Kiss me if you can Volume 3 – Chapter 15

Translator/Editor : Léabyss

The security team who visited the hospital where Henry was hospitalized was relieved to see the man with a better color than expected. 

“Isn’t it okay to not be hospitalized?”

Seth’s question immediately honed Henry. 

“Fuck, what? You look at the hole in the boat, or be fucked chicks.”

“Because it was rubbed, I could be discharged soon… Ouch.”

At Isaac’s unnoticed words, Henry lifted his foot and kicked him without hesitation. Soon, Seth, looking pathetic at Henry, who was groaning with Vibrating, turned his head. 

“Then are we here until Henry is healed or do we go back first?”

Everyone’s eyes were focused on Mark. Mark, who had previously mentioned that there was a major announcement, was lazy and coughed and opened his mouth.

“That’s right, I’m staying here longer. As C’s bodyguard”

“Oh, isn’t it ending right away?”

Mark shook his head at Seth’s question. 

“It means that you should stay until the end of this filming, and if you refuse, you will file a lawsuit for non-fulfillment of the contract…. Instead, you will be given three times the contract amount after completing the period.” 

“If that guy really! Dine give out money?”

 “Wait, then you mean over $300,000 per person?”

Henry, who was about to get up, stopped at Isaac’s words.

“300,000 dollars?”

When Seth was asked, Mark groaned and coughed. 

“Accurately, it’s $450,000. The remaining filming period is quite long, but with this income, you can eat and live for a few years without work…” said Mark, who said so far, looking at Henry lying with a brightly lit face and added.

“… unless you gamble and blow it up in one room.”

Everyone, including Mark, looked anxiously at Henry, but it seemed that he couldn’t hear anything already in his ears. Reluctantly, Seth said to Isaac.

“Now don’t lend me  money.”

“Of course.”

Little boy nodded seriously . But Mark and Seth obviously knew that they would be beggars for the same reason when they started doing this, too, and Seth, who sighed, turned the subject back and asked: 

“What happened to Josh? I haven’t seen it since yesterday

“Oh, that’s it.”

Mark replied,  “He went to my mother’s house. He said he wanted to meet Pete after a long time. Anyway, the original security team is back, so we can afford it too…”

Henry asked in a hurry the moment he said that.

“Then, when do they give the money?”

Mark has noticed quickly replied,

“After twelve over” 

“Oh, yes! “

“Good job, Mark.”

Mark also nodded. I think that he should buy stocks in the future. 

✤✤✤✤✤✤

From the morning, Chase was restless. Instead of eating, drinking water because Josh finally decided to bring his son today. The place was decided as a famous amusement park. It was Chase’s choice for Pete, who had never been to the amusement park, and Laura paid a colossal amount instead of Chase in a stance that premiered again this time.

The amusement park, which was restricted to people all day long, was initially covered with suspicious groups dressed in black suits, not ordinary visitors. They were the bodyguards of Chase who returned. They were very busy checking the facilities in advance, verifying the identity of the staff, and deciding where they would be in charge. 

In the meantime, time passed quickly, and it was soon time for Josh to appear. 

Whoo. 

Chase sat down on a table chair outside and sighed again and again several times. No matter how deeply he breathed, he couldn’t calm down easily. 

Chase, who had a tight schedule due to emptying the day completely, had to shoot until dawn the day before. Nevertheless, he got up with little sleep and wandered through the trailer. And he arrived much earlier than the promised time and was waiting for Josh impatiently. 

All the time he was nervous and couldn’t stand it. Introducing his son means that Josh is also taking him seriously, but there was something that kept getting on his mind. 

<Don’t worry, you’ll like him. Because…..>

Because, what was next? Chase was curious and was going crazy, but on the one hand, he was afraid to hear the answer.

Maybe his son will also like my face or something like that?

He tried to pass it as lightly as possible, but it did not work that well. Chase was nervous and restless the whole time. Meanwhile, the cell phone finally rang.

 “Hello?”

He pressed the call button before even checking the number, but the other party was already set. After a short pause, the voice that had been waiting on the other side came out. 

[Hello, Chase?]

Chase inadvertently exhales a trembling sigh. Josh continued to say. 

[Chase, are you listening?]

“… tell me. “

[I’m here, are you ready ?] 

He didn’t know what preparations he needed, but Chase replied, “Yes,” Josh said kindly.

[It’s okay, Chase. ]

Having said as if he knew all about Chase’s anxiety, he hesitated for a moment, then hung up immediately, and Chase closed his eyes with a trembling sigh. 

