Second Try Idol

I left Goh Yoo-Joon in my room and walked out, hoping to get a moment of peace. But, of course, he followed me almost immediately and shoved the camera in my face.

“Do you want to start here? Or while going down the stairs? Should I hand over the camera for a video call vibe?”

Goh Yoo-Joon seemed like a complete lunatic sometimes. I just wished he would give me the camera and leave me alone. How was I supposed to do this scenario with him right next to me?

I ignored his incessant chatter and headed downstairs to the living room, where Joo-Han and Su-Hwan were watching TV. They glared at us as we approached.

“Are you two this loud here, too? Ugh, even at eighteen, you still haven't matured.”

Because of Goh Yoo-Joon, even I, who mentally felt like I was in my mid-twenties, was being treated like an immature kid. I looked at Joo-Han in despair, but he just approached and snatched the camera from Goh Yoo-Joon's hand.

“What are you guys doing?”

“Remember the punishment from the last Chronos meeting? We have to film individual video call scenarios. We are doing that.”

“Ah, got it.”

Joo-Han thought for a moment before nodding. “Okay. Let's go.”

“...Where?”

“To my room. You guys will all do cute and romantic stuff, right?”

We naturally followed him to his room. He fiddled with the camera before flopping onto the bed. “So, I’m thinking of going for a more sexy vibe.”

“...”

“Wow.” Goh Yoo-Joon gave a dry compliment and flashed a thumbs-up. Here he was, our group's other lunatic, willing to do anything for money. He could sell his soul if it meant making money. He didn’t care if the members were by his side or not. He’d do anything.

“Haha.” I backed up while laughing with a sigh. I sat down on a chair.

Ignoring us completely, Joo-Han turned on the camera while lying on the bed and handed it back to Goh Yoo-Joon. “Make sure you get the right angle.”

“Yes, hyung. Should I shoot as if we are lying down together?”

“Sure.”

“Got it. Haha.”

They worked well together. People said group members start to resemble each other over time. Joo-Han and Goh Yoo-Joon were a prime example. Despite having a personality opposite to Goh Yoo-Joon, Joo-Han had become quite similar to him…

“Honey, did you sleep well? It's still night. Go back to sleep. My Ring.”

Oh, he went from calling them ‘darling’ to ‘honey.’ I couldn’t take it anymore, so I shook my head and left the room. I would do this when it was my turn and do an average job.

I went outside to the pool. I didn’t intend to swim, I just wanted to sit down and zone out in the pleasant surroundings. I sat in a chair by the pool, watching the colorful lights reflecting off the water. It was the perfect place to lose myself in thought. Had I ever had a chance to enjoy a peaceful moment alone like this? Feeling so relaxed, I lay back in a chair.

Just then, I heard the door behind me open and close. I didn’t bother looking back. If someone came out just to get some air, they wouldn't disturb me. If they came to see me, they would come over.

Sure enough, I heard footsteps, and someone sat in the chair next to mine.

“Hyun-Woo.” It was Su-Hwan.

“Are you here to zone out too?” I asked.

“Yes,” he answered, but kept looking at me instead of the pool. When I met his gaze, he said in his usual deadpan voice, “Airplane.”

“...”

“Lighting.”

“...What do you mean?”

“Is there anything else?”

Su-Hwan sometimes dropped bombshells without warning. This was one of those times. But this was the perfect moment and setting. Talking about secrets in a quiet, dark atmosphere was ideal. I looked into his eyes, and they showed no complexity.

He wasn’t interested in the reasons behind my troubles. He didn’t care about my backstory because he just wanted to know what to worry about. His coldly practical question made me feel relieved.

“I am scared of people. I think I have social anxiety.”

“Okay. Anything else?”

“I realized today that I don’t like falling into the water. It felt awful.”

“Are you scared, or do you just dislike it?”

“It wasn’t scary. I’m also afraid of heights. I almost fainted on a ride.”

If it hadn’t been for Yoon-Chan, I would have fainted for sure. Listening to the sounds of nature, Su-Hwan and I talked and listened to each other.

“Are fireworks scary to you?”

“Fireworks?”

“You seemed really startled in the US. I saw the members covering your ears for you."

