Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The beach was a beautiful place to be. Since being in Korea, Kitty hadn't had too much time to explore the country because she was always in class. So, through the tour, she got to explore the beauty and different sides of Korea.

Lara Jean and Margot had told her stories of Busan, little stories that their mother had shared from her own mother. The water was a beautiful light blue, and Kitty could see her own reflection when she looked at the water when she spent time by the ocean because it was so clear. 

Staying in a small beachside house that was able to house very few people had not been on her agenda for the summer, but she loved it more than anything.

It was the one week break off of tour. She, Min Ho, Eunice, and one of the girls- Mina- from the crew were the only ones in the small flat. Mr. Moon, Joon Ho, and Eunji were gone for half of the week in Seoul for a pregnancy checkup, and the rest of the crew was either staying in flats nearby or on their own adventures for the week. 

Eunice and Mina shared the room with the two twin beds, and Min Ho stayed in the room with one twin. Originally, he had offered to let Kitty have it, but she refused it because she knew that if he didn't get his lovely beauty sleep that he'd be cranky all week... and no one wanted a cranky Min Ho, so she slept on the pull-out bed in the living room.

For such a small flat, it was in an impressive state. It wasn't horrendously old, but it wasn't blandly modern either. It was just comfortable.

Min Ho had cooked for them since they'd gotten there, refusing to let anyone anywhere near the kitchen while he cooked. The girls would play card games or sit on the back porch, watching the sunset while he'd cook. They'd been there for two days, and it had been nice.

This night, however, was a little different. Eunice and Mina made plans to go explore the local food, and Mn Ho had skeptically declined, and Kitty didn't want to leave him all alone for dinner, so she decided to stay with him.

So... it was just Kitty and Min Ho. Alone. For the first time since tour had even started, and they'd already had tour of tour before Busan. 

Well, technically, they'd been alone before because they'd had to share a bed for two nights, but that didn't count. It was at the beginning, and it had been strange and awkward. Casually being alone for just a meal wasn't nearly as uncomfortable.

"Min Ho, you have to let me help. You've been cooking meals for us for two days. It's overly excessive," Kitty said, cautiously walking into the kitchen to stand by his side.

He squinted at her begrudgingly. "Covey, the last time I let you cook, you practically poisoned an entire party."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Okay, so, I didn't know that you guys were sensitive to dairy. How was I supposed to? I know that now, and I'm a great cook. If my dad were here, he'd strongly agree with me." 

"Well, he's not here, so you're not cooking. Sorry, saesang," Min Ho commented, patting her head with a smile on his face.

She scowled at him and lightly kicked his ankle. "You're so annoying."

"Hey! What was that for?" Min Ho asked, dramatically placing his hand over his heart.

"For being annoying," Kitty told him through a grin. "Now, scoot over and hand me the recipe book you're trying to hide from me."

Min Ho sighed reluctantly and slowly picked up the cookbook before handing it to her. As he slowly held it out for her, she tried to snatch it, but he pulled it back for a short second. "Please try not to poison me this time." 

Kitty grinned like a devil when he finally handed her the book. "No promises!"

She took her time making a small meal for the two of them, and Min Ho watched like a hawk. The first time she went to ask him a question, he was already hovering behind her. The second time, he was hovering so close that his chin was essentially over her shoulder. 

Kitty's eyes widened as she turned to face him. "Okay, that's it, you've got to go sit down."

"No way. You still need my help," Min Ho argued.

She crossed her arms. "Not enough for you to be standing behind me like you're a surgeon watching a trainee perform for the first time."

"But--" Min Ho spoke through a frown.

"Go sit," repeated Kitty.

He rolled his eyes but listened to her command, even if he walked as slow as humanly possible. Five minutes into watching her cook from the table, he abruptly stood up and called out, "You're putting the seasoning on wrong!"

"I'm following the instructions; thank you very much. Don't make me make you turn and face the wall," Kitty warned.

Min Ho's mouth fell wide open. "But you're putting the seasoning on wrong!"

Kitty rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not. I'm doing just fine, and I'm almost done cooking. You won't just because I don't do it exactly the way you do."

"But I will if you poison me!" Min Ho exclaimed.

"Go back to watching the seagulls outside, drama queen," Kitty said through a snarky smile.

Thirty minutes later, they had both finished their dinners, and Min Ho was satisfied with the results. Though he criticized her seasoning skills once more, he finally admitted that it wasn't half bad, and she'd done much better than he'd expected.

Because Eunice and Mina were still out and about, Kitty and Min Ho decided to go take a walk by the beach. She was wearing a pair of simple black sweat-shorts and a small white Chappell Roan tank top that read 'Midwest Princess' in bejeweled lettering. Min Ho wore a simple white flowy t-shirt and the same checkered sleep pants that he'd refused to change out of because they were on vacation, and he didn't want to go out of the house unless it was out back to the beach.

The walk was short, but it was peaceful. They found comfort in each other's company, being closer as friends than ever before. They talked about their thoughts on tour so far, what they had expected before, and what they were looking forward to before they'd be going back to school. Kitty was excited for the Philippines because she'd always heard good things about the country. Min Ho was excited for LA, to see his mum again. 

When they'd walked about half a mile down the shore, Min Ho saw Kitty start to zone out a bit, so he decided to have fun and splash her a little with the cold salty water. Upon feeling the biting cold water splash onto her legs and lightly splatter her back, she was back. 

Kitty practically twirled to face him in shock. Without thinking, she charged towards him and used both of her arms to press against his chest to send him into deeper water. "How on earth is this fair?! I only splashed you a little!" Min Ho objected.

"You deserve it!" Kitty exclaimed, laughing at his dramatically disturbed expression. 

He looked miserable, as if he was going to cry, but only to try to make her feel bad. "I'm going to freeze to death because of you, Covey!"

Kitty merely shrugged, grinning like she'd just won the lottery. "Sorry. Guess your actions have consequences."

Min Ho took a step forward, nodding. He sighed longingly. "You're right. They do. For you too." 

Her eyes widened as he reached out to pull her out into the deeper water where he was, but she pulled away, shaking her head and her pointer finger at him. "Oh, no! You started this! I'm not going down too."

"Alright, then. I guess you're not," Min Ho agreed, dropping his arms reach into crossed arms.

Kitty nodded proudly, holding her head up high. "Thank you."

Then, Min Ho took another step forward. "... at least right now." 

"What?" Kitty asked, eyes widening.

But it was too late. His arms were efficiently wrapped around her waist, and he was pulling her out into deeper water. Kitty squirmed and thrashed in his arms, but nothing stopped Min Ho from pulling her into the deeper water.

When he finally set her on her feet, the water was almost all the way up to her mid-stomach. She squinted at him begrudgingly, crossing her arms. "You're evil." 

"Sorry, Covey. What goes around comes around," Min Ho commented, shrugging as he grinned. 

Kitty nodded affirmatively. "It sure does." 

Then, she practically tackled him into the water, and he was momentarily all the way under. Unfortunately, her actions had side effects as well, and she was just as drenched as he was.

"You're never living this down!" Min Ho exclaimed as he emerged from the water. He tried to grab her waist, but she was already fleeing the scene. He flicked water after her, following like his life depended on it.

"What goes around comes around!" Kitty shouted mockingly as she made her way back to shore. 

As the sun began to sink into the bottom of the sky and the world was painted orange, Kitty and Min Ho slowly but surely made their way back to the flat. Because they were both drenched- still dripping with the salty substance- they decided to wait outside on the back porch for the last of the sun to dry them off as best as it could.

They sat at a small black round, metal table that had four chairs around it. Kitty sat staring at the ocean, and Min Ho sat adjacent to her on the left. Since they'd left their phones out earlier so that they'd be able to get them when they came back, Min Ho was able to pick up when he received a phone call.

Kitty respectfully stayed quiet as he spoke to the person on the other line, enjoying the warmth and peace the early evening had brought. It was a short call, but she knew who it was from the way Min Ho spoke. His dad, Mr. Moon. It was always a little pulled back, even though he seemed to try to be working on it because they'd been spending more time together.

"Was that your dad?" She asked, even though she knew the answer. Min Ho nodded as he set the phone on the table. "Yeah. They just got out of the appointment. Heading back here on Thursday. He's just worried about Joon Ho."

That earned a frown from Kitty. "Why?" Min Ho shook his head lightly, avoiding her eyes as he stared out towards open sea. "I guess he just doesn't want to do the tour after his kid is born. It's been planned for a while, and they wanted to announce it before this tour ended so the fans would have something to look forward to while he goes radio silent during the end of the pregnancy."

"Okay, wow, that's super unfair to him. What does your dad want? Joon Ho to continue the tour?" Kitty asked. "Yeah," Min Ho said, "but I don't know if that'll happen. I keep hoping he'll change like he's said he's trying to, but..." His voice trailed off.

"At least he's trying, though, right?" Kitty asked. "I mean, before last semester, even that was a stretch. So, that's at least some sort of progress. Maybe it'll be the same after the summer, and he'll let Joon Ho off the hook."

Min Ho shrugged it off, shaking his head. "I don't know. Guess we'll see."

A short, comfortable silence lulled between the two of them before spoke again. "Everything still good with your family?"

Kitty nodded. "Yeah. LJ's back home for the summer which is nice, but since I'm on tour, she keeps saying that she's going to try to fly out here sometime. I don't know if my dad would actually pay for that, but who knows? Maybe Peter or Trina will convince him."

"Really? Lara Jean wants to fly out here?" Min Ho asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mhm," Kitty hummed, nodding.

Min Ho shrugged. "Well, it would be nice to put a face to a name."

"You've seen, like, ten million pictures of her," Kitty chuckled.

Min Ho lightly tilted his head back and forth. "Eh, it's not really the same."

"If you say so," commented Kitty.

"Hey, you should tell them when we're in LA. Then, you can see them when I see my mum," Min Ho suggested, lightly nudging her ankle with his foot.

She nudged him back, a smile spreading across her lips. "Maybe I will."

There it was, again. That comfort... but extreme tension between the two of them. The silence between the two of them that spoke louder than words. It was something more. Kitty knew it, but did Min Ho? She wasn't sure.

"Min Ho..." She murmured quietly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Covey?"

"You know when I went to find you in the garden that day..." Her voice trailed off.

"Mhm," He hummed.

Kitty blinked repeatedly and looked away, feeling suddenly distant. Maybe it was still too early. "Never mind."

"No, say what you were going to," Min Ho encouraged, lightly nudging her with his elbow.

Kitty shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

"Yeah, it does," He argued. 

"Min Hooo," She whined.

He squinted, slowly inching closer as he scooted his chair right next to hers. "Kittyyyy."

She stayed silent, shaking her head as she saw his closeness out of the corner of her eye.

"Come on, please. You're killing me with the suspense, Covey," Min Ho pleaded.

Kitty laughed, shaking her head once more as she anxiously met his eyes. "You're not going to like what I have to say."

"Well, you're going to say it at some point in time, so you might as well," Min Ho commented, throwing in a shrug.

When she met his eyes, his dropped to her lips. There it was. Again. "Kitty..."

