Chapter Text
“Kitty is going to love this, Min Ho !” Q exclaimed excitedly as he watched his friend making all different sorts of different dishes. Dae and Juliana had taken Kitty out for the day to distract her while Min Ho organized a surprise Chuseok dinner party for her. “She better. Anyway, for the guest list, I was thinking of Juliana, Yuri, Praveena, Dae of course, you, Jin, Alex, Madison, Eunice, Mihee… maybe Professor Lee ?” Min Ho wondered as he finished off his kimchi. “Professor Lee ?” Q winced, scrunching up his nose. “Kitty appreciates him. And he’s Alex’s dad, which means he has no one to spend Chuseok with apart from him. And Kitty will absolutely want Alex there, but he won’t want to leave his dad alone, surely,” Min Ho explained, chopping some other vegetables and throwing them in the sauté pan. “I think it’s cute you’re taking Kitty so in consideration,” Q said as he smirked knowingly at his friend.
“Well, it is a dinner that I’m making for her, so I can’t exactly not take her into consideration,” Min Ho replied, shrugging it off. “I’m glad I was able to make you two wimps admit your feelings to each other !” Q grinned, proud of himself. “For once, Kitty had a break from her matchmaker duty,” he added, popping a pepper in his mouth. “Q ! This is for my girlfriend, not you !” Min Ho barked, slapping his hand away with the wooden spatula. “Hey ! My fingers hurt now !” Q complained, staring at his sore, stinging fingers. “Hey, guys !” Yuri’s voice called from the doorway as the door opened, revealing herself, dressed into a classy, ocean blue all-denim ensemble. “Yuri !” Q smiled as he hugged his friend tightly. “I have news !” she claimed as Min Ho smiled at her, acknowledging her. “What again?” he groaned, mock-annoyed. “Does Kitty know you’re like this with everyone and not just her ?” Yuri griped back. “Hm, yes, she does, and she loves me for it,” Min Ho smirked teasingly at Yuri.
“Me and Juliana are back together !” Yuri announced, interrupting their friendly banter. “WHAT ?! How ?!”Q exclaimed in a burst of joy, embracing Yuri, almost to the point where she almost strangled. “She finally forgave me ! She broke up with Praveena because the vibe died down, and she realized she still had feelings for me. We had a very long talk, I assured her the kiss with Kitty was only an in-the-heat-of-the-moment kind of thing, and we kissed. I’m so happy,” Yuri sighed with relief, a huge smile creasing her lips. “That’s great, Yuri,” Min Ho chimed in sincerely. He was happy for his friend ; everyone was now happy : Dae and Eunice were going really well, Q and Jin were doing better than ever since he stopped running, Yuri and Juliana were back together and finally, he and Kitty were together. Everything was perfect. Just like how it was supposed to be. “What are you doing ?” Yuri asked Min Ho, sitting at the counter next to Q as he handed her a coffee. “Making Chuseok dishes for my girlfriend. What does it look like I’m doing ?” Min Ho scoffed sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “How adorable, Minnie !” Yuri teased, knowing how much he grew to hate the nickname Yuri had given him when they were kids.
Min Ho just made a dramatic eye roll, ignoring her. “That’s him when he’s in a good mood,” Q informed her. “God save us all,” Yuri pleaded teasingly, earning herself a stone-cold glare from Min Ho. Suddenly, Min Ho’s phone rang, interrupting their glare-to-the-death battle. “What, Dae ?” he groaned as he picked up the phone, exasperated. “Kitty’s starting to get suspicious !” Dae whispered frantically in Korean. “Then stall. It’s not that hard,” Min Ho replied in Korean. “I’m a bad liar, Min Ho !” Dae insisted. “Give me Covey,” he sighed. “Min Ho ! What are you plotting ?” Kitty asks, her loud, excited voice ringing through the phone like a melody pouring into Min Ho’s ears. “None of your business, Covey,” he smirked softly, reminding her of when Peter had bought her the pen from the stationery shop and he’d mocked her for it. “Seriously !” Kitty snapped mockingly, chuckling. “Just have fun with Dae and Juliana and stop pestering me ! You’ll find out tonight,” Min Ho teased. “But I wanna know !” Kitty whined, dragging out the ‘w’. Min Ho could just imagine her giving him her adorable puppy dog-eyes (which, honestly, would’ve made him fold on the spot).
