Page 78 of K-Pop Double Life

Liam and one of Jason’s officers were steering her backward now, but she kept fighting.

“We’re meant to be together! You know that!”

“Jin.” Aidan’s voice was low and controlled beside me. “Step back.”

I obeyed without argument. The woman was still screaming as security forced her through the doors. “I LOVE YOU!”

The doors slammed shut.

A moment of silence, then the room erupted into overlapping voices in English and Korean. “Oh my God!”

“Was she armed?”

“Is everyone okay?”

“Call the police!”

I realized my hands were shaking. Sang-hoon turned toward me, his face gone pale.

“Are you hurt?”

I shook my head. But my throat felt tight, and suddenly the room seemed too warm, too crowded, the expensive restaurant air pressing against my skin.

Eun-ji appeared and looked like she was already calculating press fallout. “The situation is under control,” she announced, too brightly.

Liam came back a moment later, jaw tight. “Obsessive fan,” he announced to the crowd. “No weapon.”

No weapon. As though that should make it better.

I looked at Aidan. “Is this connected?”

Aidan exchanged a glance with Liam.

“No,” Liam said after a beat. “If this were the person targeting you, she wouldn’t have announced herself from across the room.”

That should have reassured me. Instead, it made something cold settle in my chest.

Because if this wasn’t our real threat, then somewhere out there was someone smarter. Someone quieter. Someone patient enough to wait.

31

POSSESSION

JIN — NEW YORK

Tuesday June 2, 2026

The morning of our Madison Square Garden concert, we had one more interview, with a major K-pop news outlet, conducted in Korean, which was a relief after speaking English the day before. The interviewer was professional, asking thoughtful questions about the tour, our creative process, what it meant to bring K-pop to international stages.

“There’s been some speculation about security incidents during the tour. Can you address fans’ concerns about your safety?”

I gave the approved answer automatically. Technical malfunction in Cannes, enhanced security protocols, full confidence in our team.

But as I spoke, I remembered the young woman at Genesis House.

Most fans weren’t like that. Most waited behind barriers in the cold, spent money they probably shouldn’t on albums and merch, cried when we noticed them in a crowd. They loved the version of us we gave them, and usually that love stayed harmless, even when it felt overwhelming.

What had happened at dinner was something else.