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If there’s one thing Kitty should have expected from Madison, it’s a little bit of mischief. When she emerges from the kitchen twirling an empty bottle, it’s clear the night is about to take a turn.
“You’ve all played 7 minutes in heaven, right?” Madison asks, a grin playing on her lips. When only Juliana, Q, and Kitty nod, her mouth drops in shock. “Oh we have to fix this,” she declares. “It’s simple. You spin the bottle, and then go off with whoever it lands on for a little…heaven.” She punctuates this last line with a wink, and Kitty can already feel herself cringing. A kissing game with this crew? There’s no way that this won’t cause drama.
“What about the couples?” Juliana asks, looking to Praveena.
“You can choose not to play,” Madison says with a shrug. “Or just not kiss. But where’s the fun in that?”
“And if you’re not into guys and it lands on one?” Dae asks.
“Maybe you discover you’re into guys,” Madison grins mischievously. “Or you just hang out. Don’t make it weird though.”
Kitty scans the room, mapping out potential landmines. First there’s Dae and Eunice, finally in a good place again, but careful not to meet each others’ eyes. Yuri’s face is controlled as always, but Kitty can see the gentle furrow of her brow. Q’s eyes dart to Marius as his hand finds Jin’s beside him, and Min Ho… of course Min Ho is acting like nothing is happening. He would be calm when everything is primed to blow up around them.
“Well, I’m perfectly happy to just watch the chaos unfold,” Praveena says with a shrug. “You guys have fun.”
Juliana nods. The irony isn’t lost on Kitty that a careless kiss blew up their lives last year.
“Agreed,” Q says, a little too quickly. Perhaps he still hasn’t told Jin about his history with Marius despite Kitty’s urging. She makes a mental note to bug him about this later.
“Have it your way,” Madison shrugs, clearly unphased. “Everyone else, come sit!” She gestures to a space she’s cleared on the floor.
If Kitty had any self control at all, she would never have looked towards Min Ho. As it is, she can’t help herself. For a fleeting moment, their eyes meet, a moment of intimacy across the room, before he shrugs, scoffing at the dirt on the floor. He tosses a cushion from the couch beside Kitty, more concerned with the cleanliness of his pants than the potential drama to unfold. Kitty should have known he’d be so nonchalant. With his playboy past, she may be the only girl in the room he hasn’t kissed. That said, she’s never asked, as it’s not exactly her favourite topic of conversation.
“Who’s up first?” Madison asks, looking around the circle as she dangles the bottle exuberantly. No one moves, awkwardly averting their gaze from her too perky eyes. “Alright, not everyone all at once,” she concedes, placing the bottle in the middle of the circle. “I’ll go first, since you’re no fun.” With a flick of her wrist, she sends the bottle whirling. Everyone watches, intrigued, as the bottle twists and turns before landing squarely on…
“Mihee!” Madison exclaims. “Alright, bestie, let’s do this.” Mihee nods, perhaps a bit shyly, and stands up. “The rest of you, wait until we get back. Don’t get too wild without me.” The pair head to a nearby closet while the remaining six look at each other nervously.
“Does this feel…unnecessary to anyone else?” Kitty asks, scanning her friends’ faces for resistance.
Yuri shrugs. “We’re all single, plus kissing is optional.”
“I mean…okay…” Kitty says slowly. “As long as it doesn’t mess up any friendships.” Although the words come out of her mouth, she’s not so sure she believes them.
“Speaking of messing up friendships, what do you think Mihee and Madison are doing right now?” Q asks salaciously. “I always kind of got bi vibes from them.”
“Ooh same,” Praveena chimes in. “I can totally see it.”
“Wait, are all the girls here into girls?” Yuri asks, looking around.
“I don’t think I am,” Eunice says shyly.
Kitty takes the bottle, examining it. The glass is smooth, and the weight feels firm in her hand. She gives the bottle a twirl in the air, before it slips through her fingers, dropping to the ground with a clang. As it lands, it swirls in a slow circle before pointing clearly to Min Ho. Immediately she grabs it. “I dropped it!” she exclaims. “That was a drop! Not a spin!”
