Constrained to Start (8 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 11
“Could Oh Jong Hyuk have changed it on purpose?”
Ra Jin’s head, which had cleared up thanks to the headache medicine, began throbbing again.
Going to Kim Yu Jun’s fiancée’s hotel wasn’t just awkward—it was far worse. Whether they liked it or not, they both already knew exactly what the other meant to them.
Had it been right before their engagement? Out of the blue, Director Jin Jae Yi had shown up and pressed Ra Jin about her relationship with Kim Yu Jun.
“I don’t want to be an obstacle to your marriage. And I’ve never once thought of Executive Kim Yu Jun in a romantic way.”
Jin Jae Yi scoffed at Ra Jin’s firm declaration, refusing to believe her.
A painfully obvious love triangle, a vile woman coveting another’s man.
Ra Jin just wanted to beg to be released from this tiresome role. Yet why did it have to change to that exact place? The humiliating memory resurfaced, and she let out an involuntary sigh.
“Why was it changed?”
“The director kept pressing hard, saying there’s something going on between you two.”
“Your manager said that?”
“Yeah. I overheard the call.”
Even if Oh Jong Hyuk hadn’t changed the location himself, he surely would’ve found out first anyway.
And yet, if he still hadn’t warned her, it must be because he was annoyed—after all, she hadn’t gone to the company in over ten days. Or maybe Director Jin Jae Yi had influenced the director to humiliate her.
Unable to tell whose scheme this was, Ra Jin felt even more confused.
“Unnie, are you okay?”
“Why is everyone so desperate to tear me apart?”
She’d planned to return Kim Yu Jun even if he were offered to her—so why were they acting like this? She felt her breath tightening in her throat.
“Ugh, I hate it. I really hate it.”
“The agency should do something to stop this. Ugh! Those jerks.”
Ha Eun came over and wrapped her arms tightly around Ra Jin’s shoulders. Ra Jin closed her eyes slowly, comforted by Ha Eun’s gentle pats on her back. She desperately needed this comfort.
“Ha Eun, what if I collapse right here?”
“That’s also an option.”
“Or maybe, since I’m already going today, I should just settle things once and for all with Jin Jae Yi—tell her to please take Kim Yu Jun.”
At that exact moment, as Ha Eun sighed along with her, saying, “That’s tough,”
Prosecutor Kang Ji Ho suddenly popped into Ra Jin’s mind—for no reason at all, once again.
Was it because of how intense that late-night snack in his car had been? She’d flat-out rejected his request before, yet now it seemed she’d even lost her sense of shame.
What had his expression looked like two days ago when they’d parted ways in front of her house?
His usually straight eyebrows had seemed slightly drooped—or had they? Was he perhaps still waiting for her call? What would she do if that were the case? Just as Ra Jin bit her lip, lost in thought, her mother’s pale face abruptly flashed before her eyes.
“Unnie, are you okay?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah.”
“Why are you so spaced out? Are you really not feeling well?”
Enjoying the warmth of Ha Eun’s hand on her forehead, Ra Jin gently placed her own hand over Ha Eun’s.
Right then, a quiet knock sounded at the door.
“Ms. Actor, you need to head out now.”
At the sound of the makeup team leader’s voice, Ha Eun spun around and called out immediately.
“Yes, I’ll be right out.”
The female lead couldn’t possibly miss the production press conference, and she couldn’t afford to baby herself any longer in front of her younger sister. It was time to fully return to her role as an actress. Ra Jin exhaled deeply.
“Let’s go, Ha Eun.”
With every step Ra Jin took, her watery gown rippled like gentle waves.
[This is the timeline separator]Three blacked-out vans traced a large circle toward the building entrance.
As the vehicles stopped evenly spaced apart, people wearing official ID badges around their necks sprang into action.
With a sharp clack, rows of green carts lined up side by side.
On top of them, blue acrylic boxes stamped with the words “Official Duty” were swiftly placed.
“Ho Jin, bring boxes number 3, 4, and 5 to our room.”
Ji Ho’s eyes were bloodshot from pressing hard on his temples.
“We’ll have to carry them up once and then go back for another load.”
“You just take two.”
