Soobin's POV:
I've known Yeonjun for about a week, and I think we're friends now. At least, I hope we are. I mean, he doesn't get nearly as anxious when I talk to him, and neither do I. He's so easy to talk to, but I've never seen him with anyone else at school. I don't want to ask and make him uncomfortable. We've only known each other for a week, and I don't want to cross a line.
I was excited as I walked to calculus, knowing I'll be able to sit next to Yeonjun. I was smiling as I walked into the lecture hall, but it instantly faded when my eyes landed on a certain boy in the back of the room. Yeonjun had his head resting in his arms with a hoodie covering himself, like he was hiding. Thank goodness I was early so I could hopefully talk to him a little.
I quickened my step as I walked to the back and took the seat next to Yeonjun, gently calling out his name, "Yeonjun-hyung?"
He didn't even flinch, so I called his name again, "Yeonjun-ssi?"
Nothing. Maybe something was wrong with his hearing aids again. With that thought, I reached out and tapped his shoulder, making him flinch and look up at me. I widened my eyes when I saw the fresh bruise under his left eye and the cut on his cheek. I slid my chair closer to him and worriedly asked, "Oh my god, what happened?"
He didn't say anything and grabbed his backpack off the floor. I was confused until he reached into the front pocket, spilling out a handful of plastic and metal pieces on the table in front of us. Everything clicked in my head: his hearing aids. I cautiously reached my hand up, pushing his hood back a little to look at his ear. His hearing aid was gone, but there were fresh scratches along the side of his head, making me even more worried. I looked at his other ear, and the same scratches were there.
He closed his backpack and put it back down on the floor as I pulled away. Yeonjun rested his head back in his arms again, looking embarrassed that I saw him like this. I sighed and took my notebook out of my bag, ripping out a blank page from the back of it. I quickly wrote:
You don't have to tell me what happened, ok? I'll take notes for you
I folded the paper in half before tapping his shoulder again. He barely picked his head up but was able to see the piece of paper I was handing him. He sat up and took the paper from me, taking a deep breath before opening it. He made a little lip smile at my note before turning to me. He brought his hand up, touching his chin and reaching his hand out to say, 'thank you'.
I shook my head and smiled, making a fist with my hand and rubbing it against my chest to say, 'sorry'.
He shook his head and grabbed my pencil, putting the piece of paper back down on the table to write something back to me. He handed me the paper after a moment as he put my pencil down. I took the paper from him and read:
Does Taehyun-ssi have a break at the same time as us? I want to tell you, but it's too much to write
I looked back up at him and made a thumbs up before pretending to type on my imaginary phone, trying to tell Yeonjun that I'll text him. I think Yeonjun understood because he nodded. I sighed when the pout went back to Yeonjun's face, and flipped the piece of paper over, writing:
Tae taught me how to say please so I'm basically fluent
I wanted to make him smile again, so I handed the note back to him. His smile was so small that I would've missed it if I wasn't paying attention as he read my note. He looked back up at me, and I smiled at him, bringing my palm up to my chest and rubbing in a circle to say, 'please'. He smiled a bit bigger, but our little moment was cut short when our professor came into the lecture hall.
~
Taehyun and I were quick walking towards the lunchroom, wanting so badly to know what happened.
"Soob, slow down—"
"You didn't see him, and his hearing aids were crushing into pieces... That wasn't an accident, Tae." I said, cutting Taehyun off as I spotted Yeonjun at his usual seat. I ran to him as he took another bite of his sandwich. I tapped his shoulder, making him flinch and look up at me.
I noticed the bruise under his eye had gotten darker and I got worried. I quickly turned to Taehyun, who had taken a seat across from Yeonjun, "Can you ask him if he's doing ok, please?"
Taehyun nodded and signed my question to him. Yeonjun smiled as he looked at me and nodded, telling me he was alright. I sighed in relief as I sat down next to Yeonjun, looking back at Taehyun, "Tell him that he doesn't have to tell us if he doesn't want to."
Taehyun signed to him again, and Yeonjun signed something back, which Taehyun translated, "It's ok. I wanna tell you."
Taehyun signed something back and said as he did it, "Go ahead. I'll translate for Soob."
