XO, Kitty Season 3 finds the characters at the precipice of adulthood as Kitty (Anna Cathcart), Min Ho (Sang Heon Lee), Yuri (Gia Kim) and their friends attempt to figure out what’s next for them as they enter their senior year at KISS.
In Season 3, Kitty and Min Ho finally define their relationship and officially begin dating (much to the relief of fans everywhere). But the new season also sees Min Ho managing Eunice’s music career and establishing himself in the music industry apart from his father’s legacy.
**Major spoilers for XO, Kitty Season 3 ahead!**
But when Eunice decides to quit making music, Min Ho is left figuring out what’s next for himself. It may have bene heartbreaking to hear Kitty is enrolling in NYU, but it also lights a spark for Min Ho as he realizes he could also prioritize his ambitions first. And the answer he finds may surprise viewers.
“I would say he finally found his way of deciding what he really wants,” Lee told DECIDER in a recent chat. “He finally trusts his heart and sort of leads with it. … I’m very proud of him.”
It’s a delight to see Kitty and Min Ho finally be together after two long seasons. Though they hit some bumps on the way, they come out on the other side even stronger when Min Ho offers to join Kitty on her adventure, this time – back home to Portland.
Lee said this move was “needed” in their relationship. “You have to consider that Kitty flew from another country and is just mostly trying to adapt and survive in Korea where she’s surrounded by different cultures,” he pointed out, adding that she is “very welcoming” of the culture shock. “Eventually, hopefully, if there’s another season, Min Ho gets to see what Kitty’s life was and sort of have a deeper understanding without actually hearing it from Kitty herself. And hopefully that sort of deeper connection sort of connects them both in a romantic way.”
Decider chatted with Lee about Min Ho’s future with Kitty, working with Lana Condor, and playing a heartthrob in Jenny Han’s universe.
DECIDER: I would love to start off by hearing about what you thought of Min Ho’s arc this season, both in terms of his relationship with Kitty and also in this career that he’s built for himself.
SANG HEON LEE: Well, I would say he finally found his way of deciding what he really wants instead of dwelling on things or trying to figure out what’s right and what’s wrong. He finally trusts his heart and sort of leads with it. I could see the passion and hopefully others characters saw that as well and sort of understand that he has this as well, that he is this sort of person. Well, at least I see him that way. So I’m very proud of him.
We didn’t see as much of his father this season, but we saw quite a bit of their relationship and how much it’s changed. What did you think of his relationship with his father?
I don’t necessarily think that he feels like he needs to keep this good relationship with his father. It seemed like he now sort of realizes, ‘My dad, he could be quite harsh sometimes.’ But there are some points where he realized, ‘I need to put my foot down. You know what? At this point, my friends come first. My lovers come first. My people actually, who care about me, and I care about them, they come first.’ It’s not like he doesn’t give a shit. It’s more like he just has priorities with people now. And so I wouldn’t necessarily say that the relationship got better or worse. It’s just the way how it is. But I would say he has a better threshold. […] I could sense that he got stronger from Season 1.
I loved seeing the scenes that you shared with Lana [Condor] as well. Could you talk a little bit about what it was like getting to work with her? Did you expect to work with her or have a shared scene with her at all?
No, I did. I think she was really cool, to be honest. That’s how I felt on the day. I mean, she’s talented, she’s professional. She brought the energy on set. I was happy to see Ana and Lana be like real sisters on set. It was a touching moment, really. It was just a nice thing to see.
What did you think of the season finale? We get to see Min Ho’s on his way to go see Kitty’s world for a change. What did you think of that?
I think it’s sort of needed. You have to consider that Kitty flew from another country and is just mostly trying to adapt and survive in Korea where she’s surrounded by different cultures. She’s very welcoming. However, there are some challenges or there are things that she does not understand. Min Ho, obviously, is very confident and he just feels more settled. […] He hasn’t been in someone else’s life, in someone else’s shoes or someone else’s hometown. Eventually, hopefully, if there’s another season, Min Ho gets to see what Kitty’s life was and sort of have a deeper understanding without actually hearing it from Kitty herself. And hopefully that sort of deeper connection sort of connects them both in a romantic way.
Do you have any hopes for the next season? Maybe any hopes for Kitty and Min Ho’s relationship, or what Min Ho might do?
I’ll be honest. I sort of do. I just want my character to graduate. You know, it just feels more like a bow on a box, you know, like, Min Ho’s finally graduated. Yay. It just feels more right. I do wonder how, from the Season 3 finale, I want to see what Season 4 can start like. I’m very much curious on how it will become. […] It would be nice if everyone just graduates. We could see Kitty graduate. We could see the whole like, an era of her spending time in Korea sort of ending.
We saw you work with Noah Centineo in previous seasons, and you kind of had big shoes to fill as like the next love interest in the Jenny Han universe. I’d love to hear about your perspective of playing like a male love interest, especially on this show and especially for such a big series, if you have any thoughts on that.
Not particularly. Well, okay, I can’t say that I didn’t see any of that. I will see people saying the whole like MoonCovey thing. Personally for me, I get very defensive when […] it comes to anything good. Like there’s good news coming in or someone complimenting my work. I’ll be like, okay, thanks. I guess it’s nothing. […] It’s very endearing and I just very, you know, I really appreciate how people see it that way. But again, as a cast, though, there is a lot of us, every if you see closely, everyone’s having that sort of love drama relationship going through. So I wouldn’t say I’m, or Min Ho is the only spotlight there. There’s plenty of other people out there. But again, it’s very touching.
This conversation was edited for clarity.
