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CWL TRANSLATION BY CWL 킬 더 라이츠 - 장량 DO NOT STEAL OR SELL Hidden Track "Ah... Afghanistan." When told that someone else would handle security starting tomorrow because Mason was going to Afghanistan, Noah wasn't particularly surprised. He had heard about it last week through Phil. So Noah just thought dully, 'Ah. A week has already passed.' Ever since calling Mason to the mansion a month ago, Noah had been mentally prepared for this day. It came sooner than expected, but still, it was inevitable, and he figured he had to be prepared for it. Noah first remembered Mason when he was about sixteen years old. He knew about the fact that he had been kidnapped, having heard about it from here and there, but he didn't actually remember it. Dissociative amnesia. A type of amnesia where a part of memory is lost due to psychological trauma. Noah didn't really make an effort to recall anything about it. It felt like he had lost something, but even without remembering it, he suffered from insomnia, often waking up in the middle of sleeping because he couldn't breathe, and he had frequent seizures when confined in narrow and dark spaces. Since he already was like this without being able to remember anything, he didn't think it necessary to recall it. People around him, including doctors, also told him there was no need to revive those terrifying memories. The memory came back when he was sixteen. He was in the school bathroom. Noah, whose head had been hurting all day, went to the bathroom with the intention of sniffing coke but suddenly found himself in tears. He cried, and screamed, and banged his head against the wall. Everyone was startled by Noah's sudden outburst, and by the time they got him out of the bathroom, he had already passed out. When he woke up the next day, he remembered everything. How he had followed that unknown actress, what happened after following her, what thoughts went through his mind inside the small, cramped suitcase, what despair engulfed him, how much his arms and legs hurt, and how terrifying it was when he later lost sensation in his hands and feet. And that man. Noah remembered him, the one who rescued him in the bathroom. Finding him wasn't easy. Since he didn't come forward to say he saved Noah, he had to examine the profiles of all men of the appropriate age living nearby at the time. Noah couldn't understand why he bothered searching for him in the first place. While he was grateful for being rescued back then, so what? Noah was still anxious and unstable. Rather than happy for being alive, he was merely surviving day by day. Not really to thank him, Noah found him and, upon discovering that he worked for Zii, he donated a huge amount of money to Zii. At seventeen, Noah couldn't take it anymore. Rationally, he knew that the fear was unreasonable, yet he felt suffocated every day, suddenly screaming even when there was no apparent reason to panic. As he grew older and stronger, he knew that he could easily overpower that unknown actress now, but just thinking about that moment made his body tremble like a fool.
CWL TRANSLATION BY CWL 킬 더 라이츠 - 장량 DO NOT STEAL OR SELL Noah despised himself for such a reaction, but he couldn't overcome it. Nobody would rescue him, he knew that. Noah was all too aware. He had waited and waited, but no one came to save him. ─Except for that man. Then last month, unable to bear watching their precious son fall apart, his parents hired Mason as a bodyguard. Obviously, meeting Mason didn't alleviate Noah's anxiety. Noah didn't expect anything to change just because he met him. Even if he did save him once, he had eventually left Noah behind. That was how it was. He saved Noah from that small bag and death, but he didn't save Noah's life. Noah knew very well that no matter how hard he struggled every day, it was none of his business. So, he wouldn't have bothered to show up again. There was no need to hold any resentment. Noah reminded himself of that to avoid any delusions when he met the man. That he would leave him behind someday. That they were strangers. And then, quite a lot had happened during the past month. Whenever Noah woke up screaming and panicked, the man who had been keeping watch by his side would hold Noah's shoulders and stay with him until he calmed down. He would look at him until Noah emerged from his inner world, and their eyes met, while he lightly blew air with his mouth to make his sweaty hair fly away. Huuu, huuu. Whenever he trembled during a nightmare, he would suddenly feel a warm hand stroking his hair. The man gently caressed his hair, soothing him until he fell back asleep. At times, when his hands went cold from anxiety, he would click