Happy Birthday Cha "N" Hakyeon!!!! ♥                 

Wishing him an amazing birhtday!!!! It's the beginning of my doom for me, but that's ohkay! xD Hope the drawings aren't too hideous ><

Happy birthday, Hakyeon~~~ Narase ^~^

btw this is 6,670 words, the longest I've written so far, so happy reading!!! :D

Ever since Hakyeon was young, he’d constantly received complaints from people that he was too noisy, or too sarcastic, or too unfeeling, or too rude. Everything was always about his speech. So he decided that he didn’t want to hear such words anymore, he decided to press the mute button on himself.

“Hakyeonnie is a lovely boy! He’s one of the most outgoing children in my class, but I think he’s a tad bit on the noisy side…” That’s what his kindergarten teacher told his parents one day when they came to pick him up.

“I think Hakyeon’s a really pleasant child to be with; really friendly, sweet and kind. But I think he has to tone down on the talking. He’s starting to disrupt my class.” That’s what his elementary school teachers all said, with a practiced polite and sweet tone in their voice.

“Hakyeon’s a bright child. I can see that he has a lot of potential in him and he can do very well in class. However, I think his tone in class is a little rude, as many of his teachers have observed.” That’s what his middle school teacher told his parents. She was a nice person, caring and sincere in helping others. This was what made Hakyeon feel even worse when she had to recite the feedback about him from his other teachers about his behaviour.

“Hakyeon, you shouldn’t be so insensitive to your cousin like that! You know she’s having a hard time with this break up, you shouldn’t just be so sarcastic about it!” That’s what his brother said two years ago when he joked around, trying to cheer his heartbroken cousin up.

Sick and tired of hearing all these complains, Hakyeon just decided to shut up; to press the mute button on himself. Never again would he treat everyone like his close friends, never again would he treat everyone as if they understood him well and never again would he let his natural loud and outgoing personality be shown through the mask he built for himself. So when he entered high school, he didn’t say anything more that was needed. Not even introducing himself, not even answering questions even when the teacher called on him. It greatly confused many of his friends in middle school that had coincidentally been sent to the same high school as him, all whispering behind his back, speculating the reasons as to why the big-mouthed Hakyeon had transformed into N who looked like he wanted to kill everyone.

-

“Cha Hakyeon?” His homeroom teacher, Lee Seonsaengnim called one day in the middle of the semester.

Said boy merely looked up, not even bothering to utter a small “neh?” to signal that he had heard him. He could hear his classmates whispering behind his back, of “maybe he’s really a mute! That’s why the teachers are calling him!”

“Cha Hakyeon?” Lee Seonsaengnim called out again. He hadn’t been looking in Hakyeon’s direction, so he didn’t know that the former had heard him loud and clear and was waiting for him to continue.

“N?” The teacher called out once more, trying out Hakyeon’s nickname. “Kids these days, so westernised that they think it’d be cool to have an English name.” He’d overheard one of his teachers saying, rambling on and on about how the world’s changing and how globalisation was starting to create a homogenous culture. Hakyeon shrugged it off, not wanting to tell the real reason. Because he didn’t want to make it seem like he was losing himself, because he didn’t want to make it seem like he was trying to change his real personality that he came up with the name N. It was the last letter of his name, signifying that his personality was actually the last thing that he’d ever want to change about himself. But he was just so sick and tired of all their complaints, having to witness his parents or sometimes siblings when their parents couldn’t make it to the teacher-parent conferences purse their lips when his teachers told them similar complaints about his behaviour that he decided he never wanted to hear such a thing again.

“N! Cha N!” Lee Seonsaengnim called out, turning around to notice that the male had been staring at him the whole time. He sighed, “For the love of everything good, can’t you at least answer me? Anyway, come over.”

Hakyeon stood up carefully from his place at the desk, lifting his chair a little to make sure that even the squeak of old rusted metal against concrete wouldn’t even come from him then walked painfully slowly towards the teacher that seemed to only grow more and more impatient by the second. Once the teen had finally reached the elder, he continued, “Please go to the office, they requested to meet you.”

