Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 163

Koi, who had rushed out after him, gasped at the sight of the parked Bentayga. Ashley must have never lived in a place like this, so he might not realize the unstable security. Internally vowing never to call him to his neighborhood again, Koi quickly got into the car. And only after Ashley started the car did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The place Ashley took Koi to was a small restaurant about 10 minutes away by car. Koi, who had been worried they might be going to the French restaurant they had visited before, felt a little relieved. He didn’t have enough money to eat anything there, but more importantly, it was too far.

Following Ashley, who got out of the car first, they entered the restaurant. The cozy atmosphere and quiet jazz music, more than he expected, helped him relax.

The staff member who guided them to a window seat placed menus in front of each of them and then withdrew. Koi hesitated for a moment, then reached for the menu, but Ashley suddenly snatched it away. To Koi, who looked up in surprise, Ashley spoke with an expressionless face.

“First, answer my question, Koi.”

Seeing Koi instinctively tense up, he asked, “How much money do you have right now? I’m asking if you can afford ice in your cola or not.”

Koi flinched, but Ashley continued, unconcerned.

“Don’t forget what you promised me.”

Honestly, without hiding anything.

Koi took a breath, then exhaled, and confessed with difficulty.

“…It’s hard to even buy a cola.”

A sigh, “Haaah,” was heard at his whispering voice. It was Ashley’s sigh. Koi felt embarrassed and, at the same time, unnecessarily guilty, unable to lift his face.

“Here.”

Ashley placed the menu back in front of Koi. To Koi, whose eyes automatically tried to dart towards the drinks, he continued.

“I’ll pay for the food here. Order as much as you want.”

“Huh?”

His ears suddenly perked up, and he unconsciously looked up, meeting Ashley’s gaze across the table.

“Think of it as a friend’s favor. If the roles were reversed and you had plenty and I was starving, you’d do the same, wouldn’t you?”

If the other person was Ashley, the word ‘friend’ didn’t really apply. Ashley considered Koi a friend, and Koi pretended to, but his true feelings weren’t like that. Instead, Koi imagined Ariel in that situation. Naturally, the conclusion was the same.

So it’s a favor as a friend.

Koi hid his bitter feelings and said, “Thank you,” then scanned the menu. He was so hungry it was starting to hurt, so anything that could be prepared quickly was fine.

He only started to regain his senses after eating about half of the ordered food. After frantically devouring a hamburger and a large pile of French fries, Koi finally had enough energy to speak.

After satisfying his hunger, Ashley, sitting across the table, came into view. He suddenly felt embarrassed, realizing he hadn’t properly thanked him.

Ashley was silently cutting his steak and putting it into his mouth. If it were a restaurant he usually went to, he would surely have ordered a course meal. How hungry would he have been during the gaps between dishes then?

Thinking that, a renewed sense of gratitude surged for Ashley choosing this place. Koi waited until Ashley had swallowed his steak before opening his mouth.

“Um, aren’t you very busy? Do you have time?”

He was grateful and sorry that Ashley had rushed to help him. When he asked, thinking he should finish as quickly as possible, Ashley replied with an expressionless face.

“I’ll manage my own schedule.”

“Oh, yeah.”

Koi, who had closed his mouth, thinking he had said something unnecessary, hesitated and watched Ashley’s expression. Peaceful jazz flowed between them, but Koi felt an uncomfortable silence.

I need to say something.

If he brought up work first, it would feel like he was nagging Ashley. Since that was not his intention at all, he had to bring up a different topic.

Koi, who had been diligently racking his brain while pretending to eat the remaining food, finally thought of something.

“Um, about the client rules you mentioned earlier.”

Ashley glanced at him. Koi repeated the instructions he had been given.

“To speak honestly, without hiding anything, and not to lie.”

Ashley just looked at him without raising any objections. Koi diligently continued his monologue.

“Just not lying and not hiding anything, is that really all?”

To his question about whether the conditions were too simple, Ashley readily replied.

“Yes. My clients never keep that, no matter how many times I tell them.”

Then, he twisted his lips into a sneer.

“You’ll probably be the most obedient client I’ve ever had.”

