Chapter 07
“Ha.. hah…!”
The glass window, which was already more than half shattered, quickly fell to the ground.
After relentlessly punching through the remaining pieces, Heeju managed to crawl out.
“Ha.. hah…!”
She leaned against the distorted bonnet and laughed hysterically.
The cold raindrops felt oddly refreshing.
“.…”
There was still a month to go until her father-in-law’s election campaigns. A gentle smile blossomed on Heeju’s face as her gaze fell upon her hands.
I’ve had enough! Let’s abandon this pitiful situation with no regrets.
There’s no way he’s going to pay 2 billion won as a ransom..!
Heeju’s gaze intensified as she studied her heavy palm. The kidnapper’s altered device was in her possession.
‘We have to get…divorced.’
***
If I want to blackmail an elite spokesperson and sound like the previous kidnapper-
“Ahem…”
She cleared her throat as she ate her leisurely dinner.
‘How many years have I felt this motivated?
The mere thought of threatening Baek Sa-eon seemed to revitalize her. I smiled as I stirred my rice alone at the table.
My stiff shoulders ached, but determination outweighed the pain.
『 “We also thank the Argan government and the international community, including friendly countries and international organizations, for their cooperation in the release of the hostages,” said the Spokesperson of the Blue House, Baek Sa-eon. 』
Throughout the day, the news showed footage of Sa-eon over and over again.
The revelation of his media-manipulated negotiations with the Argan militants shocked the public.
Heeju quickly switched off the TV.
‘……!’
A flicker of awareness passed across her face as she looked up. A sharp click sounded as the door sealed shut, followed by the soft scuffle of slippers.
A sense of unease washed over Heeju as she strained to hear the man’s footsteps.
‘The workaholic who always leaves work at midnight… Why did he come home so early?’
The tall striking silhouette came around the corner and stopped walking.
Heeju froze, still holding her cutlery.
“….…”
“….…”
A casual, unconcerned glance was exchanged.
It could be termed as a passing glance. From Sa-eon’s reaction, it felt like there were only furniture and objects in front of him.
‘……!’
But Baek Sa-eon was staring in her direction with a slight frown on his face.
His gaze, searching and critical, made Heeju uncomfortable. Heeju was not immune to such intense scrutiny and wanted to hide somewhere.
‘But I don’t want to let things slide anymore.’
After regaining her composure, she opened her mouth to bite down on her cutlery. She scraped the spoon with her incisors, gathering the rice, and still managed to meet his gaze.
Sa-eon arched his eyebrow.
“Today…”
“……!”
A low, hoarse voice broke the silence. His gaze lingered near Heeju’s face for a long time.
“I received a trivial call.”
She abandoned her wrecked car, walked up the hill without a pair of shoes, came home, showered, cried a little, and tore off her soiled clothes. Only her throbbing body told her it wasn’t a dream.
Was he calling the whole thing ‘trivial’?!
“Someone was threatening to k*ll you.”
Heeju simply scooped up the rice and nonchalantly took a bite. She actually came back from the dead!
“But you seem… alive.”
His voice was dry and devoid of emotion. Still, there was something subtly off about him. Heeju poured water down her throat to ignore the abnormality.
He narrowed his eyes searchingly and glared at her. Heeju couldn’t tell if he was reprimanding her or annoyed. His unreadable gaze swept over her once again.
Fortunately, the kidnapper’s stupidity prevented a worse outcome.
What if her cries for help were silenced forever? What if the criminal did something worse to her?
She deftly suppressed another sob. Heeju didn’t want to show the slightest sign of emotion in front of Baek Sa-eon.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“……!”
She thought she had grown numb to such remarks, but his words struck differently when paired with that direct gaze.
Unlike on TV, there was no camera lens, no editing, no barrier between her and the overwhelming presence of Baek Sa-eon. His words, now raw and unfiltered, cut deeper than ever.
