Minji and Kai sat on her apartment’s rooftop roasting marshmallows over the fire pit Kai brought over and watched the sun set on the cool, summer night. Minji pushed the hot marshmallow off the skewer and onto the graham cracker and chocolate square.

           “I can’t believe Kris would choose Suho as his best man over me,” Kai said staring up at the stars.

           “It’s been like two months, Kai. You have to get over it.”

           Chaerin couldn’t decide whether she wanted a wedding in December or August. She couldn’t decide whether she wanted a magical winter wonderland or a late summer’s celebration. All Kris wanted was to have his eleven groomsmen, a number that Minji found absolutely absurd. Chaerin had to think of every girl she had ever spoken to in order match the women with the men.

           “You’re the maid of honor. I could’ve walked down the aisle with you. Now Chaerin wants to set me up with that girl Joohyeon who smells like onion soup.”

           Minji laughed. “What?”

           “When she flips her hair, a strong onion soup odor permeates from her being,” Kai complained. “Plus, you’ll have to walk down with Suho.”

           Minji teasingly poked his cheek. “Is someone jealous?”

           He pushed her finger away. “You know how Suho feels about you.”           

           “How?”

           “He loves you."

          Minji nearly choked on her marshmallow. “No he does not. He is my friend like he’s yours.”

“You should've seen the way he looked at you while we were at his house. Pure love was in his eyes. You were too busy being amazed by the waterfall light show.”

Minji snorted. “I do not believe you Kim Jongin.” She shoved the last of her s’more into . “And that was a sweet water show.”

Minji got up from her chair and sat on Kai's lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his chest. "It doesn't matter what lies you may tell me. I'm yours now," Minji promised.

Kai squeezed her and kissed her ear. "I'll be yours forever."

Chaerin and Kris held their engagement party at a butterfly garden forty minutes outside the city. It was a romantic idea as the orange, yellows, and purples of the sunset covered the sky, but butterflies were everywhere, landing wherever they pleased.

"The butterflies are more in tuned with their souls than most humans are,” Minji heard Lay say as she shooed away a butterfly from her drink. "Butterflies understand their spirituality better than most species."

Minji leaned over to Kai. "Is he high?"

Kai took a sip of his water. "Yeah, probably."

Lay let a butterfly land on his finger. He brought it to his face and let it flap its wings against his face. "So mystical."

Minji sat at the table with Kai and Bom on her other side. Bom was too busy flirting with Luhan to notice that there were at least fifteen butterflies on her. Across from Minji was Kyungsoo giving her his signature death stare. Minji ignored it, deciding to play with Kai's hair while he talked to Sehun just to annoy Kyungsoo more. He mouthed the word “” to her while she slyly gave him the finger.

Luhan excused himself from the table, smiling at Bom the entire time.

"Minji, I don't think I'll be single any longer," Bom whispered to her.

“You and Luhan seem to be hitting it off.”

“I know! Finally my time has come!”

Just as soon as Bom closed , Luhan came back and sat down with another man.

"Bom, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Xiumin," Luhan said. “You guys are so much alike, I think you two will be great friends!”

Xiumin extended his hand which Bom shook and smiled harshly. She then excused herself to the bathroom where distant wailing could be heard.

           Chaerin slid into Bom’s empty seat and hugged Minji.

           “Isn’t this place beautiful?” Chaerin asked, looking around the garden.

           “It’d be nice if butterflies wouldn’t land on me every five seconds.” Minji sighed as she flicked a butterfly away from her cleavage.

           “You know Minji, many cultures believe that butterflies are linked with the soul,” Chaerin said.

           “Yes, the soul,” Lay added. Minji and Chaerin looked up to see that Lay’s heavy lidded eyes were nearly closed as he whispered, “It’s okay. Unicorn is here,” to a butterfly.

           “Anyway, butterflies also symbolize growth and transition. I’m going to be someone’s wife soon and you’re not single anymore. I never thought I’d see you have another boyfriend ever again.”

           Minji snarled at her.

           Chaerin squeezed Minji tighter. “Life’s gonna be good for us. I can feel it.”

