OOPS! MYSTERIOUS SOUNDS: BOOK 1.

The Sixth voice.

 

"Here, take it."

I glanced at the box of wireless headphones from a popular brand that my close friend had slid in front of me.

 

"So, you couldn't find it?"

 

"Yeah, I lost it."

 

Tum sighed in frustration and nodded towards the new, unopened wireless headphones.

 

"Did you buy me a brand new one?"

 

When he promised to buy me a new pair, I couldn't believe my ears, because those problematic headphones weren't cheap.

 

"I'm almost out of savings."

I immediately made a face at it.

 

"That's it, they don't know how to take care of other people's things."

 

"I'm too late to regret it, damn it! I'm never borrowing anything from you again."

 

I shrugged before putting my new earphones back in my bag. Meanwhile, I pulled out my phone to play games while waiting for Dang and Boom. It wasn't long before the two of them came walking hand-in-hand, affectionately. That sight made me sigh heavily before I turned my face away. Of course, Tum saw my reaction perfectly.

 

"You," he whispered in my ear, "if Jin ever asks you to be his boyfriend, you'd better say yes right away."

 

"What the hell are you talking about?"

 

"That way you'll forget about Dang faster."

I sighed deeply.

 

"If I were to date him to forget someone else, it would be so unfair to Jin. More importantly, it's a really awful idea."

 

"Come on, if Jin really likes you, he'll definitely offer to lick your wounds." But we're just pretending to be hookers, aren't we? I exhaled sharply.

 

"What the hell are you licking the wound for?"

 

I shook my head, or rather, at Dang, who looked puzzled as he and Boom walked up to us. I just shrugged, didn't say anything, and nodded.

 

My head sensed the arrival of my two friends, who asked no further questions. Meanwhile, I secretly glanced at Tum and pointed at him, telling him to shut up. His talkativeness had made Boom suspicious about my relationship with Dang. If he wasn't careful and didn't control his mouth again, it's probably no longer a secret one day. 

 

I sighed heavily and glanced at my phone, frowning. Social media detective @SecretNews

 

"There are suspicious aspects to Anda's death. Although the autopsy stated he died from carbon monoxide poisoning while his car was parked with the engine running, doctors found sleeping pills in his stomach and bruises on his face. Could Anda not have committed suicide?"

 

Messages from a well-known account, seemingly from an insider, that dig up controversial social issues act like a loudspeaker. The news spread; the message was retweeted tens of thousands of times, and there were numerous replies below it.

 

I pursed my lips tightly, feeling quite uneasy. For a moment, I recalled Andawan before he died. He had a scar on his face, but he was still cheerful and bright, and before his death, he even stopped by to see Jin at the football field, acting perfectly normal, and said he was going to have dinner with his boyfriend. Is that really the normal behaviour for someone to commit suicide? But then again, maybe the thought of ending one's life is just an emotional one.

 

That split second, if successful, could mean death. But I can't help but believe the news report. If Anda really committed suicide, why would he take a normal dose of sleeping pills to fall asleep while leaving the car engine running?

 

Of course, sleeping in a car with the engine running carries a high chance of inhaling dangerous toxic gases and dying. Perhaps Anda didn't commit suicide; it could have been an accident that killed him. But Anda was a mechanical engineering student, specialising in automotive engineering. These things were basic knowledge. Why wouldn't he know that sleeping in a car with the engine running was dangerous?

 

This can be interpreted in two ways: first, because he knew of the danger, Anda did it to achieve the worst possible outcome; second, he may not have had any malicious intent. I want a serious outcome. It's questionable why Anda would do something like that.

 

I kept thinking about it all day until evening, when it was time to complete my internship hours at the football field. Today, Jin's friends came to watch him practice. Similarly, on my side, both Boom and Tum were free, so they stopped by to give Dang some encouragement. It wasn't really a serious practice, which is why they let outsiders like the students watch. Meanwhile, I was sitting on the sidelines. I was instructed to help massage and stretch the athletes' muscles in the meantime.

 

"Squeeze harder!"

 

The person speaking is Jom, Jin's rival, and someone Dang dislikes. It's not just those two; even I hate the sight of him because this jerk is incredibly demanding. First, he asked for a thigh massage, then he complained of a headache and asked for an ice pack, and after a while, he asked for water.

