When The Phone Rings

Chapter 28

— “406.”
“What?”
— “Have you been seeing Heeju with thoughts like that all this time?” His voice was thick with suppressed anger.
— “What gives you the right to belittle her like this?”
“?”
—”This pathetic excuse of a relationship… Honestly, this is infuriating…”

A muffled rustling sound signaled he had distanced the phone, his words fading into incomprehensible murmurs.

“Uh…”
— “You, who can’t even notice her strength, are unqualified even to blackmail. For someone who wishes for my failure, 406, you’re utterly disappointing.”

His sharp, clipped words clashed with his ragged breathing.

— “I’m generally tolerant, even with the worst kinds of sc*m.”
“…!”

Wait… Was he just insulting me? Again?

— “But how is it possible that the more I learn about you, 406, the less there is to like?”

From his tone, it was obvious Baek Sa-eon was defending her. Yet strangely, Heeju felt as if she were the one being scolded, leaving her with conflicted emotions.

A spark of rebellion stirred within her.

“That’s because you don’t know…”
― “Don’t know?”

His biting scoff interrupted her.

― “If I don’t know her, then who does?”
“…!”
― “Heeju isn’t gloomy, she’s just observant. She doesn’t lack social skills, but most people approach her rudely first. A ‘narrow network’ just means she’s serious about her work. And as for ‘yielding to wealth’…”

Baek Sa-eon’s voice brimmed with unshakable conviction.

― “She simply loved her mother.”

Heeju was on the verge of crying.

It felt like something bloated and festering within her had burst, splitting apart with an audible crack. A deafening roar filled her ears as she hastily wiped away the tears streaming down her face.

— “Besides, if Heeju were to start smoking, that’d only make things easier. I’m quite the smoker myself; I could teach her how to do it.”

He let out a coarse laugh.

What… what is he even saying? Smoking? Why is he talking about cigarettes?

At that moment, the cold wind brushed across her shoulders, reminding her she had lost her fluffy shawl somewhere.

Heeju quickly covered her mouth with her hand, letting out a hiccup.

“Why do you think you have the right… hic! To claim you know anything about her?”

Her words tumbled out incoherently, driven by a storm of raw emotion she could barely control.

“You weren’t even here! You were overseas!”

She wasn’t talking as the blackmailer. These emotions were her own.

“What could you possibly know? You weren’t there. You had nothing to do with her!”

Heeju’s breaths came shallow and uneven. She rubbed her damp eyes with unnecessary force.

The other end of the call remained silent, except for the sound of quickened footsteps. She realized he was walking briskly.

― “…When I was younger, I had an eating disorder.”
“What?”
― “Back then, Heeju…”

His voice cut off at the critical moment as if he had moved the phone away again.

What was happening?

“H- Hello? Hello?”

Her heart raced with sudden anxiety, but there was no response.

― “…Where is she…?”

Instead, she faintly heard him speaking to someone else in a rigid, strained tone.

She brushed her tousled hair, feeling the alcohol’s warmth recede just slightly.

― “I let my guard down because thinking she’s a child.”

He continued as if nothing had happened.

― “At the time, even eating or speaking felt like a chore.”
“Why? What happened?”

Heeju interjected hastily.

― “…”
Once again, silence fell.

She pressed her forehead in frustration, chastising her own impatience. Did I cross a boundary I shouldn’t have?

After what felt like an eternity, Baek Sa-eon finally spoke, his voice low and hesitant.

― “Let’s just say… adolescence hit me hard.”

She didn’t understand, but she nodded all the same.

― “But around Heeju, everything felt natural. Even if she saw me crying or throwing a tantrum, it wasn’t embarrassing.”

It struck her how much less guarded he seemed around her compared to others. His demeanor, his words— they always felt carelessly blunt. At the time, she thought he was mocking her naivety and inability to speak up.

The power of insecurity was terrifying.

― “I convinced myself it was because she was just a clueless kid. Because she was young, naive, and intimidated by me, I thought I could look down on her.”
“…”
― “That’s what I believed. Back then.”
His voice suddenly turned icy.
― “Do you think Heeju is gloomy?”

His tone carried an edge of disdain and derision.

― “Then you might say, you find the vast ocean gloomy as well.
“…!”

The unrestrained harshness in his tone made her shoulders shrink involuntarily. His voice felt colder than the blowing night wind.

— “If this is all you’ve got, just quit now.”

