when the phone rings novel
"Until I can give my son the most magnificent funeral."
How had she managed all these years? Shim Gyu-jin endured humiliation during every ancestral rite, fueled by hatred for her father-in-law.
When Baek Jang-ho pointed at her with his pale lips and said, "That child is a monster in human skin," shame had consumed her.
His fear seemed to blame her entirely: "It's because of you that such a monster was born."
Every time she recalled that moment, Shim Gyu-jin ground her teeth in rage. Not a single moment had been free of disgrace.
Grabbing a clueless child like catching a rat could only warp him further. A child who should have been embraced with love had instead been ruthlessly taught harsh lessons. The outcome was inevitable.
Whenever she saw the imposter boy grow up perfectly, her fists clenched until they turned white.
My son was once just as perfect...!
She hated watching Baek Sa-eon, the imposter, climb higher using her son's name. Yet, she also hoped he would become even more famous.
Why? So that when "Baek Sa-eon" finally had his funeral, it would be mourned by everyone with true sincerity.
Her inability to hold a proper funeral for her son was the one thorn lodged in her heart.
Shim Gyu-jin wore the mask of a capable, devoted mother while quietly planning in the shadows.
In this sense, her negotiation consulting company had been an excellent cover. Regular dealings with criminals expanded her network.
But her goal never wavered: the funeral. She had been slowly and meticulously preparing for Baek Sa-eon's funeral, intending to reclaim the name once and for all.
"Grandfather killed me..."
When her son had smiled and said those words, Shim Gyu-jin finally understood after all this time.
Ah...
The lie her father-in-law had told—that her son drowned while playing in the water—was not the greatest shock she'd suffered.
The real blow came from within herself.
When she heard the news of her son's death, her first emotion hadn't been sorrow—it had been relief.
As a mother, she had felt relief, and that realization was a devastating betrayal of her own soul.
She had wept ambiguous tears, gently caressing her son's rough face.
Acknowledging herself as an unworthy mother filled her with guilt, which only deepened her hatred for others.
Gradually, she forgot her own failings and became consumed with revenge.
But in the end, she circled back to where she had started.
She tried to reassign work and train her troubled son, whose life was a chaotic mess, but he continued to create problems with violence.
Her resolve grew firmer: Baek Sa-eon's funeral.
Her ultimate goal had never changed.
"I don't need a troublesome biological son, nor do I need a competent imposter."
"...!"
Hee-joo's pupils trembled violently.
"I don't need either of them."
Shim Gyu-jin squinted as if she were gazing into the collapsed ruins of a building.
The negotiation phone falling into her daughter-in-law's hands had been an unexpected variable.
Hee-joo's accidental slip was also unforeseen, but she could not control her biological son's erratic cruelty or his obsession with reclaiming the lost name.
How foolish.
He had once died at his grandfather's hands, yet he continued to trust his family without doubt.
He naively believed he deserved the name "Baek Sa-eon."
"I've grown sick of being called 'Mother'."
Though the press conference had been sudden, Shim Gyu-jin had always intended to destroy the Baek Jang-ho Memorial Hall herself. Advancing the timeline slightly was no issue.
"As a crisis negotiation expert, I've been useful, but as Shim Gyu-jin the mother, I've been a sinner. But why should I bear this burden?"
Tears streamed down her face as she tightened her embrace around Hee-joo.
"A mother isn't someone who sacrifices. A mother is someone who must recover herself, no matter what."
Her voice, though choked with emotion, sounded like that of a demon gnashing its teeth.
"Today is that day."
"..."
"Today is the day I take back my happiness. I should be laughing."
Hee-joo felt suffocated, for her own reasons.
Whose silence was more... powerful? Whose silence was darker and more profound?
Her heart pounded relentlessly.
Amidst the onslaught of brutal truths, Hee-joo could only think of one thing:
Where are you right now? Who is beside you now? Who has been by your side all these years?
She wanted to shatter the silence surrounding him and convey her feelings.
Unlike everyone else, my silence comes from love.
Summoning all her strength, Hee-joo tore herself free from Shim Gyu-jin's grip.
"...Even if you cruelly abandoned him, I will find him."
She wanted to run to him with everything she had.
The black mourning attire reflected in the mirror felt oddly unfamiliar.
"..."
Hee-joo stared expressionlessly at her own face before clipping a white hairpin into her hair.
The hairpin seemed too tight, and a sudden sharp pain radiated from her scalp.
She reached up to remove it, only to find her hair tangled around it, a messy knot holding it in place.