 

"Damn, he's so lazy. He doesn't move or do anything. Two other juniors from our faculty, who are here for our internship hours, and I exchanged frustrated glances. Seriously, we're not his servants, you know. I'm here to oversee the football team's training and injuries, not to be his assistant!"

 

I gave the younger guy I was massaging a piece of my mind, and judging by his expression, a fight was about to break out. So I nodded for him to back off.

 

"Come on, I'll go in and do it instead." When I went in to replace him, that guy glanced at me for a moment before a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

 

"Ah, that's a relief."

 

"You have good pressure on your hand."

 

"What's your name?"

 

"Phod Duang"

 

"That's a cute name," he said with a smile, then looked at me intently. "What's your relationship with Jin?"

 

I glanced at it. It must have seen me riding on Jin's motorbike and going home together the other day.

 

"I heard that your faculty and their faculty got along well last year, didn't you?"

 

"yeah"

 

"So what are you guys to each other?"

 

It asked me again, its expression and eyes showing it was evaluating something.

 

"What's it to you?"

 

I didn't say it, but the guy standing over me spoke up. Jin stared at Jom silently until the person I was massaging stopped abruptly. Jom grinned, looking at my face and then at Jin's, before he stood up to confront Jin.

 

"You never get involved in other people's affairs, Jin."

 

Jin glanced at my face for a moment.

 

"I think I've found your weakness."

 

Jom glanced at me again and gave me a mischievous smile. At that moment, Jin walked over and stood in front of me, blocking my view. I didn't understand the situation in front of me. All I knew was that ever since Jin stood between Jom and me, he's been pushing me back.

 

"The more possessive you are, the more interested I become."

 

"Go ahead and try," Jin said calmly. "Last time you were bleeding from the mouth; next time you might be covered in blood."

 

Jin's words were incredibly intimidating. Jom's face turned pale instantly. That guy, knowing Jin was serious about this, still went looking for trouble. He never learns. The corner of his mouth was still badly cut, and he was about to end up with a bloody face.

 

I gently touched Jin's wrist because if we didn't separate them now, he might really bleed. As soon as I touched his wrist, Jin sighed heavily, as if trying to suppress his anger.

 

"What can you do with your unusable legs, Jin?"

 

No...that Sia Jom isn't finished yet.

 

I had to let go of Jin's wrist when he twisted it free and moved to face his opponent directly.

 

"So I can make your lip bleed like last time."

 

"Go for it!"

 

My heart skipped a beat when Jin lunged at Jom, who was already preparing to throw a punch. Luckily, they didn't actually get into a fight because the coach called them to warm up and then go to practice. The two of them parted ways. I sighed heavily, silently watching Jin's retreat. He was wearing a knee brace on his injured knee today; I guess he might still be feeling some pain there.

 

He's been resting his leg for a year, but the other day that jerk kicked him right there, and it made the injury flare up again.

 

"What's wrong with you? Why do you look so stressed?" Tum asked the question as I walked over to sit with them.

 

"Hey, what's wrong? You don't look well." Boom asked worriedly. I just shook my head and focused on the field. Now, after a long warm-up, the players had started dividing into teams. Of course, Jin and Jom were on different teams. Judging by the look of things, this year's traditional football match was going to be tough. I wonder if they'll be able to play together as a team.

 

I sat quietly watching the practice. I wasn't imagining things, but Jom was playing really rough. He deliberately tackled the ball whenever Jin got it, but luckily, Tos was there to help. And Ai Dang probably understood what was going on, which is why he was watching his back. But in the end, Jin missed and got stabbed from behind. Luckily, he twisted his ankle to dodge, but Jom's shin still hit his thigh.

 

"Today"

 

Jin's engineering friends yelled as he fell to the ground. I got up too because the coach called for me to help with first aid. I clenched my jaw as Jin limped over and sat down near me. His face was tense and angry, his gaze fixed on Jom, who was standing in the middle, smiling.

stadium

 

I could see the signs of trouble in both of their eyes. If no one were here, I think Jin wouldn't give in so easily. I noticed him clenching his fists. Tight and strained, the atmosphere around him was so suffocating that it was almost impossible to breathe. His hot breath seemed to be a desperate attempt to suppress his emotions.

 

"Just bear with it," I spoke softly as I applied the ice pack to his knee. He glanced at me for a moment before nodding slightly.

 

"I think it's swollen up."