Hakyeon turned around, rolling his eyes. Couldn’t he have just told me that when I was at my desk? I wouldn’t have to walk all the way over to him if he did. Nevertheless, he obediently walked towards the small room that his teacher had instructed him to go to.

-

Knocking twice, Hakyeon gingerly pushed open the heavy wood door and peered in, looking for the person who had asked to meet him. Instead, he saw another boy with pale skin and looking around his age sitting on one of the chairs in the office. He could tell that the boy was new, the navy blue colour on his uniform extremely rich and dark, a sign that it has only been washed a few times.

Annoyed that the person who had requested for his presence was missing, Hakyeon decided to just go into the office and sit down, not bothering to go back to class. Nothing good goes on in there anyway. He took a seat next to the boy whose name tag read ‘Jung Taekwoon’. He didn’t even bother to start a conversation like how he would’ve when he met new people when he was younger. Or more specifically, any time before high school.

“Ah! Hakyeon, you’re here!” The vice principal, a middle-aged lady, greeted as she came into the office. “Sorry for being late, I was held up in a meeting,” she explained.

After taking a seat in the chair behind the mahogany table, she gestured to the other student in the room with him. “As you can see, this is Taekwoon. He’s a new student in our school, only transferring at such an ungodly time because of… What is it again?”

“My parents due to a family issue, ma’am,” Hakyeon’s eyes widened; surprised at the fact that Taekwoon’s voice sounded so different from how he looked. Just by his looks, he would’ve guessed that Taekwoon was the typical jock with a loud, commanding and booming voice that could be heard from one end of the school to the other, not a rather feminine and quiet voice. Looks like he’s someone who’s genuinely quiet. Such people are rare now; most just complain about everything in their lives like it’s their job.

“So,” The vice principal coughed awkwardly, snapping both boys out of their train of thought. “I’ve heard from many teachers that you’ve been really quiet ever since the start of the school year, so I decided that you’d be the one to Taekwoon and show him around the school. It’ll be good for you to talk a little more since I’ve been getting complaints that you’re not even bothering to answer the teachers.”

Hakyeon scoffed. First they tell me I’m too noisy and that I should shut up. And now that I’ve shut up? They’re telling me I’m too quiet. Humans are weird like that. Never satisfied and always contradicting themselves.

“… Is that ohkay with the both of you?” The vice principal asked cautiously, not wanting to upset both the seemingly mute boy and the seemingly strong and scary looking other. She was nice and a good vice principal, but sometimes she looked like she was more scared of her students than they were scared of her.

“Yes ma’am,” Taekwoon answered, just as Hakyeon begrudgingly nodded his head.

-

“So… Um, what’s your name?” Taekwoon asked, eyes looking everywhere but Hakyeon.

Said male rolled his eyes then pointed to his nametag. Couldn’t he just read off my nametag? Or didn’t he hear what the vice principal said just now?

“Cha Hakyeon?” He nodded, but then circled the last letter of his name on the nametag.

“N?” Yes. “You want me to call you N?” Yes.

”Why, though?” Hakyeon sighed. And here I thought you were someone who’s really quiet.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to annoy you,” Taekwoon apologised. “I just didn’t want to make everyone think I’m some cold bastard that wants to kill the world.” Funny, that’s what the world thinks I am.

Taekwoon must’ve seen the ghost of a smile on Hakyeon’s face, judging by the confused look he had on. He shook his head then proceeded to beckon the taller (that he had admitted bitterly) to follow him. Throughout the whole tour – if one could even call it that – all Hakyeon did was to literally walk in front of Taekwoon and expect the taller to follow him, then opening the doors to empty rooms and pointing to the label outside the doors. For those that were occupied, the ‘tour guide’ merely pointed at the labels outside and walked away, not bothering to wait for Taekwoon. Why can’t he just find his way around anyway?

After they finished their ‘tour’, Hakyeon decided it’d be best if Taekwoon were to head to his new class. He wasn’t worried about himself, since most people wouldn’t even know that he was missing, or would be happier that he’s gone. Tapping Taekwoon who was looking at the array of food the stalls in the canteen sold on the shoulder, he drew a rectangle in the air, and then gestured for Taekwoon to pass it to him.

“Pardon?” Taekwoon thought long and hard about what the quiet boy meant.