Ji Ho loosened his tie, stuffed it into his pocket, and hoisted a large box. His jacket stretched taut over his strained muscles, threatening to burst.
They’d finally reached the office.
Ho Jin, who had quickly wheeled a cart to catch up, now stood beside Ji Ho.
“Senior, what time will you start the witness interviews?”
“Let’s eat first, like human beings.”
After conducting a search-and-seizure raid at Myeong Jin Securities’ Planning Department, their grueling operation—started before dawn—finally ended at 5 p.m.
A relentless battle between those hiding and those seeking.
Myeong Jin’s lawyers had swarmed out, engaging in excessive legal maneuvering. Finding the desired documents had been difficult, and the raid had nearly been halted several times.
From keeping his nerves on edge the whole time, Ji Ho now felt deeply sore to the bone.
“Whew…”
Trying to shake off his frustration, Ji Ho let out a hot, heavy sigh.
With a clack, the office door opened, and Ho Jin hurried in after him.
“Has the goddess contacted you yet?”
“She’s probably busy.”
“Oh, right! She said there’s a drama production press conference today.”
“You know the strangest things.”
Ho Jin rattled off Ra Jin’s schedule like a reporter who’d just snagged a major scoop.
It wasn’t anything special to Ji Ho—he already knew all of it. He’d been searching news articles about her, the one who’d clearly rejected him, half-hoping for some unexpected message.
“What a hopeless case.”
Scolding himself inwardly, he briskly stacked the boxes he’d brought onto an empty table.
“What should we order?”
“Burgers.”
“But we had that yesterday! And you asked for burgers for lunch earlier too.”
Had he really?
It had slipped out unconsciously, but only now—after Ho Jin pointed it out—did he snap back to his senses.
Was it because of that lingering regret over her apologetic lips? He couldn’t forget the taste of what he’d eaten with Ra Jin two days ago.
Ji Ho swept back his neatly combed bangs.
“Order whatever you feel like eating.”
“What if I order a hundred-thousand-won bento box?”
“Order it, whatever it is. I’m starving to death.”
Inside his already cluttered mind, a new space labeled “Park Ra Jin” had boldly taken root.
He had neither the time nor the luxury for such emotional distractions—frustrated, Ji Ho tossed aside his jacket.
“It’ll take 20 minutes for delivery.”
“I’ll handle that. You rest.”
Leaving behind Ho Jin, who was clapping excitedly like a seal, Ji Ho began sorting through documents he needed to review today. Tedious tasks were perfect for quieting reckless thoughts.
Just as he was briskly setting down files,
[Wait… what?]Ra Jin’s flustered voice suddenly came through Ho Jin’s phone, freezing Ji Ho’s hand mid-air.
“They say you’ve been showing especially great chemistry with your co-star, actor Seon Woo Jin, this time. Could you briefly recite a line from the preview for us?”
Silence stretched on the other end of the invisible phone. Instantly, Ji Ho slammed the thick stack of documents onto the table.
“What’s going on?”
Unable to contain his curiosity, Ji Ho asked.
“Did you know you can livestream press conferences these days?”
“Ms. Park Ra Jin?”
“Even though the goddess and I aren’t on the same team, I still want to cheer her on however I can.”
Ho Jin patted the empty seat beside him insistently, urging him to watch together. As if pulled by a magnet, Ji Ho plopped down.
“She looks even more stunning than usual today.”
That lake-blue dress draped over her delicate, bare shoulders—she wore no jewelry, yet it made her all the more striking. She alone shimmered with pure radiance.
“What’s it like to talk face-to-face with someone that beautiful?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never paid attention to it.”
Ho Jin shook his head knowingly.
“Exactly eighteen years ago, when you first came to visit our house, I already knew.”
“Knew what?”
“That handsome oppa is going to stay single… no, that cold personality of his will keep him from ever having a girlfriend.”
“You’re teasing me again.”
Brushing off the joke from his friend’s younger sister, Ji Ho couldn’t take his eyes off Ra Jin on the screen.
“How about consulting each other sweetly, just like your on-screen couple?”
Ra Jin shyly turned and smiled at her co-star beside her. What was there even to consult so tenderly?
