During the singer's sweet gesture to send the taller girl home, since Karina couldn't hear anything on the radio Winter had tuned onto during her drive, instead the singer was kind enough to poke Karina by her shoulder and smile sweetly at her every time the light was red.

That is kind of thoughtful of Winter Kim, and Karina was grateful for that.

They couldn't talk to each other like the other people would do during the drive. Typing each other's phone to start a conversation on the road would be a big hassle, and Karina thought just from those smiles, that was all that mattered to erase the silence.

Because Karina would reply to Winter's smile every time she did.

Winter has that cute smile different from the others. Her eyes would become smaller, and her thin cheeks would be all puffy every time she did. Karina wondered how the singer could fill her cheeks into a puffy one all of sudden like magic. She kinda likes it, and that's why she would smile every time Winter did.

Being a friend with a celebrity sure is a strange phenomenon for the taller girl. Since she's a deaf person, Karina had a hard time making friends since she was little. But since the first encounter with Winter, there was like this strange pulley (or maybe a pushy) that made Winter talk non-stop to her, not like the others. Winter also didn't find Karina an annoyance, like most people did because of the difficulties in communicating with each other.

Karina promised herself that she would hold onto this friendship dearly.

Arriving home, Winter unlocked the door as she stared into Karina's eyes with the same doe eyes and a sheepy smile. "Is it okay if I— Oh, sorry," the singer realized her mistakes and took out her phone immediately.

"Is it okay if I want to go out with you anytime, sooner?" the singer sent to Karina before she glanced back to the taller girl with a pleading pout. "Please?"

Karina read the chats on her phone, letting out a soft chuckle before she smiled warmly towards the singer, tilting her head slightly as she typed back a reply. "You like my company, huh?"

"Yes! So, can I?" Winter typed back almost immediately, leaving the taller girl giggling. Karina shook her head as she typed back, "Sure, Winter. See you some other day, I guess?" Karina sent as her head perked up, looking back at Winter with a hopeful smile.

Seeing the other girl's reply, Winter starts to smile so wide between her eager nods, "Yeah. Bye-bye. Take care," she types back, ending the message with a heart.

Karina smiles at her phone and Winter as she opens the car door, setting one foot outside the car, waving her hands towards the singer with a bright, thankful smile. Winter was startled for a second when she heard Karina's soft "Bye" voice, which succeeded in making the singer smile even wider. Winter loves Karina's voice every time.

"Bye-bye! See you some other day!" Winter shouted as Karina closed the car door gently, keep waving their hands towards each other before Winter finally drove away.

When the singer got home with a big, satisfied, happy smile, that's when she realized that Karina had sent her another reply.

"Oh god. I'm going to have a really good sleep tonight," she smiled before shrieking to herself, throwing her body on the bed, and kicking the air happily.

*****

It was a sunny Monday morning, four days after Winter had sent Karina home. The girl silently gets out of her cab, signing the driver her thanks before she walks quietly to the library. Her iPad tugged close to her chest as she looked at her phone when a ding (followed by a vibration) caught the girl's attention. She immediately smiled the moment she saw the notification pop up.

It's Winter.

"This girl is unbelievable," Karina thought as she typed back her reply. It was just eight in the morning and the singer already greeted her that early.

Karina remembered Winter had asked her for another friendly date that Saturday evening. Sadly, it's Monday now and Karina won't go home sooner until five in the evening. If Winter wanted to hang out with her that bad, Karina guessed the singer needed to wait.

As eager as Karina predicted Winter would be, the singer replied back almost immediately when the phone vibrated again.

"Oh, right." Karina realized that. Winter never got to know Karina's real job despite being someone's sign language translator. She somehow felt bad for not telling Winter about that.

The taller girl's eyes were too stuck onto her phone that she almost didn't realize that she was reaching the library as one of her co-workers opened the door for her voluntarily, signing and voicing out "Good morning, Karina" to the girl.

Karina politely smiled back and waved her hands before she continued her journey to her designated counter, located on the second floor. She got her feet on the escalator as she typed back a reply to the singer with a smile.

Karina patiently waited for Winter's reply, learning good enough that the singer was a really fast reply not until suddenly a tap on her shoulder startled her to death. Both hands were on her chest, phone screen was hidden from the other girl's prying eyes, eyes bloodshot open as the deaf girl turned her head over, only to find her best friend Ningning smirking at her with both arms in front of her chest.

"What's gotten you smiling so wide, Rina?" the Chinese signed before lifting her brows playfully. Karina huffed heavily (but silently) before she signed back angrily. "Gosh! You scared me to death, Ning!"

The two friends knew each other long enough than anyone would. Long-short story, Ningning's mom was also deaf, and her mom and Karina's mom were best friends. So, that's how they knew each other. Mom's best friend's daughter, also best friend. The only difference is that Ningning wasn't born deaf, so between years of friendship with Karina, Ningning would always be the one who would defend the older girl's disabilities if anyone tried to bully her.

