It had rained all afternoon. The kind of soft drizzle that made everything feel like a scene out of a romance drama. The air smelled of wet grass and old wood, and the quaint Korean countryside cottage was filled with students from KISS who had volunteered for a community service retreat over the weekend.

Kitty Song Covey was in her element. Running around with a clipboard, assigning chores, fixing leaky taps, making sure no one set the kitchen on fire (again), and low-key dodging her own feelings that had become… complicated. And speaking of complicated—

"Kittyyyy," a high-pitched, painfully fake voice drawled behind her, "you missed a spot." She turned around to see Stella—Min Ho’s perfectly manicured, influencer-wannabe girlfriend—pointing at a smudge on the glass table. She wasn't even helping. Just sitting there with a latte she didn’t even make herself. Kitty forced a smile. "Thanks, Stella. Maybe you'd like to try cleaning it?"

Stella laughed, like that was the most ridiculous suggestion in the world. "Oh no, I don't do chores. My nails just got done yesterday." Min Ho, who had just walked into the room holding firewood, winced. He said nothing, but his eyes flicked to Kitty. He noticed. He always noticed. Kitty sighed and turned away, scrubbing harder than necessary. "Of course you don’t."

Later that night, everyone was asleep.

Everyone but Min Ho. And Kitty. She was outside on the porch, wrapped in a cardigan, staring at the stars and sipping leftover tea. The rain had cleared. The wind was gentle. Everything was quiet.

Until she heard footsteps behind her. "You’ll catch a cold, Covey," Min Ho’s voice said, his usual teasing tone softer than usual. She didn't look at him. "What, no Stella to warm your heart tonight?" He scoffed. "You know I don’t even like her like that."