Chapter 35: The Night Pool Party
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Later that night, the backyard was transformed into a bizarre but magical wonderland.
Kim Jo, Lee Dae, and Seo Joon were in the glowing swimming pool, bare-chested and wearing nothing but their swimming boxers. But this wasn't a normal late-night swim. The surface of the water was completely covered in floating candies, wrapped chocolate bars, colorful beach balls, and glowing pool floats. Off to the side, sitting safely on a poolside table, was a massive, two-layer strawberry cake.
Kim Jo plucked a floating chocolate bar from the water, peeled back the wrapper, and was just about to take a bite when the sliding glass door opened.
Lucy stepped out into the night air.
The chocolate bar slipped right out of Kim Jo's fingers, splashing into the water. The soft sound caught Lee Dae and Seo Joon's attention, and they turned to see what had caused their leader to freeze. After the memorable outfit she had worn the last time they swam together, they braced themselves. But when they raised their eyes to look at her, all three boys collectively gasped.
Lucy walked slowly toward the edge of the pool, looking absolutely breathtaking. She was wearing a stunning brown sequin bikini that perfectly complemented her skin tone, featuring a completely open back. Over it, she wore a sheer, black lace long-sleeve cover-up, intricately dotted with sparkling silver rhinestones that caught the pool lights. Her hair was left loose, cascading down her shoulders in soft waves, and a simple touch of pink lip gloss caught the moonlight.
She looked effortlessly beautiful, carrying an aura of innocent sexiness that completely paralyzed the three idols.
When she reached the edge of the pool, she gave them a bright, enchanting smile. "Hello... what's up?"
Kim Jo blinked. Once, twice, three times, desperately trying to compose himself. He looked down at the floating, ruined chocolate bar by his chest, shook his head slowly, and then forced his gaze back up to Lucy's glowing eyes. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. His heartbeat was hammering wildly against his ribs, and he could literally feel his toes curling against the floor of the pool.
"Lucy... you... look... gorgeous," Kim Jo managed to breathe out, his dark eyes locked intensely on her light brown ones.
"Oh... oh my!" Seo Joon exclaimed, completely abandoning his cool persona and practically swimming toward her. "You are too beautiful to be his! Be mine, please!"
Kim Jo immediately snapped out of his trance and shot Seo Joon a lethal, warning glare that could freeze boiling water. Catching the murderous look, Seo Joon dramatically clutched his chest, pretended he had just been shot by Kim Jo's glare, and let himself sink backward into the water.
"Help me..." Seo Joon gurgled theatrically, looking at Lee Dae.
Lee Dae ignored the dramatic display entirely. Instead, he quietly waded over to the edge of the pool, discreetly grabbed his phone, and snapped a quick, stunning photo of Lucy. Then, with a sly smile, he took a second picture—this one of Kim Jo staring up at her like a completely spellbound puppy.
Meanwhile, Lucy laughed at Seo Joon's fake drowning. "Oh, please," she said, her eyes scanning the chaotic water. "So many candies, chocolates, and balls... are we having a party?"
"And oh, a cake too!" Seo Joon added, popping back up from the water and pointing toward the table where the two-layer strawberry masterpiece sat.
Lucy's eyes widened. "Cake?! Whose birthday are we celebrating?" She looked from Kim Jo, to Lee Dae, to Seo Joon, and then back to Kim Jo.
"No birthday celebration yet," Lee Dae answered with a warm smile. "But yours is coming up soon. Let's take this as an advance celebration."
"And also," Kim Jo added, his trademark charming smirk returning, "there is a surprise hidden inside the cake. Whoever eats their way to the surprise first is the winner."
"So, are you in or out?" Seo Joon asked, splashing the water.
Lucy's smile widened from ear to ear. "I'm in!"
"Then let's party!" Seo Joon yelled.
Right on cue, the backyard lights shifted into a vibrant, flashing party mode, and upbeat dance music started booming from the outdoor speakers.
