Chapter 196: Joy (33)

Even though we had coordinated with the mart for the shoot, we hadn't exactly rented out the entire place. Therefore, it was swarming with people. The flood of curious gazes and the crowd that gathered around, coupled with the conspicuous filming crew and our group of seven, made us quite the spectacle.

I was concerned about causing too much of a disturbance, so I suggested, “How about we split up for a bit while we are here? We can each do our own thing and then regroup here later."

“That sounds like a plan. I can hardly focus on enjoying anything in such a large group," Goh Yoo-Joon agreed and nodded at my suggestion.

“Let's go with that. Sticking together in a big group might block the aisles and get in the way."

It seemed Hee-Su and the others were also keen on the idea and quickly gave their assent. Goh Yoo-Joon seized the opportunity and grabbed Daniele’s arm. “I'm going to check out some albums with Daniele. He asked for some recommendations last time."

“Exactly. Joon and I have the same taste," Daniele chimed in, sticking close to Goh Yoo-Joon.

On Ki-Hoon and Lee Cheol-Min, who were already buddies, naturally left by themselves. Therefore, it was gonna be me, Hee-Su, and Joon-Hwan.

“Any particular place you want to check out?" I asked.

Hee-Su pointed toward the escalator with a hint of excitement. “Let's head downstairs. I'm starving."

“And after we eat, I've been meaning to grab Chronos's latest album," Joon-Hwan added somewhat sheepishly. He seemed a bit guilty for not having watched our music video in full yet.

I scanned the area behind the camera for our manager, and he gestured toward the car with a thumbs-up, signaling that he had the albums. “Don't worry about it. I've got you covered. I actually brought some albums for you guys."

“Really?" Joon-Hwan's eyes lit up.

“Yeah, of course. We are friends, aren't we? I will hand them over when we are heading home," I promised.

“Awesome!"

“Aww, thanks a bunch! My younger sister might get jealous. She is a huge fan of yours and even bought your album," Joon-Hwan mused. I simply responded with a warm smile and decided to give Joon-Hwan two signed copies later: one for him and another for his sister.

We made our way to the bustling food court in the basement. Though I wasn't particularly hungry, Hee-Su and Joon-Hwan insisted that we couldn't miss out on the famed delicacies here.

“What's the best thing to get here?"

As we surveyed the wide array of choices, Hee-Su and Joon-Hwan pointed in unison to one stall. “The hamburg steak[1] here is legendary!"

It seemed that it was a well-known favorite among the food court's offerings. Joon-Hwan said, “I've heard it's incredibly delicious. It hasn't even been on TV, but word of mouth has made it quite popular."

“You have to get here early though. It sells out quickly after lunchtime," Hee-Su added with a hint of urgency.

“Alright then, I will go order. Mind grabbing us a table?"

“You got it!"

I headed to the counter and placed an order for three servings of the famous hamburg steak. As each was priced at a steep thirteen thousand won, it almost devoured the bulk of our allocated budget for the outing. After I paid, the staff at the food court even asked for my autograph, which added a surreal layer to the whole experience.

I returned to where Hee-Su and Joon-Hwan had secured a spot for us with a receipt in hand. For me, the absence of Goh Yoo-Joon made the conversation slightly awkward. Despite that, Hee-Su and Joon-Hwan seemed perfectly at ease.

“Seeing Hyun-Woo outside of school is kinda surreal, isn't it?"

“How so? What do you mean?" I was genuinely curious.

“It's just... everyone from Memory High has this unique vibe, don't you think?"

As Hee-Su shared his thoughts, Joon-Hwan nodded in agreement. “Since we are so used to seeing each other in the same few places, bumping into each other out here feels almost like a daydream."

“Well, I have hung out with Joon-Hwan so many times though," said Hee-Su.

“Oh, right. You guys live close by, right?" I asked.

“Yep!"

“That’s right.”

Their bond, forged at Memory High, had only grown stronger over shared commutes and countless after-school chats. While we did keep in touch, my hectic schedule with comeback preparations often meant many missed calls and unread messages.

“It's especially true for you and Yoo-Joon. Meeting you guys outside feels even more surreal."

