When The Phone Rings

Chapter 29

On the way home:
“…”
“…”

The moment Heeju got into the car, she fell asleep almost immediately due to the warmth. Clutching her clutch bag tightly, she would open her eyes warily as if staying on guard, only to nod off again moments later.

The faint scent of champagne lingered in her breath.

Baek Sa-eon gently steadied her head each time it tilted sideways and firmly secured her seatbelt.

‘…!’

Afterward, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, staring coldly at the now-ended call displayed on the screen.

“406…”

It was the first time he had shared anything so personal, the harshness of his rebuke had been unintended.

‘I only wanted to fabricate a plausible story to build rapport—’

But when the blackmailer began insulting Heeju, everything spiraled out of control.

If he had joined in criticizing her at that time, perhaps the situation might have played out differently. But Baek Sa-eon couldn’t bring himself to do it.

His gaze wandered to the rapidly passing scenery outside. He realized he couldn’t hold back.

“That f*ul mouthed…”

His thoughts were interrupted when his phone suddenly vibrated. Sa-eon answered the call before sparing a glance at Heeju.

A voice on the other end interjected urgently, preventing him from speaking.

“Sir! We got them! We finally found their location!”
“Speak slowly.”

Lowering the volume quickly to avoid disturbing Heeju, he carefully brushed her hair behind her ear.

“It’s the blackmailer! Sir, the call duration was more than 10 minutes this time. We successfully traced their location. We got them!”

The assistant’s voice brimmed with excitement, but Baek Sa-eon merely raised an eyebrow in doubt.

Ten minutes…? It was an unexpected gain as the blackmailer always used a timer.

“He was close to you. Right at the Sogong-dong Hotel where today’s event was held!”
“What?”

His gaze shifted away from Heeju for the first time.

“It seems he was one of the attendees at the Sankyung’s event.”

A cold, bitter laugh escaped him.

This was nothing less than mockery. A twisted game was laid only to toy with him.

Baek Sa-eon was no stranger to dealing with criminals, but 406 was different. He was a peculiar existence that targeted his most hidden vulnerabilities to provoke him.

He resolved to investigate everyone who attended the event: guests, temporary staff, full-time employees to find abnormalities.

“How’s the voice modulation analysis progressing?” he asked in a low tone.
“T- That…! The audio is encrypted, but not using the standard modulation. It’s tricky, but the team is working on decoding it layer by layer!”

Baek Sa-eon adjusted the shawl that had slipped from Heeju’s shoulders, though the worry on his face remained.

 

***

 

After dropping her off at home, he drove straight to the third division.

In the dimly lit office, there were still some staff on overtime.

As soon as he stepped inside, his exhausted assistant, Park Do-jae, approached with a stack of reports in hand.

“Sir, did you receive a call from the police?”
“That—”

Halfway through taking off his coat, Baek Sa-eon paused. It concerned the issue with Heeju’s biological father, a matter he had left to his assistant amidst the chaos of the Sankyung Daily event.

He hadn’t placed much hope in the matter, treating it as a mere formality.

But now—

Baek Sa-eon recalled Heeju’s odd behavior during the call earlier, how she had pressed her phone to her ear.

Something sharp flickered in his gaze like a hunter catching the scent of prey.

“998GA 4568.”

“Pardon?”

“The license plate of a police car. October 14th, around 3 PM… I want the black box footage.”

It was an impulsive order.

“Why the sudden request…?” Park Do-jae looked puzzled, prompting Baek Sa-eon to respond casually.
“I want to see my wife’s face.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Is there a problem?”

Park Do-jae was speechless.

He knew all black box footage from patrol cars and mobile task force vehicles was filtered through National Intelligence Service hacking programs.

“How much time do you need?”

Hurriedly, Park Do-jae retreated to his station. But as he turned away, his once-clueless expression morphed into something cold and calculating.

『 “Let me out.”』
『 “Sorry?”』
『 “I can’t stay here… Please, let me out here.”』

The faint glow of the monitor illuminated Baek Sa-eon’s face in the dark office. His eyes were locked on Heeju’s video.

