Chapter 94: Debut (17)

The gentle breeze created a pleasant contrast with the warm sunshine, and the tranquil sounds of nature served as a serene backdrop. I wondered when was the last time I had enjoyed such a peaceful moment alone. The setting was perfect for a nap, and there I was, sprawled out on a bench in front of the house.

Director Lee Won-Jae had hinted at some game-like activities for our trip, but he surprisingly left us on our own as soon as the filming commenced, without assigning any missions. The presence of scattered cameras was the only indication that we were on a shoot. Otherwise, it felt like a genuine holiday, with me and the other members relaxing inside the house.

The idea of taking a nap was incredibly enticing, especially as drowsiness started to settle in. After all, Director Lee had given us free rein, saying, “Do whatever you want.” Just as I almost fell asleep, someone sat beside me and playfully waved a hand over my face.

“What?" I mumbled, caught off guard.

“Oh, I saw you here and thought you were about to sleep. I was about to wake you and guide you back to the house..." said Park Yoon-Chan.

“Thanks," I replied as Park Yoon-Chan withdrew his hand. We then decided to wander over and enjoy the view of the valley. It seemed like he had simply approached because I was there, not necessarily for a chat.

“Why don't you join the others?" I asked, noticing Goh Yoo-Joon and Lee Jin-Sung engaging in playful antics with a golden retriever on the other side. Seeing them, I sighed inwardly. The clothes they were wearing were probably sponsored, and I could almost hear the distant cries of dismay from the stylists observing from afar.

Park Yoon-Chan leaned back, finding comfort against the bench. Shaking his head gently, he said, “I prefer the quiet." It was clear that he, like me, wasn't a fan of noisy environments.

The atmosphere was laid-back, and since neither of us was particularly chatty by nature, the silence between us didn't feel awkward. However, as I sat there, the lure of sleepiness returned. No, falling asleep immediately during a broadcast wouldn't do. So, I forced my eyes wide open and initiated a conversation with Park Yoon-Chan to fend off the drowsiness.

“You really nailed the 'Rasputin' dance," I complimented.

“Thank you. And you, with your curly hair in 'You are Shining...’"

“That's a compliment, right?" I asked, half-joking.

“Yes, of course," he confirmed sincerely, his face free from any mischief. It seemed the curly hair wig genuinely suited me.

Suddenly, Joo-Han's voice shattered the tranquility. "Hey! You two, stop rolling in the dirt! Those clothes are sponsored!" He had probably been alerted by the stylists and was now scolding Goh Yoo-Joon and Lee Jin-Sung. While peace reigned on our side, chaos seemed to be a constant companion on theirs. Fools.

Just then, as I was soaking in the peaceful atmosphere, a paper airplane gilded toward us, coming to rest at our feet.

“A paper airplane?" I wondered aloud.

“Where did this come from?" Park Yoon-Chan picked up the airplane, his curiosity piqued. “Look, there's something written on it.” He then unfolded the paper cautiously to avoid tearing it and handed it over to me.

[Would you like to cook together with the members? YES/O]

So, this was their way of casually presenting us with a mission.

“Hmm," I pondered.

“Cooking...?"

Given the lack of restaurants or even a grocery store nearby, it seemed that we had no choice but to cook ourselves.

I commented, “Well, Joo-Han hyung is able to cook ramen.”

“And Jin-Sung made pancakes not too long ago," Park Yoon-Chan added.

“But he's vowed never to make them again after that pancake dance incident," I reminded him.

As we were engrossed in discussing the mission, the trio from the other side approached us with the dog in tow.

“What's all this serious conversation about?"

“What's on that paper?"

“Don't come too close to Hyun-Woo and Yoon-Chan. You'll get them dirty too!"

I passed the paper to Jin-Sung.

“Would you like to cook? Really? Us cooking?" Jin-Sung looked disgusted at the thought. His opinion, however, didn't carry much weight given his history with cooking disasters.

“Let's go for it. There's ramen after all. We can manage that," Joo-Han suggested casually.

“But is making ramen really considered cooking?" Park Yoon-Chan questioned, prompting Joo-Han to pause and consider the idea.

“Wouldn’t it be considered cooking if we sliced some onions and put them in there?”

“Hold on, hyung," Goh Yoo-Joon interjected seriously, grabbing Joo-Han's arm and presenting the paper to him. “Read this out loud."

Following Goh Yoo-Joon's request, Park Yoon-Chan started to read the mission paper slowly. “Would you like to cook together with the members? Yes, slash... O?"

[YES/O]

‘Ah!’

Goh Yoo-Joon nodded. “It’s not really giving us a choice, is it? It’s basically a command to cook.”

Right as we were digesting the purpose of the mission, another paper airplane glided toward us. We didn’t know who was sending it, but the precision of their throws was impeccable.

Lee Jin-Sung picked up the paper airplane and unfolded it with a hint of curiosity.

Meat and Stew - 70 points

Curry - 80 points

Chicken Soup - 90 points

Braised Short Ribs with Aged Kimchi - 100 points

What did all this mean? We exchanged puzzled looks, our eyes flitting from the paper to each other. Just then, Joo-Han's phone started to ring.

“Could it be In-Hyun hyung?”

“I wouldn't be surprised. I had a feeling they wouldn't let us off the hook that easily."

Goh Yoo-Joon jokingly suggested, “Just ignore the call. It's clearly about the mission."

Following his cue, I promptly hit the decline button on the call. This little act of rebellion sent a ripple of chuckles through the group, and we started heading back to the house.

“Director, you said we could do whatever we wanted, but look at this."

“To make braised short ribs with aged kimchi, we practically have to camp out in the kitchen."

“Come on, let's just forget the mission. We're here for relaxation, and it's our last shoot anyway."

