Chapter 397: Red Rouge (16)

The filming location for "Red Rouge" was a historical drama theme park associated with a folk village.

“Just as I thought, Stew Rion can rent out a place like this without any issues.”

When we were filming the music video, we couldn’t use this location because it was being used for a historical drama shoot. Following the production team's guidance, we moved to the waiting room, changed into our costumes, and then headed to the stage setup.

“Gosh! What is this?” Joo-Han exclaimed in awe as soon as he saw the stage.

The low stage blended perfectly with the history-themed surroundings, while the tall lighting structures, red cloth draped across the set, and the carefully decorated buildings and lights created a breathtaking scene.

“...This is no joke,” I muttered, genuinely impressed by the stage before me.

“It feels like we are doing an end-of-year special stage,” Goh Yoo-Joon whispered to me and looked around with wide eyes.

He was right. The scale of the set made it feel like a major year-end show. In terms of details, it seemed even more elaborate than the year-end stage we had performed on previously. It was as if the set was loudly declaring, ‘This is the power of money!’ The dark wooden floor matched the background perfectly by completing the impressive scene.

- How do you feel about this?

A behind-the-scenes camera crew from Stew Rion’s team approached us while we were getting our hair touched up.

Goh Yoo-Joon couldn’t hold back his excitement. “I’ve heard a lot from my idol friends. They said Stew Rion’s stages are no joke.”

“Me too. Everyone talked about how amazing the Stew Rion team’s support was,” I added.

“I didn’t expect it to be this impressive, though. Seeing it in person is even more overwhelming.” Joo-Han said.

The interviewer, who was standing next to the cameraman, laughed heartily.

- Stew Rion will be thrilled to hear that. He is always involved in planning and stage design discussions.

“Really? Thanks to him, we’re going to make some amazing memories here.”

- Your costumes are very unique. Can you explain them a bit?” the interviewer asked.

“Well, it’s a fusion of the Joseon Dynasty[1] concept. Since the music video takes place around this period, we all have specific roles. For example, I am dressed as a nobleman from a prestigious family,” I explained.

Goh Yoo-Joon pointed to the flower in my hair and added, “He is just a flower boy.”

“Oh, come on. And Goh Yoo-Joon, what are you dressed as?”

“I think I’m just a commoner?” Goh Yoo-Joon said by showing off his hanbok to the camera. It was a traditional hanbok without much alteration.

In fact, our costumes were also a spoiler for "Ario 愛." In the music video, I was a nobleman, Yoon-Chan was a bodyguard, and Joo-Han was dressed as a king. However, we couldn’t dress Goh Yoo-Joon as a clown and Jin-Sung as a blacksmith without knowing how the Rings would react.

Thus, they wore different costumes. Goh Yoo-Joon wore a similar nobleman outfit with a neck tattoo, and Jin-Sung had a long, tassel-like earring in one ear.

Everyone else also had a unique detail. Joo-Han wore the glasses with strings from the "Red Rouge" music video, Yoon-Chan had a gold-patterned black headband, and I had a flower in my hair.

To be honest, it seemed a bit out of place. But the stylist kept emphasizing that we would look great for sure under the stage lighting and the song "Red Rouge." She had assured us that the overall effect would be impressive.

‘We will see. With this flower in my hair, I will need to see how it feels during the rehearsal.’

“Let’s start the rehearsal!” the staff announced.

The rehearsal began on this surprisingly elaborate stage, with costumes that we weren’t entirely confident about yet. This added a bit of pressure to the situation.

***

“I think we should replace the flower in Hyun-Woo’s hair with something else,” the stylist suggested.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, it’s a cool stage. But if Hyun-Woo is the only one who looks cute, the Rings might feel it’s a bit off. They like it when you look cool at cool moments.”

“Got it. I will change it to something else.”

“With his expression looking so cool, the flower is distracting. Maybe add a ponytail with a red string instead.”

From the start of the rehearsal, the attention Stew Rion gave to the stage was very different from the one he had for the members during his interview. He pointed out anything that seemed off, adjusted camera movements, and changed lighting on the fly. He was fully focused and serious.

The chief planner, Choi Si-Hyuk, who had worked with Stew Rion for almost ten years, approached him. “Seong-Woo, what’s up with you today? Not drinking coffee and just focusing on the stage?”

“Huh? Oh, I forgot.” Stew Rion, whose real name was Ryu Seong-Woo, looked disappointedly at his coffee cup. The ice had melted, turning it into a watery coffee. “I haven’t taken a single sip. This is annoying.”

