Second Try Idol

Chapter 195: Joy (32)

It was a unique experience to see how non-Rings reacted to our music video, and it turned out to be a golden opportunity to have the Memory High students engrossed in our video despite my embarrassment.

I watched keenly as the students were glued to the screen. Meanwhile, Goh Yoo-Joon couldn't stop praising the Chronos members in the video, even though he'd watched it countless times.

“Wow, Suh Hyun-Woo's got some serious moves. I noticed him last time when he was chasing Goh Yoo-Joon."

“The song's a hit. Where can I find it?"

“You haven't heard of Jamong? Where have you been tuning in all this time? Hand over your phone. I will sort it out for you." Behind the scenes, Hee-Su and Joon-Hwan sneakily whipped out their phones, careful not to catch Kun-Ho's eye. The others were equally impressed...

“This is epic. Feels like I'm watching a movie."

“I'm loving this, what's it called again?"

“It's ‘Joy,’ guys. Can't you see the letter at the corner of the clip?"

They were clearly captivated by Chronos’s universe. I'd been worried about appealing to an audience unfamiliar with our music video's backdrop, but thankfully, my worries were unfounded. Most of my mates found the song, the video, and the narrative intriguing.

“Huh? The music video? It was awesome! Didn't I already rave about it last time? I mentioned how surreal it was, seeing you guys here and feeling like you are completely different people."

Hee-Su's comments prompted Goh Yoo-Joon to nod in agreement. He then continued to ask, “Hee-Su already told us. How about you guys, Joon-Hwan and Daniele?"

At the mention of his name, Daniele beamed, dashed over, and perched on Hee-Su's desk. “Wow, Joon looks even better in person!"

“What's with ‘Joon’ all of a sudden?"

“I came up with a cool nickname!"

“... I guess Hyun-Woo is ‘Woo,’ and Goh Yoo-Joon is ‘Joon,’ right?"

“But Joon's charm doesn't quite shine through in the video! Woo is always just running!"

“Well, that's the storyline..." I couldn't help but chuckle at their banter. It seemed they genuinely enjoyed the video.

“Alright, enough chit-chat! It's assembly time, not break time, you know?" The post-video buzz was eventually silenced by Kun-Ho's firm tap on the podium. The rowdy crowd instantly hushed down.

“Everyone, back to your seats. We will have a quick assembly and then dive into lessons."

“Booo!"

“Quiet down! You've had your fun during assembly time, haven't you?"

“Didn't you want to check out your students' new music video, sir?"

A student's question brought a sly smile to Kun-Ho's face. “Of course, I've seen it. After all, they are my students and juniors at the same time. I even helped promote it on social media."

“Oh, right. Teacher Kun-Ho is also a celebrity."

Kun-Ho eased into the assembly with light-hearted banter, setting a relaxed tone. “Let's move on. Today, we are swapping lessons for something special."

This announcement stirred a buzz of excitement among the students. Kun-Ho surveyed the room and then pulled out a mission paper tucked between the attendance pages. He said, “I took a look at the questionnaires you filled out when you first joined us. There were many responses, but the majority mentioned hanging out with friends as a top wish."

Those of us who missed out on typical high school experiences due to various reasons couldn't help but envy our peers walking around in their uniforms after school.

“So, today's mission is all about that."

The classroom buzzed with anticipation at Kun-Ho's words. A school-wide mission that trumped regular classes? Could it mean an outdoor filming session was on the cards? Kun-Ho unveiled the mission paper to the eager eyes of the students. “Your mission is 'Go Out With Friends.'"

“What? Is it like free time?"

“Exactly." Kun-Ho's grin was contagious as he pinned the mission paper to the chalkboard. “Just enjoy a wholesome, fun time with your pals till school's out. And yes, a camera will be tagging along. Each group gets a bit of spending money too. Doesn't matter how many join in, just team up and let me know. That's the drill."

With just those few instructions, Kun-Ho quickly gave us the bare essentials and left the classroom. All the students stood up at once and clustered with the friends they usually hung out with. Goh Yoo-Joon and I had already decided who we'd be going with when On Ki-Hoon approached us with a greeting before we could even discuss it with Hee-Su, Joon-Hwan, and Daniele.

“Hi, Hyun-Woo and Yoo-Joon.”

I waved back with a smile. “Hey, Ki-Hoon."

“Hi."

“I saw your comeback at the sports festival. You guys are really good."

I guessed he was hinting he wanted to join us. Not sure if it was pure intention or clever thinking, but we couldn't just turn down On Ki-Hoon's request in front of the cameras.

“Have you guys decided on a team to go out with?"

“Not yet. Who are you going with?" Goh Yoo-Joon asked.

On Ki-Hoon gestured to someone behind him, the same person we had a minor clash with in the changing room. It seemed like they had become close since the sports festival. “I was planning to go with this friend here, but if it's okay with you, can we all go together?"

