MinHee sat on one of the observation tables with her legs crossed and her hands balled together, her knuckles turning white under the pressure. The nurses had been in and out, doing all they could to get things ready for the doctor, who was apparently going over her files. She’d had X-Rays, CAT scans, and various other tests. This doctor was really getting down to business.

Finally, the door opened and a man in a white lab coat moved into the room. “Im MinHee?” He asked, and she nodded. “Hello, I’m Doctor Cho. I was given your files early and I think I might be able to help you.” MinHee nodded, and he continued, grabbing one of the short stools and sitting. “It says here,” He said, opening a file, which MinHee assumed was hers. “That you’ve been incapable of talking since you were in tenth grade? I can’t believe no one has helped you sooner.”

“You can help me, right?” MinHee signed.

He nodded. “Of course I can help you.” He signed back, just to show, she was sure, that he knew sign language. “I think there is a sort of virus in your throat. It’s not something like the common cold, or strep throat. I think there is a liquid in your throat that has trapped itself and is making you incapable of speaking. This could be the reason it hurts for you to talk.”

MinHee stared at him, wide eyed. Was he crazy? “I know this sounds crazy,” He was right there. “But it is a possibility. In fact, there was a woman here a few weeks ago who had the very same problem, but we were taking out her tonsils. The liquid was found during the surgery, since hers wasn’t only effecting her vocal cords, and we were able to drain the liquid.”

“How is she now?” MinHee asked, and then dropped her hands back into her lap, squeezing her hands together so tight it hurt.

He sighed. “She’s better. However, it still affects her, since the surgery was so recent. She will need to learn to speak again, which will take some time, but otherwise, she’s made a full recovery. She’s expected to be speaking within the coming month.” MinHee nodded. Doctor Cho leaned forward. “I’d like to ask you if you’d like for us to take a look and try to find exactly what’s wrong with your throat. We’d have to do surgery, and of course like all other surgeries it can be a risk, but it could be worth it. It might not even be the liquid, but if we get in there and take a look, maybe we can really figure out what’s wrong.”

MinHee nodded and looked down at her hands. “I can give you some time to think this over. Go home, think it over with your loved ones, and then come back and decide in a weeks time. Does that sound good to you?” He asked, and again, MinHee nodded.

She hesitated before signing again. “I don’t want to tell anyone else. It’s important to me that they don’t stop this. Can I give you my cellphone number to reach me with?”

Doctor Cho hesitated. “Over protective family?” She nodded. “They don’t want you to get your hopes up?” She nodded again. “Look MinHee, I’m not saying it’s a good idea for you to not tell your family, but this is your choice. They can’t exactly stop you.”

“But I don’t want it to be an option.” She declared and reached for a piece of paper and a pen.

MinHee stood on the outside of the hospital with her bag in hand and her eyes on the sky. No other doctor had ever offered this to her. She hated the idea of keeping this from her family and Cora, the idea of sneaking around, but she wanted so terribly to have her voice back.

She didn’t know where she was planning on going. There was nothing for her to do now. She’d been at the hospital by noon and it was nearing four thirty. Cora and the others were probably out. Reina was busy with her brother. Mikki and Yuna were at their aunt’s house for the weekend, and Ji-su was at her brother’s wedding. She had absolutely nowhere to be.

Sighing, MinHee walked to the bench that wasn’t too far away and sat. And waited. She wasn’t waiting for anything in particular. Really, she was waiting for a sign. Should she go through with this surgery. Was it worth it? Of course it was worth it! She needed to talk again, needed to stop depending on people.

Some time later, a thin boy walked in front of her, heading towards the city, with a medicinal bag in one hand and his phone in the other. He stopped a few feet past her and back tracked. “Minnie?” He asked, and her head snapped up. Jinwoo stood a few feet away, dressed in all black with a hood drawn over his white blonde hair. “Hey! What are you doing here? And why are you alone? Where’s Cora?”

MinHee shrugged and Jinwoo walked to her side. He sat down and stared forward. After a few minutes he sighed. “I give up. What the hell were you looking at?” MinHee laughed and pointed forward, at a sort of modern art statue that was a dozen or so feet away. “Seriously?” No, she hadn’t been looking at it, but she didn’t want to tell him she was spacing out. “Man, you’re dull. Want to come back to the apartment with me?”

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