when the phone rings novel

——If anything happens, the first to die will be your sister. Because you're the one in the way.

"...!"

——I'm not joking.

Her eyes were darkened with terror. The kidnapper's words echoed in her mind the moment she fell from the cliff. She flailed her arms, but nothing could be grasped. Everything happened too fast.

"...!"

Her back suffered a violent impact, like being struck by a bomb. Her body collided with branches, then fell again. Instinctively, Hee-joo stretched out her hand, desperately trying to grab onto something, but her palms slipped.

"Uh... uh..."

Her head struck the jagged rocks, and she was sucked into a cavern, crashing heavily to the ground. Pain coursed through her entire body.

"Ha... uh..."

Amid her disoriented consciousness, rough shouts echoed faintly, though whether they were real or not no longer mattered.

I'm here... She gritted her teeth and reached out a hand. However, her vision was engulfed in darkness.

"Ugh..."

A wave of coldness spread through her entire body. The first sensation to return was in her fingers, touching the rough surface of rocks. As her sense of touch recovered, the other senses surged in like a flood. Cold winds slashed through the torn fabric of her clothing like knives.

Her vision blurred, and her head felt feverish. Certain parts of her body were swollen, stinging, and bleeding. Bruises covered her body, and even the slightest movement brought beads of cold sweat to her skin.

When she finally opened her eyes again, night had fallen.

"How long was I unconscious?"

Through the leaves, she saw the pitch-black night sky.

"Where is this place?"

She had fallen through trees growing along the cliff edge and into a cave. But with no sign of rescue so far, it was clear that pinpointing her location was proving difficult.

"Ugh..."
Though no one was to blame, an overwhelming sense of helplessness washed over her.

——Howl, howl, howl...
A beast's cry echoed faintly from afar. Aside from that, every tiny noise in the forest was amplified, making the pitch-black night feel increasingly menacing.

"I'm so scared... I want to go home..."

She knew she couldn't remain collapsed like this. But her legs felt like they were frozen solid, barely able to move.

"Start by lifting your upper body slowly," she muttered to herself. Groaning, she unstrapped the backpack from her shoulders.

"My phone... I'll use my phone to notify them of my location!"

Hee-joo rummaged through her backpack and finally found her phone. The rush of relief lasted only a moment—its battery was completely dead.

Because she rarely used her phone, she had never paid much attention to its charging cycle. Now that carelessness had left her stranded in this dire situation.

"Of all times to have no battery...!"

Just as she was on the verge of tears, her expression shifted suddenly.

Hee-joo momentarily forgot the pain coursing through her body. Her mind went blank. Her hand had touched a second phone.

"No... no way..."

A cold realization settled into her heart. But now, her only hope lay with this negotiation phone.

It was the fruit of the devil.

Her heart pounded frantically. This negotiation phone could only call one person. And that person was someone she absolutely must not ask for help.

Because that person was Kidnapper 406. This wasn't a call for help—it was a threatening call.

"I'm insane. How could I even..."
Realizing that everything was on the verge of falling apart, she cursed under her breath despite the lack of tears.

"...!"
Suddenly, she felt her strength slipping away. Her tongue was parched, her head spinning, and her vision blurred. It seemed she was showing symptoms of dehydration.

"This can't happen... It's too dangerous..."
She couldn't let herself pass out here.

Finally, like clutching a lifeline, Hee-joo pulled out the negotiation phone.

Firefighters and the mountain rescue team had been searching for four hours. Seventeen pieces of equipment and over 50 personnel were deployed to comb the area within 50 meters of the cliff and downstream, yet they found no trace of Hee-joo.

"There was a professor who went missing here once, and they only found his body two days later. He fell from a cliff—turns out it was suicide..."

"Hey, why are you saying such unlucky things now!"

The gathered onlookers whispered among themselves.

From the beginning, Baek Sa-eon had been actively searching alongside the rescue team.

As a former war correspondent, certified by the National Rifle Association, and someone who traversed war-torn regions like his backyard, searching a mountain was nothing to him.

"Excuse me, Spokesperson... have you contacted the family of the missing person yet?"

"Yes."

"This mountain is notorious for slip accidents. We should at least be prepared... to recover a body."

"Recover a body?"

Baek Sa-eon repeated the words flatly without blinking.

