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Chapter 99: Debut (22)

“Umm, I\'m not sure. We\'ve bonded with the crew, and now suddenly it\'s the finale. It feels surreal to me," he replied.

The sentiment passed from Jin-Sung to Goh Yoo-Joon, Park Yoon-Chan, and finally me.

“What about you, Hyun-Woo?"

“I\'m overwhelmed with gratitude. Even now, your kind gazes are upon us, and you\'ve always been our pillars of support. I\'m immensely thankful to the crew and our fans for this journey. It means the world to us.”

After I expressed my appreciation, Joo-Han also shared his feelings. “It\'s been a period filled with gratitude. We\'ve learned so much from our first stage to our first broadcast with this incredible team. While we will gather more experiences in the future, this unique feeling and journey will forever hold a special place in our hearts."

- Everyone\'s worked so hard. We will keep cheering for Chronos. Shall we wrap up with a final goodbye?

Director Lee Won-Jae suggested. After that, Joo-Han glanced around at us and said, “Thanks for watching!”

“Cut! Well done, everyone!" A collective sigh of relief echoed as we basked in the completion. It was a mix of relief and nostalgia, but I was content we\'d wrapped up well.

“Thank you, everyone!”

I made sure to personally express my gratitude to each crew member, noticing the mixed emotions in their faces. Park Yoon-Chan and Lee Jin-Sung were visibly moved, tears and all. Even Dong-Woo, my cameraman, was moved to tears.

***

With our final farewells exchanged, we boarded the van back to Seoul, leaving the Chronos History chapter behind us.

“They approved the dance challenge. But what exactly is Teen&Talk? Is it truly that famed among teens?"

I replied, “So it seems. I only got wind of this dance challenge recently.”

“The planning team loved your idea. How did you come up with it?" our manager asked.

“It just hit me. But hey, I\'ve already got Jin-Sung\'s dance challenge filmed at the house. Can I capture another one at the rest stop?"

“Sure, just find a quiet area where no one is around.”

Joo-Han passed me the phone, and I tapped the video icon, surveying the other members.

“Goh Yoo-Joon, how about pairing up with me?"

“Sure, why not." We understood not everyone needed to participate, especially in the hustle of a rest stop. Plus, it would be awkward for only one person to dance around these many people.

Once there, Yoon-Chan, Goh Yoo-Joon, and I scouted for an ideal location, which proved challenging given our need to avoid crowded areas and unwanted attention. Finally, we chose a secluded spot behind the restrooms, shrouded by trees and teeming with ants.

“Don\'t fret about mimicking the choreography exactly. The essence of a dance challenge is to reinterpret the original moves in your style."

“So, just the chorus?"

“Exactly... just the chorus," I confirmed.

“Should I cue the music, hyungs?" Yoon-Chan asked.

“Please do."

He hit play on the chorus and started the recording. After engaging in a playful and meaningless high-five, we dove into the dance. Simplifying the chorus as per my suggestion allowed for ample room for creativity, leading to a moment where Goh Yoo-Joon and I locked eyes mid-dance, culminating in extravagant poses as the tune ended. Unlike us, who were having fun by doing silly dances, Yoon-Chan promptly vanished after he said, “Done.”

Crouching behind the restrooms, we reviewed the challenge footage before heading back to the van.

“Is everyone back?"

“Smells like butter-grilled squid in here.”

The van was filled with the smell of grilled squid. After we all took a seat, the car started moving again.

“Where should I shoot mine?" asked Yoon-Chan as he chewed over, with a squid in hand.

“Hmm, where indeed?" I mused, sighing deeply. We had thought about the practice room and the dorm, but the manager opposed the idea of the dorm for privacy issues, and the practice room would be for Joo-Han’s part.

As I was lost in thought, Jin-Sung chimed in, “What about at school?"

“School?" I echoed, intrigued.

He nodded confidently. “Many students do dance challenges there. I will team up with Yoon-Chan for it."

What a stellar suggestion, so I gave Jin-Sung an approving pat, impressed by his trendy high schooler insight. “Then it\'s settled."

With just two weeks left in our debut run, I wondered if we could truly unlock the full potential of the song. For now, the dance challenge was our sole venture for “Parade.”

***

Jin-Sung\'s dance challenge and my challenge with Goh Yoo-Joon made their way onto UTube, tagged with the hashtag #Parade_Dance_Challenge. Dance challenges like these didn\'t usually get instant feedback, so checking the metrics right away wasn\'t really an option.

Meanwhile, we found ourselves in the YMM conference room with a packed agenda ahead of us. A flurry of decisions awaited us, from scheduling the upcoming live broadcast to determining the direction for the follow-up song. Plus, we had to weigh the option of releasing Joo-Han\'s self-composed track as a digital single, especially after Producer Do\'s enthusiastic backing.

