Your Voice (Short Story)

Room 12

YEJI

I didn't even have a proper sleep last night, i can't feel my eyes anymore. My eyebags are literally showing, i take a look at myself in the mirror and it surprised me when i saw a black under my eyes, i checked the time and it was only 7:20 AM.

Someone suddenly knocked on my door and she looks like the Grandmother in room 11, she told me, "Welcome, here's a kimchi, i made it last night and it's a welcome food for you". I thanked her and told her, "Thank you for this, i'm Yeji by the way".

Her Kids suddenly followed her and they smiled at me, i became confused that how can they survive this life if the room next to them was this loud. The Kids hold my hand and said, "We're the cute Kids here!". The one Kid jumped and he told me, "Hi! I'm Ji-Won, i'm the most handsome!". The other one also jumped and he shouted at me, "HELLO! UNNIE! I'M JI-WOO!".

The Grandma smiled at me and told me, "I'm Sun Young, call me Ma, that's all." Room 12 suddenly played another loud music,

"WHAT IF....
WHAT IF WE RUN AWAY?
WHAT IF....
WHAT IF WE LEFT TODAY?"

I asked Ma, "Ma? This room 12? Is this always this loud?" She smiled at me and told me, "Don't mind her, just live your life." Ji-Won and Ji-Woo knocked on the room 12 then Ma called them, "Hey! Kids! It's too early!".

Ma told me, "You're the 5th one who rented in this room within this year, your days to beat are 8 days, goodluck!" She laughed then i asked her, "How did you managed this?" She answered, "She's kind, once you get to know her you're gonna understand her".

I went back inside my room and i just think that if Ma and her Kids can take this then i know i can also take this. I cut my boxes and put it on every corner of the room, i blocked every holes and i went outside to look for egg trays, i keep on walking around the tenement and i glimpsed the Girl in room 12, i can't see her clearly because of her windows then she turned off her music.

I just went back to my room and put the egg trays on the wall between our room, i guess this will work.

Earlier while i'm walking around the tenement, i noticed how it was clearly stated in every floor about the rules and regulations, it was all written on every wall. There's also a list of names on the room 5, the room of the landlord, the names of everyone who's living here.

I checked the name of the Girl in room 12 and it says, "Shin Ryujin". I asked the landlord, "Ma'am? Who's Shin Ryujin?" She asked me, "The room 12? Why? Is she bothering you?" I smiled at her, "No, i'm just curious".

"She's my Niece" The landlord said that and i'm surprised that she told me that without any hesitation, i guess i can't really complain about her.

Tomorrow is the first day of class, i'm so excited.

*ONE WEEK LATER*

Every 7:00 PM to 1:00 AM, the room 12 is playing loud songs and it was all a rock songs sometimes it was shuffled with some ballads. Every 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM, she's playing some random 2018 songs, mostly it was The 1975's songs.

In every 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, she's watching a television but her television is muted.

I'm always having a hard time but i have no choice, this is the only cheapest room that i saw. I tried looking for some cheap room but all of them are ranging from 150,000 won and above.

We have a quiz next day and it's already 12:30 AM, i think she's watching something, i can hear her name being called out,

"Ryujin? Stop filming us! Come here now! Play with me!"
"No! Dad! I'm just gonna film you and Mom!"
"My Baby? Come with us now, your Dad is making fun of me"
"Mommy, it was fun filming you two."

I removed the one egg tray to hear it more clearly and i suddenly heard something,

"Come on now, Ryujin? Your Mom is filming you, smile! Your Dad won't gonna like seeing you this way—"

It looks like she stopped it now, i went back to my study table and i am more curious about her.

The next morning, i went to Ma's room. The Kids are not there then i asked her, "Ma? Ryujin is her name, right? The Girl in room 12?" Her eyes went big then she asked me, "Oh? Did she introduced herself to you?".

I answered, "No, i just saw her name in room 5. I just want to ask if she ever leaves her room". Ma laughed then she said, "What? You haven't seen her? She's always leaving her room every lunch time, she's playing with my Kids".

What? I'm seeing her as a cold person, i think she doesn't like socializing.

I went down the tenement then the other Students from the second floor, they are talking then one of them called me, "Hey? Newbie? Come here!". I went closer to them then one of them asked me, "How did you do this? You survived one week. I'm Chaeryoung by the way".

One of them gave me a cookies then she told me, "It's a welcome gift since you survived a week next to room 12, i'm Yuna by the way." The other one offered her hands and says, "We never complain about her, we don't even know her. Just if you want some Friends, you can talk to us. I'm Lia by the way".

I talked to them for hours and when i went back to my room, i saw Ji-Won running outside the room 12 then Ryujin called him, "Bi-One! COME BACK HERE!" I tried walking so fast then i'm clearly standing in front of her door and i saw her playing with Ji-Woo, she told Ji-Woo, "Bi-Two, close the door".

Our eyes clearly met, she keeps on staring at me and it only stopped when the door closed.

When i'm already at my class, one of my classmate asked me, "Where are you staying right now?" I answered at her, "In the tenement." She looks so shocked then she asked me, "Don't tell me you're living in room 13?! Because i used to stay there for 8 days only!".

I asked her, "Wait? I'm actually living there right now and it was so noisy! Have you ever talked to the Girl in room 12?" She sighed loudly and she told me,

"No, i haven't talked to her but whenever she sees me, she's smiling though but i found her weird. She looks so Friendly but i don't know why she's always playing loud music and one time i'm calling her but she's not answering. I decided to leave that tenement because even though it helps me lessen my expenses but it gives me hard time to study, it's not worth it."

I asked her where she's staying right now but the price of where she's staying is triple the price of the tenement.

We have a group study and we did it in my classmate's house, we've been there for hours and it's already 8:30 PM, i don't need to eat anymore, i saved my money since i already ate at my classmate's house, it was such a big house, their bathroom was the same size as my house in Guryong Village.

When i'm already in the third floor, i saw Ma holding a flashlight and the flashlight was turning on and off, she's standing outside the window of room 12. Ryujin went outside and i saw Ma pointing her wrist and she's saying, "Have you seen Bi-One's watch?".

Ryujin told Ma, "He's not wearing anything when he went here." Wow, she can speak, and everything suddenly make sense when Ma hand signs the plate then she gets a paper and wrote something, i heard Ryujin saying,

"Ma, you know that i don't wanna study hand signing. You need to go home now, the Kids are waiting for you".

Wait—It makes sense now—

All of the things, from the way she listens to the music with a loud volume, the way she called Ji-Won and Ji-Woo, i think she tried to read their lips and she ended up calling them, "Bi-One" and "Bi-Two".

The tenement's rules and regulations and warnings around the whole area are written on the walls, it's because of Ryujin.

When my classmate told me that she called Ryujin but she's not answering, Ryujin's not ignoring her, she just can't hear her.

After Ma and Ryujin talked, i went closer to Ma and asked her, "Ma? She can't hear anything?" She answered, "So, you just figured it out? You're the first person who asked me about that".

I didn't said anything but Ma told me, "I don't think i need to tell you this but she just lost her hearing two years ago, that's what her Auntie, the landlord, told me".

Oh my gosh, that's why she's only playing a 2018 songs, that is the only newest song that she's playing because after that year, she lost her hearing.