Minji's Voice - Bbangsaz

Chapter 13

Minji's POV

I placed the last of the stones in place and stood back to inspect my work.

I was satisfied with what I saw.

The circular pattern turned out to be a little challenging, but in the end, it came down to math. I worked out the setup on paper first, laying out the diagram and spacing before laying the foundation stone. I then used ropes and stakes to make sure the slope was correct so the rain would flow away from my house.

It looked good.

Tomorrow, I would pick up some sand from the shore, put it between the cracks, and sprinkle it.

But right now, I needed to take a shower and get ready for Hanni.

Hanni.

Heat filled my chest.

I still wasn't one hundred percent sure about her motives, but I allowed myself to begin to hope that it really was just friendship she was looking for.

Why with me, it was not known.

It had started with sign language, and maybe for her that accomplished something.

I wanted to ask her why she wanted to spend time with me, but I wasn't sure about the "social rules".

I could decipher advanced masonry diagrams, but when it came to other people, I was lost. It was just easier to pretend they didn't exist at all.

Of course, so much time had passed that I wasn't sure who was the first to pretend, the town acting like I was invisible or me sending the message that I wanted to be invisible. Either way, I was taking it now. And Uncle Taehyung definitely would too.

"It's okay, Minji," I had said, running my hand over my scar.

"There's no one in town who can torture you for information. If you show them your scar and pretend you don't understand, they'll leave you alone." And so, I did, it hadn't been difficult.

Nobody wanted to believe anything different.

Nobody cared.

And now, so much time had passed that it felt like there was no turning back.

I had been okay with that, until she came dancing onto my property.

And now, I was having all kinds of crazy and unwanted ideas in my head.

What if I go to see her at the restaurant she worked at?

Just sit at the counter and drink a cup of coffee like I'm a normal person?

How would I order a cup of coffee anyway?

Just point at everything like a three-year-old while people laugh and shake their heads at the poor mute? No way.

Just the thought filled me with anxiety.

When I was getting out of the shower, that's when I heard the distant screams.

I started and quickly pulled on my jeans, pulling on my t-shirt as I ran to the door.

I need shoes... shoes...

I looked around and the screaming continued.

That sounded like Hanni.

Forget the shoes.

I ran out of my house and headed into the woods.

I followed the sound of her anguished cries through the brush, to the beach at the very edge of my property.