Love Charade

(Part 1)

Winter swirled the ice in her gin tonic, the clinking a faint melody against the bar's bustling noise. She cast occasional glances around, a picture of casual observation. She had to blend into the atmosphere naturally.

Suddenly, a shadow fell across her drink. Looking up, she found a tall woman with a pixie haircut gazing down at her with a flirtatious smile. "Hey there, beautiful. Care to dance?"

Winter's smile faltered a touch. Needing a quick escape, she stammered, "Actually, I'm waiting for someone." The discomfort in her voice was clear.

The woman wasn't deterred. "Really? Well, how about I keep you company until they arrive?" she pressed.

Before Winter could respond, a smooth voice cut in, "I'm here."

A hand slipped around Winter's waist, sending a jolt through her. She instinctively went to push away the stranger, but the sight that met her eyes stopped her cold. The woman was stunning - the kind of beauty that took your breath away.

"Sorry I’m late, babe," the woman said, her voice a gentle caress. She turned to the pixie-haired woman, raising an eyebrow in a silent question.

Thinking fast, Winter played along. "No worries, it wasn't a long wait." She leaned in, planting a quick kiss on the woman's cheek. "Missed you."

The stranger seemed surprised for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Missed you too, baby," she murmured back.

Winter cast a satisfied glance at the pixie-haired woman, who stormed off in a huff. Turning back to her savior, she managed a small smile. "Thanks for that," she whispered, "but you can, uh, take your arm off now."

The woman leaned closer, her voice a secret. "Not just yet," she murmured. "She's still watching."

Winter stole a peek over the woman's shoulder, spotting the pixie-haired woman lingering nearby.  On a sudden impulse, Winter reached up, her fingers brushing the collar of the woman's jacket.  Then, in a move that surprised even herself, she pulled the woman in for a kiss.

Their lips met in a burst of unexpected passion. Winter's heart hammered against her ribs, a thrill coursing through her. The kiss deepened, a slow exploration that ignited a fire within them. For a moment, everything else faded away, lost in the heat of the moment.

But Winter eventually pulled back, a blush creeping up her neck. She needed to regain control, to understand what had just happened.

The kiss ended, leaving them both breathless and a little shocked. "Wow," the woman breathed, a mix of surprise and amusement dancing in her eyes.

Winter cleared , trying to appear nonchalant. She gestured towards the empty space where the pixie-haired woman had been. "She's gone now," she said, hoping to deflect attention from the sudden intimacy.

"First time here?" the woman asked with a knowing smirk. Winter's nervous energy hadn't gone unnoticed. "The regulars can be a bit...dangerous. You gotta keep your guard up."

Winter raised an eyebrow, a playful challenge in her gaze. "And you're not one of those wild ones, I suppose?"

The woman's smile widened. "Maybe not," she conceded. "But you seemed pretty comfortable taking a risk on someone dangerous."

Winter bit her lip, unsure how to respond. Her racing heart had more to do with the kiss than the bar's atmosphere. She turned away, taking a long sip of her gin tonic in an attempt to appear composed.

"Gin tonic, huh?" the woman teased. "A little light on your feet for this crowd, aren't you?"

Winter forced a smile, admitting defeat. "It's what I was craving tonight," she said honestly.

"Fair enough," the woman replied, chuckling as she flagged down the bartender and ordered a Martini.

"Heavyweight, I see." Winter comment.

The woman raised a glass in a mock salute. "Cheers?"

Their playful banter continued as they clinked glasses. The bar was crowded and loud, but a spark had ignited between them. Later, they found themselves squeezed into a tiny restroom, the air thick with the smell of stale alcohol and sweat. Their lips met again, a heated kiss fueled by the illicit thrill of the moment.

Just as the woman's hand started to explore Winter's thigh, a playful spark ignited in Winter's eyes. With a mischievous grin, she pulled away. The alcohol had loosened her inhibitions, replacing them with a potent mix of desire and the thrill of the unexpected. Logic had taken a backseat, replaced by a reckless rush of adrenaline and a yearning for something more.

"Let's take this somewhere else." Winter whispered, her voice husky with desire.

*

The quiet stillness of the early morning was abruptly shattered by a blaring ringtone, jolting Winter awake. She groaned and nudged the woman beside her, who was still sound asleep with her exposed.

"Pick it up!" Winter grumbled irritably.

The other woman could only groan in annoyance. "It's yours," she mumbled sleepily.

Winter suddenly realized with a jolt as she recognized the all too familiar ringtone. "Oh, ."

She fumbled for her phone on the bedside table, slapping her hand around until she finally found it. With a quick movement, she slid to answer the call.

However, the person on the other end seemed to be yelling at her, causing Winter to hold the phone away from her ear for a moment before bringing it back to continue listening.

Winter straightened her posture, sitting up in the hotel bed like a soldier answering their commander. She hastily covered her body with the sheets, trying to maintain some dignity. With a firm tone, she responded to the phone, "Yes Sir, I'm on my way. Yes, yes."

Winter cursed under her breath as she ended the call, knowing that this interruption was going to complicate things.

She glanced over at the woman lying next to her, the woman’s exposed and only partially covered by the crumpled sheets.

Her head still felt heavy from the alcohol in her system, but she knew she needed to act quickly.

Gathering her belongings, Winter scribbled a hasty note on a post-it and left it on the bedside table for her one-night stand before dashing out of the hotel room.

The scent of cheap perfume and cigarette smoke lingered in the air as she made her way out into the hotel hallway, ready to tackle whatever task awaited her.

*

Winter despises herself for her behavior the previous night. Her head still aches with the weight of her hangover, and the disapproving scowl on her captain's face serves as a reminder of her own foolishness.

