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Chapter 282.2: First Full Album (18)

‘What is going on? Are we really becoming this successful?’

In a gesture of gratitude for their unwavering support, we decided to engage more intimately with our Rings. Each day leading up to our comeback stage, a different member would host a live session on Q-app.

Additionally, the edited footage of our recent Chronos meeting was scheduled for release soon. It coincided perfectly with the broadcast day for Again After Rainfall. This felt like a festival had sprung up, much to the delight of the Rings. Amidst this, the members\' schedules filled up with individual commitments.

Yoon-Chan had dashed off to a drama audition that very morning, and Joo-Han, who had composed the TV show soundtrack, had just attended the premiere of the show which Goh Yoo-Joon had recorded his tracks for.

After my stint in Graduating, I had just secured another personal variety show. This new project was a solo gig without other members joining me. It was a gaming variety show, long-discussed and finally set to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the game One Hours.

After the major update to the game, the original gamer teams rushed to challenge it, and the celebrity teams would also compete to clear it. Honestly, it seemed like it might not be a very interesting variety show judging by the plot.

“I don\'t even have a computer. Can I still participate in this show?"

“Don\'t worry, I will send a computer to the dorm soon."

Since Supervisor Kim made this bold promise, I looked at him doubtfully. “An office computer won\'t be able to handle running this game. That game isn\'t optimized for low-end PCs, so it requires a gaming computer, which could be expensive."

Supervisor Kim turned toward me and flashed a grin. “If I say I will buy you one, I will do it for sure. Why don\'t you trust me?"

That was exactly it. I usually doubted what Supervisor Kim said.

Since I didn\'t respond, Supervisor Kim showed me his notebook where he had written \'gaming computer,\' as if to reassure me. “I will definitely buy it, so for now, just try practicing with the computer at the company."

“Yes, sir," I replied, though I suspected I\'d be stuck with the inadequate office PCs until the show wrapped up. I could almost see this less-than-ideal future playing out.

Once the meeting wrapped up, Supervisor Kim said, “That\'s all for now. Focus on practicing until we meet after the comeback."

“Thank you." I exited the meeting room and walked past the practice area where my group members were diligently preparing. I then headed toward the building\'s lobby. My phone had been buzzing non-stop during the meeting.

“...Ugh, noona," I muttered as I checked the numerous missed calls from her. I dialed her back with a wry smile, and she picked up instantly. Her voice was loud and urgent.

- Hey!

She nearly blasted my eardrums. “Yeah, I was in a meeting. What\'s up?" I replied with a frown, trying to soothe my startled ears.

- A meeting? Did I interrupt you?

Her tone immediately softened as it got laden with concern. Our sibling relationship was notably strong, despite the significant age gap. Well, since she was seven years older than me, I couldn’t recklessly fight her. She sometimes scolded me, but we never fought each other.

“No, it just ended. But why all the calls?"

- Why? Your music video is blowing up. There are articles everywhere, and here you are, not even calling home? When are you coming to visit?

“Ah.”

- Are you never going to see us again? I heard from Yoo-Joon that the other members took vacations. What about you? We didn’t do anything wrong, did we? Don’t you think mom and dad miss you?

Her voice was filled with a mix of frustration and worry.

I felt slightly cornered and sighed. I was getting scolded by my sister and sealed my lips shut. It wasn’t that I wanted to remain silent, but rather that my sister was lecturing me in a very angry tone.

- You must come visit no matter what. I won\'t bother you before the comeback, but you absolutely must come after it ends. You know you are also being disrespectful, right?

Hearing the word "disrespectful" made my heart sink. It was only later that I realized I was nervously biting my lip and stopped. “Alright. I will visit right after the comeback stage."

- Definitely. If you don\'t, I will come find you.

“I will definitely visit."

Yes, I couldn’t keep avoiding this forever. Once I made my intentions clear, my sister\'s voice softened.

- Alright. I will let mom know. Have you eaten yet?

“Yeah, I did. Make sure you eat too."

- I had lunch with my colleagues. Good luck with your comeback. Let’s see each other face-to-face soon, not just on TV.

“Okay."

After ending the call with my sister, I was drenched in a cold sweat. I fiddled with my phone then turned and looked toward the practice room.

‘Should I ask Goh Yoo-Joon to come with me?’

Wouldn’t it be more comfortable if he joined me? Mom liked Yoo-Joon too. Just the thought of going there brought back memories of my parents’ crestfallen faces, which had scared me off until now.

But perhaps it might be easier to face them once I visit.

Things were different now compared to then. I collected my thoughts and was about to head back to the practice room when I locked eyes with a familiar figure approaching me.

“...Oh?"

On-Sae came up to politely greet me. “Hello, hyung."

‘Why are you here?’

I asked, “On-Sae, why are you here?" My tone was mixed with surprise, disbelief, and a hint of pleasure. Seeing On-Sae’s face, a foreboding thought crossed my mind. I hoped this wasn\'t what I thought it was.

On-Sae awkwardly smiled and softly said, “Uh... I had a meeting.”

He had dyed his hair and wore a mask, looking grown up, appropriate for a sixteen-year-old, and taller than the last time I saw him. He looked just like when I first met him.

