#1. The Sound of the World. 1
[Hello, everyone. 9 o'clock news… ]
The news has always broadcast political and social issues in a calm manner.
At that moment, a voice came out of the mouth of a reporter who was at the scene.
The place where the reporter was standing was a large warehouse, and things like used books were piled up everywhere.
[Here, Private P was held captive for a whopping 12 years. The prosecution charged him with kidnapping, confinement, and violation of labor laws… … .]
* * *
The doctor, she was looking at the sleeping patient with a pitiful expression next to him, a patient who looked to be about 17 or 18 years old.
His face was so pale that it was almost white.
There was a detective who said that he lived with his face wrapped around something like a scarf so that people wouldn't recognize him.
The eyes are like a deer's and the nose is high.
He had a face that reminded me of a typical pretty boy, but at an age when he should have been loved, he held a sickle and plowed the field with a shovel like an ox.
I heard that in addition to that, he did all kinds of odd jobs that were embarrassing to even hear about.
'Those crazy guys. They should be executed.'
In contrast to his face, his hands were covered in bruises. There were deep marks of abuse all over his body.
Fortunately, the test results showed that my body was not in extreme bad condition.
But hearing impairment.
If I had taken care of it, I would have been able to hear the sounds of the world with a hearing aid, but because it wasn't properly managed, I became completely deaf.
The perpetrator may have realized that the person was disabled and kidnapped him.
She sighed deeply.
'What's your name?'
When I first asked his name, he seemed to recognize it from the shape of his lips and answered in a dull voice.
'He's a son of a bitch.'
얼마나 세뇌를 받았으면 이름이 개새끼란다.
In all my years as a doctor, I have never felt so angry.
“Sleep tight. It’s safe here.”
After checking the patient's condition, she went out.
however.
Despite the police guarding the door, reporters were already crowding around.
“How is the child?”
“What is the victim’s name?”
“Have you found your family?”
“Aren’t you an orphan?”
Without realizing it, she clenched her fists.
And then he opened his mouth in a dry voice.
“Is the misfortune of others your happiness?”
She turned and spoke to the police.
“I’ll report all of these people. For obstructing business… .”
Meanwhile, his eyes, which he thought were asleep, suddenly opened.
I moved my eyes to check my surroundings once more.
'Fluorescent lights… … . Patient monitoring devices… … . Ringer’s… Tubes… Needles. These are the blankets, bed handles, patient’s clothes, window curtains, slippers… … .'
At first it was slow, but then he started to cram things into his head as if he was trying to remember them at an incredible speed.
So when dinnertime came, he got up carefully and stood outside the window.
At that moment, the door opened with a creak and the doctor who had brought the food came in.
He quickly lay down on the bed like a sinner.
It was not because I heard a sound, but because I saw the reflection in the window.
The doctor approached with a bitter smile.
“It’s okay. Do whatever you want. No one will tell you anything. Now, shall we eat?”
She brought him a spoon that could also be used as a fork since he didn't know how to use chopsticks.
“Eat slowly. Take your time.”
He glanced at her as if checking her mood.
0. It was a gaze I saw a few seconds ago, but it was an 'observation'.
It was a survival instinct for him.
-The pupils dilate.
-The corners of the eyes droop and wrinkles form like crow's claws.
-The vastus lateralis muscle is pulled and lifted upward.
-The corners of the mouth turn upward symmetrically.
A smile that is not fake.
'Proof to me that I am not a dangerous person… … .'
As she carefully held the spoon for him, he looked at her again and began to eat.
But the speed was too fast.
There was no order to eating rice and side dishes. I just stuffed whatever I could get my hands on into my mouth.
The struggle to survive still remains.
“Slowly, there, you can eat slowly. Um… … .”
Before she could stop him, the plate was emptied.
He ate everything with his hands, as if he couldn't leave even a single grain of rice or sesame salt behind.
Her brows grew hot at the sight.
I tried to raise my head to stop the tears from falling, but I ended up just wiping them away with my hand.
A wet voice flowed from her mouth.
“What on earth have you been doing… … ”
Just then my phone vibrated.
She answered the phone, her voice clear.
“Yes. Lee Hye-yeon… … Yes? Is that true!? Right, right away, I’ll come down.”
After finishing the call, Lee Hye-yeon smiled brightly.
“Mom and Dad are here? This older sister will bring them over right away.”
He thought as he watched her back as she walked away carrying her tray.
He seemed like a good person.
And I hope I never go back there again.
* * *
As she entered the lobby, Hye-yeon Lee could see a couple with a detective.
The couple, who appeared to be in their late 40s, were fidgeting.
Lee Hye-yeon approached and said hello.
"hello?"
The woman grabbed her hand tightly.
As if Lee Hye-yeon was his last hope, he shed tears and spoke in a pleading voice.
“Where is our Woojin, teacher? Where is he?”
My husband said.
“Are you sure that that child… … is deaf?”
12 years ago, when reporting a missing person, one of the characteristics listed was that he was hard of hearing.
“Yes. I have hearing loss… … .”
At her words, her husband clenched his fist.
I didn't know how long I had been searching for her when she went missing.
Both of them gave up their jobs and risked their lives to find their son.
I searched for one year, two years… three years, but I couldn’t even hear a rumor.
But I found it.
Finally my son.
“I don’t know how I can possibly fathom how you two are feeling… but I think you must be very overwhelmed to have found your son. Your name is Woojin, right?”
“Yes! That’s right! It’s Shin Woojin! Shin Woojin!”
“Yes. Woojin is very sensitive right now. The guardians’ strong reactions… … .”
The couple got on the elevator after listening to Hye-yeon Lee's instructions and calming down a bit.
That moment.
Woojin's head was slowly turning towards the door.
I was hearing a strange sound. No, it wasn't a sound, it was a ringing sensation in my head.
Step, step, step.
I felt something approaching me that I couldn't express.
The closer I got, the louder it rang in my head.
Step, step, step.
The door that Woojin had been quietly staring at finally opened.
'uh…….'
The blurry face came back to me clearly, and Woojin's parents, who had confirmed their son's face, ran into the hospital room as if they had not heard the warning.
“Woojin!”
“Woojin!”
At that moment, Woojin covered his ears with both hands while fixing his gaze on his mom and dad.
It was because a sound like thunder flowed into my ears.
It was mom and dad's voices.
Woojin's pupils dilated as if they were absorbing all the light.
Just as I will clearly remember my mom and dad even if we can't meet again.
