Hyunae:

It’s quiet. There’s almost no sound. Far away I hear some kids play and some cars pass by, everything else is covered with a weird kind of silence. It’s kind of scary, being unable to see. Nothing is silent anymore, even though it’s quiet. The evening is nearing. The nurse came a little while ago to help me prepare for the night. She had to show me where all the things were and how to find them without looking. She also gave me my last set of medicine and painkillers for today. If I would feel lightheaded and sleepy afterwards, I shouldn’t worry, it’s a common side effect of the medicine. But I’m not feeling sleepy at all. On the contrary, I’m wide awake, with the only thing on my mind Sunghyun. I sigh. I just met this guy today, but he left a deep impression on me. Being with him gave me this warm fussy feeling inside, it made me feel safe and comfortable. It’s the first time I had this feeling, I don’t even know what it is, but I like it. I turn my head towards where my night table somewhere should be.

“His number is in my phone” I mumble. I reach out my hand in the direction of the table and touch it. Slowely, I scan the table with my hand, trying to find my phone.

“Got it!” I say. A soft smile enters my face. Even though I’m unable to call him now, I can at least keep in touch with him. He said he was going to call soon. I’m not really expecting him to call. It’s a bit unreal that you’re going drop everything in your life to check up on someone you just met. But if he would call, he would make me incredibly happy.

Suddenly, my phone starts vibrating. It startles me so much that I almost drop my phone. My phone is ringing! Someone is calling me! Sunghyun? I try to figure out how I’m holding my phone and where the answer button is.

“Hello?” I say.

It’s quiet on the other side, it’s not silent cause I hear someone giggle on the background, but it’s quiet.

“Hello?” I say again.

“Sunghyun? Is that you?” I await an answer.

“Oi, phabo, what are you doing? Say something!” A voice on the background says.

“Ah, hello? Hyunae?” the familiar voice says.

“Hyunae?! No shii?” the background voice says before it gets shushed by yet another voice.

“Sunghyun, is that you?” I ask, even though I know it his him.

“Ah, Hyunae, yes it’s me?” he says: “I’m not bothering by calling you, am I?”

He’s such a good guy, he’s nice enough to check on me and now he’s worried about bothering me.

“No, I’m happy you called. It’s gotten quiet without you” I say.

“Idiot, ask her how she’s doing, she’s in the hospital for crying out loud” one of the background voices say.

“Aah, hyung, not so loud, she’ll hear you” another voice says.

I giggle.

“Ah, sorry, those are my hyungs, they’re being too loud” Sunghyun says. There is protest on the background.

I laugh.

“It’s nothing, it’s funny. And tell them I’m alright, the stinging is starting to fade”

“That’s good to hear” Sunghyun says with a warm voice. I lay myself back into my bed again and let myself sink a little lower under the sheets so that I lay comfortable.

“I didn’t mess up you’re day too much, I hope?” I ask him.

“No, not at all. Don’t you worry about that. You just concentrate on getting better soon” he tells me.

“Ay ay, captain” I say while saluting. Sunghyun laughs on the other side of the line. It sounds so cute. I wish I could see his face while he was laughing. I smile.

“So has anything else happened?” he asks me. I tell him that the one annoying nurse that doesn’t know when to shut up came by, showed me everything and gave me my meds. I tell him about how everything is quiet, but isn’t silent. He laughs again.

“How do you mean things are quiet but not silent?” he asks.

“You see…” I tell him in Korean.

“Hmmm, how can I say this” I mumble in English.

“Whoa, you’re English is perfect!” Sunghyun says enthusiastically. I blush at the sudden compliment. He wasn’t even supposed to hear what I said.

“Thanks” I tell him, still startled by his sudden reaction.

“Have you been in America before? You’re accent is really good!” he says.

“I spend most of my childhood there” I tell him.

“You don’t say!” he replies me in English: “Me to, I grew up there.”

“Realy?!” I ask surprised. We chat al little while about things in America and what we miss. I’m happy talking to him like this. It’s like we have known each other for ages, we have so much to talk about.

“Thank you” I suddenly tell him.

“Eh? Why?” he asks me a bit surprised.

“I don’t know, for making me feel at home” I say. I feel myself slipping away. I try to stop it, but I can’t.

“Hyunae, I have to tell you something. There is something I haven’t told you yet. You see, I am ….”

Sunghyun’s voice fades away. His soft, warm voice blends in with nothingness around me.

“Thank you” I say again before completely drifting off to dreamland.

End note: It took me a while to figure out what exactly to write, I finally figured it out and here it is! Enjoy ^w^