The first note came out of Chloe’s mouth and Jordan’s brain short-circuited.

Her voice was silk. Honey. Velvet wrapped around every syllable.

The Korean lyrics appeared on the screen in white text, English translations scrolling beneath.

"밤이 깊어질수록 / As the night deepens"

"너의 눈빛이 날 감싸 / Your gaze surrounds me"

Chloe’s eyes were half-closed. Her body swayed with the beat, hips rolling in a figure eight that made Jordan’s mouth go dry.

She sang like breathing. Natural. Effortless. The kind of voice that made the air in the room feel thicker.

Kyle stopped mid-chew. Chicken forgotten.

Leo’s jaw hung open.

Alexis set down her soju glass, eyes wide.

Kumiko was grinning like she’d just won a prize.

"속삭여줘 달콤한 말들을 / Whisper sweet words to me"

"이 밤이 끝나지 않도록 / So this night never ends"

Chloe’s free hand traced down her own neck. Slow. Deliberate. Her fingers brushed the hollow of her throat where Jordan had left a mark earlier. The movement looked accidental but it wasn’t. Nothing about the way she moved right now was accidental.

The song built. The bass line kicked in harder.

"가까이 와 더 가까이 / Come closer, even closer"

"너의 숨결이 느껴져 / I can feel your breath"

Her voice climbed higher. Breathy on the verses, powerful on the chorus. She held notes longer than should’ve been possible without running out of air.

Jordan forgot how to sit like a normal person. His spine went rigid. His hands gripped his thighs hard enough to hurt.

Chloe’s eyes opened.

She looked directly at him.

"Touch me like you mean it" the English subtitle read. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Her Korean pronunciation was flawless. The way her mouth shaped the words made something coil low in Jordan’s gut.

This wasn’t just singing. This was a performance. A show designed to make everyone in the room forget their own names.

And it was working.

Kumiko was bouncing in her seat. Alexis leaned forward. Kyle’s expression had gone from casual interest to genuine shock.

Leo whispered something that sounded like "holy shit."

The second verse hit.

"네 손길이 닿는 곳마다 / Everywhere your hands touch"

"불꽃이 번져 / Fire spreads"

Chloe spun. Her skirt lifted just enough to show the tops of her thigh-highs. She caught the fabric with one hand and pulled it down smoothly, never missing a beat.

The movement looked practiced. Professional.

Jordan realized with sudden clarity that this wasn’t the first time she’d done this. The confidence. The stage presence. The way she owned every inch of space around her.

Calypso.

The thought hit him sideways.

She performed for a camera every week. Moved her body in ways designed to hypnotize strangers on the internet. This was that energy channeled through music instead of silence.

"너 없인 숨을 쉴 수 없어 / Without you I can’t breathe"

"이 밤을 채워줘 / Fill this night"

Her voice dropped to a whisper on the last line. The microphone barely picked it up. Everyone leaned in anyway.

Then the bridge.

Her voice soared.

High. Clear. Devastating.

"Take me higher, don’t let go" the subtitle read.

"Stay with me until the morning comes"

She threw her head back. Her throat was exposed. The blue streak in her hair caught the colored lights from the TV screen, flashing pink then gold then white.

Jordan’s heart slammed against his ribs.

He forgot about Leo. About Alexis. About the quest timer counting down in his pocket.

Right now there was just Chloe. Her voice. The curve of her neck. The way her chest rose and fell with each breath.

The final chorus hit like a freight train.

"이 순간이 영원하길 / I wish this moment would last forever"

"너와 나 둘만의 세계 / A world with just you and me"

She held the last note. The sound stretched out longer than should have been possible without breathing. Her voice stayed clear. Steady. No wobble. No break.

Nobody moved.

The note finally released.

The backing track faded to nothing.

The room stayed quiet for three full seconds.

Then Kumiko exploded.

She shot to her feet so fast her chair rocked backwards. Her hands came together in frantic bursts that sounded like gunshots.

"OH MY GOD THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!"

Kyle started clapping. Leo scrambled to do the same a beat later. Even Alexis brought her hands together, her face doing something complicated where she clearly wanted to look unimpressed but couldn’t quite pull it off.

Jordan sat frozen.

His fingers were still gripping his thighs hard enough to hurt. His mouth tasted like chalk. His brain had stopped forming coherent thoughts somewhere around the second chorus and hadn’t recovered yet.

Chloe crossed back to the booth like she’d just ordered coffee instead of committing vocal homicide. She set the microphone down on the lacquered wood table with a soft click. Slid back into her seat next to Jordan. Her shoulder brushed his arm.

She reached for her soju bottle. Poured herself another shot in the tiny glass. Tilted her head back and downed it in one smooth motion.

Her throat moved with the swallow.

Jordan watched. Couldn’t help it.

She set the empty glass down and finally looked at him. Her eyes were bright. A little wild. Still riding whatever high came from performing like that in front of people who actually knew her name.

"Your turn," she said.

Jordan blinked. "What?"

"You heard me." She smiled. Sweet. Innocent. The complete opposite of what she’d just done. "Your turn to sing."

"No."

"Yes."

"I just watched you commit murder with a microphone. I’m not following that."

Kumiko bounced over. "She’s right. You have to go."

"I really don’t."

"House rules. Everyone sings at least once."

Kyle grabbed the microphone and shoved it at Jordan. "Do it. Take the hit."

Jordan looked at the microphone. Looked at Chloe. She was still smiling. Still waiting.

Her knee pressed against his under the table.

Warm. Insistent.

He took the microphone.

Stood up.

Walked to the front of the room like a man heading toward execution.

His hands felt clammy. The microphone was heavier than it should’ve been.

He scrolled through the song list. English songs. Korean songs. Japanese songs. Nothing looked remotely safe.

"Pick something," Kumiko called out.

"Patience."

"We don’t have all night."

Jordan stopped scrolling. Stared at the screen.

He selected a song. Careless Whisper.

The saxophone started.

That slow, sensual opening that everyone recognized within three notes.

Jordan sighed. Closed his eyes. Opened them.

The lyrics hadn’t even started yet and he already regretted every decision that led to this moment.

Kyle was grinning like Christmas morning. Leo looked confused. Kumiko had her phone out recording. Alexis was watching with the kind of detached interest people reserve for car accidents.

Chloe’s expression was unreadable.

Jordan gripped the microphone tighter. Rolled his shoulders back. If he was going down, he was going down swinging.