“You’re such a child !” Min Ho sighed, exasperated. “Says Poopy Baby !” Kitty shot back, the smile hearable in her voice. “You are so going to regret that when you get home, Covey !” he growled, internally smiling, his heart melting at the sound of her laugh at the end of the line. “Home ? As in the dorm you share with my ex, and my best friend ?” she scoffed knowingly. “I can’t with her. Q, do you want to talk to her ? I’m much too annoyed to make my ears endure her excruciatingly high voice for another minute,” Min Ho exclaimed, knowing full well that Kitty could hear every word. “About time, you were getting on my nerves,” she grinned into the phone, her heart fluttering with love, butterflies swarming in her stomach. Min Ho seemed to have that effect on her, apparently. And to Kitty, it was irritating, but it was also the best feeling in the entire world. She’d been a matchmaker since she was little, but she’d never felt actual love. Before Min Ho, that is. Dae was her first love, Yuri was her guilty crush, but Min Ho… he was the one. And it couldn’t possibly be any clearer to her.
“Kitty ! Let’s go, the queue to the roller coaster is super long so we should better start lining up now!” Juliana’s voice interrupted from the background, much to Kitty and Min Ho’s despair. “Coming !” Kitty called to her, waving at her friend and Dae. “I gotta go. But I’ll see you tonight, and until then, you better not forget I love you,” she smiled genuinely, feeling her heart thumping so hard she was afraid it might pop out of her chest. “I won’t. Love you too, Covey,” Min Ho replied softly, his tone so gentle that Q and Yuri’s jaws dropped to the ground just hearing him. Once he hung up, he went back to his vegetables, completely oblivious to his friends’ shock. “What was that, Min Ho ?” Yuri exclaimed, still surprised. “Um, I don’t know, maybe me talking to my girl?” he replied ironically, glaring at her. “I mean that kind voice. I didn’t even know your vocal cords could do that !” Yuri precised. “Oh, well, now you’re just exaggerating,” Min Ho scoffed, giving Q his phone. “No, I’m definitely not ! Did you know he could do that ?” Yuri demanded, her head whipping towards an equally gobsmacked Q. “No, I in fact did not,” Q confirmed, still staring at his friend with wide eyes. “You’re dramatizing the whole thing !” Min Ho groans, throwing his hands up in the air in irritation. “As you say,” Q chirps as he and Yuri exchange knowing glances, both of them grinning at their whipped friend.
~A FEW HOURS LATER~
“Today was so fun ! Thanks so much, Juliana !” Kitty smiled at her friend as they entered their dorm. “Hey, it was fun for me too. You’re actually not the worst person to be around,” Juliana grinned. “I just wanted to tell you something,” Kitty blurted out, biting her cheek anxiously. “What?” Juliana asked, her big brown eyes focused on Kitty. “I’m sorry. For the whole Yuri thing. I know I already apologized, but since you two are back together… I just wanted you to know that I’m really, really, deeply sorry for what I did, and I know that’s no excuse, but…” Kitty rambled, her cheeks reddening. “Kitty ! Stop ! It’s fine. I know you’ve moved on with Min Ho, whom you love more than your own life, and Yuri and I were strong enough to get over this incident. And even though it really wasn’t cool… I’m over it, because I love Yuri, and I love you, as a friend. Don’t ever worry about this again, okay ?” Juliana laughed, interrupting her nervous ramble. “Now, why don’t we get ready for Chuseok?” she smiled, linking arms with Kitty as they headed to the bathroom to do their makeup.