Why is this guy, who should be busy preparing for his debut at YU, here at my damn small agency? Why?

“You are not possibly...?" I trailed off since I didn’t want to ask that question.

Before I could even finish, On-Sae understood and replied, “Ah, yes. I think I am going to transfer to this agency, hyung.”

“Uh..."

“I didn’t want to burden you with it. I was going to tell you after everything was finalized.”

"Oh, I see."

We didn’t say anything for a while. I cautiously asked, “Why?”

I didn’t want to show my agitation in front of On-Sae, who was much younger than me. However, I was genuinely curious. Why would he do something to put himself through such hardships?

“Huh? Oh, um.” On-Sae seemed taken aback by my question, pondered deeply, then shook his head. “Just because. It seemed to be the right choice for me.”

Hadn’t On-Sae heard about that recent scandal from the news?

‘No, not him too.’

I grabbed On-Sae’s hands earnestly, wanting to offer heartfelt advice to my precious former student, now a younger friend I had performed with.

“On-Sae."

“Yes, hyung?"

“Stop what you are planning."

“Excuse me?"

“There are better companies. Our company is..."

Run away. This company had already ruined Chronos, a group that was once elevated. I couldn’t let a talented young man like him waste away here.

But On-Sae’s eyes wavered. He shook his head and gently pulled his hands away. “I’ve thought it over and made my decision. I’ve already signed the contract, hyung.”

“Ah...”

This was truly disheartening. I sighed deeply.

On-Sae looked somewhat bitter. “You don’t like me being here, do you...?”

I quickly waved my hands and clarified. “Oh? No, I am fine with it. But you know, our company is small. Didn’t you have a meeting with YU?”

In a small company, too many unnecessary things could happen. I only realized how messed up everything was after I debuted. I didn’t want to see him struggle in a company when I had seen him shine so brightly under a major label.

“Aren’t you disappointed you could have joined a better company?” I asked.

On-Sae just smiled and shook his head. “Not at all. Anyway, now that we are in the same company, please take good care of me.”

“I saw you practicing last time, teacher. Please take good care of me.”

His hopeful eyes, his somewhat shy expression, and his hands neatly placed together reminded me of the old days. He was the very first trainee who had greeted me before my regression. He was exactly like the On-Sae I had met before.

I felt a strange overlap with the future that had been changing ever since his debut. This was not good.

***

That night, I called Ji-Hyuk to talk about On-Sae.

“So this is why you\'ve been bringing up On-Sae?"

- Yeah, exactly. I had no idea he’d sign the contract without even telling you.

The life of a young kid was now entrusted to YMM, but Ji-Hyuk’s tone was so casual that he didn’t really seem to mind it much.

“Why on earth did he sign a contract with our company? Honestly, YMM has a lot of issues."

Even if we set aside what happened after debut, wasn’t this the place that crammed trainees into a small house and provided a practice room without even a working speaker? The more I thought about it, the sadder I got. I remembered the expectations and treatment On-Sae had received at YU before I came back in time.

- Exactly. He said he’d think about our offer and then went silent... But I think I know why."

“What is it?

- Maybe On-Sae must have weighed his own conditions and benefits... I’m talking about you, I mean.

“Me?"

Ji-Hyuk chuckled softly.

- On-Sae really likes you. No, not you personally, but your stage persona. He always tells me how amazing you are with your dancing, singing, and expressions, although he finds the regular you quite awkward.

“I\'ve never heard him say that."

- Of course not. On-Sae isn’t the type to say those things directly to someone.

Oh, On-Sae... I had a bitter taste in my mouth. From the first monthly evaluation when he arrived in class F, then made it to class A and into the debut team, I had taught him everything.

Of course, On-Sae would shine anywhere, but he could have received better education and treatment in big companies. This was an unavoidable regret.

I sighed and wrapped up the conversation. “Thanks for listening, hyung. I\'ve got to go—"

- Hey, why are you trying to hang up? Let’s talk some more~ Aren\'t you glad to hear from me? I’ve got nothing else to do if you hang up.

“No, it’s not that,” I firmly responded while fiddling with Joo-Han’s computer. “I need to play a game now."

- Out of nowhere?

I nodded even though Ji-Hyuk couldn’t see me. “It’s for a broadcast."

Since I’d been invited to a gaming variety show for being good at games, at the very least, I shouldn’t embarrass myself by showing off poor skills. Right before calling Ji-Hyuk, I booted up the install program of the game One Hours and was now selecting a character.

- ...

“...Hello?"

Ji-Hyuk went silent. I wondered if I made a mistake and was about to speak again when he asked a question.

- You are going on that game show SES is hosting soon?

“Oh? Hyung, you know about it?"

- Yeah, I heard about it. Our team was also invited, but we declined. They said it wasn’t really beneficial for the team.

It was a typical decision of YU. Even though High Tension had some downtime and they had plenty of free time, they declined since they prioritized the members\' rest before the second international tour over a fixed show with uncertain ratings.

‘That’s why YU is better. I wish On-Sae had gone to YU,’ I thought as my mind wandered back to On-Sae.

- Ah, really? My baby Hyun-Woo is gonna be on that show?

“Why do you sound so cheesy?"

Ji-Hyuk laughed in a teasing yet intrigued and meaningful way.