Second Try Idol

Chapter 327: Break (23)

I had to keep it cool. I managed a shaky smile and turned to Goh Yoo-Joon, my voice tinged with uncertainty, “...Did you also see that person who just came in, or was it just me seeing things?”

“...What?” Goh Yoo-Joon’s face was drained of color. He turned slowly toward me, his eyes wide with fear, and clung to me as he started to scream. “What, what! What did you see?”

“It’s nothing, just... Forget it.”

Looking at his face, it was clear he hadn’t seen anything. When I suddenly stopped speaking, he shook his head frantically as if he was frightened by my abrupt silence. He hurriedly tried to leave the storage room.

“This is insane. I think Suh Hyun-Woo just saw a ghost, everyone. Let's get out of here, now!”

“We’re leaving?”

That wasn’t an option for me. I pried his grasping hands off me and grabbed the phone from him.

“If you’re scared, wait outside for me.” I sent Goh Yoo-Joon stumbling out toward the lodge with a firm push while I turned back to our search. The air was thick with tension, but the mystery of the treasure beckoned.

“Hold on just a bit longer, please. I will find it quickly. Keep your eyes peeled too, everyone.”

Was it really just a mere piece of paper marked with the word ‘treasure?’ We needed to find it to bring our day’s plans to fruition, so I absolutely had to find it and make my way back.

- Wow, this live stream is turning into a legend ??

- Let's just leave, Hyun-Woo. I’m too scared...????

- Isn’t this dangerous? The light flickering earlier when Yoon-Chan was there was a bit weird

- Did anyone else just hear something, or was it just me??

- Hyun-Woo, why aren’t you scared at all ????Let's just go, please...

- Huh, was I the only one who heard that? I definitely heard a man’s voice just now.

“No, Rings. I was mistaken. There’s no ghost here, for real.”

My clumsy attempt to backtrack had the chat urging us to leave even faster. When I couldn’t push my agenda to search alone any longer, I finally spotted the treasure paper atop a drawer and snatched it.

The chat was previously ablaze with activity, but it quieted down only after I emerged from the shed.

“I’m out, everyone. I’ve come out, so relax. You all worried a lot, huh? Sorry about that.”

“Are you actually not scared? Wow, my palms are sweating.”

As soon as I stepped outside, I playfully kicked Goh Yoo-Joon in the butt and we quickly made our way down the hill. During our descent, I kept up the dialogue with the viewers, some of whom mentioned they had heard a voice too.

Those who heard the voice described it as a quick, fleeting mumble from a young man, but I couldn’t say whether it matched the person or ghost I saw.

“There was a reason I had to retrieve this. Sorry for the scare.”

“Look. Because of you, I’m getting scolded by the viewers too. Just scold Suh Hyun-Woo, Rings. I did nothing wrong.”

I got an earful from the viewers and had to keep apologizing until we reached the lodge. As we entered, the atmosphere was thick with an air of unease.

“Oh, you guys are here.”

“What’s all this?”

“What’s with the giant blanket bundle?” I paused at the entrance to the living room and looked in bewilderment at the members, then turned the phone to show them. “It’s alright, it’s nothing.”

Joo-Han and Yoon-Chan both hugged the giant blanket bundle and patted Jin-Sung. “The hyungs are here, Jin-Sung. Hyun-Woo and Yoo-Joon hyung are here.”

“What’s going on?” Goh Yoo-Joon chuckled.

Joo-Han relaxed his frown and put his finger to his lips with a ‘shh,’ gesturing for us to come closer urgently.

“Come here, quick. Everyone, give Jin-Sung a hug.”

“...Pfft. Jin-Sung~” Goh Yoo-Joon burst out laughing and approached. He embraced the blanket bundle with the other members.

It appeared Jin-Sung was either completely terrified by the chaos just now or perhaps sulking because he hadn’t listened to my earlier command to come out.

“Excuse me.” Tae-Seong discreetly took the recording phone from my hand. I sighed deeply before approaching the members. I also wrapped Jin-Sung in a reassuring hug.

“Hyungs are here now. Time to go live." Joo-Han’s voice was half teasing, half scolding. This seemed to snap Jin-Sung out of his shell. Fluttering from beneath the blanket like a bird startled from its nest, he emerged with a scowl.

Jin-Sung’s voice trembled a bit. “Oh my gosh. If you saw something, you should’ve gotten out of there immediately."

“No, that's not fair. I think I just got spooked by shadows and echoes,” I reassured him and handed over the much-discussed piece of treasure paper. “Here you go."

