Whispers of You

1.

In the small, bustling town of Haneul, the cacophony of life echoed in every corner.

Street vendors shouted their best deals, children laughed and played, and the gentle rustling of leaves swayed harmoniously in the wind.

But for Jungwon, these sounds were not a symphony; they were an incessant roar.

Diagnosed with Hyperacusis, a heightened sensitivity to everyday sounds, for him it felt like painful intrusions rather than a natural part of life.

Jungwon had always been sensitive to sound.
As a child, he spent hours in silence, avoiding crowded places, loud events, and even bustling classrooms.

His life revolved around finding peace in a world filled with noise.
He wore noise-canceling headphones everywhere, a slight barrier between him and the cacophony of life.
But the headphones couldn't shield him from loneliness.

In this town, where the seasons painted the landscape in hues of vibrant colors, Jungwon's world was one of muted tones.

Jungwon lived in a modest house at the edge of town, where the noise was somewhat subdued. His sanctuary was a small garden filled with blooming flowers, each vibrant petal a reminder of the beauty the world could offer, even if it often felt unreachable.

He spends his days tending to the garden, nurturing the delicate blossoms with quiet devotion and sitting beneath the cherry blossom tree, sketching the beauty of the world around him in his worn leather journal, often getting lost in his drawings.

The pages were filled with drawings of flowers or petals, even the cherry tree he sits beneath was there, these were the only moments where he felt "okay"

The loneliness was a constant companion he had since he was born, thanks to his medical condition, at school and anywhere, it was always him and... him alone.

Usually, guys his age hate going to school because they're lazy, the classes are boring and all that but if you asked him? he simply hated the noise.

On a deeper level tho, it wasn't just the noise.

He hated seeing how he was the only one sitting on his own during lunch break, how he walked on his own down the hallways, how he had no one to chat with and complain about the boring classes, he's always on his own.

As much as he tried to have friends he couldn't put himself into actual indulging in any social interaction, everyone was too loud for him and he even hated himself for this.

People weren't actually that loud, they just were living their life normally, he felt that he was the problem among them.

When the school semester started again, he hoped that maybe some miracle might happen and a friend would magically walk to him and talk to him but he was simply seen as the special guy, the one that can't handle a bit of noise, the one who never talks and sits at the back of the class, headphones guy

At first he wasn't much bothered by such etiquettes, but once some guys started picking on him often with derogatory comments, he felt his already vulnerable self being crashed.

That's why he always tries his best to make sure he is invisible, he wants everyone to just live like he's not even there.

"It's probably the best like this"  he thought.