Counterattack
Winter Kim had spent the entire weekend trying to wrap her head around the absurd proposal she’d received from Karina Yu. Who in their right mind demanded to be courted? By someone who barely knew them, no less. She thought the bizarre encounter would end there, but Winter should have known better. When Monday rolled around, the chaos resumed.
Winter walked into the classroom; her bag slung over one shoulder. As usual, Giselle and Ryujin were already seated, waving her over.
“Morning, Winter,” Giselle greeted. “Did you survive the weekend, or are you still recovering from Karina’s grand declaration?”
Ryujin smirked. “If I were you, I’d be flattered. Girls don’t usually make the first move.”
“It wasn’t a move,” Winter grumbled, dropping into her seat. “It was an ambush.”
“Potato, po-tah-to,” Ryujin said, shrugging. “Still, you’ve got to admit, it’s kind of entertaining.”
Winter groaned. “Why does everyone find my misery entertaining?”
“Because we’re your friends,” Giselle said, patting her on the shoulder. “And this is the most exciting thing that’s happened to you in years.”
Before Winter could respond, a commotion near the door drew everyone’s attention. Karina had entered the classroom, radiating confidence as usual. Her friends, Ningning and Yeji, trailed behind her, their faces lit with amusement.
“Oh no,” Winter muttered. “Here we go.”
Sure enough, Karina made a beeline for Winter’s desk. She stopped in front of her, hands on her hips, and flashed a dazzling smile.
“Good morning, Winter,” Karina said brightly. “Have you thought about my proposal?”
Winter looked up at her, unimpressed. “You mean the one where you want me to court you? Yeah, I’ve thought about it, and my answer’s still no.”
Karina’s smile didn’t falter. “I expected as much. But that just means I’ll have to convince you.”
“Convince me?” Winter repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Good luck with that.”
“Oh, I don’t need luck,” Karina said confidently. “I have a plan.”
“This should be good,” Ryujin muttered under her breath, earning a nudge from Giselle.
Karina leaned closer, her expression determined. “I’ll prove to you that I’m worth it. Give me one week.”
“One week for what?” Winter asked warily.
“One week to show you why you should want to court me,” Karina said. “If I fail, I’ll leave you alone. But if I succeed, you have to give it a shot.”
Winter stared at her, unsure whether to laugh or cry. “This is ridiculous.”
“Is that a yes?” Karina asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
“It’s a ‘do whatever you want,’” Winter said, waving her off. “But don’t expect me to play along.”
“That’s good enough for me,” Karina said, clapping her hands. “See you later, Winter.”
As she walked away, Ningning and Yeji followed her, chattering excitedly about “Operation Winter.”
Ryujin turned to Winter, her expression smug. “You’re so screwed.”
Winter buried her face in her hands. “I know.”
Karina wasted no time putting her plan into action. During lunch, she and her friends occupied the table closest to Winter and her group, much to Winter’s dismay.
“Phase one: proximity,” Karina whispered to Ningning and Yeji. “We need to be around her as much as possible.”
“Won’t that just annoy her?” Yeji asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Exactly,” Karina said, grinning. “Annoyance is just a step away from attention.”
Ningning giggled. “You’re insane, but I like it.”
Across the table, Winter could feel Karina’s gaze on her. She tried to ignore it, but it was impossible to focus with someone practically burning holes into her back.
“She’s staring at you again,” Giselle said, trying not to laugh.
“I noticed,” Winter muttered, stabbing her salad with unnecessary force.
“Just talk to her,” Ryujin suggested. “Maybe if you tell her to back off, she’ll get the hint.”
Winter shook her head. “That’ll just encourage her.”
“You’re probably right,” Giselle agreed. “Karina seems like the type who thrives on challenges.”
“Lucky me,” Winter said sarcastically.
Later that afternoon, Karina upped the ante. She showed up outside Winter’s classroom with a homemade bento box in hand. The sight of her standing there, smiling brightly, caused quite a stir among the students passing by.
“What’s going on?” Ryujin asked as she and Giselle joined Winter at the door.
“I have no idea,” Winter said, eyeing Karina suspiciously.
Karina approached her, holding out the bento box. “For you,” she said cheerfully.
Winter stared at the box like it was a bomb. “What is this?”
“Lunch,” Karina said. “I made it myself.”
“Why?” Winter asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Because I want to take care of you,” Karina said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” Winter said, crossing her arms.
“But isn’t it nice to have someone else do it for you?” Karina asked, tilting her head.
Winter sighed. “This is ridiculous.”
“But you’ll accept it, right?” Karina said, her eyes hopeful.
Winter hesitated, torn between refusing outright and avoiding a scene. Finally, she took the bento box with a resigned sigh. “Fine. But don’t expect me to eat it.”
“We’ll see,” Karina said, her smile widening. “Enjoy!”
As she walked away, Winter turned to her friends, who were barely holding back their laughter.
“Don’t say a word,” Winter warned.
Ryujin held up her hands. “Hey, I wasn’t going to say anything. But for the record, this is hilarious.”
Giselle nodded. “Agreed. I can’t wait to see what she does next.”
Winter groaned. “You’re both useless.”
By the end of the day, Karina’s antics had become the talk of the school. Students whispered about her bold moves and Winter’s increasingly exasperated reactions. Despite the embarrassment, Winter couldn’t deny that Karina’s determination was… intriguing.
That evening, Winter sat at her desk, staring at the untouched bento box. She knew she should just throw it away, but curiosity got the better of her. Opening the lid, she was surprised to find an assortment of neatly arranged dishes. Everything looked delicious.
“What the hell,” Winter muttered, picking up her chopsticks. “Might as well try it.”
The first bite was a revelation. The food was not only edible but incredibly good. Winter hated to admit it, but Karina had some serious cooking skills.
As she ate, Winter found herself wondering what Karina’s next move would be. For someone who claimed not to know how to court, she was doing a pretty good job of getting under Winter’s skin.
“This is going to be a long week,” Winter said to herself, already dreading what was to come.
The following day, Karina didn’t waste any time. Winter found her locker decorated with a colorful array of sticky notes. Each note had a short message or doodle: “Have a great day!”, “Winter is the coolest,” and even a little cartoon of a penguin wearing a crown.
“What the…” Winter muttered, staring at the display.
Ryujin burst out laughing. “She’s really going all out, huh?”
Giselle plucked one of the notes off the locker and read it aloud. “‘You deserve to smile today.’” She grinned. “Honestly, it’s kind of sweet.”
“It’s over-the-top,” Winter corrected, though she couldn’t stop the corner of her mouth from twitching.
Karina appeared moments later, her face lighting up when she saw Winter at the locker. “Do you like it?” she asked eagerly.
“Define ‘like,’” Winter said, crossing her arms.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Karina said with a wink. “See you in class!”
As Karina walked away, Ryujin turned to Winter, her expression serious. “You’re doomed.”
Winter sighed. “Tell me something I don’t know.”