♫ Baby, Don't Cry

"Your gaze is full of moonlight, baby

A pure light soundlessly flowing through this pain"

It's you.

The one with gaze reflected the moonlight.

It's only you whom I loved.

"Don't hesitate, okay?

Just please take out my heart

Like a dazzling ray of light

That makes even the moon close its eyes"

Our eyes were locked. Neither of us wanted to look away from each other.

You just stood there, looking at me with sad eyes, filled with hesitation to plunge the silver knife into my beating heart.

For it's the only way you could do to save your life before the sun rose.

"Take my heart," I whispered to you softly. "It's yours to begin with."

"If it’s not me but another man

If this is just a line from a drama

Just burn it away

I’m will to exchange the scars with your love"

That night I fell in love with you. That night I knew I could never love anyone else but you. That night I had vowed my love to you.

The stormy night almost killed me but, no, the fate brought me to you, the beauty with beautiful eyes that I could never forget. When you smiled as I gained my consciousness, it felt like the sun had replaced the moon.

You said no word to me but I knew you saved my life. Even better, you saved my heart. None could make me feel the way I did for you.

It's just I never knew that your love for me would hurt you so much. I never expected I would hope for you to love another man to save your heart.

"Baby, don’t cry tonight

When the dark night lights up again

Baby, don’t cry tonight

Just pretend that it didn’t happen"

A single tear rolled down on your cheek. Your lips parted to say something but I still coudn't hear your beautiful voice calling out for me.

Reaching out my hand to wipe your tear away, I could feel my heart ached upon your sad gaze, "Don't cry. Don't cry tonight."

You shook your head hopelessly as if you knew my words were nothing but honey to ears. You tightened your grip on the knife and, I knew, the memories of us just ran back to you.

Because they returned to me as well.

"You will never turn into sea foam

Do you really not know?

So baby, don’t cry, cry

My love will protect you and won’t leave you"

We met again.

I recognized you even before you could say a word. Why, though, I wondered that your voice went nowhere? I wanted to listen to your voice that woke me up on that night.

It's alright, I told myself, since it's not your voice that I loved. For everything you were, I loved you endlessly.

What mattered the most was you're here for me, where my love could protect you and stay forever with you.

"Let go of your greatest unease

Please just accept this fate"

"I'm sorry," I apologized, knowing it could do nothing for what would happen but, at least, you would know my heart. "This fate... Just accept it."

Not the fate that would lead you to sea as salt sea foam in the morning. Not the fate where I would be happy with someone else but you.

"It's alright," I held your hand gently, hoping you would just step forward and stabbed me with the knife.

It would be alright for you.

"I think I love you more than other lovers

I've fallen twice as deeply in love with you"

"You're not going to marry a stranger," my father stated coldly. "You're our only child, the successor of the kingdom. And who's that woman? No name. No voice. Nothing!"

No matter how hard I tried to convince the whole world how important you're to me, it led to nowhere. Even my parents gave you the unsatisfied looks when they saw you.

And I knew you're hurt by their words.

"I love her more than anyone could do," I reasoned out. "She saved my life and I know my heart belongs to her. I can't love anyone else but her."

"Even if she's not a human?"

"When you smile, sun shine

It’s so dazzling that it makes me unable to speak"

Your hands trembled. The knife fell onto the floor. I left my bed and brought your fingers close to my lips, kissing them with eyes closed, "Smile for me. Please."

You didn't smile but the image of your smile when we met for the first time filled my mind. It's so dazzling that I couldn't even speak.

"I will never regret dying tonight," I murmured, holding your hand tighter. "With you here, if you smile, I know the sun is shining on me."

"Waves build up my entire heart and, once smashed into pieces, it stops"

You're not a human, the wise old priest told me. You exchanged your lovely voice for legs because you're a mermaid, the creature who belonged to the sea without legs to walk on the ground.

It's just the wicked sorcerer who took your voice didn't tell you until you became a human, that if we're not united as husband and wife, you would become foam on the crest of the waves.

"Marry us," I begged my parents. "I could not bear losing her. You heard him. She would die if we're not together."

"Then so be it," my mother disagreed. "Would you choose the love of a mermaid upon your mother's love, son?"

"Baby, don’t cry tonight

When the storm wind attacks in the night

(I can hold you in my arms)

Baby, don’t cry tonight

It really seems to suit this night

But this moment’s passion cannot be prolonged

Yet I have to watch you leave"

Kneeling down, I took the knife and made you held onto it, "Let my blood drips onto your feet so you could return to the sea again, to your family."

