Could it be the aftereffects of the accident in which I died in my previous life?

It was the first time I experienced such a seizure.

Jae Ha seemed to quickly regain his composure and bent his knees to meet my eye level.

“Ha, haa.”

“Calm down.”

He wrapped his arms around my still trembling shoulders.

Even as I looked into Jae Ha’s deep eyes right in front of me, my breathing remained labored.

Feeling that it wasn’t enough, he took off his jacket and covered my head with it.

“It’s okay.”

A familiar scent came from his jacket.

Gradually, I could feel Jae Ha’s gentle hand comforting my shoulders. It was a tender yet unfamiliar touch.

“Haa.”

My eyes wandered aimlessly, not knowing where to look.

“It’s okay. Look at me. Look into my eyes.”

As I lifted my head at the sound of his voice, our gazes locked for a moment.

For a brief moment, my panting breaths subsided.

During that short time, my mouth became parched.

Before I knew it, Jae Ha, who had been close to me, carefully embraced my cheeks.

“Close your eyes.”

For a moment, my shaking gaze hesitated between complying and not.

He reached out and gently brushed my eyelids.

“It’s okay, close your eyes.”

As his hand covered my eyes, complete darkness enveloped me.

My heart began to pound heavily, loud enough for Jae Ha, who was pressed against me, to hear.

“And focus only on my voice. Breathe in.”

“Huh.”

His soft yet deep voice penetrated my ears.

A strange sense of relief washed over me. Unknowingly, I followed his instructions.

“Slowly exhale.”

“Haah.”

Was it thanks to his calm voice, or was it because of the citrus scent that had been wafting around since earlier?

My labored breaths gradually slowed down.

“You did well. Secretary Han will be here soon. Hang in there for a bit.”

As the trembling subsided, various thoughts crossed my mind.

I must be a mess right now, what kind of expression was he making?

Even though the seizure had stopped, why was my heart still pounding as if it was about to burst?

I had a funny thought that maybe he was feeling the same way.

With that ridiculous thought, I chuckled and reached for his hand covering my eyes.

He hesitated as he felt my fingers trace along his solid forearm.

“Stop.”

I heard Jae Ha’s low and heavy voice warning me.

“Not yet… I shouldn’t…”

“It’s okay now.”

I felt reassured that everything would be fine with him by my side.

With some force, I removed his hand that was covering my eyes, and my vision brightened.

Jae Ha, who was closer than I thought, let out a deep breath.

I thought I was the only one in a mess, but this man’s face didn’t look too great either.

With a distance between us where our lips could touch if either one of us moved, Jae Ha licked his lips.

“I told you it’s not allowed.”

The light leaking from behind him was still intense, but Jae Ha filled my vision so much that I couldn’t see the light.

“I’m really okay now… See, I’m fine.”

My breath seemed to tickle him, as Jae Ha made a grimace.

Then, his gaze, which had been staring at me blankly, gradually deepened.

“Ha.”

Jae Ha’s heldback breath burst out.

As he stared at me blankly, he grabbed my hand, and I involuntarily furrowed my brows.

The spot where I had fallen earlier and gotten hurt stung.

As if realizing his mistake, he turned my palm over and frowned.

“You call this fine? You’re bleeding.”

“It’s okay…”

“It’s not okay! Just a moment ago, you were gasping for breath… Ha.”

Cutting off my words that claimed I was fine, he let out an even deeper breath than before.

Before I could argue, his arm gently pulled my nape closer.

“I should be stubborn when it’s necessary.”

The moment I leaned into him, my heart, which I thought had calmed down, started to race again.

Was it because of his sudden action? Or was it the worry from this man that was fully conveyed to me?

“Just stay still like this.”

His fingers delved through my hair, brushing my head.

Feeling an odd emotion from his fingertips tickling my ear, I closed my eyes.

The door creaked open, and the bright light was turned on.

And at that moment, the door to the set, which had been tightly closed, burst open.

“CEO!”

A familiar voice urgently searched for Jae Ha, and I came to my senses.

In an instant, his hand that had been holding my neck distanced itself.

“Why is Young Lady here? How did both of you get trapped in here?”

Secretary Han, who had approached, asked while looking at me sitting down.

“No! How did you know to come into the set? I locked the door after the drama ended.”

The security staff who had followed couldn’t hide their astonishment when they realized there were people in the set.

“The door was open from the beginning.”

Jae Ha softly spoke towards the security staff.

Looking down at the watch on his wrist, Jae Ha added something to Secretary Han who had come closer.

“Who locked the door? Is the anchor audition still going on today?”

“Ye? Yes. It is, but…”

Secretary Han glanced at me, who was still sitting down.

“Contact the director right now. Tell him I’ll be visiting the studio.”