"Ah, I mean..." The firefighter tried to clarify, but Sa-eon closed his eyes in silence for a moment before speaking. His expression revealed nothing.

"Can the rescue dogs be deployed immediately?"

"They can, but we haven't received the missing person's clothing or items."

"Then let's start now."

"What?"

"My clothes are tied around your waist."

Speaking like a seasoned mountaineer, Sa-eon continued as he ascended.

"Let them smell me. Not just the clothes but also my scent. I've been carrying her since the bus ride. Even the scent of the body wash is the same."

"Uh... shouldn't we contact her family first—"

"I'm her husband."

"...!"

The firefighter froze, mouth agape but speechless, lowering his head instead.

Even so, Sa-eon's expression remained unmoved. His face bore no emotion, like a bleached plaster cast.

Just then, his phone rang. The screen displayed Cheong Wa Dae.

"..."

What pained him most was that even now, he had to manage the media and fulfill his duties as the spokesperson for the Blue House. Somehow, reporters were already swarming his phone with calls and messages.

His pupils trembled with unease.

"Spokesperson, your phone keeps ringing..."

The sound of the vibrating phone in the quiet mountain night buzzed like a wasp, drawing the attention of the rescue team from time to time.

"Aren't you going to answer it?"

"I'm not answering."

But Sa-eon wasn't responding to those general calls. He glanced discreetly at his watch.

"I'm waiting for a call."

The number you have dialed is either disconnected or restricted. Please verify and try again...

Even emergency numbers like 112 and 119 couldn't be reached.

The negotiation phone couldn't make emergency calls at all.

She had even tried dialing the Hand Sign Language Translation Center's number she remembered, but there was no response.

"Ha..."

In a life-or-death situation, a single phone call could break her. It was both the rope strangling her neck and her sole lifeline.

There was only one number she could call.

But how could she possibly ask for help from the husband who was actively threatening her?

Hee-joo felt herself teetering on the brink of collapse, her nose wrinkling as she stifled a sob.

"Ugh..."

How had she come this far, using threats to hold him in place?

Hee-joo shook her head, trying to regain her composure. The sudden movement made her feel nauseous, but she had to stay conscious.

"I can't fall here."

Whether it was about life or death, or divorce, giving up was not an option now.

Beep, beep. Beep, beep.

So, Hee-joo decided to become "Kidnapper 406."

In this moment of crisis, she was no longer Hee-joo—she was 406.

"Ugh..."

The hand holding the phone trembled.

Just don't answer. No, answer it.

In the instant these conflicting emotions battled fiercely, the ringing abruptly stopped.

—...!

Was it because his low sigh came faster than his words?

Tears quickly welled up in Hee-joo's eyes.

It was the sound that connected them, but it also carried a sense of something breaking apart. The chaos of noise dissipated, and even the pain seemed to fade. At this moment, only the two of them existed.

—You...

His voice came through the line, choked with emotion, and Hee-joo held her breath for a moment.

His tone was strange, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly why.

—... No, 406.

That stiff yet trembling voice felt unfamiliar.

However, in the darkness and despair, hearing this familiar voice was like sunlight piercing through, filling her with a strange sense of relief.

"You told me to contact you if a body was found."

She barely managed to suppress her sobs, but her breathing became uneven.

"So, I'm calling you. Come and take it."

—...What's the situation? Is Hee-joo okay?

But his heart was also in turmoil. Baek Sa-eon took a deep breath, trying to steady his quivering voice.

"You're not curious how I know all this?"

—406 is always clever; this isn't surprising. Don't you know Hee-joo's situation like the back of your hand? More importantly, are you hurt? How are you right now? Where exactly are you? Has the location been confirmed?

He fired off a barrage of questions, his tone almost interrogative.

Just now... it seemed like something was casually glossed over...

Was that my imagination?

Hee-joo frowned and reiterated, "You know how good I am at tracking, right? Last time, I sent a fake delivery message to Hee-joo's phone and made her install malware."

Her vision began to blur, overlapping as if layered several times.

Her stomach churned, and she felt like she was drunk. Even her words started to tumble out nonsensically.

"Uh... that software worked pretty well for surveillance... so I know she received the workshop message, but the location hasn't changed for over five hours in the mountains."

—Now's not the time to talk about this...!

"She must have passed out."

—...!

His usually calm voice suddenly became sharp and urgent.

