when the phone rings novel

Baek Sa-eon. The eldest grandson of the late Representative Baek Jang-ho. The next presidential candidate and the only son of Professor Shim Kyu-jin from Korean University. The man she had watched for nearly 20 years, secretly liked, and even married... was actually not Baek Sa-eon?

"And... that person who threatened me is the real Baek Sa-eon."

Goosebumps rose all over Hee-joo's body. Everything was in chaos, but at the same time, all the pieces of the puzzle finally fit together. The entire world had deceived her. When she heard that her sister had returned, Hee-joo expected nothing more than a clean divorce, and that was it.

"But a confession...?"

Everything she knew and believed in had been turned upside down. The real Baek Sa-eon, whom she had thought was dead, had appeared. Her entire world was shattered.

Because of this shock, even though she was in the same city, Seoul, it took her over five hours to get back home. Her mind was still in utter turmoil. Nothing seemed clear.

"This isn't like The Prince and the Pauper..."

At the memorial that day, someone had said that the late Representative Baek Jang-ho was particularly fond of Baek Sa-eon, so much so that he had never been seen in public until middle school. Therefore, none of the relatives had witnessed Baek Sa-eon's growing-up process.

So, could the child have been switched without anyone noticing?

But what about his in-laws, the ones who lived with him? Did they know all along and keep it hidden flawlessly? Why? For what purpose?

Hee-joo clasped her phone with both hands, sitting in the dark.

"So, who exactly is Baek Sa-eon...?"

No, the man who had always pretended to be Baek Sa-eon—the man I fell for—what kind of life had he been living?

That boy who once hid in the corner, unable even to cry freely.

That boy who was frail, pale, hated eating, and always spoke harsh words.

The one I loved...

"Finally, I thought I had reached him..."

I had thought we could have a different future...

Hee-joo rubbed her swollen eyes and picked up her phone. When the clock pointed to 10 p.m., she instinctively reached for it.

"Maybe it's a misunderstanding..."

Until she heard his explanation, nothing was certain.

Beep... Beep...

Ask him, find out...

"Hello, 406."

The voice on the other end was exhausted but also a little familiar. There were so many questions to ask, yet her throat tightened in an instant.

All the suffocating emotions, her sister's silence, and his hostage-like demands—they were unbearable. But the most painful thing of all was the unspoken words that had yet to be conveyed.

Hee-joo covered her swollen eyes with her arm and asked, "I... heard something unbelievable."

Her lips trembled slightly.

"A spokesperson for the Blue House spreading rumors is surprising enough—"

"...!"

"Baek Sa-eon... isn't Baek Sa-eon."

"......"

"Is that... possible?"

Hee-joo whimpered like a child, pouring out her feelings. But there was silence on the other end. Though she was used to the silence, now it felt terrifying.

"Say something...!"

She raised her voice, shouting sharply.

"This is grounds for divorce...!"

"......"

"Now Hong Hee-joo has a valid reason to file for divorce!"

She was practically yelling.

"If I get divorced."

Then, a low, rough voice spoke, like scraping against iron.

"If I get divorced and go to 406, will you accept me?"

"What?"

"I'm asking if I come to you, will you accept me?"

"What does that mean..." She frowned in disbelief.

"...Are you really going to meet with 406?"

"Can't I?"

Her eyes twitched slightly.

"You... you bastard... what about your wife? What about Hong Hee-joo...!"

"......"

"I know you're a hypocrite, two-faced! But Hong Hee-joo... Hong Hee-joo..."

What else could she say?

Say that she likes him? Say she wanted to trust him? Say she thought they could have a different ending? But those words couldn't come from a woman who was utterly broken. The truest feelings at this moment were perhaps the most fragile. Her pride bristled like thorns. Hee-joo was all too familiar with the sorrow of pleading and begging.

"No, I won't meet you," she said with wide eyes, as if making up her mind.

"Even if you give up everything, get divorced, and come looking for me."

"..."

"I still won't, I hate you, Baek Sa-eon, I hate you."

