As he rushed out to follow, Koi’s breath caught in his throat when he saw the parked Bentayga. Ashley probably never lived anywhere like this, so he might not grasp just how unsafe this area was. Koi silently vowed never to call Ashley over to his neighborhood again as he quickly got into the car. Only after Ashley started driving did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
Ashley brought Koi to a small restaurant about ten minutes away by car. Koi had been worried they might be heading to that French place they’d gone to before, and was relieved when that didn’t happen. Not only was he unable to afford anything from there, but it was also too far away.
Following Ashley into the restaurant, Koi found himself relaxing a little at the unexpectedly cozy atmosphere and soft jazz playing in the background.
They were shown to a window seat, and the staff laid nus in front of them before stepping away. Koi hesitated briefly before reaching for the nu—only for Ashley to snatch it away without warning. Startled, Koi looked up. Ashley, expressionless, spoke.
“Answer my question first, Koi.”
Koi tensed up instantly, but Ashley continued.
“How much money do you have right now? I’m asking whether you can afford a soda with or without ice.”
Koi froze, but Ashley didn’t let up.
“Don’t forget our agreent.”
Be honest. Don’t hide anything.
Koi inhaled, then slowly exhaled before answering with difficulty.
“...Not even enough for a soda.”
His voice was so small it nearly disappeared. A sigh followed. It ca from Ashley. Koi, feeling ashad and guilty, couldn’t raise his head.
“Here.”
Ashley returned the nu to Koi. As Koi instinctively glanced toward the drink section, Ashley added,
“I’m paying for the food here. Order whatever you want.”
“Huh?”
His ears perked up and his head shot up without thinking. Across the table, Ashley was looking right at him.
“Think of it as a friend’s goodwill. If the roles were reversed—if you had money and I was starving—you’d do the sa for , wouldn’t you?”
That word—friend—didn’t seem to apply when it ca to Ashley. Ashley considered Koi a friend, and Koi played along, but his true feelings didn’t match. Still, he tried imagining if it were Ariel sitting across from him instead. The answer was obvious.
It’s just a friend’s kindness.
Swallowing the bitter twinge in his chest, Koi muttered “Thanks,” and glanced through the nu. He was so hungry he felt sick, so anything quick would do.
His mind only started clearing after he’d eaten about half of his food. He’d devoured a burger and a mountain of fries in a flash. Only then did he regain enough strength to speak.
As the hunger faded, Ashley ca back into focus—still sitting across the table. Realizing he hadn’t even properly thanked him yet, Koi suddenly felt awkward.
Ashley was quietly cutting into his steak. If this had been one of those restaurants he normally went to, he probably would’ve ordered a full course al. Imagine how hard it would be to wait through all the dishes on an empty stomach.
Thinking about it made Koi genuinely grateful that Ashley had chosen this place instead. He waited until Ashley had swallowed a bite of steak before speaking.
“Hey... aren’t you super busy? Are you sure you have ti for this?”
He was thankful Ashley had co running to help him, but he also felt bad. Hoping to not take up too much of his ti, he asked. Ashley answered flatly.
“I’ll manage my own schedule.”
“R-Right.”
Feeling like he’d said sothing unnecessary, Koi shut his mouth and awkwardly watched him. Though jazz music floated gently between them, Koi felt the silence growing heavy.
I should say sothing.
If he brought up work, it might sound like he was pushing Ashley. That wasn’t his intent at all, so he needed a different topic.
Pretending to be busy eating, Koi racked his brain. Eventually, sothing ca to mind.
“Um, about that rule you ntioned for clients earlier.”
Ashley glanced over at him. Koi recited the conditions he’d been told.
“Be honest. Don’t hide anything. Don’t lie.”
Ashley didn’t object, simply stared. Koi continued his little one-man dialogue.
“So if I just follow that—don’t lie or hide things—that’s really all?”
Ashley answered without hesitation.
“Yeah. I’ve told that to all my clients, but none of them actually follow it.”
He curled his lip in a crooked smirk.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
“You’ll probably be the most obedient one I’ve ever had.”