He had never believed in God once in his life, but now he is desperate to pray. After several repetitions of holding hands together and exhaling trembling breath, Josh finally emerged.

“…”

Chase opened his back slowly crouching. Josh, as always, was smiling as he approached him, guided by a bodyguard. 

He wore a common T-shirt and torn jeans instead of the usual security suit, he also brushed his hair roughly, but, unlike usual, he was scattered on his forehead. The appearance of a sports star wearing basketball shoes, which was popular a few years ago, was the same as what everyone would wear comfortably, but Josh was the one who had it.

Chase, who looked at him fascinatingly, waving one hand lightly and greeting him, found a small child walking belatedly holding his other hand. At the same time, his heart pounded. 

If he was curious about what Josh looked like when he was young, he thought he was like this child. The two were so alike. Chase blankly fixed his gaze at the child. 

“Have you been waiting a long time? When did you come here?”

Josh, who came close, laughed and spoke. As always, it was a sweet voice, but Chase’s gaze did not know that it would fall from the child. Josh glanced down and sat down on one knee and made eye contact with the child. 

“Pete, did you talk on the way? Now, say hello.”

The child hesitated and looked up at Chase. He was just like Josh’s appearance holding a puppy doll in the other hand while sucking one hand in his mouth. Chase suddenly became sulking. 

“Hello, Pete?”

He barely said that and closed his mouth in a hurry because the voice stopped. The child opened his eyes round and suddenly hangs from Josh’s neck. Chase’s face quickly turned pale in response to an unexpected reaction. Seeing it, Josh burst into laughter.

“No, oh. He likes you, so…”

 “What?”

Chase saw the child again in an unbelievable mood. Pete buried his face in Josh’s chest, gently turned to his gaze, and hurriedly turned his head back when his eyes met. Josh still laughed at Chase, who stretched out his hand as if to look at that. 

“It’s because he’s embarrassed. He’s a little… because he brightens his face.”

When he added something bitterly, Pete quietly turned his head again. As Chase smiled hard, suddenly the child shouted.

“Villain!”

“Pete!”

Josh hurriedly gave an excuse to Chase, who seemed shocked, hardened. 

“It is his habit of talking, he’s doing that to anyone he sees for the first time. Anyway, this is all because Emma taught him strange words…”

He kept saying something, but Chase couldn’t hear it. It was only after hearing the testimony that he had said the same thing to other bodyguards throughout the year, he finally returned a little bit of reason. Josh did not miss the time and stiffened. 

“Pete, I said you shouldn’t say bad things? If you say that again, now I’m going to add beans every time I eat!”

Pete’s face turned white at the words. Chase, who was listening next to him, asked.

“Why beans?”

“Because he hates beans very much, right Pete?”

Josh, who inadvertently replied, turned to Chase in embarrassment. Of course, only this wit he did not notice at all. Josh avoided his gaze and forcibly removed the child from his arms. He lifted up his fluttering feet, spreading one arm over him, and extended the other hand to Chase. 

“Let’s go, what should we ride first? Did you read the pamphlet in advance?”

Chase alternated between the hand in front of him and Josh’s face. With a hesitating gaze, Josh bowed down and grabbed his hand first. Chase hurriedly rubbed his face with his left hand. When Josh saw his ears turn red, he turned his head pretending not to know. 

“I came here often when I was young, but this is the first time I haven’t lined up.”

“…Did you live in California?” 

“This is my hometown. I went to D high school….”

The two naturally talked and moved. Several bodyguards distanced themselves and followed after them.

✤✤✤✤✤✤

The child’s physical strength was great. Even riding several instruments in succession, there was no sign of exhaustion at all.

On the other hand, Chase and Josh had already reached the limit of their physical strength despite the ride on the children’s equipment. Watching Pete on his third ride alone on the same ride, Josh rubbed his shoulders without knowing it. As he watched Chase, he also looked as if his soul had gone out. A train running at a slow speed just turned around and Pete came in front of them. Then Chase smiled and waved. Pete also laughed and looked at him. Chase’s smile was also gone. 

Josh, who was watching him, laughed. To Chase, who looked back without a word, Josh was lazy and cleared up his voice and opened his mouth. 

“Thanks, it’s the first time for Pete at an amusement park.” 

“I know.”

