Second Try Idol

Chapter 56: Mini Fan Meeting (2)

“Hey, everyone. Do you know that our final competition song is now up on the streaming sites?” Lee Jin-Sung’s question set the fans abuzz. Some of them were sneakily checking their phones for the music streaming app, trying to be covert about it.

“Right, it should be up by now. Both songs were scheduled to be released on streaming services right after the competition ended,” Kang Joo-Han added, giving more details about what Lee Jin-Sung had mentioned.

“Not just those two songs, but all our previous competition tracks have been uploaded too. If you are interested, please listen to them.”

“Okay, that’s enough promotion for now. Shall we move on to the next question?” Suh Hyun-Woo said as he peeled off another sticker from the board.

[During the shoot of the competition, do you have any secrets that fans don't know about?]

Hearing the question, all members of Chronos made a thoughtful “hmm” sound and looked around, their expressions hinting that they had plenty of secrets. As the members glanced at each other, unsure of who would speak up, Lee Jin-Sung raised his hand.

He said, “When was it again? Ah, during 'Red Riding Hood Cha-Cha,' Joo-Han hyung lied in an interview, saying we didn't fight."

“What?!"

“What kind of lie?"

“You guys fought?"

The questions came in a flurry, but Lee Jin-Sung was unfazed. He just grinned and nodded. "The truth is, we fought like five times a day during Cha-Cha." His candid confession took the other older members by surprise, and the fans laughed, enjoying this unexpected revelation.

Eventually, Kang Joo-Han, the main subject of the discussion, admitted with a nod. "Goh Yoo-Joon and Suh Hyun-Woo fought all the time: over meals, in their sleep, first thing in the morning, and even during practice."

Hearing this, Goh Yoo-Joon and Suh Hyun-Woo couldn't help but laugh. They then turned serious when their eyes met.

“What."

"What!"

“What."

“What?"

Click, click, click, click, click!

Park Yoon-Chan intervened, standing between them while chuckling. “That's how it is. They fight, stick together, fight, and stick together again. Despite their bickering, they are actually roommates."

As the tension eased, the members started to relax more, inadvertently sharing more behind-the-scenes stories. The fans couldn't hide their delight in discovering these personal details.

“They are really showing their true colors now.”

“Yeah. A reality show with them would be hilarious. I love the two same-age members the most.”

As everyone witnessed their playful interaction at the mini fan meeting, it was evident how unique and chemistry-filled the group was. "YMM hasn't showcased this side of them yet, right? I can already see myself watching their videos and following them around."

“Let's have Jin-Sung read the next question."

“Sure." Responding to Kang Joo-Han's suggestion, Lee Jin-Sung peeled off another sticker.

“Okay, let’s see... Uh? 'Hyun-Woo, what were you talking about in the bathroom that time?' What does this mean?" Lee Jin-Sung read the question, causing the fans to giggle knowingly while the other group members looked confused.

“That time with Woo Ji-Hyuk and Kim Jin-Wook!"

“During the unit!"

“When the three of you went into the bathroom!"

“When you dragged Kim Jin-Wook into the bathroom!" The fans eagerly tried to explain, but the group members still seemed baffled.

“What does that mean? Bathroom? Who asked this question?" Suh Hyun-Woo finally spotted the fan who asked the question. The fans were still abuzz, indicating that it was a common curiosity among them.

A fan in the back covered her flushed face and stood up. “Oh no! I'm sorry!"

“What? Why are you sorry?" Looking a bit lost, Suh Hyun-Woo gently responded to the flustered fan.

“What does this question mean?" With all eyes on her, the flushed fan became even more embarrassed. Under Suh Hyun-Woo's gaze, she eventually lowered her head as she was shy.

“Ah, it's so embarrassing! I'd die of jealousy right there."

“I would just faint on the spot." Excited murmurs filled the air.

"Uh, during the unit training, Hyun-Woo, Ji-Hyuk, and Jin-Wook had a conversation in the bathroom, remember?" stammered the flushed fan.

Hearing this, Suh Hyun-Woo rolled his eyes in realization and let out an “ah”. He recalled a serious toilet conference they had, where they talked about a big decision regarding Jin-Wook moving to YU. It was a serious conversation but was humorously portrayed by YU Entertainment, showing about five minutes of footage focusing on the door to the bathroom.

Suh Hyun-Woo chuckled, sharing a behind-the-scenes tidbit. “We had cameras everywhere except in the bathrooms. So, whenever we needed to have private conversations, that’s where we headed.”

“Ahh, I remember that from the show. I almost died laughing.”

“Didn’t all the other teams relate to this too?” Suh Hyun-Woo asked, and all the other members nodded in agreement. They only showed so much on air, but whenever the members had personal things to discuss, they’d seek out blind spots like the bathroom, the backyard, or even under the covers. It was a little secret strategy to avoid the ever-present cameras.

On TV, there were moments when Woo Ji-Hyuk and Suh Hyun-Woo would just disappear into the bathroom and not come out for ages. The broadcast humorously focused on the closed door for a long time, accompanied by captions like, “What are they doing in there...? I want to know too”. Then Suh Hyun-Woo would suddenly show up, dragging Kim Jin-Wook back into the bathroom, leaving viewers both confused and curious.

Suh Hyun-Woo hesitated for a moment, thinking of how to deflect the question. "Honestly, I don’t remember exactly what we were talking about. It was just some trivial things. Ji-Hyuk hyung, Jin-Wook hyung, and I got along well... so we often went in together." He casually brushed off the topic, and his nonchalant demeanor made the fans think he genuinely couldn't remember much.

