Second Try Idol

The murmurs of the crowd sounded like a chorus of cheers. They were clearly fond of the stage as their cheers were mixed with unmistakable laughter.

‘It’s so embarrassing.’

It was too much to ask for Cha Cha after such a cool video. As my face heated up, I saw Lee Jin-Sung excitedly running toward the center and waving a light stick like a magic wand. I then gripped my own light stick and regained my composure.

‘I have to try hard too, especially when the youngest is doing his best to lift the spirits. Hmph, is Cha Cha a joke?’ I might have no pride or sense of cosplay, but it was all in jest. If I was going to make a joke, I had to do it right.

I raised my light stick high and grabbed the microphone. “Cha Cha!!! Returns!!!!"

Then Goh Yoo-Joon exclaimed even louder, “We have made a debut!!! So, let's do everything we've always wanted!!!"

“Uh... Ah! Oh... Eek," Yoon-Chan hesitated. It was as if he was about to say something crazy but seemed to come to his senses. He simply lowered his head and ran forward.

As we all moved to the center of the stage, the repetitive intro of Cha Cha's song sped up with a changed beat. Joo-Han then shouted, “Disco Party Night!"

The theme was akin to a cute nursery rhyme and was now blended with a disco rhythm. The crowd's response was explosive, and we started dancing to the lively tune and exaggerating our moves.

I brought out all my cuteness and energy, drawing circles with my arms and waddling to the rhythm. As the dance continued, my leftover embarrassment faded away, replaced by enjoyment as I started my part at the center.

A cute little one~ full of mistakes~

With a magical power~♪

After that came Yoon-Chan's embarrassing part, followed by the beaming Joo-Han. Goh Yoo-Joon then stumbled over the lyrics, retreating after locking eyes with Hee-Su in the corner. Their presence suddenly became real to me as well, and my gaze naturally drifted toward them. There, I saw Daniele dancing with shoulder moves and Lee Cheol-Min with a sincerely furrowed brow.

Following Goh Yoo-Joon’s fumble, my brain reset as well, forgetting both the dance and the lyrics.

…Mysterious t… treasure! …With the power of miracles!

Love…! I… ugh… forgo the lyrics… haha… I am so sorry, so sorry…♪

This would have been a disaster at Pick We Up’s audition, but this stage was solely for us and the Chronos. The crowd enjoyed themselves and forgave our mistakes with laughter. As Goh Yoo-Joon and I regained our composure…

YO…♪

The cute and exciting disco nursery rhyme beat disappeared, and a cool narration started to play.

Bum diggy bum diggy bum bum diggy diggy

Bum diggy diggy bum bum diggy bum diggy♪

Rustle.

As I moved my body in sync with the serious narration, my skirt rustled annoyingly and slid down my legs. In any case, I had decided not to care whether my skirt was flipped up or not. I would just do what I had to do. I seriously broke into a dance break, regardless of how I looked.

“Kyaa!!!"

Through my in-ears, I could hear the cheers of the audience, which was much clearer than before.

When I finished the last dance break of the song with all my energy, the music quietened down. I could subtly hear the sound of jingle bells, which gradually grew louder and naturally changed the melody of the song.

The next song was “Christmas is Ours”—a song that Goh Yoo-Joon and I had performed on a year-end stage, but some Rings also recognized it. It was a song I had recommended which aligned with the members' wishes to start the opening as joyfully as possible. Following the choreography, Goh Yoo-Joon and I came forward with our arms linked.

A beautiful white Christmas

The sound of jingle bells comes close

Today, it’s just you and me, our own Christmas

Isn’t it enough with just the Rings and Chronos?

A Christmas of friendship, it’s going to be so fun!♪

Goh Yoo-Joon sang the lyrics, and I stood next to him with hands neatly folded on my chest, just smiling. Goh Yoo-Joon circled around me and mimicked the persuasive gesture we had used during the year-end stage. Seeing his antics, I laughed and dropped my hands from my chest.

Really, is that so?

But I want to spend a lively Christmas with everyone

Holding hands with my loved Rings by my side

Walking down the Christmas streets♪

That was when it happened.

“No, stop! Don't hog it all!"

“If you two are having fun, let's do it all together!"

“Rings, you've waited long enough. ‘Christmas Is Ours’ by Chronos! Let's go!"

The other three burst between Goh Yoo-Joon and me, each throwing their disruptive lines.

Then, the sweet accompaniment subtly reappeared with disco sounds, and the atmosphere felt like something from a 90s nightclub rather than a musical. The choreography became freer, where the members could dance on their own without synchronized set choreography. Before I knew it, a genuine smile was spreading across my lips, and it was not just an act.

The other members took turns singing their parts and improvised. During the final part of "Christmas Is Ours," all the members crouched down, and Goh Yoo-Joon approached me with a flower while standing. He resumed singing.

Let’s do this together, my friend

Come on, hold my hand!♪

I nodded and sang along.

Okay! With you by my side,

Even a simple Christmas feels like it could be truly delightful!♪

I tossed the flower Goh Yoo-Joon gave me to the Rings and clasped his hand.

Now that we are holding hands,

We are spending Christmas together

Echo my words. Christmas is Ours!

Then, the Rings sang along with us.♪

Christmas is Ours!

Christmas is Rings’!

Christmas is Chronos’s!♪

Bang!

Sparkles erupted and added to the fervor. We then repeated "Christmas is ours" while holding hands and finished the stage together.

As the song ended and the lights dimmed, only the Rings and their light sticks were fully visible in this vast space filled with a massive cheer meant just for us. It felt like experiencing a concert indirectly.

With our hearts still racing with excitement, we expressed our gratitude. “Thank you!"

“Chronos! Chronos!" The Rings' cheers started to put us at ease.

