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Chapter 184: Joy (21)

As I darted through the darkened corridors at night, the scene would suddenly shift to a warm afternoon in the club room. It was filled with laughter and playful antics. And when Joo-Han peered out the window and gasped for breath, the scene switched again to show us five tumbling down together on the school rooftop at sunset. It was a picture of bliss.

The previously somber sky transitioned to a pastel pink hue reminiscent of our “Parade" music video, amidst our thrilling chase.

And just as the song reached its peak, the music abruptly stopped.

Drrr—

The sound of a door creaking open echoed. What seemed to be Jin-Sung\'s feet hesitated at the classroom door before slowly stepping inside. Inside, Joo-Han, who had been staring blankly at the pink-hued sky, turned his head with a serious look.

“Ah, I remember that.”

“Yeah, that was when we had that ghost scare," Joo-Han added, prompting Jin-Sung to instinctively grab my arm.

“Ah, why bring that up now!? Seriously!"

“That\'s when Jin-Sung thought he saw a high school girl outside the corridor window."

“Stop it!" Jin-Sung pleaded, clearly annoyed. However, Goh Yoo-Joon just chuckled.

“Come on, scaredy-cat. You are hurting me," I said, trying to wriggle my arm free from Jin-Sung\'s tight grip.

“Actually, it wasn\'t just Jin-Sung. That day was really filled with weird occurrences," I added, fueling the conversation about the ghost happening.

“Looks like it\'s going to be a hit, just like Joo-Han hyung said.”

As we reminisced, the camera slowly zoomed in on Joo-Han\'s stern face before fading to black. And then, a message appeared, not in the stark white like before but in a subtle gray that barely stood out against the dark background.

“It\'s too late when you realize it”

The scene shifted back to the school gates that were now securely locked. The gates rattled, and soon Goh Yoo-Joon was seen climbing over, entering the school. The once-pink sky had turned dark again, and Goh Yoo-Joon frowned as he surveyed the dimly lit school.

The screen shifted once more, this time to Yoon-Chan at the main entrance of the school. He tapped his dying flashlight in frustration before sighing and lowering his hand. Looking puzzled, he glanced through the glass doors at the school\'s corridor which was only lit by the green glow of an emergency exit sign. Then, he stepped outside.

And with that, the music video came to a close and left a lingering sense of unease. It was much like our previous “Parade" video, but with an even more unsettling and mysterious vibe despite the cheerful tune.

We sat in silence for a moment as we were impressed by how well the video turned out and realized that the world of Chronos was deeper and more somber than we had imagined. We each took a moment to digest our interpretations before Joo-Han broke the silence.

“So, what did everyone think?" he asked.

“It feels so different from when we were shooting.”

“Yeah, I never expected it to turn out this intense. I was completely engrossed.”

“I really enjoyed watching it. I hope Rings find it just as engaging as we did," I said, nodding in agreement.

“We are looking forward to seeing your interpretations of the music video too!" Jin-Sung added.

Joo-Han clapped his hands in satisfaction with a broad smile. “A huge thanks to our production team for crafting such an incredible video. It was our first time taking on such serious acting roles, complete with dialogue. I\'m really curious to see how the Rings will react. Now, off to our meeting."

“Yes! Can\'t wait to see you, Rings!!!”

“Rings!” Goh Yoo-Joon echoed, playfully rolling his tongue as he waved his hand high.

“Let\'s wrap this up with our usual goodbye. On three!"

“We are Chronos! Thank you!"

We concluded the reaction video to our MV with our familiar farewell. Next on the agenda was the lightstick meeting. It would be quite brief, as it was mainly for incorporating our suggestions into the design.

***

“Given that Chronos is the god of time, a lightstick with a clock encased within a transparent orb would be awesome.”

“I\'m imagining not a full-fledged clock, but rather a sleek design with just a second hand, encircled by an elegant frame.”

“It would be mesmerizing to see it spin every time the lightstick is shaken, wouldn\'t it?"

“And how about we add a small Saturn-like figure at the center, where the second hand is anchored? It could add a great touch.”

Our flurry of suggestions was eagerly jotted down by the planning team staff as he diligently captured our collective vision in his notebook.

“The intense and powerful glow, right? Bright enough to serve as a beacon, dazzling to the point of being blinding," he insisted with enthusiasm.

“Exactly! We want Rings to stand unbeaten in any battle of lightsticks. They should shine brightly enough to light up the darkest paths. Like flashlights!" Jin-Sung and Joo-Han were unusually in sync as their exaggerations drew a collective chuckle from the group.

