"Wait a minute... let's have a proper conversation...!"
- "With you? Is there anything worse than that?"
"Calm down for a second...!"
- "I think it's you who needs to calm down."
"No! I'm telling you, it's nothing like that!"

Heeju's voice rose to a hysterical pitch.

"Where did everything go wrong?

It was just a photo of a garter belt, how did it escalate into an affair?

I left room for fantasy, but why did he think I was with another man!

Why didn't he consider other possibilities, like a paparazzo, a nightclub worker or a blackmailer? Maybe the photo was taken at a party and given to someone else!

There are so many possible scenarios! Especially when it comes to someone like Baek Sa-eon, who has so many enemies...

But why did it have to be an affair...?

Heeju didn't realise how long she had been silent during the conversation. She had no idea how subtle nuances could turn the whole situation around.

She only knew how to parrot what others were saying, but her communication experience was simply too limited.

Heeju's mistake turned out to be a classic one.

All colour drained from her face.

- "406, are you still there?"

Heeju checked the timer and there wasn't much time left.

She had to find a breakthrough. Heeju didn't want her carefully crafted plan to turn into a mere love affair.

The threats had to be truly terrifying, capable of delivering a fatal blow. A fiery determination gleamed in Heeju's eyes!

"I could do this for Hong In-ah as well?"
- "......"

Baek Sa-eon's breath was suddenly choked.

"Tell Hong Heeju to leave because In-ah needs a place to return to. When Hong Heeju is gone... everything will fall into place."

Heeju's brow furrowed in painful confusion.

The words that cut into her heart left her breathless, as if she was climbing a mountain and struggling for air.

"I told you from the beginning. I told you to dump Hong Heeju and bring back your original fiancée. Don't you understand what that means?"

- "......"
"Then how did you come to this conclusion? I just showed you the photo. I didn't say anything else."
- "......"
"Could it be... are you suffering from jealousy? What's going on in your head?"

Backed into a corner, Heeju shot back sarcastically. She was taking revenge for the tension she had been under.

- "...I"

At that moment, a sharp laugh echoed through the line.

The fragmented mutterings sounded like the words of someone who had just been hit with a hard truth.

But soon a cold voice, devoid of emotion, spoke.

- "406, are you that stupid?"
"What?"
- "The last person Hong In-ah saw before she disappeared was me."
"......!"
- "Didn't Heeju tell you?"

What?

Suddenly Heeju was speechless.

Did her sister meet Baek Sa-eon before she disappeared? And as the last person to do so?

- "So don't blame Hong In-ah and make excuses. Get to the point. You're confused and can't think straight."
"......"
- "Or would it be easier for you to admit if I really had jealousy problems?"
"......!"

In truth, Heeju was too busy to digest anything.

The mention of Hong In-ah was too shocking. Her mind was in chaos and she forgot what she wanted to say.

At that moment, she was completely frozen and her resolve was shattered.

- "No matter what you do, Hong In-ah can never come back."

The certainty in his voice was frightening.

- "What are you going to do now, I wonder? I think I've just eliminated your reason for threatening me."

Baek Sa-eon spoke in an unusually soft tone, but even as he spoke, Heeju couldn't stop thinking about her sister.

What had her sister thought? What had they talked about the night before the wedding? Did Baek Sa-eon know where her sister was?

- "Then will you stop with the pointless threats?"
"I still have to threaten you..."

Before her mind could catch up, her words slipped out.

- "I expected this from you."
"Still, I'll say it for the record... we're not having an affair"
- "Is that so?"

"No matter what, I wouldn't... I'm not a home wrecker."
- "Ah... So you don't mess with married women? So we were together before she got married?"
"What? N-No... What I meant was...!"

Her eyes, which had been unfocused, suddenly sharpened. By the time she realised her mistake, it was too late to take back what she had said.

- "The world is full of filth these days. Men who harass or stalk women they've dated and even go as far as killing them... the place is full of scum".

At that moment, Heeju thought she had finally found out what had provoked him.

