Chapter Text
I like me better when I'm with you
I like me better when I'm with you
I knew from the first time, I'd stay for a long time 'cause
I like me better when
I like me better when I'm with you
Late morning traffic going north on the 405 from LAX to west LA is never a pleasant experience. At least for Min Ho, he doesn't have to drive himself and can just sit and relax in the backseat of the BMW X5 that would take him to his mom's residence. He's wearing his earbuds that surprisingly got no use at all during his flight from Korea, listening to the latest song that he is currently obsessed with. Usually, he likes songs that convey their message more subtly, but he can't help how precisely this one fits his current mood. The only difference is that he wouldn't know from the first time what his feelings really were for Kitty Song Covey, the girl that for him this song is obviously about. "More like the hundredth time," he says to himself, chuckling, knowing that no one is around to question this seemingly out of the blue statement. He knows it's corny to laugh at his own joke, but he doesn't seem to care. It's only because much of his life growing up, he was always by himself, being driven around from place to place by one driver or another who never seemed to last more than a month, that he's developed this little personal quirk.
Ever since unburdening his soul to Kitty, he feels ten pounds lighter. At this point, things are out in the open and there's nothing he can do about it. With one less thing on his mind, he can start to divert his attention to his mom whom he's anxiously waiting to see again. As he arrives at his mom's place, he's suddenly hit with the realization that she's probably working today, and he won't get to see her until later this evening. His suspicion is confirmed when he finds a note for him on the dining table.
Welcome, my son. I've missed you so much. I can't wait to see you tonight. You have to catch me up on everything that's happened since we last spoke. Did things work out with Madison? *wink* And how is Kitty? Are you two over your bickering towards each other and friends now?
Love, mom
"If you only knew…" thought Min Ho.
The two and a half hour flight from Los Angeles to Portland was pretty uneventful for Kitty. With how the previous flight had gone, she absolutely welcomed the dullness of sitting quietly and not talking. However, just because she doesn't have to talk to anyone doesn't mean her brain isn't still on overdrive trying to process everything from before.
In the last twelve hours, she's learned more about Min Ho than she ever did in the four months prior. She feels like if things would have started out differently than how their initial meeting went, their relationship might be in a much different place than it is currently. However, for the moment, a friendship is the only thing her mind thinks it can handle. To be fair, they only recently became something that the average person could identify as friends. So, when Min Ho decided to open himself up like Pandora's box, she deserved some credit for how she handled the situation. Now, that's not to say that Min Ho is a permanent resident of the friend zone. Kitty is someone that believes in "never say never" but now, she can't fathom how he'll ever get out of it. Sure, he's incredibly attractive and disregarding everything else that's going on in her life, if it were only the two of them, she might let herself get swept away in a whirlwind romance, but with everything that just happened with Dae and the question about what to do about Yuri, she's not ready to seriously involve herself in even more potential drama.
After landing in Portland, Kitty silently curses to herself for wishing that Min Ho was still there with her, if only to help her get her big yellow suitcase from the baggage carousel. As she's riding down the escalator, moving from the secured area of the airport to the public space, and before heading over to the baggage claim, she spots in her periphery a huge neon pink sign with the words, "Welcome Home, Kitty" entirely in glitter. Unfortunately, the 't' and the 'y' at the end are half the size of the other letters and so bunched together that if you weren't paying attention, would make the sign read more like "Welcome Home, Kit." Somehow that makes Kitty's heart feel even warmer. Holding up said sign is none other than Stanford's very own lacrosse star, Peter Kavinsky. Kitty sprints to him nearly knocking over an innocent bystander. She thinks to herself, "I really do have a problem with bumping into people," before it leaves her head as quickly as it came.
She crushes Peter in a bear hug, forcing him to drop his sign and immediately wrap his arms around the tiny girl. "Whoa, whoa, whoa… Kitty. It's ok, I'm here." Soothingly, he's rubbing small circles on her lower back and continues asking, "Is everything alright?"
Kitty needs a minute to compose herself, but soon she releases her grasp of Peter and looks up at him with the biggest smile. This is the first boy she's seen in four months who she has no drama with whatsoever and it brings a sense of relief to her. "I'm just really happy to see a familiar face. Speaking of which, not that I'm not happy you're here, but why didn't Dad pick me up?"
