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Chapter 88: Debut (11)

“Understood," I replied and gently shook Jin-Sung to wake him up. Pre-recording time was drawing near, and puffy eyes were the last thing we needed on camera.

Jin-Sung\'s eyes flickered open in surprise. He asked, “...Did I fall asleep?"

“Yeah. Best not to sleep before the stage." With a few more shakes, I ensured that Jin-Sung was fully awake.

“Okay..." He yawned and stretched. His fatigue was understandable, given our intense practice schedule and the challenging footwork in the dance break, but any lapse in alertness could cost us onstage.

At that moment, a member of the shooting crew entered our waiting room and said, “Chronos, sorry to interrupt."

“All good, what\'s up?"

The room buzzed as we huddled around the staff member. He then briefed us on the day\'s plan. “We\'ve got an audience today, so we\'ll try to wrap the rehearsal in one take. And if all goes well, we\'ll aim for just two takes for the main recording."

“Got it!"

“Head in, say your hellos, and we’ll kick things off. Oh, and keep an eye on where the cameras are. Also..." Glancing at a note in hand, the staff cracked a small smile. “Today\'s ending fairy[1] is Hyun-Woo, who takes the last part."

“Ending fairy... Got it!"

“It\'s a lengthy one, about eight seconds. We\'re counting on you."

“Thank you, I’ll do my best!"

The role of the ending fairy—a term even the industry insiders used—posed a unique challenge. Agreeing to the task was one thing, but holding a solo shot for eight seconds without any awkwardness was another. I had often been the focus in final shots before, but Music Case was the first to explicitly say, "We are keeping the camera on you for a while." That brought a different kind of pressure, almost as if I needed to make those eight seconds count.

“Thirty minutes to go, everyone! Let’s gear up! Stylists, please do one last check on the guys!"

“For sure!"

As our stylists sprang into action, the other members started to disperse, each giving my shoulder a supportive pat.

“Rock that ending, fairy."

“Do well."

“You got this, hyung."

“You\'re gonna ace it, hyung."

The thought of those eight seconds already had me brainstorming as I could tell it would be very awkward.

“Let\'s move out!" Following the manager\'s lead, we made our way toward the stage.

Backstage, we encountered the familiar silhouettes of Street Center, who were engrossed in monitoring their performance while being surrounded by their staff. We made sure to set up our mics quietly, careful not to disrupt their focus.

“Oh, when did you guys get here?"

“Look who it is, Chronos! You guys look sharp today!" The Street Center members greeted us enthusiastically after noticing us a bit late.

In response to Woo-Jeong’s warm embrace, I shot him a smile. “Are you guys done with your stage?"

“Yeah, it was exhausting. The numerous retakes happened probably because of our large group."

“Must\'ve been hard for the fans too, huh?"

“Exactly, it does feel a bit regretful." Ha-Yoon joined in, slinging an arm around Woo-Jeong.

As they approached, Goh Yoo-Joon, Lee Jin-Sung, and the rest of our two groups started to mingle. Given that Jin-Sung was formerly part of their dance team and others had prior connections to the Street Center members, we always regarded them more like old friends, even to those whom we weren’t very familiar with.

“Your choreography this time is something else. You guys might just collapse if you did it more than three times."

Jin-Sung\'s response to the comment was to bounce on his toes. “We go all out! That\'s Chronos’s motto!"

“Best of luck to you guys. Oh, and who’s the ending fairy for Chronos today?" Ju-Ho from Street Center asked with a mischievous grin on his face. Ha-Yoon then playfully scowled and smacked Ju-Ho\'s arm. “Why even bring up the ending fairy here?"

I couldn\'t help but notice the Street Center guys seemed keen on teasing their youngest Ha-Yoon, the appointed ending fairy of their group, rather than actually being curious about our ending fairy.

“This guy is our pick," the Chronos members chimed in, playfully pointing at me with a flourish of their hands.

“Aha, as expected!" Woo-Jeong laughed.

“What\'s with that reaction? What?” I asked. Woo-Jeong was obviously laughing because I was the ending fairy. It appeared that every group shared a certain awkwardness about the ending fairy role.

“Got any plans for your moment?"

“I\'m mulling it over. Not sure if I should stand still or throw in a gesture."

“Just so you know, Ha-Yoon had a \'staring match\' with the camera.” One of the Street Center members, whom I still didn’t know his name, put his arm around Ha-Yoon’s shoulders to tease him.

“It\'s called eye contact, not a staring match."

I pondered, ‘Should I just make eye contact, too?’ But mimicking Street Center\'s style felt somewhat off.

In the midst of my thoughts, one of their members threw out an idea. “If you haven’t decided yet, Hyun-Woo, why not go for a staring contest too?" They shrugged casually when I looked at them questioningly.

“How about this for a bet? The loser of the staring contest covers the winner’s song and uploads it on UTube

?" suggested one of them.

They seemed relaxed, their laughter easy and carefree. After all, they had debuted earlier and already wrapped up their pre-recording.

“Chronos, you\'ve got ten minutes till rehearsal!"

“Okay!"

