A Voice I Don't Recognize

I picked up the tv remote and constantly pressing the button, trying to find something interesting to watch—I mean, stare. The dark room constantly lightens and darkens due to the constant change of the tv channels. I heaved a big sigh as I turned off the tv.

I messed up my hair and groaned. “How I hate my life.” I muttered. I stood up and picked up my jacket. I glanced at the clock. 2 am in the morning. I shrugged and went out of the house to take a walk to bring myself to sleep.

That was just my daily routine. I was too used to sleep with the sound of tv on. I couldn’t really sleep in silence. My parents intentionally put a tv in my room, and it had been a habit to left the tv on while I sleep.

So ever since the accident 5 years ago, I find myself have a difficulty to sleep. Every night, I always took a walk in my neighborhood just to bring myself to sleep. But of course, I will end up sleep in only 2 hours, or sometimes just half an hour.

But I think my body quickly adapted to my new habit. I rarely got cold and sleepy now.

I put my hands inside my pants pockets as I closed my eyes, trying to get myself drowsy.

I yawned. I was tired? Yes. Absolutely. Really. But my eyes were not tired. They couldn’t stay close as I want them to.

I heaved a small sigh as I opened my eyes again.

I kicked a small rock out of boredom. This street is very rocky I must say. I’ve ever slipped here when I was too drowsy.

I saw a man was pushed out of a house and a pillow and blanket being threw out after. I raised my eyebrow. I took a closer look, and it was the bean paste stew house. It was Mr. Dam that was pushed by her wife.

Her wife went out and threw out some vulgar words. It seems that they both fought again because of a female customer. Not long after the wife went back to the house, and Mr. Dam cursed before taking a seat on a chair outside their house. I stifled a laugh and shook my head.

I knew what they said. Yes. I couldn’t hear them, but I could see them. I could saw their mouth. I’m good at reading mouth. It’s a relief that I have a good sight until now.

I accidentally caught Mr. Dam’s eyes, and I slightly bowed at him and smiled. He bitterly smiled and nodded in return. Then I continued to walk around with my back slightly slouched.

I being deaf was a public secret. Everyone in that neighborhood knew my condition, and always helped and took care of me. I’m grateful of that, really.

After about 10 minutes, the wind blew and brought dust to my eye. I brought my hand up and scratched my eyes using my hand. I removed my hand from my eyes to only greet my shadow from a big yellow light.

I turned around to saw a car moving sloppily, with the driver half asleep. I froze. I couldn’t move my feet even if I want to. I cursed in my mind because of how slow my nervous system worked.

Before my senses could react, my body got in contact with the cold metal, and I fell down (fell down was probably an understatement, but that was just how it was). When I fell down, my head hit something in process, so I clutched my head as my whole body ached.

My eyes started to close, but before my eyes completely closed, I saw a man looked at me in shock before he ran away from me. After that my eyes were completely closed. I guess my eyes got tired really early today.

“37, 38, 39…”

I tried to open my eyes. My eyes were blurry and I could only saw a dark sky. Not even a single star in my sight. I scratched my eyes.

Did I hear something? Did I hear wrong? How can I hear something? But there’s nothing here though…

I opened my eyes more widely, but it still didn’t help. My sight was still blurry.

“Is it left or right?”

My heart stopped. I didn’t hear wrong. I really heard something. It’s a girl’s voice; a really soft voice. But where did it come from?

My head started to spin and I clutched my head. At that time I really wished I could go back to sleep. The pain was so unbearable. I really need to sleep right now.

“I should have left marks here and there! Or at least take a note on where I go to! You stupid idiot!”

“Oh My!”

Suddenly I felt a hand grabbed my wrist, preventing me from clutching my head any longer. And then my hand fell down, and I felt two hands grabbing my shoulder and shook my body.

“Oh my God! Why is his head bloody?! Why is the rock bloody? Did his head hit the rock?! Why is there no people right when I need a help?!”

I slowly opened my eyes and saw a face of a young woman. A girl.

My sight finally focused on its own on the girl. A girl I didn’t recognize. She’s new here, in this neighborhood.

