Chapter 474: What Should We Do From Now On (38)

Team Newbie’s stage was something else…

Fierce

was the word for it. As soon as they were grouped up, it was clear they were stacked with insane dancing talent. Unlike Team Oldbie, where I kind of just slid into the main dancer role, the newbie group was brimming with dancers who knew their stuff. This made the atmosphere wildly different from ours.

Maybe that was why during one of those practice sessions when Allure members were complaining about their aching joints and we were chilling and rehearsing at our own pace, Allure’s manager hit us with a reality check.

“Aren’t you supposed to be fired up too? Team Newbie is burning with passion. They are all fighting over parts.”

The Allure members had responded in unison. “It’s because they’re young. They have that youthful energy.”

Young and fiery. That pretty much summed up Team Newbie’s performance. It was packed with youthful zest and audacity. This meant that dance battles had been super intense among Sae-Yeon, Jin-Sung, and even On-Sae.

Despite that team also having a good time and a friendly vibe, our agency's main dancers were known for hating to lose in dance battles even if they were cool with losing a verbal argument. When it came to dancing, seniority didn’t matter. You either go hard or go home.

Look at them go!

They were dancing like they were ready to take someone out, flipping and twisting with grins on their faces.

“Man, what’s Sae-Yeon going to do about that arthritis?”

“…Arthritis?”

“Is he nuts? What is he planning to do tomorrow, wreck himself?”

Tae-Il shook his head, clearly thinking Sae-Yeon was beyond help. Meanwhile, Joo-Han was muttering encouragement from the sidelines with a serious squint.

“Nice. Give it some more, come on. Push hard. Let’s win this. Even if Sae-Yeon’s got arthritis, let’s do this. Oh, nice one.”

He was like some kind of backstage wizard trying to psych up Jin-Sung, who probably couldn’t even hear him. I just grinned at the weird mix of vibes. Honestly, this place never had a dull moment.

“Team Oldbie Chronos! Why aren’t you changing? Hurry up and get in here!”

Caught watching the Team Newbie’s fiery display, we were jolted back to reality by our stylist’s yelling. We rushed to change into our outfits, matching the sporty look of Team Newbie.

As Team Newbie wrapped up their long stage, we were set to blend in seamlessly with the Chronos and Sequence members for "History."

“Seeing Yoon-Chan like this, he actually dances pretty normally now,” Joo-Han remarked after he stopped his side comments toward Jin-Sung.

It was rare to see Yoon-Chan dance with anyone other than us, but seeing him now, you wouldn’t think he had ever been a weak link. Guess all those high-difficulty routines paid off. I remembered when he used to get bummed about being called the weak link during our

Pick We Up

days.

Come to think of it, I no longer saw hate comments about people doubting Yoon-Chan's capabilities.

A few moments later, Team Newbie’s stage came to an end. With the audience’s cheers filling the venue, the lights on stage dimmed. Joo-Han, Goh Yoo-Joon, and I quickly stepped up on the stage.

“Good luck,” Sae-Yeon murmured as he passed by us. I flashed a grin and nodded before finding my spot.

The final stage of the joint performance was "History" performed by both Chronos and Sequence. As everyone settled into their positions, bright blue lights bathed us in a cool glow.

***

Chronos and Sequence members were all dressed in crisp white sporty outfits. The fans could instantly tell what was coming.

“History."

Before Sequence debuted, that was the song they had promised on stage that they would all debut with. For the Rings and the fans of Sequence, just hearing the title "History" was enough to stir up a flood of emotions.

Kim Go-Ri sniffled. “What do I do? I feel like I’m gonna cry.”

It seemed she always ended up crying whenever this song played. But today, the overwhelming feeling was stronger than ever because the promise from the past had been fulfilled. And, sure enough, the members on stage were experiencing way more intense emotions.

Kim Go-Ri’s prediction was spot on. The members, now in formation and gazing into each other’s eyes, could sense what they were all feeling. They all shared the same thoughts. Despite dozens of practices and rehearsals, performing this song in front of fans as idols had their hearts racing way more than any rehearsal ever did.

With those complex but wholly positive emotions swirling within their chests, the song kicked off.

“Wowww...”

The crowd gasped when the familiar yet comforting intro of the song played, its lively and bright melody tinged with the poignant nostalgia of youth.

