THE SHAPE OF VOICE [#Wattys2018]

Chapter 3 : The Hidden Letter

~abcd~ means Seungri use sign language 

Today is the first day of Summer. It means everybody is at home. Seunghyun wake up early and decided to cook for his dongsaeng but there's only few ingredients in the kitchen. So, he just cook Kimchi Fried Rice for them all. He then serve everything on the table and wake the Twins up. 

"Jiyong, Bae.. wake up.. please look after Daesung and Seungri. I'm going to buy groceries for awhile." Seunghyun said and then Seungri hold his hand and his face say everything. He want to follow his hyung. 

"You want to follow me Ri?" Seunghyun asked and he nodded happily jumped on the bed making Jiyong fall on the floor. 

"Go take your bath and wear your clothes, I'll wait for you. And you lazy twins, wake up fast! Breakfast is ready. After eat continue your work okay. When I come back I want to see the living room clean! Hear that?" Seunghyun slapped Youngbae's ass 

Seunghyun then walked with Seungri towards the nearest mall. and then they spend time choosing the best brand for their things needed. 

Meanwhile at home, the 3 others just finished their breakfast started to clean the living room. Jiyong vacuum the carpets, Youngbae wipe the glass door and Daesung wipe the cabinets and sofa while arranging the megazines. 

"Bae, why you keep wiping the same door? Go wipe that one too" Jiyong said while attacking his leg with the vacuum. 

"Ya... I'll do after this. Just stop teasing me." Youngbae then threw the tissue towards Jiyong and they laugh. 

After an hour busy cleaning the big living room,they finally finished. They sit on the sofa, resting tired as hell because they not just cleaning, they also playing. After that Seunghyun and Seungri arrived with handful groceries. 

"We're home,  have you done cleaning here?" Seunghyun asked while walked towards the kitchen followed by Seungri. 

"Nee, hyung. Just finished. It's so tiring." Jiyong replied. 

"After this upstairs okay?" Seunghyun said

"Aah?? Cleaning again.?? haaa... " the twins replied showing their tiredness. 

Daesung and Seungri busy arranging the stuffs in the kitchen cabinet just laughing at the twins. 

"Aa! Today is cleaning session. If you guys don't finish it by today, you can't start your holiday." Seunghyun sternly but then he laugh. 

After finish arranging the stuffs, Seungri then sit at the bar and use his hand as pillow to rest his head. 

"Ri? Are you okay?" Daesung asked and Seungri just nodded weakly. Daesung feel uneasy, then he touch Seungri's forehead. 

"Ri, you're not fever. Do you feel dizzy?" Daesung asked again and Seungri effort to nod  

Daesung words enough to make Seunghyun clumsily walked towards where he and Seungri at. Seunghyun just let Seungri take his rest at the living room instead the upstairs since they need to clean up the upstairs. 

 "We should finish up cleaning as soon as possible, Seungri need rest" Jiyong said. 

They walked up their duplex condominium and started to clean their bedroom and let Daesung accompany Seungri. Everybody is busy cleaning. Jiyong arranged the books on the study table neatly. He place the books carefully according to belonging since they shares the big study table. Suddenly, Jiyong found an envelop written 'Lee Seungri's Parents' under Seungri's books. He then opened the envelop and read the letter that Seungri received early this year that he suppose to give to his Eomma and Appa. He read through the letter and found a statement confirmation of Seungri as mute. 

He fall on his knees, shocked and the letter lose from his hand. His sobs making Youngbae and Seunghyun weird and walked towards him. Youngbae picked up the letter, shocked together with Seunghyun. 

"How can I don't know his disability? I'm a stupid hyung. Seungri didn't deserve a stupid hyung like me" Jiyong cry hugging his knees. 

"Ji.. you're not stupid. If you aren't here for Seungri, you think he can go through his life? He try hard to be with us, make us not worrying about him." Seunghyun soothing Jiyong down. 

"But we're just too blind.. to not knowing.. or even asking his problems.." Youngbae cry harder.

"We're not blind Bae, Seungri just don't want to burden us with his problem. He still kid. Too young to lie us. He must have his own reason. Kid don't lie right? But our dongsaeng is not a normal kid, he's a mature kid, he know we're facing many challenges. He's our strength" Seunghyun trying to give hope for the twins. 

"So after this, we have to ask Seungri, whether this statement is true or not. But we can't hurt his feeling" Seunghyun said. 

"I'll ask him. I knew few simple and the daily sign language. Maybe he'll respond." Jiyong said

"But did he knew the sign language? I've never see he use it" Youngbae replied 

"Seungri knew sign language hyung." Daesung said while walking in 

"Where did you know Dae?" Youngbae asked curious. 

"I saw his class teacher communicate with him using sign language last week. But I don't have enough gut to ask Seungri, I worried he'll hurt if I ask" Daesung sigh. 

All the 4 hyungs just sit and stared at each other, thiking, finding way, the best way to ask their maknae. Suddenly, Seungri approached them and knocked the door. 

"Ri? You awake? Come sit with hyung." Jiyong welcomed him in and he walked in with smile without sense anything. 

'Why hyung look at me like that?' Seungri write on Jiyong's arm 

~You can read this Seungri?~ Jiyong asked Ri using a sign language. 

~Ne~ Seungri answered short.

~Where hyung know use the sign language?~ Seungri added and Jiyong just smiled. 

Seunghyun passed Jiyong, Seungri's book since only Jiyong understand sign language but not all, just the simple one. 

"Seungri-ah, are you hiding something from hyung?" Youngbae asked and he just look at the floor. 

Then Jiyong hand Seungri the letter about his disability. Seungri was a bit shocked and he hug Jiyong cries. He feel so wrong for not saying the truth. Jiyong pat his back soothing him. He then write on the book 

'Hyung, Ri is sorry. Ri don't have any intention to lie. Sorry :( Please don't angry at Ri. Ri just don't want to trouble all hyung. Ri just a burden. Ri can't speak.' 

As soon as the finished writing, he turned the book while crying.

"Ri, we not angry at you. We just worry about you. Why don't you tell us earlier about you?" Seunghyun said 

"Youngbae hyung too, I don't angry at you." 

"Hyung too." Daesung added

'Ri is sorry' Seungri wrote

"Its okay Ri" Jiyong said and then they all hug! Its a group hug. 

TO BE CONTINUED.

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2017/12/11 ; 8:22 PM (+8 GMT)