L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 101

“East Coast?”

‘Then how big is the time difference again?’ he tried to recall, but before he could, Ashley spoke as if reading his mind.

— It’s three hours ahead. Over there.

“...I see.”

Then having a phone call wouldn’t be easy. Once there’s a time difference, it’s never simple to call at a time that works for both. That realization dampened his mood. Just then, Ashley asked out of nowhere.

— Koi, there’s something I want to suggest.

A suggestion? Koi blinked in confusion and nodded.

“Uh, yeah. What is it?”

Without hesitation, Ashley continued.

— How about quitting your current part-time job and working at my place from now on?

“What?”

Koi was so startled he couldn’t help but repeat the question. Ashley kept talking.

— We can’t even meet properly on weekends because of your part-time job... And we can’t stick together at school, either. I want to see you all day on weekends, but since you’re working, I can’t even do that.

A sigh came through the phone from Ashley’s side. Koi felt guilty and also a little sorry for him, fidgeting awkwardly as he mumbled.

“That’s true, but... If I’m spending time with you and getting paid for it, it’s like I’m only seeing you because of the money.”

— Of course not. I’m not offering to pay you for your body.

Ashley’s tone turned slightly annoyed. Caught off guard, Koi froze, and Ashley quickly softened his voice.

— You come and do your work. I won’t bother you until you're finished. But after that, we can hang out right away. How about it?

That made sense. To be honest, his current job left him with barely two or three hours to see Ashley after work, which explained why Ashley was frustrated.

“Well, then... Let me try it out this time...”

He didn’t even know exactly what kind of work it was or if he could handle it properly, so he didn’t have the confidence to just say yes outright. As Koi cautiously replied, Ashley responded immediately.

— Great. Then come starting this weekend. That’s okay, right?

“Huh? Yeah.”

Koi answered on impulse. This weekend? That meant he’d have to quit his current job right away.

It would be hard to find another job later...

His expression darkened for a moment, but then he shook his head. He’d try this out first and think about the rest later.

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

As soon as Koi answered, Ashley’s voice came through.

— I’m glad.

There was a genuine note of relief in his voice, and it warmed Koi’s heart. He smiled without thinking and asked,

“You like me working at your house?”

— Of course.

Ashley added almost immediately.

— I’d like it if you were the one waiting for me when I came home.

Koi’s heart dropped and started pounding rapidly. ‘That sounds just like being married...’ he thought to himself, and then Ashley chuckled.

— Feels like newlyweds, doesn’t it?

Koi couldn’t even respond—he just sucked in a breath. Ashley let out another soft laugh.

— I like you, Koi.

“Y-Yeah.”

With a face flushed bright red, Koi confessed back.

“I like you too.”

Ashley whispered in an even sweeter tone.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

— I want to kiss you.

It felt like his heart was going to stop. Koi clutched his chest in panic.

“M-Me too.”

Ashley laughed again and murmured softly, “I love you.” Koi took a deep breath this time and clearly said,

“I love you too.”

He’d already turned around countless times because he hated saying goodbye, but now it was even harder to end the call. Koi hesitated, unable to bring himself to say goodbye. Ashley felt the same.

But reality didn’t allow them to stay like that.

— I have to go now.

Ashley said with a sigh. Koi blinked in a daze and then widened his eyes.

“You’re going already?”

Ashley gave a bitter smile and replied.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

— I got the call three hours ago, so I’m at the airport now. The plane’s about to take off. They’re telling me to hang up.

The secretary sitting across the aisle was looking at him. Inside his father’s private jet, Ashley told Koi he loved him one more time before ending the call.

Koi stared at his phone for a moment, then pressed it tightly to his chest, as if Ashley’s breath still lingered there.

Ashley was the same. Even after hanging up, he kept staring at his phone. He was barely restraining himself from throwing everything away and running to Koi. As he lingered, the flight attendant who had been waiting to speak approached.

“Is there anything you need, Mr. Miller?”

Ashley asked for some potato chips and turned his eyes to the window. The plane was preparing for takeoff.

“Don’t worry about your friend’s work. I’ll take care of it.”