"We've covered everything we thought about. Does anyone have any questions or something to say to Chronos?" Near the end of the fan meeting, Kang Joo-Han asked this, prompting the fans to raise their hands. Goh Yoo-Joon then pointed to someone and called her. "The person in the denim jacket at the back!"

A fan in a denim jacket stood up. "I'd like to know who each member feels closest to in the group and who your roommates are."

Without hesitation, Goh Yoo-Joon grabbed Suh Hyun-Woo's arm. "This guy here, and that's why he's also my roommate."

Lee Jin-Sung shook his head, grinning. "These two didn't even consider anyone else when choosing roommates. They've been close since before joining the debut team."

“But seriously, they fight every day," Kang Joo-Han said this with a resigned expression, to which Goh Yoo-Joon quickly countered, "But we haven't fought much since making the debut team, right?"

“During Cha-Cha, you guys argued so much that Yoon-Chan was keeping count," Kang Joo-Han added, making the fans laugh.

“We're being left out, huh," the fan said playfully, though she seemed to be enjoying herself.

“I just hope we debut soon and get to meet you guys more often."

“What about the other members?" asked a fan with a loud voice. While it was surprising to hear Goh Yoo-Joon and Suh Hyun-Woo shared a room, it wasn’t much of a shock given their evident closeness in the broadcasts. The fans were curious about the other members too. Kang Joo-Han responded, "I have my own room, while Yoon-Chan and Jin-Sung share the big room."

"There was a fierce game of rock-paper-scissors between Joo-Han hyung and Jin-Sung to decide who'd stay with Yoon-Chan," Goh Yoo-Joon revealed.

“Wait, what? Isn't it better to have a room for yourself?”

As the fan murmured in confusion, Suh Hyun-Woo picked up the microphone again. "We just decided to share the bigger room. Joo-Han hyung and Jin-Sung both talk in their sleep, so they thought it was better to share with Yoon-Chan because the room they got alone was kind of dark and small."

Thirty minutes had flown by since the fan meeting started. Manager Joh In-Hyun checked the time and signaled to Kang Joo-Han to wrap it up. "Everyone, it looks like we need to finish up now."

"Nooo!" The fans expressed their disappointment, and it was echoed playfully by Goh Yoo-Joon.

The members then appeased the fans by accepting their gifts and posing for pictures with the headbands they received. "Thank you so much again. We will work hard to debut soon, so please wait just a little longer!"

"Of course!"

"We will wait! Just take care of yourselves!"

Fortunately, the fans readily promised to wait. As Chronos moved to end the fan meeting and saw them off, the fans unanimously refused.

"Let us watch you till the end!" The fans didn’t see Chronos's gesture as thoughtful. How could they not feel sad like this? If they left first, they'd miss watching Chronos leave.

"Really? You want us to go first?" Suh Hyun-Woo asked, somewhat taken aback by the fans' insistence.

“Yeah! Go ahead! We are okay!”

“We will leave on our own, so don’t worry!”

The fans insisted firmly, leaving Chronos slightly awkward and ultimately leaving first. Their first small fan meeting ended, leaving behind a trail of exciting teasers and a tinge of longing.

After the fan meeting, social media platforms such as BlueBird and UTube were flooded with post-meeting reviews and information about Chronos. UTube was filled with complete videos of the mini fan meeting and individual fan-cam videos for each member, while BlueBird buzzed with meticulously compiled details of the event.

The glimpses behind the scenes of Chronos, newly released mini fan meeting previews[1], and live updates of the fan meeting Q&A unveiled the members' casual banter. For those who had recently become fans of Chronos and those who missed the fan meeting, these updates felt like a refreshing rain of blessings.

However, it wasn't just Chronos's dedicated fans engaging with this content. As soon as the live broadcast ended, stage clips were uploaded on UTube, followed by reality show promotions by UNET, capitalizing on Chronos's victorious moments. The resulting buzz not only attracted devoted fans but also enticed some curious people to click on the videos and initiate searches for Chronos. As a result, their name dominated search engines for a significant portion of the day, drawing in those on the verge of becoming fans to start watching the fan meeting broadcasts and previews.

Among them, a new admirer was browsing about Chronos. "They're doing well," she chuckled, leisurely flipping through photos of Chronos.

Click, click. Her adept navigation of BlueBird and quick searches for Chronos showcased her familiarity. However, she hesitated for a moment and closed her eyes with a sigh. "I can't. I decided not to do this anymore." The memory of getting hurt and falling for someone lingered in her.

Yet, despite her attempt to resist, she found herself immersed once again, browsing through every fan channel and binge-watching content about Chronos. Her room was filled with high-end cameras, and her computer—too sophisticated for just internet browsing—hinted at her past as a dedicated fan. Her gaze then intensely followed every move of Suh Hyun-Woo.

"Ah, still a baby. Just a kid," she murmured, though her eyes showed a different sentiment. "I need to watch more to know for sure." Yet, she was already watching more than enough.

After the reputation of her favorite idol group, River, plummeted, she made a pact never to fall for idols again. However, who could resist their looks, talent, and endearing stories? Once a top-seed home master and a renowned fan who played a pivotal role in propelling River to top-tier idol, she now found herself in the familiar denial phase of becoming a fan once more, this time ensnared by the charm of Suh Hyun-Woo.

1. Unedited photos uploaded by home masters before any edits. ?