Tongue-tied

Connected By Something Called Xenoglossy
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"I sometimes say that we should always be a bit more optimistic about things."

 

I've been in South Korea for a little under 3 months now, arriving the summer months before the new school year starts for me and my college language course.

I've managed to do a few things I've wanted to in the country, like visit the Jeju-do islands, see the girl group Oh My Girl at a fan-meet and meet a few friends I've made over the internet.

And that's where I've been staying the while being, my friend Eunmin's family happily allowed me to stay in their home while I was in the country. Though it took about two weeks of me convincing her parents to allow me to at least pay rent for staying in their home for as long as I am staying. Eunmin and I have known each other for about a year and a half before I came to the country, we had met on one of those pen-pal websites and continued to chat through emails and messengers. So it was cool to at least know one person in the entire country and to be able to stay in their house is awesome. What a life experience at 19 huh?

 

Some evening, mid-December 

 

I was on my way back home, coming from an early Christmas party with some people from school. Having chosen a different route this night, I was still drawn in by the nightlife the city of Seoul had compared to what I was used to, back in Toronto. By this time of year, it wouldn't be a thought to ride a bike through the city, but the snow isn't as bad, relatively. Canadian winters can be pretty rough compared to some other countries in that one regard. As I was approaching a cafe that I'd frequent during my weekends for a latte and pastry, I noticed the bike racks on the same block were occupied, so I locked my bike up around the corner down that block a bit.

 

It was a tad strange to see the front of the cafe now lined with multiple types of vehicles, which normally aren't there on a regular day. But hey, it can only tell me that they've got a good busy day there. 

 

Walking back around the corner, there was suddenly a large number of people coming out from the road the cafe ended (the cafe was on one of those T roads, at the tip of where the roads intersect). I'd slowed my pace to just curiously watch if there was more to this group of people that haven't reached the intersection or just like a big group of people coming from somewhere down the road... Reaching the apex in my walk, I've arrived at the front of the cafe and I chose to take a little smoke break, so I went a few steps back to step into an alleyway to take a few minutes with my electric cigarette.

 

As I watched the boba flavoured cloud dissipate into the cold air, I leant back around onto the street side of the corner to look down the road and watch the cars and groups of people walk past and into the cafe.

 

Just as I was starting to finish up my little session and heading back towards the cafe, I noticed a small group, whom I could only assume was a small family out for the night. 

 

One of the females in the group stopped to tie the laces of her boot, the rest of the group went ahead, stopping in front of the next store over on the street.

 

I heard a car's horn furiously going off and the flashing of its headlights strobing against the storefronts, suddenly shouts followed suit coming from down the road the group came from. Almost from instinct, I started to walk towards the cafe where the end of the T  straight ended and where that female was tying her laces. I couldn't believe she hasn't moved or noticed the noise coming her way.

 

Just how?

 

A couple of steps into a jog towards her, I broke into a full sprint towards her, as I noticed the source of the lights and noise approaching the end of the street and seemingly not on a route to stop soon enough. 

Luckily I was fast enough to get her into my embrace as I managed to turn the two of us as soon as I grabbed her so that my back was towards the car.

 

Darkness

Hair

Black hair

Crunching

The sound of things shattering

Nothing...

The sensory rush

The waking pain

 

I was amazed to find myself conscious still, extremely fazed, but conscious

 

"Hey! Are you alright?!" 

I could see her better now, she looked just like a teenager.

 

"Can you hear me?"

We were both sat up now, yet she was still sitting in my lap, legs on either side of me, bent back, sort of kneeling while sitting on my legs.

 

"Do you understand me?"

She looked at me, realizing I'm not Korean, so she asked me that in perfect English.

 

"Oh my God..."

She seemed to be a mixed Korean... Very pretty as well.

 

"Unnie! He needs help! HURRY!"

Noticing my still quite sombre face, she could only assume I severely injured. I couldn't tell you right then. She was stunning.

 

"Sir, can you move?"

I hadn't moved since I sat up, it never hit me... no pun intended... I was stunned by her, like an idiot.

 

"Are you okay?"

I asked her, in English, breaking my silence.

 

"I am, thankfully..."

She nods with her reply.

 

"Good to hear."

I let a small smile break as I wipe the bit of blood off the small cut on her forehead.

 

"So, can you get up?"

She asks, as she finally raises herself off my lap and stands steps to my right.

 

"I can manage myself"

I let out a short, quiet chuckle, as I get myself on one knee. I looked over to see a small smile appear on her.

 

"B-blood..."

Is all she says as she sees my face as I turned to her. 

