Guarding The Diva | Winrina

2.

After Karina’s recent comeback song dropped, it only took a few days before she was back on the grind—attending fan signs. Not gonna lie, she actually missed doing this.

Interacting with fans face-to-face had always been a fun part of her job. Well, most of the time. Because, of course, there were always moments when her mood took a nosedive—especially when certain fans started talking to her like they had been best friends for years.

Yes, that was the unfortunate reality inside Karina Yu’s mind sometimes.

Some fans were just too much.

But, of course, there was still a huge part of her that was grateful. If it weren’t for them, she wouldn’t be in this position at all.

Meanwhile, standing at the side of the stage was Winter Kim, watching Karina like a hawk. She wasn’t missing anything. If she had to squint her eyes into non-existence just to observe people properly, she would.

And that’s when she noticed him.

A man from the crowd, fumbling in his pocket.

Winter’s brows furrowed. The guy pulled out a stuffed toy—probably a gift for Karina—but just as he was about to hand it over, Winter’s eyes narrowed further.

She saw it.

That quick, sneaky motion. That tiny, almost invisible sticker the guy had stuck on the plushie.

Oh, hell no.

Winter already knew something was off, and there was no way she was letting Karina keep that thing. She’d retrieve it later.

And then, it happened.

“Hi, Karina! Oh my god, I finally get to meet you in person! This is a dream come true!” The guy’s excitement was off the charts, making Karina chuckle.

“Aww, I appreciate that! And thanks for making the effort to be here!” Karina responded with a smile, making the guy beam even more.

“You’re welcome, Karina! I’ve been a fan of yours for so long, so this means a lot. Also—”

Karina’s attention shifted to his hands, and the moment she saw what he was holding, her eyes widened.

“Wait. Is that… Kuromi?!”

If she could sparkle like an anime character, she absolutely would have in that moment.

The guy chuckled before nodding and handing the plushie to her.

“Yes! I know you love Kuromi, so I got this just for you!” he said, leaning in slightly.

Winter’s fist clenched.

“Make sure to take it with you wherever you go,” the guy whispered, smirking. “Kuromi might get upset if you don’t.”

Karina laughed. “You’re so silly! But alright, thanks again for this! See you next time!”

From the side of the stage, Winter’s expression was blank.

Yeah. She was definitely confiscating that plushie later.

---

The moment Karina, Winter, and Aeri got into the van, Aeri wasted no time.

“How was the fan meeting?” she asked, settling into her seat next to Karina.

Since they were friends, sitting together wasn’t an issue, while Winter took a seat slightly ahead of them, keeping to herself.

Karina let out a dramatic sigh and leaned back, completely drained.

“Tiring, to be honest. At one point, I just wanted to fall asleep and let them talk to themselves,” she groaned.

Aeri shot her a sharp glare. “Don’t be like that to your fans! Behave yourself!”

Karina only smirked, ready to tease her friend, but then she gasped as if she had just remembered something life-changing.

“Wait! Aeri, look! Someone gave me a Kuromi plushie!” Karina practically squealed, holding up the stuffed toy like it was a trophy.

From her seat, Winter raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything—just sneaked a glance at the plushie.

Karina caught the look and immediately narrowed her eyes at Winter.

“What? Are you a Kuromi lover too?” she asked, her tone sharp.

Winter didn’t respond. She just kept that perfectly unbothered expression on her face.

Karina scoffed but turned her attention back to Aeri, practically shoving the plushie in her face.

“Look at it! Isn’t it adorable?!” she gushed.

Aeri chuckled at Karina’s excitement. “Yeah, it’s cute. And very on-brand for you.”

Karina nodded enthusiastically. “Right?! And get this—the fan who gave it to me even joked that I should take it everywhere with me or else Kuromi would get upset.” She laughed at the memory.

That was the moment Winter decided she had had enough.

She turned to face them completely.

Karina and Aeri both froze.

Without hesitation, Winter extended her arms toward Karina, palms up.

“Give me the plushie,” she demanded.

Karina’s face scrunched up. “Huh?! Why? You want one too? Go buy your own.”

Winter scoffed.

Aeri, sensing the tension, decided to intervene. “Why do you want to take it, Winter?”

Winter exhaled sharply. “Just give it to me, ma’am. I’ll return it right away.”

Karina didn’t budge. She clutched the plushie tighter.

Aeri sighed, looking between Winter and the plushie before nodding. “Karina, just let her check it real quick. She’ll give it back immediately.”

Karina pouted but finally handed it over. “Fine! But be quick!”

Winter wasted no time.

Karina and Aeri watched as Winter inspected the plushie with laser focus. Then, with a sharp flick of her fingers, she peeled something off the toy—a tiny, suspiciously placed sticker.

Without a second thought, she threw it to the floor and stomped on it.

Karina and Aeri’s eyebrows shot up.

“What… was that?” Aeri asked.

Karina just stared at her plushie, suddenly suspicious.

Winter straightened up, meeting Karina’s gaze. “I had a bad feeling the moment I saw the guy who gave that to you.”

She held up the plushie, now free of any weird attachments.

“He stuck a tiny hidden camera on it,” Winter explained, her tone serious. “Probably so he could spy on you. Good thing I caught it early, or who knows what could’ve happened.”

Karina and Aeri gasped.

“WHAT?! Are you serious?!” Karina almost dropped the plushie in shock.

Winter nodded.

“That guy—” Karina clenched her jaw, her excitement over Kuromi now replaced with pure irritation. “I was so happy about this plushie, but now—UGH!”

Winter, completely unfazed, held the toy out to her. “It’s fine now, ma’am. I checked every inch of it. No more hidden cameras. You can take it home safely.”

Aeri patted Karina’s shoulder. “Let’s just chill, Karina. The important thing is that Winter noticed it in time.”

She then turned to Winter with a proud look. “Good job, Winter. Keep up the good work.”

Winter nodded, as calm as ever.

Karina, however, just sat there, staring at her plushie, then at Winter, then back at the plushie.

Yeah. She was never trusting a fan gift blindly again.