Hana sat in the waiting room at the clinic. She was there for a regular check-up. The room was quiet and calm. There were six other people in the room. Some of them read magazines. Others looked at the floor. A small child sat next to his mother. He played with a toy car. Hana took out her book and started to read. She liked the quiet feeling of the room. A nurse walked past and smiled at everyone. Hana smiled back. She felt relaxed. The clock on the wall showed ten fifteen. Her appointment was at ten thirty. Then her phone rang. It was very loud.

Everyone in the room looked at her. Hana felt her face go red. She quickly opened her bag and looked for her phone. "Sorry, sorry," she said to the people near her. She found the phone and pressed the red button. The room was quiet again. But then, ten seconds later, the phone rang again. It was the same number. Hana pressed the red button again. "I am so sorry," she whispered. An old man across the room shook his head slowly. The small child laughed. Hana put the phone deep inside her bag. She hoped it would not ring again. But it rang again, even louder this time. She wanted to disappear. Hana grabbed the phone and walked quickly to the door.

She went outside and answered the call. "Hello?" she said. It was her friend, Mika. "Hi Hana! I called you three times! Are you busy?" Mika asked. "Yes, I am at the clinic," Hana said. "Everyone looked at me because of your calls!" Mika laughed. "Oh no, I am sorry!" she said. Hana laughed too. "Please send me a message next time," she said. Mika agreed. Hana put her phone on silent mode. She walked back into the waiting room. A few people smiled at her. She sat down and waited quietly for her name. She promised herself to always put her phone on silent before going to any waiting room.

Hana had been sitting in the clinic's waiting room for about twenty minutes when she first noticed how peaceful the atmosphere was. The other patients were reading, scrolling through their phones with the sound off, or simply staring at the pale walls in comfortable silence. A soft voice occasionally called a name over the speaker, and someone would stand up and walk through the door at the far end of the room. Hana, who had come in for a routine appointment, was enjoying the rare chance to sit still and do nothing. She had brought a novel in her bag, but she found herself simply relaxing with her eyes half closed. The quietness felt like a gift after her busy morning. She glanced at the clock and realized she still had about ten minutes to wait.

Without warning, an extremely loud ringtone shattered the silence. It was a cheerful, upbeat melody that seemed completely inappropriate for a clinic waiting room. Every head in the room turned towards Hana, whose bag was practically vibrating on the seat beside her. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she fumbled through her bag, searching desperately for the phone among her wallet, keys, and tissues. She finally managed to reject the call, and the silence returned, though it now felt heavier than before. She had barely taken a breath of relief when the phone burst into its ridiculous tune once more, and she could feel the disapproval radiating from the other patients. Grabbing the phone firmly, she stood up and hurried towards the exit, mouthing the word "sorry" to anyone who caught her eye.

Once she was safely outside, she answered the call and discovered it was her friend Mika, who had been trying to reach her about something that turned out to be completely unimportant. "You could have just sent me a text," Hana said, half laughing and half groaning at the situation. Mika apologized, though she could not help giggling when Hana described the disapproving faces of the other patients. After ending the call, Hana immediately switched her phone to silent and tucked it into the deepest pocket of her bag. She took a moment to compose herself before walking back into the waiting room, where a couple of people gave her knowing smiles. She sat down, picked up her novel, and pretended to read, while secretly promising herself that she would never again forget to silence her phone before entering a quiet public space.