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....

"What actually are we?"

Karina keeps looking deep into Winter's trembling orbs. She's dedicated not to making any single move without an answer from the younger woman.

She'll never let Winter ignore her again.

"I'm sorry I lied to you, Rina", Winter sighed in defeat. "Yes, we met after high school duration. The times when you can't remember, we actually met a few times", she continued.

"Then what are we?", Karina asked the same question again.

"We are good friends-"

"A friend didn't kiss each other's on the lips!", Karina shouted, succeed to make the younger woman more shocked than ever.

Winter doesn't know how far Karina remembers, yet she doesn't want to tell the entire truth to the actress knowing that it might be a harm to her. But still, leaving Karina hanging without an answer after watching her entire break down, Winter's heart couldn't bear it anymore.

Winter wrapped her hands around Karina's neck, pulling the actress down into a hug. Karina's sobs were still there and Winter's neck slowly got wet from the older woman's tears but Winter didn't care as long as she could lessen the pain inside Karina's heart.

"Rina, can you trust me?"

Winter's voice is soft and assuring, trying to comfort the older woman. While her hands slowly caress and pat Karina's back, assuring her that everything's gonna be fine. Karina didn't answer her question.

"I don't know how far you've remembered, but can you trust me?", Winter asked her again.

This time, the actress slowly nodded her head between their hug and Winter flashed a small smile, sighing heavily in relief.

"You know well that your well-being is my priority since middle school, right? Trust me, it is still the way it is until now Rina".

"And trust me, I have a reason why I have to lie to you. But I promise, there will be one day when I can tell you everything. Can you wait for me?", Winter caressed Karina's head gently. It took a while for the actress to answer Winter's question with a nod.

"I adored you, Rina. I cared for you, and I understand all these memories flashbacks make you desperate to know more about yourself. I know it better than anyone else, but can you bear it for a while? For me".

Karina's hands on both Winter's shoulders tightened and the sobs got weaker. Karina dug her head even deeper into Winter's neck, and Winter never tried to stop her. She missed how close they can be before everything happened.

"Promise?", the actress's weak voice asked the younger woman for assurance. Winter in no time gives her an answer with her soft voice.

"I promise"

...

It's the third week of Renthouse season 2 filming, and Karina was in her usual rich people attire for her character. While having her makeup to be done, she looks around to find no presence of Winter. Somehow it bothered her a lot.

Since that day, the actress learned to keep a distance from the bodyguard when they are in public just in case. She wonders a lot these days about the actual relationship between her and Winter, but never dares to ask the younger girl for more because why?

Because she trusts Winter.

"Hey, Key. Where's my bodyguard?", Karina asked her manager who sitting right behind her. Key's head shot up from his phone and widened his eyes a bit, remembering the news she heard from the other bodyguard that morning.

"Yeonjun is outside our trailer, and Winter wasn't here today because she's assigned to another work", Key replied.

Well, Karina didn't know well about what kind of job actually did National Security people even do, but she could guess that most of their work might be dangerous for a normal citizen like her to know. She can only wish that those people will be fine.

She wanted Winter to be fine.

After the makeup is done, Karina did fabulous in her acting and the actress get praised by the director several times. Definitely, her childish rival which was Shin Yuna was there as well, grunting over every praise Karina got from the shooting. When they made eye contact, they will always stick their tongue out toward each other in annoyance.

"What are you looking at?", Karina asked.

"What are you looking at?", Yuna said the same.

"Don't you have any other things to do?"

"Don't you have any other things to do?"

"Are you impersonating me?"

"Are you impersonating me?"

"Urghh!"

"URRRGGHHH!"

Aeri, Ningning, and Key just shake their head in embarrassment watching the two actresses acting stupidly like any other day.

...

The drama shooting that day ended and Karina currently tidying her things up inside her trailer. Aeri and Ningning already go home while Key was waiting for her in their car. The only person left was Yeonjun who was waiting for the actress outside the trailer.