Jin-Sung grabbed it grudgingly, and I quickly threw the blanket out of the camera's view. Joo-Han deftly smoothed over the awkward moment and tapped Jin-Sung on the shoulder to make him focus again.

“Alright, baby Jin-Sung. You are eighteen and in charge now. Let’s wrap up this treasure hunt, shall we?"

Jin-Sung still wore a pout as he held up a sheet of paper to the camera. “...The treasure hunt is officially over."

“Ready to find out what this treasure really is?"

“It’s no ordinary scrap of paper, that’s for sure."

“Exactly. Aren’t you guys dying to know why Hyun-Woo went through all that trouble to bring it here?"

“Totally. There's something I’ve been itching to show our fans."

We amped up the excitement and stirred curiosity about the contents of the paper.

“Here it goes." Jin-Sung stepped closer to the camera and spread the paper out. “Voilà!"

[Chronos' First Concert Announcement!!!]

“A concert announcement!!!"

“Whooaaa!!!"

Jin-Sung threw the paper into the air and yelled, sending the chat into a frenzy. The news was so unexpected that the chat scrolled rapidly and even crashed.

Yoon-Chan and Joo-Han both leapt up, and their arms thrust high into the air. Everyone, including the group members and Rings, erupted in jubilation and celebrated Chronos' first concert.

As I watched them, I was also swept up in the thrill, but soon stopped bouncing only to find myself staring blankly at the excited members. A wave of nostalgia hit me, mingling with fresh excitement.

Back when we first heard about a concert, neither I nor the others could truly revel in the joy. I had felt a resistance to the news, and the members were fraught with guilt, hesitant to even speak of it.

All of us must have yearned to celebrate like this back then. We had always dreamed of our own concert, our moment.

“Ah."

Crying now would be embarrassingly out of place. I frowned, but tears spilled over regardless.

I had longed to live this moment, once only imaginable.

“...Hyung, why are you crying? If you cry, I’m gonna cry too." Tears tinged Yoon-Chan's voice, and arms enveloped me comfortably as I buried my face in my hands.

“Ah, why are you crying again! Ah, really. Ah..."

Cries echoed around us.

“It's really happening." Joo-Han's voice cracked with emotion, and we all just let the tears flow for a while.

***

As things settled down, the members resumed the Q-app live session with our eyes red and puffy. Joo-Han relayed the concert dates received from the agency to the Rings and began winding down the broadcast.

“Thanks for sticking with Chronos through this daring experience. To keep you entertained until our vacation ends, we will keep dropping photos and videos."

“Get involved too. We are curious about what our fans are up to, so use the hashtag #WatchThisChronos to share your updates."

While continuing the live stream, the members occasionally glanced at Goh Yoo-Joon's phone.

‘Gosh, so persistent.'

His phone had been buzzing non-stop since we announced the concert. I noticed it go off at least half a dozen times. It was an unfamiliar number, probably a stalker trying to confirm if they'd gotten the right number during our live stream.

Luckily, all the members had set their phones to silent before going live.

'But why does that number seem familiar?'

Where have I seen it before? Normally, I didn't even glance at stalkers’ numbers as I deleted them. So, it was strange to feel a flicker of recognition.

“Well, should we wrap up the live session now? It’s getting late, and you all have work or school tomorrow. That's it for today. Chronos, out! Thank you!"

“See you after our vacation!"

As soon as the live stream ended, all eyes darted to Goh Yoo-Joon's phone.

“Haah." He sighed deeply and stood up, lifting his phone with a grimace that he seldom showed to others.

“Hyung, if it's an unknown number, just block it," Jin-Sung advised.

Goh Yoo-Joon softened and shook his head. “It’s someone I know. I need to take this call."

His shoulders slumped, and he nervously ran his fingers through his hair and headed to his room.

“...Ah." I recognized the number in an instant.

After Goh Yoo-Joon had dropped out of high school, we'd been in a similar situation then, and I had snatched his phone away while telling him not to answer. Since he turned fifteen and had become a trainee, that person would call annoyingly often.

Of course, I had forgotten this after I became a trainer, but this was enough for even Han Jun and I, who always hung out with Goh Yoo-Joon, to memorize the number out of sheer dread. It was his father's number.

Looking back, he was a man of poor character. However, it seemed Goh Yoo-Joon foolishly hadn’t managed to cut ties and had even given his new number to his dad.

“...This is unbelievable."

I headed toward Goh Yoo-Joon’s room without hesitation.