Min Ho lets out a wry laugh. “Was it pointing at me?”
“I dropped it!” she exclaims, careful not to meet his eyes.
“You should spin again,” Q says, and she obliges. Swiftly, she sets the bottle in a spin, suddenly acutely aware that most options for her are bad right now, even if one is worse. But what are the chances that the bottle will go straight back to Min Ho, and his handsome, smug, somewhat amused face?
Today? Apparently 100%.
“The slope of the floor must make it land there,” Kitty decides, grabbing the bottle frantically again. “Min Ho, switch places with Eunice. I’ll prove it.”
“But I’m all comfortable,” he scoffs, but obliges, as Kitty flies the bottle into motion once again.
Kitty’s eyes grow wide, as the bottle slows to a stop, pointing squarely at him again. Any efforts she’s made to try to control her facial expressions are surely in vain as at this point the panic is obvious.
“I think that bottle is haunted,” Marius says, looking at the group. Kitty’s eyes dart between her friends who nod in agreement.
“It’s just a game,” she says. “It means nothing.” Perhaps the bottle means nothing, but Kitty knows she’s flushing a deep red. It’s one thing for the bottle to point at Min Ho once, but three times? It’s like a neon sign screaming, ‘Kitty’s in love with her best friend.’ While there may have been doubt before, this feels especially damning.
“The bottle must like me,” Min Ho says offhandedly. “Can you blame it?” Kitty knows he’s trying to deflect from her embarrassment, and she appreciates it. She looks to Q who waggles an eyebrow. She sighs. Not helping.
Eunice grabs the bottle. “Let’s see how this goes,” she says with a smile. “There must be a reason why it keeps going to the same place.” She spins three times, landing on Yuri, Dae, and Marius in quick succession. “Or not,” she says with a shrug.
“Kitty, maybe try spinning again,” Yuri offers. “Maybe Eunice fixed it. Kitty shakes her head, and is thankfully saved by an emerging Mihee and Madison.
“Did you two have fun?” Juliana asks, and Madison shrugs, a smile dancing in her eyes.
“I’ll never tell,” she says, her face speaking volumes. “So… who’s next.”
“Kitty is itching to go,” Marius offers. “She couldn’t keep her hand off the bottle.” Kitty shoots him a glare.
“Ooh Kitty, looking to kiss someone tonight?” Madison teases, and Kitty can feel herself shrink.
“No, definitely not,” she responds, trying to control her face. “And I’m done spinning now.”
“It landed on Min Ho all three times,” Eunice offers, to Kitty’s chagrin. Kitty could melt into the floor right now.
“One was a drop!” she protests, acutely aware it’s not helping her case.
“Okay, easy,” Madison says with an impish grin, retrieving the bottle. “If Kitty won’t spin that means we just give it to Min Ho, since the bottle seems to love him so much.”
Min Ho side-eyes Madison, before nonchalantly giving the bottle a whirl. Kitty can’t bring herself to watch, unsure whether it landing on her or someone else is the worst case scenario.
Once the spinning slows, she knows the answer. Landing on her is the worst option. And that’s exactly what happens.
Everyone stares at it for a moment, before looking between the two friends with trepidation. Marius finally breaks the silence.
“Okay, that’s just spooky.”
——
“Does it have to be this dark in here? There’s got to be a light…” Kitty says, feeling the walls of the closet. A coat, a hat, a silk shirt. No switch.
“I’m pretty sure it’s on the outside,” Min Ho says, his voice nonchalant.
“Or we can yell for someone to turn it on!”
“Covey,” he responds, his voice low. “Firstly, it’s me, not a murderer…”
“How do I know you’re not a murderer?”
“…secondly they won’t come.”
“Q! Come turn the light on please,” Kitty yells, ignoring him.
Even in the pitch black, she knows Min Ho rolls his eyes. The little exhale of air he lets out is an obvious sign, plus she knows him. If he’s not rolling his eyes at her antics, he’s probably asleep.
