Final Puzzle Piece || SKZ 9th Member

LEE KNOW X KALA (HOLA)

Lee Minho & Ryu Kala (HoLa): the parents of all the cats around the world

「 ✦ HOW THEY MET ✦ 」

ಇ. It was after Kala had just returned from school and headed to the JYPE building when she saw 2 stray cats in front of JYPE and a boy playing with them

ಇ. She hesitated at first to approach him and offer to feed the cats, but decided to do it anyway

ಇ. They then learned each other's names and how they both were JYPE's trainees

ಇ. After that encounter, they didn't have any more interaction as Kala's place was mostly in the vocal practice room and his in the dance practice room

ಇ. When Kala finally joined the group, she was kind of grateful to see a familiar face other than Chan

ಇ. Minho was one of the first members who could break down her wall and get her to ease up to him easily

ಇ. In the survival show era, being a solo artist trainee before, he knew she was still struggling to keep up with their group routine, so he always tried to help her, even giving her an extra lesson after their practice

ಇ. That was how Minho became someone she really looked up to, and to be very honest, she didn't know how she could survive without him

ಇ. So when JYP eliminated Minho, Kala had her biggest breakdown after her parents' death

ಇ. Kala wouldn't let go and kept hugging him saying, "Don't go, please. I can't do this. Not without you" until Chan had to separate them himself

ಇ. She cried all the way home and cried harder at the dorm that Ryujin couldn't do anything to make her feel better and had to call Chan to come over when she didn't stop crying until the next morning

ಇ. You wouldn't wonder anymore why she was the happiest she'd ever been when she knew Minho and Felix were coming back to them

「 ✦ FACTS ABOUT THEM ✦ 」

ಇ. One thing to describe this duo is they both love cats more than anything
ಇ. If they see cats wherever they go, they'll spend time playing with them and give them treats
ಇ. On the days off when Kala can't go home to Jeju, Minho often takes her to his house and meets Soonie, Doongie, and Dori
ಇ. Seeing Kala is so happy every time she visits them, Minho decided to give her a cat of her own
ಇ. Kala didn't stop saying thank you he had to shut her up by shoving a spoonful of cake into her mouth
ಇ. You know Kala is Minho's favorite when she never forgets his cats' names and which one is who

ಇ. Everyone knows Minho has a soft spot for Kala
ಇ. He can't bring himself to be mean, or be mad, or say no to her
ಇ. He swears he can do anything she wants him to do as long as it makes her happy
ಇ. She never receives his famous murderer's eyes or his menacing words
ಇ. Even so, Minho isn't worried about throwing his dark jokes around Kala as she takes it really well and sometimes plays along
ಇ. The other members are jealous of Kala for this because Minho only acts like that to her
ಇ. He and Chan always be like, "¹Uri ttal~" (¹our daughter)

ಇ. If Chan is her role model in her career, Minho is her role model in life
ಇ. She really looks up to Minho and how he lives his life
ಇ. She follows almost everything he does you start thinking she's a copycat
ಇ. He donates to UNICEF, she wants to do it too and asks him how she can participate. He wears something from a brand that supports animal shelters, she asks him where to buy it. He's a volunteer at a cat shelter, she also joins him

ಇ. Besides sharing the same passion for cats, these two also like camping together
ಇ. So STAY isn't confused when they have the same content with just different angles for their camping vlog
ಇ. They both enjoy the vibe of nature so much
ಇ. They even say someday they'll build their houses near each other in the forest and go camping every day

ಇ. Minho favors those moments when they two cook together for the members because lots of funny and memorable things happen at those times
ಇ. Minho often scolds the other members when they let her cook alone and don't help her
ಇ. The truth is Kala is the one who kicks them out of the kitchen and doesn't let them help her except it's Minho
ಇ. He was genuinely upset when he didn't get the same dorm as her because they couldn't do this more often anymore

ಇ. It's common knowledge for STAY that Minho is Kala's type
ಇ. She said it herself on a radio show, if there's a member she could date, she'd date Minho
ಇ. Then he joked, "Should we do it?", sending the other members on edge, yelling and throwing things at him
ಇ. But does Kala really have a real feeling for Minho? *author's smirking

ಇ. In one of the interviews, Kala confessed that she once had a crush on Minho in their pre-debut era
ಇ. Who wouldn't when this one boy was being so nice to you, good looking, a college boy, and most importantly, LOVES CATS as much as she does
ಇ. She convinced herself that it was just a stupid teenage girl crush and eventually overcame it
ಇ. But a thing to keep in mind, her breakdown on Minho's elimination was purely because she wanted to debut with him in the same group and NOT because of her crush on him
ಇ. Will there be a more detailed story about this? Who knows, just stay tuned ;)