Tycoon Actor 491

The iHeartRadio Music Awards had ended, but hundreds of fans still lingered outside the arena, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars—Taylor Swift, BTS, Cardi B, Shawn Mendes, and most curiously, Lucas Knight.

The crowd buzzed with chatter about the unexpected twist of the night: Lucas revealing himself to be the fake Marshmello on stage.

Because of the prank, many fans had missed him on the red carpet. Now, realizing he’d actually been at the event, they were eager to see him up close.

Lucas, along with Taylor and a few others, was quickly surrounded. Fortunately, barricades and security kept things under control.

Taylor and the others graciously interacted with fans, waving and smiling. Lucas, on the other hand, attracted a smaller crowd—surprisingly so.

That was because most people hadn’t expected him to attend. Of the few who gathered around him, only a handful were true Lucas fans. The rest were just swept up by his celebrity status.

He handpicked about ten of them from the front row. The lucky group was buzzing with disbelief and excitement as they gathered close.

One girl, in particular, stood out. She was young—barely eighteen by the look of it—with soft black hair and a gentle, nervous smile. When her turn came, she stepped forward and said, “I really hope you’ll keep acting… and making music for us, despite everything that’s happened.”

Lucas looked at her, touched by the sincerity in her voice. She wasn’t screaming or asking for a hundred photos. Her tone was warm. Genuine.

He smiled, then gently patted her head. Standing at over six feet, he towered slightly over her five-seven frame. “Thank you,” he said softly. “That means a lot. Don’t worry. Whatever challenges come—I can handle them. Easy stuff.”

The girl’s cheeks flushed. “Then I’m happy,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

She wasn’t used to this kind of interaction. Most celebrities offered a smile, maybe a word or two. Lucas… was different. It felt genuine.

Then, with shy hands, she handed him something—a copy of Knight, his debut and only full-length album to date. Despite his sporadic singles, he hadn’t followed up with a second release. The fact that she brought it tonight was sheer luck.

No one could’ve guessed Lucas Knight would show up at iHeartRadio—let alone undercover. She and her friends had only come because his song was nominated. Bringing the album had been a spontaneous decision.

As Lucas uncapped the marker and signed the album cover, he glanced up and asked, “What’s your name?”

The girl blinked, caught off guard. “Aiko,” she replied.

He smiled again and carefully wrote her name beside his signature before handing the album back to her.

Aiko looked down at it, cradling it like a treasure.

It was a moment she would never forget.

Since Aiko was the last in line, Lucas was ready to head out. If he lingered any longer, he’d be mobbed—fans of other artists were now eyeing him too, itching for a photo or autograph.

“Nice meeting you, Aiko,” he said with a warm nod. “I’ll be going now.”

He turned to leave.

But just as he took a step, Aiko’s voice stopped him. “W-When will you release another album?”

The question escaped her lips before she could stop it.

Lucas paused, glanced over his shoulder, and offered a small smile. “Second album?” He tilted his head playfully. “Maybe… after I start my world tour?”

It sounded playful—speculative at best—but to Aiko, it was everything.

Her eyes widened, and a bright smile bloomed across her face as she clutched the Knight album tightly against her chest. ‘A world tour? Is he finally going all in on music?’

The thought alone made her heart race.

As Lucas disappeared behind security, she turned to her friends, nearly bursting with excitement. “He said he might release a second album after a world tour! Can you believe that?”

They lit up with joy, and their excited chatter quickly became a memory they knew they'd hold onto forever.

---

Lucas stepped off the red carpet, security flanking him as he made his way toward the waiting SUV. But just beyond the fan cheers and velvet ropes, a pack of reporters lurked—ready to strike.

The moment they spotted him, they surged forward like wolves catching the scent of blood. Their flashing cameras were the snapping jaws, their booming questions the growls of hunger.

“Lucas Knight! You seem to walk without fear! Are you really that confident you're safe now?”

“Why show up at the iHeartRadio Awards as Marshmello? Are you friends with the real one?”

“What’s your relationship with the DJ? Are you working on a collaboration?”

“Can you confirm the identity of the mastermind behind the shooting?”

Lucas didn’t break stride. Calm, composed, untouchable. He even cracked a light smile and joked, “Sorry for causing a scene. I’ll leave now before things get even more crowded.”

Not a single answer—just effortless charm and a smooth retreat.

He stepped into the SUV, with Jack and Simon slipping in behind him. The additional security kept the crowd at bay, and the door clicked shut. Within moments, the vehicle pulled away, leaving the swarm of cameras behind in a trail of exhaust.

The frustration among the reporters was almost tangible.

“Unbelievable! He completely brushed us off!”

“Dude acts like a goddamn king now. Fame’s rotted his ego.”

“Waited out here for hours and got zilch,” one muttered, slamming a camera case shut.

But deep down, even they knew—it wasn’t arrogance. It was control. And Lucas Knight had mastered the art of staying just out of reach.

---

The next day, the internet was ablaze. Moments from the iHeartRadio Music Awards were trending across YouTube, Vine, and Twitter.

Fans buzzed about their favorite artists’ speeches and performances, but one moment had clearly stolen the spotlight: the Marshmello prank orchestrated by Christopher and Lucas Knight.

Clips titled “Marshmello Face Reveal (Gone Wrong?)” or “Lucas Knight Is Marshmello?!” flooded every major platform. Though the helmet came off to reveal Lucas instead of Marshmello, the prank left fans stunned—and impressed that the elusive DJ could convince Hollywood’s brightest star to pull off the stunt.

