Chapter 113: Replacement (2)

Chapter 113: Replacement (2)

“Two, three! Hello! We are Chronos! Nice to meet you all!"

“Hey there! Chronos!"

We greeted everyone with the brightest smiles we could muster, as we were determined not to let the residual gloom from earlier affect our radio appearance.

“Welcome. I heard about your recent win on a music show. Congratulations on taking first place."

“Thank you! We are looking forward to today's show."

The radio show was transitioning into the next section with commercials airing. While the director, Joo-Han, and In-Hyun exchanged a few words, we warmly greeted Senior Reina, who was waving enthusiastically from inside the booth, with a beaming smile.

“Keep the energy up, higher than usual. There's a script, but feel free to stray from it as long as you keep the flow going."

“Chronos is ready to go in."

“Yes!" We entered the booth, once again saying hello to Reina.

“Senior, we are counting on your guidance today!"

“It's been a while! I've been following Chronos's journey. I always knew you'd do great!" Reina spoke energetically and gestured toward the radio's front camera.

“Please give a wave to the camera for the listeners."

Upon Reina's cue, Goh Yoo-Joon pulled me toward the camera. “Let's act like we are all buddies here."

“Act friendly? What does that even mean?" I laughed and waved at the camera along with Goh Yoo-Joon. Behind us, Joo-Han and Yoon-Chan bowed deeply toward the camera with their formal grace.

“What’s this? Why are you guys so formal?"

“We should do the same!" Seeing them, Goh Yoo-Joon and I hastily bowed as well.

Reina watched and chuckled at our actions. “You've been on variety shows, and now you are not even nervous in front of the camera, are you?"

“We do get nervous, but it's getting a bit more comfortable. Haha. Guys, let's take our seats,"

Joo-Han instructed. The director outside the booth signaled the end of the commercials, and we settled into our seats.

“Eh-hem, uh-huh. Ah." We cleared our throats, mentally preparing for the broadcast to resume. Soon, the show recommenced with the intro.

- Do you know who’s with us today? They are the monsters of the industry who are dominating stages and variety shows! The phenomenal newcomers who just clinched their first music show trophy today! We've got the members of Chronos with us!

“Two, three! Hello! We are Chronos. It’s an honor to be invited here!"

- It’s great to have you, Chronos. Fans have been eagerly waiting. First, congratulations on your first place!

“Thank you."

- You must be having hectic days. Are you getting enough rest?

“Yes, we are well-rested and in great condition as we prepare for our follow-up song."

“We were even desk mates."

- Wow, that's quite a bond. Any memorable experiences?

“More than anything, I remember the daily battles of waking up every morning."

Hearing this, Goh Yoo-Joon made a face of sheer distaste. “Ah, right. Back then, with Joo-Han hyung and most trainees being students, alarms would ring throughout the dorm every morning. There was chaos as we tried to wake those who overslept. We then rushed to shower one after the other."

“Everyone practiced till dawn, so we were half-asleep at school. We even had bets on treating each other to the snack bar if we woke up late. Things like that."

Struggling to wake up after practicing until dawn, yet unwilling to be tardy, we ended up making such bets to motivate each other. Though, we'd end up dozing off at school anyway.

“Oh, I just remembered. Amidst the tight schedule, Joo-Han hyung would diligently wake up early and manage to secure good grades, right?"

As I spoke, Reina's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Joo-Han.

- Joo-Han was a good student?

Joo-Han confidently replied, “I was consistently top of my class until my third year of high school. My grades did drop a bit then."

- That's impressive.

“The truly impressive part was him waking up earlier than other trainees, attending early morning classes, practicing, and almost achieving perfection. That’s just him."

The members took turns reading messages and engaging in conversation. Thanks to Reina's accommodating hosting skill, we gradually relaxed, and the conversation flowed more naturally. Then, a message appeared on the monitor, signaling the end of the session.

- Dear listeners, we've read various messages from you. Now, it's time to listen to some live music, and we've got a special treat today! Chronos has prepared solo cover songs for us!

At Reina's cue, we made an effort to refocus. Even Jin-Sung, who was getting ready for Jin-Wook’s rap part, bit his lip nervously. After all, it was our first time unveiling the solo songs to the public, so my heart pounded with excitement.

- So, who shall we start with? Let's begin with Hyun-Woo! Hyun-Woo, you recently released your solo song ‘Once Again,’ right? Could you give us a brief introduction to the song?

I was the first to go. “‘Once Again’ is my first solo song, composed by our leader Joo-Han and written by me. Oh yes, Jin-Wook, who appeared with us on Pick We Up, contributed with the rap lyrics and featured in the music."

- Joo-Han composed the first solo song for you, right? Joo-Han, could you tell us why you decided to give the first song to Hyun-Woo?

Joo-Han responded, “Hyun-Woo has been a trainee for a decade, and I've been one for eight. Over the years, I've seen how diligently Hyun-Woo has worked."

- Ten years? That's a long time. Such perseverance is truly commendable.

“Yes, that's why I had always hoped Hyun-Woo would debut. When we finally debuted together, I gave him this song as a celebration."

- It's evident that Chronos members share a deep bond with each other. The lyrics must resonate with many young people, especially since Hyun-Woo wrote them.

I added, “I tried to encapsulate the emotions I felt during my trainee days in the lyrics. Jin-Wook also helped me a lot with writing the rap.”

- Nice! Jin-Sung is going to take the rap part today instead of Jin-Wook. Why don’t we listen to it now?

Jin-Sung and I moved forward to the microphone.

- It’s ‘Once Again’ by Hyun-Woo and Jin-Sung.