Second Try Idol

Chapter 391: Red Rouge (10)

I was so engrossed in reading the reactions and reviews of "Red Rouge" and all the little incidents that happened during our performance that time just flew by.

It hit me that Pick We Up Two had aired recently, and I quickly switched my search. I wasn't expecting much since we weren't the main focus, but curiosity got the better of me. I was especially keen to see how people reacted to Sequence's cover of our song and our special appearance. More importantly, I wanted to see if I came off as too arrogant.

No matter how much I thought about it, I felt like I came across as too cocky while explaining things.

- Finally watched Pick We Up Two... I haven't seen the performances yet, but just the parts with our boys. Surprisingly, Hyun-Woo...

I scrolled down, getting a bit anxious. But before I could read more, the car came to a stop.

“We’re here,” Tae-Seong announced. “Everyone out.”

The members began filing out of the car one by one. I put my phone away and followed them toward the shooting location.

The folk village had a distinct touristy vibe from the moment we arrived. Tae-Seong was coordinating with Stew Rion’s team while guiding us in. As we walked in, Yoon-Chan sidled up to me and whispered, “Hyung, about Chronos Playtime...”

“Huh?”

“I know this isn’t the time, but did you come up with the chant yet?”

“Oh, that... Not yet. It’s surprisingly tough.”

“Right...”

Creating the Chronos chant had turned into a long-standing task for both us and our Rings. The Chronos Playtime team even planned a whole episode around it. I didn’t know the specifics, but I heard it involved splitting into teams and playing games to decide the chant.

As Yoon-Chan and I were discussing, Goh Yoo-Joon joined in. “This chant thing is taking forever. When it was first brought up, I thought we’d settle it quickly. Right?”

“Yeah, that was what I thought too.”

“Same here.”

From concerts to dedicated variety show plans, who knew this would become such a big deal?

Goh Yoo-Joon started teasing Yoon-Chan. “I still think ‘We are Chronos and Park Yoon-Chan’ is the best chant! Don’t you think so, Yoon-Chan?”

“What are you talking about, hyung? No way...”

I put my arm around Yoon-Chan’s shoulders, trying to calm him down. “Cut it out, man. Yoon-Chan’s going to grind his teeth thinking up a chant thanks to you.”

“Oh, I’m honored to be part of Yoon-Chan’s creative process! Hehehehe!”

“Goh Yoo-Joon, you’re so dead.” Joo-Han had walked up sternly and smacked Goh Yoo-Joon on the head. This finally put an end to his teasing. “And Hyun-Woo, you’ve got a meeting with Senior Reina after the shoot.”

“A meeting? For real?”

“It’s for the final shoot.”

“Oh, got it.”

I had the final shoot for Introduce My Singer as Eden soon. Senior Reina had been as busy with concert tours as we had been, so scheduling meetings had become nearly impossible. It seemed they had finally managed to set up a late-night meeting.

Anyway, I couldn’t believe I would be on the show again, even though it was the last time. I wondered if Isaac would also show up. It had been quite some time since our last appearance, and the show had progressed quite a bit.

Oh Yoo-Wol had appeared in every episode, at times losing and then regaining the top spot. Yet Isaac hadn’t used his reappearance rights. Was he saving it for when I returned? Even though he hadn't been active, it felt like he was saving his appearance rights until I returned.

‘Am I overthinking it?’ No, this was not an unreasonable thought. It was as if he had been holding onto his appearance rights until I showed up again.

Did I really see what I saw? Did I actually have a conversation with that guy? Since that day, he hadn’t attempted to reach out to me at all, making that day feel like a vague, almost non-existent memory.

And what exactly was synchronization? Preparing for the comeback, I hadn't had much time to think about it deeply. Goh Yoo-Joon mentioned he had a dream related to it, and while I didn't get the full details, Joo-Han mentioned that his dreams had become quite restless since then.

“That guy will come. He has to.”

If we met again, there were so many things I needed to ask.

“We have Chronos here today!!!”

“Woohoo!!!”

As soon as we walked on set, the production team member who was on the phone with Tae-Seong a moment ago shouted loudly to announce our arrival. The entire crew welcomed us with applause in response, leaving us flustered as we repeatedly bowed and headed toward the set.

The UTuber Stew Rion greeted us energetically as if he had been eagerly awaiting our arrival. “Welcome, Chronos! Nice to meet you!”

