When The Phone Rings

- "406."
"What?"
- "Have you been seeing Heeju with such thoughts all this time?" His voice was thick with suppressed anger.
- "What gives you the right to belittle her like that?"
"?"
-"This pathetic excuse of a relationship... Honestly, it's annoying..."

A muffled rustle signalled that he had moved the phone away, his words fading into an incomprehensible murmur.

"Um..."
- "You, who can't even see her strength, are unqualified even for blackmail. For someone who wishes my failure, 406, you're utterly disappointing."

His sharp, clipped words clashed with his ragged breathing.

- "I'm generally tolerant, even of the worst kind of sc*m."
"...!"

Wait... Did he just insult me? Again?

- "But how is it that the more I learn about you, 406, the less there is to like?"

It was obvious from his tone that Baek Sa-eon was defending her. Yet strangely, Heeju felt as if she was the one being scolded, leaving her with conflicting emotions.

A spark of rebellion stirred in her.

"That's because you don't know..."
- "Don't know?"

His vitriolic sneer interrupted her.

- "If I don't know her, who does?"
"...!"
- "Heeju isn't dark, she's just observant. She doesn't lack social skills, but most people approach her rudely at first. A 'narrow network' just means that she's serious about her work. And as for 'yielding to wealth'..."

Baek Sa-eon's voice was full of unshakable conviction.

- "She just loved her mother."

Heeju was about to cry.

It felt as if something bloated and festering inside her had burst and split apart with an audible crack. A deafening roar filled her ears as she hastily wiped away the tears streaming down her face.

- "Besides, if Heeju were to start smoking, it'd only make things easier. I'm quite a smoker myself; I could teach her how to do it."

He let out a rough laugh.

What... what is he saying? Smoking? Why is he talking about cigarettes?

At that moment, the cold wind brushed over her shoulders, reminding her that she had lost her fluffy scarf somewhere.

Heeju quickly covered her mouth with her hand and let out a hiccup.

"What makes you think you have the right... hic! To claim that you know something about her?"

Her words tumbled out incoherently, driven by a storm of raw emotion she could barely control.

"You weren't even here! You were overseas!"

She wasn't speaking as the blackmailer. These feelings were her own.

"What could you possibly know? You weren't there. You had nothing to do with it!"

Heeju's breaths were shallow and uneven. She rubbed her wet eyes with unnecessary force.

The other end of the call remained silent, except for the sound of accelerated footsteps. She realised he was walking briskly.

-"When I was younger, I had an eating disorder."
"What?"
-"Back then, Heeju..."

His voice trailed off at the critical moment, as if he had put the phone down again.

What had happened?

"H- Hello? Hello?"

Her heart raced with sudden fear, but there was no answer.

- "Where is she...?"

Instead, she faintly heard him speaking to someone else in a stiff, strained tone.

She brushed her dishevelled hair, feeling the warmth of the alcohol fade slightly.

-"I let my guard down because I thought she was a child."

He went on as if nothing had happened.

- "At the time, even eating or talking felt like a chore."
"Why? What happened?"

Heeju interjected hastily.

- "..."
Silence fell again.

She pressed her forehead in frustration, chastising her own impatience. Have I crossed a line I shouldn't have?

After what seemed like an eternity, Baek Sa-eon finally spoke, his voice low and hesitant.

- "Let's just say... adolescence hit me hard."

She didn't understand, but nodded anyway.

- "But around Heeju, everything felt natural. Even if she saw me crying or throwing a tantrum, it wasn't embarrassing."

It struck her how much less guarded he seemed around her than others. His manner, his words - they always seemed carelessly blunt. At the time, she thought he was mocking her naivety and inability to speak up.

The power of insecurity was frightening.

- I told myself it was because she was just an unsuspecting child. Because she was young, naive and intimidated by me, I thought I could look down on her."
"..."
- "That's what I believed. Back then."
His voice suddenly turned icy.
- "Do you think Heeju is dark?"

There was a hint of disdain and mockery in his tone.

- "Then you might say that you also find the vast ocean gloomy.
"...!"

The unrestrained harshness in his tone made her shoulders shrink involuntarily. His voice was colder than the night wind.

- "If that's all you've got, just stop now."

His words were icy, but strangely they sent a flicker of warmth through her.

