My Line (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
Ra In splashed cold water on her face to wake herself up and stared into the mirror.
Since being dismissed from her prosecutor position, she hadn’t left the house even once.
Her resentment toward this society was so great that she wanted to turn her back on everything.
Suddenly, she remembered the time when she started gritting her teeth and studying like mad.
It was largely because of her parents, who passed away right after she was born.
Growing up under her maternal grandparents, she worked desperately hard so no one could say she was lacking because she had no parents.
Her family wasn’t wealthy, but they weren’t poor either, and they lived steadily, so unless someone brought it up first, it didn’t show that she came from a slightly different family background.
What sharpened the heart of that once-kind child was her homeroom teacher in her first year of high school.
“I was hoping the mother of our class president would actively help with various things the class needs. What do you think?”
For young Ra In, it was a shock and pain too enormous to put into words.
She had no choice but to unjustly lose the class president position that her classmates had voted for her to have.
She never told anyone why she stepped down as class president, and from that moment on, she began fighting herself so she would never become one of the weak in this society.
She thought if she got into a good university with excellent grades, graduated at the very top, and became a prosecutor—a profession many people admired—she would win this fight…
It had been a pure, idealistic dream.
The higher she climbed, the finer and tighter the grid became that divided people into classes.
The harder it got, the harder she worked.
She poured everything she had into hearing people say no one could match her investigative skills.
Yet the result was devastating.
Ra In clutched her chest as overwhelming rage made the pit of her stomach ache.
She barely held back the tears that threatened to burst out.
A life without being a prosecutor—she had never imagined it before, and even now it didn’t feel real.
She desperately squeezed out the last bit of stubborn pride she had left, trying to hold on to her crumbling self-esteem that was falling faster than someone plummeting off a cliff.
Having lived fiercely every day, now sitting idly like this made her feel as if her feet were floating above the ground—anxious—and her heart felt hollow, like a gaping hole.
In the middle of all this, why was Taesung being such a nuisance…
If she had this kind of connection during her prosecutor days, she absolutely would never have entertained them.
Even though they knew she had been dismissed, she couldn’t quite figure out why they kept reaching out.
Knowing full well their habit of persistently chasing until they got what they wanted, she accepted the offer to meet just once and talk.
Honestly, there were things she wanted to ask instead.
She wanted to confirm whether Song Kang’s warning that “it could become dangerous” had been referring to exactly this outcome.
How things had come to the point where she might end up asking Song Kang the real reason she was dismissed—Ra In let out a deep sigh and hurriedly got ready to leave.
She had tried to time it properly, but she still ended up ten minutes late.
When she arrived at the café, a staff member guided her to a private room.
The door to the room opened.
He had been looking out at the Seoul night view through the floor-to-ceiling glass window; he turned toward Ra In.
The door closed behind her.
An awkward air hung between them.
Seeing how much thinner and weaker she looked at a glance, Song Kang’s expression almost wavered.
He forced himself to keep a calm, hardened face.
“Please sit.”
Song Kang took his hand out of his pocket and gestured toward the seat.
When Ra In sat down without a word, Song Kang also took his seat.
A familiar floral fragrance brushed the tip of Song Kang’s nose.
His gaze lingered, drawn to the unique scent coming from Ra In.
Her face had grown much gaunter, but the sharp glint in her eyes remained the same, which at least put him slightly at ease.
He wanted to greet her by saying, “You look like you’ve been through a lot.”
But knowing it would only hurt her pride, he held his tongue.
In front of them were a teapot of black tea and teacups.
The staff calmly poured the tea, then left the teapot near the cups.
Steam rose gently from the hot tea, and its rich aroma spread.
It should have been relaxing, yet a strange tension still stretched tightly between them.
“Why did you want to meet?”
As expected, Ra In asked directly without beating around the bush.
Song Kang was no longer surprised or flustered by her way of speaking.
“Why did you come here today?”
Instead, he turned the question back on her, making her falter.
Today wasn’t her home turf, and he had no intention of yielding.
“Didn’t you and your lawyer keep bothering me?”
“You’re not the type to move just because someone pesters you, are you, Prosecutor Jin Ra In?”
Since Song Kang was right, Ra In was momentarily speechless.
“You must have felt the need yourself—that’s why you agreed to come today.”
Ra In thought perhaps he could see right through her.
So she didn’t want to act like someone with petty ulterior motives.
“You already know my current situation very well.
That warning you gave me about things possibly becoming dangerous—was that intentional?”
“I can’t say it was completely unrelated.
But I didn’t expect it would cost you your entire prosecutor career.”
Strength gathered between Ra In’s brows, forming deep creases.
“Regardless, I feel responsible.”
Ra In stared straight into his eyes, wondering whether he was being hypocritical or sincere.
Song Kang felt her on high alert but had no reason to look away.