He said, still in an energetic voice. The reason Chase chose this place was because Josh inadvertently leaked it. Josh noticed his thoughts and smiled sweetly. No matter how much you look at it, it’s clear that playing with a child is unfamiliar, but Chase was patient with Pete. He didn’t get irritated at all when his child was stabbing or avoiding answering.

However, he also had limitations in riding the rides, and after several attempts, he went out and changed direction to cheer for Pete. Chase, who waved his hand with a bright smile to Pete, who came back again, said. 

“It’s my first time too.” 

“What?”

Startled Josh looked at him without knowing it. Chase replied with a fixed gaze to Pete as he moved away. 

“It’s my first time, the amusement park.”

However, the movements when riding the equipment seemed familiar. Pointing to that point, Chase replied indifferently.

“I tried the rides. Most of them were in my home garden.”

Josh didn’t ask what the size of the alternate garden was. The mechanism slowed down, and they went to pick up Pete. 

“What else do you want to ride?… Should I have lunch first?”

Asked Josh, who checked the time. Josh, who habitually grabbed one of the children’s hands, glanced at Chase. It was a sign to hold the rest of the hand, but he did not understand. Pete also clung to Josh’s leg as if for granted, so Josh silently held the child in one arm and walked with the other hand holding Chase. 

All the facilities in the park were operating as usual. Going to Pete’s favorite soft ice cream shop, Chase bought strawberry ice cream for the child, and Josh gave him a vanilla flavor. Then Chase just tried to go, and Pete asked, encouraging his feet. 

“Aren’t you paying?”

Chase stopped at the child’s question. The child was obviously not convinced of this situation. Chase leaned over and looked at Pete, just like Josh did. 

“Today I bought all of these parks. So you don’t have to pay”

 “Are you buying? All this?”

Pete tilted his head. It must have been too difficult for him yet. Chase calmly added the explanation.

“It’s all yours here for today.”

Pete looked up at Josh with an embarrassing expression. Josh smiled and said, “Yes.” The child still tilted his head and asked again. 

“Then, can I have another ice cream?”

Frighteningly to finish, Pete’s hands held a strawberry ice cream stacked like a tower.

✤✤✤✤✤✤

Simply feed the child a hot dog, Josh and Chase bite the hamburgers in their mouths one by one. Josh was admired as he watched Chase eating without spilling the contents and not getting it on his mouth. 

On the other hand, Pete, like a child, got stains on his chin as well as the new shirt he bought the day before. Josh roughly wiped the ketchup with a napkin and fed the child a drink. Chase, who was watching his skillful figure, opened his mouth. 

“…. It’s been a long time since you raised him alone?”

Josh stopped, but instinctively knew it was time to tell the truth. After confirming that Pete was distracted from eating, he replied with a lowered voice. 

“My, my own… I raised him myself. So… Pete’s Papa doesn’t know Pete’s existence.”

“He doesn’t know?”

Josh eagerly remembered the words he had prepared from the previous day, but it was not easy to say where everything was twisted. While hesitating, Pete turned his head.

“Daddy”

“Oh, your juice?”

Josh takes the child’s drink. There was a bug in it. Josh stood up from his seat, with his tongue tucked briefly. 

“I’ll bring a new one, can you wait a minute?”

Josh asked Pete with a smile. 

“Daddy will get this again.”

Pete turned his head from Josh to Chase. The child’s face was full of awkwardness, but Josh pretended not to know. 

“Then please.” 

“Joshua, wait a minute…”

Chase called him, but it wasn’t until he was struggling with a big stride. 

An awkward silence flowed between the remaining Chase and Pete. The child began to eat his hot dogs again, but the speed of chewing slowed down, as if thirsty. Chase, who had been watching, offered him his drink. 

“Hey milkshake, would you like a drink?”

As if hesitated, the child alternated between Chase and drink. Chase pushed it out once more, as if it were okay. Pete said a little “thank you,” then washed the straw. Chase was thrilled to learn that the child had accepted his favor. It was only then that he realized why Josh had left them alone.

He thinks he should try to build a friendship with Pete.

Chase made a decision and looked at the child’s round head. The blonde kid who resembled Josh was full of affection just by looking at him, but he couldn’t go away easily. 

Well, um, Chase, who hesitated over and over again, barely got the topic. 

“What do you like? I mean, anime?”

When asked, trying to somehow recall the children’s tastes, Pete mentioned the famous train character. 

“Yes! Choo choo.”

Is the train good or the character good? Chase ran into a challenge, but once he saw the child’s face lit up, hope came up. As he struck him, he asked one more. 

