02x01 - K.I.S.S. Me Again

[bunniefuu]

["I AM" by IVE playing]

[Kitty] Last semester
ended with so much drama.

It was not supposed
to be that way.

But Dae and I broke
up, I fell for Yuri,

and I got kicked out of KISS.

[energetic K-pop
track continues]

♪ I'm on my way... ♪

[Kitty] When I left for winter
break, I thought it was for good,

but here I am back in
Seoul, one month later.

♪ I'm on my way... ♪

[Kitty] I never imagined Yuri would
call her mom and get me back in,

but now that I have a second
chance, I'm not gonna mess it up.

It's a whole new semester, and
I'm gonna make the most of it.

♪ I'll be far away ♪

[energetic music continues]

[music fades out]

- [Alex] Kitty!
- Alex!

- [Alex] Hi!
- Professor Lee!

Or should I say Principal Lee
now? Congratulations on that.

Principal Lim resigned because
of last semester's scandals.

- Thank you.
- Many of which involved you.

Presumably you'll
approach your time at KISS

with more consideration
and care this semester.

Yes, absolutely. 100%

I'm ready to hit the books, keep
my nose clean, be a model student.

[Q] Holy sh*t! There's
my chaos queen!

- [Kitty giggles, squeals]
- [Q laughs]

- Dude, I'm so happy to see you!
- Me too.

Also, so happy to share with you

how seriously I'm gonna take
my classes this year at KISS.

Right. Yes. That's literally what
I've been saying this whole time.

- [Lee] Hello?
- Hi!

No, it is absolutely too
late to refund a deposit.

We have so much to talk...

Dad's been feeling a
little bit stressed.

I've been staying with
him over the break.

We're in, like, some
hilarious buddy comedy.

- At home...
- Alex!

[Alex] Yeah, I'm
coming! I'd better go.

Kitty, I'm really
happy you're back.

Thanks. Me too.

- Okay, let's get you ready.
- Yes!

Crap, I wanted to ask Lee about
that Simon guy from my mom's letter.

- You have all semester to find Simon.
- No, I am done wasting time.

At home, everyone was
asking me questions.

Lara Jean and Margot
and even Peter

because he practically lives
at our house on school breaks.

They wanted to know what I learned
about my mom, how my Korean was...

And I realized I didn't really
learn anything about my mom.

Like, not actually.

And I almost flunked
out. My Hangul sucks.

So this semester,
it's Kitty 2.0.

I'm living in a single.
I'm going to be single.

It's a shame to be swearing off love
right after you discover you're bi.

No, I didn't say
I'd be a monk, okay?

I want to try dating girls.

But maybe someone outside my
direct friend group, okay?

Less potential for drama.

But... [sighs] ...can you
really be over Yuri already?

I mean, she got
you back into KISS.

Lara Jean convinced me to
write a goodbye letter to Yuri.

Just like she did for
all the boys she loved.

I brought that letter with me

so I can reread it in case I find
myself slipping into old habits.

You know that you could
write one for Florian.

[inhales sharply] Florian made
it really easy to get over him

by being a lying, cheating dumbass
that almost cost Dae his scholarship.

You did right, turning him in.

I also didn't mean to trigger
an investigation that caused

a bunch of other students
to be expelled too.

- [gentle music playing]
- I guess we're both chaos queens.

Oh, look. There are the boys.

Dae! Min h*!

[chimes jingle]

[heart thumping loudly]

Kitty, I think I fell
in love with you.

A little bit.

Or a lot.

[PA chimes]

I'm sorry, what?

You're in love with
me? Since when?

I don't know. It just
sort of happened.

How? You think I'm annoying.

You are.

It's one of your most
endearing qualities.

I... I don't really...

- Is this a prank? Am I being pranked now?
- No, it's not a prank.

It sounds crazy, but I've been having
these feelings for a while now.

I was never gonna say anything
because of Dae, but...

When you said you
two broke up...

Yeah, like 30 minutes ago.

I know.

This is far too complicated.

[somber music playing]

Kitty, I'm sorry.

[PA chimes]

Forget what I said.

No, I...

[indistinct announcement on PA]

- Where are you going?
- [Min h*] Back to first class.

[music peaks, fades]

[Kitty] Oh yeah. I forgot to
mention the drama with Min h*.

[in Korean] What?

[in English] That was weird,
right? What was that about?