Hakyeon sighed, taking out his phone to type ‘your timetable’.

“Oh!” Taekwoon’s face lit up, pulling out the flimsy sheet of paper in between what Hakyeon guessed was a thick stack of books. He was surprised that Taekwoon didn’t complain about the weight of his books, given how he’s been hearing most of his classmates whine about the thickness of the textbooks used in school. “My locker’s already full! I can’t fit this in anymore!” Hakyeon had rolled his eyes at those complaints. If you actually bothered to carry your own textbooks in middle school, you’d know that there isn’t much of a difference. Such princesses.

The first thing Hakyeon noticed when he received Taekwoon’s timetable was that they had a very similar subject combination. And upon skimming through all his subjects, he found out that they had at least two classes every day, with some days where the only time they’d be separated would be during the breaks.

Looking up when he felt a tap on his shoulder, he saw Taekwoon doing a series of gestures and actions with his hands that he didn’t understand – sign language.

Realising that Hakyeon looked more confused rather than comfortable, Taekwoon apologised, “Sorry, I thought you would be more comfortable if I spoke with sign language, since mutes usually prefer it when others can understand the messages they’re trying to convey. One of my older sisters’s a mute and she likes it better when we communicate through sign language when it’s a one-on-one conversation.”

“I’m not a mute,” Hakyeon snapped before he could stop himself. Instantly, his hands flew up to cover his mouth. I’m not supposed to talk! They’re gonna complain!

“You can talk?” Taekwoon asked incredulously. According to what he’d heard from his cousin studying in the school, there was a really interesting boy that never talked. He didn’t introduce himself on the first day, only pointing to his nametag whenever someone asked for his name then circling the last letter of his name to signal that that was what he wanted to be called. Even when the teachers asked him questions, he’d either not answer and just stare back at the teacher until he or she chose another student to answer the question or point to the answer in his book or write it down and pass it to someone next to him to read out to the teacher. “He rarely ever uses the last option because most people are scared him. They think he’s part of some cult whose mission is to annihilate the human race.” Judging by what she had told him, he had guessed that this particular student she talked about was a mute that wanted to fit it with the other students and hence did not go to specialised schools. But upon meeting said boy, he was intrigued by how the boy really didn’t utter a single word, the only sound he heard leaving his mouth being the sighs that were pretty common. He had assumed that Hakyeon was really mute so when Hakyeon replied him in words, he was shocked.

Hakyeon stood rooted to the spot, not sure how to answer such a question.

“Can you talk?” Taekwoon tried again, changing the question a little. To which, Hakyeon instantly shook his head.

“Then what was that just now?” Upon hearing this, Hakyeon sheepishly nodded. But then he pointed to his throat and shook his head, trying to bring across the message that he wouldn’t talk.

“Why won’t you talk?” Hakyeon didn’t want to relive the same memories of when everyone would complain about his tendency to talk too much, so he merely typed a ‘just because’ on his phone and then turned around to walk back to his class.

“W-wait!” Hakyeon heard Taekwoon call from behind him, but he didn’t bother turning around. “Where do I go?” Hakyeon just pointed in the direction of the classroom he was going to enter.

-

Hakyeon looked up from his lunch to see a small bottle containing a yellow liquid with green words printed on it to be placed in front of him – banana milk, his favourite drink. Eyes trailing up the hand that placed the beverage on the table, he looked up to meet vis-à-vis with Taekwoon.

“I didn’t mean to offend you just now, and I didn’t know what you like to drink, so I just bought you this,” Taekwoon explained.

And yet, you got my favourite drink spot on. Hakyeon made a small noise of appreciation as he picked up the drink, poking the straw through the lid and taking a sip. He expected Taekwoon to just walk away and join the jocks, as they had tried to befriend him in class, telling Taekwoon how awesome it’d be if he joined their clubs. A few were trying to drag him into joining basketball, some into soccer and others into baseball with Taekwoon just smiling modestly, telling them that he’d think about it. However, Taekwoon ended up placing his lunch on the table that Hakyeon was sitting at, and then sliding into the seat opposite him. It was the first time Hakyeon hadn’t been alone since after his friends found out that Hakyeon had changed into N.

