Karina wasn't involved in a car accident or a traumatic experience that she ended up deaf. It was a blood-relations thing. Her mom is also deaf, and Karina Yu was born as a deaf girl. But, she never hates herself for being one.

Being a hearing-impaired person wasn't totally that suck for Karina. Despite not being able to hear much — she could hear a bit, but everything sounded so fuzzy and mixed up that she didn't know what sound is this and that, Karina was able to talk.

Not actually talk talk. Karina is perfectly able to give simple answers or short words such as 'yes' and 'no'. Other than that, she could perfectly make herself humm or answer a question with a "huh?" or an "oh?" and "ah." That's her limit of talking, not less and more than that.

So, that evening, when Aeri went to the backstage with the taller girl, the Japanese quickly typed on her phone, "The singer's name is Winter Kim. She's the one who actually needs your help. Did you know her?"

Aeri flashed her phone screen to Karina, and almost immediately, the girl responded with the word, "Yes."

The way Karina talked to her somehow shocked the Japanese. "You can talk?" Aeri blurted out, but then the taller girl tilted her head with brows furrows in confusion. "Oh, yeah. Sorry."

"You can talk?" Aeri typed and showed the phone screen to Karina again. The smile on her face widened as she nodded her head, and enthusiastically answered with words coming out of her mouth for the second time. "Yes," before Karina gestured her finger into a pinch. "A little."

Aeri's eyes blink in amazement. "Well, that's amazing," she said to herself with an amused smile. The two girls then talked some more through phone-typing before Aeri led the taller girl to the stage, standing right behind the singer before finally leaving her alone to handle the situation.

Karina softly taps the singer on the shoulder as she flashes her phone screen to Winter, explaining who she is and what her role is for today. Extremely dumbfounded by Karina's ethereal beauty, the singer couldn't stop herself from gasping softly.

"How in the world Aeri managed to find such a goddess?"

Having no idea of what Winter was saying to her, Karina immediately pulled her phone away from Winter, typing in speed as she flashed the screen again to the singer.

"Are you ready? The mentioned fan is coming."

Winter's eyes move between Karina's phone and Karina's ethereal beauty. God, she didn't even try to hide that she'd been staring at the taller girl's face in such awe. But when the sound of the chair being pulled across Winter's table was heard, the singer immediately snapped her sense back to reality. Yeah, she has a job here.

The hearing-impaired fan sat across Winter with a smile on her face, waving her hands to Wintee before the singer waved back with the same happy smile.

Later, the fan made the hand and finger gestures of sign language quickly that Winter had a hard time understanding. But when she looked at her side, she saw how Karina was busy with her thumbs into a working mode keyboard warrior. It took only ten seconds for Karina to show her phone screen to Winter.

"She said she has been a fan of yours since you debuted. Even though she couldn't hear, she liked to see you performing on stage. It gave her motivation everytime."

Karina smiled at Winter as the singer scoffed lightly, totally amazed by the translation speed Karina provided for her. Winter smiled once at the taller girl before she shifted her attention to the mini whiteboard in front of her, writing her gratefulness.

"Thank you so much for your support. I am really happy that I could be one of the sources of your motivation. I really wish you would have a great day, always!"

Seeing Winter's reply on the mini whiteboard makes the fan smile happily to her ears. She gestured some more sign language, and Karina did her best to translate everything on her phone at such an amazing speed. Thanks to her, Winter could exchange more than ten conversations with the fan.

Usually, she would get less than ten. But, Karina was so good at translating and typing that the second hearing-impaired fan also felt satisfied with the fan-meeting services.

Winter takes a mind note on herself to talk to Karina later after the event, probably to say thanks.

Or maybe more than that.

*****

It was almost six when the fan meeting ended, and Winter excitedly rushed her steps towards the backstage to meet a certain sign language translator. Since the moment she saw Karina, she knew that she needed to keep this one.

"Aeri! Where is she?" Winter shouted to her manager with a smile, but the Japanese only gave her a confused expression. "She is... who?"

"Karina," Winter said, looking to her left and right to find the taller girl's presence, only resulting in dismay. "Where is Karina, Aeri? I want to talk to her."

"She goes home already."

"She's what?" Winter's eyes widen looking at her manager. "Tell me at least you've got her number, please," Winter's eyes furrow, almost desperate for a positive answer. With that obvious expression, Aeri just stared at the singer with a teasing expression. Her lips curled into a smirk as she watched how Winter was so serious about the translator.

"I got her number. Do you want them?"

With Aeri's answers, Winter's eyes immediately sparkled as the corner of her lips lifted up in a happy smile. "Yes! Gosh, thanks!"

Aeri laughed once as she sent the phone number to Winter's, and it was so ridiculous the way the singer shook her hand so hard afterwards, saying hundreds of thanks after receiving Karina Yu's phone number like it was a life-saving moment.

"Why are you so happy about this?" Aeri asked in curiosity. She never saw Winter being so invested in anyone, let alone her one-day sign language translator.

"Where did you find such a beautiful translator? She's amazing!" Winter exclaimed happily as she tapped her thumbs on her phone screen, saving the number with the name; Miss Translator.

