Constrained to Start (8 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 13

Let’s meet? Why?

No matter how she thought about it, Ra Jin wasn’t on casual dinner terms with Prosecutor Kang Ji Ho. She’d already flat-out rejected him once before.

Ra Jin picked up her sandals, which she’d taken off, and let out a deep sigh as she stood up from the stairs.

“I’m not really in the mood for dinner today.”

[If you don’t want food, how about drinks instead?]

Could he have noticed something?

She didn’t usually enjoy alcohol, but today, more than anything, she desperately wanted a drink. Did this man have some uncanny ability to see right through her?

His suggestion made her waver—no, not just a little, but a lot. Still, Ra Jin wasn’t so out of her mind that she’d share a drink with him.

It had been a rough day already. Going out carelessly on a day like this might lead to an even bigger mistake. Ra Jin decided she’d rather go home, soak in a warm bath, and sip a chilled glass of wine.

“It’s just… my condition isn’t great today.”

[How about tomorrow, then?]

“There’s probably a specific reason you’re doing this—whether it’s dinner or drinks.”

[Would it be unacceptable if I just wanted to congratulate you on your new drama?]

Empty words.

He was swamped with his special prosecutor duties—how could he possibly have the spare time to casually celebrate her new drama? He definitely had some hidden agenda.

Ra Jin almost urged him to just come out and say it, but hesitated, afraid he might be unreasonably honest. One rejection was enough.

“I’ll think about it and get back to you.”

[I’ll wait.]

He withdrew as if he’d genuinely just wanted to offer congratulations without any ulterior motive. Ra Jin descended the stairs barefoot, clutching both her phone and sandals.

“Don’t get your hopes up too much.”

As soon as she added that final remark, she heard a soft chuckle from the other end of the phone.

“Then take care.”

With that curt farewell, Ra Jin ended the call. Once she kicked off those pretty-but-impractical sandals, her legs stopped trembling.

They said moving your body helped when your thoughts were tangled, and sure enough, the steady rhythm of her breathing began to clear her muddled mind.

“Basement Level 1.”

After exhaling a shaky breath, Ra Jin slipped her sandals back on, quickly smoothed her hair, and dusted off her backside with firm pats.

She pressed down hard on the long, bar-shaped handle, and the heavy metal door groaned open.

Ra Jin cautiously peeked her head out, scanning through the window. Seeing the flickering orange light, she raised her phone.

“Please leave the door open. Right now.”

Hearing the engine rumble to life, Ra Jin quickly ran over, shielding one side of her face.

A van with a privacy screen on the driver’s seat.

Thanks to Seon Woo Jin’s thoughtful consideration to block unnecessary gazes, she didn’t even need to greet the manager separately. The unseen manager immediately closed the car door the moment Ra Jin got in.

Ziiing—the door automatically shut, and Seon Woo Jin handed her a bottle of mineral water.

“This just makes me even more curious. What exactly happened between you and Director Jin Jae Yi?”

“I’ll definitely repay you for helping me today.”

Instead of answering his awkward question, she offered gratitude, and Seon Woo Jin gave a faint smile. He really was perceptive.

“Where should I drop you off?”

He’d mentioned starting a one-person agency with someone trustworthy—and even before she could state her destination, the car had already begun gliding smoothly forward.

“If you’re not in the mood to go home, just say so. I’ll stay up all night entertaining you.”

“You’ll get scolded by that person.”

“No one even knows we’re dating. Seriously, you’re sharp.”

Perhaps because they both carried unspoken burdens, they chuckled softly and changed the subject.

“Just enter your address.”

Actor Seon Woo Jin held out his phone, and Ra Jin quickly typed in her address. He forwarded it directly to the manager, and the car turned right.

“I’ll make sure you get home safely. Let me buy you a meal.”

She could afford to treat him to dinner ten times over—especially since Seon Woo Jin’s secret girlfriend would be coming along too.