“Do you not like <Earth Taker>?”

Is the age group a little too big for a child?

Pete blinked when he mentioned the title of the animated version of the movie he was currently shooting. He guessed he didn’t know, when Pete replied. 

“I know that.”

“Yes? Who do you like the most? Do you know Dr. Flame?”

Unknowingly, he was excited and asked one after another. Pete seemed to think for a moment, then hesitated and replied. 

“I don’t like Dr. Flame. I’m sorry.”

Chase was discouraged, but when he saw him say sorry, he had no choice but to feel at it somehow. 

“Then who do you like?”

“I like Iceman.”

“…”

Children like the protagonist. 

Chase was convinced. It was a very natural truth.

“Sigh.”

Sighing and rubbing his eyes, he thought. Why did Keith make him choose Dr. Flame? 

“uh?”

Suddenly Pete opened his eyes like that and began to rush somewhere. Chase, who had been fascinated for a moment, belatedly woke up and went after him. What he discovered was a big sign, about a theme park made of train characters he said he liked. 

“Daddy, Daddy.”

Pete looked around, anxious. Come on, Josh would come and take him to this heaven, and it was a face full of hope. Of course, the ticket Chase had could also go there, but he couldn’t hold the child and spoke instead. 

“Shall we go? Just tell Daddy to come over here.” 

“Can I do that?”

The child asked with an excited expression. Yes, and Chase nodded, and suddenly Pete reached out. For a moment, Chase didn’t understand the meaning. He belatedly realized that he was waving his hand outstretched hard. 

When he gently grasped his hand, ice cream got on it, and his sticky hand came into his grasp. His heart almost stopped momentarily with his very small and soft hands. Like Josh, he wanted to hold the child, but afraid of dropping him, he slowly moved to the theme park to match the child’s stride.

It was then that a sound that could not be heard was heard. Suddenly, Chase froze in its place at the barking of the dog that rang out. Pete turned his head in amazement and opened his eyes round.

“Huh? It’s Jason!”

He shouted gladly.

“Look, Jason! You look just like Jason!”

Pete shook the puppy doll he was holding and shouted in excitement. But no word was heard in Chase’s ear. After Pete, who had been talking for a long time, ran away with his hand, Chase couldn’t wake up for a while. Of course the bodyguards who noticed that his condition was strange, sothe team leader hurried up.

“Mr. Miller, are you okay? Your complexion is not good.”

“…”

“Mr. Miller, wake up!”

The team leader shook his shoulder lightly and shouted out loud. Chase blinked in amazement. Still, it took a little more time to recognize reality. Bodyguards were looking at him with serious faces. One by one, the amusement park’s facilities came into view, and he remembered why he was here. 

Pete

Awakened late, he hurriedly looked down, and his hands were empty. His face soon turned blue. 

“How about Pete?”

After hearing those words, the team leader looked around. The bodyguards, who were keeping their eyes on Chase, panicked and looked around, but Pete had already disappeared from sight. Chase’s head went blank for a different reason than before. 

“Look for him right now…!”

At the sound of his yelling, the bodyguards scattered hurriedly. 

“Once you go in and take a break, Mr. Miller, you’re going to fall….”

The team leader said anxiously, but Chase ignored him and hurried to find Pete.

No way. 

He panicked and thought, just a few minutes, No, how many seconds? It was really a moment, but how can he disappear in such a short time? Does it make sense that so many people couldn’t see a child properly? 

How? Why? He was just freezed without keeping Pete.  He needed to think, to think, to think ….!

Jason!  Chase suddenly thought. One thing passed by: a puppy doll that Pete carries, and he said it saw a dog-like thing. 

Again, he heard the dog barking. Chase, which had hardened momentarily, asked, holding down his breathless breath.

“… is there a dog kennel nearby? “

✤✤✤✤✤✤

Josh, sitting on a bench and eating ice cream, checked the watch on his wrist. That would be enough. Almost half an hour, so the two would have built up some kind of relationship. 

If not, it couldn’t be helped.

He couldn’t help it.  He got up and headed to Chase and Pete, thinking: If nothing has changed, let’s confess everything now. There is no reason to procrastinate. All he needed was his courage.

Josh, who signed briefly, hurried back and forth. He realized that people were in a strange way, among them Chase’s bodyguards, who found him, approached him and asked,.

“Is there a problem? What happened?”

The bodyguard who recognized his face became confused and hardened. Something went wrong. An ominous premonition ran into Josh’s head. 