An hour later, the girls were ready ; Kitty had dotted a few dots of concealer under her slight dark circles, glossed her lips and had put mascara and light eyeliner on, wearing a dark red red corset sundress (it’s tradition to wear red on chuseok). “Gosh, Kitty, Min Ho’s jaw will drop to the floor when he sees you like this. You look stunning !” Juliana exclaimed, mock-checking out her roommate. “I think I’ll probably be the one to fold first !” Kitty admitted, laughing at herself. “Knowing just how much Min Ho loves you, I think he will,” Juliana teased, as Kitty blushed profusely, her heart racing at the thought of seeing her boyfriend. She just knew he was going to look hot. Hell, he could look hot coming out of a dumpster. “I wonder what he planned on doing for Chuseok. His mom bailed on him again, and, well, I don’t even exactly have a mom who can bail on me either,” Kitty chuckled ironically, a tad of bitter sadness dripping from her tone. She hadn’t meant for it to come out like that ; but mentioning Chuseok had just brought back that constant pain in her heart that Min Ho usually filled, the part of it that was left by her mother. But on Chuseok, a family tradition, even the thought of Min Ho, which usually made her smile stretch up to her ears (at least), couldn’t fill the hole in her heart.
“Hey, you okay ?” Juliana demanded concernedly, wiping away a tear that Kitty hadn’t realized had rolled off her cheek. “Yeah,” Kitty sniffed, regaining composure. “You don’t sound okay to me,” her friend smiled softly, embracing her and stroking her back, calming her a little. She buried her head in Juliana’s shoulder, accepting all of the comfort she was offering. Kitty was taken aback by how good of a friend Juliana was being to her ; she could understand why Yuri had fallen in love with her. “Here. You have snot running all over your face,” Juliana grinned at Kitty as she handed her napkin, effectively making her release a joyful, sincere laugh. “Thanks,” she choked out, blowing her nose loudly. “Sure,” Juliana smiled as they walked out the door, Juliana heading to Yuri’s dorm, and Kitty heading to the boys’.
“I can’t wait to see him,” she thought excitedly as she ran through the courtyard, desperate to see her boyfriend. It turns out, twenty-four hours without him were way too long for Kitty. She had missed him, but obviously, she would never admit that to him ; he’d never let her live it down. As she walked up the stairs to the room, she played with the small silver bangle she had bought for him a week ago ; engraved on it was the inscription ‘I love you, Min Ho - your very own Covey’ in tiny, silver letters. She hoped he was going to love it ; it was the most meaningful gift she’d ever bought someone, ever. Maybe even more meaningful than her mother’s necklace she had given to Dae. Without even realizing it, she had arrived at the front door of the boys’ dorm, still staring adoringly at the bracelet in her hand that she just couldn’t wait to give Min Ho. Gathering up all of her composure, she knocked on the door, ignoring her racing pulse and ragged breaths. Min Ho would definitely laugh if he saw her like that. Instantly, the door opened, revealing Min Ho, dressed in an elegant, meticulously ironed burgundy dress shirt, and matching dress pants, a huge bouquet of red roses in his hands, one of his abnormally expensive watches at his wrist.
“Oh. My God,” was the first thought that popped into Kitty’s head as her eyes traveled up and down her boyfriend’s body, savoring the life-size eye candy in front of her, her heartbeats through the roof. She would surely die from sudden cardiac arrest soon if her heart didn’t stop hammering as fast in her ribcage as Charles Leclerc at the Monaco Grand Prix. He looked… unreal. That was the only word that Kitty could use to even begin to describe how ethereal he looked, with his glowing, pale skin shining under the dorm lights, his brown, hooded eyes filled with sparkles of love, his jawline clenched in admiration. Because she didn’t know it, but he was thinking the exact same thing.
“That girl will be the death of me,” Min Ho thought, letting out an audible breath as he gazed at her, her beautiful face highlighted by her soft makeup, making her look heavenly, her dress hugging her slight curves perfectly, the color making her reddish-brown hair and chestnut hues pop. “She looks like a goddess,” he told himself, his heart filling with warmth and happiness when he saw the way she was staring straight back at him. No one had ever looked at him this way ; eyes twinkling, full of compassion, love, affection and kindness, looking at him as if he was the only man in the world. As if he wasn’t just hot, but also the most amazing person on the planet. And this made Min Ho feel as if he was being transported to literal heaven.
