Kiss Me if You Can

The meeting room was silent. No one spoke. After being escorted into the meeting room following the completion of the work, Chase did not say a word while he was briefed on the current situation. He simply sat silently, his face expressionless.

“So.”

After the manager finished speaking, the heavy silence lingered, and finally, Chase spoke.

“You’re telling me we can’t leave?”

“Yes.”

The manager cautiously continued, watching for Chase's reaction.

“The head of security is currently figuring out a way. It seems like going back in the car like we did earlier will be impossible… the building’s completely surrounded outside…”

The manager’s words trailed off. Chase said nothing. His doll-like, emotionless face remained unchanged.

Everyone was anxiously waiting for something to happen when, suddenly, Chase moved. He merely extended one hand toward the manager, but the moment he did, everyone holding their breath. Was he about to hit him? Everyone thought the same thing and tensed up, but the manager hastily pulled a black metal case from his pocket.

It was a cigarette case.

A collective sigh of relief spread around the room as the tension eased. Chase silently took a cigarette and lit it. He exhaled a long puff of smoke, and the people around him continued to wait nervously, hoping for Mark to arrive.

“Mr. Miller, would you like something to drink...?”

A secretary, unsure of how to approach, spoke up. But what she received was Chase’s cynical laugh.

“Are you trying to feed me some garbage?”

“…Sorry.”

The secretary quickly retreated. Silence fell over the room once again.

Josh felt like he was suffocating. To be in such a small, enclosed space with Chase Miller, with the constant pheromone scent lingering in the air, was almost maddening. The added tension made him feel like he was going to die.

Should I say I need to go to the bathroom?

Looking around cautiously, Josh briefly glanced at Chase. Then, without warning, their eyes met. Josh froze in shock.

It wasn’t until after that he realized that Chase might have been staring at him the whole time. Of course, it was probably just a misunderstanding. But oddly enough, Chase didn’t look away.

Josh became increasingly uncomfortable under his unrelenting gaze. It felt as though Chase was waiting for their eyes to meet.

Josh swallowed nervously. The sound of his gulping echoed unusually loudly. He could feel Chase watching as his throat moved.

Just then, there was a knock, and Mark entered. Josh, finally able to relax as his nerves loosened, let out a sigh of relief. But Mark’s expression was far from pleasant.

“The barricades have been breached.”

At those words, Henry groaned. Chase finally took his eyes off Josh but still said nothing. Mark continued.

“Moving right now seems impossible. The police are in the process of dispersing the crowd, so we’ll need to wait a bit…”

“How long?”

Chase’s indifferent voice interrupted Mark. Mark hesitated, and Chase asked again, this time with a slight pause between words.

“How long?”

Mark, startled, blinked and replied uncertainly.

“Maybe three or four hours at the shortest…”

“Tch.”

Chase let out a short sigh. Immediately, everyone fell silent. He furrowed his brows but said nothing more. The pheromone scent, faint before, now thickened in the air. He was clearly irritated. Josh couldn’t take it any longer.

“Excuse me.”

“Do you have an idea?”

Before Josh could finish, Seth quickly interrupted. Josh missed his opportunity to speak, and Isaac joined in.

“The route we’ve planned should be fine, right? Isn’t it just about getting there somehow?”

“Getting there is the problem, you idiot.”

Henry, who had been quiet until now, spat out an insult. Isaac, rarely annoyed, shot him an irritated glare, but quickly turned his gaze away. Josh, used to this, patted Isaac’s back absentmindedly before speaking.

“So, Mark?”

With the mood shifting, Mark finally spoke again.

“The police are trying to disperse the crowd, but it’s not going to be easy. They’ve told us that the quickest way might be for us to leave first.”

“Is there a way out?”

When Seth asked, Mark gestured. The group followed him out of the room. Finally, Josh was able to take a full breath. Once they were gathered in the hallway, Mark spoke seriously.

“What if someone becomes a decoy?”

“Ah, no…”

Henry was about to refuse immediately, but as everyone glared at him, he quickly shut up. Mark continued.

“It’s an old method, but old methods work best. We’re going to set up another trap. First, we send out the decoy, then follow up with a second one.”

“But the real one…”

“Will be the third.”

Mark nodded and explained further.

