Second Try Idol

Chapter 422: Reunion (2)

It had been over two years since the last time they met. Thus, just as the three who had unexpectedly landed in a different timeline had a lot to share, so did Suh Hyun-Woo. @@novelbin@@

He talked about how he realized he had returned to the past right after regressing. He described how he had resolved the incident that had completely changed his face in an instant, and how traumatic it had been. He also talked about how differently Pick We Up had unfolded. He shared what the debuted Chronos had been through.

As Suh Hyun-Woo recounted his experiences, Kang Joo-Han and Goh Yoo-Joon's expressions grew increasingly complex. Memories of another version of themselves, their memories as Chronos members, began to trickle into Kang Joo-Han and Goh Yoo-Joon's minds. These memories that weren’t exactly theirs were flickering through their minds like an old film rolling through a projector.

‘This must have been our past with Hyun-Woo. It would have been filled with so many happy memories and joyful times.’

It seemed that Suh Hyun-Woo had indeed shared many joyful moments with them here.

As Suh Hyun-Woo continued relaying his story and memories flowed, a bittersweet smile formed on Kang Joo-Han's lips. If they chose to stay with Suh Hyun-Woo, could the members of Elated make him as happy as these memories? Could he be happier than when he was with their Chronos selves?

"Ah, so that's it." Kang Joo-Han finally understood what the creator god meant by sacrifice and what choice he had to make.

***

Had I ever told such a long story to the Elated members after quitting being a YMM trainee? It felt awkward and somewhat embarrassing to explain everything that had happened.

However, it was also relieving. I was able to speak openly about things I could have never discussed with the Chronos members. Since the Elated members knew all about my past life, I could share my honest stories without holding back.

My fellow members did not deny any part of my story; they listened to everything. They understood the stories that only someone who had crossed the same timeline and knew what life I had led in the past could understand. For the first time in a long time, I felt truly unburdened. It felt even more honest than any conversation we'd had when we were living in the same world before.

After I told them everything, an awkward silence reigned once again. Now, what was there to be said?

"..."

"...Umm."

It had been so long since we had a real conversation like this. The Elated members were also watching me quietly while probably having similar thoughts.

I finally spoke up after hesitating for a bit. "So, what are you and Joo-Han supposed to do here? Is there something you need to do to go back to where you originally were?"

‘But what if they can't go back? Would I never see Chronos again?’

It would be difficult to manage activities with Chronos while having these members with me and, above all, I hated the thought of my fellow members disappearing overnight.

After I nervously broke the silence, Joo-Han smiled, perhaps to lighten the awkward mood. "That's something we will take care of ourselves, so you don't need to worry about it. Your career is fine, right?"

"...Yeah."

"We will cooperate as much as possible until we return. Should we start dance practice?" Joo-Han looked at Goh Yoo-Joon and Lee Jin-Sung and asked casually.

According to Lee Jin-Sung, who arrived here first, he remembered the dance moves so vividly that his body moved automatically. This might be because he was in charge of dancing, but he mentioned that the other members should be fine with a few rehearsals.

Thankfully, it seemed there wouldn't be any scrambling or forgetting the choreography on stage for a while.

"It's been so long since we've done group work, so I’m a bit excited."

"Me too. Not sure about the excitement, but it feels weird."

"Ah, and be careful around Yoon-Chan. Make sure it doesn't seem like we changed. Act as much like our Chronos selves as possible."

"Got it."

"..."

Listening to them, it seemed like it might take a while for them to return to their original world...

As the members conversed, I suddenly felt a pang of loneliness and sighed deeply.

Thump- thump

Joo-Han patted my back. "Are you worried? Afraid the past version of us won't return?"

"...You can just say that you are disappointed in me."

Joo-Han was right. As much as I felt sorry for the members who had prepared to sacrifice for me, it seemed I was quite selfish. I was concerned the original Chronos members might have disappeared because Elated had come here. So I couldn't just say it wasn't true.

