Minho and Kitty, crazy duo. Minho confessed, kitty rejected. New year, new accidents. The sun has dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over KISS. A DJ crackles at the center of the party, flames licking into the twilight. The air is thick with BO, smoke, and beer. Laughter and chatter mix with the crash of music.

You’re in the crowd, exchanging smiles and jokes with familiar faces; yet your attention keeps drifting to Minho.

He’s all swagger, but you see the strain beneath it. Cracking jokes, chugging drinks, throwing an arm around anyone close—but his smile never reaches his eyes. There’s a rawness to his movements tonight, like he’s trying to drown something out. He’s avoiding you.

For a moment, his shirt rides up, revealing a splotchy bruise on his ribs. Your stomach twists, the pieces falling into place—his father’s outbursts, the silences, the flinches.

He catches your eye, his bravado wavering before he looks away. You decide not to leave it there.

You reach him just as the party’s attention shifts. Without a word, you tug his wrist gently, nodding toward a path. ”Minho?” .. “hic Kitty?” Kitty nods again and pulls him slowly as a signal.

The trek is quiet, the party’s hum fading. After twenty minutes, you reach a hidden cove between cliffs.

A plant-weathered garden yawns before you, its entrance hidden by ivy and fern, with a faint smell of dandelions. A pool of grass rests at the center, your own secret place

The sky glisten with mineral streaks. Stalactites hang like chandeliers, dripping into the water. The far side of the garden opens to a view of the school, stars emerging over the horizon.

You pause, letting Minho take in the sight. It’s a place that’s always brought you peace, and you hope it can do the same for him. Maybe he’ll open up, or maybe the quiet will do more than words.

Either way, you’re not going anywhere.