Chapter 59: Chronos History (3)

Cameras were all over the dorm now. Thanks to Joo-Han's insistence, we had tidied up the place, and it was now spotlessly clean.

"Man, I'm bored. Hey, wanna go to the convenience store?" suggested Yoo-Joon.

"No, it's too hot." I quickly shot down Goh Yoo-Joon's suggestion and pulled the fan closer with my foot. With the cameras rolling, we couldn't even sneak a glance at our phones. Jin-Sung and Park Yoon-Chan were busy playing a dance game on the gaming console given by Allure, while Joo-Han was deep into composing music.

Left with little choice, I joined Goh Yoo-Joon in battling the overheating laptop while playing Crazy Arcade.

“It must be nice for Joo-Han hyung since he has a PC. Hey, can I buy one too once we debut?"

“Why are you asking me? Yo, are you seriously throwing water balloons at my side?" I hastily maneuvered my character to dodge the balloons and nudged Goh Yoo-Joon with my body.

“That's how you play this game. It's different from a shooting one. I was asking just because if I get one, it will have to be in our room, and I don’t want to bother you.”

“I don’t care. But then, I am going to use it too. Let's go to the internet cafe later for a shootout game. Loser buys ice pops,” I replied.

“No way. Let's stick to Crazy Arcade. You're too good at shooting games." As we were idly chatting and wrapping up a game round, the door opened with a knock, and the youngest writer of

Chronos History

peeked in.

"Whoa!"

We were startled by her sudden entrance, so we jumped up. Then, she quickly gestured for us to be quiet, placing her index finger over her lips. “Can you two come out for a second?"

“Uh, sure!"

She sneakily led us out of the dorm, and we walked slowly until we reached YMM's office cafe terrace. There, Director Lee Won-Jae and Writer Song Yi-Hee were waiting.

“Hey, you're here, how are you guys doing?”

“Hello, we are doing very well. Thanks for asking,” I answered.

“So, how's the dorm atmosphere with the cameras around? Is it too uncomfortable?"

“We've been used to it ever since the unit training camp."

A camera was set up on the table, and the young writer brought us some drinks. I wondered what this was all about. As we looked around, feeling puzzled, Director Lee laughed heartily. “We've brought you two here because we are going to prank Joo-Han."

“A prank?"

Director Lee nodded. “Isn't it almost Joo-Han's birthday?" He then explained that they wanted to throw a surprise birthday party for Joo-Han.

“We will tell Jin-Sung and Yoon-Chan later, but for now, just keep it to yourselves. We brought you here to keep it a secret from Joo-Han."

“What's the plan?"

“Here's the scenario.” Writer Song Yi-Hee had our attention as she unveiled the storyboard. “Your roles are crucial here.”

The scenario was like this. On the day we were to record Chronos’s opening track for the first time, Goh Yoo-Joon and I, who were known for our frequent spats, were scripted to have a showdown right in front of the composer.

“We've already briefed the composer, and he's happily on board,” Song Yi-Hee assured us.

“Umm...Okay,” I replied somewhat hesitantly.

“Your job is simple. Just fight. Jin-Sung and Yoon-Chan will jump in, trying to defuse the situation, suggesting you call it quits if things escalate. That's how we'll drive the narrative.”

“Given Yoo-Joon's sharp look, let's have you confront the composer, and Hyun-Woo can step in to calm things down.”

I pondered the idea. Hidden camera pranks of group members fighting were a common trope on shows, but could this really work? I had this nagging feeling that after the prank, with his sharp instincts, Joo-Han would give us a hard time.

“What’s with the long faces? Do you think you can pull it off?”

“Joo-Han is quick-witted, but if it's his first time being pranked like this, he probably won't catch on right away.” Yoo-Joon mulled it over before nodding in agreement. “We've got to do it, right, Hyun-Woo?”

“Yeah, sure. Though, I'm a bit worried about the aftermath.”

“Excellent. I’m counting on you. As trainees, shouldn’t you be getting some acting practice too?”

We shook our heads. Our label, YMM, wasn't exactly flush with cash to afford acting classes for trainees. Having shown a talent for acting, Yoon-Chan had received some training initially, but that ceased when he switched his focus to idol training.

Producer Lee Won-Jae then sent us back to our dorm.

Once back in our room, we resumed our interrupted game. With the dance game sounds from the living room having died down, it seemed that Yoon-Chan and Jin-Sung had been called by the writer.

As our game wrapped up, Yoo-Joon abruptly shut his laptop.

"Why? I was ready for another round," I protested.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

“Yoon-Chan and Jin-Sung stepped out. Let’s take over the console."

With no phones allowed, our competition for the laptop and game console was fierce, reminiscent of a family gathering during the holidays. Seizing the opportunity, we grabbed the console and fired up the dance game the others had been playing.

“So, I just follow the dance moves?" I asked.

“Yep, the highest scorer wins," Yoo-Joon explained, showing me the ropes. Watching him clumsily mimic the on-screen dance moves was hysterically funny.