『 “Do you think this is a taxi or something, Ma’am?”』
『 “Let me out. Just let me out!”』
『 “Look, we’re in the middle of the road, you can’t just—”』
『 “If I get out, everything will be fine. Just let me out, and it’ll be okay.”』
『“Ma’am… wait, hey—what are you doing?!”』

On the screen, Heeju was banging on the car door, even kicking it in a full-blown panic.

And at the same time, her voice rang out clearly.

『 “Just let me out! Please, just let me out!”』

“Ha…”

As Baek Sa-eon grabbed the back of his neck, the coffee cup on his desk tipped over, spilling everywhere.

The scattered papers quickly absorbed the dark liquid, leaving them stained and ruined. But Baek Sa-eon didn’t even notice. His burning eyes stayed locked on the screen.

‘Heeju can talk? Since when?’

He ran his hands over his tense face, his erratic, shaking eyes betraying the turmoil inside.

How…?

Ignoring the coffee soaking into his sleeve, he replayed the video. His face, gripped by shock, remained twisted unnaturally.

『 “Just let me out! Please, just let me out!”』
『 “Just let me out! Please, just let me out!”』
『 “Just let me out! Please, just let me out!”』

The voice was crystal very clear, devoid of any distortion.

He replayed the scene over and over. Yet no matter how many times he replayed it, the disbelief remained.

That mouth, which had been silent nearly her entire life… how could it have produced such a sound? How could it sound so soft, so delicate, so fragile?

“Ha…”

His fingers hit the rewind button again.

『 “Just let me out! Please, just let me out!”』
『 “Just let me out! Please, just let me out!”』
『 “Just let me out! Please, just let me out!”』

Sa-eon’s obsessive gaze lingered on her lips the entire time.

Twenty years… it had been twenty years since Heeju had lived in silence. Maybe that was why he had never once doubted her muteness.

Perhaps it was because of that silence that he had never doubted her muteness. Now his trust came biting back to him.

“♪ You can ring my be-e-ell… ♪”

As a faint pop song played in the background, he replayed the video again.

The man stayed up all night, replaying it, until he finally came to a single, undeniable truth.

Heeju can talk.

Sa-eon’s brows furrowed in a severe scowl.

 

***

 

The moment morning sunlight hit her eyes, Heeju nearly screamed.

“—!”

But the sound stuck in her throat turned into a violent cough instead.

Wh- Why is he here…?

Standing beside the bed, Baek Sa-eon stared at her with an expressionless face.

But what was more unsettling than his sharp gaze was his unnatural stance which made Heeju believe that he had been standing there for a long time.

His outfit was the same as yesterday, but slightly disheveled— his bow tie gone and his sleeves were stained.

What happened last night? How had his usually immaculate appearance become so disheveled?

Clutching her flushed neck, Heeju instinctively moved to put distance between them. His eyes, however, followed her movements quietly.

“Heeju Hong, did you sleep well?”
“…”

His tone didn’t sound like he was asking out of concern. Beneath it slept a wave of strange, boiling anger.

Sensing something was wrong, Heeju furrowed her brow. Her lack of response prompted Sa-eon to let out a sharp, bitter laugh.

“This… feels worse than I imagined.”

He laughed softly, rubbing his temples as if battling a severe headache. A faint wrinkle appeared between his brows, his frustration evident.

“I always thought Hong Heeju was just a quiet person—”

His voice trailed off, thick with an indescribable weight, as he muttered, “I really believed it.”

His gaze clung to her lips.

“Should I start by making it resonate?”
“…!”
“Maybe I should.”

As if pondering it seriously, he licked his lower lip and blinked his tired eyes.

“I thought I knew everything, that there wasn’t a secret in the world that could surprise me. Then, I got hit square in the face.”

Leaning his head back against the wall with a loud thud, he muttered, “What a mess! Even Hong Heeju has her moments.”

Climbing onto the bed on his knees, he collapsed beside her with a heavy thud. A subtle aroma of coffee lingered about him.

When Heeju tried to leave the bed, his hand grabbed her ankle firmly. She couldn’t budge against his strength.

He straightened her leg, tucked the blanket around her, and muttered softly under his breath.

“The sly little Hong Heeju… knows exactly how to pick her battles…”

With a faint smirk and venom dripping from his words, he softly cursed before turning away.

“Certainly, that mouth comes at a high cost.”

All Heeju managed was a vacant stare in his direction.