Chapter 44
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Behind the Scenes: The Transformation
Hours before the first camera flash, the illusion of the ordinary boys disappeared.
Backstage at the BVS Kings Event Center, everything was noise.
Hair dryers roared. Makeup brushes moved rapidly across faces. Stylists shouted instructions over one another while assistants carried garment bags, jewelry boxes, shoes, microphones, and last-minute accessories from one dressing room to another.
The boys who had spent days pretending to be ordinary young men were being transformed into the most famous performers in the country.
Seo-joon sat in front of a large mirror while a stylist worked through his usually untidy hair, shaping it into deliberate, dark waves. His simple clothes had been replaced by a fitted burgundy velvet blazer, black trousers, polished boots, and several heavy silver chains.
He stared at his reflection for a moment.
The familiar face was still there.
But the softness was gone.
Tonight, he was Seo-joon of the BVS Kings.
Across the room, Lee-dae leaned back in a makeup chair while another stylist carefully darkened his eyes with smoky kohl. His leather vest exposed his arms, and several silver bracelets circled his wrists.
He looked at himself and gave a small, humorless smile.
"Ready?" one of the stylists asked.
Lee-dae exhaled.
"No."
The stylist laughed, assuming he was joking.
He wasn't.
Then there was Kim-Jo.
His dressing room was quieter.
The door remained closed while everyone else rushed around outside.
Kim-Jo sat alone before the mirror.
The reflection staring back at him barely resembled the man Lucy knew.
His dark hair had been styled perfectly, every strand falling exactly where it was supposed to. His eyes were framed with subtle black liner, making them appear sharper, darker, almost dangerous.
His suit was midnight black, tailored perfectly to his body and scattered with tiny dark crystals that caught the light whenever he moved.
He slowly adjusted one of the silver rings around his finger.
Then another.
His hands were shaking.
He stopped.
For a moment, he simply stared at them.
Tonight wasn't another concert.
It wasn't another performance.
Tonight, he had to gamble everything.
His career.
His relationship with his father.
His brothers.
And Lucy.
Especially Lucy.
He closed his eyes.
"Please believe me."
The thought came before he could stop it.
But another thought followed.
"What happens when she learns the truth?"
His chest tightened.
He opened his eyes again.
The man in the mirror looked calm.
But inside, Kim-Jo was terrified.
---
Miles Away
A crimson Ferrari rolled quietly to a stop outside an exclusive salon.
The driver stepped out and opened the door.
Lucy emerged.
And for several seconds, even the driver simply stared.
She looked nothing like the girl who had been working in a small kitchen only days earlier.
Her crimson strapless gown flowed around her body, elegant and dramatic without appearing forced. The fabric caught the light whenever she moved, giving the impression that she was walking through a river of red silk.
Her dark hair fell down her back in soft, loose waves.
Her makeup was delicate, emphasizing rather than hiding her natural features.
She touched the side of her dress nervously.
"Is this really necessary?" she asked.
The driver smiled politely.
"Tonight? Yes."
Lucy looked down at herself.
She still felt like herself.
That was the strange part.
Everyone else seemed to see some beautiful woman stepping out of a Ferrari.
Lucy still felt like the same girl who worried about rent, argued with three ridiculous boys over dirty dishes, and fell asleep exhausted after long days.
She had no idea that tonight she was walking directly into a secret that would change her entire life.
---
The Red Carpet
The night outside the BVS Kings Event Center was electric.
Hundreds of fans crowded behind barriers. Reporters shouted questions. Camera flashes erupted continuously, turning the entrance into a storm of white light.
Yi-jung and Ga-eul arrived first in a sleek red sports car.
The crowd erupted.
They stepped out with the effortless confidence of people who had spent years under cameras.
Shortly afterward, a black Range Rover arrived.
Mr. and Mrs. Park stepped out first, greeting reporters with elegant smiles.
Paige followed.
Unlike everyone else, she wasn't surprised by the evening's arrangements.
She knew.
And the tiny smile on her lips suggested she was waiting for a particular moment.
Security quickly formed a human wall around the family.
Then another vehicle approached.
The crowd grew louder.
