When The Phone Rings

Chapter 65

As time went on, Heeju became more and more isolated.

She no longer wanted to hear from her sister and Centre Director Han Joon, who were worried about her mental state. Heeju was once again confined to her home.

Yet her reflexes remained sharp. Even before the phone properly rang, she snatched it up at the speed of a squirrel.

“Hello?”
― “….”

I noticed a distinct change in their breathing today; it was halting and uneven as if they were struggling to draw a full breath.

“Why do you only call once a day?”
― “….”
“Can’t you call more often?”
― “….”

Call her crazy if you must. Label it madness or psychosis—she didn’t care. With her eyes squeezed shut, Heeju whispered firmly, “I’ll find you.”

― “….”
“So wait for me.”
― “….”
“No matter where you are, I’ll find you.”

Even if she had to chase down a ghost, she would. Gripping her phone tightly, Heeju steeled her resolve.

 

***

 

The prison was bleak and cold.

Heeju waited in the visiting room, tugging unnecessarily at her clothes. After a while, the man who appeared with the guard was Park Do-jae, Baek Sa-eon’s direct aide.

Heeju was familiar with how close he was to Baek Sa-eon.

“Hello.”

When she greeted him, Park Do-jae avoided eye contact.

Prison life had clearly taken its toll. His face was swollen on one side, his lips were cracked, and his gait was uneven—he seemed battered and bruised all over.

“I came to see you because I had something to ask.”

Heeju asked through clenched teeth.

“Where is he?”

“……!”

Park Do-jae remained silent.

“I know how crazy this must sound. But it’s just… a feeling. A gut instinct.”
“….”
“Sometimes, you get this crazy feeling that you HAVE to go for it, even if it’s totally ridiculous. For me, this is one of those times. Where is he?”
“I don’t know,” Park Do-jae replied flatly.

He turned away sharply, signaling the guard that he was done. But Heeju grabbed his wrist before he could leave.

“I know that you were the one who pushed me.”
“…!”

Do-jae turned pale.

“At the workshop—you pushed me, didn’t you, Mr. Park?”
“…!”
“Should we address that first?”

His eyes wavered. Caught in her subtle but firm accusation, Park Do-jae reluctantly took a seat. Despite Heeju’s naturally unassuming demeanor, the past month had sharpened her tactical skills.

“I can see you’re struggling here.”
“…!”
“So answer my questions properly.” Heeju’s voice grew sharper. “I may have lost everything in my in-laws’ downfall, but I’m still the second daughter of Sankyeong Daily. My reach is longer than yours from behind these bars, wouldn’t you say?”
“….”

Their gazes clashed in the air. Heeju finally let go, slumping in her chair with a sigh.

“I’m not here to judge you. I just want to know what you know about Baek Sa-eon…”
“My little sister disappeared when she was young,” Park Do-jae began abruptly.
“…!”
“That incident destroyed my family. It was the late 1990s—a time when child abductions were rampant. My father quit his job and traveled the country searching for her.”
“….”
“A 30-square-meter apartment shrank to 20-square-meter. Then, it was a rented villa. After that, a semi-basement studio. In less than three years.”

His voice took on a grave, somber tone.

“My mother fell into depression, then severe nervous exhaustion. She spent her days bedridden until she passed.”
“….”
“That’s when I met Professor Shim.”
“…!”
“The reason I was stuck by Baek Sa-eon all those years….” His dark, hollow eyes fixed on hers.
“…is because I was told Baek Sa-eon killed my sister.”
“…!”
“And I believed it. I believed it with everything I had.”

Bitterness tinged his voice as he ran a hand over his face.

“I never imagined… he wasn’t the one.”

The torment etched across his face was evident.

“All this time, I was helping the real culprit.”

His cracked lips curled into a grim smile as he listed his wrongdoings. Pushing Heeju, tampering with the tracking device, erasing evidence—each action revealed his blind servitude to the wrong master.

After a long pause, Park Do-jae stood up and said, “He’s alive.”

Heeju’s eyes widened.

“Knowing the man he is, he’s alive.”

 

***

 

“Most likely, this was orchestrated by the Blue House’s strategy team. Professor Shim and his son intended to destroy the Baek family memorial from the beginning.”

