Chapter 72: Chronos History (16)

Chapter 72: Chronos History (16)

When Joo-Han suggested deciding on a fan name for Chronos, both the members and the fans participating in the livestream chimed in with numerous ideas. Ideas like—Second Hand, reflecting Chronos as the deity of time; Midnight, symbolizing the union of Chronos(the big hand) with fans(the small hand); History, for those wanting to be part of Chronos’s journey; and Cha-Cha, which evoked cherished memories from the day we all first connected—flooded the chat.

While some proposals felt a bit forced, others resonated impressively.

“Hyun-Woo, what are your thoughts?”

“Me?” I was taken aback.

“Any ideas popping up in your mind?” Joo-Han encouraged, not allowing any members to sit out. Though many ideas paralleled my own, Joo-Han’s insistence nudged me to contribute as he couldn’t stand members not voicing out their opinions. “Hyun-Woo is known for his bright ideas, especially since Pick We Up.”

“Umm... let me think." I pondered as perhaps a broader scope was needed. All I could think of related to ‘time’ was already given. Besides the time, Chronos was also the god of Saturn, and Saturn's most stunning feature was its rings.

“What about Ring?"

“Ring? What does that represent?"

“What do you mean by Ring?"

“Chronos is also the god of Saturn, and Saturn’s rings are its crowning beauty. The ring could signify that our fans are the most beautiful aspect of Chronos."

My suggestion was met with expressions of awe from Yoo-Joon and Jin-Sung. Their facial expressions clearly indicated that they liked the idea.

“Classic Hyun-Woo! I'm all for Ring. How about you guys? And our fans?"

Yoon-Chan skimmed the fans' responses, smiling broadly. “They seem to love it! It's catchy and fitting. I'm on board."

“What do you think, leader hyung?" Jin-Sung asked. Joo-Han nodded affirmatively. “If our fans like it, that settles it. It’s both meaningful and fitting."

“So, from now on, our fans will be Rings."

“Hello, Rings!" Jin-Sung's call sparked a buzz of responses in the chat. His face lit up, buoyed by the swift feedback. Mirroring his joy, Joo-Han gently got him seated. “Well, Rings, it's been nearly thirty minutes, and it’s time to end the livestream."

— NOOOOOO

— No, not yet! :’(

— Stay a bit longer!

— Only thirty minutes? Why so short?

Their lamenting comments made Joo-Han feel apologetic. “We'd love to talk to you longer, but it’s time for practice. We're truly sorry."

“We promise a longer session next time."

— Short and sweet is fine, just please don’t stop live-streaming!

— Thanks for dropping by!

— Good luck with practice. We'll be waiting!

Joo-Han read the chats and then said, “Debut preparations have kept all of us swamped and tired, but your presence here has been truly uplifting."

“We’ll practice diligently and return soon... Stay strong!"

“It’s time for us to go, Hyun-Woo."

“Okay." I approached the camera, waving a final goodbye. “Thank you for today. Stay well until we meet again!" With that, the broadcast ended.

“That was incredible." Jin-Sung sprawled on Joo-Han's lap, his face radiating happiness.

“Jin-Sung looks more cheerful than he's been in days."

“It’s the magic of live interaction I suppose." Joo-Han tenderly responded to Jin-Sung and then stood him up. “Up we go. Time for practice."

“Is there a meeting after that?" Yoo-Joon asked.

I replied, “Yes, to discuss the next reality show shoot."

I quickly averted my eyes, pretending to be interested in the documents. A small chuckle came from Director Lee. “Anyway, it's going to be a tiring day. In-Hyun, please adjust the practice schedule for the day. Make sure the outfits are comfortable."

The stylist team leader raised a hand. “Are we shooting on dirt at the camping site?"

“Yes, even though there will be props from the survival gear sponsor, expect to be rolling in the dirt."

“What about safety gear or head cameras?"

“Members will wear some safety gear, but it won't be overly cumbersome. No head cameras either. We want them to look cool even in a gunfight."

The meeting progressed swiftly. It was more of an information session for us, with realizations like, “Oh, survival next” and “There are guests.”

“Aren’t we having advantages for this game?" Yoo-Joon whispered, barely containing a chuckle.

I smirked back at him. “Not us, just me."

“You are ridiculous.”

In survival games and gunfights, Yoo-Joon and I were the pros, having conquered everything from Crazy Arcade and Battle Grounds to older games like Sudden and Highwatch.

Jin-Sung occasionally joined us but preferred dancing and sports, while Joo-Han and Yoon-Chan weren't into games.

Therefore, it'd be Yoo-Joon and me flying around the field in this shoot. It was such a satisfying content.

“Anyway, that’s all we got for today. Any questions?”

“No. We will do the best from our side for a smooth shooting.” The meeting ended with Mr. Seong’s words. After that, the staff got up and started packing their stuff.

Director Lee Won-Jae sipped the coffee while talking to Mr. Seong. Then, he looked at Goh Yoo-Joon and me as he exclaimed, “Oh, right. You two are the MCs for Countdown, right?”

“Yup! It’s the day after the reality show shooting.”

“Nice. Go advertise for our show as well since it’s the reward from our show, okay?”

“Yes, for sure.”

The manager had stressed multiple times that this opportunity was for the sake of promoting the show. Hence, both of us nodded with big smiles.

As the production team of Chronos History left the meeting room and the manager went to see them off, Supervisor Kim stopped us as we were about to head back to the practice room. We had thought we had nothing more to do in the meeting room.

“Hey, guys. Do you mind sitting down a bit longer?”

“...What’s going on?”

Both Supervisor Kim and Mr. Seong, who had appeared friendly during the meeting, now wore serious expressions, completely erasing their smiles. We automatically settled back into our chairs.

“Is anyone among you confident in survival games?”

“Who is the strongest candidate for the first place?”

The members pointed at me, while I pointed at Goh Yoo-Joon.

“Because Hyun-Woo hyung was born to be good at games and has advantageous physical abilities.”

“Oh, yeah? What about Joo-Han?”

“Me? Umm...” Joo-Han hesitated before answering. “I could say that I would die right at the start.”

“...Oh, really?” Supervisor Kim pursed his lips tightly and had a bitter expression.

“What’s going on?” I asked, and then Mr. Seong explained, “A few days ago... the company received a call. It wasn’t from just anyone but from SES.”

“Huh? Then?”

“They want to cast you for SES’s flagship program Flying Man.”

Thunk!

The plastic bottle from Joo-Han’s hand fell and struck the floor.