L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 23

Feeling dejected over something so trivial made Koi feel pathetic, but he couldn’t help the slump in his shoulders.

As he stood there, Ashley inspected the cart to make sure they hadn’t missed anything and then spoke.

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"Can you go grab some drinks and ice from the snack bar?" He paused and then added, "The snack bar is...."

"Second floor, on the right? Yeah, I’ll get it!"

Koi immediately perked up as he answered.

Ashley lifted his head and looked at him, making Koi realize—too late—that he had made a mistake. With no other choice, Koi confessed the truth.

"Uh... yesterday, when I came to your house. I kind of... wandered around looking for you. I saw it then."

"Ah..."

Ashley gave a small nod, as if he now understood. After all, Koi had brought him soup last night.

While Ashley accepted this without much thought, Koi grew anxious. The thought that he had roamed around Ashley’s house without permission embarrassed him, and he worried that Ashley might dislike him for it. His shoulders instinctively hunched as he nervously watched Ashley for a reaction.

But to his surprise, Ashley simply turned away and resumed checking the food on the cart.

Huh?

Koi stared at him, bewildered. Then Ashley looked at him again and asked,

"What are you doing?"

"Oh? Oh...."

Snapping out of it, Koi quickly took a step back.

"I-I’ll be back soon."

"Alright."

Ashley replied nonchalantly, gripping the handle of the cart.

"Where do you want to eat? The dining room? The sitting room?"

"Uh, I don’t mind."

Koi answered quickly—and he meant it. As long as he was with Ashley, he wouldn’t care if they had to eat scorpions in the middle of a desert.

Ashley thought for a moment before saying,

"Let’s eat in the garden. There’s a gazebo, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ you’ll see it as soon as you step outside."

"Oh, okay."

Koi nodded.

"Got it."

"Good."

Ashley started pulling the cart away.

"I’ll set everything up, so just bring the drinks and cups."

"Okay. Ice too?"

At Koi’s last question, Ashley smirked.

"You might not use it, but I do."

This was his chance to correct Ashley’s misunderstanding, but Koi didn’t say anything. He didn’t want Ashley to realize just how different their worlds were. Of course, no matter what, they would never truly live in the same world—but if Ashley found out just how separate they really were, Koi felt like the distance between them would become unbridgeable.

Who cares about ice in soda?

Koi thought to himself as he sprinted toward the snack bar.

Even if he never got to drink soda with ice for the rest of his life, as long as he could stay by Ashley’s side, it didn’t matter.

*

As they ate, the sun slowly began to set. The entire sky was dyed in a fiery red glow, creating a breathtaking view.

"Amazing."

Koi murmured, momentarily forgetting about his meal.

Ashley’s mansion wasn’t just enormous; the property it stood on was vast as well. Since it was perched at a height closer to a small mountain than a hill, the vantage point was spectacular. From here, he could see all the houses sprawled below, their lights beginning to flicker on, creating a dazzling nightscape.

It was the first time Koi had ever seen something like this, and without thinking, he let out a quiet "Wow."

For someone like him, who lived in an old, run-down motorhome, this kind of scenery was unimaginable.

Ashley must see this view every single day.

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That thought made Koi feel distant from Ashley once again—as distant as the difference between someone who puts ice in their soda and someone who never does.

"What's wrong?"

Ashley asked.

Koi, lost in thought, quickly snapped out of it and shook his head.

"Nothing."

There was no point in thinking about it. What mattered was the present.

Ashley and I are eating dinner together right now. That’s enough.

"It’s good."

Koi said, even though he could barely taste the food.

It was just one of the many secrets he kept from Ashley.

*

"Thank you so much for today, Ash."

It was late at night, and Koi had finished getting ready to leave. He expressed his gratitude, but Ashley, instead of his usual smile, frowned.

"I told you I’d take you home."

"No, really, it’s fine."

Koi waved his hands in refusal, firmly rejecting the offer.

"It’s just a short ride on my bike."

