L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 142

The once-chaotic detention cell fell into a strange stillness. The guys who had been glancing around nervously, watching Nelson for cues, now looked around at each other in confusion. “Connor Niles?”, “Who’s that?” — the whispers rippled through the room. Koi swallowed hard without realizing it.

The officer had unmistakably called his name. And the eyes fixed on him confirmed it. From behind, he could hear Nelson stammering, blinking in confusion.

“Connor Niles? Who the hell is that...?”

Nelson's disbelief was clear in his voice, but Koi couldn’t fully register it. His gaze was locked in one direction. Just like the other person’s.

Ashley came here for me.

He couldn’t believe it. That they would meet again in a place like this, under these circumstances, had never even crossed his mind. Yet among all these people, Ashley had found him in an instant. That fact alone was undeniable. Ashley had spotted Koi before even the officer did, and his gaze hadn’t wavered since.

Even though I’ve changed this much.

Suddenly, a long-buried memory resurfaced in Koi’s mind, followed by a small breath of astonishment escaping his lips.

It had always been like this. No matter how many people were around, even when his shorter-than-average height made him easy to lose in a crowd, Ashley would always find him. He’d walk right up to him without hesitation and reach out his hand.

And even now, nothing had changed.

Realizing that made something ache deep in Koi’s chest. He inhaled sharply, trying to steady himself. The officer called his name again. That finally made Koi rise awkwardly to his feet and respond.

“Y-Yeah.”

It was such a simple word, yet his face flushed with embarrassment.

“I... That’s me.”

His voice came out hoarse, and he coughed awkwardly. The officer gestured for him to come out, and Koi quickly moved forward. Every eye in the room followed him. Even Nelson’s dazed stare.

“Uh... wha...?”

A dumbfounded grunt came from behind, and then Nelson suddenly shouted.

“Wait, what?! Who? Connor Niles? That loser?!”

Others looked toward him in surprise, clearly not understanding what was going on.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“What’s the deal? You knew that guy?”

Voices popped up from all around, and then Nelson suddenly clutched his head and screamed.

“You... You’re really that guy? That pathetic loser Connor Niles? Fuck, seriously?!”

Tugging at what little hair he had left, he finally let go in a panic and jabbed his finger at Koi.

“That bastard’s the loser I used to boss around in high school! The one I beat the shit out of all the time! You know how fucking pathetic he was? Hey, Koi! Get over here! What are you standing around for? Get over here and press your head to the floor! Don’t make me say it again! You wanna get hit again? I fucking swear—!”

He had completely reverted. He wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore—he was the same violent bully from back then, spitting at Koi and lashing out with his foot.

But it wasn’t ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) just Nelson who had slipped back into the past. Koi had, too. In an instant, he had become the small, powerless Connor Niles again. Even though he’d grown taller than Nelson, even though he had a full head of hair now, something inside him froze in terror.

The one saving grace was that he didn’t follow Nelson’s command like he used to. Not because he was rebelling—but because his body simply wouldn’t move. Still, the result was the same.

Frozen awkwardly in place, not knowing what to do, Koi stood there. Ashley narrowed his eyes as he watched. Slowly, his lips parted, and for the first time since they’d reunited, Koi heard his voice.

“Koi, come out.”

Ashley’s voice was lower than before—deeper, steadier. The rich baritone sent a chill down Koi’s spine. When he hesitated and turned his head, their eyes met. Ashley still had his hands in his coat pockets, standing exactly where he’d been, and repeated,

“Come on. Get out.”

Come to me.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

For some reason, Koi thought he heard another voice layered under Ashley’s—one only he could hear. Don’t worry, it said. You’re safe now. Just like always, just like back then.

As if in a trance, Koi slowly began to move. The chaos around him faded away. It was as if only he and Ashley existed now. Ashley running toward him after a game, his bright smile, the way he kissed him with such fierce passion—

I like you, Koi.

The words echoed in his mind like an auditory hallucination. His flushed cheeks, his breathless voice—all of it came rushing back like it had just happened.

Let’s date.

That excited, bold confession came back to him so vividly—and then, in an instant, reality snapped back into place.

Ashley wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t flushed, or breathless. He was simply standing there, staring at Koi with a cold, unreadable gaze. The moment Koi met those sharp violet eyes, he felt himself return fully to the present. And then the sound of the detention cell door shutting behind him rang out.

The officer had closed and locked it with a key.

Only then did sounds return to Koi’s ears. From behind, Nelson was raging, screaming insults. He was throwing curses at Ashley and heaping mockery on Koi in a fury.

He’s getting insulted because of me.

Realizing that, Koi couldn’t bring himself to lift his head. Ashley glanced down at him, then said,

“Wait outside.”

“Huh?”

Koi looked up in surprise at the low voice, locking eyes with Ashley again. Startled, he nodded automatically. As he saw Ashley stepping over to the officer to say something quietly, Koi quickly followed the order and stepped out. His heart finally began pounding.

Ashley...

Standing just outside the police station, he took a few breaths to calm himself. The cold air helped clear his mind. And with that came a surge of emotion.

I really saw Ashley again.

Unable to stop himself, he took in a deep breath—and that’s when the door opened behind him. He turned to look and froze.

Ashley had stepped out of the police station and was looking down at him. Facing him this close again made Koi swallow hard without thinking.

He’d already seen Ashley back in the cell, but up close, it felt completely different. Ariel had said Ashley had changed, but Koi disagreed. The high, smooth bridge of his nose, the full lower lip, the strong jawline, the broad shoulders tapering into a narrow waist, the endlessly long legs—he looked just as he always had. But unlike the younger version of him that had traces of boyhood left, the Ashley standing before him now was undeniably a man. Up close, he looked even more like Dominique Miller. Maybe that was because any trace of youth had disappeared entirely from Ashley’s features.

Koi, searching desperately for something familiar, finally managed to speak.

“...Thanks. For helping me.”

His voice cracked, and he quickly cleared his throat. A flood of things he wanted to say rushed through his mind, and he couldn’t figure out where to start.

What is Ash thinking right now?

He wanted to know. But Ashley’s blank expression gave nothing away. Scrambling through his thoughts, Koi grabbed the safest thing he could say.

“How did you recognize me? Everyone says I look really different now.”

He forced a small smile, and Ashley frowned. Koi’s heart dropped into his stomach. He froze. Ashley looked him over once, then locked eyes with him again and replied.

“You haven’t changed that much.”

His voice was still low, still deep—but that personal comment was enough to ease Koi’s nerves.

“R-Really?”

Koi stammered, unable to hide his relief. Ashley gave a brief nod.

“I recognized you right away.”

“O-Oh. Haha...” 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Koi let out a weak, awkward laugh. It wasn’t the answer he expected, but at least the conversation was flowing somehow. That was all that mattered right now.

“Nelson didn’t recognize me either. I mean, I’ve grown a lot, right?”