Koi’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Of course! You’re trying to help me, so I should listen to you.”

The reply to his unhesitating words was still cynical.

“There are many fools in the world who don’t even know such simple things.”

Koi tilted his head and looked at him.

“Why would they be like that?”

As Koi mumbled to himself, Ashley unexpectedly replied.

“Well, probably because lying and hiding are their daily routine.”

Anyway, the conversation continued. Koi was happy that Ashley accepted even his trivial words and immediately thought of his next words.

“There must be many more people who don’t live like that than those who do, so it must be really hard for you to get clients like that.”

Koi knew what kind of people Ashley defended. But because he still had faith in him, Koi thought there must have been some unavoidable circumstances. Ashley mercilessly shattered Koi’s belief.

“Koi, don’t try to deny it. I only deal with trash. And I’m the lawyer who saves them from going into the trash can.”

Ashley’s voice was utterly cold. As if urging him to face reality. Koi hesitated, then opened his mouth.

“But you came to help me. …Even though you clearly knew I couldn’t pay the retainer fee.”

Instead of answering, Ashley began to cut his steak. Koi, somehow reminded of himself, who had been aimlessly putting onion rings into his mouth while trying to find something to say, quietly added.

“You didn’t contact me for two months, so I thought it was over for good.”

But Ashley had rushed to him as soon as he heard Koi was in trouble. Perhaps he had been waiting for Koi to contact him first?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, Ashley spoke.

“I thought you wouldn’t want to see me again.”

Koi’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected words.

“Me? No, no way. Why?”

Seeing him ask “Why?” again, Ashley gave a bitter smile.

“Because you looked at me with a ‘fed up’ expression.”

For a moment, Koi was speechless. Me? I made that expression?

It was unbelievable, but if Ashley said so, it must be true. Belatedly, Koi remembered that he had a terrible cold that day. It was true that he was shocked by what Ashley had done. He had been sick with such a severe cold.

It’s been more than 10 years.

Koi whispered to himself. It’s impossible for Ash to remain completely unchanged. I must have changed a lot too. Before, my father was rich, and now Ash is rich, so it’s natural for the way we spend money and the scale to be different. Besides, our two worlds are completely different now. Maybe that’s just how Ash’s daily life is.

Dealing with apologies by throwing money at them.

Koi thought that method was not right, but he had no right to meddle in someone else’s life. All he could do was make him realize that his life and Ashley’s were different.

“I was very surprised, but neither I nor anyone around me gives gifts for breaking promises…”

Trying to explain it in words suddenly felt too difficult. How hard it was to put into words what he had always taken for granted.

Ash must have lived like that before too.

As he felt powerless due to the inadequacy of language, Ashley put down his fork and knife and spoke.

“Shall we stop talking about personal matters now and move on to work?”

“Oh? Uh…”

This was clearly a sign to end an uncomfortable topic. Perhaps he wouldn’t have another chance to say such things.

But Koi, instead of being unnecessarily stubborn, followed his wishes. There was no reason to continue a conversation the other person didn’t want.

While Koi meticulously explained what had happened, Ashley didn’t say a word, just listened. Koi was inwardly nervous at his businesslike and cold face, which he had never seen before, but he managed to finish his story without trembling.

“…That’s what happened.”

After he finished speaking, Ashley, who seemed to be thinking for a moment, finally opened his mouth.

“I understand what happened, but what was the cause of it?”

“Huh?”

When Koi flinched at the unexpected question, Ashley rephrased the question.

“It’s strange for people at the company to suddenly quit one by one. When multiple people quit in a short period, there’s usually a clear reason. Why was that? Did the boss abuse them or something?”

“Oh? No…”

Ashley’s suspicion was perfectly reasonable. If the boss had done something unfair and employees left, it would certainly help resolve Koi’s situation. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the reason at all. Koi hesitated, saying “It’s not that,” then opened his mouth.

“People suddenly started clinging to me…”

Ashley, who was about to drink coffee, stopped his hand. Slowly putting down the cup, he looked directly at Koi and slowly moved his lips.

“…Clinging?”