Koi blinked in surprise, eyes wide.
“Well, of course! You’re helping , so I should do what you say.”
His response ca out without hesitation, but Ashley’s reply remained sharp.
“There are a lot of idiots in the world who can’t even manage that.”
Koi tilted his head and looked at him.
“Why do you think that is?”
When Koi muttered it like a passing thought, Ashley unexpectedly answered.
“Who knows. Maybe because lying and hiding things is just normal for them.”
Still, the conversation was flowing. That made Koi happy. Even his small comnts, Ashley was responding to. That joy pushed him to keep going.
“There must be way more honest people out there, right? You must have it tough, dealing with the other kind.”
Koi knew the kind of people Ashley defended. But he still trusted Ashley. He figured there had to be unavoidable circumstances behind it. But Ashley crushed that belief without rcy.
“Koi, don’t sugarcoat it. I deal with garbage. And I’m the lawyer who keeps that garbage out of the trash.”
His voice was frigid—like he was begging Koi to face reality. Koi hesitated, then spoke.
“But... you ca to help . Even though you knew I couldn’t pay.”
Ashley didn’t reply. He just went back to cutting his steak. Koi recalled how he’d fumbled around earlier, too nervous to eat anything but a few onion rings, and added in a small voice,
“It’s been two months. I thought maybe... it was really over.”
But the mont Ashley heard he was in trouble, he ca running. Maybe... maybe he’d been waiting for Koi to reach out first?
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Ashley opened his mouth.
“I figured you wouldn’t want to see again.”
Koi’s eyes widened in surprise.
“? No way. Why?”
Ashley gave a wry smile as Koi asked “Why?” again.
“Because you looked at like you were sick of .”
Koi was at a loss for words. I did? I looked at him like that?
He couldn’t believe it, but if Ashley said it, it had to be true. Then Koi rembered—he’d had a terrible cold that day. Sure, he’d been shocked by what Ashley had done. He’d been sick as a dog, after all.
It’s been over ten years.
Koi whispered to himself. There’s no way Ashley could be exactly the sa as before. He himself had changed a lot too. Back then, his father ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) was rich. Now Ashley was the one with money. Of course the way they spent money and the scale of their lives had shifted. They lived in completely different worlds now. That’s just what Ashley’s life must be like.
When he needs to apologize, he does it with money.
Koi didn’t agree with that thod, but he had no right to judge soone else’s life. All he could do was acknowledge that their lives were different.
“I was just surprised. Around , when soone breaks a promise, they don’t give gifts or anything...”
Trying to explain it in words suddenly felt incredibly difficult. How hard it was to put into words the things you’d always taken for granted.
Ashley must’ve lived that way once too.
Just as Koi was starting to feel overwheld by the limits of language, Ashley set down his fork and knife and spoke.
“Let’s stop the personal talk and get to business.”
“Huh? Oh... okay.”
That was clearly a signal to end the uncomfortable topic. Koi figured he might never get another chance to say what he wanted.
But instead of being stubborn about it, he respected Ashley’s choice. There was no point forcing a conversation the other person didn’t want.
While Koi explained everything that had happened, Ashley didn’t say a word—just listened. His expression was cool and professional, unlike anything Koi had seen before. It made him nervous, but he managed to finish his story without faltering.
“...So that’s what happened.”
After a pause, Ashley finally spoke.
“Alright, I get what happened. But what caused all of it?”
“Huh?”
Koi blinked at the unexpected question. Ashley rephrased it.
“It’s strange for all those employees to suddenly quit, right? When several people leave in a short ti, there’s usually a clear reason. What was it? Did the boss abuse them or sothing?”
“Uh? No...”
Ashley’s suspicion was completely logical. If the boss had done sothing wrong, it would definitely help Koi’s case. But unfortunately, that wasn’t the reason at all. Koi hesitated, then admitted,
“People started... clinging to all of a sudden...”
Ashley, who had just been about to take a sip of coffee, froze. He slowly lowered his cup and looked straight at Koi.
“...Clinging?”
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