Chapter Text
During the little hours Min Ho spent enduring the charm of Song-Covey's judgment and mockery, the night was starting to take its shape. Sky gradient its colors from clear cerulean to navy blue, and the little golden sparkles were overtaking the filament. The Korean boy knew it was his moment to return to his hotel. A luxury place nearby that surprisingly fulfilled most of his expectations and amenities.
"You sure you want to spend quality time alongside The Portland Stalker?" said Kitty once she was able to rip Min Ho apart from her family's hands. They'd been playful enough to make the guy had a couple of jump scares he thought nobody saw.
She was hanging from the doorframe and Min Ho was already outside, on the porch. Just like they started the day, they were finishing it.
"I warn you," she pointed a finger at him and winked, "you might get one or two near-death experiences when associated with someone like me."
Min Ho smiled in return, "I'm a though guy," he addressed. "I'll take my chances."
"I'll see you around," Kitty ended their chatting with hesitation. Usually, when parting from her friends she would be excited and huggy, but with Min Ho it just felt... still awckward and partly forbidden.
Min Ho was feeling hesitant as well. He'd never made direct contact with her bare skin, he didn't even like when she touched him by chance. How was he supposed to approach her, or to even embrace her without it being hella weird?
"Be good, Kitty," those were the last words he granted to the girl. Same words he used moments before putting his mastermind plan on action from Korea to the world.
He bent to her level, noses brushing each other... and stroked her hair in a childlike way.
And any thought she had on her mind melted down. Her mind palace emptied. The tingling sensation he left on her nose when he turned away shook her from inside. Why did she agree to such stupid exposure with him? What if he managed to break in her heart? What if he broke it once he got himself satisfied?
After driving for a couple of blocks from Kitty's house, Min Ho didn't wait a single moment to make a direct call to Q —through his Instagram direct messages, of course. He could always afford to pay the long-distance charge, but he didn't have the patience nor the time to be wasting on irrelevancies. Social media was the right solution of the night, and he would make use of it when necessary.
Getting out of the car to have some fresh air to breath, he looked for Q's chat and pressed the cellphone button. The call hadn't started but the tension he was feeling could cross continents too and that little ringtone of a call-in waiting was irritating him to say the least. Why was his friend taking so long to answer? He was the one who asked for a call to begin with!
Quincy's face appeared on his screen; he was finally returning the call. It just took him four missing ones. He looked tired and saddened. (Perhaps from feeling the absence of the other half of his heart: Him.) His voice, on the other hand, was trying to mask his disposition.
"Heyyy youuuuu," he greeted Min Ho, there was a forced excitement on his tone. "How's it going stealing your besties' girlfriend?"
Q could feel his indignation coming through the screen. The characteristic circled mouth forming on his expression, "First of all, Quincy, sounds awful when you say it that way. I'm not stealing anything. They're no longer a thing."
"I know bro, I was just messing around."
"Secondly, what took you so long to answer?" He was too close to scream that question, but he remained calm. "And what was that about Kitty and KISS?"
Quincy sighed and the sound of it pondered on his ears, his EarPods almost vibrating by the intensity of his friend's feelings.
"Look, I think we need to talk about Dae before anything," he exclaimed, his expression becoming gloomy. "And not 'cause I think you're a jerk, but because he might be in serious trouble..."
"I know, your boyfriend–"
"My ex boyfriend, Florian." He cut Min Ho's discourse in haste. "C'mon, say it with me..."
"Fair enough, Q. Your ex-boyfriend," Min ho felt a tremor in his own vocal cords while saying the words. Not wanting to imagine how would the same Q be feeling about the situation too.
"Thank you, Sir." Q sounded satisfied with that statement. Maybe it was to make himself feel like it was a real thing, maybe because he needed reassurance for his own doubts.
"Are you... are you okay with that?"
"I couldn't stand to see him, knowing that he took Dae's spot. I would've preferred to be cheated on than for him to steal my best friend's place, his future! I'm so worried right now to be upset about our relationship."
"Oh man, I'm such an shitty friend..." Min Ho closed his eyes, feeling remorseful. "I should've helped him instead of running after Kitty."
"We do crazy things when we're in love," Q simply responded. A shadow crossed his eyes. The bittersweet taste of new found love contrasting with the lost of another invading his tongue.
Min Ho smiled at him, but it wasn't a happy grin, it was a heavyhearted one, "Quoting Disney again?"
Q gave the same kind of smile back, "Sorry, I'm a fellow American after all." And to be fair, Quincy's appearance made him look like the younger and dark-haired version of Disney's "Hercules (1997)".
"When I get back, I will help Dae to reincorporate to KISS, I swear. I can even pay his tuition if needed."
"Don't do things out of guilt Min Ho, he won't accept them."
Listening to those words made Q feel worried, everything was falling apart at the seams and he didn't need his friends to have an ugly fallout too. If he could be the referee between Min Ho and Dae (and maaaybe the recently trained matchmarker between him and Kitty), he would glady take that place in the world for them.
"He had never accepted charity from us, and I don't think he'd do it now."
