Second Try Idol

Reina frowned deeply. “How have you been? I heard you haven't eaten yet? Oh dear, this is bad." She shot a stern look at Supervisor Kim. “Supervisor, it's your job to ensure the members eat before their practice sessions, isn’t it?"

“We do feed them! They are the ones who choose to practice instead of eating. It's not my fault."

“Supervisor, those times are long gone. Even if they say they aren't hungry, you should persuade them to eat."

It was clear from their interaction that Reina and Supervisor Kim shared a comfortable rapport.

Supervisor Kim muttered under his breath, "That's really something for the managers to handle," and quickly changed the subject.

I awkwardly tousled my still-damp hair while Su-Hwan flashed me an apologetic glance. It was true that we had chosen to skip meals for practice, so Supervisor Kim really had nothing to apologize for.

Reina said, “Let's grab some food after the meeting. It will be my treat. I didn’t realize Hyun-Woo hadn’t eaten till now." She didn't dwell on small talk and swiftly shifted to business matters. “We haven’t had our meeting yet, but I’ve been keeping the project moving. I am in charge of the marketing strategies and song production anyway."

“Ah, yes."

“If you feel neglected for not being included until now, I’m sorry. I really wanted to minimize your stress."

“No, I appreciate it, truly." I wasn't upset at all. Given the tight comeback schedule and the unforeseen incidents, coupled with the song I wrote for Yoon-Chan, managing this project too might have been overwhelming. If this project had been added to my schedule, it might have pushed me over the edge mentally.

Although I was the main character receiving most of the limelight in this cooperation, I was ironically the most dispensable. As merely Reina’s muse, honestly, receiving the finished product after all the preparations were done was quite convenient for me.

“We just need to record. When would be a good time? What is Chronos' exact comeback schedule?"

Supervisor Kim checked his phone and was surprised. “Wow, time really flies. There’s less than two weeks left."

“Hmm." Reina frowned and twirled a pen in her hand. She seemed to be recalling the modified schedule due to recent events. After contemplating for a moment, she proposed, “Since there’s no rush, why don't we proceed with recording after the comeback?"

“Oh, Reina, that would be great. Thank you."

“However, I'd appreciate it if Su-Hwan could clear up the schedule by then."

“Yes, I will get in touch soon."

Reina was one of our country’s top singers. She had rearranged her schedule multiple times just for me. Considering she was as busy as we were with her own career, I wouldn’t have blamed her if she canceled this project due to the repeated delays. The only reason she had been so accommodating was simple.

“Please, just make sure my artist is well taken care of mentally and physically. If he is unwell, no music will come out. You understand, right, supervisor?"

Given the instability I’d shown during our time together in the US, where I had even fainted, her concern was understandable.

“The track is already complete, so have a listen. This isn’t for feedback, I just want you to hear it."

Reina had taken on all the production and work herself. Her confidence was evident in every word she spoke.

She played the track. “The title is still undecided, but it will be typical of what I usually create. It’s definitely going to scream that I produced it."

Whenever she released her songs, Reina's tracks often dominated the charts and stood strong even against top-tier idols in sales. The song that was given to me maintained the high quality emblematic of Reina's work, but it was clearly tailored to have a unique approach. It was different from her own singing pieces.

“I tailored it to fit your voice and the vibe you exude. Just being around you all day in the US inspired me.”

It was a simpler song, but more poignant and sorrowful. This must have been the vibe Reina perceived from me.

“Of course, it’s not that you strike me as such a sad character. It’s just that I’ve exaggerated the expressions you show on stage. It’s your aesthetic that I love."

“Reina, I really love it. I can’t wait to perform it."

“Right? I will send you the lyrics as soon as they are ready so you can start practicing."

When my identity would be revealed, I would likely have to show my face. Until then, I needed to convey emotions through my voice since people wouldn’t be able to perceive my facial expressions.

Following this, Reina and our team's staff continued their meeting, which was mostly about sharing schedules and discussing investments. From that point on, I became somewhat of an invisible presence as a newcomer, so I just listened intently and tried to understand everything being discussed.

“Shall we wrap it up here? You must be really hungry."

The meeting had been extended. It was only at 5:30 PM that I was finally able to have lunch, which by then had turned into dinner.

“Hyung, you made it?"

“It seemed like it was getting late, so I thought about ending today's practice. But since Hyun-Woo's here, shall we go one more round, Jin-Sung?"

