Second Try Idol

“Could you sing a song for the Rings? Please make it feel like you are video calling with the fans, and maybe add a little something before and after."

- Huh, seriously?

Yoo-Joon was caught off guard by my sudden request and couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief.

- Right here?

“Come on, all the Rings have their eyes on you."

-...So I need to imagine that I am on a call with the Rings. Fine. Jin-Sung, toss me your phone.

“Oh, what's the plan?"

Goh Yoo-Joon seized the phone from Jin-Sung, sauntered over to a sunlit spot, and flashed a victorious smile.

- Hey, babe.

“Aaack! What in the world are you doing?"

- Oh, c'mon, you asked for it. It’s not for you, though. Rings~ Are you up?

What was he doing? I was unable to stomach any more of my friend's antics and turned off my own video, having my profile picture replace it before turning a cold shoulder to Goh Yoo-Joon.

- How are you? I miss you, Rings.

- Ah, hyung, you’re being weird!

- Eh? Sing a song, you say? Right now? I’m a bit shy, but okay. I would do anything for you.

The situation reminded me of those days filming music videos. Goh Yoo-Joon started to role-play over ranks and roles in the group out of nowhere… His flair for drama, shamelessly overflowing with talent, had me in stitches. Even though this was my idea, he took it up a notch. Goh Yoo-Joon was born to be a celebrity.

I could hear Goh Yoo-Joon singing from my phone, which I threw aside. The scene was too cringeworthy to watch, but he was singing so well. I slowly crawled to retrieve my phone and waited for Goh Yoo-Joon's song to end. He hadn't realized I wasn’t watching, but he was really determined. He was looking at the screen and continuing to role-play.

- How was it? I hope you like it. Then, see you in a bit! Bye!

“Ah, yes, yes. It was good, Yoo-Joon," I said.

After I turned on my video again, embarrassment filled Goh Yoo-Joon's face, which had been dripping with kindness.

- Ah, why? You asked me to do this, so what's with that face?

“I asked you to sing, not role-play, Yoo-Joon. Ah, I truly couldn't bear to watch that."

I couldn't help but laugh. Goh Yoo-Joon perhaps found his own role-play funny, so he laughed with me for a while.

“Next up is Jin-Sung. Please sing for us too. Say hello to the Rings first."

- Me?...Honey!

Jin-Sung glanced at Goh Yoo-Joon, giggled, and imitated what his friend had done before. He ended up in a headlock because of Goh Yoo-Joon. He somehow kept the playfulness at bay and quickly sang a song. My sudden command was concluded.

- Do you like this, hyung? I don't know what to buy since you don’t really like food.

- He's not into collecting souvenirs, either. Jin-Sung, it might be better to buy him clothes or accessories.

- Oh, let’s get accessories.

The two earnestly roamed around, trying to pick something I might like. After browsing here and there, showing me things that might suit my taste, I ended up receiving a beautiful bracelet from a store near our accommodation.

“Now that I got you this, be my roommate for a day."

“Okay, I will."

Jin-Sung finally felt relieved and left after getting my firm answer.

“..."

But, don't people normally set conditions to use a room by themselves? It seemed like he made the deal not to sleep alone, but to let Joo-Han sleep alone. Maybe all of us members were naturally brainwashed to yield everything to Joo-Han.

***

The sudden schedule cancellation continued until the evening, and we just loafed around in the accommodation for half a day. Meanwhile, the camera installed in our place kept filming, so we had to keep playing, talking, and showing bits of our ordinary daily life without having the time to be sad about Callia's misdeeds.

After the video call with Goh Yoo-Joon and Lee Jin-Sung earlier, I spent the day humming and practicing songs in my room. Then, I played games on the laptop Goh Yoo-Joon brought later.

Jin-Sung had his meal, Joo-Han worked on composing, and Yoon-Chan went to buy the chocolate tart that Reina had brought with the Again After Rainfall camera after working out.

As I felt a bit gloomy and relaxed, Reina, who had gone to pick up Callia Lawrence, came to our accommodation. “Sorry, did I keep you waiting for long?"

“No, not at all, Senior. Um, I meant Manager."

“Shall we sit and talk for a bit? Sorry, but could you turn off the camera for a moment?"

At Reina's request, the production team quickly turned off the living room camera in the accommodation.

“I talked to Callia. Sigh, she does some unnecessary and strange things every now and then."

“What happened all of a sudden?” Yoon-Chan asked. “I heard she was quite angry when she left..."

Reina looked at him apologetically. “There was a big misunderstanding. She got angry over her own mistake, but you don't have to worry about it."

Seeing that even the production team and Reina were not properly explaining why Callia Lawrence was angry, it seemed like it was something that could hurt us.

“Anyway, I had a good talk with her, and she said she'd come back tomorrow. So, just be aware of that, please. Don't worry about Callia and practice hard, okay? A more proper venue has been arranged for tomorrow."

“Yes!"

“Then, everyone, go practice. Joo-Han and Hyun-Woo, could I have a word with you?"

“Yes."

Instead of Joo-Han, Goh Yoo-Joon led the other two members to the practice room, and Joo-Han and I remained to face Reina. As soon as it was just Joo-Han and me, Reina sighed deeply and showed how tired she was.

