Your Voice (Short Story)

Speaker

I told her, "I just talked to her last night to shut her music down" Ma laughed then she told me, "Wow, you're the first person who dared to do that for the two and a half years that i've been staying here. No one talked to her maybe she's grateful. She once did that to me when i tried talking to her and the fact that you're the same age as her, she must be happy".

Ryujin suddenly played a loud music again,

"YOUNGBLOOD!
SAY YOU WANT ME!
SAY YOU WANT ME!
OUT OF YOUR LIFE!"

Ma gave me something that looks like an earbuds then she said, "Congratulations! You surpassed the days to beat, you've been staying here for 10 Days now and you deserved this, we've been using that for 2 Years now and i just found that i still have a pairs of that, i don't know what it calls but it's effective."

While on my way to the University, Dad suddenly called me, "How are you my Daughter?" I answered at him, "I'm fine Dad, i'm currently walking on the way to the University and we have a quiz later" I can hear him smiling then he told me, "Oh? Really? Goodluck! I know you can do it! I wanted to give this phone to your Mom but i don't wanna see her crying, you know she's a crybaby, always remember to take care of yourself, okay?".

When i'm already inside my classroom, i went closer to my classmate who used to stay in my room, "Hey? I just found out that the Girl in the room 12 can't hear anything, that's why i don't think she's weird or sort of." She answered at me, "Wow, i never thought that but she can just use earphones".

I told her, "That's what i'm thinking too that's why i offered her my earphones but she got scared because of it."

After a while, i finally take a quiz and i got 45 out of 50. I'm not satisfied with my score because i know that i can do more, it's just while i'm answering and trying to remember what i read, i can hear Ryujin's voice talking to her Mom and Dad, she's distracting me lately.

I wrote again in the bond paper what i want to say to her and i think that maybe if i made a deal with her she will do what i say.

When it's our break time, i opened the bento box that she gave me and she literally created a smiley face on the rice balls and her eggs has a sad face, i suddenly chuckled because it was so funny that she gave me something like this, i think Ma was right, Ryujin's grateful that someone talked to her because she literally put some effort in this.

The moment that i put the egg in my mouth, i suddenly remember my Mom's foods. Ryujin is so good at cooking, i never thought she can cook like this, i'm expecting that the egg will be salty.

It was already 6:00 PM, i can finally go home now.

It was so tiring going upstairs in this tenement. I suddenly saw Ryujin carrying Ji-Won and Ji-Woo and they are sitting on the hammock in front of Ryujin's room. When Ji-Woo saw me, he said, "Ryujin Unnie's new Friend is here!".

Ji-Won ran towards me and he asked me, "How did you become her Friend?". My eyes literally went big and Ryujin is clueless because she can't hear what the Kids are saying then Ji-Woo asked me, "Yeji Unnie? She can't hear us and she told us that this is just a secret but you're Ryujin Unnie's Friend, right?".

I laughed and knocked on Ji-Woo's head, "You! Don't say that again, okay? Even if she can't hear you still shouldn't do that." Ryujin stand up then she removed the hammock. She asked me nervously, "Did you eat the food that i gave you?".

I nodded at her, she scratched her head like she's shy that i like her food. I put out the bento box on my bag then i showed it to her and she walked closer to me and she was about to get her bento box but i hold her hand the i pointed myself, "Ryujin? I. HAVE. SOMETHING. TO. TELL. YOU."

She said to me, "You don't need to slow your way speaking when you're talking to me, i can read your lips and i'm just gonna say to you if i don't get it or you can just do what you did last night, write it on a paper". I smiled at her then i went inside her room, i get the bond paper where i wrote everything, and i showed her one by one the bond paper,

"Here's the deal"
"In every Morning, you can play the songs that you like all you want"
"Even on Saturday and Sunday, it's fine"
"I'm not gonna bother you"
"Just—In every evening, just stop playing a loud music"
"You can play some but with a—"
"LOW VOLUME"

She's not moving or anything, it looks like i offended her, "I'm sorry but low volume? I can't". I asked her "Why? Why do you prefer playing a loud music even though—i'm sorry, i shouldn't have asked that".

She smiled at me, it surprised me to see her smiling and she really looks so innocent. Ryujin told me,

"I can't hear anything but i still can feel anything".

She opened her speakers and she played 'Robbers' by The 1975, it was so loud, she suddenly hold my hand and put it on the speaker then she closed her eyes, i can feel the speaker beating because of the bass.

Ryujin is singing and she's literally in sync with the music even though she can't hear it.

She turned off the speaker then she told me, "You can get it now? I can't hear anything but whenever i put my hand on the speaker, i can feel something, i can already guess what kind of song this is or sometimes when i wanted to sing, i'm just feeling the beat".

I wrote something on the bond paper then i gave it to her,

"I'm studying at exactly 9:00 PM to Morning but it's just 7:00 PM, we can still talk in my room since you're my Friend now".