Min Ho's POV
"All right." I clapped my hands together, addressing the group as we stood inside my father's luxurious ski cabin. We had just stepped inside, and our breaths were still visible in the air. "My dad will be here in a few hours. Tomorrow, we ski Alpensia and have dinner by Baek Jong Wong."
Excited murmurs rippled through the group—Madison, Kitty, Stella, Q, __, Yuri, Praveena, Juliana, Dae, Eunice, and Mihee—voices overlapping with oohs and wows. I smirked, pleased with their reaction. I let them bask in the moment before raising a hand.
"All right, all right, settle down and come on in. Make yourselves at home."
The cabin was an elegant mix of both modern architecture and a traditional Korean home. The heated space thawed the cold clinging to our skin, and incense lingered very faintly in the air. The massive windows looked out to the snow-covered mountains we would be skiing on.
Madison walked behind me through the halls, frowning. "There's, like, no photos of you," she pointed out.
I rolled my eyes, half-annoyed and half-amused. "Thanks for noticing, Madison."
"It doesn't exactly scream home," Stella agreed, her tone lighthearted. I could tell she was trying to be funny.
__ tilted her head, scanning the space with eyes that understood more than the others. "That's because it's never been his home."
I flicked my gaze to her, surprised by her words. Before I could decide how to respond, Kitty's voice pulled my attention.
"Wait, is this your brother?" she asked, stopping and gesturing to a photo.
I barely glanced at what she was referring to. I already knew who would be in the framed picture: poised and perfect Joon Ho.
"Half-brother," I corrected flatly. "Joon Ho is my dad's firstborn and best-selling artist... Moving on."
We moved deeper into the house as I gave the group a tour, although the next room was a mistake.
Laughter erupted the second I opened slid open the doors, and I inwardly groaned at the sight of the excessive portrait.
"Oh my God," Q commented, his eyes comically wide. "Talk about a full moon."
Hanging on the wall (obnoxiously large and hard to ignore) was a giant framed photo of my father wearing nothing but a silk blanket draped just barely in place. He looked serious, too, like he was modeling for some high-fashion curtain brand.
Oh, hell no, I thought to myself, already making a mental note to take it down later. It's not like he's here right now to stop me.
__ and Kitty exchanged horrified looks before __ caught sight of Kitty's face and cracked up.
I barely had time to comment before my phone buzzed. My eyes flicked over who the message was from, and my spirits rose.
"Huh. Speaking of..."
Dad: Change of plans. Joon Ho's in town after all! Staying in Seoul to spend Seollal with him.
The laughter seemed to fade. I stared at the screen for a second, reading them over and over, my chest feeling more hollow each time. No sorry, no half-and-half; not even a maybe next time. Just a dismissal.
I felt my whole mood plummet.
Of course. I should have seen this coming, I thought bitterly, shoving away my utter disappointment. My thumb hovered over the screen a moment longer before I snapped it shut.
"He's not coming," I stated flatly, keeping a blank expression and slipping my phone back into my pocket.
The words felt heavy.
The room paused. A beat of awkward tension settled over the group, and the laughter from earlier had disappeared as quickly as it had come. No one knew what to say... except for her.
"Min Ho." Her voice was quiet; steady. There was no trace of pity, which I appreciated. "Don't mind him. Don't let him ruin our weekend. Come on."
I exhaled slowly, knowing she was right. I had seen this situation coming. But knowing didn't make it sting any less.
So, as I turned to face the group, I tried for indifference, even though it felt foreign on my lips. "Since my dad decided to bail," I said casually, "some of the girls can use the primary suite. The boys can take the back bedroom. There's also a pullout in my dad's office."
Excited chatter broke out again, but __ stood right in front of me, her eyes sparking with clear concern. She was still watching me; searching my face. I met her gaze as I spoke, trying to assure her that I was completely fine.
I still had so many friends to spend time with— who cared if my father didn't show?
The cabin was quiet.
The only light came from the faint glow of the living room, casting shadows on the wooden walls. I sat on the couch, my elbows resting on my knees, deep in thought.
No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, I never come first. Why do I bother? It was a hollow feeling, knowing I was no more than a backup plan.
The floor creaked softly.
I looked up just as a figure appeared in the doorway. It was Stella, wrapped in a thick sweater, her dark hair loose over her shoulders. Her expression was unreadable in the dim light.
"Hey," she said quietly, stepping into the room.
I didn't answer. Upon sensing my despair, she hesitated slightly before crossing the space between us. She took a seat beside me on the couch. For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then, finally, I said, "You know, coming here was all his idea." My voice was emotionless; empty. "But the second precious Joon Ho is available, he drops me." My words sounded bitter in my own ears. "He's never put me first."
