Luhan was immediately brought to Kris’ clinic and given an emergency treatment. He was unconscious the moment he was brought into Kris’ car. As soon as they arrived at the clinic, Kris put himself in charge on Luhan. Tiffany insisted that she helped, but she needed some medical attention herself for some light injuries. Kris warned the medical staffs to keep any information regarding Tiffany discreet beforehand.

A few hours passed since Luhan was rushed into the emergency room. His injuries were bad, in fact, he was so close to dying. Kris was glad that Luhan had crazy luck when it came to staying alive. Kris managed to survive the harsh times he had when he was in the organization with his intelligence but Luhan had always survived by being tough. He wasn’t sure if Luhan had a deal with the grim reaper or what, but Luhan sure was stubborn.

The sun was rising. Tiffany had changed to a set of clean clothes from the clinic. No more blood on her hands or her clothes. For the first time since the blood-pumping twenty-four hours ago her breathing was finally calm again. Tiffany was standing next to the bed where Luhan was lying on. He had an oxygen mask on. They had to monitor the amount of oxygen supplied to him because of his lung injury. She observed as his chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. There were thick bandages on his shoulder, and probably around his thigh as well. Bruises and fresh wound filled every inch of his skin.

Her eyes were easily blurred with tears again.

Tiffany clutched the clothes on her chest. She was reminded of what Luhan’s father told her. That it was funny how she would rather sacrifice herself than letting Luhan got killed when she only knew him for three days.

“I still can’t remember anything from five years ago… But maybe… Maybe my heart does. So… When you wake up, don’t treat me like a stranger, okay? It’s too lonely for me and… I’m going to hate you if you do,” Tiffany told Luhan who was in deep sleep. Tiffany reached out to touch his hand, but it was covered with bruises, it looked like it would be painful from just a mere touch. Tiffany retracted her hand.

“Hurry up and wake up, okay?” She forced a small smile on her lips and left the room that was only filled with beeping sounds of machines.

Outside the room, Tiffany leaned against the cold wall, still finding it hard to believe that she managed to escape from that hell. When she heard light footsteps getting closer to her, she looked up and found Kris standing there.

“I need you to take you away from here. It’s still not safe for you,” Kris gently told her.

“Where are you taking me?”

“It’s an apartment at the countryside about two hours from here. All that I need you to do is stay inside for a few days. I’ll make sure you have everything you need.”

“Those people are looking for me, right? Because I… I killed that man…” Tiffany lowered her gaze. The memories from that moment flashed through her mind. Unconsciously, her hands started shaking again. Her face turned white, feeling sick about the all the things mixed together; her being assaulted and her hands doing unthinkable things to that man.

Kris noticed the sudden change in her emotions. He reached for her cold hands and squeezed them in his.

“Tiffany, you did that because you had to,” Kris said, his voice gentle and comforting. Tiffany started sobbing even though she tried hard not to. Kris pulled her towards his chest and wrapped her into a securing, warm embrace.

“Everything will be okay,” he whispered to her ear.

-

Three days later.

3.00 a.m.

Tiffany had been following closely to Kris’ instructions. She had kept herself shut in the house, leaving all windows and doors locked since three days ago, as if she was a ghost hiding in a deserted house. It had only been three days, but the days dragged into something that felt like three weeks for her. She had been having a hard time to sleep, because the memories of seeing her hand doing unthinkable thing a few nights ago, regardless the reason, kept haunting her at the darkest time of the night. Having nothing to do in a disturbingly empty and quiet house, those memories came back at her like the Cheshire cat, mocking her with its eerie laughter. Everytime the nightmare attacked her, she would curl herself to a ball, swallow back her tears and harden her muscles from shaking too much.  She even tried to distract her mind with happier memoriesf rom the past, but the problem was she didn’t have one; a past. Ever since five years ago, she lived her life as if she was in a dull, black and white movie. She had a few great times with her neighbors and colleagues from her workplace, but none of the memories were special enough to be engraved at the back of her mind. None could beat the punishing weight of a memory such as killing another person with your own hands.

She wished she could at least have one, just one sweet memory she had with Luhan to come back to her.

That day she woke up early, had breakfast, stare into the space, occasionally flipping through the buzzy channels in the tv even when she had obvious dark circles under her eyes. She was curious if there was any news about a murder of a gang leader, but the organization probably didn’t let any stories from inside to get leaked to the public.

