OOPS! MYSTERIOUS SOUNDS: BOOK 1.

The Thirteenth voice. 

A cold wind swept across my body as the two-wheeled engine accelerated faster and faster. I had to duck my head down; my hands hugged Jin tightly around the waist because he seemed to be urging the motorcycle to speed off. As I tightened my grip, the driver seemed to notice, so he slowed down and gently patted my hand before returning to control the bike. I made eye contact with it through the car's side mirror and gave a slight smile.

 

"Okay, if you're not going to go up to your room, are you free to come out with me right now?" That's what Jin said when he pulled away from my lips. 'Or should we just keep kissing like this?'

 

"Damn, my mouth is all tired of talking."

 

I pursed my lips tightly as I recalled what had just happened. Of course, it probably thought the same thing, judging by the sharp gaze it directed at me. The way he rolled up his helmet visor earlier, I made a face at him, which made him smirk. Meanwhile, he drove through a winding street until he stopped in front of a house. The lights were on. He parked and peered inside. A moment later, a small dog came running, wagging its tail. They seemed very familiar with Jin. When Jin crouched down and reached under the fence to pet them, they whined and wagged their tails in a friendly manner.

 

I was completely bewildered until the inner door of the house opened and an elderly woman hobbled out, smiling broadly from afar. It was Auntie. That person greeted Jin.

 

"Okay, son...Jin."

 

"Hello, Auntie."

 

"Have you arrived, my child?" The woman smiled broadly and hurried over, intending to open the gate.

 

"No need, Auntie. I just stopped by to drop off some food today."

 

"Aren't you going to have lunch with us?"

 

"No," he turned to me, "this is the owner of the 'Good Morning Monday' LINE message that he sends me every morning." My eyes widened because I saw the owner of the message that made Jin smile every time he held his phone.

 

"I'm here with a friend today. Aunt Amporn, this is Beetle."

 

At that moment, the old woman glanced at me and smiled. She looked so kind that I smiled back and quickly bowed to her.

 

"Hello, Auntie."

 

"Go and pay your respects to the Buddha, dear..." The aunt smiled kindly. "Is this Jin's friend? I've never seen him before. I usually only see Beam and Thiw."

 

"Yes," Jin replied to her, turning to look at me and smiling. "Right now, we're just friends!"

 

Wait a minute. I spun around to look at Jin immediately. Luckily, the Aunt didn't hear what he said. I glared at him.

 

"I have errands to run today," he said, handing over the other food in the bag. "I'll stop by and have a meal with you another time."

 

"Okay," she smiled happily. "Come have a meal with Jin next time, and you too, Beetle." 

 

"Come on, my child!"

 

She seemed quite fond of Jin. Before leaving, she spent a long time blessing him. In his heart, he had a question, but he didn't say anything. And so after that, Jin started up the motorcycle and drove it to a rented house in Sukhothai. 

 

"We've arrived!" Jin turned to me and said it was a good place to eat, so I stepped inside and saw Beam and Thiw setting the table for dinner.

 

"Here comes Maha Ro. Oh, Phol Duam is here too?"

 

Beam was singing, and before he could even react, he heard a woman's piercing scream coming from a nearby house. He tried to piece things together. That wasn't the right moment when Beam passed right in front of me, with Thiw and Jim running closely behind their friend.

 

"What's going on?" was the question that echoed in Phod's head as he stopped, breathless, in front of a rusty house. The shouting and commotion were incessant.

Before the loud crash was heard, Jin was the first to climb over the wall and bang loudly on the door, followed by Thiw.

 

"Please let it go, Uncle." Jin talked to the air and tried to push open the house door with Thiw helping him.

 

"If you keep doing this, you'll never escape the karmic cycle that binds you," I spun around to look at Beam, who was talking to the darkness. His gaze was fixed on the doorway that Jin and Thiw were trying to push open. I was confused, not bewildered, before me.

 

"Today!"

I quickly lunged to grab Beam, who was trying to climb over the fence as well, but because he was small and had short legs, he almost fell off the fence, so I had to grab him by the waist

 

"It might rain."

 

"Hey, that old man is talking nonsense."