“If Baek Sa-eon was aware of their plans… the real question isn’t if he’s dead but which Baek Sa-eon died.”

Heeju was frantically packing clothes into a suitcase when the front door suddenly burst open. Heavy, stomping footsteps echoed through the hallway, heading straight for her.

“Have you gone crazy?!”

Hong In-ah shouted at the top of her lungs.

“I thought something was wrong with my ears again.”
“…..”
“Just why? Why are you going to the Republic of Argan?”

Hong In-ah put her hands on her waist and let out a ferocious laugh.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called me. They said there was an application for a special passport exemption. The name on it? Hong Heeju. They even asked if it was related to Sankyeong Daily’s business.”

Heeju merely shrugged, her focus still on folding clothes.

“I figured I might as well enjoy some perks of being from a chaebol family.”
“Are you insane? How do you have the nerve to go there? Do you even know what kind of place that is?”
“……”

Heeju didn’t answer back.

If Baek Sa-eon had gone into hiding, the Republic of Argan was the only place he could be. It was where he had served in the military and the origin of his involvement in conflict zones. Park Do-jae had spoken with unwavering certainty.

Then her excited sister grabbed Heeju’s forearm.

“Get a grip on yourself…!”
“……”
“Are you doing this because of Baek Sa-eon?”

Heeju looked at her sister calmly, her eyes reflecting an unyielding determination. The silence was enough to make In-ah groan and clutch her hair in frustration.

“I told you to wait just a little longer. I’m looking into it right now. There’s definitely something fishy, so just give me a little more time—”
“Sister.”

Heeju gently took hold of her panicked sister’s hands.

“Thank you for running away back then.”
“……!”
“Thank you for giving me the chance to stay by his side.”

At her soft words, In-ah’s expression faltered.

“But if you’re looking after me out of guilt—”

Heeju tightened her grip.

“You don’t have to anymore.”
“……!”
“I haven’t lost anything.”

A faint smile graced Heeju’s face as she spoke.

“So please, if your care for me is more than just guilt, let me go without saying anything.”
“…You’re going there to die.”
“No, I’m just going there to talk.”

In-ah turned her head, hiding her tearful eyes.

Argan was a dangerous country, but she couldn’t stop Heeju. After all, wasn’t it similar to when she had run away from marriage, risking her life for an illegal clinical procedure?

A distant, indifferent father. A materialistic stepmother. And herself—selfish and pragmatic. They were a fitting trio, or so In-ah often thought. Everyone except for Hong Heeju, who always seemed out of place in this cold arrangement—like a coral reef wedged into a rocky shore.

The memory of her innocent younger sister, whose open heart had once reached out to shatter the silence that had imprisoned her, still brought a tear to In-ah’s eye.

“Looks like I really was too late…” In-ah muttered inexplicably, pulling Heeju into an embrace.

Baek Sa-eon had stolen her sister away, leaving her with a gaping hole in her life.

“I should’ve just gotten married back then.”
“It’s too late now.”

At Heeju’s firm tone, In-ah sniffled, pretending not to care.

 

***

 

The scorching sun blazed overhead.

Beyond the half-collapsed buildings, the cool emerald sea glimmered in the distance.

Heeju pulled the frayed scarf wrapped around her head up to cover her nose. Each time the ocean breeze carried sand into her mouth, thirst would rise quickly.

She quickened her steps.

This exotic land, a mix of wide plains and desert, had been in turmoil for over two decades. Torn flags lay discarded on the ground, and the makeshift tents scattered around were already in tatters. Passing through the wreckage, Heeju climbed a low, shrub-covered hill.

This was the “Biben Special Education Facility”.

As she pulled down the scarf covering her face, a child waved at her, signing energetically, “Teacher!”

“Keep your head down, stay quiet…”

Heeju quickly approached the group of over ten children. It had been two months since she crossed into the Republic of Argan as a certified international sign language interpreter. Here, she worked as a teacher at a care facility for deaf children, teaching them sign language.

“Heeju, hurry!”

The facility director gestured urgently, their broken English revealing their unease.

According to the director’s sources, a firefight was expected in the area tonight. They were in the middle of evacuating the children to a UN tent.

That’s when the sound of rough engines rumbled in the distance.