Chapter 51: The Last Time (1)

Despite my young age, repeated bleaching would still make my scalp unbearably itchy and sore. "Ah, it feels swollen," I complained, gingerly touching my newly dyed light-gray hair.

The salon manager glanced at my scalp and clicked her tongue in disapproval. "It looks fine. Are you going to keep complaining? You are hurting my pride as a hairstylist."

"I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. It just really hurts," I protested. The pain was almost unbearable during the process, and even now, my scalp throbbed like hell.

"Bleaching three times does hurt. To make it worse, once you debut, you’ll be bleaching non-stop. Hyun-Woo, it’s going to be tough on you."

"I’m never doing this again. I swear, it feels like I’m going bald."

"Who said anything about going bald?" Goh Yoo-Joon giggled and looked at our balding manager. The latter then stopped mid-conversation with the hairstylists and shot us a sharp look.

"I haven’t gone bald yet!" shouted the manager.

"Getting all defensive for no reason," Goh Yoo-Joon chuckled, eliciting laughter from Lee Jin-Sung, who sat beside him.

"But I have to admit, my hair doesn’t look too bad after bleaching," I said.

Hearing this, the manager smiled in response, and my hairstylist replied, "Hyun-Woo, do you know how hard I worked to dry your hair? It’s going to be a nightmare to comb through after you wash it."

"...Great."

Patting my shoulder in a comforting manner, she commented, "Finally, you guys are starting to look like idols."

"Didn’t we look like idols before?" Lee Jin-Sung asked.

"Nah, more like good-looking kids. On stage, you did seem a bit like celebrities, but you guys still have a long way to go." The hairstylist seemed to enjoy teasing Lee Jin-Sung. After all, he was especially popular among the adults because of his chatty nature and his ability to lighten the mood. Still, the most popular member in this salon was Park Yoon-Chan.

"Maybe we should try a light perm on Yoon-Chan. In-Hyun, ask Hye-Ri if it’s okay."

"Should we trim his bangs a bit? Let’s make his eyebrows visible."

"No, no. Yoon-Chan looks better with his bangs down, fluttering around."

The primary reason Park Yoon-Chan was so popular was that the newly dyed ash-blue hair suited him exceptionally well, and the secondary reason was that he patiently endured the “hairstylists' efforts,” unlike me, who was writhing in pain... or the other members who couldn't stand the boredom.

Of course, those of us who spent twenty-four hours with him could tell that he was quite uncomfortable, but the salon staff hadn't noticed yet.

Eventually, Joo-Han stepped in. "Let's stop now, noonas. Yoon-Chan doesn’t know what to do."

"Yeah, leave Yoon-Chan alone now," Goh Yoo-Joon added.

The hairstylist jumped back in surprise. "Yoon-Chan, are you uncomfortable?"

Then, Park Yoon-Chan brushed his bangs up and down before standing up. "Not uncomfortable, but, um... My scalp also hurts. Just thinking about adding a perm is painful... haha." Classic Park Yoon-Chan, always too polite to refuse directly. He skillfully avoided upsetting the hairstylist and moved closer to Joo-Han.

"Next time Hyun-Woo's hair color fades, let's try purple. Wine color would look good too," the manager suggested, turning the hairstylist’s attention back to me. “Ash color rarely suits a person, but you manage to look good no matter what color we dye your hair with.”

"They are all pretty good-looking indeed."

"What about talent?" Lee Jin-Sung chimed in, prompting laughter from the hairstylists.

"Talent is hit or miss! I can’t lie. Some are good, while some not so much."

The manager then defended us. "Hey, we pick kids based on their potential! Look at Allure. Was Tucan good from the start?"

"Well, Allure was more of a lottery win. Let's hope Chronos turns out to be a jackpot too," the stylist remarked, then instructed the staff to wash Lee Jin-Sung's hair.

With everyone's styling complete, we finally headed to the car. As we drove to the practice room, everyone was fidgeting with their hair.

"It still hurts," I muttered, earning a sympathetic look from the stylist.

"What are we going to do with you, Hyun-Woo? You and Yoon-Chan will be back for bleaching multiple times." Her words sounded sympathetic but felt more like teasing.

Despite feeling like his scalp was on fire, Park Yoon-Chan managed to smile and compliment the stylist. "Well, there's nothing I can do about it. But hey, our hair looks really good."

The manager chuckled softly to see my defeated expression. "At least, you look like a real celebrity now. The hair lights up your face."

“Hyun-Woo hyung has always been handsome!” Lee Jin-Sung playfully retorted in response to the manager’s comment.

When we arrived at the practice room, most of the other trainees were already in rehearsal.

“Aren’t we missing a few trainees here?” Joo-Han asked, scanning the room. Indeed, a couple of members were notably absent.

Goh Yoo-Joon nudged me, concern evident in his voice. “Hey, Han Jun is missing too.”

“...No way,” I murmured, hoping that he had not left the group. Han Jun had always been the anxious type, so whenever he wasn’t where he was supposed to be, it made us worry.

Then, the manager lightly hit our backs, breaking our train of thought. “What are you two whispering about? Jun went for an interview. Not just you guys, but a few other standout trainees are being interviewed too.”

He then pushed us into the practice room. “Your friends will be going in and out for interviews, so just focus on your practice.”

As we entered the practice room, a wave of surprise washed over the faces of the trainees, momentarily pausing their rehearsal.