“We’ll drive the first and second decoys in different directions. That way, the fans will split up. One of them will probably think it’s the real one, but they won’t think both are decoys. Once things calm down a bit, we’ll get C out of here. Got it?”

No other ideas came to mind. Isaac, who had been standing by the door, silently stepped aside. Mark cleared his throat and knocked. A moment later, the door to the waiting room opened, and the sweet scent of perfume immediately filled the air.

“Mr. Miller.”

Mark forced a smile and entered first. Josh, of course, was the last to enter, popping a candy in his mouth as he did.

I’m going to get diabetes at this rate.

Josh thought gloomily as he felt his mouth grow sticky. When he turned around after the door was closed, he saw Chase sitting alone among the tall, sturdy men. In one hand, he held a cigarette, and in the other, a paper cup filled with black coffee. His face remained as cold and expressionless as a porcelain doll’s.

Mark spoke.

“…So, this is what we’ve come up with. If you have any other ideas, feel free to let us know.”

While Mark spoke, Chase rested his chin on one hand, not saying a word. Josh couldn’t even tell if Chase was actually listening. Chase lazily scanned the security team with half-closed eyes before speaking.

“Who’s going to go in my place?”

His words were slow and deliberate. Mark looked at Isaac.

“Isaac is the member most similar in build to Mr. Miller. We’re thinking he can take the second spot…”

Chase fixed his gaze on Isaac and then spoke.

“No.”

Everyone was taken aback by his response, but Chase remained expressionless.

“He’s ugly.”

A cold silence settled in the meeting room. Isaac wasn’t bad-looking for an alpha, but he certainly wasn’t unattractive. His looks were average, like three out of ten men you’d see on the street.

Chase arrogantly pointed between Josh and Isaac with his finger.

“Face like you, body like you. Make it happen.”

Isaac, frustrated, sighed deeply. Mark answered in his place.

“Sorry, but you can’t separate face and body. You’ll have to choose one.”

Chase pointed at Josh and casually suggested.

“Then you. Grow taller right now.”

“That’s not possible, sorry.”

“You useless bastards, what can you even do?”

Frustrated, Chase threw the coffee cup he had been holding at the wall. The black coffee splattered messily across the wall, leaving a brown stain. Yet, Chase was still angry, glaring at Josh as he ground his teeth.

“Why are you so small?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Josh. It was the same thing Chase had said when they first met, though Josh knew he probably didn’t remember. Before Josh could say anything, Chase snarled.

“Pathetic. What the hell are you doing here? Tell me, what can you even do? What use are you? If someone shoots at my head, how are you going to block it with that height?”

Josh, who stood at just under 6 feet, looked small compared to the towering figures of Chase and the others, but he still couldn’t understand why he had to put himself in harm’s way to protect Chase’s head.

“Wear a helmet?”

“Josh!”

Mark quickly interrupted, stopping Josh from saying anything else. Mark rushed to speak.

“Right now, we have no other options. If you have any suggestions, feel free to speak up.”

Mark phrased it carefully, asking for alternatives. Chase paused for a moment, and when Josh looked at his watch, ready to push the issue after three minutes, Chase finally spoke.

“A helicopter.”

Mark froze, and Josh blinked in surprise. As everyone stood still for a moment, Chase continued.

“Does the company have a helicopter?”

He shifted his gaze toward his secretary. She nodded, realizing what he meant.

“I’ll check right away.”

“Ah, I’ll come with you.”

Seeing the secretary leave, Josh tried to seize the opportunity to move, but it didn’t work.

“Stay there.”

Chase’s cold voice cut through the air, and Josh reflexively stopped. Hesitating, he turned back and saw, like Moses parting the seas, his colleagues standing apart, while Chase sat alone.

Chase’s gaze felt like it was penetrating through Josh, and Josh realized he couldn’t escape. He reluctantly gave up.

“…Fine.”

He responded wearily, walking away from Chase to stand as far from him as possible. Seth looked at him sympathetically.

“Who, among us…”

Chase spoke, and everyone focused on him. Josh couldn’t help but feel the tension in the room. But sadly, he was in the same position, so he couldn’t pity anyone else.

“Who here can fly the helicopter? Can everyone do it?”

“No.”

Please, Mark, not that.

Josh silently pleaded, but Mark answered without hearing his silent prayer.

