Chapter Text
It’s just swimming. It’s just Min Ho.
But at the same time, it’s everything.
Kitty takes a deep breath. What does she need? A towel, glasses, bathing suit, cover-up. The basics are obvious, but if only she could find the words to express what she wants to say in a drawer or suitcase. There’s no easy fix, no guidebook for telling your best friend you love him. There’s just timing, instinct, and bravery. Kitty has no shortage of the last, but the first one tends to be more difficult.
The elevator is quiet this time of night, and soon she finds herself on the 42nd floor. She stands outside the door to the roof for a moment. “You’ve got this!” she tells herself quietly, before boldly pushing it open into the unknown.
The pool is gorgeous, with sparkling blue water reflecting the lights of the city. Massive windows overlook the picturesque city of Hong Kong. The roof is open to the air, and the smell of the city and nearby Victoria Harbour reaches her nose with a humid warmth. Kitty is captivated by the beauty, but her gaze draws to Min Ho, swimming smoothly across the water. Setting her belongings down, she dives in to join him, feeling the cool water kiss her skin.
“Covey!” Min Ho exclaims, swimming over to her. “Took you long enough.”
“Well, excuse me,” she says. “You were already dressed. I was mid-episode!”
“Are you telling me you finished a whole episode before you came up here?”
“Well, just the scene,” Kitty retorts. Truthfully she’d spent the whole time spiralling, but he doesn’t need to know that.
“Well, you’re slow,” he says, hoisting himself to the edge of the pool. His legs dangle in the water as he grins down at her. “Now I’m ready to relax and enjoy the view.” He gestures to the hot tub, and the city below. “Join me?”
She nods, pressing back the hair slicked to her face. The hot tub is intimate, closer than the pool. In some ways she wanted this, but still it feels incredibly daunting. She’s going to talk to him, she wants to talk to him. If only she knew how, or what to say. Casting these thoughts aside, she settles into the water, feeling the heat against her skin. Curls of steam rise into the air, floating above like a cloud of warmth. A light breeze tickles her arms.
“It’s gorgeous up here,” Kitty says, following Min Ho’s gaze.
“You can’t see it, can you?” he asks, the smirk clear in his voice. “I can see plenty!” Kitty answers, indignant. “There’s lights, and colours and…clouds?” It’s blurry, but those are good guesses.
“Hold on.” He steps out of the water and onto the pool deck before settling back into the hot tub gently. Kitty turns as he carefully slides her glasses onto her face. “You deserve the full view.”
The first view she gets is, of course, him. God. The water glistening on his skin. Each droplet like a kiss of warmth, accenting his muscles, and, yes, those freckles again. It takes all she can to not reach out and touch. It would be so easy… She swallows, turning her head to look over the city.
The lights of the city glow yellow and blue. Each building is an individual world, coming together as a perfect picture. The stars gleam gold above, while the white crescent moon shines high in the sky. Nearby, the city reflects on the harbour, in swimming lights of beauty.
“Wow,” Kitty breathes. “I can see everything from up here.”
“Good.” Kitty can hear the smile in his voice. “I’m glad you can see now.”
“How was dinner with your dad?” she asks, carefully.
“It was just us,” Min Ho says, after a moment. “He said he just wanted to spend time with me. I kept waiting for some sort of ulterior motive but it never came.”
“That’s great,” Kitty says, feeling a profound sense of gratitude. She didn’t mess anything up and Min Ho seems relaxed, happy.
“He also asked about you,” Min Ho says. “It seems you've impressed him.” He also thinks they’re dating, so there’s that.
“I’m sure you told him how annoying and pathetic I am, right?”
“Of course. I can’t let him think you’re special or something.” He smirks as Kitty smacks his arm.
“You know, thank you for letting me come on this tour,” Kitty adds, looking over the stars. “I know it was pretty crazy that I asked.”
“Crazy? Perhaps. But it was very you.”
“You would have missed me, right?” Kitty jokes.
“I would have.”
Something has shifted. Suddenly Kitty is aware of just how close they’re sitting. So close they could touch. So close it almost hurts not to. Her heart beats for him.
“I don’t know if you realize this but…coming to KISS wasn’t exactly what I expected,” she says, her voice wavering.
“You seemed pretty confident when you showed up.”