           Later on in the evening, everyone coupled up and began slow dancing on the makeshift dance floor. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun began singing a compilation of the nineties greatest love songs and Minji had to admit that Kyungsoo had a nice voice even though they both hated each other. It was actually somewhat beautiful looking at the couples dance in the night with the butterflies flying around them. Kris and Chaerin were in the center of the dance floor, swaying softly to the music. Chanyeol had finally talked Dara into dancing with him and now possessed the biggest smile on Earth. Kai offered to dance with Bom and listened to her laments about men.

           Minji sat by herself at the table, playing with a butterfly when she noticed Suho sitting alone at a table across the garden. He was looking out at the lake, drinking his wine. Minji walked over to him and poked his neck.

He turned around and smiled at her. “Minji.”

She bowed and held out her hand. “May I have this dance my fair gentleman?”

Suho took her hand and she led him to the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck while he took her by the waist and they slowly danced along to the beat of the music.

“Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in so long,” Minji asked.

“Around. I went to New York to help my friend with his rap album,” Suho said.

“Whose album?”

“2Chenz.”

           “Ahh,” Minji responded.

“Then I went to Greece, stayed in Egypt for a while. Just going around, thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

Suho smiled. “Someone special.”

Minji nodded and leaned her head against his chest. “You know, Kai told me something ridiculous.”

“What is it?”

“He said, and it’s okay if you burst out laughing, that you liked me. Like more than friends. Isn’t that absurd? Like why would he think—”

“It’s true.”

Minji looked up. “Wait what?”

“I was in love with you.”

Minji blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what Suho was saying. “Why me? You’re rich and hot. You can literally have anyone you want. I tripped trying to put my pants on yesterday.”

“You’re cute, you’re funny. Who wouldn’t want that in a woman?”

Minji blushed. “Thanks. But why didn’t you say anything?”

“I saw how much Kai wanted you. And I saw how much you wanted him. And I love Kai too much to break his heart like that. Plus, you two are made for each other. How can I ruin a relationship that’s destined to be together?”

“So basically bros before hoes?”

Suho grinned. “I guess you could say that.”

Minji smiled and stood on her toes to give him a light kiss on the cheek. “You’re a good guy Suho. You deserve someone just as perfect as you.”

           He hugged her and they continued to dance with each other. Over Suho’s shoulder, she could see Kai give her a weak smile as he dragged Bom’s body across the dance floor, listening to her woes.

           Minji and Kai stood at the edge of the lake, looking at the moon’s reflection on the river. The party had ended and everyone had gone home except for the two lovers standing hand in hand on the harbor.

           “So,” Kai began, “what were you and Suho talking about?”

           Minji downed the last of her coke. “That’s what I came to tell you. I’m leaving you for him. Bye , it’s been fun.”

           Minji jokingly walked away from him, then ran back towards him and hugged him.

           Kai kept his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know why I love you.”

           Minji was taken aback by his casual “I love you.” The only other man who had ever said he loved her was her father. And Jin.

           “When did you start loving me?” she asked, her voice a soft whisper.

           He took her hands into his. “Awhile back.”

           “Like when? Give me a specific date and time.”

           “We were at the studio with Hyoyeon and you guys were fighting about how many steps it takes to get to the vending machines,” Kai explained.

           “Twenty-eight steps,” Minji said, remembering how she asked Hyoyeon to get her a drink, but she refused.

           ‘It takes ten steps to go to the machine! Go get a drink yourself!’ Hyoyeon yelled at her.

           ‘It takes more than that! Look!’

           Minji counted each step to the vending machines, tallying a total of twenty-eight. ‘See? I told you it was more. Now get me a drink.’

           ‘Minji, you do realize you could’ve gotten yourself a drink when you were counting the steps?’

           “It was the dumbest fight I’d ever heard, but that fierce determination in your eyes, the way you grumpily accepted defeat against Hyoyeon, it was so quirky and cute, and I couldn’t help but fall in love with you,” Kai said, holding her by the hips.

           Minji kissed him. “I love you, too.”

           He kissed her again and held her under the stars, and as she stood in Kai’s arms and felt his warmth and safety, she thought about what Chaerin had said to her. Life was going to be good, she could feel it too.