All Of My Silences Will Be Your Words [English Vers. - FINISHED]

Chapter Twenty-Five

Felix frowned when he saw that Sae-Jin hadn't replied to his message. Yet she'd read it, so what was going on ?

- Didn't we tell you it was time to start again ? Shouted an annoyed, scornful voice behind her back. You're going to hold everyone up with your sloppiness. It's bad enough on camera...

Felix turned back to the assistant, tucking his phone away in the pocket of his bag. He gritted his teeth to avoid answering anything he'd regret later, and settled for a nod before heading back towards Chan and the others. But the assistant had no intention of leaving him alone, as he looked him up and down as Felix passed him by.

- This is where lack of concentration leads to, tss, tss... Try to do something drinkable this time, we haven't got all day. Your little mute girlfriend can wait.

Felix turned and raised an eyebrow, losing patience.

- Who asked you to talk about her ? He squeaked, clenching his fists.

- If you didn't want me to talk about her, you should have been on time instead of talking to her by text... Although maybe that's the only time you can have a discussion if she never talks. Laughed his interlocutor.

The young Australian glared at him, trying to reason. The assistant was provoking him on purpose, and it was completely idiotic. He mustn't play into his hands ; it would only make the situation worse.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his friends approaching, as well as other members of staff, with worried, tense looks on their faces. The assistant noticed this too, and gave a mocking chuckle.

- Do you still need your hyungs to protect you, kid ? Do they change your diapers too ?

- What's all this about ? Chan interjected, glowering. Is everything all right, Lix ?

- It's nothing, Lix replied through gritted teeth. Useless nonsense.

- I see, so can we get on with it ? Replied his friend, turning to the assistant.

The latter crossed his arms and smiled with all his teeth in the direction of the leader.

- But with great pleasure.

***

The rain began to fall softly as I crossed the street to the opposite sidewalk. I clutched the paper tighter in my hand as I tried to orient myself to find the path leading to the small-town cemetery.

My aunt, after her revelations, had offered to let me stay longer, but I'd refused. I simply asked her where my parents were buried, then gave her my phone number before leaving. I didn't know if it was the shock of knowing that my parents had passed away, or if I simply wasn't crying because I hadn't been around them for too long for their disappearance to do anything to me.

I felt empty. Empty, lonely, strange. My aunt had explained to me that it was when my parents died that she and the rest of the family realized I wasn't with them. Confused at first, it took them some time to understand the truth: that my parents had abandoned me. The family tried to find me, but to no avail. After all, they couldn't have known they were looking in the wrong place... Or rather, the right country.

I'd received a text message from Lix, but I'd read it without really reading it. I couldn't answer it, couldn't do anything but walk in the rain to the cemetery. I don't really know why, but something deep inside me told me it was the right thing to do. That even if I could never meet my biological parents, I could visit their graves. A phrase from the psychologist I'd seen during my time at the orphanage had come back to me when my aunt had given me the address leading to the cemetery.