 

"After practice, go see a doctor."

 

"yeah"

 

It responded indifferently. That attitude irritated me because it didn't seem concerned about its own injury. Its gaze was still fixed on the field, so I playfully pressed down on the ice pack, making it flinch and turn to look at me.

 

"You should rest your legs."

 

"I know."

 

"Do you really know what you're talking about? If you really know, why don't you rest your legs? Why are you here practising today?" I asked in an irritated tone, which made him raise an eyebrow.

 

"Are you angry?"

That question made me pause.

 

Yes, I'm angry. Admitting that I'm angry, I'm surprised. What the heck am I angry about?

 

"If you're angry, just say you're angry," it said, smiling. "If you're worried about me, just say you're worried." Its eyes sparkled.

 

"You talk too much, you bastard."

 

"What the hell are you looking at?"

 

I lowered my gaze to the bag of ice before keeping my mouth shut until I looked up and saw Jin's eyes staring at me.

 

"Your mouth," he shook his head before staring straight ahead. "Thank you."

 

"Subject?"

 

"Those who care about me"

 

"When did I say I was worried?"

It turned to look at me and smirked.

 

"Your eyes say that."

 

"You're really good, aren't you? Can you read other people's minds?"

 

It was just a smile.

 

"Are you a superhuman or someone with special senses?" It didn't answer, but those eyes stared at me for a long time without saying anything.

 

"What the hell are you looking at?"

 

"yes"

 

"What the hell?"

 

He shrugged, not answering the perplexing question. So I shook my head and took off the ice pack, as I'd been applying it for quite a while already. Before that, I sprayed it with pain relief spray and then wrapped its leg with a compression bandage.

 

"Sorry."

 

I raised my eyebrows, looking at it questioningly.

 

“I forgot your fabric binder at home. I didn't bring it back today."

 

"Return it later."

 

"Did you buy a new one?"

 

I paused, my hand still wrapping the elastic bandage. My gaze fell upon the new elastic bandage I'd bought yesterday. I bought it just in case... just in case someone needed it.

 

"Do you have a spare elastic bandage?" It asked with a smile.

 

"Why are you smiling so much?"

He smirked, completely unfazed by my menacing gaze.

 

"That's Tum's stuff, I borrowed it from him."

 

If I admit that I bought a new one, it's equivalent to admitting that I bought a backup.

 

"Hmm."

 

It pointed its mouth towards the plastic wrapper I had just opened, a brand of t-shirt that I had just peeled off.

 

"It's an antique." It spoke in a calm voice, but its eyes sparkled.

 

"Damn it!"

I clicked my tongue at it before jumping in surprise at a loud, piercing scream coming from the sideline. When I shifted my gaze to the centre of the grass field, I saw Dang collapse to the ground, his face contorted in pain and blood oozing from his eyebrow. That picture left me trembling.

 

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

 

Dang's eyebrow was split open from being hit by Jom's foot during the chaotic fight. That day, practice had to be stopped early so they could take the injured guy to the hospital to have a wound stitched. I walked over to Boom, who was anxiously standing in front of the emergency room, and shook her hard to encourage her. 

 

Boom burst into sobs and hugged me tightly. She was so frightened that I had to comfort her with a hug. I stroked her back for a long time before leading her to sit and wait. Meanwhile, Tum peeked into the glass-walled room where the nurse was treating Dang's wound, while the coach looked stressed and very worried.

 

Meanwhile, Jin limped over with his group of friends. Earlier, the coach had forced him to see a doctor about his painful knee. Seeing him, I felt relieved that it wasn't anything serious; he was still joking around with his friends. 

 

When the emergency room door opened, the nurse said the stitches were done, so we all rushed in to see what was happening. Dang was still smiling because, apart from a cut eyebrow, he wasn't seriously injured. Tum went to the restroom and didn't come in with us. But when Dang was on the field just now, a lot of blood was gushing out, which was shocking. Partly because my heart was beating so fast, the strenuous exercise had made their blood rush so quickly that it felt like blood was gushing out, startling both the athletes and the coaches.

 

"I'm fine." Ai Dang turned and smiled at me while the coach said he would take care of the expenses. I secretly teared up seeing him smile, even though his face was so pale; he must have been in a lot of pain.

 

"The nurse was so gentle, even though she stitched the wound up a lot."

