Chapter 106: Blue Room Party (3)

We intentionally steered clear of the live broadcast reactions. As candidates for first place, we had to get up on the stage again, this time with the burden of assuring everyone that Jin-Sung was doing just fine.

“Jin-Sung's ligament is stretched, but there is no damage to the bone," relayed Joo-Han after he received a call from the manager.

“Man, what a scare. I was scared he'd broken something. You know Jin-Sung. He's the type to keep dancing unless he's really hurt," Goh Yoo-Joon chimed in. It was, in any case, a massive relief that he wasn't seriously injured.

On the surface, YMM would probably announce that Jin-Sung was either fine or just had a stretched ligament. The fall would become a fleeting issue, sparking brief interest before fizzling out.

However, if we were being brutally honest, the real problem lay not in the present moment.

“After the broadcast, let's meet in the YMM conference room. There's a meeting to discuss how to adjust the upcoming live broadcast due to Jin-Sung's injury."

With Jin-Sung, the main dancer of Chronos, out because of injury, the entire dynamic of our performance was upended. His dance style had always been integral to our stage presence, and his absence meant a significant shift in our routines. Now, all the stages we had meticulously prepared would require drastic reconfiguration to accommodate his absence.

With less than a week left until the live broadcast, we barely got a hang of all those cover songs, and now that we had to revise many parts, the sensation was suffocating, like a tight grip around my windpipe.

A heavy silence hung in the waiting room.

Knock, knock-.

“Excuse me, you guys need to go on stage. Are you guys okay?"

It seemed like all the performances for

Music World

had wrapped up. The stage staff was mindful of Jin-Sung's injury, so he asked with caution.

We mustered a smile and replied, “Yes!"

Back on stage, we clinched first place once again, following last week's triumph. Street Center, our formidable rival, had wrapped up their schedule, and the dance challenge's impact was growing. To be frank, the result was expected.

“Congratulations, Chronos, on the first place! Could we hear your thoughts?"

Joo-Han took the microphone. “Uh... First, we thank you all who have been supporting us. Today is our last stage for ‘Parade’ and what a joy to end on such a high note. We want to dedicate this glory to our fans, Rings. And about our member Jin-Sung's condition..."

“Kyaaaah!"

“Lee Jin-Sung! Lee Jin-Sung! Lee Jin-Sung! Lee Jin-Sung!"

As soon as Jin-Sung's name left Joo-Han's lips, fans burst into a chorus of cheers and words of comfort. They were not just our fans; even those present for other artists sent their reassurances our way.

Joo-Han continued with a bittersweet smile. “He is receiving treatment and is said to be okay, so please don't worry too much. We'll be back soon with a better song. Thank you!"

The hosts wrapped up the show, and “Parade” started playing for the encore. However, missing one of its stars, the stage felt hollow. We simply swallowed our sadness and sang for our shocked fans.

Jin-Sung's part was sung by all members, without any specific arrangement. Then, our fans and others even joined in, singing Jin-Sung's part.

“Thank you so much! We promise to keep giving our all!" We bowed deeply to the crowd and descended from the stage.

The mini fan meeting, which was intended as a brief farewell gathering in front of the broadcasting station, was canceled due to the prevailing concern over Jin-Sung's condition.

***

“I am so sorry. Actually... truly sorry," said Jin-Sung. He looked at us with eyes swollen from tears. Truth be told, he was probably the most upset among us all, so we simply comforted him, insisting that everything was okay.

“The choreography was always challenging. You've done so well up until now, Jin-Sung. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself," comforted Yoon-Chan.

“Right. Dude, you've cried so much your eyes have swollen to billiard balls’ size," Goh Yoo-Joon teased, lightening the mood by pinching Jin-Sung's nose.

“How did you manage to cry enough to soak even your bangs? Seriously, man." I then brushed back Jin-Sung's damp bangs, trying to offer him some solace.

“

Sob...

Hyungs... But what about the live broadcast...

Waaaah

."

Joo-Han just nodded, his smile conveying reassurance. “You'll still sing. Sure, the stage might look a bit empty without you, but we'll manage somehow. It's going to be okay."

As always, we were confident we'd navigate through this crisis too.

***

In the YMM conference room, the air was thick with tension, and it caused us to glance around nervously, shrinking into ourselves.

“This is... we have less than a week until the live broadcast," Supervisor Kim admonished. There was a stern edge to his voice that made Joo-Han frown.

“I don't think it’s our fault here, Supervisor. Falls usually happen due to something external."

“...Sigh, I'm not trying to pin this on you."

“Supervisor, let's just focus on the live performance, shall we?" Mr. Seong intervened, his tone soothing as he attempted to diffuse the tension. It wasn't the time for pointing fingers. We were here to plan a perfect performance, with or without injury.

“Jin-Sung will still be singing, but he's our main dancer."

“Chronos has plenty of dance parts, and each member's choreography is quite distinct, making it tough to fill his spot."

“Hyun-Woo and Jin-Sung often dance in pairs, so passing Jin-Sung's parts to Hyun-Woo isn't really an option."

