“Are you cra—!”

“It’s the price to pay for bossing your superior around to get you a drink out of boredom. You cheeky thing.” Si-Jin berated while tilting his head straight down at her. Na-Yool pushed him away and looked at the end of the hallway. Still no one.

“But in the end, I couldn’t even get a drink…” She muttered in bewilderment.

“We settled it with the 10,000-won bill.”

“You’re right, but still, ah, for real… we must be careful…”

She flustered, unsure herself if she either liked or not the fact that he was not careful enough. As though he knew her mind, Si-Jin lifted her by the waist to lean towards him.

It was then that Na-Yool’s phone rang.

Both of their gaze simultaneously turned to the cellphone. Na-Yool calmly picked it up, concealing her uneasiness. The thought that it might not be what she thinks it is instantly disappeared as she looked at the screen.

Another unknown number. [T/N: Talent for harassment runs deep in this family…!]

“What are you doing?”

“……”

“Not answering?”

Si-Jin’s voice jerked Na-Yool out of her daze. She looked up at him with some surprise, then hurriedly hung up the call. Si-Jin raised an eyebrow in question.

“… I don’t answer phone numbers I am not familiar with.”

“What if it’s work?”

“……”

Maybe she was too preoccupied by the call that she did not hear him, nor noticed his changing expression. Consequently, when the phone rang once again, the phone got snatched by Si-Jin.

“What—!”

Taken aback, Na-Yool squeezed out a cry, but Si-Jin was already holding the phone next to his ear.

– Ms. Na-Yool, how can someone do such a thing! What, I can’t even call you? Scared I would harm you too?! Uh?! People are apologizing, and you can’t even bother to answer?!

“……”

– Aren’t I apologizing! I threw away my pride and confessed my son was wrong and that he was sorry! Ms. Na-Yool, don’t you have a mother too? I painstakingly gave birth to my Sang-Hoon at 33. I’m saying I’m even older than your mom! Did your parents teach you that? To be rude to your elders?!

“……”

– You used to call me “Mother, mother” when you were about to get married, yet now you ignore me?! Why do you make us feel so miserable! Was it not enough to cart my son out of his normal life off to jail?!

The corner where the vending machine was located was so quiet that not even the voices from the offices could be heard. Only between them, a woman’s voice over the phone resonated loud and clear.

What felt miserable was Na-Yool’s present self. Even without this call, she already had had enough shameful moments witnessed by him. Like that day at the police station… Si-Jin cold glare slowly landed on her. She bit her lips. He quietly pressed somewhere on the screen while staring at Na-Yool.

–So now you’re openly ignoring me while picking up my calls? I can’t believe the audacity of this wench! To begin with, I know you two broke up because Sang-Hoon caught you cheating on him! Do you know how much Sang-Hoon must love you to seek you out because he still want you back, despite being such a whore! My innocent son, he fell for a wretched creature who ended up ruining his life, and what? You don’t even have time to answer one call?! After turning my son into a criminal for something he did not do?!

“…Give me the phone.” [T/N: It’s Na-Yool talking to Si-Jin]

– But my son, he keeps on protecting you despite everything! Despite being incriminated by a cheater, he keeps saying he is fine, but when I ask him to meet, he does not even dare… It truly breaks my heart! I really indulged you, you know. Motherly love blinds me, and everything my son likes, I like it too. Just looking at your pictures was enough to find you sweet and lovely! I must have been out of my mind, really. I should have stopped him as soon as he mentioned marriage. Do you think I will let you be after ruining my Sang-Hoon’s life?!

“I beg you, give me the phone.”

– Do you think I’ll let you sleep soundly while my only son becomes a felon?! I even know where you work. I’ll go to your company and make sure you can’t even show up your face there, mark my words!

“……”

– To begin with, weren’t you the one who threw her body at Sang-Hoon without even being married yet!  With a woman giving her body just like this, of course Sang-Hoon will respond! Because that’s what your relationship was, he had no choice. If you had not behaved so cheaply, then obviously my Sang-Hoon would not have—

“Hello.”

Despite Na-Yool’s earnest pleading, Si-Jin slowly broke from his silence. Na-Yool helplessly buried her head.

– Who is this?! Who are you, to answer this call!

“About that, you can ask your son. Is this your real number?”

– I asked who you are!

“Doesn’t seem so. It’s different from the number I saw yesterday… right?”

Si-Jin’s questioning suddenly aimed at Na-Yool. She neither confirmed or denied. Si-Jin put his attention back to the caller.

“Someone will soon call you back on your real number. The rest can be discussed with my attorney—”

– You, who the hell are you!

“I suggest you better find out for yourself why your son cannot dare to face you. Then your heart will finally have a real reason to break.”

– You’re him, right?! The bastard she had an affair with!

“You’ll meet this humble bastard in court soon. As I’ll sue both the son and the mother.”

– …What do you…

“Thanks to your lack of judgment due to your poor upbringing, everything got well recorded.”

– ……What?

“Thank you. That will be all.”

Someone’s shout was heard over the phone, but Si-Jin resolutely hung up, and even thoroughly copied the phone number to text it to his own phone before handing back her cellphone to Na-Yool.

Na-Yool, however, still had her head buried down and did not notice. Si-Jin simply kept the phone as though it was not necessary that she get it back anyway.

“…You did not have to do that.” She murmured.

“I certainly hope you did not silently listen to this crap talk before.”

“I did not.”

“Yeah, even this kind of lie is fine.”

“It is not a lie…”

“Because just the thought that you endured listening to this fucking rubbish drives me mad.”

Na-Yool replied with a deep sigh.

“I am really not lying… The calls kept coming, but I ignored them. That’s why she… lost it like this. She never scolded me this way before.”

“……”

“I swear.”

Si-Jin’s hard cold expression remained, not satisfied at all. Alas, the object of his anger was not even present. He momentarily glared at the hallway with murderous eyes, as if he would strangle Sang-Hoon’s mother without even having met before. At last, he suppressed down his emotions and turned his softened face towards Na-Yool.

“Never answer this kind of call again”.

“That’s what I wish to do. And I mean to do it. But I keep getting calls from unknown numbers, so how could I—”

“Why haven’t you changed your number yet?”

Na-Yool vaguely remembered Si-Jin telling her to change her number. It was most likely when he gifted her this cell phone. She had then casually shook her head with a “Yeah, I should”, but clearly she could not afford to do so due to her job, and even if she meant to, she had not had the leisure yet.

“I had no time for that.”

So, this was not a wrong answer.

“Go now. That time, I’ll give it to you.” Si-Jin sharply retorted.

“…Truth is, I also don’t want to.”

The truth was thrown out in one short sentence. Si-Jin glared at her with narrowed eyes while Na-Yool swiftly avoided it.