Why are you here? Go join your friends. Hakyeon wrote in his notebook that was on his table. It was his dance notebook, one that he painstakingly decorated to his likes for him to write down the steps to the thousand and one dances that he’d choreograph in his free time. He picked up the book and showed it Taekwoon, pointing to the jocks at the other end of the canteen that looked like they were having a party after tripping a scrawny-looking kid.

“Eh, I don’t really like them and their personalities. They’re too arrogant and attention-seeking. Besides, I’m sitting with you. Aren’t you supposed to be my tour guide and friend?” Taekwoon smiled.

A tour guide doesn’t equate to a friend. Hakyeon didn’t know why he was being so cold towards Taekwoon. It was the first time that he wasn’t the one to start a conversation and a friendship. He knew that Taekwoon was really a very quiet person from observing him in some of their classes together and he knew that Taekwoon was also very shy. But when Taekwoon was with Hakyeon, he turned out to be a rather chatty and friendly person that just has some problems opening up to the people around him. Maybe Hakyeon had an air of friendliness behind his dark aura that Taekwoon could feel, or maybe because Taekwoon felt that Hakyeon was similar to him and that they’d be able to relate to one another but Taekwoon himself also had no idea why he had suddenly started talking more.

“I know, but you can still be my friend, right?” Taekwoon said after swallowing a mouthful of rice and kimchi.

You don’t want to be my friend. It would be a lie if Hakyeon wasn’t over the moon that someone actually wanted to befriend him, but he knew that he wasn’t in high school for friends. He just wanted to graduate well, and then go to an Arts college to study dance or something. Besides, Hakyeon wasn’t sure how Taekwoon would react when he found out Hakyeon’s true personality.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Taekwoon was now drinking his seaweed soup after finishing his last mouthful of rice.

I don’t talk.

”What’s wrong with not talking? I don’t talk a lot either.”

You don’t want to know me. Hakyeon wasn’t sure how Taekwoon would react when Hakyeon becomes so close to him that his real personality starts showing through his mask and becomes Hakyeon instead of N.

“Why don’t I want to know you?”

Hakyeon’s breath hitched, not wanting to tell Taekwoon who he really was. Taekwoon seemed like a really good friend, someone who’s dependable, someone’s who’s caring yet would have the humour to joke around and be sarcastic. Even though he wanted to deny it, he knew that there was already a sort of friendship between them and he really didn’t want to see it go when Taekwoon finds out that Hakyeon isn’t someone who’s almost mute but rather someone who’s loud and the life of the party. He didn’t know how much Taekwoon liked such people, but guessed that Taekwoon preferred to sit in corners, judging by the look on Taekwoon’s face whenever one of their school mates who had a personality similar to Hakyeon’s was speaking loudly in class and basically making a fool of themselves.

Just because. And again, Hakyeon picked up his tray and slid the left over bits of his lunch into the bin before going back to class to take a nap.

-

“Noona!” A four-year-old Hakyeon shouted to his younger older sister. “Play with me!” The eight-year-old and four-year-old were in an airport, currently sending off their elder brother who was going to Japan with his girlfriend. Their oldest sister was holding the camera, recording the antics of her adorable dongsaengs.

“Hakyeonie!” Hyunyeon chased after the boy, both laughing hysterically.

“Ha… Remember when we were like that?” Hakyeol’s voice was heard behind the camera. “You were so young and cute. What happened, Hyunyeol?” The male joked, causing his sister to poke his side and at the same time, slightly shaking the camera.

Hakyeon sighed, missing how he used to be so upbeat and carefree. He wanted to be, really. But he hated how everyone seemed so annoyed at his talking and he didn’t know anyone that he was close enough to, anyone that he trusted enough to be able to show his true self without worrying that the other party might just be putting up with him because they were trying to be nice.