"Why? Why do you keep talking like this, acting like you have the right to criticise me..."

She tried to fight back, but he cut her off mid-sentence.

- "Do you have any idea how many times she had to repeat the same actions, dozens or even hundreds of times, just to become the person she is now?"
"...!"
- "What Heeju went through during that time was nothing less than a battle?"

Heeju felt something crumble inside her. Her mind went blank.

- "She is not an accessory. She's her own person."
"..."
- "Don't judge my wife so casually."

She hadn't called him to hear these words. And yet, Baek Sa-eon's sharp remarks had unexpectedly soothed her aching heart.

Heeju was momentarily speechless at the obvious contradiction. The cruel words of her sister's friends seemed to evaporate.

For a moment, she considered asking, "Have you... been paying attention to me all this time? Was it not my youth or my shortcomings that you disliked?

But the questions caught in her throat, disguised as the voice of the blackmailer once again.

"Then why did you treat Heeju like she was invisible?"
- "Did she ever tell you that herself?"
"Would she have to? Do you really think there's something about her that I don't know?"

At that moment, a soft chime sounded and the lift doors slid open.

Heeju instinctively turned her head and her eyes widened.

"...!"
"...!"

Two people, both holding phones to their ears, locked eyes.

"You..."

The moment Baek Sa-eon saw her perched precariously on the terrace railing, he shoved his phone into his pocket.

He walked towards her with quick, purposeful steps, his face taut with unspoken tension.

Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her off the railing, pinning her firmly to the floor.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed...!"

His sharp voice cut through the air like a blade.

"Hiccup..."
"Throwing your clothes all over the place and then climbing onto the railing - what were you thinking?"
"Hic!"

The thunderous rebuke triggered her hiccups again. Moments ago they had been talking as if nothing was wrong, but now her body froze under his stern gaze.

He ran a hand over his eyes and muttered, "I've been looking everywhere for you."

There was something tired in his expression that made her feel guilty.

In his hand was the scarf she had left in the toilet.

"Didn't they teach you at school not to go to dark, high places alone?" he grumbled, frowning as he gripped her cheeks tightly.
"Eek...!"

Her lips curled like a fish as his nose brushed lightly along her cheek.

"And Hong Heeju... drinking alcohol, no less."
"...!"

When she winced, his expression grew even colder.

"So how does it feel to climb up here after drinking?"

His tone was dripping with sarcasm, not genuine curiosity. And yet, as he spoke, he draped the fur-lined cloak over her shoulders with a detached air.

Heeju found herself caught in a strange impulse as she stared into his calm, emotionless eyes. She had the urge to shatter this calmness.

Why... why have you been so cold all this time?
Why did you do that?
Why did you tell me not to confuse this with marriage?

Her lips quivered, but her voice remained trapped in her throat like a tap that refused to turn.

She couldn't speak freely.

Perhaps noticing her blank stare, Baek Sa-eon tilted his head slightly, as if reading her thoughts.

"Were you on a call?"
"...!"

Heeju flinched, her eyes darting nervously, causing Sa-eon's gaze to harden.

"If you weren't talking, why was the phone pressed to your ear?"
The arm around her waist tightened and his penetrating gaze scanned her face as if searching for answers.

Heeju braced herself under his probing eyes and uttered a single word.

Mum.

He leaned down to meet her face to face, reading her lips carefully.

"Ah," he murmured quietly, though his furrowed brow suggested he wasn't entirely convinced.

Still, Baek Sa-eon didn't straighten up. Instead, he kept his focus on her lips, silently scrutinising them.@@novelbin@@

Oh...!

Suddenly she felt dizzy and swayed slightly.

At that moment, Baek Sa-eon lifted her up effortlessly, maintaining his grip around her waist.

"This is your punishment."
"...!"

His warm fingers pressed into her side with the weight of a brand.

The huge difference in their height made her feel like she was being lifted like an object. Heeju instinctively wrapped her arms around his shoulders to steady herself.

"It's so cold and yet... Forget it, never mind," he murmured.

That familiar "Forget it" or "Never mind" - she had heard it from him so many times.

Even now, he seemed to be deliberately holding back his words. Though his dissatisfaction was evident in the subtle pouting of his lips.

Her heart pounded so loudly that the chill was a distant memory.