“At this hour?”
At Park Ra Jin’s question, Ji Ho looked at his wristwatch.
“It’s only midnight now.”
“No, it’s already midnight.”
“Is that a problem?”
“You must be tired, are you alright?”
As if it wasn’t an issue at all, Ji Ho lightly patted his chest.
“That place looks the prettiest when the sun rises. Let’s watch the sunrise together.”
After casually throwing out those words, Ji Ho carefully observed Park Ra Jin’s expression, worried he might be rejected.
Park Ra Jin now seemed, how to put it…
As if a fierce storm had swept through, she looked somewhat relieved. Moreover, since her emotions had settled to some extent, she also appeared rational. No obvious signs of dislike, just a bit of hesitation? It didn’t seem bad to appeal a little more here.
“I have a house in the countryside. There’s also a small stream in front of the house.”
“A countryside house?”
“Yes. The water is good, and so is the air. It’s a good place to clear your head since it’s separated from other houses.”
“A countryside house with a stream…”
The mention of a countryside house seemed to pique her interest, as Park Ra Jin’s eyes flickered intensely. If she was already halfway convinced, he might as well deliver the final blow.
“We can even grill meat on the wooden platform. What do you think?”
Letting slip the fact that he could grill meat exceptionally well, Park Ra Jin unconsciously swallowed.
“Would it be alright if I went?”
“Of course. I’m trying to persuade you to come play with me like this.”
Ji Ho’s words about persuading seemed unexpected, as Park Ra Jin smiled for the first time.
“Wait here for a moment. I’ll go to my room quickly.”
“‘On second thought, I can’t go.’ Something like that is not allowed.”
He was worried that Park Ra Jin might go up to pack but change her mind and refuse.
“‘I feel like I’m causing trouble for you, Ji Ho. I’m sorry.’ That’s not allowed either.”
“What?”
“‘It’s late now, so let’s leave in the morning.’ That’s not allowed either.”
Ji Ho laid out potential refusals she might make like multiple choice questions. Park Ra Jin laughed again at his serious yet playful demeanor.
“I… I like the countryside. I used to go often when my father was alive.”
“Unless you stamp a promise seal, those words won’t work.”
He abruptly held out his pinky finger. There was no other way to protect her after she had been hit with the Kim Yu Jun bomb. For today at least, he intended to drive out all negative things and guard her side.
“Alright.”
“No taking it back.”
“Okay. I promise.”
The moment their fingers intertwined, Park Ra Jin was dyed entirely pink. From her moist eyes to her soft cheeks and white nape. A cozy peace descended upon Ji Ho’s world.
Ji Ho’s heart felt solid and sturdy, as if standing on a straight, wide road covered with soft earth. To think that someone else could change his life so drastically. Ji Ho was simply amazed at Park Ra Jin’s powerful ability to transform his life.
“I’ll wait here.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
After hesitating briefly, Park Ra Jin soon disappeared. Then she reappeared with quick steps.
“Read this while you wait. I didn’t have much time, so I just roughly organized the important parts.”
It was her mother’s diary that she had promised. The diary she said she would return after self-censoring.
“By the way, look at the marked parts first.”
Park Ra Jin handed over three diaries as if she had written a love letter, then quickly fled the scene. In the spot where she had vanished like she was running away, Ji Ho opened the first place marked with a fluorescent tape.
At that moment, a laugh burst from Ji Ho’s mouth. How on earth could a person be this adorable?
Ji Ho couldn’t help but laugh as he looked at Park Ra Jin’s notes.
―See this? My math score jumped to 92 in the second semester!
Park Ra Jin had put stars next to every report card attached to her mother’s diary, and didn’t forget to add explanations in her round handwriting. How much must it have worried her to go this far? Ji Ho could vividly imagine Park Ra Jin agonizing over this for days.
But what caught Ji Ho’s eye was something else. Her mother’s memo. Ji Ho slightly bit his lip to avoid laughing out loud at how bluntly she had pointed out just the facts.
Eventually, her tutor was changed from a man to a woman.
As he turned the pages of the diary she had marked, Park Ra Jin gradually grew up, consistently maintaining top grades.
The joy of witnessing her school days, where she loved watercolor painting and dreamed of becoming an art teacher. Ji Ho laughed and laughed in front of her report cards filled with stars.
‘Oh? She had a car accident at this time.’
The ordinary daily life in the diary suddenly disappeared. Her mother’s neat handwriting and Park Ra Jin’s report cards were abruptly cut off, like an unexpected traffic accident.
Second year of high school. Her debut as an actress, distanced from studies and art, seemed like a scene from a movie.
The fear of possibly losing her only mother, the bewilderment of having only a stepbrother to take care of her. The desperation of having to suddenly enter society. Such feelings could be sensed.
As he brushed through the diary with nothing more written, Ji Ho thought of Park Ra Jin.
Her world could be heavier and darker than he had thought. Park Ra Jin’s fear towards Kim Yu Jun and Oh Jong Hyuk might be a natural consequence. An emotion that couldn’t be fully expressed as mere pity overwhelmed him.
Ji Ho stared down at the diary full of blank spaces. Feeling a corner of his heart inexplicably empty, he turned the pages forward, further forward.