Sometimes, well, most of the times, she was thinking about Luhan. She was so worried about him, she could die from the anxiety. He was still unconscious when she left, and there was no news from Kris ever since.

Tiffany sighed. The exhaustion from previous sleepless nights was finally taking its toll on her body. She had slept the whole day that day until her eyes were swollen. Then, she was back into the sleepless night pattern.

Kris had told her that he won’t be contacting her for a while, but it was probably about time he came. As she continued to drift further into her thoughts, sitting at the dining table alone, subtle door knocks was heard. Tiffany carefully left the kitchen and quietly neared the door.

“It’s me, Kris,” a voice said quietly from outside. Tiffany unlocked the door and let him in.

“I’ve been expecting you,” she told him with a civil, faint smile dangling on her lips.

“I brought something for you.” Kris replied her smile and handed her some Korean dishes take away.

“Thanks. I’ve been craving for some.”

The both of them wordlessly headed to the kitchen so that they could sit at the table; a perfect place for an important discussion.

“You don’t look too good,” He said, slightly hinting at her eyebags, unhealthy pale complexion and looking fatigued in general. His eyes faithfully followed Tiffany’s back as she prepared some hot drinks for her guest while waiting for her response.

“I’m just fine. Just… quietly reflecting on life,” she said casually, but there was a tiny sigh that escaped her dried lips at the end of her reply. Tiffany returned to the dining table and sat a glass in front of the young doctor.

Kris stalled in the silence for a while before he changed the topic. “Luhan woke up. This morning.”

“That’s sooner than I thought.”

“Despite how he looks, he is quite the tough guy.” Kris smiled.

Tiffany let out a soft chuckle. “I can tell. It’s good to know, that he’s doing well.”

“I didn’t know this before but he is the stubborn patient type too. He insisted that he was fine and kept asking me to remove the wires and tubes from his body. He had been itching to leave the bed.” Kris shook his head.

“I kind of saw that coming too.” Tiffany laughed.

“He had been asking about you. From the moment his eyes opened. I told him everything; that you are here, that you had escaped from Master Lee unscathed, and that that guy is dead.”

“Does he know about… The things I did to him too?”

Kris nodded, carefully observing her reaction. She looked a little discouraged, but braved herself with a smile.

“Well, he has the right to know,” Tiffany added.

“Now that we’re on the topic…” Kris took a deep breath before he continued. “I actually have a bad news for you.”

Tiffany had prepared herself for this. She knew that after whatever happened at the hotel back then, her life would never be the same again. It was sooner that she thought, but she guessed the faster she moved on, the better. She still had a life to continue after all.

Kris pulled out an A4 sized envelope and pushed it towards Tiffany.

“Tiffany, you can’t stay here anymore. Not in South Korea. This place is not safe for you anymore.” Kris’ eyes darkened. His voice was weighted with heavy concern and seriousness. She immediately understood what he meant. Those people won’t easily forgive her. They would search for her through every crooks and nooks in this city, this country. She had to be punished for what she had done. Even if she was perfectly hidden from those people, she was still in risk of being caught by the law enforcement for the crime she had done.

Tiffany took a deep breath. Though hard to accept how fate easily turned its back on her, Tiffany was not surprised. She took the envelope and examined each documents inside. It was a complete set of official documents belonging to an entirely new persona. There was a passport, a birth certificate, identity card, driving license, residential lease; the list went on. Everything was there, but it didn’t belong to a South Korean citizen. And then there was a plane ticket, a direct flight to Norway at 12.00 p.m. She guessed that was her new home.

“For how long…?” She asked timidly.

“A year at least. Or three, or a whole lot more. Nobody knows.”

Tiffany nodded.

“I’ll be resting for a few hours while you can pack your things. Before sunrise, I’ll take you back to Seoul. You can meet Luhan before you leave. I… This is the best I could do. I wish I could do better, but-”

“It’s okay. I understand. Thanks, Kris. For all the trouble.” It wasn’t like she had anyone here. It doesn’t matter where she lived, right?

Kris reached for her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. “No matter what happened, just remember. It’s not your fault. You should move on and live well.”

Tiffany nodded.

-

Tiffany knocked on the door gingerly before she pushed the door open. To her surprise, the bed was empty. It wasn’t yet made up and still warm; he had probably just got up recently. Tiffany immediately looked up when she heard the toilet door clicked.

