OOPS! MYSTERIOUS SOUNDS: BOOK 1.

The Seventh voice. 

I lay down on the bed and sighed deeply, my thoughts racing, especially about what Jin had said at the restaurant before we parted ways. Our parting still lingers in my mind.

 

"I never talk to anyone casually."

 

His facial expression and body language when he spoke kept me awake for half the night. Finally, I got up and went to the living room, where my younger brother was sitting. Satang nodded towards me while his eyes remained fixed on the television screen, which showed a live broadcast of an important football match. As I've mentioned before, my brother is a football fan.

 

"Brother Phod, can you get me a glass of water?"

 

"Yes"

 

I walked over, poured some water into a glass for my younger brother, and sat down next to him.

 

"No school tomorrow? Watching football is great."

 

My younger brother shrugged indifferently and took a sip of water. I really wanted to scold him, but because he'd been seriously studying for his exams lately, if he misbehaved today, I'd have to look the other way. He probably just wanted to watch football to relieve stress. I shook my head as my brother grabbed a pillow, placed it on my lap, and leaned down to lie beside me.

 

My younger brother and I live together in a condo near the university that our parents bought for us, because our home is in the suburbs. Also, now both of them run a restaurant in Australia and only come back to Thailand occasionally, which has made my sibling and me very close because I've had to take care of SaTang in place of our parents since before he even started high school.

 

"Can't sleep?"

 

"Mmm."

 

"Normally at this time, I'd see you fast asleep."

 

"Yes."

 

Lately, I've been accumulating internship hours, so I finish late every day. Of course, usually I come back and sleep like a log. But tonight, I'm wide awake and can't sleep because of Jin. Because of those words, does the speaker even realise that the listener is thinking about them so much that they can't sleep?

 

"Did I see Jin Hyung drop you off today?"

 

I squinted at my younger brother. It wasn't surprising he saw, because Satang had already returned when Jin dropped him off at the condo.

 

"Didn't you say you two didn't get along?"

 

My younger brother knows I don't get along with Jin because I've told him. Of course, I wanted him to side with me and dislike Jin, but instead, he just laughed and seemed to be taking Jin's side. After asking around, I found out he'd known Jin before, since they were both middle school football players and had gone to a youth football camp together. And most importantly, Jin is my brother's sports idol.

 

"It just so happens that we've been working together lately."

 

"Huh?" Satang looked interested.

 

"Going to accumulate internship hours with the university's football team."

 

"Ohhhh"

 

After that, Satang immediately lost interest in my matter. So I sighed heavily, then grabbed my phone and checked it. I was rambling about random things when I came across a video that caught my interest, so I decided to watch it. But my younger brother's cheering for the football game kept getting too loud, so I got up to get my headphones.

 

"If it's like that, why don't you go to sleep?"

 

Satang teased me when he saw me holding the new earphones I'd just gotten, the ones Tum bought me as a replacement, and sitting in my usual spot. Well, I couldn't sleep, so why would I go back to bed?

 

"Are you teasing me?"

 

I glared at my younger brother, who chuckled softly before turning his attention back to the football game. So I went to the kitchen area to play on my phone.

 

"Huh?"

 

I furrowed my brows when I checked the warranty using the earphones' serial number, only to be surprised by how close the expiration date was. Normally, these products have a warranty period of at least a year, but I checked the expiration date, and there's less than a year left. It's like it's been used for quite some time already. Or maybe Tum bought those headphones from an overseas reseller? 

 

I shrugged, not taking it too seriously, and unsealed the plastic to check the contents: white headphones and a charging cable inside. I took them out and connected them to my phone via Bluetooth. I was surprised again to see the battery percentage was below 50%, as if someone had used them before. I've finished connecting my wireless headphones and tried playing some music. Hmm, the voice sounds normal, no problem.

 

I opened the bluebird app and froze when I saw a retweeted video. It was a clip of Anda with his fans. His expression was so vibrant. Watching that video, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. By now, Anda must have travelled far to the peaceful place he desired.