"I finished with my finals earlier in the week, so I've been home for a few days now. Lara Jean still has another week to go, and she also told me that Margot won't be back in town for a few more days. But she did let slip that your school term ends the same day as mine and that you're flying back immediately after. I just couldn't wait to see any of the Covey sisters so I asked your dad if I could come pick you up today and he happily obliged."
Kitty mentally tallies another point for Peter. While she's absolutely certain that Peter and Lara Jean will get married one day, the score keeping is to have something to rub in Lara Jean's face always and forever about how right she was for sending out her letters all those years ago and matching them up. A part of her is also a little envious that she doesn't yet have her own partner in life like how Peter is to Lara Jean.
Looking around, she sees a case of Yakult next to Peter's feet and points to it questioningly.
Peter notices and quickly picks it up, kneels before her, and presents it as if it were the royal crown. "These are for you milady."
"Uhhh, I hate to burst your bubble, but I've been drinking these every day for the last four months."
"Oh, yeah, of course. I knew that."
Kitty feels bad for Peter, so she gives him a peck on the cheek, takes the case of yogurt drinks off his hands and immediately presents it back to him. "These are for you, my good sir. Thank you for being here today and picking me up."
Peter's eyes light up as he excitedly takes back the drinks. "And thank you as well."
The two of them make their way to the baggage claim and Kitty squeezes through a throng of people to get as close to the carousel as possible. She spots her suitcase, reaches for it with both hands, but is struggling to get it off the conveyer belt. Peter notices and quickly rushes to her side to help her. As Peter goes to grab Kitty's suitcase, their hands brush each other's and Peter can't help but notice how soft her skin is. "Wow, your hands feel soft as silk."
"It's a buckwheat hand cream that I've been using for a while now," Kitty mentions nonchalantly. "You should try it sometime. I'm sure your hands could use it from playing all that lacrosse."
Peter is slightly amused. "Since when did Miss Kitty Song Covey start to care so much about her skin?"
Kitty is sitting at the kitchen counter with Q, a laptop open in front of both of them. They are anxiously awaiting the results of their Chemistry midterm. Kitty has enlisted Q as her official web page refresher while she is nervously wringing her hands together.
Min Ho is standing opposite of them making himself a cup of tea. He offers them a cup, but they politely decline as they don't know if they can stomach anything down at the moment, even a soothing hot beverage. As he looks on, he sees the destruction that Kitty is inflicting on her own hands, and it drives him crazy. He sets down his cup of tea a little too loudly and heads straight to the bathroom, causing Kitty and Q to look up at each other. Kitty has a confused look on her face, but Q says reassuringly, "It's just Min Ho being…" and then with clarity, they both say in unison, "Min Ho."
As Min Ho walks back into the kitchen, he gently sets his bottle of buckwheat hand cream next to Kitty. "Here. Please use this immediately if you are planning on resuming all of that hand wringing you're doing. You'll thank me in the future. Also, this is just a one-time thing. I can only get this brand from a supplier that my mom knows and she only meets with them whenever she's back in Korea."
Kitty's retort comes like a quick reflex. "Shut up, Min Ho." There is no malice behind her words anymore. It's just a routine that the two have developed where Min Ho makes a passive aggressive insult and Kitty tells him what he can do with it. However, she proceeds to pick up the bottle, examining it thoroughly. She then huffs before opening it and applying a few dabs of it on her hands and rubbing it into her skin.
Min Ho's smug attitude always grates her nerves, but a small part of her knows that buried underneath that abrasive layer of his personality, is one that indicates his care for her.
"That's part of a larger story I'm not quite ready to get into yet."
"I'm here if you need me," says Peter.
After making their way out of the airport and to Peter's Jeep in the parking structure, they continue their conversation. "How does it feel to be less than a year away from graduating college?" asks Kitty.
Peter excitedly rattles out, "It feels great. Lara Jean and I are already looking into where we might want to work and live after graduation, though by the sounds of things, she's not looking to leave New York any time soon. And I'm fine with that. I don't have any strong ties to Palo Alto. The lacrosse scholarship to Stanford was just a means to an end. Once I get that degree, I'm hoping the prestige that it brings can land me a job anywhere I want." Realizing that he didn't even take a breath, he pauses briefly before continuing. "But enough about me. How was your first term at KISS? How did your classes go?"
"It was touch and go in the beginning. And the middle. And the end. Everything seemed to come so easily back at Adler, but at KISS, the classes were just completely different animals. However, thanks to my roommates, they helped me pull through and I just barely ended up passing all of my classes."
