Chapter 387: Red Rouge (6)

♪ I am a shadow under the moon

You belong with the sun

Cherishing the hand I let go

Before the chorus, there was Yoon-Chan's part. Among the members, he was the only one who used a prop in his performance. He held a large fan and executed the gestures he had practiced. Using the fan had been Yoon-Chan's own idea.

The members split to the sides, and Yoon-Chan moved forward to complete his part, followed by the dancers moving in perfect harmony. The dancers spun dramatically around the center before moving to the back as the lights brightened and the chorus began.

This chorus part was mine, and it was my favorite. The emotional, lyrical instruments and melody felt like an outpouring of feelings.

♪ Blowing away my crumbling heart, Ario-

I sing a song in mourning with sobs

Ario, Ario, Ario ai- Ario

The melody of the lyrical chorus was played by string instruments with the sound of janggu[1] adding depth.

The song flowed both sorrowfully and passionately. The dancers retreated to the back, leaving only the five members of Chronos on stage. The previously crowded stage now felt empty as it left the Rings silent and moved by the emptiness. The song quieted down before the highlight, with Jin-Sung’s solo dance starting to the sound of a violin.

Unlike me, Jin-Sung performed with vigor. His expressions and movements perfectly matched the mood of "Ario愛." As he danced, the dancers silently re-entered and positioned themselves at the back. When Jin-Sung's solo ended, the lights dimmed, and Joo-Han moved forward from the side while singing his part.

♪ Even if I float flowers on still water

They don't drift away

Just like my heart

Always longing, holding your memory

The camera zoomed in on Joo-Han’s face. After finishing his part, he performed the pre-planned gesture. The lights brightened again as the camera quickly pulled back, leading straight into the highlight.

The dancers rushed forward, took their positions, and the dance break began. Led by Jin-Sung, the choreography was powerful and intense. It was the most physically demanding part, but our focus kept the exhaustion at bay.

The "Ario愛" performance ended.

“Good job, everyone.”

“Thank you! Great job!”

With the director’s tired voice signaling the end of the recording, we energetically expressed our gratitude to the crew and waved to the Rings.

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Yes!!!”

“Glad to hear that. Thanks for coming, Rings. Today must have been tough for you guys, too.”

“Make sure to eat and rest when you get home!”

Because we showed signs of leaving, the Rings suddenly started calling out for us, each trying to say something. They wanted us to say their names or at least give them a world of acknowledgement. However, all we could do was make eye contact and wave on our way backstage.

Even though we wanted to chat with them, the next group scheduled for pre-recording was waiting. As a result, we had to leave the stage without delay.

After wrapping up, we quickly packed up and headed to our next schedule.

***

The official start of our comeback activities usually kicked off with first pre-recording then straight into variety show schedules to promote the album. However, today was different. We were heading to YMM Entertainment’s studio for our individual variety show filming.

We wore familiar suits, reminiscent of the ones we wore for the first and second Chronos meetings. It felt like putting on a uniform. It was clear that our first variety shoot was going to be the third Chronos meeting. The only difference from our usual attire was the name tag on my chest, reading ‘Chronos Suh Hyun-Woo.’

It appeared Su-Hwan’s idea of pursuing a slightly B-grade variety show was real. Everything was a bit off. The name tag’s gold border looked pretty tacky.

“Hey, have you seen the feedback on the pre-recording? The Rings are posting without spoilers. They are pretty good at that,” Goh Yoo-Joon said with his hands in his suit pockets, approaching me.

I shook my head. “Not yet. I will check it out at the dorm later. Why?”

Goh Yoo-Joon chuckled. “Yoon-Chan got caught because of you~ The Rings figured it out.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The coat and shoe incident. They said if Yoon-Chan had struggled alone, they might not have noticed. But they saw you helping him, and that gave it away.”

I laughed along with him. Honestly, it would have been weird if they had not noticed. We had made quite a scene. It was a relief that they found it cute.

“I will check it out later.”

“Okay. Oh, by the way, our

Pick We Up Two

episode airs tomorrow.”

“Already?”

Goh Yoo-Joon frowned slightly and nudged my arm. “What do you mean

already?

They always air our segments quickly to sync with the live broadcasts.”

Come to think of it, the preview videos had been released soon after filming. I remembered that during our time, practice behind-the-scenes clips were quickly edited and aired right away.

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that during this

Pick We Up Two

recording, I might have come off as too full of myself. As I was reminiscing about the filming, Goh Yoo-Joon made a random comment.