✤✤✤✤✤✤

Ha, ha. 

Chase shook his shoulders as his breath reached his chin. The need to find Pete. The child did not show any traces.

He was in danger, he was so small.

Chase was good until he figured it barely left the complex mind. He saw the kennel’s high fence. It was locked with a silver key, so it was impossible to get inside, so Pete couldn’t. 

Chase couldn’t even think clearly because of the continuous barking of dogs. All he had to do was hear reports from the bodyguards. Chase avoided the bay and went looking for Pete, but as expected, there was no success.

Joshua.

Josh and Pete’s faces kept coming and going in his head. Disillusionment for himself has risen, but now is not the time to fall into self-doubt. He got up again and started looking around. 

How could he not look like this?

Chase couldn’t believe it. While wandering in search of the child, he realized that he had fallen away from the bodyguards and had come near the dog kennel. It was a different location from the vicinity of the iron fence the bodyguards looked at, but Chase, who had climbed up the low hills, stopped in amazement when he saw an endlessly long iron fence at the bottom and a large feedlot that stretched beyond.

If it is that size, it cannot be confirmed just by looking around for a while. He should have ordered a facility official to open the door and search inside, but he was frightened by the sound of the dog and avoided it. Chase curled his face. 

How mean he is. 

Again, somewhere the dog barked. As soon as he heard the sound, Chase groaned and hardened. His feet didn’t move. He took a deep breath and counted the numbers. 

It’s okay, there is an iron fence. I’m safe, nothing will happen. 

Repeating the same words over and over again, he tried to calm himself down, but the pulse did not easily subside. Soon the memory of that day went back.

Grayson laughed brightly, the sound of the leaves was so peaceful, the image of himself clinging to the wall and shouting for salvation like crazy, the sweet scent of the pheromone that kept dizzying his mind, and finally, the RottWeiler. When he and the deep body odor revived, he miraculously found the child he was looking for.

✤✤✤✤✤✤

“What do you mean Pete is messing?”

Josh ran with thoughts. The head of the security guard spoke with a pale face and difficulty speaking. 

“I’m sorry. Mr. Miller’s condition has been deteriorating, and he suddenly froze for a while at the sound of a dog… I’m looking for him now, so you’ll see him soon.” 

“You mean Chase’s not getting better, no, are you saying we haven’t found Pete yet? No, wait a minute.”

Josh panicked and didn’t think right back. He looked around in a hurry, but all he could see was the bodyguards.

 “…. Where is Chase?”

The team leader stopped at Josh’s question. Thoughtful, he turned his head, but what he saw in his sight was no different from Josh’s. Lately, the leader of the team gave an urgent order.

“Team 1 and 2 are looking for Mr. Miller! Team 3 and 4 are looking for a child!”

Josh said he wanted to sit back and asked. Wake up, it’s not the time to wait. He shook his head vigorously and tightened his eyes. He couldn’t even get a sense of where they both went, but he couldn’t just wait. 

He started searching around, calling out the names of Pete and Chase. 

✤✤✤✤✤✤

Chase looked at the child blankly, and tired white. 

How did he get in there?

In his empty mind, he thought about it. That’s right, he was so small that he could have crawled through the gap between the iron fences. It was really stupid to just turn around because the door was locked with a lock. 

It was a very valid reasoning, but now is not the time to do some kind of analysis. It was time to think about how to get Pete out. 

Beyond the iron fence were lush grass and trees. It seemed to him that it was a dog kennel, but it seemed that it was not a place to show or take care of dogs to visitors. As evidence, unmanaged weeds sprang up here and there, and there was no trace of anyone passing there, so he thought it was a neglected site.

Pete was hung on top of a large lake surrounded by lush weeds. Holding on to the long-grown grass, he leaned on the slope and held on in any way, but it was only a matter of time. Chase couldn’t afford to wait when he saw the crying child with a blue-eyed face.

Without being able to call anyone, Chase approached the iron fence. Again, he heard a dog barking. The hand holding the iron fence visibly shakes. He just wanted to run away.

But when what happens? Pete. 

He shook his head hurriedly as he seemed to see a child sinking in the water. Fortunately, Pete was still holding on. Chase, biting and releasing his lips, shouted.

“Pete!”

The crying child was startled and raised his head. When he found Chase, he opened his eyes wide.

 Ah?”

