Chapter 52

Jo Chanhyeok couldn’t understand the current situation.

Just a moment ago, he had a splitting headache, his heart was racing as if it would burst, and his consciousness was fading…

Now, all the symptoms had subsided as if by magic.

Of course, his condition wasn’t completely recovered yet, and cold sweat was still dripping down,

but compared to the situation just before he lost consciousness and collapsed, it was now as calm as a still lake.

A truly miraculous recovery.

Jo Chanhyeok took a moment to catch his breath and looked again at the face of the man sitting next to him.

A young man kneeling with his hand on the back of his neck.

He didn’t know for sure, but he had a hunch that this young man had something to do with this miraculous phenomenon.

“Take a deep breath. It will help.”

On the other hand, the young man, Kang Taehan, had a completely calm expression.

He showed no signs of anxiety, nor did he seem to feel any elation at having done something extraordinary.

Just an indifferent expression, as if it were nothing special.

If this were a scene from a movie, he would have pointed out the acting, saying, “Is this the right expression for this situation?”, but now, the calm expression was rather reassuring.

It made it feel like it really wasn’t a big deal.

Moreover, his voice had a certain deep weight to it, conveying a strange sense of trust.

“Hoooo…”

“Good.”

Jo Chanhyeok took a deep breath as the young man instructed.

Kang Taehan, in time with that, gently pressed the acupoint on the back of his neck, drawing out the remaining turbid Qi that had accumulated in the Upper Dantian.

Soon, color slowly returned to Jo Chanhyeok’s face, and his complexion began to brighten.

‘I think it’s almost finished.’

His heartbeat, the rough flow of blood, and the Qi in the Upper Dantian, which had been muddled by turbid Qi, all stabilized.

Of course, it was only first aid, and he hadn’t treated the root cause.

At least most of the urgent symptoms caused by the seizure were resolved.

‘What just happened?’

Meanwhile, the cameraman standing next to them was blankly watching the whole process with his camera down.

When Jo Chanhyeok collapsed on the floor and was about to fall over…

Suddenly, out of nowhere, this young man appeared, supported Jo Chanhyeok from the side, and placed his hand on the back of his neck.

Then, after about thirty seconds, the current situation.

The cameraman had witnessed everything from the moment Jo Chanhyeok collapsed until now, but that didn’t mean he understood what had just happened.

‘He seemed to have a migraine and a bit of a panic attack…’

Just a moment ago, he was pacing back and forth, unable to do anything but call 119, but now he was just dumbfounded.

“Excuse me.”

“Ah, yes!”

Kang Taehan called out to the cameraman.

Perhaps because of the situation, a nervous voice came out.

“Do you have any water?”

“Water? Yes, I do.”

Variety show cameramen always follow the cast members and sometimes even have to run after them.

Sufficient water intake is the most basic of basics.

He took out an unopened bottle of water from his vest pocket.

“Thank you.”

Kang Taehan took the water with a nod.

And he removed his hand from the acupoint on the back of Jo Chanhyeok’s neck and said.

“It seems like the urgent situation has passed. If you drink some water and rest, I think the ambulance will arrive soon.”

“Ah, yes.”

Originally, it’s not a good idea to drink water hastily when having a panic attack, but Jo Chanhyeok obediently accepted the water bottle Kang Taehan offered.

“Haaa.”

As he opened the cap and carefully took a sip, a sigh escaped his lips.

It felt as if vitality was seeping back into his body, which had been drenched in cold sweat.

‘I’m alive….’

After quenching his thirst, he realized it.

The crisis that had suddenly struck him had disappeared like a lie.

Jo Chanhyeok let out a short sigh and turned his head again to express his gratitude.

“Hmm?”

But there was no one there.

Had he seen a ghost?

As he looked around, thankfully, he was able to find the back of his benefactor.

He must have left his seat long ago, as he was far away.

“Sir! Wait a minute!”