"So, what's gotten you smiling so wide?" Ningning signed her question again, this time with a wider smirk. "You've gotten yourself a girlfriend, Rina—"

"No!" Karina cuts Ningning's sign with a low shout almost immediately. "It's a friend."

"Huh. I won't believe that nonsense," Ningning said between her breaths as Karina kept staring at her.

"Hey! You need to sign back to me, Ning! You know I can't read long words,"  Karina scrunched her brows after signing to the Chinese desperately. Ningning on the other hand just rolled her eyes playfully as the two got off the escalator before she signed back.

"Okay-okay. You are talking to a friend who's making you smile so wide," the Chinese ended her sign with a smirk. Feeling defeated, Karina walks off, leaving the Chinese behind as she feels another vibration on her phone. Winter just replied back.

*****

Karina quietly arranged the books back on the shelves by codes diligently. Her eyes were so stuck on the labelling that she didn't realize someone was watching her between the shelves of books for quite some time. She didn't realize it sooner not until she accidentally dropped a book on the floor and saw another person's presence, two shelves away from her between the gaps of books.

This wasn't the first time experience she got herself a stalker inside the library. She knew she was pretty despite never admitting to it, but having a stalker with you inside the library once a month wasn't the best experience to encounter.

Karina knew she wouldn't be able to talk to the person. Even if she faces the stalker in person and signs angrily, the stalker won't even understand what she's trying to say. If she felt in danger, Karina wasn't able to shout either, she knew it well.

So, the only defence mechanism she had right now was her ability to run and knock the books on the person. She believed in the ability of every book in the section she's currently in right now. All were thick, hardcover research and thesis books that were definitely going to harm a human being if it ever got hit with.

Prepared, she held one in hand tightly, almost clenching onto the cover as she walked as quietly as she could closer to her stalker. When she moved right, the person went to the left. When she came closer, the person walked farther.

"That person definitely knew I was watching," Karina thought as she stopped her step.

She looked once more to the left and right, just trying to make sure if her next action would distract or attract anyone's attention. When she is sure enough that no one going to watch, Karina rushes forward, chasing the stalker at full speed.

Both hands lifted high up in the air, holding the five-hundred-page hardcover thesis as she chased the stalker quietly. As she got closer and locked her target onto that one person with a beige baseball cap and a face mask that obviously trying to run away from her, she finally be able to hit the person's head with the hardcover book as the person finally fell down, sat on the carpeted library floor.

"Take that, you idiot! I'm not allowing another stalker—"

But her inner thoughts and angry expression came into a pause as soon as the other person's baseball cap fell onto the floor as well, revealing that one blonde-haired girl Karina was too familiar with even tho with the face mask was still on.

"W-Winter?" Karina's eyes went wide open.

The moment she saw Winter's hand on her head, exactly in the area Karina hit her with the five-hundred-page thesis just now, the taller girl immediately froze as she dropped the hardcover book from her grip.

"Oh my god!" Karina was too shocked to believe her action.

The moment she saw a drop of tears come down from the other girl's eyes, Karina was so flustered and panicked. Guilt washing all over her that she didn't think much about her next action.

She dropped to her knees and hugged Winter immediately, hands caressing the back of the singer's head. In Karina's mind, this was the only thing she could do. She couldn't verbally say sorry to Winter. Pulling out a phone to type would be too late, and Winter didn't understand sign language.

Hugging the singer is her only resort.

Winter slowly pulled off her mask while Karina still hugged her tightly, face pouting sadly, her head was in pain. "Why did you hit my head?" she cries.

When Karina pulled out from the hug she studied the singer's face. Winter was blushing, yeah sure. But she kept pouting sadly and her hand was still on that specific spot Karina had hit her just now. Growing more concerned, Karina frowns and stroking the same area on WInter's head with her hand.

"Oh god, what did I just do."

Karina keep soothing Winter's head in a circular motion, her expression was apologetic. She wished she could voice out a 'sorry' to Winter at that moment. The trace of that single tear on WInter's cheek from just now makes her feel even more guilty.

But then, Karina was surprised when Winter suddenly did something to her.

"It's okay," the singer signed.

Taking Karina by surprise, the singer chuckled once before she repeated the sign language once more. "It's okay, Karina. I am okay."

Winter knows sign languages? The deaf girl was too stunned that she stopped soothing Winter's head. "Are you okay, Winter?" the taller girl signed with an apologetic expression. Seeing how the singer starts to form a small smile on her face before she wipes the trace of that single tear away, Karina finally washed over relief.

"I am okay, Karina. Winter is okay," the singer signed once more before that tiny smile turned into a wide, happy smile.

Only after that, Karina allows herself to smile, escaping a soft chuckle that Winter loves to hear every time.