 

I wiped my forehead with my sleeve, to see a streak of blood across the length I wiped. More of my senses kicked in that moment, I felt the blood flowing down from other places on my head. I also had a glace of my surrounding, it was an absolute mess. The front half of the sedan that was barreling down the road and hit us, was inside the cafe. Ruining the front of the cafe, wrecking a few tables and chairs that used to stand where it was.

 

Taking a step forward, I felt the broken glass under my boots. But at the same time, as I was going to take my next step, I started to slip from consciousness.

 

"Hey! No!" 

I just barely heard her voice as I fell onto a table before landing on the glass littered floor.

 

Samsung Medical Centre, Seoul

 

I woke in a pretty uncomfortable bed in some sort of hospital. I wish I knew what day it was... I could see through the small gap in the window blinds that it was at least early in the afternoon. Why wasn't there a damn clock in this room?

 

After all, I could guess was maybe forty-five minutes until the door opened and a few people dressed in white and blue uniform, respectively, walked in. One of the nurses spoke something to me, but I couldn't understand what he had said.

 

"Maybe he's concussed and isn't taking audible input, Doctor."

I easily understood what he said there.

 

"Umm, excuse me, but I can understand what you're saying.."

It was weird to hear them suppose that I didn't understand them.

 

"Mr. Cruz, my name is Dr. Baek Jun Mo. Do you know what happened to you?"

 

"Well, I'm pretty sure I got hit by a car, like an idiot."

I said with a little chuckle.

 

"It's good to know that you're in high spirits, Mr. Cruz. Do you remember anything else or anyone else?"

He continued.

 

"I- there was a girl also right?"

Yeah, I do remember her. Mostly.

 

"You are right there and she's in good health, other than a few small cuts and bruises. But you saved her from any major harm with what you did."

The information he was telling me, relaxed me inside, I don't know why, but I'm okay with that.

 

"So... Dr. Baek, what's going on with myself?"

I couldn't really feel my own body, less move that much.

 

"You're quite lucky yourself, you managed to get hit by the car in a way that your injuries were dampened on impact. If you hadn't done any of it, you'd be in an ICU ward still unconscious. But you know what's amazing me as a doctor right now Mr. Cruz?"

 

"No, what could that be?"

 

"It's that you're talking to me directly and not Mr. Jung, the nurse here."

 

"Why's that amazing? Am I not supposed to be able to talk?"

What was he going on about?

 

"Well, what we learned about you, is that you don't speak fluent Korean, but speak English. But you're talking to me perfectly fine without Mr. Jung's help."

 

"So, you're telling me that we're not speaking in English, but Korean?"

What the hell happened to me...

 

"Well, Mr. Cruz, this is my first case of a patient of mine experiencing this, but you've seemed to have the putative paranormal phenomenon called xenoglossy. I'd say it's a one in a million sort of things. It's a paranormal phenomenon because scientifically, we don't really know what causes it to happen to people."

Well okay then.

"I don't mean to interrupt this,  but Dr. Baek, we have to go now."

"Ah, seems you're right. Mr. Baek, I'll be back later to continue this and a few more close check-ups."

 

"Well, I'll wait until then. Thanks again, Dr. Baek, Mr. Jung."

And with that, they exited. Or so I thought.

 

"I forgot to tell you, you'll have visitors coming soon."

Mr. Jung popped his head in to say quickly.

 

"Ah, thanks for telling me."

I say to the closed door.

"Well, me. I can speak Korean now, but can't understand English to save my arse? Might as well take a nap and kill time."

I spoke to myself.

 

Four hours later...

 

Absent from my knowledge, as I was sleeping my day away, a small group of young women who were quite pretty. I would have woken up if I had known they'd walked in. Haha. But I was in for a bigger surprise than that because of them all.

 

"Somi-yah, what if he doesn't wake up for weeks or months? What are you going to do then" A bunny toothed girl asked her, as she checked her hair in the reflection of her cell phone...

 

"I know he'll wake up sooner than that unnie. He has to, I can't just leave him after what he put himself through to save me... It was my fault..." Her thought trailed.

 

"You become as quiet as Mina whenever you're sitting beside him Somi. What'll you do when he wakes up? Give him a blast of your overflowing energy?" She asks, looking at Mina, sat on the couch against the wall to the right of my bed, and looking back at Somi who was seated right beside me, just watching me sleep.

 

"I don't know... He might wake up when nobody is around him. It's almost been 4 months now, Dr. Baek said that after the first month, it would all be up to his body to recover. " She pouts

 

"No need to be that way Somi-yah, he's been fighting for almost 4 months now. Maybe he'll need some cheering up when he comes to." Mina adds.