“Man, what are you doing? You're exactly like Cha-Cha!" I teased.

“Hey, it's harder than it looks. Shaking your hips isn't enough to ace this," he retorted.

“Looks fun, I want in!” I said, and he passed me the second controller.

From the perspective of a viewer, it might seem odd to see us, daily dance practitioners, engrossed in a dance game. But for us who genuinely adored dancing, playing a dance game with friends was an absolute blast. I had expected old-school DDR arcade tunes but was pleasantly surprised by the trendy selection.

- Round 1! Here we go!

- Please follow along with the screen!

We were in stitches, laughing as we awkwardly danced along with the screen.

“Ah! That's so unfair! How can you guys just snatch our game?”

“Go play on the laptop. But man, this is way too much fun."

“The laptop heats up too quickly, and it's useless for anything but that water balloon game! Scoot over!"

Even as Jin-Sung, with his solid build, tried to push us away, we held our ground as we were immersed in the game.

"Hang on, Jin-Sung," Yoon-Chan intervened, pulling out two more controllers from the drawer. “This can be a four-player game. You're an adult here, right Jin-Sung?"

“Quit treating me like a kid, hyung. But I didn't realize this was for four players," Jin-Sung grumbled, accepting a controller and waiting patiently for our round to end. As soon as our dance ended, we plopped down on the couch for a break, and Jin-Sung quickly picked the next song.

“We've got the whole day. Why not start from the easiest level and conquer them all?"

“Then, we would end up spending the whole day here. We don't want to disturb Joo-Han hyung, who's busy working," Yoon-Chan noted, then Lee Jin-Sung sat on the couch after placing the consoles on the table.

“Yeah, we shouldn't interfere with his composing," he agreed.

“I got some sausages for everyone," Yoon-Chan announced, distributing them to us and Joo-Han, who was engrossed in his work. As we sat side by side, munching on sausages, we exchanged knowing glances.

“You heard about the plan from the director, right?" Yoo-Joon asked, and both of them nodded, sausages still in their mouths.

“If you guys start fighting, I will step in at the right moment.”

“Yoon-Chan, didn’t you take some acting classes? I’m counting on you for this," I said.

“Then Hyun-Woo and I will slip out at the right moment to get the cake ready." When we were discussing Joo-Han's surprise birthday party, our faces were filled with worry. It was our first time doing something like this, and Joo-Han, of all people, was our target. No wonder we were nervous.

***

The day had finally arrived. It was our first recording session for

Chronos History

. When we reached the studio of composer Oh Dong-Hoon, we looked at each other, keeping Joo-Han in the dark. As soon as Joo-Han knocked, the door swung open, revealing the composer himself.

“Hello, we are Chronos," we greeted.

“Oh yes, I know. Come on in," he responded warmly.

We then entered the studio with our heads lowered slightly, taking in the sight of high-end equipment far beyond what our company’s studio had. There were even air purifiers and humidifiers here, and cameras were strategically placed all around the room.

“Take a seat. You all look even better in person," the composer complimented.

“Nah, thank you, though..." we mumbled, already feeling intimidated before the recording had even started. Oh Dong-Hoon had a formidable presence, and we were all quite shy around adults. It seemed like we were all a bit scared of him... myself included. His piercing gaze seemed to scrutinize us intensely.

Oh Dong-Hoon looked us over and then let out a chuckle. “It's good to see such polite kids. I've heard about you from Reina, seen you on stage too."

“Thank you!" we responded in unison.

“I'm Oh Dong-Hoon, in charge of your title track, ‘Parade.’ Looking forward to working with you."

“We are grateful for this opportunity!"

That was when my eyes met with the composer’s. As I hesitated, he gave me a meaningful smile, sending an unspoken signal that seemed to say, 'It’s showtime.’

“You’ve all memorized the lyrics, right?" he asked.

"The lyrics?" My heart sank. We hadn’t been informed that the lyrics were finalized, let alone memorized them. Didn’t our manager say that we’d be getting them on the spot?

As we stood there, flustered, the composer sent another meaningful smile my way, and this time I got it. It was the cue to start the hidden camera prank. His face suddenly turned stern. “You came to record without memorizing the lyrics?"

Unaware of the setup, Joo-Han hesitated before bowing his head. “Sorry, we were under the impression we'd receive the lyrics here. Is that not the case?"

The composer frowned deeply. “What are you talking about? Who comes to record without knowing the lyrics?"

“We are so sorry," Joo-Han apologized, his body bending even more under the weight of the composer’s annoyance.

‘Why, though?’

Even when we knew that this was all an act, our expressions hardened.

‘Did we really have to force Joo-Han to apologize? Especially for something he hasn’t done wrong and during what was supposed to be a joyful occasion — his surprise birthday party.’

I chewed my lip while watching the scene, feeling an irritating mix of emotions. The situation felt almost too real. Even though it was intended to create content for the show, this prank made everyone involved feel unpleasant.