Seven charges, including human trafficking, sexual abuse, slavery, physical abuse, threats, and others, the defendant Lee Yoonshin convicted all guilty to all charges and will be prisoned thirty years in prison.

Karina wasn't very keen on the result. She really wished for that old prick to be prisoned for his entire life and die in the bars, but Ningning had told her that thirty years is long enough for a fifty-nine years old man like Lee.

In thirty years, he probably became so old. He might even have some disease and probably died before his serving ends.

At least that would put Winter into deep ease, and Ningning's father, the lawyer in charge, had done his best to pinpoint every evil in the ex-dean.

When Winter turned her body around inside the court, facing Karina, her mouth turned into a wide, happy smile. Karina, being swayed by the girl's charm, can not help but smile for a second before she turns her head away in embarrassment.

****

The Yu had given Winter and her mother a new home. Small apartment that could let the family live, away from the horrible memories back in Busan.

Winter has her freedom now, which means Karina rarely got to meet the younger girl after the incident went to an end.

Karina is being honest with herself. Almost every day, she would tell Winter how much she missed her. Both busy with their own studies and projects, no one disagree.

There is no more importance for them to meet that regular like before. Despite knowing how fate will roll onto their life, Karina want to let Winter feel how freedom actually feels like.

How a college student daily lives going on, like any other normal students. Without threat of harm, without harassment, without pressure.

Finally, Winter can be her own self.

The two girls would sometimes run into each other since they are from the same building, but they could only exchange smiles and mind signals, which Karina could hear every time.

Sometimes, it was an 'I miss you too'.

Sometimes, it was a 'take care'.

Sometimes, it was a 'good luck'.

Sometimes, they would brush their hands together just to feel that tinge of happiness for a short second.

It keep going on like that for a month, until their final presentation is done, which both of them supressed their happiness inside their text, couldn't wait to hang out together after being busy for a really long time.

Saturday morning, Karina had promised the younger girl that she would take her for a drive. Probably having some lunch or dinner together through the day.

Winter literally doesn't care if Karina wants to have her time for the whole day. Truth to be speaking, she missed the older girl too as much as Karina did.

When Karina parked her car infront of that tiny apartment building, her face immediately turns to sunshine the moment she saw Winter came out of the elevator, running towards her car with her tiny smile flashed on her face.

Karina could hear how Winter happily said, "It's Karina!" The moment she saw the car.

As Winter opened the door, taking her seat beside the driver, Karina immediately held one of the girl's hands possessively to pull her closer, only to plant a quick peck on Winter's puffy cheek. The latter face formed into a shy smile.

"Hi, Winter. How have you been?", Karina asked.

"Pretty good. You asked me that question every day in our text, Rina", the younger girl giggled happily, and Karina just answered her with a big smile.

Karina finally pulled away as she started driving towards their destination, which she kept a secret from the younger girl.

Her left hand never left Winter's despite the two girls currently having no labels. How Karina could hear everything inside Winter's mind sends her grinning through the whole journey.

Seems like Winter had no plan to hide it anymore. They both were pretty obvious whipped for each other. Even Ningning already caught up with their weird tensions.

When the two girls arrived at a two storey shopping building, Winter lifted her eyebrows, looking at the obvious pastel yellow signature in front of where they were standing right now. When she turned her head at Karina for confirmation, the older girl simply nodded her head, admitting.

"A spa?", Winter questioned.

"After all the ruckus happened to you, I believed you deserved a good massage on your body. Well, I need them too after finishing my second art project for this semester", Karina answered. Hands never left Winter's.

"Do you like it?", she asked before Winter answered her with a low scoff.

"Of course I do. It is a massage, some relaxing treatments, and quality times with you. I would love it, Rina", Winter smiled full of honesty.

With a glad smile and warm in the heart, Karina is able to pull her person together with her inside the building with confidence.

Karina had booked the session for them a day before and by simply telling the staff her names, after a final check on the name list, Karina and Winter was brought towards the massage room for their first session.

After changing their clothes into more suitable ones, both girls were instructed to lie down on a specific bed right next to one another before two woman came in the same types of uniform, preparing themselves to start the works.