“Guys, about tomorrow's stage..." she began.

“Yes, what about it?"

“Can you do it all live? Your group performance too."

“Of course, we’re fine with that. But what's the matter?" Joo-Han asked.

Reina seemed bewildered, but this time she explained the reason properly. “It seemed Callia doubted your abilities.”

“...Uh …Were we lacking in some way?”

Reina quickly reassured us, dispelling our doubts with a wave of her hand. “No, not at all. The issue wasn’t with your performances. Callia arrived late and only managed to catch your ‘Parade’ stage. She questioned the value of watching a performance that was not live.”

Realization dawned on me. The first impression Callia had of us was our lip-syncing stage. However, the thought that this misunderstanding had led to her abrupt departure was still puzzling, especially considering that we had been performing live just moments before her arrival. This could have been easily verified by a quick inquiry to the production team. The notion of our skills being questioned was more infuriating than any scheduling mishap could ever be.

As Reina sensed our frustration, she tried to soothe us. “Callia isn't always this difficult. She definitely acts impulsively sometimes, getting angry without knowing the full context. Her attitude can be unbearable, but she will never change."

Despite Reina's attempt to calm the situation, Joo-Han simply stated, “…We are okay."

His words echoed my sentiments. We understood that Callia Lawrence perceived us as insignificant newcomers, so we weren’t worth her time unless Reina introduced us. Given her tight schedule, her disappointment for witnessing a lip-sync performance as her first impression was somewhat understandable, although the ensuing reaction seemed disproportionate.

“I've explained everything to her and scolded her for her hasty judgment. We've agreed to meet again tomorrow. This time, I want to make a lasting impression, one that she will regret not having witnessed a day earlier."

“Ah, of course, Senior."

Joo-Han was motivated by the discussion, and had a fiery determination in his eyes. Known for his inability to tolerate disrespect, this incident had clearly struck a chord with him. He confidently stated, “Regardless of how Callia Lawrence feels about us, we will prove our worth. She won't be able to criticize our skills anymore."

“With that spirit, I'm counting on you for tomorrow's live performance," Reina added. “We are planning a grand show in the center of a large outdoor plaza. It's going to be a massive event with a huge crowd. Let's keep this quiet from the other members."

“Yes!"

After a brief rest, Reina said, “I will come watch you practice in a bit. Now, go ahead and get started."

“Yes! We’re on it, Senior."

After we left our accommodations and headed to the practice room, Joo-Han remained silent as he was lost in thought. I refrained from initiating conversation, sensing the depth of his contemplation. It was evident from his expression that the doubt cast on our abilities had deeply wounded his pride.

Upon our arrival at the practice room, the silence was broken. Joo-Han saw the faces of our fellow members and immediately took charge. “Let's choose ‘Joy’ as our next group song. Shall we draft the setlist? Gather around, everyone."

This suggestion seemed spontaneous, yet it was clear Joo-Han had something specific in mind, given his recent experiences.

It seemed like a straightforward proposal, with Joo-Han simply choosing “Joy,” which had been released recently, so the members were gathered around without giving it too much thought.

However, having seen Joo-Han's clearly upset demeanor just a moment before, I thought to myself that even though it may appear that the members had the freedom to choose, the setlist would likely be craftily shaped according to Joo-Han's will, including all the solo and duet songs of the members.

“Joy” stood out among Chronos' songs for its demanding choreography and vocal sections. The intense dance routines and high notes, especially in the climactic parts, which we had practiced extensively under Kun-Ho's tutelage, presented a significant challenge. This song wasn't just about dancing. The vocal parts were equally demanding, making it a comprehensive test of our abilities.

“I have a solo song I want to recommend to you, Yoo-Joon. How about ‘Lovevevelove’ by Big Band? It came to mind while watching today's performance. I think it would suit you really well."

“Wow, that song is quite challenging. I tried it before and failed."

“But, Joo-Han, aren't we supposed to choose from the list of songs we submitted to the band?"

“I heard in the pre-meeting that it's not strictly necessary. We just need to provide the sheet music. Consider it, Yoo-Joon. If it doesn't work out, we can always switch to something else. What do you think?"

“Well... okay. I like that song too."

Joo-Han easily decided on Goh Yoo-Joon's song before moving on to recommend a piece for Yoon-Chan. Again, he suggested a challenging song that would highlight Yoon-Chan's voice, and Yoon-Chan agreed to try despite feeling anxious.

“What about you, Jin-Sung? What do you want to do?"

“Uh, I... What should I do? I haven't really thought about anything. Can I take a moment to consider?"

“Sure, take your time. If you can't decide, I will recommend something for you."

Joo-Han was pretending to be considerate, but was already scrolling through his playlist on his phone to look for a song for Jin-Sung. The other members definitely didn’t notice this, but standing behind Joo-Han, I could see his busy hands flipping through his playlist. It was likely that Jin-Sung would end up choosing a song recommended by Joo-Han without even realizing it.

“And what about you, Hyun-Woo? Got any songs in mind?" Joo-Han asked.

I simply shook my head in response. “No, nothing so far. Why don’t you pick one for me?"

It seemed that Joo-Han had already decided the theme of this performance to be a vocal capability display tailored specifically for Callia Lawrence.

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