Kitty swallowed nervously. It was time to do it. It was perfect timing, and the perfect place. "Min Ho, I know you said you were swearing off all relationships, but--"

They were interrupted when Eunice and Mina opened the back door to the flat. "There you two are. I didn't know you'd be outside. Did you fall into the ocean?" asked Eunice.

Kitty internally winced. She'd been soooo close.

Min Ho's eyes bored into her sunny face as he cleared his throat, forcing himself to rip his eyes off of her. "Actually, Covey pushed me in."

"That's a lie," claimed Kitty. 

"Well, I don't know which of you is being honest, but I just wanted to let you know the venue schedule for next week was just sent out," said Eunice.

Kitty nodded, flashing her a grateful smile. "Thanks."

"Great," said Min Ho, even though he was practically gritting it out because of his frustration.

Whatever was going to happen next was unknown, but he was going to talk to Kitty about what had just happened between the two of them. There was no going back. They were entering new territory, whatever it was. 

Chapter Text

After the suspicious secret Kitty almost shared, Min Ho started to become paranoid about what she was going to possibly say. He wasn't convinced that there was necessarily something between them because he was still trying to learn to trust his gut after Stella... but he knew something was up with Kitty.

The next morning, he, Eunice, Kitty, and Mina took to the city. They visited a few shops in the outskirts, and when Kitty spotted Busan Tower in the near distance, she practically squealed with excitement.

Min Ho didn't waste a minute to suggest visiting the location, but Mina and Eunice were hesitant because of their fears of height; So, once again, it was just Kitty and Min Ho... alone. 

He endearingly watched her eagerness grow as the car got closer and closer to the building. Her excitement over the small things was just one of the reasons he cared so much. 

Feeling the depth of how much he cared for Kitty, Min Ho tried to convince himself that it was just echoes from the past. She was very much not interested in him like that, and he was totally over her. He had been for a while. Stella had wholly and completely lied when she looked at Kitty after claiming that his heart was never fully in it and acting like it was because of Kitty.

But then Kitty turned to face him, and the flare of his feelings consumed him unlike anything else in the world. "You really haven't been here before?" 

Min Ho lightly shook his head, swallowing his ever-growing lump of feelings. "We never came to the Korean coast. Dad always flew us to places like Australia or Italy when we went on vacation because he said they were better, and he wanted to avoid the busy city areas."

Kitty nodded understandingly. "Sometimes I forget just how rich your family is."

"Well..." Min Ho's voice trailed off. She wasn't wrong.

Once they made it to Yongdusan Park, Kitty's jaw immediately dropped. Gazing high into the sky, she found herself in awe of Busan Tower. It was a beautiful white color, it looked over the entire city, and the beautiful cloudless sky made it the perfect day to be there.

After taking a quick elevator ride up to the top observation deck, Min Ho respectfully let Kitty walk out first. Her eyes widened as she made her way towards the floor to ceiling windows, entirely enamored by the sight. "Oh my gosh! Min Ho, you can see the whole city from up here!" 

He smiled as he followed behind her. "Happy we came to see it?"

Kitty grinned ear to ear as she turned to face him, nodding. "Very."

A light dusting of a pink color made its way across his cheeks, pleased with himself. It was no secret that one of his main love languages with Kitty was acts, and, well, doing things for Kitty pretty much made him the happiest person in the world. 

"You see that building over to the left over there?" Min Ho asked, politely pointing towards the given direction. 

Kitty tilted her head up just a little, hesitantly nodding. "The blue one?"

"Mhm," Min Ho hummed. "That's where my mum used to work before she became an actress."

Kitty tilted her head, slightly confused. "I thought you said you'd never been here before."

Min Ho stared out at the building, his gaze briefly flickering onto Kitty and back onto the building. "I haven't; I've just seen a lot of photos. That's actually where she met my dad... a long time ago. When they were, well- you know- still getting along."

"Min Ho..." Kitty's voice trailed off.

"What?" He asked snappily, narrowing his eyes as his demeanor changed into a more teasing tone than serious.

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Oh, never mind, drama queen."

"I'm no drama queen, lockbox," Min Ho confidently stated.

"I'm sorry, did you just call me a lockbox?" asked Kitty. 

Min Ho simply shrugged. "You've certainly been keeping to yourself about... things."

"What do you mean by that?" Kitty asked, squinting at him suspiciously.

Min Ho rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. You keep saying you're going to say something, but then you don't."

"... and so now I'm a lockbox for not saying something once?" Kitty asked, crossing her arms as she feigned defensiveness. 

"Yes," Min Ho claimed with a firm nod. "If I'm a drama queen, you're definitely a lockbox. Want to get out of here and go do something?"

Kitty nodded. "Yes, please." 

As she slightly stumbled back towards the elevator, her ankle accidently caught on someone else's, and the next thing she knew, she was falling backwards. It felt like it was happening in slow motion because of how unrealistic it all was. A panicked yet quiet, "Aahh," slipped out of her mouth, and suddenly, someone's arms were wrapped affirmatively around her waist.

"Falling at the top of the tower, huh? I know you can be a bit cruel sometimes, but there's no need to try to pull a Mother Gothel, Covey," Min Ho teased lightly as he stared right back at her. The corners of his mouth were turned upwards as if he was trying to stifle a smile.

Kitty's mouth went dry, and she lost all ability to speak. What a silly comment he'd just made, and she was staring at him lovingly like he was some flawless movie star who was her knight in shining armor. 

Her silence was deafening and contagious; Min Ho quickly fell silent as well, and then, they were just staring at each other, neither daring to move from the strange movie-like position they found themselves in. 

Min Ho's eyes briefly flickered to Kitty's lips, and she almost caught it. She did, actually, but convinced herself it wasn't real. It was just because he was reading her face; That was all.

Then, in response, her eyes flickered to his lips and back to his eyes. 

Oh my. Such tension.

If there weren't so many people around, and it wasn't such a public place, maybe something would've come out of it.
But alas, they were in the middle of Busan Tower. Min Ho cleared his throat and helped her fully back to her feet before taking a step back.

"We should probably ask Mina and Eunice if they're on their way to lunch yet." 

Kitty stared at him, and it took a second before she nodded. She inhaled a sharp breath. "Yeah. They're probably waiting on us."

Eunice and Mina, however, were, in fact, not waiting on them. They were still out exploring the city of Busan by themselves, and the time was slipping away. Because of this, Min Ho and Kitty decided to do their own thing for lunch and stopped briefly at a local sandwich shop before heading back to the beach house.

Sitting by the ocean was undoubtedly Kitty's favorite part of being in Busan. They didn't even have to leave the neighborhood, much less walk twenty feet away from the flat. It was early afternoon when she was out, aimlessly spending time in her favorite place just because she could.

And, of course, her favorite person was sitting right next to her.

A small, hopelessly devoted smile spread across Min Ho's lips as he glanced over at her. "You know, Covey, I'm really glad you came with me. Why'd you decide to ask so randomly when you did?"

"Honestly, I guess I just wanted to spend time with you," She admitted as if it was a normal, un-romantic conversation. 

Min Ho, obviously taking the route of flirting, tilted his head, smirking. "Wow, someone's awfully bold today. I know I'm desirable and all," he grinned, "but an entire summer--" 

"Oh, shut up. You know I didn't mean it like that," Kitty lied, rolling her eyes.

He nodded, the plastered smile refusing to leave his face. "I know. I wanted to spend time with you too. Honestly, you've been a great help to my family with everything, including Stella, who you've also managed to keep my mind off of." 

"Speaking of Stella..." Kitty's voice trailed off for a short moment. "How are things going on that front? I mean... how are you feeling about all of it, now that it's been a few weeks?"

Min Ho shook his head. "Not much has changed, really. I just... don't know how I let it happen in the first place. I mean, a year before that, I wasn't even considering being in a real relationship. It's strange how fast things can change."

Kitty had to try her hardest to not look strained as she nodded. "Believe me, I get that."

"I know you do, Covey. Anyways... why are you asking?" asked Min Ho.

Kitty looked up abruptly, glancing over at him. "What?"

"Why are you asking about her?" He asked, chuckling softly. "I thought we agreed to not talk about her devious actions on tour."

"You're right!" Kitty exclaimed, nodding passionately. "Sorry. Guess I just... forgot," she lied.

Min Ho squinted his eyes suspiciously. "You forgot?" 

"Mhm," Kitty lied.

But he saw right through her. He took it as a sign, taking a leap of faith. "Kitty, what were you going to say yesterday before Eunice and Mina showed up?"

Kitty's entire back went rigid. "Um, what?" She asked, not daring to look at his face. She stared directly into the distance of the ocean.

"You know what I'm talking about," Min Ho commented. "What were you trying to tell me?"

Kitty rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Pfft, what? I wasn't trying to tell you anything. I actually think you need to get your memory checked because--"

Min Ho's gaze didn't waiver as he spoke directly. "Kitty." 

"Ugh, fine. You caught me," She admitted, holding her hands in the air innocently. "But, I guess I have to start this all over again..." She muttered before continuing on. "Look, just try not to, like, freak out when I tell you this, okay? Because that would be bad, and honestly, it would make me want to die, and... okay, anyways, I know you said you were swearing off all relationships..."

Kitty's voice trailed off. Her ability to speak got caught in her throat somewhere when her eyes met Min Ho's.

He nodded respectfully, waiting for her to finish what she was saying. "Go on."

She squinted at him begrudgingly before looking back at the ocean and spilling it out as fast as she possibly could, knowing he wouldn't understand a lick of it. "I'mstartingtolikeyousomuchthatIdon'tknowwhattodowithmyselfandit'sridiculouslyembarassingbecauseIalreadyrejectedyouandnowI'mfallingforyoumorethanI'veeverfallenforanyoneelseinmyentirelife." 

"Covey, I have no clue on earth what just came out of your mouth," Min Ho commented through a light chuckle.

Her heart sunk into the bottom of her chest, inhaling the deepest breath she could before facing him. "Min Ho, I like you. Not just as a friend... and I have for a while now."

Chapter Text

Min Ho's face was blank. Completely unreadable. He wasn't blinking; He wasn't smiling; He wasn't frowning; He wasn't saying a word; He was frozen, staring back at Kitty in utter disbelief.

And, then, Kitty started to freak out. Her eyes widened in flaring panic. "You know what? Never mind! Forget what I just said! I'm so sorry. This was obviously way too soon, and you obviously don't feel the same, and-- just forget what I said! Bye!" She squeaked, popping onto her feet.

"Kitty, no, I--" Min Ho stammered as he watched her hurriedly scutter back towards the house.

He quickly stood up, following behind her.

She wasn't running, but she was getting close to starting when she heard Min Ho calling her from behind. "Kitty, wait! Kitty!" 

Kitty pressed the palm of her hand into her stomach, feeling incredibly emotionally sick. It was too much. Had she really been reading it all that wrong? 

Of course, it had been too soon. It always had to be complicated with Min Ho. He'd said that he was swearing off all relationships, and there she had gone again- completely messing up everything. 

