When The Phone Rings

Chapter 06

―“As a pathetic man hiding in some corner…”

The distant voice weighed heavily on the phone line. The biting criticism was eerily reminiscent of her husband’s scornful remarks.

―“Want to play a game of ‘who’s uglier’?”
“The words I said…”
―When I see you in court, I’ll make sure to treat you well.

The call ended as harshly as Baek Sa-eon’s cold tone. The feeling of humiliation caused my hand and one side of my cheek to burn as if on fire.

“Call him back!”
“Huh?”
“Keep calling…! Until he picks up!”
“Sis.. that…”

Heeju felt like her bones were being shattered.

[ The number you have dialed is currently switched off. After the tone, your call will be forwarded to voicemail. Please note that charges may apply for this call. ]

Beep!

B*stard! He’s an assh*ole. He doesn’t have an ounce of decency.

“A_ Ahh.. Sis.. Look ahead!”

I was too occupied to hear anything.

‘—!’

Heeju could think about was her ugly contempt and lost control of the steering wheel.

 

***

 

“Why are you the only one who’s okay!”

A tearing shout hit young Heeju’s body.

She was only nine back then. Her eyes had barely fluttered open after the accident. The first thing she saw was a white ceiling, and the stench of the hospital reached her nostrils.

As I barely raised my upper body, the door slammed open and Kim Yeon-Hee staggered in.

“Mom…”

Heeju was relieved to see her mother. But the moment she reached for her hand, her mother avoided her like a plague.

“How come you are the one who’s fine?!”

A look of terror spread across Kim Yeon-Hee’s face, her lips trembling uncontrollably.

Young Heeju didn’t quite understand.

“You should’ve got hurt as well..”

A cold chill ran down her spine, seeing her mother burst into tears. It was sadness, it was anger, and most prominently, it was fear.

Her mother was terrified.

She was scared for her daughter, who woke up unharmed except for a few scars.

“Mom… Mom…”

Even at a young age, I noticed that her reaction was strange. Heeju approached her mother, trying to coax her.

Yeon-Hee looked at her like some bug.

“Oh.. dear God! Why!” She shouted, covering her face.

Hong’s biological daughter, Hong In-ah, had her ears injured by an iron pipe through a glass window, and the babysitter who was travelling with her youngest son died.

He was the only child born from her miraculous remarriage from living as a mistress.

The car they were travelling in collided with a cargo truck on a Bridge, and her child, Heeju, was the only one who was unharmed.

“If the Chairman finds out…”

Kim Yeon-Hee cried, her face contorted in shame.

“His biological daughter is deaf and his pampered son is dead, and only you… my biological daughter is still alive!”

Mom shook like a kite without a string.

“Even if he doesn’t say it directly… Do you think it was easy to find a man like him? Do you know how much I struggled to reach here?!”
“M- Mom.”
“He’ll be angry when he sees you unscathed, and then he’ll hate me, I’m sure of it.”

Kim Yeon-Hee was talking to herself, or maybe not. She was pacing the hospital room, biting her nails, and it was hysterical to watch.

She put a hand on Heeju’s shoulder and said harshly.

“You’re in shock from the accident. My daughter, you’re traumatised.”

She looked like she was standing on the edge of a cliff.

“You’re not supposed to be okay. No- you can’t be fine!”

Her clenched hands were pale, and her last words were almost a scream.

“It would be better if you didn’t say anything…”
“M-Mom..”
“Get a grip, do you want to live in the back room of the club?”
“…!”

Heeju couldn’t even breathe from the whip-like scolding. She helplessly watched as a gag seemed to be stuffed into her own mouth.

“From today on, you will never, ever say anything.”
“Umph.. M- Mom..”
“The shock was too much to bear. You might seem fine externally. But your head.. This head of yours isn’t functioning well.”

Yeon-Hee’s eyes narrowed as she pressed the side of Heeju’s head.

“You must never, ever say another word, Hong Heeju.”
“…!”

“If you want to continue living as Hong, if you want to stay with your Mom, you mustn’t speak up. Just like the Little Mermaid you saw in the theater. Remember?”

