Chapter 383: Red Rouge (2)

As soon as Goh Yoo-Joon and I took our positions, Joo-Han was visibly shocked and covered his mouth. His eyes were wide, and he looked like he just saw a ghost.

“No way... Are you acting?”

“Hyung... Are you acting...?” Yoon-Chan stammered, his voice shaking.

“No way he’s acting...” Jin-Sung’s voice trailed off. He couldn’t finish the thought.

Were they trying to cause trouble? I pushed the giggling Goh Yoo-Joon away, who was clearly enjoying the chaos he had created, and stared at the members with determination.

“Hey! Shhh! Be careful! Don’t even mention the word ‘acting!’ The Rings will lose it!”

Our Rings got terrified and shivered whenever I even mentioned the word ‘acting.’ Due to the members’ remarks, the number of live viewers might have already dropped by a thousand. I could almost see the viewers scrambling to leave, thinking we were about to put on some terrible skit.

“We’re not

acting,

we’re just mimicking a spoiler,” I clarified, hoping I calmed everyone down.

“Goh Yoo-Joon, have you laughed enough?” I asked, giving him a pointed look.

Goh Yoo-Joon was happily laughing off-camera. He then returned to his spot and got ready again. “Alright, Rings, watch closely.”

He moved his hand to his waist and pretended to draw a sword. His movements were exaggerated, almost theatrical. So this was why he told me to follow his lead, I realized, rolling my eyes internally.

“Take this!” he shouted dramatically and pretended to cut me down with the imaginary sword. I clutched my stomach and fell, playing along with his antics.

“Ugh,” I groaned, adding to the act.

“What are they doing?”

“When did you two plan this?”

“No, Joo-Han hyung. Those hyungs are always in sync even without planning,” Jin-Sung’s indifferent voice came from behind. He sounded like this was all just another day for us, which, to be fair, it kind of was.

If we were roleplaying like this, shouldn’t Joo-Han or Yoon-Chan be my opponent instead of Goh Yoo-Joon? I was on Goh Yoo-Joon’s side in the video as the Flower Prince, after all. It didn't make sense for me to act out this spoiler.

Just as I stood up, thinking everything was finally over, Goh Yoo-Joon spun around on the spot. His movements were swift and precise. “Po-ro-rong~”

“Huh? Hey, what are you doing now?” I asked, genuinely confused.

He put his hands in his pockets and looked at me with the most arrogant expression, almost like he was challenging me. What was he doing now?

This time, it was really hard to interpret. Therefore, I just stared blankly at him, trying to figure out what he was up to.

Goh Yoo-Joon muttered quietly ‘Red Rouge.’ I finally realized that he was done hinting at the “Ario愛,” MV, so now it was time for “Red Rouge."

I caught onto Goh Yoo-Joon's intentions late and put my hands in my pockets, mirroring his stance. I glared at him, trying to match his energy.

“...Yes!”

Goh Yoo-Joon, who had been standing still, soon relaxed his expression and greeted the camera with a casual wave. “Everyone, those are your spoilers.”

“What was that—”

“You might wonder what that was all about, but you will understand when you see the music video.”

“Yes, that’s right.” Joo-Han pulled Goh Yoo-Joon over, wrapped his arm around him, and quickly concluded the conversation. “Anyway, everyone. Time has flown by. The music video will be released in three minutes!”

“Ahhh! I’m so nervous! We worked really long and hard on this,” Jin-Sung exclaimed, trembling with anticipation.

This was our first album since our concert, and all the members had poured their hearts into it. We were more curious about the Rings' reactions than anything else. And it showed.

“Then, we will end the live broadcast here so you can focus on the music video,” Goh Yoo-Joon said, giving a final nod.

“Please post your reviews after watching!” Jin-Sung added.

“I hope we meet your expectations.”

“Then, one, two, three!”

“Chrono....”

“This was Chronos and Park Yoon-Chan!”

***

Chronos'

Q-app

live stream ended, and the room buzzed with leftover energy.

“Did you just see that? Hyun-Woo got the greeting wrong! So cute, seriously....” Kim Go-Ri said, her eyes sparkling with delight.

“Huh? Really? Hyun-Woo got it wrong? Wow, that's so cute, but I missed it.... When will the replay be available?” Kim Hyang-Su asked.

“I don’t know, but it should be up soon,” Kim Go-Ri replied, already impatient.

Kim Go-Ri and her sister watched the

Q-app

livestream from the beginning and fussed over Suh Hyun-Woo’s mistake, but closed the window without replaying. They were still riding the high of the livestream.

“Ah, I missed Hyun-Woo doing that because I was watching Jin-Sung. How can such a small guy act cute all the time? He’s like a Maltese[1]. Always clinging to his hyungs, awww.”

“Small? Jin-Sung is one of the tall ones! He might even be taller than Yoo-Joon now.”

“Shut up. He’s just a tiny Maltese to me. Stop arguing and turn on

UTube,

” Kim Hyang-Su snapped back, eager to see the new content.

“Wait a bit. It’s not that I’m slow, but the video isn’t out yet. Can’t you see I’m refreshing the page?”

The two alternated between bantering and anticipating. They had high expectations for this music video, so their excitement was almost tangible.