When she made it to the back door of the flat, standing on the very top wooden step, she stopped for a short second, shaking her head. What had even just happened? It was all a fever dream, too unreal to even begin to process.

"Kitty," Min Ho stated boldly behind her, his voice hitting her like a glass shattering on a cement floor. 

She slowly turned to face him, shaking her head. But when she spoke, her voice was rushed, even though it was audibly stretched. "Seriously, Min Ho, just forget what I said. It's not that big of a deal. You're swearing off all relationships, you said that, and I know that, and I'm so sorry for--" 

Min Ho closed his eyes and shook his head. She braced herself for the worst of the pain to hit her. "Kitty, let me speak. You ran away before I could even say anything."

Kitty stared at him in surprise, raising an eyebrow. That was something she wasn't expecting, him to have something to say. Especially not like this. 

"Do you really think I have no feelings for you?" Min Ho asked quietly, his eyes searching hers.

She inhaled a deep breath. Her heart skipped a beat. "What?"

"Well, I'd like to think I haven't been that subtle about it," He muttered. "I mean, you've been spending the entire summer with my family... and you and I have been spending quite a bit of excluded time together, so I figured that would at least give you some sort of sign that your feelings are reciprocated." 

Kitty's eyebrows furrowed. "What?" She repeated.

Min Ho sighed, rolling his eyes. He cautiously but self-assuredly took two steps forward and stretched out a hand for her to take, nodding towards the beach.

Kitty read his face, searching for some kind of sign of confirmation. There wasn't much to go off... but then she caught sight of the way his lips upcurved. It was small, but the smirk was undeniable.

She inhaled a deep breath and confidently took his hand, accepting his assistance in walking the few stubby wooden steps to get back onto the back porch.

They walked hand in hand back down to the water, neither daring to say a word. This moment was more than precious; It was sacred. The many months of their building relationship had all been leading up to this. This very moment.

The distant busy city beeps and the heavy roar of the crashing waves were the only sounds around them as they sat back where they had just been, only a little closer this time.

"Kitty... you know much I've thought about the two of us. It's no secret, given my confession last semester and our argument when you told me who Stella was. But... are you sure that you actually want this?" asked Min Ho.

Kitty frowned, abruptly turning to face him. "What?"

"I know that we've been spending a lot of time together, but we've been in kind of an isolated space. I know that you care about me, and you know that I care about you, but are you sure you actually want this?" 

A flowering vulnerability painted its way across Kitty's face as her eyes softened. "Min Ho, my feelings don't have anything to do with the fact that we've been on tour, spending more time together. I mean, sure, it's definitely enhanced them, because I never would've said this three months ago, but I had feelings for you a while before we even left for tour."

Then, it was Min Ho's turn to be surprised. His eyebrows shot up, and he narrowed his eyes as he asked, "You did?"

Kitty rolled her eyes as her cheeks turned an embarrassingly amount of red. "Yeah, for a while, actually. Actually, it's kind of your fault," She scoffed. 

"Why?" Min Ho asked incredulously, his face displaying nothing but pure amusement. "Because I admitted my feelings to you and made you smile, even though you denied it?"

"No," Kitty chided, smiling deliriously. "Because... when we did have that argument about Stella and you didn't believe me, you accused me of being jealous. And... even though it definitely wasn't something I meant to act out of... you were right, even if I didn't realize it before that."

Min Ho's eyebrows shot up, feeling more amused by the second. "You were jealous of Stella?" 

Kitty simply shrugged, grinning. "Maybe a little bit... or a lot."

"Wow, using my own words against me now, are you?" Min Ho asked, the cockiness emerging back from the shadows.

She rolled her eyes, unable to hide her growing grin. "Oh, shut up."

When a comfortable silence fell between the two of them a second time, there was something more there- something charged. 

Their eyes weren't immediate to find each other, but it made the moment all the better. Somewhere between the comfort and chaos that was going to be whatever was to happen between the two of them, there was hope, and for the first time, they were both on the same page about it. 

"So..." Kitty asked, unsure but willingly curious, "what happens now?"

Min Ho tilted his head, looking like a perfect model. "Well, Covey, what do you want to happen now?"

Now, that was a weighted question. 

"I don't know," she admitted through a mutter, "but I know I don't want to press pause on... whatever this is just because of what could happen in the future."

He nodded passionately in agreement. "Me either. I know we'll have to talk to Dae about it at some point... and the others, as well, but I don't want to think of any of that right now."

Kitty chuckled. "Yeah. I think Q might actually explode when I tell him. I think he's been waiting for this for a while." 

"He knew about your feelings for me?" Min Ho asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

She nodded. "Yeah, he actually kind of clocked it before I did."

"Ugh," Min Ho muttered, "why does he have to always know so much about relationships? He knew that I still had feelings for you before I did too."

Kitty's jaw practically dropped open. "So, that's why he kept trying to get me to tell you how I felt," She muttered.

"He egged you on to do this?" asked Min Ho.

She shook her head. "Not today or really much this week, but he has been for a while. That's actually... what I was going to do when I ended up asking to join you on tour."

"What? Why didn't you?" He asked incredulously.

"Because you told me you were swearing off all relationships, dummy," Kitty commented, rolling her eyes. 

Min Ho chuckled quietly. "I guess that would've scared me off too. I'm glad you asked to come on tour, though. Otherwise, you would've had to pitifully pine for me back in the states over the entire summer."

"Please, if anyone would've been pining, it would've been you. Besides, LJ and Peter would've shaken it out of me," Kitty chuckled. Then, she frowned. "Actually, Peter probably would've told me to tell you how I felt because he knew that you still like me way before anyone else."

"What?" Min Ho whisper-hissed. "Please, tell me you're joking. I was that bad at hiding it?"

Kitty merely shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. Apparently, I was just oblivious to it." 

He tilted his head from side to side. "I mean, you did believe me when I said I was over you the second we got back from break, so... it makes sense."

"And you were obsessed with me the entire time. What can I say? I'm just that perfect," She said mockingly, holding her head up high like a model. 

Min Ho gave her a knowing look, and they knocked into each other's shoulders, light laughter filling the warm, salty summer air.

Being in the resolving emotional state they were in, there was no attention paid to their surroundings which resulted in a price to pay.

As they stared into each other's eyes, still laughing in utter disbelief and pure joy, a large wave made its way from out in the ocean to the shore and crashed over them. It wasn't tall enough to suffocate anyone, but it was big enough to drench the both of them. 

After the water receded, they looked down at their soaked clothes and splashed skin in shock. Kitty shook her head in disbelief, and Min Ho was the first to recover. Quickly, he walked back over to her- after being pushed a bit away from the water- and held a hand to help her up.

Momentarily choosing to have fun with the situation, Kitty tilted her head and widened her eyes in deep despair. "Oh no."

Min Ho froze in his stance, his eyes searching hers. "What's wrong?"

"Your-- your skin. Don't move. There's something on your face," Kitty stated, feigning great concern.

"What?! What's on my face?" Min Ho exclaimed, trying to wipe whatever it was from his face.

Kitty stifled a deep laugh, forcing a frown instead of the smile that wanted to burst out from inside of her. 

She gently but directly reached for his face, cupping one side of his jaw with one hand and placing the other over the side of his face near his ear, inspecting the skin.

Min Ho watched her cautiously, terrified of what could possibly be on his face that he couldn't feel or see. Before he could think about it anymore, Kitty quickly placed a quick peck of a kiss on his cheek and pulled away immediately, heading back towards the house.

He was left standing there in shock, flustered to the bone, when she turned back. 

Though she was grinning like she'd won the lottery when she'd first turned away from him, when she looked back she looked at him as if nothing had even happened, purposely adding to the flustered state. "You coming?"

Min Ho blinked once and shook his head, staring at her in delight and disbelief. "You're evil." 

He quickly caught up to her, and when he did, he decided to quip back at her. There was no way Kitty was going to pull something like that and not get it handed back to her.

"You know, the next time you pull something like that, you should actually kiss me right. What on earth was that supposed to me? If I had an old motherly aunt, she'd probably kiss me the same way."

Kitty squinted at him, feigning great judgement. "Please, your aunt would never kiss you on the cheek. That would be really weird."

"Fine. Maybe an old grandmother would, then," Min Ho argued.

She rolled her eyes. "That's besides the point. Anyways, if you have an issue with how I kiss, then maybe next time, maybe you should be the one to actually do something."

Taking her advice true to heart as quick as humanly possible, Min Ho, who was already standing close by her side, whirled so that he was standing in front of her and smirked like it was the best day of his life before placing his hand on her waist and kissing her right on the lips.

Well, that was unexpected. But, of course, it was still reciprocated.

It wasn't a make out session or anything of the sort, but it was still a major milestone. When they pulled away, Min Ho was the first to recover, smirking like a devil. Kitty, whose face was as red as a tomato, simply rolled her eyes. "And you always say my plans are bad." 

"No, love," Min Ho countered, moving to walk next to her again, intertwining their fingers, "your plans aren't bad; You just never stick to them. This is what happens when someone actually sticks to them." 

Kitty momentarily ignored the nickname, knowing that if she dwelled on the fact that he'd just called her 'love', she might actually pass out and never wake up. 

When they walked into the house from the back door, Eunice and Mina had just gotten back from their outing. Eunice narrowed her eyes and asked, "How is this the second time you two have come back from the beach looking like you've been through a car wash?"

"We just... got distracted," Min Ho commented, his cheeks betraying him by flushing.

"They also look like they just got back from making out," Mina quietly said, chuckling.

Eunice nodded. "They probably did."

Kitty's jaw dropped to the floor. "What? Are you crazy? M-- Me and Min Ho? That's as crazy as like--"

"Kitty, it's no secret you two have feelings for each other. Why else would you have been so separate from everyone else this week? Have you finally confessed?" Eunice asked blatantly.

Then, Min Ho's jaw dropped to the floor.

Eunice drew in his reaction, concluding that she was right. "Oh, thank goodness. I never thought you'd get out of the will-they-won't-they phase. Dae and I have been waiting for this."

"Dae's been waiting for this?" Kitty squeaked. 

Eunice chuckled. "Well, yes, he has. We all have. It took you long enough. Have you told Q yet? He'll probably scream when you tell him." 

"Oh my god," Kitty muttered in horror, her face managing to turn an even deeper red.

Min Ho simply blinked. "Well, at least the secret's out." 

Chapter Text

Six days later, Kitty, Min Ho, and the rest of the crew from Joon Ho's tour found themselves back in the midst of the on-the-go lifestyle. While there were countless more shows to be played, there were also a handful of social events that the Moon family had to attend individually. 

Because Kitty wasn't originally on the tour list, she wasn't invited to these events; however, Mr. Moon kindly told Min Ho that he was more than welcome to bring her along as a plus one.

He didn't mean it in a romantic way, but because of the ever-flowering bud of hope between Kitty and Min Ho for whatever they were doing together, it certainly came off that way. 

Min Ho couldn't have been prouder; Two months prior, he never would have assumed that he'd have Kitty Song-Covey on his arm as they confidently took to the floor, but now, he had no doubt of how she felt. Everything was as it should have been from the very start.

