Chapter 12
/contains suggestive text/
<I’m here for a visit.>
Showing the phone screen with those words displayed, Heeju elicited a bright smile from the nurse.
“Heeju, it’s been a while!”
In response, Heeju nodded politely and walked down the corridor. Thanks to the glass walls replacing concrete, a lush green garden came into view in a single glance.
This was one of the top-tier nursing homes in Korea.
Stopping in front of a familiar room number, Heeju adjusted her outfit before opening the door.
Inside, an elderly man sat, staring blankly at some distant point in the garden. Heeju gently adjusted the fallen blanket back over his shoulders.
“…Dad, I’m here.”
Her voice was soft as a whisper.
“Have you been well? Are you eating properly?”
“…”
Despite her warm tone, her father’s eyes remained unfocused and distant.
The only time Heeju spoke aloud was when she visited her biological father. But even then, it wasn’t a conversation— as it required two or more to talk. He was like a man trapped in a tank.
“Dad, do you like it here? Does it feel good?”
“…”
“Say something, please. Dad…”
Her father had once been a quirky emcee at a rundown club. He was the kind of man who could make his young daughter laugh with just cherry tomatoes, and Heeju adored him.
Even though they lived in the basement of the club, she never felt lonely because they were together.
Until her mother caught Hong’s eye.
Around that time, her father developed lung issues. His breathing became labored, his tongue dried out, and his shallow breaths carried a sour stench. Her mother felt disgusted and stopped even speaking to him.
Heeju watched her father slowly fade away from their lives.
Her mother soon became someone else’s mistress.
The man who had once made people roar with laughter with just a microphone started to dissolve, like foam dissipating into nothingness.
Even as her mother left, her father’s gaze remained vacant, reflecting a profound emptiness.
“Why didn’t you say anything back then? Didn’t you make a living with your words? Why didn’t you get angry? You could’ve cursed her or said something.”
Heeju brushed her father’s frail, twig-like hand.
“But Dad… I don’t want to live like this.”
“…”
“I’ve decided I want to. So, I’m sorry.”
Her wrinkled father still gazed out the window, as if waiting for someone.
“…We might have to move you to a different home.”
He had given up on everything.
Still, the luxury of his later years was only possible thanks to her mother’s money. Heeju had pleaded with her mother to ensure her father’s placement in exchange for standing in for her stepsister.
‘If we divorce, the support ends.’
Though Heeju had held on as long as she could for her father’s sake, her resolve had long since snapped.
Her father, who had been staring into the void, moved his lips suddenly.
“Yeon-hee… Yeon-hee…”
“…!”
Heeju’s face contorted painfully.
“Just like this… Every time…!”
She could never escape her role as a messenger.
Her father saw her as a reflection of her mother, while her mother used her as a shield. Her deaf step-sister tried to reconnect with the world through Heeju, who had become a sign language interpreter and spent her life voicing others’ words.
People always saw through her, never at her.
“Yeah, Dad. After all, that’s what I’m best at…”
Her gaze hardened suddenly and she decided to make the second call that very night.
***
10:00 PM
Riiiinggg!
It was the same time as the day before.
The countdown timer, set to nine minutes, began its reverse march as Heeju took a deep breath.
‘I won’t get flustered today.’
Her peace of mind had long been shattered.
The moment the ringing ceased, she pounced on the opportunity with bullet-like speed.
“Have you decided?”
― “…Is there a reason for your precise timing?”
“Because I feel like it? Not like you can call me first, anyway.”
―“… ”
“You don’t even know my real number.”
― “… ”
“Just stay quiet and listen.”
‘I can’t believe I’m commanding my husband. It feels almost unbelievable.’
Overwhelmed by the absurdity of it all, Heeju felt a sense of victory.
“So, have you decided? Restoring things to normal or paying the 2 billion?”
― “Before that, I have some questions.”
The voice on the other end slackened slightly, his tone drawn out.
― “Hong Heeju.”
“…!”
Hearing her name spoken so clearly sent a shiver down her spine.
‘Did… Did he call me by my name?’
― “How do you know that name? How do you know she’s my wife?”
“W- What?”
― “I’ve locked down all her personal information.”
“…”
― “Where could it have leaked from?”
“…”
― “There’s no way Heeju would’ve spilled anything…”
His words, heavy and deliberate, hung in the air, carrying a sense of unease. Yet, Heeju was relieved by the fact that Sa-eon hadn’t realised it was her.