“Oh, I have my phone!” Kitty exclaims, quickly turning the flashlight on. She smiles as the light illuminates the space, showing a relatively large closet lined with fancy clothes and shoes. “There. Much better! I’m also going to set a timer for 6 minutes, because we must have been in here for at least 1 so far.”
Min Ho chuckles wryly, as he gently lowers himself to the floor of the closet. “You and Madison and your stupid American games,” he says. “So, do people actually kiss?”
“I don’t know,” Kitty admits as she sits beside him. “I mean, we played it in school, but I met Dae when I was 12, so I never…”
“Right,” Min Ho says, his eyes meeting Kitty’s. “You know, you look like you should be telling ghost stories in this light. Very spooky.”
“Well, this light makes your pores look huge.”
“It what?” Min Ho gasps, scrambling to grab the phone. Kitty snatches it out of his way.
“I’m joking! They look perfect, as always.” He brushes his hair from his face with a smirk.
“Now for the tale of the haunted bottle,” Min Ho says, his voice lowering into a lilt. “It was a dark and scary night… when Katherine Song Covey decided to show her newfound bottle flipping skills to her friends, spinning it straight to the hottest guy—“
“Yeah, okay,” Kitty says. “Might I remind you that it was your spin that landed us in here.”
“One spin is a coincidence. Three? Clearly you were just longing to be in here with me.” He tilts his head, his face smug.
“What? Never!” Kitty protests.
“Sure, Covey. We know you like what you see.”
“You’re the worst, you know that?” Kitty asks with a roll of her eyes.
“Yeah, but you love it.”
Kitty sighs. She does love it, but she’s not about to admit to that. “So what should we do for the remaining 4 minutes and 48 seconds?”
Min Ho shrugs. “Whatever you feel like.”
“It’s weird that everyone out there is probably wondering if we’re kissing, right? They’re probably talking about it…about us…and I don’t like it…”
“You’re spiralling,” Min Ho says, placing a gentle hand on her arm.
“It’s weird, that’s all.” Kitty takes a moment to think, then continues. “Like being in here with you. You know some of them are probably taking bets.”
“Okay, I’ll bite,” Min Ho says. “Who do you think is saying what?”
“Well Madison, she totally thinks we’re making out because that’s how she works. You would know.” Min Ho nods, accepting this. “Dae would be confident we’re just talking and Q…” she trails off. Q would be betting on the kissing. ‘Something epic going on’, he’d said. He’s definitely team Min Ho for her, but she can’t admit it.
“Q would what,” Min Ho prompts.
“Q would….probably not have an opinion. He doesn’t meddle,” Kitty says quickly, feeling a flush rise on her cheeks.
“Right..” Min Ho says slowly, side eyeing her. “Q hates drama.” A smile plays on his lips, catching her in the obvious lie.
“Mhmm…” Kitty says, her voice tight as her pitch rises. “Anyway uh, what’s next? Besides not kissing.”
Min Ho scoffs. “Because you’ll throw up and die right?”
Kitty rolls her eyes. It’s just like Min Ho to reference that moment at a time like this. Sure, perhaps she’d oversold her dislike for him, but to her credit back then she had no idea that she would one day be head over heels for him. “You know, remembering everything I’ve ever said makes you look like a saesang.”
He shrugs. “I remember things about people I care about. So what?””
There’s a buzz. “Oh, my phone’s at 3%,” Kitty says, flicking off her flashlight. The darkness greets them once again, as Kitty shifts nervously.
“Will you ever learn to charge that thing before you’re desperate?”
“Probably not,” Kitty says. “You don’t have yours, do you?”
“No I left it out there,” Min Ho replies. “Sorry.”
Silence surrounds them as darkness fills the room. Without being able to see each other, the awkwardness of the close space has become much more pronounced.
“Truth or dare?” Kitty breaks the silence.
“What?”
