Whoever Cries First Wins
“Shall we head in now?”
“...Yes.”
On the surface I tried to act calm, but my heart was in complete chaos. And for good reason.
...Our lips touched. Mine and Oppa’s.
Huuu. Our lips actually touched? For real?
Feeling my face flush again, I fanned myself frantically with my hand.
“Hot?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
It had been a complete accident. I never expected the escalator to stop so suddenly. It wasn’t intentional—just an unfortunate mishap—but my heart began pounding like crazy.
It was my very first time touching lips with a guy. Throughout my school years, the only men I ever saw were teachers. Once I got to university, I was too busy streaming and doing assignments to even think about dating.
If I were to call this my first kiss... would it count? No, who would call a kiss on the forehead their first kiss?
...Does that mean I’ll eventually share my real first kiss with Oppa?
Without thinking, I brought my fingers to my lips and drifted into a daydream. Oppa’s lips overlapping mine right here... ugh.
What on earth am I thinking, Yuna?
“...Yuna?”
“Yes?”
Oppa was looking at me with a troubled expression. I must have been so lost in thought that I hadn’t heard him calling me. That classic INFP habit of getting swept away by fantasies could be really inconvenient sometimes.
“We should go in now.”
“Ah. Sorry.”
We walked toward Theater 6, just as our tickets said. After showing our tickets to the staff at the entrance and listening to a quick announcement, we stepped inside the theater.
Our seats were near the center—close enough to see well, but not so close that it felt overwhelming. It felt just right.
“I’m excited.”
“The reviews were really good, too.”
It was a movie we had picked out together. I’d carefully checked both the critic scores and audience ratings. If this really was our first date, the last thing I wanted was to ruin the mood with a boring film. Just like how first impressions matter on a blind date, the same probably applied to dates. That’s why I’d put so much thought into choosing it.
And then the movie began.
It didn’t have any particularly unique elements, but it was a decent rom-com that balanced clichés well. Even though familiar tropes usually made things feel predictable, this one worked. It followed the story of a guy who had been in love with his female friend for twenty years.
The fact that he’d hidden his feelings for two whole decades was impressive in itself.
...Maybe that was what real love looked like?
How long could I hide my own feelings from Oppa? Forget a year—could I even manage a week?
I had a feeling that no matter how much I liked him, I’d never be able to keep it hidden like that.
“...Oh.”
When I glanced sideways, Oppa was completely absorbed in the film. He really hadn’t been lying about liking rom-coms. I’d half-suspected he was just going along with my choice, but he seemed even more invested than I was.
The story was starting to get interesting. The female lead had finally broken up with her trash ex, and she and the male lead began drinking together. As they drank and he comforted her, the male lead said something that hit hard.
That was it. The perfect line that marked the shift from friends to lovers. Even my own heart started racing.
The female lead answered, clearly drunk. The male lead stood up as if he’d made up his mind.
What? What was he about to do? I found myself smiling in anticipation.
And then he kissed her.
Just as I was feeling satisfied by the bold move, a thought crossed my mind.
...This is rated 15+?
The kiss scene was far more intense than I’d expected. Other rom-coms had similar moments, but this one felt especially provocative—and way too long.
“...Whoa.”
Embarrassed by how passionate it was, I covered my face with my hands. That only made me remember what had happened earlier with Oppa—how my lips had accidentally brushed against his forehead. The memory surfaced at the worst possible moment, making everything feel awkward again.
Why now, of all times?!
Feeling my face heat up, I turned my head—only to lock eyes with Oppa, whose ears were bright red.
The movie itself was really entertaining. At first, the fast-paced story had me completely hooked. But the kiss scene at the climax was way too much.
...Were modern rom-coms always this intense?
Without meaning to, I found myself thinking about what had happened with Yuna earlier. It had only been a forehead bump, but if you squinted, it could almost count as a kiss. The soft, warm sensation still lingered in my mind.
I’d planned to look away until the scene ended, but—
“...Ah?”
My eyes met Yuna’s. Both of our faces were flushed. We didn’t need words to know exactly what the other was thinking.
“...”
A brief silence stretched between us. I felt Yuna’s gaze slowly drift downward. Instinctively, I knew—she was looking at my lips. And I was looking at hers.
...What would it feel like if our lips actually met?
My thoughts were racing far ahead of me.
“Ahem.”
A sudden cough from the seat behind us snapped us both back to reality. We jerked our heads in opposite directions. My heart was pounding so hard I could barely contain it. The ticklish feeling in my chest made it impossible to look at Yuna.
Maybe this was why couples went to the movies so often.
“Th-that kiss scene was really intense, huh.”
“Yeah, seriously. And way too long.”
We exchanged awkward words in tiny voices. The silence had started to feel unbearable.
By the time we spoke, the kiss scene had already ended.
...Why couldn’t I focus? The movie no longer held my attention the way it had at the beginning. I kept glancing at Yuna beside me, and she kept sneaking looks at me too. My palms were starting to sweat.
Ah, whatever.
Since I couldn’t concentrate anyway, I reached for the popcorn—only to feel something warm and soft in my hand.
“Huh...?”
Yuna made a strange sound beside me. When I turned, I realized what had happened. We had both reached into the same popcorn bucket at the same time.
I quickly pulled my hand back.
“Ah... sorry...”
“N-no, it’s fine. You weren’t trying to... You can have some first, Oppa.”
“No, you go ahead.”
We kept offering the popcorn to each other like characters in a rom-com. What were we even doing?
Honestly, I didn’t mind, but I couldn’t help worrying that Yuna might feel uncomfortable. We weren’t even dating yet. Maybe her thoughts on physical contact were different from mine.
“There’s no need to rush skinship. Just match your partner’s pace.”
“A lot of guys mess things up by moving too fast. I’ve seen it happen way too many times.”
The dating advice from that YouTube channel I’d subscribed to kept echoing in my head. We’d only just started—I didn’t want to ruin things over something like this.
While I sat there frozen, unable to touch the popcorn again, the movie was already reaching its finale.
The male lead finally confessed after everything they’d been through. Their misunderstandings cleared, and he confessed to her in the amusement park from their childhood as fireworks exploded around them. The female lead threw herself into his arms, sobbing.
Just as my own eyes were starting to well up—
“Hic... hic... hic...”
Yuna sat beside me, covering her mouth and desperately trying to hold back her tears. The sight of her made my own emotions settle. It was like watching a horror movie with someone who was even more scared than you—it somehow made the fear disappear.
Whoever cries first, wins.
I guess there was a reason that saying existed.