Chapter 9

"How could you hit the client like that?"

Mark scolded Josh with evident frustration. Josh didn't say a word, merely watching as Seth wrapped a bandage around his wounds. Isaac chimed in.

"Well, C didn’t just take the hits, did he? Josh got his fair share too."

It was true. Josh had thrown the first punch, but Chase didn't just sit there and take it. As proof, Josh spat out a mouthful of blood-tainted saliva. Isaac frowned and muttered under his breath.

"Beating people like this..."

"Hey, hey, didn't you see how Josh pummeled C like a ragdoll?"

Mark pointed out. Seth, who had been silent until then, murmured.

"It was really satisfying."

Mark was quiet for a moment. Even he couldn’t deny that feeling. Isaac joined in from the side.

"At least he didn’t kick him, right? That’s still showing some mercy. Imagine if Josh had actually kicked him—who knows what state C would be in now?"

Suddenly, Josh remembered what his Taekwondo instructor used to say: having long legs is great, but it’s also terrifying.

After hearing the news, Henry, who had been packing, immediately dropped his things and rushed over, speaking without hesitation.

"Why didn’t you hit him in the throat?"

"Would you really want to kill him?"

Josh replied incredulously. For once, Henry didn’t say a word. Thanks to that, everyone could tell what he truly thought.

"I’m going to check the CCTV. It’s all recorded, right? What time and minute should I start from?"

Henry asked, seemingly looking for the best viewing point. His excitement reminded Josh of when Henry lost a large sum gambling in Las Vegas last summer, only to realize it had been a scam, and he spent several days tracking down the gamblers to get his revenge.

Turning around, Josh called out to Henry as he was about to leave and handed him a bag of popcorn.

"Three minutes in the microwave."

"Wow, thanks."

For once, Henry was genuinely touched and shook Josh’s hand tightly. The light in his eyes, full of trust and expectation, made Josh feel an overwhelming burden, but he forced a smile. In high spirits, Josh said, "I’ll grab a cola too," and left the room. After Henry disappeared, Isaac spoke up.

"I guess he’s not going to quit anytime soon, huh?"

"Probably not for a while."

Mark sighed as if it was a bother.

"Let’s all take it easy today. Tomorrow, whether it’s C or Laura, I’ll have a calm conversation with them. They should know by now how serious this is… issues like the contract and future expenses."

He looked at Josh and added.

"Go on."

At last, everyone disappeared to their respective places. Luckily, Josh was scheduled to rest for the night.

"Ouch."

After a quick wash, Josh collapsed into bed, only now feeling the pain in his body. Chase was no ordinary opponent. With strength and a temper to match, Josh was sure that Chase had deliberately swung his fists. The only comfort was that Chase hadn’t formally trained in martial arts or combat techniques.

As the fatigue and pain spread through his body, Josh let out a low groan. Tomorrow, the pain would get worse.

But that was a problem for tomorrow.

Josh closed his eyes and thought. After all, if his mind was this peaceful and relieved, wasn’t that enough?

@Funhap

"Hey, Josh. Did you sleep well? How’s your body?"

By lunchtime, Josh stepped out of his room and ran into Isaac, who was walking toward him. After exchanging a greeting and a nod, Isaac immediately walked up to him, and they began walking side by side. Curiosity suddenly struck Josh, and he asked.

"How's C doing after all that?"

Isaac answered nonchalantly.

"Nothing too serious. He’s probably still sleeping."

"Really?"

Josh was secretly curious about how badly C had been hurt, when Isaac suddenly said.

"You could have hit him more."

For once, Isaac spoke with some sincerity, and Josh responded in kind.

"If I had, I’d already be in custody."

Isaac didn’t say anything more. Suddenly, Josh felt a vibration on his waist. He checked his phone and saw it was Seth.

"What’s up?"

As soon as Josh answered the call, Seth paused for a moment before speaking.

[C has been in his room for a while.]

"To see me? Why?"

Josh wondered if Seth was suggesting some new, ridiculous fight.

Seth, still sounding reluctant, replied.

[He just told me to come over, no questions asked.]

"Want me to go with you?"

Isaac asked after hearing the conversation. Josh gave him a quick glance, seeing the concern on his face, and shook his head dismissively.

"No, I’m fine. Thanks."

With those words, Josh quickly walked off with long strides. As he walked away, Henry’s words popped into his mind again: "Why didn’t you hit him in the throat?" but he quickly dismissed them.

Soon, Josh arrived at Chase’s room. But he didn’t knock right away. He took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock.

No answer from inside. He had been the one to call him, so he must be waiting. Josh steeled himself and opened the door.

The room had already been tidied up. Of course, the owner of the room couldn’t have done it himself. The staff must have cleaned it.

