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Chapter 10: The Future Starts to Change (4)

Joo-Han nodded in agreement. “True. During Allure’s days, they had some really absurd name suggestions. I am glad ours are more sensible.”

Lee Jin-Sung pulled a piece of paper toward him. “Yoon-Chan hyung, how do you read this?”

“Huh? Oh, this is Azureine, and the one below is Elated."

There were five names in total and all of them were in English, which proved to be a bit challenging for some of us to read. Goh Yoo-Joon, Lee Jin-Sung, and Park Yoon-Chan were more interested in understanding the pronunciation and meaning of the words rather than actually choosing a name.

“What do you guys like... Oh, come on, you dummies,” Joo-Han sighed, feeling exasperated. He ended up writing down the meanings and pronunciations next to the names to help them out.

“Wow, I really need to study English. Thanks, hyung,” Yoo-Joon said, grateful yet slightly embarrassed.

“Ah, these guys...” Joo-Han could only shake his head.

“Hyung, just because we can’t speak English doesn\'t mean we can’t make music, okay?” stated Jin-Sung.

The two desperately defended themselves, but they ended up quieting down after a light smack from Joo-Han.

“Why are you so quiet, Hyun-Woo? Which name do you like?”

My attention returned to the paper as Joo-Han posed his question.

The options were:

Elated (Brimming with joy)

Lyrical (Beautiful and passionate)

Azurine (Sky-blue)

Chronos (God of time)

Chronicle (Record)

I decided to stick with my original preference in the past. “I think Chronicle would be good. It kind of symbolizes carving out our own history."

"Ugh, it’s too cheesy, Hyun-Woo!"

"Shut up, Goh Yoo-Joon."

Anyway, all the options were a bit embarrassing to say out loud.

Joo-Han then redirected the conversation. “So, Yoo-Joon. Instead of arguing with Hyun-Woo, how about you tell me your preference?”

“I like Chronos. The pronunciation sounds cool,” Yoo-Joon answered.

Park Yoon-Chan chose Azurine because he liked the color of the sky, and Lee Jin-Sung chose Elated, hoping that the group would embody confidence. Surprisingly, we all had different preferences, leading to a lively debate over the names.

However, the manager and the supervisor intervened as the members seemed to be just playing around.

“Okay, quiet down a bit. Joo-Han, what about you?”

“I\'m fine with anything except Lyrical. Saying ‘Hello, we’re Lyrical’ sounds weird.”

“Exactly. Doesn\'t ‘We’re Chronos’ sound the best?”

“Goh Yoo-Joon, shut your mouth, or you are out!”

Under the supervisor’s stern tone, Goh Yoo-Joon reluctantly shut up.

“You\'ve been quiet since earlier, Hyun-Woo. Not particularly attached to Chronicle?” asked a member of the planning team.

All eyes from the planning team were on me, waiting for my response. Yet, just now, they had been telling the members to be quiet, so I simply gave them a bashful smile.

“I think any name would be fine,” I answered.

Why bother arguing over a group name that had already been decided in my previous life? Back then, the name had been set as Elated after Lee Jin-Sung strongly advocated for it, saying it had a good meaning. Everyone had then agreed to it without any further discussion.

However, this time around, things were taking a different turn.

“Wow, what’s up with Hyun-Woo hyung? He’s suddenly looking so mature. When did he become so cool?” Jin-Sung exclaimed, genuinely surprised.

“What? Lee Jin-Sung, you must need new glasses. Ask the manager to order one for you.”

The dynamic had shifted completely. I, who should have been advocating for Chronicle, was expressing indifference, and this seemed to influence the others.

Lee Jin-Sung nodded, following my lead. “I am fine with any name, just not Lyrical. Actually, all the other options seem okay.”

“Actually, me too...” Park Yoon-Chan chimed in with his agreement. The atmosphere was drastically different from the past when everyone had aggressively pushed for their preferred option, seemingly without any real attachment to the names.

Then, Goh Yoo-Joon also shrugged. “Actually, I don\'t care either.”

I was at a loss.