Wanting to see Park Ra Jin’s peaceful life again, Ji Ho read through any memo. Somewhere between wit that made one slap their forehead and cold, hard truths. Ji Ho was once again immersed in the world within the diary.
An old receipt fluttered and fell from between the rustling pages. As Ji Ho reached out to pick up the fallen receipt, his gaze suddenly halted.
A short memo written in the diary, Ji Ho’s intuition sharply perked up. The intuition that everyone has, but was particularly sensitive in Ji Ho’s case, flickered like a warning light.
Without hesitation, Ji Ho quickly turned to the next page of the diary.
Carefully peeling off the corners of the long-glued receipt, he diligently searched for more memos.
What on earth happened at this time? Ji Ho traced Kim Yu Jun’s traces, trying to find clues to this puzzle. From the first page of the diary to the last, thoroughly.
“Three times, Kim Yu Jun only appears three times. What’s this?”
Among the three diaries, mentions of Kim Yu Jun were only in the very last one. Whether Chairman Myung Jin had done something, or because of the traffic accident that happened three months later. Kim Yu Jun no longer appeared in her mother’s diary.
‘An unexpected accident and meaningful memos…’
Was it an occupational disease?
Even knowing it might be unreasonable to make connections, suspicion crept into a corner of Ji Ho’s mind. As he was pondering between ‘surely not’ and ‘perhaps’, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
“I’m all ready.”
Park Ra Jin appeared with a flushed face, carrying a large backpack.
“Country nights are chilly. Did you pack thick clothes?”
“Ah! Just a moment.”
Park Ra Jin quickly put down her bag and ran up to the second floor.
Ji Ho alternately looked at the disappeared Park Ra Jin and the left bag, then slung her backpack over his right shoulder. Then he tucked her mother’s diary under his left arm.
Thump! Bang! Thud, thud, thud.
Like a squirrel preparing for autumn, Park Ra Jin moved so busily that her urgency running around the second floor could be felt vividly.
“Is this enough?”
She asked as if undergoing an inspection, wearing a lightweight padded jacket that came down to her waist.
“Perfect. But if you’re still cold, I’ll wrap you in a blanket.”
“Is it that cold? Where is this countryside house?”
“If we don’t hit traffic, it should take about an hour and a half from here?”
“Ah, I’m glad it’s not too far.”
It was a statement thrown out of a desire to somehow keep her close, but to see such expectant eyes. Ji Ho smiled as he pulled up the shoulder strap of the backpack.
“Will you come out if I call? I’ll bring the car here.”
“Shall we go together wearing hats?”
“There’s no place to park, so I left the car far away. Don’t tire yourself walking.”
Ji Ho seated Park Ra Jin on the sofa and patted the bag.
“Just in case Park Ra Jin’s mind changes. I’m taking this bag hostage.”
“No, I told you I like the countryside house.”
As Park Ra Jin muttered as if wronged, Ji Ho burst into laughter.
[This is the timeline separator]It was like the night before Children’s Day. Or perhaps like Christmas Eve.
Park Ra Jin’s current mood was indescribably excited. It felt as if she wasn’t riding in his car, but rather on some amusement park ride that made her feet float.
Since becoming an actress, she always had to set schedules, from as short as a day to as long as next year’s filming schedule.
Pre-arranged schedules, the psychological pressure of not being able to miss them. She had always followed tightly packed routes, but now she was going on a spontaneous trip like this. And even past midnight, at that.
This was like the memory of eating cup noodles late at night with a friend under the pretext of studying for exams. A small deviation, a bit of thrill, a strange excitement mixed with an indescribable feeling.
“Aren’t you cold?”
Ji Ho asked as he pressed the seat warmer button.
“I’m fine. I’m wearing so many clothes like this.”
“Sleep if you’re sleepy. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
“I’m not sleepy at all. Actually… I’m a bit excited right now.”
Ji Ho’s lips curled up widely at Park Ra Jin’s words.
“What’s so exciting?”
“I debuted when I was young, so I haven’t actually done much. As an adult, I passed on things because my face became known.”
“Ah, I see.”
In fact, not having a period as an unknown was fortunate for Park Ra Jin. Everyone had a hungry rookie period, and it took at least three or four years to make a name for themselves.
But whether acting was her destiny, or her situation of having to be responsible for hospital bills at a young age was pitiful. Park Ra Jin was able to make a name for herself quite early. She took on a significant supporting role in her first work, and it became a so-called big hit.
From the middle of the drama, articles started appearing frequently, and soon the advertising industry reacted. As she showed her face in various advertisements, drama and movie scripts flooded in. Park Ra Jin silently laughed as she recalled those days buried in work.
“Freshman welcome party, MT, company dinners. I’ve only experienced these things through acting. As if I’ve done it all.”
“Actually, it’s nothing special. In the end, you just drink a lot.”
“Still, you know how it is. It’s nothing special, but you regret not being able to experience that nothing special.”
Feeling like it might have been a useless complaint, Park Ra Jin turned her head towards the window.
“Tell me things you’ve wanted to do normally.”
“What if I say something weird?”
“That’s not bad either. Let’s do everything without thinking today.”
__________
He Said He’s Pregnant, and It’s My Child (Female-dominant)
Intro 1
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro 2
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
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