The clock struck 11 p.m.

Brrrring, brrrring.

With a lifeless expression, Heeju raised the negotiation phone to her ear.

"I heard she spent years in Germany undergoing some surgery."

"Apparently, she can hear well now."

"It looks like your role here is done."

It felt as if the tether holding Baek Sa-eon’s hand to hers had abruptly snapped.

“When my sister arrives…”

A shadow like me would disappear with one blow.

That familiar resignation crept over her like fear.

Perhaps that’s why. The threatening calls, the desperate pursuit of divorce—all of it seemed meaningless now.

A sorrowful night, where her resolve and certainty had vanished.

Brrrring, brrrring.

In the suffocating terror of drifting away with nothing to cling to, she reached out for something, anything.

Why not something bad? Something that didn’t require pretense or morality—where she could shatter as much as she wanted.

Thankfully, she had just the thing.

“Hello.”

The words escaped her lips almost on their own.

“Seems the Blue House spokesperson is secretly trading in tabloid gossip.”

Her hand clutching the phone grew cold.

Ugh, this is disgusting.

Would any of this even matter?

Had she been chasing a foolish dream all along?

“I’ll expose it all…”

—Ah, so sweet.

His voice was cold, yet laced with a faint chuckle.

“All I need to do is gather the dirtiest bits about you and blow it wide open…”

—I thought you ran off scared, but here you are calling back immediately.

“…!”

—I hoped you’d realize how terrifying the world can be and stop, but honestly, I was worried when I didn’t hear from you. After all, I still want to screw around with 406. Let’s make sure to schedule these threats properly.

…What is he even saying?

Sarcasm? Mockery?

Heeju blinked in confusion, unable to process his words.

—Unless you’ve found another victim besides me?

The thought of her sister, In-ah, vanished from her mind in an instant.

—I’ve been waiting so earnestly for my scary blackmailer. Can you imagine how disappointed I’d be if you started fooling around with someone else?

“…!”

—Wouldn’t it be fun to focus all your attention on just one guy? You can’t mess with more than one—where’s the thrill in that?

She was utterly baffled.

She was the blackmailer here—what was he talking about?

—If you’re this unreliable, maybe we should just call it quits. I’ve been starving while waiting for you, but in the meantime, are you having fun with someone else?

“What… No, it’s not like that…”

—If not, how are you going to make it up to me? I can’t stand people who show up late, and blackmailers are no exception.

A faint sound of a cigarette being lit reached her ears, the filter burning under the ember.

—Of course, there has to be a penalty.

“What?”

She found herself unconsciously using formal speech.

—What are you wearing right now?

The overheated phone felt sticky against her palm.

—How about we start by taking something off?

It was an absurd, humiliating suggestion.

"I’m curious about Hong Heeju’s language."

"Baek Seo-bang, have you met someone else?"

"Your sister is coming back."

Her chest burned with a black, smoldering anxiety.

The relentless weight of the situation, pressing down on her from inside and out, was unbearable.

For just one second, she didn’t want to think about how pathetic and miserable she felt.

She didn’t want to feel anything at all.

But Baek Sa-eon, like a lit match to a pile of dry tinder, kept provoking her.

And finally, the flames ignited.

“What if I just strip right now?” she snapped.

—…!

She yanked her pants off in one swift motion, a twisted grin curling her lips.

“What could you even do, sitting there, unable to touch me?”

—What’s the best sex you’ve ever had?

Despite her mocking tone, he remained calm and composed, his voice steady and mature.

That low, resonant voice made her ears burn.

Of course, this kind of conversation was her kryptonite.

“Well, uh…”

She didn’t want to half-heartedly avoid the question, but…

The mere fact that her husband, Baek Sa-eon, was asking her—406—about something like this infuriated her even more.

He was genuinely curious, which made it worse.

Frowning deeply, she struggled to come up with an answer.

“I guess… when I was angry.”

—…!

“When I was so angry that I just did it.”

—…

The line went silent for a moment, though she thought she could hear the faint sound of a sharp inhale.

—So, you like rough sex?

“Maybe.”

—…

“It’s cathartic, you know? I used to think I didn’t have any desire at all, but when I’m angry, I just want to mess around, do bad things, curse…”

—…

“To forget everything.”

—Who made you that angry?

“My husband.”

—…!

“I’m married to a total bastard. Like you.”

She heard a faint cough, distant as if he’d pulled the phone away from his face.

—So, your husband is a bastard to 406 too?

“Yeah,” she said flatly.

“This marriage was doomed from the start.”

—…

“It was never going to work.”

Saying it out loud made her eyes sting.

It felt like admitting her storehouse was completely empty, laying bare her hollowness.

