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“Min Ho!” a familiar voice calls from across the courtyard. Min Ho turns his head, unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face. Rushing towards him is his favourite person, her hair flying every which way, yellow backpack bobbing on her back.
“Covey,” he says, amused, as she skids to a halt in front of him. “Did you just run all the way here?”
“Maybe. I have a huge favour to ask you,” she says. Her chest rises and falls as she regains her breath, her cheeks flushed pink. “I know, with your dad here and all, you probably have plans for Chuseok… and I do too… but everyone keeps asking me about doing a dinner again…and I can’t do it myself. I really… really can’t. So could you help me? Please?”
Min Ho chuckles in spite of himself. “Covey, calm down,” he says. “Of course I’ll help.”
“Oh, thank you, thank you!” she exclaims. “I’m pretty sure the only thing that I did last year was a speech and the rest was you, so I owe you, big time.” He appreciates the recognition, but really, she doesn’t owe him anything. In so many ways, she’s been a source of joy for him in the last year…not that he’d ever tell her that.
“I’m happy to cook,” he replies. “As long as you don’t mess with my system.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she replies, her face alight with a grin. She tilts her head, almost as if she wants to say something more, then thinking better of it. “So, should we shop next Saturday? Dinner Sunday? Or is that when you need to do stuff with your dad? “
“No, that sounds great,” he replies. Better than great, really. These are the best sounding plans he’s made all semester, a concept that would have shocked him this time last year.
“Great!” Kitty exclaims, before turning on her heels and running away again. “Gotta go! Class!” He watches her leave with a smile. Her endless positivity has somehow rubbed off on him more than he’d ever intended.
“What do you think about that?” Kitty asks, her voice coming back into focus over the hum of the grocery story.
Min Ho’s hands linger over the chocolate covered strawberries, for just a moment, before he thinks otherwise. “About what?”
“Oh I see… chocolates… another Chuseok hot date?” Kitty asks, her face teasing.
“Uh, no,” Min Ho replies quickly. “Nothing yet.”
“There’s still time,” she replies quickly. “If that’s something you want.”
There’s a flicker. He’s not sure, but for the smallest second, he wonders if she could mean a hot date with...her. But he’s misread this before, and they’re in such a good place now. After a summer together, and nothing happening, it’s just not worth a risk. He doesn’t know what he’d do if he lost her friendship now.
“Right,” he says. For a moment their eyes meet, the silence saying more than their words could. Min Ho clears his throat, looking back to his list.
“So, what else do we need?” Kitty says quickly.
“Lots and lots of short ribs,” Min Ho says, still staring at his phone. “About 10kg. Beef for the bulgogi too, and for the soup. He hoists a bag of taro from the shelf, then ten heads of garlic. “We’ll need a bunch of pears, a big thing of soy sauce, and sesame oil…”
“Wait,” Kitty says. “How much food are you making?”
“Enough for 40, give or take,” Min Ho says. “Which means I’m going to need a sous chef.”
“Oh, do you know someone else good at cooking?” Kitty asks absent-mindedly, clearly double checking a recipe on her phone. Min Ho stops in his tracks.
“I mean you, silly,” he says. “What, you think you’re roping me into basically catering a huge meal while you just sit around looking…” Pretty, but he can’t say that. “Useless?”
“Point taken,” Kitty says. “I’ll be a very enthusiastic, not very skilled sous chef.” She smiles, and gives a mock salute. “Yes, chef?”
Min Ho sighs, but can’t help but be horribly, horribly endeared. “Just remember,” he cautions. “You are not making your ‘famous’ potatoes. My recipes only.”
“Aww, poopy baby,” Kitty says, her voice lilting. “Still remembering that?”
“Oh, trust me,” Min Ho replies with a scoff. “I am checking every item you put in that cart for its lactose content.”
“Speaking of… is this butter lactose free?” Kitty asks. She’s holding her phone up with the word ‘lactose free’ in Korean, squinting at it for comparison.
Min Ho picks it up, eyeing it warily. “It is, but you know it wasn’t just the butter that made your potatoes so dangerous.”
“I’m well aware,” Kitty says. “I’m making cookies this year.” She puts the butter in the cart triumphantly.
“Oh, what kind?”
“Snickerdoodles, my favourite.”
“Only you would have a favourite cookie with such a ridiculous name,” Min Ho says.
“Well, they’re delicious,” she proclaims. “Plus, LJ taught me to make them, and my mom taught her to bake, so I’m honouring my ancestors.”
