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....

It's been a few days since Winter and Yeonjun were assigned to be Karina's bodyguards. But still, Winter was so cold towards the older woman.

In every event Karina had, Winter, will always be the one who watched her from afar. Not even once, Winter came closer to her until the events ended. Karina feels incredibly disappointed at how Winter somehow trying not to get close to her. Karina found it hard to understand.

They are supposed to stick together like glue, right? What happened to Winter after they graduated high school tho? Karina keeps wondering about the reason for days. It annoys Karina so much that she wanted to kick Winter's leg so badly.

So she did.

One day, in a meet and greet event on the stage, at the center of a shopping mall. Karina did it.

The peaceful meet and greet turn into hundreds, maybe thousands of gasps from Karina's fans when the actress suddenly walked downstage towards the end of the lines just to kick her bodyguard aka Winter Kim on her legs. That action succeed to bring lots of camera flashes toward the two of them.

"I told you to guard me well!", the actress grunts after holding her anger for a week. She just couldn't understand how, and why did Winter Kim act like this toward her. Despite the great 'friendly' kick pain on her leg, Winter remain silent in her position and didn't say anything about it.

Karina look around her, realizing what she did was a stupid action. They are in public and the people around her might think that Karina just mistreated her personal bodyguard.

"It's not like what-", Karina wants to explain herself not until Winter cut her words.

"Karina is my high school friend. We are best friends, and this is normal", Winter said with her stern and cold voice. But the younger woman has the courage to look around and wave her hands to the crowds, trying to assure them that they are best friends for real.

Karina gasped at Winter's sudden savageness. The younger woman never acted like that near her for the past week and look how she is when she's in public. "You look like an emotionless robot! Guard me at the front", the actress said before dragging Winter with her towards the front stage.

Winter sighed in defeat. They are in public, and fighting Karina here will just bring trouble to both of 'em.

Winter watched as Karina greeted her fans. How they smiled, laughs, held hands, and even high-fived the actress. Suddenly she felt the deja vu. Karina and she used to do that a lot.

They used to.

Winter counted the fans who were meeting Karina one by one. Starting from the first visitor until the thirty-fourth which seems kinda suspicious in Winter's eyes.

Despite what the guy is wearing, all black from head to toe, a black shirt, a black bomber jacket, black parachute pants, a black Buckethead, a black face mask, and even black tinted glasses. The guy was acting strange since the moment he came up on stage towards where Jimin is sitting.

It disturbs Winter at how he keeps his left hand inside his pocket.

"May I know your name, sir?", Karina asked politely as she pulled out a postcard with her picture on it. The guy shrug his shoulder once before he clicked his tongue suspiciously loud. He did not even seems to stand up right.

"I don't know~", he answered short with a playful sneer. Karina laughed softly before signing on the postcard. "How can one didn't even know their own name? Come on, I'm gonna write your name here", the actress smiled and the guy clicked his tongue again.

Red flag.

Winter keeps a keen eye on the guy who acting so weird since the first time he stepped his feet on the stage. Be prepared for anything, that's what Winter was taught the moment she entered the National Security Programme.

"I said I don't know. Do you know?", he asked again and clicked his tongue for the third time. The way his eyes squinted toward the actress made Winter want to puke. Plus, the way he still keeps his left hand inside his pocket is more than a red flag.

"Ten sixty-six. Winter to Yeonjun, ten sixty-six. Distance, one meter. Copy", Winter said through her intel and it wasn't long before the other bodyguard copied her warnings.

10-66.
It's a code for a suspicious person.

"Then I guess I'll put your name here as 'Mr. I Don't Know'? Is that okay with you?", Jimin smiled one last time before looking upwards at the guy again. He clicked his tongue again, "I said I don't know-", and pulled out a pepper spray from his pocket and sprayed it towards the actress's face.

Winter cursed herself because she was late for a second to block that attack. She immediately knocks the guy down and flips his body over so he won't be able to move. Despite how angry and rough Winter pushed him, he still manage to click his tongue again.

"TWO FOUR ZERO! TWO FOUR ZERO! Need backup and medical assistance! Hurry!", Winter shouted.

Winter has a glimpse of what happening behind her. Karina was groaning in pain while covering her eyes shut with her hands. The staff events, including her manager Key, and her stylists Aeri and Ning were there. Winter knew enough they can help the actress for time being.

Yeonjun rushed towards Winter, with the other two bodyguards on the scene. They handcuffed the guy before Winter instructed them to bring the guy to the police. That's when Winter's full attention was now back on Karina.

"Shit".

"Karina, are you-"

"What the hell are you doing?!", Key yelled at Winter in anger. Why not? The purpose of Winter's existence there was to provide safety to the actress. But still, she got attacked and Winter could not help but blame herself fully for this situation.

"I'm really sorry sir", is only what Winter can say at the moment.

She hated it. She hated the fact that she make Karina in pain. She hated the fact that she failed to protect the older woman.

Again.

It took five minutes for the medical team to be there, and thank god that the spray really contains pepper substances only.

If it was acid or something worse than that, Winter might not give a shit about it anymore.

....

After her eyes check-up, the first thing Karina tried to find was Winter. It was weird, but her feeling automatically pulled her to be curious about the younger woman. Is Winter fine? What did she feel just now? What is she doing right now?

Her question was answered when she saw Winter the moment she exited the doctor's room. A happy smile flashes on the actress's face not until she saw the slight red in Winter's eyes as well.

"Did you somehow spray yourself with the pepper spray or what?", the actress smirked before shrugging the bodyguard on her shoulder. Like always, Winter didn't say anything about it. But because of their long-year relationship, Karina could guess where that red eyes from Winter came from.

