when the phone rings novel
"...That child should never have been born." Baek Jang-ho's steps faltered. "It started with a cat."
By the pitch-black riverbank, his face was obscured in shadow.
"I was the first to notice that he was different. From then on, I never let him leave the house. I tried everything I could to correct him—"
"..."
"But all I did was add more burdens."
"..."
"Do you know what was inside those burdens?"
The large bundles that splashed into the river—though the boy had his suspicions, he couldn't bring himself to speak.
"People."
"...!"
"Sometimes younger than him, sometimes older."
"..."
"He stuffed animals into the washing machine, drugged the housemaids... snuck off to playgrounds to harm children younger than him... He was truly a demon."
His face twisted, as if he couldn't bear the thought.
"Monsters can sometimes be created, but sometimes they're born that way. And in my house—under my roof—such a thing dared to appear...!"
The old man's expression contorted into something monstrous.
"The presidential election is nearing. Before that happens, I can't allow even the smallest noise or weakness to be exposed...!"
"..."
"If he were to grow up, he'd destroy our family."
The boy didn't dare to breathe.
What about you? he thought. You dealt with your own grandson with your own hands. What does that make you?
The words were on the tip of his tongue but refused to come out. His entire body trembled.
Baek Jang-ho's piercing gaze swept over the boy, still sitting in the water. Instinctively, the boy leaned back, and the cold water rose to his chin.
"I never gave you a name because—" The old man's eyes glinted with a chilling light.
"Children like you are of no use to me."
"...!"
The boy's eyes widened in shock.
"But..."
Suddenly, Baek Jang-ho's hands grabbed the boy by his collar and yanked him violently out of the water.
"When I discovered that my only grandson had turned into that... I covered his face completely. I didn't let anyone know—no one outside the family."
"..."
"Do you know why I did that, boy?"
A cruel smile spread across his face, wrinkles deepening at the corners of his eyes.
"Because in my family, there can't be even a single rusty spoon."
"...!"
"Especially not in the household I built with my own hands!"
This had likely been planned long ago. From the moment he realized his only grandson was a failure, Baek Jang-ho had begun contemplating a replacement.
"So, I'm giving you a name."
In the pitch-black waters, the boy was given a name: Sa-eon.
It was a dead language, a name of the dead.
A name that sent chills down his spine, as if the specter of the boy who had been cast into the water was now inescapably tied to him.
It was a night when life was extinguished, and with it, all vitality and hope were cruelly stripped away.
Walking into the grand mansion, the air was filled with the warmth of sun-dried freshness. The cloying, nauseating stench that once lingered here was nowhere to be found.
"Sa-eon has been dead for less than a month!"
A young woman's shrill scream echoed through the halls.
"How could you bring an unknown child into this house, Father?"
She collapsed to the ground, crying uncontrollably. Through her tear-blurred eyes, she locked gazes with Shim Gyu-jin. Her face immediately twisted, as if she had seen something repulsive.
"I can't. I absolutely cannot!"
Even under the weight of her father's stern voice, she continued screaming like a madwoman.
"Father, we haven't even found the body yet! We haven't even held a funeral for my child!"
"And that's why we're dredging the river, isn't it?"
"Even so, I can't... not until after the funeral—"
"Do you not understand what I'm saying?"
Baek Jang-ho's expression turned icy, his tongue clicking in irritation.
"Child, I've been waiting for you to calm down—" He lowered his gaze, looking at her coldly.
"Your child is nothing."
"...!"
"But my son must live, and my grandson must inherit this family. Compared to your useless child, my grandson's position is far more important."
Baek Jang-ho slammed his cane onto the floor with a loud thud.
"Baek Sa-eon isn't dead; his place is merely vacant for now."
"..."
"And you—if you wish to remain in your position, you must act like my daughter-in-law should. There is no room for fools in my family."
Shim Gyu-jin choked back her tears, clenching her teeth. But all she could do was lower her head.
"Unless, of course, you plan to give me another normal grandson this time?"
Shim Gyu-jin couldn't muster a single word, her body trembling all over.
