Chapter 259: Again After Rainfall (35)

“I'm sorry."

“What are you sorry for? No, no. We should have taken better care of you. We are the ones who should apologize."

“Are you okay, though?"

As soon as I returned to the accommodation, I kept bowing to the production staff there. Not only the members, but also the

Again After Rainfall

team and the agency had faced controversy over negligence of artist management due to my collapse. They were saying it was okay and worrying about me instead, but I knew it couldn't have been easy for them. An official statement saying I was okay had already been posted with my consent, but it seemed that I would have to post something on my personal social media account to reassure everyone.

Very concerned, Reina asked, “Did the doctor say that you are okay? Was it really just the heat?"

“Yes. It wasn't because of any illness or fatigue. I'm sorry for worrying you all."

It wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling to be the center of so much worry. Goh Yoo-Joon noticed my discomfort and patted me on the back as he moved to his spot.

“Is everyone ready?" asked Reina.

“Yes!" the Chronos members responded loudly.

After yesterday's incident, the members had thankfully pulled themselves together and continued with their practice.

We only needed to practice "Parade," which included me. Although the choreography hadn't changed much from the original, the festival's stage was so wide that our formation had to be extended. We decided to utilize the stage's lighting and the large screens to deliver a performance of the same quality as our year-end stage, despite the different venue.

After practicing "Parade" thoroughly from morning till noon, we headed to the festival site after a quick meal.

***

“Let’s have a team dinner tonight."

“Yay!"

During the car ride, the members were surprisingly chatty. The atmosphere would usually turn grim if a member was hurt or if something happened, but it seemed like they were purposely being more lively to avoid making me feel guilty.

“Right. Hyun-Woo, how's the original soundtrack preparation going?" Joo-Han asked.

“Oh? Uh." I was caught off guard by his question and fiddled with my phone out of reflex. “I'm working on it, but it's not finished yet. I was planning to complete it after returning, but umm, I think I might run out of time."

It was my first real attempt at composing, and even with Kim Jin-Wook's intermittent help, progress was slow. I planned to properly work on the song once I got back to Korea, but I doubted this track would make it as a soundtrack. You couldn't expect to hit the mark on your first try, but since I was making it, I wanted to create a proper track without rushing. However, the soundtrack submission deadline was tight.

“I'm trying not to rush it. I will give it to Yoon-Chan if it doesn’t get selected for the project.”

When I jokingly said that, Yoon-Chan widened his already large eyes and looked at me. “...You’ll give it to me?"

I grinned and nodded.

“Hey, I thought you were giving your first track to me,” Goh Yoo-Joon intervened. “I feel betrayed."

“Ah, well, we already talked about this."

“There they go again, starting up,” Joo-Han muttered disapprovingly as if we were pathetic. “Just watch, they’re about to start a fight."

Goh Yoo-Joon and I ended our brief argument after being scolded by Su-Hwan.

Jin-Sung pointed to the camera in the car and said, “Guys, they stopped only because there are cameras around us. You should see them at the dorm, it's like they are filming a wrestling match."

He was saying nonsense because we had already had a near-wrestling physical altercation in front of the camera. Fighting was part of our daily routine, but the camera director seemed to enjoy it. He said it would make for good footage and even encouraged us to fight more.

Joo-Han was sitting in the passenger seat, glancing at me through the rearview mirror. “I've already sent in a completed track. I will help you with yours. Send the track over to me."

“Thanks, hyung. Will do."

“We're here."

The usual banter and fun vibe continued until the car pulled into the festival's parking lot. A special parking area had been arranged to the side for the performers.

“Wow, what's all this..."

When we walked in, the sheer scale of the festival had all the members letting out exclamations of amazement. It was a massive outdoor festival unlike any we'd seen before. The stage preparations hadn't even started yet, but with various booths being set up and the staff bustling about, the atmosphere was already lively.

We arrived early, so there was plenty of time left until the rehearsal. Following Su-Hwan's lead, we greeted the rehearsal site staff and then used our spare time to either go buy coffee with the Chronos team staff or start practicing the choreography.

Su-Hwan hyung called Goh Yoo-Joon and me aside after a break was announced before the rehearsal. All the cameras and mics attached to our clothes were removed.

A cool breeze was blowing. It smelled slightly of damp earth, possibly indicating impending rain. However, the sensation was quite pleasant. Multiple booths were being set up all around us, and the performance staff were bustling about with preparations.

Goh Yoo-Joon and I were waiting for Su-Hwan, who had gone to look after Jin-Sung for a moment. We were sitting side by side in the audience seats to take in the view.

“Hey, have you contacted your parents?"

“..."

“Why haven't you? Your sister sent a text saying she couldn't reach you again."

