Kiss Me if You Can Novel Completed - Chapter 98

On a day with unusually strong sunlight, a subtle sweat broke out despite the cool breeze. The interior of the restaurant, just past lunchtime, was still bustling, but the outdoor tables were empty. Josh glanced inside and then settled down at one of the outdoor tables with a parasol.

“My party will be here soon. Thank you.”

He quickly asked for understanding from the observant staff member who came to take his order, and she smiled and left the menu. He passed the time bored, flipping the thin, single-page laminated menu back and forth, when soon after the appointed time, he appeared.

“Over here, Dane.”

Josh, who had already taken a seat at the table, spotted the familiar figure walking from a distance and raised his hand. Dane was wearing a worn-out T-shirt and equally wrinkled jeans, and with his messy hair, he looked almost like a homeless person.

“Darling wasn’t feeling well, so I just dropped her off at the vet.”

As soon as Dane sat across from him and readily explained the reason, Josh exclaimed, “Oh, dear.”

“Is she okay? Is it serious?”

Darling was Dane’s cat; blind and deaf, yet she would miraculously sense Dane’s presence and lean against him. Dane, too, seemed indifferent to everyone in the world, but Darling was the exception. This time, too, he spoke with a softer expression than usual.

“No, it just seems like old age. She hasn’t been eating well since yesterday, so I took her to the vet, but there’s nothing else wrong, she just needs some fluids.”

“That’s a relief.”

“It is a relief.”

Josh nodded at Dane’s reply and changed the subject.

“So, you’re meeting me while Darling gets her shot? Do you have to go back?”

Dane checked his watch and then replied.

“The clinic closes at 5, so I just need to get there before then.”

“Really? You haven’t eaten yet?”

Josh handed him the menu he had already received, and Dane seemed to casually glance over it before choosing a sandwich, fries, and a drink.

“You look tired yourself, are you working a lot?” Dane asked, returning the menu. Just as he said, Josh had been passed out in bed right before coming out, and he managed a bitter smile.

It wasn’t just that he hadn’t slept. After spending a full day rolling around in Chase’s bed, Josh barely managed to sneak back to his lodging and then slept like a corpse for over half a day. Yet, his back still ached.

After that, as soon as he opened his eyes, he ate four plates of steak, emptied a giant bowl full of mashed potatoes, devoured an entire pecan pie, and as a bonus, ate five pancakes with a whole bottle of maple syrup poured over pizza and hamburgers. Only then did he regain some semblance of reason and energy. And even after that, he slept for several more hours, completely out of it, before finally recovering his strength. It was fortunate that everyone misunderstood and thought he had been scolded by Chase, which resulted in him getting the last bodyguard shift.

How can he just do that all day without eating?

Josh was secretly in a serious dilemma. Chase didn’t eat much for his physique. He never seemed particularly interested in food, but Josh couldn’t live like that. Although Chase looked slender, he was 6 feet 5 inches tall. Moreover, he had absolutely no body fat, making him appear thin and lean, but covered in long bones and muscles, he was quite solid when unclothed. Considering how he flipped Josh’s body around as he pleased, his strength couldn’t be underestimated. If he properly learned martial arts, even Josh would find him a formidable opponent.

Nevertheless, Chase lost interest immediately after eating just enough calories. It was unimaginable for Josh, who was a big eater.

Come to think of it, did he have a favorite food?

Josh, who had thought that far, suddenly frowned. It would be troublesome if his stamina improved more than it already had.

“Rather than work, it’s more like…”

He vaguely glossed over it and then ordered the menu he had already chosen. Dane didn’t ask further and put a cigarette in his mouth. Afterward, the two sat facing each other and had a simple lunch. While sharing small events that had happened, the conversation naturally shifted to the recent fire.

“There’s not a day without a fire.”

Because it didn’t rain all year, the air was dry, and fires were commonplace. Once, a tree branch hitting another in the wind even sparked a wildfire.

Dane spoke indifferently, but even so, there had been quite a large fire recently. He must have struggled to put it out. Sure enough, when Josh belatedly noticed the rather large bandage on his forearm and asked why, he replied.

“Got a bit scorched while working.”

“Oh, dear.”

As a surprised Josh blinked, Dane casually finished his sentence with “It’s nothing.” But recalling the frequent wildfires and earthquakes that had caused chaos for a while, his injury seemed serious. Josh watched his bandaged arm and asked.

“Are you badly hurt anywhere else? Is that all?”

“Got scorched in a few places, but it’s all nothing.”

Dane, who had answered indifferently, suddenly frowned. He seemed to recall something unpleasant, but then he shrugged one shoulder and continued.

“I didn’t know you were still working here. Didn’t you say you’d be going back soon?”

“When the job’s done. My contract was extended.”

“Really?”

Dane casually brought his coffee to his lips, but Josh soon realized the reason he had suddenly contacted him and made an appointment. In short, he wanted to see him one more time before he left, since he didn’t know when they’d meet again.

Dane was always incredibly self-centered and a thorough individualist, but very occasionally, he would show such thoughtfulness. Of course, it was very rare and often difficult to notice, so most people missed it, but when Josh did catch on, he was touched more than twice as much. That was exactly how Josh felt right now.

“I might not go back.”

Dane paused, holding his coffee cup. After a beat, he put the teacup down and spoke.

“What do you mean by that?”

Surprised by the unexpected reaction, Josh answered honestly, feeling a bit puzzled.

“I’m thinking of moving here. I’m worried about my mother too.”

“Really?”

Dane still indifferently took a large bite of his sandwich and slowly began to chew. Josh watched him and then spoke.

“I’m thinking of getting married soon.”

Suddenly, Dane stopped chewing and looked at Josh. The question came after he swallowed his food.

“Married, you?”

