Happy belated birthday, Yujin!!!

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“Ahn Yujin!”

Silent. All eyes were on the little boy seating on the far corner. He felt intimidated by all the stares on him. He wished he could just hide in a hole. He wasn’t and will never get used to people staring at him.

“Ahn Yujin! Answer me when I call your name!”

This was his problem. He didn’t want to talk. His teachers had been trying to make him talk but he didn’t. He would never answer anything. Yujin slowly raised his arm telling his teacher that he’s here. His teacher sighed. It has been a year now since he came to school, but no one had ever heard Yujin’s voice.

“Yujin, see me after class.”

Slowly, Yujin nodded his head. Teachers sometimes got frustrated with his response in class. They can’t even know what was on his mind at times. Yujin is different from any other kids that they had encountered. There was a rumor saying that no one ever heard Yujin’s voice. Even the doctors didn’t know what was wrong with him. He refused to talk. They thought he had some internal issues. The kids in the foster care always complained of Yujin’s lack of social communication.

“Okay, please open your book to page 38. We’re starting class now.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Ahn Yujin. Do you realize why I called you here?”

Yujin didn’t answer but kept his eyes on his fingers. It was frustrating for everyone when they were totally ignored all the time. His teacher sighed.

“You know you’re not doing well currently, Yujin. Your grade had dropped significantly. I need to pass your report card to your guardian. But I really need to know what’s bothering you right now.”

He shook his head. The only response that peoples were going to get from him either was a head shake or nothing. That’s where it is. Nothing else.

“Yujin, you need to tell me what’s wrong. If you can’t, then I can’t help you.”

Yujin looked up and didn’t say anything other than staring at his teacher. How he wished people would know how scary it is for him to speak to others. He hadn’t spoken since he was born. It frightened for him to face people and talk. He can’t deal with it. It’s scary.

“I guess you won’t talk. Anyway, you can go now.”

Yujin stood up and bowed towards his teacher. He gave an apologetic look before leaving her room. His teacher watched as Yujin disappeared around the corner.

“What am I going to do with you?”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Yujin walked down the roadside. He for sure knew by now, his guardian would have learnt about his dropped grade. He wasn’t ready to face them. He felt like he’s a disappointment. How he wished he had his parents with him telling him that it was okay. But that was just his hope. His mother was staying far away from him. The only way he knew his mother was still alive was when he checked his bank account. His mother would have transferred money every month. That’s how he keeps tabs on her. Yujin kept on walking until he reached a park. Settling down on one of the benches there, he took out his laptop and let it on. There’s Wi-Fi from a nearby café and he knew the password, so he often used it.

Hi.

A popup chat opened, and it made him smile. For the past weeks, Yujin had been chatting with a person who listened to him.

Hi. You’re right on time.

I did, huh? Well, school was already over an hour ago. You’re the one that late.

I was called by my teacher. Sorry.

It’s okay. How was your day?

Not okay. My grades drop. My guardian is going to be mad at me.

Really? Well, it’s okay. I mean the world doesn’t really revolve around school all the time. Take it easy.

I