When The Phone Rings

Chapter 53

“And then, the car accident happened, Heeju.”

“…!”
“The car we were in… The same one where I got injured, and our younger brother died.”

It felt as though a fog descended on Heeju’s mind.

“It happened the day after Representative Baek Jang-ho smiled at me.”

Her sister’s words didn’t quite sink in.

The screech of skidding tires, the pain of colliding with a lorry that had crossed the centerline, and the way everything snapped.

Before I could cry, I saw my brother dead, the bright red blood that blinded me, and the smell of
years old when the accident happened, so In-ah must have kept this suspicion to herself that stung my nose and at the same time, the puzzle was slowly coming together.

Was that why In-ah was nervous whenever she saw Baek Sa-eon? Did she wear an expression of fear? How did my sister manage to keep this as a secret all this time?

Heeju was nine years old when the accident happened, so In-ah must have kept this suspicion to herself for almost 20 years. This anxiety must have coiled her life like a curse.

“I tried to tell Dad once,” In-ah said, her voice tinged with bitterness, “but—”

She remembered that day vividly.

“Dad didn’t care. Back when Representative Baek Jang-ho was alive, he fed dirt on government officials to Sankyung Daily. That newspaper thrived on his exclusive scoops.”
“…”
“Our families were like crocodiles and plovers. Of course, my concerns were dismissed. All Dad cared about was his ambition to be a kingmaker.”
“…”
“So I ran away.”

In-ah clenched her lips tightly.

“I couldn’t marry a man I didn’t even know.”

For some reason, her words struck a painful chord in Heeju.

She signed cautiously: ‘So… you met him the day before the wedding?’

In-ah looked momentarily startled but nodded.

“Yes. I endured it all while thinking about coming back to you.”
‘What do you mean?’

Her sister’s expression hardened.

“The last time I met Baek Sa-eon, I was desperate to cancel the wedding, even if it meant blackmailing him.”
“…!”
“I told him I would expose his secret.”

The word ‘blackmail’ made Heeju flinch.

“I went to threaten him,” In-ah spat out.
“…!”
“But even when I threatened to reveal everything, he remained unmoved. Instead, he brought up the car accident and laughed.”
“…!”
“That bastard… laughed.”

In-ah’s teeth clattered together as her breath grew ragged. The raw hostility emanating from her finally made sense.

Her fury had never been aimed at Heeju. It had always been directed at Baek Sa-eon.

“That’s when I knew,” In-ah said, her face pale with guilt, “that my one careless comment as a child… had killed our brother.”

In-ah’s guilt is reflected in her confessions.

“But then… I got blackmailed instead.”

Three years ago, In-ah had been too consumed by anger to think clearly. Her mind was a whirlwind, and facing the truth she long suspected left her feeling utterly helpless.

Even their conversation, conducted partly in writing, had been lopsided from the start. Baek Sa-eon remained cold and composed, a blade cloaked in human skin.

It was then that he made his proposal: “Give me your sister.”

“If I handed you over, he would let me escape safely.”
“…!”
“He promised I could leave without Dad finding out, without any consequences.”

In-ah’s tormented gaze locked onto Heeju.

A sinking feeling gripped her heart—a primal dread of what she didn’t want to hear.

“And as the price for keeping his secret, Baek Sa-eon demanded you as collateral.”

It felt as though a nail was being driven into her throat.

“I know it was cowardly, but I was so scared back then…”

Her voice quivered like a storm-tossed ship.

“He said if I gave him Hong Heeju, he would let me go unharmed. He even promised to free me from the arranged marriage. All he wanted… was you.”
“…”
“That bastard is insane. Completely unhinged.”

The sharp focus of Heeju’s mind blurred, overtaken by a suffocating heat.

To be freed from an arranged marriage… That was something Heeju had long dreamed of.

But hearing that Baek Sa-eon had willingly offered her sister the very thing she’d yearned for—a freedom Heeju could only fantasize about—ignited a searing fury deep within her.

What had the past three years of marriage been like? Exactly what Baek Sa-eon had intended: a life as a hostage.

She had been miserable, helpless, and resigned to being ignored.

Even though she harbored feelings for him, it had never been the life she wanted.

The realization left her utterly hollow.

And yet, a wild, destructive impulse roared to life, an urge to tear apart the world that had shackled her.

Her eyes were burning with anger.

“It’s true. I only thought about myself and sold you out to escape. But… after killing our brother and throwing you into that mess, I was so disgusted with myself… I couldn’t bear it even after running away.”
“…”
“So, I decided I had to fix everything.”
“…”
“That’s why I came back to Korea.”

Even as Heeju listened to her sister’s apology, her mind was blank.

