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Chapter 154: End-of-Year Stage (24)

There I was, at the center of this blooming chaos, pouring my soul into every note as I tried my best to embody the essence of a flower amidst the storm.

“Hyun-Woo, it\'s your cue to walk out onto the stage." I then followed the choreographer\'s direction and slowly rose from my chair to walk with deliberate steps.

“Take your time. Finish the part there... Perfect. When it ends, let the dancers envelop you. More aggressively!”

It was quite intense. The dancers adhered strictly to the choreographer\'s direction, converging on me with a ferocity that sent shivers down my spine. I recoiled instinctively with my eyes shut tight, bracing for the impact. And then, I counted.

‘One, two, three...’

As the next part seamlessly flowed, the dancers enveloping me dispersed like mist and moved on to the next scene. The rapid adjustments and on-the-fly changes had been honed by countless rehearsals for the KEW Awards. As a result, each training inched us closer to perfection.

“Okay, that\'s a wrap! We\'ve nailed the dance, so let\'s commit it to muscle memory and not slack off in practice.”

A chorus of "Yes!" filled the room, a testament to our collective dedication. After a brief rest, we returned to the grind.

“Yoo-Joon, Hyun-Woo, let\'s drill the special stage routine," the choreographer announced, as if it were the next logical step. Yoo-Joon appeared momentarily surprised by the directive and exchanged puzzled glances with me.

“Right now?”

“Here?”

“In front of these many people?”

The choreographer\'s smirk was a mix of amusement and challenge. “You two should practice because you have only been memorizing the lyrics instead of actually doing it together. I will watch and give you feedback in the end.”

“...”

“When and where else are you going to practice then? You have time now, so it is a great opportunity.”

“But...”

“What do you mean by ‘these many people?’ You are going to perform in front of a gazillion audience later,” said the choreographer. However, we were still hesitant, looking at each other while debating whether to actually start practicing or not.

The Chronos behind-the-scene camera didn’t miss a beat, capturing every second of our hesitance.

“Getting cold feet now, of all times? No way."

“...”

We were definitely embarrassed to be under the spotlight in front of this number of people. On top of that, our friends were watching. It almost felt like I was rehearsing being a music show MC here.

Performing those exaggerated gestures unique to musicals here was challenging. It was usually even more embarrassing to do them in front of family and close friends. However, having been through the ranks of trainees and trainers, I had learned that embarrassment was just like trash in this industry; it needed to be thrown away.

Still, we almost came forward sobbing.

“Ah, hyungs. Why are you guys so shy?”

“Our main vocalists! You should present yourselves with pride and coolness!”

“Stop that nonsense!”

“Right! You all look like you are just itching to tease us!" As we bickered with the other members, the choreographer sighed deeply and pulled Yoo-Joon to the center of the practice room.

Then, Jin-Sung suddenly lifted the chair I was sitting on with a chuckle.

“Whoa!"

“Just stay there, hyung. I will move you over there."

“No, I will go by myself. Please, let me do it." Amidst Jin-Sung\'s teasing, everyone started to laugh. I was flustered and was eventually moved next to Yoo-Joon, along with the chair.

“Shall we start?"

“Just the singing..."

The choreographer saw our resistance and reluctantly nodded as if having no other choice. “Alright, just the singing part then. But after that, it\'s practice time with me until morning for both of you!"

“Yes, sir!"

Practicing until morning on our own seemed better in comparison. We were relieved that we didn\'t have to perform our exaggerated acts in front of the other members.

“Let\'s start. I will play the song." The choreographer played the music, and Joo-Han\'s eyes sparkled brightly.

A beautiful white Christmas

The sound of jingle bells comes close

Today, it\'s just you and me, our own Christmas

Isn\'t it enough with just the two of us?

A Christmas of friendship, it\'s going to be so fun!♪

Goh Yoo-Joon awkwardly circled around me, singing with clumsy gestures. Seeing this scene, the other members couldn\'t help but snicker.

“Ah, don\'t laugh!" shouted Yoo-Joon.

“Hey! Yoo-Joon, focus on the song!"

As Yoo-Joon argued with the members, I decided to completely let go of my embarrassment and brace myself.

Really, is that so?

But I want to spend a lively Christmas with everyone

Holding hands with my loved one by my side

Walking down the Christmas streets

An exciting Christmas, it\'s going to be so fun♪

I sang with a face full of excitement at the thought of Christmas. In reality, our Christmas meant an SES performance and rehearsals until dawn. However, I boldly imagined a date with a nonexistent lover and shrugged it off.

Of course, the laughter intensified as soon as I got into the mood.

“Just give up and go with it like Hyun-Woo."

Inspired by me, Yoo-Joon started putting in more effort and imitated what he\'d seen in musical clips. As we finally put effort into it, the choreographer nodded in satisfaction at our performance.

“Even with freestyle choreography, you will do well if you just let go of the embarrassment. Both of you sing so well." The choreographer clapped and resumed the practice.

