I seriously didn't know how to deal with this creature.

He had been wriggling his tail and screaming when I was treating his wounds. Argh, though he looked really handsome, he acted like a 3-year-old baby.

Last week, I met him by the shore and found him lying beside a rock, yearning for help. He was in a mess, his tail was tangled with some seaweeds and his scales were peeled off in some places. Being a kind-hearted person, I took him home (which was really difficult since he needed a really big bathtub) and tried to clean and dress his wounds. But he was so noisy! I almost had to knock him out (which was almost impossible because he was so strong that he pushed me onto the floor when I was cleaning his wounds) in order to dress the wounds properly.

flashback

"Yah, stay still, you merman!" I guess this was the first time I had ever shouted in my life. I had never been this annoyed, not even when I was facing the bullies at school. This merman was just moving way too much! He had been wriggling his lower body, hands flicking me off, but then he stopped when I shouted. Aish! Why did I bring this trouble back home?

I gently dabbed the cotton at his wound and cleaned it as carefully as possible. I could feel him staring at me the whole time and my hands were slightly shaking due to the nervousness.

"There, all done," I threw away the cotton and smiled warmly at him, though my heart was now beating really fast and I didn't know the reason why.

He bowed his head a little as if he was saying a "thank you" and then kept silent while staring at me again. His stares were freaking me out. They were so intense that it was as if he could read me like an open book. I was too scared to look him in the eye, so I just talked to him while packing the bag of cotton," your wounds will need some time to heal, so you should stay here for a couple of days before going back to the sea."

There was no response so I looked up to check on him. I saw him nodding. Oh, so a merman couldn't speak?

"Could you... perhaps... speak?" I asked him. He just shook his head in response and I felt deflated. Finally, I had a companion and I thought that it'd be a living creature that could speak, but it turned out it couldn't... I sighed. Would I really have to live my whole life in silence? The ice walls that had been protecting me just kept on growing stronger and stronger, freezing me. How I wish someone would be able to break this ice prison and free me from this silent maze.

The merman then poked me with his finger softly. I turned and looked at him with a sour expression and his face immediately changed from a nonchalant expression into a concerned one. I was touched. At least this creature cared about me. I patted his hair and shook my head, giving him the brightest smile, " I'm fine. I figured out you must be hungry since I heard your stomach growled. I'll get some food for you."

flashback end

I chuckled at the scene where he was gulping the whole hamburger down within a second. It was nice to have a friend, even though he couldn't speak.

"Yah! Kang Mihyun!" I turned to the voice and immediately, my face was slapped. I opened my eyes wide and looked at the person. It was no other than Gina. She was the queenka of the school and she just hated me for no reason. I had already got used to getting hit by her since it had already been 4 years. My tears were already dried up long ago and my expression was icy cold even though I was still angry and embarrassed being bullied by her in front of the class.

"Look at this poor girl, she wouldn't even talk! I bet she doesn't know what I'm saying to her because she's deaf!" Gina laughed hysterically while shouting at my ear and motioning the whole class to laugh at me.

I never did like being a victim and I hated being harassed by those bullies but I admitted that I would rather be deaf than to talk back. I had learnt to be silent and pretend to be deaf, as they believed I was.

I clenched my fists. They were not good enough for me to listen to a single word that they had said. They were not worth it. Treating them as if they were quiet had been my shield and was not going to break it.

I took my bag and left school.

It had been a week since the merman had lived in the bathtub and I knew he would always be waiting for me to go home after school. I wonder what was that merman doing now? Was he eating the hamburger that I made for him? Was he napping? I looked up and saw the sun shining brightly in the sky. I took off my sweater and felt the heat on my skin, melting the ice that was holding me captive.

I was so happy to be home again.

This was the very first time that I missed home. Home had always been silent and just like school but now it was the place where I could meet my only friend and put down my shield. For the whole week, we had been talking like old friends (though it was more like me talking and him nodding and shaking his head), chatting about everything, and laughing at the craziest things together. I didn't even know why I could open up to a stranger like him, but I just felt I could.