At the secretary’s voice, Ashley glanced at her and said,

“Make sure he gets paid properly. You know that, right?”

“Of course. Mr. Miller never stints when it comes to his employees.”

The secretary stared straight at him and added,

“You know that.”

Ashley turned his head away without a word. The flight attendant placed the bowl of potato chips in front of him and went back to her seat. He thought that was the end of the conversation, but unexpectedly, the secretary spoke again.

“You really are your father’s blood. Never move without compensation.”

He’d already known he couldn’t go against his father. He just wanted to resist a little, to add a small act of defiance in the form of a petty deal—and surprisingly, his father had accepted it. Ashley was curious about his father’s true intentions, but since he’d gotten his way, he let it go.

“That’s the only thing I’ve learned.”

At Ashley’s reply, the secretary let out a brief laugh. Then, returning to her usual expressionless face, she was ignored as Ashley continued to stare out the window.

Soon, the plane began to move slowly. A wave of gloom settled over him, and he already missed Koi.

*

“Haaah.”

After scooping out all the debris from the surface of the pool with a net, Koi let out a deep sigh and straightened his back. It felt like a lot of time had passed, but in reality, it hadn’t been long. That was all he had to do today. Koi strolled around the pool at a leisurely pace, deliberately looking for even the tiniest speck of dust to catch with the net. Even so, when he finished, only about an hour had passed.

To think he got paid that much for doing just this.

Koi was hit with guilt all over again. When he first received his pay, he thought something must be wrong. He’d only worked for half the time he used to in his old job, but got paid three times more. There had to be a mistake.

— No, that’s the correct amount.

When he called the staff member who handled payments, just like Ashley had told him to, the response was indifferent.

— I know it seems like a small amount, but there’s not much for you to do, so it can’t be helped. When Mr. Miller comes back, ask him to give you more work.

“A small amount? Oh, I’m sorry.”

Koi accidentally raised his voice and quickly apologized. So it wasn’t a [N O V E L I G H T] mistake. They really did pay that much. And it wasn’t even because he was Ashley’s friend. Judging by the person’s attitude, it seemed like everyone who worked here got the same rate. And apparently, it wasn’t even considered a high wage.

So Ashley didn’t pay me more on purpose.

Once he realized that Ashley was simply paying him fairly for the work he did, Koi felt much more at ease. More than anything, he was grateful to Ashley and wanted to see him even more.

I want to see him soon.

This money would go a long way toward his college entrance exams and even moving out. Koi began working harder than before, even doing things he wasn’t told to do. Above all, he never skipped cleaning Ashley’s room—he did it every single day.

Because when Ashley came back, he’d definitely want to rest there first.

With that in mind, Koi finished cleaning the pool, washed his hands and feet, and headed to Ashley’s bedroom.

First, he dusted the bed and straightened it neatly. Then, grabbing an ostrich feather duster, he began cleaning every piece of furniture. Knowing this was Ashley’s space made him care even more, and he cleaned with more energy than usual. His enthusiasm led him to lift one leg to reach behind the side table and dust there, too.

“Ah—ack!”

He lost his balance for a moment, and the table wobbled. Koi quickly grabbed it to prevent it from falling, but in the process, a loose drawer slid open.

Startled, Koi turned his head—and froze.

Inside the drawer was a pile of condoms.

“Uh...”

His brain stopped working. What did I just see? Koi stood there, frozen with his eyes wide open. He had never imagined someone could own that many condoms.

No, he’d thought Ashley would have condoms—but not that Ashley would be the one with that many. It looked like several boxes' worth, while Koi had only ever bought one pack.

What is he even using all these for?

The purpose was obvious. And the reason for keeping them in the side table drawer was simple and expected. That way, if the mood struck, he could act right away.

Sure, that made sense...

With trembling hands, Koi picked one up and immediately covered his mouth with the other.

It was enormous. He had never seen a condom this big. The largest size he had ever bought looked like it was meant for a baby compared to this.

“Hiiik...”

He swallowed hard, pale-faced. Then suddenly, his phone started ringing, making Koi fumble in panic.

It was a call from Ashley.