Oh. They probably
just didn't see us.

No, they definitely saw us.

Hey. I'm gonna check out my new
room. See you at the assembly.

- All right.
- Thank you.

- You got it?
- Yup. Bye.

[softly] Bye.

[in Korean] Hey, what's wrong?
I was going to say "Hi."

[Min h* scoffs]

The way I left things with Kitty at
the airport has bothered me ever since.

It could've really been
the last time I saw her.

Why don't we talk
about this later?

Let's go back to the dorm. I gotta
readjust to this cold weather.

You know I just
got back from LA.

But this is for Q.

[in English] He can
heat it up later.

You always say heating it up
ruins the integrity of the latte.

- ["I DO" by [G]
I-DLE playing] - Cute.

[Kitty] I meant what I told Q.

Kitty 2.0 is ready to
launch a brand-new semester,

free of drama and
romantic chaos.

- [pop music swells]
- ♪ Don't you go falling in love ♪

♪ She won't ever love
you like I do... ♪

- Kitty, I missed you so much!
- [chimes jingle]

[softly] I've missed you too.

- ♪ Love you like I do... ♪
- [Kitty gasps]

I thought about you all break, and I
was so excited you were coming back.

Me too, and I only got to
come back because of you.

- [pop song fades]
- And now we get to live together?

What? I signed up for a single.
There must be a mistake.

This is not a
mistake. This is fate.

[Juliana] What's
that about fate?

Hey, Kitty. I'm Juliana.

Nice to finally meet the girl that
helped me and Yuri get back together.

- [Yuri] Mm.
- [Kitty sighs]

Can you believe this? The
three of us are roommates?

- [sighs] A dream come true.
- [Yuri and Juliana laugh]

[Kitty] More like
my worst nightmare.

Because I'm not over
Yuri. Not even close.

[bright music plays]

- [music fades]
- Wow! This...

This... I didn't... Wow!

I think Kitty's at
a loss for words.

I had no idea you were staying
on campus this semester.

Oh. Last-minute decision.

I had to get out of
my parents' place.

Bad vibes there. [sighs]

They're getting divorced.

What? Yuri, I'm so sorry.

[Yuri] It's fine. Honestly, it
should have happened years ago.

Now my mom's in Thailand, off the grid
at some wellness center, rejuvenating.

But let's talk about how much fun
we're gonna have living together!

I can't wait for you two
to get to know each other.

[Kitty] There is no way I can
survive a whole semester of this.

- I will actually die.
- [girl] Hello?

[panting] Hi. I'm
Stella. Stella Cho.

[quietly] Give me one second.

[sighs] This place is like 12
times bigger than my old school.

You must be our fourth roommate.

I'm Juliana, and this
is my girlfriend, Yuri.

Wow. They let you
guys live together?

They don't know. If they did, they
wouldn't let us live together.

[Juliana] And there's a rumor

that they're implementing room
checks every single night,

so we have to be extra careful.

Well, my lips are
sealed. [giggles]

Oh, and I'm Kitty.
You can bunk with me.

[Stella] Oh cool. Um...

Can one of you show me how to
get to the administration office?

- I still have to register...
- Yes, I can show you. Right now.

If you don't sign up ASAP, you'll end up
with the worst professors, so let's go.

Uh, wait, wait. Before you go,

we are planning a fun group
barbecue dinner tonight, on me.

Are you guys in? 7:00 p.m.?

Are you kidding? I would
love that. [laughs]

Uh... [sighs]

Dang. I wish I could, but I promised
my sisters that I would FaceTime them

and tell them about the
first day back. So...

Won't it be like 2:00
a.m. in Portland?

Indeed, it will be. Yes.

Good point.

Well, I'm... I'm in.

Let's leave right now.

- [Stella] Thank you for showing me around.
- They're in.

- [door opens]
- [Kitty and Stella chatting]

[door closes]

Min h*, package for you.

[whimsical music playing]

Oh. Probably from my
mom. She's so thoughtful.

Never mind. This is from my dad.

[sighs] My mom would never forget
my skin is chemically sensitive.

These moisturizers
are full of parabens.

Right. Um, looks like
your dad wrote you a note.

[Min h*] Mm-hmm.

He only reaches out
when he needs something.

Probably pissed off
his latest wife,

and he needs me to do some fake
PR story about our happy family.

Have at it.

