The butterfly slipped away from Seokjin's shoulder and fluttered out from the penthouse rooftop. It descended toward the café terrace below, its wings turning to gold before landing softly on the neck of a blond boy in glasses.
"Order anything you want. I'm buying," Mikk said, waving his wallet.
I scooped a spoonful of ice cream as Moon and Sunny posed for photos with fans downstairs. Seokjin leaned against the railing, gazing at the overcast sky.
"Looks like the rainy season's coming," he murmured.
"Buy a few umbrellas then—don't want you catching a cold," I replied.
"And if my pants get wet?" he said with a smirk that nearly made Mikk spit his coffee.
"Uh... dry them with tissue paper?" I answered awkwardly.
He chuckled. "Can't. I'm wearing white."
"(Then take them off~)" Mikk mouthed, grinning.
"Hyung!" I groaned, while Seokjin brushed his hair back with a grin.
"What's showing tonight?" he asked.
"Hmm... I think You and Me at Panmunjom just came out. A boy love romance," Mikk said. "Tanny's favorite genre."
"Sounds interesting," I mused. "But no one ever wants to watch those with me."
"Oh, please. I don't have time for movies. I've got promo work, meetings... leadership duties. Or would you rather take my place as leader, huh?" Mikk rolled his eyes.
I pushed my glasses up. "No thanks. The burden of being an ido—"
"I'll go," Seokjin interrupted. "I heard popcorn's half off today."
My heart skipped. Wait—he's actually coming? Does that mean... no way, right? My face felt hot all of a sudden. "There he is!" Mikk clapped his hands. "Your prince on a white horse. Happy now, sweetheart?"
"Hey, don't joke about that," I said, trying to hide my grin.
Seokjin winked. "Unless you'd rather go alone."
Ugh, this guy... always has to tease me.
"Fine. Seven o'clock sharp." I tapped my spoon against the glass dish like a tiny bell of agreement.
The butterfly took off, wings glimmering in delight as the sky shifted from day to dusk. But just as it soared higher, it was struck by the metal wing of a pink-haired girl's jet glider—falling straight toward the cinema plaza below. Before it could recover, a man in dark hair streaked with white crushed it under his sneaker.
"Hope my disguise still works," I muttered, tugging my mask and glasses tighter. I waited outside the theater until someone poked my shoulder.
"Hey~ sunglasses at night? Bold choice," Tanny said, grinning in a black shirt, shorts, and flip-flops.
"Says the guy dressed like he just rolled out of bed," I replied, handing him his ticket.
"Thanks! At least I won't stand out, yeah?"
The announcement echoed overhead:
"Now showing: You and Me at Panmunjom. The movie will begin in ten minutes. Please present your tickets to the scanner bot before entering."
"I'll grab some popcorn—" Tanny started, but I caught his wrist.
"Already got it," I said, handing him a bucket.
"Whoa, seriously? How much do I owe you?"
"Don't worry about it. Let's go before it gets crowded."
We scanned our tickets and stepped into the massive theater, the screen currently playing Wolves Kiss's new music video. Ji Sanghye, our vocalist, was front and center.
♫ Have you ever thought that everything I did came straight from the heart... ♫
♫ You may think I saw you as just a fleeting thing... ♫
♫ But every act was hard to put into words... ♫
♫ Tell me you felt the same... ♫
♫ The number you used to call is still waiting on the line... ♫
"Woo! Yeah!" Tanny cheered, clapping loud enough to make everyone turn around.
I stood and clapped too, keeping my sunglasses on. "He's my K-idol!" I called out, earning a few laughs before sitting back down.
As the movie started, Tanny leaned closer, munching popcorn happily. Halfway through, when the two male leads started to kiss, he froze—biting his finger nervously.
Meanwhile, I… couldn't help but think of Iris. The dim theater, the romantic music—it all brought that night rushing back.
Then it happened.
Pop!
Tanny reached into the popcorn bucket and—oh, no. His hand brushed against something that definitely wasn't popcorn.
"Huh~? This one feels... weirdly shaped," he whispered while touching mine. I nearly stopped breathing and snatched the bucket up instantly.
"Hm?" He adjusted his glasses, squinting for a moment before the curiosity faded. I sighed softly and popped a few pieces of popcorn into my mouth.