𝑴𝒊𝒏-𝒆 || Min Ho x Reader

✧˖° 2 | 09

Visiting Dae's dad in the hospital with Kitty after his accident had felt heavy, to say the least. Everyone seeing him in a hospital bed had left a definite weight on the group. I didn't know him well, but I knew Dae, and I knew that he was going through something unbearable. We'd sat there for a while, bumping into Min Ho, Q, and Yuri in the process.

Of course, I was still unsure of how Min Ho and I were going to work out. Would we be secret forever? How would it work out in the end? Was there an end?

But at that moment, I had more pressing concerns, like is Kitty's roommate the evil mastermind behind Moonleaks?

I'd visited the internet café that Q and Juliana directed me to and scrolled through the browser history of every single computer, only to come up empty-handed. Nothing.

Either Stella was some next-level evil genius, or I was grasping. And unfortunately, both possibilities were equally likely.

The stationery store was small and cozy. There were rows of perfectly arranged pastel notebooks, aesthetic planners, stickers, school supplies, and pens that felt too fancy (and expensive, why is a pen like eight dollars at these places) to actually use. The air smelled like fresh paper, vanilla, and my money running away from me.

"I want everything," I announced, peering at a set of gel pens that came in twenty different pastel shades.

Min Ho, standing beside me, smirked. "Go ahead," he said smoothly. "Luckily for you, I can pay for everything."

I rolled my eyes, turning my attention to the Studio Ghibli-themed notebooks. "So can I, so get off your high horse... but, y'know, thanks."

"You're welcome," he replied, looking obnoxiously pleased with himself.

I saw a ridiculously tiny notebook the size of my palm and held it up, laughing. "I get that it's aesthetic, but who is writing in this?"

Min Ho leaned in, inspecting it with mock seriousness. "Toddlers, I think."

"I just found your perfect birthday present," I responded sarcastically, throwing it in the cart.

We were out in public, playing the role of "just friends." My mother had reminded me to make sure the public knew we were still on good terms after the "breakup." A few sightings of us hanging out normally were tolerable, if not necessary.

Acting like friends was fun; easy, too, because we would always would be.

Min Ho and I had reached the washi tape section, where I was seriously considering buying the whole shelf, when I suddenly froze.

Wait, why do I hear I Like Me Better playing in the background?

I blinked, scanning my surroundings with narrowed eyes. Right on cue, I saw that Kitty had just walked into the store, and beside her was...

Tall, dark-haired, with a grin and a Stanford hoodie.

I gasped. "Kitty!" I yelled, waving her over.

She glanced in my direction, spotted me, and broke into a smile. "__! Min Ho!" She pointed frantically at the guy next to her. "Look, it's Peter!"

Kitty and Peter approached us, and up close, Peter was exactly as Kitty had described him over the years. Calm and effortlessly charming.

I beamed, suddenly aware that I was meeting a legend. "Ohhh, you're Peter!"

Peter's grin widened as he recognized me. "And you're... __?"

"Yes!"

"Wow. Kitty's talked about you a ton. It's nice to meet you!"

I laughed. "You, too! I've been given every detail of your entire love story with Lara Jean."