The sun crept through the window of Winter's apartment slowly, spreading across the blanket and pillows strewn in her bedroom like a mess.

In the world, that is to wake up, but inside it, Giselle and Ningning were a whirlwind of energy racing to Winter's door, breathless and all disheveled.

Their hair was tousled, and their eyes still had sleep in them as they approached barely being able to catch their breath.

"Winter!" Giselle screamed, bracing herself against the front doorframe. Ningning clutched her waist hard, still trying to compose herself after that crazed dash.

"Open up, Winter Kim Min Jeong!" Ningning yelled in a voice that echoed through the stillness of the apartment. No answer came from inside, so she quickly typed in the code and pushed open the door.

Inside, they found a strange view: Winter lay out before them; her face was toward the ceiling, and a ginormous grin stretched out across her face.

She was tossing Banana up in the air, and the poor cat meowed indignant as he flailed midair, only to land softly into Winter's waiting arms.

"What in the world-?" Giselle whispered, not able to contain her confusion.

Ningning, eyes open wide, weeping and pleading, threw herself onto the bed and wrapped her arms around Winter, pulling the other girl into an unsuspecting hug, thinking Winter finally lost her mind.

Winter, caught by surprise at her sudden contact, blinked at her in mute amazement.

"What happened?" Winter asked genuinely perplexed.

Ningning only wept more on her shoulder, but Winter was bewildered at her friend's reaction.

Giselle sat at the edge of the bed looking at Winter with concern and question.

"So what is it that you wanted to tell us?"

Winter suddenly remembered it all.

She flicked her wrist; happily, sending Banana flying in the back of the bed and banana disgruntled meow signalled his thud onto the floor.

Giselle in concern, looks past Winter and the cat came out from under the bed then began to lick himself not even bothered as to what had just happened.

"I've made up my mind!" she exclaimed, underlining excitement and roguishness in her eyes.

"What is it?" Giselle asked, leaning forward.

"I'm going to stop being sad and hiding," Winter declared, her smile growing bigger. "I'm going to start working again!"

Giselle gasped, staring with near-open-mouth shock.

"Really? That's amazing!" she exclaimed, caught off guard at the very sudden change of mood Winter was exhibiting.

This was the moment that, finally really getting Ningning, her head around what was happening, tears of confusion began to melt into tears of elation because what Winter said finally clicked in with what she was trying to tell her.

"Oh my god, this is amazing!" she stated her voice full of quivering glee.

"But hold on," Winter went on, devilish grin staining her face.

"I'm going to be a contract killer!"

The words floated around in the air for a minute as Giselle and Ningning both stared at her.

Ningning sat with her head tilted back, looking bewildered by the gesture. Confusion etched across her features was written.

"Wait, what? Are you serious?"

Giselle, who has been freezed, eyes popped open, then.

"What?!," she squealed and almost screamed because her voice would be filled with the high-pitched voice in the room.

Winter reaches her laptop, fingers moving with a life of their own as she carried out her navigation to get herself to the site she had constructed.

"Check it out," she said, angling the screen for them to look at.

Giselle leaned over the top, with eyebrows furrowed, eyes flashing quickly over the page and Ningning stretched her neck like a giraffe, squinting her eyes, trying to read.

"Wow, that is really impressive!" Giselle said after a minute, scanning Winter's profile.

"Your English is so clean!" she remarked, throwing in an exaggerated killing gesture with her hands.

Winter and Giselle burst out laughing, and Ningning looked from one to the other, amazed.

"Seriously?" she asked Giselle.

"But I was sure you were going to scold her for doing something this stupid!"

Giselle winked at Ningning.

"Why not? It's exciting! Besides, look how seriously she does this."

Winter crossed her arms, trying to look serious.

"I just want to feel the thrill again, and I need money," she tried to sound rational.

Ningning raised her eyes to her forehead.

"You are not broke, Winter. You do not have to kill people to make money!"

But Giselle huss Ningning and looked at her with pride.

"Are you sure about that? Do you think this is what you want?"

Winter raised her fist in the determined move.

"Absolutely."

"Nice!" Giselle screams in excitement as she jumped over and did a somersault.

"Let's celebrate! Come on Ningning!"

Ningning didn't quit her dazed staring as Giselle yanked her off the bed, leaving Winter to don a satisfactorily happy smile. She and Giselle walked out, Banana letting out a little meow, looking as oblivious as how Ningning had been.

Winter couldn't help but laugh; she felt lighter than she'd felt for months. Perhaps this crazy new path she was on, but it felt exhilarating-and for the first time in a while, she felt alive.

-

Cool morning air slapped into them to wake up outside Winter's house.

Ningning rolled her head toward Giselle, with knotted eyebrows in frustration.

"What's wrong with you? And with Winter?" she asked, with crossed arms.

"Seriously, you're siding with this? This weird, unsafe, completely out-of-nowhere plan? Our dumb friend is certainly still in deep depression!"

Giselle laid her promising hand reassuringly on Ningning's shoulder, warming up her gaze with a friendly smile.

"Listen," she said softly yet boldly.

"Our girl is finally coming out of her cocoon. She has been locked up for months, hiding from the world. This might be what she needs-to reconnect with people again and have a reason to wake up."

"But... an assassin's servant?" Ningning asked in disbelief and concern.

Giselle shrugged, smiled, "Hey, who am I to question her career choice?" as she gave a gentle playful squeeze on Ningning's shoulder before walking off down the street.

"Besides, if that helps her feel alive again, I'm good with that!"

Ningning only stands there blinking. Giselle's laughter is trickling down the street in waves.

And she goes on watching her walk out, with every fine step taking in the laughter only Giselle can do so without a care and noiseless.

Looking back at the front door of Winter, this brings to mind the goofy grin that was her best friend's.

A long sigh slips off her tongue.

"Fine. Guess we're all just.... Going crazy now," she mumbled under her breath, which had won the day.

She stepped across on the other side, trudged off through her walking, and then looked like a defeated cat left out in the rain.