His words were icy, but oddly, they sent a flicker of warmth through her.

“…Why? Why do you keep talking like this, acting as if you have the right to criticize me…”

She tried to fight back, but he cut her off mid-sentence.

— “Do you have any idea how many times she had to repeat the same actions, dozens or even hundreds of times, just to become the person she is now?”
“…!”
— “What Heeju endured during that time was no less than a battle?”

Heeju felt something inside her crumble. Her mind went blank.

— “She’s not an accessory. She’s her own person.”
“…”
— “Don’t casually judge my wife.”

She hadn’t called him to hear these words. And yet, Baek Sa-eon’s sharp remarks had unexpectedly soothed her aching heart.

Heeju was momentarily speechless due to the visible contradiction. The cruel words from her sister’s friends seemed to evaporate.

For a moment, she considered asking- Have you… been paying attention to me all this time? Was it not my youth or my inadequacies that you disliked?

But the questions caught in her throat, disguised as the blackmailer’s voice once again.

“Then why did you treat Heeju like she was invisible?”
― “Did she ever tell you that herself?”
“Would she need to? Do you really think there’s anything about her I wouldn’t know?”

At that very moment, a soft chime echoed, and the elevator doors slid open.

Heeju instinctively turned her head, and her eyes widened.

“…!”
“…!”

Two people, both holding phones to their ears, locked eyes.

“You—”

The moment Baek Sa-eon saw her precariously perched on the terrace railing, he shoved his phone into his pocket.

Striding toward her with quick, purposeful steps, his face was tight with unspoken tension.

Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her off the railing, placing her firmly on the ground.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed…!”

His sharp voice cut through the air like a blade.

“Hiccup…”
“Throwing your clothes all over and then climbing onto the railing- What were you thinking?”
“Hic!”

The thunderous reprimand triggered her hiccups again. Just moments ago, they had been talking as if nothing was wrong, but now her body froze under his stern gaze.

He ran a hand over his eyes, muttering, “… I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

There was something weary in his expression that made her feel a pang of guilt.

In his hand was the shawl she had left behind in the restroom.

“Didn’t they teach you in school not to go to dark, high places alone?” he grumbled, frowning as he grabbed her cheeks firmly.
“Eek…!”

Her lips puckered like a fish’s as his nose brushed lightly past her cheek.

“And Hong Heeju… drinking alcohol, no less.”
“…!”

When she flinched, his expression grew even colder.

“So, how does it feel to climb up here after drinking?”

His tone was dripping with sarcasm, not genuine curiosity. And yet, as he spoke, he draped the cape’s fur-lined mantle over her shoulders with a detached air.

Heeju found herself caught in a strange impulse as she stared into his calm, emotionless eyes. She had an urge to shatter that composure.

Why… why were you so cold all this time?
Why did you do that?
Why tell me not to mistake this for a marriage?

Her lips quivered, but her voice remained locked inside her throat like a faucet refusing to turn.

She couldn’t speak up freely.

Perhaps noticing her blatant stare, Baek Sa-eon tilted his head slightly, as if reading her thoughts.

“Were you on a call?”
“…!”

Heeju flinched, her gaze darting nervously causing Sa-eon’s gaze to sharpen.

“If you weren’t talking, why was your phone pressed to your ear?”
The arm wrapped around her waist tightened, and his penetrating gaze scanned her face as though searching for answers.

Heeju braced herself under his probing eyes and mouthed a single word.

‘Mom’

He bent down, meeting her face-on, carefully reading her lips.

“Ah,” he murmured softly, though his furrowed brows suggested he wasn’t entirely convinced.

Even so, Baek Sa-eon didn’t straighten up. Instead, he kept his focus on her lips, scrutinizing her silently.

Oh…!

Suddenly, dizziness washed over her, and she swayed slightly.

At that moment, Baek Sa-eon lifted her effortlessly, maintaining his grip around her waist.

“This is your punishment.”
“…!”

His warm fingers pressed into her side with the weight of a brand.

The stark difference in their height made her feel like she was being hoisted like an object. Heeju instinctively wrapped her arms around his shoulders to steady herself.

“It’s so cold, and yet… Forget it, never mind,” he muttered.

That familiar “Forget it,” or “Never mind”—she had heard it from him so many times.

Even now, he seemed to deliberately hold back his words. Although, his dissatisfaction was evident in the subtle pout of his lips.

Her heart pounded so loudly, that the chill was a distant memory.