——If anything happens, the first to die will be your sister. Because you're the one in the way.

"...!"

——I'm not joking.

Her eyes were darkened with terror. The kidnapper's words echoed in her mind the moment she fell from the cliff. She flailed her arms, but nothing could be grasped. Everything happened too fast.

"...!"

Her back suffered a violent impact, like being struck by a bomb. Her body collided with branches, then fell again. Instinctively, Hee-joo stretched out her hand, desperately trying to grab onto something, but her palms slipped.

"Uh... uh..."

Her head struck the jagged rocks, and she was sucked into a cavern, crashing heavily to the ground. Pain coursed through her entire body.

"Ha... uh..."

Amid her disoriented consciousness, rough shouts echoed faintly, though whether they were real or not no longer mattered.

I'm here... She gritted her teeth and reached out a hand. However, her vision was engulfed in darkness.

"Ugh..."

A wave of coldness spread through her entire body. The first sensation to return was in her fingers, touching the rough surface of rocks. As her sense of touch recovered, the other senses surged in like a flood. Cold winds slashed through the torn fabric of her clothing like knives.

Her vision blurred, and her head felt feverish. Certain parts of her body were swollen, stinging, and bleeding. Bruises covered her body, and even the slightest movement brought beads of cold sweat to her skin.

When she finally opened her eyes again, night had fallen.

"How long was I unconscious?"

Through the leaves, she saw the pitch-black night sky.

"Where is this place?"

She had fallen through trees growing along the cliff edge and into a cave. But with no sign of rescue so far, it was clear that pinpointing her location was proving difficult.

"Ugh..."
Though no one was to blame, an overwhelming sense of helplessness washed over her.

——Howl, howl, howl...
A beast's cry echoed faintly from afar. Aside from that, every tiny noise in the forest was amplified, making the pitch-black night feel increasingly menacing.

"I'm so scared... I want to go home..."

She knew she couldn't remain collapsed like this. But her legs felt like they were frozen solid, barely able to move.

"Start by lifting your upper body slowly," she muttered to herself. Groaning, she unstrapped the backpack from her shoulders.

"My phone... I'll use my phone to notify them of my location!"

Hee-joo rummaged through her backpack and finally found her phone. The rush of relief lasted only a moment—its battery was completely dead.

Because she rarely used her phone, she had never paid much attention to its charging cycle. Now that carelessness had left her stranded in this dire situation.

"Of all times to have no battery...!"

Just as she was on the verge of tears, her expression shifted suddenly.

Hee-joo momentarily forgot the pain coursing through her body. Her mind went blank. Her hand had touched a second phone.

"No... no way..."

A cold realization settled into her heart. But now, her only hope lay with this negotiation phone.

It was the fruit of the devil.

Her heart pounded frantically. This negotiation phone could only call one person. And that person was someone she absolutely must not ask for help.

Because that person was Kidnapper 406. This wasn't a call for help—it was a threatening call.

"I'm insane. How could I even..."
Realizing that everything was on the verge of falling apart, she cursed under her breath despite the lack of tears.

"...!"
Suddenly, she felt her strength slipping away. Her tongue was parched, her head spinning, and her vision blurred. It seemed she was showing symptoms of dehydration.

"This can't happen... It's too dangerous..."
She couldn't let herself pass out here.

Finally, like clutching a lifeline, Hee-joo pulled out the negotiation phone.

Firefighters and the mountain rescue team had been searching for four hours. Seventeen pieces of equipment and over 50 personnel were deployed to comb the area within 50 meters of the cliff and downstream, yet they found no trace of Hee-joo.

"There was a professor who went missing here once, and they only found his body two days later. He fell from a cliff—turns out it was suicide..."

"Hey, why are you saying such unlucky things now!"

The gathered onlookers whispered among themselves.

From the beginning, Baek Sa-eon had been actively searching alongside the rescue team.

As a former war correspondent, certified by the National Rifle Association, and someone who traversed war-torn regions like his backyard, searching a mountain was nothing to him.

"Excuse me, Spokesperson... have you contacted the family of the missing person yet?"

"Yes."

"This mountain is notorious for slip accidents. We should at least be prepared... to recover a body."

"Recover a body?"

Baek Sa-eon repeated the words flatly without blinking.