Sighing once again, he pulled out a long black strip of cloth from under a stack of books – his blindfold, his safety blanket. Plugging his phone into the speaker, he smiled as music started to fill up his room. Quickly, he tied the blindfold tightly around his head, making sure he wouldn’t be able to see anything, then stood up and began to dance, erasing any troubles that he had. He erased the thoughts of how people always seemed so annoyed at him when he spoke, he erased the thought of how the teachers were frustrated at his constant lack of response, he erased the confused faces of his family members whenever he went for family gatherings and just sat at the corner, he erased his fears that he really wouldn’t have a friend should Taekwoon decide to stop hanging out with him when the latter got impatient with his constant lack of response and abrupt departures – he erased everything, only thinking of his dance now, only thinking of the beats in the music and surrendering his body to it.

There was a reason why he always wore a blindfold when he wanted to dance. So he wouldn’t see what was around him. He wouldn’t see how people forced a polite expression on their face when he talked too much, he wouldn’t see the many eyes judging him, he wouldn’t see himself, so he wouldn’t be able to judge himself on his terrible dancing. He wouldn’t see anything and he wouldn’t know anything. Ignorance is bliss.

He knew that he’d been dancing for a long time, not even bothering to keep track of how many songs had passed. He could also feel the ache in his legs, knowing that they would be aching the next day. He knew that his parents would be knocking on his room door any minute now to tell him that dinner was getting cold and he had to eat it. They didn’t even bother calling him down for dinner anymore, knowing that he wouldn’t join them unless there was a guest and he had to be polite. However, what he did not know was that a certain someone by the name of Jung Taekwoon who had just moved in to his neighbourhood had a room that was next to him and was currently watching him dance through their open windows.

-

“You know you should join the dance team,” Taekwoon told Hakyeon one day, eyeing the notebook on the table. There was already a page full of steps and Hakyeon was busy writing more as he listened to the song he was choreographing a dance to. He had finished his lunch a few minutes prior, having been let out of class about five minutes earlier. Taekwoon was in a different class which ended five minutes later so by the time Taekwoon had bought his food and made his way over to their usual table, Hakyeon had already thrown away his rubbish and was listening to music.

Hakyeon stiffened, slamming the notebook close. Then he opened to one of the back pages where he wrote his replies to Taekwoon.

No I shouldn’t. They don’t want me there.

For the past few weeks, Taekwoon was always seen with Hakyeon, and there have been rumours going around the school that maybe Hakyeon and Taekwoon were from the same cult except that Taekwoon didn’t’ follow the rules so meticulously and still spoke to the people around him. Hakyeon didn’t want Taekwoon to be dragged down like that, especially since he felt that it wasn’t worth it. Taekwoon had the potential to be a very well-liked and popular student in the school, but hanging out with Hakyeon was doing nothing for his reputation. If anything, it was making it worse. Hakyeon was also worried about the bullies. He’d never been bullied before, but had the gut feeling that he could be one of the targets especially since the previous victim of the group of bullies in school had committed suicide, unable to put up with the torture anymore.

He didn’t want Taekwoon to be bullied.

“N? Did you hear what I was saying?” Hakyeon instinctively flinched backwards from the hand that was waving in front of his face. Even though he didn’t write it down, it was obvious from his expression that he hadn’t been listening to a single thing that Taekwoon said.

“I was saying that you really should join the dance team. I think you’d make a great addition and you seem to have a lot of passion f-“

“Aye aye aye look at what we have here? The mute,” A hoarse, raspy voice called out, interrupting Taekwoon. It looked like Hakyeon’s gut feeling was right – he had become the next target for the bullies.

“Move away, squirt,” The brawny male, almost twice the size of Hakyeon gestured to Taekwoon. Taekwoon however, sat rooted to his seat, glancing worriedly at Hakyeon.

“Yeah, move away, squirt! Scram!” A smaller sized male parroted.

“Shut up dude,” the brawny one snapped, grabbing Taekwoon by the collar and forcibly lifting him out of his seat. Taekwoon was nowhere as small as Hakyeon, and it greatly worried him at how the brawny male seemed to lift him up with ease and threw him down on the floor. Luckily for him, he’d learnt Taekwondo before so he knew how to fall properly and not injure himself.

Hakyeon’s eyes were wide, probably as shocked as Taekwoon at the strength of the brawny guy. His eyes darted back and forth Taekwoon and the exit of the canteen, a silent plea for Taekwoon to leave. But Taekwoon wouldn’t have it. He knew that if he were to leave, Hakyeon would get hurt. But he also wasn’t strong enough to take on three other males, two a little bigger than him and one somewhat similar in size to Hakyeon.