The staff\'s announcement cut short our casual conversation. We then tensed up again and geared up for the rehearsal, while Street Center discreetly started to exit the studio.

Unexpectedly, Joo-Han latched onto the playful bet they had tossed around in the air.

“Eye contact and song cover sound interesting. Catch you later." Joo-Han called out to Street Center members who were about to leave, to which Woo-Jeong responded with an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “Deal!"

Following this exchange, Joo-Han contentedly rejoined our staff, chatting with the manager and the stage crew.

Shortly thereafter...

“Hyun-Woo, over here!"

“Coming!"

As Joo-Han beckoned, the rest of us gathered around. I paused my dance practice and joined the huddle, stacking my hands on Joo-Han\'s.

“Keep in mind the choreography we set in the waiting room. Remember, it\'s our first time on KEW\'s stage, even if it\'s just for rehearsal. Stay sharp! Oh, and Jin-Sung, watch your step."

“Understood!"

“Together!"

“Let\'s ace it!"

Pumped up after our group chant, we made our way to the “Parade” set.

“Kyaaa!"

“Guys!"

We waved discreetly to our fans, and they waved back using their glow sticks instead of our fan base\'s official lightsticks as we didn’t have one yet. They had been there for more than four hours, enduring even the lengthy session of Street Center. Their unwavering support meant everything to us.

“One, two, three! Hi, we\'re Chronos! Nice to meet you!"

I envied how Allure freely interacted with fans onstage. For now, we could only subtly wave back at the fans, while being conscious of Street Center’s fans and staff. We were not yet comfortable enough for open dialogue. However, I dreamed of the day when the stage would feel just as friendly for us.

“Chronos, it\'s time to start your rehearsal." And with that, our first rehearsal for Music Case on KEW began.

***

“Great job. Chronos, head backstage and get ready for the live performance."

“Thank you!"

Post-rehearsal, we were breathless, but we still bowed deep in gratitude to thank the fans who\'d passionately cheered us on. We kept waving as we headed backstage.

“Ugh... I\'m... totally spent." Jin-Sung slumped to the floor as soon as we reached backstage. Managing energy was tough as a rookie, especially when fueled by fans\' cheers. Because of them, Jin-Sung had really given his all, almost to a concerning degree.

“I\'d like to review the rehearsal footage. In-Hyun hyung."

“Sure, let\'s check it out on the monitor."

Each member of Chronos, not just Jin-Sung, was gasping for breath under the relentless demands of the intense choreography and live vocals right from the first rehearsal. At this moment, my background as a trainer came in handy, granting me the technique and focus needed to monitor our performance effectively.

“Hyun-Woo, you\'re planning to just stand still for the ending, right?" asked a stage staff who was watching the rehearsal footage with me.

“Um... yeah, that\'s the plan. But... can I maintain eye contact with the camera?"

“Absolutely! The fans watching at home will adore that." This comment cemented my decision, especially since Joo-Han had already expressed his approval of the eye contact idea. Anyway, I didn’t have any other compelling ideas for the ending, so this seemed like a solid approach.

“Hyun-Woo, could we review that part once more?" After regaining some energy, my fellow Chronos members swarmed around the monitor stationed near my chair.

“Hyun-Woo, you missed a camera cue here."

“Ah, right! I\'ll pay more attention to that."

“We\'re a bit out of sync in our formation. The timing\'s slightly off.”

“Sorry, guys, that’s on me. I\'ll speed up a bit." In the midst of our constructive feedback session, the stylists darted in and out, quickly removing our name tags and fine-tuning our looks. It was just a last-minute touch-up to our hair and makeup.

“Chronos, we\'re set to start the final take in fifteen minutes."

“Got it!"

As the moment of truth—our performance in front of live fans—approached, I tried to control the rush of adrenaline from the earlier rehearsal.

‘I need to nail this.\'

My focus sharpened, zeroing in on delivering an impeccable performance.

***

“Has everyone had something to eat?" asked Joo-Han on stage.

“No!"

“I’m really sorry to keep you waiting this long." Joo-Han\'s words were met with a chorus of headshakes from the fans, who were all too willing to dismiss any discomfort. My heart felt heavy with gratitude and a tinge of guilt, as I saw not only our loyal Rings but also the devoted fans of Street Center who had endured until the third recording. While our first take had sailed smoothly, it was the second one that veered off course.

Just as we were nearing a seamless wrap-up, Jin-Sung and Park Yoon-Chan hit a snag during the dance break. Therefore, we braced ourselves for the third recording, under the scrutinizing gaze of the director, the staff, and, most importantly, our fans.

This take had to be flawless. A determined glint shone in the eyes of each member.

“Let\'s begin."

“Thanks for being patient!"

We went to our positions and readied ourselves as the opening notes of “Parade” filled the air. Despite the physical exhaustion, our bodies were now fully attuned to the routine after multiple rehearsals.

Bathed in soft, pastel lighting, we started our performance once again.

1. In the Korean idol industry, the "ending fairy" refers to the member of a K-pop group who stands out during the closing moments of a music show performance due to their striking appearance or memorable presence. This concept adds excitement and anticipation for fans, as different members take on the role during various performances. ?