Chapter 198: Joy (35)

“I've always wanted to try being on a variety show. Hyun-Woo hyung and Yoo-Joon hyung seem to be having the time of their lives recently, and that makes me envious."

“You are still in school, aren't you? And you have plenty of friends there."

“Hyung, do you honestly believe we just study at school? Plus, it's vacation time now. You seem to lack interest in your younger brother’s life."

“Oh, this silly kid. How about I treat you to a hamburg steak later? Would you rather sulk to those who've been working hard?" asked Joo-Han.

“Oh no, you shouldn't cut off the stem like that, Joo-Han hyung."

“Oops, my bad." Joo-Han then carefully crafted another stem from the colored paper and corrected his mistake. The ambiance in the waiting room before our first music broadcast recording was unusually lively.

“The fact that you managed to find only pink paper is quite impressive."

“They sell all sorts of colors online," Jin-Sung responded.

It appeared that Jin-Sung carried a significant responsibility for the giggling ad-lib part in “Joy.” He was fretting over what new ad-lib to introduce until this morning, ultimately bringing along the colored papers he'd picked up for the last showcase.

“Jin-Sung, should I buy some extra paper just in case?" asked Supervisor Kim, who had come to see our broadcast, and it prompted an eager nod from Jin-Sung.

“Yes! That would be great, Supervisor Kim."

“If I had mentioned it to Su-Hwan earlier, he could have prepared it in advance. Anyway, Su-Hwan, I will step out for a bit." Supervisor Kim signaled he'd be back shortly and left the waiting room.

Despite it being our first broadcast in a long time, we were quite relaxed, and it could be attributed to our previous stage experiences, the pre-recorded nature of the show, and our thorough preparations.

Plus, we were set for an even more exhilarating performance than before with our fans present today.

At first, we crafted the colored paper leaves with precision, but they gradually transformed, having shapes like hearts, stars, and even Jin-Sung's muscles. Due to our denim outfits, the colored papers often stuck to our clothes at the slightest movement.

Knock, knock!

“Is Chronos ready?"

“Yes!"

At the staff's prompt, we quickly gathered the papers and stashed them in Jin-Sung's back pocket before heading toward the stage. The familiar hum of the audience and the intermittent sound of our MR filled me with excitement.

“Once you enter, greet the audience, and then we will begin the rehearsal."

“Okay! Thank you."

“Chronos, you are up."

As the curtain concealing the backstage area was drawn aside, we each stepped forward, starting with Joo-Han.

“Kyaaaak!!!" The audience's enthusiastic screams and the unique spectacle of the stage filled me with nostalgia and excitement.

I waved lightly to the crowd without attempting to hide my smile. As we lined up at the center of the stage, Joo-Han grasped the microphone and said, “It's been a while, everyone."

“Waaaaaa!!!"

“We are delighted to see you. On three!"

“Hello, we are Chronos. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

The cheers continued unabated as we bowed and straightened back up. The cheers prompted me to smile and wave again before we took our positions. The moment we did, the audience's cheers momentarily subsided and gave way to the intro music.

“Kang Joo-Han! Goh Yoo-Joon! Suh Hyun-Woo! Park Yoon-Chan! Lee Jin-Sung! The vibrant youths! Chronos! J! O! Y! Joy!" The cheers were more robust and synchronized than ever, breaking through the MR. This made Yoo-Joon, Jin-Sung, and I suppress our laughter by biting our lips.

As the gentle intro concluded, we shifted formation and commenced our dance, which signaled the start of the performance.

***

“Everyone, aren't your throats sore from all the cheering?"

“Yes!!!!"

“You shouldn't strain yourselves too much during rehearsals. Your vocal cords are precious."

I flashed a thumbs-up while sipping water at the front of the stage. After that, I said, “The energy from your cheers is overwhelming. We will never lose our spirit with your support no matter where we are."

“Our fans are the best!"

“Kyaaaak!!!"

The pre-recording atmosphere was electric, thanks to the more relaxed demeanor of the members and the strengthened bond with our fans. Our excitement this time surpassed even that of our debut. With just the final stage remaining, Jin-Sung started to collect the fallen colored papers and checked his back pocket.

“Are any of you planning to attend the fan signing event after tomorrow's music show?" asked Joo-Han.

“Me!!!!"

“Wow, there are more of you than I expected."

While Joo-Han was talking with the fans, I crouched down next to Jin-Sung and picked up the pieces of colored paper. Then, Goh Yoo-Joon and Yoon-Chan also joined us, gathering the papers and putting them back into Jin-Sung’s back pocket.

Joo-Han glanced over at us and then at the staff in front of the stage before continuing, “It looks like Jin-Sung has finished recharging the leaves, so we will start again soon. Sorry, but please hang in there a bit longer, everyone."

“Okayyyy!!!"

