When The Phone Rings

While taking a shower, Heeju looked down at her own body and suddenly remembered the photo her husband had asked for. The tips of her ears blushed for no reason.

As if I'd ever do something like that again!

She dried her wet hair with rough strokes.

Back in her bedroom, Heeju sat down and practised sign language for the first time in a long time. She was checking the requirements for the job at the Blue House.

She probably put on one of Baek Sa-eon's videos out of habit. A bad habit at that.

『 "Regarding the allegations, the prosecution is conducting a thorough investigation..."

'Allegations... a rigorous investigation by the prosecution...'*

Her hands stumbled through the movements, it was neither smooth nor precise. Due to the use of unusual words, Heeju couldn't keep up with his words. She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.

Things weren't going well lately.

Frustrated, she flopped down on the bed and buried herself in its softness.

Before she realised, she dozed off.

Heeju felt chilly, so she tried to pull back the blanket.

What is this?

But instead of a soft blanket, she felt something hard.

'Something hard...?'

Groggily fumbling at the unfamiliar texture, Heeju opened her eyes. A jolt of fear ran through her as she violently threw the object aside.

"Ow."
"...!"

The subdued voice didn't match the exaggerated reaction.

"You weren't in your room, so I came to check."

What she had tugged at wasn't a blanket, but a large hand.

"No blanket, lights still on..."

The man standing over her tilted his head, looking down at her with a steady gaze. One hand was casually in his pocket, his jacket draped over the other wrist.

Sa-eon looked completely exhausted. It was a far cry from the immaculate image he projected in the media. Why did he always seem to let his guard down at home?

Heeju sat up and looked at his tired expression.

"Since you got up, come with me."
'What?'

She blinked in confusion and he added, "Come sleep in my room."
"...!"
"Be glad I didn't carry you like a sack of rice."

His deep, harsh voice matched the narrowed look he gave her. He sounded too tired to argue further.

"If you don't like it, at least bring your favourite pillow or something."

Baek Sa-eon turned and started to walk away. His earlier remark about carrying her hadn't felt like an empty threat, so Heeju hurriedly followed him.

The gallery-like corridor led them into a dimly lit bedroom filled with the scent of musk.

Sa-eon loosened his tie with a bored expression and looked at her as if slightly irritated.

"Why are you standing there like an idiot?"

The sudden insult made Heeju jump.

"Have you been acting like an idiot with others as well?"
"..."
"Were you so submissive and acquiescent?"

He tossed his tie aside with a flick of his wrist, his gaze both arrogant and accusatory. Somehow it managed to convey guilt and self-reproach at the same time.

His quietly simmering eyes were unfamiliar to Heeju.

Sa-eon disappeared into the dressing room and reappeared moments later wearing only light pyjamas, his upper body bare.

Heeju's eyes widened at the sight of his broader-than-expected shoulders, tapering waist and sharply defined abs. She quickly lowered her head.

"I never liked it, even when you were chasing after Hong In-ah all the time. Looks like you picked up all the wrong habits. What does an elementary school student have to do with middle school students..."

He turned back the sheets and motioned for her to get in.

"You should've been working on your homework instead of picking up bad influences."

Even his nagging couldn't distract her from her embarrassment.

As she settled in, the mattress seemed to envelop Heeju, but all she could feel was his scent surrounding her. Her heart pounded wildly.

"I wanted you to grow up slowly, to take your time."
"..."
"To stay a child as long as possible. Childhood ends so quickly, it's almost unfair.
"..."
"You don't have a voice. If your childhood is stolen too, wouldn't that be even crueler?"

He switched off the light with a click.

The sharpness of his words seemed to burrow into her along with the darkness.

The mattress sank heavily as he lay down beside her, and Heeju's entire body went stiff.

Would it have been wiser for her to keep her distance, to watch from a distance and feel his disappointment from a safe place?

But now, after meeting him again and again, she felt a whirlwind of confusion. Heeju wanted to run away, but she couldn't.

Suddenly his shadow loomed over her.

"...And yet, when you finally meet someone. You choose such a guy."

His knee pressed between her thighs and the heat of their brief contact made her breath catch.

"You choose someone who's sure to destroy you."

The eyes that stared down at her were filled with both fear and calm.

"I should have taught you more than maths, huh?"