Kitty left her
comfort socks here.

Please tell me you're not
about to sniff those socks.

Shut up. It's just...

I'm glad she's here, and I
want to be friends, but...

I'm not over Kitty yet.

[somber music playing]

Did you just see that?

When I mentioned Kitty, he
disappeared into his room.

And since we saw her this
morning, he's acting weird.

Well, I guess it's all my fault.

Remember before break, I, like,

threatened to k*ll him

because I thought he
was in love with Kitty?

Right, yeah. You...
you did do that.

But you didn't mean it.

Of course I didn't, obviously.

And I told him I'm sorry,

and he keeps saying it's okay,
but... clearly... [sighs]

He's feeling awkward, and
I feel like such an idiot.

[gentle music playing]

[indistinct chatter]

[Stella] Oh my goodness.
This place is so daunting.

Seoul is nothing like Pepper
Pike, Ohio, let me tell you.

But Yuri and Juliana seem super
sweet. Are you three super close?

Uh, I wouldn't say super close.

More like... Actually,
don't know what I'd say.

But enough about me. How
did you end up at KISS?

Oh, an exchange program
through my church.

Oh, it's so nice to be rooming
with another Korean-American.

- Thanks for showing me the ropes.
- Yeah. Uh, here we are.

I'll meet you at the same spot.

I just have a little errand to run
myself, so... [chuckles awkwardly]

[Kitty] There's been a mistake.

I signed up for a single.

There's no mistake.

Our room and board fees have gone up
due to unforeseen tuition deficiencies.

A cheating scandal has led many parents
to withdraw their children from KISS.

The new rate for a single isn't
covered by your scholarship.

Well, is there any way I can be in
another suite? With different roommates?

[keyboard clacking]

Yuri Han. Isn't she
a friend of yours?

Yes. Yes, indeed.
That is the problem.

If I'm gonna focus
on my academics,

rooming with a friend would
be a major distraction.

Well, when you put it that
way, I'll see what I can do.

Oh my God, thank you!
Can I give you a hug?

Absolutely not.

Right, of course.

While I have you, can I
ask you one more thing?

If it really is
only one. [sighs]

My mom, Eve,

apparently had a boyfriend
named Simon while she was here.

Do you... remember him at all?

[gentle music playing]

[Lee takes a deep breath]

Your mom and I weren't
particularly close.

And, um...

I don't recall a Simon.

Perhaps he was the young
man she followed to Seoul.

The one her parents
didn't approve of.

Wait, what?

Yes, I recall her parents didn't
support her coming to Korea.

Particularly her mother.

No, my mom was always
very close to her parents.

That doesn't sound right.

Maybe I should call my grandma.

[whimsical music playing]

Dad! Ten-minute warning
for the assembly.

Fifteen. I asked for
a 15-minute warning.

Oh. You said ten.
I thought it was...

- [Lee] No, I said 15.
- [Alex splutters]

[overlapping chatter]

This is our auditorium.

Oh look!

I think Yuri and
Juliana saved us seats.

Or... we could sit here,
next to my other good friend.

This is my friend...

[chuckles]

- Praveena. Nice to meet you.
- [Kitty chuckles]

Praveena! That's so
funny. We know each other.

It's like, uh... "I'm Kitty."

[chuckles] You know.
This is Stella.

- Hi. I'm new.
- Hi.

[gentle music playing]

So clearly, you're
avoiding those two girls.

Okay, what happened? Big fight?

- Whose fault was it?
- Um...

[sighs]

If I'm going to be part of your
scheme, I should know what I'm in for.

Plus, I'm nosy.

- [Q] I was saying it right, then.
- Not the whole time. I'm not sure.

But I'd say you were getting...

So it is "joah."

What on earth?

[intense rock music playing]

Isn't that your...

My dad?

Yeah.

[sighs]

I'll see you in there?

- Sounds good.
- Yeah.

Dad?

Oh. My Min h*. [chuckles]

It's been too long. Come
give your daddy a big hug.

Ah!

Okay, what are you doing here?
Aren't you meant to be on your tour?

We had to end our tour early. Your
half-sisters Su-Jin and Bianca

realized they were both dating
Dark Star, my new opening act.

Oh.

So I decided to find myself
a new business venture.

Perhaps you heard of the new arts
program I'm funding to save your school.

They are going to put
my name on a building.

Whoa, hey.