Go. Hakyeon mouthed. Go now. Go! Taekwoon could feel his blood boiling. How could someone still be thinking about others in times like that? He wanted to run back in to save Hakyeon, but the smallest male had pulled him on his feet and dragged him out of the canteen, whispering, “Don’t worry, we’ll treat your little friend there really well.”

That night, Taekwoon sat at his windowsill, anxiously looking over to Hakyeon’s room, dread washing over him and he saw Hakyeon weakly stumble into his room before collapsing on the floor. He had been tempted to run over to Hakyeon’s house to comfort him, but the latter didn’t know that Taekwoon lived opposite him and he didn’t want to seem like a stalker.

Hakyeon wasn’t in school the next day.

Neither was he in school the day after.

Actually, he wasn’t in school for the whole week.

-

“Hakyeon-ah! Please come out! Taekwoon is looking for you!” Hyunyeon called, rapping on Hakyeon’s door.

After that week, Taekwoon couldn’t take it anymore and went over to the Cha residence. He was getting increasingly worried about Hakyeon, especially when he couldn’t see the boy’s figure from his window. According Hyunyeon, Hakyeon hadn’t left his room ever since that day, a Wednesday. It was Monday and his family was getting increasingly worried when Hakyeon didn’t come out for food. He had a toilet in his room, so they weren’t able to tell if he was still alive and breathing since he didn’t have to come out of his room to use the bathroom.

“I’m sorry Taekwoonie, he hasn’t come out for the past week and we’re all getting so worried for him. We can’t even get into his room because he’d broken a key in the lock of his door about a year ago,” Hyunyeon replied, voice laced with worry and concern. “Our dad used to pick the lock to get into his room every time he locked himself in to escape the scolding he’d get after coming home from their teacher-parent-conference and I guess Hakyeonnie got so frustrated at the repeated routine that he broken the key in his lock,” she continued.

“That’s ohkay, Hyunyeon-noona,” Taekwoon replied, “is there any other way that we can enter?” He asked, looking around for any connecting rooms.

“Unfortunately, no,” Hyunyeon sighed. “I’m really so worried about him. He’s never been like this. He used to be such a talkative boy but now… He’s almost as good as mute.” The lady mumbled, tears starting to blur her vision.

“I think I have a way in.”

-

It was the sixth day that Hakyeon had been cooped up in his room. He still tried not to move as much as possible, knowing that there were probably some injuries that were still healing. He was hungry, very much so. He had tried to live off water from the tap in his bathroom, but sometimes got sick to the stomach knowing that the water might not be portable. He had managed to move from the floor to his bed, but not without much complications and moans of pain. He knew his family was worried, but what could he do? He didn’t want to show them what their precious baby boy had become, someone who was so affected by the things around him that he had to change himself. He’d always been a firm believer of loving oneself, and he considered it ironic how he’d changed himself just to fit what others wanted him to be.

“Cha Hakyeon!” A familiar female voice shouted, causing said male to snap his head in the direction of his window, his throat closing up when he saw the hurt expression on his sister’s face upon noticing his badly bruised body. “What… What happened to you?” She said, going over to press feathery touches on his bruises, heart breaking more and more whenever she saw her little brother wince.

Even at such a time, Hakyeon refused to speak, only shaking his head.

“Talk to her Hakyeon, talk to us,” Hakyeon turned his head, looking directly at Taekwoon. He was partially thankful that Taekwoon was here for him and partially scared because how did Taekwoon know my address?

Again, Hakyeon only shook his head. You don’t like my voice. You hate my talking. He’d convinced himself to believe such things during the New Year celebrations when his whole family was busy celebrating and he had locked himself in his trusty room.

“Why aren’t you talking?” Hyunyeon asked, silent tears slipping down her cheeks. Hakyeon tried to lift a hand to wipe the tears, only to let out a pained whimper from aggravating his injury. “Talk to me, Hakyeon,” his sister begged, a new wave of tears cascading down her cheeks.

“You’ll… You’ll hate my voice,” his voice was raspy from the lack of water and soft from the lack of usage but he didn’t want to see his sister cry. He didn’t want to see the people he cared about be upset.