"..."

"From the very beginning, from the first time I met you, I hated you. If it wasn't like this, I wouldn't have made all those meaningless, harassing calls."

Suddenly, Hee-joo's heart felt like it was being torn apart, and tears sprang from her eyes. She didn't know what the searing sensation rising to her throat was. Perhaps it was anger, or perhaps resentment, but no matter what it was, all she wanted to do was cry.

However, she couldn't stop talking.

"I shouldn't have called you from the start. I shouldn't have gone through this even if it meant living a dull, empty life. I shouldn't have said so many things to you. I should've stayed ignorant..."

The harassing phone calls had become a bridge for me to learn so many of my husband's secrets. The calls had also subtly changed our marital relationship. But now, all that was left was pain.

Hee-joo changed her position and walked into the man's bedroom. Her gaze stopped at the jacket hanging on the chair by the bedside table.

—"Those things we did together... do you regret them?"

"......"

Hee-joo silently wiped her tears, picked up the jacket. Just a few hours ago, it had carried his scent. She buried her face in the fabric.

"Who... are you?"

—......

"If you're not Baek Sa-eon... then what are you?"

Her voice sounded like it came from the depths of an abyss, but the man still didn't offer any defense or explanation.

Hee-joo only hugged his jacket tightly and closed her eyes. Then she asked a difficult, terrifying question.

"Did you... were you there when Baek Sa-eon died?"

—You've figured it out this far.

"......!"

Hearing the confirmation, Hee-joo froze.

—When did you first make contact with that person?

"That person?"

—Baek Sa-eon, the one who helped you change your voice.

"......!"

Hee-joo kept denying it in her heart, unwilling to believe that she had been controlled by the whispers of a devil. Her neck stiffened, her fingers lost feeling, and her head drooped.

So it's true... It really is true...

—Did that person threaten you?

"...No."

—Baek Sa-eon is a dangerous person. Getting involved with him recklessly...

"I said no!" Hee-joo shouted, almost as if arguing.

She hated the way he spoke about "Baek Sa-eon" as if it were someone else. You are Baek Sa-eon, why do you keep speaking like this...?

A living, breathing confusion filled her eyes.

"No matter what, I..."

Hee-joo yelled, her eyes and neck turning red.

"Even if it's only once, even if it's a mess, I want to live my life my own way! I didn't do these things because I was threatened, I did them because I wanted to break free."

Free from her family, from her in-laws, from Baek Sa-eon, and from that foolish version of herself who couldn't even speak.

Every time she picked up this phone, she felt like she was getting just a little better.

"But you... you..."

It was you... You were the one who shook my resolve.

A long silence settled between them, heavy, as if something had ended.

Today had been a long, exhausting day.

As she touched her dry cheek.

—If I confessed everything to you, 406, would it change anything?

His restrained voice pierced through sharply.

—What could I say to a woman who wanted to be free?

"......"

—My words might just become another shackle.

His voice trembled violently.

—Or, if I won your sympathy, would you distance yourself from that Baek Sa-eon?

"What are you talking about..."

—When Baek Sa-eon died, yes, I was there. Baek Sa-eon drowned, and I just watched. In the clear river, I watched him drown—

"Stop talking."

—I saw everything, from beginning to end—

"Stop it...! I told you to stop talking!"

Hee-joo fell to her knees, her forehead resting on her knees. The heavy breathing of both of them merged through the phone lines.

She felt a wave of nausea.

Now she seemed to understand the true nature of the nightmare he had been having ever since childhood.

The face this man had always seen in his dreams was actually Baek Sa-eon's perspective of his own face—a recurring nightmare.

"Ugh..." Hee-joo struggled to hold back her tears, hugging herself tightly. With a sense of despair, she asked, "What are you thinking? Why did you do something like that..."

On the other end of the phone, a soft chuckle could be heard. The response gave her a sense of unease.

"Why indeed..." His voice was low, as if it had been trampled on, devoid of any emotion. It was the driest, coldest voice she had ever heard.

