When The Phone Rings

Chapter 43

Heeju requested to be discharged from the hospital two days later.

Her body still ached, but there were no fractures, and the feeling of being confined to the hospital was becoming unbearable.

‘No, actually….’

After the threatening call took a weird turn, Heeju felt unsettled by the whole incident.

“Is this all your stuff?” Baek Sa-eon asked as he carried her bag.

He hadn’t exactly been thrilled about her early discharge, but after staring at her message—”I feel suffocated and lonely being alone”—for a long time, he unexpectedly relented.

Because he knew. He knew that not a single family member had visited her during her stay at the hospital.

“Rest well at home for now. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“…!”

‘Where is he going?’

Heeju stared at him nervously. Noticing her expression, he added casually, “Today is grandfather’s death anniversary.

Ah… Heeju’s embarrassment was short-lived. Her eyes widened in realization.

The memorial service for the late Baek Jang-ho. The man famously known as “the one who achieved everything but the title of a president.”

Baek Sa-eon’s grandfather had grown up being referred to as “the Crown Prince.”

Though Sa-eon had distanced himself from his family’s estate since moving into the Blue House, he made an exception every year for this one occasion: the memorial service for his late grandfather.

It was a moment that cameras often captured— Baek Sa-eon attending the family gathering as the eldest grandson.

A prestigious family wasn’t built in just one generation.

The first generation, his great-grandfather, had laid the foundation as the nation’s first vice president.

The second generation, his grandfather, became a political titan.

The third generation had dominated as a four-term national assembly member and was now a formidable presidential candidate.

And then there was the fourth generation— Baek Sa-eon, the young blood who brought endless media attention wherever he went.

[ I want to come with you ]

Heeju typed in a message.

Sa-eon raised an eyebrow in response.

Despite being the eldest grandson’s wife, she had never once attended a family memorial service. No, it was more accurate to say she hadn’t been able to.

Whenever she watched Sa-eon walk away, leaving her behind, she couldn’t help but feel an increasing sense of inadequacy and the nagging belief that she wasn’t genuinely accepted as part of the family.

[6:09 PM] [ I don’t want to be alone at home. ]

But this time, she decided to stand her ground, something she rarely ever did.

‘Because I feel like he will agree.’

It was an intuition, a sense that had quietly piled up like snow over time—built on the countless conversations they had shared.

Whether it was a sense of responsibility for his legal wife, a protective instinct born from their childhood connection, or simply pity— she wasn’t entirely sure what to call it.

But one thing was clear, he wasn’t as cold as he seemed.

Surprisingly, there were moments when he paid close attention to her, watching her more closely than she expected.

“If you don’t want to be alone…”

Her eyes met his constant and unwavering gaze.

He twitched his brow once before his expression turned serious again, making it impossible to read his thoughts.

‘How can someone with such a cold face make moans like that… No, no! Stop thinking about that Heeju!’

Realizing where her thoughts were drifting, Heeju abruptly turned her head, flustered.

Sa-eon tilted his head slightly, amused by her reaction.

“Would it be better if we stayed together?”
“…!”
“Then I’ll skip it and stay with you.”

Heeju blinked at his unexpected response.

That’s not what I meant…!

She’d wanted to go because she thought being around people and the commotion would help distract her from her thoughts. Maybe even getting coldly dismissed there would help ground her wandering emotions!

[6:10 PM] [ No, I’m saying we should go together! ]

Baek Sa-eon squinted suspiciously at her message, pursing his lips. But when a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, Heeju felt as if she’d glimpsed something she shouldn’t have. She quickly lowered her head, pretending not to notice.

 

***

 

The ancestral home was bustling with activity.

The reason his family could rise to prominence as a political dynasty stemmed from the central figure of the late Baek Jang-ho. All of their relatives, serving as ambassadors, governors, mayors, ministers of justice, prosecutors, and members of parliament— had flourished based on the foundation he had built.

Though he had passed away long ago, he remained the unshaken axis of their family.

I was the one who insisted on coming, but…

The moment the relatives’ gazes turned toward Baek Sa-eon, Heeju felt her palms grow damp with sweat. At the same time, a familiar warmth forcefully intertwined with her fingers.

“…!”

Their hands were locked together tightly, like intertwined roots. The firm clasp left no space between their joined fingers, anchoring Heeju in place.

“Baek Sa-eon!”

Her ears felt silenced by the sensation, and she couldn’t make out the surrounding voices clearly.

While his cousins approached him with familiarity and the family elders chimed in with remarks, Heeju could only stare blankly at the increasingly firm grip on her hand. Her pulse pounded furiously at the complete contact.

“Oh, and this must be…”

The gazes that turned toward her weren’t entirely welcoming.

She wasn’t the legitimate daughter of Sangkyeong but rather a step daughter brought along by his second wife.

The elders, their pride visibly wounded, frowned on cue. Even under the best circumstances, their expressions couldn’t be described as kind.

