Second Try Idol

Chapter 254: Again After Rainfall (30)

The atmosphere of the song, Chronos' choreography, and their vocal abilities were perfect. Had there been a stage during their performances in the United States that attracted so many eyes before? The reenactment of Chronos' performance, which was called the greatest legendary end-of-year performance, made its reputation clear regardless of when, where, and under what conditions it was held. Even if it was a street performance.

Many people continued to record the stage to preserve the memory of it, and it quickly spread across various social media platforms, making the performance location trend on American portal sites instead of the group's name. It was the first time Chronos had made it to the rankings of American social media searches with their performances.

Chronos members were unaware of this since they were in the middle of performing, so they didn't realize why the audience was growing. They just simply continued to enjoy performing. The members learned what had happened only after they wrapped up a successful stage and were informed about the small venue performance scheduled for the next day.

***

“I heard from Callia's manager that the press decided to change the interview contents again," Reina said.

“Didn't they already change them once?" Jin-Sung asked.

Reina nodded while scrolling through her phone. “They changed it once, but Callia’s staff requested to revise it again. They are probably thinking of significantly increasing Chronos' involvement. They wouldn't have known it would reflect the trends so soon. But, more importantly, have you guys seen this?"

Reina showed the members her phone screen. It seemed that today's performance had made it to the trends on an American portal site, and was extensively covered in Korean entertainment news. It wasn't Chronos' name that trended, but the name of the location where the performance took place and 'K-POP' for a brief moment. It was enough to create a significant buzz and the event was exaggeratedly reported in the articles.

It was somewhat embarrassing, but it still felt good. Even Goh Yoo-Joon, who had seemed upset before the performance, appeared completely cheered up by this news.

Reina turned off her phone screen and tossed it far away “Anyway, congratulations. I'm so proud and impressed by you guys. Speaking of performances, you know we only have two left, right?"

“Yes!"

The next performance would be in a small venue prepared by Callia Lawrence's record company, followed by a major festival invitation performance that Reina had personally secured. “The festival performance will be live-streamed on the internet, and will include your stage. Also, some parts of tomorrow's small venue performance will be uploaded to the foreign press's UTube channel along with the interview."

“Alright..."

In other words, the scale of the upcoming performances would be several times larger than the street performances we had been doing.

“You must have realized by performing here that people's eyes are not very different from those of Koreans. Don't be too nervous or worried. It's okay to make mistakes, so let's enjoy our time here and do our best."

“Yes! We will do our best!"

After encouraging us, Reina left the practice room. She seemed to be off to another meeting with the producer team and camera crew, brimming with a level of enthusiasm that was almost scary in anticipation of what big news she could bring back today.

“Shall we start practicing?"

“Yeah."

“The next performance is going to be a bit longer. We can increase the number of group songs. Are you guys up for going a bit harder? Can your stamina handle it?"

“Of course it can~"

“Me too! Totally can."

“Yes, I'm fine with it, hyung."

“Yeah, sure. What’s the plan?"

With the success of consecutive performances, the pressure and fear of overseas performances had greatly diminished for everyone. Therefore, we proceeded with the practice calmly, even with the increased number of songs.

Having done large-scale performances for end-of-year stages before, I was certain that we would be able to successfully do our best up until the last festival. I thought we would be able to wrap up the shooting and performance smoothly.

However, we didn't expect that things we usually overcame without much trouble would suddenly cause problems.

***

“Who are the ones in positions number five and six at that time?"

At the production team's question, Jin-Sung and I raised our hands. “Us."

“There will be continuous fireworks at that time. It can get pretty hot. You could get really hurt, so you need to stand a bit farther back than usual. I will send a signal on the screen when the fireworks are scheduled to go off."

“Okay!"

Gosh, fireworks. They were usually reserved for first-place contenders due to the cost, so it was rare to see them otherwise. It suddenly hit how much the broadcasting station was investing in Again After Rainfall at such a venue. Having dodged fireworks several times as first-place contenders, avoiding them without any issue was easy as long as I paid attention to the signals.

Since the performance was longer than usual, we rehearsed multiple times and made sure to eat well. We weren't particularly nervous, so we had fun chatting and messing around in front of the behind-the-scenes camera.

“Do you know about that time Yoo-Joon made a video call telling viewers 'babe?’"

“Yeah, I saw it on UTube."

“The Rings want each member to do that. You should try it too, Yoon-Chan."