“If we aren’t playing 7 minutes in heaven, let’s do truth or dare.”
“I’m an open book,” Min Ho complains. “Why do you need to ask me ‘truth or dare’?”
“Just pick one.”
“Truth?” Min Ho says, his voice resonating in the darkness.
“How many girls at this party have you kissed?”
He thinks for a moment, his silence settling into the darkness. “Just Madison.”
“Really?” Kitty asks incredulously.
“Yeah, I typically date outside the friend group. It’s not my fault she wormed her way in.” He pauses. “Truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
“How many of the people at this party have you wanted to kiss?”
Kitty pauses, counting in her head. “Four” she says finally. That feels high, but in fairness to her, pretty much all the people she’s wanted to kiss in her life are here.
“Dae and Yuri, Praveena I assume…and who’s the fourth?”
“That wasn’t part of your question,” Kitty retorts, but she knows the answer: him, obviously. Who else would it be? “Truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
“Same question.”
There’s silence, as Min Ho appears to be thinking. “Two.”
“That low?”
“You have twice the options!” he exclaims. “Plus half the girls are gay.”
Kitty considers this. “The other is me, right?”
“Not part of the question.” Kitty sighs, and she swears she can hear a smirk in his voice as he asks, "Truth or dare?”
“Truth but…it makes sense it’s me right? Since you loved me and all. I’m not saying you still want to but I’m right, right?”
There’s a pause. “Who do you wish you were in this closet with?”
Kitty pauses. “I didn’t want to be in here with anyone,” she says. It’s not a lie, but she knows it’s not what he’s really asking.
“But, if you had to choose.”
“Q,” Kitty says immediately.
“Okay, you’re not being truthful, so you’re getting a new question.”
“What? That is the truth!” Kitty protests.
“This one’s important,” he says, letting a pause hang in the air before speaking again. “Did you steal my buckwheat hand cream?”
Kitty lets out a laugh. “I did steal your travel tube at the end of tour,” she admits. “But I couldn’t help it! I got addicted to my hands feeling so soft.” She reaches out to him, grasping only air. “Where are you, anyway? I’ll show you.”
“You’re awful,” he retorts, as Kitty inches towards the sound of his voice. She reaches out and, there, an arm.
“See, they’re like a baby!” she exclaims. “Soft, right?” She gently slides her hand down his arm until, oh, his hand. It doesn’t seem right to pull it away, so she lets it linger, gently brushing against his. He doesn’t move either. She gently traces her finger along his palm, feeling the electricity between them.
“They’re soft,” he concedes. “But theft? You know better, Covey.”
“Fine,” she retorts. “But I’m keeping the rest of the tube. Truth or dare?” Kitty feels her heart race in her chest at this new closeness. He smells good. He feels like home.
“Truth.”
Kitty’s not quite sure why, but emboldened by their closeness, she feels the words slip out. “Do you still love me?”
Min Ho stiffens almost immediately, his body tensing beside her. There’s a shift. “Has it been 7 minutes?”
“It….it must have been,” Kitty says, digging her phone out of her pocket. She taps it once, then again and again as the screen stays dark. “I think my phone died. I don’t know!”
“You’ve got to start charging that more,” Min Ho exclaims.
“You’ve got to answer my question,” Kitty retorts, feeling her tension rising. “That’s kind of the game.”
“Give me a dare instead.”
“I don’t want you to switch. I just want to know!” Kitty exclaims. Suddenly she doesn’t care anymore. “Okay. Kiss me. Like we are supposed to be doing here anyway.”
There’s silence. Kitty’s breath catches as her head spins. Has she gone too far? Has she pushed him past the point of no return? She can barely hear him breathe over the sound of her own heart pounding in her chest.
The response comes before long. “No,” he says firmly, as Kitty feels him pull his hand away. “Our time must be up. Let’s go. We don’t want to keep our friends waiting.” Kitty’s head spins as Min Ho fumbles with the knob to the closet door. As the light pours into the space, Kitty feels lightheaded.