“I mean, I was. But I was also pretty confident that I’d be coming to see my long term boyfriend and that he’d actually be happy to see me.”
Min Ho nods. “I’m sorry things went the way they did.”
Kitty pauses. “I’m not,” she says. “I mean, I was upset at first. Plus I had this really mean roommate who kept accusing me of hitting on him when I obviously wasn’t.” Min Ho rolls his eyes, but she can see the affection in them. “But sometimes, you idealize someone or something. And then it’s not until you’re on the other side that you see they’re not the right person for you.”
He nods. “Yeah.”
Kitty swallows. “Thank you for coming along with all my adventures and letting me be me. I never felt like I needed to hide myself. I…never expected someone would get to know me so closely and be okay with that.”
“Too closely sometimes,” he says with a smirk, and she bats at him gently.
“You’re the one who I had to rescue from the bushes, so speak for yourself.” He laughs. “But seriously. You don’t see me as a screw up. You see me for me. Even the parts I don’t like. So, thank you.”
Min Ho nods, his eyes scanning the horizon. “It’s not hard,” he says softly. His voice resonates in her head, and she knows . There’s a chance, a moment hanging between them, and she needs to take it before it’s too late. He sees her and loves her just as she is, and it’s time to take the leap, and trust the landing will be safe.
“Min Ho,” Kitty says, her voice barely above a whisper. Her heart races, pounding in her chest like a drum.
He meets her eyes. It’s hard to find the words, but she has to. She thinks them over carefully, making each word as clear as possible, in Korean. “I need to tell you something,” she says. His eyes perk up, curious.
“Covey, are you okay?” he asks, his response slow, careful to make sure his words are easy for her to understand.
She nods. “I…love being your friend,” she continues. Not really a confession. He looks at her, wondering what’s coming next. “But I want more.”
He hesitates briefly, eyes widen as he examines her features for truth. “Kitty,” he says, in English, choosing his words carefully. “Are you sure you know what you’re saying? You’re not just repeating lines from one of your K-Dramas?”
She swallows, careful. It would be so easy to back out now, play it off. She could laugh, call it a joke, and they’d go back to the way things always were. But she doesn’t want to. She doesn’t want to go back. She doesn’t give up on the Korean. “I mean…I think I fell in love with you too.”
“Love?” He says in Korean. His eyes are wide. She nods. “…love?” He asks again, this time in English.
She nods again, heart pounding. A million thoughts race through her head. Is this like the reverse of the plane? Is he going to tell her it’s too complicated, and she’s going to run off in shame? Has she horribly misread everything? But he doesn’t look horrified, not at all. Just, cautious. Like he needs to be sure. “If that’s…okay.”
His face relaxes into a smile. A smile! He cups her face with his hand, stroking her cheek as he draws her closer. “Of course it’s okay,” he replies, with a gentle laugh. Their noses brush, as Kitty’s heart races.
There’s a brief hesitation, as their eyes lock, and she feels his breath against hers. She leans forward, closing the gap between them as her lips gently caress his. She breathes him in, savouring the salty taste of his lips. A kiss, a single, earth-shattering kiss. Every part of her calls out to him. After a moment, they gently draw apart, studying each others’ eyes before they can’t help but crash back together, the dam broken.
Kitty’s kissed people before but this, this is different. She feels this kiss everywhere, like every neuron of her body is firing at once. There’s no internal dialogue of panic or uncertainty. There’s no fear, no questions: just love.
He meets her eyes as he traces her sides. “Is this okay?” he asks, and she nods, trusting him. He pulls her closer, and she finds herself settling in his lap. His hands find her hips as his mouth explores hers, and she maps every mark on his skin, every ripple of muscle. Everything is Min Ho — his touch, his warmth, his taste. The smell of his cologne, mingling with the chlorine, the smoothness of his skin, and firmness of his body beneath her hands. She needs this. Suddenly the hot tub is feeling a bit too hot, but now that they’ve started kissing, she doesn’t know how to stop. She doesn’t know that she wants to.