Joo-Han caught his breath and took the microphone. “Are you all having fun?"

“Yes!!!!"

“It's a bit embarrassing to say this in these outfits, but thank you so much for coming to our first fan club inauguration ceremony."

After Joo-Han, I took the microphone and said, “We've pondered a lot and put a lot of effort into the next stages. I am sure you all will enjoy them! So, let's have fun till the end!"

The Rings responded enthusiastically to my every word, and I bowed repeatedly to express my gratitude. “Then, let's invite the host who's taking care of today's inauguration. He is someone we have a deep connection with."

“That's right."

“We've invited someone who has looked after us even before our debut. Please welcome with a round of applause… Announcer Jeong Gyu-Chan!"

“Hello, everyone!"

“Waaaaaah!!"

Announcer Jeong Gyu-Chan waved as he appeared on stage. The Rings were very familiar with him, so the cheers for Jeong Gyu-Chan were tremendous. Even Jeong Gyu-Chan was surprised by the unexpected response and soon greeted everyone with joy.

“Oh, thank you. Thank you. I'm Jeong Gyu-Chan, the announcer in charge of hosting the first inauguration ceremony for Chronos and the Rings. Let’s have fun today!"

“Yes, we are really looking forward to today."

“Of course. Thank you for inviting me. Now, our cute Cha Cha members, please go inside and change your clothes. You've worked hard. You've worked hard, haha," said Jeong Gyu-Chan as he gestured for us to hurry inside.

We then waved our hands to the Rings and headed backstage, saying, “See you in a bit, Rings!"

“Yes, while Chronos is changing, I'd like to have a chat with the Rings. Time does fly. When I first met Chronos, they were very hard-working trainees with big dreams. But now, they've become such popular stars—ah, do people not use the word 'popular' much these days? Hahahaha! You guys all know what I mean, right?" Jeong Gyu-Chan did his best to buy time for us to change.

We quickly changed clothes, tidied up our hair and makeup, and rushed backstage again. Now, we were dressed in comfortable casual clothes and equipped with mics. After we received a signal from our in-ear monitors, Jeong Gyu-Chan glanced at us.

“Ah, thank you for waiting. Finally, Chronos is ready. Shall we bring them out and catch up on what they've been up to? When I count to three, the Rings will call out 'Chronos, come out!' Ready? One, two, three!"

“Chronos, come out!" shouted the Rings.

At this moment, Jin-Sung took the lead and exclaimed, “Alright, Chronos is coming out for you!"

“Pfft, what is he saying?” We smirked at the excited Jin-Sung and followed him to the stage.

There were five chairs on the stage, and our gazes swept over the Rings before we took the seats.

“Let’s greet them one more time. One, two, three!”

“Hello, we are Chronos. Let’s have a blast today!”

“Wow, Chronos is still polite and respectful. Alright, please take a seat. You as well, Rings. So, how have you been, Chronos?”

Joo-Han responded, “Well, we have been busy with our schedules, composing and practicing as you know. That’s what we basically do every day, haha. Oh, Yoo-Joon and Hyun-Woo are on a variety show called Graduating.”

Jeong Gyu-Chan said, “Ah, right. Yoo-Joon and Hyun-Woo are hot topics these days. I am watching their variety show too! All the cast are so adorable and innocent that it heals my soul just by watching the episodes.”

“Haha, thank you.”

In fact, not only cute and naive things happened in the shooting. On Ki-Hoon’s face suddenly flashed through my mind, sending shivers down my back. Shaking it off quickly, I pointed at one corner of the audience seats and said, “My friends from the show are here today!”

Then, the faces of four guys from Graduating popped up on the screen. Hee-Su, Joon-Hwan, and Lee Cheol-Min hurriedly hid their faces with their hands as they were bewildered. On the other hand, Daniele simply waved his hand and smiled widely. With warmth, the Rings cheered for them.

“Those are the friends who usually hang out with Yoo-Joon and Hyun-Woo in the show, right? Hee-Su, Joon-Hwan, Daniele… and, um… Cheol-Min, right? I know all about the show,” asked Jeong Gyu-Chan.

“Wow, you are really watching them!” said Goh Yoo-Joon

Goh Yoo-Joon's admiring tone elicited a proud nod from Jeong Gyu-Chan. "Of course! Ah, and we can't overlook this topic in a discussion about what you've been up to."

Jeong Gyu-Chan then flipped a Q-card and said, “Hyun-Woo and Jin-Sung had a Q-app live session a few weeks ago.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Yep, we did.”

“You received an incredible reaction and showcased dances based on the Rings' requests. Surely, many of your fans are eager to witness your moves in person. Could you demonstrate a few moves for us here, please?”

‘Here? Right now?’

Jin-Sung and I exchanged glances and slowly got up.

“We probably can do the climax of the song,” I said.

Jeong Gyu-Chan replied, “That is more than enough.”

It was too impromptu and sudden, but the Rings seemed to really want it. Therefore, we got ready to dance without much thought.

“Can you dance while wearing those jewelry, Hyun-Woo?”

Hearing this, I simply looked at Jeong Gyu-Chan with surprise. “Wow, you even know about that?”

There were indeed GIFs circulating in social media, showing Jin-Sung removing his rings and bracelets before dancing, just to prevent them from getting stuck to his clothes. However, I didn't expect Jeong Gyu-Chan to be aware of such small details about us.

“Of course, I am one of the Rings! Alright, then. Shall we start, Hyun-Woo? Drop the beat, please!”

The random dance music started with a light mood. However, as the first song filled the air, the cheers were louder than when we showed up in Cha Cha costumes.

Jeong Gyu-Chan shouted in excitement, “Wow!! They have performed this once in the end-of-year stage. It’s Renewal’s ‘Red Sun!’”

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