Chapter Text
The summer passes in a shining haze, days blending together into a long string of moments: travel, big cities, huge audiences, time spent sightseeing with Min Ho, sharing meals with his family, hanging out with Eunice and the other performers on the tour. Surrounded by big, loud personalities providing constant explosive and intense moments, and finding peace during the quieter times spent with Min Ho - mornings where he greets her with coffee and breakfast, afternoons when she drags him off to go with her to some spot or another of a tourist attraction that she’s heard about, evenings after the world tour performances spent going out grabbing late night snacks or talking in their hotel rooms until they’re too tired to stay awake or pulling out notebooks and pens and flash cards to continue working on her written Hangul and spoken Korean, which he continues to say attacks his ears. And sometimes it’s Kitty waking him up to go on a morning outing, and sometimes it’s Min Ho who comes to her telling her that she needs to see a particular favorite spot of his while they’re in town for it. They trade stories and childhood secrets, and they argue and laugh and grow closer by the day. Awkward pauses of the past are smoothed over into comfortable silences.
She feels awake and alive on the tour, shaking off the stresses and hurts of the past year. Everything is so exciting and fresh and constantly new, not spending long enough in any one spot for it to become too familiar. It’s beautiful, it’s chaotic, it’s life-changing, it’s everything she needed. Every day, she learns a little bit more about herself and feels a little more settled and at peace within her own body and mind.
It might just easily be the single best summer of her life. Most nights, she finds herself laying down in the cool sheets of her hotel beds wishing that she could live within these sparkling golden moments forever, hoping that they’ll never fade from her memory. She never wants to forget the way she feels in these days: young, free, effervescent, bold, daring, independent.
(And undeniably, regardless of any thoughts or judgement on the matter from herself or others, at least a little bit, or a lot, in love.)
They start immediately in Seoul with a special set of performances where she spends the first night in the audience screaming with her friends, full of spirit and the exuberance of youth, before sharing goodbyes for the summer as they wish her well for the tour with varying amounts of enthusiasm.
Dae hugs her as he says he’ll miss her, asking if they can write to each other over the summer. “After all, you’re the best pen pal I’ve ever had,” he says softly, accompanied by a genuine, heartfelt smile. Kitty smiles into his shoulder in response, feeling like something has been fully set right between them at last, and they’ve finally landed where they’re meant to be.
Q lifts her off the ground and spins her around, grinning as he sets her down. “That’s my Chaos Queen. Do me proud this summer. Make some more epic moments.” His warm eyes dance with delight as he squeezes her shoulders.
Yuri smiles, but there’s something a little tight and sad about it that pulls at her heartstrings. “Have fun, Kitty. I’ll miss you. See you next year.”
Juliana and Praveena give her a polite goodbye and well wishes, telling her that all is okay between them and that they’ll start over fresh in the fall.
Madison’s jaw drops when Kitty breaks the news to her about her summer plans, exclaiming, “Holy shit!”, before continuing on to say that she can’t wait to find out whether this crashes and burns and if the two of them will survive each other long enough to even make it to the next school year intact. Kitty winces in response as she looks over to where Min Ho is having his own private moment with Dae. Their heads are close together as they speak in hushed Korean, too far away and quiet for her to decipher, but she sees the hesitant smiles on both of their faces as they hug briefly but firmly, bringing a smile to her own lips to witness. She accidentally catches Min Ho’s gaze with her own for a moment too long when they move to walk back - Dae looks at him with a half smile, nudging him with an elbow. Madison looks between the two of them, her mouth falling open into a small, perfect O.
“Or maybe you won’t kill each other after all,” she says slyly, curling one perfect ringlet of hair around her finger. Kitty can only flush in response.
Next comes Tokyo with its bright lights and skyscrapers and temples, a unique combination of modern and traditional. She and Min Ho wander the parks, shop at the high end stores, snack on kakigori in the hot afternoons and on sushi and yakiniku at night.
Then Taipei, where they spend more time at museums and cultural sites and at night markets sampling gua bao, lu rou fan, shou zhua bing, and run bing, and one memorable day visiting the hot springs outside of the city despite it being far too muggy out to properly enjoy even just walking around, their moods soured and words snippy by the time they return with sweat coating their skin.
Then it’s on to Hong Kong with its dazzling nightlife and twinkling skyline, where they take the Star Ferry and explore Victoria Peak and Min Ho’s father takes them out for a fancy afternoon tea and they eat so much dim sum over the course of a weekend that her stomach hurts.
Manila is next, full of chaos, where they visit the Walled City of Intramuros, go to the SM Mall of Asia, practically a city of its own, where Min Ho buys enough expensive clothes and skincare products to fill yet another suitcase, and they go out for halo-halo and karaoke with their crew.
Bangkok follows, full of beautiful temples, shining golden Buddhas, and its network of canals. They start their days with Thai iced coffees and teas, and she accompanies Min Ho to Siam Paragon where she indulges him as he goes on yet another shopping spree and subsequent impromptu fashion show as he tries on outfit after outfit from high-end labels, and he indulges her at the Pak Khlong Talat flower market as they put together bouquets to present to Joon Ho and Eunice for their final show in the city. She picks out flowers to press for Lara Jean and Margot, and she pretends not to notice him paying special attention to the particular colors and types of flowers that she lingers over when they catch her own eye. They eat mu kratha, yum salmon, bua loy, and mieng kham from street markets and ridiculously beautifully plated meals from Michelin starred restaurants when his father reserves long tables for their tour group.