“You look… mind-blowing, Covey,” Min Ho smiled, meaning every word, increasing the incessant pounding in her chest. Her eyes dropped to the roses, her heart melting in a puddle of goo, as an enormous smile spread all across her face, making her look impossibly adorable. “Why thank you. I wish I could say the same,” she grinned back, as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her lips tightly to his, unable to take another second, another breath without her in his arms. The kiss was raw, deep and passionate, blowing both of their minds, pouring all of their undying love in it. “He never fails to make me weak in the knees,” Kitty thought as he grabbed her bottom lip with his teeth, dragging it out gently, making Kitty’s legs turn to water. She wrapped her arms around his neck, jumping up and swinging her legs above his hips, determined to give him exactly all he’s giving her. Min Ho didn’t even have time to think before diving in for another kiss, their tongues battling and fighting for dominance, their mouths burning at the contact of each other, his grip around his girlfriend’s waist tightening ever so slightly. They stumbled into the dorm, making Min Ho drop the flowers as he put Kitty down on the counter, kissing her fervently, continuing his incredible assault on her lips.
“Min Ho,” she panted in pleasure, digging her fingers into his coal-black, silky hair.
That sound was enough to push Min Ho over the edge, making him weaker than anything has ever made him. Oh, how his name sounded so heavenly coming out of her mouth. He buried his face in her neck, peppering her neck with flaming hot kisses, Kitty’s nerve system going up in flames as she gasped softly, her legs around his waist bringing him even closer to her, pressing their bodies completely together. “Oh my god !” Q exclaimed, hiding his eyes as he erupted in the living room, interrupting Kitty and Min Ho’s dangerously heated make-out. “Q !” Min Ho groaned, leaning his forehead on Kitty’s shoulder in exasperation. “I’m so sorry ! Sorry ! I really didn’t want to-” Kitty began, all of her words scrambling together. “She’s so cute when she’s embarrassed,” Min Ho smiled to himself as Kitty hid her face in her hands. “It’s fine, Kitty ! I was actually the last to leave, so…” Q trailed off, staring disapprovingly between the two. “Not in our dorm room, Min Ho !” he mouthed to his best friend.
“Why haven’t you left ? We’re all supposed to surprise Kitty downstairs for Chuseok ?” Min Ho mouths back aggressively. “Sorry ! I was late !” Q replied silently. “Okay, what the hell’s going on here ?” Kitty demanded, crossing her arms over her chest, unintentionally pushing her cleavage up. Min Ho glanced at it quickly and wished he hadn’t ; now he wanted her, so badly, but he’d have to go through the whole evening before being able to have her all to himself. “Nothing !” Q and Min Ho quipped quickly. “You guys are such bad liars,” she replied, glaring at them. “See you later !” Q interrupted, running out of the dorm, towards the courtyard. “Now, wanna explain to me why you two were acting so weird ?” Kitty demanded, raising an eyebrow. “Weird ? What do you mean, weird ?” Min Ho feigned obliviousness, knowing full well that he was getting on her nerves. “Mmh,” Kitty mocked, pulling a face. “I was so caught up in looking at how pathetic you look that I forgot to give you this,” he declared, giving her the bouquet of roses, Kitty’s suspicions floating away from her mind as she took in the exquisite sight of the delicate flowers. Gently taking them from him, she smelled their soft scent in, closing her eyes in pure bliss. It made Min Ho so happy to see her like that ; just joyful. “They’re beautiful, Min Ho,” Kitty murmured, tears of emotion springing up to her eyes.
“Don’t go crying on me now, Covey,” he grinned at her as she sniggered, kissing his cheek tenderly. “I brought you something in honor of Chuseok too. I thought that since neither of us had our family here… we could honor our new family. You’re my new family, Min Ho. Ever since we became friends, you’ve been this constant in my life ; my rock, my love, my world, my everything. Obviously, it probably wasn’t clear enough before this summer. So, to honor us, and the tiny family we’ve created for the two of us, I bought you a little something,” Kitty smiled genuinely, Min Ho’s heart dropping. He had never been talked to like that ; no one had ever told him he was their rock, their love, their world, their everything. But the girl he loved was the only one who had, and that’s all that mattered. Kitty reached into her pocket and took out a tiny, cotton pochette. “Open it,” she told him gently as she put it in his big, slender, veiny hand, closing his fingers over it. Her touch on his hand made his skin tingle - no, burn, almost like a wildfire, spreading and spreading into every nerve of his body until it consumed him fully.
