Second Try Idol

Chapter 74: Chronos History (18)

“One, two, three! Hello, we are Chronos. Nice to meet you!" We greeted everyone in the waiting room, and the actress Yoo Ji-Eun, who was coming in, greeted us back with a warm smile as she slightly lowered her head.

She said, "Hello. Wow, you guys really do look young in person."

“Oh my? Ji-Eun, you are young too! You are only in your late twenties."

“Ah, unnie[ref] A term that females use to call older female friends or older sisters in Korean. [ref/]. You know I've been playing the role of a mother recently? There was a time when I only did high-teen roles," she replied.

Yoo Ji-Eun was known for her cold and haughty image to the public, but she turned out to be a very amiable and caring person. Sharing the same waiting room with us, she comfortably chatted with the staff and even shared snacks with us.

Before the live broadcast, Yoo Ji-Eun seemed relaxed, while Goh Yoo-Joon and I were nervously munching on garlic bread she shared, keeping an eye on our industry's respected seniors.

“Hey, let's make sure we don't make any mistakes," Goh Yoo-Joon said, and I nodded in agreement and said, “Of course. I even dyed my hair again just for this appearance."

Enduring the scalp-burning pain, I was prepared for anything, even potential hair loss. “Shall we go out and practice?"

“Yeah. Let's just go through it once. We can't afford to mess up in front of our seniors..." We glanced at Yoo Ji-Eun and slowly stood up. She was looking at her phone with a serious expression, quite different from her usual pleasant smile.

We quietly left the waiting room, trying not to disturb her, and practiced our lines near a vending machine.

- Hyun-Woo: (Shielding his eyes as if dazzled) Ah, ahh! Ah!

- Yoo-Joon: Huh? What's wrong, Hyun-Woo?

- Hyun-Woo: It's so bright! Ah, it's too dazzling!

- Yoo-Joon: ...Actually, I've been feeling it's too bright too! (Gesturing as if dazzled) Ahh!

- Ji-Eun: You two, what’s happening? What's going on?

- Hyun-Woo: Yoo-Joon's!

- Yoo-Joon: Hyun-Woo's!

- Hyun-Woo, Yoo-Joon: Looks are just too dazzling!

- Ji-Eun: ...Ah, okay okay. You two, stop it now. (Separating them) Let's move on to introducing the next stage, please!

- Hyun-Woo: Shall we? The next stage is... Oh, my eyes! The dazzling stage of High Tension!

- Yoo-Joon: High Tension's debut song ‘You Are Shining!’ Let's watch!

...And then, I had to exclaim, "My friend, High Tension, fighting!" with a spirit of cheering on my friend in an exaggerated enthusiasm.

"...Ugh." This was tough. I had been a trainee for ten years and a trainer for six years. Then, I was back to being a trainee. Despite everything I'd been through, it seemed like this was the toughest part, though it must have been an illusion.

Goh Yoo-Joon was also deep in thought, feeling the harsh reality.

‘Did Allure's Tucan hyung really do this for 2 years? Was his sudden improvement in showbiz over those two years due to experiences like this?’

“Hey, sigh. Let's read the next part," I said.

“Yeah, let’s play a round of Battle Grounds after this," Yoo-Joon replied.

“Aren’t you guys Chronos? What are you doing here?"

We were about to rehearse our next lines when someone who seemed to be an important figure at the broadcasting station stopped at the door and looked at us. I vaguely remember crossing paths with him a few times during my training days.

As we hesitated, the man opened the door, signaling for us to come in.

“Thank you!" We quickly entered the waiting room.

“Ah, hello, Director,” Yoo Ji-Eun greeted the man warmly. He appeared to be the Director of Countdown.

"Did you eat, Ji-Eun?"

“Not yet! I’m planning to eat after my schedule ends. Have you eaten, Director?" Yoo Ji-Eun, who was casually dressed during our practice, was now fully made up and dressed for the camera.

Feeling like I was watching her on TV, I stopped at the door. Yoo Ji-Eun then gestured for us to come over. “Come on, sit down and let’s practice the script."

“Okay!"

‘Wait, do we have to recite those lines in front of the director, complete with acting?’

‘...Well, it’s indeed hard to earn money.’

With a resolute heart, I sat down next to the director. Goh Yoo-Joon hesitantly followed and sat next to me. After that, I could hear the Chronos staff quietly chuckling nearby. Following our manager's advice, I put my pride aside and gave my best performance.

Even Yoo Ji-Eun was doing well despite the awkwardness, so I felt compelled to do my best too. Honestly, seeing her deliver her lines so naturally made me wonder if this was normal in the industry, and it eased my tension a bit.

As I enthusiastically played my part, Goh Yoo-Joon joined in with equal energy, though his reluctance was apparent when he had to hand over the bouquet to me.

“You guys are doing surprisingly well! Both of you still seem a bit robotic, but that’s a charm in its own way!”

“Thank you!”

“Thanks for working hard. Let’s head for the rehearsal now.”

With the director's okay sign, we moved to the stage for rehearsal. As the hallway was crowded with other artists and staff, we had to greet so many senior artists along the way.

That was when it happened. “Uh.”

“Sorry, Hyun-Woo. Can you walk next to me?” I suddenly felt someone pulling me hard, and I turned to see Yoo Ji-Eun holding me by the arm with a grim expression.