After a while of conversing together, Kitty and Min Ho parted ways for a short span of time. Min Ho talked business, per his father's request, and Kitty mingled with some of the others in the room that she'd already talked to or hadn't had the chance to.

She was on the way to take a sip of water at her seat where they would be having dinner when an elderly woman approached her. Her long dark hair was flawlessly pulled back into a sleek pull-back style and her midnight blue floor-length dress dazzled as it lightly swayed from side to side. 

"You must be Katherine," the woman said through a kind smile. There was a strange lightening in her eyes, like she knew something no one else in the room did.

Kitty turned to her with a heart-felt, polite smile. "I am! I guess you already must know I'm here with the Moons, then." The woman nodded. "Yes, the young lady here with my nephew. I've heard a load of good things from his family about you."

"Oh?" Kitty asked, raising her eyebrow. The sparkling woman chuckled lightly and patted Kitty's forearm reassuringly. "Oh, don't worry about that, dear. From my understanding, you're already a part of the family."

A part of the family? That was a big jump, even if it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. 

Kitty opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She wasn't exactly sure what to say, but it wasn't a worry for long before the woman dramatically placed her hand over her heart and exclaimed, "Oh, my deepest apologies! My goodness; I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself."

She stretched out a hand for Kitty to shake. "My name is Lucinda. I'm not sure if my nephew has mentioned me at all, but I do understand that you seem rather close to him. Forgive my blatancy, but are you two dating?"

That was... a tough question to answer. Were they dating? Kitty wasn't sure. They both had feelings, and they were both very aware of it. 

But, dating? Technically, they weren't... and Kitty didn't feel like being questioned to death by Min Ho's aunt or anyone she might gossip to, so she kept it cool... or, at least tried to. 

"Oh, Min Ho? He's my best friend. We're just really close."

Lucinda smirked like a devil. "Travelling all over the world, sharing a room every night." She cackled heartily, as if it humored her to the core. "I can only imagine."

"What? No, no, we're not-- We only--" Kitty stammered. They had shared a room for two nights. That was it, and it had been before they'd even shared their first kiss. 

The woman's shrill laugh drifted through the large room as she gently placed a hand on Kitty's upper arm. "I'm sorry, dear. I'm just joking around here, but truly, you must be awfully close with him in some sort of way if you two are spending an entire summer together." 

The skin under Kitty's eyes crinkled as she nodded, her smile tightening as she spoke. "Yeah. We're just best friends." 

Before the conversation could get any more uncomfortable, Min Ho swiftly stepped next to Kitty with a warm smile on his face. "Lucinda, you've met Kitty, I presume?"

Lucinda placed a hand over her heart as she nodded endearingly at him. "Oh, yes! She's just as wonderful as your father described her. Make sure to keep her around, Min Ho," She commented with a quick wink.

"Kitty, it was lovely to meet you. I hope to see you again soon. Try not to get into too much trouble with that one, and enjoy your time on tour," Lucinda said through a smile before walking away with a simple wave goodbye.

When she was out of earshot, Kitty heaved out a sigh of relief and turned to Min Ho with an exasperated facial expression. "I think she's going to go tell everyone that we're dating."

Min Ho, who found this more amusing than anything else in the world, raised an eyebrow, and an effortless smirk replaced his previously polite smile. "What did you say to her?"

"I literally just told her that we're best friends, and she went running with it. Like, literally. She started going on about us sharing a room together, and from the looks of it, I'm pretty sure she's fully convinced we're dating. Like, official," Kitty muttered with wide eyes. 

"In all fairness, we did share a room," Min Ho added softly, hooking his arm around Kitty's, "but don't take what she says to heart. I'm sure she called herself my aunt, but she's not. I just grew up with her around."

 FIRST NIGHT OF TOUR 

There was a wall, and Kitty was walking directly into it repeatedly, banging her head over and over and over again, focusing on nothing else going on. That's what she felt like doing upon hearing Mr. Moon's ultimatum. 

"I'm sorry, Kitty, but there's nowhere else to stay besides Min Ho's room tonight. This problem will be fixed within the next few days and for all of the other venues, but you two will have to share for now." 

She scowled, mentally refusing to look at Min Ho's assumingly horrified face. "That's okay. I've been suitemates with him before. I'm sure it'll be tolerable."

Min Ho was frozen with dread and anxiety. Sharing a room with a girl that he'd essentially been in love with for months? Not the greatest idea. Unnecessary and completely unavoidable.

The awkwardness was already there, and they hadn't even made it to the room. His father said goodbye, and they parted ways. Off to start the most uncomfortably awkward experience of his life. By the end of the trip, Kitty was going to find him insufferable. There was no way around it.

When the turned to see her face, she looked like she was a balloon about to pop. But at least he knew that he would be able to keep it cool. Maybe, and hopefully, for the both of them.

"Come on, Covey, let's head upstairs."

Kitty followed him quietly, not uttering a word for fear of his reckless teasing. She was sure he was going to pull out some sort of flirting joke, and as much as she cared about him, she was dreading it with every inch of her being. 

How was she supposed to react to some joke like that when she actually did like him like that now?

Their closeness increased greatly as they entered the efficient gold elevator. She glanced around the small area with wide eyes. Damn. This was a new level of rich hotels.

Min Ho tried his hardest not to watch her, but he couldn't help it. Her excitement made him happy. It was, as much as he hated to admit it, one of her most endearing qualities.

"You look like you've never stepped foot in an elevator before," He scoffed.

Kitty exhaled a deep breath, squinting at him begrudgingly. Okay, the tension was easing a little bit. It would just melt away by the end of the night, right? "Shut up, pretty boy."

Oh, god. What had she just called him?

Min Ho simply raised an eyebrow and glanced away. She was pretty sure she saw his cheeks flush, but she wasn't completely sure. Maybe she was just seeing things.

When they walked out of the elevator on the seventh floor, their shoulders brushed ever so slightly, and Kitty practically toppled over her suitcase because of her reaction- trying to scramble away from him as fast as possible.

Min Ho quickly reached out to stabilize her by gently helping her stand up right, taking her hand in his. "I really hope you don't fall over yourself the entire time you're here. You might be a goner by the time we make it to Tokyo."

"Please, I just hit my arm on the elevator door," Kitty lied, rolling her eyes as her cheeks turned a darker fuchsia color.

Min Ho shook his head, knowing deep in his core that what she'd just said wasn't true, but slowed down to walk at the same pace as her so that she wouldn't "hit her arm on the elevator door" again.

Because the room was only a few doors down, they reached it quickly. He didn't ask for permission before taking her suitcase in for her, but he stopped abruptly after opening the door.

Kitty, who wasn't pay attention as much as she wished she was, bumped right into his back when she walked in right behind him. She frowned, seeing his blank face, and then turned her attention towards what he was staring at.

No. 

Her eyes widened in deep dread, wishing she hadn't spontaneously asked to join him for an entire summer without thinking about any of the details whatsoever.

Of course, this would happen to Kitty and Min Ho.

There was only one bed.

"I'll sleep on the floor," Min Ho announced, making himself busy so he wouldn't have to see her similarly terrified reaction.

"You don't have to do that," Kitty muttered, lugging her big yellow suitcase across the room. "It's your room."

Min Ho rolled his eyes, turning around to face her. In surprise, he turned to find her kneeling on the floor, already rambunctiously rummaging through her belongings. "You're not sleeping on the floor."

Kitty sighed, looking up and over at him. "Well, neither are you. I refuse to walk around with a cranky Min Ho the entire time because he didn't get his beauty sleep."

"Fine, we'll share then, but no trying to cuddle in the middle of the night," He retorted sassily, crossing his arms dramatically.

Kitty shot him a knowing, sarcastic glance. "Yeah, right. Because I'm totally the one who would try to do that."

"You better not hog the blanket the entire night," Min Ho shot back, hanging his clothes in the closet.

"I don't hog the blanket!" Kitty exclaimed, mouth agape in defense.

Min Ho raised an eyebrow as he turned to the side to face her a second time. "Covey, when you lived with us last fall, you literally used to hog the blanket when we were just watching movies in the living room."

Kitty tilted her head and nodded, stifling a grin. "That's because you were always bugging me."

"You did that on purpose?" Min Ho asked through a dramatic gasp.

Kitty merely shrugged, grinning to herself as she organized her clothes.

"Menace," Min Ho muttered under his breath, shaking his head even though he hadn't smiled so wide in weeks.

However, when it came down to actually sharing the bed, Kitty concluded he was the real menace. 

"Min Ho, stop stealing the covers!" She whisper-hissed, pulling the covers over her shoulder. They had set a singular pillow in between the pillows that they were using, hopefully blocking the possibility of rolling onto each other's side of the bed. 

"You're going to leave me freezing cold with the thermostat you set," Min Ho whined. "Go get extra covers for yourself from the closet."

Kitty rolled her eyes, getting annoyed at his rude undertone. That was it. She kicked him in the ankle, secretly smiling at she stared at the window in the pitch black.

"What was that for?!" Min Ho quietly exclaimed, knocking her back in the ankle in return.

"You were being mean," Kitty said. 

Min Ho noted that her voice sounded funny, so he decided to investigate.

"You're smiling because you kicked me? How rude!" He exclaimed.

Kitty's jaw dropped when she turned to face his side of the bed, surprised with the view of the slightest sliver of Min Ho's eyes peeking over the top of the pillow. 

"Hey! No pillow violations!" She whisper-hissed, reaching out to lightly push the top of his head back down onto his side of the bed.

"Then, no ankle violations!" Min Ho shot back, lightly tapping her ankle with his.

Kitty huffed out a feigned annoyed breath. "You're so annoying."

"Well, you're very rude about sharing your covers," Min Ho grumbled.

She didn't let him have that. Ignoring their momentarily previous agreement, she kicked him back in the ankle. "Shut up and go to sleep."

In response, Min Ho begrudgingly peeked over the pillow again. "No kicking violations, Covey!"

Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. "No pillow violations!" She squeaked back.

Min Ho rolled his eyes and sunk back down into his pillow. "You're no fun."

"God forbid a girl want to sleep without some creepy old man watching her," Kitty muttered.

Min Ho inhaled a deeply dramatic gasp. "Creepy old man?! Are you serious?"

Her bubbly laughter spilled into the thick air as she nodded, staring at the ceiling. "I mean, you did say before that you got your dad's genes, and, well... he's definitely not young."

"Are you using my father's looks to offend me?" Min Ho asked in shock, staring at the pillow, knowing that she was grinning like a devil on the other side.

"... Maybe," Kitty squeaked, stifling another giggle.

"Gosh, maybe you do need these covers with how cold you're acting," Min Ho joked through a yawn. 

That earned an eyeroll from Kitty. "Ha ha. Very funny, mister dad jokes."

"No surprise that you don't appreciate with your hostility towards my father," Min Ho sighed dramatically. 