“If you had arrived, you at least could have greeted everyone properly!”
“…!”

At the sudden scolding, Heeju flinched.

“No matter how rushed the marriage was, she should have introduced herself to the family beforehand or made a courtesy call…!”
“Mind your own business and enjoy your conversation.”

Sa-eon’s brusque interruption was accompanied by a furrowed brow as he moved forward.

“What did you just say…?”

For a moment, the gathered relatives looked utterly dumbfounded. His low and composed voice somehow sounded almost elegant, despite its bluntness.

“This insolent boy, what did you just say?!”
“I won’t do such a thing.”
“What?!”

His indifferent gaze turned toward the source of the outcry. The mere act of making eye contact prompted awkward throat clearing from several people.

“Why should my wife be made to do what your children don’t even bother with?”
“Don’t you know the meaning of propriety, you disrespectful brat?!”
“Ah, propriety…”

He let out a faint chuckle, nodding slightly.

“That propriety… you only bring up when you want something for free.”

His cold gaze served as a warning for them.

“Propriety doesn’t exist in this world. Whether it’s dogs or humans they all try to build a hierarchy to rule.”
“…!”

“You intended to reinforce the hierarchy and instill discipline, masked by the guise of propriety.”

His voice, as sharp as a blade, cut through the air.

“If you want courtesy calls, start by making yourselves worthy of such attention. That’s the proper sequence and the responsibility of those who expect such things.”

The elder’s face flushed crimson with rage.

“Even a phone call is a form of power.”
“…!”

Heeju nervously glanced around, her eyes darting. Sa-eon began to gently stroke the back of the hand he was gripping so tightly.

“First, make yourself someone worth wondering about.”

He seized control of the discussion on filial duty, then left without a glance. As she was pulled along by his firm grip, Heeju couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

‘…Is this really going to be okay?’

From the start, she had a bad feeling about all of this.

 

***

 

“Oh my! How did you two arrive together?”

As they entered the dining room, the savory aroma of cooking oil filled the air.

Dressed in a black turtleneck and matching slacks which was hardly an outfit suited for the kitchen, Heeju’s mother-in-law, Shim Gyu-jin, bustled about without even tying on an apron.

Of course, there was no one assisting her. Heeju didn’t need to ask; she knew her mother-in-law had likely sent everyone away.

Grilled fish, skewered meat, pan-fried minced meat patties, tofu pancakes, vegetable skewers, fish pancakes, mung bean pancakes, zucchini pancakes, shiitake pancakes, soup—her preparation of the ancestral rites food was painstakingly meticulous.

From start to finish, she insisted on doing everything herself, refusing anyone’s help.

This stubbornness was a well-known trait of hers within the family.

“Heeju has been discharged from the hospital,” Sa-eon said.
“I sent a flower pot to the hospital. Did you get it?”

Heeju quickly nodded in response.

“You could’ve stayed longer. Why leave so soon? Did Sa-eon drag you out, using the rites as an excuse?”

Her mother-in-law shot a suspicious look at her son, prompting Heeju to immediately wave her hands in protest.

“Sa-eon isn’t that kind of person,” chimed in Sa-eon aunt who had just entered. She was petting her dog in her arms.

“Do you know how much the elders here pestered to see their nephew’s wife? But no, not even a single strand of her hair appeared until now. That’s how stubborn he is.”

Then the aunt’s gaze shifted to Heeju.

“But today, I’m curious what made her tag along.”
“She didn’t want to stay alone,” Sa-eon replied flatly.
“What?”

The hand stroking the dog halted mid-motion.

“We didn’t want to be apart, so we came together. Is that a problem?”
“N- No, it’s not that but…”

The aunt looked puzzled, as though she had just heard the strangest thing.

“Seriously, you and your mother both have such peculiar ideas about the strangest things.”

Shim Gyu-jin chuckled lightly at the complaint from her sister-in-law.

“I just don’t want to leave the ancestral table to anyone else.”
“Yes, yes… I know.”

Back in the days when women were expected to run households, Shim Gyu-jin had been supported by Baek Jang-ho himself to return to her studies. He had allowed her freedom to pursue her ambitions while cradling his eldest grandson like a precious treasure.

His favoritism for Sa-eon was so evident that he always spent weekends with him, and until Sa-eon entered middle school, he refused to take him to public events or political rallies, no matter how important.

Rumors even circulated that during this time, Sa-eon had already completed advanced education and homeschooling, bypassing the standard system altogether.

His looks, charisma, steadfast personality, and political philosophy— all mirrored Baek Jang-ho, making him the most significant heir to his legacy.

Many praised Sa-eon as Baek Jang-ho’s masterpiece.

Naturally, this led to jealousy among the direct descendants, whose expressions often soured whenever they heard such accolades.

“Sa-eon, make sure your wife learns well,” one of the relatives casually remarked, barging in with others carrying the ancestral foods.