Since Aeri mentioned attending a weekly sign language class to Winter, the singer was highly invested in joining as well, knowing that it would help a lot for her to communicate with her favourite sign language translator.

With such determination, Winter tagged along with her manager to the Japanese second class, where she learnt how to sign her name, Winter, and Karina's name. She also got to learn how to sign "Me" and "You" and "Alright."

So, when Karina flashed her that genuine apologetic expression, Winter immediately put her knowledge to use, signing the "Me" and "Alright" to form the "I am okay" towards the taller girl, and ending them with the girl's name.

"I am okay, Karina. Winter is okay."

*****

Karina wasn't totally convinced when Winter had signed her almost for the thirty-seven times that she was fine. As the mentioned girl is now sitting right next to Karina at the counter with her baseball cap and her face mask on, reading a book about animals, Karina isn't quite sure what she should feel.

Sure, Winter here with her makes her happy. But after that grave mistake she'd made, Karina didn't know if she should be happy anymore.

She just fucking hit the million-seller singer, Winter Kim, with a fucking five-hundred-page hardcover thesis!

If Winter's fans find out about it, Karina would be beaten up to death!

"Are you really okay, Winter? I'm worried," the taller girl signed to the singer, and she didn't expect that Winter would understand every sign she gave. When she is sure enough that the singer didn't quite get her words, Karina finally pulls out her phone, opening her Kakaotalk chats. Winter's eyes follow the taller girl's actions.

"Are you really okay, Winter? Is it still hurt? I'm really sorry about that," Karina sent as the singer was immediately surprised by a notification pop-up on her phone screen.

Winter turns her head to the taller girl, who is still looking apologetic. With her face now covered with a face mask, she could only give the other girl assurance from her eyes. Winter quickly typed back a reply to convince her more.

"It's fine. You soothe them out just now. The pain already ran away from your sweetness."

With Winter's sweet-talking ability and the way she smiles like a ten-year-old child who received the best birthday gift ever, Karina's heart melts by itself. "I'm glad that you are okay," she typed back before she stared back at the singer, moving her wheeled chair closer to Winter as she put her hand back on the singer's head.

"Sorry," Karina signed only to make the other girl smile even wider, typing on her phone before flashing them to Karina.

"I don't know that one. I only learnt a bit, I still need to learn a lot. It will make us communicate easier, won't they?" Winter shifted her gaze between her phone and Karina's softened expression. The taller girl smiled gladly as she pulled her hand away from the singer, typing "Thank you for learning some for me, I appreciate it. Let me explain. I gained myself lots of stalkers since the first day I was working here. I thought you were one of them. I am sorry again."

"Well, I am stalking you, though," the singer's reply makes Karina's eyes pull away from her phone, looking at Winter in confusion. She did?

"Not literally stalking. I just want to give you a surprise. So... surprise?" Winter looked back at Karina as she shook her hands, gesturing the 'Suprise!', and she was glad to hear that soft chuckle from Karina again. Karina's hands were back on her phone, "It's almost lunch hour. Wanna grab some food with me? I got a perfect spot with fewer people for a person like you."

Winter's inner child cheered. Karina had offered her a friendly date, and Winter didn't hesitate to say yes almost immediately, nodding her head eagerly only to make the other girl laugh at her silly antics.

"Let's go!"

*****

Karina leads the way down the escalator as the singer follows right behind her closely, looking left and right just to make sure she didn't get caught going out in public to woo-ing a librarian there. When Karina was the first one to set her feet on the first floor, she looked over, seeing how Winter's eyes scanning around carefully and definitely zero focus on her footing.

Karina wasted no time to walk back closer to the singer, pulling Winter by the sleeve of her hoodie, startling the singer back to consciousness before Karina pointed her finger to the floor. Mind your steps, it says.

"Oh. Sorry," Winter giggles. Karina smiled as she continued to pull Winter with her, walking out of the library door. Winter swung their unlatched hands playfully, only to make the taller girl giggle, turning her head around, flashing Winter that same heartwarming smile.

Winter won't question where Karina would bring her to. Plus, it is great to get dragged along like this. She felt like she was Karina's personal puppy that she greatly adored. As they take steps and steps farther away from the library, a shout of Karina's name froze Winter from moving.

"Karina!" that voice shouted again, but of course the deaf girl wouldn't be able to hear it because right now, Karina turned her head to Winter with a confused expression, tugging Winter's sleeve harder, asking her to keep walking.

But then the taller girl's attention shifted as soon as Winter pointed her finger to the person not far away behind them, "Someone's calling you, Karina."

"Oh. Yeah. Right."

