And if Ningning blocks Winter, then what?

She's supposed to be used to this. Her best friend is just really useless when it comes to her gay panicking. 

(She's not useless. Winter thinks Ningning just stopped caring anymore because she would always panic-panic.)

"Is that a date like a real date or something?" Winter asks her best friend again for the fourth time.

"I don't know why you're so worried about this. She had been sleeping over for a while now, hey, she's in your place more than I am!" Ningning said, sighing on the phone.

"Plus, she brought you to that movie theater I've been bugging you about. That would have been the real date for me." She continues. 

"She's just merely asking you to accompany her to the mall, unnie." Ningning said.

"You're not listening! This is her first time going to a mall, like the first time! I'm nervous." Winter said, walking back and forth inside her room. 

"Is she a hermit crab or something? I know literally no one who hasn't been to a mall before." Ningning commented.

"I found out she was homeschooled since she was a kid, and she would stay inside the majority of the time. I also noticed ever since we've been hanging out that she hates public places, or anywhere with too many people. She gets fidgety or something." Winter rambles. "So I'm really really nervous because when I asked her if she wanted to hang out—"

"So you asked her out, not the other way around." Ningning cuts her off.

"Well yeah, but that's before I found out she has never been to a mall! Now I feel pressured." 

"You're unbelievable."

"Wait, wait she's here." Winter said panicking again.

"She's picking you up?" Ningning teased.

"Yeah, have I mentioned her dad wanted to meet me so I'm triple nervous?"

"Oooh, meet the parents already? You're fast, unnie! You're on the right track though, don't worry. You know what they say, good romance starts with a good friendship—" Ningning trailed before adding "—and bad romance starts with rah, rah-ah-ah-ah, Roma, roma-ma," laughing hysterically on the other line.

"God, you're so..... corny! I'll go now. Bye Yi Zhuo! Love your corny !" 

-

The car ride to the Naevis Mall was far from awkward. Winter is not sure what she's expecting, but she's sure not expecting a warm Karina male version driving them to the mall. Winter would throw stolen glances from time to time, amazed at how Karina looked too much like her father.

"Winter, you're from Busan right?" Winter heard Karina's father ask, glancing briefly from the dashboard mirror. 

"Yes sir, born and raised." Winter said, a little too nervous.

"So where do you stay here? Are your parents here?" 

"Appa, remember my babysitter, Taengo unnie?" Karina answered instead from the passenger side. "She's her baby sister. She's Min-min baby! Do you remember her?" Karina said excitedly.

"Really? Wow, this is a small world." Her father chuckled. "So you're staying with her now? The last thing I've heard about her was she was working as an associate designer if I remember correctly."

"She has a fashion boutique now, Appa! It's so cool." Karina answered again on Winter's behalf. "You'll drop us there later, you can meet her again!" Karina added. She turned to Winter when she heard the other girl's thoughts.

"Oh, Appa will pick us up once we're done then he'll drive us back to Taengo unnie's shop." She explained. 

After few more minutes of driving, they have arrived and Karina looked excitedly at the big "Naevis Mall" letterings at the entrance. She looks back at her father smiling knowingly, happy that her daughter can finally try living a normal life. She sees her father come out and open the door for her and for Winter, smiling warmly at her friend.

"Winter, you don't know how much I appreciate you doing this for my baby girl here. Thank you." He said, taking Winter's hand. He looks back to his daughter and pulls her to stand beside Winter, grabbing the hand of the other girl. 

"Winter, can you please do me a favor and don't let go of my daughter's hand no matter what?" He said, earning a groan from her daughter. 

"Appa, you're embarrassing me." Karina groans again when she felt her father putting Winter's hand on top of hers. She smiled widely though when she felt the other girl squeeze into it, dropping their connected hands in between them.

"Yes sir! I'll take care of her, don't worry." Winter said calmly, albeit panicking so much internally.

"You know why Ji. I'm just so happy that you've met Winter and—"

"Yep yep thanks Appa, I'll call you when we're ready to leave, go now, I love you!" Karina said, knowing what her father is thinking at that very moment even when she's unable to hear what's going on in his head. She's kind of regretting telling him about how Winter was able to silence the noises. She pushed her dad back to the car, Winter trailing behind her, not letting go of her hand as she promised. 

Once she can no longer see her father's car, she pulled Winter excitedly inside.

"For someone who has never been to a mall, you were so cool for bringing me to that movie theater, unnie." Winter acknowledged, suddenly realizing how hard must it be for her, even though there aren't many people there as there are at the mall.

"Yeah, I wasn't thinking properly then. You don't know how scared I was the whole time." Karina said, her gaze unconsciously dropping on their hands, now intertwined properly. 

Winter seems to notice this and gave her a squeeze. "Don't worry, just hold on tight to me and you'll be okay!" Winter said, smiling widely.

Winter dragged Karina from shop to shop, mostly window shopping, not really planning on buying anything. They strolled through department stores and looked at some nice shirts, all the while not letting go of the other girl. She looked at Karina and was glad to see the girl happy and carefree, not a bit of worry shown on her face like all the other times she was with her in public places. 

Karina sees