"Ah, I mean..." The firefighter tried to clarify, but Sa-eon closed his eyes in silence for a moment before speaking. His expression revealed nothing.

"Can the rescue dogs be deployed immediately?"

"They can, but we haven't received the missing person's clothing or items."

"Then let's start now."

"What?"

"My clothes are tied around your waist."

Speaking like a seasoned mountaineer, Sa-eon continued as he ascended.

"Let them smell me. Not just the clothes but also my scent. I've been carrying her since the bus ride. Even the scent of the body wash is the same."

"Uh... shouldn't we contact her family first—"

"I'm her husband."

"...!"

The firefighter froze, mouth agape but speechless, lowering his head instead.

Even so, Sa-eon's expression remained unmoved. His face bore no emotion, like a bleached plaster cast.

Just then, his phone rang. The screen displayed Cheong Wa Dae.

"..."

What pained him most was that even now, he had to manage the media and fulfill his duties as the spokesperson for the Blue House. Somehow, reporters were already swarming his phone with calls and messages.

His pupils trembled with unease.

"Spokesperson, your phone keeps ringing..."

The sound of the vibrating phone in the quiet mountain night buzzed like a wasp, drawing the attention of the rescue team from time to time.

"Aren't you going to answer it?"

"I'm not answering."

But Sa-eon wasn't responding to those general calls. He glanced discreetly at his watch.

"I'm waiting for a call."

The number you have dialed is either disconnected or restricted. Please verify and try again...

Even emergency numbers like 112 and 119 couldn't be reached.

The negotiation phone couldn't make emergency calls at all.

She had even tried dialing the Hand Sign Language Translation Center's number she remembered, but there was no response.

"Ha..."

In a life-or-death situation, a single phone call could break her. It was both the rope strangling her neck and her sole lifeline.

There was only one number she could call.

But how could she possibly ask for help from the husband who was actively threatening her?

Hee-joo felt herself teetering on the brink of collapse, her nose wrinkling as she stifled a sob.

"Ugh..."

How had she come this far, using threats to hold him in place?

Hee-joo shook her head, trying to regain her composure. The sudden movement made her feel nauseous, but she had to stay conscious.

"I can't fall here."

Whether it was about life or death, or divorce, giving up was not an option now.

Beep, beep. Beep, beep.

So, Hee-joo decided to become "Kidnapper 406."

In this moment of crisis, she was no longer Hee-joo—she was 406.

"Ugh..."

The hand holding the phone trembled.

Just don't answer. No, answer it.

In the instant these conflicting emotions battled fiercely, the ringing abruptly stopped.

—...!

Was it because his low sigh came faster than his words?

Tears quickly welled up in Hee-joo's eyes.

It was the sound that connected them, but it also carried a sense of something breaking apart. The chaos of noise dissipated, and even the pain seemed to fade. At this moment, only the two of them existed.

—You...

His voice came through the line, choked with emotion, and Hee-joo held her breath for a moment.

His tone was strange, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly why.

—... No, 406.

That stiff yet trembling voice felt unfamiliar.

However, in the darkness and despair, hearing this familiar voice was like sunlight piercing through, filling her with a strange sense of relief.

"You told me to contact you if a body was found."

She barely managed to suppress her sobs, but her breathing became uneven.

"So, I'm calling you. Come and take it."

—...What's the situation? Is Hee-joo okay?

But his heart was also in turmoil. Baek Sa-eon took a deep breath, trying to steady his quivering voice.

"You're not curious how I know all this?"

—406 is always clever; this isn't surprising. Don't you know Hee-joo's situation like the back of your hand? More importantly, are you hurt? How are you right now? Where exactly are you? Has the location been confirmed?

He fired off a barrage of questions, his tone almost interrogative.

Just now... it seemed like something was casually glossed over...

Was that my imagination?

Hee-joo frowned and reiterated, "You know how good I am at tracking, right? Last time, I sent a fake delivery message to Hee-joo's phone and made her install malware."

Her vision began to blur, overlapping as if layered several times.

Her stomach churned, and she felt like she was drunk. Even her words started to tumble out nonsensically.

"Uh... that software worked pretty well for surveillance... so I know she received the workshop message, but the location hasn't changed for over five hours in the mountains."

—Now's not the time to talk about this...!

"She must have passed out."

—...!

His usually calm voice suddenly became sharp and urgent.