Second Try Idol

Chapter 373: Choose (16)

"Open the windows first. Open all the windows in the house. Open the one toward the balcony, too."

At Joo-Han's command, the members sprang into action like a well-oiled machine and swiftly opened all the windows throughout the house. Fresh air rushed in, sweeping away the staleness and bringing in a cool and refreshing breeze.

Meanwhile, the beef on the frying pan was sizzling loudly and sending up delicious plumes of smoke as it turned a beautiful golden brown. The ten kilograms of premium beef we brought from the shoot with Oh Yoo-Wol was a feast beyond our wildest dreams. Even after sharing some with the staff, there was still plenty left for us.

Jin-Sung was practically bouncing with joy, and the once-abundant beef was rapidly disappearing.

"Is it okay for us to be eating like this?" Jin-Sung asked, a look of guilt briefly crossing his face as he chewed.

"You've already eaten most of it, and now you ask?"

Jin-Sung scratched his head. "No, it's just that we haven't eaten this well while preparing for the album. It feels a bit... extravagant."

"Jin-Sung, you should put down your chopsticks first before saying that. We know you’re not done eating."

Jin-Sung seemed to have said that because he was conscious of Tae-Seong’s presence. Managers were strict with idols’ diet. He gave an awkward smile and then resumed using his chopsticks.

"This is our last feast before the comeback. Eat as much as you want," Tae-Seong encouraged with a rare smile playing on his lips.

With his permission, the hesitant chopsticks resumed their rapid pace. Everyone dived into the meal with renewed enthusiasm.

Joo-Han shook his head in mock exasperation. "Look at you guys, so carefree even with a new rookie group debuting soon."

Jin-Sung tilted his head in confusion. "Why should we be wary of the rookie group?"

"They've got talented trainees joining them, and they are debuting through a popular competition program. We should be wary of them."

Jin-Sung looked genuinely puzzled. "But they are our friends."

"They might surpass us in popularity. Who knows?" Joo-Han sighed, his worry lines deepening. "We can't afford to get complacent."

Today, Joo-Han seemed more anxious and irritable than usual. Perhaps it was because he had recently delved back into song production, and his perfectionism might have driven him harder than ever.

Of course, when a new artist debuted, the company often shifted its focus and resources toward them. This included prime songs, expensive music videos, and appearances on high-rated variety shows, all to ensure the newcomer gets a solid footing in the industry.

Established artists, even those with a stable fanbase, could see a relative decrease in support during these times. It was a natural shift, but this could cause anxiety among those who had been in the game longer.

Joo-Han was likely concerned about this, worried that we might lose some of our momentum. His protective nature over the group often made him overthink and stress about potential threats.

Despite this, Tae-Seong remained unfazed and shook his head calmly. "No way. Chronos is still riding a high wave of popularity. You guys are far from fading."

Having seen many groups launch and succeed during my time as a trainer, I knew that as long as a group continued to grow, the company would keep pushing them. We had just started gaining international attention and completed our first concert. The company had stressed the importance of our next album, so there was no reason for Joo-Han to worry so much.

Yet his frown persisted, and his eye bags suggested many sleepless nights spent working.

"Are you having a hard time with the project, hyung? You look really tired."

"Ah, I've been having strange dreams lately. I can't tell if they’re good or bad omens. I even dreamt about our contract ending and us disbanding," Joo-Han answered, his voice tinged with unease.

I exchanged a glance with Goh Yoo-Joon. Could his dream be similar to the one Goh Yoo-Joon mentioned having? It was odd and a bit unsettling to think about.

This wasn’t the right time to delve into such heavy topics, especially while enjoying our grilled meat. Therefore, I decided to ignore it for now.

"By the way, I've heard that Sequence is going with a cute and charming concept."

"Really? With a name like Sequence, I expected something cool and edgy."

"They will start off cute and probably switch up their image later. I’m just glad our trainees are finally debuting. Han Jun is debuting, too~ Suh Hyun-Woo and I were really worried that he would quit."

"Yeah, if it weren't for Allure and Chronos hitting back-to-back hits, the company might have fired or let them go on their own. Their trainee life would have lengthened, and they would have eventually lost hope if we didn’t become this popular."

Joo-Han nodded. "It’s good that other kids also debuted, not just Han Jun. Isn't Il-Seong also in the same group? Is Il-Seong also okay with the cute concept, Tae-seong hyung?"

"Yeah, he is. He’s in the same group, so has no other choice," Tae-Seong replied curtly as he focused on his food.