Karina came out with her sling bag on her shoulder and greeted Yeonjun with a small smile. The bodyguard as always bend his body slightly and hovered his hand for Karina to move. Later the actress walked side by side with him with numerous questions she kept inside her minds this few days.

"Yeonjun...", the actress called and the bodyguard reacted when he turn his head towards the actress.

"When did Winter start working with the National Security?", the actress continued.

"I don't know much since I got into the agency years after her. But from what I heard, she entered the academy in 2016 at the age of 18, and start working professionally under the agency in 2019 at the age of 21", the bodyguard answered and Karina nodded her head in amusement.

So Winter started right after high school? It must be tough for the younger woman when she goes through the academy program, Karina thought inside her mind. If Winter starts working under the agency in 2019, that means it's just one year away from Karina's car accident.

The accident was in 2020.

"Do you perhaps... know anything about her? I mean- her private life?", Karina smiled awkwardly at the bodyguard and the bodyguard keep his usual cold face but didn't mind answering every question from the actress.

"Miss Kim is so secretive that we don't know much about her. She was so quiet but managed to excel in every mission given to her", Yeonjun answered.

"But, there's this rumor between us that Miss Kim actually dated before, but later broke up with her girlfriend", he continued and Karina was startled by the sudden statement. The story itself pulled her interest to know more about the topic.

"Do you remember when it is? I mean, the year she broke up with her girlfriend?"

"I think it was two years ago? Miss Kim suddenly didn't go to work for two weeks.No one knows why but she changed so much after that. She became much quieter than she used to be. Also, someone in the agency spotted that the ring she used to wear wasn't there on her finger anymore", Yeonjun answered and Karina suddenly hit into realization.

The ring.

"Ring?", she asked.

"Yeah. She wears that ring every day and she never pulls it out off her finger even during missions. It's just weird that she didn't wear it anymore so we just guessing that she broke up with her girlfriend", Yeonjun continued.

An idea suddenly popped out inside her mind. Karina doesn't know if it was true or not but since Winter didn't give her any answer, she could only guess that her assumptions might be true.

From Karina's memory flashbacks, she clearly remembers she and Winter kissed before.

The ring inside Winter's necklace.

The Swarovski Karina doesn't know when Winter gave her.

Plus from what Yeonjun had told her, Karina thought she might be the one Winter broke up with two years ago because of her accident.

It does make sense.

But Karina couldn't be so sure because there is no one here to tell her if her assumptions is true or not. So far, it's all just a guess and Karina thought it might be true. If she wants to know the truth for sure, she needs to find someone that knew her and Winter back in college.

"But I knew no one...", Karina said inside her mind.

Sighing in defeat, Karina gets in her car with Key driving it. Yeonjun bid his goodbye as soon as the actress closed the car door. The car drives smoothly but Karina's expression clearly shows how much she's bothered by her own thoughts.

But wait- she knew one. At least one, from her flashback, even though it's just her name.

"Is her name- Yeji?"

....

The weekend comes and Karina was eager to proceed with her memory-finding journey. She called Ningning to accompany her and Karina was more than happy knowing that Winter was the one who will guard her today. It might help her to remember more, even tho Winter didn't answer any of her questions.

At least Karina is happy that Winter was together with her today.

"What's up with that smile? You look scary, you know?", Ningning asked when she saw how the actress smiled all by herself in the driver seat.

"Nothing. It's nothing".

Karina parked her car in the college's administration building parking lot. Her plan today was to find out who is Yeji, maybe from the college administration office. She doesn't know if she can get any information about her long-lost friend but at least she will do anything just to find Yeji and know the truth about herself.

When Karina and Ningning came out from the car, she saw Winter parked her car as well, two lots away from Karina's. Knowing that Winter might stop her from digging more about Yeji, Karina walked towards the younger woman with Ningning, leaving the bodyguard in complete confusion.

"You wait here", Karina said before Winter lifted her eyebrows in denial.

