Chapter 72: Chronos History (16)

When Joo-Han suggested deciding on a fan name for Chronos, both the members and the fans participating in the livestream chimed in with numerous ideas. Ideas like—Second Hand, reflecting Chronos as the deity of time; Midnight, symbolizing the union of Chronos(the big hand) with fans(the small hand); History, for those wanting to be part of Chronos’s journey; and Cha-Cha, which evoked cherished memories from the day we all first connected—flooded the chat.

While some proposals felt a bit forced, others resonated impressively.

“Hyun-Woo, what are your thoughts?”

“Me?” I was taken aback.

“Any ideas popping up in your mind?” Joo-Han encouraged, not allowing any members to sit out. Though many ideas paralleled my own, Joo-Han’s insistence nudged me to contribute as he couldn’t stand members not voicing out their opinions. “Hyun-Woo is known for his bright ideas, especially since

Pick We Up

.”

“Umm... let me think." I pondered as perhaps a broader scope was needed. All I could think of related to ‘time’ was already given. Besides the time, Chronos was also the god of Saturn, and Saturn's most stunning feature was its rings.

“What about Ring?"

“Ring? What does that represent?"

“What do you mean by Ring?"

“Chronos is also the god of Saturn, and Saturn’s rings are its crowning beauty. The ring could signify that our fans are the most beautiful aspect of Chronos."

My suggestion was met with expressions of awe from Yoo-Joon and Jin-Sung. Their facial expressions clearly indicated that they liked the idea.

“Classic Hyun-Woo! I'm all for Ring. How about you guys? And our fans?"

Yoon-Chan skimmed the fans' responses, smiling broadly. “They seem to love it! It's catchy and fitting. I'm on board."

“What do you think, leader hyung?" Jin-Sung asked. Joo-Han nodded affirmatively. “If our fans like it, that settles it. It’s both meaningful and fitting."

“So, from now on, our fans will be Rings."

“Hello, Rings!" Jin-Sung's call sparked a buzz of responses in the chat. His face lit up, buoyed by the swift feedback. Mirroring his joy, Joo-Han gently got him seated. “Well, Rings, it's been nearly thirty minutes, and it’s time to end the livestream."

— NOOOOOO

— No, not yet! :’(

— Stay a bit longer!

— Only thirty minutes? Why so short?

Their lamenting comments made Joo-Han feel apologetic. “We'd love to talk to you longer, but it’s time for practice. We're truly sorry."

“We promise a longer session next time."

— Short and sweet is fine, just please don’t stop live-streaming!

— Thanks for dropping by!

— Good luck with practice. We'll be waiting!

Joo-Han read the chats and then said, “Debut preparations have kept all of us swamped and tired, but your presence here has been truly uplifting."

“We’ll practice diligently and return soon... Stay strong!"

“It’s time for us to go, Hyun-Woo."

“Okay." I approached the camera, waving a final goodbye. “Thank you for today. Stay well until we meet again!" With that, the broadcast ended.

“That was incredible." Jin-Sung sprawled on Joo-Han's lap, his face radiating happiness.

“Jin-Sung looks more cheerful than he's been in days."

“It’s the magic of live interaction I suppose." Joo-Han tenderly responded to Jin-Sung and then stood him up. “Up we go. Time for practice."

“Is there a meeting after that?" Yoo-Joon asked.

I replied, “Yes, to discuss the next reality show shoot."

“Another reality show shoot? Time does fly."

We made our way toward the company, loosening our tense muscles. A brisk practice awaited us, followed by a meeting with the reality show team and more practice. This relentless routine was alarmingly becoming the new normal.

***

“Ugh! Break! Ah, break!" Jin-Sung was the first to give up, collapsing on the floor. Given that he was the member with the most stamina, his surrender meant that the rest of us were probably faring even worse.

“Ugh... ah... I'm dying." A sigh escaped from my mouth without realizing it. Everyone was pushing themselves to avoid getting scolded by the choreographer, but honestly, we were close to not being able to handle any more schedules after this.

Panting heavily, the choreographer looked around at us and then slumped against the mirror. “Okay, that's it for today. Sorry for changing the choreography so often."

“That's alright. If the changes make the dance better, we're grateful for them." We had already gone through four revisions. It was a bit frustrating, but each new version was indeed an improvement.

“Great job, everyone. No more changes. I promise. Let's shoot the final version tomorrow."

“Okay, thank you for your hard work!" After the instructor left, our manager came in with drinks.

“Can you guys move yet?"

We all glared at him. “If we say yes, you're going to send us to a meeting, aren't you?"

“Give us a break, hyung."

“Sit down, hyung. Don't rush things."

The first practice was already exhausting, and we had a meeting and more practice afterward.

“...Sigh."

The reality of debut prep was daunting, but it was necessary. I closed my eyes for a moment and then got up briskly.