Il-Seong was known for his rugged physique and love for sports, especially rock climbing. He was even bulkier than Jin-Sung. Imagining him in a cute concept was amusing, and I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.

"Anyway, don't worry too much. Our CEO isn't someone who'd neglect you guys," Tae-Seong reassured us.

Joo-Han's expression finally softened at this. Yeah, our CEO was Su-Hwan now, and he would lead us well. He always had our backs.

"Alright, are you guys done eating? Let's clean up, then. Jin-Sung and Yoon-Chan, you guys handle the dishes since we cooked everything." Joo-Han pointed to the pile of dirty dishes.

"Okay."

Just as I was about to head to my room, someone placed a hand on my shoulder and stopped me in my tracks. It was Goh Yoo-Joon.

"Hey."

I turned around and met his gaze. "Yeah?"

He looked at me for a moment before walking past and heading to his room. "Just wanted to greet you~ No other reason."

As I watched him disappear down the hallway, my mind replayed the conversation we had not long ago. My face stiffened as I recalled it. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"It was such a vivid dream. I’ve never experienced anything like it, and it’s making me uneasy."

Goh Yoo-Joon had told me about the dream he had recently, but he hadn’t gone into details, saying it was too gruesome. He only mentioned that it involved me getting in an accident. At first, I dismissed it as just another dream, but his following words made me ponder about it.

"Remember how you’re scared of getting on flights? How are you doing with that now? The dream just made me think about it, so I wanted to ask."

"You dreamt of an accident, and that made you think of my fear of flying?" I had asked, puzzled.

"I’m just curious." He had shrugged off, but his tone suggested there was more to it.

His smile appeared to be forced and awkward. Seeing his expression, I realized that the accident in his dream had been a plane crash.

Was it just a coincidence? Goh Yoo-Joon dreaming about me in a plane crash, and Joo-Han dreaming about our group disbanding were events that had happened in the past.

When Goh Yoo-Joon told me about his dream, a word crept into my mind—synchronization.

Isaac had said that synchronization would begin soon. What if this wasn't just happening to me?

I didn't fully understand what Isaac meant by synchronization, but if it was causing the members to dream about the past, then something serious was going on. What exactly was happening now? I hoped for no more changes, but if the members were affected, I couldn't ignore it anymore. I didn't want to see them struggling or avoiding me like they did in the past.

***

The title track was a dance song with a striking jazz melody highlighted by trumpets. The coupling track, gifted to us by Reina, was a dance song featuring a rhythm played on traditional Eastern string instruments.

What was special about this album was that all members participated in composing and writing the lyrics. The title track "Red Rouge" was composed by Joo-Han and written by Goh Yoo-Joon, with the rap lyrics co-written by Lee Jin-Sung and Kim Jin-Wook. The coupling track "Ario 愛" was written by me. Jin-Sung wrote the bright and lovely rap part that Yoon-Chan would perform in one of the included tracks "FUNCH."

We spent a significant amount of time focusing solely on the album by minimizing our schedule as much as possible. The recording was complete, and we had entered the post-production phase to enhance the album's quality. We also focused intensely on dance practice.

This was the first album planned by Su-Hwan. He had allocated a substantial budget for Chronos and planned to shoot two music videos. "Red Rouge" was led by Goh Yoo-Joon in the center, and it showcased a more mature charm compared to the previous image of Chronos. Each member had distinct choreography, so the music video would focus more on the dance rather than a storyline.

The coupling track "Ario 愛" featured a music video that presented Chronos' new universe, incorporating an Eastern fantasy theme.

Today was the music video shoot for "Red Rouge." The behind-the-scenes camera approached me.

- Hyun-Woo, what are you thinking about?

I showed my forearm and laughed heartily. "I think tattoos are intense. I have one on my collarbone too." I tilted my head to show the tattoo on my collarbone.

"Red Rouge" had initially been a jazz song with prominent trumpet sounds, but it became a much more intense track after being modified to fit the concept.

How should I describe it? It felt like a saloon where rebels gathered right before a battle in the Western era. Our outfits and makeup were designed to look quite intimidating if you met us on the street. The highlight of today's concept was definitely the tattoos. Large tattoos were drawn on me, Goh Yoo-Joon, and Jin-Sung.

It felt both fascinating and fun, almost like something out of a noir film. However, I was also worried about how the Rings would react.

At that moment, Goh Yoo-Joon came up and draped his arm over my shoulder. "They are definitely going to search for it. 'Goh Yoo-Joon tattoo,' 'Suh Hyun-Woo tattoo,' like that."

I looked at the back of his hand on my shoulder. A large rose was neatly drawn on it.