Although his strength hadn’t fully returned, Jo Chanhyeok rose from his seat and walked towards his benefactor, staggering.

Fortunately, Kang Taehan seemed to hear his call and stopped, turning around.

“What is it?”

“You’re just leaving? Without saying anything.”

“I was on my way to exercise.”

Kang Taehan shrugged at Jo Chanhyeok’s words.

Jo Chanhyeok couldn’t help but look dumbfounded at his reaction.

He realized it then.

He thought the young man was putting on an indifferent expression to reassure him, but he really did think of it as a simple act of helping someone on the street, a small favor.

That’s why he probably didn’t think about asking for compensation or receiving thanks.

Jo Chanhyeok felt a lump in his throat at the young man’s broad-mindedness before he could even express his admiration.

“Sir, at least tell me your name.”

“Ah. Thinking about it, that would be good.”

When Jo Chanhyeok spoke as if pleading, Kang Taehan nodded and took out a small wallet from his pocket.

A business card holder containing about twenty business cards.

Kang Taehan handed him his business card with a smile.

“I don’t have time today, and this isn’t the right place, so I had to stop midway, but if you need more help, come here.”

“…You’re a massage therapist.”

As Jo Chanhyeok looked down at the business card, Kang Taehan nodded once and added.

“It might be difficult to make an appointment for a while… Hmm, if you contact me in advance and come after 7 pm, I’ll see you separately.”

Well then, I’ll be going. Kang Taehan said that and turned around to continue on his way.

Jo Chanhyeok stared at his back with a dazed expression.

‘Does that mean he just gave me a little help because of the situation?’

That’s what it sounded like.

Jo Chanhyeok scratched the side of his head with a blank expression and looked down at the business card in his hand.

“Kang Taehan….”

Kang Taehan, Kang Taehan.

He muttered the name several times as if memorizing a script, and then carefully put the business card in his wallet.

⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢

『Taehan, did you meet senior Jo Chanhyeok yesterday by any chance?』

『I was so surprised to hear that he collapsed during filming. When I asked, he said he survived thanks to a precious connection. I thought of you when I heard that, is it true?』

Below that was an emoticon of a pink rabbit urging him.

Kang Taehan chuckled and sent a reply, ‘It probably is.’

The day before, after meeting Jo Chanhyeok, Kang Taehan had just had an ordinary day.

He exercised at the fitness club, went home, took an elixir, and went to sleep.

However, when he woke up and casually browsed the internet news as usual, he saw an article about what had happened yesterday.

『National Actor Jo Chanhyeok, Poor Condition? Faints on the Street.』

『Jo Chanhyeok, Panic Disorder Relapses During ‘Blind Mission’ Filming. Regains Consciousness Thanks to a Passing Citizen.』

Articles with roughly these contents.

It wasn’t a hot topic enough to make it to the main page, but there were still three or four articles with similar content.

And Kang Taehan knew intuitively that yesterday’s incident had been reported in the news just by looking at the titles.

‘There were a lot of people gathered.’

People gather even when an ordinary person collapses on the street, but it was even more so when a celebrity collapsed.

He didn’t bother to check, but it must have spread on social media as well, so it would be strange if there were no articles.

‘But well, it won’t cause any trouble.’

The articles focused on the fact that Jo Chanhyeok had collapsed, and Kang Taehan was portrayed as a courageous citizen who had lent a helping hand while passing by.

That was the natural interpretation.

He hadn’t given him a proper massage, and to an outsider, it would have looked like he had just supported the collapsed man and held his neck.

That’s what Kang Taehan had intended as well.

Anyway, it was just a trivial matter for Kang Taehan.

Kang Taehan leaned back against the driver’s seat and stretched his arms lightly.

“Customer number 127! Your order is ready!”

After waiting for a while, it was finally his turn.

A takeout carrier with two cups of coffee was handed to him through the window, and Kang Taehan took it and placed it on the passenger seat.