The room buzzed with concerns and suggestions regarding how to replace our main dancer, who was known for pushing boundaries with his complex dance moves. He had landed us in this predicament.

Mr. Seong tapped his pen against his journal. After thinking for a bit, he finally nodded decisively. “Alright. Yoo-Joon."

“Yes?"

“You'll take on the pair dancing with Hyun-Woo. It's a live show without an audience, and the camera will focus on Jin-Sung for his parts, so we don't really need to replace him for those."

No one opposed Mr. Seong's decision.

“Uh... okay," Yoo-Joon agreed, though the reluctance was clear in his eyes. We knew what happened when someone else took over Jin-Sung's parts. After all, we had practiced swapping roles not long ago.

Joo-Han might falter, possibly running out of stamina during the dance break. As for Yoon-Chan, he was still honing his skills, making him a risky choice to do Jin-Sung's complex choreography. This left Yoo-Joon as the safest bet. While he was often underestimated, he was talented in both dancing and singing.

Supervisor Kim sighed, a weight seemingly lifting off his shoulders. “Since it's come to this, Yoo-Joon, just be careful. If any move seems too risky, talk to Hyun-Woo and tweak the choreography."

“Okay."

The nearly finalized setlist and choreography would need to be revised, and time was more than just tight—it was scarce. Thus, the meeting wrapped up quickly.

***

Injured Jin-Sung was practically herded back to the dorm by the overly concerned members. After the meeting, we threw ourselves into aligning steps and dance moves with the choreographer.

After being tasked with the main dance break for the first time, Yoo-Joon stayed back to practice tirelessly until he was done. For the parts Yoo-Joon couldn't cover, Park Yoon-Chan, who had synced with us once in a keyword competition, was chosen.

Yoon-Chan received crash course training from the choreographer while Yoo-Joon and I tackled the intense pair dance. Joo-Han was caught up with practice and wrapping up the follow-up song. Jin-Sung was drained and apologetic, but he managed to hold on as we distributed the burden among us.

The day after Jin-Sung’s injury, in the early hours...

“We've settled on a title for the follow-up song, 'Blue Room Party.'" On the way back from the practice room to the dorm, Joo-Han suddenly dropped the news.

“‘Blue Room Party'? Sounds catchy, but what does it mean?"

“It's a title that embodies a cool, fun, and raucous vibe. We targeted the audience in the age range of twenties and tried to make it as trendy as possible." It seemed that he was just winging it, not much thought behind it at all.

While everyone was buzzing about the title, Jin-Sung was silent. He had been listless, sitting and singing during the entire practice. I could only imagine how he felt, but it was a sentiment that would likely linger until his leg healed.

“Hyun-Woo hyung."

“...Yeah?"

“There's something I want to ask. Are you too tired right now?"

“Uh... I can manage."

Jin-Sung's face was a picture of seriousness. “Could you just spare ten minutes a day to check my vocals?"

‘Vocals? Out of the blue?’

Jin-Sung was renowned as a dancer and basking in popularity for his dancing skills; therefore, he somewhat neglected his singing.

As I showed a hint of surprise, Jin-Sung's face fell again. “I can't just sit around doing nothing when it's all my fault. I want to sing the songs perfectly..."

“Ah."

For Jin-Sung, it was a silver lining that the setlist included many cover songs, giving him the chance to explore vocals he hadn't tried before. Unlike before, when his shaky vocals could be excused due to his main dancer status, he had to focus entirely on his singing now. He had always seen himself as a dancer, but now, he seemed ready to take singing seriously for the first time.

Our youngest was stepping up... My chest swelled with a mix of pride and emotion. I then smiled warmly and nodded in agreement. “Alright. Let's start with the cover songs."

I'd support my fellow member's growth any day.

***

It had been nearly a month since we started preparing for the live performance. Yoo-Joon and I had hinted that we were preparing something through Q-app, and after a brief pause due to Jin-Sung's injury, the other members' Q-app broadcasts finally resumed four days later.

Joo-Han and the youngest members turned on Q-app to spoil Jin-Sung's condition and the title of the follow-up song. Our fans, who speculated that Yoo-Joon and I had hinted at the follow-up song, were vindicated when the official UNET website announced the live performance’s setlist.

The list included the

Pick We Up

medley from the unit stages, a performance our fans had longed to see being performed by us, and “Parade,” which our fans thought they wouldn't see for a while after our promotion schedule ended. Among them, “Blue Room Party,” Joo-Han's original composition, piqued the most interest.

After all, it was composed by Kang Joo-Han, written by Goh Yoo-Joon, and choreographed by me. A song crafted by the members as Chronos's follow-up comeback? Our fans were understandably ecstatic to hear this news.

We felt the fans' anticipation as we cleared all schedules to immerse ourselves in practice.

And it was today.

“Why does this stage feel so vast?" Yoo-Joon chuckled as he surveyed the stage.

After about four weeks of preparation, the day had finally come for us to unveil our long-prepared performance to fans and viewers on the live broadcast.