“Fair enough,” Min Ho agrees.
“Plus you never make dessert.”
“I mean how could I, and still look like this?”
Kitty’s following eye roll could have caused an earthquake. “Okay,” she says.
Min Ho restrains a laugh. He'd mainly said it for the reaction, which was just as cute as he’d expected.
“It smells good in here!” Kitty proclaims, as she enters the dorm. Min Ho’s been up for two hours already, but she’s there just when they’d planned to meet, at 9am. He gestures for her to join him in the kitchen, where, mercifully she washes her hands immediately. She’s learning.
“I made the stock last night,” he tells her. “And beef for the bulgogi is currently marinating in the fridge. There’s still a lot to do, though. Are you prepared to learn from the master?”
Kitty sighs dramatically. “Is it too late to back out? Can we just order in for everyone?”
Min Ho looks at her, appalled. “Way too late,” he tells her. “Can you wash those,” he says, gesturing to the green onions, chives, and carrots. “I’ll get chopping.”
She nods, and he starts chopping the onion, deftly and thinly. He looks up to see her just watching him, a puzzled look on her face. “How do you do that?” she asks.
“Practice, I guess.”
“Show me,” she proclaims. “If I’m sous chef, I have to chop too.”
“No way.”
“Fine. I’ll just go around hacking away away at things like some kind of maniac and then when people ask where I learned my cooking skills, I’ll just smile and say it was from you.”
He lets out a low chuckle, looking down at his Yoshihiro knife, considering whether he should grab one of Q’s instead. Hesitantly, he hands it over. “Fine.”
“So do I just…” she quickly moves the blade towards the onion, and it slides across the cutting board, away from her. She grimaces.“I can cut onions,” she murmurs to herself, grabbing the onion with vengeance in her eyes. “Totally not going to mess this up.”
“Oh my gosh, Covey. Have you never cut an onion before?”
“Not well?” she says weakly.
“First, you can’t be afraid of it. Be consistent, solid in your pressure; don’t twist, let the weight of the knife do the work. Don’t move too slow, but keep the knife under control. And you have to hold the onion in place with your other hand, but watch your strokes so you don't get cut.” Kitty looks at him, clearly overwhelmed. “Here, let me.” She nods, and he reaches behind her gently guiding her hand as she cuts. He rocks it over the onion, carefully slicing thinly and deftly. She allows him to guide her, giving no resistance, their hands deftly gliding through the motions together. He eases up the pressure as she relaxes into the rhythm. “Good,” he says, looking over the imperfect, but acceptable slices. “Now another seven.”
She cranes her neck around to look at him with a grin. “I’m not half bad,” she says proudly, before turning to admire her handiwork.
He smiles. He’s never let anyone use his knife before. She’s taking it seriously though. He won’t tell her how much it’s worth, at least not while she’s chopping. He doesn’t want to let go of her, wants to keep holding her, guiding her but there’s work to do. He clears his throat lightly, gently letting go of her arm. “I’m going to start the marinade for the ribs,” he says, still feeling the warmth from her body against his. He mentally shakes it off, grabbing the pears to grate, wishing he was still holding her.
Two and a half hours later, the ribs have beginning their braise, and Kitty has successfully chopped onions, carrots, and scallions, as well as gotten a variety of dishes washed and ready for Min Ho. He takes care of all the seasoning and the hard bits. At first it was hard for him to share the space with her, but before long she’s almost helpful, sometimes even anticipating his needs. Sure, she washed a bowl that he hadn’t even used yet, and drained away some sauce he hadn’t quite finished, but overall, it’s been easier than it would have been alone. The time’s moved quickly too, with Kitty’s ever chatty self never running out of things to say. It’s strange; this semester they haven’t spent nearly as much time alone together as he’d have liked, but they fall back into their old rhythms so easily, like they’d never stopped.
“Can I try?” she asks. He nods, grabbing a clean spoon. She dips it into the soup, and gently savours it. “God, Min Ho, this is so good,” she proclaims.
He dips a spoon in as well, letting the flavours mingle on his tongue. It is good, almost there. “Now it just needs to simmer,” he says, satisfied, placing the lid back on.
“And my cookies need to chill for 45 minutes,” Kitty says as she places the bowl in the fridge.
“You might as well stay here,” Min Ho replies. “Q is with Jin’s family, and Dae’s at his dad’s.” He’s not sure why he felt the need to tell her they’d be alone.