Unfortunately, all the artwork and decorations that had filled the walls and the empty spaces were gone. The only things left in the room were Chase, the bed, and a small chair. But despite that, Josh felt that it was enough. After all, the only thing his eyes were drawn to was Chase.

He was sitting on the bed, waiting for Josh. Despite wearing well-worn jeans and a simple t-shirt, to Josh, it looked like Chase had taken the finest clothes out of the wardrobe. And anyone else would likely think the same. Chase was perfect.

Except for the dark bruises under his eyes.

Chase glared at Josh, frowning. His gaze had been fixed on Josh since he entered the room. The intense stare was uncomfortable, but Josh had no choice but to endure it.

Josh deliberately stopped a little further away, ready to run if things escalated. If he ended up beating Chase like before, he’d surely be in real trouble this time.

For a long while, Chase didn’t say anything. He just glared at Josh. After a while, Josh, who had been waiting for Chase to speak, finally spoke first.

"I heard you were looking for me."

"Why didn’t you come find me?"

The response came quickly, causing Josh to blink in surprise.

"Find you? Where?"

"In my room."

Chase gritted his teeth.

"Damn it, you should’ve come to find me as soon as the morning came. What the hell were you doing, wandering around, showing up now?"

Taken aback by his words, Josh froze, speechless.

"You were waiting for me? Why?"

"Can’t you tell?"

Chase muttered between clenched teeth, but Josh still couldn’t understand. He just blinked awkwardly and gave a nervous smile, but then Chase suddenly slammed his fist into the bed.

"You should have treated me."

That was when Josh finally noticed the busted lip and the various bruises on Chase’s face. But he still couldn’t make sense of the situation.

"...You want me to put some ointment on you?"

Josh asked, half-skeptical, and Chase’s face twisted with anger.

"Want me to call a lawyer? Pay with money? Or do you want to pay with your body?"

Josh barely held back the urge to respond. Chase, with his foul temper and his spiteful nature, was doing everything he could to get under his skin.

Josh clenched his fists, stared at the ceiling, took a deep breath, and then quickly scanned Chase’s body again.

In truth, the bruises weren’t a big deal and would fade with time. The bloodied lips and the smaller cuts could be treated with disinfectant and band-aids. When he occasionally pressed on his chest, it seemed like he might have bruised a rib, but it didn’t look broken. Honestly, Josh hadn’t hit him that hard.

But Josh couldn’t just leave it at that, not when Chase had said otherwise. If he did, he wouldn’t make it out alive this time. Ultimately, Josh gave in.

"I’ll get the first aid kit."

Just as he was about to turn around, Josh noticed a long cut on Chase’s arm. It looked like it had been scratched by a broken piece of furniture. It didn’t need stitching, but it would be good to wrap it up with a bandage. Without hesitation, Josh left the room to get the first aid kit.

When he opened the bathroom cabinet, he suddenly wondered if he could put off this situation. But the answer was obvious. No one else was going to treat Chase Miller’s wounds alone in the room but him.

Sighing, he checked the contents of the kit and then returned to Chase’s room.

Chase was sitting on the bed, just like before, glaring at Josh the moment he entered. Josh didn’t say anything and grabbed a chair from the side to sit down and begin treating him.

The first thing he worked on was the worst of the cuts on Chase’s arm. It was a deeper wound than he expected, but it didn’t look like it would bleed much. After applying disinfectant and letting it dry for a moment, he put some ointment on it to avoid scarring. Finally, he wrapped it with a bandage.

As he secured the band-aid, he looked up without thinking. His gaze immediately met Chase’s. Josh froze.

Chase had been watching him all along. Josh could feel it, but he’d been ignoring it. Yet, in that brief moment of distraction, it created an awkward situation.

He should have casually looked away, but Josh couldn’t. He found himself captivated by Chase’s face.

Ah, I made a bruise on that face...

When he realized it, he felt regret, and at that moment, Chase’s eyes narrowed. Josh flinched when Chase smiled knowingly, as if he understood everything. Josh, embarrassed, lowered his gaze.

"Ah, you knew?"

"Yeah, would you expect anything less? Am I some kind of idiot like you?"

Chase kept speaking with his usual coarse words, but there was a smugness in his expression. Well, it was an expression that deserved it. Josh acknowledged it with a somewhat reluctant attitude.

"I do like Miller’s face."

Of course, Chase’s face spoke for itself. But Josh still furrowed his brows, looking confused.

"Is that enough for you?"

"...What?"

This time, it was Chase who didn’t understand immediately. He fluttered his long golden eyelashes, then scowled.

"What the hell are you babbling about, you fucking idiot?"