“Yes.”

Josh nodded and then asked playfully.

“Why, don’t you believe it?”

“Yes.”

This time, Dane nodded. Josh paused and looked at his face. Then Dane continued with his usual indifferent demeanor.

“I really thought you’d never get married. You and I, we’ve only ever met partners for casual fun, haven’t we? The longest you’ve ever dated was a month? Two months?”

“I’ve gone for three months sometimes.”

“Anyway.”

Ignoring Josh’s small protest, Dane said.

“I really thought you wouldn’t get tied down by something as formal as marriage… The other person must be quite something, then.”

You’re the same way. Josh thought to himself, then suddenly understood why Dane was reacting this way.

You thought I was like you.

It felt like he had seen into his mind, and Josh suddenly felt mischievous.

“You’d be surprised if you knew who it was.”

Dane also seemed a little curious and asked.

“Why?”

He didn’t seem to think the other person was famous. Thinking of Chase, a smile naturally spread across Josh’s lips, and he answered with a laugh.

“Because they’re incredibly beautiful.”

“Hmm…”

Dane showed an uncharacteristic reaction of surprise. It was extremely rare for Josh to praise someone’s appearance like this. Come to think of it, most of the time it was just ‘pretty?’ or ‘cute,’ but this was the first time he was bragging with such a dazed expression.

Just how beautiful are they?

Dane, who had been thinking, suddenly spoke.

“Is it that guy you asked me to hide last time?”

“What? Yeonwoo? No!”

Josh waved his hands frantically, surprised.

“That person already has a partner. You don’t think I’d have an affair, do you? I absolutely refuse to meet anyone in secret.”

Seeing Josh’s serious expression, Dane paused for a moment and then said indifferently.

“Then just don’t meet in secret?”

“What?”

“There are cases where people have multiple wives or husbands at once, isn’t it fine if they all agree?”

It wasn’t wrong. In fact, it could even be said to be right. It just didn’t fit Josh’s lifestyle.

“I don’t like dating multiple people at once, and I don’t like sharing my partner with anyone else.”

Josh, who had said that much, suddenly frowned.

“Dane, how many people have you dated at once?”

At that, Dane was silent for a moment. His expression, frowning and distant, clearly showed him racking his memory. Josh immediately shook his head.

“No, never mind. Don’t tell me.”

He belatedly saw Dane’s fingers, resting on the table, folded to three. At Josh’s serious reaction, Dane understood, unfolded his fingers, and leaned back in his chair.

“I have no intention of getting involved with anyone in your circle.”

“Oh, of course not.”

Josh immediately replied.

“I’d be very grateful if you’d exclude my alpha and my sister from consideration.”

“Who? Ah, right.”

A beat later, Dane nodded.

“Your sister who only dates losers?”

“If only she’d even date!”

Josh, who had immediately clenched his fist, then paused. Dane was looking at him with an indifferent expression. Josh ran a hand through his hair with a sigh and continued.

“Anyway, you’re not Emma’s type, so there’s no chance of getting involved, but I don’t want to fight with a friend, so please be careful.”

“…What did you say your sister looked like?”

To Dane, who was frowning as if trying to recall, Josh simply replied.

“She looks a lot like me.”

“Oh.”

That was all of Dane’s reaction. But it was enough to make Josh feel uneasy.

“What was that reaction?”

At Josh’s question, Dane shrugged.

“If a woman looks exactly like you, I’d refuse too.”

Dane laughed indifferently.

“You’re really not my type, you know.”

“I know, of course. Thankfully.”

After a full dose of sarcasm, Josh brought the chicken sandwich to his mouth. When he was halfway through his meal, Dane asked.

“Is she that beautiful? On a scale, how beautiful?”

“Well…”

Josh hesitated for a moment before answering. He couldn’t think of anyone as beautiful as Chase, or even close to that level. Instead, he offered a different criterion.

“So beautiful that even if they did something very wrong, you couldn’t bring yourself to scold them?”

Dane fell into deep thought. He was clearly trying to figure out what that meant. After a moment of silence, he looked up.

“For example, if it were a man, you’d want to hit him but couldn’t?”

Josh was momentarily flustered, feeling it was somehow both right and wrong. He suddenly remembered Dane, who had punched a colleague for beating a stray dog back in the military. When interrogated by a superior later, his answer was clear.

<That bastard was hitting a dog.>

The superior reprimanded him, saying he shouldn’t hit a colleague, but Dane’s attitude didn’t change.

<You should hit a person, not a dog.>

Thanks to that, both guys who fought were confined to the guardhouse for two days. The other guy was hospitalized for nearly a month. Dane’s thinking seemed to have changed little from then until now. Josh admonished him sternly, as he would Pete or Chase.

“You shouldn’t hit people or dogs.”

Dane frowned, but Josh changed the subject without further explanation.

“I tried to warn them with words, but they teared up and said they were sorry, so I couldn’t say anything more.”

“Hmph…”

Dane made a strange sound. At the clearly mocking exclamation, Josh immediately reacted.

“What? What’s that reaction?”

“Well…”

Dane narrowed his eyes and scoffed at him.

“Aren’t you being fooled? People often pretend to be sorry right in front of you.”

At the word ‘acting,’ Josh paused. Seeing Josh’s reaction, Dane continued.

“People always deceive others, Josh.”

He was well aware of Dane’s misanthropy, but Josh didn’t easily admit it. Yet, he couldn’t deny it either. Looking back, Chase was an award-winning actor. Recalling the acting skills that were praised in every movie, he belatedly grew suspicious.

“…No way.”

He shook his head as if it couldn’t be true, but the suspicion had already taken root. Seeing Josh like that, Dane added casually.

“Test it next time.”

And he nonchalantly took a bite of the remaining sandwich.