“Josh and Isaac can, but Josh is probably the better choice. Right, Josh? You flew helicopters when you were in the military.”

Seth immediately stepped back, and Josh, without any chance to protest, found himself exposed in Chase’s view.

This is exactly what I tried to avoid.

Josh, feeling his worst fears becoming reality, reluctantly raised his hand.

“…I’ll do it.”

“Good.”

Chase quickly concluded. The secretary returned shortly.

“Mr. Miller, we only have one helicopter available right now.”

Her pale face remained serious as she continued.

“Other helicopters need to be checked, so it’ll take some time. The pilot is currently outside, and it will take at least two hours for him to get here... It might not be easy to get into the building through the crowd either.”

“Fine.”

Chase immediately stood up and looked directly at Josh.

“Prepare to leave immediately.”

“Wait, I need to check it before we go.”

Josh quickly stopped him. Even though the helicopter had been prepared, it was standard procedure for the pilot to check it again before takeoff. Mark nodded, agreeing with Josh.

“It won’t take long. Right, Josh?”

“Yes... I’ll hurry. Please wait...”

Josh quickly seized the opportunity, but all he received was a mocking laugh.

“What did you just say?”

The quick-witted secretary swiftly interrupted him.

“Let’s go.”

As she turned, she whispered,

“Did you forget the stipulations in the contract? Never tell Mr. Miller to wait again.”

“The one that said not to do anything except breathe?”

Josh muttered sarcastically, unable to hold back, and the secretary nodded expressionlessly.

“That’s right.”

Without saying another word, Josh followed her quickly.

When the door to the rooftop where the helicopter was waiting opened, an overwhelming roar filled the air. Josh almost felt like his eardrums were about to burst, but he gritted his teeth and quickly walked toward the waiting helicopter. The fresh air outside was a relief, and he felt like he could breathe again. He immediately took his seat in the cockpit and began checking the instruments.

Meanwhile, the other members, including Seth and Isaac, quickly left to assess the situation, leaving the area in haste. Chase, leaning against the wall, was smoking a cigarette. He wasn't staring at Josh obsessively like before, but his presence still loomed heavily. Even just being there sent an unspoken message that things would not end well if they didn’t wrap up quickly. Because of that, Josh worked even faster than usual.

However, dragging this out any longer was impossible. The shouting from outside grew more intense.

“It’s been breached!”

With a panicked shout, Mark rushed in. The moment the door opened, the roar from the crowd intensified. Josh felt a chill run down his spine. Up until now, Chase had been standing motionless against the wall, but now he moved. A piercing scream, so loud it seemed to tear through the air, blasted through the room, making Josh’s eardrums ache.

“Chase…!”

Seeing Mark and the others quickly rush to close the door and block it with their bodies, Josh hurriedly prepared the helicopter for takeoff. If Chase was caught now, it seemed like there would be nothing left of him.

As Chase walked toward the helicopter, he turned around. Through the door, Josh saw their teammates struggling to hold it closed.

“Hurry up and get in!”

Josh shouted desperately. Chase was the first to board the helicopter, followed by his secretary and the rest of the staff. Josh quickly lifted the helicopter off the ground, just enough to get the team ready for departure. Mark, observing the situation, pulled his hand from the door and shouted.

“Everyone, run!”

At the same time, everyone turned around and started running. Isaac followed Mark, who had hurriedly climbed on, and Seth jumped in.

Thud, thud, a dull sound followed, and then the rooftop door that had barely held on opened wide. Behind him, people rushed out with shouts as if they had been waiting for it.

This was the scariest sight I’ve ever seen in my life.

“Fuck, you!”

Henry, who had barely made it to the bottom, jumped up quickly. Now, all that was left was to leave. Henry grabbed the bottom of the helicopter that was about to rise with his incredible jumping power, but because of that, the helicopter lost its balance and tilted.

Josh quickly grabbed the control stick, and Mark and Isaac quickly pulled Henry up. Just as they were about to regain their balance and lift the helicopter, its body tilted again. One of the fans who had come running tried to climb onto the helicopter in the same way as Henry.

“Ugh!”

“Eww!”

Screams were heard here and there in the helicopter. Josh tried to pull the helicopter up, but the weight had increased significantly in an instant. Several more people had joined him. Josh shouted sharply.

