L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 56

Bill’s voice continued.

“Ash is the one who suggested it, so we all just started hanging out together. It’s not like anyone’s gonna notice if Koi tags along too.”

Koi hastily clamped both hands over his mouth. If he didn’t, he felt like he might scream. He held his breath, frozen in place and unable to move, hiding where he was. Then, another voice followed.

“Yeah, he barely talks. Feels like he’s not even there.”

“Honestly, we never imagined hanging out with someone like Koi.”

Every word that followed pierced Koi’s chest like a blade. But they, unaware of the pain they were causing, didn’t stop.

“But isn’t it kind of unexpected from Ash? Hanging out with him out of pity.”

“Maybe he just felt bad for him. Ash is a decent guy.”

“Sure, Ash is nice, but he always keeps clear boundaries.”

“Koi must’ve seemed ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) that pathetic. Enough for Ash to cross the line. And honestly, it’s kind of true.”

Pity. Because he was pathetic.

Enough to cross the line.

Koi’s mind went blank. Just then, a different voice cut in.

“What are you talking about?”

Ash.

Koi flinched in shock. The group fell quiet, clearly startled by the sudden interruption. Nervously peeking out from his hiding spot, Koi spotted Ashley standing a little distance away and swallowed dryly. A mix of anxiety and faint hope churned inside him as he waited for what Ash would say next.

Maybe they’re wrong.

Maybe they misunderstood something, or maybe it was just a throwaway comment, nothing serious. Yeah. That could be it. I’ve misheard things before, too. Everyone makes mistakes like that. Right?

Koi stared at Ashley desperately.

Please, Ash.

Then Ashley asked,

“Tell me. What were you all talking about?”

He looked at the group, his expression tense. Their reactions were anything but casual.

These assholes, I definitely heard them say Koi’s name.

After a moment of hesitation, Bill stepped forward bravely.

“We were just talking about why you’ve been hanging around Koi so much lately.”

Ashley frowned, and another guy quickly added,

“Why are you so curious? You’re the one who said it before—be nice to him ‘cause he’s pitiful.”

“Exactly. That’s why we included Koi. Right?”

These assholes.

Bill shot the others a sharp glare, as if annoyed they were throwing him under the bus, then turned back to Ashley with an aggrieved look. Ashley opened his mouth.

“...Yeah. I did say that.”

...What?

Koi couldn’t believe his ears. He’d hoped, even just a little, that maybe his friends had misunderstood. But—

It was true?

Koi’s eyes trembled violently.

Ashley...

He admitted it.

He really said that.

As Koi stood frozen, pale as a ghost, Ashley’s voice continued beside his ear.

“I did say we should be nice to him because I felt bad for him, but...”

Ashley kept talking, but Koi couldn’t stay there any longer. That was enough. If he heard even one more word—especially coming from Ashley’s mouth—he knew he wouldn’t be able to take it.

Koi turned and fled. But the words from earlier kept echoing in his mind.

Because he was pitiful. Because of pity.

Tears streamed down his face.

*

Ashley added with a reluctant expression,

“That was back then. I don’t think like that anymore.”

“Huh? Really?”

“What do you mean?”

Surprised reactions followed, and Ashley clarified again.

“I mean, Koi’s a good guy. That’s why we got close. He’s fun to talk to.”

The guys exchanged glances. As if unsure whether to believe him, they hesitated, then awkwardly replied.

“Oh... yeah?”

“Didn’t expect you to click with someone like Koi...”

Their lukewarm responses made Ashley frown as he emphasized,

“It’s true. So drop it, okay?”

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Even after that, none of them answered right away. While Ashley furrowed his brows, Bill suddenly asked,

“That’s all? Just because he’s a good guy?”

“What other reason would there be?”

Ashley shot back, then added,

“I mean, seeing him smile at me all the time makes me feel good.”

He smiled slightly as he said that, and everyone was visibly taken aback. They’d known Ashley a long time, but it was the first time they’d seen him smile like that. As they stared in confusion, Bill was the first to speak.

“Ah, I get it. You like him ‘cause he’s cute.”

Ashley suddenly scowled.

“Cute?”

Thrown off by his reaction, Bill quickly tried to explain.

