A silent voice

Sora adjusted her eyes at the bright light. This is not my room. 

“You’re awake,” a soft voice said. Sora looked at the old lady who was beaming. She just blinked and stared at the old lady. Who was she? Where am I? What really happened? All she could remember was darkness everywhere. And her head hurt when she tried to remember. “Rest for a bit. Mr. Oh will be back soon,” saying that the old lady went out.

After what felt like hours, Sora stared at the guy in front of her. He was handsome, too handsome, there was no denying.

“First thing first, what’s your name?” Mr. Oh asked with a smile on his face.

“Sora,” she said but there seemed to be no sound. She said again but still she couldn’t hear her own words. She screamed but there was no echo. Has she lost her voice?

“Sweetheart, don’t be shy. Just be honest ok?” Mr. Oh took her hands in his and looked at her, kindness illuminated in his eyes and asked, “Are you mute?”

Sora shook her head. She can’t be mute. She was never mute. Tears ran down her cheeks. What was happening to her? Before she knew it, she was enveloped in a warm hug. Rubbing her back soothingly, Sehun said, “Stay here until someone comes for you.”

I don’t have anyone.

Mrs. Han remembered the interaction of her young master with the mute girl. She smiled softly. She had been Sehun’s nanny for 26 years, from the moment he was born and she had never seen his caring side after his elder brother’s death. Oh Sehun treated girls like dust after his elder brother was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend. Sehun took pleasure in seeing their heartbroken faces. He loved it when they begged him.

Informing Mrs. Han to take care of the mute girl, Sehun walked into his room. He sighed plopping onto his bed. He could still clearly see the night he had met her.

He had gone out for a light evening walk and was crossing the street, his mind occupied by the news his father had told him – that his grandmother was no more – when he was pushed away, landing with a thud on the ground. His gaze turned towards the truck that was speeding away but soon his eyes landed on the body on the ground surrounded by a pool of blood. It was obvious that the truck was meant to hit him and the stranger had risked her life for him.

Not wanting to make the media know, he took her home, called an acquainted doctor and had her treated discreetly in his house though the doctor had told him to take her to the hospital. Sehun was shocked when the doctor told him that she had suffered internal injuries because of the accident and the girl had also been brutally beaten! The doctor wasn’t sure if she would live.

Sehun looked at the ceiling and remembered her blank and panic stricken face when she woke up after three months of the accident. Wasn’t she mute before? Did she have a family? What had been her life? There were many unanswered questions. And she looked like she wasn’t in the condition to answer all that now. Still, he owed her his life.

Days passed by in a flash. Before long, Sora knew every place of the mansion like the back of her hand. She knew that only Mrs. Han and Sehun stayed in the mansion.

And Sehun was hardly at home. “He’s a busy man,” Mrs. Han told her. Oh Sehun was the son of the Director of Oh Pharmaceutical Company and he himself was one of the best surgeons in South Korea. Even when he did come home, he would go straight to his study room.

Sometimes, he’d stopped by to see how she’s doing.

She knew no one would come and look for her. She had no family. She had always been alone. She had written that in a paper and had shown to Sehun and Mrs. Han. And Sehun had replied that she could stay with them as long as she liked. That they were her family now.

Sehun watched Mrs. Han and Sora playing Checkers in the back lawn.

Sora had written that her name was Park Sora. She was 24 years old and she had been a teacher in a Kindergarden school in Jeju before the school had forcefully made her resigned. She had been an orphaned too. And she didn’t know why she was kidnapped. Some men came and just took her away. They were given the order to kill her but as luck would have it, she escaped. “Maybe it was because you look like the wife of the Byun CEO,” Sehun had lightly joked. “People told me that a lot,” she had written that.

Sehun could see Mrs. Han smiling brightly. She had been like his mother for almost 26 years, from the day his mother left him after giving him life. He wondered what would have become of him if she wasn’t there for him. Then he heard Mrs. Han laughing. Sora was also laughing. Silently.

The doctor had said that a nerve had been damaged and that nerve controlled her part of speech. Park Sora was going to be mute until she dies.

A soft smile spread on Sehun’s face as he continued looking at her innocent face, beaming with such radiance. The gods had been too harsh on her!

He went outside, strode towards them and said, “We are going out.”

Within minutes, they were on the streets of Seoul. And they were getting quite a few attentions. Because of Sehun.

Mrs. Han was window shopping. Sora looked around in awe. She had never been in Seoul and the place looked absolutely beautiful. She grabbed Sehun’s hand and dragged him to a crowd at the centre of which some guys were singing. Sehun smiled looking at Sora. She was like a newborn baby who had just seen the outside world.

“Sweetheart, we left Mrs. Han behind,” Sehun suddenly said and Sora looked at him with wide eyes. He laughed. If she had her voice, she might as well have cried out, “What? Oh god!”

Their hands were still intertwined when they found Mrs. Han in an antique shop. Sora’s eyes landed on a golden bracelet inside a glass jar. She suddenly wanted it. Tugging Sehun’s shirt, she pointed at the bracelet.