“Right,” Kitty says slowly. “I wish Q was coming to the dinner, but he and Jin are adorable so…” She gets a little frown on her face, before plopping herself down on the couch.“I’m so tired. I barely slept last night?”
“Homework?”
“No,” she sighs. “My brain just spins on ideas sometimes. It’s like it just can’t calm down. Not even anything bad, just like, how many people are coming to the dinner, whether I can actually cook cookies, what it will be like going to my Great Aunt’s for a family dinner and whether I actually even will fit into the family. Not to mention, school, and family, and what I’m going to do after I graduated and —” Min Ho is tired just thinking about it. “I know it sounds stupid, but…”
He shakes his head. “It sounds like you,” he says with a smirk. “Here, let me make you tea, and you can hang out for a bit and just rest.”
She nods. “Sounds good.” She sinks deeper into the couch as Min Ho returns to the kitchen, quickly heating up the water and preparing the tea leaves. He returns with two mugs, carefully handing one to her. She’s scrolling through Netflix, and stops at “Is it Cake?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Min Ho says, grabbing the remote right before she clicks play. “We are not watching that.”
“Maybe you’re not, but I am,” says Kitty, whisking the remote back away from him. “It’s just the mindless fun I need today. Don’t you want to know which one is cake?”
Min Ho settles onto the couch beside her. “The answer, is none of them.” Kitty gives him a despairing look. “Cake is supposed to be for eating, not fondant covered cardboard that someone’s been manhandling for an hour.”
“But they’re talented!” she protests.
“Then they should take up ceramics.” As Kitty looks at him with deep disdain, he manages to snag the remote back. “If you must do a baking competition, at least go for something good. He flips to the Great British Baking Show with a smile.
“Fine,” Kitty says. She yawns. “I bet LJ could go on this one. She’s really good.”
They’re mid-way through the technical, a princess cake, when Min Ho turns to Kitty, only to see that she’s fast asleep. He lets out a low chuckle. She looks so peaceful, quiet, unlike her usual spirited self. It’s like she doesn’t have a care in the world. Her hair falls lightly over her cheek and he smiles, gently tucking it behind her ear. He lingers a moment beside her feeling a moment of calm. Then he stands up, heading to the kitchen to wash a few dishes while she sleeps.
It’s weird to reflect on their first Chuseok together. How he’d helped her out of duty, but ended up catching feelings. A year later, and she’s one of the most important people in his life. He’s not sure if she knows that, but it’s not exactly an easy thing to tell someone. He’d told her he loved her ten months ago, and that had, in an odd way, connected them. But to come out now, saying how much she means, just feels dangerous. It’s safer to love her from afar. Safer, for both of them. You can’t break someone’s heart if you don’t know it’s a possibility. He’s felt so much more whole lately. He’s not ready to change that.
Today she deserves to be as whole and as loved as possible too. And maybe, maybe there’s something else he can do to help with that, without making it about him. He pulls out his phone.
MINHO: are you doing dinner with Jin’s family tonight?
Q: No, Monday, why?
Min Ho pauses for a moment.
MINHO: I think Kitty would really love if you came to the dinner.
MINHO: I can send a car.
Q: Ohhhh I see. Favour for Kitty ;)
MINHO: are you coming or not?
Q: let me check.
There’s a brief pause before he writes back.
Q: Okay. We’ll come.
Satisfied, Min Ho slides his phone back in his pocket, returning to his clean-up.
“Did I fall asleep?” Kitty sits up woozily, blinking.
“Ah yes, looking as resplendent as always,” Min Ho replies.
“Ha ha,” she says sarcastically, shaking her hair out. “Have my cookies chilled yet?”
He nods, checking his watch. It’s been nearly an hour.
“Great!” Kitty exclaims. “Time for you to be my sous chef.”
“But I still have things to do!” Min Ho protests.
“Nope,” Kitty says. “You are helping me roll all 6 dozen of these balls of goodness in cinnamon sugar.”
Min Ho sighs dramatically. “Fine.”
The rolling goes quicker than he’d imagined, and soon the sweet smell of butter and cinnamon sugar fill the dorm. The cookies come out the oven relatively uniform, if a bit quirky. And Kitty looks pleased. She barely allows them to cool before stuffing one in her mouth. She nods, satisfied.
“You’ve got to try them,” she insists, handing him one with a flourish.
“They’re good,” he says, chewing the cookie carefully. It’s buttery, sweet, with crispy edges and a chewy inside. “Sweet, but with a bite.” Like you, he thinks.