There was no way he would ever let Ashley see the pitiful state of his rundown motorhome. One person knowing about that kind of world was more than enough.

"You still have a cold—you should rest."

Koi spoke sincerely. He was genuinely worried about Ashley’s condition. He still had a fever, yet he had gone out of his way to bring Koi home and then back again.

After dinner, Koi had made sure Ashley took another dose of medicine and carefully packed the remaining pills for him, insisting that he not forget to take them.

"Alright."

Ashley nodded reluctantly.

Koi gave him one last smile before gripping the handlebars of his bike.

"Koi."

"Hm?"

Ashley called out suddenly, and Koi turned to look at him. He waited, expecting Ashley to say something, but after a brief silence, Ashley just shook his head.

"Never mind. It’s nothing."

"Oh...."

Feeling an unexpected pang of disappointment, Koi hesitated for a moment. Then, as if he had thought of something, his face brightened.

"Come to think of it, the new school term starts soon."

"And?"

Ashley asked, raising an eyebrow.

Koi grinned.

"That means we’ll get to see each other every day."

Ashley’s expression finally softened as if he understood.

"Yeah."

Ashley said.

"That’s right."

"Yep."

Koi nodded again, then climbed onto his bike, pushing the pedals with force.

"Bye, Ash! Get better soon!"

He held onto the handlebars with one hand and waved energetically with the other, looking back as he sped away. Before Ashley could even raise a hand to wave back, Koi had already turned his head forward and disappeared from sight in an instant.

Silence fell around him almost immediately.

All that remained were Ashley and his persistent cold.

"...Haah."

Letting out an intentionally loud sigh, Ashley turned and headed back inside the mansion.

The familiar solitude he had always known felt heavier than ever tonight.

*

Haa, haa.

Koi pedaled as fast as he could, pushing himself to the limit.

He had to get home before his father returned.

Since he had spent the night away without permission, his father was undoubtedly furious.

Not that he would have let me go even if I had asked...

Koi thought bitterly, urging his bike to move even faster.

He needed to get inside quickly, lie down, and stay out of sight. The only small mercy was that if he pretended to be asleep, his father wouldn’t bother waking him up just to beat him or cause a scene.

But luck wasn’t on his side tonight.

"...Shit."

As soon as Koi spotted the dimly lit motorhome, he gasped and swallowed hard.

He came to an abrupt stop, frozen in place as he stared at it.

Then, from inside, the sound of something shattering rang out, followed by his father’s shouting. The slurred curses were difficult to make out, but one thing was clear—he was looking for Koi.

I can’t let him see me.

From experience, Koi knew exactly what would happen if he was caught.

Whenever he got caught at times like this, he always ended up getting beaten.

It was better to wait outside, endure the cold night air, and stay hidden until his father passed out. His father always left for work first thing in the morning, so if Koi could just make it through the night, he would be safe.

Making up his mind, Koi took a step back and retreated just far enough that he could still see the glow of the motorhome’s lights but not be seen himself.

Laying his bike down on the ground, he crouched low and curled up, keeping his eyes on the motorhome.

Just moments ago, he had been sitting in a massive mansion, watching the sunset as he ate dinner. With Ashley.

It all felt like a dream now.

Even spending the night at Ashley’s house didn’t feel real.

Maybe it really was all just a dream...?

His mind jolted awake at the thought.

Wait, what if I just dreamed everything? Even the exam?

Just as that absurd thought crossed his mind, his phone suddenly rang.

Startled, Koi quickly looked at the screen—and his eyes widened.

It was Ashley.

"H-Hello?"

He stammered as he answered.

After a brief pause, Ashley’s voice came through.

Koi instinctively nodded, even though Ashley couldn’t see him. He struggled to steady his breathing, trying to calm himself down.

"It’s me, Ash."

He deliberately said Ashley’s name aloud.

Yet, despite that, reality still didn’t feel real.

For a brief moment, a strange thought crept into his mind—was someone playing a prank on him?

But he quickly dismissed it.

He didn’t have anyone in his life who would bother messing with him like that.

It really was Ash.