When The Phone Rings

Special Side Story 08

The atmosphere between the couple seated across from each other was cold, far from what one would expect from a couple reunited after some time. The only sounds in the air were the clinking of utensils as they sat at opposite ends of the table.

Heeju glared at her husband as he deliberately averted his gaze.

We spent the whole day together… even ended up doing that… and now he can’t even give me an explanation?

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
“……”

The chopsticks halted abruptly. Baek Sa-eon remained motionless, his eyes slowly finding hers.

Heeju sent him a desperate, silent plea with her watery eyes. He caught the glimmer of tears in her gaze and his brows furrowed momentarily.

Abruptly, Baek Sa-eon pushed back his chair with a loud screech and stood up. Dumbfounded, Heeju muttered under her breath.

“You don’t even say ‘thanks for the meal’ anymore…”
“……”

Her voice, laced with hurt, cut through him, forcing him to stop. He flinched visibly, despite his back being turned to her. Sa-eon sat back down and began to communicate in sign language.

Although his movements were awkward and hesitant, the effort he put into it was touching.

‘Heeju, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that I truly can’t open my mouth to speak. Because of your reaction, I felt like you were disgusted by me.’

Heeju pursed her lips, lost in thought.

“No, it’s because… because you always make things awkward…”
“……”
“You’re telling me you can’t say a single word?”
‘You might find it hard to believe if I say it aloud.’

Heeju shuddered. Though only his hands moved, his chilling voice seemed to echo in her mind. His impassive face, devoid of emotion, spoke unsettling words with chilling ease.

‘You don’t even seem to remember it well. If you did, you wouldn’t be able to look me in the eye.’

‘You cried so much. Do you know how many times I had to change the sheets because of you?’

Baek Sa-eon curled his index finger and moved it back and forth, replicating a gesture in sign language that implied an intimate act, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

Unable to process the visual stimuli, Heeju rapidly closed her eyelids. A wave of heat surged through her, pooling between her legs.

“You can’t use sign language for… for things like that!”

At that, Baek Sa-eon, whose stoic demeanor often made him seem cold and distant, seemed to stifle a brief chuckle.
Yet, it didn’t last for long.

He propped his chin on his hand, his eyes lingering on Heeju, who was now completely flushed. A hint of amusement played on his lips. The contrast between his explicit gestures and nonchalant expression was disorienting. Sitting with his legs crossed and moving his long, pale hands gracefully, he couldn’t help but captivate Heeju’s gaze.

‘Even I don’t fully grasp this. When I attempt to lie, my voice falters, and I struggle to breathe. But who would believe such a thing?’
“…….”
‘You have every right to be skeptical.’
“If it’s true, prove it with your words.”

Heeju crossed her arms resolutely, staring him down. Baek Sa-eon gulped nervously.

“We can’t keep communicating just through sign language.”

There was a time when silence felt comforting, but not anymore. Now, living without hearing his voice felt torturous.

“I find it unbearable that you’re here, but I can’t hear you speak.”
“……!”

It was rare for her to speak so assertively, and Baek Sa-eon visibly flinched. His usually calm face wavered.

He scowled, his eyes burning with intensity, but Heeju remained unfazed, shrugging her shoulders.

“If you stay silent, I’ll assume we’re having a relationship crisis.”

Baek Sa-eon let out a derisive laugh. Oddly, this reaction reassured Heeju. It made speaking her thoughts easier.

“My sister mentioned that couples our age often experience rough patches. I understand you’ve been incredibly busy this year, and we haven’t had much time to connect, so I wasn’t surprised.”
“…….”
“You’ve been avoiding me, and I thought… I thought this was it. The crisis I’ve been dreading.”
“H- Heeju…”

A wave of frustration washed over Baek Sa-eon, and he rubbed his face wearily, a pained sigh escaping him.

“A relationship crisis?”

His voice, almost a mutter to himself, sounded choked. But those dark, unreadable eyes now carried a faint sadness. He took Heeju’s hand, interlacing their fingers tightly.

“I want to have s3x with…—No! Pretend you didn’t hear that. Heeju, do you really think we’re in a crisis? I never thought you would think that.”

She stared at him as he bit his tongue.

What kind of slip-off was that? A strange, unsettling current briefly surged through the conversation before abruptly subsiding.

While Heeju blinked, he took a sip of water. Through the glass, she noticed a faint smear of blood spreading.

“Sa-eon are you okay?”
“I’m fine. A rough patch between us doesn’t make sense.”
“…….”
“Do you want us to… you know… start from scratch again? Sh*t—”

This time, Baek Sa-eon slammed his forehead against the table with a thud.

“I seriously want to die… honestly…”

His voice was filled with deep self-reproach. Heeju froze, her lips slightly parted, revealing a gasp.

Although her husband enjoyed spending time with her, he had never been the kind of person to use such words so explicitly at the table.

He always exuded a composed demeanor and disliked anything irrational. He also had no tolerance for brazen or rude behavior. Perhaps due to the strict upbringing he received from his grandfather, he was acutely sensitive to societal norms.

It was hard to believe that someone so serious, so focused on propriety, could blurt out such selfish words about his own desires. Heeju was stunned. It seemed that even he couldn’t bear what he was saying.

“Have you really lost your ability to articulate?”
“Lost? That’s a bit of a stretch…”
“Or have you, with age, lost your emotional intelligence?”
“Heeju…”

She continued to blink in astonishment, her hand instinctively covering her mouth. This revelation provided a plausible explanation for his earlier outburst directed at the president.

“But shouldn’t you have come straight to me? You should have stayed at home. Why are you avoiding me? I’m part of your family! I didn’t even realize… and blamed you instead.”

“Heeju. Even after experiencing it, you still don’t understand. I couldn’t come home because I was afraid I would constantly harass you.”
“…!”
“I couldn’t come because I was terrified of sneaking in random baths with you and then wanting to embrace you.”

He scratched his head nervously.

“Every time I see Hong Heeju, my mind gets filled with thoughts about s3x. How could I pounce on the defenseless you? I crave the feeling of our bodies intertwined.”
“Sa-eon…”
“I don’t want to scare you away. What if you start hating me?”
“…”

“No. You might have already started hating me.”
“Y- You’re misunderstanding. I said that because I was drunk…”
“That’s just an excuse..”

Baek Sa-eon’s lower lip was now a torn mess. He stood abruptly, pushing his chair back. Heeju called out to him as he tried to leave.

“Sa-eon, we’re still a couple! We should be honest with each other…!”

Baek Sa-eon circled the table and placed his hand on the arm of her chair. The man, who bent down to meet her gaze at eye level, didn’t look well.

His bloodied lips and strained eyes were unrecognizable. She hadn’t seen him so unkempt since the time he was covered in oil in the Republic of Argan.

But perhaps Baek Sa-eon… Despite his usual impeccable standards, had a natural inclination for being rough around the edges.

“Heeju, even as a couple, there should be some restraints.”