When The Phone Rings

Chapter 61

“Live your life freely. And then, perhaps, think of me a little.”

Heeju, who had been trying to catch up on her laundry, finally gave up and got up. Sa-eon’s speech was difficult and always questionable, but she knew something was wrong this time.

Her feet moved instinctively, and there was no time to dwell on old wounds.

‘It can’t end like this…’

Just as she was about to grab her coat and car keys, the phone rang. As soon as I checked the screen and answered, I could hear my sister shouting.

— “Where are you?! Are you near the memorial hall by any chance?”

Heeju tapped twice on her tablet, signaling “No.” At this, her sister hesitated, before asking, “…Did you see the article?”

Heeju recalled that her sister had been the first to publish an exclusive report.

— “I tried to find out who the woman involved was, but I couldn’t get anywhere.”
“……”
— “The audio recording was completely cut off whenever the woman’s voice came up.”

Hong In-ah’s voice was tinged with frustration.

— “Maybe they’re trying to protect the woman or something.”

Her sister couldn’t hide her anger, muttering, “I should’ve ended this marriage ages ago!”

— “Whatever you do, don’t come here. Stay home today…! There are so many reporters swarming the place that there’s not even room to move. It’s strange.”

A subtle urgency laced her sister’s voice.

— “Haa… Why does this feel so unsettling?”

It sounded like In-ah had been running, she was all out of breath.

— “Where on earth is Baek Sa-eon, and which journalists is he meeting with? We’re all stuck here, so who the hell is broadcasting live with him?”

Heeju hastily grabbed her coat and moved to the living room.

— “Ugh, damn…! Did I fall for it too easily? God, this is driving me crazy. What the hell is going on?”

Hong In-ah moved the receiver away briefly, then suddenly asked, “Heeju, has Baek Sa-eon been acting strange lately?”

Heeju frantically tapped on her tablet. Her sister hesitated again before sighing.

— “…I’m sorry. Actually, that affair article… I wrote it based on your husband’s tip.”
“…!”

What? Who… tipped her off?

— “But now that I think about it, it doesn’t make sense. Why would Baek Sa-eon do something to tarnish his own reputation? He’s not that kind of person.”

Heeju, frozen in place, turned on the TV as if in a trance.

— “He holds a press conference, but we journalists can’t even get in…! We’re stuck in the screening hall, so what on earth is that live broadcast?!”

Her sister spoke in an agitated tone, glancing at her colleagues who were murmuring amongst themselves.

— “Are you sure nothing weird happened at home?”

At that moment, Heeju’s eyes became glued to the TV screen.

[ “The individual in question is not my mistress. I have never once betrayed the duties or fidelity of marriage. Even such speculation is offensive.” ]

The blatant lie made her stomach churn.

[ “The number in the recording belongs to my wife. She is 406.” ]
“…!”

What? What did he just say? Her sister’s voice, shouting through the phone, didn’t register.

He knew I was 406? Since when? Heeju stiffened. Right now, she had to see him. She needed to meet him again…!

Could it be that he knew everything all along? That he had those conversations with her knowing everything?

Her hands scrambled to find the car keys.

[ “I am not the son of candidate Baek Ui-yong nor the grandson of Baek Jang-ho. I am the illegitimate child born to the late Assemblyman Baek Jang-ho when he was seventy.” ]

His calm voice caused Heeju to stop in her tracks.

[ “If my origins raise further questions, I can only say there’s just one truth to be found no matter how deeply you search.” ]
“…….”
[ “I am a husband to one woman. That is the only name and role I’ve built for myself.” ]

Midway through her frantic search for the car key, Heeju’s body seized, and every movement abruptly halted.

Her vision blurred in an instant. Her hands, now trembling and clumsy, picked up and dropped useless objects repeatedly.

“Finally, when it’s hundred…”
“…!”

Heeju’s eyes widened. She realized this briefing was meant solely for her.

“Find me.”

At that exact moment, the live broadcast abruptly cut off.

“…!”

A foreboding sense of doom overtook her. She needed to go to him immediately. They hadn’t yet exchanged the words they truly needed to say to each other. Not even a word.

Fear of vulnerability kept her from expressing her true feelings, leading to constant hesitation. Had he, too, been afraid of something, just like her? Did that fear also originate from love?

Finally, Heeju grasped the car key in her trembling hands. But through the wide window, she spotted an unusual sight.