 

Beam made an irritated sound towards the darkness. I don't know if I'm overthinking it, but I felt the atmosphere around me grow cold, and my hair trembled. Damn, it's so eerie.

 

Even though everyone in Ravilam knew that the homeowner, who had run out of steam, was talking to the darkness, Jin was the first one to break through the door.

It's like he knew what was going to happen beforehand. As for the guy in the back, I know why, but why did his two friends behave like that? What exactly is going on?

 

I stood there, my heart pounding, watching as the ambulance, which the villagers had called to take the unconscious homeowner to the hospital, arrived. Everyone dispersed and went home after the police had finished questioning. I remained still until someone's hand gently touched my shoulder. I jumped in surprise.

 

Jin looked at me silently, then reached out and took my hand. We walked hand in hand all the way to the rented house. The whole way, I held his hand tightly, and he squeezed even tighter. He wouldn't let go either. I sat down in the middle of the house. Beam and Thiw glanced at me briefly before moving away. Now it was just Jin and me, sitting there looking at each other.

 

"Phod Duang"

 

"Huh?"

 

"Are you afraid of us?"

 

I shook my head in denial. No, I was never afraid of what it and its friends were. In fact, it was quite amazing.

 

"A group of three people who are more eccentric than others."

 

"Do you guys have special senses?"

 

Jin nodded slightly as he spoke, still holding my hand and refusing to let go.

 

"I can hear it, Beam can see it, and Thiw can feel it."

 

"That's so cool!" After a long moment of stunned silence, I blurted out. "You and your friends are incredibly awesome. It's like some secret Avengers-themed gang!" I said jokingly, feeling strangely relieved that he had tried so hard to explain it to me. I knew this was a sensitive issue because of the murders. It's a personal belief, but today, having seen everything with my own eyes, I believe that he and his friend truly have special abilities.

 

"Aren't you afraid of us?"

 

"What would I be afraid of? You guys didn't do anything wrong. More importantly, you used your special abilities to help this girl!" If it weren't for him and the others, the homeowner would definitely be in danger!

 

"What are you smiling about?"

 

Jin refused to answer.

 

"I was just saying that. I didn't mean to compliment you."

 

"Thank you for not being afraid of me."

 

A flicker of anger crossed his eyes when this topic came up. I don't know if I'm imagining it, but I think there's a connection to the fear of those around him knowing about his special abilities.

 

"Jin," I reached out and patted his shoulder, "Don't be afraid of who you are. If someone can't accept you, they'll walk out of your life. It's none of their business. You're the one who's overthinking. It's best to be yourself."

 

"So, is the way I am now good?"

 

"There's no harm done."

 

"So, did you like it?"

 

"Uh... hey!" I froze when he smirked, so I punched him in the shoulder. "What a jerk," I glared at him before changing the subject, feeling inexplicably embarrassed.

 

"You said you wanted to talk about Anda!" Jin's face immediately became tense.

 

"Jin"

 

It sighed heavily.

"What's the matter?"

 

"What I told you," he tried to speak slowly, "that hungry one has a special sense of touch from feeling objects. Your headphones used to belong to Anda."

 

Today!

I spent a long time staring at the headset's serial number, alternating between it and the various pieces of information I was searching for on my phone. Luckily, I have classes in the afternoon today, otherwise I wouldn't be able to stay up late. Because what I heard from Film yesterday, about the money I got, has kept me thinking about it all night.

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

 

"Your ears must have been made of gold before."

 

Phod took a deep breath, unable to believe what he had just heard. How could the headphones he got from that scammer ever belong to Anda, when they were brand new? When he first got them, they were still sealed in plastic. But even though he denied this possibility, the warranty information on the headphones matched.

 

My face went speechless when I saw that the insurance expiration date was a shocking coincidence. After checking, the insurance's expiration date for the following year was the same day Anda passed away. What is this all about? Where did Tum get these headphones from? I clutched my head, trying to figure it out. 

 

Anyway, today I have to get him to tell me how he got these problematic headphones. I stood up, glancing at the clock on the wall; it was already past eleven. I need to shower and get ready for school. I was so preoccupied with thinking about my headphones that I almost forgot my study notes. Luckily, I realised it just as I was about to press the elevator button to close it.

