Second Try Idol

Chapter 364: Choose (7)

"Great job, everyone!!!"

The concert was finally over. Both the staff and the members could now relax and celebrate the success of our first concert.

I flopped down on the couch and dried my sweaty hair with a towel. No matter how much we practiced or how many concerts we had done before, today felt the most exhausting yet rewarding. I had moved with extra energy, thinking this might be my last time on stage.

As a result, I was almost completely drained by the end, but it was worth it. It felt similar to when I auditioned for the debut group right after regressing.

"You seemed really excited today, hyung," Jin-Sung said as he plopped down beside me.

"I was having fun. Didn’t you enjoy it too, Jin-Sung?"

"I had a blast! But seriously, you seemed more hyped than usual today."

"Yeah, Hyun-Woo. You seemed like a different person out there. Did something good happen?" Joo-Han hyung asked while raising an eyebrow.

I shrugged. "Not really."

‘But did I really come back from that world? Was everything that happened on that day real?’

Waking up and finding myself back here almost felt like a vivid dream. Maybe I was just happy to wake up from a nightmare.

"Hey, are you okay today?" Goh Yoo-Joon sat next to me while I was deep in thought. I was scrubbing my face with the cleansing tissues the stylist had given me.

"What do you mean?"

"You interacted a lot with the Rings a lot today. Are you okay with that? You know, considering..."

"..." I paused, realizing he was indirectly referring to my trauma.

...Yeah, why was I okay today?

The Rings had been more considerate by not grabbing my hand or shoving their phones in my face during the encore. Because of that, I didn’t feel the usual extreme aversion or pressure.

Sure, I was still scared, but the intensity had noticeably decreased. Maybe I was getting used to it after the first concert, or maybe...

"Due to the event, {Status: Trauma (1), (2), (3)} will be removed."

Maybe it was because of what I saw in that system window, whether it had been a dream or reality.

"Hyung, strike a pose! One, two!"

Click.

My brief contemplation was interrupted by Jin-Sung, who sat on both mine and Goh Yoo-Joon’s knees while aiming his phone camera at us.

"Jin-Sung, are you going to post that on BlueBird? Make sure to get approval first."

"Of course. I will edit it and show it to you before posting. I’m part of the Goh Yoo-Joon Line, remember?"

"Tsk Tsk." I clicked my tongue and threw the cleansing tissue into the trash, gently pushing Jin-Sung off my lap.

Goh Yoo-Joon and Jin-Sung had formed their alliance after some talk during our first concert. I still had no idea what that line was supposed to be about.

"By the way, Goh Yoo-Joon. Can you teach me some dialect sometime?"

"Dialect? Why? I think I’ve forgotten most of it. Joo-Han hyung nagged me so much to fix it during our trainee days."

Joo-Han, who had been chatting with Su-Hwan in front of the mirror, turned sharply to glare at Goh Yoo-Joon. "Hey, that wasn’t nagging. I was just thinking of your image! You wanted to have a cool and aloof image, didn’t you?"

"When did I ever say that? I never said I wanted an aloof image. I said I wanted to look cool and rich. Stop making stuff up, hyung."

As the members bickered, the staff efficiently cleaned up the waiting room. Once things were mostly tidied up and the members had changed into their regular clothes, Su-Hwan, who had been on the phone for a long time, returned to the room.

"Let’s head back to the dorm."

"Really? No practice today?"

"No practice today."

"Nice! But hyung, are you coming with us?"

Su-Hwan smiled and nodded. Recently, he had been so busy with label-related work that it was rare for him to travel with us. He was always with us before and during the concerts, but after the shows, he usually went to the newly acquired label building instead of our dorm or the practice room.

Jin-Sung was ecstatic about going back with Su-Hwan and grabbed his shoulders before bouncing up and down.

"Are you staying at the dorm with us tonight?"

"Yes, I have some things to discuss."

"Discuss?"

Unlike the excited Jin-Sung, Su-Hwan was unusually calm. He gave a brief nod to Jin-Sung and gestured toward the waiting room door. "Let’s go."

"Huh? Oh... okay."

‘Is something wrong?’

Su-Hwan had been the most eager for our concert’s success, but he seemed unusually subdued. We followed him to the van while exchanging worried glances. There were so many stories from today’s concert to share, but the atmosphere was tense as we rode back to the dorm in silence.

We returned to the dorm quietly, only to be met with news that was sudden yet something we had anticipated. It was something too sad but understandable.

"I believe you all expected this. I’ve hinted at it before."

"Hyung..."

