“When are you going to tell him?”

“Soon.”

“How soon?”

“I don’t know, okay?”

“Noona, you can’t run away from this forever. He’ll be bound to know of this someday. Maybe… Maybe others will know too.”

“Did you… Did you tell them?”

“N-no. I… I didn’t.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes noona. Now, are you sure you’re going to tell them soon?”

“Give me a few more days, Luhan. I’ll promise you by then.”

--

“Sick of seeing Kai, noona?”

Tiffany turned around to identify the voice that called out to her. A statement like that could only come from Baekhyun.

“You wished. He’s sleeping so I thought I’d leave him be.”

The man took a seat right next to the girl, his hands holding a cup of coffee. The hospital corridor was empty except for the two. This was a normal sight, seeing how Tiffany wouldn’t leave the hospital until it was after midnight. But by 10pm, the visitors would have already left.

“You know noona. I still don’t know how you came into the picture.” Baekhyun added lightly while sipping his coffee.

“Came into the picture?”

“As in how you’re involved in all this. Kai, the accident…”

“Oh.” The girl muttered softly. “Well, I-I… Kai didn’t exactly went to meet me so I…”

“I see. But it’s still weird.”

“How so?”

“I’m not trying to be… extremely inquisitive. But I am a little a curious.” The man finished his cup of coffee. “Did Luhan hyung told you how he knew of the accident?”

“Uh…”

“Or were you the one who told him?”

“Y-Yes.”

His eyes brightened at her answer. “Then noona, can you please tell me how he got involved in the accident?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Oh. Sorry. B-But how did you know?”

Tiffany gulped at his question. What could she possibly say? That she just happened to drive past their dorm without saying hello and saw an unconscious Kai on the road and then proceeded to call the ambulance?

No. That didn’t make sense.

“I was on the way to your dorm.” She answered cautiously. “When I saw… When I saw someone unconscious on the road. So I went to help and realised it was Kai.”

“Then you brought him to the hospital.”

“Yeah.”

“That still doesn’t make sense.”

“Huh?”

“I mean. You were on the way to our dorm, weren’t you noona? Why didn’t you called us on the spot? Why bring him straight to the hospital?”

The girl pursed her lips while her mind raced to find an answer. “I… I couldn’t waste any second at all. If I were to call anyone… even the ambulance… Kai… Kai could have died, right?”

“I guess that’s true.” The man began nodding his head. “But it’s still weird.”

“What? Why?”

“It’s weird because you called Luhan hyung first.” Baekhyun laughed. “Is there something going on between the two of you?”

“N-NO!” Tiffany blushed while the man raised his eyebrows. “F-Fine. But it’s not what you think it is. Luhan and I… We go way back.”

Baekhyun laughed yet again at her statement. “How is it possible that I have not yet heard of this story? Please continue!”

“N-no. It’s a secret between us both.”

“Aww come on noona. Please?”

“No.”

“If you tell me, I promise I won’t make fun of you and Luhan hyung ever again. Or you and Kai in that matter.”

“Not my problem. I didn’t ask for your teasings.”

“Pleaseeee?” Baekhyun cupped his hands to his cheeks in an attempt to do aegyo. “Bbuing Bbuing!”

“Fine fine!” The girl relented. “I first met Luhan when I was six and he was just five.”

Tiffany blushed before continuing. “You can tell I really liked him then.”

--

“My name is Stephanie!” The 6 year old girl outstretched her hands to the little boy before her.

“Ste-fany?”

“Yup yup! What’s yours?”

“L-Luhan.”

“Eyyy. Your name’s cute but Lulu is cuter! Can I call you Lulu?”

“N-NO! I like Luhan better.” The boy added softly.

“But Lulu’s so cute!”

“I said I don’t like it.” He sulked again.

“Mi Young ah! It’s time to go home!” A woman called out to her daughter.

“Oops. Mummy says I have to go home.”

“B-but your name is not Mi Young.”

“It is! It’s my other name.”

“How many names do you have?!” The boy exclaimed while the girl giggled.

“Can I see you tomorrow?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Okay. Meet you here tomorrow!”

“S-Stephanie ah!” 5 year old Luhan called out to the little girl who was already walking away. “C-Can I ca-call you Mi Young?”