Yeonjun sighed and started making symbols with his hands as Taehyun translated for me, "I went to the bathroom this morning and I had turned the volume on my hearing aids off because I like it to be quiet sometimes. There were three older boys in the bathroom, and they had that look in their eyes as soon as they saw me. I tried to turn the volume of my hearing aids up as they walked closer to me, but my hands were shaking out of fear and they grabbed me before I was able to do it. I don't know why they grabbed me because I couldn't hear them, but I think they were shouting something at me. Two of the boys held me back as the other one punched and kicked me. It's really difficult to talk when I don't have my hearing aids in, so I just stayed quiet. Once they got bored of hitting me, one of them pulled my hearing aids off. His nails were digging into the side of my head as he pulled them off my ears. Then he threw them on the floor and stomped on them before they left."
Taehyun and I were both speechless for a moment at his story until I heard him sniffle. I turned to him, seeing his eyes glossed over as he tried to avoid looking at us. I gently wrapped my arm around him before he got the wrong idea, making him turn to me. I brought my hand up when I saw a tear escape from his eye, gently wiping it away with my thumb and making sure I didn't hurt him. I wanted to tell him that everything was ok, but I knew he couldn't hear me. He hugged me before I could ask Taehyun to sign something to him, burying his face into my shoulder. I wrapped my other arm around him and rubbed circles on his back, trying anything to help him feel better.
After a minute or two of comforting him, he picked his head back up and looked at me with his red eyes, making a fist and rubbing a circle onto his chest. I shook my head, quickly point to myself and doing the same motion, trying to tell him I was sorry about what happened. I turned to Taehyun and said, "Can you ask him if he can get new ones, please?"
Taehyun nodded and signed the question to him, translating his reply, "Not sure. I have to ask my mom and it would need to go through our insurance. This is the second pair I have to get this year, so I'm not sure if they will pay for it."
Taehyun signed back without me having to ask him, "What happened to the other pair?"
Taehyun translated for me, "They were old and stopped working."
"Can you ask him how much they are?" I said and Taehyun turned to me.
"Hyung, your dad will—"
"Please, Tae... Just ask him."
Taehyun sighed and signed the question for me.
Taehyun translated again, "Over a million won."
"Shit..." I mumbled under my breath before saying, "Can you ask who did this t—"
I was cut off when I felt a weight on my shoulder. I turned to the side, seeing how Yeonjun was gently resting his head. I just sighed and rubbed his shoulder, knowing that's what he needed right now. Comfort.
Yeonjun's POV:
Soobin gave me his number in case I needed something, but I haven't put it in my phone yet. I gave him my number as well, but I'm just staring at the piece of paper on my desk with those seven little numbers on it. All I wanted to do was talk to him. He's at practice right now anyways, so there's no point in texting him. But it's driving me crazy. I love talking to him, but my stupid ears always decide not to work unless I have two little things to help amplify my world.
I told Beomgyu what had happened earlier, and he was so angry. I could tell through the texts he was sending me. He didn't once use lowercase letters and he was seriously about to buy a train ticket to come make sure I was alright. That's the last thing I want to do to my best friend. I don't want him to spend money to come see me when I'm fine. Train tickets are so expensive nowadays as well and he's all the way on the other side of the country.
Ugh... Yeonjun, focus on your math homework. Soobin was nice enough to take notes for you and tell you the assignment—
I was cut off from my thoughts when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I furrowed my eyebrows, knowing Beomgyu was out on a date and he'd usually be the only one to text me. It was an unknown number:
Unknown:
you doing ok?
Me:
ummm...
who is this?
Unknown:
omg sorry
it's soobin
I smiled and quickly saved his contact in my phone.
Me:
sorry
I forgot to put your number in my phone earlier
Soobinnie:
it's cool don't worry about it
are you doing alright?
Me:
yeah I'm fine
thank you for the calc notes
Soobinnie:
you thanked me already
and it's no problem
Me:
I guess practice is over?
Soobinnie:
yeah
we got back like 10 mins ago
Me:
how was practice?
Soobinnie:
good
but I'm tired and hungry
Me:
go eat something
why'd you have practice at 6?
Soobinnie:
idk my coach had somewhere he needed to be so he rescheduled it
and idk what to eatttttttt
tae already fell asleep after he showered so I have nobody to eat with
Me:
I thought you said you've only been back for 10 mins?
Soobinnie:
tae was really tired
Me:
hehe what food do you have at your dorm?
