Under the Same Umbrella ☔ : A Tale of Love

Chapter 15: Echoes of the Past

The night stretched on endlessly, the darkness heavy around him.

Boss sat beside Noeul, gently patting his head as guilt gnawed at his conscience.

"How could I have left him there unprotected?..."

His mind echoed with the weight of unfulfilled promises, the solemn oath to shield Noeul from harm.

Fear gripped him tightly, Dread clenched his heart as he pictured the countless threats that may have endangered Noeul during his absence.

With every tick of the clock, his guilt deepened, trapped in an unending loop of regret and anxiety.
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As morning broke, Noeul stirred awake to find Boss, his eyes clouded with worry.

It was evident that the boss hadn't slept all night. Noeul embraced him slowly, sensing his distress, and asked if he was okay.

"Phi, are you alright? Your eyes look swollen... Did you not get any sleep last night?" Noeul asked with concern.

Boss, touched by Noeul's concern, replied,

"I should be asking you that Baby, not the other way around. How are you feeling now? I'm sorry for what happened yesterday." Lowering his head.

His guilt weighed heavy on him.

Noeul, empathetic to the boss's turmoil, reassured him, "It's not your fault, phi. Fate had its plans. Ploy was from my school, and I know him. He's always been like that."

Boss: "Do you know them?"

Noeul: *sighs* "Not everyone, but I know Ploy. He was from my high school. He had other friends back then. They all used to bully me, not just me, but all the poor kids. They enjoyed making fun of the poor and fragile, weak people."

Boss gently cupped Noeul's face in his hands, his heart heavy with ache, and asked softly...

Boss: *eyes filled with empathy* "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Noeul. It must have been really tough for you."

Noeul: *forces a small smile* "It's okay, phi. I've learned to deal with it over time."

"In the past, they tormented me for my small stature, fragile demeanor, for being an orphan, and poor.
But yesterday, his motives were sinister... I was terrified of him. Thank you, Phi, for arriving just in time."

Noeul's voice trembled with fear as he spoke.

Boss: *voice laced with concern*

"No one should have to endure such treatment.
Bullying or harboring hatred towards others is unequivocally wrong.
No one should engage in it, nor should they tolerate it from others."

Boss gently urged Noeul to recount everything in detail, his heart heavy with sorrow knowing that Noeul had endured bullying from his classmates.

"Can you tell me everything that happened..? I want to understand..."

As Noeul began to speak, Boss listened intently, his heart aching with empathy for the hardships Noeul had faced.

"Whispers of Grief"(Nested Flashback)

Noeul found himself trapped in a repeating patter of bullying by the wealthy and arrogant Boys: Pim, Thanakrit, Ploy and Araya.

Pim, the ringleader, sneered as he approached Noeul, his cronies in tow.

"Look who it is, Noeul the loser. What pathetic thing are you up to today?"

Noeul clenched his fists, his heart sinking at the familiar taunts.
"Leave me alone, Pim. I've done nothing to you."