“What? Joo-Han, do my ears deceive me? You’re proposing to continue practicing? Sure."

“Aaaaah! If Jin-Sung decides to practice more, at least massage my poor legs first."

After eating, I returned to the practice room where the members greeted me in various states. Joo-Han was busy on his laptop, and Jin-Sung was massaging Goh Yoo-Joon's legs while sighing. I sat down beside Yoon-Chan, who was resting in a corner.

“It looks like the meeting took a long time. Have you eaten?"

“I just have."

“Did you get to hear the song?"

“Yeah, it’s really good..."

Reina had really prepared a lot. She had chosen me as the protagonist of the biggest project of her entertainment career, which brought a substantial amount of pressure and responsibility.

“Yoon-Chan, I am really going to do my best."

“…Me too." Yoon-Chan gripped his phone tightly. “I will try my best too."

He was holding onto his phone so tightly that he accidentally pressed the power button. The screen lit up showing that the track I composed for him was playing. He had been listening to it.

The track was originally a ballad to which I'd added a tropical vibe and changed the lyrics to sound somewhat more hopeful. I had spent the entire day face-to-face with Producer Do, practically remaking the track from scratch for Yoon-Chan.

Perhaps Yoon-Chan was feeling a similar heavy sense of responsibility as he received a song so laden with a fellow team member's hard work. I felt a sense of pride and stayed silently by his side until he listened to the entire track.

Yoon-Chan hummed softly. His quiet practice continued until Jin-Sung called out to us to resume practicing.

***

The preparations for the comeback were progressing fairly well. True to his reputation as a master of sales, Supervisor Kim had secured spots on both terrestrial and cable broadcasters where we would perform two songs each for our comeback. The choreography, which had been slightly off, was now perfected, and we could perform live while breathing properly.

One week before the music video was released, the members gathered in the middle of the practice room facing the camera.

“Hello, we are Chronos."

“Everyone, you've waited a long time, right? We are finally making our comeback with ‘Phantom Spirit.’”

“Woah!!!"

“Today marks one week before the music video release. As a privilege for Chronos, we will take some time to preview it first before it goes public," Joo-Han said.

The members cheered. The music video had been delayed by multiple edits and corrections and had only just been handed over to the company a week before its release.

Today, we had to film our reactions to the music video we had worked so hard on.

“This ‘Phantom Spirit’ marks the end of our first universe story."

“Ah, that’s really sad."

“What do you think, Yoo-Joon?"

Joo-Han passed the question to Goh Yoo-Joon, who smiled awkwardly and replied, “To be honest, I don't really understand what’s going on when I watch it."

“Right. Me neither. It's fascinating when Rings interpret the story and post their explanations." Jin-Sung chimed in. The other members and I nodded in agreement.

“When we film, we have an idea of what each scene is supposed to convey and the general part of the story."

“Right, but still, we don’t really understand the plot."

“The writer doesn’t explain everything in detail, so when we read Rings’ interpretations, we end up saying ‘Ah, so that’s what that symbolizes!’"

Sometimes, we only realized after shooting that a scene was meant to be a twist. Other times, we didn't even know what a scene was about.

Of course, since this "Phantom Spirit" was the last part of the story, all the members knew how it ended. However, the music video intricately concealed many aspects that only sharp-eyed fans could uncover.

“Shall we watch it now?"

“Wow, I'm really excited," Goh Yoo-Joon said.

“Shh, shh, hyung, be quiet." Jin-Sung dramatically put his finger to his lips to silence Goh Yoo-Joon, who responded right next to Jin-Sung's ear with a mischievous expression, "Got it!"

“Shhh, time to shut your mouths. Let's watch."

Joo-Han played the music video. Goh Yoo-Joon and Jin-Sung quieted down. All the members focused intently on the screen. The music video started without any music.

Drrr—

It began with adult Goh Yoo-Joon, dressed in a suit. He opened the classroom door and stood in the doorway, expressionlessly surveying the completely empty room. Despite the bright sunlight flooding the silent, empty school, there was an eerie feeling of desolation.

With a deeply bitter expression, Goh Yoo-Joon sighed as he stepped into the classroom.

He then stood at the teacher's desk and stared blankly for a while before turning around to pick up a piece of chalk.

He wrote something down in an elegant script.

[He betrayed us]

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