Was it because I was so tense?

It felt like my vision was spinning, and even my body, which had been steady until now, suddenly felt weak. Fearing that if she closed her eyes now she might not be able to open them again, So Yeon widened her eyes, trying to stay alert.

But her increasingly heavy eyelids defied her will and slowly closed shut before she knew it.

Stop being stubborn and come to me.

Even before Seo Jun could whisper these words into So Yeon’s ear.

That’s right.

Unlike usual, Tae Seo Jun had sent his car and the two men who always accompanied him to the hotel, and was now traveling in a large van mixed in with the other actors. And he had boldly taken the seat next to So Yeon, where Yeo Do Soon should have been sitting.

Thanks to that, Do Soon was chatting happily with other managers her age in the very back seat.

Seo Jun couldn’t help but smile as he stared at So Yeon, who seemed to be nodding off.

From the day he realized his father’s men were constantly hovering around him, he had been careful with all his actions. Because of that, he had to act indifferent, and the moments when he wanted to embrace her but pretended not to felt so fleeting.

While it was sometimes amusing to see Eom So Yeon flustered, it wasn’t entirely enjoyable. Distancing himself from her felt like a punishment to himself.

Feeling he had given her enough time to think, Seo Jun was eagerly counting down to tonight. He wanted to have dinner alone with her and talk about their future again. He was confident because he couldn’t misunderstand the meaning of her deep gazes that occasionally brushed past him.

However, he wouldn’t be able to see Eom So Yeon for a while starting tomorrow. Further waiting was meaningless in the face of that impatience. He wanted to hear her answer right away.

But she fell asleep as soon as she got in the car…….

The van had now arrived in front of the hotel, and the actors were getting off one by one.

“Eom So Yeon.”

Seo Jun called out to So Yeon, who was sound asleep and not moving. Then Do Soon, who approached from the back seat as if waking So Yeon was her specialty, said:

“I’ll take her off.”

A moment later, Do Soon got off the car with her arms full of luggage and went straight into the hotel. So Yeon froze in her tracks as soon as she stepped onto the sidewalk. It was because her eyes met directly with Tae Seo Jun, who was talking with the filming staff near the hotel’s revolving door.

What should I say? Should I thank him for everything? No, that’s too cold. Since there are a lot of people, should I just coolly shake hands? Or…….

She felt she should say a final goodbye to him. But how, what words to start with. As So Yeon was pondering for a moment and about to take a step forward.

“I think I’ve grown fond of So Yeon. We’ll see each other again in Korea, but I feel so sad.”

A veteran actress playing Tae Seo Jun’s attendant in the drama approached So Yeon to express her regret.

“Me too. I’m really grateful for how well everyone treated me. My filming is over, but I’ll come visit the Ilsan set often.”

“That would be nice to see you again that way. You’re going back to Korea tomorrow, right?”

“Yes.”

There was no need for trivial talk about postponing her return due to circumstances. As So Yeon made a regretful expression after keeping her words short, the middle-aged actress glanced at Oh Min Jung, who was sticking close to Tae Seo Jun, and said in a lower voice:

“No matter how well Oh Min Jung does, you were the real main character here. Your acting immersion that created the atmosphere was the best. Because of prejudice that you were just pretty, I was unsure at first, but everyone saw you differently because you did so well. Me too.”

“Oh my, you’re exaggerating.”

It was just flattery, but it wasn’t bad to hear. So Yeon smiled shyly, but that smile didn’t last long.

“Oh! Isn’t that Yoo Jung Hwa and Jo In Ha? Look over there!”

At someone’s voice, everyone’s eyes turned to where Tae Seo Jun and Oh Min Jung were. So Yeon could clearly see Yoo Jung Hwa and Jo In Ha too.

Especially when she saw Jung Hwa, a series of nightmarish events flashed through So Yeon’s mind, her pulse raced abnormally fast, and her body froze in place.

“Have you been well, Seo Jun?”

Jung Hwa’s first words to Seo Jun, with a charming smile and haughty demeanor, were informal.

But the moment Jung Hwa’s voice was heard, what So Yeon saw was Tae Seo Jun’s eyes shaking greatly once and then settling calmly. Just seeing that, she could tell. That Tae Seo Jun still couldn’t ignore Jung Hwa.

That’s how it looked to So Yeon, if no one else.

Four years ago, Tae Seo Jun seemed like he would do anything to forget Jung Hwa. Jung Hwa had threatened her by mentioning how she had pretended to be his lover until recently.

In addition, what she newly realized at this moment was that the relationship between those two had not yet ended in any form.

“Elder sister Jung Hwa! Didn’t you come to see me?”

Min Jung burst out at Jung Hwa, who didn’t even glance at her. Of course, it was Oh Min Jung’s way of expressing friendliness.

“Well.”

“Why are you answering like that? How disappointing!”

Knowing this, Jung Hwa took on a slightly joking and humane appearance, patting Min Jung’s back.

“Huh, getting upset. Why would I have come here if not for our Min Jung? I came to support Director Yoon’s work while I was at it.”