Feeling nervous, Winter pulled out her hands to reach for Karina's. Skin was only touched by her family, the prick Lee, and sometimes Karina when she helped her to change, Winter heart beats frantically learning that soon another person would touch her body.

When Karina held her hand with an assuring squeeze, Winter told herself that she would be alright.

Karina is here with her. There's nothing to worry about.

The staff are not that prick Lee. They are just here for a massage. That's it.

Both of the girls' front facing the bed, and their back is now bare when the staff had undone the robe tying on them.

Seeing how the woman at Winter side frowns the moment she saw some old scars from Winter's back, Karina had to send her a deathly glare to not question anything. In any will, she might get that woman fired if she ever opens her mouth about it.

The massage is pretty good even tho sometimes the squeeze on Winter's hand got tighter from how the younger girl would sometimes feel scared about being touched by others.

But when their sore back is fixed with knuckles and finger pressure, the feeling of comfort and relaxation slowly washing over, and somehow, Karina could see how Winter's eyes slowly getting heavier by times before she fell asleep through the process.

Karina smiled, knowing how her plans succeeded in relaxing the younger girl.

When the massage is done, Karina had to wake Winter up from her sleep before they were instructed to have a designated salt bath in a room together.

It wasn't the first time Karina ever saw Winter almost completely naked, but seeing Winter only with her lingerie sure impact Karina's heart a bullets of love shots.

"Since we are done with our second project in our major, can we somehow... meet regularly?", Karina engaged the talk.

"How regular?", Winter asked, the corner of her mouth formed into a tiny grin.

"Not that regular. Four times a week?", Karina lifted one of her eyebrows for confirmation before Winter answered her with her tiny giggles. "That's pretty regular, Rina", she laughs.

"Can't I?", Karina furrows, but the younger girl immediately shakes her head. "Nope. You can".

Hearing Winter's answers blooms Karina's heart. "I don't think I'm able to supress myself anymore from how much I missed you from not being able to meet you for quite a while", Karina nods her head knowingly.

With a small smile, Winter answered, "Let's meet as regular as we could before both of us got busy again", before she leaned in to peck Karina on her cheeks.

When the obvious red hue on Karina's cheek is visible to Winter, being embarrassed for not being able to hide it, Karina argues. "We are not even girlfriends, why are we keep kissing each other in the cheeks?", her eyebrows furrow in protest.

"I thought we know it already", Winter said only to make Karina more confused.

"Know about what?"

"That fate already planned things for us? Even without any of us saying anything about it, I'm pretty sure that I'm already your girlfriend by now even no one confessed, and I couldn't deny it because at the end, I would be brought back to you again and again. Well, I know I am gonna be your fiancee one day, and soon, your wife. But that was something else. To declare myself as your fiancee or your wife, I need you to propose and wedding vows to tell out loud. When it does, we would-"

"Gosh... Winter Kim!", Karina covered her own wide open mouth in a gasp, couldn't believe what was just coming out from Winter's mouth.

"What?", the younger girls asked.

"Aren't you shy anymore to spill out of that? I-", Karina paused to take a deep breath. "I thought you were still not ready with this!".

"Of what? Me, as your girlfriend?

"Yeah", Karina nods her head eagerly.

Winter let out a soft chuckle. Shy hands slowly circled around Karina's waist in a soft touch. Face was just inches for one another. A small smile spread on her face.

"For everything you and your family have done to me? Do you think I could resist? Even if we never label our relationship, I would still walk around telling people who are curious about me that my heart belongs to someone for eternity".

Karina was left in the haze. All this time, she thought Winter wanted to think more about it as if she's not ready yet for her commitment to the Yu.

"So we have labels?", Karina asked again just to make sure.

"Since the moment you heard my mind back in the bus, I think there's already a label since then", Winter nods her head. "That is when I'm already your person. I am still your person now, tho".

"Are you my girlfriend now?", Karina looks into Winter's eyes hopefully. There's this rush of happiness that starts to show off on both their cheeks before Winter slowly nods her head, confirming. "Whatever label you want me to".

Happy, Karina couldn't hold back her joy when she pulled Winter in for a deep, passionate kiss on the lips. It last longer than every pecks they've ever done.

A real kiss, finally.

It wasn't that hard for Karina to say it when she heard what's there in Winter's mind.

"I love you, and I'm yours".

