the charm | winrina

seventeen

Chaewon and Yunjin won.

It was expected, and Karina had nothing but congratulations to offer for the new couple; they were good to each other, and visually attractive. The show ended with Karina and Winter placing second, achieving an award of half of the money that Chaewon and Yunjin had gotten. Karina didn't much care for the money anymore, though, and was eager to get off the show and leave it all behind.

Winter had tried to talk to her- tried to get her attention- but Karina had ignored her, and had been doing so for the past few days. It had been working so far, and today was the last day- when Karina would be free from the shit that had haunted her for the past few weeks. She could deal with an angry Haechan. She just couldn't deal with a broken heart.

"Karina!"

Winter ran after her, the tarmac sizzling underneath the tropical sun. "Karina, please, just wait. I need to talk to you!"

"The fuck do you want?" Karina snorted, turning and crossing her arms beside her suitcases. "I don't have anything to say to you."

"Yeah, but I do," Winter apologized. "Look, I didn't mean any of that, okay? I swear. I'm sorry. She mustered up a smile.

That exact same seductive, Winter Kim smile made perfectly for the television.

Karina laughed.

And she kept on laughing.

She laughed until her gut hurt, until she had to bend over and grip her suitcase just to avoid collapsing on the sizzling tarmac. She snorted, and then kept on giggling, squeezing her eyes shut until they leaked tears from how hard she was laughing.

"Oh God. Sorry, I almost believed you there," Karina laughed, wiping her eyes to flick away any stray tears. "Wow! Fucking Oscar-worthy performance, you know, so convincing I almost thought you were sorry! Not with that face." Karina snorted again. "You know, Kim, you'd make a hell of a good actress instead of a creative director. Your lying skills are off the charts!"

"Karina, please, just listen," Winter begged, her face going soft, and Karina almost slipped- almost looked into those eyes.

But no.

"Sorry, I've done enough of listening to you over the past few weeks. And look where it got me. Second place, no home to go back to, ridiculed on global TV, and with a broken heart," Karina answered, her voice dipping to a whisper as she turned away.

"So goodbye, Winter Kim. It was nice to know you when I didn't really know you. But I stand by what I said. We're done."

Karina ignored Winter's calls and rushed towards the airplane, withheld tears of laughter turning into real tears streaming down her face.

The door was locked.

Karina had been trying to jimmy it open for the past few minutes, but the locks had been changed. She'd never had this issue with the key before.

The answer was simple: Haechan had changed the locks.

Karina banged on the door. Her things were still in the house- her work, her personal items, her clothes.

"Haechan! Open up right now, you-"

She froze.

The unmistakable sound of light footsteps was coming from the other side of the door.

It cracked open slowly, and Karina took an instinctive step back. The door swung open then, revealing a girl at least five years younger than Karina, with long blond hair and a wrinkled shirt.

There was awkward silence, and then the girl said, "Um, you're Katherine, right?"

Karina blinked. "No...?"

"What was your name again? Oh, yeah, right." The girl snapped her fingers, as if remembering. "Karina! I'm Caroline. Your stuff is inside, in boxes. Haechan's upstairs, so just like, run and grab it, I guess."

Karina furrowed her eyebrows. "Upstairs? Won't he get pissed off, then?"

"I can deal with him. Just grab your stuff." Caroline shrugged, and disappeared up the stairs.

Karina wasted no time. She ran in, tugging the boxes out as best she could, and snatched a few stray things off shelves. Shutting the door softly, she ran, dragging her life behind her.

It was only then, as she sat outside her former apartment, that she cried.

She had nowhere to go. No siblings, and she hadn't spoken to her parents in months. She was broken- and yes, she had money, but the energy to buy a house was gone.

She had no energy.

She had no home, no friends, no place to run to.

She could stay at a hotel, but with her things? She'd look like a criminal or a runaway.

There was absolutely nowhere to go.

Karina sighed. She really hadn't wanted to do this, especially since she felt so betrayed, but she had to.

Had to. Karina convinced herself that that was why she was dialing this specific number, at this specific time, in her most dire need; convinced herself that it was out of spite, to burden this person with her presence again.

The line had barely rang once when the voice she had been trying to forget cut through the silence. 

"Karina?"

Karina took a deep breath.

"Hey, Winter."