There he was, still clad in his hospital gown, slightly limping his way out of the toilet. He almost jumped, surprised to see Tiffany standing by his bed. His little reaction made her laughed a little.

“I thought Kris prohibit you from standing up just yet?” Tiffany asked, almost making her way towards him to assist him back to his bed. Luhan lightly waved his hand in rejection as he made his way towards the bed on his own, so Tiffany sat at the chair next to the bed.

“I’m healthy enough to start walking. It’s just gross having to pee, and stuffs, in your bed.” Luhan winced as he made himself comfortable on the bed again.

Tiffany smiled. He did look healthier already, and she was glad.

“You don’t… look too good.” Luhan pointed out hesitantly.

Tiffany continued to smile. “I don’t sleep well these days.”

Her answer, no matter how general it sounded, tugged guilt from the core of his heart. After a few moments of silence, Luhan braved himself to look at her in the eyes again. Even so, she still looked gorgeous. Her eyes were, her smile too. He was suddenly back to a teenage boy in love as his heart raced faster.

“I’m sorry.” Luhan said. It was short, but it pierced like sharp ice through Tiffany.

She denied his apology with a shake of her head and a little pout. “You have no reason to be sorry.”

“I have thousands of reasons to be sorry about,” Luhan replied, his voice mellow and full of hurt. “For all the things I put you through… They are all because of me.”

“But you said I was important to you.  I should at least do that much for someone whom you used to care a lot, right?”

Luhan shook his head. His eyes were glazed with so much regret. “If only I could, I would make you forget all the things you’ve been through up to this moment. I’m just… It’s so bad. You don’t deserve all this. You’d be happier if we didn’t meet again.”

“How could you say that? Do you know how badly I begged to god, that at least let me remember just one person from my past? Even though I don’t get back any memories from five years ago, god had arranged a new meeting for us. I was so lonely and lost that I was so thankful, so happy that we met. I don’t want to forget you again. Even if I won’t remember anything that way, I don’t think my heart can take it.” Tiffany said with much difficulty as she held back her tears.

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t even keep our promise… When you kept yours.”

“Whatever that promise was, I don’t even remember it. Why would that matter now? Stop your apologies, because they make me feel like I’m being thrown away.” Tiffany chuckled bitterly.

“Tiffany…” Luhan swallowed a thick lump in his throat. How was that even possible? How can a person accept him twice after all that happened? How could she do that even when she had no remnants of what had been shared between them before? Technically, they were strangers.

“Luhan… Please say something? Before I leave.”

Luhan was a little hesitant before he finally gave in to what his heart told him to do: to follow what it said. “Can you come a little closer?”

Tiffany got up from her chair and sat closer to him at the edge of the bed.

“Can you… close your eyes?”

Tiffany did as he told without questions or doubt.

Luhan raised his hand and gently placed the curve of his palm on her cheek. She felt so smooth under his touch. The tips of his fingers curled into her hair that felt soft like cotton. Luhan stared at her for long time. The moment he opened his eyes and saw her in Korea, he wanted to hold her, so badly. But he was a stranger to her so he held back. She had a job and lived in a nice neighborhood. He thought she was happy and that he should stay away to avoid ruining that. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe they were meant to meet again no matter how he avoided her.

“I’ll find you,” he told her, his thumb gently brushing across her cheek.

Tiffany slowly opened her eyes.

“It’s a promise that you don’t remember, but I do. It’s an important promise but I have yet to fulfill it. Will you allow me to do that?”

Tiffany nodded in his hand.

“Tiffany,” Luhan called her. “Please wait for me. Until then, live well. Be happy.”

She didn’t answer to him nor did she show any response to that. She continued to stare into his eyes with hers, gleaming and blurry with tears. She cupped her hand over Luhan’s which was still gently pressed against her cheek.

Wordlessly, she leaned forward and pressed her lips onto Luhan. The next second, the kiss grew deeper, molding into each other. As if time had slowed down for them, Luhan gently returned the kiss. Their eyes were closed from the world, their ears blocked from any interruptions. There were just them both, connecting with each other from their lips all the way through their heart. It almost felt like a dream; that they were finally able to touch each other on the layer beneath their skin. For Luhan, it was unexpected, but it was something he had longed for years. Strangely, it felt as if she was feeling the same.

It made him felt more desperate. His fingers clutched tighter on her hair. He wanted to hold her and not let go. He wanted to scream, ‘Don’t go!’, but he quickly reminded himself that he needed to take a step back, and then slowly moving towards her again when the time was right.

