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Chapter 182: Joy (19)

This shift paved the way for another exhilarating dance break with Suh Hyun-Woo and Lee Jin-Sung leading the charge. Even the students, who had been vocally enthusiastic up until the midpoint of the second verse, found themselves mesmerized by Chronos\'s performance. Their cheers gave way to awestruck silence.

It was said that a truly captivating performance could make one forget to blink, and Chronos\'s performance was exactly that. The choreography was complex yet captivating, and the band\'s vibrant music coaxed even the most reserved onlookers into swaying and nodding along. All in all, the performance was akin to a cinematic montage of blissful teenage memories as it was tinged with a profound sense of nostalgia.

The stage peaked with the dance break, and then the song gently started its descent toward the finale.

Pink cherry blossoms flutter in the wind

And you and I are laughing

I capture your smile in a photo,

And you shyly lower your head

The excitement swells,

It\'s a relief that we are here today♪

As Suh Hyun-Woo’s part was nearing its end, Lee Jin-Sung approached and rested his elbow on Suh Hyun-Woo’s shoulder.

Our most brilliant moment,

Becomes a beautiful filter,

Gifting us a lifetime of joy♪

Suh Hyun-Woo and Lee Jin-Sung crouched down, and the others came forward and stood behind the two. At this moment, the whirlwind of the band\'s music faded, and the piano melody from the intro flowed once again. Along with it, a whistling sound that followed the same melody was heard.

It was a scene reminiscent of a moment captured in a photograph, marking the end of Chronos\'s new song "?: Joy".

***

Swish-swish!

“Kwaaaahhhh!!!"

“Kiiieeekkkkkk!!!"

The whistling that seemed to applaud our stage filled the air, accompanied by the wild cheers of friends and fans alike.

“Gasp... sob, gasp..."

The first verse went smoothly, but our stamina plummeted dramatically after the backturn in the second verse, just like in our rehearsals. By the time we hit the dance break highlight, we were utterly drained.

The tension of the performance made it even harder to catch our breath. However, I couldn\'t help but chuckle at the uproarious support from our classmates. I bowed my head in gratitude. Well, I intended to just lower my head, but having been crouching, I lost my balance and ended up flopping down completely.

“Phew... I am so exhausted," said Goh Yoo-Joon, trying to catch his breath behind me before reaching down and grabbing my arm to help me back on my feet.

Jin-Sung managed to only stand up with the help of Joo-Han and Yoon-Chan. Backturns, dance breaks, high notes—what a killer sequence, but having pulled it off, I couldn\'t have been prouder.

I steadied my remaining breath while leaning on Goh Yoo-Joon\'s shoulder. After I regained enough strength to speak, I grabbed the mic again and said, “Phew... I hope you all enjoyed our new song."

“Yesss!!!"

Joo-Han then took over. “Your cheers really energized us and made it a thrilling performance. Thank you, Memory High!"

We all nodded in agreement with Joo-Han\'s words, and the warm reception lifted our spirits.

“Thank you again for having us. Our Yoo-Joon and Hyun-Woo might be a bit shy, but they are really good kids. Please continue to support them."

This time, Joo-Han bowed slightly and made a personal appeal to our friends at Memory High.

“And so, on the count of three!"

“We are Chronos! Thank you so much!" As we bowed in unison, the crowd responded with an even louder round of applause and cheers. The positive response was a huge relief, as this was the first public performance of our new song.

The moment we handed off our mics to the staff, all of us collapsed in a heap—well, more like tumbling down.

“...Can\'t do this more than twice a day," Goh Yoo-Joon commented and downed a bottle of water in one go.

Jin-Sung, who was sprawling out even more dramatically, shot him a look and retorted, “That\'s not true. We will get used to it, and then we can do it three or four times a day. Didn\'t we do it endlessly during practice?"

“That was practice. Performing on stage feels completely different. Wow, it\'s really tough. Felt like surviving the final stretch of a marathon."

I was too spent to pay much attention to their banter. I simply glanced around before lying flat on the ground as well. The floor was cold, calming down my overheating body. I said, “Sigh... Let\'s just rest a bit before we go. Please."

My uniform was once neat but was now damp with sweat, especially at the back. I wanted to strip off my jacket right then and there, but the behind-the-scenes cameras made that impossible.

After a short rest, we reluctantly got to our feet. Goh Yoo-Joon and I had to stay back for more filming, and it was time to see off the other members who were heading back to the practice room.