At On Ki-Hoon's suggestion, Goh Yoo-Joon turned to look at the rest of us and asked, “What do you think? Shall we go together?"

“Hmm? Oh... Sure, sounds good."

“What? We are not c…!" Joon-Hwan quickly clamped a hand over Daniele's mouth, silencing him.

Goh Yoo-Joon and I exchanged a nod with On Ki-Hoon. “Sure, let's go together. But what's your name, buddy?"

“Oh, right, names." On Ki-Hoon glanced back, prompting the guy with the displeased look to reluctantly share his name.

“Lee Cheol-Min."

“Ah, Lee Cheol-Min, got it," Goh Yoo-Joon confirmed and stood up. “I will go grab our allowance from the teacher. Think about where we want to head out to in the meantime."

As Goh Yoo-Joon made his way to Kun-Ho, On Ki-Hoon swiftly took his place and turned to face me with curiosity. “So, where were you guys thinking of going?"

“We haven't decided yet. We were about to discuss it. Do you and Cheol-Min have any places in mind?" I replied, trying to keep the conversation flowing.

On Ki-Hoon just shrugged nonchalantly. “Mmm, not really. Where could we go that's fun and close by?"

It was slightly awkward having the conversation with On Ki-Hoon, given we weren't exactly friends. While there was no need to be openly hostile without knowing the full story, his tendency to overlook everyone but Goh Yoo-Joon and occasionally Daniele didn't bode well for future friendships.

“Not sure, no one here lives close by," I said.

On Ki-Hoon kept his gaze on me, firing question after question.

Just as the dialogue between On Ki-Hoon and me dragged on and I started to feel the watchful eyes of our other friends, Daniele, who was looking bored, chimed in, “Ugh, does Ki-Hoon only care about Woo and nobody else?"

“What?" On Ki-Hoon finally turned his attention to Daniele, his previous focus on me now redirected.

“Seems like On Ki-Hoon is a big fan of Woo."

“Sorry, but what's that supposed to mean?"

“You are only looking at Woo when you speak.” Daniele's forthrightness shone through as usual, expressing his dissatisfaction with On Ki-Hoon without holding back.

I tried to lighten the mood with a casual shrug. “We are not fighting, right?" I wouldn’t intervene in any conflicts outside of shooting, but a clash of emotions here was something we all wanted to avoid.

“No, it's nothing like that. Haha. Daniele, I was just excited to see Hyun-Woo, that's all. Didn't mean to ignore you guys. If that's how it came across, I'm genuinely sorry. It wasn't intentional."

“As long as it wasn't on purpose, it's fine." Daniele's response was terse, but he quickly reverted to his usual demeanor.

Goh Yoo-Joon came back at this moment. “I got the allowance. It's a decent amount, but if we run short, we can always pool our money. Have we decided where to go?"

“Not yet."

Goh Yoo-Joon sat on Joon-Hwan's desk and pulled out the envelope from Kun-Ho. That was when Joon-Hwan tentatively raised his hand. “I don't mean to insist, but isn't there a new mega-mart that opened nearby?"

Hee-Su's eyes lit up at the suggestion. “Oh, right! I've heard their food court is amazing."

“That's the only place I know around here..."

Goh Yoo-Joon nodded in agreement, pocketing the envelope. “Alright, sounds good. Let's go, Suh Hyun-Woo and I enjoy roaming places like that."

“You guys go to mega-marts too?"

“We used to frequent them as trainees. Not so much these days though."

Back when we were trainees, it was almost a tradition to visit grocery stores after practice, a trend that even Goh Yoo-Joon and I partook in. The older trainees would often treat us to snacks or meals, prompting many of us to eagerly suggest such outings. Whether that was still a thing or not, those were certainly fun times before our debut.

“Let's head out then." Without further delay, we all got up and left the classroom. Me, Goh Yoo-Joon, Joon-Hwan, Hee-Su, Daniele, On Ki-Hoon, and Lee Cheol-Min all got up. It was a group of seven, almost like an idol group in number.

***

With Chronos, actor On Ki-Hoon, and the model Daniele in one team, the production crew decided to drive us to the mart for safety reasons. The cameras scattered around made the others glance around nervously, a stark contrast to the classroom's atmosphere.

Most fell into an awkward silence as they were unaccustomed to the filming environment, while On Ki-Hoon played up for the camera. The writer in the passenger seat turned to us after phoning someone.

“I just finished discussing the shoot with the mart staff, so feel free to look around."

“Okay!"

“It might get crowded, but we will do our best to manage it."

We listened to a brief from the production team about outdoor shooting precautions and then made our way into the mart. It had been a while since I'd seen the inside of a mart, and then there were the immediate, following glances.

“Let's go, let's go! Where should we start?" I followed Goh Yoo-Joon, who came over excitedly. As we linked arms, we couldn't help but smile at the familiar sight.

Little did we know, this casual stroll through the mart would soon produce both a major controversy for Graduating and an everlasting topic for Chronos.