“Isn’t it amazing?”

“What is?”

When I tilted my head in confusion, he scratched his neck awkwardly.

“Starting tomorrow, we will be on TV every single day. It’s amazing how much the company are supporting us."

“Yeah, it’s pretty incredible.”

It was not like YMM had not supported us before. They had always arranged plenty of variety shows and radio appearances for our comebacks, giving us lots of opportunities to promote our albums.

But this time, the level of push we were receiving was almost overwhelming. From stage setups to future schedules, it was clear how well-connected and resourceful Su-Hwan was. When "Red Rouge" was released, nearly every radio station played our song. DJs introduced the track and announced our comeback, even on random frequencies.

UNET edited and inserted teasers for our comeback into advertisements for a whole week, and with extensive

UTube

marketing, the "Red Rouge" music video views hit record numbers. We were around everywhere, even before starting our promotion activities.

One particularly clever campaign was the ‘Fall in Love with Chronos Before the Comeback’ content. It was a one-hour video uploaded by the most famous music channel on

UTube

, a subsidiary of UNET.

Instead of the usual promotion featuring our stages, it was filled with fan-favorite performances, solo stages, and popular show appearances like

Pick We Up,

“Red Riding Hood Cha Cha,” and "Moon Sea." Even our year-end stages were compiled into this video. The emphasis wasn’t on our title tracks but on these engaging performances to attract new fans.

There were also our performances and music videos on songs “Blue Room Party,” “Parade,” and our most recent title song “Phantom Spirit.”

Su-Hwan explained that once someone became a fan, they’d naturally watch the title tracks. Therefore, the goal was to convert viewers into fans rather than casuals who just listened to the title songs. We all felt the intense support, just as Goh Yoo-Joon had said.

The production crew called us over. “We will start filming soon. Chronos members, please gather here. We will start filming as soon as you get the cue. Feel free to act cocky or create a little skit as you enter the set.”

“Got it!”

“Even though this is your first shoot, this show is all about you, so don’t worry about anything and just have fun. Go wild and do whatever you want,” the crew reassured us.

It was a simple directive. We just had to enjoy the shooting. They encouraged us to go off-script if it made things more fun. This must have been the difference between personal variety shows and regular TV shows.

“Let’s start filming,” the director signaled.

One of the staff clapped the slate in front of the camera, and the cue signal followed. We received a gentle push from the staff toward the set.

“Ah, we’re back! We’ve finally returned!” Goh Yoo-Joon exclaimed dramatically since he was the first to stride onto the set. Following his lead, the rest of us entered while bantering as we took our seats. Joo-Han naturally took the MC’s seat and kicked off the show.

“Ladies and gentlemen, finally!”

His loud voice made Jin-Sung cover his ears. “Ah, you scared me!”

Joo-Han was unfazed, so he carried on. “Chronos has its very own variety show! Make some noise!”

“Waaaah!!!”

“What’s the name of the show, sir? What’s the name?” Goh Yoo-Joon played along.

“Goh Yoo-Joon, we will reveal that later. Anyway, we’ve been talking about doing a variety show for ages, and now it’s finally happening. It’s an honor and we are very grateful. Everyone, stand up and greet the camera.”

“Stand up?”

“Really?”

Despite our confusion at Joo-Han’s bossy tone, we obediently stood up and thanked the camera.

“Thank you!”

“So~!”

“Oh my gosh, why are you so loud today, hyung?”

“Joo-Han hyung seems more hyped today than ever!”

“Ugh!”

With a loud thump, Joo-Han slapped the table with his cue card and grabbed everyone’s attention again. “What are we doing today for the glorious first episode?”

“He only gets this high-energy on broadcast,” Goh Yoo-Joon muttered.

“What? High Tension?”

“Seriously, Yoo-Joon. Be quiet.”

“Look at our outfits, everyone! Don’t they look familiar?” Joo-Han continued as he ignored our side chatter.

Despite our playful complaints, there was something impressive about his ability to keep the show moving smoothly. The filming progressed with ease, and our camaraderie and natural chemistry made the shoot lively and enjoyable. The more we joked and interacted, the more fun the show became.

1. A traditional Korean drum shaped like an hourglass. It has two heads, each producing different pitches, and is played with sticks or hands. The janggu is widely used in various Korean music genres, including folk, court, and contemporary music, providing a versatile and rhythmic backbone to performances. ☜