Kiss Me if You Can

No one spoke during the drive back to Chase’s mansion.

By Chase’s orders, they weren’t returning to the filming site.

Even Chase himself remained silent, his expression grim.

But every time Josh glanced in the rearview mirror, their eyes inevitably met.

Chase was glaring at him.

There was no denying it.

Even after they arrived and Chase headed upstairs to his room, nothing changed.

Then, Mark, looking serious, gave the inevitable command.

"Everyone, to the lounge."

Josh followed behind him, feeling like a prisoner being led to sentencing.

The air in the lounge was oppressively heavy.

When was the last time it felt this suffocating?

Even when Chase had been kidnapped, the silence hadn’t been this unbearable.

Maybe it was because this time, it was about him.

Mark was the first to break the silence—with a sigh.

But no one spoke.

He fell silent again, and the rest of the team followed suit.

In the end, Josh was the one who couldn’t hold out.

"All this time… ahem, I’m sorry for… keeping it from you."

His voice cracked midway, forcing him to clear his throat.

Even after his apology, the silence remained.

Isaac looked pale, still too stunned to process everything.

Mark kept smoking.

Henry wasn’t any better.

Only Seth, who had known from the start, remained composed.

But even he hesitated to speak in the tense atmosphere.

"Ahem."

Finally, Mark coughed, as if preparing to say something.

Everyone, except for Isaac, turned to look at him.

Mark scratched his head, sighed, took another drag of his cigarette, lowered his head, sighed again, exhaled smoke, sighed a third time, then finally spoke.

"I’m honestly shocked, Josh. We’ve known each other for years, and yet you hid it so damn well…"

It was the number one sentence Josh had been expecting in this situation.

Feeling both awkward and resigned, he repeated his apology.

"I understand. But you know I couldn’t say anything. If I had, I wouldn’t have been hired."

"Yeah, I get it."

Mark nodded, bringing the cigarette back to his lips.

If they had known Josh was an Omega, he wouldn’t have been hired in the first place.

It wasn’t necessarily about discrimination—just that an Omega in this job was an unnecessary risk.

But now that it was out, Mark couldn’t help but acknowledge his own bias.

It made him uncomfortable.

Josh understood that.

He also wasn’t exactly proud of having deceived them.

Seth was the one who finally cut through the silence.

"Well, what’s done is done. What matters now is what happens next."

Everyone turned to look at him.

Even Isaac seemed to snap out of his daze, his gaze sharpening as he focused on Seth.

Seth, in his usual businesslike tone, continued.

"We just need to decide—does Josh stay on the team or not? He must’ve known this day would come eventually."

"Yeah, that’s true."

Josh nodded, looking at Mark.

"I lied and deceived you, so I’ll accept whatever decision you make."

"Like hell it’s that simple, you idiot."

Mark snapped before sighing again.

"Look, I’m not making any decisions right now. I need time to think. …Seriously, though, how the hell are you an Omega?"

He grumbled as if it was truly beyond comprehension.

Then, shaking his head, he stood up.

"I’ll take the monitoring room. The rest of you, keep an eye on things. Seth, sort out the patrol schedule by tomorrow."

Leaving things to the most level-headed among them, Mark left the lounge.

Silence returned.

Seth stood next, heading for the fridge.

He pulled out a few cans and tossed them onto the table, taking one for himself.

Josh grabbed a soda as well—just as Henry suddenly spoke.

"Seth, why are you so calm? Don’t tell me you already knew?"

Suspicious, Henry narrowed his eyes at Seth, who answered casually.

"Yeah. I’ve known for years."

"For years?"

"What?"

Isaac, who had barely spoken, blurted out in shock.

Josh winced, cracking open his can to avoid looking at them.

Henry gaped, then turned his attention back to Josh.

"Wait—what about Pete? Don’t tell me you gave birth to him?"

Josh didn’t answer.

But that was an answer in itself.

"Holy shit…"

Henry muttered under his breath.

"I mean, I did think he looked a lot like you, but damn…"

He trailed off, lost in thought.

Josh couldn’t help but comment dryly.

"You probably thought that because you only know my face."

The moment he said it, he regretted it.