Ji Ho’s eyes narrowed instantly.
The male actor turned toward Ra Jin and whispered something in her ear. At that exact moment, camera flashes erupted all at once.
An official event packed with reporters.
Whispering into her ear over something that surely wasn’t secret—filming had already wrapped up since it was a pre-produced drama. Did the actor harbor personal feelings for her?
Ji Ho slowly folded his arms.
“Yeon Woo. Jung Yeon Woo. Don’t do this.”
Immersed in his role, the man grasped Ra Jin’s pale cheek. Ji Ho’s sharp jawline twitched involuntarily.
[Sorry. This is where I stop.]In that moment, the memory of her two days ago—simultaneously apologizing and rejecting him—overlapped perfectly with the present. The only difference now was her glistening black eyes, brimming with tears.
The male actor exchanged a few more heart-wrenching lines with her, gazing as if he were about to kiss her.
The short performance ended amid the MC’s exaggerated applause, and the large man collapsed gently onto Ra Jin’s shoulder, wearing a shy smile.
“Such a show-off.”
His words burst out—simpler and more honest than ever before.
“That look—he’s practically devouring our goddess! Ugh, what is this?”
For the first time, Ji Ho found Ho Jin’s dramatic outburst—“My heart’s pounding!”—annoying to hear.
No matter how much of an actor he was, technically, he was still just a colleague. Once the scene was over, he should’ve turned back to the host—not rubbed his sweaty face against the female lead’s bare shoulder, blurring the line between professional and personal. It was inappropriate, unnecessary physical contact.
For a moment, Ji Ho mentally reviewed legal standards and sentencing guidelines for indecent assault.
“Don’t those two look great together?”
“…”
“I’ve never wished for celebrities to date before, but now I’m rooting for a real-life couple.”
“Ugh, I’m hungry.”
Brushing off Ho Jin’s comment, Ji Ho abruptly stood up.
“Oh! It’ll arrive in one minute.”
Right on cue, a notification chimed, and Ho Jin dashed out.
Not long after, the table was covered with an elaborate traditional bento.
The braised short ribs gleamed with rich sheen, and the soup and side dishes were neatly arranged. After a whole day of search-and-seizure work, Ji Ho devoured the feast as if it were ambrosia.
By the time he’d polished off the entire bento, he craved a carbonated drink. Despite rarely drinking soda, he downed it in one go and patted his chest.
Yet that unpleasant, stone-in-the-gut feeling wouldn’t go away—like someone had placed a fist-sized rock right over his solar plexus.
It persisted even as he reviewed today’s seized documents, as he drafted an arrest warrant, and even after taking digestive pills.
“Did I eat too fast?”
To aid digestion, Ji Ho deliberately paced around the office while reviewing files.
He muttered under his breath like a mantra, trying to cram the black numbers on white paper into his mind.
“K Contents production failed—investment unrecoverable, written off as bad debt… 50 billion won.”
Writing off such a massive sum as an expense? Ji Ho’s eyes quickly scanned the investment details.
“TJ Pictures?”
Though not Ra Jin’s agency, to write off such a huge loss—and worse, the company was already dissolved and overseas, making access difficult.
If someone truly wanted to hide something, they could’ve easily done so—so why leave it so conspicuously on paper? Could this 50-billion-won loss actually be bait to hide the real mastermind?
“Just think of Oh Jong Hyuk as one and the same as Kim Yu Jun.”
Her voice echoed in his ears like an auditory hallucination.
If Kim Yu Jun, who pulled Oh Jong Hyuk’s strings, had used the entertainment business as a channel for embezzlement, Ra Jin—even if unaware of the full details—must’ve at least heard the name, right?
Even if she didn’t know TJ Pictures, she’d probably know how the dramas she’d starred in were distributed. A slender thread of hope suddenly rose within him.
Ji Ho stared fixedly at the phone tossed on the table.
Last time, his direct approach had failed. This time, a more subtle, probing method might work.
It had been two days since they’d parted. Hoping Ra Jin’s guard had lowered slightly, Ji Ho picked up his phone.
After one failed attempt, and just as the second call’s long ring was about to end—
“Yes.”
She finally appeared.
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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