Black smoke was billowing explosively into the clear blue sky.

Where is that coming from? She thought numbly. Where is Baek Sa-eon right now?

At the same time, faint screams came from the phone in her hand.

“It exploded… the memorial hall exploded!”

 

***

[ Breaking News ] “Explosion at Baek Jang-ho Memorial Hall, investigation ongoing.”

“Accident or Terrorism? Gas Pipeline Explosion Suspected.”

On her way there by taxi, updates scrolled across the news ticker. Heeju’s fingers trembled in disbelief. Her pale face no longer seemed like it belonged to someone alive.

“Ah…”

She kept trying to call Baek Sa-eon, but there was no answer. When she finally arrived, the Baek Jang-ho Memorial Hall was already a chaotic scene.

Emergency vehicles, firefighters, police officers—everyone had gathered, while reporters, pushed back beyond the yellow caution tape, were shouting into their phones.

The building was half-destroyed, one wall had completely collapsed. Steel beams protruded like bones from the fractured cement. Dust fell in clumps, and coughs echoed everywhere. The acrid stench of gas stung Heeju’s nose, making her dizzy.

“You can’t go in! Step back!”

The police blocked her path.

“I… I…,” Heeju stammered.

“There may be residual explosions or secondary collapses. Please follow instructions while the situation is assessed!”

Biting her lip, Heeju reluctantly retreated.

‘W- Where is he?’

Even as she was jostled by the crowd, she circled the emergency vehicles in desperation.

‘Please… please be safe…’

She wandered through the dusty haze like a lost soul.

Where should she go now? Where? The hideously wrecked building no longer resembled its former glory. The sky was still cloaked in ashen smoke.

Just then, a familiar face caught her eye.

“…!”

Stretching her neck, Heeju pushed through the crowd to chase the fleeting figure. She found her mother-in-law, Shim Gyu-jin.

The older woman stood dazedly, gazing up at the ruined structure. Her hair and shoulders were covered in cement dust.

As Heeju approached, Shim Gyu-jin turned her head, noticing her.

“Dear…”

The whites of her eyes were bloodshot.

“How come it turned out like this?”

Seeing her mother-in-law’s tearful face, Heeju found herself at a loss for words.

How could she explain? What could she say? That the real Baek Sa-eon was a criminal, someone who had taken hostages? That the man they thought was Baek Sa-eon was actually the illegitimate child of Baek Jang-ho? How could she face her mother-in-law after this?

“So… he was just my brother-in-law, wasn’t he?”
“……!”

Shim Kyu-jin’s trembling lips curled into a strange expression. As Heeju flinched, her mother-in-law grabbed her wrist tightly.

“Ah…!”

Shim Kyu-jin pulled Heeju into an embrace with a fierce tug and buried her face into her daughter-in-law’s shoulder.

“My dear, the most important part of the negotiation is patience. That’s what I was taught and what I’ve lived by. So, I decided to lay low and endure.”

Her chilling voice cut like a knife.

“Until I can give my son the send-off he deserves, a funeral that will be the grandest the world has ever witnessed.”
“……!”
“I’ve waited… and waited…”

Though her shoulders trembled as if in tears, Heeju knew better. Shim Gyu-jin was laughing, her suppressed chuckles shaking both their bodies.

“Now everyone will know that Baek Sa-eon is dead.”
“……!”
“They’ll all know my son is gone.”

Her voice, filled with sorrow, felt eerily cold.

“So I’ll take back the discarded phone.”

She whispered into Heeju’s ear. Heeju couldn’t move. Her stiff neck turned slowly like a warped branch. When her gaze met Shim Gyu-jin’s calm yet eerie eyes, her blood ran cold.

“My dear, quickly.”

Her mother-in-law’s hand slipped into Heeju’s coat pocket. Without hesitation, she rummaged through both pockets and retrieved the negotiation phone.

Mother… took it… Heeju’s mouth opened and closed helplessly.

Shim Kyu-jin toyed with the phone meaningfully. Her face was unreadable—frigid yet strangely sorrowful.

“Foolish girl.”

Years ago, Shim Kyu-jin had encountered her supposedly dead son in prison. He had been calling her company persistently. But their reunion was brief.

He was imprisoned for multiple assault charges and attempted murder. The sight of her son, his fingernails blackened and the stench of blood clinging to him, filled her with a sickening dread.

When he wept, crying “Mother, Mother!” like a child, Gyu-jin only frowned.