"I’m officially stepping down as your manager at the end of this month to take on the role of label president. From now on, I will be protecting and supporting you all as the head of your company."

"Ah, then..."

"I have completed the handover of the manager's job to Tae-Seong, and currently, we have one road manager in training. Once Chronos' label contract is finalized, we will bring in one more person and have a total of three people take care of Chronos."

Su-Hwan stood up and bowed to us, looking serious. "I look forward to working with you all. I will do my best to support your growth," he said with a determined expression.

"We believe you. We know how much you care about us." Joo-Han answered on behalf of the members, who were too emotional to speak.

Though it was sad, this was undoubtedly a good thing for both Su-Hwan as an individual and Chronos as a group. We were happy for him, but it felt like a part of our family was moving on.

***

A few days later.

It was early morning. I was deeply asleep, the kind of sleep where you don’t even dream. Suddenly, I was lifted and folded in half.

"Aaaagh! What’s going on? What... what is this?" I yelled, completely disoriented. This was no dream. It was a real physical blow. I was startled and opened my eyes wide. The first thing I saw was someone's chest pocket, upside down.

Yes, I was slung over someone's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Wow, Suh Hyun-Woo wakes up right away."

"Tae-Seong hyung is amazing. He actually woke him up."

"You need to use some strength to wake him up."

Behind me, I could hear Goh Yoo-Joon and Joo-Han's annoying voices. Despite my struggling, I was still folded in half and hung over someone's shoulder.

"Tae-Seong hyung..." I muttered after I recognized the familiar broad shoulders.

Of course, it was Tae-Seong. I had briefly wondered if it was Jin-Sung, but Jin-Sung wouldn’t have stayed quiet after pulling a prank like this.

"You’re awake," Tae-Seong said calmly.

"Tae-Seong hyung, please put me down..." I felt discomfort in my legs and back. No matter how broad Tae-Seong's shoulders were, and no matter how much more muscular he was compared to Jin-Sung, this wasn’t about the breadth. "I feel like I’m going to die... Please, save me..."

"You can sleep more. I will put you down in the car like this."

"No, no, please let me walk on my own... My legs are cramping," I insisted.

The problem was that I was folded in half. My body lacked flexibility, so I couldn't maintain this folded position for long. Though I was securely draped over his shoulder without much shaking, my legs and back were cramping painfully.

"Oh dear." Tae-Seong sighed sympathetically and finally put me down. I had to start my schedule, massaging my legs a couple of times in the state I had just woken up. In the apartment parking lot, the car Reina had sent and the manager were waiting. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Today, I had a schedule as Eden, not Suh Hyun-Woo. This was the second day of filming for Introduce My Singer. Because it was right after the concert, I had practiced the mission song rather spontaneously. Though Reina said I sang it well, I wasn’t satisfied. So, I practiced with her until dawn, which was probably why I couldn’t wake up properly this morning.

"Hello!" I greeted as I got into the car.

Reina welcomed me with a bright smile. "Welcome! Did the concert go well?"

I tried to muster some enthusiasm despite my sleep-deprived state. "Yes, it went really well."

"Nice!" Reina punched the air in triumph. "I really wanted to go to your concert. Not just for you, but the other members were like my students during Again After Rainfall. I wanted to see them!"

Reina’s stylist, sitting in the backseat scoffed. "Of course, but you couldn’t do that. What’s there to be sad about? If people are already saying Eden is Suh Hyun-Woo, imagine if you went to the concert. That would be concrete evidence."

"Oh, I couldn't get tickets anyway!" Reina said and punched the air once more in frustration. She looked at me worriedly. "Hyun-Woo, you know, right? Everyone is convinced you are Eden."

I nodded, feeling the weight of her concern. "Yes, I know."

"But I’d still like you to remain as Eden without revealing your identity. I hope you can stay hidden for a bit longer. Is that possible? Can you cut down on drinking that peach drink for a while?"

It seemed Reina had also discovered my relationship with the peach drinks. Given that UTube and community sites were filled with "Eden was drinking peach drink = Suh Hyun-Woo," it was no wonder she knew.

But this time, people wouldn’t be so sure about Eden’s identity. I smiled to reassure Reina. "Senior, don’t worry. This time, I’m going to make sure they stop speculating."

"Oh, really? How?"

There was no need to worry at all. For the past few days since the concert, I had been enduring Goh Yoo-Joon’s mockery and disdain to learn his dialect. I would avoid speaking as much as possible, but if I had to, I would use a dialect. If my weak acting skills were an issue, speaking in a dialect would make it harder to recognize my way of speaking. It was quite a feasible challenge.