Chapter 121: The Singer in the Memories (6)

Looking at us standing nervously with our hair whimsically tied with heart-decorated bands, Senior Yeong-Yee couldn’t help but burst into laughter. We started to fumble awkwardly, attempting to untie our hair, but Ro-Ah was adamant and firmly stopped us with her hands.

“Why not keep it? It’s cute. If you guys are fine, don’t mind about it,” said Yeong-Yee.

“Oh, okay!”

Yeong-Yee’s striking red hair was a bit disheveled from what seemed like a busy work session, but she had such an imposing presence that we found ourselves unable to meet her gaze directly. It felt like sitting on pins and needles, yet she seemed quite used to seeing such reactions from her juniors.

“Now, what were your names again? Chrono... something?"

“Chronos, ma’am," we answered and then introduced ourselves one by one. Yeong-Yee made a point of meeting each of our gazes, nodding thoughtfully as we spoke.

“The good-looking one with the yellow hair is Hyun-Woo, the purple-haired beauty is Yoon-Chan, and the robust, handsome one is Yoo-Joon, correct?" she remarked, and our manager confirmed with a nod. “Yes, ma’am.”

“So, Manager, what's the plan with these boys?"

The manager hesitated briefly before responding, “As I've mentioned, they will occasionally accompany you as guest members in your album release schedule."

“Yeah, I know. I remember you mentioning that.”

“Yes, they will be handling the dance when you perform the Tenten songs. Many of your fans missed watching your tracks."

Yeong-Yee listened with a bitter smile, nodding in understanding. “Tenten songs are still more popular than my new ones, so it makes sense."

“I didn’t mean that," the manager quickly added.

“Nah, I've been in this industry long enough to understand things. I am just saying it because I appreciate it, so just listen," Yeong-Yee responded with a dismissive wave.

“...Okay.”

She was over fifty now. Despite her once-soaring popularity, Yeong-Yee's career faced a downturn following Tenten's disbandment. Her attempts to rebrand herself as a ballad singer hadn't garnered the anticipated response, and she couldn’t shed her identity as a former Tenten member.

Supervisor Kim tactfully described our involvement in this as a promotional effort for our group, but in truth, he was using our popularity to add more engagements to Yeong-Yee’s comeback.

“...

Sigh.”

Yeong-Yee sighed and gave us a sharp look. Her gaze lingered on our faces before fixating on the heart decorations atop our heads. “Well, at least you all seem well-behaved and compliant.”

“We will do our best, Senior!" We tried to assure her, though internally unsure about the rumored challenges of working with her. In fact, Yeong-Yee seemed more accommodating and less intimidating than we had anticipated, leaving us puzzled about the manager's earlier nervousness.

The manager then opened his notebook and said, “Your album release is scheduled for mid-November as previously discussed. Also, you are booked for

Halo's Music Bus

on November 20th, and they are planning a special feature for you."

Yeong-Yee's eyes crinkled with a smile at this news. “Oh, wonderful! Chronos will be joining me, I presume?"

The manager responded with a warm smile. “Exactly. The plan is to perform three of your solo songs and a Tenten medley. How does that sound?"

“Perfect. I will choose the songs. When do we start rehearsing with the boys?"

“From next week, after Chronos's promotion schedule wraps up."

Yeong-Yee continued to ask about various details of the upcoming activities, and the manager responded promptly to even the most unexpected questions. Clearly, he had done his homework and was familiar with Yeong-Yee's habit after three years of working together.

“Alright, I understand. Just keep the schedule tight. Sadly, I need to get back to work now." Yeong-Yee abruptly concluded the conversation, leaving us entirely out of the discussion. Her glance clearly signaled that it was time for us to leave.

We reluctantly rose as we caught the cue.

“You've come a long way, boys. Let's catch up next time. I can't chat much since I've been busy composing."

“Yes, ma’am, we will see you next time."

“Why are you leaving so soon?" Ro-Ah protested, running up to Yoon-Chan and tugging at his sleeve as we stood up. “Can't you stay and sleep over?"

“...Sorry?"

“Ro-Ah, come here. The oppas have to go."

“Grandma, no! He's not an oppa, he's an unnie!"

“...unnie?" Yeong-Yee frowned, looking at Yoon-Chan, who seemed to have frozen.

“Hey! Ro-Ah, come here! Don't make things difficult for the manager," Yeong-Yee chided.

“But Ro-Ah tied their hair! They should stay if they're grateful."

“Ro-Ah, don't be unreasonable! The oppas already gave you a doll." Yeong-Yee tried to reason with her granddaughter, but Ro-Ah glared back at her defiantly.

“I don't like Grandma!" she protested, plunging us into an incredibly awkward situation, almost similar to when we first met Yeong-Yee with our apple hair.

Feeling clueless, we all turned to the manager for guidance. However, he just looked exhausted and glanced at my photo on his phone again.

‘Why here, of all places?'

After a while, the manager put on a professional smile and made a suggestion. “Ma’am, since it's lunchtime, how about we go out for a meal together?"

“Lunch?"

“Ro-Ah could spend more time with them, and we would be happy to host them," he offered.