“It's not like we can actually make any of these dishes on the list."

“How about ramen? Director Lee probably planned for this. Well, no mission means no starvation."

Perhaps it was our newfound boldness as newbies or the confidence we gained from experiencing

Flying Man

, but we firmly refused the production team's persistent attempts to make us cook. Even as more calls came through, Joo-Han consistently declined them while we nonchalantly prepared a pot for ramen.

Eventually, the persistent production team that was monitoring us from elsewhere showed up and insisted that we answer the phone. When it rang again, with evident reluctance, Joo-Han pressed the answer button. To our surprise, it was Director Lee Won-Jae—not Manager In-Hyun—on the line.

- Chronos, ramen is off-limits today.

Director Lee blurted out immediately.

“What! You said we could do whatever we wanted!" Lee Jin-Sung exclaimed, his protest laced with laughter.

- You can, but no ramen or starvation is allowed.

Director Lee asserted with urgency in his tone. Clearly, he was taken aback by our unexpected defiance. After all, we usually followed his directions without fuss, but everything changed when the fir—ehm, ever since we appeared on

Flying Man.

- Look, did you see the paper? There are scores next to each dish. You can earn the ingredients for your chosen dish by scoring with the karaoke machine in the house.

“Then, you are giving us the dish?"

- We will give you the ingredients for those dishes, and all members must participate. We'll average your scores to determine which ingredients you get.

“But Director, if we score ninety, can we choose the eighty or seventy-point dishes?"

- You need to score within the seventies to get the ingredients for the seventy-point dishes like meat and stew.

“Wow, that's challenging." Our collective befuddlement seemed to restore Director Lee's slightly annoying demeanor.

- You got this!

“Ugh..."

Director Lee abruptly hung up the call. With a collective sigh, we set aside our water-filled pot and made our way to the living room.

It appeared Director Lee had caught wind of our entertaining karaoke session, probably through his connection with Director Han Bu-Joon.

“Given our culinary skills, wouldn't aiming for meat and stew be the most realistic option?"

“Exactly. Anything higher would require us to actually follow the recipes closely."

It seemed that they deliberately placed the straightforward meat dish in the seventy-point range. Generally, as long as you didn't sing too softly, scoring above seventy was feasible. However, if any of us hit the nineties, we’d be forced to spend hours meticulously making curry or chicken soup.

Joo-Han bit his lip thoughtfully and then reached for the microphone. “The trick with the karaoke machine is that louder singing usually means higher scores. Let's try to control our voices to hit just the seventies."

“Understood!"

The first to sing was Park Yoon-Chan. He punched in the song number and grabbed the microphone. The song that flashed on the screen was none other than... the national anthem!

“...Dang, Yoon-Chan, your song selection never ceases to amaze us," Goh Yoo-Joon and I quietly murmured.

“Truly creative.”

Joo-Han let out a light chuckle. “I should have guessed from his earnest posture."

Until the East Sea’s waters and Mount Baekdu are dry and worn away,

May God protect and preserve our nation, forevermore?

He was singing with unwavering earnestness while holding the microphone firmly with both hands. Unsure of how to react, the rest of us simply raised our arms and swayed from side to side, flowing with the rhythm.

“Yoon-Chan is doing really well. Maybe we should hold the mic a bit farther from his mouth?"

Following Joo-Han's subtle hint, Park Yoon-Chan adjusted the microphone a little further from his lips.

Watching this, Goh Yoo-Joon couldn't help but remark, “It's kind of funny how serious he is, especially that expression of his."

“But that's exactly what the fans adore about Yoon-Chan." His blend of rigidity and pure kindness—accompanied by genuine care, deep earnestness, and thoughtfulness—made him a unique member of Chronos. As one of the most visually appealing members, it was hard for him to look anything but good. He simply had all the qualities of an innocent baby brother: sincere and willing to try hard, even in the face of shortcomings.

As Park Yoon-Chan reached the fourth verse of the national anthem, Joo-Han passed the other microphone to me. “Just look at him, not missing a single beat. What can we do? He's singing the anthem with such gusto that it doesn't feel right to ask him to tone it down."

“Hyung... remember manager hyung's advice about being careful with what we say on the mic."

Ignoring my caution, Joo-Han patted my shoulder encouragingly. “Hyun-Woo, I'm counting on you. I'm just concerned about someone getting hurt if we use a knife during cooking."

“Alright, understood."

As Park Yoon-Chan finished his flawless rendition of the anthem, we all clapped in appreciation and eagerly awaited the score.

[Singer material! 87 points!]

That meant it was curry for us. Joo-Han's strategy of keeping the volume low paid off with a score of 87.

I quickly scanned through the karaoke songbook, searching for a song that I could sing without attracting too much attention...

“This one's perfect!" I punched in the song number and stood up, gripping the microphone with a sense of resolve. The time had come to once again surrender my soul to the musical abyss. At this moment, the song title flashed on the screen.

“Adult”

This late ‘90s hit was known for its seductive blend of seventy percent airy vocals and thirty percent actual sound. As a masterpiece of a famous sexy singer, it featured iconic sultry sighs that added to its allure, starting with a distinct... heavy breathing sound.

In an instant, Joo-Han's worried expression turned to one of recognition. “Ah! I know this song!"

Brimming with excitement, Lee Jin-Sung gestured for Park Yoon-Chan to join him at the front. The introductory dance was a ritual for anyone familiar with the song.

“Should I join too?" After a brief moment of hesitation, Park Yoon-Chan stepped up beside us with a determined look.

Together, the three of us embarked on the seductive dance, our hands gliding down our thighs as the music swelled. After that, I started to sing, my voice rich with the breathy tones characteristic of the song.