The child with his mouth open blankly writhes suddenly to see if he was relieved. Chase’s fear flew away with a sense of crisis that seemed to fall into the lake as it was.

“Pete!”

Chase shook the iron fence like crazy, but it was just rocking, and nowhere was there. Wow, and Pete burst into tears. If he does that, his stamina will be exhausted soon. Chase hurriedly cleared his mind as it seemed that the illusions kept appearing. 

It was then that Chase leaned over without hesitation when he found a dog hole that he could barely crouch in.

“…”

The wire mesh that protruded from the shoulders was cut long. A sore sensation was felt, but Chase continued to crawl across the floor, ignoring it. Dust came up and covered his nose and face, and he held his breath. Chase clenched it, with the front of his eyes stiff and his eyebrows distorted from beginning to end. The child kept crying. 

It wasn’t until after being all contaminated with dirt and dust that he could get through. There was mud on his face, and sand in his mouth made his tongue scratchy. He wanted to spit, but he couldn’t help himself. Breathing into his dry mouth, he quickly woke up. There was no time to hesitate. Chase ran towards Pete. 

“Pete!”

Pete cried louder as he shouted hastily. He will soon hold the child in his arms. He will be able to save Pete. Only that was in Chase’s head.

At that moment, he heard a dog growling nearby. Chase, who stopped running reflexively, turned his head. Not far away, a large dog was staring at him and revealing it. As it is, Chase’s whole body hardened.

Jason.

Only then did he know the meaning of what Pete said. A dog of the same species as Pete’s doll was facing him. Perhaps the owner of the dog’s barking keeps saying,’It’s this guy’. However, unlike a doll, he was a complete adult. 

Creepy goosebumps ran behind his back. Pete was between the dog and Chase. If Chase tries to save Pete, the dog will run straight at him. Maybe the target is Pete. It was only natural that smaller and weaker than Chase were targeted. As evidence, the dog was alert to Chase, but did not miss the attention to Pete. It only takes a minute. 

With very little courage he will be able to save Pete. As long as the legs move. 

He somehow tried to remove his trembling legs, but that was just an idea. Chase couldn’t reach for Pete.

Like then. 

Suddenly he recalled the past. A man who became bloody for himself. His wide back, his smile, his blood-soaked body. 

Joshua.

His breath became rough, and a cold sweat ran behind his back. What if he loses that child? A smiling face that looked at Pete with an affectionate gaze filled the retina. He couldn’t even imagine that a man who always looked strong would collapse. 

That’s when he remembered what Josh had said. 

<If I die, will you cry?> 

<Yes. I’ll cry a lot.> 

At that moment, Chase flew towards Pete. Suddenly, a loud gunfire rang out as Chase hugged Pete, who was terrified by the running of an angry dog. 

Taang!

The surprised dog stopped in a hurry, and then retreated, but it wasn’t the end of it. Again, a gunshot rang, and a bullet stuck at the feet of a dog wandering around as if panicking.

The frightened dog could no longer be stubborn and ran away in a hurry. 

“Chase, Pete!”

An urgent cry was heard. Chase later realized that it was Josh’s voice. 

“Ah.”

His legs slipped to see if he was relieved. He almost fell into the lake, but the long-growing weeds saved him. Chase, hurriedly reaching out and holding onto the lush grass, sighed of relief. Meanwhile, Josh ran to where they were and hurriedly reached out.

“Come on catch it, Chase!”

Chase raised his head. As always, there was a man there to save him.

With a faint smile, Chase pushed the child up first. Weeping Pete recognized Josh and sobbed, with arms outstretched. Having hurriedly received Pete, Josh placed the child safely on his back and hurried to reach out to Chase. Chase with a faint smile reached out, and Josh immediately grabbed him and pulled him out.

“…!”

Chase, who barely climbed up, fell to the floor as it was. Josh also gasped for a rough breath to see if he was relieved. 

“Daddy, Daddy.” 

“Yeah, Pete”, now feeling relieved.

“Jason, I lost him. “

It turned out that his hand was empty. As embarrassed Josh turned his gaze, Chase said with a weary face.

“The doll was drowned in the lake and could not be rescued.”

Josh, patting the head of Pete who was crying, opened his mouth with a serious face.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Chase glanced at him. Josh patted his cheek and spoke in a still subdued voice. 

“You have a scar.”

Chase was all about making a bitter smile to Josh looking at his scratched and dirty face. Josh, whose appearance was even worse, spit out bluntly. 

“You’re a mess right now.” 

“Yes.”

