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Chapter 76: Chronos History (20)

We found ourselves at a campground near Seoul, surrounded by the relentless summer heat. Despite the blistering heat, we adorned ourselves in sleek black attire and survival vests. Time really flew by, and it was now another shooting day for Chronos History.

“Wow, hyung. It has been ages since I heard cicadas crying.”

“Yeah, they are singing their hearts out here already.” We were trying to beat the heat by clutching our melting ice creams.

“Who’s the guest that we are waiting for so early?”

“I thought it was High Tension, wasn’t it?”

“Exactly. If it was High Tension, we should have arrived together.”

There we were, drenched in sweat, and the event hadn’t even started. While arriving early was a sign of respect for our guests, waiting for an hour was excessive. In our mind, the guests had to be High Tension. Even though they were busy after their debut, they should have arrived on time.

“They are definitely late.”

“Yeah. We are thirty minutes early, and it has been an hour. They are thirty minutes late.” Goh Yoo-Joon clenched his jaw in frustration. “Whether it’s High Tension or Street Center, I won’t let them off the hook.”

“Hyung, do you want my ice cream? My teeth are shivering,” asked Park Yoon-Chan.

“...Yoon-Chan, are you an angel?” Goh Yoo-Joon grabbed the ice cream and took a bite.

‘Taking the younger one’s ice cream? Pathetic.’

I shook my head in disappointment and suddenly turned to look at the manager.

“Is the guest actually from Pick We Up?” I wondered.

“I am not sure. Why?” Joo-Han asked. Hence, I gestured toward the manager and said, "Normally, manager hyung is really sensitive about lateness or plans going wrong. He\'s quite temperamental, so it\'s surprising to see him waiting so calmly now."

“That\'s true. If the guests were from Pick We Up, the manager hyung would have been in a frenzy with phone calls by now." Joo-Han and I were just speculating about the guest when...

“The guests have arrived! Let\'s start shooting!" declared the production team. The guests had clearly arrived but were nowhere to be seen. This had to be a surprise reveal.

‘How important could this guest be?\'

I chewed on my ice cream stick, threw it in the trash, and made my way to the designated location. All of us stood in formation and clapped the slate to signal the start of the show.

Joo-Han then started the introduction. “Welcome back to Chronos History."

“Ah- it\'s hot!"

“So hot!"

“We\'ve been standing outside for an hour, everyone." We immediately started to air our grievances to the camera. Typically, the ones complaining were Goh Yoo-Joon and Lee Jin-Sung.

“Alright, quiet down! Director, where are we?"

- This is Tinta Campground near Seoul. Have you ever tried survival games?

“No, I haven\'t."

“Has anyone tried it?"

Lee Jin-Sung raised his hand. “I did once on a school trip. I think it was in my middle school? We used paintball guns, so when I got hit, it turned the struck area really red."

“Wow."

- You might have guessed from the vests, but today you\'ll be playing a survival game here.

“Ooh, survival!"

“I\'ve always wanted to try it. This is great." As we were chatting away, a staff member with a sketchbook caught my eye. I then glanced at the sketchbook and asked, “But are we doing this with just five people? Don’t we need more?”

“That\'s a good point. It\'s odd to split into teams with just five people."

“If it\'s two against three, it\'ll end too quickly."

- You guys are right. That\'s why we\'ve invited guests this time. Today, it\'s a battle between Chronos and the guest team.

“Guests? It must be High Tension!"

“If not High Tension, then Street Center." Goh Yoo-Joon rummaged in his pocket and pulled out five hundred won, holding it over his head.

He said, “I bet my five hundred won."

“Huh? Why do you have five hundred won in your pocket?" I couldn\'t help but laugh at such a low-quality joke. Watching us guessing about the guests, Director Lee Won-Jae showed his typical sly smile and shook his head.

- Shall we introduce the guests? Guests, please come out.

Of course, it would be the cast of Pick We Up. We were certain of this because which other kind-hearted group would appear on a minor broadcast channel—on a show of a group that hadn\'t even debuted yet—other than the cast of Pick We Up?

We were all ready to greet the guests with relaxed smiles.

“Hello, everyone!"

“Hi, kiddos. You guys got quite the way with words.”

The moment our guests in black vests stepped out, our laughter froze. We snapped to attention, lowering our heads to ninety degrees. “Hello, seniors!”

