✧ kitty;

the first note plays, and my breath catches in my throat.

min ho's voice is soft at first, low and full of emotion, and i swear it sends a shiver down my spine.

city of stars, are you shining just for me?

i melt.

i missed this.

i missed him.

being next to him, working with him, hearing his voice blend so effortlessly with the song he wrote—it feels like coming home and breaking all over again at the same time.

his voice carries through the apartment, warm and rich, filling the space between us like something tangible. he glances at me between lines, his gaze soft, his lips barely curling into a small, knowing smile.

he's still acting.

but it doesn't feel like acting.

not when his voice sounds like that. not when the words feel real.

when it's finally my turn, i take a breath, trying to focus. i have to look happy. mia is falling in love.

but as soon as i start singing, i realize—i don't have to act happy.

because i am happy.

just being here, sitting next to min ho, hearing our voices blend, feeling the warmth of his presence beside me—it's enough.

for these few minutes, i can pretend like we're still us.

i can pretend that he didn't let go of my hand. that he didn't tell me it was too late.

our voices intertwine, and for a moment, i get lost in the music.

but the song is coming to an end. and i know that as soon as professor alex calls cut, the magic will disappear. i don't want to face reality so i hold onto this moment for as long as i can, because right now—right here—min ho is mine.

the final note fades into silence.

the entire set holds its breath, waiting for professor alex to call cut, but no one moves.

including min ho and me. we're still sitting there, still staring at each other, the weight of the moment pressing down on us like something too big to ignore.

then, slowly, min ho lifts his hand. his fingers graze my cheek, featherlight, before tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

i stop breathing.

that wasn't in the script. 

the air shifts, the tension so thick it's suffocating, and i know everyone on set is confused because i go off script before i can even think about it.

"why'd you do that?"

whispers stir in the background. professor alex doesn't call cut—not yet. 

but min ho doesn't look thrown off. if anything, he looks... calm. like he meant to do it. like he wanted to.

his lips curl into a small, soft smile, "needed to see your face more clearly."

my stomach twists, and i don't know if it's because of the line or because i know that wasn't part of the scene. 

my voice is quieter when i ask, "why?" 

"because i love you..." i feel my pulse stop for half a second. then, before i can process it, he adds, "and i want to appreciate you more."

yes, his character is supposed to say "i love you." 

but not like that.

no one on set says anything. the tension is palpable.  but all i can hear is the pounding of my heart, all i can see is the warmth in min ho's eyes, all i can feel is the phantom touch of his fingers against my cheek.

✧ min ho;

her voice is barely above a whisper, but i hear it.

"i love you too."

my breath catches.

she's staring at me like she can't believe she said it—like she's surprised by her own confession, even though this was scripted.

and then she starts leaning in. my body reacts before my brain can catch up, my fingers twitching at my sides before moving up to cup her face.

she doesn't pull away.

she wants this.

so do i.

i close the gap between us, and the second our lips touch, everything else fades.

it's soft at first—hesitant, uncertain—but then kitty presses closer, and something inside me snaps.

i tilt her head slightly, deepening the kiss, my heart pounding so hard i swear i can feel it in every part of my body.

it feels warm and comforting. like something we should've done a long time ago.

but then, slowly, we pull apart.

our faces are inches apart, breaths uneven, eyes locked.

we just stare at each other, trying to figure out what the hell just happened. before i can say anything, professor alex's voice slices through the moment.

"cut!"

his voice is filled with excitement. "that was amazing! the choices you two made—brilliant!"

but i barely hear him.

kitty and i are still locked in place, still searching each other's faces for something neither of us can name.

she blinks once.

then, just like that—she runs.

i barely process it at first. she's out of my arms, out of the apartment, disappearing before anyone else can react.

i look around the room. the crew is already busy adjusting lights and resetting the scene. but our friends?

they're staring.

juliana's mouth is slightly open. Q's eyebrows are raised to his hairline. jin and yuri exchange glances. dae just looks like he doesn't know whether to be relieved or even more stressed.

i don't even wait for them to say anything. i chase after her. the moment i step outside, i feel the rain.

it's coming down in a steady drizzle, dampening the pavement, making the air cold and thick.

and then i see her.

sitting on the steps of the apartment building, hugging her knees to her chest, her hair sticking to her face from the rain.

my heart clenches.

i jog over, shrugging off my jacket, and crouch beside her, trying to drape it over her head.

"kitty, you're gonna get sick," i murmur.

she doesn't look at me.

"come inside," i urge. "please."

but she just sits there, her shoulders trembling slightly, her fingers gripping her knees like she's trying to hold herself together.

i crouch lower, trying to meet her eyes. "kitty—"

she shakes her head and then, finally, i realize—

she's crying.

my chest tightens.

i try again, softer this time. "covey... let's go inside."

for a long moment, she doesn't move.

but then, slowly, she stands.

she looks up at me, her eyes filled with something heavy, something i don't know how to fix.

her voice shakes. "min ho, i'm falling for you."

the words hit me like a train. i know i should feel relieved, happy, something. but then she continues.

"and doing this film is hard," she confesses, wrapping her arms around herself. "how am i supposed to keep acting like we're in love when in reality... we're not even friends?"

her words cut deep.

i open my mouth, but nothing comes out.

because she's right.

we don't know what we are anymore.

i want to tell her that i don't care about the film, that i just want her, that maybe we can figure this out together.

but before i can, she shakes her head again, like she already knows what i'm going to say.

her voice drops to almost a whisper.

"maybe it would've been easier if we never met."

something inside me shatters.

the rain falls harder.

how could she say that?