Second Try Idol

Chapter 275: First Full Album (11)

‘Will they finally focus on Chronos now?’

The Rings watched the lively conversation among the members attentively and smiled without realizing. It was comforting to see the members’ relaxed attitudes after a long time, and their affection was enhanced by cute background music and subtitles. The introduction scene really highlighted them.

The smiles of the Rings reflected not only their pleasure to see the members, but also their anticipation.

However, this segment was the only one that showed the Chronos members in Korea, unlike the other cast members who had ample screen time to show off their preparations.

“No! Seriously? Ugh!”

Kim Go-Ri was so shocked and pissed off that she was speechless. After a brief conversation in the car and a scene at the airport in front of journalists, the video abruptly switched to show Reina's arrival at the airport.

Even then, only Goh Yoo-Joon, Kang Joo-Han, and Lee Jin-Sung were the only ones shown only because they were talking in the front seats. Suh Hyun-Woo and Park Yoon-Chan in the back seats were hardly visible.

“Gosh, this is so mean. What the freak!"

“Be quiet!"

Despite her sister's scolding, Kim Go-Ri gestured angrily at the screen and threw the cushion she was holding. “They bombarded us with ads featuring Chronos, but what's with the lack of content? This is fucking crazy!"

Kim Go-Ri fumed as she checked the time. According to the schedule, she wouldn't be able to see more than eight minutes of Chronos even if the video only showed them starting from this moment! This was maddening!

Her sister was unable to hold back anymore and yelled even louder than her. “Shut up, idiot!”

“No...! Ah, seriously!"

“Are you walking around without a brain? Did you not even look at the schedule properly? And you call yourself a true fan? It's a back-to-back show, idiot."

“...Oh?"

“Typically, the first episode of Again After Rainfall is always like this. They show a lot of the manager team's preparations first, then introduce the artists, and that's it."

Of course, the reason for the limited footage of Chronos in Korea was largely to cover up Suh Hyun-Woo's poor condition, but the Rings couldn't have known that. Fortunately, the Chronos members were the only ones shown at the end of the episode.

[What does Chronos do during the long flight?]

The members’ dialogues on the airplane were displayed with pink subtitles.

Kim Go-Ri sighed. “Hyun-Woo seems really tired... Oh dear."

Suh Hyun-Woo fell asleep as soon as he boarded the plane. Park Yoon-Chan carefully covered him with a blanket, true to his angelic reputation within Chronos, and quietly shushed Lee Jin-Sung since he was speaking loudly next to him.

Kang Joo-Han and Goh Yoo-Joon were talking in the front seats, but their conversation wasn't captured. The editor expressed regret with a subtitle before moving on. Everyone was busy with their own things. The only member who interacted with the camera was Lee Jin-Sung, who was sitting next to Su-Hwan.

The first episode of Again After Rainfall ended by showing all the members and then unnecessarily displaying the sky outside the window, with a subtitle wondering, 'What will happen tomorrow?'

“Ugh, they only showed this much? Just five minutes of my babies sleeping, eating, and chatting on the plane? They are so rude."

Kim Go-Ri resolved not to watch the episode again even if it became available for replay.

She had a lot to complain about and had already vented on BlueBird, but she still needed to search because even in just ten minutes of footage, there was a lot to fangirl over. For example, Suh Hyun-Woo sleeping, Park Yoon-Chan taking care of him, and Lee Jin-Sung getting scolded were very cute moments.

All the complaints and simple silly posts were all that were there for now, but soon the skilled fans would start posting GIFs of these little tidbits.

Kim Go-Ri's sister jabbed her in the arm with her elbow. “Hey, it's about to start."

While Kim Go-Ri was frantically refreshing BlueBird, the commercials had already ended, and it was time for the next episode to start. Kim Go-Ri immediately set her phone aside and picked up the cushion she had thrown with frustration to hug it.

“There should be more screen time for Chronos this time."

“I guarantee it's gonna be almost like a Chronos special. Trust me."

“I’ll believe that when I see it," said Kim Go-Ri.

She was a Ring of Chronos, but her sister was a Perfume of Allure. Kim Hyang-Su[1] had years of fangirling experience and knew very well the editing styles and content distribution of various broadcasting stations. When two episodes were aired back-to-back, it usually meant that the impact of the first episode was expected to be weak.

Given the insane marketing, sales, and anticipation generated by Chronos, both girls were convinced that they would be the main focus of the second episode.

“The broadcasting company needs to make the most of their casting investment, so don't worry about it."

The second episode started. As Kim Hyang-Su predicted, Chronos made a grand entrance in America with the subtitle "Arrival in New York" after a recap of the previous story and a brief explanation of the situation.

- Let's greet the viewers. One, two, three!

- Hello, we are Chronos. Nice to meet you all!

Upon just arriving in the US, each member of Chronos had their unique reactions. One member was fascinated, curiously looking around at this foreign land for the first time. Another seemed to be more accustomed to the place, so he confidently navigated and discussed what was around while pulling their luggage.

Then there was the member who was just overwhelmingly sleepy—Suh Hyun-Woo.

“He's practically knocked out. He must have had a tough schedule during those days."

Kim Go-Ri cooed over Suh Hyun-Woo's groggy state and teared at a cushion adorably. “That's also true, but Hyun-Woo has always been a heavy sleeper. Remember during the filming of ‘Graduating’ how he was always the last one up and Yoo-Joon had to wake him up?"

Who would think that Suh Hyun-Woo was like this because of the side effects of sleeping medication? The broadcasting station tried its best to edit the struggling Suh Hyun-Woo with the other members as adorably as possible, even playing a baby lullaby in the background as he nodded off in the car. He seemed out of it.

[He is trying his best to listen to the members, but...]

[His eyes close again.]