“Chronos is hoping to align the live broadcast with the follow-up song schedule, so we\'re thinking of going ahead with that. It\'s a golden opportunity, after all, and it would be a shame to wrap everything up with just the ‘Parade.’”

“Then, Mr. Seong, please coordinate with UNET and, um, shall we listen to Joo-Han\'s self-composed song? Producer Do has been praising it to the skies.”

Producer Do handed a USB to Hye-Ri and said, “I\'m quite pleased with it. I\'ve been guiding him a bit before, but I never expected him to produce something of this caliber so soon. It\'s seasonally apt, and honestly, if Joo-Han had just a bit more confidence, I\'d be pushing for it to be a follow-up song rather than just a digital release."

As Joo-Han\'s new song filled the room, it was evident that the guide version crafted by myself and Goh Yoo-Joon had evolved into a tune much more vibrant and lively than before. Even Supervisor Kim, Mr. Seong, and the other planning team members, who weren’t familiar with the song, couldn\'t help but break into smiles.

“Definitely... It\'s impressive. It seems like Producer Do has also added his touch. Releasing it merely as a digital single seems like a waste.”

“Exactly. It would be lovely to release it as a follow-up song with a fittingly beautiful name.”

“No," objected Joo-Han. The planning team then looked at him with perplexed looks.

“Isn\'t it somewhat lacking for an official title track? There will be plenty of better songs for the next comeback, so insisting on my song doesn\'t feel right." Joo-Han was evidently feeling the weight of Chronos performing his song. Despite his talent, he hadn\'t reached a point of being objective with his work, always sensing some flaws even in his best compositions.

Producer Do put down his pen and responded with a poker face, “Your song is good, and I\'ll address any flaws to perfection. I personally believe it\'s too valuable to be just a digital release."

Yes. Everyone was sharing the same thought. Our collective experience in music was non-negligible, and frankly, for what was supposedly his first serious composition, the song was astoundingly well-crafted. The only issue was Joo-Han\'s lack of self-confidence.

“I am not sure." Joo-Han hesitated once more.

This would not work. Without playing our trump card, he\'d keep refusing.

I muttered quietly, “Royalties..."

At my utterance, Joo-Han\'s gaze snapped my way, and he whispered back, “Royalties. First place. A cushion of money."

Joo-Han\'s reaction was immediate. Catching on the situation, Mr. Seong said, “Royalties. Independent from group earnings. Exclusively for Joo-Han."

“Separate from... the group pay?" As Joo-Han started to waver, everyone in the room started muttering about royalties.

“Royalties..."

“...but, how could..."

“Royalties..."

“Still, how can we..."

“Royalties..."

‘What should I do with such a materialist hyung?’

Finally, Producer Do, who had been silent to keep his charismatic image, murmured, “Parade... monthly revenue seventy thousand dollars..."

Joo-Han stood up abruptly, his eyes ablaze with a mix of greed and realization. He and Producer Do were locking their eyes. Eventually, Joo-Han conceded. “Yes, let’s do it.”

‘Money talks, after all.’ Joo-Han quietly withdrew his opposition, and so his self-composed song transformed from a simple unreleased track to our official follow-up song.

***

I accompanied Joo-Han to the practice room with the finalized self-composed track in hand. We also had to shoot his dance challenge video and brainstorm choreography.

“Hey, isn\'t this the first time in eight years we\'ve come to the practice room with just the two of us?"

“Yeah, now that you mention it, I\'ve never had a practice session just with you." While I had frequently visited the practice room with Goh Yoo-Joon or Lee Jin-Sung, Joo-Han typically headed straight back to the dorms after group practices.

“Hyung, have you decided on the name of your self-composed song?" I asked as I set up the camera on its tripod.

“Not yet. I\'m still pondering, but all that comes to mind are mundane titles."

“How about Blue Summer Night?" I suggested tentatively, and Joo-Han chuckled.

“Oh, that. Because of Yoo-Joon\'s lyrics, right?" It was a very ordinary title indeed. But since we couldn\'t keep referring to it as “the self-composed song”, I mulled over a title while Joo-Han prepped for his dance challenge. Brimming with a drunkenly joyous vibe, the tune kept leading me back to the names of alcoholic drinks. Hmm... but that might not fly, given all the members except Joo-Han were underage.

“Oh, right, Hyun-Woo."

“What\'s up?"

“I have something for you," Joo-Han suddenly said.

‘Ah, yes. I vaguely remembered him mentioning it before.’

Joo-Han pulled out his phone, sat down beside me, and said, “You were curious about this song, right? Listen to it."