“What are you doing, get off me!”

The last one to enter was Henry. He immediately got up and blocked the man trying to get on the helicopter. He was about to push him away by grabbing the still open door.

Suddenly, Chase seemed to bend his knees and then threw his long legs out.

“Ugh!”

Henry was kicked in the back of his knee without mercy, and his legs broke and he fell forward. His body fell on top of the people who were hanging on to the helicopter with him, and the strength he had been holding onto disappeared at once. Then, the helicopter, which had suddenly become lighter, flew up in the recoil.

“Henry!”

“Oh my god!”

“Mr. Miller, what are you doing!”

Everyone screamed in surprise and looked at Chase. With a look of disbelief clearly visible.

Josh opened his eyes wide in bewilderment and quickly looked down. However, Henry was already buried in the crowd of people and there was no trace of him.

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

Chase groaned. Josh looked back at him in disbelief. But Chase was still shameless.

“I told you to close the door and go.”

There was no choice. But he didn’t give him a moment to hesitate.@@novelbin@@

“Okay.”

Chase said with a cigarette in his mouth.

“I’ll get off.”

“Huh?”

Everyone, including the secretary, looked back at him in surprise. But Chase wasn’t joking at all.

“Wait and pick that kid up. I’ll get off.”

“What the hell are you talking about… …!”

Josh shouted without realizing it, and Chase blew out a short puff of smoke and threw the cigarette out the open helicopter door. People screamed to catch the flying cigarette butt. Chase opened his mouth.

“Goodbye.”

“Mr. Miller!”

Everyone was shocked at his appearance as he was about to get off the helicopter. The fans screamed as if they were going to die, and the helicopter rushed forward to stop him.

“Let’s go, Josh! Now!”

Finally, Mark shouted, and Josh quickly steered the helicopter. Behind them, there was chaos as they hurriedly closed the door and calmed Chase down. When the commotion finally died down, everyone was in shambles.

“Haa… … .”

Seth let out an unusual sigh. The rest of them felt the same way. But no one showed it.

Is there anyone else in the world with such a broken personality? Sitting in the cockpit, Josh was in a deep question, and after a few hours, Henry was not surprised. I was able to say that I would like to do this. If you think about it because of the fuck? .”

“Henry, calm down.”

Isaac, who could not stand to see Henry gradually become more emotional and eventually swear at him, stepped in and stopped him. After all, the secretary was taking Chase’s place.

Even so, his anger was something that no one could help but sympathize with. His neat face was covered in scratches and bruises, and his body was covered in large and small bruises. His hair was disheveled and looked like it had been torn off. Not only his tie, but his jacket was also missing, and his shirt was torn so badly that it was barely hanging on his body. Even his shoes, which he was lucky not to have lost, were trampled and crumpled here and there, and it was clear that they would soon be miserably thrown away.

He was truly a wreck.

Even a homeless person on the beach who survived a hurricane would look less miserable than that. Everyone who saw him could not hide their sympathy for Henry. The secretary looked back at Mark with an embarrassed face, but there was no way Mark would be able to do anything.

Why did Henry stay behind?

He was the most ill-tempered of the members, so no one tried to mess with him. Not only did he curse all the time, but if you even slightly provoke him, he would immediately run at you like a dog, so everyone tried not to upset him as much as possible while working together for years. But Chase stepped on a land mine.

“Please calculate my allowance by today, because I’m going back to Boston tomorrow. If you don’t give me first class for the return flight, I’ll sue you.”

He gritted his teeth until they were almost cracking, then immediately turned around and left the living room. The secretary looked at everyone in the group in embarrassment.

“… … This is difficult.”

Isaac was the first to speak.

“I know Mr. Miller thinks we’re worthless, but we’re doing our best. But you couldn’t wait a few seconds and just abandon him. You didn’t know what would happen… … And you could have picked him up at the last minute, but Mr. Miller kicked him off on purpose? Isn’t it natural for Henry to be so angry?”

His protest was calm but reasonable. The secretary also blushed and avoided eye contact.

“Of course I know, but at the time, there was no other way… … You know, if we hadn’t left right then, Mr. Miller would have really gotten off the helicopter.”

Their job was to protect him, so they had to stop that. In the end, Chase had threatened him. The fact that it worked and that they had to abandon Henry was the most bitter fact for them.