Yeong-Yee sighed and then glanced between Ro-Ah and her watch before nodding in agreement. “Let's head out then. We need to go to the market. I will go ahead, and you can follow with the kids in my other car."

“Okay, ma’am."

It was clear this wasn't the first time the manager had dealt with Ro-Ah's tantrums. Ro-Ah was particularly fond of “unnie” Yoon-Chan, so she joined us in the car.

“Yoon-Chan, could you help Ro-Ah with her seatbelt?"

“Of course." Goh Yoo-Joon took the front passenger seat, and Yoon-Chan, Ro-Ah, and I settled in the back. Ro-Ah simply swung her little legs and held onto Yoon-Chan's and my hand. When I tried to untie my hair band, Ro-Ah was so stubbornly against it.

“Don't untie it, Oppa!"

“Um, Ro-Ah, it's a bit embarrassing to keep this on outside the house. Can I untie it?" I pleaded with an apologetic look, but Ro-Ah firmly shook her head.

“No! If you untie it, you will turn into a blonde prince!"

“...A prince?" I got confused. Sensing my bewilderment, Ro-Ah then patted her chest impatiently.

“If you untie your hair, you become a blonde prince! Princes can only hold hands with princesses, so then you can't hold hands with Ro-Ah."

“...Oh."

Her reasoning was unexpectedly cute. It seemed my hair color reminded her of a fairy tale prince. In her logic, as long as my hair was tied up, I wasn't a prince—what an odd but sweet notion.

I shook my head, meeting Ro-Ah's eyes. “No, Ro-Ah. You are a princess, so even if I untie my hair, I can still hold your hand. Now, can I untie it?"

Despite my pleading, with a determined look, Ro-Ah shook her head again.

“No." It was clear that the hair bands had to stay where they were.

“We've arrived." So we arrived at the market with our hair still in heart-shaped buns.

“I just want to go back to the dorm," Goh Yoo-Joon lamented, his quirky hairdo bobbing each time he spoke. His hair was shorter than Yoon-Chan's and mine, so he looked even more amusing with the headbands.

“Me too."

People passing by did a double-take when they saw us, their expressions a mix of confusion and curiosity. The embarrassment was real. Was my face red from the sun or sheer mortification?

“Over here, Oppa!"

While the manager and Yoon-Chan were dealing with the bags, Ro-Ah confidently led Goh Yoo-Joon and me to a familiar store. Yeong-Yee had arrived earlier, so she glanced at us briefly before focusing back on her phone.

As we approached her table, she asked, “You're still wearing those hair bands?"

“Yes... Ro-Ah insisted we keep them on."

“You can take them off. If she cries or throws a tantrum, she will be in trouble."

Goh Yoo-Joon and I shook our heads nervously. “It's fine! We will just keep them on until we return."

From Yeong-Yee's expression, it seemed Ro-Ah would get scolded as soon as we left.

Yeong-Yee chuckled playfully. “Must be embarrassing. This area is frequented by a lot of young people, being near a university."

“Ah..."

‘It's okay... I guess...’

As we settled into our seats, Yoon-Chan and the manager also entered the shop.

“Welcome. ...Oh." The server coming over with the menus hesitated for a moment upon seeing us but then continued on. I was not sure whether she recognized us as Chronos or was just taken aback by the hair bands. I did hope it was the latter. I wished she wouldn’t notice us as Chronos, the idol group members.

“Do you like hot pot?" asked Yoe

“Yes!"

“Then we will have a big bowl of hot pot." Yeong-Yee decided without even looking at the menu.

During the silence of the wet wipe hand-cleaning ritual, Ro-Ah's non-stop chatter thankfully broke the awkwardness.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

“Ro-Ah really likes good-looking oppas. Is she bothering you guys too much?" Yeong-Yee asked apologetically.

“No, not at all. We are actually fine.”

Yeong-Yee looked at Ro-Ah and said, “Ro-Ah, do you know who these oppas are? They are some of the most famous singers of their generation.”

“Ro-Ah will be a singer too!”

“I was once a famous singer as well. But you might not recognize me because I am just a has-been.” Yeong-Yee joked with a bitter smile.

“Let me give you a piece of advice as a senior. In order to avoid being called a has-been when you are older, you should start building a solid foundation for your solo career now.”

“A foundation for a solo career?” Goh Yoo-Joon asked, feeling intrigued.

Yeong-Yee nodded. “A group can be doing well and then suddenly, who knows? If you lay a good foundation now, you won’t be forgotten even if you suddenly find yourself alone. Trust me, it will help you one day.”

“Please don’t call yourself a ‘has-been,’ Senior. You are still a great and popular singer.”

When I was protesting earnestly at Yeong-Yee’s words...

“Excuse me.” A middle-aged man who appeared to be the owner of the restaurant approached us with paper, a pen, and some drinks. “The drinks are on the house. And... if it’s not too much trouble, could I please get the gentlemen’s autographs?”

He asked somewhat awkwardly as he placed the drinks on the table. “My daughter, who was here earlier with the menus, said you guys are quite famous...”

Damn. It seemed the server had flinched because we were Chronos, not because of the hairstyle.