And though she’d spent years worrying about her sister, the fact that she couldn’t fully welcome her return only added to her shame and guilt. She was a mess.

“So right now, I just don’t want to think about anything.”

—…

“I’m already bare-legged. What’s next?”

—…!

A suppressed sigh escaped him, thin and threadlike.

Though she couldn’t see his face, she was certain he’d just rubbed it with both hands in frustration.

She was getting good at reading him.

—…Start by sucking your fingers.

“What?”

—Wet your index and middle fingers and move them lower.

It was an unfamiliar, mortifying suggestion.

But shutting her eyes tightly, she wriggled her arm beneath the blanket.

Sensing her subtle movements, his voice dropped even lower, coaxing her forward.

—Where are your hands now?

“My… my belly button.”

A cold sweat broke out as her thighs instinctively parted. His voice pressed on, relentless.

—Lower.

“…!”

—Keep going.

“….”

—Even lower.

She inhaled sharply.

—Can you feel it?

Her hand brushed against soft flesh, sending a strange sensation coursing through her.

“Mm…”

Her lips parted as a quiet moan slipped out. She couldn’t tell if the sensation was uncomfortable or pleasant, but it was unlike anything she’d ever felt before.

—Keep going.

His voice, darker and more urgent, spurred her on.

—What do you feel?

“Uh… it’s soft…”

—Now try it on your own.

As her hand explored further, heat spread through her back, and her breaths grew short. Embarrassed moans began to escape her lips involuntarily.

Discovering this new sensation in her own body was surprising enough, but his commanding tone, laced with authority, made her pulse race even faster.

—Lower your hand again.

“Ahh…”

*—As you move, press deeper…”

“Mm…”

Her body grew warmer, her legs spreading wider without shame. Though she didn’t know exactly what she needed, she felt herself yearning for something more.

“Ah… more… just a little more…”

—You’ll have to do it yourself. I can’t come there to help you.

His strained voice added an edge to the moment.

“Haah…”

—Damn.

A muttered curse slipped from his lips. Though it made her flinch slightly, it only heightened the tension in her trembling body. Her heart pounded, leaving heavy thuds in her chest.

—Keep going.

“I… I can’t… anymore…”

—Are you scared?

“Yes…”

—Don’t whine over something this minor.

But as their intimate conversation grew heavier, another emotion began to stir within her. The more her body heated up, the more disappointment began to bloom.

After all, he was saying these things to a faceless stranger.

That thought struck her pride like a fist.

“No, I prefer when someone else does it for me…”

—…

“I…”

She thought back to the only explicit lyrics she’d ever read.

“I like it big.”

—…

“And I like other things too…”

—…

A breathy sound—either a sigh or a laugh—came through the receiver, but she couldn’t focus on it. Her body and mind were on separate planes, lost in a hazy fog.

“Someone who goes deep. That’s the kind of man I like. Someone else has to touch me…”

*—Then call that bastard. Your husband.”

“…!”

*—Ask him to do it. He’d probably come running.”

“W-What? No, that’s not…”

*—With a wife as pretty as you, 406, how could he resist?”

“My husband… wouldn’t.”

At Heeju's resolute rejection, his voice suddenly turned rough, scraping against her like sandpaper.

"Fine. Then do it with me. Listen to my voice and do it every night."

“Ah…!”

Her wrist ached, but she didn’t stop moving. The overwhelming sensation surged through her, spiraling up to the very tips of her hair.

Her heat-blurred eyes stared at the empty air above her, unfocused and hazy.

“It feels like you’re right here with me…”

—…

“Like you’re the one touching me…”

When she closed her eyes, the illusion became stronger.

“Haa, haa, ahh…!”

But as her vision cleared, a sudden coldness seeped into her chest, chilling her from the inside out.

The fleeting mirage, the false satisfaction—it all felt like a cruel reflection of her own miserable situation.

Her breaths, once heaving with intensity, deflated into shallow sighs of disillusionment. The emptiness weighed heavily on her, leaving her dazed and lost.

And in that moment of vulnerability, the door burst open with a startling crash.

“...!”

Heeju froze, her entire body seizing up as if caught in a guilty act. The blanket slipped off her shoulders, leaving her feeling exposed as she whipped her head toward the source of the intrusion.

A shadow loomed in the doorway.

“Hong Heeju.”

Baek Sa-eon’s deep voice cut through the heavy silence like a knife.

“W-What?” she stammered, her breath hitching. Scrambling, she clutched at the blanket, pulling it hastily over her trembling frame. His footsteps were slow, deliberate, each one carrying the weight of his unwavering presence.

Without saying another word, he closed the door firmly behind him, the soft click echoing ominously in the dim room.

The air between them crackled with tension, his piercing gaze burning into hers, even through the darkness.