He breaks the kiss, leaving her breathless and wanting more. For a moment, he looks at her, adoringly, before whispering in her ear, “I never stopped wanting this.” She nods, unable to speak, every fibre of her body calling out. Somehow, impossibly, he pulls her closer, under the night sky. Her lips find his again, a magnetic pull between them. His hands make her feel held. Their size dwarfs hers, but she feels safe inside them. They’re strong, but gentle. No wonder he does so well on the rocks. She wonders what they could do to her. She’d let them do almost anything.
When they come up for air, their eyes meet again, saying what words can’t. Kitty brushes her nose against his, their kisses softening to gentle exchanges.
“I tried to get over you,” he says softly. “But every time, all I could see was you.”
Kitty snuggles up to him closer, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “You were always there for me. I’m sorry it took me so long.”
“It was worth the wait.” He tucks her hair behind her ear gently. “You look flushed. Do you want to get out? We can sit, look out over the city.”
She wants to stay with him here, forever. But he’s right. She nods, and he offers her a hand, steadying her as she steps out of the hot water. They settle down on a lounger near the window, his arm around her waist as she curls contentedly into his side. The skyline looms above them, like a painted picture. From 42 stories up they can see the whole city, but Kitty’s pretty sure her favourite sight is right beside her.
“So, what was your plan, anyway?” Kitty asks, her head pressed against his chest.
“My plan for what?”
“At the end of term. Were you just going to go on this tour, and never see me again?”
She feels his chuckle, from deep within his chest. “What did you expect me to do? Come say bye? Look at how that went last time.”
“Well, I did smile,” Kitty replies, with a smirk.
“Oh I know you did,” he says knowingly. “ But regardless, it wasn't fair to either of us. So…I let you go.”
Kitty smiles. “But I came back.”
“You did.” He tilts her chin up towards him with a gentle hand, stealing another kiss. She keeps her head tilted, looking up at him. His eyes look so soft. She’s seen him look this way before, but only when he thought she wouldn’t notice. Now he’s not shying away, and Kitty’s heart feels warm.
“How does that saying go...if you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you it’s yours?” He smiles.
“Does that mean I’m yours?” Kitty asks.
“I don’t know, does it?”
“That depends,” Kitty says, before continuing in Korean. “Can you accept my terrible Korean?”
“I cannot,” he says, with a hearty laugh. “But we’re going to fix it. Together.”
Together sounds pretty good to her. She kisses him again, and he eagerly reciprocates.
“Wait,” he says suddenly. “Why did you come find me that day anyway?”
Kitty flushes. “Um, I…was going to tell you I had feelings for you.”
Min Ho lets out a laugh. “Here I was trying to set you free, and you were trying to pull me back.”
“What would you have done if I’d said it?”
His eyes lock with hers. “I would have smiled.” He smirks, and Kitty feels her insides somersault.
“And then what?”
“Then, I would have done something like this.” And then he’s kissing her again, and Kitty never wants it to stop. For a moment there’s no pool, no skyline, no starry sky. Just them.
The door to the roof opens, and they spring apart, guiltily. Eunice enters, squinting at the pair suspiciously. Of course, someone they actually know, breaking their private bubble while they figure out who they are together. Maybe she didn’t see anything. They can just play it off, take their time to share the news.
“Let’s go dry off,” Min Ho says quietly.
Kitty nods. He stands up carefully, offering her a stable hand on the wet pool deck. She doesn’t drop it. She doesn’t want to.
“So…how long have you two been hooking up?” Eunice asks, looking between the two of them.
“Um… we…uh..” Kitty starts, flustered. Hooking up. She looks to Min Ho. He’s calm, measured, even though her hand is still in his. She squeezes it. He gently caresses the back of her hand with his thumb, calming her too.
“We’re not,” Min Ho says clearly. Kitty’s stomach falls. Then in calm, confident Korean, he continues. “We’re dating.”
Kitty’s eyes grow big. Dating. Eunice knowing is going to spread the news like wildfire. The whole friend group will know by morning. She smiles at him, nervous, but feeling butterflies rising up inside her. He leans in, pressing a soft kiss to her temple, and she melts beneath his touch. Everything is happening so quickly, but she’s okay with it.
“Oh, yay!” Eunice says, clapping her hands. “You’re so cute together! Can I ask when?”
“Why?” Min Ho asks, immediately suspicious.
“Oh, there’s been some…bets. If it was last week I owe Dae ten thousand won.”
