Winter wasn't pleased to find Karina still next to her when she awoke in the afternoon. Ignoring her, Winter climbed out of bed quietly and walked into the master bedroom to shower. She threw on another pair of the most sexless pajamas, not that Karina thought Winter needed to wear certain clothes for her to find her sexy.
She entered the kitchen, warming up some prepped food, and used the house phone to call Yizhuo. She had dropped her phone somewhere in Colorado in the midst of the whole Karina ordeal, but she had Yizhuo's phone number memorized.
Yizhuo tells her that she was fine, and that her family was holding a funeral for her father in a few days. Winter promised her best friend that she will absolutely be there for her.
Karina entered the kitchen shortly after, freshly showered. Winter tried to keep Yizhuo on the phone, but she could hear Yizhuo's mother sobbing on the other side of the phone. Reluctantly, Winter hangs up the phone as Yizhuo tends to her mother.
She tries to ignore Karina as the older woman warms up her own meal. It didn't take more than ten minutes of Karina's unwavering regard for Winter to hop off of the counter and retreat to the backyard gazebo. Karina's presence rose too much out of Winter that was too dangerous.
The backyard was cast in an orange light, and Winter could see the sun setting in the sky. Inhaling the fresh air, Winter closes her eyes and leans into the chair. She was so damn tired. It has been almost two years and she still hasn't recovered from Yunho and Boa's death. Will she ever?
Karina wasn't giving her the solitude Winter craved, but she also wasn't forcing her touch on her. The older woman was always nearby, as if she really did need to be close to Winter or she'd go insane.
Winter stiffened when the chair beside her scraped against the cement as Karina pulled it out. She didn't have to open her eyes to see that it was Karina interrupting her peace. She wanted to demand Karina what she wanted from her, but she knew the conversation would be going in circles again.
Taking a deep breath in, Winter tries to ignore the tightness in her chest. The Yu's were her family after she lost her parents. They loved her unconditionally like their own daughter, even if Winter had run away, they always welcomed her back with open arms.
She would never be able to run into Yunho's arms again and cry like she would do with her own father. Winter wouldn't be able to relax and put her feet up and watch movies with them again like she did before. Now, Yunho and Boa are with Winter's parents.
Yunho was always the one to slap some sense into his daughter when Karina would go off the rails, but now that authority figure was gone forever. How did people go on after losing someone they loved?
"Father left you a third of his estate."
Winter snaps out of her thoughts and her eyes widened in surprise, "what?"
Karina nods subtly, "you own a considerable chunk of the Yu businesses."
"B-But I'm not a Yu."
When hazel brown eyes meet Winter's surprised one's, Karina's eyes darken into her soul. "Yes, you are. You're Yu Minjeong now. Don't you forget it."
Winter didn't care about money or power. It meant very little to her, but the fact that Yunho had put her in his will made Winter's heart ache.
"I found Father's journals." Karina said, chewing slowly as she ate her food. She stared into the distance, and Winter glanced at her briefly, waiting for her to continue. "A lot of them were addressed to me, but they were all about you. His journals went as early as when we were children."
YOU ARE READING
With All That I Am: Bound To You
FanfictionWinter Kim is a shell of her former self. She escapes the underworld again, but she's not alone this time. Her and her best friend flee and stay hidden, trying to outrun their pasts and mend their hearts. But that's all about to come to an end. Kari...