["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 shit! 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 Ho!
[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 Ho] Back to first class.
[music peaks, fades]
[Kitty] Oh yeah. I forgot to mention the drama with Min Ho.
[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 Ho 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 Ho, 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 Ho] 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 kill 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 Ho. [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 Ho.
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.
Students, faculty, and distinguished board of directors,
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 Ho's acting weird around you,
and he blames himself for accusing Min Ho of having a crush on you before break.
There's nothing going on between me and Min Ho. 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 Ho'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 Ho 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 shoot 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 Ho?
'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 Ho!
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 Ho] 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 Ho 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 Ho 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]