room 127 ✿ park chanyeol

ONE

I want to protect you.

When I first met [Name], I had no intention of befriending her. She and her mother had just moved to our neighborhood, and since [Name] and I were the same age at the time, my mother took it upon herself to introduce me to her as a way to try and familiarise this lost child with her new surroundings.

The [Name] I remember was a quiet, timid girl who hid behind her mother throughout the entire introduction, staring at me like a big doe eyed deer. I really did have no intention of befriending this new and weird girl; as a matter of fact, I doubted that we'd be even more than just neighbours.

"Chanyeol, this is [Name]. You two can get along, can't you?" Read as: "Chanyeol, you better be nice to this girl, or so help me I will deal with you later on."

I grumbled as my mother pushed me forward, while [Name]'s mother in turn attempted to coax her daughter into the open. Finally, the mute girl stumbled forward, bringing her hands to her mouth as she looked towards the ground. She was immediately reprimanded by a furious tap to her shoulder by her mother, who looked at my mother and I with apology written all over her face.

"I'm sorry," she said sheepishly, nudging [Name] to stand up straight and look me in the eye. My mother laughed, and soon enough, the two women began to banter once more.

However, I continued to stare at the new girl as if she were an alien, tilting my head to the side in curiosity. She hadn't even looked at me once.

"What a weird thing," I said out loud, hoping to gain some sort of reaction. Nope. She just kept twiddling her fingers in front of her, patiently waiting for her mother.

"Eh? Are you okay?" I asked, sticking my face under hers. [Name] jumped back in surprise, hers eyes widening more than they already had. She was put back into place by her mother, who gently patted the top of her head.

"My name's Chanyeol," I said boredly, even though she already knew that. I could have just left it at that, and we could have gone our separate ways from there.

But I didn't.

I held out my hand to [Name] with a small, albeit forced, smile, and I can tell you right now, that small gesture was the catalyst of what would grow to be our friendship.

She eyed me warily for a few moments, before cautiously taking my hand with a small bow of her head.

"Nice to meet you, Chanyeol." Her voice was so soft and so gentle, yet at the same time, it commanded my attention for some reason. I was almost taken aback by how powerful this mute girl's voice was, and it must have shown in my eyes. Because after I heard [Name] speak for the first time, she gave me a knowing smile, a smile that hinted that perhaps there was something more to [Name] than she was letting on.

"My name is [Name]. I hope we can become friends, Chanyeol."