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Chapter 262: Again After Rainfall (38)

“What?"

Curious voices emerged here and there. It was safe to say that there had not been a performance in this festival that commanded such silent, intense focus. This was less like watching a singer\'s performance and more like the audience viewing a musical, an opera, or a piece of art. Although they hardly matched the typical opera or musical atmosphere because they were holding drinks and snacks in their hands, the audience\'s engagement with the performance suggested otherwise.

“Fuck! This is awesome……."

American-style mockery about makeup or attire was typically reserved for when the performer seemed more ordinary. Suh Hyun-Woo, who was merely standing and looking out, created an ambiance that turned him into nothing less than a top-tier artist at the moment.

And yet, Suh Hyun-Woo had already managed to captivate so many gazes without having done anything significant. He began to show his choreography with the dancers.

“Whoaaaaa!”

The diehard Rings scattered among the audience went wild. They had been worried that Suh Hyun-Woo would not appear today due to injuries from yesterday\'s incident. But here he was, healthy and dancing.

‘He is standing on two legs. He is fucking standing by himself without any help!’

Their gratitude and happiness for his perfect return to the stage and a flawless start to the performance were immense. Suh Hyun-Woo danced as if being swayed by masked dancers to a modified song that resembled a year-end stage performance.

He was dragged into the midst of the dancers as the intro ended. Then, the cheering of the audience, which had momentarily paused, resumed. The spotlight that had been on Suh Hyun-Woo turned off, and lights moved to the center.

Goh Yoo-Joon started performing his part, stepping forward in sync with the members and dancers.

***

Callia Lawrence\'s gaze lingered on Suh Hyun-Woo for a long time. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. Even as other members continued with their respective parts, the group dance started, and Suh Hyun-Woo was obscured by the dancers. It felt like watching the historic debut of someone who would later become a top star on a reality audition program.

Each member of Chronos had their strengths in their voices, vocal capabilities, and dance skills, but Suh Hyun-Woo\'s potential to be a star was undeniably compelling.

‘But.’

Callia\'s brow furrowed. Even though the audience was now favorably inclined toward Chronos, even Callia, who was tough to impress, couldn\'t help but marvel at the performance. Even so, there was still someone foolishly mocking them.

‘Alectroz.’

Callia had had a big fight with him before the Chronos incident, and he was notorious among famous singers for his terrible personality. He was the kind of person who lived by his own stupid rules, including using drugs excessively.

“That fucking toad-looking asshole."

“...Callia! Stop swearing! We are on camera."

“Reina, who here doesn\'t know my personality? Everyone knows how I behave. They will either cut it or air it. But I don\'t care, they can air it."

After all, everyone knew Alectroz had bad manners, just as they knew Callia had a brash personality. Therefore, she planned to do as she pleased today since she always enjoyed petty fights.

“Manager, my phone."

“What? Oh."

The manager handed Callia’s flashy phone to her.

Alectroz and his dancers occupied the front row, blatantly mocking Chronos. While the rest of the audience was captivated by the performance, Alectroz and his group had no intention of genuinely watching Chronos perform. Instead, they made racially insensitive gestures by mimicking Asian eyes with both hands and were disturbingly loud. On top of that, they were doing this right in front of the stage, where Chronos could clearly see.

This sort of outrageous behavior was common in the American entertainment industry, a realm where eccentricities often prevailed. Even Callia, who was known for her own quirks, found Alectroz\'s attitude baffling.

Callia raised her phone.

“What are you doing?"

“Shhh."

Click!

She snapped a photo of Alectroz mocking Chronos and captured his racially insensitive gesture perfectly. She swiftly uploaded the image to her social media with the caption:

[What a piece of shit! Somebody get rid of this imbecile, please.]

(Alectroz slanting his eyes with both hands.jpg)]

“Hey!"

Her manager quickly grabbed the phone from her, shocked by her boldness. Callia remained unfazed. Such confrontations were not new to her. Her assertive nature wasn\'t going to be subdued by this incident.

“...Why is there never a quiet day in this program shoot? It\'s so exhausting," sighed Reina, rubbing her forehead and apologizing on behalf of the distressed production team. “I’m sorry, everyone. Just ignore her. This is Callia\'s issue. They will handle it on their side. Let’s not worry about it ourselves."

“Okay... well."

Despite the drama, Callia often brought both challenges and significant opportunities to the Again After Rainfall team. She didn’t just stop there. She continued to record more videos of Chronos and Alectroz, who was still openly mocking them. She eventually paused to watch Chronos\'s performance before moving on with the production team.

***

Meanwhile, the festival\'s filming director was visibly fatigued and habitually smacking his lips. He was so engrossed in Chronos\'s performance that he occasionally made mistakes. Having been responsible for stage filming for over twenty years, he had never before encountered a performance so dazzling and dynamic. Chronos’ performance perfectly matched his tastes.

