Chapter 126 - Popcorn Tumbler
Sotis, surprisingly good things happen when Fei and Neil take the lead in navigating the neon labyrinth of the cyberpunk tropolis.
The first ti they guided us, we stumbled upon a hidden gem—an eat-all-you-can karaoke bar tucked behind a rusted shutter and a flickering LED sign. The second ti? A pulsating dance club buried under a shady overpass… though we knew it doubled as an NTR hideout. That was awkward.
Tonight’s dating spot, though, wasn’t anything underground or secret. In fact, it was the most ordinary kind of outing you’d expect.
We found ourselves on the topmost floor of Xyraxis gamall, where glowing advertisents and floating holograms painted the ceilings like a digital sky. Crowds had gathered, buzzing with anticipation, forming a long, winding line toward the movie theater entrance.
The big attraction? The Chira Woman—a hyped-up horror flick finally making its debut. Its first week release had people lining up like it was a black-market vaccine.
“Have you seen the trailer for this, Neil?” Fei asked, practically bouncing with excitent, her oversized bubblegum-pink hoodie swaying with every movent.
“Yeah, kinda,” Neil replied with a lazy shrug. “Critics said it leans too hard on cheap jumpscares, so I’m not expecting much.”
“Oh really? So… is Myrrh scarier than the Chira Woman?” I asked, smirking with a mischievous tone that was just begging for trouble.
I didn’t have to wait long. Myrrh responded with a swift pinch to my waist—a move that caught off guard, blending pain and laughter in a confusing combo. I yelped.
“Yeowch!” I cried, half-wincing, half-giggling, while Myrrh shot a glare sharp enough to silence a riot drone.
“Oh, so now I’m scarier than a horror movie, huh?” Myrrh raised a brow, her voice laced with mock offense.
“A-at least a horror movie doesn’t physically hurt —Ow! Owow!” I yelped as her fingers twisted the soft flesh at my side with ruthless precision.
“You’re scarier than ,” she said, finally releasing her grip with a huff. “You look like so street thug from the lower alleys of Neon District Seven.” She crossed her arms in triumph, which unintentionally—or very intentionally—pushed her rather generous chest forward, as if to declare moral and physical dominance.
“Okay, okay! I’m sorry!” I chuckled, rubbing my side and forcing a sheepish grin.
While I was locked in this playful skirmish with Myrrh, I hadn’t noticed that Fei had already skipped ahead to the snack booth. She returned with a bucket of popcorn so enormous it looked like it could double as a helt, barely balanced in her arms. Her face bead with innocent satisfaction, cheeks slightly puffed from the weight of the snacks and her quiet effort.
“I think it’s our turn to go in now,” Fei said sweetly, her voice light and lodic. She extended two jumbo soda cups toward us—each with two straws sticking out like twin antennas. “Oh, and please grab your drinks. One for each couple. Take your pick.”
“Thank you, Fei,” Myrrh replied, accepting one of the cups. Her smile faltered for a split second as she glanced down at the dual straws. “Uh… do I really have to share this with Zaft?”
I cringed a little. The mock sass wasn’t new, but it always hit the sa nerve. It’s not like this was our first ti sharing drinks. We did it on the cruise spaceship, during that moonlight movie night. And yet here she was again, acting all high-and-mighty with her princess attitude.
“Welp, you could always get your own soda…” I mumbled, puffing out my cheeks in exaggerated pouting like a rejected puppy.
“Just kidding!” Myrrh laughed, her cheeks turning a soft pink. With a sudden shift in tone, she leaned in and wrapped her arm around mine, clinging to it as if nothing had happened—like the warmth between us was inevitable.
Man, I couldn’t tell if Myrrh was going through one of her unpredictable mood swings or just teasing for sport again. Probably both.
We finally stepped into the theater—a cavernous, pitch-black space that swallowed sound and light like a vacuum. The screen was still off, leaving the entire room bathed in shadows. Without any aisle lights or seat indicators, we moved cautiously, half-blind, our footsteps soft and unsure against the carpeted floor. Every few seconds, I felt a sharp jab on my shoe. Soone’s foot again.
“Be careful, everyone. You might trip if you’re reckless,” Myrrh said in a calm, big-sisterly voice, the kind that made her sound responsible even when she clearly wasn’t.
“Oh really? Then why do you keep stepping on my feet?” I muttered, gritting my teeth as she did it again.
“Huh? W-well…” she stamred. “To prevent you from getting lost, obviously! I know you, Zaft. You’ve got the spatial awareness of a concussed squirrel. You’re hopeless.”
“Stop acting like you’re my tour guide.” I sighed and reached out in the dark, tapping the back of a cushioned seat in the middle row. “Here should be fine. We go too close to the screen and we’ll need neck braces.”
“Sounds good to ,” Fei said behind us. I turned and barely made out her face—a soft silhouette beside Neil’s taller fra, like holograms with the brightness turned down. Neil gave a silent nod.
We carefully slid into our seats, the old cushions releasing that familiar puff of stale air mixed with a faint scent of buttered popcorn and industrial fabric.
No sooner had we settled in than I heard an eager crunch. Then another. And another.