She grins, a cinnamon-sugary smile. “Thanks!”
“You’ve got some…” he gestures to the cinnamon sugar around her mouth.
She brushes it off, and his eyes linger a moment too long. She doesn’t say anything, but it seems she’s noticed.
“Well, I’m pretty sure I smell like onions, so I should go get ready,” she says quickly. “ Are you sure you’re okay with the rest of the cooking?”
He nods. “It’s just the finishing touches for the japchae now. No sous chef needed. Meet you in the cafeteria?”
She nods. “I’ll see you there.” She lingers a moment, before flouncing out the door. Somehow, he misses her already.
Kitty’s the first one there, and she looks absolutely beautiful. She’s wearing yellow, a colour he used to hate, but he now associates with her: the sun. What once he found blinding, he now finds incredibly captivating. He could bask in her glow all day.
“Alright, we’ve got this,” she exclaims without hesitation, taking his lead as they unpack the dishes, laying them out on the tables.
Soon the guests start filing in. It’s more than the 35 he’d expected, but not more than he’d planned. His halmeoni had taught him to always plan for extras, because having leftovers is much better than having hungry guests. There’s new faces, and lots of familiar ones too - Madison, Juliana, Marius, even Praveena - all happy to celebrate Chuseok with friends, even with their family far away.
“So are you two finally dating?” As is typical for Madison, the proclamation comes with exactly zero preamble and strikes Min Ho with a deep-seated annoyance.
He doesn’t dignify it with a response other than an eye roll.
“What?!” she says, before continuing in Korean. “You’d be so cute.”
Min Ho turns away, back to the table of food. He’s pleased with it, even if there’s an errant piece of onion or two. Kitty looks at the food proudly, before startling. “Oh my god, Q?” she exclaims and runs across the room. Min Ho watches as she excitedly greets Q and Jin, and chats animatedly, before he feels her eyes on him. He gives her a small smile. Did Q give away that he’d planned this? He looks away quickly.
Soon Kitty stands up to begin the meal, and everyone looks at her, Min Ho especially. “Welcome, everyone! Last year was my first Chuseok, and thanks to a helpful but begrudging roommate, and a bunch of new friends, it was a great one.” She pauses. “What, you all know I lived in the boys’ dorm last year. I know how gossip gets around. I’ve learned my lesson.” There are a few vague chuckles. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from being at KISS, it's that the people we surround ourselves with can become our families in so many ways. Take the time to get to know the people around you, even if you think you might hate them… because people can surprise you.” Min Ho suspects she’s talking about him, and the way she softly meets his eyes from across the room all but confirms it. “I am so grateful for my experiences, for each of you, and for my ancestors that set my life path in motion, and led me here, to friends, unexpected family, and so much learning. So cheers to KISS, and each of you. Happy Chuseok!” Everyone offers their cheers, but Kitty pauses. “Oh and, a huge thank you Min Ho for the delicious food, and blame me for any improperly cut onions!”
Everyone gathers their dishes happily, including Min Ho, who is pleased to hear the praises of everyone attending. Soon Kitty slides into a seat beside him. “I got some of everything,” she says. “After smelling it cooking there was no way I could choose.”
Min Ho nods. “A good choice,” he says. He loves the way she digs right in, just the way his food was meant to be eaten. She’s not like those Hollywood people at his mom’s parties, taking tiny delicate bites. She’s enjoying, breathing it in. Just the way it should be.
Q and Jin slide in across from them. “Great job,” Q says, gesturing to his plate. “So Kitty, did he let you touch anything in the kitchen this time?”
“Not only did he let me, he insisted,” Kitty says. Q smirks, which Min Ho pretends not to notice. “I had to help cut and prep and stir, and make sauces, all sorts of stuff!”
“Did you have to bring your own knife? Because Min Ho never —” Min Ho shoots Q a look. "Although, this is clearly expertly made. Good work, you two."
"Thank you!" Kitty says contentedly. She looks to Min Ho, and he's more than happy to share in the praise.
The dinner buzzes on happily for a good hour and a half, with some lingering to chat and hang out after. Overall it's been a successful Chuseok, with good company and frankly excellent food, and Min Ho is pleased. Once the last stragglers make their way out of the cafeteria, it's just him and Kitty again, picking up the dishes and cleaning up the mess, lest Lee has their heads. Min Ho expected Kitty to be buzzing on the high of a successful evening, but instead she is uncharacteristically quiet. She picks up one plate, then lays it back down, staring at it.