Then it’s on to Singapore, expensive but beautiful. She has a list of filming locations from Crazy Rich Asians to visit and photograph extensively for Lara Jean, it being one of her favorite romcoms from the past decade. The insane Changi airport, the Newton Food Center where she insists on trying all of the same foods that they order in the movie - hokkien mee, laksa curry, satay, sambal stingray. They skip out on one of the tour’s performances to spend an evening at the Gardens by the Bay with its impressive Supertree Grove, indoor waterfall, Cloud Forest, and Flower Dome, and catch one of the Garden Rhapsody shows. Kitty’s breath catches in her chest when she sees the way the light from the show reflects on Min Ho’s face, and she goes fully breathless when, as if drawn to her like a magnet, he turns to look at her and return her gaze for a charged moment. They catch another light show at the Marina Bay Sands on a different night and pretend not to be thinking about the tension from the other night as the lights dance over the water. During the day, they visit the Botanic Gardens, strolling side by side, hands brushing when they move closer together to make room for others passing by. They get chili crab and sugarcane juice before going out to shop along the Orchard Road stretch of malls, where Min Ho encourages Kitty to try on increasingly ridiculous and expensive combinations and refuses to hear no for an option when he marches up to buy some of the less outlandish options after seeing the way she looks at herself in the mirror in them.
“You’d be doing me a favor by wearing some higher quality clothes when you’re around me, Covey. I can’t be seen associating with some street urchin as my friend.” She rolls her eyes and steps on his foot, smirking at the undignified yelp that escapes him in response.
Jakarta greets them next, marshy, humid, sprawling, and never sleeping. They escape from the confines of smoggy city life to the Thousand Islands with their white sand beaches for an overnight stay. Kitty thinks she’s never practiced so much restraint with keeping her thoughts to herself, if not her eyes despite her best feeble attempts, while spending time around a shirtless, ocean-wet Min Ho. She briefly contemplates drowning when he grins at her after she cracks a joke, white teeth sparkling in the sun, and again at night when she can’t fall asleep, haunted by visions of the frankly ridiculous display of his musculature and well-defined body in swim trunks. After their return to the city and starting to hit the wall of their desire to be constantly on the move, they spend the rest of their time inside at cafes sampling different coffees and teas and in their hotel rooms, developing a habit of sitting a little too close for explanation, constantly close enough to be touching as Min Ho continues to attempt helping Kitty with Hangul and Korean and as they spend movie nights together, snacking on a broad spectrum of junk foods to Min Ho’s late night culinary creations when he decides to chef it up in the kitchen. Each night, the already small amount of space between them on the couch lessens.
Sydney awaits them with its beautiful beachfronts and blue skies as their final location before they enter the American leg of the tour. They visit the iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge and take a surfing lesson at Bondi Beach and explore the city on foot where possible. Kitty laughs herself senseless when Min Ho falls over himself spectacularly while surfing, then quickly regrets her choices when her own laughter knocks her off balance and makes her join him in the ocean. He smirks at her when they resurface and climb back onto their boards, flipping his saltwater-soaked hair back and out of his face in a particularly eye-catching fashion; Kitty’s breath stalls in her chest in response. Min Ho’s dad continues treating them to lavish meals at top restaurants, and Kitty doesn’t think she’s ever eaten so well in her life. She screams along at the tour performances, having learned most of the set by heart by now, and laughs in delight when she gets Min Ho to jump and sing along with her, a little off tune but full of heart. Her heart swells at the unrestrained smile on his face and the glow shining on it as the sun sets in the sky above them, dappled with pink and orange and purple and yellow.
Their flight to Los Angeles has Kitty feeling a little on edge. Her summer so far has been a bubble removed from the rest of her life, and she doesn’t know how to adjust back to reality or whether she wants to. She’s been planning on visiting Portland while the world tour enters its American leg, a condition of her dad letting her travel abroad after the school semester ended instead of coming home immediately, and she’s not quite sure she’s ready to face whatever he and Trina might have to say to her. She’s glad they didn’t stop her, but she knows they think she’s probably being a crazy, impulsive teenage girl, and the thought of dealing with that judgment in person makes her squirm uncomfortably. Their faces on the call when she explained everything in a fast-paced rambling monologue, barely pausing for breath, were really something. Not that she can blame them - she can’t even picture how her life and choices look from an outside perspective. She can’t even explain them to herself without feeling the flush of self-consciousness. Following a boy around the world after he said he thought he was done with relationships... well. Perhaps not her finest moment, but she’s certainly had worse. At least she’s gaining a better understanding of different cultures and the world out of it - she can always default to the reasoning of it being an educational and enriching experience for her as she hits the cusp of adulthood.
“Covey,” Min Ho nudges her with an elbow from his seat next to her. “What’s going on in your head? You look tense.”
