Chapter 32
Morning****
The sun rose earlier than usual, casting golden rays of light that poured into the unique, mighty mansion of the Seo family, setting it aglow with morning glory.
In the master bedroom, the sudden ringing of a phone pierced the quiet, waking Mrs. Seo from a deep sleep. She let out a soft yawn, blindly reaching for the nightstand. Without bothering to check the caller ID, she brought the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.
"Good morning to the most beautiful, angelic, and gorgeous lady in all of Korea—and the world," a cheerful voice greeted her.
Recognizing the voice, Mrs. Seo was instantly wide awake. "Joon? My baby boy?"
"Morning, Mother. How are you and Dad doing?"
"I am doing great," she replied smoothly, playfully slapping her sleeping husband's shoulder. "And as for your father, I don't give a *fork*."
Seo Joon burst into laughter on the other end of the line.
"Who is on the phone?" Mr. Seo's deep, groggy voice grumbled as he shifted in bed. Hearing him, Seo Joon tried to muffle his laughter.
"Our son," Mrs. Seo answered, casually handing the phone over to her husband.
"Morning, son," Mr. Seo said, clearing his throat. "I've waited so long to get a call from you again."
*"Again?"* Mrs. Seo gasped, her eyes flying open in shock and utter betrayal.
"Sorry, my fairy," Mr. Seo quickly apologized to his wife, who looked like she was practically foaming at the mouth in mock anger. "I was so overwhelmed with our new car launch that I forgot to tell you."
"So, how is the business, Dad?" Seo Joon's voice chimed through the speaker.
"It was good," Mr. Seo replied proudly. "The car Mr. Park presented left everyone wordless. The McLaren is an absolute call for money."
"Hmm... car dealers," Seo Joon mused with a chuckle. "Well, I have to go now—"
Hearing that, Mrs. Seo snatched the phone right out of her husband's hands. "Without talking to me?!" she yelled, sounding dramatically heartbroken.
"But Mother, you were the first person I spoke to when you picked up the call," Seo Joon reasoned, highly amused.
"If only you knew how much I missed you, son. When are you coming home?" she asked, her tone softening before she suddenly remembered something. "Oh! And I saw your trending picture. Hashtag *BVS lookalikes at a supermarket*."
Seo Joon laughed. "Well, Mother, I'm coming home soon. And as for the trend... let it be what it is."
"Love you, Mom."
"Love you too, son. Take care, and remember to drink your milk!"
"I am *not* a child, Mother," Seo Joon groaned, causing Mr. Seo, who was eavesdropping, to burst into a booming laugh.
"You will always be a child to me! Bye—"
"Wait!" Mr. Seo leaned in close to the phone, sounding genuinely surprised. "Don't you love me too, son?"
"Uh-oh," Seo Joon teased, and Mrs. Seo giggled at her husband's pout.
"I love you, Dad. I love you both," Seo Joon said, his tone turning mischievous. "And I'm really hoping to have a baby sister soon! Bye!"
The line went dead.
"A baby sister?" Mr. Seo asked, eyes wide with shock, wondering if he had heard his son correctly.
His question was answered when Mrs. Seo dropped the phone onto the bedside table. She slid closer to him, her hand gently tracing the lines of his chest, and leaned up to whisper right against his ear.
"Let's give our son a baby sister."
Mr. Seo looked down at his wife, a slow, dark smirk appearing on his lips. "Are you sure about that, woman?"
"Shhhh..." Mrs. Seo murmured, pulling him closer. "Let's find out."
***
At Lucy house in the boys room, Seo Joon dropped his phone onto the table and turned around, only to see Kim Jo and Lee Dae stepping out of the bathroom. Both of them were bare-chested, with nothing but towels wrapped around their waists.
His mouth fell open. "It's only 7:00 AM. Are we going somewhere?"
"Was that the question you *really* wanted to ask?" Lee Dae teased.
Seo Joon smiled, shaking his head as he stood up and walked over to the wardrobe to pick out his clothes.
"Today, we are going to church," Lee Dae declared.
Seo Joon and Kim Jo both froze. **"Church?!"**
"Today isn't Sunday!" Kim Jo shouted.
"I thought you were Catholic?" Seo Joon asked, glancing at Kim Jo.
Kim Jo sighed heavily. "He isn't anymore. He sinned by trying to eat the forbidden fruit," Lee Dae answered for him.
Seo Joon chuckled, reaching up to loosen his hair, letting it fall before flicking it back. Then, a sudden realization crossed his mind. He paused and looked between the two of them. "Wait... did you two take a bath at the same time?"
"Yeah... we did," Kim Jo answered casually, opening his bag to pull out a shirt.
**"What?!"** Seo Joon exclaimed in horror.
"Wifey, what's wrong?" Lee Dae asked playfully. In response, Seo Joon grabbed a pillow from the bed and hurled it straight at him, sending Lee Dae into a fit of laughter.
