Hi, Im Song Hyunmyong; p (1/1)

Chapter 13: Are migraines hereditary? Stupid migraines! Who did I get them from? Stupid world! Everything's made to be so loud. My headphones can only do so much, it can't block out every noise there is. I can't go back into the classroom; it's driving me nuts having all the conversation travel in and out of my ear. I can barely hear myself, let alone, hear Jinki. His voice is just so damn quiet sometimes, and then he goes into his little daydreaming phase. Why can't people just pay attention? Then I wouldn't have to shout and scream. But what Jinki did for me... I've never had anyone do that for me. I walk to the front gates, and pressed the button to be let in. The house is gigantic – no, the mansion. That Marisa-girl that SHINee is staying with, sure has a great parents. I sigh and continue on to the front door. What if Jinki is some secret rapist or pervert? Then won't I be walking right into his trap? Stupid stupid me! Why couldn't I think of the library or something? His house?! But I guess, his house is better than that stupid room, or that Hell-lair that I call home. I take in a few deep breaths, prepared to knock on the door, when it opened. On the other side of the door is Taemin.“Oh, sorry. You must be the student that was absent yesterday. I believe you've learnt a lot from Sora. I should introduce myself, I'm Hyunmyong, but everyone calls me by my English name, Lorelei.” He smiles sweetly and waves at me while responding.“Hi, I'm Taemin. Nice to meet you!” I blush a bit, embarrassed from the long greeting I made, when Taemin managed to leave such impact in so few statements. I wave back.“Is Jinki there?” I ask, still standing outside the house.He turns around and screams, which luckily my headphones block out, “Onew-hyung, Hyunmyong... noona...?” He looks back to me, and I nod in acknowledgement. “Hyunmyong-noona is here!” He turns back to me, and takes my purse and briefcase from my hands. “Come in, come in. Don't stand there in the cold!” The inside of the house is gorgeous. I've never seen such an impressive house before. “Is Sora a student teacher also? Because I thought she was a volunteer; she looks so young, that's why.” The expression on his face is unbearable, and I couldn't help by smile.“Sora is only 17 years old.”“And she's a university student?” He scratched his head, trying to piece together the two statements. “Sora is a very smart girl. From what she told us, she'd attended Grade 1, and since then she had only been participating in even number grade levels; she made it into first year university at the age of 12, and now even though she's 5 years younger than me, she's at the same educational standing as I am; she's really an astonishing student.” He nods, and the house fades into the background. 'The silence in the house, however, is then broken by loud thumping on the stairs, followed by a Jinki who tramples in.“Song Seonsaeng-nim! Hello! What are you listening to?” I can hear him even through the headphones. He reaches over and pulls the headphones off of me, and places it against his ear. “I don't hear anything!”“Why are you so loud, Onew?!” Taemin asked, even louder. My eardrums are bursting without the protection of my headphones.Onew responded just as loud. “I thought maybe Song Seonsaeng-nim couldn't hear me through her headphones. But what's the point with having headphones if you're not listening to anything?”“They're for my migraines. I'm really sensitive to loud sounds, so I wear headphones to block off some of the noise around me.”“Oh yeah! Your migraines! Are you feeling better today?” Jinki posed the question right up to my face. What happened to that soft-spoken Jinki from yesterday? Stop being so loud!