Rolling her eyes a second time, Kitty muttered, "Oh come on. You can tell jokes, but I can't? Obviously, your dad's not some creepy old man, but the way you were staring was totally giving creepy stalker vibes."

"It was not. You're just defensive because you know that kicking me in the ankle after we agreed to do not that anymore was wrong," Min Ho disagreed, lightly shaking his head.

"Oh, shut up," Kitty muttered, "and don't you dare steal the covers again."

A small smile spread across his lips as she rolled his eyes. "Aye aye, Captain Covey." 

Even though they slowly drifted into sleep and it hadn't been as painfully awkward as they'd presumed, that didn't mean everything would fall back into normal routine as they shared a room and a bed.

Kitty woke up in the middle of the night, nearly shaking with nerves because of the situation she was in. 

 Apparently, Min Ho shifted a lot in his sleep, because as soon as she glanced over in his direction, she was faced with the reality of Min Ho's head placed right on top of the pillow that was supposed to be keeping them apart. 

Her mouth fell wide open as she stared back at his closed eyes. The soft moonlight painted his face in the perfect light, making it nearly impossible to breathe. 

Kitty held her breath, afraid that if she even dared to exhale, he would start to stir. 

Unfortunately, she was never good at holding her breath, and when she breathed out, Min Ho actually did start to stir. He wasn't awake, but he was persistent in humming in his sleep.

As she stared at him through her dark eyelashes, she smiled. If he could so easily be at peace with the situation, so could she. What was there to be nervous about?

Facing him, she slowly closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. She wasn't too close, but she didn't pull away. After all, he was the one she trusted the most. 

Even if they weren't ready for something more than friendship just yet, she had the wonderful comfort and safety in knowing him as a person. 

Though the awkwardness had receded for Kitty, the next morning, Min Ho was faced with his own challenges concerning it. Of course, Kitty stirred at night. She was Kitty Song-Covey, for goodness' sake.

It was just Min Ho's luck that she just so happened to find her way even closer to him through the night's slumber. He awoke with his head resting on the pillow that was supposed to be parting them, and Kitty was sleeping peacefully, head resting on his shoulder, leaning into his chest.

His eyes widened in sheer panic as he stared at her, and his heart started beating uncontrollably. So, this is what it felt like having her so close. He knew that he'd miss her closeness when she awoke, but trying to enjoy it felt like pure misery.

Min Ho glanced at the ceiling, feeling awkward about watching her sleep. If it was just a regular friend like Dae or Q, he wouldn't have hesitated to shrug them off or shake them awake... but this was Kitty. He didn't want to do that with her.

Exhaling deeply, he let his eyes silently drift to her face. Her hair was messy, having flyaways in every different direction, but she was perfect to him. 

Then, he saw her eyelids start to flutter open. 

Oh, god! 

He awkwardly glanced at the tableside lamp and then back at her face. 

When Kitty opened her eyes all the way, they were about to bulge with absolute disbelief. How in the world had she managed this?! This wasn't how the night was supposed to go!

Min Ho caught the quick look of disbelief before she harshly closed her eyes again, pretending to go back to sleep. Oh... He made her nervous.

The world's smallest smirk crept across his lips. 

He'd let her have it, despite the eating desire to give her never-ending shit about it... at least for now.

Twenty minutes later, still lying motionless in the same position, Kitty decided she had to do it. She had to face reality. What else was she going to do? Lie on Min Ho's arm and chest the entire day? 

As she started to truly wake up, Min Ho smugly commented, "Morning, Covey," before stretching his arms out around her. "Sleep well trying to steal the covers all night?"

Kitty, who was now as red as a tomato, quickly scooted away from him, back to her side of the bed as far as she could and shot him a death glare. "You have no room to talk. You literally demolished the pillow wall."

"Well, if I could do that when I was asleep, it was never very efficient in the first place," Min Ho commented proudly.

Squinting at him, Kitty tilted her head, faking an annoyed smile. "Guess we'll just have to make it extra tall tonight so you don't stalk me like a bank-robbing raccoon."

"You sure you could handle not cuddling with me for an entire night?" Min Ho asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Kitty froze. 

He. did. not. just. say. that.

"What?! You literally--"

"Oh, hush, Covey. I'm just kidding. Seriously, though, that was pathetic pillow wall, if you could even call it that," Min Ho chuckled. 

Kitty rolled her eyes, sliding out of the bed. "You're a pathetic pillow wall," She mumbled underneath her breath. 

Chapter Text

Four days after Kitty and Min Ho had to go to the little gathering where Kitty was introduced to Lucinda, they decided to make their own plans, separate from everyone else.

Kitty was under the impression that they were just going to see live music played in the city of Taipei, located in Taiwan; However, Min Ho decided to surprise her with concert tickets.

When he motioned to the small paper tickets in his hands Kitty's eyes grew wide with surprise. "What are those tickets for?"

"What do you think they're for, Covey?" He asked, tilting his head ever so slightly as he smirked. "I'm not going to take you to listen to music you've never heard of. They're for Conan Gray since you love to listen to his sad music all of the time."

Kitty's eyebrows shot up. "You're kidding."

Min Ho raised a single eyebrow. "The tickets in my hand would beg to differ."

"Oh my god! Thank you much!" She squealed, throwing her arms around him despite the fact that they were both in the back of a car with their seatbelts on. 

Min Ho chuckled softly, and a warm smile spread across his face as he gently wrapped his arms around her in return. "You're welcome. Now, as nice as this is, you're squeezing the life out of me, Covey."

Kitty squinted at him, feigning judgement as she pulled back. "I'll take that from you now," She commented, snatching one of the tickets as fast as she could away from him. 

"You can't get in without me; We have floor seats," Min Ho commented through a smirk, leaning back coolly in his seat. 

"Not if I have this ticket," She said, waving it at him from far away.

Min Ho sighed. "But, Covey, you'll get lost," He mocked, sending her doe eyes.

"I would not," Kitty muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Well, it's a good thing you have me either way, then, because I know where we're going," Min Ho confidently claimed.

About fifteen minutes later, when they were getting closer to the venue, Kitty abruptly sat up. "Wait. I'm not wearing concert clothes. Min Ho! You should've told me we were going before!"

Min Ho waved his hand, ignoring the momentary problem. "Don't worry about it. We'll get you something from the merch setup when we get there."

"But I didn't bring enough money for dinner and an eighty-dollar sweatshirt," Kitty spoke with a shake of her head.

Min Ho sighed, laughing softly. "Kitty, don't worry about that. I was going to pay for it."

"But you're already basically funding my entire trip," Kitty argued, crossing her arms. 

"And?" Min Ho asked, raising an eyebrow. "I want to do this for you. I'm the one who brought you here tonight, and I'm the one who agreed for you to come in the first place, silly."

That earned a frown from Kitty. "But you shouldn't be paying for all of my stuff. That's not fair. You're totally not doing that."

"Yes, I am," Min Ho stated, holding his head up little higher, "and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

___

Hurrying out of the concert so closely that their shoulders constantly brushed against each other, Kitty and Min Ho were on cloud nine as they made their way to the limo.  

"I think that was seriously the best concert I've ever been to," Kitty said through a grin. She then shot Min Ho a warning glance. "Don't tell Joon Ho."

Min Ho chuckled softly as he nodded. "I have to admit; The setup was very different. I've never seen any artist have their stage set up as a room with a bed in it."

"Honestly, I'm surprised you knew so much of his music. Who knew you were a secret conehead?" Kitty asked, raising an eyebrow as her teasing tone brightened the world around her.

"A conehead?" Min Ho asked, placing a hand over his heart in offense. "My head is the perfect shape; Thank you very much." 

Kitty rolled her eyes, but her smile betrayed her, broadcasting her true feelings for Min Ho under the twinkling starlight. "Yeah, yeah. Don't we all know it."

After climbing into the car, she looked over at Min Ho with a sideways glance. "So, where exactly are we going for dinner? You kept making that weird face every time I tried to ask you earlier."

"Weird face?" Min Ho asked, playing dumb. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Covey."

Kitty squinted at him begrudgingly. "You know what I'm talking about. Come on! At least tell me what kind of restaurant it is. You're being, like, criminally secretive over there."

Min Ho sighed and rolled his eyes as he leaned back into the comfortable seat. "I won't tell you what their menu is like, but I'm sure you'll like their food."

"Ugh. So difficult, for what reason?" Kitty scoffed, rolling her eyes a second time. 

"It takes one to know one, Covey," Min Ho replied through a hinting smile.

Her jaw dropped to the floor before defending herself. "Wow, somebody's rude tonight."

Min Ho frowned, crossing his arms as he raised an eyebrow. "And who just took you to a concert of one of your favorite artists?"

"Yeah, yeah, and bought me merch- I know. That doesn't make it any less difficult to say where we're going," Kitty muttered.

She turned to him abruptly, smiling ear to ear. "You know, I need a nickname for you."

"What?" Min Ho asked, curious as to where this abrupt comment had come from.

"Well, you have one for me that no one else calls me. So, you need one too," Kitty stated confidently.

Min Ho tilted his head from side to side. "I don't know about that, Covey..."

"It's okay, Minnie," Kitty said, patting his hand reassuringly. "Oh my gosh! For Halloween, I'm totally getting you mouse ears and making you wear pink polka-dots."

Min Ho turned to face her with an expression of utmost concern. "That is not happening."

"Too late. That's your nickname; That's what you're going as for Halloween," Kitty replied, crossing her ankles.

"Anything but that. Please," Min Ho begged. 

Kitty reluctantly let out a dismal sigh. "Okay, fine. Hmm... what about fish boy?"

This time, Min Ho's expression was even more concerned. "I beg your pardon- fish boy? How on earth is that any better? It doesn't even make sense." 

"Some people say your name like the word 'minnow' like the fish, instead of Min Ho, so it just makes sense," Kitty explained with a mere shrug.

Min Ho shook his head. "Absolutely not. That makes me sound like a weak thing that's eaten at nice business meetings."

"Well, until I can think of anything else I'll be calling you Minnie," Kitty chirped. 

Min Ho's eyes widened as she shook his head a second time. "There's no way in hell I'm going to walk around these countries with you by my side calling me the name of a small high-pitch-voiced female mouse--" 

Before he could finish his sentence, the limo stopped, and the driver slowly turned around. "Sorry to interrupt your evening, Mr. Moon, but we've arrived at the restaurant. Your reservations are on the third floor, and the gharry driver will be awaiting you once you've finished. Have a wonderful date night, sir." 

Min Ho offered up a smile of gratitude. "Thank you."

"Wait, this is date?" Kitty asked, eyes widening as she turned to face him. 

Min Ho's eyebrows shot up, and his lips curled into a small smirk. "Is that a serious question?"

"Well, I mean, I don't know. I guess so. You were persistent about wearing nice clothes and it just being the two of us, logically, it would make sense, but--" She muttered, frowning as she realized it hadn't occurred to her sooner.

Min Ho rolled his eyes, but his smile desperately gave him away. He confidently but tenderly reached out to take her hand into his. "It's a date, Covey. Now, come on. We've got reservations to make. Welcome to Tairroir, the best place you'll eat in all of Taipei."