 

I frowned when I noticed the sound was crackling, like there was some interference. So I tried taking the headphones off and putting them back on, and this time the sound was perfectly normal.

 

"I must have misheard."

I pressed play on the video again.

 

'help..."

 

This time I heard another strange sound. I paused before listening intently.

 

"help"

 

My heart skipped a beat. I jumped up, startled, and quickly took the headphones off my ears. Did I mishear? But why do I feel like I'm hearing that strange sound coming from my new headphones? And I can hear it clearly, like it's saying "Help."

 

That sound... as I processed everything, I felt an inexplicable chill run down my spine. Something was definitely wrong. I hurried over to my younger brother before tapping him hard on the shoulder.

 

"seven"

 

"Huh"

 

"Listen to this."

 

"What are you listening to?"

I handed him the headphones, and he put them on, looking confused.

 

"Did you hear anything?"

It shook its head.

 

"What's that sound? I only hear music." I glanced at my phone, which was playing music after watching Anda's video. My favourite song was still there. The music continued while the listener, Satang, looked bewildered.

 

"The music is playing at its normal volume."

 

"Didn't anyone interrupt?"

It nodded its head.

 

"That's the sound of someone singing."

 

"no"

 

I shook my head vigorously as my younger brother pulled one earphone out of his ear and put it in mine. Now we each had an earphone, and the music was my favourite. I sat and listened until the song finished, then let out a big sigh until Satang returned the earphones.

 

"What's up, P'Phod?"

 

I pursed my lips tightly before shaking my head. I must have misheard. Ugh, I guess I've been thinking about Jin too much today. It's all his fault. I felt annoyed before telling my younger brother I was going to bed.

 

Finally, I lay down for a while, trying to force myself to sleep for quite some time before eventually drifting off from drowsiness and completely forgetting about the strange thing about the headphones. 

 

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

 

"Why is Phod so tired?"

 

"That guy asked me as I sauntered over and slumped down, then slumped over the table. Last night, it was almost three in the morning before I finally managed to fall asleep, just like last night, Satang finished watching the football match.

 

Sigh.

 

"Are you okay?"

 

Boom reached out and gently stroked my face, causing her to tilt her head up and smile at me, before glancing past her to Boom's boyfriend sitting beside her. There was a bandage on one of its eyebrows. Its complexion looked much better than yesterday. Boom must have been taking good care of it.

 

"Mmm."

 

"You don't look well. I'll buy you a cold compress to freshen up. We have a quiz with Auntie Professor today," Boom said before walking away. Now it was just Dang and me at the table because Tum hadn't shown up yet.

 

"Are you alright?"

 

It moved closer and sat down, its face and eyes filled with worry that made me feel inexplicably good. Those eyes that looked at me were full of concern. As a friend... he's a best friend, always ready to lend a hand.

 

"You can tell me anything," he reached out and gently ruffled my hair. "Boom and I are worried about you, Phod."

 

"..."

"Or maybe you're having problems with Jin? If you're not okay with anything, I can help you sort it out." I felt a lump in my throat because every word was filled with concern. If one day he knew that his friend had feelings that went too far, would he still be worried about me like this?

 

"Why are you being so nice to me, Dang?"

 

"Because we're friends, aren't we?"

 

Yes...we're friends. I guess this kind of relationship is meant for us. I stared at him for a moment before a smile broke out on my face. I made a face when he ran his hand through his hair and accidentally touched the wound on his eyebrow.

 

"What the hell are you laughing at?" It was a teasing question.

 

"You bastard."

 

I shook my head. Just then, Boom walked back. She not only handed me a cold compress to wipe my face, but also helped me open the packet. Boom is kind and loyal to her friends. She's a woman with a beautiful heart. It's no wonder someone like Dang likes her. Looking at it objectively, these two are well-suited for each other – as friends and as a couple, they support each other in the right way. 

