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Chapter 306: Break (2)

“Su-Hwan hyung, Yoon-Chan seems a bit unstable. I will try to handle any conflicts at the dorm, but could you please adjust the schedule?"

The words felt heavy in my mouth. As a rookie, I knew I was not supposed to request such changes.

Moreover, Su-Hwan was already flexing his discretion with the schedule, which had led to missed rehearsals and mistakes. Asking for more rest felt almost shameful, but we desperately needed a break.

Different from our days as trainees when we would gather nightly to share feedback and air grievances after grueling practice sessions, our lives were now a relentless loop of schedules and sleep. This left no room for the kind of conversations that could soothe tensed nerves and mend fences.

“We can\'t keep going like this. We need time to gather and talk."

The urgency was clear in my voice. We for sure needed time for a quality conversation without a time limit. To my relief, Su-Hwan nodded without hesitation. It was a silent acknowledgment that he had already been contemplating such an option.

“I\'ve cleared the schedule for two weeks after the end of Phantom Spirit promotion activities, except for your Newbie Crew and Yoon-Chan\'s drama shooting."

I was surprised yet profoundly relieved. “...For two weeks?"

“There was a minor argument with Supervisor Kim about giving rookies days off, but I won," Su-Hwan added with a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He hadn\'t mentioned this until now, perhaps to avoid giving us false hope. “After those two weeks, there will be about three months with no official schedule. The comeback preparations will start afterward."

Listening to Su-Hwan, my immediate thought was, ‘Why exactly?’ Chronos had always prepared for the next comeback immediately after ending their previous promotion schedules. For smaller agencies with less marketing, continuously showing their idols’ faces was a key business strategy. But how could the company agree to clear the schedule for as long as three months?

The argument with Supervisor Kim now made sense since this was a significant gap. If we rested this long, it might actually make us more anxious. Why did Su-Hwan make such a decision?

I was at a loss for words. Su-Hwan grasped my thoughts before nodding. He brought his fingers to his lips in a silencing gesture. “Don\'t tell Joo-Han, just keep this to yourself. I haven\'t mentioned this on purpose because I worried it might burden Joo-Han since he has a tendency to overthink."

“What is it?"

“We are planning to hold Chronos\' first concert soon."

What?

“...What the..."

“It\'s about time, given your popularity. We are concluding one chapter of the Chronos universe and are planning the concert around that theme."

So, the three-month break wasn’t just a break. It was also a time scheduled for concert preparations.

“I argued that no agency would let their artists prepare for a comeback and a concert simultaneously without the fans getting upset, so Supervisor Kim immediately went to get approval from the CEO."

I could vividly imagine Supervisor Kim\'s face, perhaps pale at the thought of being bombarded with faxes and emails from Rings. It seemed Su-Hwan had been giving a lot of thought to how tired and emotionally drained all the members were.

“So please hang in there until next week."

“...Alright. If it’s a three-month break to prepare for the concert, that’s fine."

It was a relief to know that the break wasn’t aimless. A purposeless break might have made the members more sensitive on other fronts.

“Thank you so much, hyung." I expressed my heartfelt thanks to Su-Hwan, who had been caught between the company and the members, struggling to adjust the schedule.

As I was about to head back to the recording studio, Su-Hwan spoke up. “I will bring up the details about the concert during the meeting after next week’s end of the promotion schedule. Please keep it a secret from Joo-Han until then."

“Of course."

As I turned toward the recording studio, I looked back at Su-Hwan. “But you will keep working with us, right?"

It suddenly occurred to me that there hadn\'t been any official announcement about Su-Hwan becoming our manager permanently, nor did I know if he was still managing Yeong-Yee.

Was it all falling through? Would we have to part ways with Su-Hwan as soon as Tae-Seong’s training was complete? Who else would go as far as to argue with a key figure like Supervisor Kim of YMM to get us a break?

I asked this question with a hint of anxiety. Su-Hwan looked surprised for a moment before offering a small, serene smile. “I will let you know that next week as well." His smile was free from apologies or bitterness.

I grinned and nodded in agreement, then returned to the recording studio. The atmosphere there was palpably chaotic. Jin-Sung was still casting nervous glances around while Yoon-Chan was deeply engrossed in his lyrics with his posture slumped in frustration. Joo-Han was completely absorbed in Goh Yoo-Joon\'s voice with a heavy look etched across his face, as if trying to find solace in the clarity of each note.