"Where in the world were you last night? Why couldn't we reach you at all?"

"I apologize, Sir. I was at Club Nine," Winter replies, her voice strained.

"Why were you there?" Mr. Lee is digging for more information.

"I received information that one of Jerry's crew would be making a delivery to that club."

"And what was the result?" Mr. Lee asked again.

"I lost him," Winter admitted, biting her lip as she avoided her captain's gaze. She couldn't bring herself to reveal that she had spent the night having fun with a woman she had just met, and ended up getting distracted from her main task.

Mr. Lee lets out a heavy sigh. "I need you to focus on the BM Club from now on."

"Why is that?" Winter asks, confusion is evident in her tone.

"I will explain everything later when your partner arrives," Mr. Lee responds.

"My partner?" Winter protests, "But I work better alone. I don't need a partner."

"Not this time. To get to Jerry, you'll have to break through his girlfriend, ‘Mrs. Kim’ who also happens to be the owner of BM Club. And for that, you'll need a partner."

"But-" Winter begins before being interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," Mr. Lee responds.

"Sir, Agent Karina reporting for duty." The woman saluted the senior Intelligence officer with a sharp salute.

Winter's eyes widen in surprise as the woman she had just spent the night with in the hotel room now stands before her. Karina’s biker boots clunk on the floor, and her sunglasses hang nonchalantly from her white shirt collar, revealing a hint of cleavage. Her leather jacket hugs her curves, drawing attention to her perfectly s-line body. The wolf cut of her hair accentuates the sharp angles of her jawbone on that gorgeous face.

"," Winter curses under her breath, feeling suddenly self-conscious in comparison.

Karina smirks smugly as she takes a seat next to Winter. Winter hates to admit how effortlessly stunning Karina looks even in the morning, while she feels like a disheveled mess. Winter can't help but feel envious of how effortlessly put together Karina looks while she herself is still battling a raging hangover.

Mr. Lee tossed a large envelope containing important documents in front of them.

Winter reached for the envelope and took out the papers and a set of keys.

"Your new assignment is to investigate the BM club and how the drug distributions there, a well-known queer friendly venue in Gangnam. And you'll be working together," Mr. Lee announced.

Winter was about to question this arrangement, but Mr. Lee beat her to it.

"As a couple," he clarified.

Winter's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"It's a queer and gay club. It would be strange if you two didn't pretend to be a couple, don't you think?" Mr. Lee asked them.

"I suppose not, Sir," Karina answered, smiling back at him.

Winter couldn't believe the coincidence that she had just slept with Karina last night, and now they were being assigned to work together as a fake couple for this mission. Winter couldn't believe how quickly things had escalated since her one-night stand with Karina. Her thoughts were all jumbled up, she was having trouble processing everything.

"But I'm straight," Winter protested.

Mr. Lee responded with a raised brow, "Oh really? Your plaid shirts suggest otherwise."

Winter could sense Karina chuckling beside her.

"What is this key for?" Winter asked, quickly changing the subject.

"That's the key to your new apartment," Mr. Lee replied. "You two will be living together. One of Mrs. Kim's trusted employees lives there as well - your neighbor, Kwon Jia. She’s technically the ‘manager’ of the club. And she frequently comes to the club once or twice a week as a regular, so your first mission is to get closer to her first."

"Do we really have to live together?" Winter asked reluctantly.

"Yes, it's more efficient that way and also more convincing since Kwon Jia is also a lesbian, so it adds credibility to your cover." Mr. Lee stated matter-of-factly.

Winter glanced up at Mr. Lee, already prepared with another question.

"Yes?" Mr. Lee prompted, patiently waiting for Winter to ask.

"Why her?" Winter asked directly, stealing a brief glance at Karina.

"She's more experienced with gun smuggling, and it's her area of expertise. Plus, she's a regular at the club we're investigating. No one would suspect someone who was already familiar with the location."

"A regular?" Winter raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Karina, who had a playful smirk. "No, wonder."

Mr. Lee looked between them with curiosity and asked, "No wonder what?"

“Nothing, Sir.” Winter quickly replied.

But from the corner of her eye, Winter could see Karina still smirking mischievously.

"I expect good teamwork from both of you," Mr. Lee said, pointing to Karina, "you'll be investigating illegal guns," and then pointing to Winter, "and you'll be looking into drug schemes."

Winter bit her lip uncertainly. She couldn't believe she had let herself have such a wild, carefree night last night. Her job was already complicated enough without adding the guilt and awkwardness of waking up next to her one-night stand - who happened to be her partner at work. The uncertainty of how things would unfold between them now only added to her fear and anxiety.

"We can kill two birds with one stone." Mr. Lee stated simply. "I hope you two will get along well."

"Oh, no problem, Sir," Karina reassured, giving Winter a knowing look before winking. "I think we've already found a way to get along instantly."

"Good." Mr. Lee nodded and turned to Winter. "One more thing, I've provided you with a car for your use. You won't be able to use your old one. Can't even catch a toddler on a tricycle with that thing."

Karina stifled a laugh behind her hand.

Winter wanted to argue back but held her tongue. She loved her old car, even though it was second-hand; it was her hard-earned money after all those years. But she couldn't deny that it was getting old, and its performance had decreased significantly.

~

As they left the building and made their way to the parking lot, Karina couldn't help but break the silence first.

"Hey?" She called out to Winter, who had been walking ahead of her with a determined stride.

"Don't talk to me," Winter responded curtly, not even bothering to look back at her.

"Why are you so cold to me? We were on fire last night," Karina tried to tease, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Stop it! I don't want to hear it!" Winter covered her ears with her hands, unable to bear the teasing and too exhausted to even thin