After the curse, it looked like a punch was coming, so Josh quickly took a step back.

"Well, I guess there must be some pervert out there who likes your personality."

"A pervert?"

Uh oh. Josh had just thrown some oil on the fire. The noise wasn’t the sound of Chase grinding his teeth, was it? Josh broke out in a cold sweat as he forced a smile.

"I’ll just say you have a unique taste."

That wasn’t the best way to phrase it, but Josh tried his best. The pheromone scent grew stronger, but that was just Chase getting angry. Josh silently appreciated that he wasn’t intentionally releasing the pheromones and quickly continued his work.

The ominous sound of cracking stopped, and Chase spoke up.

"My personality’s mine, and my face is mine."

"Ah, of course, it’s part of you."

Josh immediately agreed. But Chase wasn’t satisfied with his response. His glare seemed to demand more, so Josh, unable to resist, gave an honest answer.

"But everyone gets old, and beauty fades, doesn’t it?"

Chase hesitated. Josh added as if talking to himself.

"Who would want to like you after your personality is all that’s left?"

A cold silence followed. Josh felt uneasy when Chase didn’t say anything. It was surprising that a punch hadn’t come yet.

Josh quickly applied the remaining medicine at the fastest pace he could, just in case a hand or foot was coming his way. After finally applying a band-aid to his hand, he quickly stood up, and as he did, he was forced to meet Chase’s eyes, which he had been avoiding.

"Well then."

He was about to leave when Chase cut him off.

"You’ll get old too."

Chase shoved the undeniable truth in Josh’s face. It seemed like he had been thinking about this for a while. Trying to figure out how Josh would get flustered and disappointed.

But contrary to his expectations, Josh didn’t react much.

"Ah, of course, I’m sure. I’m not really concerned about it."

Josh didn’t laugh at him for boasting. It wasn’t like he was upset either. In fact, Josh didn’t show the slightest hint of regret. Chase, however, grew even more frustrated, gritting his teeth.

"Do you think people will still like you after that face is gone because of your personality?"

Josh, feeling the malicious gaze, brushed his hair back and gave a wry smile.

"Maybe more than they’ll like Miller."

For the first time, Chase was at a loss for words. The fact that he couldn’t think of anything to say despite his anger was beyond ridiculous.

He wanted to shout insults, but no matter what, his sense of defeat wouldn’t go away. If he could at least throw a punch, it would have felt better, but by the time he could do that, Josh had already taken a few steps toward the door.

"The treatment’s done, so I’ll be going now."

Josh quickly gave his farewell, and as he walked out, Chase couldn’t think of anything else to say.

His personality is good? Where?

Chase’s anger boiled over, but he already knew what Josh would say.

Of course, Josh would respond, "Better than Miller."

With a curse, Chase slammed his fist into the mattress several times.

I’ll kill that bastard one day.

Grinding his teeth, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the door Josh had walked through.

@Funhap

A full day had passed, and the sunset was already starting. As Josh walked toward the monitor room on time, Seth was staring at the screen with a serious expression.@@novelbin@@

"What’s going on?"

Josh leaned over to look at the screen, tilting his head in confusion. There was a car parked in front of the gate on the CCTV feed. Seth spoke up.

"Go help out. Looks like the battery’s dead."

"Who is it?"

Josh asked, puzzled by the sight of a tall man with his head buried in the engine. Seth answered.

"It’s someone here to see C. While you’re at it, check his identity. If something feels off, just fix the car and send him away."

"Got it."

Josh immediately left the mansion and headed for the car. He called Isaac to have him keep an eye on the area.

Since Josh always kept equipment in the trunk, simple repairs were no problem. Seth’s voice was calm as usual, which didn’t raise any alarms. Fans often showed up in front of the house, so it wasn’t a big deal. Josh drove through the garden without much thought.

Beyond the closed iron gate, a sleek black Jaguar stood. The man, who seemed to be the owner, was leaning against the car door, talking on the phone.

Josh parked the car on the other side of the gate and got out. The man, sensing the presence, turned his head. The man in dark sunglasses felt oddly familiar, even though Josh was sure they hadn’t met before.

Tall with shining blonde hair, his face mostly covered, but still, it was easy to guess who he was. The man slowly took off his sunglasses, and Josh recognized him immediately.

With a slow smile, the man spoke.

"Well, well, first time seeing your face. Are you the new bodyguard?"

No need for introductions, but he continued anyway.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Chase’s older brother, Grayson."

He reached his hand through the bars of the gate. Josh, as if in a daze, awkwardly shook his hand, feeling like a prisoner meeting a sympathetic onlooker.

Grayson’s eyes narrowed. In a relaxed voice, he whispered.

"Take care of him."