DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction, and is purely made for entertainment.

 

Chapter One

 

"Have you seen what happened earlier? Winter gave her notes to Jae before our class was dismissed. I told you they are dating!"

 

"Right, I saw it too. Why would she let someone else borrow her notes if they're not close?"

 

"Gosh, they are both lucky to have each other!"

 

Winter is having lunch with her two best friends, Ningning and Ryujin, nang marinig niya ang pinag uusapan ng ibang estudyante ay napatingin agad siya sa paligid niya. It's been like this since some of the students saw the two of them going home, where Winter is upfront and Jae was walking behind her. It's totally a coincidence but the rumors said that Jae was walking behind her because he wanted to protect her and they make it look like it's something that a boyfriend would do. The rumors have been going on for two months now and Winter's tired from all of it.

 

Sino bang hindi? Eh minsan nga lang sila magkita ng lalaking ‘yon at minsan lang din mag usap kapag kailangan lang.

 

But what bothers her the most is every little thing that she does is always being monitored by everyone. Well, hindi naman na bago sa kanya ito dahil siya lang naman ang top student sa buong school simula noong first year siya. Kasalukuyan din siyang student council president at active sa mga competitions. But the attention she is receiving now is totally different. It’s not admiration, but envy. She feels like she's walking on thin ice if anyone saw her treating Jae like how a decent person would do, it would stir the rumors up again. She needed to do something.

 

"Winter, aren't you going to support your boyfriend at the upcoming baseball league?" The girl at the table beside them asks loudly enough for some students in the cafeteria to hear. Silence surrounded the area as if everyone was waiting for her answer.

 

Oh, God. Here we go again.

 

"I don’t have a boyfriend," Winter told them for the nth time. She then heard a fuss over what she said. Ningning scoffed.

 

"Can all of you stop asking questions like this? She's not really dating anyone, she likes someone else." Ningning said, which made Winter stare at her in confusion.

 

"I do?" She confusedly mouthed.

 

"Yeah, mag isip ka ng kahit anong pangalan, dali. We need to end this rumor with you and Jae, now." Ryujin whispered in her ear.

 

"Eh? She's really sweet with Jae, there's no point in denying their relationship," said another girl.

 

"This is irritating. Stop spreading rumors!" Naiinis na sabi ni Ningning.

 

"We’re not going to believe you until you tell us who you really like!"

 

"Yeah, if not then you're really dating him but you just want to keep it a secret. Which Jae doesn't deserve!" One of the varsity's fangirls said.

 

Ningning kicked her under the table. "Common, think of any names."

 

Then she remembers the name she saw somewhere earlier.

 

Bahala na.

 

"I like... Karina Yu," she said. Nanlaki naman ang mata ni Ningning at Ryujin. Una sa lahat, sa pagkakaalam niya ay si Ryujin lang ang parte ng LGBTQ+ community, dahil may girlfriend ito na isang cheerleader. And Winter? She never had a boyfriend but she's vocal about her type of men. Marami din gustong manligaw sa kanya pero wala siyang binibigyan ng pahintulot.

 

"Karina Yu?"

 

"A GIRL?" One of the students in front of them asked.

 

"No way,"

 

"Have you ever heard of that name?"

 

"I do not. Is she a student from here?"

 

"Niloloko mo ba kami?."

 

"All of you believed rumors, pero kapag galing sakin hindi niyo pinaniniwalaan?” Winter asked.

 

Meanwhile, in the corner part of the cafeteria...

 

"Jimin, are you okay?" Giselle asked her cousin. Jimin coughs and almost spits out the food she was chewing when she heard Winter say her name.

 

The person who everyone wanted to date. Smart, talented, the kindest person you could ever meet, just said that she likes me. ME. Out of all the people who lined up for her, why me? Karina thought.

 

"Yeah, I'm fine." She calmly said to Giselle. Although, hindi talaga siya mapakali sa upuan at gusto na lang niya umuwi.

 

"Winter said she likes you! But wait— how does she even know your other name? Were you hiding something from me?" Giselle squinted her eyes.

Jimin and Giselle are both transfer students. When Jimin's parents decided to retire and settle down back in South Korea, she has left with no choice but to follow them.

 

"I'm not hiding anything from you, Aeri. I bumped into her earlier and this book including this journal of mine scattered on the floor. Maybe that's when she saw my other name. That's the only reason I could think of." She told her cousin.

 

“Why do you have a journal tho? That’s just old-fashion,”

 

“It helps me know myself more, Gi. Highly recommended,”

 

She doesn't know if she should be grateful or be mad because Winter said she likes her. Although she's not totally attracted to the girl. Not at all. Nagawa niyang magkaroon ng tahimik na buhay isang taon bago matapos ang senior high school at gusto niyang magpatuloy ito pero parang hindi pabor sa kanya ang tadhana. Naiinis siya dahil kailangan niya pang madamay. Buong junior high life niya ay nasa spotlight na siya palagi. Mas naging pansinin pa siya lalo nang maging model siya ng isang sikat na clothing brand sa New York para sa summer collection nito. At simula non ay nag sunod-sunod na ang modelling career niya. She’s also doing good academically.

 

But the moment she left New York and dropped her modeling career for a while, she promised herself to avoid the limelight and have a peaceful Senior high school year in Korea, and if possible she wanted to have a peaceful college life too. But the situation now tells her otherwise. Although no one except Giselle knows her English name… it will only take a matter of time for people to know who Karina Yu is.

 

Or, would they really know?

 

Because she changed. Like a lot. Her fashionista self has gone and become this quite strange woman she is now. The Karina Yu in New York is wild and free. Kumbaga ang motto nito sa buhay ay YOLO. She only wears branded clothes and you’ll never see her slacking off. But now, she doesn’t care about that at all. And if her foreign friends found out about how she’s living her life right now, they won’t believe it.

 

She now wears her senior school uniform neatly. She doesn’t wear any make-up. At imbes na mag party after class, sa library siya tumatambay ngayon o kaya sa ma