Chapter 117: The Singer in the Memories (2)

Chapter 117: The Singer in the Memories (2)

We were enjoying a much-needed break after a long while. Yoon-Chan and Jin-Sung had headed off to school, leaving the rest of us lounging in our own rooms at the dorm.

“...Pfft!” Goh Yoo-Joon couldn’t help but giggle as he lay on his bed, diving deep into UTube. He had headphones plugged in, so I couldn’t tell what he was watching, but it was probably his favorite game streamer again.

‘Man, I am tired.’ Ever since our debut, sleeping well was just a myth. These days, I could doze off just by sitting still. Just as I lay on my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling and almost falling asleep, someone rang the doorbell.

“What now?" I groaned, forcing my eyes open and sitting up.

Yoo-Joon took his earphones out, glanced back at the door, and then mumbled, “Ah, must be the new manager they said was coming today."

He got up and cracked the door of our room open, peeking out before turning back to me. “Hey, come out. It's kinda awkward greeting the new manager alone. Let's say hi together."

“Sure," I grumbled as I hauled myself out of bed and followed Yoo-Joon out. We had been notified about this visit last night via a message on the Chronos group phone.

“Who is it?" Yoo-Joon yelled at the door, seemingly preferring the direct approach over the intercom.

After hearing a reply, he opened the door, and I slowly walked over to join him.

“Hello."

“Ah! Hello!" We greeted, and the new manager paused at the door for a moment before entering our dorm and returning the greeting.

“Hello. I am Lee Su-Hwan, your temporary manager."

“Nice to meet you! Please, come in," said Yoo-Joon. We then stepped aside, making room for the new manager to enter.

“I will come in then," the new manager replied as he passed both of us and headed toward the living room. We just followed suit.

“Joo-Han hyung is probably busy working right now. Just a sec, I will go get him."

“Thanks."

Yoo-Joon headed toward Joo-Han's room, and suddenly, it was just me and the new manager...

“..."

“..."

This was awkward.

“...Do you want something to drink?"

“Oh, yes. Thanks. Anything's fine..."

“How about some juice?"

“Just water, please."

“Got it!"

This was seriously awkward. The new manager seemed as shy as I was, so I quickly stood up and headed to the kitchen.

‘Aren't managers supposed to be outgoing?’

Maybe he was just as nervous as we were right now.

As I poured water into a cup, I seriously started to wonder what I should talk about with the new manager. Talking with someone older was always a bit tricky. Luckily, by the time I brought the water back, Joo-Han and Yoo-Joon had come out to greet the new manager.

“Hello, I am Kang Joo-Han, the leader of Chronos."

“He's pretty impressive, isn't he?"

“Totally. Just what you'd expect from Yeong-Yee's manager."

Yeong-Yee, a name that occasionally popped up on shows, was infamous for her fiery temper and tough demands. We'd heard stories from celebrities who'd worked with her, saying that only super meticulous individuals could stick around as her staff. And here was our manager, steadfastly supporting her for a solid three years. It was evident that he possessed a combination of qualities: polite demeanor, meticulousness, and efficient management skills.

“I'm more than content. Working with him is gonna make our lives a breeze." Joo-Han's words left Yoo-Joon with a conflicted look.

“I'm still getting used to it. He's so professional that it kind of intimidates me. But I do trust him a lot." Yoo-Joon's smile was tinged with a touch of sadness. He had to be missing In-Hyun. Going from an easygoing friend to a strict professional had to be a bit of a shock to his system.

As I sneakily peeked at the new manager's diary, my heart swelled with appreciation. “It's really nice to see how much he cares about us. I'm thankful," I said as I flipped through what must have been over twenty pages of notes about us, Chronos. It was rare to find someone who went to these lengths for artists they had just met.

- Bzzzzz!

When the new manager's other phone vibrated, our eyes naturally drifted toward it. The phone he'd taken for the business call was probably for work, and the one left here was likely his personal one. Our attention was drawn to the partially obscured messenger app on the lock screen.

‘...What's that?’ My mouth fell open in surprise as I saw the lock screen image.

“...Uh."

“Uh? Is that Hyun-Woo?"

“Isn't that Hyun-Woo in the picture?" The picture dominating the phone screen was none other than my infamous “I am serious” thumbnail that was taken during Cha-Cha.

“...Ah, you saw it." The new manager walked back in and spoke nonchalantly.

“Whoa!" We all jumped and quickly stood up. Had we unwittingly opened Pandora's box? What if we'd just made things irreversibly awkward?

However, the new manager was so composed and simply placed his work phone next to the personal one.

“I'm not a fan of Chronos. Don't get the wrong idea."

“Of course, we understand. Sure," Yoo-Joon hurriedly responded.

“When I first heard that I would be your temporary manager, I started looking up some videos and coincidentally..."

“Coincidentally became a Hyun-Woo fan or something?"

“No... I just found the thumbnail too funny and kept it to cheer me up whenever I got depressed..."

‘Ah.’

“Actually, I found all of you quite humorous. I had a good laugh watching Flying Man at the karaoke and Chronos History.”

“...We are honored you enjoyed it."

While I would've preferred him to be a fan of our performances, making him happy like this was satisfying enough. It seemed like our temporary manager had a low threshold for humor and really enjoyed a good laugh.

Right on cue, the sound of the door lock being keyed rang out. Then, Jin-Sung and Yoon-Chan entered the dorm.

“We are back! Huh?" exclaimed Jin-Sung.

“Hmm, Jin-sung, what's wrong? Oh. ...Ah, our temporary manager," said Yoon-Chan

“Hello, I'm Lee Su-Hwan."

As the two walked in, the new manager, who had momentarily let his guard down, quickly reverted to his professional demeanor.

1. A person who handles the day-to-day activities and logistics for celebrities, particularly musicians or bands. ☜