He obeyed, and took out a thin, silver bangle, with the inscription ‘I love you, Min Ho - your very own Covey’ engraved in small letters in the center. He was at a loss of words. His hands began trembling as he stared into the bracelet, his heart clenching tightly. No one had ever cared about him like that ; no one had ever shown him how pure love could be before her. His head was spinning, asking himself the same question all over again. How could someone be as perfect as Katherine Song-Covey ? She was all he needed - she was his air. “So ? Do you like it ?” Kitty demanded shyly, snapping Min Ho out of his trance. “I love it,” he choked out, his voice strained and clipped. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kitty’s arms wrapped around his waist, holding him tightly and caressing his back, her head leaning on his chest. “I know this is weird for you. To be cared about. But that’s why I’m here. To make you feel loved,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of his chest, Min Ho’s arms slowly replying to her soft hug, a hand cupping her head. “And I love you so much for it,” he thought, tightening his grip on her, as if he was afraid to let her go. “I’m not going anywhere, Min Ho, you don’t need to strangle me to death !” Kitty joked as Min Ho chuckled and loosened his arms, giving her just enough space for her to get up on her tiptoes and kiss him chastely.
“Now, why don’t you show me what you’ve been planning all day ?” she smirked, as her boyfriend locked her arm with his. They went down to the courtyard, chatting and joking and bantering, as usual, their smiles abundant and their laughs echoing in the huge garden. Finally, they arrived at the huge table Q and Jin had set up about twenty minutes before, in the middle of the courtyard, soft candle lights lighting up the whole area, a delicious-looking feast resting on the table. “What is this, Min Ho ?” Kitty asked curiously, raising an eyebrow. “Surprise ! Happy Chuseok, Kitty !” Yuri, Q, Dae, Jin, Praveena, Juliana, Alex, Eunice and Madison yelled as they sprung out from behind the table and jumped towards Kitty, hugging her tightly. “Oh my god, guys, thank you so much !” Kitty exclaimed, gobsmacked as she hugged her friends back, grinning from ear to ear, looking over their shoulders at Min Ho. “You’re welcome. Now, let’s celebrate Ching-Su Seok !” Alex smiled as everyone took their seats, Kitty obviously sitting at the head.
“Well, Covey, what are you waiting for? It’s not Ching-Su Seok without one of your incredible speeches !” Min Ho said loudly, smirking at her, knowing how much she loathed speeches. “Yeah ! Come on, Kitty !” everyone cheered, clapping. “I hate you,” Kitty mouthed to Min Ho as she reluctantly stood up and raised her glass.“Erm, well, I want to start this speech by telling you all how being at KISS has changed my life ; how you all have changed my life and me for the better. Thanks to all of you, I’ve grown and we’ve made unbreakable bonds. We have a new family here ; no matter how absent some families are, or how messed up some of them can be. Now that we have each other ; we will always have a second home, no matter where we are. I’d also like to thank Min Ho for being the incredibly annoying asshole that he is and for making everyone’s lives miserable. Thanks for listening !” Kitty griped at her boyfriend, the whole table erupting into laughter. “You are dead, Covey,” Min Ho mouthed to her, glaring. “Sure I am,” she smiled as she sat back down, grabbing his hand and lacing his fingers through hers, connecting their hands, tingles running up and down her spine, almost making her squirm (but she indeed loved that sensation, more than anything in the world).
“Let’s dig in !” Madison exclaimed as everyone began to eat. “Oh my god, Min Ho, this tastes even better than it did last year !” Alex claims, savoring his delicious kimchi. “Two weeks with Lara Jean Covey will do that to you !” Min Ho chuckled, locking eyes with Kitty, smiling warmly at her, making her insides swarm with aggressive killer bees. “YOU MET KITTY’S FAMILY ?!” Madison screeched obnoxiously loudly, earning herself an infuriated glare from Min Ho. “Calm down, Madison. I accompanied Portland Stalker to, well, Portland after the tour ended. We spent two weeks there,” he replied calmly. “Portland Stalker ! Ha ! We haven’t heard that in a long time !” Eunice laughed. “Hmm, yeah, you haven’t,” Kitty griped, giving her boyfriend the ‘oh-you’re-definitely-paying-for- that-later’ look in a pointed manner. “How were the Coveys ? Did they like you ?” Juliana demanded. “Oh, they loved him. Almost too much, in fact. He even charmed Margot, which is honestly a very big achievement. And he and LJ call every week !” Kitty sighed in mock-frustration. “What can I say ? It’s not my fault I’m so charming,” Min Ho smirked proudly, Q and Dae coughing on their drinks, as he threw them the death glare.