 

"Don't make that face." he grabbed my hand and gently shook it. "And what about the dent?"

 

"I'm going to the restroom."

 

Before I could finish speaking, I heard the breathless sound of Boom running towards me from a distance, before she hugged her lover tightly. That made me move away.  I turned my face away when Dang stroked Boom's head and comforted her in a gentle voice.

 

"It's okay, Boom. I'm fine. Don't cry. I'm here."

 

"I was so worried, Dang. I was afraid something would happen to you. *sobs*"

 

"I love you this much, where could I possibly run away to, Boom?"

 

I stood still, feeling my eyes sting, then slowly stepped away and smiled through my tears. At that moment, Jin stopped in front of me. I made eye contact with him and pressed my lips together tightly, trying to hold back my tears so no one would see, but Jin saw them anyway. I quickly turned my face away and walked on until I reached the hospital's garden, then slumped down onto a bench.

 

"Do you love him that much?"

 

I glanced at the person who limped over and sat down next to me.

 

"Huh...."

 

"Is that why you want me to help you win him over?"

I'm speechless.

 

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

 

It was almost ten o'clock at night. The wind sounded howling, but because I was wearing a helmet, the outside noise was blocked out. I put my arm around the driver's waist. I leaned my head against its back, feeling the driver's hand reach over my wrist and pat it gently. I pressed my lips together tightly, trying to stifle my sobs.

 

I don't know where Jin is taking me. I don't know why I jumped on the back of his motorcycle like this. I don't know why I trust him. I don't know anything. My mind is so blank that I don't want to think about anything anymore.

 

It wasn't until his motorcycle stopped in front of a roadside restaurant that I got off, feeling confused, and about to follow him. He went on, but the other person stopped walking before leaning in.

 

"Are you going in there wearing a helmet?"

 

"Uh..."

 

I was fumbling around and didn't know what to do until it reached over and helped me unlock the clasp and take off my helmet.

 

"I can do it myself."

 

"I know you can do it yourself," he looked me straight in the face, "but I want to help." Then he spoke softly, "Can I help you?" I reluctantly nodded, then quickly turned my face away, not daring to make eye contact with him. Jin's eyes were gentle. I can't quite describe how I threw it.

 

Finally, I followed him and sat down at a roadside restaurant. It seemed familiar to the owner because the owner greeted it cheerfully. He then smiled broadly, before sharing that smile with me.

 

"Jin... Oh, you brought a friend with you today?"

 

"yes"

 

The shop owner looked at me, then at Jin, and smiled.

 

"Is everything the same today, Jin?"

 

"Okay, get him the signature dish, but without the spring onions and fried garlic," he gestured towards me with his mouth. "And order some food to take home too."

 

"Two things," he said.

 

"It must be Uncle Amporn's."

 

"yes"

 

After he finished speaking, he led me to a corner to sit down. I didn't know how to react, being suddenly taken to eat by the roadside like this. I was starting to feel a little hungry, but if a sad mood is interrupted by being taken out for a meal, will it be cut short a bit?

 

"What made you bring me here to eat?"

 

He shrugged.

 

"Crying so much has drained your energy. Eat something to regain your strength," he said, crossing his arms and smiling at me. "Eat until you're full, then we'll go tonight."

 

It's not too late to cry anymore.

 

"What kind of logic is that?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "Do you usually bring people to eat here?"

 

Not only did they not answer, but they also changed the subject.

 

"I brought you here to celebrate your unrequited love, and it looks like it's a love for a friend that will never be reciprocated," he said with a straight face.

 

"You bastard, why are you repeating that?" I snarled at him. "You'll only see my tears once, Jin."

 

"..."

"I won't let you see me cry again. I'll let go. I won't be weak anymore." He raised an eyebrow before looking at my face.

 

"But I want you to cry for me."

I'm speechless.

 

"If you can't handle it anymore, come and cry to me."

 

"What did you say?"

 

"There's nothing wrong with crying, Phodduang. Whether you're happy, sad, or upset and want to cry, it's normal," he said frankly. "Vent your heart out, and I want you to vent to me."

 

"For what?"

 

"Weren't we already talking?"

 

"We were just pretending to talk." I objected. 

 

"I never talk to anyone casually." I sat there stunned as he smirked and continued speaking. "And I've never brought anyone to eat at this restaurant before."

 

Again?

My heart is racing again because of it.