his tongue and ask if he wanted him to hold them. And even if Noah stood silently with his mouth shut and looked at him, the man would simply take his hands. The month went by in an instant. Last week, Mason had informed Phil that he would be leaving for Afghanistan as originally planned. Noah's parents and Phil had made various proposals to keep him, but nothing worked. Mason had lost his family not long ago, and he found it emotionally challenging to continue the comfortable job as Noah's bodyguard. Noah knew that Mason sometimes took out his family photos and looked at them. Noah had been mentally prepared from the beginning, so when Phil told him the news, his only thought was, 'Next week already? Time flies.' And indeed, the week passed quickly, when Mason, with a stoic expression, said goodbye, telling him that someone else would take over from tomorrow and that he should take care of himself. "I see, Afghanistan could be dangerous, I'm a little worried." At Noah's words, Mason simply replied. "I think I'll feel more at ease over there." Noah nodded. There was nothing he could say to that. "Well..." Noah tried to say something more, but he couldn't figure out what, so he shut his mouth. Even though he knew that if he remained silent like this, Mason would soon say goodbye and leave the room, he had nothing to say. Don't cry. Noah thought to himself like a child. This was nothing. He had just been doing security for a month, that was all. It wasn't a deep relationship, and the tenuous employer-employee connection
CWL TRANSLATION BY CWL 킬 더 라이츠 - 장량 DO NOT STEAL OR SELL was about to be cut. He knew it would be strange if he cried in this moment, yet tears suddenly poured down his face. Through the tears blurring his vision, he could see Mason looking startled. "Uh, I..." Noah opened his mouth as he watched him approach alarmed. Can't you not go? Can't you stay by my side instead of going to Afghanistan? Pity or whatever, anything is fine, so please don't go. I'll do anything, please... Noah swallowed back the words of begging that seemed ready to escape. He kept swallowing the pleas again and again, while tasting the tears. "I'm sorry. Something came up at school today...." Noah had no choice but to say that, wiping away tears with the back of his hand. What was he doing, clinging like this? He wasn't a woman, they were more than ten years apart, and he had more insane moments than sane ones. It was impossible to have a relationship where they could hold on to each other, whether it was as lovers, friends, or family. The past month had just been a connection based on money, and there had been no actual relationship. It was all business. Noah knew it was a strange scene, but his tears wouldn't stop, making him feel a little embarrassed. "Are you okay?" He asked with a concerned tone, and Noah waved his hand. "Ah... I'm always weird. Don't worry about it." It looks like my tear ducts are crazy again today. ─Noah smiled, and Mason's lips twitched. He hesitated as if he wanted to wipe away the tears but instead pulled out a small medicine bottle from his pocket. He looked unsure about giving it but soon held it out anyway. "This is something I sometimes take when I'm having a hard time, but I don't think it will be needed in Afghanistan." Noah blinked as he accepted the offered bottle. Tears fell onto it with a soft patter. When he looked up, Mason spoke with a slightly tender look in his eyes, smiling. "It's called Xanax... it's a nerve tranquillizer. You might already be taking something similar, but just in case." "Ah... thank you." It wasn't easy to answer while swallowing sobs. Mason waited quite a while for Noah's tears to subside. The reason he didn't tell him to just go, was that he couldn't bear to see his back as he left. "Well then, take care." He nodded farewell, and Noah replied. "...stay safe." He left without looking back, and Noah stared at the door for a very long time with a blank face. When he came to his senses, the sun was setting outside the window, and Noah took a look at the medicine Mason had given him. With a pop, he opened the lid and took out a white pill, swallowing it without water. The pill left a bitter taste in his mouth as it dissolved and went down his throat. Leaning back on the couch, Noah closed his eyes. Feeling slightly dizzy and lethargic, he soon drifted off to sleep. He dreamed that Mason never left. CWL says... poor baby, what a bittersweet parting. But, please do not give medicine to others, especially not minors < < And with that, 'Kill the Lights' is truly done. Hope you enjoyed it! I have already decided on my next project, so please stay tuned - I'll be bringing you a Cinderella story ^^ Buy Novel Carrd Site NU Page