You tried to push me away so the sharp knife won't hurt me but I was stronger than you. I leaned closer until our lips met for the first time, then I could kiss you passionately.

It won't last. This moment couldn't be prolonged because I needed to watch you leave.

To the beautiful sea you would go.

"So baby, don’t cry, cry

Just let my love become like a memory"

I couldn't choose between two most precious women in my life. My mother wanted me to marry a Princess from another kingdom. I couldn't do that when I knew my wedding morning with another would bring death to you.

My mother said she would rather choose death to see me together with a mermaid. You, being the most devoted lady, would choose your death rather to see me hurt by losing my mother.

So I asked the priest, if there's anything I could do for you two to live on, even if it meant I should let my love became only a memory.

"Yes, my Prince, there's a way. She should stab your heart by herself before the sun rises on the night before your wedding."

"Everywhere is covered in a heavy cold air

I'm caught up in this pain called ‘parting’

I’m about to suffocate, it hurts so much that I lost my strength

Only your smile can cure my pain"

Trying to save me from the knife, you took the knife and ran away with tears. You rushed to the sea, running under the night sky which was slowly turning to blue of the morning.

"No!" I ran after you, holding your wrist before you could drown yourself into the sea. "You belong to the sea as a mermaid and that's how you would return to the sea."

I was suffocated by the cold air, knowing that it's probably the last time I could hold you, looking deeply into your beautiful eyes, to see your smile before I disappeared.

The pain to part with you killed me inside.

"My willfullness has overstepped its bounds

I hope our story will have an ending"

I was restless every night and then, tonight, you came to me, with the silver knife that would bring you back to the sea.

If only you had the heart to take my heart.

Every night I prayed that our story would have an ending...

...but I guessed a happy ending was not meant for us.

"Don’t cry

I don’t want you to be sad and shed tears

I’d rather you be cold to me, baby"

"Death is not meant for you," I told you, intertwining our fingers while your free hand kept the knife away from me. "I don't want you to be sad and shed tears."

I brought the knife, making sure your hand was holding onto it firmly, close to my chest, "I'm yours eternally."

Then I could feel the cold, sharp knife inside of me.

"Say no more (baby), no more (don’t cry)

Don’t hesitate, don’t struggle, when all of this begins to collapse

Say no more (baby), no more (don’t cry)

Please allow me to keep this last bit of dignity

Or please just destroy me directly"

You should stop hesitating. You should stop struggling to save me. Everything would collapse in the end and it's not your fault.

No more cry because loving you was not a mistake.

If I could take your place to sacrifice life, then that's exactly what I would do. At least let me kept my dignity of love for me to save you.

"I love you."

"Baby, don’t cry tonight

When the dark night no longer lights up

(I can hold you in my arms)

Baby, don’t cry tonight

Just pretend as though it never happened"

The morning sun slowly rose.

My last evening to see you, to breathe the same air with you, to gaze on the sky and the deep sea, was over.

My red blood dropped on your feet even after you pulled the knife out of my heart. Strength left my legs, causing you to knelt down in front of me with tears.

The water around us turned red but, at the same time, your legs slowly turned into a sparkling green tail.

The dark night was no longer existed for us.

"Nothing ever happened," I whispered to you. "Just pretend as though it never happened, my love."

"You will never turn into sea foam

You can never know

So baby, don’t cry, cry (don't cry, cry)

My love will protect you and won’t leave you (cry, cry)"

"No," I heard your sweet voice, crying over me. "Please... Don't..."

A smile formed on my lips as I felt grateful that I could hear you. I touched your face with my left strength, "My love will protect you... It will never leave you."

You would never turn into the sea foam.

It would be me instead.

"Just watch the morning sunlight shines down (down)

Falling down just as dazzlingly as you (Falling down)"

The morning sunlight shone down. It was so dazzling, just like you. So dazzling that I couldn't see you clearly anymore.

Were those tears falling down from your eyes?

"I think my eyes have lost their way"

Now that I wasn't there for you anymore.

Baby, don't cry.

"And just now I only Cry Cry Cry"

* * * * *

This story is based on "Baby, Don't Cry" by EXO

The lyrics translation are taken from the Mandarin Version by EXO-M (alternatively "Mermaid's Tears").

I know the Mandarin version is unfamiliar for most of K-Pop fans but I like the lyrics more. Not saying that the Korean version is not good but, well, it's a matter of personal preference. Give a try for both versions. You will love them for sure. ;)

The writing style is a little bit different from my usual style but, hopefully, you enjoy reading it. :)