when the phone rings novel
"You found a good spot right away," Baek Sa-eon said as he sat down next to Hee-joo.
"I like looking out the window from this room. Do you know why?"
She couldn't tear her gaze away from his face, that cold, detached expression as he stared outside. The elegant curve of his profile, sculpted with precision, seemed almost otherworldly. Within those graceful lines lay a past she couldn't begin to decipher.
"Every time I woke up from a dream of falling into a river, I'd see little Hee-joo over there, working with her hands," he said, his tone distant yet steady.
"A child so restless, she couldn't even sleep at night."
"...!"
"Even so, I couldn't understand a word you were saying. It felt like being underwater. Maybe visiting an aquarium feels the same. Or perhaps I was still in the river."
This was the first time she had heard him speak about such things.
"But seeing your hand gestures, it calmed me," he continued.
"..."
"The dream had ended, and I was back in reality."
He covered her hand with his own, his warmth seeping into her skin, sending her heart into a frantic rhythm.
"Teach me a sign."
"...!"
She stared at him, startled, and he tilted his head slightly.
"I'm interested in the language of Hong Hee-joo."
This jerk... Only now he decided to say something?
"When you were little, you always made this gesture."
He lightly tapped his chin with his pinky finger, mimicking the motion.
Hee-joo bit down on the inside of her cheek. She recalled something an old woman had said: cheating husbands would often buy flowers and gifts for their wives.
What a bastard...
It was the first sign she'd mastered as a child, the one she used most often to mask her struggles.
It meant "I'm fine."
"I've been waiting," he said, their eyes meeting in the dimly lit room.
"Waiting for you to start the conversation."
Hee-joo pressed her lips together tightly, his intense gaze piercing her.
This was a night laden with unspoken thoughts and unresolved emotions.
As soon as the rites concluded, Baek Sa-eon was about to leave directly when his mother-in-law stopped him.
"You've come all this way; it wouldn't be right to leave empty-handed."
She packed some food for him.
And so, Hee-joo ended up making an unplanned visit to her family home.
"Aren't you tired? Why the sudden visit?"
Her mother's gaze was warm and unusually friendly. Hee-joo hesitated as she removed her shoes, feeling uncomfortable with her mother's enthusiastic hospitality.
Kim Yeon-hee cheerfully accepted the gifts they brought and led them into the living room.
"Is your father-in-law here?" Baek Sa-eon asked.
"Ah, he's... not here right now," Kim Yeon-hee replied, glancing at Hee-joo.
For a fleeting moment, her expression turned complex. Her elegant dark eyes seemed to carry a mixture of mockery and hesitation.
Kim Yeon-hee was always open with her emotions, but this time her intentions were difficult to decipher.
A vague sense of unease crept up Hee-joo's spine. Only she, the daughter who had spent years attuning herself to her mother's emotions, could perceive this subtle shift.
A sudden dryness filled Hee-joo's mouth, and her mood soured.
Kim Yeon-hee quickly shifted gears and smiled.
"Let's have some tea first," she said softly, motioning for the two of them to sit down.
In no time, refreshments were prepared. Sitting on an expensive, luxurious sofa, Kim Yeon-hee alternated her gaze between them.
"It's been over three years since you two got married, and this is the first time the three of us are sitting together."
Hee-joo was just about to reach for her teacup when her wrist was gently caught.
"Drink mine," Baek Sa-eon said, motioning with his chin toward the cup he had already opened and cooled.
"Don't rush. You might burn your mouth."
His tea was indeed cooler. Hee-joo obediently took the cup Baek Sa-eon offered and took a sip.
Kim Yeon-hee's eyes flashed with something unreadable.
"Mr. Baek, to be honest, isn't it boring being with Hee-joo?"
"...!"
Hee-joo froze for a moment but maintained her composure, taking another sip of tea.
"She doesn't talk much and can't do much. Being with her must not be a good fit for you, Mr. Baek."
The taste of tea vanished entirely, leaving only the sensation of scalding water sliding down her throat.
It wasn't unusual for her mother to belittle her in front of family or strangers, but today, Hee-joo's cheeks burned with humiliation.
"That's not true at all."
"Hmm?"
Baek Sa-eon set his teacup down firmly on the table.
"Hee-joo is fascinating just to look at. And—"
He leaned forward, his hands clasped on his knees. Though his posture lowered his line of sight, the oppressive aura around him remained undiminished.
With a stern and icy gaze, he stared directly at his mother-in-law.
"This kind of humility makes me very uncomfortable."
"What did you say?"
"Please stop belittling Hee-joo in front of me. Doing so doesn't give me face; it's an insult. It's extremely unpleasant—don't do it again."
Kim Yeon-hee froze momentarily, stunned by his resolute reproach.