And so, the "new Baek Sa-eon" filled the vacant position.
Over the next three years, Baek Jang-ho painstakingly transformed the boy—who had neither proper education nor upbringing—into a respectable figure.
He was drilled on family history, basic education, and classics such as The Art of War, Zhenguan Political Principles, and The Great Learning. Lessons also included world history, economics, and general knowledge.
This time, it was the boy's turn to struggle under the scorching sun. It was a matter of survival.
Baek Sa-eon never once resisted. He absorbed everything and grew because he had learned that, on that pitch-black riverbank, survival depended on obedience.
Even so, his gaze would always linger on Baek Jang-ho's neck.
One day, I'll snap it. Then I'll finally be free.
But unlike the original Baek Sa-eon, he wasn't foolish enough to reveal his cruelty. He always concealed it, staying calm and composed.
Because hiding was the most fundamental rule of survival.
"You're always out working and ignoring the child. That's why Sa-eon turned out like this!"
"Please, don't say such ignorant things. How can it all be my fault? I didn't raise the child alone, did I? What have you done?"
"What did you just say?"
"You're not even a shadow of your father. All you do is throw money around and drink, thinking that'll cover up your incompetence."
"You wretched woman...!"
At night, the couple's arguments would rage endlessly.
Baek Sa-eon walked expressionlessly through the dim corridor.
"Shim Gyu-jin, you should be honest with yourself. You hated that child. You're probably relieved he's dead."
"You... What did you just say...?"
"Even if your father was strict, by the age of twelve, he had already hurt countless people and killed four. How dare you unleash such a ticking time bomb into society?"
"......"
"What's the point of you teaching at the police academy now? Sooner or later, you'll be branded as 'the mother of a murderer.'"
"......"
"You're smart. You must realize it, don't you? Deep down, when Sa-eon died, you finally felt relieved!"
Before the words even settled, her husband's face was slapped hard, his head snapping to the side.
"My son was perfect! He was perfect!" she screamed hysterically.
Perhaps it all started that day. The woman, unable to shake off her depression, suddenly became obsessed with the "new" Baek Sa-eon.
"My son wouldn't eat this kind of thing."
She interfered with and forced the boy into everything.
"My son isn't interested in this."
Posture, expressions, tone, preferences, interests, cherished items... Baek Sa-eon had no choices. From that moment on, his usual meals, his favorite clothes, and his familiar belongings were removed one by one.
This home became a prison where even the right to choose was stripped away. Everything had to be done in the name of "Baek Sa-eon" until he became the perfect eldest grandson, growing up under the control of every adult who had a reason to influence him.
But he knew that everything tied to this name was a façade. Sometimes, he could barely swallow his food.
"Ugh..."
He covered his mouth, and sharp scolding followed immediately.
"What are you doing at the dining table!"
"How can you turn a stray child into one of our own? This time, you were wrong, Father."
"If you want to be like my son, then eat like him!"
Watching his repulsive family members, he found everything involving the mouth unbearable.
Even so, he endured. Because he wanted to be the one who held out to the end—the one who wasn't used but used others.
In the end, he became the son and grandson that Baek Jang-ho could be proud of, excelling in appearance, intelligence, and character.
"You're fifteen now. You'll be transferring to a new school soon. Don't cause trouble, and don't bring shame to the family."
Baek Sa-eon nodded indifferently.
What the family admired most about him was his stable temperament and calm demeanor. But in reality, everything he saw was no more than bugs.
Whenever the urge to destroy something surfaced, he quietly recalled the sensation of threading worms onto fishing hooks, one by one. That made the world feel a little easier to endure.
"Hey, class rep...! Jong-soo hurt his foot playing around on the stairs..."
"How's the work coming along?"
"Huh?"
"Jong-soo was in charge of the office, wasn't he?"
Without even glancing up from the book he was reading, he responded coldly.
He was indifferent to everything. Tired of it all. Nothing brought him joy, surprise, or fear anymore.
Over time, the boy grew increasingly numb to the world.