[It's okay...]

[Just sleep comfortably, Hyun-Woo...]

[Even your sleeping face is enough to make the cut...★]

[Aww, he is sleepy again...!]

Thus, the editors worked hard to erase the somber atmosphere of that time and managed to extract content from Suh Hyun-Woo sleeping. The lullaby played, Suh Hyun-Woo nodded off, and Park Yoon-Chan adjusted Suh Hyun-Woo's head against the window to make sure he would sleep more comfortably.

Kim Go-Ri was smiling again.

“Ah, this is ridiculous."

“Shut up, Kim Hyang-Su."

“What, do you want to die? Why are you having this attitude toward your esteemed sister, you jerk?"

“Ah, keep it down! Let’s keep watching."

To Kim Go-Ri, nothing else mattered, not even her sister. The high-quality editing by the public broadcaster made watching the members a great experience. After focusing on the members for a while, the screen shifted to show Reina's team moving to their meeting place while chatting closely with Callia Lawrence on the phone instead of heading straight to the hotel.

Kang's Kids @s102_ · Just now

What, the Again After Rainfall team is being silly LOL. Seeing them get pampered like this makes me wanna cry... ??

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Dinda @Dinda_w · Just now

AHAHAHAHA, does the Again After Rainfall production team have a fan among them? Look at the subtitles lol. But more than that, Hyun-Woo's sleepy nodding off is too cute ???? And I'm tearing up for our Yoon-Chan ?????? I wanna hear the conversation between Leader Kang and Joon too, producers pls... ??

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Other Rings had similar thoughts and feelings as Kim Go-Ri. After checking the reactions of the fans for a while, Kim Go-Ri shifted her gaze back to the TV. Reina and other cast members unknown to Kim Go-Ri were late and unable to board the plane. Honestly, it was entertaining, but she wished Chronos would appear sooner. The screen then switched back to the Chronos members.

- Should I? Actually... Should I carry him, hyung?

- No. Wake him up... Just kidding.

- Ah, why? Jin-Sung, carry Suh Hyun-Woo. Hahahaha!!! Ouch...

[The members are having a serious discussion in the car]

[What's going on?]

Upon arrival at the accommodation, the members were huddled by the car door and endlessly debated whether to wake Suh Hyun-Woo or carry him up. Subtitles brimming with curiosity flowed across the screen. This piqued Kim Go-Ri’s interest in the unfolding story. At the perfect moment, the camera switched to reveal what was going on inside the car.

“...Pfft! Is Hyun-Woo still sleeping? He is absolutely adorable!”

“Stop laughing like that. You’re annoying, ugh. Wow, your voice is really grating.”

Suh Hyun-Woo continued to slumber deeply as he was cocooned in a blanket even though they had arrived at their accommodation. Throughout the broadcast, he was either dozing off or sleeping with lullabies frequently played in the background. This music was almost like his unofficial theme soundtrack.

Despite attempts to rouse him with shakes and loud noises, Suh Hyun-Woo remained undisturbed. Neither the staff nor the other members showed any inclination to wake him forcefully.

- Hyun-Woo hyung must be exhausted...

- Ah, shall I carry him?

As the members endlessly debated whether to wake Suh Hyun-Woo or carry him, he finally became aware of the commotion and groggily opened his eyes. He glanced around with a dazed expression. He sounded defeated when he spoke.

- ...What’s going on?

- Ah, you’re up, hyung.

- Hyun-Woo, we’ve arrived. Come on down.

Lee Jin-Sung displayed a hint of disappointment while Kang Joo-Han beckoned with a welcoming smile for him to come out. Suh Hyun-Woo took a moment to understand where he was and slowly made his way out of the car.

- Is this the place?

The scene transitioned with a flourish of jazzy music. The brief preview that followed highlighted the luxurious lodging, its stunning night view, and hinted at the enjoyable and relaxing times the members were set to have.

After the preview, the episode captured the members deciding on roommates, Reina arriving to greet them, and them having dinner in the garden restaurant.

The members were visibly tense and keenly observing each other. Meanwhile, Reina skillfully weaved a relaxing atmosphere. People had liked Reina interacting with the Chronos members since before their debut thanks to their long-standing relationship. She and the members discussed how they would perform and raised a toast to do well before the broadcast concluded.

A confused murmur escaped Kim Go-Ri. “It’s done? Already?"

Chronos appeared throughout the entire episode, so time seemed to have flown inexplicably fast. How could a one-hour video seem so brief? Yet, that was the allure of engaging content.

Indeed, the episode was captivating. The members fussing over assigning a solo room to Suh Hyun-Woo, who was a bit unwell, choosing roommates who wouldn't disturb their sleep, and savoring exquisite meals at the upscale restaurant were all delightful highlights.

But... It felt too brief.

“Ah darn, that was too short. They could have shown us more."

The momentary disappointment was quickly overshadowed by excitement as the teaser played. This made Kim Go-Ri smile again.

The members woke up under the warm sunshine. Scenes of them chatting in the morning showing their stay at the lodging, spending their free time together, practicing, and performing were shown.

- Hello, Rings!

- We've arrived in New York!

A behind-the-scenes from Goh Yoo-Joon’s video call was also in the episode. It revealed a previously unknown fact that, during the video call, Suh Hyun-Woo was rolling around in bed.

“It’s ridiculous. Like last season, the teasers must be just baits for more viewers, so I shouldn’t get my hopes up. I am pretty sure not even half of this will be shown on the next episode, ugh."

“Damn. Well, it doesn’t matter. The teaser alone is satisfying enough."

So many GIFs could be made from the teaser. This was the most rewarding teaser in Kim Go-Ri's life.

1. ‘Perfume’ in Korean is ??, and pronounced as ‘Hyang-Su.’ ☜