“Hey, hey, ease up! Why so formal? Aren’t we all like family here?” The reason for our stiff formality? The guests were Allure, our esteemed senior, who had just triumphed with a concert in New York just two days ago.

I shifted my gaze to Director Lee Won-Jae, noticing a slight twitch in his eyebrows. It was as if he was teasing us with a smirk, silently gloating, “I knew you\'d guess wrong.” With a mischievous grin, Director Lee Won-Jae announced the theme for today.

- Today\'s theme is all about survival! Seniors versus Juniors, Allure versus Chronos.

"But, Director Lee, how can we possibly face off against our seniors?" Goh Yoo-Joon\'s voice quivered with a mix of nervousness and respect. Here we were, a group of trainees on the brink of our debut, about to go head-to-head with a top-tier group that had just wowed audiences on an international tour.

We had to tread carefully, driven by both respect and a hint of intimidation.

“Seriously. Isn\'t this a huge deal for us?" I couldn\'t help but challenge the director, casting a glance at Allure. Allure just leaned back, watching us with an easy smile.

“Come on, kids. Forget the senior-junior thing and just play."

“Yeah, don\'t stress about it. It\'s all in good fun."

But really, was that even feasible? Impossible, I thought.

Joo-Han and I, who had trained alongside Allure, were used to them, but the other three had joined YMM only because they were inspired by Allure. Allure members were like their role models. On top of that, Allure’s huge fandom was watching us. What kind of rookies would dare point a gun—even a fake one—at a group like Allure?

Yet, somewhere inside, I believed it was doable and asked, “Director Lee, is there a prize or something for the winner?"

The director paused, slightly taken aback, before his familiar sly smile returned. He nodded.

- Absolutely. We\'ve got a prize that will fire up Chronos, seniority notwithstanding.

The production team brought out a wooden box, and Lee Jin-Sung opened it, unveiling a stunning golden microphone inside.

“A microphone?"

- Yes. The winning team will be rewarded with custom microphones.

Custom microphones were a coveted prize for both Chronos and Allure. In particular, this opulent golden one, a masterpiece from Restonmage, was renowned for its exquisite sound quality. It was my first time seeing such a luxurious item up close!

I was nearly moved to tears by its splendor. Only a music-focused cable channel like UNET could offer such a lavish prize.

“We\'ve got to win this." Goh Yoo-Joon stared at the microphone, utterly captivated by it.

Park Yoon-Chan and Lee Jin-Sung were not quite microphone connoisseurs, so they simply marveled, “Wow, it\'s beautiful." Meanwhile, Joo-Han\'s excitement was very obvious.

Director Lee Won-Jae chuckled to see our reactions.

- Looks like you\'re all geared up to give your best now.

“Director Lee, does each member get one?"

- Of course. It might take a while to make, but you\'ll get them by Chronos\'s debut day, or well before Allure\'s comeback.

When else would we, who were still waiting for our first paycheck, get our hands on custom microphones?

This was a challenge we had to conquer. “Has anyone in Chronos done survival games before?" Da-Win, our senior, asked. We all then pointed at Lee Jin-Sung.

“Jin-Sung has tried it once before," I explained.

Lee Jin-Sung turned to look at me. “I have tried it before, but Hyun-Woo hyung must be better at this kind of game than me.”

- Hyun-Woo and Yoo-Joon play a lot of games. Allure, are any of you good at this?

Then, Da-Win pointed to Sae-Yeon. “He got skills from phone games.”

- Okay, let’s set Sae-Yeon from Allure and Hyun-Woo from Chronos as captains. Team Allure has a couple of extra players, so to keep it fair, we will cap active players at five. However, feel free to swap members anytime. Cool with that, Chronos?

“Yup!” We willingly accepted the rule as it made sense since the members of Allure were pushing their late twenties. This was fair stamina-wise.

- Alright, everyone. Please head to your spots. The Last’s expert, who specializes in survival game gear, will walk us through the rules.

We walked over to where we were supposed to be, getting a quick lesson from the staff on weapon handling, reloading, and the ins and outs of respawning. I then looked around the expansive campground, eyeing the strategically placed obstacles and thick tree covers. They were perfect for stealth and surprise maneuvers.

“But, hyung. What if Allure\'s fans get ticked off at us for this?" Lee Jin-Sung shot a worried glance at the trailing camera with a gun in hand.

“Jin-Sung."

“Hmm?"

