Second Try Idol

“We recently got together and played the Game of Truth. And let me tell you, it got intense," Goh Yoo-Joon shared while glancing my way.

I nodded in agreement and recalled the evening. “Yeah, Joo-Han hyung really went all out by setting the mood with candles and everything."

“I honestly thought I had wandered into an elementary school camp!"

“Hyun-Woo hyung is typically reserved, but he needed a bit of alcohol to open up. But after two shots, he was a goner." Jin-Sung laughed and pointed at me playfully. It was a reminder of just how poorly I handled my liquor, something I was aware of but had drastically underestimated.

The members buzzed with excitement as they recounted the night, each anecdote more animated than the last. “We were almost through when Suh Hyun-Woo just crashed. It was game over right there."

I was just relieved they skipped the part after I blacked out. As the tales wound down, Joo-Han decided to take some questions from the audience. “How about the person in the middle, with the white T-shirt?" he called out.

“Waaaaah!” The chosen fan stood up with a shout that rivaled our loudest concerts, making everyone, members and fans alike, burst into laughter.

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. “My question is! Is there any chance Hyun-Woo might go back to platinum blonde? And are any other members considering going lighter?"

A collective "ah" echoed from all around as all eyes turned to me. I knew the Rings had mixed feelings about my hair color. They seemed to appreciate whatever style I chose, but I thought they appreciated my platinum blonde more than my current black hair color.

“To be honest, my scalp pays the price every time I bleach my hair, so I'm not the biggest fan of dyeing it," I admitted.

“That’s true. Every time Hyun-Woo hyung dyes his hair, he winces in pain.”

“But you guys seem to really dig it when I change up my hair color," I added while noting the nods and murmurs of agreement from the crowd.

At first, I swore off any extreme coloring after going back to black. But lately, I had been reconsidering. Lighter hair did look striking in fan cams, and I had noticed it caught the light rather well.

“I like my natural hair color, but I've been thinking about dyeing my hair again. Rings really loved platinum blonde, and it did look amazing in those fan cams," I confessed, a smile tugging at the corner of my lips. It was the color that the Rings had shown the most positive response.

I finished what I had to say and let the other members take the floor. “So, what about you guys? Jin-Sung was very eager to dye his hair, right? He went with blue this time, and it was his first time changing hair color. How does it feel? Thinking of going for another round?"

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Jin-Sung grimaced. “Ah, actually, I would, but I’d rather not go full platinum like you did. Maybe something closer to what Joo-Han hyung has. What’s that color, dark blue? I’m a bit worried about hair loss from dyeing the roots too often," he commented while twirling a strand of Joo-Han’s hair.

Joo-Han chuckled and teased him. “Jin-Sung, didn’t you say one round of blue was enough to kill your scalp?"

“Hey, stop it! I’m still in my energetic teen years. I can handle it."

Goh Yoo-Joon chimed in while fiddling with his own hair. “I’m all for keeping my hair black. I never knew the struggle until I bleached it. Maintenance is a nightmare."

Besides hair color, the conversation bounced around. There was talk about a recent spar between Goh Yoo-Joon and me, discussions on game shows, Yoon-Chan’s drama, and whether Jin-Sung would post his dance cover video.

Forty minutes had passed from the start of the fan meeting, and with Joo-Han steering the event, Su-Hwan nodded in my direction. It was time to wrap things up.

“Let’s take one last question!" I said by pumping up the energy and raising my hand. It prompted others with lingering questions to do the same.

I spotted someone eye-catching in the crowd and picked her. She stood up. “I’m just wondering… Is there any chance of a Chronos concert coming up?"

“Concert, huh?" I turned to Joo-Han.

He shook his head. “Nothing planned yet, sadly. But we will let you know if anything comes up."

“Ah…”

A wave of disappointment washed through the crowd, accompanied by a low buzz. Though I wasn't well-informed, it seemed posts had circulated online suggesting a Chronos concert was imminent, sparking widespread speculation.