Oh Min Jung and Jung Hwa, who became close in Milan, had become very close after spending a few days together there. No, Min Jung had worked hard to think that way, and Jung Hwa was sincere at least in this moment when that sincerity shone.

In Ha’s gaze, standing quietly next to Jung Hwa, fell on So Yeon, whose face was particularly pale.

That’s when it happened.

As So Yeon unconsciously stepped back onto the road, a car rushing towards the hotel suddenly braked.

Screeeeech!

On the asphalt floor where skid marks were drawn, Eom So Yeon lay fallen.

It was an incident from over a year ago.

When part of the movie set collapsed and So Yeon hit her head, she was taken to the hospital unconscious in an ambulance.

Fortunately, brain damage was avoided thanks to prompt emergency treatment, but due to her rare blood type and excessive bleeding, finding blood was more urgent than surgery. If luck hadn’t struck, So Yeon might have lost her entire life then.

Having gone through such a big incident, how severe must the accident trauma have been? Still, So Yeon thought she had overcome it. At least until she came face to face with Jung Hwa today.

It was about a month after she had safely passed that dangerous crisis and was hospitalized. While the wounds had healed, the fear of the accident had not faded, and around that time, Jung Hwa visited the hospital room.

‘You were a thorn in my side, and then this happened. It wouldn’t have been strange if you had died instantly from that, you’re really lucky. But how long do you think that luck will last?’

Those words she had spoken softly.

‘Since we’re in the same industry, we might bump into each other in this small world, but I hope you won’t lurk in front of me or bother me again.’

Jung Hwa had known who Eom So Yeon was from the first time she saw her at the Elstella Hotel bar, and So Yeon learned then that Tae Seo Jun’s unknown woman was Jung Hwa.

‘I’m telling you to avoid me well. If you don’t want to get hurt again.’

Jung Hwa’s last words, which were especially chilling, were unbelievable even after hearing them. It was an extreme truth and a vicious crime. However, despite suspicions, the incident was quietly concluded as an unfortunate accident.

So Yeon, who faced Jung Hwa head-on a year after that incident, had the nightmare of that terrible accident revived.

If you don’t want to get hurt again…….

If you don’t want to…….

Don’t want…….

Jung Hwa’s voice that she had heard in the hospital room echoed loudly in her head. At that moment, So Yeon’s vision went completely black, and even her injured head throbbed, causing her to step back. At some point, she lost consciousness.

So Yeon was lying on a bed in the hotel infirmary.

The doctor urgently called by the hotel manager prescribed only fever reducers without any examination and left. Saying the fever would soon break, that this much was fine.

But even after an hour, the fever didn’t drop at all. Thinking the oral medication wasn’t working well, they gave her another dose, but the high fever of over 40 degrees Celsius persisted. So Yeon, who had shown no movement since losing consciousness, lay as if dead.

“Um… I’ll be back in a bit. I have somewhere to go.”

Do Soon, who had been sighing heavily, asked someone to look after So Yeon and hurriedly left the infirmary. Jo In Ha sat close to the bedside as if he were her guardian.

“See… There’s only me…”

In Ha, who put a newly dampened cloth on So Yeon’s forehead, continued to mutter to himself.

“Even your friend leaves. Tired of you being sick. So hurry up and accept it. That Eom So Yeon only has me.”

How could a person on the brink of death respond? With no one around, he was revealing a bit of his long-hidden true feelings. But wanting to be even greedier, In Ha slowly traced So Yeon’s lips with his fingertips.

His hand lingering there for a long time seemed to desire something more.

Perhaps sensing his impure intentions even in her unconscious state, her dry lips twitched ever so slightly. But other than that, they didn’t move again.

In Ha caressed So Yeon’s lips again.

And not long after. Jo In Ha failed to notice someone entering the infirmary because he was too engrossed in the feel of So Yeon’s lips.

“Take that hand off.”

“…!”

At the low voice that seemed to hide fierce teeth, In Ha turned around. At that moment. The gaze of a strong person he had never experienced before pierced so sharply that In Ha’s upper body was pushed back slightly.

“People like you are called stalkers.”

“What?”

“Crazy…”

Seo Jun, having first checked So Yeon’s condition, seemed to have made a judgment as he easily lifted her with his strong arms.

“What are you doing!”

“…”

Seo Jun, who tightly closed his lips at words not worth responding to, tried to quietly leave the infirmary. However, In Ha blocked the door with his body.

“What are you doing now, I said!”

“What are you, just watching someone dying of high fever?”

“The doctor who came said she’d be fine soon!”

“It’s dangerous if we don’t act now. Move!”

“What nonsense… Ugh!”

“You’re the one talking nonsense!”

When In Ha didn’t move despite the warning as a doctor, Seo Jun quickly resolved the nuisance with one knee strike and immediately left the place.

Tae Seo Jun was a licensed medical professional.

“Ha…”

Jo In Ha could only open and close his mouth without making a sound.

But he clearly felt it.

That even Tae Seo Jun, the epitome of composure and grace, was not so in front of Eom So Yeon.

That bastard, was he for real?