✧ kitty;

when professor alex announces that dae has officially stepped down from the role of sebastian, the room falls silent.

i grip the edge of my chair, barely breathing.

he really did it.

i should have expected this. after what he told me, after the way he looked at me when he said i needed to do this with min ho, i knew this was coming.

but it doesn't make it any easier.

next to me, min ho tenses. i don't even have to look at him to feel it.

"i'm sure this news comes as a surprise," professor alex says, his voice carrying across the small theater. "dae made the decision himself, and while we respect his choice, we now need to figure out who's going to take on sebastian's role."

i already know where this is going.

there's a pause. then—

"min ho."

he stiffens.

i finally turn to look at him, and he's staring at professor alex like he's just been sentenced to death.

"what?" min ho says flatly.

professor alex offers him a patient smile. "you're already composing the music, and you understand the character. you're the best person for the role."

min ho scoffs, shaking his head. "that's ridiculous.."

"it's not," professor alex counters. "we don't have time for auditions, and you already have the chemistry we're looking for."

my heart pounds.

the chemistry.

but i can't look at min ho anymore.

professor alex sighs, lowering his clipboard. "look, i know you might be hesitant, but the truth is, this film needs you. kitty needs you."

i snap my head up at that.

min ho's jaw tightens.

everyone is watching now. the rest of the cast and crew are waiting for his response, and i can see how uncomfortable he is.

before i can stop myself, i reach for his hand under the table.
his fingers twitch at the contact, but he doesn't pull away.

"min ho," i say softly.

his shoulders tense even more.

"i know you don't want to do this," i continue. "but you can do this. and you'll be amazing."

his eyes flicker to mine, and something flashes across his face...something vulnerable, something raw.

i squeeze his hand. after a long, excruciating pause, he exhales sharply.

"fine."

professor alex claps his hands together. "fantastic! we'll start rehearsals immediately."

i pull my hand away as everyone begins to chatter, but min ho doesn't say a word.

he just stares ahead, as if he's already regretting saying yes.

✧ min ho;

i'm going to regret this.

no, scratch that. i already regret this.

rehearsals start immediately, and before i know it, i'm standing under the hot stage lights, script in hand, with kitty directly in front of me.

i can't do this.

i don't want to do this. but then she looks at me.

she's always looked at me—i mean, obviously—but something about the way she does it now?

it's different.

it's careful. guarded. but underneath that, i can still see something else.

something real.

and i hate it.

"let's take it from scene sixteen," professor alex calls out, flipping through his notes. my stomach sinks.

scene sixteen: the moment mia and sebastian start falling in love. great.

i clear my throat and glance down at the script, but the words blur together. kitty watches me. she's waiting. everyone's waiting.

i take a breath.

just acting, i remind myself. it's just a movie.

i recite my lines. she responds with hers. it's smooth, natural, easy.

the banter, the teasing, the tension—it's all there. we don't have to fake it.

but when the moment comes—the moment where sebastian is supposed to look at mia, where they realize there's something more between them—i hesitate and so does kitty.

"cut!" professor alex's voice rings out.

i blink.

professor alex steps forward, rubbing his chin. "that was good." he pauses. "but i need more. more yearning, more vulnerability. you both are fighting your feelings in this scene, but you're also giving in. i want to feel that struggle."

kitty shifts beside me. i can tell she's flustered.

"let's run it again," professor alex says.

i barely have time to recover before we're diving back into it. this time, i force myself to look at her the way sebastian would look at mia.

but it's not acting anymore.

the air between us thickens, and when i step closer, i hear the small hitch in her breath.

i feel my pulse skyrocket.

for a second, i want to kiss her.

and i don't know what comes over me, but before i can stop myself, my hand lifts.

i brush my fingers against her cheek.

it's soft, barely a touch at all, but i swear she stops breathing.

so do i.

my palm rests against her jaw now, my thumb grazing over her cheekbone. her skin is warm. she blinks up at me, lips parting slightly, and for a second—just a second—i forget that we're acting.

i forget about the crew. i forget about the cameras.

all i see is her.

but before the scene can play out, professor alex yells, "cut!"

everyone is staring. i drop my hand like i've been burned, stepping away immediately. kitty is frozen, her breath shallow.

"that was perfect," professor alex praises. "the tension was incredible. exactly what i wanted."

my hands are shaking.

kitty looks equally shaken.

i step back quickly, tearing my eyes away from hers.

this is bad.

this is so bad.

✧ kitty;

the rest of rehearsal goes by in a blur.

i can barely focus, my mind stuck on scene sixteen, stuck on the way min ho touched me.

it wasn't acting. i know it wasn't.

and yet, when i try to talk to him after practice, he's already gone.

he ran.

again.

i exhale shakily and grab my things, trying not to let it get to me. but just as i'm about to leave the theater, i hear footsteps behind me. i turn, expecting to see min ho.

but it's dae.

he stops in front of me, hands in his pockets.

"so..." he starts.

i hesitate. "so?"

dae lets out a small, knowing laugh. "you guys were really something up there."

i swallow. "it's just acting."

"is it?" he raises an eyebrow. "because from where i was sitting, it felt real."

i don't respond. i can't.

dae sighs. "look, i just wanted to say... i'm happy for you, kitty."

i blink. "what?"

he shrugs. "i know you're scared. i know you've been trying to protect me. but you don't have to anymore."

my heart clenches.

dae looks at me, expression soft. "you deserve to be happy, kitty. stop running from it."

my throat tightens. before i can respond, he pats my shoulder and walks away.

i stand there, frozen.

i've been so afraid of hurting dae, so afraid of making the wrong choice, but...

maybe i've already made one by not choosing at all.

i take a breath.

i need to talk to min ho.

but when i check my phone, there's no message. no call.

nothing.

cause now — he's the one running.

because, as usu