♪ After a long day has ended,

When I checked the empty room,

I couldn't hide the feeling of emptiness

“Ah!" Kim Go-Ri exclaimed loudly.

‘That verse! It's that one!’

Initially, she thought it was just a metaphorical line. Now that the debut story of Chronos was known, she could understand what those lyrics were talking about.

Chronos had said they had felt so guilty leaving the remaining trainees when the debut group was confirmed that they practically ran away with their bags packed. The lyrics honestly captured the feelings of the trainees who had stayed behind at the dorm. The Sequence members who had penned the original lyrics calmly sang their parts as the song continued.

The members of Chronos and Sequence, all twelve of them, moved as one to recreate the group choreography from back in the day. For fans who’d watched the

Pick We Up

video over and over whenever they missed them, this was an absolute treat. And then, it was Han Jun’s turn.

♪ I wanted to stand beside you, and finally,

We've fulfilled our promise together

“…Huh?”

“The lyrics changed?”

“They changed the lyrics! For real! Oh my gosh!”

The fans were all abuzz. Han Jun’s lyrics had changed. Back during

Pick We Up,

even though Han Jun was just a guest member, there was talk that he was the true protagonist of the song. Many fans remembered his story.

Back then, he’d failed the debut audition and was about to give up being a trainee. The original lyrics reflected the sadness of not being able to participate, but now, they had been changed to “I wanted to stand beside you, and finally, we've fulfilled our promise together.”

“Aw…”

Fans who detected the change just couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. Knowing how much heartache Han Jun had gone through, and how much Suh Hyun-Woo and Goh Yoo-Joon had hoped for his debut, the tears just started flowing. Sequence continued with original lyrics that weren’t in the song before, with On-Sae, Aeon, and Byeong-Kwan singing them.

Kim Go-Ri ended up crying too. No surprise there…

“I’m so glad he made it! Aaaah!”

Overwhelmed with emotions and unsure how else to express them, she just let the tears flow. The sound of fans crying and cheering, and the members on stage syncing their gazes and dance moves… Suh Hyun-Woo and the others also held back tears that seemed ready to burst, just like the fans.

Man, "History" really did something weird to people’s emotions.

The song soon moved onto the second verse. This was normally where Sequence members would step back, leaving only Chronos to sing, but not this time. Sequence stayed with Chronos throughout the second verse. As the stage lit up with a brilliant light, numerous lyrics passed.

Finally, Suh Hyun-Woo walked to the center of the stage.

♪ Haven't we shed tears together?

Let's rise up together,

We are here together

True to the changed lyrics, all the members were together on stage.

The song ended exactly as Suh Hyun-Woo and the members had long hoped. Everyone was together on stage. Then the lights dimmed, and a huge roar of applause followed. The applause continued until every member had descended from the stage. It was a show of support for the twelve members who had delivered one of the best stories through a single song.

***

“Gosh, I’m starting to feel drained.”

Joo-Han ran down the hallway and exhaled heavily with a grimace. No wonder. Since the second part of the concert started, Chronos had been performing non-stop.

Between the joint performances, there were individual collaboration stages and talk sessions about the setlist. We also had to change outfits constantly and were dragged in all directions without even realizing it. We just wanted a moment to breathe, but nope, there was no time for that.

We had to quickly change and get ready for the next performance. When we arrived at the waiting room in a rush…

“Hyun-Woo! Come here, Hyun-Woo!”

“Joo-Han, over here!”

As soon as we opened the dressing room door, we were practically dragged by our stylist and immediately blasted with hair dryers. The sweat soaking our hair dried up in no time, and our makeup and hair were quickly touched up.

“Ah, wait. Let me grab some water. Water, where’s the water?”

We were all like zombies searching for water while the staff, looking even more exhausted than us, quickly fetched water and helped us change.

“Come on, we need to move a bit faster!”

I thought the same. As soon as I sat down and gulped some water, I suddenly realized my makeup had already been touched up and my clothes had been loosened for an easy change.

“Ah… what’s the next performance again?”

Mumbling as I rifled through the setlist, I heard Tae-Seong’s voice from behind me. “It’s your show now. ‘Blue Room Party,’ ‘Christmas is Ours,’ and ‘Red Rouge.’”

“Finally!” Jin-Sung shouted energetically.

The second part of our joint concert was already sprinting toward the end. The next sequence was the last group performance before the finale—it was Chronos’ moment.