“Get up, everyone. The manager looks troubled."

“Ah, hyung, I'm not done resting yet..."

“Rest after debut. Want some chocolate milk?" I asked.

“Yes, please." I handed Jin-Sung the milk and pulled him up forcibly. I did the same to Yoo-Joon, while Joo-Han and Yoon-Chan got up by themselves, heading toward the meeting room.

The meeting room was bustling with activity as director Lee Won-Jae, writer Song Yi-Hee, the production team, and the Chronos staff were already deep in discussion.

“Oh, hey. Did you guys finish practicing? Come, sit down."

“Hello."

“We're watching your debut preparations through the footage. Looking forward to it."

“Thank you." We greeted everyone and sat down. After that, the production team quickly handed over some documents.

“Last time, some members couldn't ride the amusement park rides, making the competition a bit unfair. So we've decided to tell you guys in advance about the next ‘secret plans.’"

“Understood."

“The next shoot will be at a nearby camping site. We're thinking of doing survival challenges with gear sponsored by a survival gear company."

“Survival, like gunfights?" Jin-Sung asked, making a gun shape with his hand.

Director Lee nodded. “Yes. Any members not comfortable with survival games?"

“Aren’t five people too few to make teams? It might be hard with just us."

“Right, that's why we've invited guests this time."

“Guests? Who are they?" My question was met with a sly smile, and the director pressed a finger to his lips. “That's a secret."

‘Who could the guests be?’

If the reality show was a continuation of

Pick We Up

and the production team was the same, it was likely a group from the show—possibly from big agencies like High Tension or Street Center.

As I pondered, I caught Director Lee's eye, and he gave me a knowing look, almost as if he was saying, “I know what you're thinking. But you are wrong~.”

I quickly averted my eyes, pretending to be interested in the documents. A small chuckle came from Director Lee. “Anyway, it's going to be a tiring day. In-Hyun, please adjust the practice schedule for the day. Make sure the outfits are comfortable."

The stylist team leader raised a hand. “Are we shooting on dirt at the camping site?"

“Yes, even though there will be props from the survival gear sponsor, expect to be rolling in the dirt."

“What about safety gear or head cameras?"

“Members will wear some safety gear, but it won't be overly cumbersome. No head cameras either. We want them to look cool even in a gunfight."

The meeting progressed swiftly. It was more of an information session for us, with realizations like, “Oh, survival next” and “There are guests.”

“Aren’t we having advantages for this game?" Yoo-Joon whispered, barely containing a chuckle.

I smirked back at him. “Not us, just me."

“You are ridiculous.”

In survival games and gunfights, Yoo-Joon and I were the pros, having conquered everything from Crazy Arcade and Battle Grounds to older games like Sudden and Highwatch.

Jin-Sung occasionally joined us but preferred dancing and sports, while Joo-Han and Yoon-Chan weren't into games.

Therefore, it'd be Yoo-Joon and me flying around the field in this shoot. It was such a satisfying content.

“Anyway, that’s all we got for today. Any questions?”

“No. We will do the best from our side for a smooth shooting.” The meeting ended with Mr. Seong’s words. After that, the staff got up and started packing their stuff.

Director Lee Won-Jae sipped the coffee while talking to Mr. Seong. Then, he looked at Goh Yoo-Joon and me as he exclaimed, “Oh, right. You two are the MCs for

Countdown

, right?”

“Yup! It’s the day after the reality show shooting.”

“Nice. Go advertise for our show as well since it’s the reward from our show, okay?”

“Yes, for sure.”

The manager had stressed multiple times that this opportunity was for the sake of promoting the show. Hence, both of us nodded with big smiles.

As the production team of

Chronos History

left the meeting room and the manager went to see them off, Supervisor Kim stopped us as we were about to head back to the practice room. We had thought we had nothing more to do in the meeting room.

“Hey, guys. Do you mind sitting down a bit longer?”

“...What’s going on?”

Both Supervisor Kim and Mr. Seong, who had appeared friendly during the meeting, now wore serious expressions, completely erasing their smiles. We automatically settled back into our chairs.

“Is anyone among you confident in survival games?”

“Who is the strongest candidate for the first place?”

The members pointed at me, while I pointed at Goh Yoo-Joon.

“Because Hyun-Woo hyung was born to be good at games and has advantageous physical abilities.”

“Oh, yeah? What about Joo-Han?”

“Me? Umm...” Joo-Han hesitated before answering. “I could say that I would die right at the start.”

“...Oh, really?” Supervisor Kim pursed his lips tightly and had a bitter expression.

“What’s going on?” I asked, and then Mr. Seong explained, “A few days ago... the company received a call. It wasn’t from just anyone but from SES.”

“Huh? Then?”

“They want to cast you for SES’s flagship program

Flying Man

.”

Thunk!

The plastic bottle from Joo-Han’s hand fell and struck the floor.