♪ The fleeting splendor will vanish with nightfall

Join me

You will want to see me entrapped in an illusion once more

You need me

He didn\'t understand the lyrics, but that did not matter. He was fully immersed in the atmosphere of the performance and had a profound realization of the meaning of the song from their voices and expressions, which were filled with emotion.

Powerful yet melancholic piano sounds surged as the main dancer, Lee Jin-Sung, led the choreography like a conductor. Then, the platinum blonde member joined him, and together they began a pair dance using a cane. They were evidently the main dancers of the group.

As the mechanical sounds faded and the piano melody intertwined with violin play and ambient noise, the director felt goosebumps on his muscular arms and brushed his skin. These were unknown singers, hastily brought in to fill the gap while the big artists were preparing. They had barely rehearsed at all. Therefore, his impression of the performance was a deeply profound one, especially since this was the first time he witnessed Chronos delivering their most powerful performance in America.

“They’re good.”

“The audience response is great too. There is no cheering or applause, but that seems to be because they are seriously engaged in watching, just like you," a staff member noted, earning a nod from the director.

“It would be a real pity for them if this performance isn\'t broadcast. It\'s a stage that could capture many people’s attention."

The director pointed at Lee Jin-Sung and said, “I like that man\'s dancing. He is very talented. Must be a professional."

“Really?"

Yet, his preference shifted to Suh Hyun-Woo\'s solo performance as the performance continued. “Never mind, I prefer that man. His expressiveness was better right from the start."

Suh Hyun-Woo\'s unique and elegant dance moves, along with his seemingly effortless expressiveness, were perceived by the director as incredibly unique and mystical. In fact, the dancing and singing preferences of the director, who was a veteran with twenty years of experience in staging performances, continued to change with each part of the song.

A staff member burst out laughing as he was amused by the director\'s light-hearted banter. “What a wonderful night, right?"

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted.

“...What the…"

‘Why is Callia Lawrence here?’

The notorious American troublemaker and celebrity Callia Lawrence had unexpectedly shown up at this sweaty place.

“I came to say hello."

It was bizarre for her to say that considering she had no real reason to come say hi to them, but the director managed a forced a smile and welcomed her. “I heard you were here. You are filming something with those unknown artists, right? I read about it in the articles."

“Unknown artists?" Callia scoffed and shook her head dismissively. “You don’t know how popular they are in Korea? I wouldn’t bother working with completely unknown artists."

That was a bluff. At first, Callia had completely disregarded Chronos, considering them nobodies until she recognized their talent. She had begrudgingly made time for them only due to her connection with Reina.

“Ah, is that so? I see."

The director responded nonchalantly, merely going along with the conversation. He had no interest in Callia\'s motives for collaborating with Chronos since the boy band was completely irrelevant to him.

‘Why did she come here?’ He just wished she would leave. Her unexpected visit was nothing but a disruption to the staff.

Callia caught the director’s vibe and quickly presented a broadcast artist\'s set list to the director. “I heard Chronos\' performance won’t be broadcast."

“That’s right. They have no recognition in America."

“Won’t you guys regret it?”

“Regret what?”

What was she trying to say? Frustration was mixed into the director\'s question as if telling her to back off. He wasn\'t particularly close to Callia Lawrence and didn\'t care much about an artist known for causing trouble. Honestly, he wished she would just leave as soon as possible.

However, Callia was aware of his disinterest and nonchalantly continued her point. “They are on a sure path to success. Not broadcasting this on TV? You are missing the chance to be the first to showcase them on American television."

“What are you talking about?"

‘What am I talking about? It means you should absolutely broadcast this insane performance on TV.’

This wasn’t for the sake of Chronos. It was for her own, since she planned to release a song with them and produce it. Therefore, building up Chronos\' public recognition beforehand would boost the popularity of the collaboration for the song.

However, Callia hid her true intentions for the moment and said, “I like these guys. I\'m going to give them a song and make sure they get noticed. You know that the artists I\'ve given songs to skyrocketed, right?"

Whether unknown or promising rookies, those chosen by Callia to receive her songs often climbed to the top of the charts or even hit number one.

“I think just collaborating with me should be enough reason to broadcast them. They are putting on such a great show."

“Of course, I can\'t deny that this is one of the best performances today, but it has already been decided—"

“Is it better to broadcast a drug-addicted toad who slants his eyes at Asians while drunkenly stumbling around on stage, or these guys?"

“What are you talking about?"

Callia showed a picture of Alectroz that she had uploaded to her social media. “Let\'s replace this guy with Chronos. He is about to be embroiled in a major racism controversy."

“...”

Callia grinned smugly. “You are thinking of broadcasting a racist toad’s performance? Come on. Are you sure about that?"

“Fuck!”

“Let’s broadcast Chronos instead."

‘Ah, god damn it. Fucking hell. What a mess. Whether it’s Callia or Alectroz, why do these guys have to come here and cause trouble?’

The director glared at Callia as she casually suggested changing the lineup as if it was as easy as swapping out a dish on the menu. He picked up his radio. “Director, I need to speak with you for a moment."