Just then, a sharp knock echoed on the bedroom door.
"Jimmy! June! Sunny! Are you awake?" Lucy's voice called out from the hallway.
"Yes!" Lee Dae answered.
"Can I come in?"
Seo Joon flashed an evil smirk and shouted, "Yes!" at the exact same time Kim Jo desperately yelled, **"No!!"** The contradictory answers made Seo Joon and Lee Dae burst into laughter.
"Why?" Lucy asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.
"We are naked!" Lee Dae announced proudly.
There was a long pause on the other side of the door. *"Oh."* Lucy cleared her throat. "O-kay... just meet me downstairs when you're done." They could hear her footsteps slowly retreating down the hall.
Kim Jo turned to face Seo Joon, a fierce frown on his face. "Why did you say yes?!"
"But I didn't say anything," Seo Joon replied innocently, expertly removing himself from the blame. "What about Lee Dae? He's the one who announced that you guys were naked!"
"Stop acting innocent," Lee Dae countered.
Kim Jo whirled around to glare at Lee Dae. "And why *did* you announce that we are naked? Seriously? Are we still friends, or are we rivals?!"
Seo Joon chuckled from the corner. "Man, I wish Lucy was here to see this," he muttered.
Suddenly, as if the universe had answered his unintentional prayer, the door clicked open, and Lucy walked right back in.
"Rivals?" Lucy asked, but the moment she saw Kim Jo and Lee Dae standing there in nothing but towels, she instantly squeezed her eyes shut and giggled. "I saw nothing!" she squeaked innocently.
**"SEO JOON! GET HER OUT!"** Kim Jo screamed, frantically grabbing the bedspread and throwing it over himself and Lee Dae.
The boys all laughed, completely forgetting in the chaos that Kim Jo had just called 'Sunny' by his real name. Lucy, however, pretended not to notice the slip-up. She turned around, stepped back out of the room, and firmly closed the door behind her.
Once she was alone in the hallway, she opened her eyes. Still wearing her white pajamas, she walked back to her own room to freshen up. She sat down on the edge of her bed, picked up her phone from the nightstand, and unlocked it. Opening Facebook, she navigated straight to the official BVS fan page, zooming in on a high-definition photo of the idol group and staring intently at their faces.
"They look so alike..." she murmured, her finger gently tracing the screen. "Jimmy has the exact same face as Kim Jo. Same eye color, same nose, same skin tone. And June and Sunny... the resemblance is exactly the same."
She dropped her phone onto the mattress and scratched her head, her mind spinning.
"Please don't tell me the boys I brought into my house are the BVS Kings," she whispered into the quiet room. She snatched the phone up again, glaring at the screen. "What am I saying? How could famous, elite K-pop idols just randomly end up in my house? Seriously, what is wrong with you, Lucy? Didn't you just see the news about BVS performing in California? Stupid."
Scolding herself for her wild imagination, she let out a heavy sigh and fell backward, lying flat on her bed.
***
Later that afternoon, Lucy stepped out of the house. She wore a black-and-white print skirt paired with a pink turtleneck sweater and crisp white sneakers. She had pulled her hair back into a neat ponytail and worked a little magic with her lip gloss, eyeliner, some bangles, and a delicate necklace.
She was almost at the gate when the front door burst open. Kim Jo ran outside, coming to a halt right in front of her.
"Where are you going without me?" he asked, taking her hand.
Lucy smiled. "I just wanted to visit the gallery. Want to come?"
"If I didn't ask, you wouldn't have invited me anyway," Kim Jo teased, shaking his head. "But no, I have a surprise I'm cooking for you. I'll stay home and prepare it so it's ready before you get back. Okay?"
He leaned in closer. "Now, I need a kiss."
Lucy's eyes widened, and she quickly glanced around the yard to check if anybody was watching. "Outside?" she whispered nervously.
"Yes."
He leaned in, but their moment was abruptly broken by the loud *click-click-click* of a camera shutter.
They both snapped their heads toward the house to see Seo Joon and Lee Dae leaning out of the living room window, phones in hand, blatantly taking pictures of them.
"What a beautiful couple you make!" Seo Joon cheered.
"Hey, Jimmy! Let Lucy go, please," Lee Dae whined playfully. "Watching you kiss her right in front of me is making me want to kiss her, too!"
Kim Jo sneered, shooting Lee Dae a lethal glare. **"Don't you dare!"**
Lucy laughed, her face burning slightly. "I have to go. You all are full of drama," she said, pulling her hand away. "I've got to go! See you at dinner!"
She hurried out the gate, flagged down a passing taxi, and left.
The moment her cab disappeared down the street, Kim Jo dropped the romantic act. He spun around, sprinted back into the house, and looked at his bandmates.
"She's gone," he announced, his tone shifting back to the commanding leader they knew. "Let's practice."
Seo Joon and Lee Dae exchanged eager smiles.
***