Stella didn't say anything right away. But slowly, she reached out and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "This... must be really hard," she murmured in an attempt to be understanding.
I just clenched my jaw, staring at nothing in particular. "I wish I didn't care."
She sniffled, looking down at her hands. "I get it," she sympathized. "There have been plenty of times when I felt like I wasn't enough, either."
Something in her tone drew my attention. It sounded raw and... vulnerable, for once. It just proved that Stella wasn't the perfect girl everyone else expected.
"Doesn't church help with things like that?" I asked, finally turning to look at her.
Stella gave a small, sad shake of her head. "God can't fix everything, Min Ho. Including what people think of you."
I thought she was still talking about herself, but when she met my eyes, I knew exactly where this was going.
"And you know... it's not just about what people think of you," she remarked. "It's about the people around you, too."
I sighed. "What do you mean?" I knew exactly what she meant.
She stopped, like she was debating whether to continue or not. Then, carefully, her hand slipped down from my shoulder to rest on top of my hand. "You know, the media has been brutal lately," she said quietly. "Not just to you, but to__."
I stiffened slightly, but she pressed on. "I'm telling you this because I care about you... and they're saying that you're distracting her. That she's not focused on her career anymore. That you're stealing away the time to pave the way for her future." She almost looked regretful. "And I know that's not fair, and they're picking for things, but I read it on internet forums and comment sections and... well, I just thought you should know."
I looked away.
Stella continued, choosing her words carefully. "Min Ho, __'s talented. She's smart. She'll get opportunities, and she'll go places in the industry. But you know something? When big directors look at her, all they see is you. All the press cares about is your relationship; not her as an individual. And I know you love her, but... is that really fair to her?"
I swallowed, unease once again settling in my stomach.
"I just don't want you to distract her from her own well-being." Stella gave him a small, knowing smile. "I care about you, and I know you care about her. So, maybe... maybe it's time you think about what's really best for her. And everyone involved."
I didn't even respond. I didn't have it in me.
The worst part wasn't what she was saying, or even what everyone else thought. Somewhere, deep down...
A part of me knew that I was holding __ back.
__'s POV
The girls' room was a mess of sleeping bags, blankets, and sprawled out suitcases.
Praveena stretched, yawning as the rest of us began to get up. "Wow, I'm so excited! I haven't been snowboarding once this winter. I barely even slept."
I watched Kitty force a smile and say, "Mm, me neither," but I didn't miss the way her eyes wandered toward Yuri.
Stella sat up, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I'm staying here," she giggled. "I'd much rather read a book than risk breaking my neck."
I stifled an eye roll. Then why'd you even come?
Yuri frowned at her phone, waving it around in vain. "Is the WiFi down?"
Juliana pursed her lips, holding up hers as well, as if would do something. "I'm not getting any bars."
The door suddenly swung open, catching my attention. Min Ho then walked in, shaking snow off his head. I couldn't help grinning as he turned to us, snow still clinging to his dark hair.
"I've got bad news," he announced, for some reason avoiding my gaze. "I just popped my head outside—there was a blizzard last night. Must've knocked down the service and the WiFi."
I stood up from the bed, reaching up to ruffle the snow from his hair. He tensed, caught off guard, before relaxing under my touch.
Stella hummed. "Bummer," she said, but she didn't sound remotely upset. "But that means great skiing, right?"
Min Ho gave her look, running her hands through her hair. "Unfortunately, no. We're not going anywhere. It takes a day to clear the roads."
I was piecing together his words, a frown beginning to appear on my face. "Wait... are you saying—?"
Kitty's eyes were wide as she asked the question we were all thinking.
"So, we're trapped?"
Since the cabin was freezing (we learned that all the fireplaces were merely decorative), the group decided to go into the hot tub. Because somehow they all had swimsuits. Steam rose into the crisp air as we settled into the warm water, the contrast making my skin tingle.
Laughter rippled through the group as Eunice attempted to give Dae a massage, pressing into his shoulders with way too much force.
"Ow—OW—!" Dae yelped, making everyone laugh (at him). His wincing was responded with Eunice, entirely unbothered, digging her knuckles further into his shoulders with an almost terrifying amount of force.
Praveena leaned toward Kitty, talking happily, while I sat beside Min Ho.
"I'm going to give you one of those massages," I teased as we watched them.
"__, that's a torture method. It's called severed disfigurement," he replied matter-of-factly.
Despite our usual banter, Min Ho sat stiffly, his arms tense as he rested one on the edge of the tub and one around me. The usual arrogance he carried was nowhere to be found, though.