Soon everyone left the house, leaving me alone with Jinki. But it sure didn't sound like we were alone. He was blasting music from the living room, which was on the other side of the house, but I could hear it all the way down the hall in the study. The headphones did nothing to protect me. My ears were under constant pressure, and I could feel my brain throwing itself into confusion. The migraine was slowly surfacing again. Once Jinki stepped into the room for his lesson, I had to remove my headphones to not appear impolite. “I hope you don't mind, Song Seonsaeng-nim! I concentrate better with music!”I speak softly. “I don't mind. Let's just get on with our lesson.” I sneakily swallow the migraine pill. If I told him that he's talking too loudly, he might take offence. That's the last thing I want. If he decides to act violently, I'm on my own, and I don't want to be too harsh on him either. But as time progressed, my headache only got worse, and the pill didn't seem to do anything. Every time I made a comment on his writing or answer his question, he would ask me to repeat myself, several times. And then he would make his own little comments for the next minute. I thought maybe reading would be more quiet, but he instead reads out loud, with all the emotions and everything. He's killing me! I start breaking out in cold sweat, and I could feel the shivers bubbling in my blood. My thoughts were all jumbled, and I couldn't concentrate at all, not even on my own words.“Jinki, do you mind turning the music off?!” I ask politely.“WHAT?!”“Just turn the music off for me, please.”“WHAT?! I can't hear you. Just speak up!”“Turn off the music. It's too loud.”“Sorry! You really, honestly have to speak louder!” Fuckin' Jinki, stop shouting. His fucking obnoxious face makes me want to punch his teeth in, hard. Where is that Jinki that was so soft-spoken yesterday? My ears are buzzing and I can simply bash my head against the wall. “You were talking to me, right?!” He asked; with each time he asked a question, he got closer, but he also got louder.“SHUT UP! JUST BE QUIET, PLEASE!” I lean my head against the wall. My teeth clench together. “Your writing is lousier than what you produced yesterday! And you keep on talking back, just stop! Just shut up! If you don't want to learn, just tell me. You can't possibly learn with such loud music. Just shut up! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! I'm happy to go somewhere, anywhere, away from all the noise.”“Is something wrong?” He asks, back in his quiet tone.My blood was boiling even under the constant shivers that crawled up my spine. “Now you decide to go back to being quiet?! WHY WERE YOU SHOUTING?! I HATE IT. STOP SHOUTING AT ME!” I can hear the bass pumping in the living room. I threw my fist at the table, hard. “TURN THE MUSIC OFF! PLEASE!” I can feel no pain; no pain can be as bad as my headache. I could barely hear anything anymore. My wrap myself in the comfort of my arms, hoping to block out the sounds that blasted in the walls of my head. Anything to soothe my headache, anything! But it wouldn't go away. I shiver and sweat continues to stream down from my forehead. I swear tears are also streaming from my eyes, but the pain simply overshadows everything. I want to say something, but the only words are 'shut up' that form in my mind. Did the music get turned off yet? I can't tell. I'm not sure if the incessant beating is from the music or from my brain. Jinki walks back into the room, and comes up to me. He's saying something, but I can't piece together what he's telling me. He says it several times, progressively louder, and I hold my hand out to stop him, but not before he manage to say it one last time. He's right up to my ear while saying it, but it comes out as a whisper.“I turned off the music, Song Seonsaeng-nim... I'm sorry.” I hold up head up; I'm certain now that I'm practically crying from the pain.“No, Jinki. I should be the one who's sorry. I don't think I have the ability or the strength to teach you anything. It'd be better if I told the university to pair you up with some other teacher.” I start hitting my head with his book, and like yesterday, he takes the book out of my hands again.“Please don't. You are a very good teacher. I am learning from you. It's just that I've been taking you for granted. I just think you're too strict, and that reminds me of all the pressure I've gone through in high school, and how much I've hated it. And I thought that maybe if I pretended being a bad student and did all the things you hated, you would give up on me. But I can't do that to you. I'm sorry for being such a jerk. Sincerely, I apologize.”“You think I'm strict...?” I can't possibly imagine myself being strict. Or maybe I simply can't imagine it because my brain isn't functioning properly. It'll be another few days of rest before I recover, but I can't even think about rest right now; rest won't come...“Sorry, Song Seonsaeng-nim. Sorry for wasting your four hours like this. I think it's best that I let you return home to rest. Let me call you a cab.”“No!” I shouted. “Don't call a cab. I'm okay. The four hours you've wasted... I'm willing to stay another four hours to reteach the material...” I'm stuttering. Think of an excuse, Lorelei! Anything to not go back to that Hell-lair. “... I don't want you to fall behind everyone else...”