Chapter 462: What Should We Do From Now On (26)

The director’s command was clear and cheerful. We had to bring out the bright, cheerful spirit of Christmas into our voices. The members executed this with flawless enthusiasm because, well, they had no choice.

"Everyone, Da-Win has requested someone pick up some coffee on the way here."

"Coffee? Ha."

"Pfft, looks like Suh Hyun-Woo is off on another cafe terrace run."

"Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? You’re coming with me too."

"Yoon-Chan, Sae-Yeon asked you to grab some drinks when you come back with Jin-Sung."

After a moment's hesitation, Yoon-Chan asked, "If they are still on the call, can you ask if I can get Morning Sunlight[1] for them instead?"

"Yes. Oh, and the newbies have made their way up to the oldbies’ practice room. Should I ask what coffee to bring?"

Laughter broke out after the camera-wielding junior staff member relayed the message.

"They went up again?"

Given that a whole day had been cleared for the sake of practice, the Allure members spent little time honing their skills and more time crashing our Team Oldbie’s sanctuary. The recording studio was just a few steps from the practice room, allowing us to keep tabs on all the antics next door.

While our recording space was an oasis of calm, the YMM family was a hive of activity as they non-stop chattered, goofed off, squabbled, and diligently generated content. This made following the director’s instruction to sing with joy an easy feat since humorous events were unfolding just next door.

Moreover, the recording process glided along effortlessly.

"Yoon-Chan, just sing in unison rather than layering harmonies. It’s a group song."

"Okay!"

We were recording a song for all YMM artists. A couple of lines each was all that was needed. Except for Yoon-Chan and myself, the other three members had finished.

As Yoon-Chan was wrapping up his part, more news from the practice room reached us via Supervisor Kim. "The newbies sent up the youngest ones. Da-Win isn’t close to Aeon, so he doesn’t scold him at all. He went down to the newbie's practice room instead."

"Did we lose our practice room?" I asked.

Supervisor Kim shook his head. He seemed amused by the situation. "They decided to settle it with rock-paper-scissors. Those kids... How come they’re still so immature despite their age?"

Unlike the current trainees who were just starting, all the debuted members were ones Supervisor Kim had personally overseen until their debut. It appeared that Supervisor Kim had reverted to his old self while watching the unchanged antics of the Allure members.

Did the oldbies really need to handle the comedic bits? It would be a blast if the Allure members took it on.

"Next up, Hyun-Woo. It’s your turn in the booth."

As they chatted away, it suddenly became my turn, and I entered the recording booth with a big smile. It felt like I could sing in a lifted mood indefinitely... but things weren’t as simple as I had hoped.

"Ah..."

As soon as I heard my part, the initial exhilaration faded, replaced by a creeping anxiety.

"Hyun-Woo, you need to layer your harmonizations above Yeong-Yee's part."

I nodded at the director's command, but I was panicking internally. "Layer harmonizations above Yeong-Yee's voice? I only memorized the main part, so this could be tricky."

This part required high notes.

‘Since Senior Yeong-Yee is a high-note master, she will handle the high harmonizations!'

I had assumed, but it turned out it was me who had to do it.

I hesitated before saying, "This is quite high... But I will give it a try."

Yeong-Yee had finished recording, so I couldn't just opt out, especially since the camera was still rolling. With the camera on, I had to be impeccable in my notes delivery as the main vocalist.

"Okay, please do your best. Let's begin."

The song played at the director’s. I layered my harmonization over Yeong-Yee’s singing.

♪ On a winter day,

We clutch a warm hand warmer,

and hold hands

We share stories just between us

I relaxed and blended my breath well to ensure stable tones and avoid any off-pitch notes. It was a technique taught by Reina during my Eden days, which sounded pleasant and made the high notes more accessible.

Though frequently used in Eden’s albums, it was something I hadn't needed much with Chronos. But thanks to Yeong-Yee, I had the chance to employ it again.

Feeling my voice cleanly ascend, I finished the song. Though I couldn’t hear them, I could see the staff and members beyond the booth marveling.

Producer Do had been watching us from a distance, then he approached the microphone. He soon put on the headset, and I heard his voice in the booth.

- Wow, Hyun-Woo. Your skills have significantly improved since you started your solo activities. Your voice is much more polished than the last album.

"Thank you."

- You've really become a complete vocalist now.

It was rare for Producer Do to give such high praise. He even gave a thumbs-up before turning to discuss something with the director. I couldn't hear their conversation, but I saw Goh Yoo-Joon's eyes widen in surprise as he pointed at himself. The others looked equally shocked, murmuring among themselves.