Baek Sa-eon. The eldest grandson of the late Representative Baek Jang-ho. The next presidential candidate and the only son of Professor Shim Kyu-jin from Korean University. The man she had watched for nearly 20 years, secretly liked, and even married... was actually not Baek Sa-eon?

"And... that person who threatened me is the real Baek Sa-eon."

Goosebumps rose all over Hee-joo's body. Everything was in chaos, but at the same time, all the pieces of the puzzle finally fit together. The entire world had deceived her. When she heard that her sister had returned, Hee-joo expected nothing more than a clean divorce, and that was it.

"But a confession...?"

Everything she knew and believed in had been turned upside down. The real Baek Sa-eon, whom she had thought was dead, had appeared. Her entire world was shattered.

Because of this shock, even though she was in the same city, Seoul, it took her over five hours to get back home. Her mind was still in utter turmoil. Nothing seemed clear.

"This isn't like The Prince and the Pauper..."

At the memorial that day, someone had said that the late Representative Baek Jang-ho was particularly fond of Baek Sa-eon, so much so that he had never been seen in public until middle school. Therefore, none of the relatives had witnessed Baek Sa-eon's growing-up process.

So, could the child have been switched without anyone noticing?

But what about his in-laws, the ones who lived with him? Did they know all along and keep it hidden flawlessly? Why? For what purpose?

Hee-joo clasped her phone with both hands, sitting in the dark.

"So, who exactly is Baek Sa-eon...?"

No, the man who had always pretended to be Baek Sa-eon—the man I fell for—what kind of life had he been living?

That boy who once hid in the corner, unable even to cry freely.

That boy who was frail, pale, hated eating, and always spoke harsh words.

The one I loved...

"Finally, I thought I had reached him..."

I had thought we could have a different future...

Hee-joo rubbed her swollen eyes and picked up her phone. When the clock pointed to 10 p.m., she instinctively reached for it.

"Maybe it's a misunderstanding..."

Until she heard his explanation, nothing was certain.

Beep... Beep...

Ask him, find out...

"Hello, 406."

The voice on the other end was exhausted but also a little familiar. There were so many questions to ask, yet her throat tightened in an instant.

All the suffocating emotions, her sister's silence, and his hostage-like demands—they were unbearable. But the most painful thing of all was the unspoken words that had yet to be conveyed.

Hee-joo covered her swollen eyes with her arm and asked, "I... heard something unbelievable."

Her lips trembled slightly.

"A spokesperson for the Blue House spreading rumors is surprising enough—"

"...!"

"Baek Sa-eon... isn't Baek Sa-eon."

"......"

"Is that... possible?"

Hee-joo whimpered like a child, pouring out her feelings. But there was silence on the other end. Though she was used to the silence, now it felt terrifying.

"Say something...!"

She raised her voice, shouting sharply.

"This is grounds for divorce...!"

"......"

"Now Hong Hee-joo has a valid reason to file for divorce!"

She was practically yelling.

"If I get divorced."

Then, a low, rough voice spoke, like scraping against iron.

"If I get divorced and go to 406, will you accept me?"

"What?"

"I'm asking if I come to you, will you accept me?"

"What does that mean..." She frowned in disbelief.

"...Are you really going to meet with 406?"

"Can't I?"

Her eyes twitched slightly.

"You... you bastard... what about your wife? What about Hong Hee-joo...!"

"......"

"I know you're a hypocrite, two-faced! But Hong Hee-joo... Hong Hee-joo..."

What else could she say?

Say that she likes him? Say she wanted to trust him? Say she thought they could have a different ending? But those words couldn't come from a woman who was utterly broken. The truest feelings at this moment were perhaps the most fragile. Her pride bristled like thorns. Hee-joo was all too familiar with the sorrow of pleading and begging.

"No, I won't meet you," she said with wide eyes, as if making up her mind.

"Even if you give up everything, get divorced, and come looking for me."

"..."

"I still won't, I hate you, Baek Sa-eon, I hate you."