After several struggles, she finally managed to pull the hairpin out and tossed it onto the floor.
In that moment, even such a small matter unsettled her deeply, and tears welled up in her eyes, beyond her control.
Yet, the funeral staff gave her no time to breathe.
"The standard full-color portrait is 90,000 won, the mid-tier color portrait is 70,000 won. The A-set altar offerings are 300,000 won, while the B-set is 250,000 won."
"..."
"The floral arrangements for the altar range from Design 1 at 2 million won, Design 2 at 1.8 million won, Design 3 at 1.5 million won, down to the most affordable Design 8 at 550,000 won."
"..."
"And for the urn, there's..."
The long list of options gradually blurred in her mind.
She didn't even have time to properly grieve—she had to make all the decisions herself.
She had never prepared a meal for him, never picked out a tie for him, yet now she had to choose a hearse and an urn for him.
The thought made her stomach churn.
"Baek Sa-eon, Blue House Spokesperson, Dies in Explosion."
"One Dead, Several Injured in Baek Jang-ho Memorial Hall Explosion."
"President Orders Thorough Investigation into Incident."
The man who had seemingly vanished into thin air.
All of it felt like a dream.
"..."
The sharp scent of incense.
A continuous stream of condolence wreaths.
As a private family funeral, mourners had been carefully screened.
Outside the venue, camera flashes went off incessantly.
Meanwhile, Shim Gyu-jin had disappeared.
Her sister had mentioned that during the documentary screening, all the Baek family's scandals had been exposed.
Bodies discovered near the fishing grounds, Baek Jang-ho's atrocities, and even footage incriminating Shim Gyu-jin's consulting company.
Most shocking of all was the revelation that Baek Jang-ho had killed his own grandson, covered up the truth, and placed his illegitimate son in the family's care.
The nation was stunned by the downfall of a man once revered as a national icon.
The world had turned completely upside down.
And now, the only one left to hold vigil at the funeral hall was Hee-joo.
In the end, they were all despicable people.
"Hee-joo."
Through the sea of reporters' flashing cameras, her family arrived.
Chairman Hong, her mother, and her sister all bore somber expressions.
After paying their respects in turn, they stood silently for a moment.
The sudden and shocking news had left both SanKyung Daily and their family reeling.
"What are you planning to do next?"
As she stared silently at his portrait, her mother abruptly spoke up.
"You're suddenly a widow. How do you plan to live from here on?"
"..."
Hee-joo remained speechless, staring blankly as her mother patted her on the chest.
"I told you, didn't I? You've inherited the worst part of my fate—the part about changing husbands. How could this happen...!"
Wrinkles began to form faintly on her mother's forehead.
"Just follow Chairman Hong's guidance."
"..."
"There's nothing to lose. Listen to your mother and get to know the man Chairman Hong introduces you to, and help with the business as well."
"..."
"Because of Candidate Baek's scandal, we've also suffered significant setbacks."
Hee-joo stared blankly at her mother, who always repeated the same refrain.
Her husband's body was nothing but remnants—fragments she hadn't yet seen.
The man who had died in an instant of explosive fire couldn't yet be cremated again.
And yet... what was her mother even talking about right now?
The cage her mother had woven around her life was finally starting to crack and crumble.
"...Help with what?"
Her raspy voice flowed out, dry and strained.
"...What exactly am I supposed to help with?"
Her mother's expression turned strange.
Her eyes widened suddenly in shock, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"You, you..."
"Mother."
"..."
"Stop spouting nonsense."
Her voice was parched, like a barren desert.
Standing there alone in mourning clothes, she felt as though there was nothing left to fear.
Silence had been her way of living with the sword still sheathed.
She had endured countless blows because she never drew the blade, year after year.
To her, silence had been a show of submission, an attempt to earn her mother's love.
But now she understood.
Her heart pounded in her chest, urging her forward.
Draw the sword. Reclaim your voice. Become an adult, Hong Hee-joo.
Even if it hurts, even if she ends up in the mud.
So be it.
It had to be done.
"Don't think about using me to help Chairman Hong's business."
Her eyes were red as she spoke, her voice trembling with intensity.
"You... when did you start—"
"Don't think about using me for anything."
"..."
"Are you my pimp?"
Her mother's face turned beet red, her breaths short and furious.
"You, you...! How dare you speak to your mother like this—!"
"Why not?"
Hee-joo stood abruptly, grabbing her mother's shoulders with force.
She stared directly into her mother's eyes, severing the spell that Kim Yeon-hee had cast over her in the past.