“Ah... um..."

Joo-Han glanced over while drying his hair. “Hyun-Woo will soon regret coming up with that idea. Shooting such stuff becomes a dark memory by next year. Or maybe you will wake up cringing under your blanket by tomorrow."

“Ah, why not? Let's all do it. The fans want it, don't they? Hyung, hyung? Mr. Kang Joo-Han?"

As Joo-Han was unwilling to be the sole creator of an embarrassing legacy, Yoo-Joon, having been disregarded by Joo-Han even after addressing him with a variety of names, began teasing Jin-Sung instead.

“Sung, you stopped halfway through last time. Do you want me to film it for you?"

“Ah, no thanks. I don't feel like doing it now."

“Don't drag our youngest into your mischief like, okay?"

“...So everyone except me is your younger sibling, Joo-Han hyung? That's so mean. Kang Joo-Han, that's mean of you."

“Ah, what are you talking about? You'd be quite lovable if you just didn't goof around so much... Don't you guys think he's a bit annoying?" Joo-Han addressed the behind-the-scenes camera.

Whether bothered by that or not, Goh Yoo-Joon just laughed it off before coming over to me and extending his hand. “Give me your phone. I will film you before Yoon-Chan as you—"

“Ah, why? I will ask Yoon-Chan to do it."

Why hadn't I asked Goh Yoo-Joon? Probably because I was sure he'd play pranks and make it embarrassing while filming.

“So, is it okay if Yoon-Chan films you while I watch?"

“No."

“You’re annoying."

After being turned down by all members, Goh Yoo-Joon finally settled down. He sat quietly and hummed as he began to practice his singing. I was also sitting quietly and memorizing lyrics after Yoon-Chan refused to film.

Su-Hwan entered the waiting room and made an announcement.

“Everyone, the seats are filled up."

“Really?"

“They are? Wow!"

It was a first-come, first-serve performance with no prior reservation for entry. The only promotion had been Callia Lawrence hinting at it during yesterday's performance, frustrated with the state of her interview questions.

Even though it had been a big issue on social media, we hadn't expected a full house since this performance was held by unknown artists singing in a foreign language. We would have been happy to perform earnestly for even a few attendees, no matter if all the seats were filled or not.

“Let's not disappoint our fans or all these people who came to enjoy your performance. Let's do our best."

“Yes!"

Soon, the production team informed us it was time to start, and we were guided backstage by the staff. Wow, it had been a while since we performed in a venue. After arriving in the US, we had only performed outdoors, on the streets. Thus, the noisy and bustling indoor venue was a welcoming change.

After putting in our in-ears and receiving our microphones, we waited for our turn. First up was Joo-Han’s solo. His first performance was accompanied by a piano.

As Joo-Han went out alone with the band, the cheers sounded a bit different from those in Korea. Among them, those who correctly called out Joo-Han's name were surely our Rings. Joo-Han introduced himself in English with ease, then talked about the upcoming performance and the song he was about to sing.

When Joo-Han sat at the piano, small gasps of admiration were heard from the audience. The lighting changed to match the mood. Performing in a venue really did enhance the immersion. Just the slight change in lighting set up the atmosphere, and the audience quieted down in response.

Soon, Joo-Han's song started with the sound of his piano playing. His unique clear and calm voice wasn’t everyone's cup of tea, but his vibration and falsetto handling were so clean. It really showcased his talent and great vocal skills.

The first verse was solely with piano accompaniment, and the second verse was with the band.

It was a pity that Joo-Han, who had such great skills, usually ended up singing trot or songs like “Woof Woof Meow Meow” whenever he got the chance to showcase his talent.

Goh Yoo-Joon seemed to share the same thought. He proudly smiled and attentively watched the performance. “He is finally showing off his real skills."

After finishing his own performance, Joo-Han thoughtfully explained Goh Yoo-Joon's stage in English before making his exit. This allowed Goh Yoo-Joon to transition directly into his song after a brief greeting and mention of the title.

The prelude of his chosen song resonated throughout the venue. As the song began, exclamations of admiration burst out from all around. It was the most popular yet challenging song on today's setlist, a song Goh Yoo-Joon had mastered so well since he had frequently performed it even during his trainee days.

Was there really anything else to say? I simply stopped myself from habitually analyzing the songs and closed my eyes. I was content to just savor that stable, beautiful voice of his.