Mir woke up startled at the sound of thunder booming in the sky and looked around him in confusion. When did he fall asleep? It was quite dark. Was it night already?

          Patting around the couch he had fallen asleep on, he felt the cold hard texture of his mobile phone, lighting it up and winced before checking on the time. It was only 3 in the evening. Why was it so dark?

          Pulling himself up from the couch, stretching while walking towards the window covered by curtain, he pulled them opened and dim light illuminated the living room. Only then he realized it was pouring outside.

          Which made him confused.

          Why couldn't he hear the sound of the rain showering the earth? Why couldn't he hear sound of raindrops pattering against the cold foggy window?

          Mir tilted his head. He swore he heard the thunderclap booming in the sky just now. But now, it was dead silent. No ticking clock, no any sound. Just silence.

          Now, he felt panic started rising. He ran to his TV, ignoring the storm and switch on the television. He kept on raising the volume but he couldn't hear anything. It couldn't be… Why was it so sudden?

          Mir backtracked, stepping backward with wide disbelief eyes as he stared at the silent moving pictures on the screen. Both his hands flew to his ears.

          What? What was happening.

          A touch on his shoulder sent Mir gasping in shock, turning around too fast that he tripped on his own legs, feeling himself falling backwards but a strong arm wrapped around his waist and instead he was pulled and crashed against a chest.

          He stood in that position for a moment until he felt the other person pulled away and now was holding his shoulder. To his surprise, out of all people, it was Joon. Slightly wet from rain, with tousled hair and worried expression. And… moving lips without a voice.

          Mir felt Joon's hand shaking his shoulder but all he could say was, "I can't hear." His voice trembled in fear. His eyes remained wide and horrified and he stared at Joon's confused look, trying to find any salvage or safety haven in those brown orbs. A hyung would always know what to do. A hyung would always solve problems. A hyung would always save him, right? Joon's lips moved again but Mir was too scared to even focus in reading Joon's lips. All he could do was shook his head again and again, repeating, "I can't hear. I can't. I really can't hear." over and over again. Mir was too scared that he didn't question why the older was here or how the older get in. He was too drowned up in silence.

          It seemed Joon had given up trying to talk to him and Mir felt him being pulled back into Joon's embrace and a tough yet gentle hand on his hair. He stayed there until, well, he didn't know for how long but long enough for him to calm down and stirred slightly for Joon to release him as response.

          Mir looked up to the older man, now was a bit calmer. "What are you doing here, hyung?" After all, they hadn't met or even talked to each other for almost four years already, after their huge fight. Only a few news on Joon here and there from Thunder or sometimes on tabloid.

          Joon's brows furrowed, his nose crinkled as if to hide the faint blush that was rising up on his cheeks. He typed something in his phone which Mir just realized Joon had been holding onto before it was handed to him.

          Mir's eyes moved over the words typed in the textbox, scanning the letters fast.

          Cheondong called me worried. The road in front of his apartment is blocked because of the storm. He was worried you got stuck at the café too and you weren't answering his call. So he asked me to come and check you up. You weren't at the café so just to make sure, I came here. I rang the bell a lot of time but you didn't open the door. So, I just invited myself in. I was surprised you still use the same door code.

          "Oh that… I forgot about our lunch appointment." Mir sighed, handing back the phone to Joon, waiting the older deleted the previous words and typed on a new one.

          What is happening? Why can't you hear?

          "That's what I want to know. I woke up hearing sound of thunder but after that, everything is just deafening."

          Thunder? I was out the whole time. There's no thunder.

          Mir's fingers tightened around the phone and his shoulders tensing until he felt comforting fingers threaded through his silky locks and the phone was gently tug from his hand. He thought Joon would type up some more but instead, the phone was put inside Joon's pocket and the older grabbed onto Mir's shoulder, guiding Mir to look up at him and with a smile, he mouth his words slowly. This time, Mir could read it.

          Everything will be fine.

***********

Everything have explanation but why these things didn't? Why Mir still felt tired even after sleeping for the whole night? Why in the morning, there were mysterious bruises appeared randomly all over his body? Why was he sore as if he had done strenuous exercise just the day before?

          And why did he lost his hearing so suddenly now?

          Mir sighed, feeling his eyes prickling with hot tears. He didn't mean to be a spoiled kid crying over something like this. But it was scary when he suddenly couldn't hear. When everything around him were only moving pictures without sound and now he was staring at Joon pacing in front of him while he was talking on the phone. Of course, a talk Mir couldn't hear, even less understand.