For the first time, Chase opened his mouth, but that was all. Josh, speechless with a simple word, sighed. 

“Why did you do that?”

Josh asked with his face distorted, 

“You’re scared of dogs. But why did you save Pete without running away?…. Getting hurt like this.”

Chase looked at him. His unshakable gaze turned to Josh.

“It’s your kid.”

Josh’s eyes wide open. Amazed and speechless. Chase laughed with a tired face as he looked at him clogged up.

“…that’s all?”

Josh’s voice trembled thinly. Instead of answering, Chase simply laughed, but that was so that Josh was more convinced that he was more sincere than ever. 

At that moment, Josh couldn’t take it anymore and confessed.

“It’s your kid too.”

“…?”

Chase frowned faintly. Like what the hell is that mean. Josh said again in a shaky voice.

“Your child, Pete… is you and my child.”

“…”

Still Chase said nothing. He just looked at Josh. It was obvious that he did not understand what he was talking about. Josh waited silently until he accepted reality.

It wasn’t after a long time that Chase’s gaze slowly shifted to Pete. The face, tainted with mud, grass, and everything, was unfamiliar as it was the first time he saw it. He opened his mouth and asked after a while. 

“How old is this kid?”

Chase only said that because he couldn’t sort out all the many questions that came to mind. Josh bite and releases his trembling lips. 

“When I guarded you before, your Rut came. You don’t remember.”

“Then you slept with me.”

Josh waited for Chase’s response with the feeling of a sinner awaiting his sentence. He was silent for a long time. It was about those who thought that they had stopped breathing. After a long silence, as if half of his life had passed, Chase opened his mouth. 

“I…”

Josh lifted his head at a swaying voice. Chase was looking at him with a look mixed with shock and horror.

“Did I rape you?” 

“No, no!”

Josh immediately denied. Looking at Chase’s face full of disbelief, he said again. 

“I slept because I liked it.”

That was the truth. Josh confessed over and over again. 

“I wanted it, so I liked you so much that I slept… there was nothing wrong with that.”

As if shocked, Chase was silent with his eyes wide open. Seeing him like that, Josh opened his heart and his eyes closed.

“Sorry.” 

“….”

“I’m sorry I lied because I haven’t told you.”

Chase just looked at Josh apologizing in a faintly trembling voice. Josh thought he would be sweet for any accusations. Isn’t that what he was determined to do anyway, that everything could end like this. It’s just going back to the beginning.

When the corner of his heart was tingling, Chase murmured suddenly. 

“…thank God.”

Josh blinked in surprise. Unbelievably, Chase’s eyes were filled with tears. He said so sincerely. Chase opened his mouth with a trembling sigh.

“I knew I had slept with someone. “

“…”

“Obviously there was someone who spent my Rut with me, but I couldn’t remember it at all. So I’ve been looking for him for the last few years…”

“You share for me?”

“Yes”

Josh asked in amazement, and Chase covered his face with both hands and exhaled a trembling sigh.

“No, and Maybe it was really a dog, I could not even find the trail, I did not.”

“No!”

Josh urgently restrained him.

“You’ve never slept with a dog, Chase.”

Chase stopped and hardened enough to be seen. Josh spoke without concealing his regret. 

“Grayson lied.”

Slowly Chase lowered his hand. The shock was revealed on his face. Josh kissed him affectionately on his forehead. 

“Because you keep rejecting it, it’s just to scare you….”

“That motherfucker, I’m gonna kill him! “

It was when Chase suddenly screamed and sat up. Pete, who had been sleeping in the back of his tiredness, was amazed and started crying again. Josh hugged the child in haste and began to appease him.

“Watch your mouth, in front of the kid.”

On rare occasions, Josh shuts his mouth shut, but the soaring anger was too much to stop. He jumped up and started to hover around the same spot with a quick pace.

“I said it was because I thought of you.”

Josh said, even though he didn’t believe it either. Soon Chase stopped and stared at him with a terrifying gaze. 

“Grayson doesn’t know what emotions are. He’s just imitating.”

Josh opened his mouth again as he looked upset and raised his shoulders.

“He said you haven’t done anything with anyone until now.”

Chase, who was squeezing his head, stopped again. Josh was talking to him looking back with amazed eyes. 

“You were always taken out by injections, and the reason he has hidden so far is because you keep rejecting your rut, so it was deliberately to scare you.”

“….”

