Belze sat in her seat without saying a word for a while. She had considered running away when the idea came up, but when she finally sat next to Seo, her heart felt empty instead of being provoked.

Seo lost that day. He feigned defeat, even though Belze had broken the deal first. It was hard to tell if he had kept his end of the bargain because he was so high-minded.

But she didn’t want to give the impression that she cared. Belze munched on some caramel popcorn to give her brain some sugar.

“…Seems like you get along well.”

Seo tried his best not to let the day feel awkward. He added a specific subject even when Belze didn’t even ask what.

“With that.”

“Don’t call my kid ‘that’.

“When did you have such a big kid… Anyway, you went to see a movie together, and you even helped with your morning agenda. You seem to know each other’s sensitive matters.”

“Why? Did you think I couldn’t keep it a secret from anyone? It’s not like I did anything wrong, so why? I won’t spill anything to the media, so don’t worry.”

Seo’s plan to be casual crumbled like a sandcastle when Belze misinterpreted his words.

“That’s not it… never mind. Still, I guess you were close enough to go on vacation together.”

“Yeah.”

“….”

“It was fun. It was a rare and relaxing vacation, and you ruined it.”

It was a breezy answer, without any ulterior motives at first, but as she said it, it felt resentful. Belze glanced at Seo sitting beside her.

“Do you really have to ruin my vacation? You could have watch the movie another day, but do you really have to sit here and annoy people? And why come to watch a movie place at this hour in the first place?”

” Because unlike you, who had a good time off, I’ve been busy working late and staying up late to exercise. It’s either today or never.”

“Why are you exercising until this late hour? You hate exercising.”

“….”

Today, Seo’s words were somewhat puzzling. He couldn’t tell her that he had been busy doing intense workouts for his waist and lower body.

With a plump face, Belze looked at Seo, who remained silent and leaned back against his seat’s backrest. His reason for working out diligently didn’t matter much to her. What was important was winning over him right now, in this moment, in this movie theater.

After all, the one with the hurt ego would be the one to storm out of the cinema first.

“Anyway, that’s your business. You have some thick skin for having the audacity to sit next to me after insulting and making me uncomfortable. If the hero selection test included a personality assessment, you would have been disqualified immediately.”

It was a message to reflect on what he had done if he had a conscience.

But with this much of an attack, Seo just sit and take it quietly. He loudly chewed on the popcorn and chuckled softly.

“I’ve never bullied anyone. Villains don’t have human rights, you know.”

It was a statement asserting that she wasn’t human enough, and therefore, what he did wasn’t even a sin.

“Oh, so you’re saying that villains aren’t human but inhuman? I heard your radical statement denying the foundation of justice.”

Belze’s veins surged with anger. She stared directly at Seo as if to declare that she wouldn’t back down from their confrontation.

In the ad on the screen, the actors were promoting accident insurance plan that guaranteed coverage until the age of 65. She had the feeling that if villains could sign up for it, Belze would like to have an insurance that guaranteed coverage for her high blood pressure.

“There are aspects of the law that are outdated. Just because someone wears a human skin doesn’t mean they’re a human being, and you guys are completely oblivious to the realities.”

“I guess you had something with someone inhuman then?”

“….”

“Right? But if I’m inhuman, then what you did was completely beastly. And you call yourself a hero, huh, having such vile preferences, it’s just disgusting.”

“You’re framing this quite well. This is why I don’t treat villain organization members as human. With just a little provocation, their statements escalate to such extremes…”

Seo didn’t finish his sentence. It wasn’t due to running out of words, making a slip of the tongue, feeling bad, or any personal reasons.

It was because other people had entered the almost empty movie theater. A couple who seemed like office workers, stumbling into the theater, supporting each other with slightly tipsy steps as they walked in.

“Honey, where are we?”

“J-10, 11. One row ahead of the very back.”

“Oh, there it is. I wish we had ordered nachos or something.”

“After eating a lot of snacks, you’re still hungry?”

“No, just for the atmosphere. I feel bored if I don’t bring anything into the movie theater. Don’t you feel the same?”

“Me too. We really get along well.”

The sound of the couple kissing and exchanging pecks on the neck and cheek interjected the advertisements. Seo and Belze, as if they had made an unspoken agreement, closed their mouths simultaneously.

As a hero and a villain, they had both disguised themselves and come here to relax, and the last thing they wanted to do was reveal their identities to the public.

The truce agreement between the heroes and the evil organization was acknowledged, so they decided to set their grievances aside and observe a temporary ceasefire.

“I thought there was nobody else here, but there’s one more couple besides us.”

Since it was a ceasefire, neither of them complained about the misunderstanding. At least, that’s what it seemed like on the surface.

Who was dating whom? They were a couple who happens to watch the movie at the same time but are not together and are each holding a popcorn bucket…

Belze suppressed her emotions and gulped down her carbonated drink, but it got stuck in her throat, and she coughed.

Seo, sitting silently next to her, patted her back loudly to help her. At first, she thought she was trying to be helpful, but it seemed to be a mistake, as his pat was painfully rough.