Biting her lower lip, she suppressed the unexpected surge of frustration.
“Why do you think I married someone as young as you?”
Shrugging off his suit jacket, he draped it over a chair. The exhaustion from his long day was visible on his face as he loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar.
“Because you’re quiet.”
To Heeju, it sounded like he married her because she wasn’t a bother.
After removing his watch, he let out a heavy sigh, his face betraying the weariness of the day.
“If you get it, don’t think of bringing up such things ever again.”
It was almost like a threat.
But too bad.
A faint flush rose to Heeju’s cheeks as she thought, ‘From now on, I’m going to drive you absolutely insane.’
Heeju felt excited just thinking about it.
1. The bride cannot ask for a divorce first.
2. The couple can’t get divorced, especially during the presidential election.
The goal was to make Baek Sa-eon propose the divorce within a month. This was the only way to unwind this marriage without a fuss.
If I could just get that one word out of Baek Sa-eon’s mouth-!
‘This should be the perfect method…’
A plan was already in action and Heeju had to hone her blackmailing skills for it.
“I won’t go easy on people who dare to mess.”
Baek Sa-eon clicked his tongue as he noticed the odd blush on his wife’s cheeks.
The silence between them was no longer the same as before.
***
“What happened to the task I asked you to look into?”
Baek Sa-eon entered a stark, lifeless room devoid of a single living plant. The black matte flooring and dark interior exuded an air of dryness and gloom.
― “Sir, well…”
Did she always eat at home? The savory smell of rice wafting from the house felt artificial.
The man sat on the edge of the bed, running his hand over his now-irritable face. The fatigue he had been ignoring seemed to flood him all at once.
Baek Sa-eon wiped at his warm forehead and closed his eyes with a measured calm.
This house, quiet as the depths of the ocean, was his one sanctuary free of noise or chaos. Returning to such a space softened the nerves that had been on edge the entire day.
“I told you not to stammer during reports.”
― “I’m sorry, sir. It seems we can’t trace it…!”
His previously closed eyes opened sharply, and a faint crease formed between his brows.
― “Since the call didn’t go through a cellular tower, the number alone isn’t traceable. It’s a U.S. area code, and apparently, it’s a virtual number, so the only option is real-time tracking…”
“Real-time?”
The words caused him to furrow.
― “Yes, but for that, we’d need another call to come in.”
The perfect lines of his face, so often admired, were now marred by a grimace of pain.
“So you’re saying I have to wait for that b*stard to call again?”
Baek Sa-eon sneered as he stood, his voice laced with contempt.
“The one spewing nonsense about k*lling a public official’s wife.”
― “C- Considering the lengths they went to avoid being traced, it’s unlikely they’ll back down easily. The motives seem entirely different.”
The timing of the threatening call was too coincidental— almost calculated.
The hostage situation wasn’t just a matter of personal safety; it affected the nation’s prestige. If Baek Sa-eon or the government failed, there were plenty of parties who would revel in the chaos. It was possible that someone had staged the threat to derail the negotiation efforts.
Even if it was just voice phishing, the execution was disturbingly methodical.
― “The call was made using a U.S.-based number, which allows them to manipulate the caller ID. With this level of effort…”
Baek Sa-eon pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and smiled inwardly.
“They might call again.”
He strode toward the towering bookshelf in his study with long strides.
The stress of recent events had been mounting, but in a way, he welcomed this. If they dared to use the same lines in another call, that very day, Baek Sa-eon would turn them into his personal punching bag.
― “If the call comes through, try to extend the conversation as long as possible. I know you’re highly skilled at this, sir, but they suggest drawing out personal details…”
“It’s a man.”
He tossed the words out carelessly as he paced in front of the bookshelf.
― “…Pardon? But the voice was modulated…”
“It’s a man. I’m sure of it.”
― “Y- Yes… understood!”
“Probably dr*gged, high, or otherwise out of his mind, too.”
