When the two undercover cops brought the dean away with their undercover car, Winter finally let out a heavy sigh.

Is this what freedom feels like?

"I'm free, Ningning...", Winter gasped in desbelief, shifting her eyes in a slow motion towards her friend who is now smiling.

"Ningning...", the girl repeated. "I'm free-"

"Yes, you are!", the Chinese crashing her body towards her friend, hugging her so tight in happiness. Finally, Winter's several months of horror is over. "You are free, Winter! Finally!", the Chinese squealed happily.

A tear of relief came down rolling on Winter's cheek. Her mouth slowly turns into a trembling smile, hugging her friend back as she cries. While the older Yu is just looking at the two girls hugging with his usual warm smile.

Winter lifted her head up slightly, mouthing her thanks to the old man.

"Thank you..."

How she is grateful at how things turn to, all thanks to Karina, the mysterious girl out of nowhere who blurted out to Winter about their destiny and messed up fate.

"I'll send my father for your trials!", Ningning said as she slowly pulled away from the hug. "I'll make sure that crazy old man would rot in the jail for a really long time! I'll make sure my father will do that for you!", Ningning swang their hands together happily, happy for Winter.

"Thank you, Ning. Really. You are the best friend I ever had", Winter smiled between her happy sobs.

"Winter!"

That familiar voice from nowhere startled Winter, and when she turned her head around, she could see her.

Karina, with a big smile on her face, ran towards Winter's direction with a big happy smile on her face. Winter couldn't help but smile back.

"Karina-", Winter's words stopped when her body was almost tackled down at how hard Karina crashed herself to Winter for a tight hug. The older girl screamed enthusiastically, lifting Winter tiny body up slightly, and Winter couldn't help but slap the older girl by her shoulder, feeling embarrassed at how she treated her.

"Let me go, you fool!", Winter whispered is panic before Karina finally put her down with her laughs.

"Gosh, Winter. I'm so happy for you!"

"It's all thanks to you, Karina. My upside down life started to come back in place, and it is all because of you", Winter smiled. "I really don't know what should I do without you", she continued.

"Thank you", Winter nodded her head gratefully before Karina nodded her head back as an answer. The older Yu who was watching them just two meters away feeling so proud at how her granddaughter finally be able to accept how the Yu fated life will begin.

"Young love", the president scoffed as he shook his head, looking at the two shy girls in front of him. Hearing his words, Ningning turns her head towards the old man in confusion. Did he just said... young love?

"I thought they were just friends?", Ningning asked him.

"It's pretty hard to explain, Miss Ningning. Well, you can ask Karina herself. I bet she will explain it to you", the old man smiled before he continued his words.

"And I bet you'll not understand most of the thing she would tell you too", the old man laughs lightly, makes Ningning feel more into confusion.

"Huh?"

****

Karina brought Winter to a specific hotel that evening to meet the younger girl's mother. Winter was curious about her mother since the Yus had told her that the older woman was in a safe place provided by the family.

Well, Winter could only trust them if she saw it by herself.

The car ride is usually silent, not that Karina is complaining. Winter might still be overwhelmed with everything that just happened, and Karina didn't plan to ruin whatever they had right now.

Because not all the destined thing ended up pretty smoothly for the other generations Yu. There is one Yu who ended up getting killed by his own person as their feeling towards each other weren't strongly mutual.

Karina didn't want to be the other Yu for that case.

When they arrived at the hotel, Winter pressed the doorbell in front of a room nervously, waiting for the person inside to open the door for them. Before she could greet her mother by the door, Karina held one of her hand, squeezing them tightly to comfort the younger girl.

Winter remembered, Karina had told her about her mother's condition, which somehow shattered Winter's heart to pieces.

"She wasn't that great".

The door finally opened, revealing the older woman with wide open eyes that slowly became teary. Both of the mother and daughter's mouth line starts to waver, trembling in both sadness and happiness.

"Winter...", the older woman called as her voice hitched for air.

Winter's hand trembles, slowly reaching her hands on the older woman face before she cupped them gently. Reddish neck and swollen eyes. The view wasn't the best view she could imagine to greet her mother.

"M-Mom... what happened to you...", tears start to roll down the younger girl's cheek.

They said, don't drive yourself to the evil, but Winter literally cannot pull herself away from the evil when every mistakes or mishap she made would affect her mother's life.

When her mother sends a look to Karina, the older girl shakes her head softly, trying to tell her that she didn't tell Winter yet about what happened to the older woman. The woman could only nod her head, understanding.

"The Yu family saved me while your father was there with Lee's man. They came, for dinner. But when the Yu came and told me about you and Karina, they tried to stop the Yu from bringing me anywhere", the older woman said with an apologetic smile on her face, caressing the side of her daughter's cheek with her thumb.