Their lips slowed their movement and they finally pulled away, slowly lifted their lids again.

“I will,” was her reply.

-

3 months later.

11.20 a.m.

Norway.

Tiffany had just returned from her Norwegian class. It was only 20 minutes from her apartment building, which Kris had easily arranged for her. She walked past a grocery shop and then paused a few steps after the door. She peeked inside through the glass window and thought she could do a little shopping. Her eyes slightly rolled upwards as she thought about her kitchen. She already ran out of eggs and fruits. She could use some snacks too. Tiffany finally decided to enter the shop.

After a while, she exited the shop with full hands. Still, she decided to take a detour on the way home. There was a lovely park nearby and maybe she could stroll through it on the way home. She enjoyed watching some elders taking dates at the park or little kids sailing their boats at the lake.

Tiffany saw a couple of elders who also lived in the same apartment building as hers and gave them a little smile. They replied her smile and said something she didn’t fully understand, but she just laughed it off as they waved goodbye and strolled along their way. She started to make some friends with her neighbors, but they hardly exchanged much words because of the language barrier. At first, they were a little distant, but Tiffany made some effort to be friendly with them regardless. A couple of baked potato pies later, they already treated her like a daughter, inviting her for dinner sometimes. She had already grown to love the local food and was able to make some by herself.

It didn’t feel too lonely anymore. It was just like back at home. Sometimes she missed the friends she made in Korea but decided to not think too much about it; or the past. It could drive her crazy.

She was still lost in thoughts when suddenly a kid bumped into her and continued to run as he laughed hysterically. Another boy was fleeting behind him, yelling at him in the language she had only started to warm up to. She had to step aside as the boys were too indulged in their little game to see anyone in their ways. She realized that she had dropped a couple of apples. She sighed but kept a positive attitude. Tiffany tightened her grip on her grocery bag and slowly bent her knees to reach the apples at her feet. Before she could reach it, a hand picked them up and placed them back in her grocery bag.

Tiffany looked up. Her eyes immediately widened.

“Luhan…” she muttered in a daze. Was she imagining things or was this real?

The guy chuckled and shook his head. “I’m supposed to go by Ian Lee now.”

“Oh, and I’m Sophia Park by the way.” Tiffany stretched her hand, offering him a handshake. For some reason, he didn’t take it.

“That’s a nice name. It fits you.” He smiled thinking that it must be Kris’ work. He raised his hand to point to a red building behind with his thumb. “Do you live there?”

“Yeah. Wh-”

“I live there starting today too. On the fourth floor, unit 402.”

Tiffany gasped in delight. “My-”

The hand that was offering a friendly handshake just now was already back at her side but he grabbed it again by the wrist as he took a step closer to her. Their bodies almost touched as he slightly bent his neck and sealed his greeting with a deep kiss. Her apples fell and rolled on the ground, but she was already swept to a different world to care. His kiss was gentle at first but it grew more forceful as seconds ticked. She loved it though. It made her feel wanted and important, which was a feeling that was lacking more and more as days went by in this foreign land.

He gradually softened his lips against hers before he finally pulled away from the kiss. The taste of his lips was still lingering on hers even after she opened her eyes. To her delight, he was still there, his face merely an inch away from hers. It wasn’t a dream.

Luhan smiled. “Hello, neighbor.”

“That was…” Tiffany her lower lip, “a little too friendly for a neighborly greeting.”

“Yeah? Thought it’s how the people here do it. Damn, I shouldn’t have trusted the internet.” He smirked.

Tiffany chuckled. She tilted her head and buried his smile into another kiss.

Alone with no family, friends she barely knew nothing about, language she hardly grasped, a new neighbor who went by Ian Lee on his official documents but whom she called Luhan in secret anyway; life felt just about right now.

The story has ended. I hope you guys like the final chapter. The idea for this story came to me out of nowhere adn ever since I keep wanting to write about it even when my job was getting hectic. Sometimes it could be a little insanely torturous to keep myself from writing fanfic because I was busy working! I personally love this story so I'm really glad that you guys enjoyed it. Thank you for all the subscribes and (my favorite part) the lovely comments!

If you wish to read more exofany by me (with less angst and more fluff!), check out below :D

Just Luhan - luhan x Tiffany

Nice Guy - sehun x tiffany

Just Call Me Baby - luhan x tiffany