When The Phone Rings

Side Story 10

“Who are you… Get out of here! Can’t you hear me?!”

The driver, who had been shaking the gas canister, now held a lighter in his other hand. It was a dangerously precarious situation.

“Hello, I’m Baek Gyo-eon, a negotiator. Is everything okay in there?”
“F*ck off! I said get out! I don’t need anything from you, just leave!”

With a defiant gesture, the hostage-taker cranked the radio volume as high as it would go, offering a middle finger as his final word. In the adjacent seat, the faint sobbing and wheezing of the child could still be heard.

A vein bulged slightly on Baek Gyo-eon’s forehead.

“Are you sure everything is alright?”
“I said leave!”
“You seem very upset right now. Did something happen to you?”
“This is a family matter, so stay out of it and go away!”

Baek Gyo-eon barely restrained himself from tearing the car door off its hinges.

He worked his hands, clenching and releasing them repeatedly. His eyes then caught sight of Heeju, who was standing close by, dressed in her wedding gown.

‘I can’t lose sight of my purpose.’

Despite his repeated attempts at dialogue, the driver began pounding on the car door with his fist, rejecting all approaches. The terrified child’s cries only grew louder.

Baek Gyo-eon, closing his eyes briefly and reopening them, spoke calmly.

“…It seems like something related to your family has made you very angry. I’m getting married in an hour, and I’m curious why you’re so upset.”
“What?!”
“But it must be hard to talk about since it’s a family issue.”
“I don’t know why people get married in the first place, but whatever—just leave!”

The sharp shout made Heeju flinch behind the barricade. Lowering himself to draw out a conversation was far from Baek Gyo-eon’s usual approach. But now, something was different. For the first time ever, he was making himself smaller, more subdued, measuring his words with care.

“Is this because of trouble with your wife? If you tell me, it might help me as I’m about to get married.”
“Ugh! My wife’s doing nothing right, and now she wants a divorce. How could I not be angry?!”
“You’re angry because your wife asked for a divorce.”
“Of course I am!”
“Did something else happen, too?”

With surprising composure, Baek Gyo-eon continued prying open the mental lock of the hostage-taker.

Heeju stood motionless, her eyes fixed intently on the scene unfolding before her. A strange mixture of dread and curiosity pounded in her chest.

“Since I’ve been unemployed, I hung out with friends, but she just kept nagging me about it!”
“You stepped out to clear your head, but the nagging made you upset.”
“That’s right…! Don’t get married, you bachelor. Why are you jumping into the pit?”
“….”

The man’s breath reeked of alcohol, but Baek Gyo-eon remained expressionless, listening to his ramblings patiently.

“Do you want to end up like me? Men can be unemployed and see friends—what’s the big deal? But she wants a divorce? When we even have kids?!”

The man slammed his forehead against the car door repeatedly, but Baek Gyo-eon’s voice remained calm and steady.

“So you were hurt because of that.”
“Yes!”
“It must’ve felt unfair not to be understood when you just wanted a break.”
“It was! Drinking a little—why’s that such a big deal? And we have kids! How can a mother say something like that so easily?!”

‘Doesn’t that make you a dad too?’ Heeju seethed quietly as she listened.

With a tight bite on her lip, she held back a sigh of frustration, her eyes fixed on her fiancé as he patiently tried to persuade the man, acutely aware of the precarious hold he had on his temper.

No one here was angrier than Baek Gyo-eon. And Heeju knew that.

“So you were just concerned about your child.”
“I… I was just thinking about my kid—! Hic…”

Suddenly, the man burst into tears.

At the same time, Baek Gyo-eon signaled the officers behind him with a curt hand gesture. His voice may have been soft, but his movements were sharp and decisive.

“Is the child safe?”
“Hic, yes… The kid’s just scared, that’s all… Hic…”
“You must feel unappreciated for all your efforts. Am I right?”
“Y- Yeah…”
“Then how about letting the child out first and slowly stepping out yourself?”
“…Can I talk to my wife?”
“Yes. Your wife will be here soon. Please let the child out first and come out calmly.”

As the conversation neared its end, Baek Gyo-eon’s voice grew firmer. Unaware of the change, the man hesitated briefly before releasing the child.

Within moments, he came back out, placing his hands on the back of his head, having left the potentially dangerous items, the gas canister and lighter, behind.

Confirming the hostage-taker was unarmed, Baek Gyo-eon immediately grabbed the man by the hair and slammed his head against the car.

“Ugh…!”

With his arms twisted behind him, the police moved in to secure the man.