‘Is the group name really going to change? What? Could something as important as the group name change just because of some conversation? No way.’

“Well, I like Elated.”

I tried to appeal for the original group name, but...

“Hey, hyung, you don\'t need to go out of your way for me. Actually, Chronicle suits us well.” Lee Jin-Sung started to advocate for the name I proposed, mistakenly thinking that I was considering his preferences. This wasn\'t how it should be. We needed to assert our own opinions, not just yield to each other...

‘Why is everyone behaving like this?’

Supervisor Kim raised an eyebrow, as he seldom witnessed such a considerate side from the group members.

“Hmm, is that so? Well then, let\'s proceed this way. We just need to exclude Lyrical, the name that none of you seem to favor. Then, we\'ll make a decision like this.” Supervisor Kim started tearing a piece of paper into four and scribbled the other four names. After that, he threw the folded pieces of paper in the middle of the table.

“The youngest member will take the pick.”

“...It\'s not a baby’s first birthday celebration,” Goh Yoo-Joon grumbled, questioning the process, yet no one dared to voice any objections.

Seeing no more seniors challenging Supervisor Kim\'s approach, I eventually mustered the courage to speak up once more. “It is a name we will be known by. Are we sure we want to decide it so hastily?”

“Then, Hyun-Woo, do you have a better suggestion?” responded Supervisor Kim.

“I think we should take some more time to discuss this together.”

“The names that have been presented were chosen after extensive discussions. I\'ve brought them here for you to make the final decision.”

At that moment, Goh Yoo-Joon slapped my back and told me to shut up.

“Quiet down.”

Lee Jin-Sung then stood up, choosing a piece of paper randomly to decide on the name.

‘Well, do whatever you want.’

I leaned back on my chair, feeling defeated. It seemed that my opinion held no real weight now. I couldn’t help but feel uneasy about changing a name I had been attached to for nearly six years, all because of a slight shift in my actions.

All eyes were fixed on Lee Jin-Sung\'s hand.

“I\'ve made my choice!” Finally, he lifted the paper and unfolded it, only to cry out. “Ah! No way.”

With a disappointed expression, Lee Jin-Sung placed the paper on the table. On the other hand, seeing the name on the paper, Goh Yoo-Joon jumped up excitedly.

“Yes!”

Everyone could tell the chosen group name by Goh Yoo-Joon\'s reaction.

"It\'s Chronos. From now on, you guys are Chronos."

At that moment, the group\'s name was officially established as Chronos.

“...Haha.”

While everyone was enthusiastically celebrating the new name, I only let out a faint chuckle, not expecting the name to change like this. It was different from the debut audition where I had given my all to change my role; here, the name had changed simply because of a difference in opinion.

“Now, the group name is set as Chronos. Everyone, go practice.”

Following the manager’s words, the other members started to leave the meeting room, and I followed them while biting my lip.

‘Is this okay?’

Well, changing the group name wasn\'t a big deal, but it just felt strange.

***

“Let’s decide it with rock-paper-scissors. Ready? Rock-paper-scissors!”

“Ah, rock-paper-scissors again. Shouldn\'t Hyun-Woo be the one to decide since we all agreed on it?”

“Don’t dump the responsibility on him. It’s a decision we all made together.”

The members collectively sighed. With the audition filming just a week away, our new outfits had arrived for the fitting. I should have sensed something amiss when the stylists entered, chuckling to themselves.

They made sure our outfits, while adhering to a common theme, reflected our individual personalities through subtle modifications. Some of us wore shorts, while the others had their white aprons enhanced with added frills.

This was all expected, and we casually picked out our outfits. However, the real issue arose when we saw the last outfit.

“Come on, it can’t all just be normal outfits. We need a transformed adult outfit as well!”

This was the suggestion from one of the excited stylists, who wasn\'t directly involved in our project. The outfit featured a skirt that was above the knees and quite tight-fitting, making it a challenge to wear comfortably. This sparked an intense debate among the members about who would end up wearing it.

“Hyun-Woo is the center. He should wear the most eye-catching outfit.”