"Then, we should make Florian confess his felony," Min Ho retorted. He was wearing that fierce look on his eyes, the kind of look that showed everyone who he really was. Not the self-assured party boy, but the threatening king of calamity.
"He might be expelled from KISS..." Saying that made his heart ache. Was he upset with him? Of course. But, would he tolerate the pain of his heart breaking for not being able to see his face again? He didn't know that. "Not sure if he deserves that."
"And what other choice do we have? If convincing Yuri's mother was as easy as asking for mercy, Kitty wouldn't be out of KISS..."
When Quincy spoke again, his mouth was articulating on words, but Min Ho's EarPods didn't connect the sound. His voice sounded muffled, like from coming outside... from outside the speaker of his cellphone.
"We'll figure it out when you come back." That's what Q said on the open speakers but Min Ho couldn't hear him. "Now, can we fully discuss your sudden but not unexpected crush on my charming friend Katherine Song-Covey...?"
Now that part, Min Ho was more than able to listen to.
"Can we not?" asked Min Ho. "I just left her house and I'm going back to my hotel make my skin care routine. The only reason I made that call..." —those calls, to be precise, "was because you squeezed my brain with an alarming news you're not actually telling me."
"Why not staying there? In her house," Q replied, blantantly avoiding on Min Ho's tantrum.
Now that he'd thought about it through, maybe he shouldn't deliver the information about Kitty's re-incorporation to K.I.S.S., not until they've spent a little time together. To see if any sparks fly between them. Q just didn't want Min Ho to hold that information hostage, or to even have the burden in his heart to have to say it to Kitty.
"Why would I?" Min Ho countered. He decided that begging for anyone's answers didn't suit him well, not even one of his best friends. Q would let him know when he wanted to. That's Q way. "I'm a gentleman and I don't need her snooping inside of my K-Beauty products." The boy rolled his eyes. Maybe he would buy her whatever products she needed, but touching his? There was a limit on the things people did for love.
"Min Ho..." Quincy said with a singing, worried voice. "Min Ho..." he echoed, with the same amount of worriness as before. But Min Ho was irresponsive to his babbling, long one on his imagination. "MIN HO!" Q screamed, taking him out of the reverie.
"What!?" the Korean boy yelled back.
"H-Hi Kitty," Quincy sang once again, opening his hand to greet Kitty. His brows almost squashing his eyes, his smile crooked by the shame of being discovered.
"You told Q!?" Kitty's squeaky voice rumbled the silence of the night; interloping their conversation.
Min Ho turned around, his breathing was slow and controlled. All he wished to find behind was his own shadow, but instead, he found a very pissed off Katherine Song-Covey holding an iPhone's charger.
«Bloody hell, I'm screwed» Guess his good luck streak wasn't mean to last that long.
Did she followed him? How did she hear of this conversation? Would she punch him in the face?
"I can't freakin' believe it, Min Ho!"
He just got there, engaged with her family and now it was all screwed up by a tiny mistake.
"It wasn't on purpose, Kitty, I swear." He began walking behind her, racing at the moment she increased her pacing, back to her house. Min Ho brushed his fingers against her forearm, touching her just by little.
"Of all the things you could've divulged..." She took a deep breath, trying not to lose her mind. "What happened with "Kitty's a snitch because she talked about Poopy baby"? The hypocrisy," she exclaimed, finally feeling the heat to face him.
But, was it even so bad he talked about his crush to someone else? Why did it bother her so badly? Maybe it were her own tangled feelings cornering her to the edge of confusion. Talking them out would only make the situation more palpable, tangible, real. When she was playing it safe on her world of wonder.
"He cornered me and I... I couldn't just lie. I cannot hide my feelings, I won't be keeping them in a box." Min Ho looked inexplicably handsome having said that, and just a little bit of her defenses fell down.
"But you could've kept them here, with me only."
The boy spread half a smile, "Don't tell me you wouldn't want to brag about my pathetic love confessions with him. To make fun of me," he stated.
Kitty snorted, "I wasn't planning to. Now you give me no choice but to do so."
"Good." He leaned his face close to hers again. "Because you should be proud that someone as amazing and handsome as me is hopelessly in love with you, Sasaeng."
Hopelessly in love with you, every time he repeated that sentence it felt heavier and heavier on Kitty's chest. She wasn't sure if it was the pressure of feeling wanted or her own beating heart manifesting the effects of Min Ho's breaking in, but he was taking her breath away. And Kitty Song-Covey wasn't used to kept quiet. She was the one to make an impression. To make revolutions and drive people crazy.
She drew herself back, stumbling by little, "D-don't say it like that." And her face turned red instantly. Kitty closed her eyes and he got even closer.
"Like what?" Min Ho asked, playfully.
"Like you mean it," Kitty responded, opening an eye to spy him with. Noticing that there was no distance between them, she opened both in bewilderment.
"Well, sorry to disappoint you but, I do. I mean every single word I've said," he exclaimed, still having the decency not to kiss her. "To you, more than anyone ever."