___

After spending an hour and a half at the best restaurant in all of Taipei, Min Ho and Kitty took their time stumbling down the large pavement steps, hand in hand.

"I can't believe you rented the whole place out. It's actually insane," Kitty exclaimed with wide eyes.

Min Ho smirked as he stole a glance at her ever-endearing face. "Well, it was worth it when you dropped that plate and it shattered on the floor, wasn't it?"

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Kitty muttered, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, but it was by far the funniest thing I've ever seen," Min Ho commented through a laugh. "I don't think I've ever seen someone apologize so much in my entire life, and even the cook was laughing after the waitress explained what happened."

Kitty hadn't meant to drop a plate... but the nerves had made her shakier and more anxious than she'd expected. There was one table set up in the middle of a large angelically decorated room, and she was terrified to do just one thing wrong.

Even though it was just Min Ho, her very best friend in the world, the stakes were high. The room in which they had eaten was nothing compared to what she'd already experienced on tour, and that was saying a lot... because Kitty had experienced a lifetime of luxury on the trip thus far. 

It was awkward at first, the way she and Min Ho interacted. They'd walked into the building, and all of a sudden, there was a thick stiffness to their relationship.

He'd seen the way she'd reacted as they walked in, and all he wanted to do as he watched her from across the small round table was take her hand in his and say none of it mattered.

Min Ho was undoubtedly the most romantic person Kitty had ever met, which was strange considering how often his love language was teasingly insulting her.

The small beautiful white and blue marbled plate had shattered on the floor when it had slipped out of Kitty's hand after lightly hitting the side of the tablecloth.

Her mouth was left agape, and she stared at it with glossy eyes. She wasn't going to cry, but she was close enough to it. The waitress had come back in with a raised eyebrow, and Kitty apologized a total of seven different times. 

As she rambled, Min Ho started to laugh, and then the waitress started to laugh. Not at Kitty, but because of how silly the entire interaction was. 

Then, the tension had eased up, and once all was cleaned up and fixed, Kitty and Min Ho shared a wonderful dinner as... well, more than friends, but not anything necessarily defined just yet.

The gharry driver took the scenic route driving Kitty and Min Ho around Taipei. They heard soft echoes of music coming from night bars, calm chittering from the chatting locals, and the consistent reassuring sound of the whirring wheels of the gharry as they found their way to the final destination.

As they ended the night staring at the Tamsui River, wind chilling their bodies from the endless summer heat, Kitty gently leaned her head against Min Ho's shoulder.

"We should do this more."

He raised an eyebrow and turned his eyes just a little so that he could see her. "Come to Taiwan?"

Kitty rolled her eyes, knowing he was just pretending to not know what she was talking about. "Go on dates."

"Yeah?" Min Ho asked softly.

"Yeah," Kitty confirmed, smiling like she was fulfilled in a deeper way as she leaned heavier on his shoulder, before closing her eyes. 

Min Ho smiled and pressed a gentle kiss atop of her forehead before closing his own eyes, taking in what would be one of his favorite memories from tour.

Chapter Text

Kitty scrambled around the room, frantically looking for something that she had lost. The problem was that she had no idea what she'd lost. 

Her sanity, maybe?

Min Ho watched humorously from the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed as his eyes flickered to and fro.

"Covey, if you keep running around the room like a banshee, I'm going to have to lasso you to a chair. We're supposed to be downstairs in less than five minutes so that we won't be late to the airport."

Her eyes widened dramatically, speaking boldly with her hands flying in all directions. "But I don't even know what I'm looking for! Why did I even agree to do this in the first place?! Lara Jean is going to murder me."

"Well, if she wasn't going to before, then she definitely is if you leave her hanging at the airport," Min Ho agreed with a strong nod. 

"Not helping!" Kitty exclaimed, throwing her suitcase open. "A little help, please?!"

"How am I supposed to help if I have no idea what we're looking for?" Min Ho scoffed.

"Min Ho." 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Fine. What do you need me to do?" He asked through a huff.

Kitty's face fell. "I don't know."

Eyes scanning over the items Kitty placed on her bed, he rolled off the list. "You have your purse, the camera you've been bringing everywhere, and your sunglasses. What else do you need to go to meet your family at the airport?" 

She frowned as she turned to face her belongings and simply stared at them, arms crossed. "That's everything."

"Then... what on earth are you doing?" Min Ho asked through a soft chuckle.

"My phone!" Kitty shouted, jumping up. "Of course. That's what it is. Okay. I've got it. Let's go!"

The ride to the Ninoy Aquino Airport was much swifter than Kitty could've wished for. Even though she was still mentally losing her mind, the lovely sights of the city of Manila distracted her from her spiraling anxiety.

Out of all of the places in the world, she was meeting up with her dad and sister in the Philippines. It was the place she'd already been looking forward to the most, but when Min Ho suggested that she fly her family out, she'd nearly passed way with excitement.

Trina wasn't able to make it because of her work schedule, and Margot was ever busy in Scotland, so it was just Lara Jean and her dad... and Peter. 

Kitty was the most eager she'd been since the beginning of the tour, and- of course- the beginning of the thrilling moments she'd had with Min Ho. She was beyond happy that she'd be able to see her family before senior year, especially since she'd originally planned to be back in Portland with them.

But, you see, there was a problem.

And it was eating Kitty alive. 

Even as she stared out the window at all the capital city had to offer, the feeling remained in her stomach. Not anxiety. Pure terror.

Kitty and Min Ho were dating. They weren't "officially" a couple, but they were dating. They'd been on at least three. She wasn't sure what he considered a date and what he didn't, but she knew for sure that they'd been on at least three... and they'd kissed... a lot.

But no one knew- no one except for Joon Ho and Eunji, that was.

Lara Jean and Kitty called each other constantly. They'd update each other on all of the various parts of their lives: daily lives, random thoughts, funny stories, and of course, their romantic statuses which rarely changed.

Except, ever since Kitty and Min Ho had started going on dates, Kitty had been avoiding the questions. She hadn't been quiet per say, but she deflected like her life depended on it.

Her fingers tapped lightly against Min Ho's hand as they walked through the airport, hand in hand. It was just the two of them because Mr. Moon was in meetings, and Eunji and Joon Ho were busy with their own plans. 

It was the last day of Joon Ho's tour in Manila, so the next morning, he, Mr. Moon, Eunji, and the rest of the crew would be leaving, and Kitty and Min Ho would be staying a few extra days to spend time with the Covey family.

Thankfully, the attention was all on Joon Ho, so no one seemed to notice the relationship that Kitty and Min Ho had. 

"Stop worrying so much, Covey. I've met Peter before, and I've seen your sister and father on countless facetime calls. You're acting even more nervous than I'm feeling right now," Min Ho admitted, shivers running down the length of his back.

Kitty squeezed his hand, heart racing. "I can't help it! I'm excited and terrified. I haven't seen them in months, and when Peter realizes that you and I are... well, you know, dating, he's actually going to kill me for not telling him."

"Why would he do that?" Min Ho asked, chuckling as he let his thumb reassuringly run over the back of her palm.

"Because... he knew that you still had feelings for me when you were still dating Stella," She revealed through a small smile.

Min Ho's eyebrows shot up. "Did he, now? Ugh, damn it. Was I really that bad at hiding my feelings?" 

Kitty laughed lightly, swinging their arms together. "Guess you're not as nonchalant as you try to act. Sorry, babe."

Babe? Min Ho raised an eyebrow and smirked. That was new.

Before they got too close to the baggage claim they were meeting Lara Jean, Peter, and Mr. Covey at, he stopped her in the middle of the airport and kissed her.

Kitty pulled away with a raised eyebrow, laughing. "What was that for?"

"I probably won't be able to do that much while they're here. Just making up for what I'll miss," Min Ho claimed before casually continuing walking as if they hadn't just kissed in the middle of an airport like some K-drama.

"KITTY!" Lara Jean screamed when she spotted her sister standing next to a familiar looking Korean boy, scanning the area.

Kitty's jaw dropped, and she squealed in excitement as she ran to embrace her older sister. "LJ!"

Min Ho slyly followed behind with a polite smile, and Peter wasn't too shy to hug him like they'd known each other for much longer than they actually had.

"Oh. my. god. You're Min Ho," Lara Jean said, looking entirely shocked as she saw the tall boy standing behind her sister.

Min Ho raised an eyebrow and nodded. "And you're the famous Lara Jean." He stretched out a hand, politely wanting to make a good impression. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Lara Jean shrugged his hand away, which confused Min Ho. He frowned momentarily before she took a few steps closer and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm not my dad. There's no need for so much professionalism."

When she stepped back, Kitty finally saw her father. "Dad!" She shouted, running to wrap her arms around him.

"Oh, Kitten, I've missed you," said Mr. Covey, holding his youngest daughter tight to his chest. "I can't believe I've missed out on almost all summer with you."

Min Ho stifled a smirk at the nickname kitten. Yeah, he'd definitely be using that one against his girl. 

When Kitty pulled away from her dad, Mr. Covey's eyes wandered onto Min Ho, and he lit up with happiness. "Min Ho! It's so nice to finally meet you. I've heard nothing but good things."

Min Ho laughed warmly, as if he'd known the man for years. "Same here. Kitty's said nothing but wonderful things about your family."

A small smile curled onto Kitty's lips as she watched Min Ho interact with her family. It felt more right than anything, and she was absolutely positive she'd made the right choice. 

___

Because of it being Mr. Moon's last night in town, he invited Mr. Covey to dinner so that he could meet his son's "friend's" father, so it was just Kitty, Min Ho, Lara Jean, and Peter at the Bay Amusement Park.

Kitty tried to act platonic around Min Ho. She really, really did... but she kept feeling like she was failing. Her attempts at stifling smiles and refraining from taking his hand were depressing.

She just hoped no one would take too much notice, but then again, after how Peter realized Min Ho's feelings for Kitty before Min Ho and Kitty did, that was a risky road.

"Oh, Covey, look, it looks just like you," Min Ho commented, pointing to one of the prizes that just so happened to be an orange stuffed cat. 

Her jaw dropped in offense. "I'm not an orange cat!" 

Min Ho shot her a knowing look. "Your nickname is literally Kitty."

"Yeah, but that's not what you meant it as," She shot back.

He rolled his eyes, nodding slightly. Pausing before his hand briefly brushed the side of hers, he nodded. "If you say so, Covey."

Behind the two young lovers stood Lara Jean and Peter, watching Kitty and Min Ho interact with wide, anticipatory glances. Their voices blended into the large crowd as they whispered to each other as they followed behind them.

"Did you see that?" asked Peter. "The way he looked at her right there? There's no way you can tell me they're just friends."

Lara Jean nodded, squinting her eyes suspiciously as she eyed Kitty from behind. "No, you're totally right. The last time we talked about Min Ho, she said she didn't know how long she could keep her feelings hidden."

"You don't think..." Peter's voice trailed off. He knew his girlfriend would already know what he was thinking.

