the charm | winrina

seven

"I want you to stay away from Winter."

"It's not like I'm planning on being up her ass every five minutes," Karina snorted, rolling her eyes as she folded clothes in her and Haechan's shared room. It was early, and Haechan had woken up once he had heard Karina beginning to organize.

He had then taken it upon himself to give her a lecture about Winter. Bullshit.

"Don't be sarcastic, Rina," Haechan replied, anguished. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, and a glare on his face. "I want you to stay away from her. This is serious!"

"Why?" Karina snapped, and she could practically feel the hidden camera recording all of their arguing. "What, do you feel threatened or something?"

"I-" Haechan huffed out, crossing and uncrossing his arms, and averting his gaze. "I- well."

Karina's jaw dropped.

"You're joking. You're fucking joking, Haechan. Are you being possessive? That's not even cute... it's..." Karina wrinkled her nose, her face twisting with disgust. Haechan was definitely the jealous type, and during the early stages of their relationship would follow her around at clubs and parties, making sure nothing happened. It was cute at first, but quickly got creepy and irritating. Now, it pissed her off a lot. "We're on a dating show, you know. You can't just... I swear to God."

"I'm claiming what's m-"

"I'm not yours, Jesus! I'm a person, not an object! And you don't claim me, got it? You're not a fucking dog and I'm not territory you piss on to mark. So do you mind? It's a dating show! They want us to act this way! And again, this was your idea."

Haechan's face fell a little, but it was quickly replaced with anger. "And you agreed."

"Yeah, well, what were you gonna do if I didn't?"

"I..."

"That's what I thought," Karina snapped, and threw the items she was holding on the bed, turning to storm out of the room.

"Rina, wait!"

Karina ignored him and kept walking, heading downstairs until she got down to the beach, where she could clearly see a black camera following her movements, its red light on for recording.

She walked into the gazebo, the light cloth she was wearing fluttering around her. Karina was wearing a white bikini top, denim shorts, and a white lace cover-up that blew in the wind like a cloud. Drawing it around herself, she sat on the sandy wood and stared out at the sea.

"Trouble in paradise?"

"Holy shit!" Karina yelped, turning around to face a bored-looking Chaehyun. "You scared me half to death."

"You certainly look it. I wonder how many magazines would drop me if I was as pale as you are now," Chaehyun wondered, examining her manicured hands, and Karina resisted the urge to drop her- into the sea. "I have been told that I'm scarily beautiful, though, so maybe it's the genetics."

Karina snorted. "Thanks for the compliment."

"Sure, sure," Chaehyun shrugged. "But no, really, what's with you and Mr. Hairstylist? You two don't seem to be on cloud nine. Lots of arguing. The noise disrupts my beauty sleep."

This remark prompted a shrug and resisted eye-roll from Karina. "I don't know. We're not in the best place at the moment, I guess."

"Because of my partner?" Chaehyun laughed. "She's a real playgirl. Even when we're alone she keeps up that flirty personality. But she never actually goes anywhere with it, you know? She'll make you feel like the only person in the world, but will run away when it gets too serious."

Karina looked up, surprised, not expecting Chaehyun- who she initially had pegged as dense- to share this with her. It felt like watching a flock of birds, waiting for the noise to scare away. But Chaehyun continued.

"It's only been three days, but this emotional rollercoaster is more than I can handle sometimes," Chaehyun sighed. "I thought I liked people like her, except I realize now I only like them in little bursts. A one-night stand here, a talking stage there, I guess. Being exposed to flirtation 24/7 is a little much, especially since I can tell she's not truly interested in me."

"What?" Karina sat up straight, staring at Chaehyun in shock. "She isn't? Then why is she playing with you like that?"

Chaehyun's bitter smile was something Karina never expected to see on the model's face. "It's in the job. She plays. She's a playgirl. She's flighty and hates commitment but hot as fuck, which is a fatal mix to anyone who likes her and really wants her. She won't go anywhere. That's why she hasn't done anything with me."

Just then, Chaehyun sat up a little straighter, turning to stare out at the sea. "You're a photographer, right? Your type of people don't see the veneer that everyone has to keep up. Your job is to only capture what's on the surface, and models like me have to make that surface shiny so everyone can see it. People like Winter are in charge of taking what's on the surface and making it even more appealing for others. It's her vision everyone follows in the end, and that's how it is with this. She's taking advantage of the smokescreen. Again." Chaehyun laughed, but there was definite sadness in its cadence.

"Oh. I'm... I'm sorry. You don't deserve that."

And Karina meant it. Chaehyun was a little dense, yes, and definitely vain, but she didn't deserve to have her feelings toyed with by Winter. It was unfair, especially since Chaehyun was so clearly interested in Winter.

"Thanks, that means a lot," Chaehyun answered, the bitter smile still on her perfectly painted lips. "If- if you don't mind, I'm going to go back inside."

"Okay, bye," Karina said softly, waving a brief goodbye, watching as Chaehyun headed inside, swiping at her eyes. It hurt her to see someone hurt as a result of Winter.

Little did both girls know that said playgirl was there, sitting leaned against the gazebo base, having heard every word.