The students, who are momentarily frozen in place, slowly began to shuffle back to their desks.
Winter watched as the teacher turned her attention back to Yu Jimin, who was still kneeling on the floor, her body shaking.
Instead of leading her out, the teacher offered Yu Jimin a gentle hand. "Up you get, Jimin-ah," she said, her voice softer than before. "Back to your seat now."
Yu Jimin hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting nervously around the room. Then, with shaky legs, she pushed herself to her feet. The teacher kept her hand on the girl's arm, guiding her towards the desks.
Winter's eyes widened slightly as she realized where the woman was leading the girl. Her desk. The one right next to hers.
The middle-aged woman gestured towards the empty chair beside the lieutenant. "Ms. Kim, I do know that this is your request, but can you please leave her alone for a while?"
Yu Jimin's face paled even further, all the color draining out of it. She shot a terrified glance at Winter, then practically folded into the seat, her small hands clenched so tight her knuckles were turning white, eyes glued to the scratched surface of the desk.
Before the lieutenant could even think of what to say, Giselle pipe up, "Ms. Sung, maybe Winter doesn't remember making that request. She's... she's still not quite herself, and, uh, she's been speaking mostly English lately."
Ms. Sung's eyebrows shot up, and she gave the soldier this look. The kind that teachers give you when they think you're pulling something. "English, Ms. Kim? I was under the impression you were perfectly fluent in Korean. Have I been mistaken?" Ms. Sung asked in perfect, unaccented English.
Winter hesitated before answering, " I apologize for the inconvenience Ms. Sung. But I'm more comfortable using a foreign language right now." Technically, it wasn't a lie. It just wasn't the whole truth.
Ms. Sung's lips thinned, but she let it go. For now. Switching back to English, she said, "Very well. However, this is a Korean literature class, Ms. Kim. I expect you to make an effort to follow along. Take Korean classes or find someone who can help you." She turned back to the board, dismissing the lieutenant.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Felix still simmering on his own seat, shooting daggers at Yu Jimin's back. Giselle was hovering, patting his arm. But her eyes kept flicking nervously towards the lieutenant, like she was waiting for something to explode.
The room fell silent, the only voice that could be heard was Ms. Sung who started droning on about some ancient poet, now speaking in Korean, but the lieutenant wasn't listening.
She was busy risking glances at Yu Jimin, who was still frozen in place, her body rigid with tension. Winter could see how the other would avoid her eyes, the way she was vibrating with fear.
~•~
The class ended and Winter immediately stood, almost in sync with Yu Jimin, who practically bolted from her seat as soon as the bell rang. Winter knew she had to act, but with caution.
As she started to move towards the door, Giselle called out to her.
"Winter? Can we talk? Please?" There's an urgency in her voice.
Winter hesitated. Yu Jimin was already halfway to the door, and every instinct screamed at her to follow. But Giselle's expression was pleading, almost desperate.
"It's important," Giselle continued, her eyes darting nervously around the room. "It's about... well, it's about everything."
Winter weighed her options. She could push past Giselle, but that would cause a scene and potentially frighten the poor girl even more. Besides, her best friend clearly knew something, and the lieutenant needed answers. Maybe, this was the best way to get them.
"Okay." Winter finally responded.
"Let's go somewhere more private." she said, gesturing towards the empty classroom next door.
Giselle stood before her, practically vibrating with anxiety, her hands twisting together like she was being interrogated and about to confess the truth.
"You can't, Winter," she blurted out "You can't go after her, okay?"
The lieutenant frowned, "What do you mean? I just wanted to see if she was alright. She looked totally freaked out."
Keep it casual, keep it Kim Winter-like, she reminded herself.
Giselle's face tightened, her eyes narrowed. "Don't give me that crap, Winter. Not anymore. I know you. And Felix knows you. The whole school did. This whole 'suddenly concerned' routine isn't fooling anyone."
