Chapter 117: The Singer in the Memories (2)

We were enjoying a much-needed break after a long while. Yoon-Chan and Jin-Sung had headed off to school, leaving the rest of us lounging in our own rooms at the dorm.

“...

Pfft!

” Goh Yoo-Joon couldn’t help but giggle as he lay on his bed, diving deep into

UTube

. He had headphones plugged in, so I couldn’t tell what he was watching, but it was probably his favorite game streamer again.

‘Man, I am tired.’

Ever since our debut, sleeping well was just a myth. These days, I could doze off just by sitting still. Just as I lay on my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling and almost falling asleep, someone rang the doorbell.

“What now?" I groaned, forcing my eyes open and sitting up.

Yoo-Joon took his earphones out, glanced back at the door, and then mumbled, “Ah, must be the new manager they said was coming today."

He got up and cracked the door of our room open, peeking out before turning back to me. “Hey, come out. It's kinda awkward greeting the new manager alone. Let's say hi together."

“Sure," I grumbled as I hauled myself out of bed and followed Yoo-Joon out. We had been notified about this visit last night via a message on the Chronos group phone.

“Who is it?" Yoo-Joon yelled at the door, seemingly preferring the direct approach over the intercom.

After hearing a reply, he opened the door, and I slowly walked over to join him.

“Hello."

“Ah! Hello!" We greeted, and the new manager paused at the door for a moment before entering our dorm and returning the greeting.

“Hello. I am Lee Su-Hwan, your temporary manager."

“Nice to meet you! Please, come in," said Yoo-Joon. We then stepped aside, making room for the new manager to enter.

“I will come in then," the new manager replied as he passed both of us and headed toward the living room. We just followed suit.

“Joo-Han hyung is probably busy working right now. Just a sec, I will go get him."

“Thanks."

Yoo-Joon headed toward Joo-Han's room, and suddenly, it was just me and the new manager...

“..."

“..."

This was awkward.

“...Do you want something to drink?"

“Oh, yes. Thanks. Anything's fine..."

“How about some juice?"

“Just water, please."

“Got it!"

This was seriously awkward. The new manager seemed as shy as I was, so I quickly stood up and headed to the kitchen.

‘Aren't managers supposed to be outgoing?’

Maybe he was just as nervous as we were right now.

As I poured water into a cup, I seriously started to wonder what I should talk about with the new manager. Talking with someone older was always a bit tricky. Luckily, by the time I brought the water back, Joo-Han and Yoo-Joon had come out to greet the new manager.

“Hello, I am Kang Joo-Han, the leader of Chronos."

“Hi, I am Lee Su-Hwan, currently managing Yeong-Yee and temporarily taking over for Chronos until a new manager is hired. Looking forward to working with you all."

He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, neatly dressed in a suit with a tidy face, and slightly shorter than Yoon-Chan. With his left hand holding two phones, he extended his right hand to hand his business card to Joo-Han.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

“Sorry, Yoon-Chan and Jin-Sung can't meet you right now. They are at school."

“Ah, I knew they were at school. I just thought I'd come by a bit early to get to know the group," the new manager explained. He appeared to be the total opposite of In-Hyun, exuding a super calm and collected demeanor. Although we hadn't conversed much yet, his quiet vibe seemed like something Joo-Han would really appreciate.

“To be honest, this is my first time managing a group. Even though it's only temporary, I thought it'd be good to understand each member's traits."

“That's considerate of you," Joo-Han said, offering a warm smile. He didn't often flash that smile to just anyone, which indicated that the new manager had made a positive impression on him.

After quietly observing for a while, Goh Yoo-Joon finally cleared his throat and said, “By the way, you can be more casual with us. No need for too much formality. We are much younger, so please feel free to address us normally."

The new manager smiled at Yoo-Joon. “I will get there in time."

“Okay," Yoo-Joon replied with a hint of awkwardness in his voice.

The new manager had a very professional mindset. But honestly, I thought it was better to keep some professional distance than getting too close and having issues.

The new manager calmly started asking about what we were curious about, any issues we had with In-Hyun, and stuff like that.

Joo-Han gave him quite a bit of information, even spilling about my fear of heights, Jin-Sung's clinginess, and Yoon-Chan's love for “Rasputin.” Whether big or small stuff, the new manager jotted it all down in his notebook.

Of course, I noticed the new manager subtly avoiding the real juicy TMI stuff.

"I will pass everything you've shared to the next manager who comes in. Thanks for filling me in," he said, acting all cool and collected.

“We are the ones who should be thanking you for being so attentive," we chimed in, expressing our gratitude in unison. The conversation felt a bit stilted and formal, causing Yoo-Joon to visibly squirm as he despised awkward silence. However, Joo-Han and I found the quiet somewhat comforting.