“Mo- Mom, I’m scared…”
“Why are you so tactless?”

Kim Yeon-Hee slapped Heeju across her cheeks.

“Do you want to go back to living in a dumpster?”

Heeju froze, tears welling up in her eyes. The corner of her lip was torn.

“Your sister will never hear from you again, and your brother is dead…!”

Heeju was shocked by the bitterness in her mother’s voice.

“Do you want to speak?”

Heeju tried to say no, but just shook her head according to her mother’s words.

To avoid being scolded, she hurriedly wiped the tears from her eyes.

“The Chairman must take pity on you so you and mom can live…”

The child nodded, not knowing what to say.

The little brother who babbled every chance he got and the older sister who was as pretty and cold as a princess.

That’s when Heeju learnt that there are priorities in life.

“Until when?”

Heeju’s nose was red as she silently mouthed her question

“Like what you saw in the movies.. Until the end of time.”

With a forced smile and tear-streaked face, her mother whispered the same thing.

 

***

 

Pitter.. Patter..

The sound of all the rain covered the soggy memory.

First it was hearing. Then she slowly recovered her sense of touch and later sight.

Heeju blinked dazedly, ignoring the throbbing pain.

A harsh rainstorm was rushing in through the cracked window.

‘I was in an accident.’

The car, slipping on the rain-slicked road, careened off the road and struck a barrier before rolling into the barrier.

The side of the car was crumpled like a piece of paper. She was now alone in the mangled car as the kidnapper had already escaped.

“…”

Heeju was lying motionless and taking shallow breaths.

My emotions, my situation, my life were a jumbled mess.

Everything was bothering me to no end.

‘Where did I go wrong?

I pretended to be aphasic and kept my mouth shut. This event caused the chairman’s sadness, strengthened my bond with my sister, and further alienated Heeju from the rest of the family.

For a long time, Heeju clung to the false hope that staying quiet would keep everyone happy.

As a child, this burden easily caused her to be lethargic and depressed. She was crushed by the weight of it, and at some point, she really couldn’t speak.

I was scared to death to raise my voice in front of others.

『 A.. nnou..ce. ment 』

Just then, the radio, which had been lying dormant, crackled to life.

But is this the cost of speaking up? What a pathetic and humiliating conclusion I faced.

The choppy sound quality was now clear.

『 In an official statement released at 5:55 p.m., The Blue House declared that the negotiations had been successful. “Argan’s armed forces have agreed to release all Korean hostages,” the statement read. Spokesman Baek Sa-eon then went on to say…』

My head turned to the dashboard.

『”I would like to thank the families of the captives, the people, and the media for their active cooperation in enduring the painful times.”』

‘……!’

The low-pitched voice shattered her dazed mind instantly.

Each of his words pierced her ears more painfully than the pouring rain. Heeju unconsciously clenched her fist.

『”I will take all necessary measures to ensure that the captives return to their families as soon as possible.” 』

It started with a small chuckle, but soon it erupted into full-blown laughter.

There was still a tear hanging from Heeju’s eyes.

Now her mother’s words made sense.

‘Until..the end..’

A strange, electric tingling sensation shot through her legs, and it felt like her legs were slowly dissolving, starting from the ankles and moving upwards.

A shattered expectation.

And the sound of something breaking inside her reverbed.

After all, we’ve made it this far.

『”In addition to that, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families of the two men who lost their lives in this latest kidnapping.” 』

My eyes were burning.

His voice was incredibly polite, firm, and loyal. Something that was never directed to me.

These glass windows felt like prison bars.

My situation was the same as before.

Heeju gritted her teeth and pulled her leg out from under the car.

“Ahh- Ugh…”

She picked up whatever she could get her hands on and began smashing out the windows.

A hardened, almost venomous expression twisted her face .

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The car was filled with the ceaseless sound of the hammering.

I want to create a home.
A place that’s entirely mine, not a newlywed home, my parents’ place, or my in-laws’.
I want to build a sanctuary where I can be myself.

---

 

TL/N:
Here Heeju’s step-father is addressed as 회장님. He is the owner/head of a group, not a single company. That explains why ML’s family was so into this marriage.