Second Try Idol

Chapter 296: First Full Album (32)

“Hyun-Wooooo~"

The person sitting across from me called me as if he was cooing like a baby. His voice tinged with a playful nasality that beckoned my attention.

“..."

I averted his gaze and directed my eyes toward the void. A barely suppressible laughter bubbled under my skin and threatened to break free. My facial muscles, especially around my lips and cheeks, twitched uncontrollably. I reminded myself sternly that I was not supposed to laugh at a senior, yet he smirked mischievously and cupped my face to gently force me to meet his eyes.

“Hm."

“Hyun-Woo~ Why can't you look at me? Why do you avoid me so~?"

“No, no... It's not like that."

The situation was almost unbearable. Facing him was a challenge. The closeness, his expressive face, and those piercing eyes were too much for me. Moreover, the obvious attempts to draw laughter from me made it incredibly difficult to maintain my composure.

“Hyun-Woooo~ Why are you so formal to me? Can we get a bit closer?"

“Just call me tenderly by my name as you usually do, say 'Yoo-Joon~’"

I couldn't hold back any longer and erupted into laughter. Goh Yoo-Joon would never use such a tone or say something like that.

On Jeong-Woo was wearing a wig that resembled Goh Yoo-Joon’s hairstyle only slightly. He was imitating my band mate based on the misunderstanding that Goh Yoo-Joon and I were close friends. Unfortunately, his act misinterpreted the real dynamics of our relationship.

As a result, Joo-Han, who knew the true nature of my relationship with Goh Yoo-Joon, as well as the Allure members found themselves unable to contain their laughter at every action taken by On Jeong-Woo.

“Aw, Hyun-Woo~ We are friends, right~?"

He body-slammed me with unbearable charm. His strength befit his status as a top-tier actor in the entertainment industry, and he sent me tumbling back onto the couch each time.

Still, I could not stop laughing. I was lying sprawled across the couch, chuckling and wiping away tears. The cause of my laughter was unclear, but the sticker labeled 'Goh Yoo-Joon' on On Jeong-Woo’s belly was absurdly funny.

“Look at Hyun-Woo's face. It turned red from laughter. He’s even shedding tears. Oh my, he must be truly moved by Jeong-Woo's makeup skills!"

The production crew joined in to laugh and contributed to a lively and cheerful atmosphere until Ji Byeok-San, having wrapped up a brief discussion about the music video production with the director, entered the scene to restore order.

“Alright, now that we've brought our forty-year-old Yoo-Joon on set, shall we start filming again?"

Ji Byeok-San helped me up from the couch, and I found myself once again facing On Jeong-Woo, now dubbed the forty-year-old Yoo-Joon.

I bit my lip again as I tried to stifle the laughter.

“Hyun-Woo~ don’t bite your lip~ You will hurt your beautiful lips~."

“...Okay." The absurdity of the situation was overwhelmingly high.

The next scene we were about to shoot involved me seeing Joo-Han in distress and discussing with Goh Yoo-Joon how we could comfort him. Ji Byeok-San seeked realism in this scene, so he asked how Goh Yoo-Joon would typically react in such a situation.

As I struggled to endure On Jeong-Woo’s playful affection, Joo-Han replied, “Yoo-Joon usually doesn't give serious responses unless the matter is grave. Despite his somber appearance, he is surprisingly playful."

“That’s quite unexpected, really. From the outside, he seems like the most solemn and quiet guy. Right, Yoo-Joon?" Ji Byeok-San gave a cue to On Jeong-Woo. “Deliver the line in a playful tone, Jeong-Woo."

“Yes, sir."

Although On Jeong-Woo complied, his expression betrayed how confused he was. He had not quite grasped the playful yet profound nature of Goh Yoo-Joon’s character.

Goh Yoo-Joon was complex, not easily described as simply kind or playful. One couldn't truly understand him without first-hand experience.

“If Yoo-Joon were here..."

Noticing I was about to assist, On Jeong-Woo’s eyes sparkled with gratitude. I voiced precisely what Yoo-Joon might have said. “He’d probably laugh and say, 'I have a good idea.' That’s what he might say, Senior."

“‘I have a good idea?’ Is that what he’d say?"

“Yes, he would act as if he got a brilliant idea. But all he would do is whisper to me that we should order fried chicken.”

“Huh, fried chicken?"

Although the remark seemed out of the blue, it was an undeniable truth. I had personally experienced this several times.

On Jeong-Woo was initially uncertain, but he gradually nodded after seeing my earnest nod. “Then I will whisper that to you. So Hyun-Woo, please react genuinely," he proposed with a conspiratorial wink.

‘“...Genuinely?" I echoed, slightly puzzled.

“Yes, good thing that you brought that up, Jeong-Woo,” Ji Byeok-San said. “Don't be intimidated just because you are conversing with an entertainment senior. Respond as naturally as you would with Yoo-Joon. It's a favor I'm asking.”

Being too genuine might prove exaggerated.

“Yes, I understand!" I replied with a mix of apprehension and determination.

A whirlwind of thoughts about how to appropriately react spun through my mind. Just as there was a typical response from Goh Yoo-Joon in such scenarios, there was also a typical way I'd react to him. Normally, I'd grab him by the collar in situations like this.

Since it was impractical to grab a senior's collar, I pondered over some alternatives.

‘Should I say such things: Do you want to die? You are ridiculous. What the heck are you talking about? Weirdo.’

But that would be too formulaic, and more than anything, they were cliche lines. Resorting to mere cliche lines would rob the act of authenticity.