“Stop deluding yourself that we’re married.”
“You were sent to me as a hostage.”

So that’s how it was. That’s what it had all boiled down to. Realizing the truth made her feel foolish and naive.

“That’s why you can’t fall for him, Heeju.”
“…”
“He’s not someone you should trust.”

The fragile semblance of composure she had managed to regain was crumbling once more.

Today’s interpretation had been flawless—so perfect it felt like their minds had aligned. Yet now it all seemed like an illusion.

“How could you love someone like that!”

The heart she had painstakingly pieced together shattered again, leaving nothing but desolation.

***

She didn’t know how she had managed to walk all this way. Her feet were bruised.

This arranged marriage had always been a rough, jagged chain of coercion. The union served her family’s interests, her sister’s desperate bargain, and Baek Sa-eon’s manipulative schemes.

Heeju had been nothing but a pawn.

She should have expected this. But why did it hurt so much now?

Her sister, who knew Baek Sa-eon’s darkest secrets, and the man, who kept Heeju as a hostage to silence her—

“Haha…”

Even in this moment, she felt cast out, standing alone on the fringes. The exhaustion sapped her strength entirely.

She didn’t notice her bleeding heels as she trudged forward. Her haze was only broken by the persistent buzzing of her phone.

[ Blocked Number ]

The sight of those words made her breath catch. It was the call she had forgotten during her talk with her sister.

Looking around, she realized she was alone in the middle of nowhere, with no signs or landmarks in sight.

She answered the phone with trembling hands.

— “Hey, sis, how’ve you been?”
“…”

Even such a casual greeting left Heeju gasping for air.

— “I was about to get crazy since you weren’t answering…”
“…”
— “While I was away for a bit, things got… interesting, huh?”

The voice chuckled. A cold wind whipped her hair into disarray.

— “Remember our little deal?”
“…”
— “You promised to let me hear what I wanted. Remember?”
“…”
— “Let’s get down to business, shall we?”

Heeju stared blankly into the void, nodding weakly. For some reason, she didn’t have the strength to respond. Her lips, chilled and pale, quivered as she bit down on them.

She was utterly lost.

— “We practiced so much for this. You endured all these just for this moment.”

The hostage-taker’s mocking laughter echoed briefly before it turned into a low, menacing tone.

— “I want a confession.”
“…!”

Her wandering steps came to an abrupt halt.

— “That time… when you stood there and watched Baek Sa-eon die.”
“…!”
— “As the only witness.”
“…”
— “What were you thinking as you watched him die?”

What was he saying? Heeju’s gaze wavered, unable to process his words.

Dusk was creeping in, painting the sky in somber hues.

— “That’s what I’ve always wanted to hear.”
“What… No, I… I…”
— “Don’t you get it yet?”
“…”
— “Didn’t I tell you, I wanted everything like how it was.”
“…!”
— “My stolen name, my place, my honor… I’ll take it all back, even if it’s late.”

The kidnapper’s voice cracked with vehemence.

— “The name Baek Sa-eon—damn it, that’s my name!”
“…!”

It felt like a blade had pierced through her ribcage. The name Heeju cherished all her life was now shattering her.

The kidnapper chuckled again, his voice dripping with mockery.

— “Sis, you don’t really want to live with me, do you?”

Her thoughts slowed to a crawl. Her eyelids twitched, and a ringing sound filled her ears.

— “When I become Baek Sa-eon again, technically, you’ll be my wife.”
“…!”
— “Could you live like that?”

A horrifying thought. Heeju’s pupils quaked. It felt like someone was squeezing the life out of her.

— “So let’s just finish this, okay? Quickly. Damn it.”
“…”
— “When I become Baek Sa-eon again, I don’t want you as a burden.”

Though slow and steady, his voice trembled with suppressed excitement.

— “If you don’t get me a confession, then this time, it won’t be your father. It’ll be your husband… the one who stole my life. He’ll die. I’ll kill him.”
“…!”
— “I don’t make empty threats. Don’t forget how you fell off her mountain.”

Heeju flinched.

— “Do you remember who pushed you? Who shoved her body over the edge?”

No. No, it couldn’t be…

Heeju desperately shook her head. But the memory she had buried clawed its way back—the sensation of a heavy arm striking her body.

It had all transpired too fast for her to take notice.

They had been taking a group photo, raising their arms, shouting a cheer.

“No, it can’t be…”

There had only been people from the PR team present… Her frail limbs, freshly healed from stitches, trembled uncontrollably.

Who had she last seen before she fell? She instinctively reached for her fragmented memories, but they were all a blur.

— “Now, it’s time to hand over the phone, sis.”

A confession… that was the kidnapper’s final demand.