I pulled him aside under the guise of fixing his outfit and then murmured quietly, “Just play without thinking much. Allure hyungs are notorious for being terrible at games. Their fans already know about that.”

“Really?"

“Let\'s snag the win!" Pumping myself up, I loaded the bullets with determination. Everyone knew Allure wasn\'t exactly the gaming or sports type. They consistently fumbled in games on every entertainment show, a fact even their fans were well aware of.

Therefore, even if we beat them fair and square, their fans would probably shrug it off as ‘Oh, cute losses as usual.\' There would be no hard feelings.

Our mission was simple. We only had to take out the opponents and seize their bases. I was a little anxious about Sae-Yeon\'s tactics as he often played shooting games with me. However, there was no room for worries as victory was in sight.

- Okay, let’s start then. Is everyone ready?

“Yes!"

- Good, then.

Whooeee—uuueeet!

When the whistle signaling the start of the game echoed through the air, my teammates immediately huddled around me. I commanded, “Joo-Han hyung and Yoon-Chan, keep an eye on things from the back. If anyone tries to sneak into our base, take them out. And if we are in a tight spot, come give us a hand.”

“Got it.”

“Jin-Sung, hide behind those obstacles in the middle and watch for an opportunity to slip into their camp. If you can take over a stronghold, do it."

“Okay. Man, I\'m feeling the pressure."

“Is it normal for a game to be this intense?" Joo-Han let out a nervous chuckle, lifting his gun.

Honestly, I felt a little silly giving these instructions, but we were in it to win those custom microphones, so I put my embarrassment aside and continued, “Yoo-Joon and I will take the lead. If we get taken out, we\'re counting on you guys."

“Alright, we got this."

“Let\'s bring home the win." With those final words, we got back to our positions.

Yoo-Joon stuck close to me, planning our strategy. “Just cover me from behind, and only move in if I get into trouble."

“Are you going for a breakthrough?" I asked.

Yoo-Joon nodded and replied, “I\'m gonna sprint straight to their base and knock them out."

“Planning to go down in a blaze of glory? It\'s no good if you get hit on the way. We should stick together."

Hearing that, Yoo-Joon let out a scoff. “Getting hit? I\'ll dodge everything. Trust me."

“Considering your gaming style..."

“What about it? Have you seen me play?"

“Yeah," I remembered seeing him on his laptop yesterday, getting pummeled while manically shooting around. Sure, Yoo-Joon was great at getting kills, but he also had a knack for getting hit.

He eventually nodded, agreeing with my point. We then crouched behind an obstacle, keeping a watchful eye on Team Allure. “Use the barriers wisely to avoid getting hit."

“Okay."

The survival game’s field was ridiculously large, making it tough to spot the opponents. But if Yoo-Joon made a bold dash into their territory, it would help us figure out their positions.

“It feels like we\'ve stepped into a real game. Exciting." Yoo-Joon scouted the area from behind the barrier and then made his move. “I\'m going in."

“Alright, I\'ll head the opposite way."

He sprinted toward the enemy\'s side.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As expected, a flurry of confused gunshots rang out. “Wow, these sounds are so realistic."

I moved in the opposite direction, trying to pinpoint the locations of our opponents. With Yoo-Joon breaking through, they were likely focused on one area, leaving the other side open for me to take over.

- Da-Win, you\'re out. Head to respawn.

- Tucan, you\'re out. Head to respawn.

Yoo-Joon was making waves. I ran to the opposite side, aiming at an Allure member who was attacking Yoo-Joon.

- Tae-Il, you\'re out. Head to respawn.

“Argh! Where? Who got me?" Tae-Il grumbled in frustration as he retreated back to his base.

- Yoo-Joon, you\'re out. Head to respawn.

Yoo-Joon, who had held his ground until now, was finally taken out. I then signaled Lee Jin-Sung, who had been maintaining a distance, and he nodded and moved forward cautiously. Park Yoon-Chan promptly filled the vacant spot left by Jin-Sung.

“There\'s no penalty for getting out multiple times, right?"

“Right."

“Then I\'m just going to go for it." Seeing Allure members reloading their guns, Jin-Sung and I sprinted over at the same time.

Gunshots erupted. This survival game was not just for the custom microphones but also a spot on Flying Man.

‘What if Allure\'s fans get ticked off at us for this?’

So what if they did? Whether we were good at the game or not, we were burning with determination. Seniority didn’t matter at this moment.