Her tense posture relaxed, and she leaned forward, struggling to swallow the sigh that threatened to escape.
― “Are you someone related to me?”
“…!”
― “I can block the media, but I can’t control old classmates or acquaintances. Maybe our paths overlapped.”
“Why are you making a fuss over a name?”
Heeju’s voice rose in exasperation.
The one being blackmailed was now the one closing in on her identity. It grated on her nerves that the power dynamic was slipping out of her grasp.
“Don’t you get it yet? I’m going to bring you down with a red notice!”
― “I understood.”
“What?”
― “I understood that some lunatic crashed into my wife’s car.”
“Seriously? That’s what’s important to you right now?”
She frowned, annoyed by the conversation’s erratic direction.
‘He couldn’t care less if I lived or died, and now this…?’
― “There will be no negotiation.”
“So, you don’t care what happens to your reputation?”
― “I can’t tolerate filth like you.”
What are you even trying to say? The conversation was circling endlessly.
Heeju abruptly glanced at the timer and wasn’t surprised— it seemed like his goal was to drag things out.
“So that’s it.”
Baek Sa-eon was the type who would want to catch a blackmailer without spilling blood. He wasn’t just sitting quietly on the phone; he was undoubtedly working on tracking her down. For a moment, she almost mistook it for concern about her.
Abandoning her remaining composure, Heeju’s gaze sharpened.
This is why she created a second course of plan.
“You know, I found something interesting. Turns out, there’s still plenty of dirt left to bury you under.”
Pulling the phone slightly away from her ear, she sent him a photo. Her fingertips trembled ever so slightly, but she had no regrets.
“How’s that, bro? Can you see it clearly?”
― …!
“Do you s-still think there’s no room for negotiation?”
― “What… is this?”
His voice instantly turned sharp, and for some reason, it made her want to laugh.
“Come on, you’re her husband. Can’t you recognize it?”
― “Explain. Properly.”
“Don’t you think you’re being a bit too obvious about how little you care for your ‘real’ wife?”
― “My guess better be wrong.”
His tone dropped an octave, but Heeju’s lips curled into a smirk.
“It’s your wife’s thigh.”
― “…! ”
The second scenario was meant to corner him.
“See? I told you to decide quickly.”
Interestingly enough, scandals weren’t just reserved for the person in question. Sometimes, family members were the cause of it.
Heeju was willing to put herself forward for that. She had already used her voice— what was one photo compared to that?
The photo composition in question was bold.
The image showed her groin area fully exposed as if she weren’t wearing bottoms at all. Her legs were slightly parted, revealing the inner thighs in stark detail.
But what grabbed attention most was the black garter belt stockings connected to her underwear.
‘The scandalous nightlife of a public official’s wife would make a great headline!’
And to top that off, she was the wife of a spokesperson.
A proper blackmailer always needed this kind of trump card in their arsenal.
“For now, I won’t say anything else.”
―“ … ”
“But you might want to think about how this photo could be used and what stories could go along with it…”
― “… ”
“It’s better if you imagined the consequences yourself.”
Suddenly, Heeju felt like he was laughing coldly.
But the sound wasn’t imbued with any real emotion—it was just the faint rustling of clothes, nothing more.
“I’ll ask again tomorrow. Are you going to deal with Hong Heeju quickly, hand over 2 billion, or kiss your dreams of being a member of the assembly goodbye?”
― “ … ”
“See I’m so nice. I even gave you an extra option. So show some effort, will you?”
Out of the three, anyone would agree that the easiest choice was number one. Yet Heeju couldn’t fathom why Baek Sa-eon was dragging out such a simple problem.
“Bro, I don’t negotiate either.”
― “And what proof do you have that this is my wife’s photo?”
“What a strange thing to ask as her husband.”
Her voice tightened into a snarl before breaking into a mocking scoff.
“Didn’t you know there’s something distinctive about Hong Heeju’s thighs?”
― “…”
“How could you not know?”
― “…”
“Is it because you never paid attention, or… you’ve never spread them apart before?”
A snicker escaped her. Baek Sa-eon remained silent for quite some time.
‘This, then, is the sensation of triumph over Baek Sa-eon.’
When else in her life would she get to shut Baek Sa-eon up?
The strange silence was sweeter than she expected. For the first time, it felt like she had given this cold, unyielding man a taste of his own medicine, and the bitter frustration in her chest began to dissipate.
As she rubbed her flushed cheeks, savoring her small victory, something unexpected happened.
