Second Try Idol

Chapter 394: Red Rouge (13)

I remembered taking a ton of photos back then. Out of all those photos, why did this one make the cut? But honestly, I knew the answer because there was no need to ask Stew Rion and end up being teased about it. Was there a real reason? They probably thought my reaction would be hilarious.

When Stew Rion's production team got their hands on the photos our agency sent over, this one must have stood out as the most impactful. It was so impactful that I would have picked it myself if I were in their shoes.

"First off, this photo shows all the scribbles on Hyun-Woo's face. It's pretty clear who the pranksters are."

"Totally obvious," Joo-Han responded with a slight laugh. Anyone could tell it was Goh Yoo-Joon and Lee Jin-Sung's doing. On the broadcast, the screen was dark, and there were only giggling voices. It was hard to definitively identify the culprit, but it had indeed been those two.

"This photo is from the Chronos History era. Could you share a few anecdotes related to it?"

Joo-Han's eyes sparkled with a hint of nostalgia. "There are so many stories from that time. We did a lot of things back then that we wouldn't have done otherwise," he began.

"That's right. Those were things we’d never come up with ourselves."

"Like the haunted house."

Given our considerate members' nature, exploring a haunted house and going to an amusement park for rides would never have come from us. They would never put Jin-Sung and me through emotional torture.

At the time of filming, it felt like we were being forced to do things we disliked, and there was some controversy right after it aired. But thanks to that, the videos still circulated as fan favorites.

"Listening to you, it seems the most memorable episode for everyone was the Tinta Land one!"

"Yes, I guess so."

"But from our perspective, there's another equally impressive episode." Stew Rion tapped under my photo on the panel with a flourish. "The episode at the lodge! It's the lodge episode, everyone."

"The lodge episode, wow. We find it quite cringey, but our fans really love it."

It was like a comprehensive gift set with everything the Rings would like. We cooked, sang, and spent a lot of time talking together.

"If I had to pick a highlight of the lodge episode, it would be when Joo-Han hyung said ‘I've been debating when to bring this up, but how about we start speaking informally with each other?’"

"Oh..."

"Hahaha!"

"When I heard those words, I thought, 'Ah, our members have really become a family now. We've truly become one.' I was moved to tears!"

Feeling embarrassed by Stew Rion's praise, Joo-Han laughed and looked for some water. Goh Yoo-Joon was the only one matching Stew Rion's energy and enjoying the moment.

"Joo-Han, what made you think that way at the time?" Stew Rion asked.

"Sorry?"

"What made you want to speak informally?"

"Hmm." Joo-Han slapped Goh Yoo-Joon on the back to quiet him down, then paused to think before speaking. "There wasn't a grand reason. I just didn't want to have any barriers with friends I'd be spending the next ten or twenty years with."

I nodded in agreement and continued. "Both Joo-Han hyung and I spent a long time as trainees, and many people quit or left the agency during that time. Therefore, we didn't try to get too attached to each other back then."

I became close with Goh Yoo-Joon and Han Jun because we were the same age and attended the same school. Like Joo-Han, I didn't easily open up to trainees. Jin-Sung joined us at such a young age that I had to look after him, but I was almost a stranger to Yoon-Chan.

Joo-Han’s suggestion to speak informally on Chronos History probably stemmed from his confidence that our group lineup wouldn’t change anymore.

Anyway, back to the topic.

"We have so many memories from that time," Goh Yoo-Joon said.

He shared various stories from Chronos History. Stew Rion listened attentively while reacting sincerely to each story, then glanced at the clock and flipped a cue card. "And so, Pick We Up and Chronos History eras went by successfully. And finally, you guys debuted!"

"Wow, we finally made it to debut?"

"Is it okay for us to share such a long story?"

"Oh, it’s absolutely fine. We’ve prepared a lot, and we’re going all the way."

"But time-wise..."

To Yoon-Chan’s concern, Stew Rion shook his head and replied slyly. "It’s okay. Today, we’ve bought your time. Hahaha!"

"You must be so boujee."

"No, I’m not rich at all."

Although Stew Rion smiled broadly and denied it, everyone knew he was wealthy.

"Alright, let’s move on to the next part! Ta-da!" Stew Rion removed another sticker from the panel, revealing a photo taken during the "Parade" music video shoot when we were eating snacks.