‘What's happening?’ I tried to look where Yoo Ji-Eun was gazing, but she yanked my clothes again. “Don’t look. It'll hurt your eyes. Ah, that damn guy.”

“What?”

Yoo Ji-Eun finally let go of me when we reached the site. She didn't explain anything, and I didn’t get to ask her. Once we got to the site, she greeted the staff as if nothing had happened and went to her spot. After that, the rehearsal ended without further incident. Although it was odd that Yoo Ji-Eun kept disappearing during the artists’ performances, she always returned quickly and apologized, so we didn’t think much of it.

Then, the live broadcast started in a peaceful atmosphere at 5 PM. We just squatted out of the camera's view, waiting for our turn.

“Welcome to Countdown, your Friday evening's delight! Hello! I’m your host for Countdown, cute and refreshing~ Ah, I can’t introduce myself like that today.”

We timidly waved at our fans from our crouched position.

“Today, we have someone even cuter and more refreshing than Ji-Eun here! Let's call out our cutie and freshie! Cutie and Freshie!”

‘Ah, I feel like I am about to die because of this cringeness.’

I jumped up and exclaimed, “Hello! I’m Cutie!”

‘This is killing me.’

Goh Yoo-Joon also popped up from the other side. “Hello! I’m Freshie!”

“Yes, we have Yoo-Joon and Hyun-Woo from Chronos here, the winners of Pick We Up, filling in for Tucan, who’s away on an international schedule. They are our special MCs for today!”

“It’s an honor to be here! We’ll do our best, so please watch over us!”

For about thirty minutes, we carried on the show, selling our bodies, minds, and souls to the capitalist devil. Yoo Ji-Eun’s ad-libs, which included making us sing songs from other artists and even resurrecting the “Magical Pendant” from our buried memories, were tolerable.

As soon as the cut was called for the commercial break, I buried my face in my knees. “Ah, so embarrassing...”

Unaware of my feelings, our fans sent even louder cheers. At least I had the luxury of feeling embarrassed. Goh Yoo-Joon was fetching the bouquet of roses to hand over to me, and I wouldn't be surprised if he just ran away.

“Tough, isn’t it? It’s always hard the first time. Being a music broadcast MC isn’t for just anyone.” Yoo Ji-Eun patted my back, but I could hear the laughter in her voice.

“I’m fine, senior.”

“Ah, fuck.”

“...Pardon me?” I was startled by Yoo Ji-Eun’s muttered curse, and I turned to see her glaring at something. Then I noticed the commotion among our fans.

“Ah, who’s that guy!”

“Why did you hit me? What's happening!?”

“There’s an intruder here!”

“Intruder?” Looking toward the audience, I saw the suspicious man from the cafeteria standing at the front, blankly staring at Yoo Ji-Eun.

I instinctively stood in front of Yoo Ji-Eun to shield her.

“What the fuck are you doing!? Get back to your spot!” As the audience grew restless, the security rushed from both sides, trying to escort the man out. However, the man unyieldingly lowered his stance and continued taking photos of Yoo Ji-Eun with his camera. Yoo Ji-Eun quickly hid behind me.

“What is going on? Do you know that man?” I asked.

“Of course not. Ah, what a weirdo."

Right before the commercials ended, Goh Yoo-Joon returned with a resigned look, holding a bouquet. The suspicious man had been dragged out by the security by then.

- Next on Countdown! Five, four, three, two, one! Start!

The second part of Countdown started. Live broadcasts really did have their share of unexpected events. From the looks of it, the man seemed like a stalker of Yoo Ji-Eun, having even followed her to the shooting location. However, Yoo Ji-Eun continued the show as if nothing had happened.

“Uh, I have something to say."

“What is it, Yoo-Joon?" asked Yoo Ji-Eun.

With his hands behind his back, Yoo-Joon looked at Ji-Eun. She exaggerated her anticipation, blinking expectantly. Then, after a dramatic pause, Goh Yoo-Joon extended the hidden bouquet of roses to me.

The audience erupted in cheers. Embarrassingly enough, the cheers seemed louder than during our last performance.

“Hyun-Woo, please accept my feelings!"

“What... what about me?"

I pretended not to notice Ji-Eun's astonished reaction and then replied with a feigned expression. “Goh Yoo-Joon, are you confessing again? No, we're members of the same group! For Chronos's sake, it can't happen."

"Thump!"

Goh Yoo-Joon acted like a heartbroken Disney prince. He stood up and passed the bouquet to me. “Please accept this bouquet, Hyun-Woo! I can't give up on you... heup!"

Ah, Goh Yoo-Joon burst into laughter. ‘Darn, when he laughs, I can't help but join in.’

“Yoo-Joon... heup... keuk... Haha!"

“...Phew, ha! No... no matter! No matter how many times you refuse, I'll keep confessing! The next song is ‘Third Confession.’"

“By Endoros.”

We struggled to say our lines while suppressing laughter. I just bit my lip hard and turned around, only to see Ji-Eun still pointing at herself and hopping excitedly. “What? What about me?”

Just as we transitioned to Endoros's performance...

Crash!

“Kiyaaaak!” The lights in the audience dimmed, and amidst the chaos, the man who had been dragged out earlier stormed onto Endoros's stage.

“Ah, damn it." Endoros's performance had already started. It was live, and the cameras were capturing both Endoros and the intruding man.

It was so frustrating. Instinctively, I walked toward the man on the stage.

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