“And Yoo-Joon and Hyun-Woo," the new manager suddenly addressed us.

“Yeah?"

“I heard you will be guesting in Yeong-Yee's next gig."

“Yep, that's the plan," I confirmed.

“How about we all meet up with her in a week?"

“Sounds perfect...!" Yoo-Joon replied, trying hard to adapt to the new manager's formal tone. It was honestly quite amusing to witness, as it seemed to be his first encounter with someone so formal. He was clearly not accustomed to this official vibe.

“Great, Chronos's schedule is open in a week then. Oh, I will sort out a gift from you guys to Yeong-Yee too,” the new manager confirmed.

“...Wow."

“Thank you so much."

He was indeed different from In-Hyun as he was all crisp and proper. His thoughtfulness and the unique tone in announcing the schedule almost gave me goosebumps; I was deeply touched. And it seemed I wasn't the only one feeling this way.

“I will fill in Yoon-Chan and Jin-Sung about the event schedule when they get back.”

“Oh, okay.”

He continued, “Chronos is gaining fame, and with individual schedules coming up, I'm planning to bring in another road manager[1] to help all of you out."

“Seriously, thank you, manager!" Joo-Han was practically beaming with trust and appreciation toward the new manager. He was all business, sure, but incredibly attentive too. Though we hadn't really started working together yet, I had a hunch that the next few months would be smooth sailing.

After a hearty chat, the new manager stepped out briefly for a call with Supervisor Kim. We then exchanged glances, all smiles and bright eyes.

“He's pretty impressive, isn't he?"

“Totally. Just what you'd expect from Yeong-Yee's manager."

Yeong-Yee, a name that occasionally popped up on shows, was infamous for her fiery temper and tough demands. We'd heard stories from celebrities who'd worked with her, saying that only super meticulous individuals could stick around as her staff. And here was our manager, steadfastly supporting her for a solid three years. It was evident that he possessed a combination of qualities: polite demeanor, meticulousness, and efficient management skills.

“I'm more than content. Working with him is gonna make our lives a breeze." Joo-Han's words left Yoo-Joon with a conflicted look.

“I'm still getting used to it. He's so professional that it kind of intimidates me. But I do trust him a lot." Yoo-Joon's smile was tinged with a touch of sadness. He had to be missing In-Hyun. Going from an easygoing friend to a strict professional had to be a bit of a shock to his system.

As I sneakily peeked at the new manager's diary, my heart swelled with appreciation. “It's really nice to see how much he cares about us. I'm thankful," I said as I flipped through what must have been over twenty pages of notes about us, Chronos. It was rare to find someone who went to these lengths for artists they had just met.

-

Bzzzzz!

When the new manager's other phone vibrated, our eyes naturally drifted toward it. The phone he'd taken for the business call was probably for work, and the one left here was likely his personal one. Our attention was drawn to the partially obscured messenger app on the lock screen.

‘...What's that?’

My mouth fell open in surprise as I saw the lock screen image.

“...Uh."

“Uh? Is that Hyun-Woo?"

“Isn't that Hyun-Woo in the picture?" The picture dominating the phone screen was none other than my infamous “I am serious” thumbnail that was taken during Cha-Cha.

“...Ah, you saw it." The new manager walked back in and spoke nonchalantly.

“Whoa!" We all jumped and quickly stood up. Had we unwittingly opened Pandora's box? What if we'd just made things irreversibly awkward?

However, the new manager was so composed and simply placed his work phone next to the personal one.

“I'm not a fan of Chronos. Don't get the wrong idea."

“Of course, we understand. Sure," Yoo-Joon hurriedly responded.

“When I first heard that I would be your temporary manager, I started looking up some videos and coincidentally..."

“Coincidentally became a Hyun-Woo fan or something?"

“No... I just found the thumbnail too funny and kept it to cheer me up whenever I got depressed..."

‘Ah.’

“Actually, I found all of you quite humorous. I had a good laugh watching

Flying Man

at the karaoke and

Chronos History.

”

“...We are honored you enjoyed it."

While I would've preferred him to be a fan of our performances, making him happy like this was satisfying enough. It seemed like our temporary manager had a low threshold for humor and really enjoyed a good laugh.

Right on cue, the sound of the door lock being keyed rang out. Then, Jin-Sung and Yoon-Chan entered the dorm.

“We are back! Huh?" exclaimed Jin-Sung.

“Hmm, Jin-sung, what's wrong? Oh. ...Ah, our temporary manager," said Yoon-Chan

“Hello, I'm Lee Su-Hwan."

As the two walked in, the new manager, who had momentarily let his guard down, quickly reverted to his professional demeanor.

1. A person who handles the day-to-day activities and logistics for celebrities, particularly musicians or bands. ☜