“Oh,” she laughs nervously. “Just thinking about how weird it’ll feel to be back in the US after so long. And to see my dad and Trina and LJ and get bombarded with questions. I don’t know, I guess I’ve just gotten… comfortable with our routine, and it’s weird to know normal life for everyone else has still been going on. And I’m excited to see them again, of course! But… I don’t know. Just some mixed emotions going on.”
Min Ho lets out a noncommittal hum, nodding his head, knocking her with his elbow again. “It’ll all be okay. And you’ll be back to your new normal on the tour and at KISS before you know it.”
She turns to him to smile, only to frown when she sees the look on his own face, brows and forehead drawn tight, fingers tapping restlessly on his knee. “Are you okay? You’ve been acting a little off all day. Be careful or you’ll give yourself stress lines,” she teases, poking him between his brows.
He swats her hand away half-heartedly, affronted look on his face. “As if, my skin knows better than to betray me like that after all the care I give to it.” She snorts, and he shoots her an exasperated look. “If you must know, I’m also feeling weird about seeing family. My mother. We’ve always been close, but we haven’t talked much this past semester or summer, and I can’t imagine that she’s thrilled I’ve been spending so much time with my father. They haven’t been on good terms since they separated.” He pauses before finishing, “I kind of feel like I’m betraying her,” a wry twist to his mouth.
“Hey,” Kitty urges, grabbing his hand and interlacing their fingers. “You aren’t betraying her. Just because they don’t have much of a relationship with each other doesn’t mean that you can’t have both of them in your life. And I mean, it does sound like your dad really sucked in the past and never showed up for you like you needed him to, but if he’s trying to make amends and if you want to have him in your life, then that’s your decision to make. From what you’ve said before, it sounds like your mom loves you a lot,” she says softly, squeezing his hand while gazing up at his side profile, his face not angled towards her but looking down at their hands. “I can’t imagine she’d want you to feel badly about trying to spend time with and getting to know your family better this summer. She just wants you to be happy and healthy and loved, right?”
Min Ho finally looks over to her, a small smile playing on his face. “Thanks, Kitty.” He holds her gaze, the air between them suddenly charged with that increasingly familiar tension.
Flustered, she clears her throat after a moment, cutting through the thick silence. “Of course! And if there’s anything I can do to be there for you or just be a friendly listening ear, you know how to reach me.”
Min Ho’s eyes dance across her face, half smile still on. “And I could say the same thing to you. If you need an out from your family, just say the word.”
She ducks her head, trying to ward off a blush. “Will do. But I think my family might try to fight you if you show up to take me away early after I already chose to spend most of my summer with you instead of them.”
His smile widens, a little pleased, a little smug. She groans, sensing her mistake too late. “Now don’t get a big head over that, you already know that!”
He smirks, unrepentant. “Oh, sure, but it’s different to hear you say it. But don’t blame yourself, who could resist spending time with all this?” he says loftily, airily gesturing at himself.
She rolls her eyes and tries to erase the smile from her face, but it’s stubbornly remaining. “Ugh. Never mind. Maybe I should just spend the rest of my summer with them after all instead of joining back up with the tour in New York.”
“No!” he yelps, then clears his throat when she looks back at him, grinning. “I mean. Whatever. It’s all good. I’m not sure you’re cultured enough for the European leg anyways,” he sniffs.
She knocks her shoulder against him. “You know, some people would try saying things like, ‘Oh Kitty, I’ve enjoyed this time together ever so much and it would be such a shame if the rest of our summer plans got cut short, I would be utterly distraught. Please, please don’t forget all about me while you’re back home with your family!’,” she mimics his posh accent teasingly.
He huffs, raising his gaze to the ceiling of the plane as if seeking salvation. “Oh Kitty, I’ve enjoyed this time together ever so much. It would be such a shame if the rest of our plans got cut short. I would be distraught. Please don’t forget about me while you’re with your family,” he delivers completely deadpan.
She bursts out laughing, and he can’t hide the twitch of his own lip betraying his amusement. “You’re ridiculous,” she says fondly.
“I swear, I can’t win with you!” he melodramatically exclaims, sliding down his seat in a huff, accidentally tugging her hand still holding his with the movement and drawing her awareness back to the warmth of his palm against hers.
The pilot begins making flight announcements, redirecting their attention. “Hey,” she whispers to him, “How much of our watchlist do you think we can get through on this flight?” They’ve developed a habit of watching the same movies or shows while traveling so they can compare notes afterwards, and after many spirited debates about the choice of what to watch, they started keeping track in lists on their phones of their top choices to save them some time. They’ve started to make a decent dent already.
“Well, the flight should be around 14 hours. So quite a bit if we don’t sleep,” he murmurs back.
“Challenge accepted,” she flashes a grin to him.
He rolls his eyes and shakes his head while huffing out a laugh, “And you said that I was ridiculous,” but he’s already getting out their headphones and setting up for them.
It’s only when she wakes up hours later, head tucked onto his shoulder, his own head resting lightly on top of hers as he snuffles out sleeping breaths, that she realizes her hand is still loosely entwined with his. She smiles privately and closes her eyes again, nestling back into his warmth.