"You cried huh? You cried because of-"

"I am not", Winter cut her words, just to make things more obvious and clear to Karina that she was one hundred percent true.

"Well, the Winter Kim I know in high school will cry for me in this situation. I bet she did", Karina nods her head to tease Winter only to get a glare from the younger woman. Winter sigh one last time before she suddenly pulled Karina by the wrist towards the emergency staircase.

The moment the emergency door closed, Winter pushed Karina by the wall and the actress was taken aback by the action. The way Winter came closer to her and cupped both of her cheeks with her soft hands made Karina flutter. It's not like they've never been this close before, but is Winter usually supposed to make her heart beat this way before?

"Are your eyes fine?", the bodyguard's tiny voice makes Karina shiver. Using all the strength she has left, she answered.

"It stings a bit. But the doctor said it will be fine. Don't worry Winter", Karina answered as softly as Winter did as their faces were just inches apart from each other.

Winter did not like this feeling. The guilt, the pain, the view.

The actress's eyes were still pinkish from the attack, and Winter can only blame herself for that. Not in Winter's mind to let this happen twice.

"I'm really sorry, Rina. I did not-"

"Now you call me 'Rina' again. I guess you only call me that name when I'm in danger, or when your cold ass becomes soft all of sudden. You called me 'Karina' this whole week and-"

"Look. I'm really sorry for not keeping you safe today. I promise that-", Winter's words were cut when Karina shut her mouth with her hands. Winter was annoyed for a moment not until she saw the hush signals from Karina's eyes.

Someone is coming.

Being as protective as always, Winter pulled out her leather jacket and covered Karina's head with it. She then suddenly pulled the actress into a hug and the action succeed to make Karina's heart beat like crazy.

Why does this feel so familiar?

The moment the two unknown people arrived at the floor, they looked at Winter who was currently rocking a mysterious human covered in a brown leather jacket. The two people didn't question anything and just continue their journey to the upper floors.

"They're gone...", Winter said thru the hug, and Karina was left with overflowing questions inside her mind.

The way Winter hugged her.

The way Winter rocks her.

Hell, even Winter's perfume.

It's just...

"T-Thank you...", Karina stuttered as Winter slowly let go of her. Karina uncovered the jacket from her face, and the expression on her face shows that she is clearly bothered and confused at the same time, and Winter is worried about her even more.

"Hey, Rina, are you-"

"I'm fine. I just... I don't know... It feels... weird...", Karina replied. "It wasn't about you, and you don't need to feel guilty about what confuses me right now. I just feel- weird...", the actress continued while her face still frowning for some reason.

Winter's jacket now naturally fell on the actress's shoulder. The sensation she felt was strange. The familiarity was too much that it was hard for her to ignore it.

Winter didn't buy her words. She was worried about everything that happened today. But the actress was good at shifting from one topic to another topic. Like what she did right now.

"Since when did you have this necklace? Is this kind of similar to that 'military necklace' thing? With a ring? Since when do military necklaces have rings in them except for the nameplates?", Karina asked.

"OH- I guess it's because this is the first time you've ever taken off your jacket and it was the first time for us to have a proper conversation", Karina pushed Winter by her chest and she was shocked. Even tho this woman in front of her doesn't look that bulk, hell... she's as hard as a rock.

"Woooow Winter, you've got muscles!", Karina exclaimed happily and keep pinching Winter's skin covered by a plain white T-Shirt. "I don't know you changes so much all these years. I mean- you are physically strong than before. Not that you still have that weakness when it comes to my well-being~", she scoffed.

Winter sighed because what Karina said is all a fact. The older woman didn't wrong at all. Karina was her weakness, for years. Only if the actress remembers. But she won't risk it, and it's better for her to not remember what happened.

"You know what, Winter? We should have more of this kind of conversation. I really don't like it when you ignore me all the time", the actress confessed and Winter by surprise held both of Karina's shoulders.

Eyes gazed deeply into Karina's dark brown orbs. Oh god, she missed this a lot. Being alone, just the two of them, this up close. She sighs once again, telling herself, maybe for thousands of times that week that this cannot be continued further.

"Hey, listen. I avoid you for a reason. You can hate me because of this but this is what I need to do", Winter said and Karina squinted her eyes in disapproval. She did not like the idea at all.

"And what is that thing that you need to do, huh?", Karina lifted one of her eyebrows in curiosity. Winter ain't get anywhere without answering her question.

"I can't tell you. It's part of the organization's secret", the younger woman answered. "It's the same reason for not communicating with you in public".

"So you are telling me to pull you into a discreet place every time we want to have a talk? Like- right now?", Karina said. "But you innocently waved your hands just now like a rusty robot with a 'duh' face of yours and it was in public, Winter Kim", Karina frowned.

"That's because I'm trying to protect your image. What if news came out saying you bullied your bodyguard by kicking them on their forsaken leg? I'm not letting them misunderstand you", Winter sighed and massaged her head in disbelief. Maybe that was the only time that she will ever act as stupid as that. The harm was too much.

"My well-being is your weakness. I see...".

At this point, Karina felt disappointed again. Winter Kim can change from the person she knew well to the person she didn't know at all. It's like when Karina felt like she could get hold of Winter, her best friend again, suddenly it vanished and another personality of Winter came out.

"You are not the Winter I knew", Karina pulled the leather jacket off her own shoulder and tossed it back to Winter. No matter how secretive the younger woman's job is, Karina knew that she understand what Winter trying to tell her.

She just cannot accept it.

Hell, she doesn't want to accept it.

She wants the old Winter.

And her head was hazy because of her.

A/N* Oh god my back hurts from these two chapters of overnight writing 😂