"I love you too, deeply".

****

When project two ended a week before their heart to heart confession, new weeks were started fresh with the introduction of project three, thus the final project in the semester.

Being a genius and a hardworking like always, Winter's proposal, again, nominated as the best proposal ever made for the project in the whole department.

And being like he always did, Karina's professor, again, made a slide about it for the third project first class.

And being like she always did in every first class of every project, Karina was late (again).  With the help of Aeri, Karina succeed to sneak into the class silently after trashing her shirts (again) on the dusty floor.

Meanwhile, the reason she was late today is because of the date she had with Winter last night at the rooftop of the dormitory where it led both of them to continuously kissing one another on the lips, somehow got addicted with it, stayed up late giggling how Winter felt so soft on the lips, before waking up late in the morning realizing she fucked up for the countless times with the same lecturer (again).

"Miss Karina Yu, you are late again", despite his calming manner, this is the first time Karina knew that he professor had already caught her being late before.

"Holy shit, how did he know?", Karina whispered to Aeri but loud enough for the older man to give Karina a glare.

"It is pretty obvious with dust covered your clothes every time I'm presenting about the other major proposal", he confessed with a smug.

"Oh".

And at this moment, Karina just knew, she fucked up.

"Come to the front, young lady. You need some lessons with your demeanour and lack of effort on your work", the professor shakes her head in disappointment before he could see from the corner of his eyes that Karina slowly walked to the front of the class, somehow a bit shameless.

"You are indeed, again, Miss Yu, had the worst proposal for this project as well", he stated for the whole class to hear it too.

"Take a look at this. It is Winter Kim's", his slides open up to Winter's project proposal to show Karina (again) how it is done.

Karina used to hate this, being compared to Winter Kim. But now that Winter is her everything, she didn't care anymore.

It is her Winter.

Her person.

How could she hate her?

"Despite Karina being the worst in the proposal, you guys aren't better", the professor confessed to the class. "So I'm here to welcome Miss Kim Winter to present her won proposal and knocks you guys to realization. Please welcome".

The moment Winter's name was called, Karina immediately turned her head to the squeaking sound of the door behind her.

Then, she saw her.

Her Winter.

Her everything.

Her person.

Her girlfriend.

The love of her life.

With her usual tiny smile and soft demeanour, Winter bent her head slightly to the professor and to the whole class before she walked past Karina and standing right next to the older girl like it was nothing.

Karina could see how Aeri mouthed her words, "you are so fucking dead that your girlfriend is here!". Karina rolled her eyes in annoyance to her friend.

"Hi, everyone. I am Winter Kim", Winter greeted again only to gain a faded gasp from a few people inside the class that wasn't to Karina's liking.

"Yes, Miss Kim. Please, tell my students how to make such a good proposal as you did. Mostly, to the girl beside you. She's the worst of all", the old man massaged his eyebrows, letting Winter, the girl from the other major to explain things to the class.

Winter sneaks a peek at her girlfriend for a while. She could see that tiny one line scratch mark she accidentally left on Karina's neck in result of their kissing yesterday. Suddenly, her heart felt butterflies and her cheeks burning in embarrassment.

Well, Karina could see it from her eyes.

"Well, as you can see. The first section is-", Winter words came into a pause when Karina mindlessly held her by her hands, swinging them happily back and forth.

All eyes on Karina right now.

"Miss Karina Yu, I warned you not to interfere with Miss Kim's lecture and bring her troubles!", her professor demanded.

"It's okay prof-"

"It is not wrong to hold your girlfriend's hand in the public", Karina said mindlessly, receiving loud gasps from almost everyone in the class.

"W-What did you said, Miss Yu? Girlfriends?", the professor staring at both of them in desbelief and when Karina had no intentions to answer him back, Winter just answered her with a low sigh and soft nods.

"Yes, she is", she said.

The professor eyebrows furrow in desperation. "Why a genius student like you, Miss Kim, would have lazy and problematic students like Karina as your girlfriend?", he asked.

Winter couldn't explain why. The old man would never get it anyway. Seeing how Karina grins at her, shameless but happy, Winter is sure enough this will be a hell of a class.

"I'll continue with my lecture, professor", Winter answered, feeling her hand squeezed softly in Karina's.

《 end 》