This music video was about Chronos' new story, and it was the first music video released since Lee Su-Hwan (nickname: Photo Album) became the label’s CEO. It was a big deal. The teasers and concept photos featuring members with tattoos under red lighting were stunning, and everyone was talking about it.

Lee Su-Hwan’s evident support for Chronos raised expectations even further. He was known for his dedication and love for the group, and fans were eager to see what he had helped create.

And when had Chronos ever disappointed? With domestic and international attention, they were sure to release an amazing song and music video.

“Whoa! It’s out!” Kim Hyang-Su fussed and smacked Kim Go-Ri’s hand as she incessantly refreshed the page.

“Oh my gosh, even the thumbnail is insane,” Kim Go-Ri exclaimed, her excitement building.

The thumbnail featured Kang Joo-Han wearing gold-rimmed glasses under red lighting. He was looking sideways, appearing tired but intense.

Even though glasses usually made Kang Joo-Han look neat, this time, he looked dangerously edgy. Kim Go-Ri was unaware that the corners of her mouth were raised as high as the sky. She hurriedly clicked the thumbnail, forgetting to respond to her sister.

The screen immediately went black.

Beep. Zzzt, beep... Zzt—

Clack-

The eerie sounds continued as the screen gradually turned red, revealing a room. The anticipation was almost unbearable.

Kim Go-Ri quickly covered her eyes. “What? Is this going to be horror again? It’s too scary.... I’m so scared, unnie,” she whispered.

“What’s there to be scared of? Nothing even happened yet,” Kim Hyang-Su reassured her, though she even felt a bit uneasy.

But it did look like a scene fit for a horror movie. The antique room was bathed in red light, with no one inside.

Beep, zzzt...Clack, zzzt... Clack, beep... Zzzt—

The strange sounds continued until the scene transitioned to show someone’s hand. Still under the red light, the hand rested on what seemed like an antique chair armrest, with a large rose tattoo on the back of it.

“That...! That’s Yoo-Joon!” Kim Go-Ri excitedly screamed, recognizing the tattoo instantly.

Kim Hyang-Su covered her ears and frowned. “You can tell that?”

“Yeah. I saw it in the concept photo. Even without that, it’s obvious. Yoo-Joon has the biggest hands and thickest knuckles among the members.”

“Wow, even his hands are handsome,” Kim Hyang-Su commented as she shook her head in amazement.

Their brief conversation soon died out as the camera panned up from the hand tapping the armrest, revealing Goh Yoo-Joon’s drowsy face. The red lighting made him look incredibly sharp and sensitive, his features highlighted dramatically.

In the video, Goh Yoo-Joon had been staring off past the camera for a while before he got up. The door of the empty room where he was opened, and revealed the silhouettes of two people who then disappeared outside with Goh Yoo-Joon.

Then, the screen switched to black before slowly revealing the YMM Entertainment logo, along with the logo for the ido-specific label “The Ska” and the title of the song “Red Rouge.”

The choreography for the song began immediately.

“...Right from the start?”

“Uh? The video starts with the dance this time?” Kim Go-Ri asked.

“Are you surprised by a choreography-focused music video? Must be nice. Allure doesn’t even have a universe or anything. Their music videos always start like this, ugh.”

“Huh, really?” Kim Go-Ri voiced her confusion.

She had assumed it would be a story-focused music video, especially since the spoilers on the

Q-app

involving Goh Yoo-Joon and Suh Hyun-Woo had suggested as much. Most music videos released until now had been story-focused. Contrary to her expectations, this one was centered around the choreography.

However, the dances that were captured in full shots or close-ups were very beautiful and powerful.

“It's a shame there's no particular story, but I really like it this way."

Lost in admiration for the new song and choreography, Kim Go-Ri soon realized the meaning of this music video. “Unnie, unnie! I got it!"

“What?"

Kim Go-Ri got excited and shook Kim Hyang-su. “Look carefully! See how the members are standing divided into factions now! If you look closely, those with tattoos and those without are always separate!"

It turned out there was a story after all. It was embedded within the choreography and the song.

Although they hadn't heard the entire first verse yet, the two factions had been facing off since the intro.

Initially, she thought that only the dancers were separated by color and the members could freely switch factions. However, she soon realized that the members were also moving in divided teams. The only time the two teams met was during the chorus.

Under the red lights, using even ordinary lights as spotlights to keep the teams distinct was because the story was melted into the choreography.

♪ No longer swept away,

I will face it head-on

Someday, the crown hanging on your finger,

Will teeter and fall.

The music video was designed to focus on the choreography and song. It finally showed the members' faces properly during the chorus. Park Yoon-Chan usually didn't show such a stiff expression, and he sang the lyrics looking at the opposite side where Suh Hyun-Woo appeared from behind the dancers like a wave.

♪ The king’s crown came off

Hey, hater

Look at me again

The dancers scattered and the camera that had been filming Suh Hyun-Woo's full body from a distance quickly zoomed in for a close-up of his face under the red light again. His gray lenses and black earrings were particularly striking. He frowned as he murmured to the camera.

♪ No one will be swept by you

As the part ended, a massive formation change followed and led into the highlight dance break of "Red Rouge."

1. A type of dog that is small, white and fluffy. ☜