 

After Boom took care of me, she turned to treat Dang's wounds, as she had a small first-aid kit in her handbag. I sat watching Boom. She was bandaging Dang's wound, and during that time she kept asking me questions.

 

"Are you feeling better, Phod?"

 

"Hmm, good."

 

I spoke softly. The sight before me was truly heartwarming. It's wonderful to see two good people together. I should be happy for my dear friends. If the two of them are dating, at least I trust that Dang will take good care of Boom, and that Dang himself will also find a good person to take care of him. I had never thought about this before, but after seeing the love and goodwill in their eyes, I have to admit it. Seriously, it's probably time to let go.

 

I don't know when it happened, but I stopped thinking about that guy, Dang, and instead let those moments drift to thoughts of that fake guy.

 

"Poke its forehead hard, it'll leave a dent," I said, seeing how weak and listless Dang looked. He's become so weak just because his girlfriend is taking care of him.

 

"Hey, Boom, don't lead the way!"

 

It turned and bared its fangs at me because Boom did as I told her to do, pressing hard on the wound once. It groaned in pain amid our laughter. I was taken aback because this was the first time I'd laughed out loud after finding out my two friends were dating. The day we opened our hearts, the day we accepted it. It's comforting to know that being friends is the best thing. Today, it made me look at them with full eyes and heart, witnessing the love between them.

 

I smiled at my two friends before frowning when my phone vibrated, indicating a notification. I picked it up and saw an account. One of the apps, the bluebird (Twitter), tweeted a message.

 

Social media detective @SecretNews

'The situation seems complicated. It appears there are suspicious circumstances surrounding Anda's death. Based on various pieces of evidence, the family doesn't believe he committed suicide. Most recently, there has been some speculation.'

The negative backlash was directed at the boy's boyfriend, who was the first to find Anda's body dead in his private car.

 

I pursed my lips tightly and furrowed my brows as I remembered seeing a bruise on the corner of Anda's mouth. The memory of that day flashed through my mind; besides the bruise on the corner of his mouth, there seemed to be a scar on his neck as well.

 

That day, we went to class on the main campus. Boom went straight to the coffee shop in front of the Faculty of Engineering, as usual, because she said it makes the kind of coffee she likes. I really wanted coffee, but damn, I tried a smoky one, and it was awful. Meanwhile, I caught sight of a group of three or four people in work uniforms walking towards us. I probably wouldn't care if one of them wasn't exceptionally tall, standing out from the rest of the group, the one who kept me awake at night.

 

It was already past midnight. I quickly lowered my gaze to the ground, trying to blend in so they wouldn't notice, hoping the engineering group would walk past.

But that thought was dashed when Tum called out to me loudly, "Phodduang, do you need anything?"

 

You son of a b*tch!

The bird gave me a smirk.

I glared at Tum, who looked confused, before he grinned when he saw Jin stopping in front of me. I didn't know what to do with my face then. 

 

"Uh..."

 

"Are you here to study at the university?" Jin asked.

 

"Make sure you know the class schedule."

 

"That guy, Tos, teased me, saying I'd be a perfect match with Dang. My friends were cheering loudly too, those soccer players... I'm going to massage their legs until they can't walk tonight, you bastards! You like to tease so much!"

 

"What's so surprising? We were at school here last week, and we ran into them."

I pretended to have a straight face.

 

"I'm returning the confiscated fabric."

 

"Damn it! How dare you hand it to me like that right in front of my friends?" I was startled and quickly extended my hand amidst the smiling faces of his friends and my friends. I quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him away from my friends' teasing gaze.

 

"What's up?"

 

"You bastard."

 

"What did I do wrong again?" It asked with a smile.

 

"You don't have to be so convincing," he said, crossing his arms and looking at me with a smirk.

 

"You...."

 

"No need to speak."

 

"Have you gotten over Dang yet?"

 

"Why do you ask?" I squinted at it.

