Chapter 22: Double Trouble & The Battle for Kimi-Bear
48 hours. It had taken exactly forty-eight hours for the seismic waves of Clara's message to reach Seoul. She knew he had landed. She knew he was coming.
The set was buzzing. Lukas was in the middle of a heated debate with Mr. Kim about whether the lead actress should wear "Ecru" or "Eggshell" white—a distinction only Lukas seemed to find life-altering. Clara stood a few feet away with Min-ho, reviewing the day's shooting schedule, though her heart was drumming against her ribs.
She thought back to her conversation with Lukas thirty minutes ago. "Luki, I have a plan to find out who the man with the hat is," she had told him. "It's drastic. You're not going to like it." Lukas had beamed at her with genuine affection. "Clara, darling, I'm just glad you're not burying your head in the sand. Whatever it is, I'll support you. It can't be that bad!"
Oh, how wrong he was.
At that moment, the heavy studio doors swung open.
A figure stepped into the light that looked like an elven rockstar dropped straight out of a high-fashion editorial. Every step he took looked like a choreographed masterpiece, a symphony of arrogance and grace.
Min-ho froze. He blinked, then blinked again. Was he hallucinating? It wasn't enough that he had to deal with one perfect, eccentric Lukas. Now, there was a carbon copy. Is there a nest of gene-manipulated Lukas-clones in Europe? Min-ho wondered, genuinely horrified.
As the newcomer approached, the opening riff of AC/DC's Thunderstruck started playing in Min-ho's head, followed closely by the dread of Ozzy Osbourne's Never Ending Nightmare.
Meanwhile, inside Lukas's head, a high-energy pop remix of Deep Purple's Mistreated was blasting.
The man stopped directly in front of Lukas. By some cruel twist of cosmic fate, he was wearing the exact same ensemble as Lukas, only in a shimmering silver instead of gold.
"Hi, you little brat," the newcomer said, his voice a melodic purr. "How's life?"
Lukas looked like he was about to have an aneurysm. "What are you doing here, you cheap imitation?!"
"I don't know what you mean, sister dearest," the man replied, adjusting his cuffs. "I was invited."
"CLARA!" Lukas's voice echoed through the entire studio, loud enough to stop the cameras. "Clara! Is this the 'drastic measure' you mentioned?!"
Clara stepped forward, looking apologetic. "I told you that you wouldn't like it."
"Not like it? You invited my Nemesis! My arch-enemy!"
"I'm sorry, Lukas, but we need him," Clara said firmly. "We can't do this alone."
Lukas stared into Clara's eyes. He saw the genuine fear she was trying to hide, the shadow of the man with the hat still looming over her. His shoulders slumped. "Fine. Since you're already here, I suppose I can't change it. We'll make the best of it—for Clara. I'd do anything for my best friend."
"Aha," the newcomer—Pascale—sneered playfully. "She might be your friend, but she's mine too. And she asked me for help, so stop acting like you own her."
To demonstrate their bond, Lukas grabbed Clara's right hand. Not to be outdone, Pascale immediately seized her left.
Min-ho, watching from the sidelines, felt his blood begin to boil. Eifersucht—jealousy—surged through him like a physical heat. It wasn't enough that Lukas was a constant distraction; now he had a double vying for Ji-soo's attention. Ji-soo was a dream woman—his dream woman—and he would not let her be seduced by these cloned Europeans.
Min-ho strode over and forcefully pried both their hands off her. "Enough. I am the producer of this show, and you are disrupting my set. Go over there and... breathe. Separately."
Just then, Mr. Kim wandered over, his eyes widening as he saw Pascale. He looked back and forth between the twins, utterly speechless.
Pascale's eyes lit up as he spotted him. "Oh, hello there, handsome. And who might we be?"
"That is Mr. Kim," Lukas hissed, stepping in front of him.
"Oh, Mr. Kim. Such a lovely name," Pascale cooed, leaning past Lukas. "And do we have a first name, my beautiful man?"
Lukas bristled, pushing Pascale back. "Mine. Mr. Kim. His name is Mine, with a heavy emphasis on the Mine."
Pascale laughed, a sharp, delighted sound. "Well, hello there, Mine Mr. Kim."
"Stop! Right there!" Lukas pulled his 'Kimi-bear' behind his back like a shield. "For you, you spawn of hell, it is just Mr. Kim. He belongs to me!