"Wait- What?"

"I will go up with Ningning. You wait here and take good care of my car in case someone might scratch it for fun", Karina instructed but Winter seems bothered by the command.

"But Rina, what if-"

"Gosh, Winter! I'm going up with her and I bet no one will harm her at the administration office where there's only two or three staff there", Ningning cut the bodyguard's words, but it didn't seem to assure Winter that much.

"You can just put a listening device inside my handbag like you once did, Winter. I'll be fine", Karina said and it succeed to make the younger woman in shock, widening her eyes in disbelief. So back in that cafe weeks ago, Karina knew about it?

"You knew?", Winter asked.

"Yeah. I ruffled things inside my bag and accidentally found that device that day. Thank you for keeping me safe, but I think you can do the same if you want to ensure my safety without following me upstairs", Karina smiled slightly toward Winter and the younger woman finally sigh in defeat.

How can she oppose Karina any longer when the actress smiled that towards her?

It's Winter's weak point.

"Fine, I will let you go. But this time, I trust Ningning to take care of you. I don't need the listening device".

....

The moment Karina and Ningning entered the administration office, Karina was met with two pairs of widened eyes at the counter. Their mouth was slightly agape looking at the actress's entrance and Karina flip her hair with a smirk just to enjoy the moment.

It might also be a way to persuade the office workers to give her the information she wants.

"Hi. I'm-"

"Karina Yu!", one of the office workers said happily with her smile and Karina just nodded her head and smiled back.

"Yeah, I'm Karina Yu and can I somehow get information about a long-lost friend of mine who attend this college as I did?", Karina asked, trying to act desperate in front of them, and Ningning at her side couldn't help but act the same, even tho she hated the fact that this kind of acting was somehow embarrassing.

"What year of graduate are you, Miss Yu?", the worker asked. Karina immediately answered in 2019 with her department name as well. Of course, the actress didn't remember anything about her college years. The only clue she had about herself is from her college student card which stated her department name and her year of enrollment.

"What's her name?", the worker asked.

"I'm not quite sure, but what I remembered is that her name is Yeji. I don't remember her family name", Karina said.

The staff went through a few papers of students' names in that department from that specific year, and thankfully there's only one person with the name Yeji.

"Hwang Yeji?", the worker asked Karina for confirmation. Karina immediately nodded her head despite the fact that she didn't know whether was the Yeji she want to find or not.

"Well... Hwang Yeji, the same class, department, and year of enrollment as you did, Miss Yu".

"Can I somehow get her phone number? Or maybe her address? There's an important thing I need to discuss with Yeji right now. Really, really, really, REAAAAAALLY important thing that includes my life on it. Please~", Karina begs her heart out, doing every gesture she can do to persuade the staff.

....

"Well, that's easy", Ningning said as she nodded her head in amusement the moment the two women came out from the administration office. Karina smiled sheepishly and flipped her hair in front of her stylist just to annoy the younger woman.

"I'm too popular and people love me. That's why~", Karina said.

Ningning then makes the sound of gagging. The actress is sometimes just as worse as Shin Yuna.

The moment they came back towards the car, Winter saw them and saw Karina with her two eyes the actress was safe and sound, and Winter walked back towards her car. But before she could walk further away, Karina stopped her.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you, Winter, for trusting me", the actress said with her warm smile and Winter tried as hard as she could to avoid any eye contact with the actress. She also wants to hide the fact that her face is burning from that small gesture.

"No problem", Winter answered back. Karina still smiled at the younger woman one last time before finally letting her go.

As soon as Karina and Ningning entered the actress's car, Karina called the number she got from the staff just now, but ended up with a voicemail. She tried calling it several times more but the result was still the same. So she thought Yeji might be busy or something, so Karina decided to call the number later, maybe at night.

Not knowing that even tho she called Yeji's number that night, Karina still couldn't get a hold of her long-lost friend.

Maybe the best choice is to just go to Yeji's house address.