“Covey, I know that face. Spill.”
“What face?”
“The one where you desperately want to say something. I’ve heard enough of your random stories by now that nothing will phase me. So what is it this time?”
She pinkens slightly. “I just feel…” she starts. “Um, well…”
“Covey…”
“The food was delicious,” she says brightly. Min Ho squints at her and she sighs. “Okay. When my mom was in university she always did this big Friendsgiving. All the traditional thanksgiving dishes, all fancy. One year my dad came and he brought green beans…from a can.”
“So you’re kind of like your dad too,” Min Ho chuckles. “You know, that stuff you tried to buy last year before I saved the day”
Usually Kitty would joke. But not today. “You did save the day. And you made this whole meal today,” she nods.
“I mean, you helped!”
“Yeah. But, um,” she takes a little breath, before her words spill out like an avalanche. “That was the beginning of my parents’ love story and I think that maybe, in a weird way, it was the start of ours too?“
Min Ho freezes. He was wrong. These words did in fact phase him. “Covey, what are you saying?” he says carefully. He feels his heart quicken, and he wills it to calm. This is not the time for impulse. If it was, he’d grab her and kiss her and never let her go. But this has gone wrong before so he must, must, be sure.
“Do you still love me?” she asks bluntly, her eyes bright and terrified.
“I —“ Of course he does, but she doesn’t let him get the words out.
“No, no, let me start over. Who cares about complicated? I want to be with you. If you still want that.” Her eyes are wide and Min Ho sees the little tremble in her lip.
He reaches out, taking her hand. “Covey,” he says softly, meeting her eyes. Her hand shakes in his, and he feels his heart race in his chest. “You know there’s a reason I haven’t been going on dates, right?”
“Stella?”
He scoffs lightly. “At first, maybe. But mainly I just learned that if I was going to be around you, I probably wasn’t going to get over you. And… well, I didn’t want to stop being around you,” he says honestly, and her eyes light up. “I didn’t know you were actually interested.”
“Neither did I. Not at first,” she says.
“But now?”
She nods. “I’ve known for a while now.” She smiles, her earnest reaching her eyes.
Min Ho gently raises his hand to her cheek, cupping her face. It’s soft against his hands. “Kitty,” he says softly, and it’s clear no more words are needed. She wraps her arms around him, closing him into a tight hug. He pulls her tight to him; he’s holding his whole world. Her earnest soul, her bright smile, her hopeless optimism. He loves the way she is so determined, so passionate, and now she’s his. Under the fluorescent lights of the cafeteria, the setting couldn’t be less romantic. But it doesn’t matter. Not now.
And then, suddenly, she’s looking up at him again, and he can’t help himself; he presses a soft kiss to her lips as she leans farther into his embrace. She yields to his touch easily, her lips melting against his. There’s no rush. Timing has finally worked for them, like maybe a piece of him always knew it would. He feels warmth flood his body as he allows himself to give in to her, finally open, finally not holding back any longer. Despite time being on their side, months of desire and longing spill over as he breathes her in, never wanting to stop. Mercifully, it’s clear she feels the same way.
Suddenly, there’s a wolf whistle, and they break apart guiltily. Madison.
She doesn’t say anything, just waggles her eyebrows suggestively with a stupid grin on her face. Kitty flushes. Min Ho shoots Madison a half-hearted glare, before swinging his arm around Kitty. She melts into his side, right where she belongs.
“What? I forgot my sweater,” she says, by ways of explanation. She waves it in the air. “And you two forgot you weren’t dating, I guess.” The pair stare at her awkwardly, until with a playful wave,Madison leaves the room. Kitty cringes, turning back to Min Ho.
“So, how’s it feel to kiss the hottest guy in school?” Min Ho says coyly, brushing Kitty’s hair back from her face.
“Like I should have done it a long time ago,” she breathes, kissing him again. “For the record,” she says, “Part of the reason you’re the hottest guy in school is because you cook.”
“Just once a year,” he says.
“Nope. You better know you’re cooking for me, at least once a month now,” Kitty says, her face determined.
“Fine, but only if you never make me watch ‘Is It Cake?”
“Oh, are you 'famously anti-Is It Cake?' now?" Kitty asks, with a British lilt. She smirks, before planting another kiss on his lips. "I'll wear you down."
"No way," Min Ho replies, unable to contain his smile. "Because unlike those cakes... you and I are actually real."
There's that eye roll.
He wouldn’t have it any other way.