Her Voice / han sanghyuk (#14)

Episode 2

JooEun

I got back from school thanks to my friendly and protective chauffeur, he is the one that took care of me since I was a little. Since when my parents found out that I had a disability, I couldn't talk nor hear even until I was 5. I had no friends in school, in fact, I was never attended school before. I was home-schooled all my life, my parents were afraid that I might get bullied at school so they decided to make me learn from home. At that time, I was mad at Appa. I was mad at him so much, why can't I talk nor hear?

Why can't I go to school on my own just like those kids that had their parents pick them up from school daily? Why must I be at home the whole time? I couldn't accept the fact that I couldn't do anything on my own and needed people to be by my side the whole time. It was all until I learnt the magical language, sign language, it was the language that enabled me to communicate with others using my hands, all the people surrounding me also learnt sign language in order to understand a bit better, I was happy as I could finally get to express my feelings that people could understand.

Then I learned to read and write, it was for the sake of those people that only knows the human language, I have also learned how to write notes to people. It is even more expressive than just using sign language, people are able to understand what I am trying to say just by reading what I wrote in a piece of paper.  I also got my first hearing aid at the same time when I first learned to read and write, I could finally hear everything that goes around this world. All those sounds that I thought that never existed actually were all real, the sounds of birds chirping, the thunder roaring when it is going to rain, I could all hear it very clearly.

After learning all I need to learn, I have one final wish that I wanted to fulfil for a very long time.
As you all know, I wanted to go to school for as long as I remembered. So I pestered my parents every year on my birthday, telling them that I wanted to enrol in a normal school with those normal kids. Not those special school that people with disabilities go to, I wanted to live like normal people for once and go to a normal school.

Of course, my parents wouldn't allow at first so I continued to ask them the same question every year until they finally agreed this year on my 17th birthday, I was also the only daughter of the second wife of my father. I don't know how happy I was to know that I will be studying in a public school for once, It has been my life long dream, joining a club. I immediately searched for a school in Changwon which I got accepted almost instantly, they seemed to have a lot of vacancies in this school which is great.

This school also has a theatre where I will be able to sit in when I feel bored, I liked to sit in one place and shut off all noises by taking off my hearing aid for a second so that I hear nothing. I also successfully joined a club and had my first club session along with some seniors and some from the same year as me, it was fun and exciting.

So far, my first day of school has been a remarkable day for me, I have met a senior named Cha HakYeon in the drama club, he is a bit dark but who cares, he is a nice person. I also met fun and a cheerful guy named Yook SungJae, he is full of smiles and brightens my mood completely. He is also from the same class as me in all the other subjects that I take, he should have known my condition as I have already explained to the whole class just now.

I laid down on the bed tummy flat writing down my day in a secret diary, I have always written down everything that I have encountered in a diary. Then I found out that I had no more ink in my pen, it had just run out at this moment. How am I going to write in a run-out-of-ink pen?

Should I go out and buy like right now? But my mother doesn't allow me to leave the house on my own, she is afraid that I might get abducted by bad people. Plus, I have not gone outside on my own before, it would be an adventure. I searched the nearest bookstore near here hoping that it would be just downstairs though I knew that there aren't any stores around here, there are only blocks of houses in this neighbourhood. I looked at the clock, it is already 7, I would have to hurry or there is not enough time. I looked at the window and exhaled. Here it goes...

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HakYeon

I leaned my chin on the stack of newly arrived books that are needed to be placed on the shelf. I regretted what I did so much, why did I break up with her just like that? I feel so stupid right now, what should I do? "Yah! Get to work! I don't want your saliva to land on these precious books so get off." My manager said sweeping the floor, I immediately snapped out of my thoughts.

"Yes, sajangnim," I said and got back to work. Maybe I could get back to her once she gets more famous but will she forget about me by then? She would be rich and wouldn't even look me in the eye, she might be dating someone even more handsome and rich than me, I am just a poor guy living in an average income family. Rich girls would never date me except for her but-- I felt someone tapping me on my shoulders lightly, must be a customer. I immediately turned around to serve the person but the books around me started falling down on the person, she was covered by the pile of books that I had just stacked up. That is why you shouldn't pile the books until so high, it would cause accidents. But the manager wouldn't even listen to me, well I am just a part-timer.

I took off the books and it was JooEun ssi. Is she okay with the books all smashed into her? "JooEun ssi, are you okay? Do you get hurt?" I said but she didn't reply. "JooEun ssi!" I repeated again but she still couldn't hear me. All I could see is that she was trying to find something on the floor. What is she trying to find?

Seeing her finding that thing so helpless, it also made me search for the thing that she was trying to search for. Is it her earrings or... I saw her picking up something that seemed like a hearing aid and stuck that in her ear.

That's why she was writing notes all the time...