Tiffany got up from her child-like position of hugging her knees. She wiped her eyes and stepped out of the hospital. It was back to square one, wasn’t it? The tough exterior that she had tried to build up in the 3 months had crumbled and she was back to square one.

Back to feeling this miserable, back to where Taeyeon’s every little actions could affect her so easily.

She lifted up her head to feel the sunshine on her face. It kinda hurt, and felt raw. She clenched her fists against her palms and then she sighed. It sounded weak, even to her ears.

“Tiffany.” She heard a voice, and her back froze.

“So, I’ve finally found you, haven’t I?” Jessica looked at the figure before her. The source of her misery these few months, “I cannot believe it. So the great Tiffany that everyone’s been looking for is really here. Just my luck, really.”

Jessica smiled just as a van drove up and a group of guys came out and grabbed her, her cries were muffled but she soon passed out.

But, just before that, she thought she heard another voice calling her name…
“Tiffany!”

---

Feels as though it were aeons away, almost as if the world had crashed and died away.

“I…..really should have to stop playing the role of the Hero, don’t I?” A voice said, it almost felt as if it were a distance away.

Everything felt hollowed and empty.

Tiffany was lying on the floor of a warehouse, her foreheard felt bruised and she opened her eyes slowly to look up at Dan who was looking down at her.

“Heroes don’t have a double chin like you do,” Tiffany said, wiping her eyes as she opened them bigger a bit to get a clearer picture and Dan looked faux offended, “You’re insulting a top grade male here, Tiff!”

“Okay... I’m sorry, Mr Top Grade Male,” Tiffany said appearing non-apologetic at all, as she stretched and got up to a sitting position, “What happened, and why are you here? For that matter, why am I even here?”

Dan looked at her uncertainly, “You were really unconscious, all this while?”

Tiffany looked at him, “Yea, why?”

Dan looked at her again, before shaking his head, “Ah, nothing then. Come on, trouble magnet. I’ll have to bring you to the hospital to see to that bruise of yours.”

Tiffany felt her bruise and grimaced when a jolt of pain stabbed through her, “Seriously, what happened? I remember seeing Jessica…a bunch of guys.”

“That yours truly settled,” Dan said easily, “I know I may look like the perfect gentlemen, but I assure you, I fight like a WWF wrestler.”

Tiffany gawked at him.

“Fine, okay. I do fight like a ninja.” He smirked, and Tiffany shrugged and sighed, letting him have his moment of glory. She was too tired to banter with him, and she allowed herself to be dragged away by Dan. She couldn’t help but notice blood splatters on the ground.

Her eyes narrowed…. Seriously, what happened?

---

Dan was fiddling with a handphone. He was staring at it idly when Tiffany got out of the A&E section with a bandage around her head.

“What’s the matter, Dan?”

He looked at her, “What? What’s the matter?”

“You’re not normal.”

Dan sighed and kept the phone in his backpocket. He turned to smile at Tiffany, “No thanks for being such a blind friend, Tiff. How could you ever diss such a perfect specimen of a guy?”

Tiffany looked at him one last uncertain time, before she shrugged and let it slide, “FINE. I’m sorry! Mr perfect. I’m sorry for being so blind that I’m missing out on such a good looking blode in front of me. What did I even do to deserve you? Happy?”

Dan smiled, almost forgetting about the handphone already, “That’s more like it.”

---

Sooyoung and Sunny looked at each other, “Are we really going to let this slide?”

Sunny sighed, “She’s made up her mind on it, and you know how serious she is when she’s made up her mind on something. Nothing can change her now.”

“She’s really not going to rehab or the hospital for her internal injuries?” Sooyoung asked slowly, her eyes were bloodshot from crying.

Sunny shook her head quietly.

“Is she crazy?” Sooyoung burst out finally, unable to take it. “She’ll get worst each day, and perhaps, it might be too late then! She’ll die, Sunny, she’ll die, wouldn’t she?”

Sunny sighed as she watched the silent figure who was lying on the bed to her side. Her blazer was still on, as she stared out of the full-length window into the afternoon ocean. It was slightly purple, orange and red all mingled into one – the clouds that were reflected off the ocean.

Sunny looked at Sooyoung, “We can’t save her, Sooyoung… No one can unless she wants to save herself.”

---

“Fany! Call for you.” Her staff called out and Tiffany glanced up from the accounts that she had been studying.

“Not answering.” She ignored the call, and the staff worker nodded his head, “Got it. Should I be saying that for the next 20 times again?”

Tiffany sighed, “How many times already?”

“Counting yesterday, and the day before…100 calls.”

Tiffany sighed, “Fine, from now on, just say that I’ve died. Thanks.”

---

“Why the sudden interest in having dinner together?” Dan asked when Tiffany showed up with a bag full of groceries.

“I rather miss having a proper dinner.”

“So do I!” Dan said, and Tiffany smiled when she handed the groceries to Dan, “Thank you.”

Dan took the groceries in amazement, finally understanding that what Tiffany meant was for him to cook. He chuckled and then nodded his head, “Fine, fine. Dinner’s on me then, since you’ve made the effort to grab groceries. Plus, who could say no to a pretty girl?”

“Careful. I don’t want to get into the wrath of your boyfriend!” Tiffany said before making her way into Dan’s house and she settled comfortably on his pristine white couch.

Dan looked at her, then at the groceries before shrugging with a smile. He headed to the kitchen, when he realised something abruptly. He dropped the groceries when he realised that too late, Tiffany had seen it…

She was staring at the TV in silence, the remote on one hand.

The handphone’s clip was on his TV. He had forgotten to remove the memory card from the TV!

And if Tiffany sees it… it’s over.
---

Tiffany was staring at the TV as the scene unfolded before her very own eyes.

Taeyeon looked at Jessica. And then at the guys who were surrounding them. There were 4-5 of them.

“What do I have to do to make you stop all this nonsense?”

Jessica looked at Taeyeon, her pretty face fell, “Don’t you understand? I’m not targeting you. I’m trying to get rid of her.” She pointed to the figure lying on the ground, “You’re the one I want to save from her, Taeyeon.”

Taeyeon looked at her with a frown. Her eyes were narrowed, as she said slowly,
“Don’t. Touch. Her.”

“You!” Jessica exclaimed. And then she shook her head, “Why wouldn’t you understand?” She sighed, “Fine. Fine. Save her if you want,” she shook her head and gave the most impossible task, “But only if you’ll still be able to stand after they’ve dealt with you. And….Also, this.”

She held up a needle and an injection, “If you’re able to deal with the idea of being a drug addict for the rest of your life….then save her.”

And then, she did the impossible.