“I’ll treat you properly. Thank you so much today.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Ziiing—.

In the dark bedroom, Ra Jin glanced sideways at her phone ringing beside the bed.

After checking the caller ID, Ra Jin flipped the phone face-down again.

“I can’t even stand to hear you breathe—why are you calling first thing in the morning?”

If he had something to say, he could just send a message. Who did he think he was, calling like they were such close friends? To Ra Jin, Oh Jong Hyuk was still an unwelcome guest.

She’d spent last night with two movies and a bottle of white wine, finally drifting off in the early hours of dawn—why did he have to wake her up now! Irritated for no good reason, Ra Jin stomped her feet.

“I don’t even have any schedule—why!”

After yelling toward the persistently ringing phone, she finally checked the time.

9 a.m.—the perfect hour for lounging in bed.

Just as the call finally ended, Ra Jin patted her plump pillow a couple of times, settled back into a comfortable position, and slowly closed her eyes. Right as she was murmuring “Yes, this is it, this is exactly what I needed,” her phone rang again.

“Argh! Seriously.”

They weren’t even affectionate siblings—why was he acting like this?

It would’ve been simple enough to just turn her phone off, but openly avoiding Oh Jong Hyuk’s calls would be problematic.

If her sensitive stepbrother found out she’d ignored his call, he might report it to their mother, and then her request to her mother could get rejected. So Ra Jin was currently dodging his calls in the most timid way possible—pretending she’d been asleep and missed it.

“I’m wide awake now. Time to shower. Shower.”

Regardless of the phone’s persistent ringing, Ra Jin abruptly sat up in bed.

Even though she’d taken a long soak in the tub after coming home yesterday, she turned on the water now to wash away the lingering effects of last night’s alcohol.

The bathroom filled with hazy steam, and warm water rippled like ocean waves. Ra Jin tested the temperature with her toe, then slowly stepped into the tub.

“Perfect.”

She let out a lazy sigh and leaned her head back.

As she massaged her scalp with hands now tinged pink, she suddenly thought of Prosecutor Kang Ji Ho.

“Maybe I should’ve contacted him late last night…”

She’d firmly told him not to expect anything, yet his words—“I’ll wait”—kept trailing behind her like a shadow.

“What do we have to celebrate, anyway?”

Shaking her head as if the idea were ridiculous, she sank deeper into the tub.

She made little waves with her palms like she was playing in water, kicked her legs as if swimming underwater—and still, Prosecutor Kang Ji Ho’s low voice kept echoing in her ears.

Had she made a busy man, who barely had time to eat, wait for no reason? She should’ve just rejected him outright from the beginning instead of leaving things so awkward.

“Ugh, just nonstop disturbances from every direction since morning.”

The complaint slipped out automatically.

Even after leaving the bathroom and finishing an entire cold bottle of water, Ra Jin still couldn’t decide—should she text him or call? Knowing she couldn’t delay any longer, she picked up the phone she’d tossed onto the bed.

Ding-dong—.

“Huh?”

The doorbell rang from the first floor.

She never called the housekeeper on days without a schedule—who could it be? Still holding her phone, Ra Jin came down from the second-floor bedroom.

“I didn’t even order any delivery…!”

The wall pad by the front door on the first floor.

Was yesterday’s string of bad luck still ongoing? The moment Ra Jin saw Kim Yu Jun on the wall pad screen, she dropped her phone.

So that’s why Oh Jong Hyuk had been calling nonstop—it was because of Kim Yu Jun. Meeting Kim Yu Jun’s gaze through the camera—his eyes locked onto hers as if challenging her to a snowball fight—Ra Jin’s mind went completely blank.

He was a man who already had an official fiancée, not to mention a publicly known fourth-generation chaebol heir.

Kim Yu Jun had never once come to her house before.

They always met outside, or he’d summon her to Myeong Jin’s main house only for important matters. Why on earth was he here now?

He’d driven her home plenty of times, but this was the first time he’d ever rung her doorbell.