"That's great to hear. Knowing you, you're already using this as motivation to get back there and show them what you can really do."
"About that… I don't know if KISS is right for me. I mean, I barely squeaked by, even with tutoring the whole time, and a ton of study sessions with all my friends and roommates. Also, I really missed everyone back home. I'm thinking I might just forego the rest of the year at KISS and return to Adler."
Incredulously, Peter continues, "What about everything else you went there for? What about Dae? What about finding more connections with your mom? You aren't seriously thinking about leaving all of that behind, are you?"
Kitty doesn't know how to answer those questions. She is on the verge of tears at this point, but she is saved since they've reached her house. As Peter shuts off the engine, he realizes that his questioning might have pushed Kitty too far. "I'm sorry, Kitty. I didn't mean to grill you so much. I just want you to know that you can talk to me about anything."
Kitty chokes back a sob that she so desperately is trying to prevent from escaping. "It's ok, Peter. And I know. There's just a lot that I'm still processing."
"I understand, kiddo. Here, let me help bring your stuff inside the house."
As Kitty steps over the threshold and into the entryway to her home, she takes in the sights and smells of her surroundings. It immediately calms her, if only for a moment. She sees her dad in the kitchen looking like he's about to spend the next five hours preparing her favorite meal. His back is turned to her, so he doesn't realize that she's back yet. She makes a beeline straight to him.
He hears her footsteps and turns around at the last second, just in time to catch his youngest as she throws herself into him, hugging him tight. The tears that Kitty fought so hard to contain when she was with Peter are now streaming down her face uncontrollably. Her father knows everything that's happened to her in the last few days, from almost getting seriously burned by a freak accident with a cold spark machine, to breaking up with Dae because she has feelings for her female friend, Yuri, to then getting expelled for staying in the boys' dormitory. While not thrilled about the expulsion, he trusts his daughter that her decision to live with the boys was the best option she had. However, in that moment, he's just so happy to see his little girl again and wishes he could take away all her pain.
"Hi Honey. I've missed you so much."
In between her sobbing, she manages to get out, "Dad, I'm so sorry."
"Shhhhh. Honey, it's ok. Everything's ok. You're home now," he whispers. "Let's get you settled first and then we'll figure out the rest later."
After they release their hug, Kitty goes to her room, crashes onto her bed, and for the first time in almost 24 hours, just wants to cut off her brain from the rest of the world.
Kitty had dozed off for a couple of hours. As she wakes up, she realizes where she is and a sense of calm is returning. She also wakes up to the smell of burnt meat. It's nice to know that there are some things that will never change. She decides to unpack a few things and take a shower before going downstairs to help her dad with the rest of dinner.
As she opens her large suitcase, she finds a small box wrapped beautifully in gold and with a red bow affixed to the top of it. There's also a note taped to the side of the box. She unfolds and reads the note, curious as to where the gift came from and how it got into her suitcase.
Dearest Covey,
Contrary to what you've been saying all semester, my instincts still tell me that you are the buckwheat hand cream thief. Despite how I should be feeling about this transgression that I'm sure you're guilty of, I can't fault you for having the good sense to protect your hands and keep them as soft as possible. Therefore, being the reasonable gentleman that I am, I would like to gift you with this new bottle. I was saving this last bottle for myself, but I can't deny how much happier I'll be knowing that you'll be enjoying it. I only hope that one day I get to experience the benefits of your usage of this product by getting to properly hold your hands in my own.
Merry Christmas,
Min Ho
Kitty figures Min Ho must've slipped it in when he went to get her suitcase from the baggage carousel at LAX. A small smile appears on her face. While she's still quite confused by the whole matter, her matchmaker senses can't deny that this is a heartwarming gesture. In a sudden realization, she mutters to herself, "Shit! Score one point for Min Ho."
Back in Los Angeles, Min Ho finds himself with nothing to do, while waiting a bit longer for his mom to return home from a day of filming. It should be just after 9:00 AM in the Philippines so he figures it's OK to call Q.
He might have normally rung Dae first, but he doesn't know if he's ready to face Dae yet, so he chooses the easier option of the two. The video call with Q rings for only a second before Q answers.
"Min Ho! Hey man, how was your flight?"