"I bumped into her as I ran to the library just now. I wanted to apologise but suddenly she did some sign language and I was like— Bingo! I found the person," Aeri smiled proudly to herself. "This one is definitely not the one like before, isn't it?"

Winter pocketed her phone into her jeans. "Yeah. The translator from before was too slow at translating. He's suck despite being perfectly normal. That's why I don't trust a man translator that much."

Hearing the singer's confession makes Aeri want to tease her even more. "Ouch. That's gonna hurt a lot of your male fan pride," she laughs. "By the way, what are you gonna say to your new translator?" Aeri's smirk got wider, playfully waving her eyebrows knowingly.

Seeing how Aeri starts to mentally beat Winter on the ass, the singer lets out a rebellious pout.

Why not? Aeri knew how much Winter was a woman lover. The singer is never interested in men as much as she is in women. Now that Winter started being obvious, why not tease her more?

"Shut up! I just want to say thanks, and maybe, offer her a permanent job for translating?" Winter argues.

Ignoring the fact that her cheeks are just turning red hue.

*****

Winter mindlessly lay down on her bed, staring at Karina's phone number on her phone. Should she say something? How should she start a conversation with her? Will she disturb Karina at the moment? Now, that's made her a bit anxious.

Her legs kick into the air as she stares at the profile picture. What a beauty. The singer bet Karina wasn't single either. Well, look at her! Is she even human?

Even from the profile picture of Karina holding a sushi with her chopsticks, it doesn't seem humane at all to Winter Kim. This is too inhuman. Her beauty is out of the humanization of law and order. She ain't alien, but how is she such a goddess?

"Come on, Winter. You need to type something!"

"Would it be fine to say hi? Would that sound weird, saying hi all of a sudden?"

Winter shakes her head as she starts to type her first words. "What are you doing—" and she suddenly paused her actions. "Doesn't that sound kind of nosy," her brows furrow before she shakes her and deletes the message.

Her head tilted to her right as she thought deeply. "Should I ask how she is? But? she looks fine earlier. Definitely, nothing is going on with her, right?" Winter sighed lightly as she started to type another thing instead.

"Goodnight—" she typed before she paused her actions again, debating herself countless times, whether this was the right thing to say after they just literally met for the first time today—

"WARGHH!"

Winter literally freaked out, shouting her lungs out as she tossed away her phone from her hand.

She just made the craziest mistake in her entire life by accidentally sending the sudden 'goodnight' to the goddess translator she just met for the first time!

The worst part of it is that Karina already read the message.

"You damn crazy, Winter! What a stupid mistake! Fuck!" Winter clenched her hair with her fist, rolling on her bed left and right in desperation and embarrassment. How will Karina react later? Winter couldn't imagine anything. She could only imagine the worst like—

Yeah. Like that.

"Winter Kim, you idiot!" Winter facepalmed her head so hard that it started to turn red. But, Winter didn't care much as her dignity towards Karina was on the line. Fuck all those dignity, really. Winter got a job to clear her name.

"Great. Now, Karina could see how red I became. What a great day!" Winter shouted into her pillow, realizing how messed up she was with their first chats.

The singer anxiously waited for Karina's answer as she started between her phone screen and the ceiling of her bedroom. Winter could feel how fast her heart beating, absolutely abnormal, not normal, not like the usual. Yeah. How do you put that in words? Winter couldn't explain.

It was all so messed up that even her words didn't make sense anymore.

After waiting anxiously for six minutes, her abandoned phone started to buzz again as Karina's name popped up on the screen. Winter freaked out for a moment as she reached for the phone with trembling fingers and a horror expression.

"Please don't find me weird. Please don't find me weird!" Winter put the spell on her phone as she opened the chats again.

"Thank god!" Winter scoffed loudly, extremely glad that Karina didn't question much about her stupidity. Slightly composed, Winter sat on her bed as she took a deep breath. Hands on her chest as she tried to calm herself from doing more stupid things. When she was sure enough that she was ready, she started to type another reply. It didn't take Karina long enough to reply back.

Winter smiled at the reply, finally being able to feel more comfortable in the conversation. "Well, it wasn't as bad as I imagined," she chuckled to herself as her thumbs started to get busy for another reply. But then, Karina beat her first, with a conflicted question for Winter to answer.

"Right..." Winter nervously squinting her eyes. She has no serious purpose in personally chatting with the translator, to be honest. Professionally, it is really Aeri's job to say thanks or to convey Winter's thanks to Karina. But then, this time would be the first time that Winter herself volunteered herself for the message.

"What should I say when the truth is that I just want to talk more with her," WInter scratched her nape in confusion, thinking about what lies should she tell the girl. "Should I sell Aeri's name? Should I say that Aeri instructed me to do so? That seems reasonable. Yeah."

Winter continues to type her answers, fighting back her eyelids that slowly getting heavier over time. She tapped the send button and waited for Karina's reply, but the other girl didn't reply sooner that without Winter realizing, she finally fell asleep with her phone in her hand.

Three minutes later, a reply came from Karina as Winter's phone buzzed.

Well, Winter going to read that one after she comes back from dreamland.