Meanwhile, Producer Do was observing the tense scene from a distance while offering advice with detached precision. He acted as if the emotional undercurrents were beyond his concern.

As I distanced myself slightly from the group while biting my lip in contemplation, Jin-Sung swiftly moved to sit beside me.

“All good, Yoo-Joon. You can come out now." Joo-Han broke the silence.

“Ah. Okay."

Goh Yoo-Joon stepped out of the booth. He was wearing a look of satisfaction that quickly morphed into confusion as he encountered the frosty silence enveloping the room.

\'What’s going on?\'

His eyes questioned the situation. This prompted me to gesture toward Joo-Han and mimic horns over my head with my fingers. ‘Joo-Han hyung is furious.\'

Goh Yoo-Joon hurriedly sat next to Jin-Sung with a shocked look and scanned the room until his gaze landed on Yoon-Chan. ‘Why is he like that?\'

I pointed at Joo-Han and then at Yoon-Chan. ‘He\'s in trouble.\'

Understanding dawned on Goh Yoo-Joon’s face as he mouthed an \'Ah.\' His features softened into a resigned nod before he clamped his mouth shut in silent acknowledgment.

“Hyun-Woo is up next. Jin-Sung, Hyun-Woo, come here for a second."

“Eh? Ah, yes!" Jin-Sung startled and scampered toward Joo-Han. I silently signaled Goh Yoo-Joon to approach Yoon-Chan.

“We\'ve decided to switch things up. This part was initially Yoon-Chan’s, but we will have Hyun-Woo take over it, and Jin-Sung will handle the next sequence. Start practicing it."

“Okay!”

Joo-Han’s fingers traced angry red lines across the sheet of paper. The new version had dramatically reduced Yoon-Chan\'s parts to almost nothing. A mere part was simple to sing and easy for listeners to overlook.

Neither Jin-Sung nor I ventured to question whether Yoon-Chan would be stripped of his parts as we knew too well that Joo-Han wasn\'t one to offer second chances once they were squandered. Even if Yoon-Chan were to apologize now, Joo-Han might accept his regret but the recording would proceed without changes.

***

The recording session ended in an uneasy silence, and the tension did not dissipate as we headed back to the dorm. Although exhaustion was evident, no one could find the peace required to sleep. Instead, each member was caught up in being conscious of Joo-Han’s mood.

“We’re here.”

“Thank you, hyung.”

“Ah, Su-Hwan hyung, thank you so much."

Goh Yoo-Joon and I attempted to inject some cheerfulness in our voices, but the mood stubbornly refused to lighten. Throughout the drive, Joo-Han had been immersed in his phone by discussing strategies with Callia Lawrence. He only offered a brief nod and a courteous "Hyung, thank you for your hard work" to Su-Hwan before quickly leaving the vehicle.

However, his responsibility toward the group seemed to linger as he waited to ensure everyone got off from the car before accompanying us upstairs. The dorm was unusually quiet for such an early return, echoing with unspoken tensions.

Goh Yoo-Joon was still clueless about the details of what happened. He frowned and quietly asked, “Hey, what\'s going on here? I\'m still out of the loop."

As soon as we walked in, Joo-Han immediately went into his room. Yoon-Chan lingered hesitantly in front of Joo-Han\'s door before eventually retreating to his own. Jin-Sung sat on the living room couch, biting his lips in anxiety.

After guiding Goh Yoo-Joon to our room, I gave him a rundown of the events. He exhaled deeply, a look of incredulity crossing his face as he processed the information. “Yoon-Chan really screwed up, huh?"

“Hey, it\'s not as simple as him messing up. You know what Yoon-Chan is like. He is just overwhelmed by pressure."

“Well, I guess I have some blame to share too. Yeah, I\'ve played a part in this mess." Goh Yoo-Joon\'s tone lightened with a sigh, attempting to cut through the heavy air as he rose from the bed and opened the door. “I will apologize,” he said with a serious look, heading toward Yoon-Chan’s room.

“Hmm?”

He was my friend, but he was almost like a saint at times... Even though he was emotionally hurt as well, he decided to alleviate the situation by apologizing first. He was probably going to smooth things over with Yoon-Chan, listen to him, and naturally share what was going on with Joo-Han to him as well.

Goh Yoo-Joon had always been this way since our trainee days. He stepped up whenever there was conflict among the trainees.

I headed to Joo-Han’s room.

Knock, knock.

I carefully knocked and brought my mouth close to the door. “Joo-Han hyung...”

It seemed I was the one Joo-Han felt most comfortable opening up to.