“No calls came through."

“Liar. They said they called, didn't they?"

I shook my head and simply showed my phone's call log. I hadn't answered the call from mom, and there was no call from my sister. Mom had probably been worried because I wasn't answering, and had sent a message to Goh Yoo-Joon.

After checking my call log, Goh Yoo-Joon sighed and handed the phone back to me. “Why haven't you called your mom? How worried must she have been? You really shouldn't do this."

“I was going to. Just didn't get a chance to do it because things have been hectic."

“What a terrible excuse. Don't do that to your mom. I already told her you were discharged and would be performing. She was relieved. She even cried, dude."

“Thanks. I will call her later right after the show. I promise."

I had indeed planned to reach out, even without Goh Yoo-Joon saying anything. I just hadn't managed to do that because I had to relive the past through nightmares the night before.

“...Man, take good care of your parents while they are around. You will regret it otherwise."

“..."

“I'm speaking from experience. You know that too."

I silently nodded, and Goh Yoo-Joon didn't say any more on the subject. He seemed particularly sensitive about things related to parents, perhaps even more so than me. This probably made my behavior all the more displeasing to him.

“Let's have a drink when we get back to Korea. I have something to ask."

“Man, why do you always have so much to ask me? Give it a rest."

I chuckled, and Goh Yoo-Joon smirked. He then sighed dramatically and joked, “Ha! What can I do? I'm the only friend you have, so I have to look after you. Oh, boy."

“I have other friends too, like Hee-Su, Joon-Hwan, Cheol-Min."

“Oh, those guys are closer to me than you."

Su-Hwan had finally returned after taking care of Jin-Sung. “Are you guys fighting again? Try to limit it to twenty times a day, will you?" He calmly silenced Goh Yoo-Joon and me before adding, “Supervisor Kim called. Hyun-Woo, you have a license, right?"

“Yes, I do."

“Have you driven before?"

I nodded. Goh Yoo-Joon and I started taking driving lessons as soon as we turned eighteen and had plenty of road experience since we drove a lot after we got our license. Of course, I was good at driving not because of those lessons, but because I had driven my trainees around in my past life and was quite accustomed to driving myself. I even had to stop myself from driving with one hand out of habit once.

Goh Yoo-Joon readily acknowledged as well. “This guy is really good at driving, hyung."

Su-Hwan nodded and said, “You two have a schedule lined up. There's still some time, but this will be for filming a video for Chronos' individual

UTube

channel."

“What kind of video is it?"

“On the day Yoo-Joon records his soundtrack, Hyun-Woo will be acting as a day manager for a content shoot."

I sighed. “Ah."

Goh Yoo-Joon burst into uncontrollable laughter upon hearing about the contents of the shoot. “Suh Hyun-Woo being my manager, hahahaha!"

Su-Hwan continued explaining regardless of Goh Yoo-Joon's laughter. “The content team suggested we start focusing on Chronos' personal channel content, so we agreed. You will have to drive and take care of manager duties just like the real deal. It's going to be

that

kind of shoot. Since it's Yoo-Joon's first individual schedule, we are treating it like an event.”

So that was why he asked if I had a license.

“Of course, even though you are a good driver, you are still a novice. Therefore, we will only have you drive in safe places. So don't worry about that, and just be aware that such a schedule has been arranged."

“Okay..."

Goh Yoo-Joon still couldn't stop laughing uproariously. Content-wise, it seemed like it could be fun, but Goh Yoo-Joon's uncontrollable laughter was somewhat disconcerting.

Thump!

“Ow! Why!"

I kicked Goh Yoo-Joon in the butt to get him to stop laughing and returned to the rehearsal site with Su-Hwan. With about ten minutes left until the rehearsal, the once gentle sky began to darken gradually. By the end of the rehearsal, the sunset would have passed, and there would be a dark sky for the stage performance.

Before the rehearsal started, we listened to the staff explain the performance. According to the interpreter, the fireworks set for this event would dwarf those of the previous day's venue, with large fireworks planned to fly from the stage toward the end of the performance to adorn the sky.

'It'll be okay.'

Unlike yesterday, the cool weather of this outdoor performance meant the heat from the lights wouldn't be as intense, so the likelihood of being startled by the fireworks should be minimal.

As I was steadying my heartbeat, Yoon-Chan placed a hand on my shoulder and looked at me reassuringly. “Hyung, it's okay."

“Huh? Yeah, I'm okay. Don't worry. I’ll be fine."

“No, I mean, it's okay because we are all here together." There was a comforting power in Yoon-Chan's gentle smile. “Since you are the core of Chronos, just focus on the stage without any worries."

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Strangely enough, his words slowed down my pounding heartbeat.

Overcome.

Overcome together.