Min Ho narrows his eyes, while Kitty laughs awkwardly. “Oh… I see.” Even Dae’s making bets now. She supposes that’s a good sign.
“Bets…” Min Ho murmurs under his breath. Eunice meets Kitty’s eyes almost apologetically, and Kitty smiles uncomfortably. Min Ho grabs his towel, wrapping it around his waist while Kitty does the same. She watches as Eunice dives into the pool, before taking Min Ho’s hand again as they exit the pool deck. He intertwines his fingers with hers, like they belong together.
“Let’s go,” Kitty says quietly, pulling open the door to the roof, and stepping back into the air conditioned air of the upstairs hallway.
“Betting on us,” Min Ho mutters to himself. “Like some sort of animals in a zoo.”
“So were you going to ask me, or…” Kitty says, changing the subject as she squeezes his hand.
“I mean you were all over me. I knew the answer.” He smirks. She rolls her eyes.
“Don’t forget you told me you were in love with me over six months ago.”
“And you said you were in love with me twenty minutes ago.” She had, hadn’t she? It was true though.
“Fine. Call it mutual?” She looks up at him as they wait for the elevator to arrive.
“Mutual.”
With a ding the elevator opens before them, and Kitty presses the button, beginning the long descent to the 9th floor.
“For the record,” she says. “Your dad already thought we were dating.”
Min Ho can’t hold back his laughter. “Oh, I know,” he said. “He told me you two had quite the chat about it.”
“We really didn’t,” Kitty says, horrified. “I promise.”
He chuckles, squeezing her hand again. “Tomorrow, after the show, I’m going to take you on a real date,” he says, decidedly.
“Min Ho,” Kitty laughs. “If you really think about it, we’ve gone on at least a dozen dates.”
“What? No we haven’t.”
“Food by the river? Rock climbing? You even took me to Gwangali beach.”
He shakes his head. “They don’t count,” he insists.
“Why not?”
He chuckles. He looks at the number on the elevator - still 24 more floors to descend. “It’s simple,” he says. “Because even though I wanted to, I didn’t get to do…this.” He takes a step forward, cupping her face, his fingers softly caressing her cheek. Kitty’s heart quickens at his touch. He leans in, kissing her tenderly.
“You’re right,” she whispers, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. “This is better.”
There’s a ding as the doors open before them. She’s thankful for his hand, still in hers. They walk the short distance until they reach Kitty's hotel room. “So…this is me…” she says. She meets his eyes, suddenly feeling very awkward.
“Kitty, I know where your room is,” he laughs. “I was here earlier.”
“Right,” she says, shifting on her feet. “Goodnight?”
He smiles. “Not yet,” he says. “I have to ask you something first. Kitty, narang sagwillae ?”
Kitty pauses, her heart quickening. “I’m not…100% sure what that means.” Maybe not 100%, but 90% sure anyway. Will you go out with me? It’s funny how, even after the kisses and the hand holds, and the deep conversations, that this one little question makes her heart feel full.
“You mean your K-Dramas didn’t teach you?” he gasps jestingly. She giggles, squeezing his hand.
“I mean…” she says with smile, “I think it means that you…have no interest in dating me and this was just a one time thing.”
He rolls his eyes, affectionate. “You’re ridiculous. So…?”
“Hmmmm…I don’t know…” She grins as she teases him. It’s clear he knows the answer already. She can read it in the look of fond exasperation on his face.
He drops her hand, and gets a funny look on his face. A smug, flirty smile, that makes her feel like absolute jello. “I bet I can convince you,” he says, smirking. He casts his gaze to her lips, and she takes in a breath, unable to look away. With a step forward, he kisses her again, deeply, hungrily. For a moment Kitty feels like she’s flying.
She laughs, heart racing. “Na ne yeojacingu ya.” I’m your girlfriend. Her cheeks flush as she meets his gaze again.
“I like the way that sounds.” Another kiss. Another too short moment of paradise.
“Well, goodnight,” she says. Neither of them move. She unlocks the door to her room with a click and he just looks at her. She pushes it open, but he has that look on his face. The look that makes Kitty feel like she’s going to lose her mind.
“Or…” he says.
“Do you want to come in?”
“ Yes.”
She grabs his hand and tugs him through with a laugh.