After belting out another part, I stepped out of the booth. That was when I finally caught wind of their discussion.

"I think we should have a dedicated vocal stage at the joint concert. I will provide a song for that."

***

Post-recording, the back of the practice room was in a lively chaos.

"Sequence, you’re up for recording."

"Got it. We will be back soon."

One by one, the Sequence members peeled themselves from their seats and headed out. I remained seated while flipping through the concept papers and observing the Allure members.

"Why is everyone still here?" Had we forgotten about splitting into oldbies and newbies? Why were Sequence and Allure crammed into one practice room?

Da-Win passed me a sheet of paper and explained, "We met up to make sure our concepts don’t overlap. Did your session go well?"

"Yeah, it went great."

We settled next to Allure and began reviewing the concept papers.

"Interesting."

In the studio, I had only heard snippets about squabbles over the practice room and rock-paper-scissors games, yet they had solidified our concept in that short time span. The oldbies shifted from comedic skits to a sultry, intense theme, while the newbies embraced a musical-style performance.

Jin-Sung had been eager to do a musical, and frankly, I preferred the intensity of our new theme. So, the directions of our plans pleased me.

I handed the paper to Goh Yoo-Joon as Da-Win elaborated on our strategy. "We noticed a lot of members in our team could really pull off the sexy vibe, myself included." Da-Win was indeed a decade-long idol as he weaved self-praise seamlessly into the conversation without shame. "So we thought, why not try something like "Moon Sea?"

"Moon Sea?"

Da-Win’s tone had been light-hearted throughout the day as he was happy to see younger friends, but it shifted to an earnest tone.

"And ‘Parade.’"

"Moon Sea" was a track dearly loved by Allure's fans, while "Parade" was a signature hit of Chronos.

"Since Sequence hasn't released an official album yet, let's start with these two songs. We've been wanting to perform ‘Parade,’ and you guys haven't performed ‘Moon Sea’ in a while, right? How about we collaborate on this?"

"Wow, that sounds amazing!" Joo-Han immediately agreed. Rings had frequently expressed a desire to hear a new version of ‘Moon Sea,’ and the timing couldn't be better.

"Since we’re going all out, why not expand our universe?" Joo-Han suggested, already enthused by the collaborative spirit.

"That's a brilliant idea! I will mention it to Supervisor Kim."

The exchange of ideas between Da-Win and Joo-Han was brisk, and Da-Win handed over another sheet. "And this is for a joint performance. Just brainstorming, but we thought we might include it?"

"Ah." Joo-Han scrutinized the sheet before passing it to me and Goh Yoo-Joon.

Da-Win chimed in, making us regain our focus. "The story of the song makes it fitting for Allure to step back for this one. It’s an opportunity we wouldn't get if not for this joint concert, and it was suggested by Il-Seong."

The song Il-Seong had brought up was "History." This was one we'd all performed together under the banner of 'Original Chronos' during our

Pick We Up

days.

"That does make sense. It's a great chance for Sequence to join us on this. I'm all for it. How about you guys?"

Our reply was a unanimous "Yes." Although not all the original Chronos trainees had debuted—some had transferred to different agencies or quit—the few who had managed to debut were now part of Sequence.

Despite the paths of the original Chronos members diverging, the day we promised to meet again under the stars and reunite as Chronos and Sequence to sing "History" again was a profoundly joyful and fulfilling experience for both the fans and us.

"We will need to redistribute the parts. Anyway, we will discuss this amongst ourselves and let Supervisor Kim know." Da-Win said as he straightened up from his half-reclined position. "But I’m sure Supervisor Kim will be okay with it."

Joo-Han nodded emphatically. "He will definitely love it, won't he?"

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Supervisor Kim definitely didn’t have the keenest musical sense, but he was brilliant at nailing down plans that promise significant stage effects.

Da-Win simply nodded silently and stood up. "Alright, we fooled around enough now."

"Fooled around..." I murmured. Guess we did play a bit instead of working hard.

Da-Win casually dismissed my comment with a grin. "Shall we start practicing for real now?"

1. The "아침햇살(Morning Sunlight)" drink definitely splits opinions when it comes to its taste. Some really like its unique sweet vibe—it's made from a blend of white, brown, and black rice, sort of like sweetened almond milk. But then there are those who just aren't fans of it (like me, haha). They find its flavor a bit odd and not really their cup of tea, especially when compared to other drinks that pack a stronger punch. ☜