"Oh, but I do," said Lara Jean. "I mean, maybe they're not dating or anything. But there's no way Min Ho hasn't noticed the way she's looking at him. He's looking at her way too similarly."

Peter tilted his head from side to side. "Yeah, but that guy also got really messed up by that girl he dated in the spring. He might still be reeling from that."

"You're probably right, but that doesn't mean he doesn't still have feelings for Kitty," pointed out Lara Jean.

A small, plotting smirk spread across Peter's lips as he shared a look with his girlfriend. "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

"Oh, you know I am," Lara Jean replied through a returned smirk, eyes sparkling. 

She cleared her voice and clearly spoke loud enough so that Kitty and Min Ho could hear her. "Peter, you know, I think it's time we finally give that big Ferris wheel a try." 

The light breeze of the summer air lightly swept across Kitty's cheeks as she stood in line next to her sister. "We could've waited until the line was shorter, you know."

"I know," Lara Jean noted with a nod. "I just thought it would be fun now. Besides, I'm sure it'll be the wait."

"But we're missing out on all of the other rides!" Kitty exclaimed. 

Min Ho lightly nudged her arm with his. "Calm down, Covey. The fair's not going anywhere. We can come back tomorrow night."

"But--" Kitty argued with a frown.

"Next four groups," announced the ride attendee. 

Min Ho stepped up next to Kitty, assuming he was going to be going with her. "Come on, Covey."

"Oh, no, sorry man, I'm stealing Kitty for this ride," Peter interrupted, hooking his arm around Kitty's.

She, however, wasn't going down without a fight. "What? No, Peter, that's not fair. Min Ho and LJ don't know each other well enough--" 

"We'll manage just fine, Kitty. Besides, I'd like to get to know the guy who my sister's spending the entire summer with," Lara Jean replied.

Kitty shot her sister a death glare as Peter led her towards the gondola. "Come on, buddy. We haven't seen each other in a few months. It'll be fun."

Min Ho had to physically stop himself from laughing at the way Kitty glared at her sister. Lara Jean glanced at him and chuckled. "She's like this a lot of the times, you know?"

"Yeah," He agreed through a nod, still staring straight at Kitty. "I know." 

As the gondolas made their way higher up into the air, Kitty's crossed arms showed her pure annoyance at Peter's sudden decision. "You seriously couldn't let me ride with Min Ho?"

"Well, if I'd done that, then I wouldn't have had the chance to ask you what I'm about to now," Peter explained through a laugh.

Kitty's jaw dropped to the floor. "You set this up?"

Peter simply shrugged. "I don't know if I'd used the word set up, but yeah. How else was I supposed to get the details of what's going on with you and Min Ho?"

"Oh my god, this is so humiliating," She muttered under her breath, eyes widening in desperate fear. "Lara Jean's not going to ask Min Ho about--"

The mixed look of empathy and amusement on Peter's face was enough to give her an answer.

"No! Please! You can't let her do that!" Kitty exclaimed, turning to face him with wild eyes.

Peter's eyebrows shot up. "You and Min Ho still haven't confessed your feelings to each other yet?"

"Well, I didn't say that..." Kitty muttered. "But that's not important! Peter, please. I'm going to die of humiliation." 

She frantically turned around, staring right back at Min Ho and Lara Jean who were already amidst a casual conversation that they were both thoroughly enjoying.

Min Ho paused mid-sentence when he saw Kitty passionately waving her arms at them, face practically plastered to the glass. "What on earth is she doing?"

When Lara Jean's eyes landed on her younger sister, she burst out laughing. "Oh my god."

Kitty was trying to mouth the words 'Please, don't let her ask about us! Deny, deny, deny! Min Ho! Can you see what I'm trying to say?' Unfortunately, though, it looked like absolute nonsense from Min Ho's and Lara Jean's point of view.

Peter turned around, trying to tell Kitty to stop. "You're going to scare them to death! Come on, it's not that serious."

"It is that serious!" Kitty yelled. "I don't trust her alone with Min Ho! What if she asks him super weird questions?!"

Peter merely shook his head. "Kitty, come on, please. Let's just enjoy the ride and talk about life, okay? That's all this is. We weren't trying to ambush you; We just wanted insider info since you wouldn't tell us what happened between you two."

Kitty squinted her eyes begrudgingly but turned around and stopped waving her arms like a maniac. "Okay, fine. What do you want to know?"

"Well, that was a show," Min Ho commented through a chuckle.

Lara Jean nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it always is with Kitty. I'm sure you know that by now, though."

"That I do," He agreed with a nod.

"So..." Lara Jean asked, hesitating only for a minute before asking the bomb. "How long have you had feelings for her?"

Min Ho's stomach dropped to the bottom of his stomach. "What?"

"I don't mean to intrude or anything. I just... see you how look at her. I know that feeling well. I thought you and Kitty might, well, you know, have feelings for each other," Lara Jean explained.

"Oh," Min Ho said. "Well, you're not wrong. I guess it's not very much of a secret how I feel for her."

Lara Jean smiled as she shook her head. "It's not, but that's not necessarily a bad thing either. I think it's better to show someone that you care and act like you do than not or send mixed signals."

"Yeah. Honesty is important," Min Ho agreed.

Lara Jean nodded, sitting up a little straighter. "I'm glad you get it. So... are you two, like, dating now? Or I guess I should ask- officially a couple?"

Min Ho's back went as rigid as a rock. "What has Kitty told you thus far?"

"Not very much," Lara Jean admitted through a slight frown. "Her feelings have been very, very real, but she hasn't actually said much of anything about what's happened between you two."

Min Ho swallowed nervously as he nodded. "I think it's only fair if I let her tell you what she wants to."

"Ah," Lara Jean understood, "so you're not official yet."

"How did you come to that conclusion?" asked Min Ho. 

Lara Jean shrugged. "If you were, you would've known exactly what to say when I asked that question. Believe me; I was in the same situation with Peter not too long ago."

Min Ho laughed at the fond story. "Yeah, Covey's told me all about that."

"I'm sure she has," Lara Jean laughed.

When they got off the ride, Kitty was practically shaking with nerves. Min Ho raised an eyebrow in concern as he walked over to her. "You alright, Covey?"

"Great! Doing just great. Super great. Best I've been all my life," She lied through a shit-eating grin. 

As the night unraveled, Min Ho's ability to not be by Kitty's side slowly dissipated. He didn't mean for it to happen; It just did.

Peter and Lara Jean went off to ride a few rides on their own, and finally, he was able to talk to her about what was mentioned on the Ferris wheel.

"So... Covey, your sister asked me some pretty interesting questions on the Ferris wheel earlier on," He hesitantly admitted, sliding his hand into hers as they walked around.

"Oh?" Kitty asked, raising an eyebrow. "What'd she say?"

Min Ho cleared his throat before saying, "Well, it was about us, actually. She wanted to know if we were dating or not."

Kitty visibly flinched. "Yeah... about that. She and Peter kind of pulled that on purpose so they could ask us individually."

Min Ho's eyebrow shot up. "You're kidding."

"Nope. What can I say? I come from evil masterminds."

"I guess you really do. Anyways, I was wondering what your thoughts were about something she said."

"Hhm. Go on."

"That you haven't said much about us- well, you know what I mean. You've been the one talking to her. But... I wanted to say I've liked the pace we've been going at. Things just between us."

Kitty's eyes widened in surprised as she turned to face him, stopping in her tracks. "Wait, really? You don't mind?"

Min Ho's eyes softened as he nodded, squeezing her hand. "I want to do this right with you, Covey." 

Kitty, who was smiling in the most vulnerable way she possibly could, leaned in close and placed a quick kiss on his lips. "Have I mentioned how much I like you?"

Min Ho quirked an eyebrow. "Do you really? I had no idea."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in to kiss her again. "I like you too, Covey. A lot."

Chapter Text

Kitty stared at the sky, starry-eyed in awe, as she walked out of the Incheon International Airport. Two months. She hadn't stepped foot in the beautiful city of Seoul in two months. 

It wasn't the end of Joon Ho's tour just yet, but they were back for a long weekend. There were still a few cities left. 

A soft, tender laugh escaped Min Ho's lips as he peeked over at her through his shades. "Happy to be back, Covey?"

"More than I could've imagined," Kitty said through an impish grin.

He gently nudged her elbow with his. "Alright, come on. Time to get back to the penthouse."

Kitty's heart dropped, and she turned to face him with wide eyes. "Wait. We're staying at your dad's house while we're here?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Min Ho asked as if it was second nature. 

She nodded. He had a point. But she... hadn't exactly been expecting to actually stay in Min Ho's house where he'd quite literally grown up. They weren't officially together, but with what she'd been secretly planning, it made her heart squeeze even tighter. Things were starting to become real. At least they wouldn't have to share a bed again, hopefully.

"Kitty, love, can I borrow you for a moment?" Eunji asked, pulling her back into reality.

She raised an eyebrow as she turned to Joon Ho's fiancée. "Sure! What's up?"

Eunji hooked her arm around Kitty's, pulling her a little farther away from Min Ho, out of his earshot. "How are you two doing?"

"What?" Kitty asked through a frown.

That earned a light chuckle from Eunji. "I just mean, Joon Ho and I just want to make sure the two of you are doing well together so far. Min Ho isn't the most open with his brother about... relationships, but they're working on it. So, I figured I'd just ask you."

Kitty swallowed a little lump of nerves. "Well... um, what do you want to know?"

"He's treating you right, isn't he?" asked Eunji.

"Oh!" Kitty exclaimed. "Yes. Oh my god, yes. That's never something you have to worry about with Min Ho. He's not the kind of guy to ever make you feel like a second thought."

Eunji squeezed her arm reassuringly. "I'm glad to hear it. So, about this party you're planning, who's been invited and who's RSVP'd so far?" 

Kitty grinned. "Well, Dae and Q are both coming. Juliana said she can come too, but Praveena has to make sure she can get off work. Yuri can't come, though, because of the whole deal with her family. Things are... tough for her right now."

"Do you have any idea of what you'll need to do with Min Ho in order to surprise him?" Eunji thoughtfully asked.

Kitty tilted her head slightly as she shrugged. "I haven't had much time to think about it, but I know he's definitely not expecting it. He doesn't even know that I know his birthday's on Sunday."

Eunji nodded understandingly. "Well, if it's any help, you and Min Ho can go out that morning and explore the city while Joon Ho and I set up the party and make sure everyone knows what to do before you get there."

Kitty's face lit up, touched by Eunji's blatant kindness. "Really? You'd do that for us?"

The blonde tenderly touched Kitty's shoulder. "Kitty, you're already my second family. The mark you have left on the Moons is indelible. There's very little I wouldn't do for you." 

___

Visiting Young Moon's penthouse was one thing. But temporarily living in it was another experience entirely. Kitty quickly began to realize how pampered everyone was, and it made all the more sense why Min Ho was the way he was.

There were workers at Mr. Moon's hands and feet, doing anything and everything he asked of them.

Someone was there to take Kitty's jacket the second she stepped foot into the apartment.
Someone was there to roll her suitcase into the room next to Min Ho's.
Someone was there to ask her if she wanted anything to eat or drink.