“No murder, Chase.” Josh restrained him calmly, but in a decisive tone. “I’ve been hitting him a lot, but I can kidnap him so you can hit him yourself if you want.”

“Good.”

The two had a brief deal. Of course, Chase, who was still uncomfortable, gazed at the sky, sighed, clenched his fists, kicked the ground with his feet and prayed, bursting in anger for a while. 

It was only after he had calmed down to some extent that he annoyedly swept his hair. Josh stood up holding Pete, who had started to sleep all over again, and Chase’s gaze turned to them.

The way he looks at Pete was quite different from before. With a complex expression-intertwined gaze, which is embarrassing, but also curious and lovable, Josh stood silently and waited for him to clear up his emotions.

“…. Before, the guy you slept with, but didn’t remember… “

“It’s you.”

Chase hurriedly shuts his mouth to say something to the quick answer. Josh immediately noticed that he had endured another swearing. 

Pete opened his eyes as if he felt the strange atmosphere. Chase fixed his gaze for a moment on the look of the child looking around, and the silence was more overwhelming and sweeter than ever. Chase, who barely opened his mouth, said.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save Jason.”

Pete looking at him in a quiet voice laughed lightly. Pete said to Chase, who stopped blinking, and said, 

“It’s okay.”

Chase asked, looking back at his sleeping son with his eyes closed. 

“Isn’t it your favorite friend?” 

“It was.”

Josh smiled bitterly.

“I think he like your face more now.”

“….”

“Aren’t you happy?”

Chase suddenly threw an annoying gaze in unexpected silence. 

“Like you?” 

“Me?”

When I asked why, Chase honed it.

“You also like me because of my face anyway.”

Josh stopped. Chase repressed his anger and spit out as if to endure. 

“It’s the same because you only like my face, don’t you?” 

Now wasn’t the time to joke. 

“You idiot.”

“What?”

Chase got angry right away. Josh said with a bitter smile.

“That’s you too.” 

“…”

“That’s all you have.”

Josh, who emphasized one more time, joked.

“And think about it, if I didn’t get it on your face in the first place, I wouldn’t have finished that much when you said you could hit you?”

Chase asked with excitement. 

“You said you looked at me because of my face?”

“You didn’t do a round kick.”

In response to Josh’s blatant response, Chase exclaimed a degrading exclamation, but in the end he couldn’t say anything. Now stop making fun of him, and Josh seriously opened his mouth.

“Maybe at first it was because of the pheromone.”

“…”

“Maybe it was because of your face.”

Chase asked hesitantly.

“And now?” 

“Now…”

Josh laughed with an embarrassing look. For the first time, Chase seemed to be nervous. After opening his mouth and wanting to take one breath, Josh finally confessed. 

“…. I love you.”

Chase’s eyes wide open. Oh, and Josh realized. He has never truly said this until now. 

“I love you.”

He said, as if proclaiming again, why didn’t he know until now that this word was so sweet? 

When he thought so, suddenly Chase hugged him. Soon after, his mouth was bitten, and his tongue mixed up violently. A rough breath poured into Josh’s mouth and quickly felt a pheromone filling the tip of his nose. In an instant, when his mind was fading away, Chase lifted his lips. When he saw Josh’s hazy face looking at himself blankly, he blinked. 

He knew this face.

Chase sighed briefly.

That man he saw in his dreams. 

Chase whispered in a faintly trembling voice. Tried to kiss him again, but Chase overlooked the fact that he had a child between them. 

“Wow”

The wind caught in the middle, and Pete woke up from sleep and cried again. Josh laughed when Chase was embarrassed and hastily stepped back.

“You’ll get used to it soon, for the fact that you have a child.”

Josh kissed Chase as he looked at Pete with an awkward look. Lightly biting his lower lip and then letting go, he said, touching his ear. 

“This is what you left at that time.”

Chase’s gaze fixed in place. Josh said quietly.

“It’s unexpected, but I’m grateful. Thanks to you, I got Pete…. It’s all the happiness you gave me.”

“…”

“I want to tell you now.”

Josh finally put a word in his mouth that he never brought out, even though he had been in a lot of relationships so far.

“Marry me, Chase.”

Chase’s eyes were wide open. He covered his mouth with one hand and stepped back. As if I couldn’t believe it. Josh again waited until he accepted the shock. And after a shorter time than before, Chase nodded.

“…Huh”

Josh pretended not to know that his eyes were weakly wet. Instead, he just closed his eyes and kissed him. 

“I’ll make you happy, Chase Miller.”