“In fact, I even think that I should have just ignored him, whether he was caught by the fans and torn to pieces or not.”

Seth, who had been quiet until then, suddenly spoke up. In fact, Henry was just unlucky, but any of them could have ended up like that, and it could have happened in the future. It was just a matter of who got the unlucky lottery at each moment.

Laura, the secretary, stood there with an embarrassed expression, not knowing what to do. She had to prevent the security team she had barely found from quitting. However, Laura also knew that their anger would not subside easily. That was why she was desperately trying to appease the security guards.

“This doesn’t seem like a problem that Laura can solve.”

Josh, who had been watching until then, quietly opened his mouth. The secretary looked back at him in confusion. Josh made up his mind and continued.

“No matter what promise you make, if you ignore it, it’s over. You have to talk to Chase Miller and come to a conclusion.”

“But… … .”

Isaac interrupted her, who was visibly embarrassed.

“Josh is right. This can’t be overlooked with Laura’s promise or financial compensation. I know Mr. Miller is self-willed, but isn’t there a Maginot Line?”

“Then what are you going to do? Are you going to negotiate with Mr. Miller right now?”

She spat out nervously. Laura must have been stressed out from being tormented all day and having to deal with this situation. Josh asked expressionlessly.

“Why not?”

Laura blinked in confusion, and Mark looked at Josh in surprise. Laura hesitated for a moment, but eventually gave up and left. Only then did Mark ask Josh.

“Are you going to negotiate with C? Really?”

“Then you won’t?”

“Of course I should.”

Josh still said expressionlessly to him, who was clearly reluctant.

“Don’t worry, I’ll talk to you.”

“You?”

“Are you serious?”

Isaac and Seth also asked in surprise. Mark, who naturally thought it was his job, blinked in bewilderment at the unexpected words.

“Why you?”

Josh answered Mark’s question indifferently.

“I’m the one who flew the helicopter and left Henry behind.”

“I couldn’t help it.”

“Even so, it still feels bad, doesn’t it? And I really hate that I have to feel this dirty because of a choice I had to make against my will.”

Everyone was silent at Josh’s unusually harsh words. Laura, who returned a while later, asked only one person to go with a look of disgust. Mark sent Josh away with a face that seemed relieved, sorry, annoyed, and other complex emotions.

“I’ll watch the CCTV just in case.”

Isaac said from behind him, as if he was remembering the time when Chase almost drowned him. Josh laughed briefly and left the living room, heading to Chase's room.

He looked like he had just gotten out of the shower.

Her hair was still wet. The sweet scent that always wafted faintly mixed with the scent of detergent, causing a strange dizziness. Josh deliberately bit the candy in his mouth to break it into pieces so as not to get drunk on his scent.

“What do you want to say?”

Chase asked in annoyance. Her cheeks were faintly flushed, perhaps because she had just finished showering.

Fuck, if only I hadn’t seen that face, my fighting power would have increased by 100,000.

Josh tried to swallow the rough curses that came to his mind and fixed his gaze down, avoiding the face as coolly as possible. Then this time, his long neck and elegant collarbone, visible through a couple of buttons undone, caught his eye. His gaze fell unconsciously, revealing lean muscles and still flushed nipples. It was more erotic than being naked.

In the end, Josh had no choice but to turn his gaze back to Chase’s face. At this moment, he lamented that he wished he were blind.

“I would appreciate it if you apologized for what happened today. And come up with a plan for the future.”

Josh continued to speak at his short raised eyebrows.

“That, you abandoned our members. They got injured a lot because of that. There’s no guarantee that something like this won’t happen again, so we need to secure our own safety in case of this situation… … .”

“What’s the problem with that?”

Chase looked at him with a genuinely unconvincing expression. It was such a natural reaction from someone who had lived a life where sacrificing others for himself was such a natural thing. Josh tried to be patient and answered.

“If you keep wasting us like that, we can’t take on this job anymore.”

“Isn’t that your job?”

“It’s our job to protect you, not to be manipulated or beaten to suit your whims.”

His tone naturally sharpened. Chase absentmindedly brushed his hair back and looked down at Josh.

“But isn’t it part of your contract that you sacrifice your lives for me?”

“I don’t think Mr. Miller was in danger of dying today.”

