When The Phone Rings

Chapter 32

/explicit WAP lyrics ahead/

‘Please don’t…!’

“… I need a deep stroke, I need a Henny drink, I need a we*d smoker, Not a garden snake, I need a king cobra…”

‘Gaahh!!’

Heeju jumped up and tried to snatch the paper, but it was no use. Sa-eon easily dodged her and continued reading line by line.

“…I want you to park that big Mack truck right in this little garage…”

Baek Sa-eon’s jaw kept tightening.

“…He got a beard, well, I’m tryna w*t it… I wanna g*g, I wanna ch*ke…”

His smooth, low voice poured out lascivious words as if reading a script. Heeju couldn’t look at his eyes in shame. She wanted to bury her head like an ostrich.

“…Hop on top, I want a ride… Now make it rain if you wanna see some wet…. Hahh”

The man eventually let out a sigh while kneading his temple. The veins bulging on the back of his hand made him look as stern as a strict school supervisor.

“Who wrote this?”
“……!”

He crumpled the paper with a dangerously sharp glint in his eyes.

“Why do you have something like this? Don’t tell me… is this written by you?”

Overwhelmed by the absurd suspicion, Heeju hurriedly pulled out her phone. She opened a long-dormant chat page labeled “Business Husband” and quickly typed a message-

[9:52 PM] [ This is a song lyric from a foreign artist that Director Han Joon introduced to me…! I got a job offer to interpret for a concert, but I declined. T- The paper remained in my bag. ]

Baek Sa-eon immediately checked his buzzing phone. For a man who was used to speed-reading, his gaze lingered on the screen for an unusually long time.

“It might not seem like it, but I’m more conservative than you think, Hong Heeju.
‘……?’
“I really don’t like that director Han. What should we do about it?”
“…!”
“Considering you got this as an offer, did you go through the script in front of him? Did that man, who’s 12 years older, ‘guide’ you through the lyrics?”
‘…….’

“Did you discuss the theme, the context… or the scenario?”

Baek Sa-eon tilted his head.

“Big..or wet…”
‘……!’
“You haven’t even discussed such things with your own husband.”

He pressed his tongue against the inner wall of his cheek.

“So, you almost did.”

Feeling anxious, Heeju swiftly typed another message.

[9:53 PM] [ It’s unfair for you to judge me this way. That artist is known for their bold lyrics…]

“So what..?”

His crooked gaze pierced her.

“I saw Hong Heeju interpreting today at the office. I’m curious about how you wanted to translate those spicy, explicit lyrics with a straight face.”
‘What…?’

Sa-eon suppressed his dormant rage.

“Not happening.”

He sneered, crumpling the paper and stuffing it into his jacket pocket.

“This paper is now confiscated, and the topic ends here. I won’t drag on this conversation.”
“….”
“And as for going to the supermarket, forget it. Go inside and sleep.”

His sharp gaze stopped her in her tracks. Masking her nervousness, Heeju tapped her phone again.

[9:55 PM] [ About the supermarket. Actually… I needed to buy sanitary pads. ]

Her face, already flushed, now felt on the verge of boiling red.

Baek Sa-eon’s brows furrowed slightly.

“It shouldn’t be your that time of the month yet.”
“……!”
What? Hee-joo looked at him in shock.

“And how am I supposed to trust you to go out this late? Whether you’re really going to the store or planning something else.”

His suspicion seemed sharper than ever.

“I’ll go instead.”
“…!”
“You stay home.”

She blinked in shock but didn’t argue. If leaving wasn’t an option for her, she could still send Baek Sa-eon away.

As he glanced at his watch, seemingly waiting for a phone call, she typed again.

[9:56 PM] [ Small, medium, large, and extra-large pads with wings. Also small and large tampons. And some snacks… ]

She wanted to make sure Sa-eon took a long time before coming back. Baek Sa-eon’s face briefly twisted into an unreadable expression.

“What snacks?”

Heeju responded with heartfelt sincerity.

[9:56 PM] [ Chicken… ]

 

***

 

Heeju peeked out through the slightly parted curtains of her veranda. The upscale residential area wasn’t very high-rise.