You are the new donor?

That's right.

And lucky me, it's a chance to
reconnect with my favorite son.

Your favorite son is Joon h*.

You wrote a song about
him called "Favorite Son."

Artistic license.

All right. Get back inside. The
show's about to start. Okay?

Students, please take your
seats so we can begin!

[chatter dies down]

[Lee] Thank you.

{\an8}Students, faculty, and
distinguished board of directors,

{\an8}welcome to spring semester at the
Korean Independent School of Seoul.

- It's no secret...
- [quietly] Hi.

- Hi.
- FYI, Dae's in a tizzy.

He thinks Min h*'s
acting weird around you,

and he blames himself for accusing Min
h* of having a crush on you before break.

There's nothing going on between
me and Min h*. Dae knows that.

I know, but it's complicated.
Dae still has feelings for you.

You just broke up
with him. Okay?

He's not gonna get
over you that fast.

I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to derail
your drama-free semester.

Trust me. That's
not the worst of it.

Guess who I'm rooming
with? Yuri and Juliana.

- [gasps]
- Yeah.

[Lee] Moving on to
point number four.

Nightly curfew checks for
all dormitory students.

- [club music thumping]
- [guy cheers]

[students murmuring]

[wild cheering]

Are you ready, Korean
Independent School of Seoul?

So, that's Min h*'s dad.

He's, like, the biggest
talent manager in all of Asia.

They call him the
Kris Jenner of Korea.

Stop. Seriously?

- Seriously.
- [both chuckle]

You did say you wanted to date
outside of the friend group.

[Min h* scoffs]

- [dance music swells]
- [students cheering]

[music dies down]

Mr. Moon, this is not
what we agreed upon.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is time
to sh**t for the moon and...

[students] Land
amongst the stars!

- [Moon] You heard it here first.
- Wow.

Moon Management is launching
a performing arts program

that will make your school
the envy of the entire world.

And just maybe one of you
will be my next superstar!

[students gasp and cheer]

All right, everyone. Calm down.

Everyone, calm down!

- [horns honk]
- [laid-back pop intro playing]

[food sizzling]

["Curling Field"
by Tamiz playing]

[Stella sighs] Today
has been amazing.

The assembly was amazing.

And now Yuri's buying us all dinner?
Oh, everything here is... amazing.

[inhales sharply, clicks tongue]

- Kitty?
- Huh? Oh yeah, I know.

- [chuckles]
- [Dae] Kitty!

- Dae! [sighs]
- [pop music fades]

- Oh, it's so good to see you!
- [Dae chuckles]

I'm so sorry we didn't get
a chance to talk earlier.

Hey, can you do me a favor?

Of course. Anything.

Can you talk to Min h*?

'Cause he's mad that
his dad is here,

but I feel like he's
also upset because of me.

I was an idiot, accusing
him of going after you,

and I hate thinking I might
have ruined your friendship.

I'll talk to him.

Thank you.

[Kitty sighs]

Min h*!

I looked for you in first class
when the plane landed, and...

I took off.

- I didn't think you'd want to talk after...
- I know.

But I thought we should clear the
air so things wouldn't be awkward.

- Which they clearly are.
- Yeah.

And Dae thinks that
it's all his fault.

And since...

Since... he's
still not over you.

And I'm sorry if I made you
feel bad when I turned you down.

- I wanna be sensitive to your feelings...
- Whoa. Okay.

Kitty, calm down.
You were right.

It wasn't love. Of
course it wasn't.

It was merely a crush.

I got over it. It
wasn't even that hard.

It was nothing.

Okay.

What? Isn't that good news?

Of course it is. Yeah. It makes
my life so much easier. Yeah.

Totally. A... a huge relief.

- But you did smile.
- What?

When I said, well, what
I said on the plane,

you smiled.

So, why would you do that if
you didn't feel something?

[sighs] You're
remembering that wrong.

That was not a smile.

That was a grimace.

- [Min h*] Mm.
- Because I felt weird.

Because I've never ever thought
about you that way before.

But when you did think of
me that way, you smiled.

Grimaced.

Which means part of you, even
if it's just a little part,

liked thinking of me that way.

You can think whatever you
want, but I don't care,

because we don't wanna hurt Dae,
and that's what matters, right?

["Off the Record"
by IVE playing]

Guys, our table's ready.

♪ This late-night
conversation... ♪

All good?

