Chapter 453: What Should We Do From Now On (17)

‘What in the world is happening here?’

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and frowned deeply. "What’s up with you guys? Didn’t you say you were buried in work?"

"Man, listen to that cold tone of his."

Even I was taken aback by the harshness dripping from my words, but this was a testament to the sheer unexpectedness of their arrival. The members showed up at the dinner out of nowhere.

"We obviously came to pick you up!" Goh Yoo-Joon cheerfully announced with a mischievous grin.

Next to me, Reina clapped her hands while chuckling. "Oh right! I saw your reply on

BlueBird

. You came to collect the drunkard, huh?"

"Drunkard?"

What was that supposed to mean? I got confused and shot back, but the members had already ignored my question and squeezed themselves into seats around me.

Joo-Han politely bowed his head to Reina. "Yes, Senior. We’re here to pick up the drunkard. Sorry for the intrusion."

"Why are you guys like this today? Seriously, why the sudden visit?" I kept pestering them for an answer since I was unable to piece together the reason.

Yoon-Chan finally nudged my shoulder and flashed his phone screen at me.

Chronos @chronos_official

AHAHAHA! What's he up to? The drunk rescue squad is on its way!

"...Isn’t this classic Goh Yoo-Joon?"

It finally clicked why they had unexpectedly invaded our dining spot. These guys were clearly here to poke fun at me because I was drunk.

However, a few drinks didn’t sway me anymore because I had more experiences with alcohol now. I was fully sober, just a bit more emotional than usual, and my speech was a tad slower. But otherwise, I was handling the gathering just fine.

The point where I lost it, though, was when they asked me to give a toast. Thinking about how much effort everyone had poured into making my first concert a success—not to mention all my fans—I got overwhelmed. I started giving my speech, and I was crying before I knew it.

Normally, I wouldn't get this emotional, but the booze definitely played its part.

"Really... Thank you so much... I..."

I was so overwhelmed by the sparkling stage, the fact that I wasn’t scared anymore even with all eyes on me, and the sheer joy of singing and feeling so loved. I was so overwhelmed that tears began streaming down my face.

What was meant to be a simple toast dissolved into sobs, but rather than sympathy, others just seemed amused. They threw jokes my way.

"Hyun-Woo, the concert schedule is not even done. Why are you crying already?"

"Oh, welp. Classic Hyun-Woo. He seems stoic but ends up being a crybaby."

"Right, if you think about it, every tear-worthy moment has both Jin-Sung and Hyun-Woo sobbing."

Damn, every bit was so touching and emotional, so I couldn’t help but cry. It was not like I was not used to tears. I had cried so much that I had become numb to pain, but I was still vulnerable to intense feelings and happiness because I had rarely experienced them.

"Here, wipe those tears." Kun-Ho handed me a leaf of lettuce instead of a tissue.

"S... Senior..." I was baffled and held the lettuce while Kun-Ho laughed heartily.

Reina, who seemed to enjoy the moment, lifted her phone. "Isn’t Hyun-Woo just adorable right now? This would be a hit with the fans. Mind if I film this?"

"Uh, sure..."

If the fans liked it, then... Before I knew it, I had agreed to it, and Reina began filming.

That unexpected recording session made me so suddenly shy that I quickly tried to compose myself, but I hadn’t expected the members to show up.

"Alright, look here~" Goh Yoo-Joon put an arm around my shoulder while lifting his phone high. The members huddled around me and struck poses.

Click.

"Alright, thank you. This one's going straight to Chronos' official account."

"Ah, why would you post that?!"

"Shh. The Rings asked for it. They have been wanting a drunk rescue photo."

"What drunk rescue?"

"Ah, are you two fighting again? Even when you are drunk?" Reina shook her head in disbelief, pulling me and Goh Yoo-Joon apart. "Enough already! Since you’re here, grab some meat. We are not letting Hyun-Woo go just yet."

"Really? Can we join the dinner?"

"Of course! Eat up."

"But... isn’t this too much trouble?"

"Not at all! Eat as much as you can, guys. How’s work going, Joo-Han?"

As Reina effortlessly got the members involved in the feast while discussing Joo-Han’s latest stressful project, Goh Yoo-Joon managed to post the group photo to our account. He filled my glass again without warning. "Take a shot~"

"Hyung, keep it light. He has another show tomorrow," Jin-Sung said.

I nodded, clinked glasses with Goh Yoo-Joon, and took a sip. Joo-Han was deep in conversation with Reina about his work, and I suddenly found myself without anyone else to talk to.

'Wow, I’m really getting tipsy.'

Feeling a bit buzzed, I stared into empty space for a moment before acknowledging the members.

"Thanks for coming."

"We had to!"

"Right! Our hyung held a concert, so we had to come!"

"Yeah, hyung. We had to come and celebrate... And the songs were awesome!"