 

"Will she be able to? We know that he's a Twice fan, we've seen the pins that are on his beanie. They're only from the fan club membership package." Nayeon chirps in.

 

"Hmph. Maybe he might only know you unnies and the other Twice members." She starts to sulk.

 

If he knows about us, there's a good chance that he knows about you as well Somi." Mina assures her.

 

"I hope he's a fan of mine also~" Her cuteness suddenly coming out.

 

"Ahh~ Our Somi's aegyo is so refreshing~" Nayeon calls out through her laughter as Mina almost immediately joins her laughing.

 

I started to wake from my fairly mundane dream world, hearing unnecessarily loud laughter coming from inside the room. Obviously still jaded from being unconscious for so long and a long nap, I didn't think much of it was I waking up.

 

"Gah, why the hell is it so loud in here suddenly." I groan as I roll onto my side to cover the ear closest to the most noise. Sudden it all went quiet after the laughter became simultaneous gasps.

 

As my brain was kicking into gear, I found the sudden silence odd so I opened my eyes as I was on my side and was stunned.

 

It was her. The girl who stuns me. 

 

She was there sitting beside my bed, hands over and eye wide open. I noticed the two others in the room with the same expression on their faces as well.

 

"Ah~" I winced as I went to sit up through the noticeable pain shooting through my body, that I wasn't used to.

 

"Be careful! Are you okay!" Her face softened, suddenly observant of my well being.

She suddenly hugged me tightly after seeing me sit up on my own.

 

I wasn't shocked at this, more like confused actually. Why did she have the need to hug me so surprisingly tightly? Nobody had even said a word so far yet.

 

"I'll go get Dr. Baek, he needs to know he's awake!" Mina says as she heads out the door.

 

Gently pushing the girl off of me, I look at her face. Her eyes suddenly becoming glossy and a small smile growing. Oddly cute.

 

"Umm, are you okay?" I ask her. Unconsciously I wipe the lone tear from her face that threatened to run down. 

 

She quickly nods her head, the smile on her growing even larger.

"Are you really awake? Am I not dreaming?" She asks,

 

"I don't think so. You all woke me up from my dream, so I don't think you could be dreaming also. Haha." I humorously reply.

 

"You're definitely not dreaming Somi-yah. Your question has been answered and it's- he's right there in front of you."

I looked over to see a warm smile on Nayeon's face

 

Four more months later...

 

I've still been stuck in the hospital since I've woken, my body still hasn't recuperated for me to safely leave the hospital. for the most part, its been me doing different kinds of rehabilitation, mental and physical to assure my full recovery after the accident months ago now. Over the four months, Somi would visit me on her free time with usually some of her friends or family members. Her family had openly accepted me as part of their family, well more like wouldn't let me say no to them when they told me that. Hah. Her father and I have an odd brotherly link to each other, as much as Somi and her mother are baffled at the comfortability the two of us have with each other, they thought it over as him having a guy in the family to talk to with. Her mother asked me to just call her "Auntie" for the time being, jokingly saying that we may become in-laws. Somi's younger sister was starting to really open up to me, she didn't see me as much as the rest of her family did, but she always liked my cheesy dad jokes.

 

Doing rehab at the hospital became really monotonous about halfway through the second month of doing it. The same view and the same people really got kind of boring in my brain, it doesn't help that hospitals aren't exactly the definition of energy filled places, to begin with. At least on some weekdays and Saturdays, I got visitors, for the most part Somi would come and tell me about what's happening in her world and would always tell me that she'd try and get more of her friends to come and meet me, in her goal to get me to socialise with people outside of hospital staff. Usually, it came down to people in her company that had free time and actually wanted to meet me, it wasn't many people, but we both appreciated those who did come with her. I had met all of the Twice members by this point, the youngest ones would visit for a short time after class, the older members would video chat through Somi's phone. Somi had become a little overprotective of me whenever she saw Chaeyoung get a little too active around me, but I think it was more like jealousy, though she'd deny it every time I asked her if t was. Outside of her company, she had brought in a few of her former members of I.O.I whenever any of them could go with her. Chungha and I got closer as she would help me relearn English over the few times she had visited.

One day, even the legendary JYP had come to visit me to check on my wellness, which was quite surprising to me. He had gone and taken time out of his day just to check in on me and how I was recovering; he'd first go on to apologize for the accident happening to me and his visit finally happening on that day, months after my waking. He was thankful that I had done something so selfless for So

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Cyronx1
Well, no guaranteed update for now, this guy has to focus if I want to graduate! Lol

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vridzzei #1
Chapter 4: Finally an update. Make sure to update again though :) Support ya! fighting!
Jtang81 #2
Chapter 3: Pls update soon :-)