Yeah. Just telling
Covey how happy I am

I won't have to hear her snoring
through our walls every night.

Mm. I was telling Min
h* how great it is

not to choke on his
cologne in my new room.

Okay. [chuckles]

♪ Off the record night ♪

♪ This late-night conversation ♪

- [pop song ends]
- [indistinct chatter]

Seems like things
are back to normal.

Has my chaos queen finally
relinquished her crown?

- I sure hope so.
- [Q inhales sharply]

[Yuri] Hey.

- What is going on with you?
- [awkwardly] Nothing.

Kitty, you barely
called me over break,

and you kind of ran out of the
dorm as soon as you got there.

Okay, there is something that
I've been wanting to tell you,

and I wasn't really sure how.

Before break, I
kind of figured out

that I'm bi.

What?

Kitty, that's so great.
I'm so happy for you.

Wait. Is it because of me?

Oh, um...

[chuckles] I mean,
did I inspire you?

Oh, yes. Yes, you...
you definitely did.

Well, I want you to know
you can always lean on me.

And I need to lean
on you too, Kitty.

I just don't want to overstep.
Your girlfriend's here now.

I still need my friend.

You know, my dad was kind of awful
to me over break when I came out.

[sighs] Yuri, I'm so sorry.

- Let's just be there for each other, okay?
- [softly] Okay.

[chimes jingle]

["We Got So Much" by
Le Sserafim playing]

Hi.

[glass clinks]

Thank you for coming, everyone.
I hope you all had a great break.

Mine was kind of a
mixed bag, to be honest.

But the thing that kept
me going was knowing that,

no matter how messed
up my family is,

and they can be very,
very messed up...

- [group chuckles]
- [Yuri] Um...

They're not my only family.

I made a little family of
my own here last semester.

So, this dinner is really to say

thank you... to all of you here.

♪ We got so much love... ♪

[in Korean] Cheers!

[group] Cheers!

♪ We got so much love... ♪

[Kitty, in English] I can do this.
I can be there for Yuri as a friend,

no matter how I feel.

[bright pop music fades]

It was a pretty
eventful first day back.

[Halmoni on laptop] How
is it? Tell me everything.

Well, I always feel closer
to Mom when I'm here.

I know. It's wonderful.

But, um...

I found something
out about Mom today.

Or I... I heard something.

Halmoni, did you not
want Mom to go to Korea?

What did you say?

[gentle music playing]

Did Mom follow a boy
here against your wishes?

A boy named Simon?

I gotta go. This
is not a good time.

- I'll talk to you later.
- Well...

[call disconnects]

[Kitty] Okay. That has
to be the first time

my grandmother has ever
hung up on me, ever.

Something's definitely going on
here, and I'm gonna find out what.

Like I said, I have my priorities
straight this semester.

I'm going to move past Yuri

and finally discover
who my mom really was.

Kitty?

Oh! Hey, Stella. What's up?

I saw you talking to Min h*
outside the restaurant earlier.

You two are friends, right?

Yeah.

Well, I think he's really cute.

And we were talking a lot at dinner,
and I think I'm gonna ask him out.

[hesitating] Oh wow. Really?

That's... that's great.

Why don't you text him?

Total power move. He'll
love that. [chuckles]

Um, here is his contact.

[cell phone chimes]

[chuckles] Thanks, Kitty.

[Kitty exhales]

I just want to say, I have a feeling
you and I are gonna be great friends.

- Me too.
- [chuckles]

["BIBI Vengeance"
by Bibi playing]

[darkly entrancing
dance music building]

- [line rings]
- [woman speaking indistinctly on phone]

For the last time,
my name is Stella.

- There is no more Esther.
- ♪ Watch me dance ♪

- And I do have to do this.
- ♪ Watch me sing ♪

I'm here to get what I deserve.

Now leave me alone.

[entrancing Korean
dance music continues]

♪ I got mercy, I got grace ♪

♪ Desperado with the scales ♪

♪ Throw a rose on your body
Mask of Zorro, I'm so wanted ♪

[song continues in Korean]

♪ Look scared ♪

[song continues in Korean]

♪ Watch me dance ♪

♪ Watch me sing ♪

[song continues in Korean]

♪ Watch me dance ♪

♪ Watch me sing ♪

[song continues in Korean]

[sultry pop song ends]

[balloons expanding]