 

"Ah!"

 

The elevator door opened, and a tall, slender woman ran in. She collided with me so hard that my phone fell to the floor. The documents she was carrying fell right on my ankle. It's the same ankle that still feels a little sore from yesterday's incident. I jumped in surprise and quickly pulled my foot away, just as the woman under the completely black mask mumbled an apology and nodded.

 

"excuse me"

 

I nodded, even though it hurt quite a bit where the object had fallen on me. Even so, I bent down to help her pick up the things that had fallen on the floor. The woman hurriedly gathered her belongings, then paused when she saw my phone screen. The image displayed was a photo of Anda and me in our student uniforms. I used to see Anda often accompanying Jin to eat at Beam's faculty, so I had the opportunity to ask him for a photo. The woman stared at the picture, then glanced at me.

 

"Are you Anda's friend?" She asked as I reached for my phone. I frowned slightly. Anda was a celebrity, so it wasn't surprising that she would know the deceased.

too

 

"I'm a fan."

 

"Seeing you both wearing student uniforms, I thought you were classmates."

 

I smiled slightly. "Actually, Anda is close to my friend."

 

"Oh," She nodded slightly before quickly gathering the documents together, but at that moment, my eyes happened to catch sight of something sticking out of the envelope.

 

I probably wouldn't have paid attention if she hadn't reacted with surprise at seeing it and quickly snatched it away. But I still saw it anyway. I stepped back from the elevator to go back to my room to get my notes. Once I was done, I pressed the elevator call button to go down. As I walked down to the ground floor of the condo, I saw a woman's back disappearing into a car. I recognised her from before because I remember her shirt. But wait… Why does the license plate of the car she left in seem so familiar to me?

 

I pursed my lips tightly because the license plate of that car belonged to James, Anda's ex-boyfriend. That day at Anda's event, after James walked away and Jin's friends told me to find him, I saw James walk to his car and drive off. That was the same car that had just driven past me. For a fleeting moment, I remembered something sticking out of that woman's envelope... It was a pregnancy test. 

 

Even though I didn't want to piece things together. What would harm the woman's reputation? I couldn't help but think about it. I quickly shook my head, trying to chase away the inappropriate thoughts. Just then, my phone vibrated with a notification. When I reached into my pants pocket to find my phone and checked it, my brows furrowed immediately.

 

Social media detective @SecretNews

"The biggest news right now has to be about the mother of little Anda deciding to keep her son's body until after the seven-day funeral service. The mother believes her son did not commit suicide. Suspicious activity was found in his boyfriend's bank accounts, coupled with leaked news that evidence from the scene where Anda died had mysteriously disappeared.”

 

I pursed my lips tightly as I finished reading the message. In the end, it seemed that Jin wouldn't be able to fulfil his older brother Anda's request.

I have a really bad feeling about this.

 

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

 

The university bus was quite empty today, so I had the chance to sit at the stop near the BTS station. But when a female student got near the university entrance, I got up to let them sit down before moving to hold onto the pole behind me. At that moment, I saw a familiar-looking girl quickly get up, looking pale and unwell. Her gaze lingered on the back of her skirt, and she kept reaching out to cover it up somehow, which made me look in the same direction.

 

I remember her; she's the girl who took a picture with Jin and tagged him on Facebook. We met at the university bus stop the other day. It seems like Risa is acting strangely, and I'm starting to worry. Anyway, she's Jin's friend, so I might as well go check on her.

 

As I approached, the young woman seemed slightly startled and moved away quickly. That's when I noticed something unusual about her. I smiled at the girl who looked like she was about to cry, then nudged her to move to a corner, and I stood in front of her, shielding her from other people's view. The people in the bus didn't notice anything unusual.

 

"I'll stand in front of you to shield you. It's okay, don't be afraid."

 

The young woman nodded, relief on her face, and gave me a grateful smile. Meanwhile, I took off my cardigan and handed it to the young woman.

 

"Just wrap it around your waist for now. We'll figure it out when we get to the university."