“Don't worry, Song Seonsaeng-nim. Even though I've been acting out of character today, I was truly listening to your lesson. You don't have to worry about me. Just go home and rest.” He starts helping me pack, in which I flail and hit him, spilling all the contents in my briefcase onto the ground. I can slowly pick up my stuff. Anything to stall for time. I don't want to go back home. Not now; not ever! “Here let me pick those up for you. You shouldn't be straining yourself like this, Song Seonsaeng-nim.”“Stop being so nice.” I say under my breath.“What?” He looks at me, holding a bunch of paper that was on the ground only seconds ago.“I said, stop being so nice to me! I can pick it up myself. And if you think you're so good, I'm telling you that you're not. Your writing is lousy, and you should be thankful that I'm staying four more hours for you. I should be thanking me. I'm staying no matter what you do.”“Song Seonsaeng-nim, I insist that you rest.” He then spends the next five minutes, recapping perfectly everything that I've taught him in the last four hours. It's stunning how much he's learnt. But it can't be an excuse for me to go home. I can't go home. I cover my face, trying to figure out something. My headache worsens. Ideas, ideas! I need a way to stall for time. Jinki approaches me with awful news. “Song Seonsaeng-nim, I've called a cab for you. It'll arrive in five minutes.” He holds out my jacket. “Let me help you into it.” Do I really have to resort to telling him the truth? The Hell-hole I live in. I don't want to go back. I can do nothing in my house. I cannot eat, I cannot sleep, not even my headphones can protect me. The throbbing in my head just wouldn't fade away, and I could feel my arms and legs cramping up now, my entire nervous system screaming for help.“Jinki, Jinki, Jinki! Please don't make me go home! I hate my house. The house that my parents threw me in – the last five years has been Hell. I hate it. But I have to go back. It's the only place where there's a roof over my head, but not even that can protect me from the sounds of the outside world. There's always a party upstairs, no matter how many times I've called the police. Every morning the cars, every night, the music from the club, the music from upstairs, the construction work all day long. It's killing me. I can't possibly rest at my house. Please, please, please, Jinki. Just let me spend four more hours; I'll teach tomorrow's lesson, anything!” I can do nothing. My nervous system is under fire, and I'm gasping for air. My entire world is spinning. The room seems to be spinning. Nausea comes upon me. I can only resort to the truth. No matter how embarrassing it might be - not being able to return to your own house, if fear of sounds. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha~ I hate my parents; I've always hated my parents. The stupid house. The stupid noise! THE STUPID WORLD! I unconsciously released a scream that shocks Jinki.“Song Seonsaeng-nim, please calm down. Please, please calm down.” He starts pacing, as I start panicking. I can't bear opening my eyes in fright of seeing the entire room upside down. I can see that he's nervous, but why? Just let me stay for the four hours, then I'll sleep somewhere, anywhere tonight. Anything to escape the noise. I haven't had a proper night of sleep in the last five years. I'll bury myself underground if I have to. At least when I die, everything will be silent. Jinki suddenly breaks into singing. Why is he singing? Of all the things he can do.“STOP IT, JINKI! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR A SINGLE SOUND. JUST SPARE ME. IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO STAY, THEN I'LL LEAVE. ANYTHING TO STOP PROVOKING MY MIGRAINE!” I couldn't hold in my anger. I find myself screaming too. It's not helping my problem. The pressure in my ears continue to build up, and Jinki's voice starts echoing in my head. He walks up close to me, and continues to sing, while stroking my hair. What is he doing? That creep! Raping a girl during her weakest. ...But strangely, it's comforting. He continues to sing, but it's opera. I recognize it. It's from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. Tears continue to fall from my eyes, though this time, it tastes rather sweet upon my lips. That aria from The Marriage of Figaro... the same nameless aria that my father used to hum... but I never got a chance to hear it on stage... Jinki's voice continued to echo in my head. His voice blocks out the buzzing from my ears, and seems to simply knock out the fog that shrouded my mind. It's very soothing, like a lullaby. The buzzing soon fades into the background of his voice and my mind is replaced by a serene silence. His sweet melody from his voice softly dances around in my head, and I now feel something I haven't felt since childhood; my shoulders was a light as a feather, and my heart lifted itself. Pressure left my ears, and my mind was now shrouded with something else – the conscience state immediately before one falls asleep. His head voice hitting that high note was the last thing I heard before nodding off into slumber.  This is one long chapter, but it's not in Onew's perspective; it's in the perspective of an original character, Lorelei (a.k.a. Song Hyunmyong). She's one of the characters with a backstory, which I'll cover most likely in the next chapter or so. So why 2 chapters in one night? Well, that's because I might be busy the next little while, but I have ideas now. So it's a matter of typing it out now, or forgetting all about it, and I don't want to risk it. It's all for you readers ;D I ♥ you all that much ~ hope you don't mind me updating a bit later when I get the spare time. Thanks for all the love received. Be expecting Onew again in the next chapter - that'll make up for Chapter 12.