Second Try Idol

Chapter 185: Joy (22)

“In terms of song composition and even during our practice sessions, we've all leaned heavily on Hyun-Woo," Joo-Han pointed out, setting the stage for the following conversation.

“A sub-leader? Me?" At this moment, the collective gaze of my fellow members felt incredibly intense. I'd never felt such a heavy mantle of expectation before. When Joo-Han suggested I take on the role of sub-leader, my immediate thought was “Why me of all people?”

It was a fair question. After all, my persuasive skills were not that good, something that all the members were well aware of. On the other hand, despite his tendency to be the joker of the group, Goh Yoo-Joon seemed more naturally equipped to manage the dynamics within the group.

“Wow, that is such a great idea." Goh Yoo-Joon broke the ice with his characteristic ease and then added, “Joo-Han hyung has been under a lot of strain, and having a reliable person by his side to offer him assistance would undoubtedly be beneficial."

Goh Yoo-Joon's agreement came with a hint of relief, almost as if he was glad not to be in the spotlight for the role. Following his lead, Yoon-Chan and Jin-Sung also expressed their support.

“Hyun-Woo hyung has always been like a stage leader to us. Having him as the sub-leader sounds like a solid plan," Jin-Sung commented enthusiastically, and Yoon-Chan chimed in. “We all rely on him quite a bit already."

“Hyun-Woo's quiet nature and non-persuasiveness are something we've all grown accustomed to, so it's all good," Goh Yoo-Joon joked, only to be met with a playful outburst.

“Ouch!" I said.

“Yoo-Joon has always been great at looking out for the rest of us, so we did consider asking him. But after watching how Hyun-Woo led during practice, he was clearly the natural choice," Joo-Han explained his decision.

“I'm not cut out for leadership roles," Goh Yoo-Joon said while shooting a playful glance at Jin-Sung. “Besides, Jin-Sung here doesn't listen to anyone but Hyun-Woo!"

“What? No, that's not true!"

“It's got to be Hyun-Woo, Jin-Sung's favorite.”

“No, that's not it! It's just that Hyun-Woo is genuinely caring. Seriously, I'm not a fan of all the jokes around. I hate you, Yoo-Joon hyung!"

Amidst Goh Yoo-Joon and Jin-Sung's light-hearted bickering, I caught Joo-Han's eye. He offered a reassuring nod, as if to say, ‘Just go with whatever feels right to you.'

I responded with a smile and a nod of my own. After that, I agreed, “Alright, I will give it a shot."

With such strong encouragement from the group, there was no real reason to refuse. Despite the exhaustion from our relentless schedule, my fatigue paled in comparison to Joo-Han's. More than anything, Joo-Han needed a dependable pillar to lean on.

For me, accepting the role of sub-leader within Chronos felt more like an honor than a burden. It was a chance to contribute further to our collective growth.

Joo-Han acknowledged my acceptance with a warm smile and a nod. “Thanks, I'm counting on you."

Following Joo-Han's lead, each member offered their words of encouragement, rallying around the new decision.

The manager stated, “With Hyun-Woo taking on the sub-leader role, I will make sure to inform the company. We have to prepare a bit before the official announcement."

"Got it!"

Right before the launch of our second mini album schedule, I stepped into my new role as Chronos's sub-leader.

***

Whether by coincidence or a pre-arranged agreement between YMM and the broadcasting company, the teaser and preview clips for Graduating were released just two days before Chronos's showcase. The lively and energetic theme song of Graduating accompanied the teaser, which highlighted the most dynamic and joyful moments from the filming.

The montage included scenes like the lunchbox sharing with Chronos and the students of Memory High, the sports festival events, and the broom fights among the students in the absence of Chronos. Then, the music stopped, and the screen darkened.

[And then...]

The screen transitioned with subtitles glowing in an emotionally charged, twinkling pink.

[The bonds of friendship deepen...]

The background music shifted to a touching melody, showcasing a tired Suh Hyun-Woo getting a comforting shoulder rub from Jeong Hee-Su, with a faint smile gracing Suh Hyun-Woo's face.

[Experiencing 'togetherness' for the first time]

Edited with a poignant touch, scenes of students engaging in conversations, playing around desks, and taking leisurely walks on the school field unfolded.

- Ah, this reminds me of my school days. It was just as noisy and bustling.

A snippet from Goh Yoo-Jun's first-day interview was shown, followed by Suh Hyun-Woo's candid reflection.

- I used to drag myself to school, sleep-deprived from endless practice sessions. School felt like a place where you had to endure exhaustion and push through hardship. But now...

Then, Yoo Joon-Hwan’s interview was added to the clip, echoing a sentiment of newfound ease and comfort.

- The fear of heading to school has vanished.

The teaser skillfully avoided directly showcasing the Chronos duo, yet deftly integrated glimpses of Suh Hyun-Woo and Goh Yoo-Jun into the narrative. Their presence was seamlessly woven throughout.

With KEW's track record of delivering highly anticipated variety shows, the editing was impactful, complemented by an extensive promotional campaign. As a result, “Graduating” and “Chronos” swiftly ascended the real-time search rankings and trended on BlueBird, captivating audiences and igniting widespread interest.

- Awww... The kids wrestling at the sports festival in the teaser, those are our kids.

- LOL, why are you even happy about that?