As if on cue, Felix appeared in the doorway, his arms crossed, looking their way. "That move you pulled out earlier, it's fuckin' personal, what's wrong with you Win?"
The lieutenant sighed, running a hand through her hair. It felt strange, touching the body that wasn't hers, a body with a history she was only beginning to piece together.
"Look, I get it. Okay? I know I... haven't exactly been Yu Jimin's biggest fan in the past. But she looked genuinely scared. I just wanted to make sure she was okay."
Oh man, that sounded so unreasonable, she thought.
"But you know you didn't give a fuck!" Giselle shot back. "That's what's scary, Winter."
Felix spoke again, his voice cold and hard. "Don't lie to us, Win. We know what you're like. You enjoy this. You enjoy making her suffer."
The lieutenant felt a strong surge of anger, a fierce denial rising within her. She wanted to tell them that she wasn't Kim Winter, that she would never intentionally hurt anyone. But she couldn't. She had to maintain the facade, to play her part.
"So what do you want me to do?" she asked, forcing her voice to remain even. "Just ignore it? Pretend I don't care? Is that what you want?"
Just tell me what to do to make her trust me, she pleaded silently.
"Yes!" Giselle exclaimed. "Just walk away, Winter. It's not your business to follow her and apologize. You'll only make everything worse. Please, just leave her alone... for now."
Winter stood there, she wanted to help Yu Jimin, but she couldn't risk blowing her cover. She had to tread carefully, one wrong move and her mission could easily fall apart.
"Alright, I won't...follow her. I promise. I'll leave her alone...for now." She emphasized the last two words almost imperceptibly, testing the waters.
Giselle visibly deflated, the anxiety seeming to seep out of her. Felix, though, remained a statue, his eyes fixed on the Lieutenant with an intensity that made her skin crawl.
"Thanks, Wint. It's just... you were acting so... off back there, you know? It wasn't like you at all." Giselle hooked her arms on Winter, pulling the lieutenant outside the room.
As they stepped back into the hallway, Winter could feel their eyes boring into her back. They were watching her, scrutinizing her every move, waiting for her to revert to her old self. They were on to her. Not about her true identity, but about the fact that something was fundamentally different.
She had to be more careful, more convincing.
"Look, I don't know what to tell you," she said, shrugging casually. "Maybe I'm just... changing. People do that, right? Besides," she added with a forced laugh, "it's not like I was going to bake her a cake. I just wanted to make sure she wasn't going to, like, jump off a bridge or something."
Giselle and Felix exchanged a look, a silent conversation passing between them. The lieutenant could practically hear their thoughts.
"Just... try to be yourself, Winter, the... the normal you. Okay?"
Felix simply nodded.
The lieutenant forced another smile. "Sure. No problem. I'll be... me."
But how? How could she act like a bully when she had no memory of being one? How could she feign indifference when her instincts were desperate to help the innocent Yu Jimin?
She needed information, she needed a strategy, and she needed it fast.
The Lieutenant closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind, to focus on the task at hand.
Think like a soldier, she told herself. Analyze the situation. Identify the resources. Formulate a plan.
But how can she even start with something if she can't even understand their language? She was surrounded by a sea of Korean people, a constant stream of information flowing around her, and she was lost in it.
She couldn't eavesdrop on conversations, she couldn't read the school bulletin boards, she couldn't even understand the announcements over the loudspeaker. She was operating in the dark, blind and deaf in a world that was alien to her.
This is ridiculous, she thought, her frustration mounting.
I'm a trained operative. I'm supposed to be able to handle any situation. But how can I do anything when I can't even understand what these people are saying?
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Panic wouldn't help. She needed to focus, to find a solution.
Okay, language is the problem. How do I fix it?
Winter could try to learn the Korean language, but that was a long-term solution, and she needed answers now. She needed a shortcut, a way to bridge the communication gap without spending weeks memorizing vocabulary and grammar rules.
And then it hit her, a risky but potentially brilliant idea. She needed a translator. Someone who could be her ears and eyes, someone who could navigate this linguistic minefield for her.
