when the phone rings novel
"—Live freely for the rest of your life, and think of me once in a while."
Hong Hee-joo, who was just about to do a pile of laundry, froze mid-action and finally dropped the clothes in her hands. His words were always cryptic and obscure, but she felt she couldn't ignore this signal.
Her feet moved instinctively, and there was no time to dwell on old wounds.
It can't end like this...
Just as she was about to grab her coat and car keys, the phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, she answered immediately.
"Where are you? Are you near the memorial hall?" her sister shouted.
Hee-joo said "No" and tapped twice on her tablet.
Her sister's tone softened suddenly, hesitating.
"...Have you seen the news?"
Hee-joo recalled that her sister had been the first to break the exclusive report.
"I tried to find out who the woman was, but I couldn't."
"..."
"The woman's voice in the recording file was completely cut out."
Hong In A sounded frustrated.
"I don't know if it's to protect that woman or what."
Angrily, her sister muttered, "I should've stopped this marriage from the start...!"
"Don't come here, stay home today...! The place is packed with reporters. There's nowhere to stand, it's too strange."
Her sister's voice carried a tinge of urgency.
"Ha... Why do I feel so uneasy?"
Her breathing grew rapid, as if she was running.
"Who is Baek Sa-eon with? All the reporters are here, so who is he doing the live broadcast with?"
Hee-joo grabbed a coat and stepped into the living room.
"Ha, seriously... Was I too trusting? Ha, I'm losing my mind. What is going on?"
Hong In A moved the receiver away briefly, then suddenly asked, "Hee-joo, has Baek Sa-eon been acting strange lately?"
Hee-joo frantically tapped on her tablet. Her sister hesitated again before sighing.
"...I'm sorry, but that scandalous article... it was based on a report from your husband."
"...!"
What?
Who... reported it?
"But now that I think about it, it's strange. Why would Baek Sa-eon do something so self-destructive? He's not that kind of person."
Hee-joo stood frozen, hypnotized, and turned on the TV.
"The press conference has started, but the reporters can't get in...! We're stuck in the screening hall? Then who's running the broadcast?"
Hong In A spoke as she glanced at her noisy colleagues around her.
"Have you noticed anything unusual at home?"
At that moment, Hee-joo's gaze fixed on the TV screen.
" The other party is not my mistress. I have never betrayed the duties and trust of my marriage. Just these baseless speculations are enough to leave me feel displeased."
Hearing this blatant lie, she felt a sharp twist in her stomach.
"My wife is the 406 referenced in the recording."
"...!"
What?
What did he just say?
What—?!
Her sister's scream came through the receiver, but Hee-joo couldn't respond.
406... is his wife? He knows?
Since when?
Hee-joo stood motionless, paralyzed.
Now. I need to see him now. I need to meet him again...!
Did he always know?
He knew everything, yet still talked to me like that on the phone...!
Frantically, Hee-joo started searching for her car keys.
"I am neither the son of Candidate Baek Yi-ryong nor the grandson of Baek Jang-ho."
"I am the illegitimate son of the late Jang-ho, born when he was seventy years old."
Her hands stopped rummaging through the drawer, and she blinked slowly.
"Although my origins may raise more questions, there's one thing I can tell you."
"..."
"I am a woman's husband. This is the only identity and status I've earned for myself."
Her search for the car keys stopped abruptly, and her vision blurred. Her hands fumbled uselessly, picking up and dropping irrelevant items.
"Finally, if I were to become part of the Baek family—"
"...!"
Her eyes widened. This was their code, a briefing meant solely for her.
"Find me."
At that exact moment, the live broadcast abruptly cut off.
"...!"
Her legs gave out beneath her, trembling with a sudden wave of foreboding.
She had to find him.
We've never had a proper conversation. We've never said the important things.
Fear of losing him had always made her weak, calculating, hesitant.
Were you as afraid as I was? Could that have been love?
Just as she finally grabbed her car keys, Hee-joo glanced out the large window and saw an unusual sight.
Black smoke billowed into the blue sky, rising rapidly.
Where is that coming from...?
Her thoughts were blank as she stared.
Where is Baek Sa-eon right now?
At the same time, her sister's panicked screams came through the phone.
"An explosion...! There's been an explosion at the memorial hall...!"
"Explosion at Baek Jang-ho Memorial Hall under investigation (Breaking News)."