"Mr. Baek, do you... have another woman?"
"Pfft...! Cough, cough!"
Hee-joo sputtered, spitting out her tea.
Baek Sa-eon instinctively reached out, swiftly wiping the drops from her chin. Her face flushed bright red as she coughed uncontrollably.
Her mother narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the couple once more.
"...How strange," she murmured, her tone suggesting something had changed.
"Hee-joo."
Then, with a sharp clink, her mother set her teacup down. She lifted the corner of her mouth into a faint smile.
"In-ah is coming back."
"...!"
For a moment, it was as if Hee-joo had heard a foreign language. The words made no sense to her. Her heart began racing, pounding so hard it felt as though it might explode.
She knew she had heard something, but her mind couldn't grasp it clearly. Her mother's words felt like an auditory illusion, fleeting and unreal.
Yet at that moment, the fingers of the man holding her chin twitched slightly, their stiffness unmistakably real.
This wasn't an illusion.
Hee-joo finally began to understand.
Her sister... was coming back?
She struggled to turn her head, looking at her mother.
"I don't know what she's been doing or where she's been living. But it seems Chairman Hong knows."
Her mother's voice lowered into a murmur, as if to acknowledge that a father, after all, would still care for his biological daughter.
"I heard she underwent some surgery in Germany, and it took a long time," Kim Yeon-hee said lightly, tapping her ear.
"Her hearing has been restored now."
"...!"
Hee-joo swallowed hard, her throat bobbing visibly.
Her mother shrugged and looked back at her.
"The things you've been doing—consider them finished."
Her mother's smile lingered like a ghostly afterimage in Hee-joo's mind.
Baek Sa-eon's real fiancée was coming back.
Her sister was returning.
Longing, wariness, joy, and an overwhelming sense of inferiority all surged at once, threatening to crush her completely.
After dropping her off at home, Baek Sa-eon returned to his office.
Back at her house, Hee-joo felt as if she had fallen into a bottomless pit, consumed by an overwhelming void. She sat in the unlit room, gripping her phone tightly.
"Unni is coming back..."
She muttered to herself, roughly wiping her pale face with trembling hands.
Perhaps she should have stayed in the hospital a little longer.
A deep-rooted fear and unshakable anxiety gnawed at her, relentlessly tormenting her mind.
Had she been gravely misunderstanding something all along?
Even if she didn't push for a divorce—
"If unni..."
If her sister got involved, the very existence of Hong Rin-ah could completely upend everything.
This realization struck a devastating blow somewhere deep inside her, leaving her utterly powerless.
She could do nothing.
Even though it was past ten at night, she didn't have the energy to make a call.
Moving even slightly felt exhausting and futile.
The helplessness she thought she had left behind resurfaced, creeping up from her ankles and threatening to consume her again.
"Is there any point in calling?"
Her eyes dulled as despair overtook her.
Ten minutes passed. Then thirty. Forty. An hour...
She lay on her bed, blinking blankly, when suddenly her phone buzzed.
"...!"
Was it... the kidnapper?
Hee-joo bolted upright and rummaged through her bag, finding the phone.
But unexpectedly, the name displayed on the screen was—
"Why..."
Her eyes fixed on the words "Business Husband" glowing on the screen.
Her mind raced, unsure how to react.
The phone felt crumpled in her hand like a discarded piece of paper.
She hesitated, debating whether to answer, and finally swiped to accept the call.
––Hong Hee-joo.
As soon as she connected, his voice poured out like an unrelenting flood.
––Don't speak. Just relax and listen.
"...!"
It was as if Baek Sa-eon had completely read her mind, his voice firm yet calm as he instructed her.
––Were you sleeping? If so, tap your phone lightly.
"..."
She didn't respond, and he let out a low hum.
What is this?
––Han Jun.
Hee-joo's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't follow the flow of the conversation at all.
Why was Han Jun suddenly mentioned?
––You're not meeting him alone, are you?
What in the world...!
Frustrated, she tapped the phone screen, signaling her answer.
Silence followed, as expected.
He wasn't talking in his sleep, nor was he chatting with anyone else.
Then why...
He murmured his thoughts slowly, his voice fading into silence.
Hee-joo ignored his words, her gaze fixed blankly on the ceiling.
As the meaningless silence stretched on, he spoke again.
"I'm coming over."
His low voice lingered for a moment before the call disconnected.
Was he coming back early because 406 wasn't around?
Her already fragile emotions plunged further into despair at the thought.
Her face twisted in anguish as she reached for her phone again.
There was a perverse satisfaction in indulging her own distorted state, and she fully embraced it in this moment.
The ringtone echoed.
Unresolved emotions bubbled up from deep within her like an overflowing spring.