A crimson Ferrari 488 GTB rolled slowly onto the carpet.
Every camera turned.
The vehicle stopped.
The driver's door opened.
Then Lucy stepped out.
For one heartbeat, the entire entrance seemed to pause.
The red gown shimmered beneath the lights.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
"Who is she?"
"Is she an actress?"
"Is she one of the Kings' girlfriends?"
"She's beautiful."
Lucy heard none of it clearly.
She simply stood there, overwhelmed.
A security guard approached and offered his arm.
"This way, Miss."
Lucy nodded nervously.
She followed him inside.
She had been told only that she had a special invitation.
She had been told nothing about what was waiting for her.
When she reached the VIP section, she stopped.
The seats were directly in front of the stage.
The best seats in the entire arena.
Lucy slowly sat down.
She looked around.
Thousands of people were already filling the stadium.
The lights glowed above them.
The stage was enormous.
She smiled despite herself.
"Wow."
For a few precious seconds, she forgot everything else.
She didn't know that the person she had come to see was about to reveal the biggest secret of his life.
---
The Realization
The lights suddenly died.
The entire arena went black.
The crowd exploded.
Lucy jumped in her seat.
Then—
BOOM.
Pyrotechnics erupted across the stage.
Gold and white light tore through the darkness.
Smoke rolled across the floor.
The bass struck so hard that Lucy felt it against her ribs.
The BVS Kings rose from beneath the stage.
The crowd screamed their names.
Lucy laughed excitedly.
She leaned forward.
Then the spotlight found the guitarist.
Her smile disappeared.
Her eyes widened.
"Wait..."
The guitarist turned.
Lee-dae.
Lucy stopped breathing.
"No..."
The lights shifted.
The bass player stepped forward.
Seo-joon.
Her stomach dropped.
She stared at him as if her mind had suddenly stopped functioning.
"That can't..."
Then the final spotlight descended.
Center stage.
Kim-Jo stood beneath it.
He slowly raised his head.
Lucy saw the dark eyes.
The sharp jaw.
The familiar mouth.
The same face that had smiled at her across her kitchen.
The same man who had sat beside her when she cried.
The same man who had called himself Jimmy.
Her entire body went cold.
"Jimmy."
The music continued.
But Lucy couldn't hear it anymore.
Everything around her became distant.
The crowd.
The lights.
The screaming.
The instruments.
All of it dissolved into a strange underwater hum.
Her fingers curled around the arms of her chair.
Jimmy is Kim-Jo.
Her breathing became shallow.
Kim-Jo is one of the BVS Kings.
The realization continued crashing through her.
Lee-dae.
Seo-joon.
All of them.
The boys who had eaten her food.
The boys who had slept under her roof.
The boys she had scolded.
The boys she had trusted.
They had been lying to her.
Every single day.
Her stomach twisted.
She needed to leave.
Now.
Lucy pushed herself halfway out of her chair.
She didn't care about the cameras.
She didn't care about the dress.
She didn't care about the thousands of people around her.
She just needed to escape.
But then Kim-Jo began singing.
His voice was soft.
Tender.
The words reached her through the chaos.
And then he looked directly at her.
His eyes found hers.
He didn't look at anyone else.
The performance suddenly felt different.
Personal.
Intimate.
Almost like the entire concert had been built around that one moment.
Lucy froze.
Kim-Jo stepped away from the stage.
The crowd screamed.
He walked toward the VIP section.
Straight toward her.
Lucy backed away.
"Jimmy..."
He reached her.
His hand closed gently around hers.
Warm.
Familiar.
The same hand she had held before.
Except now it felt completely different.
He looked into her frightened eyes.
And without saying a word, he gently pulled her toward the stage.
---
The Spotlight
The moment Lucy stepped onto the stage, thousands of camera flashes exploded.
She flinched.
The spotlight swallowed her.
Kim-Jo stood beside her.
For the first time that night, his confidence disappeared.
He looked at her—not as the famous Kim-Jo, not as the lead singer of the BVS Kings, but as the frightened girl he had fallen in love with.
He lifted the microphone.
"Dear, sweet Lucy..."
His voice was soft enough that it almost sounded like he was speaking only to her.
