kindly vote all chapters to get a free meal from someone~ 🍔💙

....

The actress did her job as usual as always despite the increasing annoyance in Winter's appearances. It's true that she was madly disappointed by the younger woman, but she can't stop her from doing her job. As for that, maybe you could say that Winter was anywhere when Karina is going out, and only her private residence is an exception.

That day Karina decided to have a friendly hangout with Aeri and Ning, knowing that Winter is watching her secretly a few meters away. When the three friends stepped inside a cafe shop in Itaewon, Karina couldn't help herself from turning her head back a couple of times.

What? Winter is still Winter, even tho Karina was mad at her.

"What are you gonna order?", Aeri asks Karina as Ningning already stated her order at the counter. After examining the menu for a while, Karina decided to order an iced chocolate drink. She wasn't in the mood for coffee, knowing that she will have a script-reading session in the next five hours.

After the three friends took their seats, again Karina turned her head around and the presence of Winter couldn't be detected. The actress thought that maybe Winter was just hiding somewhere because she didn't want to look like a creep by following the actress every step.

"So tell us more about Winter. I'm curious", Ningning said while shaking her free legs. Aeri nods her head in agreement. Despite working and becoming close friends with Karina a year ago, they've never heard mention of anything about a woman named WInter Kim throughout their friendship.

"Okay...", Karina answered as she turn her head around one last time, just to make sure Winter wasn't there to eavesdropping them.

"Winter and I met when I'm fourteen. Since she's a year younger, you can say she just entered the school at that time. We somehow got into the same literature club and knew each other from there", Karina sneered remembering the moments she met Winter.

It was a slightly chilly day during the fall season when the club held a short meeting. That's where Karina first met the younger woman. She's the one who approached her first because why not? Winter seems so shy that day that she keeps standing in the corner of the meeting room. Karina could tell that Winter wasn't good with strangers and she needs help communicating with someone.

That's the first time Karina entered Winter's Kim life.

"Just that? Boring~", Ningning scoffed before their drinks were finally served on their table. The three friends took a few sips before Karina continued their story.

"It's different with Winter. The way we stick together since then does make us looks like a couple in other people's eyes. But for me, Winter is just a younger sister or a family I treasured the most", the actress replied while stirring her drinks in a circular motion.

Karina treasures Winter more than anything. Because Karina was the only child in her family, and the day after her parent's died just make her feel like she was standing on a cliff holding for dear life, Winter was there to pull her from her emotional fall.

Winter is always there. How can Karina hate that woman?

"So, you guys did go to the same high school. Then what about college? Did someone tell you anything?", Aeri asked and the actress sigh heavily knowing the fact that she start not to remember anything after that.

"I don't know. I did not remember anyone from college or anything. I didn't even know if I ever entered a college, not until someone found my purse with my student ID inside it".

Karina shifted her gaze outside, looking at every person passing by the busy Itaewon roads. It's hurt knowing the fact that her memory loss was permanent. She wishes to remember anyone from college, even just one person. She wants to know how her life was back then in college. Did she meet someone there? Or is she even dated someone there? Did she meet Winter during her college years as well? What happened after she graduated college?

It's frustrating because Karina couldn't get a hold of anything from then.

"I know this might be a sensitive topic for you but I'm curious how the car crash happened. I know you don't remember anything from it, but I guess someone at least told you what happened that day?"

Aeri's question wasn't that sensitive actually and Karina don't mind answering it. It's just the memory of couldn't remembering anything suffocates her. Hell, she didn't even know why in the world she got into the car crash in the first place.

"The detective told me it's a hit and run. I don't even know how in the world I have a car back then, because the car registration was under my name. I was supposed to be jobless, not a career woman yet. Where in the world did I get the money from? I don't know", Karina sighed in disappointment.

Karina wasn't a late riser in her acting career. The year of the car crash is also the year for Karina to start playing small roles in acting. A few months after the accident, she was cast on the street when the production team was in need of someone to act at that exact moment.

She guessed she was pretty lucky back then because that small role was the starter of her career until where she is now. Karina thanked god that she took her mother's features well.

But still, Karina was somehow a bit frustrated. If the memory loss just took a year or two from her, that was fine.

But in her case, it was seven years.

The twenty-five years old actress's last memory is when she was eighteen, the day of her high school graduation to be exact.

"Can we just- don't talk about the memory loss? It suffocates me...", Karina confessed and both Aeri and Ningning frowned and couldn't help but feel guilty about it. It must be hard for Karina to live all these years.

....

Winter heard the actress's every word thru the intercom. Okay, she might sound like a real creep here for secretly putting that tiny device in Karina's bag, but what can she do?

Karina's safety is her number one priority right now. No, her safety is Winter's number one priority forever.

Every bit of depressive and frustrated word coming from the actress's lips was a heart drop to the younger woman. Despite knowing everything happened, she couldn't help but hide the truth from the older woman. Winter sighed heavily, not realizing that a drop of tear succeed rolled down her cheek.

It's for the good of both of 'em, or maybe everyone in Karina's circle.

....

During the script reading, Karina was unfortunate to be left sitting right next to her career rival. As soon as they arrived, both smiled at each other sarcastically, which both of them know was a fake smile.

Shin Yuna.

Despite the younger actress being three years younger and starting her acting career earlier than Karina, Yuna didn't get the same amount of spotlight as Karina has right now. They both might be popular actresses, but you can say that Karina's popularity is two times better than Yuna's.

So, the younger actress always envied her and labeled her her acting career rival.