Min Ho chokes out a slight cough before answering, "The flight was good. I mean, I'm here in LA, safe and sound. All I can really ask for, right?"
Not buying the reply for a second, Q saves this detail for later, and just advances the conversation. "Yeah, for sure. So, what's up?"
"I just wanted to see how you were doing. How's Florian? Did he decide which parent to stay with for the holidays?"
"Oh, uh, Florian is well. He's in France. He enjoys the winters more in France and the summers more in Greece."
The answer is a little more clipped than usual, but not enough for Min Ho to think anything of it too much.
"That's great. Well, I hope both of your winter breaks are going well." After a slight pause, Min Ho continues, "So, um, did you get a chance to talk to Dae before you left?"
Q sensed this was coming. "I did, but I think you should really talk to him yourself."
"I'm not sure if he's ready to hear from me. The last time we spoke was after he accused me of having feelings for Kitty and basically breaking them up. I could have handled it better. Instead, I said something I probably shouldn't have said. You know, basically my life story."
"Just call him, please."
"Yeah, fine. Anyways, good talking to you, and I'll see you soon."
"Likewise. Stay out of trouble while you're in the states."
Min Ho procrastinates a bit, scrolling through his Instagram feed, trying to just buy another minute or two before making the call to Dae. After scrolling past the same ad for the third time, he decides to bite the bullet and make the call.
Min Ho pulls up Dae's contact info and initiates a video call with him. It rings significantly longer than his previous call with Q. "Maybe he doesn't want to take my call," Min Ho thinks. Just as he's about to hang up the call, Dae picks up.
"Hey."
"Hey, Dae. Thanks for answering."
"No problem. So… what's going on? How's LA?"
"It's good. I arrived a little while ago and have just been relaxing at my mom's place, waiting for her to finish her shoot." He proceeds cautiously with this next part. "How has your break been going? I know Christmas was your mom's favorite holiday and with it just around the corner, I wanted to see how you're holding up."
"Oh, yeah, it's always a little rough this time of year, for everyone in the family. But we're thankful that we still have each other. Um, thanks for asking."
"Of course, man. I know we left things in kind of a weird state, but family stuff always trumps everything else."
"Yeah, it seemed like all semester, we weren't able to get on the same page about a lot of things. The talent show was sort of the culmination of it all, I guess. I do regret what transpired. But hey, on the bright side, there won't be any awkwardness when we all return after winter break. I lost my room and board scholarship since I was ranked second in the class."
"What… what are you talking about?"
"That was one of the conditions of my scholarship. I had to maintain my top ranking in the class in order to keep having my room and board covered. Since Florian took the top spot, I now have to either find a way to pay for room and board as well or just live at home and commute every day. Thankfully Yuri is still paying for the tuition itself."
Min Ho is heated. "No, that's insane. I can't believe the school actually uses that as a requirement for your scholarship. Look, I don't know how, but I'm going to try and figure out a way to resolve this."
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
There's a slight hesitancy in Min Ho's voice, but he continues, "So, have you talked to anyone else since break started?"
"Do you mean, 'have I talked to Kitty?' If so, then no. I saw her at the airport before she left and we said our goodbyes, but I haven't talked to her since."
Min Ho knows the deeper meaning behind Dae's words.
"Look, Dae, I need to tell you something."
Dae fills in the void for Min Ho. "You have feelings for Kitty."
"I… yeah, how'd you know? You're not mad?"
"There were some cues that I picked up on, but the idea really cemented itself in my head when I saw you two staring at each other after you had put out the fire on her hanbok. I also get why you didn't say anything when I confronted you about it afterwards. Kitty didn't know about your feelings for her, and when she came running over saying that you weren't the other person she had feelings for, you didn't want to complicate things even more."
"I'm sorry, Dae. This is completely new territory for me. You know my past dating history. I've never gone on more than two dates with someone. Hell, most never even made it past the first date. But with Kitty, I can't really explain it. It just feels different, in a good way."
"I'm not happy about how all this is happening, but I know I don't have a right to be mad about it either. Ultimately, you weren't the reason why Kitty and I broke up. In fact, do you know who this other person that she likes is?"
"Um, yeah."
"Wait, did Kitty tell you? When was this?"
"I realized that Kitty would be on the same flight as me, heading to LA. I downgraded my seat and was lucky enough to get the one next to hers. We ended up talking pretty much the entire flight."
"Go on."