Someone even offered to show her throughout the entire house, but Min Ho interceded on her behalf, knowing that Kitty wasn't used to anything of the sort. So, he showed her around instead.

After settling back into her own room, Kitty was out of breath. She huffed out a deep breath, plopping onto the bed. "So, this is really what it's like for you outside of school?" She asked Min Ho.

He shrugged, effortlessly sliding onto the enormous-sized beanbag diagonal from the bed. "It was for a while- when I was younger, mainly. My mum's is nothing like this."

"How did your dad even function on the go?" She laughed. "Like, if this is how I lived my life all of the time, I don't know how I'd function like a normal human being."

Min Ho nodded with understanding. "Yeah, it's definitely a strange concept. He didn't always have loads of money like he does now, though. Most of it came through hard work."

Kitty yawned, lying on her stomach and propping an elbow up so she could set her head in it. "That's kind of insane."

"Tired already? We just got back home," Min Ho chuckled.

Kitty nodded, closing her eyes. "Just... jetlagged, I guess."

Min Ho rolled his eyes, scoffing, "Right. Because that's happened in every city we've gone to so far."

Smirking, Kitty abruptly grabbed one of the pillows from the bed and threw it at him. 

"How dare you?!" Min Ho exclaimed, popping up from the beanbag and tossing it right back at her.

Kitty giggled as it turned into an ultimate pillow fight. She grabbed another and tossed it at him, and then he took the first one, lightly tapping her arm with it multiple times.

She pushed him back, and he nearly stumbled in the inside slippers he wore on the slick wooden floors. In return, he scrambled towards her, practically tackling her onto the bed.

Kitty laughed manically, knowing she was far too tired to be in her right mind. Min Ho laughed, shaking his head at her, as they both rested on their sides, staring at each other.

"You know, you should really get some sleep," He mumbled, smoothing her hair over by lightly running a few of his fingers over the little flyaways.

Kitty grinned. "So should you."

Min Ho raised an eyebrow, clearly insinuating something else.

"Shut up! I didn't mean it like that, and you know it!" Kitty exclaimed, tossing one of the pillows directly in front of his face so there was no possible way he could witness her utter embarrassment.

Min Ho scoffed, rolling his eyes, but quickly placed a chaste peck on her lips before dragging himself off the bed. "Take a nap, Covey. I'll be back when it's time for dinner."

___

Two days later, Sunday arrived, and that meant Min Ho's eighteenth birthday. Because he still hadn't actually told Kitty about it, he remained under the assumption that nothing would come of the day. No unforetold surprises. No shocks. Hopefully, just a nice day with his favorite person.

It's not like anyone would care to surprise him. After all, even though his relationship with his father had gotten better, he still doubted his father would actually remember his birthday.

Min Ho was deep in slumber when Kitty passionately burst through his bedroom door. The loud bang of the sound woke him up, and he immediately sat up, worrying something bad was going to happen.

Then, he laid eyes on Kitty.

"Covey?!" He exclaimed. "What on earth are you doing in here so early in the morning? Please, love, for the love of God, go back to sleep." 

Kitty rolled her eyes and crossed her arms before approaching the side of the bed where he was lying. "Hello?? No. Get up, Mr. cranky pants. We have plans today."

"What are you talking about?" Min Ho asked through an annoyed scoff. "No, we don't. We literally went over this last night."

Without daring to ask, Kitty nudged his legs to the side so that there was room for herself to sit. "Min Ho, no. It's your eighteenth birthday. We're not sitting around and doing nothing because I know you don't want to do that. Happy birthday, by the way," Kitty chuckled before placing a quick kiss on his lips.

Min Ho stared at her like she was from another world. "I-- What? How did you know?"

"Because I pay attention... and I asked Joon Ho and your dad earlier on tour because you never mentioned it before," Kitty admitted with a simple shrug.

She tried to stifle a laugh, but it showed too well. Min Ho raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"The face you're making right now is really, really funny," Kitty muttered, shaking her head, letting the laugh come out naturally.

Min Ho inhaled a deep breath, pressing his hand to his heart, feigning offense. "On my birthday? How shallow!"

Kitty rolled her eyes, but her grin gave her true feelings away. She leaned in and pressed a kiss into his cheek. "Yeah, yeah. Happy birthday. Seriously, though," she said, climbing off the bed, get ready because we're spending the morning out."

The morning went by quickly. Kitty was a big fan of window shopping, making sure to not point anything out too much because she didn't want Min Ho spending money on her on his birthday. 

They walked the streets with entangled hands, occasionally stopping to take a picture or two, and enjoyed each other's company at a prestigious cafe for brunch. 

She tried to stay off of her phone, only making exceptions for the party planning group chat with Eunji, Joon Ho, and Mr. Moon. 

At twelve o'clock, she practically dragged Min Ho back to the penthouse. She ran so quickly, pulling his hand the entire way to the Kakao cab. "Lunch! We can't miss lunch!"

"Covey, calm down! It's still early!" Min Ho shouted, laughing in utter shock and awe, holding onto her for dear life.

He had no idea what was happening. One minute, they were window shopping like they had been for hours, and the next, they were in a cab, and Kitty was uttering off a list of places they were going to visit after they changed back at the apartment.

Really, Min Ho was content doing anything with her, but it all seemed extraordinarily chaotic- even for Kitty. "Alright, that's it. What's going on? You're rambling even more than usual?"

"What?!" Kitty exclaimed defensively. "No, I'm not! I'm just talking about all of the places we have to visit later on today."

Min Ho shook his head, still not understanding. "Yes, but why? These are the most random shops you could possibly come up with."

Kitty looked at him incredulously, as if she couldn't believe the statement. "Min Ho, it's your birthday." 

"Yes, Covey, I'm very aware of that," Min Ho commented with a nod.

She huffed out a frustrated sigh, rolling her eyes. "These are all shops that have birthday discounts! Free cakes, coffees. All of those kinds of things," she explained.

Min Ho's eyebrows shot up. "That's actually a thing?"

"Mhm," Kitty hummed. "Now, will you please let me continue?" 

He feigned a groan. "If I must." 

That earned a swift but gentle kick to the shin.

"Hey!"

"That's what you get for being rude."

"But it's my birthday!"

Kitty heaved out a reluctant sigh. "Yeah, that's a good point..."

___

Behind the turning keys in the apartment door, Q, Dae, Praveena, Jin, Juliana, Eunji, Eunice, Mihee, Joon Ho, and Mr. Moon awaited Min Ho's and Kitty's arrival with swirling hearts. 

Kitty frowned as she turned the keys into the door, jamming them as hard as she could. "Min Ho, it's not working."

"I literally just tried it after we left this morning. It's not possible that it's not working," Min Ho muttered through a frown. 

She shook her head. "It's not, though. Hold on. Is there a spare key somewhere?" 

Min Ho heaved out a frustrated sigh. "Not up here. I'll have to go ask the worker downstairs."

"Oh, don't worry about it, then. I'll go ask him. You should stay up here. You shouldn't have to be worrying about this on your birthday," Kitty said through a frown.

"No, that's alright. You should stay up here," Min Ho objected, placing a light hand on her upper arm. "I'll be back in a minute. Don't go anywhere." 

Kitty tilted her head, frowning. "Are you sure?"

Min Ho nodded. "Positive. Be back in a jiff."

The second he turned around the corner to head downstairs, Kitty slipped the key back into the lock and unlocked the door. She silently slipped into the room, exhaling a heavy breath. 

"Okay, he just went to get the spare key. That gives us just a few minutes. Are you guys ready?"

Q grinned from ear to ear. "Oh, we were born ready for this."

Kitty drew in a shaky breath. "Great. Should be any minute now. Everyone, get in your hiding places!" She squeaked. 

Three minutes passed by. 

The room was so silent that they could hear the creaks in the floor when Min Ho approached the door with the spare key. "Kitty?" He called, frowning as he glanced down the open hallway.

"Kitty, where did you go?" Min Ho called a second time.

From inside, she stifled a sad laugh. She was sorry to have had to leave him there, but it was the only way for the surprise to work. 

Min Ho walked through the door, still frowning. He didn't even get the chance to ask, "Kitty, where did you go?" a third time before everyone popped out of their hiding spots.

All at once... Q popped out of a cardboard box that was sitting a few feet from the door, Dae slid out from behind a closet door, some of the girls popped out from behind the first open door past that door, Eunji and Joon Ho rushed in from the kitchen, Kitty popped out right behind Q, and Mr. Moon popped his head in from the kitchen, carrying a birthday cake.

"SURPRISE!"

Min Ho blinked repeatedly, eyes widening in pure shock. "Wha-- How did you all get here?"

"Take a wild guess," Q commented through a smirk, eyes twinkling. "It was all Kitty's idea."

The birthday boy inhaled a deep breath. Okay, wow. That was... something else. No one, no one in his entire life, had put so much effort into something individually just for him. 

It was an overwhelming feeling, to say the least, but more than anything, Min Ho's heart spiraled with gratitude. 

"Covey?" He asked, eyes turning onto Kitty who was standing bashfully with her hands clasped, trying her hardest to not smile behind Q and Dae.

"Surprise!" She exclaimed, throwing up jazz-hands. 

Staring thoughtfully into each other's eyes, the world around them seemed to disappear. He took several slow steps forward until he stood right before her. "Kitty, you did all of this?"

Her cheeks turned bright pink as she smiled up at him. "After everything you've done for me this year, it was the least I could do. It's your birthday, and you deserve to be celebrated."

If Min Ho wasn't feeling so strongly in love with her, he would have teased her relentlessly, but, instead, he wrapped both arms around her and squeezed her so tightly she thought she was going to explode.

Q raised an eyebrow, watching them with a curvy smirk. His breath was hardly a whisper. "I knew it."

"Wait, are they, like, together now?" Praveena whispered into Juliana's ear.

Juliana simply shrugged. "Well, it certainly looks like it to me."

Dae stood there with a mouth wide-open in shock. What was happening? Maybe he was seeing things. There was no way Min Ho was hugging Kitty, especially not like that. He'd said there was nothing going on between them...

When Kitty pulled away, she had to physically force herself to not look at Min Ho's lips. That could not happen here. Not in front of all of their friends who were clueless to their situation. 

Besides, she was sure she'd shower him with kisses later on anyways.

"Happy birthday, Min Ho," Mr. Moon announced, walking over to his son with a fatherly smile as he carefully held the black and white ice cream cake in his hands.

Kitty squeezed his hand. "Blow out the candles, birthday boy." 

Min Ho rolled his eyes, but the flush of his cheeks gave his true feelings away. 

As they all sang happy birthday, a strike of joy rushed through Min Ho's body. For the first time in his life, he knew he had people to run back to when things were... well, anything.

Whether things would be hard or easy during senior year, he'd always run back to these people. The people who cared. The one person who cared more than anything.

Dae watched with wide eyes, and after Min Ho had blown out the candles, he felt it in his stomach. 

It couldn't be. But it was. 

Jealousy.

They had been lying to him, after all of this time...