“Oh my God! He’s alive!”

I heard that voice once again. Where did it come from, really? I looked at the girl’s mouth, and she asked if I was okay.

“Jung Soojung! Do something! This man needs your help right now!”

I saw the girl looking at me in panic, and tried to find something.

“Damn I don’t bring my phone!”

I felt her tying to put me in a sitting position and she put her arms on my back below my armpits and put my left arm around her shoulder. She stood up, trying to support my body.

I also tried to stand up to lessen her burden.

We walked and walked. Not a single person had crossed our sight in that neighborhood until we reached the big street. I caught a man, whom just went out from a convenience store, and he also accidentally saw us struggling to walk. And I bet he also saw my bloody head as his eyes widened and I found his mouth cursed.

“Oh my God. Better walk fast.”

I heard a man’s voice. And after that, the man speed walked.

“Oh! Finally there’s a person!” I heard that girl voice again.

The man stopped mid way and slowly turned his head our way, and before we could react to his movement, he ran until he vanished from our sight.

“What the hell? That man! Didn’t he see us?!” I turned my head to the girl slightly and saw her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

My eyes widened. Are those voice… her voice?! How come…?

She finally managed to walk until the convenience store and asked for help.

Not long after, I saw an ambulance and I was laid and brought in to the ambulance. I saw her followed and sat beside me in the ambulance.

I finally saw her face. Her hair was black and long. It reached to her shoulder, but slightly messed up. Her face was wet. She was sweating. I suddenly felt sorry to her; she should help me and support me all the way here. My eyes averted to her hands. Her hands were covered with blood. I guess the blood dripped to her hand when we walked.

She patted my hand and said, “Bear with it; we’re near the hospital already.”

I weakly smiled at her.

“Please stay breathing! Please stay alive!”

I wanted to laugh at her thoughts. But in the other hand, I was still shocked at myself.

How could I—who couldn’t hear anything in 5 years—suddenly hear again? Was it because the accident earlier?

I woke up from a huge headache that hit my head and my blurry sight. It’s probably because of the anesthesia. The room smells. It smelled a mix of medicine, humidifier, and food. It smelled of a hospital.

I tried to sit up from the bed but my whole body ached. I saw a nurse coming toward me and said something, but I couldn’t read anything because of my blurry sight.

“He’s very pitiful. I hope that we can contact his parents immediately…” The nurse voiced her thought.

A few minutes later I saw the door opened so harshly, and the girl who I assumed Jung Soojung ran and sat beside me.

I looked at her and saw her asked for my condition. I just nod slightly and smiled.

“I’m glad he’s okay. Great job Jung Soojung! You just saved a life!”

I saw her grinned and hear her sang a happy song in her head. I couldn’t help but chuckle. She suddenly stopped singing and stared at me in confusion.

“Why did he suddenly laugh? Did I do something strange? Is there something on my face?”  She thought in confusion.

But before she could ask me, I answered her, “I’m sorry. You did nothing strange. Your face is okay though. I think that you’re pretty.” She blushed at my statement and buried her face in her hair. I chuckled at her reaction.

“How did he know what am I going to ask? And why did he suddenly say that I’m pretty?! This is so embarrassing.”  I smiled at her.

“Oh yeah, I never saw you before. Are you new at the neighborhood?” I asked her.

She slowly lifted her head and nod. “Yes. I just arrive there today—yesterday. “

“Where did you live?” I asked her out of curiosity.

“Why did he suddenly asking me where I live?! What is he going to do if I tell him where I live?! Can I just lie to him?”

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t think of something stupid. I’m not going to do anything to you even if I knew where you live okay? I was just asking you. But well, that’s okay if you didn’t want to answer me.” I said in annoyance and just closed my eyes.

A few minutes later Soojung shook my body and said, “Hey, I’m sorry okay? Did you not hear me?”

My heart somewhat hurts when she asked me that. Not only when she asked me that, but every time had people asked me if I hear them.

I rolled my eyes to hide my hurt and said, “Oh Sehun.”

She didn’t say anything for a moment but then she asked, “What?”

“My name. Oh Sehun is my name.”