“Yoo-Joon and Hyun-Woo, take care with the rest of the shoot. Guys, come here. Give these two a hug." Prompted by Joo-Han\'s words, Yoon-Chan and Jin-Sung slowly made their way over.

As Yoo-Joon watched the two youngest coming over, he murmured, “...Are we doing that again?"

Before he could get an answer, we were both engulfed in a group hug by the other three.

“Yoo-Joon and Hyun-Woo, make sure to get some good footage, and hang in there."

“Guys, fight hard. We will win this."

“Stay strong."

Their sincere words of encouragement were met with our weary responses.

“Yeah, thanks. We will make it back alive."

“We will do our best."

Our voices lacked any real spirit, but the others didn\'t seem to mind as they patted us reassuringly. It was a comforting technique that Joo-Han often used since our trainee days. Honestly, a group hug wasn\'t that reassuring for me, but Joo-Han had been insisting on it for a while now. This had to be the second time we did this after my post-debut injury with Chronos.

“What are they doing over there?" A chuckling question came from the production team of Graduating.

“Not entirely sure myself. From what I\'ve heard, they\'ve been doing this since their trainee days.”

“Ah, thanks for the answer. They are really close, as expected,” the production staff remarked, scratching their heads in amusement before dispersing.

“See you in a bit,” Yoo-Joon and I said, as our brief moment of comfort ended and the members disappeared outside the auditorium along with the manager. We watched them leave before turning our attention back to our friends and the upcoming challenges. It was time for a short break before the next game, but it was a much-needed break.

“Man, you guys were amazing out there!" The admiration in their voices was evident.

“I swear, I got so caught up in the moment during Goh Yoo-Joon\'s shot that I even let out a swear. That was awesome.”

Hee-Su, Joon-Hwan, and the others gathered around us to express their excitement. We simply thanked them for their kind words. Amidst exchanging pleasantries, I caught a glimpse of On Ki-Hoon and the troublemaker heading out together, an unwelcome pairing that momentarily distracted me.

However, I quickly redirected my focus to the friends before me.

“This is going to be a huge hit for sure. You guys were incredible.”

“Wow, thanks so much." We were genuinely touched by their support.

“Can I get an autograph later?"

This pattern of conversation repeated itself countless times until the break was over, and it was time for the next event: the mafia game.

Despite the exhaustion from our performance, the game was thoroughly enjoyable. Watching Hee-Su vehemently deny being the mafia with his face flushed with frustration was particularly amusing—especially since I was the actual mafia.

During the next round, my indignation at being falsely accused by Goh Yoo-Joon, even though I wasn\'t the mafia, added an extra layer of excitement to the game. All of these moments were captured on camera, marking the end of the third filming session for Graduating.

***

“Wow, hyung, congratulations on your debut,” I said.

“If you are not sincere about it, you might as well not say anything.”

“No, really. I thought you\'d never make it with your attitude, but here you are. I\'m genuinely happy for you.”

I was back in the familiar confines of YU Entertainment\'s practice room, a place I had frequented countless times as a trainer.

I barely managed to make some time to practice with Kim Jin-Wook for Halo’s Music Bus. After all, there were just three days left until our second album showcase. In any case, Kim Jin-Wook made a splendid debut with the full support of YU, launching as an artist with robust marketing and top-quality songs, even hitting the number-one spot on digital music sites within two weeks.

According to his manager, he was winning fans over with his unique blend of danger and chic charm.

“Congrats on your debut, really," I repeated.

“Bullshit.”

“Wow, I offer congratulations and get cursed at in return."

He was not chic, just plain rude.

“Hahaha, you two. I\'ve felt this before, but you are really close. Jin-Wook doesn\'t joke around like this when he\'s with me," said Jin-Wook’s manager.

“Well, it\'s not really a joke," replied Jin-Wook.

“Still, Jin-Wook, you\'ve debuted now, so you shouldn\'t be swearing, remember? Try not to swear, even when there are no cameras around. It could become a habit on air."

“…Okay."

The manager cheerfully nodded and then opened the door to the practice room. “Then, go ahead and practice. I will have a quick chat with Su-Hwan and come back."

“…"

“…"

The manager left the practice room, leaving just the two of us here, standing in silence.

“…"

“…"

“…Let\'s practice."

“Okay."

Kim Jin-Wook confidently operated the equipment and played the MR for "Once Again." Immediately, the intro to “Once Again" started to flow.

The practice room was quiet and allowed us to immerse ourselves in the music calmly.

…And so, the practice began.