"I asked what the situation was between the two of you and she told me. I then couldn't keep my feelings in any longer, especially since we may never see her again. She was nice enough to humor me through it all, but she did tell me about her feelings for Yuri. I'm almost certain nothing will come from my confession, but I just had to tell her. I'm sorry, man."
"No, I get it. All semester I kept lying to her thinking I was being chivalrous, but I know now that I screwed up. You were honest with her, no matter how inconvenient it may have been. So, what are you going to do now?"
"I don't think my feelings for her will go away anytime soon. I'm not looking to get rid of these feelings either. I think I want to stew in them for a while. I know I'm not going to look for a rebound or anything. I'm just going to sit back, let things take their natural course, and whatever happens happens."
"That's actually kind of mature of you. Not your usual M.O. but it's refreshing to see."
"Shut up," Min Ho says halfheartedly. "So, are we good?"
"Yeah, man. We're good. Thanks for calling to check in and clearing the air. I'll see you when you get back."
Min Ho has one more call he wants to make. He's not sure if he's ready for this call just yet, especially coming after the one he just had with Dae. However, there isn't much time left before his mom gets home and he really wants to try and tie up these loose ends.
Yuri has just finished a late breakfast and is getting ready to meet Juliana for a day of shopping and hanging out. While applying some final touches of make-up, she hears her phone ring next to her. Thinking it's Juliana, she answers, "Hey babe. I'm almost ready. Can't wait to see you."
"Um, I'm sorry, but you must have me mistaken for someone else."
She immediately recognizes that British accent. "Min Ho? Hey, how are you? I'm surprised that you're calling."
"I know it's only been a day, but I was just feeling nostalgic already. I wanted to see how your break has been going. I saw the pic you posted of you and Juliana on Instagram and just wanted to say that you two look good together."
"Aww, thanks Min Ho! I'm so glad that she's back and we're together again." Then, in a softer tone, "It's all thanks to Kitty."
"About Kitty, have you had a chance to talk to her? I was just asking since during the talent show, there seemed to have been some tension between you two before sparks started flying, literally."
"We bumped into each other at the airport. I was there waiting to pick up Juliana and she was heading home. It seemed like she had some revelation about love that she wanted to share, but then all of a sudden disappeared before I could introduce her to Juliana."
"For what it's worth, I think you two should try and finish that conversation. With it being the holidays and soon the new year, I'm a believer in not having baggage from the previous year carry over into the new year."
"Yeah, I agree. I'll reach out to her sometime soon. You know, I tried to get my mom to reinstate Kitty's enrollment, but I don't think I have much sway with her on the matter."
"I might have an idea about that, but chances are slim. However, it's worth a shot. If it works, I'm sure you'll hear about it soon enough. Anyways, I hope you and Juliana have a great winter break."
"Thanks, Min Ho. You, too."
The next day, Min Ho sends an impassioned email to Principal Lim, asking for a call to discuss the futures of both Dae and Kitty. While normally Principal Lim would never even entertain an idea like this, given the special circumstances surrounding each student and their respective ties to Min Ho, she agrees.
When Min Ho and Principal Lim finally connect, he first expresses his indignation about the details of Dae's scholarship and the fact that it's dependent on him being first in the class rather than just holding an above 90% average. While he knows there's nothing that can be immediately changed, he asks Principal Lim if he can just pay for Dae's room and board. He also stresses to her that he wants to keep this between the two of them. He suggests that she uses the excuse that the administration revisited the terms of his scholarship and found it to be too demanding, so it has been augmented, which then allows Dae to continue staying in the dorms. He then further suggests that the administration actually do revisit the details of that particular scholarship and hopes that real change gets affected.
Next, he brings up Kitty. Principal Lim is confused why Min Ho is bringing up Kitty at all, given that he was the one that initially reported her as being mistakenly assigned to their dorm at the beginning of the school year. However, he states that people can change. He explains how Kitty had requested to switch rooms, but was denied given the lack of availability. He could not, in good conscience, let Kitty continue rooming with someone that would record her sleeping and post the videos to unsavory web sites. He further goes on to explain the seemingly unsympathetic nature of the school when it came to her concerns with her roommate. Min Ho mentions that it did make the most sense for Kitty to just room with them in secret. However, if Kitty is to be expelled from the school because of this, Min Ho indicated that he'd have his mom's lawyers review the terms of Kitty's scholarship as they are sure these special circumstances need special consideration.
