When The Phone Rings

How had she endured all these years?

Sim Gyu-jin had lived fueled by hatred for her father-in-law, spitting on the memorial offerings and barely holding herself together.

The humiliation she’d felt when Baek Jangho, his lips blue with rage, had pointed a trembling finger and hissed, “That child wears only the mask of a human being.”

The horror and scorn in her father-in-law’s voice, as if accusing her: “You birthed that monstrosity.”

Even the memory of it made her teeth grind. Nothing about that time had been free from insult.

He’d beaten an innocent child into submission, warping him in the process. A child who should’ve been nurtured with love had instead been trained harshly, leaving scars that festered.

And each time she saw the impostor, the boy who wasn’t hers, grow to flawless perfection, her fists would clench so tightly they trembled.@@novelbin@@

My son was perfect too…

Even as she despised the counterfeit Baek Saeon for thriving under her son’s stolen name, she also wished for him to become even more famous.

Because only then would the funeral of the name "Baek Saeon" be grand enough to be worthy of mourning. The funeral her real son had been denied—that was the thorn lodged in Sim Gyu-jin’s heart.

She played the part of a capable and devoted mother while working covertly behind the scenes. Her negotiation consulting firm served as an excellent cover.

Interacting with criminals had expanded her network, a web of people she could use.

For years, she had meticulously prepared for Baek Saeon’s funeral.

To reclaim that name for her son.

But—

The moment she faced her son, who laughed bitterly as he said, “Grandfather killed me…”

Sim Gyu-jin had been struck by a harsh realization.

Ah…