His voice was low, harsh and grazed her senses like sandpaper.

"I didn't know you had an eye for decoration. You just went all out for a perverted piece of tr*sh who has anger issues at best and is a criminal at worst."

His jaw clenched as he turned his head sharply, his frustration palpable.

In the dim light, the angles of his furrowed brow, sharp nose and clenched jaw seemed to flicker and tighten.

"Did you enjoy it?"
"..."
"You had your share of fun too, didn't you?"

A muffled sound escaped her throat.

Even as the blackmailer relentlessly pestered Baek Sa-eon, he never asked her for an explanation.

Although he was visibly angry, he didn't reveal the fact that the blackmailer had her photos.

Heeju looked at him blankly.

Was he trying to protect my past?

In the silence that followed, he was the first to move and break eye contact.

He let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed his forehead against her shoulder.

"...smells like lotion..."

His mumbled words were too faint to be fully understood.

Finally, he moved away, retreating to his side of the bed. With his back to her, he seemed determined, almost stubborn.@@novelbin@@

"Don't cross."
"What?

Blinking at the lingering tension, Heeju barely processed his warning.

"I've never slept with someone next to me."
"...!"
"If I end up rolling over and crushing you, don't hold back... just hit me."

Heeju stared at his back, which was firmly turned towards her. His vertebrae and taut muscles shifted subtly with each breath.

Even though it felt like he was rejecting her, for some reason...

Why is he acting so strangely... lately?

His indifference had turned into something else entirely. It seeped into her like an unfamiliar, tender gesture.

"Good night."

It was a night unlike any other.

***

If we had a wedding, would it be like this?

If they hadn't just signed the papers, but had actually had a ceremony -

Heeju found herself sitting on a velvet chair, wearing a peach-coloured evening gown.

As a sign language interpreter, she had always worn neutral colours to ensure her hands were clearly visible.

But today was the 70th anniversary of the 'Sangyeong Daily', a gathering of prominent political and business figures.

"This feels so strange..."

The bright peach-coloured dress shimmered as it draped elegantly over her frame, yet it felt strange and uncomfortable. She fidgeted, lightly stroking her neck as last night flashed through her mind.

The man who had sternly warned her not to cross had ended up tossing and turning all night before leaving for work before dawn.

She had not been able to sleep either. Her senses were alert to his every subtle movement.

I feel so tired.

Suddenly, a wave of murmurs swept through the room from the direction of the entrance.

Wearing a high-quality black tuxedo with a pleated shirt and a formal and sophisticated bow tie, Baek Sa-eon walked in, unimpressed by the discreet mobile phone cameras snapping his picture as if he were a celebrity attending an award ceremony - or a groom entering a wedding hall.

"Heeju Hong."
"...!"

The soft call of her name made her jump. She stood so abruptly that the man with the slicked-back hair arched an eyebrow at her.

Her short, voluminous bob, the earrings that clung to her lobes, the dress that naturally hugged her waist and hips - all of it was surveyed with a leisurely downward glance. His gaze stopped on the clutch bag she held tightly in her hands.

'Did...he notice anything?

Her heart pounded as if she were hiding a weapon.

'I was carrying the negotiation phone in my clutch...!'

Her mouth went dry at the faint displeasure flickering in his eyes.

"In this cold weather, your neck and shoulders are completely exposed. Who came up with this flimsy piece of cloth...?"

His icy eyes swept the room, and the shopkeepers froze.

"Bring something to cover her."
"Pardon?"

The owner of the boutique adjusted her glasses nervously.

"It's cold outside."
"Oh...!"
"Whose brilliant idea was it to send her out like that?"
"Th-That's...!"

He gestured hastily to the staff, and soon someone returned with a soft, white fur cloak. They carefully draped it over Heeju's shoulders.

"Will this be enough?"

The designer asked cautiously and Baek Sa-eon tilted his head slightly.

"..."
"..."

Feeling suffocated by the tense atmosphere, Heeju instinctively dropped her gaze.

Her eyes landed on the neat bow tie and the space just below it - his throat. She couldn't tell how expressionless he looked now, but she could see his Adam's apple moving slowly.

"You look like a quail egg..."

...What? Again with the comparisons...

Is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment?

He was known for his blunt remarks, but this one left her completely baffled.