"Nice to meet you, Karina", Yuna smiled so brightly yet so fake in Karina's eyes. Karina couldn't help but smile back, the same fake amount as Yuna did. "Hi. How are you?".

"Good. Nothing special. Oh- look! I got an Americano from my fan this morning! They sure loved me the most in this world!", Yuna said with her shiny shimmering eyes, looking and adoring the cup of Americano she had in her hand, patting it full of love while pouting her mouth to act cute in front of Karina.

Karina really wants to smack Yuna's annoying pouting mouth at that moment.

"Well, a fan suddenly paid for my wagyu beef last night and the taste was incredible! It's an A plus plus plus plus grade meat. I'm so happy that my fan loves me~", Karina tried to show off like what Yuna did to her with the exact same action. Pouting lips, hands clutching, shimmering eyes. Plus, Karina adds another extra action which is waving her body cutely.

That's when the deathly eye-staring contest between them started.

Key who was at the back just facepalming himself at how stupid yet childish those two actresses are. This was nothing new to the two actresses. They will do this every time they meet, and Key couldn't feel more than shameful disbelief. He then turns his head to Winter after shrugging the younger woman's shoulder gently, complaining at how Karina always acts stupid when it comes to Yuna.

Winter is just right beside him, yet she didn't say anything about it. The rivalry between the two actresses isn't a new topic, to begin with. Winter knew it already since the first moment Karina became an actress. Truthfully speaking, Winter didn't hate Yuna, because she just look like a lost girl who was desperate for her fans' attention and love.

But seeing Karina and Yuna with each other with her own eyes for the first time in her three years as a professional National Security, she couldn't believe her eyes at how stupid the two actresses looked right now.

Hell, the other cast members even looked at them weirdly. Even if she didn't show it from her expression, deep inside Winter is just as shameful in disbelief as Key feels.

"This is so embarrassing"

....

The weekend comes and Karina decided to just stay at home that night. Since the actress lived in a private residential area with lots of guards around, Winter didn't need to guard her all the time. When Karina was alone at home is the only time when Karina could have time for herself.

It might also be the best place to escape Winter's lingering eyes on her.

She didn't find Winter a creep. It was the younger woman's job to watch her, and just knowing that Winter always watching her made the actress happy enough. She trusts Winter the most out of all people, even tho the younger woman sometimes can be the most annoying human who ever existed on the earth.

Karina walked towards her big bedroom and open her wardrobe just to pull out a black box with silver ornaments on it. She takes her seat on the cold wooden tiled floor and opens the box for another memorable journey.

She flashed tons of pictures from middle school and high school, and Karina sometimes giggled remembering what happened on that day in that pictures. Most of the pictures are the picture of her and Winter. Winter looks so happy and bright back then. It's silly how things have changed, and Karina couldn't state the reason why.

There are also a few pictures of her in college. Her pictures with a few... friends? From college, Karina did not even remember who are they. Some with a girl with sharp eyes figure. Some with tomboy-like shoulder-length hair girl. God, Karina wants to remember so badly.

The only is that she can't anymore.

There's no trace of Winter's pictures, which Karina can conclude Winter and her never met after high school graduation.

Placing back everything inside the box and closing the box shut, Karina put the box back inside her wardrobe before walking towards the kitchen for her dry throat.

Her mind is messy, her heart is hurt. She is desperate for an answer, yet no one can give her that even herself.

The suffocation was too much for her and its hard for Karina to breathe. So she decided to grab her car key and release her tension by driving thru the night city lights. That solution works most of the time when she feels this down.

The actress switch on the car engine and start driving. Looking at the building's lights, and flashing cars, somehow bring her peace of mind. She drives her car slowly, yet steadily through the city, and sometimes she sighs heavily between her breath.

Sometimes she smiled, pitying her own self. She doesn't want to cry because she had enough of crying in her twenty-five years of life.

Her life is a sadist. She admits it.

When Karina hit the brake pedal at the red lights, she look to her left to find a jewelry store by the road with bright lighting on every lettering on the sign board.

Swarovski.

The jewelry name has its place in Karina's heart. Karina doesn't know why, but she loved their pieces of jewelry the most.

When the lights turn into green, Karina pushed her gas pedal calmly and drove her car with a song hum of one of her favorite songs. Smiling slightly while singing, and tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, it's a song where Karina always finds comfort in it.

"It's alright,

It's alright,

Lost everything that really meant to me,

It's alright,

It's alright,

Somebody's next to me"

Karina can always relate to the lyrics. It feels like the lyrics trying to tell people about her life and her feeling hit on the spot. It was so accurate that Karina fell in love with it in the first play.

"Even when I cried,

When I was alone,

You have always been with me"

Even tho her parents are gone, even tho she has no one, and even tho she can't remembers at all, she believed that her parents always watching her from up there, and always trying their best to keep her safe and sound.

"You are my angel,

Oh You are my angel,

Always, You're here"

From the left side of the traffic, there's a truck heading straight to the intersections, and the speed of the vehicle didn't show a sign of stopping at all. Two police car was right behind it and the high-pitched sounds of tires squealing were too shady for Karina to hear it.

She can't hear it at all.

"Oh You are my angel,

You are by my side,

Always,

Always stay here forever."

Bright headlights flashed by the corner of Karina's eyes and she could only blink once, not even a shock reaction can be made before everything happened. Some memory flashed in front of her eyes.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

It's a black car.

A black sedan car.

The one who hit her once is a black sedan car.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Swarovski.

Winter used to give her a Swarovski, once.

.

.

.

*A/N WHAT IS WRONG WITH WATTPAD!!