Lifa squeezed her eyes shut, her lips pressed tightly together. Her face grew tense, her fear becoming more obvious when she realized that only a few inches remained between her face and Kairo's. Kairo's warm breath washed over her skin, making the hairs on the back of Lifa's neck stand on end.
The chill grew sharper when Kairo deliberately blew softly across her face, as though he were enjoying Lifa's panic.
Memories of Kairo's cruelty flashed through Lifa's mind. In the novel she had read, the man in front of her was a cold-blooded killer who wouldn't hesitate to crush a life or drive an opponent insane to protect the female protagonist.
*Aaah, Mom, Dad! Why is the most dangerous character on my list of people to avoid standing inches from my face right now?!* Lifa screamed hysterically inside.
The fear surging through her made her reluctant to open her eyes. The exhaustion weighing on her body suddenly vanished, replaced by a sharp headache stabbing at her temples.
"Were you hoping I'd kiss you, hmm? Is that why you closed your eyes?" Kairo asked casually, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He pulled back and sat down comfortably in his original position.
"Huh? Wait..." Lifa stammered. She reflexively opened her eyes, her chest pounding.
"No way! I just did it reflexively because you suddenly moved your face closer! Besides, why are you still in my room?" Lifa shot back, struggling to keep her expression neutral even though her heart was pounding like a rock concert from sheer fear.
*Hmm, interesting,* Kairo thought as he stared intently at Lifa. Lifana's reaction after the coma and amnesia had completely changed by 180 degrees. The calm, obedient Lifana was gone.
"I'm Kairo. Didn't I already tell you? Or did you suddenly go deaf and miss what I said?" Kairo replied sharply.
"I mean, why do you have to wait here with me? We don't even know each other!" Lifa snapped, growing irritated by the man's tone.
"Didn't Rehan tell you? Rehan assigned me to watch over you while he's away," Kairo answered briefly and flatly.
"WHAT?!" Lifa screamed spontaneously.
Her head felt like it was about to split open. Out of all the millions of people on Earth, why did Rehan have to hand her over to Kairo, the most lethal character she was supposed to stay away from? This hospital had dozens of nurses. Why hadn't he just hired one of them?
*Damn you, Rehan!* Lifa cursed furiously inside.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Rehan and the guards sent by Lifa's father were making their way along a steep hillside in search of rainbow mushrooms.
"Achoo!" Rehan sneezed loudly, the force pushing his body forward.
"Young Master, are you all right?" the guard beside him asked anxiously.
"I'm fine. It feels like someone is cursing me from far away," Rehan muttered, rubbing his nose before continuing to push through the undergrowth.
Back in the hospital room, Lifa lay stiffly on the bed. Beside her, Kairo sat leaning back, silently playing on his phone. The atmosphere was unbearably quiet and awkward. Although Lifa was already on the verge of exhaustion, she couldn't close her eyes at all with a 'ticking time bomb' sitting so close to her.
*Ugh, I'm so sleepy! But how am I supposed to sleep with this monster sitting next to me?!* Lifa grumbled inwardly.
Amid the oppressive silence, a hazy memory suddenly surfaced in Lifa's mind. Kairo had actually been Lifana's childhood friend. But when they were seven, they had separated, and the original Lifana had completely forgotten about their friendship.
*Oh my gosh, I just remembered that they were childhood friends! But since Lifana doesn't remember, that friendship status has already expired. So I'm safe, right? But wait... How could someone as cold and sharp-tongued as Kairo possibly turn into a completely lovesick fool over the female lead later on?* Lifa wondered.
Lifa tried to recall the details of that chapter in the novel. But the harder she forced herself, the sharper the pain stabbing through her head became, as if a thick fog were deliberately blocking her memories of the novel's plot.
"Why are you just spacing out like that?" Kairo's flat voice shattered Lifa's reverie. He looked at her in confusion because Lifa had remained silent, lost in thought, even though it was getting late.
"Huh? What?" Lifa replied dazedly.
"You really are deaf. Besides losing your memory, apparently there's something wrong with your hearing too," Kairo said acerbically.
Lifa's chest rose and fell. *Stay calm, Lifa. Don't let him get to you.* But Lifa wasn't the original Lifana, who had patience as vast as the ocean. Her emotions boiled past the limit. She didn't care whether he was the protagonist or the novel's psychopath. Her irritation had to be dealt with!
Lifa threw off the blanket, stood up on the hospital bed, and pointed at Kairo challengingly. "You've been picking a fight with me this whole time! I've been quiet the whole time! What the hell did I ever do to you, huh?!"
"You want to know?" Kairo replied coldly.
Unexpectedly, Kairo stood as well and closed the distance between them. He narrowed the space until his face was only two inches from Lifa's. Lifa swallowed hard, her eyes locked on Kairo's impossibly perfect, flawless features.
*Damn, he's gorgeous! I just realized he's this perfect—way more handsome than Rehan, even. Does every character in this novel look better than average? His main-character aura is practically spilling everywhere!* Lifa shrieked inwardly. *Come on, Lifa, stay strong! He's just a fictional two-dimensional character. Don't get captivated by this monster!*
CRASH!
The sharp clang of a tray hitting the floor shattered the tension between them. Both of them jumped in surprise and instinctively pulled back. Lifa's and Kairo's earlobes both flushed red as sudden awkwardness swept over them.
"Uh... yeah, what is it, Nurse?" Lifa asked haltingly, addressing the nurse frozen in the doorway with a tray of medicine scattered across the floor.
"Oh—I'm sorry for interrupting you two! My foot tripped just now. I... I'll get the medicine replaced first!" the nurse said in a panic, hurriedly gathering the medicine before leaving and abandoning the room to an atmosphere that felt even more suffocating.
*Thank goodness that nurse showed up... Otherwise, I might've lost control from staring at his face too much,* Lifa murmured so softly it was nearly inaudible.
"Ahem." Kairo cleared his throat, neutralizing the atmosphere. "I'm going out for a bit. I have something to take care of. Stay here, and don't even think about escaping. The Xavier family has guards in this hospital, and there are security cameras everywhere, so don't dream of running away."
Without waiting for Lifa's response, Kairo turned and hurried out of the room.
"Finally, that guy left!" Lifa sighed in relief as soon as the door shut completely. She lay back down, closed her eyes, and was finally able to welcome her drowsiness without interruption.