"Apparently, they used your mother as hostage to keep us away. But we never back up, and we saved her", Karina continued with the explanation, now hand on Winter's shoulder, slightly squeezing them for comfort.

Feeling so overwhelming, the younger girl slowly turns her head towards the older girl with a hopeful orbs, "can I stay with my mom tonight, Karina?", she asked.

"Gosh, Winter", Karina chuckled by the sudden request. "Is that even a question? You know that my answer will be a yes, always", she laughed lightly.

"And Ma'am, my father told me to tell you that he opened a position for you as the manager of one of our franchises here in Seoul. You didn't need your risky restaurant job anymore, Ma'am. The Yu will provide the living you need", Karina continued as she nodded her head.

"Oh god, Karina", the older woman gasped. "You don't need to. The Yu already did a lot for me and Winter. This is too much for me, dear".

"It's okay Ma'am", Karina smiled once more. "I'm so into your daughter these days, and I'm probably gonna court her soon or later. I'm planning to go through a long journey with your family, Ma'am. My family wanted me to at least do this, for you. For Winter".

When Karina could see the warmth in both mother and daughter's eyes towards her, Karina's sure enough that she did the right thing, and it makes her feel happy.

"Thank you, dear. Our family owes you a lot"

"It is my pleasure to serve your family"

When the older woman started to pull Winter inside the hotel room with her, Winter stops her after giving some sort of signals through their eyes, and after her mother answered her with a small smile and a nod, she left Winter alone in front of the door as the older Kim headed inside the room first.

"Did you have anything to say, Winter?", confused, Karina asked with her furrowed eyebrows. But when Winter answered her no words but keep flashing her that tiny smile and still, watery eyes, Karina couldn't help but ask her again.

"Winter, do you have-", and her words stopped when the younger girl lingering her arms around Karina's waist tightly. Her head was on Karina's chest, and Karina sure enough that Winter could hear how her heart is beating so fast right now.

"Thank you, Rina", Winter said, brushing her face deeper into Karina's chest happily.

"Rina?", Karina giggles, "well, that's new".

"I seriously couldn't thank you enough for everything you have done to help me and my mother", the hug around Karina's waist got tighter. "I really couldn't imagine how my life would turn out without you".

"Thank you, Rina. I really owe you my life", Winter lifted her head up, flashing Karina her cute tiny smile.

"If you owe me that much, you need to pay me by be my girlfriend, am I right?", Karina sly smirks somehow fluttering Winter's heart, but being cautious more around Karina, the younger girl knows she needs to hide whatever she wants to say inside her mind.

"Why aren't you answering?", Karina became confused again when Winter didn't give her a single reply.

But when Karina was about to open her mouth again to speak, Winter rushed in, smacking her lips onto Karina's for a quick peck before she immediately pulled away, running towards the door.

"Goodnight, Rina", Winter smiled one last time before she finally closed the door shut.

Karina was dumbfounded in front of the room. Winter's sudden action just gave her another shock in her entire life, and when she couldn't register what just happened inside her brain, Karina's lips suddenly turned into a shy smile.

"Damn... Winter Kim...", she murmured by herself.

****

While ex-dean Lee is now in custody, waiting for his trials, the cops were reprimanded by the Yu to dig deeper into the problems.

As a result, six other lecturers are now in custody for their relations in the case for sexually and physically harassing Winter. While there are two more lectures that were brought for questioning for rejecting Lee's offer to let them have some fun with his slave.

The cops also confiscated three burner phones that Lee used to send texts to Winter without being traced, various types of condoms and lubricants, some still contained his dried DNA on 'em, with Winter's. Various types of dildos, also with Winter's DNA on 'em, a handcuffs and a whip, used to torture her. Duct tapes were found pretty obvious in his office desk, and by luck, a strand of Winter's hair stucked on 'em.

"Isn't he stupid?", Karina mumbled while talking to her parents. Lee might be clever to be able to keep Winter's mouth shut for months, but he's strangely stupid to leave all of the evidence inside his office.

"And, ew... used condoms? His hygiene sucks!"

"Honey, you don't talk about Lee's condoms like that in front of Winter. You might trigger her, you know?", her mom gave a light smack on Karina's head, just enough to make the younger Yu shut her mouth up.

Even tho Winter and her mother had agreed with the Yu to stay permanently at an apartment they gave them, Winter hasn't been meeting with Karina for three days now. She said she wanted to spend more time with her mother, and Karina knew she would always give in.

Karina kind of misses her now, but she knew Winter should not participate in this investigation, knowing how messed up the younger girl's mind would be because of this.

If Winter wants happiness, Karina will only give her happiness.

It's her duty now, to provide Winter her happiness.