Su-Hwan had let me in on the fact that a concert was indeed in the works, but it wasn’t my place to spill the beans. Thus, I played dumb. “Don’t be too down about us saying goodbye here. We will be back tonight."

“To those who couldn't make it, we are planning another fun session at 9 PM on Q-app. Just hang tight!"

“Oh, and one more thing," I added, capturing everyone's attention again. “Yoon-Chan and I have a surprise gift for you."

Excited whispers filled the room.

'What, a gift?'

'Wow, awesome!'

Goh Yoo-Joon boosted the excitement by slinging an arm around my shoulder. “Yep, it’s something pretty spectacular."

I grinned and glanced at Yoon-Chan. Figuring out what the gift was, Yoon-Chan looked a bit tense.

I turned away and put my finger to my lips. “I can’t reveal it just yet, but I think you are really going to love it. Stay tuned for tomorrow."

Today, the Ring’s social media circles would probably be buzzing with speculations about what Yoon-Chan and I had up our sleeves. The Rings were sharp, so no matter how hard we tried to keep things under wraps, they usually caught on pretty quickly. I hoped they would get excited and make some guesses this time around.

After a postponement, the final version of Yoon-Chan's solo live video, which I had also watched in awe, was finally done. It was an impeccable piece of work. The editing had been meticulous, and the adjustments made to Yoon-Chan’s microphone levels ensured it was clear he was performing live. It was a stark contrast to just overlaying music on a video.

YMM had likely been monitoring the ongoing debates about Yoon-Chan's abilities since his debut, and they seemed determined to showcase his skills with this video this time. They had gone all out with the visuals and choreography by guaranteeing a response that would exceed expectations.

I announced this confidently and stirred more curiosity among the crowd. Joo-Han concluded the fan meeting with a sly smile.

And with that, the curtain closed on the “Phantom Spirit” activities. In the evening, we had a barbeque feast led by Jin-Sung. Since we drank a little, we listened to Joo-Han’s nagging on our way back to the dorm. The official three-month vacation for Chronos had begun.

***

Next evening at 5:58 PM, all the members gathered around a computer in the YMM conference room. Members, the managers, and the Chronos team staff continued their excited conversation around the single monitor.

“The final version is truly a masterpiece. Watching it made me wonder if he's really one of ours," Supervisor Kim said. He rarely gushed like this.

“Even kids from big agencies aren’t often this good on camera. Yoon-Chan really nails the facial expressions, huh?"

“Supervisor, Yoon-Chan just got into that drama, too. Talented actors can make expressions come alive even on camera."

“Did Hyun-Woo see him first hand at the site?" the supervisor asked.

I nodded. “Yes. I made some minor adjustments to his camera focus and gestures."

“Hyun-Woo hyung also taught me how to emphasize my vocals and look good on camera." Right, I did mention those. Yoon-Chan subtly shifted the praise toward me and gave me all the credit.

Jin-Sung immediately caught on and exclaimed, “Wow! How does Hyun-Woo hyung know all this stuff? Does it come to you naturally or do you practice daily in front of a mirror?"

“That's what I mean. Sometimes it feels like Hyun-Woo hyung has been in the industry for five years. He always gets compliments on how well he handles his stage presence."

I simply nodded in agreement. My experience from watching and providing feedback to the newly debuted artists at YU had been a big help after my own debut.

Each member of Chronos was not only talented, but clearly had something they wanted to express in front of the camera. That was why I had been reluctant to give premature feedback, but seeing Yoon-Chan so down about the criticism of his skills recently, I got annoyed and decided to really focus and provide him some solid feedback after a long time.

“It’s almost six o’clock," I said.

The chatter stopped abruptly, and everyone’s attention turned to the monitor.

“It must have been uploaded by now," Hye-Ri hummed and hit refresh. A new video appeared on the screen.

#YmmArtist #Yoon-Chan #Chronos

[Special Clip] Yoon-Chan - Forest (4K)

Yoon-Chan's live solo song video had been released.