Second Try Idol

Chapter 124: The Singer in the Memories (9)

[You guys are really hopeless at cooking, aren't you all? lmaooo]

[Hyun-Woo's definitely in for a stomach ache.]

[AHAHAHAHAHAHA]

[Keep this up and Joo-Han will be slapping your backs again, hahaha!]

“No, seriously, we can do well this time. We've got a recipe, and come on, seaweed soup is easy, right? Don’t worry about us.”

“Jin-Sung, is this amount of water okay?”

“Uh? ...um, give me one sec.”

“...Can I take a quick look at the recipe?”

What exactly were they up to? I didn’t even know if they even soaked the seaweed. It seemed like Joo-Han, who could at least manage cooking ramen, was at the company to work on some stuff.

Jin-Sung and Yoon-Chan glanced toward the camera as if seeking help and then abruptly emptied the pot's water.

“Ah, the seaweed... no, first, fry the beef and seaweed, then add water."

It looked like the manager was trying to guide them from behind the camera.

[What are the other members doing?]

[Happy birthday, Hyun-Woo!]

[Yoon-Chan, Jin-Sung, congratulations on getting first place! Aww you guys are gorgeous!]

“Oh, about the others? Hyun-Woo and Yoo-Joon stepped out for a bit, and Joo-Han is busy with song editing.”

“We plan to make seaweed soup before Hyun-Woo returns.”

[Hyun-Woo: ??? (Please, just don't)]

[Hahaha! Hyun-Woo must be anxiously watching the Q-app right now.]

[Looks like Hyun-Woo won't be coming back to the dorm.]

The Rings’ comments were spot on. I even briefly considered staying at the company instead of returning to the dorm if they hadn't even soaked the seaweed.

“Should I tell them that I'm watching?" Goh Yoo-Joon asked while lying on the floor.

I pondered for a moment and then nodded. “Manager, is this your account?"

“Ah, yes! It's my personal one."

“Can I sign out? I want to switch to the Chronos account."

“Um... just a second!" Our new road manager hesitated before turning on his personal phone, apparently seeking permission from Manager Su-Hwan.

From the app, Jin-Sung asked, “Do we need to chop the seaweed before frying it? Like we do with kimchi?”

“Hmm, I don't think so? Or maybe use scissors...”

“The recipe doesn't mention chopping it, just says to fry.”

Watching the two fumbling from the start, the road manager beamed after getting permission from Manager Su-Hwan. “Yes! You can sign out and switch to the Chronos account."

“Thank you." We briefly left the live broadcast and logged into the Chronos account before joining in again.

While cooking, Yoon-Chan told the fans some stories. “Back in our trainee days, we barely cooked because we practically lived in the practice room.”

“Yeah, we were strapped for cash, often relying on meals at the trainee hyungs' homes.”

“Among us, only Hyun-Woo and Joo-Han hyung had homes in Seoul. Yoo-Joon hyung would sometimes crash at Hyun-Woo's for meals and sleepovers.”

“Ah, I stayed at Joo-Han hyung’s home a lot. Remember how he treated the trainees with delivery food, furious over the measly five-thousand-won meal budget?” asked Jin-Sung.

[Hahaha! Joo-Han's been a mom since then!]

[Joo-Han was so mad about the small meal allowance! lol]

[Hyun-Woo and Yoo-Joon are truly close, aren't they?]

“Hyun-Woo hyung has been training since he was a kid, so he probably got a lot of care from the older hyungs.”

“The seniors at Allure always dote on Hyun-Woo hyung. Kind of makes me jealous.”

What happened while we switched accounts? Jin-Sung was slicing the soaked seaweed on the cutting board.

Yoo-Joon commented, “Can they really be this bad at cooking? It's embarrassingly bad."

I chuckled and nudged Goh Yoo-Joon's side with my arm. “Don’t be harsh on our youngest. You are not much better yourself."

I typed and sent the message with a smile.

[Chronos: Hahaha, Yoon-Chan and Jin-Sung, you are doing great]

‘Ah, they are too funny.’ I was a bit concerned about the seaweed soup, but I had no plans to interfere. Whether they sliced the seaweed on the board or fried it in soy sauce instead of sesame oil, it was entertaining regardless.

“Who's there? Is it Joo-Han or Hyun-Woo hyung?”

[lol Are they making an appearance?]

[Is that Hyun-Woo? Yoo-Joon? It must not be Joo-Han.]

[LMAO they are doing great? Are you sure?]

[Chronos: Hey, this is Hyun-Woo and Yoo-Joon. We support your live cooking show <3]

[Why are you guys not stopping them? ahahahaha]

[lol... they are definitely teasing them hahaha]

It was Goh Yoo-Joon who wrote the comments, not me. He continued to chat enthusiastically with a mischievous chuckle.

“Hyung, come back early today. I will make it delicious for you, really!”

“When are the hyungs coming back?”

[Chronos: We will be arriving soon. We will make it back before your seaweed soup cools down.]

[Hahaha! Don't forget to post the taste test on BlueBird!]

[I hope you keep broadcasting until the others arrive.]

[lol... You are not stopping them from cooking at least, how adorable.]

I said, “Let's just watch up until here and get back to practice."

“Okay. They probably won't finish within an hour. It will be epic if they are still cooking by the time we get there."

[Chronos: Have fun, everyone! See you next time!]

“Hyung, Hyung! We will cook the soup well!”

After a final farewell to the fans, we turned off the live broadcast and dove back into practice. Having already memorized one song, we only had to get halfway through another to call it a day. It was easy to become exhausted if you tried to learn too much in one day.