But Joo-Han shook his head reassuringly. "Don't worry. Let's just talk for now, since we've finally met after so long. We have a lot to catch up on, don't we?"

Joo-Han made all the members look at me, seemingly waiting for my response. I looked down, overwhelmed by anxiety, but I really had a lot I wanted to say to the Elated members. After hesitating for a long while, I managed to speak up.

"How have you been?" I asked if they managed to get through the days after my departure without too much trouble, and if they had been blaming themselves and suffering. I had only avoided them because I couldn't bear to show them my changed lifestyle and the grotesque face I had after the accident. In truth, I wanted nothing more than to talk with them again, without a trace of inferiority." I genuinely wanted to talk to them again.

The members smiled with relief at my question, and Goh Yoo-Joon said, "Of course it was tough, man."

***

That night, we were finally able to face each other and candidly share our thoughts. We talked about how the members had felt when I stopped being a trainee and avoided contact with them, and why I had acted that way. It was somewhat comforting to finally talk about it.

Of course, now that I was unharmed and had successfully debuted, putting me on an equal footing with them—back then, I used to have a severe inferiority complex—was possible. It was a pretty good time, though we still couldn't completely shed the awkwardness due to the long years of avoidance. It was fortunate that we could have this conversation before the three Elated members went back to their world.

And now, on the third day since Elated became Chronos, I was starting to worry for real. The three of them were still very much Elated today.

"Haah..." What if their Chronos selves really didn’t come back? Although Joo-Han had told me not to worry and that I should trust him for now, the most immediate problem was our schedule.

Today was the day we attended the Pick We Up live show by the Sequence members. That wasn't a major issue since we weren't scheduled to perform and only needed to be there. What worried me was tomorrow's schedule.

Tomorrow was the final broadcast of "Red Rouge," and the first concert rehearsal for Eden was scheduled. "Red Rouge" seemed manageable if we could spend all day in the rehearsal studio, but how were we supposed to handle Eden's concert rehearsal?

According to the plan, Goh Yoo-Joon would act as my day manager during Eden's concert rehearsal by filming content with me as I had done before. Despite our conversation yesterday and clearing up misunderstandings, weren't we still awkward after such a long time?

Being alone together would be incredibly awkward, so I was worried that fans would think we had a fight or something. Moreover, Elated Goh Yoo-Joon's personality was very different from Chronos Goh Yoo-Joon.

Chronos Goh Yoo-Joon was bright, positive, and sociable, always ready to joke around with me. In contrast, Elated's Goh Yoo-Joon had weathered the world's storms, and was the total opposite. He was cautious, and not one to easily meet new people. Elated had failed to handle the scandal of Goh Yoo-Joon's father's properly.

The fans would surely notice something was off about Goh Yoo-Joon. He definitely wouldn't joke with me like he used to.

I sighed heavily, and Goh Yoo-Joon, as perceptive as ever, gently touched my shoulder. Look at this! Does it make sense for there to be such cautiousness between Goh Yoo-Joon and me?!

The fans would definitely notice our awkwardness and might worry that we fought, making the content worse than not doing it at all. Goh Yoo-Joon glanced at me and said, "I will act as much like my Chronos self as I can. Don't worry."

"You are too mature to pull that off," I said firmly.

Goh Yoo-Joon seemed offended and walked away toward Joo-Han. "I can do it."

As soon as Goh Yoo-Joon left, Yoon-Chan approached and quietly asked, "Hyun-Woo hyung, don't the members seem a bit off today?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"They seem to whisper more than usual and have become strangely quiet. Usually, it's noisy from the morning."

"I’m not sure. Today has been a bit quiet."

"Maybe Jin-Sung got scolded by Joo-Han hyung again?"

"Maybe? Ah, yeah, maybe the dorm is quiet because Jin-Sung got scolded."

We both got into the car. My worries were as high as a mountain, but it was already too late for that. The car heading to the scheduled location was about to depart, and worrying wouldn't suddenly bring back the Chronos members.