Every pair of eyes snapped toward him.

Too late to take it back, he tried to play it off.

"Familiar faces always stand out more."

"That’s bullshit. Pete looks exactly like you."

Henry protested immediately.

Josh frowned at him.

"What are you talking about? He doesn’t look that much like me."

"He does."

Isaac chimed in.

"He must’ve looked just like you when you were a kid. He even resembles you now."

Josh turned to Seth, seeking some kind of support, but Seth, utterly expressionless, simply stated,

"I figured you just reproduced asexually. So you did

Josh blinked in disbelief.

At least they hadn’t figured out Pete resembled Chase.

That was a relief.

"So all this time, I thought Pete looked more like him than me… but I was just imagining things?"

It was meant to be sarcastic.

But everyone, in perfect sync, nodded.

"Yes."

Josh was speechless.

He sighed, turning away—only to meet Isaac’s eyes.

Isaac, the most awkward person for him to face right now.

Now that he knew Josh was an Omega, would he pursue him more aggressively?

The thought briefly crossed his mind.

But it turned out he had nothing to worry about.

Isaac looked utterly defeated.

Lowering his head, he let out a sigh.

"You seemed ready to pounce earlier."

Henry teased, as if to provoke him.

Josh wanted to stop him, but the situation was already uncomfortable enough.

Isaac didn’t react aggressively.

Instead, he spoke in a resigned voice.

"He already has a bond mark. What am I supposed to do?"

"What?"

"What?"

Both Henry and Seth reacted at the same time.

Isaac ran a hand through his hair, clearly drained.

"It’s basically the same as being married. If I got involved, it’d be adultery."

"……"

"Now I get why Josh kept rejecting me."

He let out another deep sigh before standing up.

"I’m sorry, Josh. If I had known, I would’ve backed off sooner. I really didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable."

With that, he left.

The remaining three stared after him in silence.

"…Is he for real?"

Henry finally broke the silence, looking completely dumbfounded.

He glanced between Josh and Seth, shaking his head in disbelief.

"A bond mark? Marriage? Adultery? What does that make all those Omegas out there with multiple Alpha partners? That idiot is so frustrating."

He groaned, rubbing his face.

Seth spoke up.

"Then go tell him he can overwrite the mark."

Before Josh could protest, Henry shot back immediately.

"Are you insane? You want me to tell him that?"

Josh and Seth exchanged a glance.

Right.

Henry had liked Isaac.

"Well, at least we know you’re definitely not interested in Josh that way."

Henry smirked at Josh, looking far too satisfied.

He even clapped Josh on the shoulder.

"Hope you and your mini-me have a great life together."

"…Thanks."

Josh replied dryly.

Then—

The phone on the wall rang.

Seth answered, then turned to Josh.

"It’s C. He wants you in his room."

Josh’s heart sank.

It must’ve shown on his face, because Seth added sympathetically,

"Bring all your suppressants."

"Why?"

Henry frowned.

Seth set the receiver down.

"Maybe he wants to confirm Josh is really an Omega."

Josh said nothing.

With the extra suppressants buried deep in his bag, Josh made his way to Chase’s room.

His steps felt impossibly heavy.

No matter what he said, it wouldn’t get through to Chase.

Should he just confess everything now?

Josh seriously considered it.

But deep down, something in him screamed not yet.

Chase had gone his entire life unable to be with anyone because of his trauma.

If Josh told him the truth—that he had slept with someone while unconscious—

And that a child had been born because of it—

Josh’s face twisted at the thought.

It wasn’t just about the past.

Could Chase even handle knowing what came after?

No.

It would break him.

Josh clenched his jaw.

One day, he would tell him.

But not tonight.

Not until Chase was ready.

Lifting his head, he realized—

Chase’s door was right in front of him.

He took a deep breath.

Then, forcing his feet forward, he knocked.

Knock, knock.

The sound echoed louder than it should have.

As always, there was no response.

After a brief pause, Josh turned the handle.

The well-crafted wooden door swung open with a creak.

For some reason, all he could think about was how it needed oiling.

But when he stepped inside—

There was no more running from reality.

In the middle of the empty room, Chase was waiting.

His expression was ice cold.