Come to think of it, Goh Yoo-Joon and Yoon-Chan had come to cover my ears one after the other. When I thought about it, I'd received a lot of help from my members.

An indescribable emotion welled up inside me. “Yeah, I think so. Maybe it was because the sound was similar to fireworks. I'm not sure, though." I said as I tried to piece it together.

“Anything else?”

I paused, searching my mind for other fears. Besides what I’d mentioned, nothing immediate came to mind except the haunting image of Joo-Han obsessed with his work or Yoon-Chan crying his eyes out.

When I shook my head, indicating there was nothing else, Su-Hwan nodded and moved on to another topic.

“Can I share this with the other members?”

“What? Oh.” I hesitated since I wondered if I was burdening them too much by asking them to keep an eye on me. Was that too selfish?

Su-Hwan sensed my reluctance and spoke again in his characteristic dry and firm tone. “It’s not just about you, Hyun-Woo. I plan to ask the other members too. For example, Joo-Han’s work issues or Yoo-Joon’s family problems.”

“Oh.”

Su-Hwan was much more observant than I had given him credit for. I hadn’t expected him to notice Yoo-Joon’s family issues.

He elaborated further as if reading my thoughts. “Every time there’s a short break, everyone goes home except Yoo-Joon. Last time, he even went to your place, right?”

“...Yeah.”

For someone so affectionate, it was strange that he never went home or called his parents. Anyone paying attention to him would have noticed this.

“Can I talk to the members about our conversation today?” Su-Hwan asked again.

I nodded. “Please do.”

It was time to admit to myself that I wasn’t alone anymore. I had so many people willing to stand by me.

***

The first night of our vacation had passed. By late morning, the members started trickling into the living room, looking a bit scruffy. The only one who still looked fresh was Yoon-Chan, who had even gone for a workout.

“Wow, seriously... Do they use Simmons mattresses here? These beds are so comfy. Hyung, can we get new beds for our dorm too? Something high-end.”

Su-Hwan firmly shut down Goh Yoo-Joon’s request. “Sorry, there is no budget for that.”

Goh Yoo-Joon seemed to have expected such a response, flopping onto the couch without another word.

Joo-Han appeared with his hair disheveled and thick glasses on and flopped right on top of Goh Yoo-Joon on the couch.

“Hyung, does Simmons make couches too? This one is super comfy. Can we get one?” There wasn’t much heart in his request either.

“What should we do today?”

Aside from going home, none of us really knew how to spend a vacation doing nothing. Usually, we’d lock ourselves in the practice room or work on projects. Without anything to do, we couldn’t handle the boredom.

“Are we not swimming today?” Jin-Sung asked, bringing in a deflated pool float.

“Maybe later...”

“Can I go swimming now?”

“No. Eat first and then go,” Joo-Han told him.

Jin-Sung pouted and climbed on top of Joo-Han, who was already lying on Goh Yoo-Joon.

“Oof, ugh, ack.”

While Joo-Han didn’t seem bothered, Goh Yoo-Joon was now crushed under both of them and started groaning in pain.

I ignored them and checked my phone. The photos and videos that Goh Yoo-Joon and Joo-Han had diligently uploaded to our BlueBird account yesterday were getting a lot of reactions. Our relaxed and carefree appearances were well-received.

Since the uploaded posts included some goofy moments of the members, they had already been captured and turned into memes and edited images among the Rings.

As I scrolled through the fans' reactions, happy to see us having fun together, one particular post caught my attention.

[It’s so nice to see the boys enjoying their vacation and posting stuff for us awww. But asking for a Q-app live stream might be too much, right? 😣I know it’s too much to ask… But I miss you guys… I just really want to see you all…]

It was more of a heartfelt wish than a request. Without much thought, I suggested it to the others. “What about holding a Q-app live session if we have nothing else to do? The Rings want it.”

“Whoa!”

At my suggestion, the human tower of Goh Yoo-Joon, Joo-Han, and Jin-Sung collapsed in a heap.

“Sure!”

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

“Sounds good.”

Our love for our Rings was what defined Chronos. Even though a Q-app live streaming was technically work, no one hesitated. They quickly started fixing their messy appearances.

Upon hearing our responses, Su-Hwan and Tae-Seong began to get things ready. We were about to surprise our fans with an impromptu Q-app session during our vacation.