when the phone rings novel
From the very start, his gaze was fixed firmly on her. His sharp eyes, like those of a raptor, seemed to pierce through Hee-joo's face.
"Hong Hee-joo, you seem quite familiar with hotels."
His deep pupils regarded her coldly. Hee-joo, having frequently visited luxurious hotels with her chaebol heiress stepsister, really was familiar with them. She nodded obediently.
Baek Sa-eon's expression immediately darkened.
"Very familiar, is that right?"
He repeated her words as if chewing over them.
...Yes, I'm very familiar!
She nodded firmly again. Baek Sa-eon seemed to be holding something back, his molars grinding audibly. Hee-joo quietly observed the line of his jaw tighten and relax before silently following him into the spacious living room.
The penthouse suite offered a stunning view of the Seoul skyline.
"Now that you're done crying, can we talk?"
His voice was laced with irritation.
"Is this about the kidnapper?"
Baek Sa-eon toyed with the lighter in his hand, flicking it open and shut repeatedly, but he said nothing. His face remained as cold as ever.
"Your phone shows no signs of being hacked," he finally said, snapping the lighter shut and placing Hee-joo's phone on the large wooden desk.
Of course not. Hee-joo wasn't surprised. The suspender belt photo had been taken with the kidnapper's phone. Her phone should have been clean. It contained only a few saved contacts, mostly exaggerated messages from Director Han Joon.
"But I did find something suspicious."
...What?
"Han Joon. What exactly does this guy do?"
"...!"
"Every message starts with 'dear' this and 'dear' that."
...What?
Baek Sa-eon's gaze turned sharp, as if he were analyzing her stunned expression for answers.
"Sit down," he ordered, pulling out a chair.
"Sit down and use the keyboard to answer me."
"...!"
"From now on, we need to have a serious conversation."
...Was this an interrogation?
"It's not an interrogation," Baek Sa-eon clicked his tongue, refuting her assumption. He once claimed he didn't have mind-reading abilities, but now that seemed like a blatant lie.
"Someone has been threatening me recently. They've targeted my car, my office, even my father's nursing home, and you're obviously in danger as well."
"..."
"So I won't overlook anyone suspicious."
...Was he suspecting Director Han Joon?
Baek Sa-eon's logic made sense, but it also missed the mark. The real threat was Hee-joo herself, albeit with the kidnapper backing her up. This convoluted division of roles made her head spin.
Reluctantly, she sank into the large executive chair, her fingers moving hesitantly over the keyboard. Soon, her response filled the white screen in front of him.
"Director Han Joon is the head of the sign language interpretation center."
"Director?" He immediately latched onto the term.
"I've called him that since I was a kid."
"How young were you?"
"After the accident, maybe around nine?"
Baek Sa-eon remained silent for a moment.
"Do you address him like that even in sign language?"
"..."
"And what about me—" his voice suddenly slowed, causing Hee-joo to tense up.
"Whether it's with your hands or your mouth, you've never addressed me even once. So how can you tolerate an old man calling you 'darling'?"
His icy tone sent a chill down her spine. Hee-joo hurriedly typed on the keyboard.
"He's not an old man..."
"Don't spout nonsense. How is a twelve-year age gap not considered old? Even a six-year gap is significant, but twelve—" His brow furrowed deeply.
"Hee-joo, get a grip. Someone as weak and foolish as you—who else would dare leave you untouched but me? Where is your sense of caution?"
Her expression stiffened. How did he know Director Han Joon's age? And why mention the six-year difference—exactly the age gap between her and Baek Sa-eon?
It only fueled her annoyance. People who had known Hee-joo for a long time always treated her like a child. She was nearing thirty...!
"At the very least, you shouldn't leave traces."
Wait a minute...
"Are you referring to the garter belt photo?"
"It seems I've underestimated you, Hong Hee-joo."
Baek Sa-eon wrapped one arm around the back of the chair, leaning closer. His warm breath grazed her ear.
"When did the little girl with the yellow backpack grow up so much?"
He slammed his fist on the desk with a loud thud.
"Hee-joo, have you had proper sex education?"
Hee-joo jumped up from the chair in shock.
"What are you even talking about?"
"I'm asking as your legal guardian. Was it taught in school, or did you pick it up from hearsay?"
Talking about such things with Baek Sa-eon made her feel utterly humiliated. Her face burned as if it were on fire.
"In school..."
"By the school nurse?"
"No, an outside lecturer..."
"Then this time, have an expert teach you properly again."
"What?"
"Learn it again."