          Mir focused on watching Joon until he felt the tears stopped trying to escape and reached out for his own mobile phone lying on the coffee table just in front of the long couch he was sitting at. He intended to dial on Seungho or GO but then remember it was useless now that he wouldn't be able to hear the sound from the other side.

          So he opted to type a text to send to both of his group members. However, halfway through typing the text, his phone was taken away from his hand. He looked up in surprise to Joon who was now holding onto his phone reading the unfinished text he typed with a frown.

          Joon shook his head and gave back the phone to Mir before flopping down on the couch just next to the maknae. It seems that he spoke something and although this time Mir tried to focus and zoomed in the older man's lips, he still had no idea what Joon was talking about.

          "Hey, just in case you forgot, I can't hear you."

          Joon blinked before a silly grin crept onto his lips and he return to his own phone, typing something.

          If you tell the others and they come here, I have to leave.

          "Oh.." Mir made a small noise after reading Joon's words. "But… I need them." Mir whispered sadly.

          I'm here, am I not?

          "It's not the same."

          Joon looked sad now. But he didn't stop replying.

          I called the doctor I know. I'll take you to meet her. Or do you still want to wait for them?

          Mir thought for a moment. He nodded finally after a while and earning himself a soft smile and tender pet on his head. Joon led him outside. It was cold since the heavy rain still pouring down and the breeze were stronger. They got to the elevator but was confused when the elevator was opened, they were met with a few police officers and paramedics and a stretcher filled with a person, barely conscious with blood gushing out from the wounds littering the whole frame.

          Mir yelped and hid behind Joon, squeezing his eyes shut. He had always hated watching gory movie, let alone watching a bloodied state right before his eyes.

          "I'm sorry, sir but can you please take another ride?" One of the paramedic spoke before the elevator closed down.

          "Y-YOU!" Just a few seconds before the elevator closed down, the man on the stretcher pointed towards Joon and Mir but it was too late.

          Mir, who was too scared, didn't even realized he had gotten his hearing once again until he heard Joon spoke calmly beside him.

          "It's okay. Let's go." Joon turned slightly and pulled Mir to stand beside him but stopped when the younger grabbed onto his arm.

          "Wait, hyung. I can hear." Mir said it mechanically, still half in trance. He looked around and up. Now, he could even listen to the sound of the rain. They came back to him in one-shot.

          "You can hear me?" Joon peered down to met eyes with the maknae.

          Mir smiled. "Yes! Oh yes! I hear you!" Out of excitement, Mir jumped and hugged Joon before he went and bounced around the hallway, shouting, "I can hear again!"

          "Whoa! Whoa! Okay but how?"

          Mir stopped skipping around and stood in front of Joon. "I… Don't know."

          Joon hummed thoughtfully. "I think we still should see the doctor and see what he'd say."

          "But, I can hear already."

          "It can happen again though."

          Mir shook his head. "I hate hospital. If this happen again, then, I'll go see the doctor? Eoh? Eoh?"

          Joon sighed. Mir was acting cute again. And though he pretended he didn't like it, like all of the other hyungs of Mir, he fell for it. "Fine. But promise me you will tell me if this happen again."

          Mir smiled again, this time even brighter as he hugged Joon gratefully for being there when he needed it. "Thank you, hyung."

          "Then, I guess, I'll go now." Joon pulled away, looking a bit reluctant to leave as he was still worried over Mir. Who the hell would suddenly lost their hearing like that? What if there was something more sinister that caused such thing to happen? What if Mir is not as fine as he was trying to show right now?

          "Yea yea. You should before the rain getting heavier." Mir nodded a few times, shoving Joon into the elevator once the bell 'ding' and the door opened. He smiled widely to the older and waved him goodbye. But once the elevator door closed and Joon was no longer in sight, Mir dropped his hand slowly, his cheerful smile faded without leaving a trace.

          Should I be worried now?

          With a heavy sigh and heavy steps, Mir dragged himself back into his living space, throwing himself onto the couch, staring ahead blankly before deciding to just watch a show to calm his brewing anxiety towards his own condition.

          His daze state wasn't for long when the show ended and news came up.

          His eyes snapped into focus when he heard the mysterious death of about five people around his area being announced in the news. The state of each corpse bore the similarities with bite wound as if they were being attacked by wild animals but at the same time there were slash wounds which was said due to sharp tools maybe knife but not really. Basically the corpses found barely recognizable.

          What scared Mir more was that it happened around Mir's living area and it started the day Mir was released from the hospital. Mir was not feeling well even now and there are some serial killer wandering around the area to top it?

          How much worse would it come to now?