"Come on, Lucy! Jump in! Your man will catch you!" Seo Joon shouted over the heavy bass.
"Come on in, Lucy," Lee Dae added, swimming backward into the deeper end.
Lucy smiled, but instead of leaping, she walked to the steps and slowly waded into the warm water, letting her sparkling lace cover-up float around her.
"Argh, I was hoping you would jump in and let Kim Jo catch you," Lee Dae complained playfully.
The moment the real name left Lee Dae's lips, the three idols froze in absolute, icy terror.
*Kim Jo.* He hadn't said *Jimmy*.
The boys stared at Lucy with wide eyes, their hearts stopping. But Lucy just threw her head back and laughed, splashing water at them. Between the booming party music and her own excitement, it was clear she hadn't caught the slip-up.
The boys let out a synchronized, massive breath of relief.
"Criminal!" Lucy yelled at Lee Dae, splashing him again.
"What did I do?!" Lee Dae asked, throwing his hands up innocently.
"You know exactly what you're doing! Stop pretending!" Lucy laughed.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Kim Jo swam closer to Lucy. He moved smoothly through the water, swimming circles around her and flashing his devastating smile, deliberately letting his bare arm brush against her waist as he passed.
Seo Joon saw the sneaky move and shrieked. "Don't do that here, you brat!!!"
The entire pool erupted into laughter. For the next two hours, they forgot about the outside world. They played in the water, threw beach balls, ate floating chocolates, and acted like normal, carefree kids.
***
"Time for the competition!" Lee Dae finally yelled over the music.
They all scrambled out of the pool, dripping wet, and gathered tightly around the table holding the giant strawberry cake. They surrounded it like hungry wolves, their hands hovering over the icing, ready to dig in.
"Are we ready?" Lee Dae asked, his eyes darting between the competitors.
"Yeah!" they all screamed.
"One... two... **THREE!**"
Absolute chaos ensued. They all dove into the cake face-first, using their hands to scoop massive chunks of strawberry sponge and frosting, eating as fast as humanly possible. Frosting flew everywhere, covering their faces and hands. They dug from the top down to the bottom in a frantic, hilarious mess.
Suddenly, Lucy's fingers hit something wrapped in plastic at the very bottom of the cake board. She yanked it out, holding up a frosting-covered envelope triumphantly.
"I won!" she yelled in pure excitement.
The three idols stopped eating, exchanging knowing, secretive glances as they watched her wipe the frosting off the envelope and tear it open.
Lucy pulled out the glossy piece of paper. Her eyes scanned the text, and she let out a piercing, deafening scream of joy.
It was a VIP ticket to see the **BVS Kings **live in concert—scheduled exactly on her birthday!
Overjoyed, she threw her arms around Kim Jo's neck and planted a massive, frosting-covered peck right on his cheek, leaving the idol blushing furiously under the backyard lights.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she cheered, jumping up and down.
But then, as she looked down at the premium ticket again, the excitement slowly drained from her face. She paused. The gears in her head started turning.
Lucy slowly turned around, a deep frown replacing her smile. She began to walk in a slow, interrogating circle around the three frosting-covered boys.
"Wait a minute..." Lucy started, her voice dropping into a suspicious murmur. "The last time I checked... getting VIP tickets to a BVS concert is practically impossible. They sell out in seconds, and they are incredibly expensive."
She stopped dead in her tracks, crossing her arms and glaring at them.
"How... did you three get this ticket?"
The three "broke" boys completely froze. Their eyes darted nervously between Lucy and each other. Their cover story was dangling by a thread.
Without a single word of coordination, Kim Jo, Lee Dae, and Seo Joon spun on their heels and sprinted away from the poolside, fleeing toward the safety of the house as fast as their legs could carry them.
Lucy stood by the destroyed cake, watching the three of them scramble over each other to get through the sliding glass door. She let out a long sigh, a fond, amused smile creeping back onto her face as she shook her head.
"Boys..." she muttered to herself, clutching the precious ticket to her chest.