Upon hearing his voice, Hyunyeon just cried more. She was so happy that he brother finally spoke ever since the start of the year to process what he actually said. Taekwoon, however, was there to think deeply about Hakyeon’s words while the only female in the room sobbed with happiness that her little brother was speaking again, and sadness that her little brother had suffered at the hands of not one, not two, but three ruthless teenagers.

“Why?” Taekwoon’s quiet voice brought Hyunyeon out of her blubbering, causing both Cha siblings to turn to him.

Why what? Hakyeon mouthed. He really didn’t want to speak. Taekwoon had only heard him speak once – twice now and he hoped that number would stay as it is.

“Why will we hate your voice?” Taekwoon clarified, noticing the hurt in Hyunyeon’s eyes when she finally processed what Hakyeon had said to her. Hakyeon shook his head again, whining slightly from the pain.

“Talk to me, Hakyeon,” Hyunyeon begged, her voice sounding terribly fragile and pleading.

Stubbornly, Hakyeon shook his head once again.

“Why?” Taekwoon tried this time.

Another shake of the head.

“Hakyeon, talk to me! Let me hear your voice again!” Hyunyeon exclaimed, her sadness starting to morph into anger and frustration.

Great, you anger people even if you don’t talk. You should just die in a hole. Hakyeon’s thoughts snarled at him, causing said male to give a quiet whimper at the harshness of it.

“Hakyeon…” Taekwoon began softly, leaving his spot at the windowsill. “I don’t know why you’re like this, but please talk. You have no idea how many people in the world are mute and wish to talk, including my sister. I’ve only heard you speak twice, but you have a nice voice. Please don’t let it go to waste.”

Hakyeon flinched a little at Taekwoon’s words, both shocked and guilty. Shocked because of how much Taekwoon spoke, knowing that Taekwoon always tried to summarise his points and guilty because it was true; there were so many deaf and mutes that would kill just to be able to hear and speak but here he was, born perfectly fine yet refusing to use this gift that had been given to him.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered quietly, so quietly that both his sister and Taekwoon wouldn’t have been able to hear if they weren’t straining their ears in hopes to hear at least a syllable fall from his lips.

“Why? What are you sorry for? Talk to me Hakyeon, let Noona hear your voice again. It’s been so long,” Hyunyeon’s voice was starting to choke up with tears again, overjoyed that Hakyeon was beginning to speak again. It made her recall how it was like was she was a mere five-year-old, when he was only one and the whole family was constantly saying things like “Appa” or “Omma” or “Noona” or “Hyung”, and trying to get the infant to repeat after them. Hakyeon had taken a much shorter time to speak than his same-age friends, probably from the influence of his siblings that were quite a number of years older than him. She recalled how Hakyeon had uttered his first word, “Banana”, after taking a sip of Hakyeol’s banana milk that he had bought. She remembered how the entire household freaked as they heard it, exclaiming that it had to be the cutest thing they’ve heard thus far, and constantly trying to coax the little boy into saying more and more words.

Now that Hakyeon had finally spoken again after so long, Hyunyeon felt as if she was reliving the moment that had happened fifteen years ago.

“Say something else, Yeonnie!” Hyunyeon said joyfully after wiping the tears that had been cascading down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated.

“Why? What are you sorry for?” Now that she had finally gotten over the pure bliss of hearing her little brother’s voice again after such a long period of silence, she should repeat her initial question.

“For… For…” Hakyeon really wanted to spill everything that had been on his mind for so long, but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to upset Hyunyeon, and was always starting to feel a little awkward since Taekwoon had been standing just beside his window looking a little confused. He probably has absolutely no idea what’s going on and why this is happening. I want to tell him, but how is he going to react?  

“Tell her, Hakyeon,” Taekwoon urged when he noticed the elder’s eyes on him. “Pretend I’m not here. Or I can really leave if you want me to,” even though he said that, he made no movement towards either the window or the door of his room.

“For… For…” Hakyeon repeated dumbly, taking a deep breath, desperately trying to search for the insane amount of courage he used to have. “For… For talking too much in the past and talking too little now. I’m sorry that I can’t do things right. I’m sorry that whatever I do, I annoy others.”