“Oh! Suh Hyun-Woo! Yoon-Chan, too!”

“Did you dye your hair, Joo-Han hyung?”

“You guys look like actual celebrities now!”

As a flush crept up my cheeks, I stared at the ground and shuffled my feet. I couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. “I swear, I’ve heard that at least twenty times today.”

They chuckled, "Oh, come on, admit it. You're loving the attention!"

"Hey, don’t forget to check out my new perm!" Goh Yoo-Joon said.

"And look at my fresh haircut!"

Goh Yoo-Joon and Lee Jin-Sung were quick to join in, proudly displaying their new styles. As the other trainees were restricted from dyeing their hair, they simply watched us with a mix of awe and envy. Our newly colored hair was the talk of the room.

"Alright, enough with the chit-chat. Time to get back to work. Does anyone need a longer break?" Joo-Han asked, unloading his bag. Glistening with sweat from their intense practice, the boys shook their heads in unison.

"We've still got some energy to burn," Hye-Seong asserted, earning a warm smile from Joo-Han. "Alright then, back to your spots. Let’s pick up where you left off."

When the practice resumed, the trainees scattered to their respective spots, leaving me alone in the center. As the music cued up, I started loosening up with a few dance moves. The others, led by Joo-Han, gradually joined in seamlessly, blending into the routine.

Midway through the song, the trainees who had stepped out for interviews sneaked back in, integrating themselves back into the practice without missing a beat.

"Il-Seong, Hye-Seong, you're up for interviews next!" When the two of them heard this, they quietly exited the formation, slightly disrupting the flow as we concluded practicing the song “Chronos."

Joo-Han let us have a brief pause before we dived into the second song, "History."

"Good progress overall, but we need to move more cohesively. Like one unit," he advised, scrutinizing our reflections in the mirror.

Lee Jin-Sung reviewed the practice footage and pointed out a minor mistake. "Ye-Il hyung, James hyung, and Lim Ho-Soo, you three are a bit out of sync. Come, let's fix that for five minutes"

The trio moved to the front for some focused practice, while the rest of us retreated to the sidelines. Goh Yoo-Joon and I naturally drifted toward Han Jun. "Jun, spill the beans. What did the director ask you?"

Han Jun shrugged. "A bunch of stuff, but I have to keep it a secret."

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Goh Yoo-Joon feigned disappointment. "Come on, we're all friends here. How can you keep it from us?"

Han Jun's tight-lipped response, coupled with his sheepish look, hinted that his answers during the interview might have been a bit cringe-worthy.

"Don’t pester Jun anymore. Let's focus on practice," I said as I steered Goh Yoo-Joon back to the center.

With some extra lessons from Lee Jin-Sung, the trio finally got their steps right.

Our manager then hit the play button again, and we continued our practice. Our movements gradually became more polished than ever, the choreography looking flawless.

"Wow, you guys seem ready for the stage," the manager remarked, clearly impressed.

The uniformity of the other trainees complemented our moves, enhancing the impact of the Chronos team's performance. The sheer number of dancers, coupled with the demanding choreography, created an imposing presence on the floor.

To my surprise, Park Yoon-Chan radiated confidence now. His transformation since the last competition was remarkable; his earlier hesitations were replaced by a commanding presence on stage. Even the usually stern choreographer couldn't help but smile at our performance.

Joo-Han remained focused, meticulously going over the footage and then addressing the vital issues. After a while, he said, "Let's start with 'History' now. Sing as if it's the real performance."

The room directly erupted with excited affirmations. “Okay, let’s do this!”

"Just remember not to go overboard. We can't afford any strained voices before the big day," Joo-Han cautioned, slipping back into his usual spot.

Despite Joo-Han's warning, the enthusiasm of the members couldn't be curbed. They belted out the lyrics with gusto, fully immersing themselves in the rehearsal. Joo-Han frowned slightly at their overzealousness but chose not to intervene.

"Someone's out of sync!" Joo-Han shouted suddenly, causing Park Yoon-Chan to flinch. Joo-Han was quick to point out the mistake. "Yoon-Chan, stay steady. You can't flinch every time I give feedback."

"Sorry," said Yoon-Chan quickly, trying to regain his composure.

“One member drops out here!” One by one, trainees started to exit to the sides at perfectly timed intervals, gradually decreasing the number of performers on the stage. In the midst of this, Han Jun was the only one who kept dancing as planned.

“Take a break. You three, stop here! And then, Han Jun’s part!” Following Joo-Han’s cue, Han Jun sang his part. Joo-Han had written this second part specifically for Han Jun. After singing, Han Jun looked at me and Goh Yoo-Joon, then smoothly exited to the side.

"Wow... just wait until this gets on air. It's like a perfect drama about youth!" The manager clapped, moved by the scene.

We’ll meet again among the stars

?

With that sentence, I concluded the last part of "History," and the practice session came to an end.

Script by Kang Joo-Han.

Planning by Kang Joo-Han.

Directed by Kang Joo-Han.

Produced by Kang Joo-Han.

Honestly, this kind of presentation could feel super cheesy when we were just practicing among ourselves, but the vibe changed completely when we did it on stage with all our emotions running high.

It was not about worshiping Kang Joo-Han. Years of being a trainer and monitoring various stages had taught me that this kind of cheesiness actually worked, just like in

High School Musical.