Lucy swallowed.
"Jimmy..."
Her voice trembled.
"I'm scared."
She looked at the crowd.
"There are so many people."
Then she looked back at him.
"You..."
Her voice broke.
"Who are you?"
Kim-Jo's expression tightened.
He stepped closer.
"There is nothing to be afraid of."
His voice softened.
"If anyone should be afraid tonight..."
He swallowed.
"It should be me."
Lucy stared at him.
"Why?"
Kim-Jo looked at her for several seconds.
"Because I don't know what happens after tonight."
Something inside Lucy shifted.
Despite everything, she recognized that look.
The same desperate look he had given her before.
The same eyes that had made her feel safe.
She didn't understand it.
She didn't trust it.
But she couldn't completely reject it either.
For one terrible second, she wanted to believe him.
She wanted Jimmy to still be Jimmy.
Then a voice came from the darkness.
"How absolutely touching."
Kim-Jo froze.
Lucy's eyes moved toward the stage wings.
The music stopped.
Every instrument went silent.
The arena fell into an unnatural stillness.
Then footsteps began.
Slow.
Measured.
Step.
Silence.
Step.
Silence.
Step.
A man emerged from the shadows.
Cha-woo.
He wore an immaculate black suit.
No unnecessary jewelry.
No exaggerated expression.
No frantic movements.
Just a microphone loosely held in one hand.
He walked slowly toward the center of the stage.
He looked almost bored.
That was what made him frightening.
He didn't need to announce himself.
His presence did that for him.
Cha-woo stopped several feet away.
He looked at Kim-Jo.
Then Lucy.
A faint smile appeared.
"Look at this."
His deep voice rolled through the arena.
"The great Kim-Jo."
He paused.
"And his sweet little Cinderella."
The audience murmured.
Kim-Jo's face hardened.
"Cha-woo."
Cha-woo ignored him.
He slowly walked around them.
"A beautiful fairy tale."
He looked toward the audience.
"The mysterious girl."
Then back at Lucy.
"The famous singer."
His smile widened.
"True love."
He gave a quiet laugh.
"How adorable."
Lucy felt something cold crawl down her spine.
She know this man.
And whatever or something about the way he looked at her made her instinctively want to step away.
Cha-woo stopped.
His expression changed.
The amusement disappeared.
His eyes became cold.
"But fairy tales have a problem."
He raised the microphone.
"They always leave out the ugly parts."
Kim-Jo stepped forward.
"Don't."
Cha-woo looked at him.
"Don't what?"
"Leave her out of this."
Cha-woo smiled.
"Her?"
He turned toward Lucy.
"You mean the innocent girl?"
He tilted his head.
"The angel?"
Lucy felt her heart sink.
Cha-woo's voice became quieter.
"And yet..."
He pointed directly at her.
"Angels aren't supposed to have blood on their hands."
The crowd went silent.
Lucy stared at him.
"What?"
Cha-woo's eyes never left hers.
"You think she's innocent?"
His voice remained calm.
"You think she's some helpless little orphan who simply stumbled into Kim-Jo's life?"
A murmur moved through the crowd.
Lucy couldn't breathe.
Cha-woo continued.
"Look closely."
He took another slow step toward her.
"She is the girl who brought death to her own parents."
The words struck her like a physical blow.
Everything stopped.
Lucy couldn't move.
Couldn't blink.
Couldn't breathe.
Her childhood.
Her parents.
The accident.
The guilt.
The memories she had spent years trying to bury.
Cha-woo had dragged all of it into the light.
In front of thousands of people.
A choked sound escaped her throat.
Kim-Jo immediately moved in front of her.
"Enough!"
His voice thundered across the arena.
He dropped his microphone.
"Cut his mic!"
No one moved.
Kim-Jo turned toward the technicians.
"TURN IT OFF!"
Still nothing.
Cha-woo simply smiled.
Kim-Jo grabbed Lucy's shoulders.
"Lucy."
She didn't respond.
"Lucy, look at me."
Her eyes remained fixed somewhere beyond him.
"Don't listen to him."
He gently shook her.
"Look at me."
Her eyes finally found his.
