When The Phone Rings

Chapter 68

The jeep's glass, already riddled with bullet holes, shattered completely as it collided with the water’s surface. Baek Saeon held Heeju tightly, curling his body around hers protectively.

Within moments, the freezing water rushed in, filling the vehicle up to their chins.

"No one’s dying here."

He ground out the words through gritted teeth, his pale face brushing roughly against hers as the icy current battered them both.

The suffocating river water offered no mercy, stealing even the brief chance to take a breath. The cold was so intense it felt like it could stop their hearts instantly.

Distant sirens faintly echoed through the haze, but Heeju’s senses grew dim.

Baek Saeon’s hair floated in front of her, strands drifting like seaweed in the murky depths. His face, pale and eerily serene, hovered inches away in the water’s embrace.

This man is afraid of water, a voice whispered urgently in her mind.

He’s terrified of rivers!

"Please…!"

The desperate plea reverberated through her foggy consciousness, jolting her awake. Her eyes flew open, and air bubbles burst from her lips as she gasped.

The Chief, who had managed to escape the vehicle first, reached through the open passenger door to help them.

Clenching her jaw, Heeju grabbed Baek Saeon’s unconscious body and pulled him out with all her strength.

As the river carried them upward, he coughed violently, expelling the water he’d inhaled. His body stiffened, and his limbs flailed, a clear sign of panic.

Heeju cupped his face, her hands trembling but firm. She tapped her pinky against her chin, signing with deliberate calm.

"It’s okay."

Tap-tap. "It’s okay." Tap-tap.

Please hear me.

Baek Saeon, caught in the grips of panic, blinked hazily and looked at her as if she were part of a dream.

Holding him close, Heeju kicked furiously toward the surface.

Breathe.

We’ll have the conversations we missed.

We’ll say everything we need to.

The glimmer of light above grew closer. Behind them, the jeep sank deeper into the depths, vanishing entirely. Heeju pushed herself harder, her legs burning with exertion.

But as they neared the surface, her strength began to falter.

"No…"

Just when she thought she couldn’t go on, she felt a tap under her chin.

"…!"

Baek Saeon had regained his senses and was now tapping his pinky against her chin in reassurance.

Oh…!

A shiver ran through her.

In this moment, she had reached him—entered his nightmare—and they were finally connected.

With newfound strength, he wrapped a powerful arm around her waist, propelling them upward in a swift, decisive motion.

Splash!

They broke through the surface, gasping for air.

"Hah…! Hah…!"

Heeju heaved, gulping in the sweet oxygen as the cacophony of the world rushed back in—a mixture of shouts, sirens, and splashing water.

She looked toward the shore and saw government forces swarming the scene, taking control of the chaos.

Still holding her firmly, Baek Saeon waded through the water and carried her to dry land.

Dripping wet and visibly exhausted, he set her down, his expression unreadable.

Their breaths came hard and fast, their eyes locking with an intensity that refused to waver.

"Baek Saeon is gone now," he said at last, water dripping from his hair in slow, deliberate beads.

"The real Baek Saeon—my cursed nephew—is no longer here. I brought him to this hellhole, and…"

"…!"

Though his words were clipped, the weight of his meaning was clear. He had brought the true perpetrator to this battlefield, where bullets flew and chaos reigned.

"So, I’m nothing now. No name, no legacy, nothing to wrap myself in. I was raised by a fisherman, and I’ve hated people from the start."

For the first time, his raw, unvarnished self was laid bare before her.

"This is who I really am—someone with no permission, no right to exist."

He was no longer the polished elite—the spokesperson for a nation, the son of a political dynasty. Just a man, soaking wet and stripped of all pretense.

"I fell in love at first sight," Heeju said softly, her weak fist thudding against his arm.

"When you cried back then... when I saw you crying, I…"

Her voice trembled as she wiped her tear-streaked face. She wasn’t crying out of relief for surviving; it was because she still had a chance to speak her truth.

"I was nine years old. And I’ve been in love with you for twenty years."

"…!"

"For twenty years, I’ve only had eyes for you."

Baek Saeon visibly flinched.

"To me, you weren’t the grandson of a prime minister or the son of a congressman."

"…"

"The person I wanted to see again was the boy who hid in alleys to cry, the boy who skipped meals, the boy haunted by nightmares."

"…!"

"That wasn’t Baek Saeon."

He crumpled his face as if in pain, the expression almost frightening in its intensity.

"And the man who kissed Sagong Yuk—"

Before she could finish, a firm hand gripped the back of her head.

His lips crushed against hers, relentless and consuming.

His tongue pressed against hers, slow and deliberate, exploring every inch of her mouth with a ferocity that left her breathless.

Their wet clothes clung to each other as the kiss deepened, their bodies instinctively leaning closer.

"I…!"

Heeju gasped when their lips finally parted, her chest heaving with exertion.

"When I was a kid, I ate snacks out of the trash."

"What?"

"And… and… I snore really loudly!"

"…"

"Those are my flaws."

Her cheeks flushed as she looked away.

"So, what I’m trying to say is…"

Words failed her. She had never been good at expressing herself, not outside of threats or demands. This kind of honest conversation felt foreign, awkward.

"From now on, I want to live my life telling you everything. No more secrets."

"…"

"I want to talk about everything—our thoughts, our feelings. We have so much to catch up on."

"I don’t think we need words."

"What?"

The sudden response caught her off guard.

"I mean, in our relationship, I don’t think words are really necessary."

"…No, conversations are important in marriage—"

"I love you."

His voice cracked, quiet but undeniable. Heeju froze.

"I love you, Hong Heeju."

Behind him, the setting sun painted the sky in hues of red and gold, casting his face in a strange, radiant light.

There was no smile, just an expression tightly wound with suppressed emotion, like a wound left open under the fiery glow.

And it was beautiful.

She couldn’t look away, not even for a second.

"I see now. We don’t need any more words."

As she reached for him, he pulled her into another kiss, deeper and more desperate.

Their lips tangled, their breaths mingling, the taste of salt and longing shared between them.

"Hah…"

Her entire body shuddered. When he finally pulled back, he let out a low, breathy chuckle, brushing his forehead against hers.

As the night fell, their bodies remained entwined, the unspoken promises of their shared future lingering in the air.

*The End*