〈Thunderous Silence〉is a story about a boy who likes to make all kinds of sounds but doesn't want to speak, not a single word, and a girl who loves to talk, is always chewing something, has a keen sense for food combinations, but can no longer taste anything.
They meet each other during a war.
No matter what the girl says, the boy rarely answers, so their interaction pattern is like the girl answering for him on her own.
The girl wants to find her separated parents because she misses them so bad. She asks him if he wants to accompany her to find them. The boy doesn't answer but continues to stay by her side. She sometimes talks about the funny stories in her hometown.
The girl also loves playing riddles; she seems to have an endless supply of them.
The girl and boy go to find food. Even during wartime, the girl's high sensitivity to food allows her to make simple yet delicious dishes from commonly found fruits. She becomes so happy when she sees the boy eating with a blissful expression.
The boy is skilled at making guitars from dead wood and flutes from bamboo for the girl to play.
Sometimes the girl has to stop the boy making sounds when they hide together from the bombers.
The girl thinks the boy will definitely become a musician in the future, while she believes she'll become a chef one day.
The girl says everyone has their own superpower and hers is her sensitivity to ingredients. Although she can't taste anymore, she knows how to combine them for others to taste, never failing. She can tell from others' expressions that she's succeeded.
The boy indicates with gestures and gaze that his hearing is very good and he can even hear where landmines are. This is why the boy was able to escape the landmine layout and come to the girl's country.
The girl tries many times to get the boy to speak, all failing.
Suddenly, she's grabbed by a soldier, while he's dragged away by another soldier, and he finally shouts the girl's name. The girl is deeply moved that he finally called her name.
But this is actually a little prank played by the girl; the two soldiers are her former childhood friends from her hometown pretending.
However, this turns into a fatal joke.
The boy, not knowing the prank, angrily lures the person pretending to be a soldier to a minefield. As the girl comes to reveal the truth to give the boy a surprise, she also arrives.
With a thunderous boom, the boy calls out the girl's name for the second time.
-
You think that's the end of this short story?
Absolutely not.
I won't tell you at least until 2029.
