OOPS! MYSTERIOUS SOUNDS: BOOK 1.

The Fifteenth voice. 

"Statistics show that murders are often committed by people close to the victim."

I furrowed my brows at what Boom said before leaning over to look at the iPad screen where Boom was watching a crime investigation series.

 

"What's wrong?" Boom looked up from her iPad and asked me...

 

"Nothing," I shook my head quickly. "But when is Tum coming back to school?"

 

"He'll probably be back on Monday. He messaged in the group chat. Didn't you read it?" Of course, I saw Tum's message in the group chat. He asked for a week off to attend to some family business. 

 

There's still no progress on the headphones. That made me think back to the paper the teacher gave Jin and the others that day; that picture of the car dashboard must have something more to it than meets the eye, but Jin refused to explain anything. Moreover, that day he just dodged the question by giving out his own number. I haven't seen him around lately, nor have I seen Jin or Dang. My friend has been absent from soccer practice in the evenings for the past two or three days.

 

I sighed deeply, glancing down at the phone number I'd accidentally saved in my phone and still hadn't dared to call. Moreover, the owner of the number seemed to have vanished without a trace. I wondered what had happened. Why are you acting so secretive? You usually don't miss soccer practice. Very strange.

 

I got up and went to get something to eat to wake my brain up a bit, because midterms are approaching. In the meantime, I pulled out my phone to check the news today.

 

Social media detective @SecretNews

'Breaking News: Condo security guard in #Anda confesses to stealing from the car where Anda died. He admits to needing money but denies other charges.'

 

"He hurt little Anda."

 

I sighed heavily, my eyes fixed on my phone, so I didn't notice someone walking towards me in the hallway.

 

"Phod Duang"

 

There's only one person with such a cheerful voice.

 

"Beam"

 

The person whose name was called smiled with narrowed eyes, looking cheerful as usual. That made me involuntarily smile, too.

 

"You're walking with your head down, glued to your phone, not even looking where you're going, Phodduang."

 

"Sorry about that." I reached out and gently ruffled its head, while simultaneously glancing behind my little friend in case I spotted someone whose face I couldn't see.

 

It's been a day or two now, and my demeanour must have made the other person suspicious, so Beam followed my gaze and then turned back to ask.

 

"Who are you looking for?" The owner of the pretty face asked, smiling.

 

"nothing"

 

"Jin didn't drop me off today," Beam said casually. "He's not feeling well."

 

Huh?

I furrowed my brows, looking interested, while the other person gave me a playful smile.

 

"Aren't you going to ask what it is?"

 

"If he wanted to tell me, he would have told me himself."

 

"Oh, you!"

 

"Okay, okay. So what's wrong with your friend?"

 

"He just got back from out of town. Two days ago, the monk was unwell, so Jin and Thiw went back to visit him. I couldn't go because I had exams." No wonder he'd been absent. My suspicions were clear, but I started to worry about the person they were talking about. I wondered if he was seriously ill.

 

"I just got back, and I have a fever. I'm staying home to watch. Thiw has classes in the afternoon today too. Jin is probably home alone right now. I wonder if he's even had anything to eat."

 

"Still," Beam chattered, his eyes glancing at me silently. "Poor Jin, isn't he?" Beam spoke casually, his voice sounding concerned for his close friend, but with a strange sparkle in his eyes.

 

"Mmm."

 

"Yes, he was complaining of a headache this morning."

 

"Then..." I pursed my lips tightly, "I'll..."

 

"You're going to stop by Jin's house, right? Then I'll leave him in your care." Beam spoke rapidly before patting me on the shoulder a couple of times and then walking away.

 

"Wait, Beam."

 

"Take care of Jin for me." Beam smiled at me, his eyes crinkling. I scratched my head, watched his retreating, and sighed heavily. I walked along, lost in thought, until I reached the faculty building. I'd already messaged Boom and Dang to let them know I was leaving early; I didn't have classes in the afternoon and planned to go back to study.

 

Continuing the book, after waiting for the bus inside the university for a while, when the bus stopped at my faculty's stop, a familiar-looking girl got off. 

 

"Phodduang." Risa greeted me with a wave. She was with another female friend, but that friend went to a convenience store separately.

