~~~

Yerim found herself drawn to the dark shape at the end of the cave like a magnet. She knew it was dangerous to walk towards the unknown armed with nothing but a bag of cherries but she couldn't help herself. Curiosity killed the cat, not the bat. In her gut, she had a feeling this was going to be a life changing moment.

With each step, Yerim felt her heart flutter in her chest as butterflies stirred in her stomache. She was excited and nervous at the same time. The dark figure with pointy ears and a cape held one hand out, moving it around as if trying to find the right angle. On the hand was a rectangular object that resembled a phone.

Yerim rubbed her eyes, blinking a few times. She couldn't believe it. Batman was in front of her... trying to take a selfie?

With a quick snap of the wrist, Batman flicked the cape. Like some glorified sports replay in slow motion, the black fabric spread and rippled in the air, covering the only source of the light illuminating the cave.

For a second, possibly the longest second in her life, everything disappeared into the darkness. All she could hear was the sound of a few camera shutters. All she could feel was a hurricane that stirred in her heart, bloated to its maximum.

When she least expected it, she was blinded by the sunlight outside. She wanted to return to the light, however, the light burns.

"BATMAN OPPA!! Wait for me - mee - meee - meeee!"

Yerim's desperate shout echoed through the cavern, unintentionally waking the bat families residing here. In an instant, the cave was filled with the sound of loud bat screeching noises. Yerim turned back as she covered her ears, only to see a swarm of bats flying in her direction.

Oh no, like her nightmares, this was the end... Up until now, Yerim shone the light of love on everyone and tried to live a beautiful life without regrets. At the moment her life flashes before her eyes, she remembered all the things that was still on her bucket list... eat a whole tub of Neapolitan ice cream directly from the container, get a barista certification to serve unusual concoctions, raise a fruit bat, the list goes on and on.

Just when the swarm was about to hit her, she felt someone pull her by the wrist, spinning her away from imminent danger. The tall figure covered them with the cape, creating a shield from the incoming barrage. For a few terrifying seconds, she shut her eyes and held tightly onto Batman as a wave of bats flew over the makeshift shield. They were close enough for Yerim to feel the heat radiating from the other and smell the fried chicken from what must have been Batman's latest meal.

When it was over, Yerim slowly opened her eyes. She glanced up to find parted lips, almost in the shape of a triangle and a concerned gaze from the masked crusader's dreamy brown eyes.

Yerim was still dazed from what just happened. Once her words were no longer stuck in , she managed to ask "What's your favorite color?"

In response to the rather unusual question, the ends of Batman's lips curled up to form a smile before pointing at the black fabric. Content that she was safe, Batman quickly took ran off along the rocky cliff where the cave was situated and disappeared into orange glow that stretched endlessly across the sky.

As soon as she regained her senses, Yerim ran after Batman as fast as she could, as if her life depended on it. It was too little, too late. Batman was gone in the blink of an eye.

Disappointed, Yerim headed back towards the camp. One day, she will find Batman again.

~~~

Ye