When The Phone Rings

Chapter 62

How had Gyu-jin endured all this time?

Fueled by hatred for her father-in-law, spitting metaphorically on the ancestral rites as a form of defiance.

The shame she felt when Baek Jang-ho said, “That child is nothing but a beast in human form.” and the horror of his father-in-law’s words, “You gave birth to such a thing. The mere memory of those times made Shim Gyu-jin grit her teeth. From beginning to end, it was nothing but humiliating.

A child who should have been nurtured with love was instead subjected to harsh discipline brought a strange comfort. She clenched her fists in disgust every time she saw the boy who came in fake grow up to be perfect.

‘My son would have been perfect too..!’

Even though she couldn’t bear the sight of Baek Sa-eon flourishing under her son’s stolen name, a part of her wished for his fame to grow even more.

The more renowned he became, the more people would sincerely mourn at the funeral of “Baek Sa-eon.”

Her son’s unfulfilled funeral had been the only thorn lodged in Shim Gyu-jin’s heart.

She moved stealthily under the surface in the guise of a competent and devoted mother, and in that sense, my negotiation consulting firm was a plausible shield. She had a lot of business dealing with criminals, and it became a form of networking.

Little by little, I organized Baek Sa-eon’s funeral.

But— When she faced her son, laughing as he said, “Grandfather tried to kill me…!” Shim Gyu-jin realized something after all this time.

Alas…

It wasn’t her father-in-law’s lie that she had drowned while playing in the water that hit her. The source of her pain was herself.

The first thing she felt when she heard of her son’s death was not pain, but liberation. Relief at being freed from the burden of motherhood.

Guilt consumed her as she realized this, and she wept uncontrollably, stroking her son’s scarred face. Unable to forgive her own lack of virtue, she chose to hate someone else more fiercely instead.

That way, her flawed self gradually faded into the background, and she could focus solely on revenge.

But now, things have come full circle.

She had tried to reintegrate her son into society, trained him, but each time, he inevitably caused violent incidents. And with each incident, her resolve only hardened.

Guy-jin’s goal had never wavered from the start. She desired a funeral.

“I don’t need a troublesome real son, nor a capable fake.”
“……!”

Heeju’s pupils trembled uncontrollably.

“I don’t need either of them.”

Shim Gyu-jin narrowed her eyes as if gazing into the depths of the destroyed building.

The negotiation phone falling into Heeju’s hands was an unforeseen variable. Heeju’s accidental fall had also been unplanned. But Shim Gyu-jin couldn’t stop her real son’s cruelty, his erratic behavior, and his obsessive fixation on reclaiming the stolen name.

‘Foolish boy.’

Having died once at his grandfather’s hands, yet still trusting blood relations so blindly. The foolishness of believing himself worthy of the name “Baek Sa-eon.”

“I hate the title ‘mother’ with every fiber of my being.”

The press conference had been unexpected, but Shim Gyu-jin had already planned to destroy the Baek Jang-ho Memorial Hall with her own hands. The timeline had merely shifted forward; nothing had truly gone astray.

“As a crisis negotiator, I’m quite competent. But as a mother, Shim Gyu-jin, I’m nothing but a sinner. And why should I have to bear that burden?”

She pulled Heeju closer, tears streaming as she embraced her.

“A mother isn’t someone who sacrifices herself. She’s someone who must find a way to survive, no matter what.”

Yet her voice, as she spoke, was that of a demon gnashing its teeth.

“And today is that day.”
“…….”
“The day I reclaim myself. So, shouldn’t I be smiling?”

Heeju felt suffocated by the weight of everyone’s twisted circumstances.

Whose silence had been heavier? Whose silence had been darker and deeper? Her heart pounded relentlessly in her chest.

In the midst of the cruel truth, Heeju could only think of one thing.

‘Where are you now? Who is with you now? Who has been by your side all this time?’

She wanted to break through the silence that surrounded her.

Unlike the others, my silence was love. With all her might, Heeju broke free of Shim Gyu-jin’s grasp.

‘…Even if you discard him so cruelly, I will find him.’

She wanted to run to him, with every ounce of her strength.

***

 

The black mourning attire reflected in the mirror felt unfamiliar.

“……”

Heeju stared blankly at her expressionless face before fixing a white pin into her hair. She must have pushed it too deep because her scalp suddenly felt a sharp tug.

As she tried to remove the pin, a tangled chunk of hair came out with it. After struggling and groaning several times, Heeju finally yanked the pin free and threw it to the floor.