There was something crude buried in his words, but Hee-joo was too frazzled to notice.
"I don't care about your private life. But Hong Hee-joo-"
He flicked open the lighter once more, his voice dropping to a low, cold murmur.
"Stay away from those dubious people."
"...!"
Baek Sa-eon turned the chair, gripping the armrest tightly, his body leaning forward to lock eyes with her.
"I could force you to talk, drag out everything you've done, every person you've met, and all those childish actions of yours one by one."
"......"
"But I won't do that, Hong Hee-joo."
His pupils, narrowing as if closing in on her, made him look like an entirely different person—a complete stranger.
"Because we have no relationship whatsoever."
"......!"
"We're not husband and wife. I won't indulge in that illusion."
"......"
"And I won't take any further action."
He closed his eyes, grinding his teeth as though suppressing something deep within.
"So, stop asking."
When he opened his eyes again, every trace of emotion had vanished, replaced by the icy indifference she had always feared.
"Don't overstep."
"......!"
"Even if we're not a married couple, disciplining a child isn't that difficult. If you don't want every move of yours controlled, then watch yourself."
"......"
"If it happens again, I'll make you stand naked in front of me."
Leaving the frozen Hee-joo behind, Baek Sa-eon strode toward the balcony. The cigarette he had only been biting earlier was now finally lit. Smoke rose fiercely, swirling into the air.
Seems like that photo really got under his skin, Hee-joo thought, her face pale as a ghost.
But if he despised it so much... why didn't he just throw it away? Why was he tormenting her like this?
Her gaze locked on the clock on the wall. To preserve this façade of a marriage, did he really have to trample on her dignity? The humiliation and the frosty indifference he exuded made her blood boil.
Hee-joo's pale face began to show a faint trace of defiance.
Let night come quickly...
She no longer feared jail or false accusations. Her numbed emotions, battered by relentless blows, had left her fearless.
She clenched her fists, her resolve hardening as time seemed to drag on endlessly.
Someone broke the silence by ringing the doorbell.
"...!"
But Baek Sa-eon didn't react at all. Left with no choice, Hee-joo knocked on the glass of the balcony window.
'Someone's here.' She pouted and pointed toward the door.
Though he fully understood her meaning, he simply took another deep drag of his cigarette, his cheeks hollowing as he inhaled. Then, he approached the glass window and exhaled a long stream of smoke directly onto her face.
The translucent haze clouded her vision.
'This bastard!' Hee-joo slapped the glass with her palm in frustration.
Baek Sa-eon smirked coldly, leaning in to extinguish the cigarette near her lips against the glass.
'...!'
Even with the barrier between them, the act left her feeling humiliated, her cheeks burning with indignation. She could see every detail as the cigarette butt was crushed flat against the surface.
He then turned away casually, striding past her to open the hotel door.
Moments later, a gray-haired older man entered.
"Dragging this old man back and forth, as always..."
"You're late," Baek Sa-eon replied curtly.
The sharp odor of smoke lingered in his wake.
When Hee-joo was about twelve years old, she had seen him in his crisp school uniform smoking. He had berated her harshly back then, demanding she keep her mouth shut about it.
Now, the tables had completely turned.
Since that day, she hadn't smelled that scent again.
Baek Sa-eon stepped aside, gesturing for the elderly man to enter. The man's eyes widened as he took in the scene.
"Oh, what an adorable young lady."
Standing awkwardly at the side, Hee-joo bowed politely, feeling the tension rise.
"I told him to get some nutrients into his system, but he wouldn't listen to me..."
"Make it hurt enough that he cries," Baek Sa-eon interrupted coldly.
"It's rare for him to actually call me, you know..."
"Old man, cut the nonsense," Baek Sa-eon said, his tone firm and dismissive.
"But you've taken all the expensive nutrients from our hospital stock!"
Hee-joo wanted to escape the scene quickly, but Baek Sa-eon immediately blocked her path.
Without much resistance, she was naturally ushered into the bedroom and soon found herself lying down. The doctor deftly set up the IV line, administering a nutrient injection.
Perhaps she really was exhausted; before long, her eyelids grew heavy. The muffled voices around her faded into the background as she succumbed to sleep.
'Ah... this feels so warm.'
A rough hand gently stroked her hair.
A cool touch softly grazed her forehead, soothing and calming her.
She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt like they were weighed down, refusing to budge.
And so, Hee-joo drifted deeper into slumber, her thoughts tangled in the tense calls and the inescapable grip of time, losing herself in the warmth of her dreams.