"..."

"From the very beginning, from the first time I met you, I hated you. If it wasn't like this, I wouldn't have made all those meaningless, harassing calls."

Suddenly, Hee-joo's heart felt like it was being torn apart, and tears sprang from her eyes. She didn't know what the searing sensation rising to her throat was. Perhaps it was anger, or perhaps resentment, but no matter what it was, all she wanted to do was cry.

However, she couldn't stop talking.

"I shouldn't have called you from the start. I shouldn't have gone through this even if it meant living a dull, empty life. I shouldn't have said so many things to you. I should've stayed ignorant..."

The harassing phone calls had become a bridge for me to learn so many of my husband's secrets. The calls had also subtly changed our marital relationship. But now, all that was left was pain.

Hee-joo changed her position and walked into the man's bedroom. Her gaze stopped at the jacket hanging on the chair by the bedside table.

—"Those things we did together... do you regret them?"

"......"

Hee-joo silently wiped her tears, picked up the jacket. Just a few hours ago, it had carried his scent. She buried her face in the fabric.

"Who... are you?"

—......

"If you're not Baek Sa-eon... then what are you?"

Her voice sounded like it came from the depths of an abyss, but the man still didn't offer any defense or explanation.

Hee-joo only hugged his jacket tightly and closed her eyes. Then she asked a difficult, terrifying question.

"Did you... were you there when Baek Sa-eon died?"

—You've figured it out this far.

"......!"

Hearing the confirmation, Hee-joo froze.

—When did you first make contact with that person?

"That person?"

—Baek Sa-eon, the one who helped you change your voice.

"......!"

Hee-joo kept denying it in her heart, unwilling to believe that she had been controlled by the whispers of a devil. Her neck stiffened, her fingers lost feeling, and her head drooped.

So it's true... It really is true...

—Did that person threaten you?

"...No."

—Baek Sa-eon is a dangerous person. Getting involved with him recklessly...

"I said no!" Hee-joo shouted, almost as if arguing.

She hated the way he spoke about "Baek Sa-eon" as if it were someone else. You are Baek Sa-eon, why do you keep speaking like this...?

A living, breathing confusion filled her eyes.

"No matter what, I..."

Hee-joo yelled, her eyes and neck turning red.

"Even if it's only once, even if it's a mess, I want to live my life my own way! I didn't do these things because I was threatened, I did them because I wanted to break free."

Free from her family, from her in-laws, from Baek Sa-eon, and from that foolish version of herself who couldn't even speak.

Every time she picked up this phone, she felt like she was getting just a little better.

"But you... you..."

It was you... You were the one who shook my resolve.

A long silence settled between them, heavy, as if something had ended.

Today had been a long, exhausting day.

As she touched her dry cheek.

—If I confessed everything to you, 406, would it change anything?

His restrained voice pierced through sharply.

—What could I say to a woman who wanted to be free?

"......"

—My words might just become another shackle.

His voice trembled violently.

—Or, if I won your sympathy, would you distance yourself from that Baek Sa-eon?

"What are you talking about..."

—When Baek Sa-eon died, yes, I was there. Baek Sa-eon drowned, and I just watched. In the clear river, I watched him drown—

"Stop talking."

—I saw everything, from beginning to end—

"Stop it...! I told you to stop talking!"

Hee-joo fell to her knees, her forehead resting on her knees. The heavy breathing of both of them merged through the phone lines.

She felt a wave of nausea.

Now she seemed to understand the true nature of the nightmare he had been having ever since childhood.

The face this man had always seen in his dreams was actually Baek Sa-eon's perspective of his own face—a recurring nightmare.

"Ugh..." Hee-joo struggled to hold back her tears, hugging herself tightly. With a sense of despair, she asked, "What are you thinking? Why did you do something like that..."

On the other end of the phone, a soft chuckle could be heard. The response gave her a sense of unease.

"Why indeed..." His voice was low, as if it had been trampled on, devoid of any emotion. It was the driest, coldest voice she had ever heard.