“Twinkle twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high. Like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are.”

“Really Jongin? A nursery rhyme?” Tiffany peeped through the hospital door.

“Oh noona. What are you doing here?”

“Watching you sing.” Tiffany teased. “I kid, I kid. I came to check on you.”

“Nah, I’m okay. The members came to visit me just now.” Kai trailed on. “It feels weird though. I can’t remember them at all, but… But it feels like I have known them forever.”

“Well you don’t remember me either.”

“That’s the thing. Yet I feel at ease with you.”

Tiffany smiled as she lay down a cup of hot chocolate to his side. The man smiled at the gesture and proceeded to take a sip.

“This is the 3^rd time I’m drinking hot chocolate today.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Tao hyung gave me the first cup and Suho hyung gave me the second.”

“That’s nice.”

“Yeah.”

An awkward silence followed and the pair felt a sudden surge of ridiculousness.

“That was awkward.” Kai commented.

“It’s only awkward because we allow the situation to be awkward.”

“True. Anyway, Earth II looks beautiful from here, right noona?”

“W-What?”

“Earth II. It looks beautiful.”

“Why the random comments?”

“Conversation starter.”

The two laughed again. Tiffany inwardly sighed at their current situation. Kai had always been someone who talks easily. She was just glad that a part of him was still there even after the accident.

“It is.” Tiffany started the conversation carefully. “You… You told me once that you even wanted to go there.”

“I know.” Kai muttered softly.

“Y-You know?”

“Y-y-yeah. I… I just had this feeling that I wanted to go there. Some feelings never change, you know?”

The girl pursed her lips. Of course. He was still Kim Jongin after all. He had a right to each emotion he beared in the past.

“I heard that you wrote letters!” Kai exclaimed.

“L-letters? Who told you that?”

“Luhan hyung.”

“…I did.”

“Can I read it?”

“Not now.”

“Why?”

“You’re not ready.”

“When will I be ready?”

“When you remember everything.”

Yet another uncomfortable situation kicked in and the girl felt like running to a corner to hide.

“W-Was it… Was it you?” Kai uttered ever so softly.

“Was I what?”

“Was… Was it you noona? Were you the one who…” His eyes drooped low before shrugging it all away. “Nah.”

“H-huh?”

“Nothing! Forget whatever I said. So noona! Tell me! What were we like in the past?”

The girl sighed in relief. Kai had been so close to figuring out that she had been the one who hit him. Maybe he did know but what difference did it make? Her mind wasn’t ready to tell him anything. In fact, she was still recovering from the accident, if anyone cared.

“We were like siblings. You, the ever annoying, worrisome brother that I never had.”

“Oh.” His tone hinted disappointment. “I know this may seem weird… but… Do I have a girlfriend noona?”

“Nope.”

“What?! Why?”

“You, Kim Jongin, are an idol. Idols are not allowed to date. At least not publicly.”

“I don’t think I really like the old me.”

“No one did.” Tiffany joked but stopped when she saw how serious his eyes were. “We all love you. Too much. But we’re not the type of people who shows affection off stage. At least between the two of us.”

“Hmm. Noona? If you were given a chance to go to Earth II, what would you do?”

“Again with the random questions, Jongin?”

“Conversation starter. Again.” He laughed.

“Well…” The girl thought carefully. “I would… I would make everything right once again.”

“That doesn’t even make sense!”

“Yes it does!”

“No it doesn’t!”

“Well to me it does!”

“To me it doesn’t!”

Tiffany grinned at their conversation. Now this had been how the previous Jongin had interacted with her. Easy and carefree; those were the good old times. Times where they didn’t judge one another. Times where they understood each other. Time whereby the accident was just a future possibility.

“Fine.” Kai relented at long last. “Now ask me what I’ll do if I go to Earth II!”

“I already know the answer though.”

“Are you serious? Wow… noona. You must have been a real busybody.”

“Oh shut up Jongin.”

The man smiled. “If I could go to Earth II, I would…”

“See the other half of me.” Both said together at the same time.

“Wow.” Kai remarked. “Guess I’m still the same old me.”

“You don’t know how thankful I am for that.” The girl whispered. “But… You have not yet told me the reasons to why you want to see your other half.”

“Isn’t it obvious? To compare of course. To see which one of us is living a better life. To see if he made the same mistakes that I did.”

“What mistakes could you have possible made?”

“I don’t know.” The man shrugged before looking at the girl in her eyes. “But I think I know at least one reason.”

Tiffany turned away at the sudden eye contact. It felt as if he was referring to her but what could he have possibly done to her? The girl cursed herself for thinking too much into the matter.

“Oh lookie lookie. Are we seeing a couple here?”

Both heads snapped up to see their intruder and Tiffany heard Kai groaning softly.

“Hyung… You again?”

“I brought friends! …Friend actually. No… Member? Brother? I don’t know. I brought Luhan.”

The girl laughed at their antics. Sure it hasn’t been a long time since Kai recovered, but she can see why he felt so at ease with s.

“Byun Baekhyun. Always intruding.” Tiffany rolled her eyes.

“Ohoh! The action of rolling one’s eyes always mean that the one doing the action has a thing for the one she’s doing it to.” Baekhyun beamed. “I’m sorry noona, but I refuse to come in between you and your love. I’m a man of integrity.”

“You wished.” Luhan hit him on his head. “Noona won’t even look at any of you.”

“Even me?” Kai sulked.

“Definitely not you.”

“Just ignore him, Jongin ah. He can put us down, but he can’t stop our love.” Baekhyun spoke dramatically. “I’m sure he thinks he has a chance.”

“I… don’t actually.” Luhan smiled to the other two men who coughed playfully at his seriousness.

The man turned to Tiffany and like a normal person would, he smiled at her. It was a normal smile. Nothing too fancy or flirty. It was a smile he would give to others on an occasional basis.

But she saw how sad his smile was. How torn it had been. How perfect it tried to mimick.

And that smile had her heart flutter and her heartbeat quickened. Was she really that sadistic? Did she really find joy in his misery?

Or did she simply returned the exact feelings he had for her? Tiffany was sure that it wasn’t love, but it was definitely more than a crush. Her eyes continued admiring Luhan’s physical structure, taking in every piece of detail in a new light.

And maybe that was why she didn’t notice the sad smile of a man who had just recovered from comatose.

Neither did she saw how the other looked away in envy and determination.

Tiffany may not realise it then, but things were just starting to get complicated.