“I’ll…I’ll be right back,” she says, feeling tears well up in her eyes, and runs off to the bedroom. She shuts the door behind her firmly, before collapsing to where she’s set up her bed. What did she do? Did she push him away forever?
The hours tick by, and as sleep finds the other girls, Kitty remains lost. Weary, Kitty emerges from the girls’ room, her head spinning. Does she want to talk to Min Ho? Does she want to hide? She hasn’t quite made up her mind, when the door to the boys' room swings open, and Min Ho emerges, his silk pjs soft against his skin, and his hair looking slightly flatter than its norm. He looks her over with surprise.
“Hi,” he says quietly.
“I can’t sleep,” she offers as way of explanation, and he nods, this seemingly ringing true.
“Come?”
He gestures to the door to outside, and she follows. The crisp air of the Seoul night greets her skin, and she shivers. Quietly he leads her to a bench where he sits, gesturing her to join.
“I’m sorry,” he says simply.
“For what?”
“I didn’t want to give you the wrong impression.”
Kitty is immediately on guard. “What, the impression that you’d ever want to kiss me?”
Min Ho sighs. “No. Not that.” He shifts uncomfortably on the bench.
“Okay, so what impression?” she asks quietly, bracing herself for whatever answer may come her way.
“That you’re just a girl I’d kiss in a closet for a game.”
That’s….oh. That’s not the words she expected to hear. “Because you value our friendship too much, right? Wouldn’t want to do anything to hurt it?”
He stiffens slightly, his face clearly trying to hide his feelings. “Covey,” he says, his eyes refusing to meet hers. “I’m tired. I’m going back inside. Lock the door behind you when you go.” He rises from the bench, turning back towards the cabin.
There’s a sinking in Kitty’s heart with every step he takes. So that’s why, almost involuntarily she feels herself rise from the bench too, calling, “Min Ho…wait!” His steps slow, as he turns back inquisitively. “Don’t go, please.” She knows she sounds desperate, but that’s because she is. With every step, it feels like her heart is being ripped from her chest.
“Why?” he asks, still on guard, and Kitty feels herself stepping towards him.
“You’re…you’re not just some guy to me either. I just got caught up…I couldn’t stop thinking about it… I… you know how I feel, don’t you? You have to!”
A small smile flickers on his lips, and he takes a tentative step back towards her.
“I don’t know,” he says, his voice low. “That’s the problem.”
“Do you need me to tell you?” Kitty asks. He nods.
“You’re pretty much all I think about,” she says, her heart pounding as the words flow out. “I want to be with you all the time. The thought of losing you makes me absolutely terrified! That’s why I couldn’t tell you. In case it made me lose you.”
“Tell me what exactly?” Min Ho asks carefully, his face guarded.
“That I want more. That I want to be with you. Is that still what you want too…or did I ruin everything?”
He steps forward once again, and his hand brushes her face, gently turning it towards his. It’s soft, and a whiff of his cologne meets her nose. She breathes it in, finding comfort in the familiar smell. “I still want that,” he says quietly.
All Kitty can hear is her heartbeat as their eyes meet. His eyes ask a question he can’t seem to articulate and she nods in response. There’s an eternity in the gap, but their lips meet, tentative, a first kiss of innocence. Sweet, tender, unsure. It’s funny, she’s dreamed of this moment, but the reality is somehow better. They break apart, eyes meeting again. She searches his soul for the answer she’s seeking and finds it in the smile that plays on his lips: yes. She responds by finding his lips again, met with renewed vigor. His hand gently cups her neck and they kiss until they’re breathless.
“You’re not a game to me,” he says honestly as they pull apart, and Kitty’s heart soars.
“Oh,” she sighs, uncharacteristically speechless. He smiles, of course he smiles, before wrapping his arms around her, pulling her tight into his chest.
“Now what?” Kitty asks, looking up at him. He smiles as their eyes meet, taking her hands in his as he kisses her again.
“Now, I buy you your own handcream…because I’m going to get used to them feeling this soft too.”