 

"We're returning the shirt."

 

"Oh"

 

I reached out to take the bag containing the coat I had taken off that day so the young woman could use it to cover her skirt. Of course, she felt awkward and asked to return it to me.

 

"Thank you so much for helping us that day. And how is the beetle's leg doing now?"

 

"I'm feeling better now."

 

"Mm-hmm," Risa nodded, smiling. "If things don't get better, we'll feel guilty."

 

"Why?"

 

"Even though you had a sore leg, you still ran to buy a skirt for me. Jin seemed really worried about you that day," I paused before giving the other person an awkward smile.

 

"Jin was worried about me that day."

 

"Mm-hmm," she smiled. "I always thought Jin felt that way before."

 

"Yes?"

 

"I only recently found out that it wasn't." The woman shrugged.

 

"Why do you think that?" I asked, out of curiosity.

 

"Before, I wasn't sure. We only became certain that Jin wasn't just worried about us that day." I paused when the girl gave me a small smile and moved to stop in front of me.

 

"Yes?"

 

The young woman extended her hand as if to ask for a handshake.

 

"We know what Jin thinks about beetles."

 

"Huh"

 

I scratched my head in embarrassment.

 

"But as long as the beetle isn't clear about its own feelings, we still have the right, right?"

 

"So let's compete fairly, okay?"

 

I couldn't help but smile as I extended my hand to shake the girl's.

 

"I know we have limited opportunities right now, but it's better than doing nothing."

 

“…"

"Don't be afraid. If Jin chooses in the end, we'll accept everything."

 

'Risa'

"Hey there, competitor!"

 

I shook my head before smiling at the girl who gave me a teasing wink. Risa is a lovely woman. I believe that even if this love doesn't turn out as hoped, she will still be bright and have a smile for herself in the future.

 

Finally, I brought some food to visit the sick person at their rented house. As I walked closer to the rented house I had visited a few days ago, I saw a middle-aged man in a suit pacing back and forth in front of the gate. After watching for a while, the man in the suit seemed to give up and walked away, but then he turned around and saw me. We exchanged a fleeting glance, so I bowed my head to him because I recognised him as the man who had been talking to Jin at the event. Anda...the attendant of the tycoon's wife, or as Jin used to call him, 'Uncle Lawyer'.

 

"Are you...a friend of Jin's?"

 

"Uh..."

 

He smiled at me kindly and immediately moved closer, so I had to nod in acknowledgement.

 

"Uh, yes."

 

The middle-aged man in a suit glanced back at the gate once more before letting out a deep sigh.

 

"My name is Wichit. I'm the Ronlak family's lawyer. I have some business with Mr Jin, but he's not answering my call..." I pursed my lips tightly, completely bewildered. I didn't know if Jin had any problems with this uncle, but from what I've seen, he seemed to. Jin had reacted strongly to the matter the middle-aged man brought up for discussion.

 

"Jin isn't feeling well. He might be sleeping so soundly that he didn't hear the phone ring."

 

The middle-aged man nodded before glancing at the other rental house. At that moment, he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a business card.

 

"Please tell Mr Jin that I've come to see him... I have important business to discuss with him." The person in front of me pursed his lips slightly. 

 

"If Mr Jin is…If you need anything or any assistance, please call me immediately."

 

"Uh..."

 

"I have some urgent business to attend to today."

 

He seemed to be in a real hurry, as he kept glancing at his watch.

 

"Please take care of Jin for me."

 

"Ah, yes."

 

strange. Why did the man in front of me seem so concerned about Jin? It was so different from Jin, who seemed reluctant to have anything to do with him. Before I could ask anything further, the middle-aged man received a phone call, quickly turned away to his car parked by the wall on the other side of the house, and drove away immediately.

 

Although I didn't want to think about it further, I couldn't help but wonder. As I examined the business card in my hand, I furrowed my brows. The man was the owner of a famous law firm. It was unbelievable that Jin knew this gentleman. That made me wonder what kind of business this lawyer had contacted Jin about.

