mean it - winrina

fifteen

Winter woke up, groggy from the sleeping scent and aching from the bruises she got during the fight between Karina and Vern. It was already 7 PM, and she found Karina beside her, taking a nap, perhaps a few hours after she had brought Winter to the hospital.

Winter slightly moved her body and sat up, tiredly saying, "Hmm? Why am I at the hospital..."

Karina, who was fast asleep beside her, woke up immediately and answered, "Winter, you're awake! How are you feeling? Are you okay?"

"Karina?", Winter rubbed her eyes and looked around, confused.

Karina leaned in closer, her eyes full of concern. "Yes? How are you feeling, Minjeong?"

"Why are we here? Something happened, right?" Winter asked, her voice weak. "And where's Minju? Did she visit?" She looked around expectantly.

Karina was shocked to hear Winter ask for Minju without knowing it was her who caused all of this. She felt more sadness than anger, seeing how innocent Winter was and how she didn’t suspect Minju, despite their relationship deteriorating recently.

"Minjeong..." Karina hesitated, her voice trembling. "It was-" She was cut off when the door to Winter's room suddenly opened.

It was Minju.

"Winter!" Minju rushed to her side, her eyes wide with concern. "Oh my God, I was so worried about you." She gently took Winter's hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Minju... a man was there... at the place," Winter said, her voice trembling slightly as she recalled the incident.

Minju pretended to not know anything and put on a convincing look of surprise. "Really? Thank goodness Karina called me earlier! Who would've known I would arrive here just as you were waking up, my dear."

"I was so scared. Luckily, Karina was there to save me." Winter's eyes filled with gratitude as she glanced at Karina.

Watching the two of them talk made Karina's blood boil. "She barged in before I could say anything to Winter and now she's pretending not to know about anything?! Lies, lies, lies! I didn't even call her earlier!" Karina thought angrily, clenching her fists.

Karina saw Minju smirking at her, with a victorious glint in her eyes. It was clear she felt she still had the upper hand. Just as Karina opened her mouth to speak, the man from before, Vern, barged into the room, looking around for Minju and addressing her as "boss."

"Hey, boss," Vern said in a sarcastic tone, his eyes scanning the room until they landed on Minju. "I was looking for you. We need to talk."

As Minju was about to speak, Winter was flabbergasted. It was the man from before. Quickly recognizing him, she shouted, "You! Why do you know Minju?!" Winter's heart raced, her mind spinning with confusion and fear.

Minju interrupted Winter, trying to calm her down. "This is not what it looks like, please, believe me."

Vern glanced at Minju and chuckled. "I see how this is," he said, giving Minju a knowing look before leaving the room, still giggling at the sight.

As the three of them watched him go out, Karina's anger reached a boiling point. Her eyes blazed with fury as she turned to Minju.

"Minju!" Karina slapped Minju across the face, her voice shaking with rage. "How could you lie to Winter like this? You’re the reason she’s here!"

"No!" Minju shouted back in fear, glancing back and forth between Winter and Karina. Desperation seeped into her voice as she pleaded, "Don't believe her, Winter!"

"What...?" Winter's voice trembled as she looked at Minju, her confusion deepening. "What’s going on, Minju?"

"Minju, I need to know the truth," Winter continued to ask her, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside her. "What really happened?"

Minju's eyes filled with tears as she tried to appeal to Winter. "Winter, I was trying to protect you. Karina doesn't understand-"

"Enough!" Karina cut in, her voice sharp. "Stop lying, Minju! Tell her what you did."

Minju’s face twisted with anger and desperation. "I did it for us, Winter! I thought it was the only way to keep you safe!"

Winter's mind reeled as she processed their words. "Karina, leave," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "I need to... talk to her."

Karina hesitated but eventually turned and walked out, casting one last worried look at Winter.

As the door closed behind them, Winter tried to calm down, with her mind racing. She didn't know who to trust and what really happened. The room was quiet, but the tension between her and Minju wasn't. Winter stared at the ceiling, tears streaming down her face.

Seeing Winter cry made Minju's heart ache with guilt and sorrow. She walked closer to her and cupped her cheeks, gently brushing away the tears flowing from her eyes.

"Winter... I was just worried and paranoid... I didn't know it would lead to this..." Minju's voice trembled as she spoke, her eyes pleading for forgiveness.

Minju took a deep breath, her grip on Winter's cheeks tightening ever so slightly. "You have to understand, Winter, everything I did was for you. Karina doesn't see the bigger picture. She's always been jealous of us, of what we have. She'd do anything to come between us."

Winter's brow furrowed as she tried to process Minju's words. "But why did you-"

"Shh," Minju interrupted softly, pressing her forehead against Winter's. "You don't need to worry about the details. I was only trying to protect you from people who don't really care about you, who don't understand you like I do. You know how Karina can be... She twists things, makes them seem worse than they are."

Minju's voice grew more insistent. "You remember that time she lied about you to everyone at school? Made you look like the bad guy? This is just another one of her games, Winter. She wants to isolate you, make you doubt everyone else so she can control you."

Winter shook her head slightly, trying to pull away, but Minju held her firm. "No, listen to me. I would never hurt you on purpose. You have to believe that. If anything went wrong, it was because of Karina's interference. She's manipulative, Winter. She's trying to turn you against me."

Tears welled up in Winter's eyes again as she struggled to reconcile Minju's words with her own memories. "But Vern... he called you boss. Why would he-"

"Vern is just a pawn, a misguided fool," Minju said quickly, a sharp edge to her voice. "He doesn't know the full story either. He's just doing what he thinks is right, but he doesn't see the whole picture. You know how people can be, getting involved in things they don't understand."

Minju's voice softened once more, her thumbs tracing circles on Winter's cheeks. "You and I, we're meant to be together. We understand each other on a level no one else can. Don't let Karina's lies and manipulations come between us. Remember all the good times, the promises we made. We can get through this, but you have to trust me."

Winter felt a surge of anger and confusion boiling within her. She pulled back forcefully, breaking free from Minju's grasp. "No! Stop it, Minju! Stop twisting everything!" she snapped, her voice rising in defiance.

Minju's eyes widened in shock and hurt. "Winter, I-"

"Enough!" Winter shouted, her fists clenched at her sides. "I can't keep doing this. You can't just manipulate me and expect me to blindly follow you. I need the truth, Minju, not more lies!"

Minju's expression hardened as she stepped back, her demeanor shifting. "So, you're choosing to believe Karina over me?" she asked coldly.

Winter stood her ground, tears of frustration streaming down her face. "I don't know who to believe right now... But I do know I can't trust you if you're going to keep lying to me."