Among all the native and foreign words Je Hoon had spoken to her during the past 72 hours, ‘again’ was the only word Ji Won had remembered. He had said it over and over, to the extent where it began to nightmarishly haunt her even in her short naps. She barely had time to sleep, and when she did, the cushioned chairs in theatre five would become her pillow-less bed. 

Over the course of her training, the duration of time she was able to stay inside the booth as well as satisfactorily interpret according to Je Hoon’s standards fluctuated. Sometimes she would last 6 minutes, other times as brief as 2. But she was never able to pass the 7 minute mark.  

“6 minutes 40.” Je Hoon pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger, “Again.” After several more unsuccessful attempts, he finally called it a day. Then without word, he left the theatre for his office.  

Ji Won had never felt so frustrated with herself. How many times have they already repeated this same exercise? And yet on every single try, her claustrophobia would always get the better of her.  

She headed to the bathroom to wash away her drowsiness, splashing cold water onto her face. But as soon as she seated herself back inside the theatre, she could no longer fight the losing battle against sleep. So instead, she rested her head onto the desk in front of her, falling into deep sleep almost instantaneously.  

Je Hoon returned to the room with some files and took a seat adjacent to hers. His workload hadn't reduced since his return from overseas almost a week ago, and the fact that he was prioritising her training wasn't helping him out either, so he sacrificed sleep for work. But instead of spending yet another long night in his office, he opted for the theatre. Because if anything could keep him awake, it would probably be Ji Won's presence. 

He scanned and annotated pages of speech transcripts as he twirled a pen across his fingers – something he did out of habit. Then surrendering to the temptation beside him, he turned his head to face Ji Won and allowed himself the briefest moment to enjoy the sight of her sleeping. His eyes slowly traced the strands of her hair that s onto her pale cheeks, then they followed down her nose and onto her soft, glistening lips – slightly parted as she silently breathed. It pained him to witness her suffer inside the booth, but being lenient wasn't going to benefit her. 

Like a magnet drawn to its pole, he extended a hand towards her and  the hair off her face, tucking the fine strands behind her ear. Then he tapped his fingers against the desk as he contemplated the decency of what he was about to do. But he casted his principles aside and impulsively slipped one hand beneath her knees, lifting her effortlessly onto his arms. 

The sudden movement awoke Ji Won. "What are you doing?" She mumbled in her half-asleep state. Was this a dream? She giggled to herself. She had thought that if he were to appear in her dreams, he would take the form of a hideous demon pursuing her in a never-ending chase. But in this dream, he was still as handsome as ever.   

When Je Hoon offered no answer, she tightened her wrap around his neck and continued: "Director, please keep our relationship strictly profe...professio..." She dozed off again, her head resting comfortably on his chest.    

Je Hoon carried her through the long hallway to his office. Then he laid her down onto his couch, unlocking her interwoven hands behind his neck and placing them to her sides. "Starting tomorrow then. But tonight... Let's not tonight."