“Wow! Hello!" We matched his enthusiasm by jumping around and joyfully exchanging greetings before lining up in a row.

“Let's introduce ourselves properly. One, two, three!"

“Hello! We are Chronos! Nice to meet you all!"

“Wow!!! Everyone, applause!!!"

At Stew Rion's signal, the production team once again erupted into applause and cheers. The atmosphere was incredibly positive, almost infectious. It was only then that I noticed a camera following Stew Rion while capturing everything. Stew Rion noticed me glazing at the camera and quickly pointed to it before explaining with a reassuring smile.

“Oh, it's a behind-the-scenes camera. Don't mind it and just act casual."

“Got it!"

“I’m so glad to meet you! I've always wanted to meet you all. By the way, I also want to see something specific. Don't you have another greeting slogan?"

We immediately understood what chant Stew Rion was referring to. He was the UTuber who only invited his favorite artists to his show. Because of that, he knew quite a lot about things only the invited artists and their fans would know.

Joo-Han immediately shouted. “Let's greet once again. One, two, three!"

“Hello! We are Chronos and Park Yoon-Chan!"

“Yes! I've always wanted to hear that in person. I've only heard it on broadcasts. I’m looking forward to today."

“It’s an honor to be here!"

Stew Rion bowed politely and then disappeared somewhere with some of his staff. I heard that he often met with Yoon-Chan, but it seemed he was careful not to act too familiar so that people wouldn't think we were on the show because of connections.

There wasn't much to do until the interview on set. We sat on the provided excessively luxurious chairs and ate the offered desserts while listening to the production team's explanations.

“First, you will start with an interview from Stew Rion. After that, you will move to the stage we prepared and record the performance of ‘Red Rouge’ and ‘Ario 愛’ in sequence."

“Got it!"

“For the interview, we will give you time to promote your album. But before that, Stew Rion will ask curious and unexpected questions as a genuine fan, like your recent sleeping habits or relationships."

“Sounds like a plan."

“Also, the camera is filming over here as well, but the uploaded video will be divided into five parts. Each will be released every week as a Chronos special. The order will be ‘Red Rouge,’ ‘Ario 愛,’ the interview, stage making, and Stew Rion behind the scenes. Please take note."

It was definitely different from a broadcasting station's shoot. The staff provided detailed information and were exceptionally kind.

We sat idly while nibbling on our desserts and occasionally answering the cameraman's questions until it was time to start filming.

“Let's begin shooting. Please clap the slate, sir."

At the crew's words, Stew Rion got up to clap the slate but paused and looked at Jin-Sung. “This is a special occasion. Jin-Sung, would you like to clap the slate?"

“Sure! I'd love to!" Jin-Sung quickly stood up and spread his hands wide. “I’ll do it. One, two!"

Clap!

As soon as Jin-Sung sat back down after clapping the slate, Stew Rion suddenly jumped up and moved forward.

Huh? We all looked at him curiously as he started dancing and singing.

“The fleeting splendor will vanish with nightfall~ Join me~ You will want to see me entrapped in an illusion once more~ ~You need me~ No matter where you are~ I will be there~ ♪”

‘...What's this?’

“...Pff!" Goh Yoo-Joon covered his mouth, trying not to laugh. Starting with “Parade,” “Blue Room Party,” and “Joy,” Stew Rion sang and danced to Chronos' title tracks without any background melody.

He wasn't particularly good at singing or dancing, and his performance was quite comical. This made it hard to hold back our laughter. It seemed like he was doing it just to make us laugh, so we all laughed as much as we wanted. Yoon-Chan, who usually didn't laugh easily and called Stew Rion ‘uncle,’ laughed so hard that his face turned red. It was such a confident and shameless dance. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

After performing all the title tracks in a row, Stew Rion stopped abruptly, took a deep breath, and sat back down. “To express the joy of inviting Chronos to this humble place, I danced for you guys. Let me introduce them again. Everyone! Finally! We have them here. Chronos! Wow!"

“One, two, three! Hello. We are Chronos!"

“Yes! Welcome, Chronos! As our Stars[1] know, I am a huge fan of Chronos. You have no idea how often I mention you all in my live broadcasts or anywhere!"

The interview started off very energetically.

1. The name of Stew Rion’s fans. ☜