“Don't say that. Stop it," I protested, but Hee-Su timidly pointed toward the group of people gathered behind the counter. “Out here, you are just our friend. But seeing you as this hugely popular idol in music videos and on shows, it's really impressive."

“Yeah, I even watched your end-of-year performance, and it still amazes me. It's hard to believe that the guy here and the one on stage are the same person."

“Ah, enough already! It's making me blush."

Joon-Hwan seemed to be just expressing admiration, but Hee-Su appeared to have a significant interest in the entertainment world—not so much in becoming a celebrity himself, but more like a certain fascination with the industry that some people his age might have. It seemed like such a glamorous life, but in reality, we couldn't just go out whenever we wanted as newcomers. It was a cycle of practice, dorms, schedules, and more practice.

“I heard there's going to be a fan club inauguration too? Found some info about it coming up soon. Are you doing fan signings as well?" asked Hee-Su.

“Oh? Uh, yeah, that's planned for after the first broadcast."

Could it be? Did Hee-Su actually have a thing for Chronos? His interest seemed quite profound. Observing Hee-Su's eager questions, Joon-Hwan remarked thoughtfully, “I do wonder what it feels like to be so loved."

“It must feel like you have to live every day to the fullest, right?"

Joon-Hwan's comment made me respond with just a knowing smile. Indeed, if we didn't put our all into every single day, we would fall behind. Therefore, it was a constant race.

The buzz of the pager was our cue, and each of us went to pick up a tray loaded with our chosen dishes. Indeed, the hand-made hamburg steaks we ordered could easily rival those from a high-end diner in taste.

“So, when did you and Yoo-Joon become such tight buddies? Were you guys close even before you decided to form Chronos?"

“Us? We go way back actually. And yeah, we were pretty inseparable during our trainee days. It was Yoo-Joon, another trainee, and me. We were like the three musketeers."

Joon-Hwan's curiosity was piqued. “Do trainees only practice every day? Is that all they do?”

I nodded, affirming his question. “Training was our life. All day, every day, and there was a lot of healthy rivalry among us too."

“Wow, rivalry, huh?"

“Yep, there were monthly evaluations, and we were all ranked from A to F based on those. It was kind of a big deal among us trainees."

“You had rankings too? That's intense."

“Absolutely. Not making it to the A grade meant that you could pretty much kiss your debut dreams goodbye. So, it was cutthroat.”

Since the system was complicated, I didn’t explain everything. If you weren’t an A-grade, you couldn’t even hope to be considered for a debut, so the competition was fierce. After official lessons, we’d practice like mad and stay behind in secret with just our cell phone lights for illumination even after the company had turned off the lights in the practice room.

And if that wasn’t enough to improve our ranking, the choices were stark. We had to either switch agencies or give up altogether. Even the friendly A-grade members would virtually live in the practice rooms, hardly ever returning to the dorms, especially around the monthly evaluations.

“It's amazing you and Yoo-Joon managed to stay friends amidst all that competitive tension."

“Yeah, with talent enough for a debut, you must have been right in the thick of the competition, right?"

“Well, Yoo-Joon and I didn't exactly hit it off from the get-go. It was our daily commutes to the agency that brought us closer. Once we were friends, we stuck to practicing together. That's why there are so many tales to tell about Yoo-Joon and me. But aren't you guys exhausted? Hee-Su, didn't your part-time shift change to the night?" I asked.

“Oh yeah, I caught a quick nap before coming here. Was dead tired in the morning, but I'm all perked up now."

Feeling the conversation had veered too much toward my own experiences, I changed the subject. We ventured into discussions about Hee-Su's job, daily life anecdotes, and even my family's pet, sharing personal stories we seldom touched upon at school. Hee-Su naturally took the lead with Goh Yoo-Joon absent, keeping the conversation lively throughout our meal.

***

Joon-Hwan was determined to drag us to the album section to buy Chronos’s album with his own money. In front of the prominently displayed Chronos albums, we unexpectedly ran into Daniele.

“Daniele?"

“Huh, Daniele?"