The dinner went smoothly after that, everyone in the group chatting and laughing, all while savoring Min Ho’s amazingly tasty foods. “Thank you so much for everything, Kitty and Min Ho. This dinner was really fun,” Juliana and Yuri thanked them after it was finished, their hands locked together. Kitty smiled, noticing that detail. “So Margot didn’t search for Juliana for nothing after all !” she thought to herself. “You’re welcome. You’re not sleeping in the dorms tonight ?” Kitty asked Juliana, seeing her black bag slung above her shoulder. “Nope, I’m sleeping at Yuri’s. And since today is Chuseok, there won’t be any dorm checks, so… you and Min Ho can have the dorm to yourselves,” she smirked, her big brown eyes lighting up with mischief. Kitty’s cheeks turned red, hiding her face in her hands as Yuri and Juliana grinned, chuckling. “See you tomorrow, Kitty !” they smiled, embracing her tightly as they left, leaving Kitty and Min Ho alone.
“Thank you so much for this. It was an amazing Ching-Su-Seok, even better than the first,” Kitty grinned as she snuck up behind her boyfriend and hugged him from behind, causing his insides to twist painfully. “It was for me too. Because I don’t have Lulu anymore, I have you. And that’s a million times better,” Min Ho said softly, his tone deep and sincere and kind and gentle, love pouring out of his words. Kitty couldn’t help an enormous smile from creeping up to her face, the edges of her lips turning upwards against Min Ho’s muscled back. “And I figured, you’re always matchmaking people up and trying to make others happy. You deserve to be the receiver, not always the giver,” he added thoughtfully, his girlfriend’s heart almost leaping out of her chest, a sudden need for his lips against hers popping in her brain. “You’re too cute,” she murmured genuinely as he turned around, booping his poreless nose.
“Covey…” he began, sighing in mock-exasperation, only to get cut off by Kitty’s lips on his, her arms wrapping around his neck as she devoured his mouth with a fiery determination, desperate to show him exactly how cute he was being. Min Ho forgot everything that was happening around him ; all that his brain could register was the exquisite feeling of his girlfriend kissing him with an unrelenting passion, her tongue diving in his mouth. The only word he could think ? ‘Wow’. Instantly, the young man replied to Kitty’s delicious, warm attack on his lips by encircling his arms around her waist and lifting her up on his body so she could dominate him. He was all hers to boss around, and Kitty knew that. Laughing, Kitty still didn’t tear away from him, instead locking her legs around his waist, savoring the rose-like, minty taste of her boyfriend’s lips, all their senses in a frenzy, their pulses beating at the exact same unusually rapid speed. Gently, Min Ho’s tongue fought back against his girlfriend’s, both of them battling for dominance (spoiler alert ; his usually won).
“I rest my case !“ Kitty smirked after a mind-blowing, brain-shattering of heated make-out with her boyfriend, still holding onto him like a koala. Min Ho glared at her, trying to let her go, but Kitty wouldn’t ; she clutched to him, grinning. “You’re stuck with me the whole night, Moon,” she smiled, readjusting herself so she was more comfortable, locking her embrace firmly on Min Ho’s neck. “God help me,” he sighed, grinning. “Oh, stop. You know you love it,” she giggled of her enchanting laughter, making Min Ho’s heart leap out of his chest at the sound. Damn her ; she had full power over him - like a remote controlled a TV. He couldn’t help but beam sincerely at her, watching her laugh, convinced it was the most beautiful sight in the universe, to see her snickering like that. She looked like the most ethereal girl in the world, with her white teeth shining brightly, her soft, blushed cheeks glowing under the moonlight, her eyes twinkling with love as she stared straight back at him, her laughter slowly fading and transforming in an expression of pure adoration towards her boyfriend.
“I love you,” Kitty blurted out suddenly, her cheeks flushing red as his eyes widened in surprise. “I love you more,” Min Ho stated confidently, starting a whole argument once more. Well, what could they say ? Arguments were Kitty and Min Ho’s thing.