Soobinnie:
ummm... snacks
bread
Me:
that's it?
you know you have a kitchen right?
Soobinnie:
that doesn't mean I'm good at cooking
Me:
you know you're an athlete right?
so you need nutrients... not just snacks
Soobinnie:
ooooo I found ramyeon in the cabinet
I'll make that don't worry
Me:
oh god
I'll make you a real meal one day
Soobinnie:
you can cook?
Me:
of course I can
I hate the food here
I usually make my own food
Soobinnie:
what's your fav thing to make?
Me:
ummm...
probably mandoo with my mom
Soobinnie:
YOU'RE MOM MAKES HOMEMADE MANDOO?!
Me:
yeah...
why are you yelling?
Soobinnie:
BECAUSE HOMEMADE MANDOO IS THE BEST!!!!
Me:
ik it's incredible
she'd usually make it on the weekends when we had more time
Soobinnie:
sounds amazing
Me:
next time we make it I'll save you some
Soobinnie:
really?
Me:
of course
Soobinnie:
thank youuuuu
ummm...
quick question
Me:
what's up?
Soobinnie:
why doesn't the ramyeon say how much time to have it in the microwave?
Me:
probably means you have to make it on the stove
Soobinnie:
oh ummm...
ok
Me:
do you need help?
Soobinnie:
no
I've definitely done this before and not for the first time right now
Me:
omg
are you serious?
Soobinnie:
ummm...
maybe
Me:
haha
I'll walk you through it don't worry
We kept talking about anything and everything. Safe to say, I had a hard time finishing my calculus homework.
Yeonjun's POV:
I'm annoyed. Really fucking annoyed. I've been without my hearing aids for a week and my mom just told me that the insurance won't pay to get me a new pair. She told me she got an extra shift at work to pay for new ones. Obviously, I didn't tell her how I really broke them. The last thing I need is for her to worry about me. She has so much on her plate already and I don't want her to stress out even more. I feel so bad. This is all my fault. I wish I could pay for them, but I'm just a broke college student without a job. Maybe I could get a small job on the weekends to help her out—
I snapped out of my thoughts when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I flinched at the touch and turned my head, thank goodness it was just Soobin, and I saw Taheyun-ssi right behind him. I'm so happy I met them. They're seriously two of the nicest people I've ever met, and I got extremely lucky that Taehyun-ssi knows sign language. I wouldn't know what to do if he wasn't there to translate everything I was trying to say, and I'm so grateful for that.
Soobin gave me a thumbs up before flipping it around and then writing a question mark in the air, asking how I was doing. I pouted and gave him a thumbs down. I saw the worry in his eyes as he sat down next to me. He started saying something to Taehyun-ssi, so I looked over at him as he took the seat across from me.
He signed to me: What's wrong?
I sighed and signed back: My mom just told me that our insurance won't pay for a new pair of hearing aids.
What are you going to do then?
Not sure. I don't have the money for that. My mom got another shift at work to pay for them. Maybe I'll get a job on the weekends.
Where?
Not sure. Not many places are going to hire a stupid deaf kid.
Don't say that about yourself.
It's true. Who's going to hire me if I can't hear or talk?
Soob says you can cook. What about being a chef?
They aren't going to hire somebody without experience. And I'm studying Korean Literature, so they're not going to hire me. I only know how to cook because my mom taught me.
What else do you like to do?
I don't know.
There's bound to be something. Just one thing?
I like to read, but that's not going to get me anywhere. There's no use. Nobody's going to hire me if they can't talk to me.
Taehyun turned to Soobin when he grabbed his backpack from the floor. The two of them were talking, but I could only make out a couple words from reading their lips. I saw him take a card out of his wallet and knew what he was doing. I waved my hands and tried to tell him to stop, but he held a finger up to me as he said something to Taehyun.
Taehyun sighed and hesitated for a moment before signing to me: It's his dad's credit card. He wants you to get new hearing aids with it.
I widened my eyes and quickly replied: There's no way I'm taking his money.
He says you're more important than money.
I turned my head to Soobin, who was softly smiling at me and trying to give me his credit card. I shook my head. I couldn't take his money.
I turned back to Taehyun: You guys have only known me for two weeks. I'm not gonna take his money.
He says he misses talking to you, so he's doing it for him.