Even when she’d reluctantly called to apologize under Oh Jong Hyuk’s pressure, Kim Yu Jun hadn’t picked up.

So what sudden whim had brought him here? Had he argued with Jin Jae Yi? Was he angry because of that?

As these assumptions flooded her mind, Kim Yu Jun’s eyes flashed sharply on the wall pad screen. Ra Jin paced helplessly in front of it like someone who’d lost their way. Soon, the screen showing Yu Jun went dark.

“Should I pretend I’m not home?”

He probably already knew her schedule, but useless thoughts kept swirling in Ra Jin’s head.

She couldn’t very well invite him inside when she was alone. Should she just step outside instead? But what if he did something again like he had at the hotel? Ra Jin stood frozen, stomping her feet in frustration.

Just then, the phone she’d dropped on the floor started vibrating loudly—as if a construction-site excavator were drilling through the floor.

The vibration probably couldn’t be heard all the way to him standing by the front gate, but since he clearly knew she was inside, it felt like a warning: Open the door now.

Ra Jin gasped for breath as if she’d just surfaced from deep underwater.

“Haa… ha.”

She couldn’t tell whether he was still standing by the gate or instructing his secretaries impatiently.

She alternated her gaze between her silent phone and the wall pad, her heart trembling as both screens stayed stubbornly black.

Why so quiet? Had he possibly called someone else to open the door? The longer the silence stretched, the less certain she became about what to do.

Just as she was growing more confused by this renewed quiet, as if mocking her momentary lapse in focus, her phone and the doorbell rang simultaneously.

“This won’t do.”

Ra Jin dashed into the first-floor bathroom and immediately pulled out the hair dryer, plugging it in without hesitation.

The hottest, strongest setting blasted her face and the back of her head until it burned—then stung. Her reflection in the mirror turned as red as someone standing under the blazing midsummer sun.

Her bloodshot eyes and flushed cheeks made her look exactly like someone running a high fever. Ra Jin put the hair dryer away and slightly tousled her hair at the crown. Was this convincing enough?

Before the artificially induced heat could fade, Ra Jin moved quickly.

Ziiing. Ding-dong, ding-dong—.

As she sprinted toward the wall pad, she panted like a heroine suffering from an incurable illness. Heat haze seemed to rise before her eyes.

“What should I do?”

On the square screen, Kim Yu Jun still stood in the same spot—but his gaze was now completely different. His eyes were so sharp they seemed ready to explode at any second.

With trembling fingers, as if chilled to the bone, Ra Jin pressed the microphone button.

“Park Ra Jin.”

His low, icy voice—she hadn’t heard it in weeks.

Unable to offer any reply or excuse, she simply pressed the door-unlock button.

The instant the figure on the screen vanished, Ra Jin pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. From nervousness, her forehead burned like fire, while her palms, slick with cold sweat, stayed damp.

Just as she inwardly sighed in relief, pretending to be ill, a bitter laugh escaped her lips. How long would she have to keep up this act?

Living a life like a reality show under countless cameras, forced to follow a script—there wasn’t a single moment in ordinary life that didn’t involve acting.

“Haa.”

The bitterness lasted only a moment; Ra Jin knew this was the time she needed to commit even more deeply than on any film set.

Knock knock.

The sound of someone tapping on the front door pierced her heart like thunder. This was when she had to appear most natural—act like she’d just woken up, and absolutely not rush.

Reassuring herself over and over, she slowly unlatched the lock.

The moment she gripped and pulled down the door handle, a sharp click echoed—and her body lurched forward. With all her strength deliberately relaxed, Ra Jin collapsed limply into Kim Yu Jun’s arms.

That damn woody scent.

No matter how hard she tried to endure it, his heavy, enveloping presence made her stomach churn. Overwhelmed by his scent and the firmness of his chest, her body instinctively twisted.

“Park Ra Jin. You…!”

“Ugh.”