The woman who observed them whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Looks like they haven’t been dating for long.”

She seemed to be under the influence of alcohol, otherwise she could not have made such a misunderstanding.

Listening to the increasingly irritating sound of Seo munching on popcorn, Belze vented her frustration silently by cursing under her breath. She resented the fact that they couldn’t change seats due to the couple’s intrusion.

But looking at it another way, thanks to the couple, they weren’t the only ones in the theater. She was grateful because the movie they’ll be watching was an R-rated romance.

Though not overly explicit, it would still be quite awkward to watch a romance film in the late-night cinema, side by side, all alone.

She cannot let her pride be hurt by leaving the seat first. She wasn’t going to be bothered by a mere romance film for ages 15 and above and change her seat just because their adjacent seats were uncomfortable.

As someone used to fighting enemies, she couldn’t do that. So, the couple’s appearance was like a stroke of good luck.

When she glanced discreetly, it seemed that Seo had similar thoughts. He had a relaxed expression, leaning comfortably on the plush seat.

He looked like he was ready to put aside his nerves and focus on the movie. Seeing this, Belze also relaxed, releasing the tension from her back and shoulders.

It’s no good fidgeting like you’re sitting on a thorny cushion because there’s a distraction on your precious holiday. A distraction is a distraction, and a holiday is a holiday. You have to enjoy it while you can. Belze leaned back comfortably, delighting in the large screen and rich sound.

Little did she know, she had no idea what kind of hell would arrive in the next twenty minutes.

*

“…Aahh, hah… aah…”

“Haa… a bit more… hah.”

Rustling.

“Ah, g-gently, ugh.”

“…Whoa, it feels good, aah…”

Rustling, rustling, rustling.

“Hah, yes, yes, aah.”

Rustling!

“Oh… it feels so good…”

Okay, that didn’t work. Belze stopped chewing on her popcorn like a walnut and gulped down her soda. Instead of sipping timidly through a straw, she popped the cap and drank the beverage as if it were beer, taking big gulps.

She had to do it that way, otherwise, it felt like she might explode inside. She even used coughing sounds along with the sounds of eating popcorn and drinking the beverage, trying to be discreet, but the couple in the back seat remained completely oblivious to it all.

“Oh, okay, yes. There, hmmm, yeah.”

The sound of moaning coming from behind made their throat fill with discomfort. Several curses and desperate pleas to stop repeatedly crossed their mind only to fade away. The moaning sound, more vividly heard than the surround sound, was unbearably familiar.

When you think about it, they probably should have been a sound quieter than the movie theater’s audio, but she couldn’t figure out why they sounded so loud. With each moan, the sound of the movie and the actors moving on the screen seemed to ripple and fade away. All of Belze’s attention was now focused on the back of the theater.

The slightly tipsy couple, not even 15 minutes into the movie, began touching each other’s bodies, and they kissed when the first kissing scene appeared. After that, they continued with passionate kisses, exploring each other’s bodies as if they had entered a motel.

It seemed like they hadn’t gone further yet, but who knows what might happen. There could be underwear dropped beneath already, or their hands might already be inside each other’s underwear. Belze couldn’t bring herself to look back and confirm.

Seo also joins in, making small noises to communicate his discomfort, but the couple is lost in their own world.

“Darling, mmm, show me…”

“No, I can’t. You can’t see it.”

Even though they couldn’t see them, they heard everything. If they were to turn their heads, they’d caught them in the act.

Despite Seo’s attempt to draw their attention by clearing his throat, the couple continued their passionate kissing without any response. As a result, only the two of them seemed to be immersed in their own world, while others around them felt uncomfortable.

It was a situation so awkward that it made their breath quicken. In front of them, a romantic movie R-rated was playing that contained quite suggestive scenes. Meanwhile, behind the, there were sounds that should have been accompanied by a ‘not suitable for teenagers’ label, spreading around.

It would have been awkward still even if the person sitting next to her was of the same gender or a complete stranger, but of all people, it just had to be Seo.

Annoying. A cunning jerk. And… the person who made her do lewd sound twice.

Belze wondered if she also made such explicit sounds. She hadn’t thought about it until now, but now that she was listening to the other woman’s moans, it bothered her. She wanted to look over to see what he was thinking, but she didn’t want to make eye contact with him.

She’d rather storm out of the room, but that’s not easy either. If she took the initiative, it would look like she was running away because she couldn’t stand it.

Seo might only be complaining about the couple’s noise because they were disturbing him watching the movie, and here she was, struggling with embarrassment all alone.

A mature adult would probably not care about such things, or they might feel annoyed just because they were disturbed during the movie. Wonha, for instance, would have given them a sly smile and said something like ‘Look at those two.’ in a playful manner.

But here she was, feeling embarrassed and unable to relax, which made her feel immature. After all, there was nothing special between her and Seo, they were not close in any way.

So, with this in mind, Belze was firmly anchored in her seat, knowing she shouldn’t stand up before Seo did.