“I don’t want to. The center should wear the normal outfit.”

“Then who will wear this? Should we do rock-paper-scissors?” suggested Yoo-Joon.

“Gosh, you really like rock-paper-scissors.” Joo-Han clicked his tongue.

The chief stylist laughed as she watched our argument and suggested, “Let the one it suits the most wear it, perhaps the most delicate-looking one. Since we want to showcase the legs, it should be someone with nice legs.”

All eyes turned to one person.

“...Excuse me?” Park Yoon-Chan gasped.

“Lately, Yoon-Chan has lost weight and looks so much better, right?” Goh Yoo-Joon patted Yoon-Chan on the back.

Joo-Han agreed, “Yoon-Chan, let\'s wax your legs. What do they call it again? That day\'s visual fairy is you.”

“No, I just want to wear the regular outfit...”

I silently handed the transformed outfit to Yoon-Chan.

“Hyung...”

After all, Jin-Sung, with his muscular legs developed from dancing, played a crucial role during the dance break. As a result, a short skirt wasn\'t a feasible option for him. Neither Goh Yoo-Joon nor I suited the delicate look required, and nobody dared to suggest it to Joo-Han.

The stylists agreed with our assessment and supported our decision. “Yoon-Chan will look great in it. Since Hyun-Woo is the center, he should stick with the original outfit. We specifically chose pants for Jin-Sung, considering his dance role.”

Jin-Sung offered insincerely, “Hey, Yoon-Chan hyung, if it\'s too hard for you, I will wear it. I can wear inner shorts with it.”

After hesitating for a bit, Yoon-Chan firmly nodded. “I will wear it. If it helps the team...”

‘I\'m sorry, Yoon-Chan.’

“Alright, outfits are decided. Shall we continue practicing?”

“Yes.”

Had our teamwork ever been this strong before? Joo-Han swiftly resolved the situation, ensuring there were no further changes. Everyone, except Yoon-Chan, promptly returned to practicing.

“I recently binge-watched Cha-Cha. It was really entertaining.”

“Oh, really? I watched the opening and then ended up getting recommended to watch Angel Thief Neta. Ah, that brings back memories.”

“Enough chit-chat. Jin-Sung, let’s go over your dance break part again. Let\'s get to it.”

Under Joo-Han’s directive, the song filled the practice room, and our rehearsal resumed. After a while, Yoon-Chan rejoined us, buoyed by the comforting words of the stylists.

***

Up until that moment, I hadn’t touched my coffee, but when I did, the cup started to quiver in my hand. Seeing my trembling hand and the coffee cup, I took a deep breath. If I didn\'t consciously focus on breathing, I felt like I would suffocate.

“Hyun-Woo, are you okay? You look really pale.”

The stylist who was working on my hair expressed her concern. I shook my head, trying to offer a reassuring smile, and looked straight ahead. However, my reflection in the mirror displayed a very tense expression.

“Hyun-Woo doesn\'t look well, right?”

“What’s wrong?” The manager approached after hearing the stylist\'s call and examined my complexion. I avoided his gaze, attempting to dismiss his concern.

“I am fine. I just didn’t sleep well.”

“If you are not feeling well, let\'s go to the hospital. You will struggle if you\'re not in good condition today.”

Other members glanced at me from their seats. Unable to bear it anymore, I eventually put down my coffee and stood up.

“I need to use the bathroom for a moment.”

“Okay, go around the desk and you’ll find it.”

Today was the day scheduled for our profile picture shoot, and it was also the day of the lighting accident that I vividly remembered. I stared intently at my reflection, seeing a young version of myself, unscarred and whole. However, in my mind, the image of my disfigured self overlapped with the reflection.

‘Everything has to go according to plan.’

I had spent days in bed, pondering how to alter the course of events and protect both Jin-Sung and myself from the accident. The real challenge was to ensure that everything unfolded as I intended.

‘It\'s going to be alright.’

I reassured myself, taking another deep breath to steady my nerves and push away the haunting memories of that fateful day.