Unmasking
The days following Winter’s first official mission as Spider-Min were some of the best in her life. She felt stronger, more confident, and her relationship with Karina Yu had been growing in ways she’d only dreamed of. Their dates had become more frequent, and they were finally finding a rhythm together—an odd but charming balance between Winter’s awkwardness and Karina’s cool confidence.
Meanwhile, Ningning was getting closer to her crush, Aeri. It was subtle at first, the way Aeri started teasing her a little less and smiling at her a little more. But now, it was clear—Ningning was getting recognized, and her heart couldn’t be happier.
One afternoon, Winter and Karina were walking down the bustling streets of Seoul, hand in hand. They’d been planning to spend the day just relaxing together, grabbing street food and maybe catching a movie later. Karina laughed at something Winter said, but Winter’s attention started to drift. Her spider senses tingled—something was off.
Winter froze in place, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the surroundings.
"Winter?" Karina asked, tilting her head with concern. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just..." Winter trailed off, focusing on the odd feeling bubbling inside her. Her senses were sharp, and there was a faint buzzing in her ears, the kind that usually warned her of danger. Something bad was about to happen, but she couldn’t pinpoint what.
Suddenly, before she could even react, something massive came crashing through the street—people screamed as they ran for cover. Winter barely had time to turn around before she was grabbed and thrown through the air like a ragdoll. She collided with the side of a building, the force of the impact knocking the wind out of her.
"Winter!" Karina screamed, but Winter waved her off, trying to signal her to run.
Winter staggered to her feet, shaking off the dizziness. Her eyes locked onto the massive creature in front of her—a hulking, reptilian beast.
The Lizard.
Its green, scaly skin shimmered under the daylight, and its yellow eyes glowed with feral hunger. With a guttural roar, it stomped toward her, claws outstretched.
“Not today,” Winter muttered under her breath, her body moving on instinct. She leaped out of the way just as the Lizard swung its massive arm at her, the claws slashing through the air.
Winter pulled her mask down over her face, her Spider-Min suit instantly clinging to her body. She shot a web at a nearby building and swung into the air, landing on top of a lamppost to get a better vantage point.
The Lizard was fast, but Winter was faster. She swung down toward the creature, firing web after web to bind its arms and legs. For a moment, it looked like she might have trapped it, but with a furious roar, the Lizard ripped through the webs like they were paper.
“Crap,” Winter muttered, flipping backward just in time to avoid the Lizard’s snapping jaws.
The fight escalated quickly. Winter darted around the Lizard, using her agility and speed to stay one step ahead of the monster’s attacks. She webbed its eyes, then zipped between its legs to get behind it, delivering a powerful kick to its back.
The Lizard roared, slamming its tail into Winter and sending her flying again. This time, she landed on top of a nearby car, the metal groaning beneath her weight. Pain shot through her side, but she didn’t let it slow her down.
"Okay, that hurt," Winter winced, pulling herself to her feet.
The Lizard came charging at her again, but Winter wasn’t about to let it get the upper hand. She swung to the side, dodging the creature’s attack and firing webs at its legs. As it stumbled, she grabbed a nearby trash can and hurled it at the Lizard’s head, dazing it for a moment.
Using the distraction, Winter shot webs at the ground, anchoring herself in place. With a grunt, she yanked the Lizard’s legs out from under it, sending the massive beast crashing to the ground. Before it could recover, she leaped onto its back, webbing its arms and legs together until it was securely pinned.
Panting heavily, Winter stepped back and surveyed the scene. The Lizard was down, and the city was safe—for now.
As the creature struggled against the webs, Winter shook her head. “You’re staying down this time.”
The Lizard let out a low growl, but it didn’t have the strength to break free again. The fight was over.
Winter sighed in relief and took a moment to catch her breath. “Okay. That was… a lot.”
Satisfied with her victory, she swung away from the scene, aiming to get back home and change out of her suit before anyone noticed. But as she swung through the city, her mind was still racing from the fight. She was so distracted that she didn’t even realize she’d swung into the wrong apartment window.
Landing softly inside, she started to peel her mask off, her head still buzzing from the adrenaline. But just as the mask was halfway up her face, she heard a voice behind her.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Winter’s heart stopped. She froze, mid-motion, and turned slowly to see none other than Karina Yu standing in the doorway, arms crossed and glaring at her.
Without giving Winter a chance to explain, Karina stepped forward and—wham!—delivered a sharp kick to Winter’s legs, sending her toppling face-first onto the floor.
Winter groaned, lying there in a daze. “Ow…”
Karina stood over her, looking both furious and confused. “What are you doing in my room? And what are you wearing?!”
Winter’s face burned with embarrassment as she quickly pulled her mask back down, realizing the mistake she’d made. “I… uh… I can explain?”
Karina’s glare softened ever so slightly, but her arms remained crossed. “You better have a really good explanation for this, Parker.”
Winter gulped. She was definitely in trouble now.