In the dim light, She could see the back of a man walking down the street, talking on the phone.

― “I heard 406 was in the same venue as me. The very same place where I was with my wife.”
“…!”

Her heart sank.

Sending him out had been the right decision. If he had made the call from inside, his presence would have flustered her, and she might have slipped up.

― “Don’t you have the guts to come meet me?”
“And put myself at risk?”
― “At least you’re not entirely brainless.”
“What did you say?”
― “Given your sense of self-preservation, it seems you’re not entirely an idiot.”

Baek Sa-eon sneered.

Heeju took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She couldn’t afford to lose her composure this time.

She had a question she needed to ask him tonight.

“That’s right and this is also why you couldn’t catch me yet.”
― “…All the more reason for you to occupy my brain the entire day.”

The slow, twisted tone of the voice sent a chill through her.

― “I don’t know 406’s name, age, or even phone number. That’s why I’m limited to taking your calls.”
“…!”

His plain but aggressive words made her shudder.

― “That makes me even more curious about you. Are you slightly insane or completely deranged, I wonder. What goes through your mind when you assault someone?”

Was he trying to persuade me or insult me?

But Sa-eon cast the bait and Heeju was already lured in.

“Let’s ask each other questions… One at a time.”
― “…”

Silence lingered for some time, and then surprisingly, Baek Sa-eon agreed.

― “Fine.”
“I’ll go first.”
― “Go ahead.”

Her mouth felt dry. Pacing the living room, she eventually retreated to her room and lay on the bed.

Lingering questions remained unanswered. Words she couldn’t voice battled to be heard.

“Your fiancée… Do you know where she is right now?”
― “I do.”
“…!”

The brief response struck Heeju more intensely than anything else.

He knew…? Heeju’s legs felt like they had gone numb.

“Where is she now?”

When she hastily asked, Baek Sa-eon replied indifferently.

― “My turn.”
“What?”
― “Have you ever really heard Heeju’s voice? Not her breaths— her real voice.”
“…!”

Caught off guard, Heeju froze, her thoughts derailed by the unexpected question.

“If it’s the moans you’re talking about…”
― “Not that.”

He cut her off coldly. But Heeju didn’t back down.

“I already answered, so it’s my turn now, right?”
― “….”

Oddly, the silence on the other end carried a trace of annoyance.

“Where’s Hong In-ah right now?”
― “She’s not here.”
“What kind of answer is that? Give me a proper response!”

Heeju frowned, her irritation flaring.

― “Doesn’t that count as an extra question?”
“Don’t be so stiff…!”
― “I don’t understand why you’re curious about Hong In-ah.”
“Should I consider this as your next question?”
― “Let’s call it one.”

To Baek Sa-eon, “the blackmailer 406” was likely no more than a psychotic ex-boyfriend Heeju had dealt with in the past. So Heeju tried to act the part.

“Heeju… she always paid attention.”
― “Be specific.”
“To you and her sister’s relationship.”
― “I don’t see any point in answering.”
“What?”

Startled by his brazen refusal, Heeju gawked in disbelief.

― “If I tell you, I’m certain 406 will use it against Heeju somehow. So, No. I won’t say a word.”
“…!”
― “That’s my answer.”

What the…? Heeju could only gape in bewilderment.

― “No matter what kind of nonsense 406 tries to pull, I’ll deal with it personally. Let’s keep this grudge between us.”
“….”

“Rather than approaching Heeju, you might as well try to light up my car a few times..”

His voice remained distant, eerily so, even as he spoke harshly and then moved directly to the matter at hand.

― “What did Heeju say to you?”

The question made her let out a short laugh.

“Are you curious about what she told me?”

What was this man thinking? Why on earth was Baek Sa-eon asking something like this? But given that her “mute” condition kept her far from suspicion as the blackmailer 406, she couldn’t risk compromising that.

― “Technically, she didn’t ‘speak to me’.”
“…I see…”

He let out a soft chuckle, dragging his words leisurely. For some reason, he seemed satisfied with the answer.

It felt strange.

Heeju quickly shook off the inexplicable unease and moved on to her next question.