Second Try Idol

Chapter 309: Break (5)

It seemed like Joo-Han’s main purpose from the start was to relax the tense atmosphere. The moment he pointed at Goh Yoo-Joon, the air became easier to breathe, as if a weight had been lifted.

‘He is probably going to tell Goh Yoo-Joon to shut up or to tone down the jokes.’ I also thought Goh Yoo-Joon would respond with a playful smirk and say, “I don't want to!"

Joo-Han pointing at Yoo-Joon signaled he wasn't about to get serious. Yoon-Chan and the rest of the members seemed to share this feeling as their expressions relaxed in agreement. But what Joo-Han said next caught us all off guard.

“I am always thankful for Yoo-Joon. It's not always fun and games for him, and I know he looks out for everyone with a smile."

“Well...” Goh Yoo-Joon seemed to have planned to joke back, but he was caught off-guard and shyly averted his gaze.

“Despite his light-hearted actions, he is incredibly mature, considerate, and thoughtful."

...What was up with him? I had known Joo-Han for nine years. He had always acted like an older brother to Goh Yoo-Joon, but this was the first time he openly showered him with genuine praise. This change was especially stark given that Goh Yoo-Joon had never seen Joo-Han in such a serious mode before, and Joo-Han had typically responded with irritation or physical restraint to him.

“Did you drink before this, hyung?" Jin-Sung whispered in a half-serious, half-joking way.

I shrugged since I was not sure myself, but entertained by the possibility.

“Ah, I knew it. That explains the affection between them. If Joo-Han didn’t drink, he wouldn’t say those things."

Jin-Sung was sure of this until Su-Hwan clarified from behind us that Joo-Han hadn't been drinking. This made Jin-Sung glance back at Joo-Han with a look of renewed shock.

Joo-Han ignored the bewildered glances from around and paused his flow of compliments. He addressed the slightly embarrassed Goh Yoo-Joon before continuing, “But you know, despite all these compliments you deserve..."

“Nah, I really haven't done much—"

“I wish you wouldn't cut me off when I am speaking about work matters." Joo-Han's voice carried a mix of annoyance and amusement.

“...Huh?”

“And I've got something else to say, Yoo-Joon. It’s great that you have lots of friends, but I’d really appreciate it if you could cut down on being on your phone during practice or when we are on schedule.”

Goh Yoo-Joon was usually so unshakeable, but he rarely showed a flicker of embarrassment. Known for being the idol group's social butterfly, Goh Yoo-Joon was always messaging his large circle of friends. Therefore, his phone use had definitely ramped up since the ban was lifted.

It was totally fine for him to use the phone in his free time, but he even found it hard to put it away during meetings after rehearsals sometimes. People would lightly chide him, tell him to put the phone down, or they’d just take it and set it aside themselves. But now, it was time to address it more directly.

“Oh, really? Was I doing that? Sorry, I will be more careful. I will keep my phone off during schedules.”

Goh Yoo-Joon was slightly flustered, but he quickly accepted the feedback and promised to change.

“It’s great that you are good at making changes once things are pointed out. I’m done now.”

It was a straightforward but deeply appreciated piece of advice. “Your turn, Yoo-Joon.”

Goh Yoo-Joon scanned the room. It seemed like he would naturally pick Yoon-Chan.

“I will choose Yoon-Chan.”

That was to be expected. Goh Yoo-Joon had been silently nursing some grievances against Yoon-Chan until now. Back then, he had noticed Yoon-Chan's anxious look and chose to apologize and move on, even though it didn’t fully settle his feelings. He probably just hated to see the group atmosphere deteriorate.

But holding onto these complaints could be dangerous. If everyone bottled up their issues by thinking they were being considerate, it could eventually lead to bigger problems, even disbandment.

“Yes, yes! Go ahead, hyung.” Yoon-Chan braced himself and looked determined as he faced Goh Yoo-Joon.

“Hmm.” Goh Yoo-Joon sighed deeply, then smiled. “I know you work hard and try not to be a bother. But it’s still tough, and I’d really appreciate it if you could join in on the rehearsals more.”

“...Ah.” Yoon-Chan’s face fell.

“How about cutting back on practicing alone at dawn and getting some more sleep?”

“About the rehearsals... Oh, sorry. Please keep going...”

“There were so many times you could have cut down on stage errors just by being at rehearsals.” Goh Yoo-Joon then turned to Su-Hwan. “I am asking you too, Su-Hwan hyung. Watching Chronos mess up on stage is tough.”

Goh Yoo-Joon’s blunt expression of his issues was unusual. The truth game we were playing probably helped us be more open than usual.

Su-Hwan nodded immediately. “I got it. I will make sure Yoon-Chan does not skip rehearsals.”

“I will also put in more effort not to make mistakes. I want to apologize to everyone while I have the chance.”

“Hey, no need to bow or anything. I can’t stand seeing that.” Goh Yoo-Joon stopped Yoon-Chan from bowing in apology and gave a hearty laugh. In a serious tone, he continued, “My point is that you decided to act in a drama, and you must have known that it would make your schedule busier.”

“Yes, of course...”

“Then you should’ve worked something out with Su-Hwan hyung, maybe adjusted your schedule to help the group. You are not just a trainee following orders anymore.”

Jin-Sung nudged me. “Yoo-Joon hyung is really serious today, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“He is really cool and handsome when he is serious.”

“Yeah.”

