase grabbed Josh. The cheers grew even louder, and the people’s frenzy became uncontrollable. The event hall soon turned into chaos. Amidst it all, Chase, pale with fright, desperately tried to pull Josh out.