——————————-

 

I kept my suspicions to myself before taking the liberty of opening the gate and going inside, because I'd called Jin a couple of times, but he hadn't answered. Luckily, the gate wasn't locked; I'd shaken it to make sure it was. After waiting for a while and hearing no movement from inside the house, I couldn't help but worry. I wondered how the person lying there sick with a fever was doing. I have to admit I was quite worried about him, so I took the liberty of going into his house. It was home, yet the gate hadn't been locked, and the house door wasn't either.

Aren't you afraid of thieves?

 

I heard a clattering sound from the downstairs bathroom door, and shortly after, it opened, revealing a tall, imposing figure. He stood there, soaking wet, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. I stood there, my eyes unwilling to listen, glancing at the beautifully sculpted abdominal muscles of an athlete, while he seemed equally surprised when they saw me standing in their house.

 

"Uh," I quickly turned my face away before stammering an apology, "Sorry."

 

"How did you get here?"

 

The homeowner, with only a towel wrapped around their waist, had hair soaking wet from showering—I could smell the shampoo as they moved closer. A faint scent wafted to my nose, making me instinctively take a step back.

 

"Beam said you're not feeling well." I glanced at it for a moment. Water from his still-dried hair dripped down his shoulder and onto his broad chest, looking so sexy I didn't dare look straight ahead.

 

"Are you worried about me?" It asked with a smile, then moved closer again.

 

"Why did you wash your hair when you're not feeling well?" I deflected, changing the subject before taking another step back. "After you've finished showering, hurry up and dry yourself off. Otherwise, you'll catch a fever."

 

"Are you worried about me?"

"That Jin"

 

It wasn't listening to what I was saying. It kept insisting on asking the same question.

 

"If you don't answer, I'll just stand here like this."

 

I immediately glared at him. That bastard...

 

"Go get dressed, you idiot. I'm going to put the rice on a plate for you."

 

"What the hell are you smiling about?" I glared at him before quickly heading to the kitchen in the back. After a while, Jin was dressed. He was wearing a black tank top that revealed his muscular arms and soccer shorts, but his head was still wet, as if he'd only wiped off droplets.

 

I immediately shook my head. In this situation, the fever won't go away easily. He sauntered over and sat down at the table, his eyes sweeping over the food with delight. Of course, it's all his favourites. Don't think I know what you're up to. It was Beam who told me what he likes to eat when he's sick. I just bought what Beam suggested, that's all. There's nothing special about it.

 

"Why haven't you dried your hair?"

 

"My hair is short; it dries in just a little bit of wind."

 

"If your fever comes back, I'll be glad to see you get what you deserve." He smirked and stared at me intently.

 

"What are you looking at?"

 

"If you said you cared... I would feel better."

 

"Go ahead and eat."

 

I glared at him while he gave a faint smile and quietly ate his meal. At that moment, I remembered that someone had asked me to do something for them earlier.

 

"Jin"

 

"Hmm."

 

"Earlier, I saw Uncle Wichit, the lawyer, at your house. He said he had something important to discuss with you." Jin froze, his hand holding the spoon froze. His face and eyes were expressionless before he turned his face away. That behaviour made me feel uneasy. I shouldn't have brought this up.

 

"Sorry."

 

"If you see him again, just ignore him, because I have nothing to talk to him about."

 

"Jin"

 

It sat and ate quietly, but the silence made me uncomfortable. Finally, I walked over, picked up the small towel I'd seen it using to wipe its head. "If you don't dry yourself off, your fever will come back, you know?" I gently dried his hair. Jin sighed heavily before grabbing one of my hands.

 

"Sorry, beetle."

"...."

 

"When I'm ready, I'll tell you everything."

 

I nodded.

 

"But now, if you have any questions about me, you can ask."

 

"The previous matter isn't clear yet. I'd like you to ask about something else."

I was teasing him.

 

"Why don't you ask something else besides that? Like, what do I like to eat? What's my favourite colour? Or do I have a girlfriend yet?" I glared at his last question before deflecting to something else.

 

"So, what do you like to eat?"

 

"I like eating train station fried rice."

 

He pointed to a plain fried rice dish with kale, onions, tomatoes, and pork, stir-fried until fluffy, with a little egg added. I know this because I stood and watched him make it. The owner of the restaurant where he used to eat showed him how to make it before.

 

"Why?"

