L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 16

"Is this... an elephant?"

"Huh... You didn't «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» know?"

Koi looked more surprised than Ashley as he asked back.

"Look, it has a long trunk here. And the tail is right here too."

Koi pointed with his finger, but Ashley still couldn't accept it. How could anyone distinguish a trunk and a tail from that abstract-looking shape?

But Koi was certain. Ashley opened his mouth to say something but closed it again, inhaling deeply instead.

"...Just go inside."

At Ashley’s words, Koi nodded and replied, "Okay." Even as he turned back to head into the store, he kept glancing back as if reluctant to part.

"Bye! Come again! See you!"

Waving enthusiastically, Koi called out his farewell. Ashley returned the wave before settling into the driver’s seat. He had a feeling that if he didn’t leave first, Koi would just keep standing there. Without hesitation, Ashley started the car.

Through the rearview mirror, he could still see Koi turning back multiple times as he walked toward the store. The moment he exited the parking lot, Ashley felt both relieved and oddly empty at the same time.

It was a strange feeling.

*

"Have you ever felt like trash?"

At the sudden question, Bill sounded confused over the phone.

—What are you talking about all of a sudden?

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Ashley hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"Never mind. Forget it."

Bill, waiting for a reply, scoffed and continued in a rough tone.

—What the hell, out of nowhere? Anyway, what do you think? Can we come over one more time before the new semester starts?

It seemed everyone had really enjoyed hanging out at Ashley's house last time. His friends were looking for another opportunity.

Normally, he wouldn’t have minded. Staying in a big empty mansion alone wasn’t exactly enjoyable either.

But right now, he wasn’t in the mood.

"I'm busy," Ashley said flatly.

—What? What do you mean, all of a sudden?

Bill kept rambling in disbelief, but Ashley, feeling annoyed, hung up.

Silence returned.

For a while, he lay still on his bed before taking a short breath and sitting up. Outside, the summer sky stretched endlessly, clear and cloudless.

*

"Welcome!"

The moment Ashley appeared, Koi greeted him excitedly. Seeing him throw his entire body into such a dramatic welcome always left Ashley feeling strange.

This time was no different.

Still, as usual, Ashley stepped inside the store and greeted him in return.

"Hey."

"Hey!"

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Koi immediately echoed the greeting with a grin so wide it nearly split his face.

Ashley, as always, couldn't help but let out a small smirk at the sight.

"You smile every time you see me. Are you really that happy?"

Casually grabbing something and placing it on the counter, Ashley asked.

He had expected Koi to jump in denial, maybe flustered, exclaiming, "No way!"

But instead, Koi’s already wide grin stretched even further, his face lighting up.

"Of course! I like you so, so much!"

Ashley, caught off guard by the unexpected response, suddenly felt embarrassed.

Koi, watching Ashley’s widened eyes, continued as if stating the obvious.

"Why wouldn't I? Who wouldn't like Ashley?"

Hearing the cheerful laughter that followed, Ashley did something rare—he averted his gaze.

His cheeks felt oddly warm.

Koi, completely unfazed, hummed as he rang up the purchase. Then, reaching inside, he pulled something out.

"This is a gift."

"Again?"

Ashley hesitated, eyeing him suspiciously.

Koi just smiled.

"This one's a limited edition too."

Ever since that ugly elephant—at least, what Koi claimed was an elephant—Koi had made a habit of giving him little presents from time to time.

Ashley knew perfectly well that Koi simply liked giving him things.

The real problem was that, despite knowing this, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.

It wasn’t like he had trouble rejecting things. He had always been good at smiling and saying no when needed.

But for some reason, when it came to Koi, he couldn’t.

The reason was clear.

It was that smiling face.

"Here, this one's an anteater."

Once again, Koi held out an unrecognizable plush toy, beaming. His excitement over giving Ashley a present was impossible to miss. His flushed cheeks, sparkling eyes, wide grin, and even the way his ears kept twitching—it all gave him away.

Of course, Ashley had tried to refuse the second time he received one. But the moment he saw Koi’s face go deathly pale, he couldn’t bring himself to follow through. As a result, the number of ugly plush toys piling up in the backseat of his car kept increasing.

He could just stop coming here.

Holding the weird-looking plush in his hands, Ashley thought bitterly. That would solve this problem entirely.

But it was too late. He was already standing in this store, already looking at Koi. And worse, he was even buying useless things just for an excuse to be here.

"Lettuce seeds? What for? Planning to grow a garden?"

As he bagged the items, Koi asked casually. Only then did Ashley realize what he had randomly grabbed off the shelf. Koi laughed brightly, chatting as he worked.

"Growing your own food is nice. Sometimes I plant seeds in paper cups with soil, and when the sprouts come up, they're so cute."

"...Paper cups?"

Ashley asked, raising a brow. Koi nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, I line them up like this."

He traced a straight line across the counter with his hand, clearly proud of himself—until he saw Ashley’s expression.

Oh.

He belatedly realized he had gotten too excited.

The confidence drained from his face, his eyes wavering in uncertainty. He had let his guard down and made another mistake. Ashley was probably put off by his ridiculous hobby.

He had tried so hard to hide this part of himself, but now he'd let it slip so easily. His mind went blank.

"Um..."

His voice shrank, his head dropping. Ashley snapped back to his senses. Damn it, now Koi looked dejected.

"You grow lettuce too?"

Ashley quickly changed the subject.

Koi hesitated, then lifted his head slightly. His expression was uncertain, but Ashley smiled as if nothing had happened. It wasn’t difficult—he had done it plenty of times before.

Sure enough, Koi’s face brightened again, a fresh blush rising on his cheeks.

"Yeah! I tried growing it once, but it didn't do well in paper cups. So now I’m growing dandelions."

"...Dandelions?"

Ashley pictured the weeds that grew just about anywhere. Koi nodded.

"They grow in any kind of soil."

"That’s... true."

Still, no one usually went out of their way to grow dandelions.

Ashley thought about saying it but didn’t.

Koi had a reason for growing them. He didn’t want to waste money on seeds only for them to die. Growing dandelions meant saving money while still having flowers—it was a great idea, at least in his own mind.

"Is there a reason you go through all this trouble to grow something?"

Koi hesitated for the first time at Ashley’s question.

"Just..."

It wasn’t the same kind of hesitation as before. Ashley watched as Koi lowered his head, fumbling for words.

"I just... wanted to see something alive."

Ashley didn’t understand.

Did he not have a garden at home?

Plenty of people lived in apartments. Maybe Koi did too. Or maybe there was another reason entirely.

Ashley was curious but decided not to ask. They weren’t that close. At least, Ashley didn’t think so. And he wasn’t the type to pry into other people’s personal lives.

Come to think of it, Koi used to ask me so many questions.

Ashley recalled something he had nearly forgotten. They were all trivial things, nothing worth remembering, but Koi had listened with such genuine excitement. That face was still vivid in his memory. Maybe that was why Ashley had let his guard down and answered so easily back then.

Would Koi answer anything if I asked?

The thought struck him.

A sudden urge to test it out rose within him—but he pushed it down.

And he repeated the thought to himself.

We’re not that close.

If he asked, Koi might start asking questions back. And Ashley had no intention of talking about himself any more than what everyone already knew.