Baek Gyo-eon calmly straightened his disheveled tuxedo while onlookers erupted into applause—soft at first, then growing into a deafening cheer.

Suddenly, the hostage-taker shouted as he was led away.

“Bachelor, think twice before getting married!”

Baek Gyo-eon shrugged nonchalantly and replied, “This isn’t my first wedding.”

“Are you insane? Marriage is a mistake and you should know from experience!”
“I don’t take advice from an assh*le who can’t even provide for his family.”
“What?! You son of a—!”

With a cold glare of disdain, Baek Gyo-eon turned his back on him.

He quickly spotted his bride. Even amidst the crowd, Heeju stood out, like a lone lily in full bloom, applauding with the others.

Heeju’s expression was one of stunned surprise, her eyes glued to him as she clapped her hands together with uncharacteristic enthusiasm.

Turning to the SWAT leader, Baek Gyo-eon asked, “Apologies for the mess. May I leave now?”

The officer glanced at his tuxedo again and nodded eagerly.

“Thank you for today. We’ll be in touch. Is there anything you need on your way out—?”
“No. I’m just planning on racking up speeding tickets.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’ll be driving 120 km/h and still be late.”
“Oh…!”

Having completed his task, Baek Gyo-eon made his way to Heeju. The crowd parted like the Red Sea to let him through, and people began capturing the moment with their phones.

“Hurry up, we’re late.”

He glanced at his watch as Heeju’s voice trembled behind him.

“Gyo-eon…”

She opened her mouth, then hesitated. A torrent of indescribable emotions swirled inside her. The Baek Gyo-eon she knew would never negotiate like that.

But today he showed surprising negotiating skills. Even Sim Gyu-jin would have been impressed.

“…You were amazing.”
“What?”
“I thought you would end up smashing the car window.”
“To be honest, that was my first plan.”

He reached for her hand, took it gently in his own, and began to walk away.

“But it’s our wedding day.”
“…I still can’t believe you negotiated like that.”
“I was afraid you would run away, so I just said whatever came to mind.”

Heeju let out a small laugh and looked up at him with quiet awe.

People say you can’t change, but Baek Gyo-eon has proven that false with enough desire and effort.

Perhaps love really does evolve people.

“If you acted like this before, you might have handled 406’s divorce request better.”
“What did you say?”
“N- Nothing! That was a slip of the tongue!”
“Doesn’t sound like it. Are you feeling regretful?”
“No! I didn’t mean it like that!”

Playfully bickering, they made their way across the traffic-clogged road, surrounded by the symphony of honking horns and cheerful laughter.

“Spokesperson, congratulations on your wedding!”
“Congratulations on your marriage!!”
“You look beautiful! Congratulations on getting married!”

At that moment, the booming cheers that followed one after another startled Heeju, and she quickly looked around.

This was different from her first marriage, which had only been a contract. Now, cheers from strangers exploded like fireworks in every direction.

Heeju’s plump cheeks blushed a soft crimson.

Someday, far in the future, Heeju would realize that this moment was the first rally of their marriage.

Seated in the car, Baek Gyo-eon pressed the accelerator, smoothly escaping the congested section of the road.

“By the way, Hong Heeju, I think we need to add a line to our marriage vows.”
“What line?”
“Do you, 406, swear to call 675 with naughty phone calls for the rest of your life?”
“What?!”

The wind rushing through the open car window playfully tousled the man’s hair. Then, almost imperceptibly, his expression softened into a relaxed smile.

“And if I make those naughty calls, what will 675 do for me?”
“I’ll do whatever Hong Heeju tells me to.”
“……”
“So just promise to call me for the rest of your life. I’ll always answer as if it’s the very first call.”

The sky on their wedding day was a canvas of endless blue, a celestial ocean that embraced the horizon.

Heeju felt like she would never forget today’s sky.

Hearing the biggest and clearest answer of his life, the man pressed the accelerator even harder.

The wedding car, festooned with cheerful pink ribbons, sped happily along the open road.

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TL/N:
That brings us to the end of side stories. I’ll be posting “special side stories” from tomorrow. The author released 13 special side stories commemorating the airing of the drama.

TBH I still haven’t watched the drama yet. Because I don’t wanna be influenced by the drama Baek Sa-eon (But the Instagram reels invaded anyway 😆). I know for a fact that he, for sure, is portrayed much softer. There will be major changes I believe considering this a novel back from 2019. But the manhwa is very much the same except for the different pacing…

After completing the novel I have to binge the drama!! Have a good day ❤️