“Hyun-Woo, it's really okay," On Jeong-Woo reassured me after noticing my hesitation. He chuckled and broke the tension with his light-hearted suggestion. “You can jokingly grab my collar. Just take it easy, relax. Haha."

“Yes, it's okay, Hyun-Woo. Just be comfortable," Ji Byeok-San reassured me once more. His voice was warm and encouraging.

“Ah..."

“Comedy is all about being funny. I've even been hit with a rubber band by people younger than you, Hyun-Woo. It's okay," On Jeong-Woo added, his eyes twinkling with humor.

Ji Byeok-San and On Jeong-Woo were making concerted efforts to put me at ease. Appreciating their thoughtfulness, I cautiously responded. “Thank you. Then, Senior, as I would typically do with Yoo-Joon..."

“Do it, do it," On Jeong-Woo urged, nodding encouragingly.

It seemed best to proceed with a playful grab and a mock headlock as I would with Goh Yoo-Joon.

The scene ended with me playfully grabbing the collar of On Jeong-Woo, who was flawlessly imitating Goh Yoo-Joon, and him responding with a headlock in what appeared to be a familiar quarrel to our fans. Contrary to my initial worries, the scene concluded in a lighthearted and entertaining manner.

In fact, seeing Ji Byeok-San's enthusiastic response, it might have been better to recreate the situation with even more authenticity like the act of me biting my hand out of frustration.

Anyway, the shooting proceeded smoothly. Even during the filming with the Allure members, everyone enjoyed the light-hearted atmosphere while I had to endure their playful antics.

“Hyung~ Lift me up~ My joints hurt now that I'm getting older, hyung~"

“Ah, Senior."

“Hyung~ Lift your baby brother Jin-Sung up~"

Throughout the shooting, the Allure members prominently displayed the name tags of Yoon-Chan and Jin-Sung and kept calling me 'hyung,' throwing in all kinds of ad-libs.

Sae-Yeon pretended to be Jin-Sung and claimed he would have carried someone instead of being carried. Thus, he jovially carried me around, while Da-Win wanted to entertain the other members and filmed our antics with his camera for all to see.

“Hyun-Woo, look here~ Wow, this is something Tucan would love. Wave your hand~" Da-Win called out and captured the moment on camera.

“Uh..." I muttered, overwhelmed by the unexpected attention.

I had never imagined that at my age I would once again find myself being carried by them. The overwhelming embarrassment made me wish to escape. This situation turned into something more than just pretending to be Yoon-Chan or Jin-Sung. This was just Da-Win and Sae-Yeon of Allure in their true colors.

The direction of this music video was becoming increasingly unclear. The final scene featured Joo-Han singing passionately.

In the brief interim, Ji Byeok-San had researched a few anecdotes about us that only insiders would know and cleverly woven them into the final scene. It was said that since this was a live streaming vote, the service would be targeted not only at existing viewers, but also at new fans who might be drawn in.

For example, when Joo-Han passionately performed "Kang Joo-Han," the two Allure members who took the role of Yoon-Chan and Jin-Sung sat side by side on the couch, eagerly reacting.

“Our Joo-Han is doing great!"

“He is so cool!"

“Once he finishes singing, the missing files will come back!"

Click, click.

Them capturing Joo-Han with their phone cameras made them look like parents watching their child at a talent show.

Forty-year-old Goh Yoo-Joon (played by On Jeong-Woo) looked on fondly as Joo-Han sang the song I had written. Overwhelmed by the surroundings, Su-Hwan made a cameo and filmed Joo-Han with his phone and then discreetly exited the frame. His phone had once been voted for the item that Rings wanted the most.

And then there was me.

“Sigh.”

In front of me was a toilet. A famous anecdote from the first Chronos meeting involved Joo-Han accidentally deleting a file and then bursting into a trot song. Joo-Han had sung, Yoo-Joon had danced, and a toilet had been smashed.

Ji Byeok-San wanted to recreate this incident following a confrontation between me and Goh Yoo-Joon. Now, with Goh Yoo-Joon absent, the task of performing the infamous toilet dance fell to me.

What path was this music video taking? How far into absurdity would the storyline drift?

While the cast worried, Ji Byeok-San was quite pleased. This made me dread the final product. Since I got embarrassed from the Allure piggyback incident, I couldn't bear the shame and decided to just let go. After all, life wasn't easy. Now, I was the entertainer Suh Hyun-Woo.

‘I am Goh Yoo-Joon. I am Goh Yoo-Joon,’ I brainwashed myself.

“Music cue!"

I let go and surrendered to the music.

Ding dong.

“Gosh, he is so cute."

Along with his teasing voice, I heard Da-Win filming the video.

***

The news of the live streaming for Slacker Number One had been announced days earlier on the official UTube channel community. Although not much effort had been put into promoting this streaming for the variety show shooting, the mere appearance of Chronos was enough promotion.

As the live broadcast was about to start, numerous viewers flocked to the broadcast link posted along with the waiting screen fifteen minutes prior.

- When does it start?

- Hurry up...😭😭

- LOL, never seen the chat move this fast haha

- Please appreciate Chronos' first regular album “Phantom Spirit,” everyone~

- Wow, it feels like my heart is going to burst… hurry up!!! 😭

- Only ten minutes left!!!

As only the broadcast time had been announced, everything else remained a secret. This filled the people in the chat with anticipation, excitement, bewilderment, and curiosity.

Soon, the promised time arrived. The waiting screen gradually disappeared, and the screen showed the members of Chronos and the Slacker family sitting closely together on set. They were all looking tense and directly at the camera.