 

"Aren't you heartbroken?" He leaned closer. "Don't you think you should open your heart to someone new?"

 

"No," I mumbled a response in my throat.

 

"What did you say?"

 

"No," I answered in a firm voice.

 

"You're not denying it?"

 

"I'm not open-minded."

 

I bared my fangs at it. Just then, I felt my pants pocket vibrate with an incoming call. When I pulled it out, I saw the incoming call was international. I glanced at it before signalling that I was going to answer it.

 

It was bad news because my mother called to say that her sister, or my aunt, who is married to a foreigner, had moved her family away. After settling abroad, she fell and hit her head on the ground, and her condition wasn't good. My mother's voice was trembling, which made me worried too. When I hung up and turned around, Jin was still standing there. I frowned at the expression on his face as he looked at me; he didn't seem well.

 

"Be careful"

 

I furrowed my brows again when I heard that.

 

"Watch out for what?"

 

"Tell your mother to be careful when driving these days."

 

"Why?" I asked, puzzled, but it said nothing, just shook its head and walked away.

 

That's so weird... Why would Jin say that?

 

I watched his broad back as he walked away, and then I remembered that day, before Anda died, he had warned him to be careful about sleeping in the car. My heart sank, and I quickly called my mother. This time, my father answered the phone instead.

 

"Where's Mom?"

 

[Mom has left, dear. The hospital just called to say Aunt Naath has stopped breathing.]

 

I was trembling and didn't know what to do.

 

"Dad, Dad, can you hurry and follow Mom now? Hurry, right now!" [What's wrong, Phodduang?]

 

I stammered, my voice trembling, when I heard my mother's voice interrupt the call. My father said she'd forgotten something and driven back home. The last time my father handed the phone to my mother to talk to me.

 

[What's wrong, dear?]

"Mom, Mom."

 

[Hey, Phodduang, what's wrong, son?]

 

"Mom, please don't go anywhere yet. Don't drive today." [What? What happened, son?]

 

I pressed my lips together tightly.

[What's wrong with the child?]

 

The person on the other end of the line sounded confused, and then a commotion could be heard through the phone. I could vaguely hear that a drunk driver had crashed into my mother's parked car right in front of the restaurant. I'm confused.

If Mom hadn't been on the phone with me, she probably would have driven off again. I was speechless, my body trembling, before she hung up because she had to handle the car accident in front of the store.

 

My mom is safe because Jin scared me. Thinking that, I ran in the direction he had just walked away. I saw Jin's back quickly, as I was walking to join my friends who were waiting at a table near the gear yard.

 

"You," I grabbed his shoulder.

 

"What's up?"

 

"How did you know?" I glared at him. "How did you know something was going to happen to my mother? How did you know?"

 

"Want to know?" it asked, smiling. "What are we to each other? Why do you want to know about me?"

 

"We're just talking to each other."

 

"You said we were just pretending to talk. If it was just a pretence, why would you want to know so much about me?" I was speechless because what Jin said was true.

 

"So..." I pursed my lips tightly. "So that is..."

 

"What's wrong?"

 

"What do you want to be?" It grinned with satisfaction.

 

"Aren't you heartbroken?"

 

"Don't you want a new person to mend your broken heart?"

 

You son of a bitch, you could just say it normally, couldn't you? Why are you smiling while you're talking?

 

"Your face is red."

 

"Talkative"

 

"Phod Duang"

 

"If you're feeling uncertain, just tell me."

 

"You bastard."

 

It moved closer.

 

"Speaking of colours."

 

"Say it out loud, that you don't want me to do this."

I pressed my lips together tightly.

 

"If you don't speak, I won't say anything. I'll make your heart flutter even more."

 

After saying that, he grinned widely and turned his back, walking away. That bastard... My face flushed with heat, even though I had been shocked and had almost fainted at the news about my mother just moments before. Now I'm getting really worked up over its words.

 

Damn it, is this really the time to be feeling nervous?