"Accident or act of terrorism? Gas pipeline explosion suspected (Breaking News)."
The news alerts came relentlessly as Hee-joo drove, her fingers trembling uncontrollably. Her lips were bitten raw, and her pale complexion made her look like a ghost.
"Ugh..."
She dialed Baek Sa-eon repeatedly, but there was no answer.
When she finally arrived, the Baek Jang-ho Memorial Hall was in complete chaos.
Ambulances, firefighters, and police officers swarmed the scene. Reporters were held back behind yellow caution tape, shouting into their phones.
One wall of the building had completely collapsed, and the structure was half-destroyed. Bent steel rods jutted out of the crumbled concrete like exposed bones. Dust and debris fell intermittently, causing people to cough incessantly.
The acrid smell made Hee-joo feel dizzy.
"You can't go in! Step back!"
A police officer blocked her path.
"I-I..." she stammered, stomping her foot in frustration as she tried to form words.
"There could be residual explosions or further collapses. Please follow instructions!"
Hee-joo bit her lip and reluctantly took a few steps back.
Where is he...?!
Even as she was jostled by the crowd, she stubbornly lingered near the ambulances.
Please, please be safe...
The swirling dust made her vision blurry, like a lost child wandering aimlessly.
Where should I go? Where...?
The once-majestic building was now unrecognizable, its former dignity reduced to ruins. The sky remained veiled in gray smoke.
Then, amidst the haze, she caught sight of a familiar figure.
"...!"
Stretching her neck, Hee-joo pushed through the crowd to follow the figure.
It was her mother-in-law, Shim Gyu-jin.
Shim Gyu-jin stood motionless, her face blank as she stared at the collapsed building. Her hair and shoulders were coated in a thick layer of cement dust.
Hee-joo rushed over, and Shim Gyu-jin, hearing the commotion, turned her head.
"Child—"
Her eyes were bloodshot and red.
"...W-what is happening..."
Seeing the almost-crying expression on her mother-in-law's face, Hee-joo was at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.
The truth—that the real culprit was the true Baek Sa-eon, and the man impersonating him was Baek Jang-ho's illegitimate son—left Hee-joo in turmoil, unsure how to face her mother-in-law.
"Actually... isn't he your brother-in-law?"
"...!"
Shim Gyu-jin's trembling lips formed a strange smile.
Hee-joo was startled but quickly found herself grabbed by the wrist.
"Ah...!"
Her mother-in-law's grip was strong.
Shim Gyu-jin pulled Hee-joo into a tight embrace, burying her face in Hee-joo's shoulder.
"Child, the most important part of negotiations is waiting. That's what I learned, and what I've taught my whole life. So, I decided to live quietly."
Her voice was sharp, cutting into Hee-joo's ears like a blade.
"Until I can give my son the most magnificent funeral."
"...!"
"Endure it. Just endure it a little longer..."
Her shoulders appeared to tremble, as if she were crying, but Hee-joo knew better. She wasn't crying—she was laughing.
That chilling, soft laughter coursed through Hee-joo's entire body.
"Now, everyone knows about Baek Sa-eon's death, don't they?"
"...!"
"Everyone will know my son is dead."
Her voice was filled with bitterness, cold and unyielding.
"So, take back that useless phone."
Shim Gyu-jin whispered into Hee-joo's ear.
Hee-joo froze like a trapped animal, unable to move.
"Ah... ah..."
Her stiff neck slowly twisted, like a gnarled tree branch, until her gaze met her mother-in-law's slightly curved eyes.
"Child, hurry up."
Shim Gyu-jin's hand suddenly slid into Hee-joo's coat pocket and, moments later, retrieved the phone used for negotiations.
Mother... My mother-in-law...
Hee-joo's lips moved soundlessly.
Shim Gyu-jin ran her fingers meaningfully over the phone, her expression inscrutable. Her face was a mix of cold ruthlessness and profound sorrow.
"Such a fool."
Several years ago, Shim Gyu-jin had met the son she had thought dead in prison.
It happened after the company began receiving an overwhelming number of persistent calls.
The joy of their reunion was short-lived.
Her son was incarcerated for multiple violent crimes and attempted murder.
Her biological son—his nails blackened, his body reeking of blood and sweat.
When she saw him screaming, "Mom, Mom—!" she merely frowned slightly.