It was his first time using a drive-thru, so it felt strangely novel.

‘Let’s go.’

Kang Taehan was currently in Daejeon. While driving down from Seoul, he called his father and was told, ‘I’m at the shop, so go home first.’

But with a car, the shop was just a stop on his way home, so he stopped by to buy his father a cup of coffee he liked.

When he arrived at the shop, he opened the door without thinking and stepped inside…

“Father, I’m…”

“Hey! It’s Taehan! Let’s ask Taehan directly, huh?”

As soon as he entered, a familiar-looking man pointed at Kang Taehan and exclaimed excitedly.

Then another man next to him looked over and stood up.

Mr. Kim and Mr. Choi.

The two men who had argued last time about who was closer to Taehan happened to be gathered here again.

“Taehan, it’s been a while! Do you remember me? I gave you allowance when you were on your first leave, and bought you pizza and chicken at your entrance ceremony!”

“Haha. Of course I remember.”

Kang Taehan nodded naturally, but of course, he didn’t remember.

However, it didn’t seem like a situation where he should lie, and the man’s voice sounded somewhat aggrieved, so he just went along with the atmosphere.

“I gave you allowance on your leave too, remember? It feels like just yesterday when you and Minsu were in the Giraffe class at the same kindergarten, time flies, doesn’t it?”

“Y-yes, it does.”

It was the moment he rediscovered the name of the kindergarten class he attended sixty years ago, which he had forgotten about.

Kang Taehan smiled awkwardly and looked around.

Then he met his father’s eyes, who let out a small sigh.

“What is it, Father?”

“I’m sorry. I bragged about you a bit, and now they both want a massage.”

“Aha…”

Even without that, he could have given them a massage since they were his father’s acquaintances.

Kang Taehan, who roughly understood the situation, scratched his head.

‘And the allowance from my first leave was special.’

He didn’t remember the details, but thanks to that, he was able to have a more comfortable leave before returning to the base.

Then wouldn’t it be right to repay what he had received?

“Who should I see first?”

When Kang Taehan approached a nearby table and pulled out a chair, Mr. Kim chuckled and said.

“Give it to the person you like more first.”

“Then it’s me.”

“What do you mean it’s you?”

“Oh, come on.”

“Let’s just play rock-paper-scissors.”

It was Kang Taehan who spoke up, unable to watch any longer.

⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢

“Sister-in-law, how are you feeling these days?”

A small cafe located near Baek Hospital in Daejeon.

Park Hoyeon took a sip of the coffee he had just received and casually asked the person across from him.

It was a voice tinged with a little worry, more than just a casual inquiry about their well-being.

“I’m getting much better.”

The elegantly dressed woman sitting across from him smiled brightly and replied.

Park Hoyeon, the director of Baek Hospital, and Chae Seoyun, the wife of his close friend, Shin Junho.

Chae Seoyun said so in a cheerful voice, but a pained smile formed on Park Hoyeon’s face.

‘It’s always the same answer.’

Chae Seoyun suffered from chronic joint pain, scoliosis, and a tilted pelvis.

Because of this, she constantly felt aches and pains, and when the symptoms overlapped, she had to take painkillers, but…

She rarely showed it to others.

It might be because she wasn’t the type to complain, but more than that, it was probably out of consideration for Park Hoyeon himself.

She had been receiving treatment here at Baek Hospital for two years now.

However, as is often the case with these types of illnesses, there was little progress, and even though Park Hoyeon tried to pay attention to her, there wasn’t much difference.

It was a burden on Park Hoyeon’s mind.

“That’s good to hear.”

But he couldn’t spoil the bright atmosphere the patient was trying to create.

Park Hoyeon smiled faintly and took another sip of his coffee.

“Oh, by the way, Hoyeon.”

“Yes?”

“Have you met Taehan by any chance?”

…Uh.

For a moment, Park Hoyeon thought of a possibility when he heard the name she mentioned.