Kim-Jo's face was filled with panic.
"I'm here."
He lowered his voice.
"I'm right here."
For one second, Lucy wanted to believe him.
Then Cha-woo spoke again.
And this time, he didn't shout.
He didn't need to.
"Playing the brave knight now?"
Kim-Jo went completely still.
Cha-woo walked closer.
"That's beautiful."
He stood behind Kim-Jo.
"Almost convincing."
Kim-Jo's jaw tightened.
"Shut up."
Cha-woo's smile disappeared.
"Why?"
He leaned slightly toward him.
"Afraid she'll hear the truth?"
Kim-Jo didn't answer.
Cha-woo looked toward Lucy.
"Should I tell her?"
"Don't."
"Or perhaps..."
Cha-woo lowered his voice.
"...you should."
Kim-Jo's hands slowly fell from Lucy's shoulders.
Cha-woo's next words were almost gentle.
"Tell her why you really found her."
Lucy looked at Kim-Jo.
Her heart began pounding again.
"Jimmy?"
Kim-Jo's face drained of color.
Cha-woo continued.
"Tell her you never intended to love her."
Lucy stared at him.
"No..."
"Tell her she was useful."
Kim-Jo closed his eyes.
"Cha-woo..."
"Tell her she was convenient."
Lucy's lips trembled.
"What is he talking about?"
Kim-Jo opened his eyes.
He looked at her.
And that was all Cha-woo needed.
"Tell her the truth."
Cha-woo's voice became almost a whisper.
"You needed someone to take the fall."
Lucy stared at Kim-Jo.
His silence was unbearable.
"You needed someone your father wouldn't suspect."
Kim-Jo's eyes filled with guilt.
"You needed a fake girlfriend."
Lucy's face went completely still.
"A shield."
Cha-woo paused.
"A poor, broken girl with nowhere else to go."
Lucy's lips parted.
No sound came out.
Kim-Jo whispered her name.
"Lucy..."
She flinched.
Not dramatically.
Just enough to show that his voice no longer felt safe.
"You lied to me."
Kim-Jo stepped forward.
"Lucy, listen—"
"You lied."
Her voice was barely audible.
But the microphone picked it up.
The entire arena heard her.
Kim-Jo stopped.
Lucy looked at him.
She had waited for him to deny it.
She had waited for him to laugh.
She had waited for him to call Cha-woo insane.
She had waited for Jimmy.
But Jimmy didn't come.
Kim-Jo stood before her.
Silent.
Guilty.
And that silence destroyed the last piece of hope she had been holding onto.
A single tear slipped down her cheek.
She slowly removed his hand from hers.
Her fingers were trembling.
"You used me."
Kim-Jo shook his head.
"No."
But his voice lacked conviction.
Lucy took one step backward.
"You used me."
"I didn't know..."
"You used me."
"I didn't know I would—"
He stopped.
Lucy stared at him.
"Would what?"
Kim-Jo couldn't answer.
"Love me?"
His eyes closed.
That was the answer.
Lucy laughed once.
It wasn't a happy laugh.
It was broken.
Empty.
"You should have told me."
Kim-Jo looked at her.
"I'm sorry."
She shook her head.
"Don't."
She stepped backward again.
"Don't say you're sorry."
The spotlight remained fixed on her.
Thousands of people were watching.
But Lucy no longer saw them.
She only saw him.
The boy who had made her feel safe.
The boy who had held her when she was afraid.
The boy who had looked at her as though she mattered.
And now she understood.
Perhaps some of those moments had been real.
Perhaps some had not.
And somehow, that uncertainty hurt even more.
Lucy wiped the tear from her cheek.
Then she looked at Kim-Jo one final time.
"I trusted you."
Her voice cracked.
Kim-Jo's expression collapsed.
"Lucy..."
She took another step backward.
This time, he didn't reach for her.
Because he knew.
There was nothing he could say that would undo what had just happened.
The girl who had walked onto the stage believing she was about to discover a beautiful secret was no longer standing there.
Something inside her had broken.
And in front of thousands of witnesses, Lucy turned away from Kim-Jo.
The spotlight followed her.
But she didn't look back.