But trust was the issue. She couldn't just grab the first person
she saw and ask them to spill the secrets of the school.
How about... Giselle. She could ask Giselle for help. Giselle spoke English fluently, and while Winter didn't exactly trust her, she was the most readily available resource.
Swallowing her pride, Winter approached Giselle later that day. "Hey, could you help me with something?"
Giselle raised an eyebrow, "Sure. What do you want, Wint?"
"I'm having trouble with some of the Korean languages, I need someone to translate some stuff for me." Winter admitted.
Giselle hesitated for a moment, then a slow smile spread across her face. "I can help you with that. But you know I'm a busy person. I have a lot on my plate. Your boyfriend can -"
"Thank you but no thank you." Winter interrupted, voice a little sharp. The thought of asking Felix for anything made her skin crawl. She'd rather wrestle a wild boar than be indebted to him.
Her best friend's smile faltered, "Wint, did your memory loss include being disgusted by your own boyfriend?"
Is it that obvious?
The lieutenant thought.
She had to be more careful. She was playing a role, and she couldn't afford to let her true feelings show, especially not about Felix.
"What? No!" Winter said quickly, forcing a laugh. "I'm not disgusted by Felix. I just... I don't want to bother him with this. He's got his own stuff going on, you know?"
"Really? Because you used to practically hang off him like a lovesick puppy. Now you can't even stand the thought of asking him for a simple favor?"
Winter's mind raced. She needed to come up with a plausible explanation, "Look, Giselle, things have been...weird lately, okay? I'm still trying to figure things out. I just need some space, that's all."
Giselle studied Winter for a long moment.
Finally, Giselle sighed, her smile returning, "Alright, Wint. I won't push it. But if you need anything, you know I'm here for you."
"Thank you so much!" Winter genuinely appreciated the other's friendship, even if she didn't fully trust her.
"So..." Giselle continued, her tone shifting back to business, "about that translation... Like I said, I'm busy. And my Dad's been on my case about the family company. Says I need to start taking things more seriously."
The lieutenant braced herself. Here it comes. The price.
"What's your point, lady?"
Giselle leaned closer, "My point is that I'm willing to help you out. But you need to do something for me in return."
She knew it. There was always a catch.
"What do you want?"
Giselle's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Let's just say I need a little... information. And you, Winter, are in the perfect position to get it for me. You're friends with the daughter of the Yizhuo Corp. right?"
If Giselle was pertaining to that lovely Chinese... good gracious! I knew that lady!
The lieutenant thought, a flicker of surprise and recognition in her mind. Ningning Yizhuo. She remembered her from her previous company visit, a sophisticated and surprisingly sharp woman. What was Giselle after?
"It's a deal. Ms. Ningning Yizhuo, is that the girl's name?"
Winter asked, as if she wasn't mentally scrambling to assess the implications of this request.
Giselle's smile widened, a victorious grin plastered on her face. "That's right. Ningning Yizhuo. I need you to find out everything you can about her. Her business dealings, her personal life, anything intresting."
The lieutenant frowned, her initial surprise giving way to suspicion. "Why? What do you want with Ningning?"
Giselle shrugged, feigning innocence. "Just curious. The Yizhuo Corp. is a major player in the market. It's always good to know what your competitors are up to."
Winter didn't buy it for a second.
"And what if I refuse? What if I don't want to spy on the lady for you?" She said, testing the waters.
The woman just shrugs, "Then I guess you'll have to figure out the Korean on your own. And who knows what kind of trouble you might get into without my help."
Giselle was holding all the cards, and Winter was desperate for her assistance.
"Alright, I'll do it. I'll get you the information you want."
Giselle's smile returned, brighter and more, "Excellent, Winty. I knew I could count on you. Now, let's get started on that translation, shall we?"
The woman led lieutenant towards the library.
Okay, for now, this is all I got. I need to overcome this language barrier first then I'll proceed to the plan.
Winter thought.