“Oh, Yeon,” Hyunyeon said, left hand lightly caressing his bruised cheek. Hakyeon didn’t dare to look at her. He didn’t dare to look anywhere. He kept his eyes unfocused, making them look glazed over as he just stared blankly at a particular spot on his wall.

“I don’t think your voice sounds bad. And I think its fine speaking a little more than normal. After all, I’d need someone who can fill in those sentences that I don’t say, right?” Taekwoon spoke up when he realised that Hyunyeon would probably be starting another session of her waterworks, giving a slight smile.

“Yes, yes, what he said. You don’t have to stop talking. I love your voice; we love your voice, Hakyeon. I think all those times where Appa had scolded you after the teacher-parent-conferences were because he only wanted the best for you. He didn’t want you to seem like some kid that didn’t know respect and didn’t know how to shut up when he needed to. I’m sure he misses your voice. I’m sure everyone does,” Hyunyeon added on, giving a wide smile which was so contagious that Hakyeon found himself smiling a little as well.

-

“Aye aye aye! I see the mute has come back! We thought you were really dead!” The same student from two weeks ago greeted Hakyeon at his usual table, too caught up in his arrogance to notice that Hakyeon was actually talking to Taekwoon, not just writing down his responses in his notebook.

“Please, it’ll take more than that to kill me,” Hakyeon replied, smiling at the obvious sarcasm in his voice. He’d missed this. He’d missed how he’d always blurt out such replies; he missed how he was so good a trash talking that it was actually funny to listen to. He missed talking and he was so happy that he was starting to talk again. He was happy and thankful to everyone that had helped him through this.

His family was overjoyed that he was speaking again, he father becoming an emotional softie and apologising for all the times that he had scolded Hakyeon pretty badly just because of what his teachers spoke of him. Hakyeol grinned, hugging his brother tightly. Both Hyunyeol and Hyunyeon squealed when they heard him speak like how he used to before the start of the year, hugging each other before suffocating the poor boy with hugs and kisses. His mother was quiet throughout the whole ‘celebration’ but just before he went to sleep that night, she came into his room to give a kiss on his forehead, telling him sincerely how happy she was that he had finally spoken again.

The people in school got a shock of course, when the previously murderous N beamed brightly and told everyone to call him Hakyeon instead now, chatting with them as if he was never that seemingly mute student. The bullies too, got annoyed at Hakyeon’s off the top of his head rebuttals and decided to look for another prey. Fortunately, Hakyeon had managed to prevent another innocent student from falling prey to the disease called bullying by working together with Taekwoon to report such actions to the principal. The bullies had been pretty upset with Hakyeon’s actions, but Hakyeon knew he did well and that no one would ever have to suffer the torment from bullies in his high school.

Hakyeon had also joined the dance team, something that he had wanted to do since day one. It took some time and much persuasion for him to be accepted by the president of the dance club. He had initially rejected, not wanting someone who looked like he wouldn’t contribute ideas and wouldn’t work well in teams. But after seeing Hakyeon’s blindfold dance which Taekwoon had secretly recorded, much to Hakyeon’s dismay, he welcomed the latter with open arms, telling him that he’d be a great addition to the team and couldn’t wait to work with him.

He was touched and grateful to everyone for helping him and accepting him just the way he is, but he was even more grateful to the one person that helped him speak again, someone called Jung Taekwoon.

I apologise if some parts don't really make sense or don't really add up and stuff ): I hope everything's ohkay though!!! (: Please do tell me if something's wrong and stuff!!! ^^

To those three people that upvoted before my story was even uploaded, Panda_Cute eunichii eternities, THANK YOU SO MUCH :D I really hope that I didn't disappoint with this story and I'm sorry it took so long to be up D: 

btw if you get an update from this story in the near future, it'll just be me putting up the poster cos stupid me forgot to request for a poster for the whole month of June ._. 

[edit] OMG GUYS I'M SO SORRY I MISSED OUT THE LAST LINE OF MY STORY D: I THINK I MISSED IT WHEN I WAS COPYING IT FROM MY WORD DOCUMENT D: I'M SORRY!!!!!!! ><