Chapter 185: Joy (22)

Chapter 185: Joy (22)

“In terms of song composition and even during our practice sessions, we've all leaned heavily on Hyun-Woo," Joo-Han pointed out, setting the stage for the following conversation.

“A sub-leader? Me?" At this moment, the collective gaze of my fellow members felt incredibly intense. I'd never felt such a heavy mantle of expectation before. When Joo-Han suggested I take on the role of sub-leader, my immediate thought was “Why me of all people?”

It was a fair question. After all, my persuasive skills were not that good, something that all the members were well aware of. On the other hand, despite his tendency to be the joker of the group, Goh Yoo-Joon seemed more naturally equipped to manage the dynamics within the group.

“Wow, that is such a great idea." Goh Yoo-Joon broke the ice with his characteristic ease and then added, “Joo-Han hyung has been under a lot of strain, and having a reliable person by his side to offer him assistance would undoubtedly be beneficial."

Goh Yoo-Joon's agreement came with a hint of relief, almost as if he was glad not to be in the spotlight for the role. Following his lead, Yoon-Chan and Jin-Sung also expressed their support.

“Hyun-Woo hyung has always been like a stage leader to us. Having him as the sub-leader sounds like a solid plan," Jin-Sung commented enthusiastically, and Yoon-Chan chimed in. “We all rely on him quite a bit already."

“Hyun-Woo's quiet nature and non-persuasiveness are something we've all grown accustomed to, so it's all good," Goh Yoo-Joon joked, only to be met with a playful outburst.

“Ouch!" I said.

“Yoo-Joon has always been great at looking out for the rest of us, so we did consider asking him. But after watching how Hyun-Woo led during practice, he was clearly the natural choice," Joo-Han explained his decision.

“I'm not cut out for leadership roles," Goh Yoo-Joon said while shooting a playful glance at Jin-Sung. “Besides, Jin-Sung here doesn't listen to anyone but Hyun-Woo!"

“What? No, that's not true!"

“It's got to be Hyun-Woo, Jin-Sung's favorite.”

“No, that's not it! It's just that Hyun-Woo is genuinely caring. Seriously, I'm not a fan of all the jokes around. I hate you, Yoo-Joon hyung!"

Amidst Goh Yoo-Joon and Jin-Sung's light-hearted bickering, I caught Joo-Han's eye. He offered a reassuring nod, as if to say, ‘Just go with whatever feels right to you.'

I responded with a smile and a nod of my own. After that, I agreed, “Alright, I will give it a shot."

With such strong encouragement from the group, there was no real reason to refuse. Despite the exhaustion from our relentless schedule, my fatigue paled in comparison to Joo-Han's. More than anything, Joo-Han needed a dependable pillar to lean on.

For me, accepting the role of sub-leader within Chronos felt more like an honor than a burden. It was a chance to contribute further to our collective growth.

Joo-Han acknowledged my acceptance with a warm smile and a nod. “Thanks, I'm counting on you."

Following Joo-Han's lead, each member offered their words of encouragement, rallying around the new decision.

The manager stated, “With Hyun-Woo taking on the sub-leader role, I will make sure to inform the company. We have to prepare a bit before the official announcement."

"Got it!"

Right before the launch of our second mini album schedule, I stepped into my new role as Chronos's sub-leader.

***

Whether by coincidence or a pre-arranged agreement between YMM and the broadcasting company, the teaser and preview clips for Graduating were released just two days before Chronos's showcase. The lively and energetic theme song of Graduating accompanied the teaser, which highlighted the most dynamic and joyful moments from the filming.

The montage included scenes like the lunchbox sharing with Chronos and the students of Memory High, the sports festival events, and the broom fights among the students in the absence of Chronos. Then, the music stopped, and the screen darkened.

[And then...]

The screen transitioned with subtitles glowing in an emotionally charged, twinkling pink.

[The bonds of friendship deepen...]

The background music shifted to a touching melody, showcasing a tired Suh Hyun-Woo getting a comforting shoulder rub from Jeong Hee-Su, with a faint smile gracing Suh Hyun-Woo's face.

[Experiencing 'togetherness' for the first time]

“Let's keep the sub-leader news under wraps for now, and only share what's been decided about ‘Joy.’"

“Okay!”

The decision for me to take on the sub-leader role was quickly finalized thanks to suggestions from the manager and Joo-Han. It was an internal matter for Chronos, and the company readily agreed, as they recognized the increasing schedules of Joo-Han

Deeming it too premature for a public announcement, we decided to keep it unofficial for the time being. We just had plans to make it official at the fan club inauguration if the arrangement proved successful.

Joo-Han briefed us on what needed to be shared and what to withhold, then took his seat. The manager checked the time and fiddled with the setup phone. “We will start in a minute."

As he spoke, the chatter that was mainly from Goh Yoo-Joon and Jin-Sung subsided. After a brief moment...

“Let's get started."

With that, the live notification 'Ding!' sounded, and I turned on the Chronos official phone to access the live broadcast screen.

“...”

‘Huh, fifteen hundred viewers? Wow, two thousand... Three thousand... The numbers are climbing so fast. Why are there so many people? We did announce the broadcast time, but it's barely been a minute.’

I was astounded by the rapidly increasing viewer count, and then I sneakily showed the screen to Joo-Han, who glanced at the chat before facing forward. “It's been a while, everyone!"

“Rings! We really missed you a lot!”

“Let's start with a greeting. Ready? One, two, three!"

“Hello! We are Chronos!"

The comments flooded in, along with a torrent of emotions from fans who had been eagerly awaiting this moment.

— It's been ages ?? I've missed this so much!

— I've been longing to see you too!!!

— I adore you guys so much! I just couldn’t wait to see you!

— This is insane, my heart's racing aaaaah

— Rushed here straight after my shift ended, this is just what I needed <3

The chat was a blur, proceeding so fast it was nearly impossible to keep up. It felt as though Rings' enthusiasm and numbers had doubled while we were preparing for the comeback.

Joo-Han glanced at the chat and then asked, “Rings, you've been waiting for a long time, haven't you?"

“Yes!!!”

We answered Joo-Han's question on behalf of Rings, echoing their sentiment.

“We are back with our new song ‘?: Joy’ after ‘Parade’ and ‘Blue Room Party!’”

“Whoaaaa!”

“We really wanted to do this sooner, but various preparations and end-of-year stages made us keep you waiting longer than we hoped. We are truly sorry for that."

I nodded in agreement with Joo-Han's words and added, “But the wait was worth it. We've got some great tracks lined up for you."

“Right? With just about an hour left, how is everyone feeling?"

Joo-Han turned the question to us, and each member shared their excitement and brief thoughts on the music video we had all previewed. The interaction was heartfelt, a genuine exchange between us and the fans eagerly typing away, their anticipation palpable even through the screen.