It's the morning after Christmas and Kitty finds herself feeling more at peace than she has been all break. She had spent the past few days talking to Lara Jean and Margot, giving them the complete rundown of everything that happened at KISS. It felt good to share everything with her sisters.
It's just after 6:00 AM in Portland when Kitty's phone rings. She sees that the number is from KISS and is curious as to what this could be about.
Getting into a sitting position in her bed, she answers, "Hello. This is Katherine Song Covey speaking."
On the other line is Principal Lim. "Hi, um, Kitty. I hope it's ok I call you that."
"Oh, Principal Lim. Uh, yes, Kitty is fine."
"Great. The purpose of my call is to inform you that I reconvened with the school administration, and we have decided to revoke your expulsion. If you choose, we would love to have you back at KISS for the remainder of your junior year."
Kitty immediately perks up, sitting in bed, with her back straight. "Thank you so much, Principal Lim. Yes, I accept."
"Wonderful. You'll receive an email with further details in the coming days. We apologize for how the situation was initially handled."
"Not at all. And thank you again. I know I was right on the edge academically, but I want you to know that I plan on working as hard as possible and raising my class ranking to a respectable level."
"I have no doubt. However, you don't have to keep thanking me for this opportunity. Instead, you can thank your classmate, Min Ho."
"Min Ho? How was Min Ho involved in this?"
"I can't go into specifics, but please do enjoy the rest of your winter break and I look forward to seeing you back on campus. Bye, Kitty."
Adrenaline is coursing through Kitty's body. She can't believe what just happened and she has to pinch herself to make sure she's not dreaming. She runs through the entire house, going into each room, begging everyone to wake up and join her in the living room.
A few minutes later, Kitty's dad and Trina, Margot, Lara Jean, and Peter are sitting on the couch, looking up at Kitty and waiting for an explanation.
"I wanted to have a speech ready for this, but it's a little too early to think of one so I'll just cut to the chase. I got a call from KISS and they are letting me back in." Kitty pauses nervously before throwing both hands in the air. "Ah!"
This is déjà vu for her dad and Trina, when she first told them about going to KISS.
After everyone takes a second to comprehend what Kitty is telling them, they all smother her in a big group hug. Understandably, they all wonder what changed the school administrators' minds. Kitty says she doesn't know. Only that Min Ho was involved somehow.
Around the room, everyone asks one by one.
"Min Ho, the guy that bumped into you at the airport and pretended to not know English?"
"Min Ho, the guy that helped cook the meal at your Chuseok get together?"
"Min Ho, the guy that actually asked you about mom during Chuseok?
"Min Ho, the guy that secretly planned your date with Dae during the class camping trip?"
"Min Ho, the guy that got extremely upset when he found out Dae was lying to you about his relationship with Yuri?"
"Min Ho, the guy that saved you when your hanbok caught on fire?"
"Yes, that Min Ho," explained Kitty. However, in her mind, she had one final question to ask herself.
Min Ho, the guy that is in love with you?
As the excitement dies down, Kitty races upstairs for her phone. She sends a text message to Dae, Q, and Yuri, letting them know that she has been reinstated at KISS and that she can't wait to see all of them soon.
Finally, she gets to Min Ho's contact information and instead of texting him, decides to video call him.
"Good morning, Covey! To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"So, I discovered the gift you left for me in my suitcase. I wanted to thank you for that. It was very meaningful, and I just wanted you to know."
"You're welcome."
"Secondly, I wanted to also thank you for helping me get back into KISS. I got a call from Principal Lim earlier this morning and she informed me of the school's decision. She didn't mention any specifics, but just that I should thank you for it."
"Kitty, you don't have to thank me for that. I know that the reason why you came to KISS in the first place was to connect with Dae, but more importantly, to connect with your mom. I didn't want you to be deprived of the opportunity of fulfilling what you came to do."
"Well, I still want to thank you regardless."
"Really, don't worry about it."
After a momentary pause, Kitty decides to work up the courage and asks, "So do you have any plans for New Years? I mean, you probably have a ton of parties that you and your mom got invited to. But if you happen to be free, I was wondering if you'd like to spend it with me and my family in Portland."
Looking at the screen, Kitty can't tell if the call froze or the connection dropped. However, after another second, Min Ho comes out of his trance and simply replies, "I'd love to spend New Years with you."