"Alright," I prompted, scooting closer to him. "What's wrong?"
He glanced swiftly at me. "Nothing," he replied casually (guys i can't even use 'nonchalantly' because it's brainrot now).
He's completely fine, I assured myself, trying to disregard the fact that he was shirtless. He's fine. He's FINE. He's FINEEE—
Instead of giving me an elaboration or a proper response, he looked around, clearly trying to avoid the conversation. "Where's Stella?"
I blinked, caught off guard. Why is she what's on his mind?
"Inside," I responded shortly, unsettled by the question. I tried pushing down the irritation bubbling in my chest. "Reading."
Min Ho gave a short nod, his lips pressing together. Before I could say anything else, a bloodcurdling scream rang out from the cabin.
Everyone's heads snapped towards the house, and I felt Min Ho's every muscle go rigid.
"What is happening??" Eunice asked.
"Is that Stella?" Q added. I had to stop myself from looking too hopeful.
Oh, please tell me Stella slipped off the stairs and plummeted to her death.
My wonderful visual was broken as everyone exchanged bewildered glances before we all scrambled out of the hot tub at once (I wanted to see the body)— Min Ho was already moving, barely stopping to grab a robe as he ran to the door. Heart pounding, I followed, the freezing air biting at my soaked skin.
Everyone sprinted into the house, water dripping onto the floors as we stumbled into the living room—
—only to find Stella standing there, pale as a ghost and frozen in absolute shock.
"Stella!" Min Ho shouted a little too urgently. "Are you all right??"
There's no need to rush now, I thought with slight annoyance as I walked into the scene.
Stella's gaze was locked on something—or rather, someone.
Jin.
"I- I was looking for blankets, and I found him in the armoire!" she exclaimed in a panic.
"What are you doing here?" Dae snapped to Jin.
A silence stretched, thick with confusion, although the atmosphere had shifted from one of suspense to disdain. The whole group seemed to be unpleasantly surprised, except for two people: Kitty and Q— which, of course, I noticed, allowing me to quickly click the pieces into place. They snuck him in was my conclusion.
Jin, however, looked completely unfazed. He gave Q a "girlll go on" kind of look.
Everyone else seemed to formulate the same result as me, and all heads turned to the gay bestie. Min Ho and Dae looked like they were about to throw hands.
Q glanced around for help, and then scoffed in what we called bad acting. "Um, would you believe that he's... stalking me?"
"Unbelievable," Min Ho muttered under his breath.
"Wait," Madison pointed to Q and Jin, showing no need to finish her sentence, "are you two—?" Upon sensing the yes, she covered her mouth in glee.
"Q," I sighed, partly amused and already knowing the answer, "tell me you did not sneak him in."
Q mumbled something incoherent that basically answered my question.
The room had barely settled from the initial chaos when a small, nagging feeling crept into my mind— an instinct telling me something was off. I glanced around, scanning every face. Q, Juliana, Min Ho, Dae, Madison, Eunice, Mihee, Stella, Praveena, but...
I frowned. "Wait."
Min Ho turned to me curiously. "Yeah?"
I did another quick sweep of the room, just to make sure I wasn't imagining things. "Where's Kitty?" I asked.
"She was just here," Praveena stated, confused.
"Yeah, but now she's not," I pointed out plainly.
Q suddenly looked a little too interested in the floor. "Maybe she went to get some air?"
Eunice narrowed her eyes. "In the middle of a blizzard?"
Eyes began to scan, and concern began to buzz before Juliana suddenly spoke. And it was as if the universe wanted to make a point.
"...Where's Yuri?"
The energy in the room instantly changed. No one needed to answer. The silence was enough.
Juliana's expression went blank, and her jaw tightened. "Oh," she said, her voice eerily calm. "Of course. I wonder where they are."
She shook her head like she couldn't believe she was even entertaining the thought. Then, without another word, she pushed past Eunice and Mihee. Her footsteps grew distant.
My concern morphed into a sudden pang of guilt knowing I'd accidentally made things harder for my best friend. But it should've been the least of my worries— I didn't know that my sinking feeling was because I watching the beginning of something big. Something that would unravel everything.
I could feel Min Ho's eyes on me, but I didn't look at him.
I didn't realize the feeling was a warning.
This was just the first thread being pulled, and we were all about to come undone.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
a/n ~ i'd like to formally apologize in advance because from here on out... relationships? ruined. trust? shattered. sanity? left in the snow.
kidding, they'll be fine.
vote, follow ✅
i spent a lot of time on this chapter, what do we think? it's kind of a new writing style!
XO, liv__ing