The person finally succeeded in catching up with the two as she signed at Karina between her heavy huffs. "You promised to eat lunch with me, don't you remember? The moment I came down from my floor to meet you, you weren't there anymore. And who the heck is this person?" Ningning ended her sign with both hands on her waist, catching her breath.

"I'm sorry I forgot, but I have a guest today. This is my friend," Karina signed back immediately.

"But how about your lunch with me?"

"I guess yours will be on another day because I will eat my lunch with this person today."

Winter's head was moving from left and right. What kind of conversation did she just witness right now? "Wow-wow, you girls signing so fast, I cannot understand a single thing!"

"You can talk?" Ningning's voice came out so loud that it almost dropped Winter's heart from shock, hand on her rapidly beating chest. "Gosh, you scared me. I don't know you could too," Winter huffed before she continued. "I'm Karina's friend, Winter Kim—"

"You are that Winter Kim?" Ningning's eyes start to widen, exchanging glances between Winter's covered face and confused Karina. "Why do you never tell me that you are a friend of this crybaby singer?"

"Crybaby singer?" Karina signed in confusion. "Don't tell me, the singer that you helped with sign language two months ago was Winter?"

Ningning rolled her eyes, "Yeah. The one that I told you about when a deaf fan started to sign her criticism and I fought back with my own signs only to be called a weirdo translator by her manager. That singer that cried after that, the one I told you about is Winter Kim!"

"Uh... What's going on here?"

*****

It ends up Ningning following the two girls to their lunch as Winter sits right next to Karina while Ningning sits across them.

Winter didn't like how the Chinese kept giving her death glares since the first time she knew her identity.

"Am I in trouble? Why did your friend keep glaring at me like that?" Winter typed before flashing her phone screen to Karina, sending her the SOS. The girl was so invested in looking at the menu that she didn't realize Ningning had become a threat to Winter. Karina then glared at the Chinese once and shook her head, asking the younger girl to stop doing that.

Then, she took Winter's phone from the singer's grip, typing her reply. "Don't mind her. What are you going to eat?" Karina flashed the phone to the singer with her smile and thankfully Winter smiled back.

"Anything you are eating," Winter typed before she smiled sheepishly at the girl beside her. Karina let out a soft chuckle as she took the phone back. "Fine, you silly."

A gentle tap on the table (followed by a soft shake of the table) startled the two girls, now looking back at the Chinese in confusion. "Don't leave me out of your conversation, hey!" Ningning said as she signed.

"You scared her, Ning. Stop being hot-blooded," Karina warns once more, shaking her head harder this time as she is serious with her words. "It is her manager that you hate, not Winter. Leave my friend alone."

"I'm your friend too!"

"Cut the act out, Ningning."

"Fine."

*****

After that lunch, Ningning excused herself first after signing a pinky promise deal with the older girl that she would leave Karina and Winter alone, which Karina greatly appreciated.

The two girls spent more time exchanging their talks on Winter's phone on their way back towards the library. Winter would always try to make jokes for her to earn that soft laugh and chuckle from Karina. For Winter, Karina's voice was like a gem. Since it is hard to be heard, when Karina makes one, it will be expensive.

When they finally arrived in front of the library, Karina's smile started to fall slowly. "You need to go now?" she typed on Winter's phone and Winter nodded her head gently. "Yeah," a disappointed smile flashed on her face, the same as Karina did right after.

"Can't you stay a bit longer? You said you've got no schedule for the day?" Karina typed and seeing it on the phone screen, Winter started to pout sadly at the taller girl. "I am, but my mom texted me just now. She is on the way for a visit. I'm sorry, Karina."

Seeing the words Winter flashed to her on the phone screen, Karina acts more, pouting sadly, and it makes the singer laugh for some reason. Too much cuteness for Winter to bear, the singer typed immediately, "I'll make up to you, I promise. How about a hangout at my house? We could play games, or cook, or watch movies!"

Thankfully, Karina starts to smile again. "Sure! Let's play some games and do some cooking. Maybe not the movie because I couldn't enjoy it much. So, a promise?" Karina flashed the phone screen to Winter as she held out her pinky finger.

"Seal it, Winter."

"You are really something, Karina," Winter laughs before finally holding out her pinky, sealing the deal with Karina as they giggle towards each other happily. "I promise."

As they parted ways, Karina waved her hands happily at Winter. Her ethereal beauty got even more ethereal the moment she smiled at Winter so warmly between her tiny giggles that it ached Winter's heart even more from leaving. Winter swear to god, why in so many times that her mom wants to visit her house today? She was having such a nice day with Karina.

Winter waved back one last time to Karina before finally walking away, jumping and kicking invisible stones with her feet happily. The way she kept smiling so wide all day hurt her cheek, and her head still got that tiny bump from Karina's thesis smack. But, Winter realizes that this kind of pain is the pain that worth it.