"Haha, thanks."

The way they praised me seemed natural, yet not quite. I truly believed I was fortunate to have such great people as members. In the industry, it was rare to find a group that genuinely celebrated a member's solo success and concert. The carefree way my members supported and celebrated me really made me feel how close and precious our relationship was, and it left me feeling really good.

Goh Yoo-Joon cheerfully emptied his glass and said, "If my beloved member got drunk, umm, I mean, if he had a successful concert... We naturally have to celebrate, right?"

Ah, he called me 'beloved.’

This guy hung out drinking so often with his friends, yet he hadn’t managed to build a higher tolerance than me.

"Ouch."

Goh Yoo-Joon's arm wrapped tightly around my shoulder and pulled me in. "Congrats, my boy! I was so happy seeing you happy."

"Wow, this guy gets drunk on just that," Jin-Sung commented disdainfully as he placed Goh Yoo-Joon's empty glass to the side.

Goh Yoo-Joon watched Jin-Sung take the glass, chuckled, then said, "Seeing Suh Hyun-Woo's concert made me really want to do one too." He casually stated that, possibly out of concern it might seem like jealousy, but I knew he was genuine.

Before I became part of Chronos, when the group was known as Elated, Goh Yoo-Joon had been the main vocalist. He, too, had a strong passion for singing, so I knew he felt a complex mix of joy and envy at my solo concert.

‘Well, to be exact, it was Eden's concert,

’ I mused.

While Joo-Han was chatting with Reina, he glanced at Goh Yoo-Joon. "Why speak as if you’re envious? You can hold your concert too."

"Huh?" Goh Yoo-Joon leaned back and turned his head to look at Joo-Han.

Joo-Han continued, "Solo concerts for each member are also a goal of mine. First, we hold our international tour, then the solo concerts."

"Oh, really?" Reina spoke instead of Joo-Han. "Aren't you guys underestimating the ambitions of Chronos' leader?"

Reina had observed Joo-Han's work with Callia since

Again After Rainfall,

and she seemed well aware of his goals.

"Let's toast once more." Kun-Ho suggested by lifting his glass. I just watched with embarrassment, so Reina, the producer who organized the event, made the toast. The dinner continued.

***

"Goodbye!"

"I will see you tomorrow!"

"Take care, and see you tomorrow, Hyun-Woo!"

At midnight, the dinner ended early with another performance scheduled for the next day. Except for our members and Tae-Seong, everyone had left. We decided to take a walk in the deserted alley to sober up.

After the members arrived, I managed to control myself enough not to create any more embarrassing moments. I was slowly sobering up, though Joo-Han and Goh Yoo-Joon were still significantly drunk.

"We were talking about working together, but what the heck? You were just reading concert reactions on social media. You can't do that. I was stuck in my room working."

"But I..."

While Joo-Han was nagging, Goh Yoo-Joon again put his arm on my shoulder. I hadn't realized this before when I was also drunk, but this guy really liked to put his hand on shoulders when he was inebriated. It was no wonder Jin-Sung avoided him. If Jin-Sung were here, he'd be the armrest instead of me.

"How can we not worry about our Suh Hyun-Woo? I was checking social media to see if anyone was trash talking."

"I am more worried about your drinking limit, buddy. Get your hand off." I brushed off Goh Yoo-Joon's hand, but he stubbornly put it back.

"Seriously, why does no one help me with composing songs? And Hyun-Woo, shouldn't you have reported back to me after your concert was done?" Joo-Han grumbled.

"Report to you? Was I supposed to do that?" I wondered momentarily if there was a rule in our group about reporting after schedules. Joo-Han seemed to be just rambling while drunk.

"Of course you should report to me! How else would I know if it ended well? I can only relax and work if I know it went well."

"Why do you keep bringing up work at the end of every sentence? It makes me sad. Hyung, is work too hard? Should I do it for you?" This time, Goh Yoo-Joon clung to Joo-Han, but was kicked away.

I sighed and looked around. Thankfully, there was no one around. They would have looked like a pair of drunks causing a scene.

I hesitated for a moment, then sneakily pulled out my phone. "Isn't this our first walk in a long while?"

"Yeah! It really is. Since

Again After Rainfall,

right?"

Jin-Sung's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, right? We hardly ever walked like this after our debut."

"Let's take a picture for the Rings to see. We should post it on

BlueBird."

"Oh, good idea!" Goh Yoo-Joon eagerly gathered everyone in his arms.

I captured the smiling faces of all the members on my phone and took the photo. I uploaded it to

BlueBird.

It was a petty revenge for calling me a drunkard.

Chronos @chronos_official

The ones who came to retrieve me have turned into drunkards themselves. Can't help but collect and bring them home now. Gosh, the smell of alcohol stings my nose.

#Hyun-Woo

(Chronos on a walking path, group photo.jpg)