“I mean... isn’t he? Like those tiny animals. You know, hamsters or chipmunks or something.”

“Right, you said he looked like a Gloster Canary, remember?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Another guy jumped in to back him up. Then everyone started chiming in.

“Honestly, if Koi wasn’t a good guy, we wouldn’t hang out with him at all.”

Someone nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, even if Ash said something, if Koi sucked, we’d just treat him politely and ignore him.”

“We’re this close ‘cause Koi’s nice.”

“And cute.”

“Yeah, totally.” The big guys all nodded enthusiastically.

“Those ears moving? That’s insane. I’ve only seen that on TV. Never in real life.”

“Right? And maybe it’s ‘cause he’s small, but it makes him even cuter.”

Not one of them thought their size was excessive. At best, they figured they were just a bit more developed than average. Another guy chimed in.

“There are plenty of small guys, but Koi’s different, right?”

“I don’t know what it is. My little brother’s not cute at all, but Koi is. That says a lot.”

“Well yeah, your brother’s the same size as you. Koi’s way cuter.”

“Cute.”

“Yeah, cute.”

As the atmosphere relaxed and the guys kept chatting, Ashley grew increasingly uncomfortable.

What the hell are these guys saying?

Ashley crossed his arms and furrowed his brow.

Sure, Koi’s cute. There’s no one cuter. You could gather every cute thing in the world and Koi would still top them all.

Of course that’s true. But what was really getting under Ashley’s skin—

Why the hell are you guys the ones saying he’s cute?

“Hey, hey.”

Noticing the shift in mood, Bill tried to warn the others. The guys, who’d been gushing about Koi, finally picked up on the tension and fell silent. The atmosphere behind them had turned ominous. The burly guys hunched their shoulders and glanced back—only to flinch.

Ashley was standing there, arms crossed, glaring at them with a terrifying look in his eyes.

What did we do wrong?

No one knew, but they couldn’t just stay quiet. Hastily, they tried to change the subject.

“Hey, aren’t you hungry?”

“Totally. Wanna go to Green Bell?”

“Yeah, let’s eat. I’m starving. Ash, you coming?”

It was a deliberate invitation. Ashley finally uncrossed his arms and returned to his usual expression as he replied,

“I’ve got plans.”

“Oh, right. This late? You don’t even have a girlfriend but you’ve got plans, huh.”

Bill elbowed the guy who said that and gave a nervous laugh.

“Alright, Ash. See you tomorrow. You must be tired, go get some rest. Let’s go, guys. I’m seriously starving. Right?”

He exaggerated as he turned, and the others quickly picked up on it, nodding and waving to Ashley.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Later, Ash.”

“Bye, see you.”

Ashley waved back, then turned and headed toward where his car was parked. The group waited until he was completely out of sight before huddling together again, whispering.

“What the hell was that?”

“No idea. I’ve never seen him that mad.”

“Yeah, the last time he got that pissed was during a game when the ref gave him a warning after the other guy fouled.”

“Does Ash hate Koi or something?”

Someone asked, but another quickly shot it down.

“No, he literally just said they’re close.”

“But he didn’t even invite him to the party.”

“Nah, Ash wasn’t at that party either. What if the two of them were off somewhere together?”

“No way... seriously?”

“I don’t know, but come on. He definitely stood up for Koi earlier. He doesn’t hate him, that’s for sure.”

“Then what the hell was that?”

As the debate went on, Bill tried to sum up their confusion.

“He told us he’s close with Koi, and he went on and on about how great he is. But when we said the same stuff, he got mad. Why?”

They all looked at each other, puzzled. Then one of the guys suddenly stepped forward.

“I know what that was.”

“What?”

“What do you mean?”

He answered in a solemn tone.

“My dad acts like that toward my mom.”

“...What?”

“The hell are you talking about?”

Groans and mockery erupted, but he remained dead serious.

“No, I’m telling the truth. He’ll talk nonstop about how beautiful, kind, and smart Mom is. But the second we say something nice about her, he snaps. Like we’re not allowed to say it. And when we ask why, he’s like, ‘How would you know that?’ Like, bro—we’re her kids.”

He sounded genuinely frustrated. Another guy asked,

“Wait... does your dad not know you’re his kids or something?”

“Hey, what the fuck, man.”