- "Do you know how much I despise you, 406?"

Baek Sa-eon was an ego-bound man. To get to him, you had to enter his domain. Even if it was a political marriage, the title "wife" was still part of his territory.

- It seems that 406 dislikes me just as much. Let's settle this the right way, once and for all."

Sigh...

Heeju closed her eyes tightly in surrender and decided to go with the flow.

"...But do you think Hong Heeju only has a mole on her thigh?"
-"...!"
"I had the most fun when I was with Hong Heeju."

Before the words had even landed, there was a loud crack and shatter - something had broken.

Heeju flinched for a moment, but found herself even more alert. Her voice took on a hurried tone.

"It didn't matter to you when I committed arson or pulled out teeth. I guess I should approach Hong Heeju again..."

- "Twenty billion. I'll give you twenty billion."
"What?"

The sudden offer left her speechless.

-"Instead, let's meet. Just once."
"...!"
-"Let's have a good look at 406's face."

The timer began to beep loudly.

-Looks like it's time for you to run. Why don't you hang up first?"

Fourth call.mp3

Heeju collapsed on the sofa, completely exhausted.

 

***

 

"Sir! The analysis of the nursing home's CCTV shows it's the same arsonist -!"

The door burst open and Assistant Park burst in, stopping abruptly.

Baek Sa-eon stood with his head bowed, leaning on his desk as if bearing the weight of a sin. He radiated an indescribable anger.

His neck bones and broad, mountainous shoulders were unnaturally contorted.

His upper body shook with every breath he took, resembling the jagged movements of a rugged mountain range.

"...Speaker?"

Park Do-jae approached him hesitantly. His voice was much softer than before.

"...D*mn it..."

The assistant jumped.

The reliable, deep voice, known for its precision, now spat out harsh profanities.

Baek Sa-eon crumpled up scattered documents with his fingernails, a feral grin curling his lips. The normally icy man seemed to be grappling with an alien hostility.

It was as if a sudden spark had ignited within him.

The ramblings of a disturbed soul had travelled down his throat and made him boil.

"When I was young, I had a little fishbowl."
"Yes?"

Assistant Park's eyes widened. Such an uncharacteristic preamble from Baek Sa-eon.

"The world was always greedy, noisy and annoying. But near this fishbowl, I felt at peace."
"..."
"Of all the things around me, it was the quietest. Just staring at it made it easier to breathe, for some reason."

His voice seemed eerie as he spoke.

"I definitely made good use of that fish bowl."
"..."
"That tiny thing absorbed all the noise of the world..."

The fever made his temples throb painfully.

"It was handy to have around."

Sa-eon slowly started to straighten his body.

"But then..."

His usually indifferent gaze took on something strange.

"I found out that someone else was secretly sucking from my fish bowl."
"...!"
"In that case... was the fishbowl even mine to begin with?"
"...Pardon?"

Park Do-jae was completely confused by this question. However, a skilled assistant knows how to decipher the core of a statement. Slowly he rolled his eyes in thought.

"Is this about another theft?"

Baek Sa-eon just stared at him. But it didn't seem as if he was staring at the assistant's face. Rather, he seemed to be staring at something invisible.

Park Do-jae tried to answer as best he could, depending on the mood. His boss never shared personal stories, so moments like this felt like golden opportunities to score points.

"If the fishbowl is at home, of course it's yours, sir..."

But the man's expressionless face was frightening.

"I never once took care of the bowl. I left it in plain sight, assuming it was mine."
"..."
"I forgot it had a will."

He tilted his head and let out a dry laugh.

Park Do-jae quickly covered his shock. Everyone has objects they are sentimentally attached to. But his boss always had strange tendencies.

Then again, maybe it was a good thing he was talking about a fishbowl and not a woman. Otherwise it would have been unbearable for her to endure his icy wrath.

"That filthy..."

The man muttered as he quickly pulled on his jacket.

His assistant instinctively knew there was only one thing to say.

"If it's just water, you can always refill it."