The shopkeeper immediately said, “I’m sorry but that isn’t for sale.”

Sehun could see the disappointment in Sora’s eyes. “And why is that? Just say your price,” he said.

The shopkeeper pressed his lips. “I’m sorry, Mr-”

“Mr. Oh.”

“I’m sorry Mr. Oh but this is a family heirloom of the Byun’s.”

Sehun jerked his head up. “Then what is it doing here?”

“I came across it at a pawn shop. The Byun’s would be coming to take it. I hope you’ll understand.”

Sehun nodded and said, “We’ll take our leave.”

Taking one last look at the bracelet, Sora left. She had really wanted it.

“Sora, I’ll buy you another bracelet,” Sehun said, his hands on her. They were already in the mansion and Sora was still sulking. “A better, more beautiful one,” he added and wiped away the tears on her cheeks. “You look ugly when you cry. Don’t cry.” Sehun was trying his best to ease her.

Sora smiled weakly and Sehun felt his breath taken away.

Mrs. Han called them in for dinner. There was a quiet atmosphere in the dining hall until Mrs. Han decided to break it. “The bracelet is to be worn by the youngest daughter of the Byun’s. Its previous owner was Byun Hana.”

Sehun choked on his food. So Byun Hana was the youngest girl in the whole family chain of the Byun’s? Sehun was never interested in the business world but the Byun’s were business tycoons. The best in South Korea. And the death of Byun Hana had shocked the world. She was only 19. The girl had been vacationing with her friends at Santorini, Greece when she was kidnapped. The ransom was 500 million Euros within a week. Even if the Byun’s were the largest and richest business conglomerate in South Korea, the ransom was still too much. They had to discuss among the Board of Directors and had to reshuffle the shareholders. They had to put a hold on projects and deals. And they had thought that Hana could be rescued. Then cruel was her fate, her dead body was dumped infront of their gate, burned and broken.

Sehun couldn’t sleep. He didn’t know what had got into him that he kissed her goodnight on her cheeks. Maybe just maybe, he was slowly starting to fall for her.

Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. It was Christmas the next day. Sora and Mrs. Han were in the kitchen making muffins when Sehun came over and hugged Sora from the back. His head was buried at the crook of her neck. He didn’t know how it started but before he knew it, he was in love with her. Hard and deep.

“You smell nice,” he mumbled. Sora smiled and hit his hand lightly as if telling him to stop and not disturb her. But he ignored her and gave a soft peck at her nape. “I’m going to marry you,” he said.

Sora stopped whatever she was doing. That took her by surprise. “I’m being honest here, sweetheart,” Sehun uttered. There was sincerity in his voice. Mrs. Han noticed it too.

The girl smiled weakly. Oh how much she wanted to say ‘I love you’. She drew a heart on his hand. She had grown to love him but she knew, even if Sehun said so, it was not possible for him to marry her. She was just a dumb nobody and he was going to find her bored after sometime. Besides no one wants a wife who is mute.

Just then Sehun’s phone rang. He answered the call. “Sehun, I want you to spend the New Year with us,” he heard his father say. Sehun quickly said a “no”.

“Your grandfather wants you here. You didn’t even come at your grandmother’s funeral. You didn't come for Christmas too.  Atleast spend the New Year with us. We all miss you.”

Sehun pursed his lips and said, “I’ll call you back later.” He hung up the phone call and looked at Sora who was still making the Christmas muffins. How was he going to leave her alone?

Over dinner he said, “I’m going home for New Year.” A flicker of sadness appears in Sora’s eyes as she stared at him. She was so going to miss him.

“Is she going with you?” Mrs. Han asked.

Sehun gave them a dry smile and shook his head.

That night, when Sora was getting ready for sleep, Sehun came and stood by the door. “Can I come in?”

She nodded.

“My parents called,” Sehun uttered and started walking towards her, “they asked me if I have a girlfriend and I said I have.” He planted a soft kiss on her forehead and put a strand of her hair behind her ear before adding, “I told them that I have the prettiest and most amazing girlfriend in the world.”

Sora smiled sadly. Did he tell them that his girlfriend was mute?

“Sweetheart,” Sehun breathed out touching his forehead with hers, “I don’t know how I can live without you.”

Was it the dimmed light of her bedside lamp or the rays of the moonlight? Her face shone with bright innocent radiance and he knew he was never going to love another person like he loved her.

“I love you, sweetheart. I love you so much,” he whispered. And Sora responded by kissing him. Before long, they were exploring each other bodies and he was making love to her for the first time.

Snow covered the streets, church bell rang, people were singing Christmas carols and Sehun was holding and gazing at Sora like she was the most precious thing in the world. He just loved watching her. Sehun gave a soft kiss at her forehead, then her cheeks, her lips, going down to her collar bone. Sora fluttered her eyes open. Just as the sun rays peeped in