“Alright. Thank you all for the vibrant ideas! I will make sure to incorporate them into the design and share it with you through Joo-Han once it\'s ready,” the staff promised, his laughter mingling with the evident fatigue marked by the eye bags under his eyes. It seemed our cascade of suggestions had overwhelmed him, but he took it in stride and closed his notebook with a chuckle.

“Do we have any more ideas to share?"

“That\'s all we\'ve collectively discussed for now."

“Okay. If anything else comes to mind, please relay it through Manager Lee. And Joo-Han, don\'t forget to send over the details for the fan meeting corner by next week," he reminded us, to which we readily agreed.

“Okay.”

“Alright, I will leave you to it then. Keep up the great work in practice!" The staff exited the meeting room with a final word of encouragement. This left us and our manager in a brief, contemplative silence.

“...”

“...”

It was common for us to fall into these sudden lulls of quietude amidst our usual banter, especially with the fatigue of our packed schedules weighing on us. This pattern of energetic discussions abruptly giving way to silence had been a part of our routine since our trainee days and seemed likely to persist until our comeback.

“...Why are we still lounging around? We should practice.”

“Maybe we should sit here just a bit longer?" suggested Jin-Sung. Goh Yoo-Joon half-heartedly attempted to rise, only to settle back down after hearing Jin-Sung’s suggestion of a brief rest.

“Yeah, let\'s just stay put for a little while longer. The constant tension leading up to the comeback has really taken its toll on us," I said. We collectively agreed, feeling the strain on every muscle in our bodies.

As we continued our conversation with voices tinged with weariness, Joo-Han finally spoke up. His words added a serious note to the otherwise languid atmosphere. “I\'ve got something to tell you.”

“What\'s up? You seem pretty serious."

“What\'s going on?"

We showed some concern for Joo-Han, who then exchanged a meaningful look with the manager. Receiving an affirming nod, Joo-Han seemed to gather his thoughts before speaking again.

“This decision isn’t set in stone, but I want to gather your thoughts on something," he started, his serious expression underscoring the importance of what he was about to share.

The gravity of Joo-Han\'s tone meant that he had been wrestling with this issue for a while. When he wore such a serious expression, it was usually a prelude to unveiling something significant.

“What\'s on your mind, hyung?" I prompted as I sensed the urgency in his voice.

“I was contemplating the idea of appointing a sub-leader within Chronos." Joo-Han’s words hung in the air, causing a wave of surprise and curiosity to appear among us.

“Really? That\'s quite unexpected. Are the responsibilities getting too much for you?"

“...Is it because we\'ve been hard to manage lately?"

“No, no, it\'s nothing like that." Joo-Han was quick to clarify, dispelling any misconceptions.

“The volume of tasks I\'m juggling as a leader has simply grown to a point where I genuinely feel like I need some assistance," Joo-Han explained, his voice steady and resolute.

In support of Joo-Han, Manager Su-Hwan chimed in with a reinforcing statement. “I\'ve also suggested this. Since the photoshoot for our last concept, Joo-Han has been looking physically and mentally drained."

YMM stood out from other agencies for its strong support of artists\' autonomy. This was evident not only in Joo-Han\'s compositions becoming follow-up tracks and title songs for our first and second albums but also in the recent decision-making for the lightstick design and the fan meeting setlist, where the artists\' choices were paramount.

Leading the members, representing them in meetings, facing daily decision-making dilemmas, and even engaging in songwriting… Joo-Han had been bearing a heavy burden, all because of his role. Considering there was no sub-leader structure in the group before, perhaps Manager Su-Hwan had pushed hard for this change as he was concerned about Joo-Han\'s wellbeing.

“Even with my assistance, our new manager Hyuk-Soo will take some time to adjust and fully attend to Joo-Han\'s needs," Su-Hwan added, shedding light on the rationale behind the proposal for a sub-leader.

“Aha, so that\'s the reasoning behind it."

Joo-Han nodded in agreement, prompting a hearty laugh from Goh Yoo-Joon. “I was wondering what all the seriousness was about. I thought something was up, hyung. But if it\'s for that, then it\'s all good."

I echoed Goh Yoo-Joon\'s sentiment and added my support to Joo-Han\'s proposal. “Exactly, you\'ve been losing sleep over this and struggled so much. Having someone to share the load would definitely ease things up a bit."

With the main candidates for the sub-leader role—myself and Goh Yoo-Joon—expressing our approval, the younger members naturally nodded in agreement. It was basically showing their support for the idea.

Joo-Han then continued with a calm and natural demeanor. “I\'ve given this a lot of thought, you know."

His gaze swept over all the members before settling firmly on me. “With your recent contributions to our music and the innovative ideas you\'ve brought to our group activities since before debut, I believe you are someone we can all rely on. So, I was thinking of asking you, Hyun-Woo, to take on this role. What do you all think?"