- School uniforms, gym clothes, and the whole high school vibe... I'm totally hooked from the first episode.

- Seriously...I knew it was a school-themed variety show, but seeing it in action is just a killer. It's too good... Someone, explain to me why this is absolutely perfect... I need to turn on the Q-app right now...

Hours after the teaser's release, KEW, as if rowing a boat swiftly, uploaded a sneak peek video on the newly minted UTube channel for Graduating.

The first video spotlighted the popular singer and homeroom teacher of Memory High, Kun-Ho, looking visibly nervous as he painstakingly memorized each student's name and face from the attendance list. Spotting the names Goh Yoo-Joon and Suh Hyun-Woo, he murmured, "Some familiar names here."

Then, he greeted his fellow teachers and headed to meet the students, with the camera capturing his every step.

The second video captured the students' initial reactions as they entered the classroom for the first time, including the priceless moments when they laid eyes on their new classmates.

The third video focused on Suh Hyun-Woo and Goh Yoo-Joon during class time.

[A struggle to stay awake, but the relentless schedule takes its toll.]

This caption was accompanied by lullabies you'd play for infants, serving as the background music. The video adorably showcased the duo nodding off with soft, soothing sound effects.

Goh Yoo-Joon eventually succumbed to sleep, while Suh Hyun-Woo fought the urge, his head drooping despite his utmost efforts. Occasionally, Suh Hyun-Woo would straighten up and nudge Goh Yoo-Joon awake. These tender moments were also captured in the video.

As multiple clips from Graduating were posted, Rings, who were already scouring the web after the teaser's release, quickly discovered them.

- Rushed over here as soon as I heard the sneak peeks were out. Going back healed and happy...^^ God bless you, everyone~

- Wow, suddenly the world feels brighter. I am going crazyyyy. Am I really drooling over videos of them dozing off???

- When the screen went black, I was shocked to see my reflection! Dang, I had the blissful face of a parent watching their child...

- LOL, our kids are getting shy as they open the classroom door for the first time. They are practically radiating awkwardness from their entire bodies AHAHAHA.

- I hope this boosts Chronos's individual popularity, considering it's a major network variety show.

The efforts of the editor who toiled through the night, Chronos's influence, and KEW's marketing prowess started to make some waves. Because it was popular across all social media, Rings and the fans of heartwarming reality shows were increasingly looking forward to the show.

***

One day before the comeback showcase and just about an hour before the music video release, we gathered in a corner of the practice room for a commemorative Q-app live session.

“Let's start with greetings and a big thank you for making us number one on the real-time search rankings."

“Okay."

“Let's keep the sub-leader news under wraps for now, and only share what's been decided about ‘Joy.’"

“Okay!”

The decision for me to take on the sub-leader role was quickly finalized thanks to suggestions from the manager and Joo-Han. It was an internal matter for Chronos, and the company readily agreed, as they recognized the increasing schedules of Joo-Han

Deeming it too premature for a public announcement, we decided to keep it unofficial for the time being. We just had plans to make it official at the fan club inauguration if the arrangement proved successful.

Joo-Han briefed us on what needed to be shared and what to withhold, then took his seat. The manager checked the time and fiddled with the setup phone. “We will start in a minute."

As he spoke, the chatter that was mainly from Goh Yoo-Joon and Jin-Sung subsided. After a brief moment...

“Let's get started."

With that, the live notification 'Ding!' sounded, and I turned on the Chronos official phone to access the live broadcast screen.

“...”

‘Huh, fifteen hundred viewers? Wow, two thousand... Three thousand... The numbers are climbing so fast. Why are there so many people? We did announce the broadcast time, but it's barely been a minute.’

I was astounded by the rapidly increasing viewer count, and then I sneakily showed the screen to Joo-Han, who glanced at the chat before facing forward. “It's been a while, everyone!"

“Rings! We really missed you a lot!”

“Let's start with a greeting. Ready? One, two, three!"

“Hello! We are Chronos!"

The comments flooded in, along with a torrent of emotions from fans who had been eagerly awaiting this moment.

— It's been ages ?? I've missed this so much!

— I've been longing to see you too!!!

— I adore you guys so much! I just couldn’t wait to see you!

— This is insane, my heart's racing aaaaah

— Rushed here straight after my shift ended, this is just what I needed <3

The chat was a blur, proceeding so fast it was nearly impossible to keep up. It felt as though Rings' enthusiasm and numbers had doubled while we were preparing for the comeback.

Joo-Han glanced at the chat and then asked, “Rings, you've been waiting for a long time, haven't you?"

“Yes!!!”

We answered Joo-Han's question on behalf of Rings, echoing their sentiment.

“We are back with our new song ‘?: Joy’ after ‘Parade’ and ‘Blue Room Party!’”

“Whoaaaa!”

“We really wanted to do this sooner, but various preparations and end-of-year stages made us keep you waiting longer than we hoped. We are truly sorry for that."

I nodded in agreement with Joo-Han's words and added, “But the wait was worth it. We've got some great tracks lined up for you."

“Right? With just about an hour left, how is everyone feeling?"

Joo-Han turned the question to us, and each member shared their excitement and brief thoughts on the music video we had all previewed. The interaction was heartfelt, a genuine exchange between us and the fans eagerly typing away, their anticipation palpable even through the screen.