I know that's not true.
He said that if you don't take it, he's going to just buy you some and he doesn't know which ones to pick out.
Please, tell him not to buy me anything. I won't accept it if he buys it for me.
He wants you to reconsider his offer. Think about it at least?
I'm not taking his money. End of story.
Taehyun and Soobin talked for a little while before Taehyun turned back to me: He has a proposition for you. One second.
I was confused and so was Taehyun as he listened to Soobin's plan. Taehyun was still a bit confused as he turned back to me, simply signing: He wants you to cook for us.
Cook?
He says you're a great cook and you talked about your mom's mandoo?
Yeah. I guess so.
He says he'll pay you to cook for us since you said we need nutrients or something. Did you guys talk about this before?
Last week we were texting about this. Soobin didn't have anything to eat and he said all you guys had were snacks.
Well, yeah. That's true. Neither of us know how to cook... He says he'll give you money to buy us groceries and then he'll pay you to cook for us.
I sighed: I don't know. I feel like I'm still just taking his money.
But you'll be cooking for us. And trust me, we eat a lot of food... He says if he pays twenty thousand won per meal for the both of us, with three meals per day, it would be about twenty days until you get enough to buy your hearing aids.
I don't know, Taehyun-ssi.
Please? Soob says you're really good at cooking. And you'll be able to do what you like to do. And we benefit because we currently eat like shit.
I smiled and hesitated for a moment before replying: Ok... I'll cook for you two.
I saw Soobin and Taehyun get excited when I finally said I would do it. Soobin said something to Taehyun as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, making my heart flutter: Soob says he'll get you the hearing aids now, so you don't have to wait over two weeks to get them.
I nodded: That's fine... Can you guys come with me to the grocery store after practice? I already know what I'm making you for dinner.
Yeah, of course.
~
What food do you guys already have at your dorm?
Bread and snacks.
That's it? No fruits or veggies?
Like I said, we eat like shit. And we usually just get our food from the dining hall.
I sighed before replying: What fruits do you two like?
Taehyun talked to Soobin for a few seconds, who was pushing the cart next to us, before turning back to me: Tangerines are the best. Soob says he'll eat anything except for pineapple, and I don't like kiwi.
Perfect. I can work with that.
I instantly walked to the produce section, smiling at all the bright colors. I spotted the tangerines first, grabbing two large bags of them, thinking that they could probably eat one or two of them per day. I grabbed a bunch of different types of fruit: strawberries, blueberries, bananas, honeydew melon, grapes, and watermelon to make them fruit salad. I grabbed some limes and lemons, knowing I could use the juices to my advantage. I grabbed a few avocados that I could use for breakfast, mentally checking off the items in my head.
I turned to Taehyun and quickly asked: Are there any vegetables you guys don't like?
I saw Taehyun giggle a little with Soobin: We eat anything in front of us. Don't worry.
I smiled at him and walked over towards the vegetables. Don't fruits and veggies just make everyone smile? Or is it just me? Because I definitely look like the biggest dork picking out food. I grabbed everything under the sun: leeks for soup; radish and carrots for stir fry; cabbage to make kimchi; chives, onions, garlic, and scallions to add flavor; mushrooms, peppers, cucumbers, potatoes, lettuce, bok choy, tomatoes, and anything else I could find. I was in my element, going from aisle to aisle and grabbing everything I needed: sauces, hot pepper flakes, honey, milk, flour, tteok, oil, noodles, eggs, rice, rice, and more rice... The cart was almost full. Taehyun asked if I was trying to buy the entire store, and I laughed at his joke, or at least I think I did because I couldn't hear myself.
Taehyun and Soobin had to help me when we got to the butcher and the fish market sections, since I couldn't speak to the vendor. I got a lot of meat and fish for them because they need the protein. I knew they didn't eat right, but maybe I could turn that around for them. I already knew what I was going to make for them for the next several days. I already had started forming a plan in my head when I agreed to the idea, and thank goodness I finished my homework because I had a lot of cooking ahead of me.
As Soobin was paying for the food, a thought popped into my head. I panicked as I tapped Taehyun's shoulder and quickly signed: You guys have pots and pans, right?
Taehyun nodded and I sighed in relief. That would've been a complete nightmare if they didn't have anything to cook with. I'm so excited to cook them something.