“It’s just a matter of perspective. I was really scared.”

Don’t make me laugh, you son of a bitch.

Josh couldn’t hold back his emotions and ended up hitting the wall hard. Boom, the dull sound echoed eerily. Josh glared at Chase, feeling as if a faint echo was spreading. However, that was as far as he could go. He tried to keep his anger in check and continue the conversation as calmly as possible. After all, this guy almost died.

While he was suppressing his anger, Chase unexpectedly snickered. Josh, who was about to continue speaking, stopped.

“Why are you hitting the wall? Isn’t it me you want to hit?”

“You can’t hit your client, right?”

Chase made an unbelievably innocent expression at Josh, who was gritting his teeth.

“What does it matter? If you want to, do it. As much as you want.”

Josh’s ears perked up at that moment.

“Oh, can I hit you? Really?”

Chase paused. Looking at his face, where the smile had disappeared, Josh asked sincerely.

“If you had said from the beginning that it was okay, you wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble with words. How many times can I hit you? You can’t hit anything below the waist, right? Oh, and you’ll avoid the face, too? After all, you’re an actor.”

Chase looked down at Josh, who was asking passionately, as if he found it absurd, and said nothing.

“… … Are you really going to hit me?”

After a long time, he finally opened his mouth. Josh frowned.

“Isn’t that so? Well, I guess so. It would be difficult to get hurt.”

Chase’s face distorted as he unconsciously made a disappointed expression.

“If you wanted to hit me so badly, why didn’t you do it before?”

Josh gave an obvious answer.

“Because you’re my client. Wouldn’t it be difficult if you were sued? Not everyone has money to spare like Mr. Miller.”

Chase was silent for a moment at her plain response.

“So, what would you do if I gave you a chance?”

Josh smiled brightly at the quiet voice. Just imagining that he could get rid of all the pent-up emotions with his fists made him unable to close his mouth.

“Of course I’ll hit you as much as I can. I won’t have another chance like this.”

“Ha.”

Chase let out a short exclamation as if he was dumbfounded, and then quickly grumbled.

“Then why don’t you try it now? If you can.”

Josh gasped, but then asked warily.

“Really? You won’t claim damages from me later, right? You’ll say things like, “This is okay, this is not okay,” and in the end, it all works out.”

Chase spat out annoyedly at the distrustful question that followed.

“I told you to do it, so do whatever you want. You told me, right? My money is rotten, do you think I care about your small change?”

“Really?”

Chase pushed his face in, this time openly, to Josh who was checking again.

“Come on, do it. Hit me in the face or whatever. Why can’t you? Don’t you have the courage to do it? It’s all talk, you idiots. You can’t even touch a hair on my head, but you keep talking. Look at me now, you can’t move. I knew it, it’s always like this. You idiots are just making ridiculous claims… … .”

In an instant, Josh punched him in the stomach.

“… … !”

Chase staggered back from the sudden attack. He immediately threw another punch, but this time he dodged it by a hair’s breadth. Chase grabbed Josh’s arm that was flailing in the air and pulled him right back.

“I didn’t say I’d take it.”

Following those words, Chase punched him in the side. Josh gasped and stepped back. Chase punched him again as he stumbled, and Josh quickly rolled over to dodge, while extending his leg to kick his stomach. This time, Chase stumbled. Josh didn’t miss the opportunity and lunged at him again.

Boom.

A different sound struck his ears. Josh’s eyes widened in an instant. He realized that he had punched Chase in the face, but it was already too late.

Josh wasn’t the only one who was surprised. Josh first realized that a person’s eyes could open so wide when he saw Chase. He opened and closed his mouth as if he could not believe it, blinked, opened and closed his mouth again, and repeated this. Josh opened his mouth hurriedly, trying to somehow manage the situation.

“… … You said I could hit you anywhere?”

“This… … !”

Chase’s eyes were filled with madness. A melee ensued. Josh would hit Chase in the side, and he would hit Josh in the stomach, and Josh would kick his shins, and Chase would hit Josh in the jaw. The Ming Dynasty plates in his room were mercilessly smashed, destroying a piece of human heritage, Warhol’s work hanging on the wall was torn, and Chase’s first Best Actor trophy was shattered into pieces.

When his colleagues rushed in and separated them, there was not a single intact object left in the room.