“Hey, Lee Jin-Sung, I can hear everything.” Goh Yoo-Joon suddenly stood up and walked over to Lee Jin-Sung, locking him in a playful headlock.

The two biggest guys next to me started wrestling, and I was stuck between them. Thanks to them, the buzz from my drink hit me much quicker.

“Ah, stay still, you guys, or I will move next to Yoon-Chan.”

“Ah! This is all Yoo-Joon hyung’s fault. Look at Hyun-Woo hyung abandoning me.”

I moved over to sit next to Yoon-Chan while Goh Yoo-Joon ended up sitting next to Jin-Sung.

After the commotion was over, Goh Yoo-Joon shrugged and grinned. “I’m done. I’ve said my piece.”

“Then it’s Yoon-Chan’s turn.”

“I...” Yoon-Chan took a moment to choose his next target. He glanced at Joo-Han, Goh Yoo-Joon, and Jin-Sung before hesitantly pointing at Jin-Sung, whom he felt the most comfortable out of the three. “I will choose Jin-Sung...”

“Yeah, I knew it would be me. What is it?"

Yoon-Chan thanked Jin-Sung for always lending a hand with dance practice and providing comfort even though Jin-Sung had been quite frustrated about his situation lately. But Yoon-Chan mentioned that it would be nice if he could stop being overly whimsical with the staff—like constantly wanting to dye his hair.

Jin-Sung seemed to feel betrayed. "You said I was cute, though!" he shouted, but soon reflected on becoming more mature.

Jin-Sung then pointed to Joo-Han, and Joo-Han to me, expressing his gratitude for always being there to rely on and meeting expectations. However, he hoped for more active participation during talks at events.

As we went through several rounds, I started to face the alcohol intoxication head-on, and I soon began to feel sleepy.

“Hyun-Woo isn’t drunk, is he?"

“I’m not drunk."

Jin-Sung looked at me intently and nodded seriously. “It looks like Hyun-Woo hyung isn’t drunk yet. When he is, all he says is 'Uh...uh...'"

Joo-Han empathized with Jin-Sung and quietly refilled his drink. I emptied only half of my glass with a displeased expression and set it down again. “Don’t encourage me to drink more. I will really get drunk."

Goh Yoo-Joon shook his head and put his hand on my shoulder. “No, no. There is no way that he is completely sober—"

“I said I’m not drunk. Let's listen to what Yoon-Chan has to say, huh?"

It was Yoon-Chan’s turn.

“You keep interrupting Yoon-Chan, huh? Doesn’t that prevent him from saying what he wants?"

“Ahh, both of you hyungs, shush! Now, Yoon-Chan hyung." Jin-Sung covered our mouths with his hand. Yoon-Chan hesitated but finally pointed at Goh Yoo-Joon.

“Yoo-Joon hyung, I appreciate all the encouraging words you give me during our morning jogs."

“If you appreciate it, why don’t you start speaking informally to us? Are you misunderstanding our friendship as just business-like? That really saddens me."

At this point, I began to look for water. Honestly, I was starting to feel sleepy. And so, a few more rounds passed. This round was Jin-Sung's. He pointed at me. I focused my droopy eyes and showed I was ready to listen attentively.

“You seem a bit drunk, Hyun-Woo hyung. Your face is all red."

“Yeah, but it's fine. Go on."

“Um, you know." Jin-Sung's lips wavered shyly from left to right several times before he blurted out. “I really admire you."

“...You’re saying this out of the blue?"

“When I was just a trainee, you were just another long-term trainee.. But now, I think you are quite cool."

I nodded calmly and listened, but mentally I was genuinely taken aback by the unexpected cringe. It would have been better if he wasn’t shy about it. How was I supposed to respond if he was embarrassed?

Ah, and I was so tired.

“I’m talking about the way you express yourself on stage and your physical skills. Honestly, I've tried to emulate what you do, but it’s just not my style... Anyway."

“Uh huh."

What else can I say to someone who told me they admired me other than 'thank you?’ I gave a typical response, and Goh Yoo-Joon commented on how shy that made me.

...But wait, did I actually manage to say 'thank you' properly out loud?

“Also, also, uh... You've always been so supportive and comforting whenever the members are having a tough time. I’m really grateful for that."

...It was not exactly embarrassing, but being praised so much made it inevitably so.

“...Okay."

Goh Yoo-Joon shivered as he stroked his arm. “Why are you building up so much just to talk about his flaws? It’s making even the audience uncomfortable."

Jin-Sung paused for a moment before asking sternly, “But what about you, Hyun-Woo hyung? Is there something you are hiding from us?"

At Jin-Sung’s words, all eyes, including Su-Hwan's, turned to me. “I am really concerned and have been thinking a lot about asking you, hyung."

“...Yeah."

“What exactly are you hiding?"

I sighed. This was a topic I really didn’t want to address that suddenly came up. The sudden irritation made me gulp down the rest of my soju.

“Hey, hey! Are you crazy?" Goh Yoo-Joon hurriedly tried to grab the soju cup from my hand, but it was already empty. Every time I tried to speak, I realized how miserably I had to hide the truth. That was why I had been avoiding counseling until now.

I sighed deeply and barely managed to open my mouth, which seemed frozen.

“...I am...”

Second Condition [Overcome]

Status: In Progress (50%->70% NEW!)

- The contractor's condition for regression has not been met yet. Integration will not be complete until the contractor's adaptation process is finished.

- This condition has a time limit (Remaining term: 150 days).

- Special note: Memory loss