Chapter 201: Joy (38)

Chapter 201: Joy (38)

“Wow, just wow... Suh Hyun-Woo, after all the good times we've shared, you hit me with this?"

I couldn't help but let out an awkward chuckle as Goh Yoo-Joon, with cheeks flushed red, seemed to paint me as the ultimate villain.

I said, “No, no, it's not that I dislike you or anything. It's just that I have a slight preference for Yoon-Chan. Also, Yoon-Chan doesn't keep me up with late-night gaming sessions."

“But you are always glued to UTube as well! Waah, I feel betrayed."

I shrugged nonchalantly and redirected my gaze forward. What could I say? My preferences leaned more toward Yoon-Chan.

“I will go ahead and press it then," Yoon-Chan said with a playful grin on his face as he reached for the lie detector button.

“Just so you know, if this turns out to be true, we are on a two-day break from each other."

Goh Yoo-Joon's words faded into the background as I purposely ignored him.

“Look at Hyun-Woo hyung casually throwing shade at Yoo-Joon hyung like it's nothing."

Pungchik, pungchik, kungchik, pungchik-

The lie detector took its sweet time and drummed up an unsettling tension in the air.

“Hmm, this is taking a bit longer than usual. Are you feeling anxious, hyung?" Jin-Sung chimed in, barely containing his excitement.

“It's gotta be true. It has to be. Come on." The thought of the electric shock setting cranked up to the max loomed over me. However, outcomes always had a way of defying our desires, cold and indifferent.

“Aaaargh!!!" A sharp current zapped through my palm, causing me to yelp in surprise and fling the detector onto the table. I clutched my hand, and I was just about to complain about the pain when I noticed the others. Instead of offering consolation, they burst into laughter.

As I tried to regain my composure amidst their laughter, the amused director announced,

- Congratulations, Hyun-Woo. You are the one!

“What? About what?" I asked with a puzzled look.

"For those who've been caught lying, there's a penalty awaiting. So let's keep it honest from here on out, shall we?

“So, it seems Hyun-Woo is quite content with his current roommate situation."

“Indeed."

Next up were Yoon-Chan and Jin-Sung, who boldly claimed “YES” to “Have you considered joining another group?" and “Do you see someone in the group as a rival?", only to be revealed as lies.

With everyone else falling into the trap of lies except for Joo-Han and Yoo-Joon, the director seemed overjoyed as he prepared the actual penalty. Stand mics were set up in front of us, lining side by side.

- You've all done splendidly on your mission. Now, it's time for the real penalty. You see the stand mics in front of you, right?

“Yes!"

- For the two who avoided the penalty, you will use regular mics. The rest will perform the new song "Joy" on slightly peculiar mics. Please, enjoy yourselves and give it your all.

“Peculiar mics?" I got curious and tapped the mic with my finger.

"Ah-ah." I expected some sort of voice modulation. However, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. What was supposed to be so peculiar about that?

As the three of us exchanged wary glances, Joo-Han asked, “Is everyone ready?"

“Yes!"

“Alright, let's get started. Here's our title track from Chronos's second mini-album The Dawn of Youth, ‘Joy.’"

Following Joo-Han's introduction, the familiar intro of my favorite "Joy" started to play. Performing the song purely with vocals without the choreography felt refreshingly new. I wasn't sure what the penalty entailed but was convinced that anything short of voice alteration would be manageable. I started to sing my part.

And that was when the mic head started its wild dance.

‘Why are you two so close?’ It felt as if Halo's puzzled question was echoing in my ears once again.

‘I know right? Why do we end up meeting despite not being fond of each other?’

I took out a notebook from my bag and handed it over to Kim Jin-Wook. Then I said, “One of my members is about to release a solo, you see."

“Mhm."

“I've been tasked with writing the lyrics, but... I've hit a wall."

Kim Jin-Wook glanced over the lyrics I'd scribbled down while holding the coffee. “These seem fine to me. What's wrong with them?"

“I'm aiming to enrich the imagery and ambiance. I want to deliver the best possible lyrics, but I'm at a loss on where to enhance my work."

“To give proper feedback, I'll need to hear the song."

Luckily, I came prepared and played the song for Kim Jin-Wook without hesitation. He listened intently until the end and then nodded in approval. “You are considering making changes here?"

“Yes, exactly."

“How about incorporating some English lyrics in this section?"

“English lyrics, you say?"

“The track's got a deep, sexy vibe, so adding a few English lines could really elevate it."

“I see."

Kim Jin-Wook then took a pen and jotted down several English phrases that could replace or supplement my original lyrics.

“You seem to like me, hyung. You are surprisingly helpful."

“I keep telling you. If only you'd keep quiet more often, we'd always get along like this."

“That's not been my experience. You treat your manager just the same as you treat me."

“...Just go, we are done here."

“Come on, hyung, let's chat a bit more. The discussion about the lyrics isn't over yet, and I can't just take help and leave."

“It's better if you don't touch anything other than the parts I've corrected. You write better than you think you do. It would be good for you to have more confidence," said Kim Jin-Wook as he handed me back my notebook, as if he had nothing more to say. Then, he started editing his work again.

I looked at the notebook for a moment. The English lyrics I jotted down briefly to match the rhythm of the song fit perfectly. I then revised some other lyrics into English on the spot and hummed them softly.

Then, Kim Jin-Wook, who had been acting as if I wasn't there, glanced at me and asked, “Do you want to try doing the feature your manager asked you to do last time?"

“A feature?" I remembered Su-Hwan mentioned something like that. Well, Kim Jin-Wook helped with the lyrics, so doing that kind of favor should be fine.

“We need to get permission from the company to do it officially."

“Just try singing it for now."

“Okay."

After I nodded, Kim Jin-Wook immediately played the song for me. “I thought your voice would fit really well too. I've been keeping you in mind."

“Well, thanks.”

Like I highly regarded Kim Jin-Wook's skills in composition, lyrics, and rap, it seemed that he also had a high opinion of my singing abilities and voice.

1. Jin-Wook hung up. ☜