“Hey, guys!"

Where was Goh Yoo-Joon? I scanned the area as we approached Daniele but saw no sign of him. I asked, “Daniele, where's Goh Yoo-Joon?"

A heavy sigh from Daniele preceded his response. “Joon's gone! I lost him!"

“Goh Yoo-Joon's gone?"

“Yes, vanished!"

“How did that happen?"

Daniele's agitation mounted with each question. “I don't know! Went to the loo, and when I came back, he was gone!"

I pressed my temples and counted the cameras around us. Since one of them was missing, Goh Yoo-Joon likely had the camera with him. This meant less worry on our part. However, we couldn't rule out the possibility of him being mobbed by fans.

“Should we start looking for him?" Joon-Hwan suggested, and I agreed with a nod.

“Daniele's been here the whole time, so Goh Yoo-Joon might've just stepped away. Let's look around."

“Hmm?" Daniele's voice held a tone of perplexity. He then tilted his head. “I didn't tell Joon I was going to the bathroom, you know?"

“What?"

“Why didn't you...? Yoo-Joon would've looked for you, right?"

Hee-Su's confusion led Daniele to give a casual shrug, his eyebrows arching in a fleeting expression of indifference. “Do you usually announce your bathroom breaks?"

“..."

“..."

‘This isn't about cultural differences. It’s basic courtesy, dude.’

Shaking my head, I reasoned, “If Goh Yoo-Joon didn't know Daniele was just in the bathroom, he might think Daniele’s lost and search for him. Let's go find Yoo-Joon."

“Okay!" Hee-Su and Joon-Hwan were quick to agree.

I motioned for Daniele to follow and gripped his wrist firmly. “You are coming with me, Daniele."

This dude was always so laid-back, so he would surely end up wandering off on his own.

“So, we are searching for Joon together, Woo?"

“Yep, but can we drop the 'Woo' and just stick with ‘Hyun?’ It sounds less cringy, don't you think?" Despite my preference, Daniele insisted on using 'Woo’ and claimed it was easier for him to say.

Given the size of the large mart, we thought finding him would be a breeze with several of us on the lookout. Even On Ki-Hoon and Lee Cheol-Min, whom we bumped into along the way, joined the search. This made six of us scouring the place.

However, Goh Yoo-Joon was seemingly tucked away in some hidden nook. All six of us eventually regrouped, not having spotted even a single strand of Goh Yoo-Joon's hair.

“Can't you just tell us where he is? Please?" Joon-Hwan pleaded with the production team in frustration, but they merely shook their heads and offered no assistance. Given Goh Yoo-Joon's dedicated cameraman was presumably with him and considering the production team likely knew his whereabouts, they seemed to be saving this for a storyline.

I sighed softly, only for Daniele to burst into hearty laughter. “Joon has turned into a lost kid? Hahaha!"

“Daniele, make sure you tell us before you go off somewhere next time," Joon-Hwan chided him in a half-joking manner.

“Ah, lost indeed," I muttered. That was when a strategy to find Goh Yoo-Joon quickly came to my mind.

***

“Daniele… I wonder where he went?" Goh Yoo-Joon was tucked away in a corner of the bookstore section, and he had been searching for Daniele for quite some time. The cameraman with him clearly knew, but he smiled and gave no information. Daniele was nowhere to be found.

“Guess I should look for Suh Hyun-Woo and the others first," said Goh Yoo-Joon, thinking that it would probably be faster to find Daniele with their help.

Just as Goh Yoo-Joon was about to head toward the food court, recalling a snippet of their earlier conversation, an announcement rang through the mart's speakers.

- Attention Only One Mart shoppers, we are looking for a child named Goh Yoo-Joon, wearing a uniform with a name tag on his chest. Suh Hyun-Woo is looking for you. If anyone sees Goh Yoo-Joon, please inform the nearest staff member or visit the lost child center. Thank you.

Ding dong~

“Suh Hyun-Woo…”

Goh Yoo-Joon was surrounded by snickering shoppers. He then covered his face in embarrassment and quickly made his way to the lost child center.

1. Also known as Salisbury steak. ?