 

"Thank you"

 

"never mind"

 

I understand this awkward and embarrassing situation perfectly because I've been there before. I don't want women to feel ashamed or bad about themselves. It's truly unavoidable. I've been through it myself, and I even sympathise with women who have to endure the cramps of their period while also having to worry about stains and messes. It's heartbreaking.

 

I noticed Risa's face looked quite shy, so I smiled to encourage her. We waited until the bus arrived at the last stop, Naphawakrawi. She walked slowly and cautiously, her steady gait reminding me of... (the sentence is incomplete).

 

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. I'm going to go buy a skirt to change into," the young woman said, intending to take off the jacket that was tied around her.

 

"Risa, why don't you wait here? I'll go buy you a skirt." She hesitated before looking at me with a startled expression.

 

"Do you know me?"

 

"I'm... Jin's friend."

 

"Oh, I remember now," she smiled broadly. "I saw you at the Pop-Up bus stop that day."

 

"yes"

 

"But we felt hesitant." The sweet face showed a hesitant expression.

 

"That's alright. Risa probably isn't available."

 

She nodded sadly.

 

"Okay, wait here then. The cooperative is just around the corner. I'll be back in a minute."

 

"Sorry to bother you."

 

"never mind"

 

I smiled at her before walking towards the cooperative store. As I hurried, I put more weight on my foot and felt a tug on the ankle that the document envelope had hit. I accidentally dropped a little bit, completely forgetting about it because I was afraid the girl would have to wait too long. After buying a new skirt, I slowed down on the way back because my ankle started hurting a little. As I was walking back, I saw Jin sitting with Risa. I don't know what they were talking about, but the look in Risa's eyes was clearly bright. I stared at the picture for a moment and shrugged, just as Risa turned towards me.

 

"There he is, Jin's friend."

 

I smiled slightly, while Jin immediately furrowed his brows when he saw me.

 

"What's wrong with your leg again?"

 

Jin sprang to its feet and strode purposefully towards me.

 

"Something fell on me."

 

"This is where I'll fill up."

That bastard Jin was practically kneeling, which shocked me. I never thought he'd dare grab my ankle in front of other people like that. I quickly shook my head and said. "I'm fine."

 

"Walking with such a limp?" It said with a smile.

 

"That's right. The pain will go away if I keep walking."

 

"That comment doesn't sound like it's coming from the mouth of a sports scientist who's always bandaging my knees during training."

 

"Uh..." I looked awkward before giving Risa, who was quietly listening to us, an embarrassed smile. "Yeah, I'm fine now."

 

I quickly waved my hand in refusal before walking over to give the skirt to the young woman.

 

"Thank you, Phodduang." Risa thanked me, her eyes meeting mine directly, as if scrutinising me and as if she had a question, but finally just smiled before walking away.

 

"Are you studying at the science faculty?" Jin started a conversation when we were alone.

 

"Mmm."

 

"Thanks for helping Risa. She just told me you helped shield her on the bus."

 

"It's alright, your people..."

 

"No," Jin spoke up.

 

"what"

 

"She's not one of my people, but Risa is my friend."

 

I pursed my lips tightly as I recalled the look in Risa's eyes when she glanced at Jin earlier. Why did I feel this empty feeling? Just knowing there was someone else...Why do I feel this strange ache in my heart when I like it?

 

"But she's cute." He answered in such a flat tone that I had to turn around to look at his handsome face.

 

"Do you realise that?"

 

"what”

 

"What kind of face did you make when I said she was cute?"

 

"..."

 

"If you're not happy, then say so."

 

"It wasn't me, it was just..."

 

Jin raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner.

 

"I was just wondering... would I feel a pang of sadness if you said she was more than just cute?"

 

"What's the answer?"

 

"Mmm."

 

"Hmm, what is it?" Jin asked with a smile.

 

"It's heartbreaking," I said, turning my face away. "Just you saying other people are cute makes me feel like I can't breathe."

 

"So what should I do?"

"....”

 

"What should I do, Poodduang?"

"...”

 

"Let's stop pretending to have fake conversations."

“…"

 

"How about we actually 'talk' for real this time?"

Damn it!

I'm not used to it... I'm not used to Jin's high-pitched voice at all.