 

"I used to work as a vendor selling food when the train stopped at stations," he said, smiling. "Like, train fried rice. If it didn't sell out, the shop owner was kind enough to let me take the food home for free."

 

"Do you know how incredibly delicious it is?"

 

I couldn't help but smile along with the other person as I gently dried their hair with both hands.

 

"It's filling; you don't have to endure hunger and get up to drink water to feel full for another day."

 

I felt a pang in my heart, especially when the person telling the story wore such a cheerful smile. I didn't know how painful their childhood must have been. And how did they get through those terrible days? It seems that those hardships have moulded the little boy from yesterday into such a wonderful person.

 

Despite lacking opportunities, he strived with all his might. He was a promising young football player before his accident, and then he passed the entrance exam to a prestigious engineering university in the city. If his mother were still alive, she would surely be proud that the boy who lacked opportunities back then has become strong and stable today. And not only that, he always extends his kindness to others.

 

"I'm not hurt by thinking about the past," he said with a smile, a smile so bright it made those who saw it secretly feel a flutter in their hearts. "I'm just happy to think about it."

 

"Besides train station fried rice, what else do you like to eat?"

 

It shook its head. "I don't have any favourite foods. When I am at the temple. Whatever the laypeople offer to the abbot, we eat that."

 

"You're so easygoing and down-to-earth, aren't you? Simple yet stable."

 

I couldn't help but admire it.

 

"The personality of people born on Saturday."

 

"Huh? You were born on a Saturday?"

 

"Yes, Saturday, the fifth day of the fifth month."

"Saturday the fifth?"

 

The special ability to hear things that ordinary people cannot hear. I mumbled under my breath, remembering that people born on a Saturday (the fifth day of the lunar month) are believed to have strong destinies and supernatural abilities. No wonder I have those abilities.

 

"And what about you?"

 

"Why me?"

 

"What day were you born?" It asked with a smile.

 

"Why do you want to know?"

 

"I'll remember that."

 

"Just in case it's my boyfriend's birthday in the future."

 

I gaped, my mouth agape, amidst the guttural laughter of that Jin... it was making my face flush again. I bared my teeth at it, just as its cell phone rang. Jin glanced at the phone screen and furrowed his Eyebrows before accepting the call.

 

"What's wrong?"

 

I don't know where we're going. All I know is that I'm currently riding on the back of Jin's motorcycle, which is speeding down the road. The speed is making my heart race. He seems in a hurry to reach his destination after hanging up with Tos. I'm holding onto his waist tightly, which must have made Jin realise it, so he slowed down until he stopped in the parking lot of a hospital.

 

"Why are we here?" I asked as I took off my helmet and returned it to the other person. Jin glanced at me briefly before speaking.

 

"Brother Aquarius overdosed on sleeping pills."

 

"What did you say?"

 

I didn't ask any more questions because Jin grabbed my hand and hurried me inside. We searched for his room. It didn't take long before we arrived at a room. When Jin pushed the door open, he found both Tos and Art gathered there.

 

"What the hell happened?"

 

"I stopped by to pick up the perfume that Anda pre-ordered before he died," Art explained, listening intently.

 

"Anda said he was going to buy it for Kumbh as an anniversary gift, but I couldn't contact him today, so I got suspicious and stopped by the condo. That's when I found out he'd overdosed on sleeping pills and slept soundly for days and nights."

Jin sighed heavily.

 

"I asked P'Kumbh, the one who just recovered from his illness. He wasn't trying to kill himself," Tos said, his voice strained. "But P'Kumbh said he couldn't sleep. For several days, he relied on medication to help himself rest."

 

It nodded towards the patient who was beginning to stir, so they moved to surround his bed. That's when I noticed his handsome face. 

 

"Brother Aquarius"

The person whose name was called opened their eyes and blinked rapidly.

 

"Jin"

 

"How are you, brother?"

 

"I dreamt," the young man said, his voice trembling, "dreamt of Anda." Tos and Art exchanged nervous glances, while Jin turned to look at me for a moment.

 

"What did you dream about?"

 

"Andara was crying. He was sad that he wasn't with his brother now," Kumbh burst into tears, "clutching his headphones in his hand."

 

"..."

"The one I bought for him before he passed away."