Meanwhile, another viral spark ignited from an unexpected source: a fan named @Aikoko18 on Twitter. She posted a selfie with Lucas, along with a heartfelt caption describing their brief exchange—highlighting that Lucas had “teasingly” mentioned a possible second album and even a world tour.

Within hours, the post exploded—over 23,000 likes, thousands of retweets, and endless replies flooded in.

Speculation spread like wildfire.

“Bro I’ve been starving for another Lucas concert. If this world tour is real, I’m selling my kidney.”

“The Knight album is still in my top five. A sequel? Count me in.”

“I don’t care about Twitter, @LucasXKnight, drop the album already!!”

Of course, not everyone was convinced.

“No way Lucas just leaks that to some random fan. C’mon.”

“She’s probably making it up for attention.”

But skepticism didn’t stop @Aikoko18’s rise. Her follower count skyrocketed from 200 to over 8,000 in a blink—and it kept climbing.

Logging in, Aiko stared at the notifications in awe. Her phone vibrated nonstop. Excitement bubbled in her chest, and she immediately messaged her group chat, overwhelmed but thrilled.

Her friends were just as excited for her.

“Girl, you're viral! You need to start making Vine content—ride the wave!”

Aiko laughed, cheeks warm. She didn’t know what the future held—but for now, she was simply grateful to be part of something that made her heart feel full.

---

Meanwhile, the Netflix team was closely monitoring the performance of Squid Game. All nine episodes had just dropped as part of a full-season release strategy—a bold move, but one Netflix had grown confident in.

It had only been a couple of hours since the release, and while the numbers were climbing steadily, there wasn’t an overwhelming surge in viewership—at least not yet. Marketing efforts were limited, and buzz hadn’t fully caught fire.

Still, Netflix executives weren’t panicking.

They believed in the project.

Or rather—they believed in Lucas Knight.

After all, Lucas had already delivered a string of wildly successful titles for them. Stranger Things, Twinkling Watermelon, and Alice in Borderland had all added unique value to the platform. In particular, several Korean originals Lucas helped shepherd were seeing promising results, establishing Netflix as more than just a Western content hub.

This was important—critical, even.

At this moment, Netflix was still deeply reliant on licensed content from Hollywood powerhouses like Disney, Warner Bros, and Paramount. The majority of its traffic still came from shows and movies it didn’t even own. And with rumors already circulating that some of those studios were preparing to launch their own streaming platforms, the future was uncertain.

Netflix needed hits they owned. Originals.

And Squid Game was one of their most ambitious Korean original gambles yet.

Both Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos had attended the private screening earlier that month. They were impressed, even intrigued. The writing was razor-sharp, the direction immersive, and the themes—economic inequality, desperation, survival—cut deep.

Still, Reed remembered Lucas’s confident words from a year ago:

“Trust me, Squid Game will become a global and cultural phenomenon.”

Reed respected Lucas’s instincts, but even now, that claim felt… lofty. Too ambitious. He had liked the show, yes. But “global phenomenon”? That was a bold claim.

Especially for a violent Korean drama with unfamiliar actors.

‘Is that really possible?’ he wondered.

Only time would tell.

---

Squid Game had become a global phenomenon in Lucas’s previous life for a number of reasons. Yes, the story was gripping, emotional, and well-written—but that alone wasn’t what pushed it into the stratosphere.

The real catalyst had been the pandemic.

With people locked in their homes, desperate for something to binge, Squid Game exploded. It was the perfect storm of timing, content, and curiosity.

But here, in this timeline? There was no pandemic. Not yet, anyway.

Lucas couldn’t help but wonder: ‘Would it still succeed? Would it even come close to the same impact without the lockdown-driven hype?’

He pondered that briefly after watching the early release on Netflix. But then, with a shrug, he muttered to himself:

“Well, even if it doesn’t become a global sensation like before... it’ll at least be Stranger Things level.”

And he might’ve been right.

Because even without a global lockdown, there was one new variable in this world—him. Lucas Knight. A global megastar. And anything he touched… got attention.

Every move he made was watched, reposted, and analyzed.

Soon, posts started circulating on Twitter and Vine from a small but dedicated group of fans who scoured Netflix credits for his name like hidden Easter eggs.

“Guys, look! Lucas Knight’s name is in a new Netflix show credits!”

“Hehe, Lucas Knight strikes again! What’s this one called?”

“If his name’s on it, it’s probably a masterpiece.”

It became a running belief in fan circles that if Lucas’s name was tied to a Netflix original, the show had guaranteed quality. He had, in essence, built a brand of trust with the audience.

Just two days later, the buzz took off.

Posts flooded social media, Vine edits went viral, and conversations shifted.

Squid Game was no longer just another Korean drama. It had become the show to watch.

The timing, however, felt eerie. Almost too perfect. As if fate itself had decided to give the show a global stage, a piece of news that had previously gone unnoticed began to resurface: concerns about a mysterious virus that had quietly lingered in headlines was beginning to gain traction again.

At the time, no one took it seriously.

But Lucas paused when he saw the headline. His heart skipped a beat.

He had forgotten how unstable and unpredictable this altered timeline was. It didn’t follow the same script as his old world.

But thinking about it, maybe the world was already overdue for a pandemic. History often follows cycles — every few decades, a new virus emerges, disrupting the world.