Their eye contact felt almost like a battle of wills; both pairs of eyes held nothing but honesty.
Ra In looked away first, turning her gaze to empty space.
She didn’t have the emotional leeway to read someone else’s heart right now.
Rather, she averted her eyes for fear he would read hers.
“Responsible… responsible… ha…”
Ra In lowered her head deeply with a heavy sigh, then looked at him again.
Her complicated, subtle emotions were fully conveyed to Song Kang.
He almost wished she would just openly blame him…
He could have understood that perfectly, but she didn’t.
“As you know, I am now…”
Ra In couldn’t easily say the words “no longer a prosecutor.”
When her voice trembled slightly, Song Kang’s eyes trembled in tandem.
“I’m not a prosecutor anymore.
I’m someone who has nothing to do with your case, Mr. Na Song Gang.
So why did you want to meet?”
Regaining her composure, Ra In threw the question at Song Kang in her characteristically sharp prosecutor tone.
Song Kang slowly moved his eyes left and right, observing her.
There was so much he wanted to say about the habits ingrained in her body and speech.
Even without him saying anything, his uncomfortable feelings reached Ra In.
She didn’t show it, but her mouth was dry; she waited only for the hot tea in front of her to cool.
Song Kang put aside emotional expenditure and finally spoke about why he had called her here today.
“What are your plans from now on, Prosecutor Jin Ra In?”
Being asked about plans when she couldn’t see even one step ahead made Ra In feel even more lost.
“Why would I have to tell you that?”
For a moment Song Kang raised his eyebrows sharply.
Her hostile attitude stirred his emotions, but what angered him more was that she kept pushing away his sincerity.
“Prosecutor Jin Ra In, I didn’t come here and sit down just to play power games with you.”
His firm voice and the phrase “just power games” stabbed Ra In right in the heart.
In a situation where she couldn’t even bear to look at herself, she suddenly felt pathetic for seeming to cling stubbornly and ugly.
Through the glass window beside where Ra In sat, she could see her reflection.
Spotting her gaunt figure among the sparkling Seoul night lights, Ra In lost focus.
She felt dizzy and swayed.
She quickly steadied herself on the table and shook her head to pull herself together.
Song Kang’s body moved before his mind, startled that she might collapse.
His gaze landed on the back of her hand.
Hot black tea from the cup had spilled over the hand she used to brace herself on the table.
“Are you all right?”
Ra In blankly followed his gaze.
She hadn’t even felt the heat… yet the back of her hand was already bright red.
“I’m fine.”
While Song Kang hesitated whether to reach for her hand, Ra In casually shook it off as if it was nothing.
Song Kang asked the café staff to bring an ice pack.
Ra In repeatedly refused, but Song Kang couldn’t feel at ease.
“Even if you say you’re fine.”
“When you get burned, you need to draw out the heat quickly for faster recovery.”
When the staff brought the ice pack, he pulled his chair beside her and sat down.
Then he took her hand and gently pressed the ice against the back of it.
Ra In flinched in surprise.
She couldn’t clearly tell whether it was because of the cold ice or because their bodies were touching.
Unable to meet his eyes, her gaze wandered before settling on her wristwatch.
Song Kang was looking at that same wristwatch too.
“That day, I didn’t grab you to look at the watch.”
Ra In’s face flushed hot remembering that moment.
“If I had known it would turn out like this, I should have held you back somehow that day and warned you clearly—no matter what—that you could be in danger.”
Was he sincere? Ra In’s eyes lowered slightly.
“I did tell you. During the last summons investigation.”
Ra In remembered his warning.
And how she had lightly brushed it off…
At that thought, strength unconsciously entered her hand, and she tried to pull her arm away from his grasp.
But he didn’t let go.
Ra In looked at him with a slightly flustered expression.
“Will you listen to what I have to say from now on?”
Song Kang gazed at her steadily with earnest eyes.
Ra In almost wavered, but she forced the feeling down and tried to shake off the hand he was holding.
Again he didn’t let go of Ra In’s hand.
He still had something important left to say.
“I never needed you because you were a prosecutor.
There isn’t only one prosecutor in Korea named Jin Ra In, and besides, you’re not the kind of person who would obediently move like a tongue in my mouth even if you were my person—there’s no merit in that.”
Ra In gathered all her remaining strength to free herself, but he absolutely refused to let go.
When strength didn’t work, she clenched her molars and glared at him with sharp eyes.
“I had hoped that Jin Ra In could clear my name, and even now, I need you.”
At those words, the tension that had filled Ra In’s body slowly began to ease.
The venom in her eyes gradually subsided too.
Still, she couldn’t quite drop her last bit of wariness.
“I’m… no longer… a prosecutor.”
Ra In said it as though exhaling a sigh.
“I told you—it’s not because you’re a prosecutor that I need you.”
Then why on earth did he still need her now?
Filled with suspicion, Ra In stared at him.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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