“NO!” The girl stuck out her tongue and giggled away.

--

“Cuteness overload!” Baekhyun cheered out in the empty corridor.

“S-Shh. People might hear you.”

“What happen then?”

“I… I didn’t saw him the next day.”

“W-WHAT?! WHY?!”

“I don’t know. I came to the park every day, dragging my mum along but he was nowhere to be found. Then one day, he was suddenly there.”

“O-Oh. How old were you, noona?”

“Ten.”

--

“Luhan! Luhan!” The girl ran towards the boy. “Luhan! Remember me?”

“S-Sorry.”

“Y-You’re Luhan, right?”

“Yes…”

“It’s me! Stephanie!”

“I’m sorry… but…”

“Eyy. You wanted to call me Mi Young, remember? And we were here once when we were kids!”

“I… I’m sorry. But I…I don’t know who you are.”

“H-huh?”

“T-This is my first time here. I really don’t know… I’m sorry.”

---

“I was so sad back then.” Tiffany recalled bitterly. “I thought he was pulling a joke but he really didn’t recognised me.”

“T-Then what happened?”

“…A year later my mum died. So I moved to Korea. I was only fourteen then… when… when I saw him again.”

--

“Ouch. I’m really sorry!” The girl spoke in Korean with an American accent.

“It’s okay.” His eyes widened at the girl before him.

“Y-you. Yo-You’re Luhan.”

“S-s-sorry. W-who are you?”

“S-Stephanie. We met once when we were kids and …”

“And?”

“…It’s okay. You told me you didn’t remember me.”

“Sorry.”

“That’s okay. At least you remembered me as the girl who remembered you twice!” The girl laughed. “Wow that was a mouthful.”

“I… I’m really sorry. But I think this is the f-first time I met you.”

“N-no. We met another time when I was ten. I remember it clearly.”

“I’m sorry, but I really don’t know who you are.”

“Y-you’re Luhan, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then why don’t you remember me?”

--

“Hyung seems like a pretty big jerk huh.” Baekhyun commented bitterly.

“Either that, or there’s three Luhan’s who looks like each other!” Tiffany tried to laugh it off.

“Three?”

“Yeah. Including the Luhan you come to know and love.”

“Speaking of which. When was the next time you saw him?”

“2010. Just 2 years ago.”

--

“Annyonghaseyo. I’m SM’s newest trainee, Luhan. Please take care of me!”

“Annyonghaseyo. I’m Taeyeon from SNSD. Please wait for a little while for the other members to arrive.” Taeyeon greeted sheepishly. “They’re always late.”

“N-No. It’s okay. I can… I should really go now.” The man added uncomfortably.

“No! Please stay. Oh look, there comes Tiffany.” Taeyeon called out to her member. “Fany ah! This is our newest trainee, Luhan!”

The girl stopped in her track as she examined the figure up close. “L-Luhan?”

“H-hi.”

“Hi.”

“I remember you.” The man laughed.

“R-Remember me?”

“Stephanie, right? The one I saw in Seoul that evening.”

“O-Oh.”

“Well, I’m really sorry, but I can’t remember the previous two times.”

“I-It’s okay.”

“Well, sunbaenim. Please take care of me.” Luhan laughed nervously. “I hope to debut in a group as big as SNSD one day.”

“You will.” She smiled softly. “You definitely will.”

--

“So he finally remembered you.” Baekhyun laughed. “Thank god for that.”

“Yeah. But things… just weren’t the same somehow. Deep down, he’s not the Luhan that I first saw as a little girl.”

“Well you know noona. People change. Maybe Luhan hyung’s one of them.”

“You know what. You’re right.” The girl laughed. “This reminds me. Why are you still here?”

“You want me to leave so badly?” Baekhyun mocked his sadness. “I’m hurt, noona.”

“Go home, Baekhyun ah. It’s getting late.”

“What about you?”

“Soon. I’m going to check on Kai again.”

“Okay noona. If you say so. Goodnight and see you tomorrow.”

Tiffany found her way to Kai’s room, her hands slowly unlocking the doorknob. The girl peeped inside only to find that the man was still sleeping.

Tomorrow she thought, would be a fine day to muster her courage.

She needed it badly if she’s going to tell him the truth.

If she’s going to tell Kai what really happened.

If only.