In response, the director spoke into the microphone. “Jin-Sung, how about we try a different version for the leaves part this time?"

Following the director's instruction to change the ad-lib, Jin-Sung picked up the microphone. “Okay!”

“And just before the leaves part, it would be great if Hyun-Woo and Yoo-Joon could do the piggyback scene, pointing into the air and then toward Jin-Sung."

“Yes, we will do it that way," I agreed. The director then nodded and put down the microphone. We quickly got into formation.

The song started again, and we smoothly handled the choreography part of the song. The first verse was where we introduced each other. When Goh Yoo-Joon's part ended, I ran with all my might and hung onto Goh Yoo-Joon's back. After that, we pointed at Jin-Sung.

Ah! There go the rolling leaves!

?

All at once, the eyes of Goh Yoo-Joon, Yoon-Chan, and the fans fell on Jin-Sung. The giggling ad-lib part was entirely up to Jin-Sung's creativity, so I was also excited about how he would handle the sudden change.

Then Jin-Sung made his move. Just like before, he took out the paper leaves from his back pocket, scattered them in the air, and spun around on the spot as if transforming. Then, he spoke into the microphone with a powerful voice filled with tension.

Leaves!!!

?

“

Pffft

!" Goh Yoo-Joon couldn't hold back his laughter and set me down. I, too, eventually burst into laughter. I just turned around and headed backstage, my shoulders shaking with mirth.

From then until the end of the song, the word “leaves!!!” echoed in my head, making it a struggle to not laugh during the performance. It was torture to sing while holding back my laughter. However, the director and the fans seemed to enjoy it a lot.

***

After the first pre-recording for the music broadcast ended, we headed toward a secluded corridor of the broadcasting station for another schedule. In a corner that seemed too cramped for any activity, cameras and lights were densely packed.

“Chronos has arrived!" At the production team's announcement, all the staff preparing for the shoot turned to look at us.

We greeted them energetically, “Hello! We are Chronos! Thank you for your help in advance!"

“Wooooah!!!" The staff welcomed us with applause, contributing to the relatively young and casual atmosphere of the shoot. It was a team known for providing a lot of entertainment to K-POP fans through their

UTube

music channel.

“Thank you for coming. I've been wanting to meet you in person, and finally, here we are," said the director of the team.

“Oh, no, thank you so much for inviting us."

The director appeared to be in his early thirties, and he warmly initiated a conversation. After a brief chat with him, we immediately started filming. Today's shoot had no host and involved us drawing two missions in succession and receiving a prize for completing them. The director silently extended six folded mission papers in front of the camera.

“Jin-Sung, how about you draw the first one?" At Joo-Han's suggestion, Jin-Sung, who was standing behind, stepped forward. Without hesitation, he picked the mission paper in the middle.

I took the mission paper from Jin-Sung and unfolded it. “The first mission is... ta-da! Relay Random Play Dance!"

“Oooh!"

Relay Random Play Dance was a plot often used in various broadcast stations—a challenge that any idol group would face at least once in their career. It was a simple game where all members lined up and danced to random songs in turn.

“Shall we start right away?"

“Yes, let's!"

“Go, go, go, go."

The members moved to their marked spots on the floor and lined up.

- We will start when Jin-Sung says “Music start!”

At the director's cue, Jin-Sung, who was at the front, looked back at us. “Everyone ready?"

“Yes!"

“Let's go!"

“Then, music start!"

The first song that played was the intro to Chronos's first mini-album, “Parade.” Hearing it, Jin-Sung beamed and energetically danced to the intro. Usually, the idols would dance lightly due to the awkwardness of dancing alone in a tight space, but Jin-Sung went full power from the start.

After the intro and first part of “Parade,” the song switched to the chorus of “Blue Room Party.”

Jin-Sung stepped back, and Joo-Han, who was standing behind, stepped forward to showcase the choreography lightly. “Please give a lot of love to ‘Blue Room Party!’"

“Ahaha! Yes, ‘Blue Room Party!’"

The challenge didn't seem particularly difficult up to this point. Joo-Han continued the choreography without forgetting to promote “Blue Room Party.” After the chorus ended, the song changed again.

Next up was Goh Yoo-Joon. This time, the intro of "Chronos" played at 0.5x speed, slow and uncertain.

“This... this part is Suh Hyun-Woo's solo dance! Huh! Argh! So slooow!" Goh Yoo-Joon struggled as he awkwardly performed my solo dance part, which he wasn't familiar with. Seeing his expression, I laughed heartily from behind. It seemed like nobody cared that the choreography was all wrong.

After Goh Yoo-Joon's slow part ended, the song changed again, and now it was my turn. The song that came on was...

“...Um, is there choreography for this?"

It was "Woof Woof Meow Meow.” It felt like all the songs from past competition programs were about to be played.