I turned my head slightly. In the faint glow of the ergency exit light, I saw Fei going at the massive bucket of popcorn like she hadn’t eaten in days. Her cheeks puffed up like a hamster's, her tiny fingers digging into the sea of kernels at record speed.
Well, not that she could finish that enormous popcorn tumbler alone. But judging by her enthusiasm, I wouldn’t put it past her.
“Hey, let have so too!” Neil suddenly cried out, diving his hand into the oversized popcorn tumbler like a starving raccoon.
“Wait—seriously? The movie hasn’t even started yet!” Myrrh hissed, scandalized, as if eating popcorn before the first fra was a cri against cinema.
“I’m sorry, Myrrh,” Fei said with her mouth half-full, her voice rising with urgency. “It’s just—we haven’t had dinner, and the exams totally wiped out! My stomach’s doing flips!”
“But we just had tteokbokki and ice cream earlier!” I cried, half in disbelief. “Is your stomach a black hole or sothing?”
Fei paused mid-munch, cheeks puffed like a chipmunk. A soft blush crept up her face as she tilted her head sheepishly. “Kind of…” she admitted, then gave a small giggle. “The tteokbokki serving was tiny anyway. It was more of a snack than a real al.”
She popped another handful of popcorn into her mouth without a second thought, like her stomach had its own alternate dinsion. I wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or deeply concerned.
“Yeah!” Neil added, already munching away like he was on auto-pilot. “All that brain work drained my reserves! Tteokbokki and ice cream are not enough! I need to replenish my brain juice!”
“You don’t have brain juice,” Myrrh muttered, her face twisting in playful disgust. “If anything, your skull’s just a sound chamber for your bad decisions.”
I watched as the popcorn supply rapidly dwindled between Fei’s delicate yet devastating handfuls and Neil’s shovel-like scoops. I panicked.
“Screw it,” I said, reaching into the bowl before it was too late. “At this rate, there’ll be nothing left! Let in on this too!”
“Wait—wait! Leave so for !” Myrrh yelped, lunging forward like a pirate defending buried treasure. “Aargh! You monsters, let have so!”
And just like that, all civility broke down.
What followed was nothing short of a full-blown popcorn brawl. Hands clashed in the dark like wild beasts in a feeding frenzy. There were muffled cries, awkward elbow jabs, and the chaotic rustling of popcorn rain as kernels scattered everywhere. The only thing we had in common was that none of us had eaten a proper al since that brutal exam marathon earlier.
By the ti the theater screen finally flickered to life with the opening credits of The Chira Woman, our once-mighty popcorn tumbler stood empty—hollowed out like the ruins of an ancient civilization. Not a kernel remained.
The artificial barbecue-flavored MSG lingered on our tongues, leaving our mouths parched. Fei and Myrrh simultaneously reached for the jumbo fruit soda and took ladylike sips—well, as ladylike as one could get after fighting over popcorn like cave dwellers.
As they say: ladies first. And when it ca to snacks, survival of the hungriest.
By the ti Myrrh finished sipping, she gently offered the cup to , the two straws swaying slightly from the motion. I reached out to take it, but my fingers fumbled—and the clean straw slipped through my grip and dropped to the sticky floor beneath our seats.
“Aw, shit,” I muttered under my breath, already mourning the loss.
"Geez, you're so hopeless." Myrrh rolled her eyes and scoffed softly. “It’s fine. Just use mine.”
I hesitated. My gaze flicked to the straw she had just used, and then up to her face. She was already looking at the screen, unbothered. I felt the warmth rise to my cheeks, and in the dim flicker of the movie light, I knew she could probably see the blush spreading across my face.
Still, I took a breath and brought the straw to my lips. It wasn’t like it was our first indirect kiss—far from it. But this ti, sothing felt different.
Lately, everything sweet we did—the second or third repetition of once special monts—had started to feel... off. Not because they weren’t good, but because they carried a bitter aftertaste. The kind that ca from the truth I had buried for too long.
I hadn’t confessed my feelings to her.
Despite how much I enjoyed our dates, the laughs, the touches, the shared glances, our relationship still had no label. Or worse, it had the wrong one. I was still standing in as her fake boyfriend, playing a part while my real feelings kept screaming to be acknowledged. Pretending was starting to hurt.
And if I didn’t do sothing about it soon, I’d be stuck like this—hovering in between honesty and make-believe, while she remained just out of reach.
After I took a sip of the soda, its fruity sweetness doing little to wash away the lump in my throat, I clenched my fists on my lap and drew in a steadying breath.
No more hesitating. I’m going to confess tonight. I’ll try my luck—no matter how it turns out.
I turned slightly, watching Myrrh as she focused intently on the film, the glow of the screen painting soft highlights on her features. She looked serene, beautiful… untouchable.
“Myrrh,” I whispered, my voice barely louder than a breath.
“Yup?” she replied in a sing-song voice, her eyes still fixed on the screen.
“I want to talk to you about sothing. Sothing important. After this date.”
She finally looked at , her eyes locking with mine. And then she smiled—a small, genuine smile that made my heart ache in the best and worst ways. The bluish light of the movie danced across her face like sothing from a dream.
“Sure,” she said.
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