Even something so small irritated her to no end, and tears welled up in her eyes. But the funeral service staff gave her no respite.

“The color portrait photo is 90,000 won, while the mid-tier color photo is 70,000 won. Memorial table A costs 300,000 won, and table B is 250,000 won.”
“……”
“For floral tributes, the No. 1 arrangement is 2 million won, No. 2 is 1.8 million won, No. 3 is 1.5 million won, and the cheapest, No. 8, is 550,000 won.”
“……”
“And as for the urn—”

The staff’s lengthy explanation grew fainter and fainter in Heeju’s ears. She didn’t even have time to grieve properly. Everything had to be chosen by her.

She had never once prepared a meal for him, nor picked out a necktie for him. Yet now she was expected to choose a funeral car and an urn. The realization of it made her feel nauseous.

『Baek Sa-eon, Blue House Spokesperson, Dies in Explosion Accident』
『Baek Jang-ho Memorial Hall Explosion: One Dead, Several Injured』
『President Orders Immediate Investigation and Special Task Force Activation』

The man seemed to dissolve into thin air. It still felt like a dream to Heeju.

“……”

The air was thick with the oppressive aroma of burning incense. A seemingly endless procession of condolence wreaths arrived, each one a silent testament to the loss.

The funeral, held as a private family service, strictly limited the number of mourners. Outside the entrance, camera flashes popped incessantly.

Meanwhile, Shim Gyu-jin had vanished. According to her sister, a documentary screening had exposed the entire web of corruption surrounding the late Baek Jang-ho and his family.

The bodies found near the fishing grounds, Baek Jang-ho’s misdeeds, and a damning exposé of the negotiation consulting firm run by Shim Gyu-jin. Particularly shocking was the revelation that he had killed his own grandson, covered it up, and replaced him with his illegitimate child. The public, once in awe of a great man, was left reeling.

The world was in turmoil and Heeju was left to face the funeral alone.

Their deplorable behavior persisted until the very end.

“Heeju.”

Just then, her family arrived, cutting through the barrage of camera flashes. Chairman Hong, her mother, and her sister all wore somber expressions. The three of them offered their condolences in turn, then stood silently for a while.

The sudden, shocking news deeply affected even the most emotionally reserved family members.

“What are you going to do now?”

Her mother finally broke the silence as she gazed at the portrait of Baek Sa-eon.

“You’ve suddenly become a widow—how are you going to live?”
“……”

Heeju’s silence, broken only by her vacant stare, ignited a fury in her mother.

“I always said you inherited half of me. But did you have to inherit my knack for losing husbands?”

Her mother’s brow furrowed deeply.

“Just do as Chairman Hong says.”
“……”
“You won’t lose anything by listening to me. From now on, meet the men Chairman Hong introduces and help with his business.”
“……”
“He said the Baek family scandal is affecting us, too.”

Heeju watched her mother in silence as she repeated herself.

She hadn’t yet seen her husband’s remains—what little of them was left. She couldn’t bring herself to send off someone who had died in such a violent explosion. And yet…

What on earth was her mother saying right now?

At that moment, the noose her mother had tied around her neck for years began to unravel and fall apart.

“…Help with what?”

A raspy voice emerged as Heeju forced the words through her parched throat.

“…How am I supposed to help?”

Her mother’s face changed. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Y- You…”
“Mom.”
“……!”
“Stop talking nonsense.”

Her voice sounded like a rusty hinge, dry and creaking after a long period of disuse.

Wearing mourning clothes alone, she no longer had anything to fear.

Keeping silent had been like carrying a sheathed sword. She had spent too many years unable to draw it, enduring blow after blow.

For Heeju, silence had been an act of submission to earn her mother’s love. But now she knew better.

Her heart pounded in her chest, urging her forward.

Fight back. Find your voice. Step into adulthood, Heeju. Embrace the inevitable pain, the scars that come with it, and the struggles that will inevitably arise.

“You better not think of using me for Chairman Hong’s business.”

Heeju’s eyes filled with tears as she fired back.

“Y- You’ve never spoken to me like this—”
“Don’t even think about using me for anything.”
“……”
“What am I to you? A prostitute for selling?”

Her mother’s face turned beet red, and her breathing grew ragged.

“Y- You dare to say such things to your mother!”
“So what?”

Heeju stood up and grabbed her mother’s shoulders firmly.

Meeting her gaze directly, she broke the spell of manipulation that Kim Yeon-hee had once cast over her.