There was one time when I unconsciously brought up the topic 'school'. I started tearing up in front of him and I was not even sure if he understood me since I was not sure if they attended school too. But he patted my head and gave me a friendly hug as if to comfort me. His eyes were always gentle and they always made me felt safe and comfortable.

Though he couldn't talk, the mere fact that I could hear two hearts beating already made me know that I was not alone and made me felt happy. That was when I knew that I had finally found the right person that could break through the thick ice walls that were surrounding me.

I ran up the stairs with a grin on my face and rushed to the bathroom. Though it sounded weird, the bathroom was my favourite place, since the merman was here. My heart was beating so fast that I could hardly breathe. I saw the bathroom door was shut, as usual, so I straightened my clothes and took a deep breath before opening the door that would lead me to a whole different world.

I turned the knob, hoping to see the merman with a smile on his face, and swung open the door.

But I was shocked.

The merman was not there. He was nowhere to be seen. He vanished.

I found my hand on the doorknob shaking as I frantically ran into all the rooms in the house to check where would he be. But I was so silly, he had no legs, how could he get into a different room?

I felt tears began to sting my eyes and were threatening to fall. My mind was in a mess, and the merman, the stranger, the annoying creature that could keep me happy was all I need. I couldn't even imagine living in this silent atmosphere anymore.

Just then, I heard the front door being shut. I held my hopes high, wondering if it would be bringing me news of the merman. And it did.

"Dad?" I ran to the front door and saw the person entering the house. He was not calm like the other days when he got off from work. He was breathing heavily and looking really angry. "Kang Mihyun!"

I felt a shiver down my spine and immediately knew that something bad was going to happen. "Yes?" A lot of possibilities went through my head and I murmured while staring at the floor.

At that moment, I noticed that his shoes were wet. That was weird. He never liked the beach, so how would he get wet? Then I eyed his attire and found that most of his clothes were wet.

"Tell me, Kang Mihyun, did you bring a creature and leave it in the bathroom?" He groaned as he took his shoes off and shut the door.

"H- how did you found out? But I didn't leave him there. I treated him, I gave him --"

"Enough! So you did bring him here. I should've known when I heard those screaming last week," He angrily snarled and squinted his eyes at me,"I hate to mind your business but do not bring any creatures here again! Never again!"

"But --"

"No buts!" He pointed an accusing finger at me and growled, " This is my house! And I'm not going to let some ugly creatures lurking around my house!"

"Where is he now?" I lowered my voice in defeat. I would've kept quiet and listened to Dad if it weren't for the merman. If it weren't for him who had broken my armour and made me weak.

"That creature was really annoying! It kept on screaming when I was pulling him out of my bathtub. I just threw it into the sea. It belonged there anyway." He groaned in annoyance and left me in the huge cold living room. He slammed his door shut and I almost jumped in fear. Then everything was silent again.

I stood by the door, tears streaming down my face as I thought of the words Dad just told me. How could he just throw him into the sea? Didn't Dad know how important he is to me? He wasn't just a creature! He was my friend, the only person who would listen to me patiently.

But of course, Dad wouldn't know, because he was just like the others, treating me like I was invisible, as if I was a nuisance.

I went out to the beach. My head hanging low and my feet were dragging me towards the sea. I felt the water seeping through my toes and wondered if he had really gone home. It felt strange to be left in silence again.

The silence seemed to have betrayed me. It didn't make me feel strong anymore. It wasn't protecting me anymore. I felt a lump forming in my throat as I desired to meet him again. My legs started to bring me into the water. Deeper and deeper.

I once hated silence, because I didn't like being alone. I once loved silence, because being deaf could protect me. Now... I found silence irresistible because he lived in silence.

I drowned myself into the water and smiled softly. Everything was so beautiful and quiet. The fish swimming by and the water, so still yet moving. It was as if time had returned to the moment when the merman and I were in the bathroom, staring at each other curiously, without uttering a single word.

I closed my eyes and I still remembered the silly question that I asked.

"After you've gone home, if I get lonely again, can I visit you?"

He nodded.