"It’s ‘Parade!’ From ‘Parade’ to ‘Joy’ and ‘Phantom Spirit,’ Chronos captivated so many fans with their universe!"

"We never thought our universe would continue for so long."

"To be honest, I didn't realize it was such a deep story at first."

"Oh, so the Chronos members also—"

The members nodded quickly. "At first, we didn't know much. Our staff explained roughly what the story was about."

"Right. They didn't tell us what would happen next or give us any hints."

"They only gave us a very brief explanation on each music video shoot, and that was it. The rest we figured out while filming, like, 'Oh, so this is how it's going to go.’"

Since the members filmed separately and stayed in the waiting room when others were shooting, they only got parts of the story that seemed incomplete. The staff only told us, 'It's about the members being dragged one by one to another world~' instead of giving us full details.

"The series is incredibly popular. One of the biggest mysteries is who the traitor was."

"The Rings are amazing. Every time a music video comes out, they find hints we missed. They interpret everything, even the smallest details."

"We were shocked by how many different perspectives they come up with after viewing our music video storylines."

We talked with Stew Rion again about the Chronos universe and moved on to the next title track, "Blue Room Party." We discussed how Joo-Han had suggested doing something light and it unexpectedly gained a lot of attention, and how he was very pleased with the reception after getting the results.

Photos from our CEO's album started to appear.

"Next up, this! Ta-da!"

"...Wow, this is really nostalgic."

"Joy! Ha! I love this song so much! Everyone, here are the long-awaited photos from our CEO's album."

This time, there were two photos. The first was me and Goh Yoo-Joon with our arms around each other's shoulders, acting tough and playing with Yoon-Chan. The second was Joo-Han with his hands in his pockets, feet on the desk, pretending to provoke Jin-Sung. Both photos were incredibly embarrassing.

"What is this?"

"These are photos from the ‘Joy’ shoot, called the Goh Yoo-Joon Universe within the Chronos Universe."

"The Rings call it that?"

"Yes! Joo-Han High friends are featured in these ‘Joy’ photos." When Stew Rion removed another sticker next to the "Joy" photo, it revealed a lot of cringeworthy text.

Goh Yoo-Joon stood up in shock. "Ahhh! What is this!"

Stew Rion happily answered, "What do you mean? This is the official Goh Yoo-Joon Universe that you mentioned yourself!"

Joo-Han High School Hierarchy

First Rank: Bloody Wings Kang Joo-Han (Chairman's son)

Second Rank: Goh Yoo-Joon

Go-Ri High School Hierarchy

First Rank: Cold Blade Park Yoon-Chan (Senior Class 2)

Second Rank: Silver Eyes Lee Jin-Sung

Outsider: Suh Hyun-Woo

"Is this Senior Class Two where Cold Blade Park Yoon-Chan, the top rank of Gori High, is? (-_-^)"

"What business do you have with our top rank Cold Blade Yoon-Chan? If you have something to say, tell me first. ("_")"

"Jin-Sung, please stop. It's embarrassing... (^_^)"

"I am Lee Jin-Sung, the second rank at Go-Ri High. Who are you?"

"Me? (-_-) Don't you know me? I'm Goh Yoo-Joon, the second rank at Joo-Han High."

They even noted the exact lines we said back then with emojis next to the lines.

"Ahhh!"

"What are these emojis!"

"Why? Adding these makes the atmosphere come alive! According to the CEO, Joo-Han High's chairman is Joo-Han's father, so I included it."

"Argh!"

As the members freaked out over the cringe, Stew Rion laughed heartily. "Is this hard to watch? But it's an actual conversation between Yoo-Joon and Jin-Sung. The laughing emoji part is Yoon-Chan's. It was a popular setting among the fans."

That was true. The Rings often sent fan art about Joo-Han High and Go-Ri High. When I wasn't mentioned, they would usually place me in either Joo-Han High, Go-Ri High, or a completely different school as Goh Yoo-Joon's friend.

Stew Rion laughed joyfully and said to the members, "Many fans love this story. Can you recreate these lines after such a long time? The Rings would be so happy."

Watching Goh Yoo-Joon and Jin-Sung pretend fainting at Stew Rion's suggestion, I thought,

‘Dang, we’ve had so many embarrassing moments in the past.’