Ryu Seong-Woo usually drank coffee like it was water. Without a good cup of coffee, he could get irritable, so Choi Si-Hyuk asked, “Should I get another one?”

Ryu Seong-Woo stared longingly at the coffee but shook his head. “No, I don’t think I’d drink it even if you got another one. I’m too focused right now.”

“Seriously? You usually drink more coffee the more focused you are.”

“Do you know how frustrating it is to even think about going to the bathroom when I’m this focused?” he retorted. Ryu Seong-Woo shook his head and turned his attention back to the monitor.

Did he love Chronos that much? Did he want to do a good job for them? Not exactly. He was a fan, sure, but not more than other artists he had invited. He was monitoring Chronos' rehearsal instead of enjoying his beloved coffee due to a sense of responsibility.

'We have to do this well.'

It wasn’t about gaining something from them but rather a matter of duty. It was the responsibility of someone involved in leading the spread of the Korean culture wave and being a part of the entertainment industry.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

‘This is absolutely thrilling!’

To understand why Stew Rion was so excited, you needed to consider Chronos' current position.

Chronos debuted from

Pick We Up,

and was one of the slowest idol groups to gain recognition overseas. However, this wasn’t their fault. Their agency was a very small and relatively unknown company. Looking at Chronos, it became immediately apparent just how important marketing and capital were, as their international growth was quite slow.

However, Chronos' international recognition had been skyrocketing recently. It wasn’t a sudden surge but rather the result of people starting to notice the efforts and qualities they had been building up all this time. More people gradually began mentioning Chronos when discussing K-pop idols, and their music videos and albums started naturally climbing the charts.

To Stew Rion, this was the most crucial time for Chronos to succeed internationally. As more people became interested in them, appearing on Stew Rion’s channel would be a pivotal moment. His clips were a must-watch for anyone who loved K-pop

Stew Rion's channel could be the springboard that propelled Chronos to massive success. The idea that his platform could be the catalyst to elevate a beloved group was incredibly exciting for him.

To ensure that Chronos' stage would be the best it could be, Stew Rion spared no effort. He was confident that Chronos would become a much bigger group than they were now from this performance onward.

***

“Hyun-Woo, let's remove the flower.”

“Huh... What? The flower?”

“Yeah, they told me to take it out.”

I panted as I caught my breath after the first rehearsal. As soon as we stepped off the stage, the stylist approached me with a regretful expression and carefully removed the flower from my hair. She then replaced it with a wig and long tassel earring similar to Jin-Sung’s, much like the ones we used during "Sirens."

“Why? Did it look weird on the monitor?” I asked.

“I thought it was fine, but Stew Rion said you were the only one who looked cute.”

“...”

“Suh Hyun-Woo is speechless at the sudden compliment,” Goh Yoo-Joon commented as he passed by, narrating as if he were a sports announcer.

I knew it. The flower boy look was a bit much. I became relieved and headed toward the monitor. The red lighting, dark scenery, and soft candles reminiscent of a massage parlor surprisingly matched well with the "Red Rouge" concept.

“We need to be careful with the hanbok during the dance break. Joo-Han hyung, is the costume uncomfortable while dancing?”

Despite the discomfort, the dance break we prepared especially for Stew Rion’s channel looked fantastic with the hanbok. Now that I had a ponytail instead of the flower, it might actually add a nice detail to the choreography.

“Yoon-Chan, can you look at the camera for longer? There’s going to be a close-up before the camera pulls back.”

“Ah, yes!” Yoon-Chan responded promptly.

After monitoring the rehearsal with the production team, we made adjustments to any uncomfortable costumes and hairstyles. Then, we returned to the stage.

“Let’s start the main recording!”

The lights turned red again, and the moon appeared overhead. This created a perfect backdrop. We stood in formation, heads bowed, with black-clad dancers kneeling behind us.

Soon, the sound of a wind pipe and janggu[2] echoed through the air, slow and majestic as if heralding the arrival of royalty. A single spotlight cut through the dark red lighting, and my brief solo dance began.

1. The Joseon Dynasty, which lasted from 1392 to 1897, was a Korean kingdom famous for promoting Confucianism, its cultural achievements, and creating the Korean alphabet, Hangul. It’s considered a golden age in Korean history with big strides in arts and government. ☜

2. A traditional Korean drum. ☜