 

I swallowed hard and spun around to look at Jin. He met my gaze steadily before looking around as if searching for something, then sighed. He took a deep breath. That expression made me suspicious, because Jin was glancing towards a corner of the recovery room as if he'd seen something strange.

 

"Did P'Kumbh ever buy Anda headphones?"

 

"yes"

 

"Do you remember what it looked like?"

 

"I remember, I once took a picture of it with my phone."

 

Brother Kumbh pointed to the mobile phone on the table. Tos reached out to help pick it up. The phone's owner took it, opened the gallery, and handed it to Jin. After he took it and looked at it, he passed it to me. The image on the phone screen left me stunned.

 

"Can I borrow those headphones?"

 

I held out my hand, asking for the earphones I'd given Jin to keep. He reached into his case, pulled them out, and handed them to me. As soon as I opened the case, they connected to my phone immediately. I went into Bluetooth to connect to the earphones. After that, I saw the earphone name and serial number. The sight made me almost hold my breath because that number matched the photo of the earphone case on Kumbh's phone perfectly.

 

My headphones really used to belong to Anda. Besides the special connection with my best friend Jin, there's now clear evidence that it can be seen with the naked eye. Coincidences do exist in this world.

 

It's about to rain.

 

I hugged Jin tightly around the waist when he was dropping me off at my condo after leaving the hospital. This time, Jin didn't speed up like before. When it arrived, it kept defecating without any fear that the rain, which had started to drizzle, would now intensify. In the end, we couldn't go on because the rain got heavier. Jin parked his motorcycle at a bus stop and pulled me inside to take shelter from the rain.

 

"Is it very wet?" I shook my head; thankfully, Jin's cloak had saved me, while he was more than half-soaked.

 

"You're even wetter than me. You haven't even fully recovered from your fever yet."

 

"I'm fine." It shook its head in refusal, then tightened the coat it had taken off and draped over me earlier, its large hand reaching out to smooth the rain-drenched strands of hair that had fallen across my face.

 

"Go back and dry your hair, or you'll get sick."

 

"Tell yourself that."

 

I pouted at him before making direct eye contact.

 

"Jin"

 

"Hmm."

 

"Who do you think hurt Andawa?"

 

"I don't know," he sighed deeply. "I don't even want to think about how much pain he'll feel before he dies," Jin spoke softly before turning its face to look through the rain in the darkness.

 

"You're going to help Anda, right?"

 

"Even if I know nothing, I will do everything I can to help him."

 

Those firm words made me feel inexplicably good. He was a loyal friend, kind to a stranger, and extended a helping hand. Even though we weren't on good terms back then, my friend's kindness made my heart tremble again.

 

I held his hand tightly, and before I knew it, his large hand had moved to cover mine. I didn't know what to do with my face; suddenly, I felt inexplicably embarrassed. The reason was that I subtly turned my face away towards the street ahead. It was quite late now, so there wasn't a single person waiting for the bus at this stop.

 

"Do you know which bus line passes in front of my condo?" I asked with a smile, while he shrugged.

 

"Bus line 094"

"..."

"Line 3XX"

"..."

"X6 cable"

"Bus line 79"

 

Jin furrowed his brows slightly before bursting into laughter.

 

"What are you laughing at?"

 

It reached out and gently stroked his cheek.

 

"Wow, there are so many bus lines to your condo, ten in total!" He chuckled softly, his sharp eyes glancing at me as if mocking my imitation of his joke.

 

"Can I call you then?"

 

"If there's nothing important, can I use all ten digits of the bus number to call you?" My face flushed when we made eye contact. I gave him my number, and now I'm the one feeling embarrassed. Damn it.

 

"Go ahead and call if you want."

 

"yes"

Damn...does he even realise that that deep voice is making my ears go deaf?

 

"I'll call you later."

 

"But I'll call as someone who's kissed you," he leaned his face closer, "twice."

 

"Mmm."

 

I closed my eyes as the owner of the handsome face pressed a kiss upon mine. Before I knew it, his hot tongue was boldly intertwining with mine—a kiss he shouldn't have.

We shouldn't be... standing here 'kissing' at the bus stop like this. For heaven's sake!

 

(To be continued in the next volume)