Carefully examining the second song on his laptop, Goh Yoo-Joon replayed a specific part repeatedly. “Suh Hyun-Woo, in this part, 'Even if I go back, I will be with you,' Senior Yeong-Yee wants two male members to add a harmony to 'I will be with you.’ But our vocal ranges don’t match."

“Vocal range?"

Goh Yoo-Joon rewinded the video for me to hear. Certainly, the lower tones fit Goh Yoo-Joon perfectly, while the higher ones were a key above my range. This part seemed more suited for Yoon-Chan than me.

“I will give it a try at a higher pitch." As I spoke, Goh Yoo-Joon looked at me with concern.

“Can you handle it? If you are going to hit the wrong note, let's just ask them to lower the key."

“That would make Senior Yeong-Yee's high notes less impactful. Only two or three phrases, this should be a piece of cake for Chronos's main vocalist," When I said this, I puffed up a bit in confidence. Although the notes were high, I had belted out higher ones in Chronos's songs like “Chronos,” “Parade,” and “Once Again.” It was not too much of a challenge for me.

“Let's try to match it up. I find adding harmonies to songs incredibly enjoyable."

Goh Yoo-Joon pulled up the lyrics. I naturally started singing from “Even if I go back” which Yeong-Yee would sing, giving Goh Yoo-Joon the cue to add the harmony. However, my voice thinned a bit due to the higher key.

“Oh..." Goh Yoo-Joon seemed really impressed with the vocals he had just tried, breaking into a broad smile.

“Our Hyun-Woo has really matured~ You handle different ranges so well."

“Hey, come on! Let's call it a day!"

“Let's head out together!"

We had met our goal for the day. As expected, Goh Yoo-Joon was not only exceptional in singing but also had no shortcomings in dance. After finishing practice much earlier than anticipated, we returned to the dorm.

“Are you guys still at it?" As soon as I opened the front door, I was greeted by the warm air and the inviting aroma of seaweed soup in the house.

“Whoa, hyung, you are back already?" asked Jin-Sung.

Goh Yoo-Joon snickered at Lee Jin-Sung's surprised question. “It's been over an hour. How far have you gotten?"

Joo-Han had also finished his work and was lounging on the living room couch with the manager, wearily observing the clumsy acts of Park Yoon-Chan and Lee Jin-Sung.

I sat down next to Joo-Han and whispered, as I was careful not to be heard on the broadcast. “What have they been doing until now?"

“Exactly. What have they been doing for an hour?" Joo-Han turned to ask the manager.

The manager explained calmly, “They were cutting and frying the seaweed while looking for sesame oil. After that, they accidentally fried the seaweed first instead of the beef, and the fans commented that it wasn't the right way. As they wanted to do it properly since it was for you, Hyun-Woo, they dumped everything out and started over by frying the beef first."

So, that was why they were still busy. I sighed and eventually looked toward the kitchen, where Goh Yoo-Joon had joined in. Goh Yoo-Joon was fussing about the heat in the house, opened the kitchen window, and tasted the soup, which was about to be completed.

“Aren’t the Rings getting bored?”

The manager and Joo-Han shook their heads. “We were worried too, so we kept monitoring. But every time those two did something, the fans reacted so positively, so we are just watching for now.”

The manager handed me his phone.

[LMAOOOO... There is a hundred percent chance Joo-Han is glaring at them from behind the screen!]

[lol... There is a two hundred percent chance Hyun-Woo is sighing and watching them from behind hahaha.]

[Yoo-Joon!!! Please tell the kids to add some salt to it!]

‘Ah, why is this getting such a good response?’

Clang!

“Whoa! It's okay, everyone. I am really fine. I didn't spill it. It's okay." It seemed like Jin-Sung dropped one metal bowl of soaked seaweed.

“Should we turn off the stove now?"

“Yoo-Joon Hyung, sorry, but can you turn it off for me? I'm going to get a cloth to clean this up."

“Did you cook rice?"

“Eh? Hyung, we have instant rice. What do you expect from us?"

“Right..." Goh Yoo-Joon chuckled and took out some instant rice from the cupboard.

Joo-Han put his hand on my shoulder. “Suh Hyun-Woo, are you mentally prepared?"

“I, your humble servant, have been prepared even before entering the palace[1].”

“Then proceed to the kitchen table. I wish you good luck," said Joo-Han as he mockingly saluted me. I weakly returned the salute and headed to the dining table.

“Hyun-Woo Hyung, the process isn't important. It's the result that counts, right?"

“I did put in a lot of effort, Hyung. I think it will taste okay."

I smiled at our two youngest members. “Well, isn't the process important too? Haha, no, it's fine. I like everything. I'm looking forward to it."

Yoon-Chan then wiped the wet dining table with a dishcloth and sat down.

[LOL Hyun-Woo likes everything???]

[lmao It seems like Hyun-Woo has given up hope!]

[Hahaha! Yoo-Joon burst out laughing again!]

Finally, the seaweed soup was placed in front of me. “The color of the soup is a bit dark."

Hearing my comment, Yoon-Chan scratched his neck. “The recipe said to season it with soy sauce, but it was too bland, so I added quite a bit."

“I see. I'll enjoy it."

‘Let's not embarrass the kids further. Look at those eyes, shining with the hope of praise.’ I didn’t delay any longer and took a spoonful of the seaweed soup. “...Hmm, ...uh, it's tasty."

The seaweed soup tasted like soy sauce diluted in water.

1. They are having a role play lol ☜

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