Three days later, the day of the SES New Year Party arrived with perfect stage preparations in place.

***

In the car, on the way to the performance.

It had been a while since I last wore a choker that felt like a dog collar. I tugged at the dangling accessory in the mirror, reminiscing about the last time.

Was it the stylist noona\'s preference? Last time, it was a dog harness, and now it was a dog collar. I stood bare-chested under a black jacket, adorned with two large gemstone rings. The jacket itself was embellished with sparkling gems and lace, creating an intricate pattern.

“Hyun-Woo doesn\'t dance, so the outfit can be a bit uncomfortable."

“...Right. noona, do as you wish."

The outfits my stylist chose always got good reactions. As she styled me, she even danced a little shoulder dance and sprinkled glitter on my head.

Then the manager came over and showed me his phone. “Hyun-Woo, look at this. It is the chair you will be sitting on today. Hyuk-Soo sent it."

“Wow, it looks like something out of a movie! Amazing!"

It was a grand and heavy stone chair, ornate and majestic. It was like a throne from a Hollywood fantasy movie.

The manager smiled proudly. “We asked them to make sure the staging was perfect."

“Thank you!"

Meanwhile, Joo-Han stood beside me, admiring his reflection in the mirror. He wore a similar black jacket, but with black sparkling frills cascading diagonally from the shoulder down and fluttering around his calves. Yoon-Chan sat at Joo-Han\'s spot, quietly tying the frills into a ribbon shape as a playful joke.

A few minutes later, our outfits were set, and the stylist took a group photo for us. Then, we changed back into suits and headed to the venue.

“What\'s this? Feels like a fox tail, doesn\'t it?"

Dressed in a sleek black suit and leather gloves, Goh Yoo-Joon\'s look for today exuded the aura of mobster chic, accentuated by a comical fox-tail fur draped over his shoulder. His hair was meticulously slicked back in a perfect pomade sweep, and his piercing eyes exuded a sharp sophistication. Despite being my buddy, he emanated an unfamiliar aura today. It was almost as if he was a main character from a gangster story.

Yoo-Joon wasn’t the only one undergoing this transformation. Each of us, myself included, had donned outfits so bold and striking that people would think twice before striking up a conversation with us.

“Hyun-Woo hyung, can I swap earrings with you? I\'m worried mine might snag on the lace over my shoulder."

“Should we swap? Is that okay, noona?"

Yoon-Chan seemed constantly annoyed by his earrings swinging about, while Jin-Sung was fully embracing the gangster vibe.

“You see, in this underworld, do you even know who I am?" Jin-Sung\'s playful imitation of classic gangster movie lines was a hit, eliciting laughs and lightening the mood around him.

“Once we are done in the photo zone, we will head backstage," instructed Manager Su-Hwan.

“Understood!"

“You guys will be backstage clapping and cheering as the hosts belt out Christmas carols. Ok, let\'s make our way down now."

After arriving at the venue, we stepped out of the car and straight into the whirlwind of photo shoots and briefings before being whisked away to the backstage area. The entire backstage was buzzed with the energy of artists and staff gearing up for the opening.

In the midst of this bustling backdrop, SES\'s behind-the-scenes cameras darted about, snagging interviews here and there. Amid slight nerves, we had our makeup touched up and costumes adjusted, all the while keenly aware of the cameras weaving through the crowd.

After that, one camera made a beeline for us. Conveniently in its path, Joo-Han and I greeted it as if it were an old friend. “Wow! Hello there!"

- Hello, this is the New Year Party Cam. Team Chronos, could you send out a Christmas greeting to our viewers?

The cameraman prompted us, and Joo-Han tactfully stepped aside, nudging Jin-Sung and Yoon-Chan into the limelight. I then offered a reassuring pat to the backs of my somewhat startled companions.

“A holiday shout-out to all our viewers, please."

“Ah, yes!"

“Yes! Merry Christmas! ...All together now! Merry-"

“Wishing you all a joyful Christmas!"

Yoon-Chan and I ignored Jin-Sung’s attempt to lead and synced up our greeting, inadvertently irking Jin-Sung who then shot us a glare. Yet, his look was more amusing than intimidating.

- And what special plans do the members of Chronos have for Christmas?

Goh Yoo-Joon, who had been chatting with Joo-Han, smoothly joined the conversation. “Oh, there is no doubt! We are spending it with the SES New Year Party."

I chimed in, “And after the party wraps up, we are planning to call our parents, celebrate with some fried chicken, and then practice as usual."

“Here\'s to a happy Christmas in the practice room!"

The cameraman nodded in approval, a wide grin spreading across his face as he suddenly offered a handful of quirky items.

“What are these?"

- Please, take them.

The items in question were an assortment of festive props. They were Rudolph noses, reindeer antlers, Santa hats, fluffy beards, and a weird tree costume mask.

I accepted them, feeling bemused as I looked questioningly at the cameraman.

- Today’s mission involves these props. Please wear them to add some fun to the opening!

“Are these props part of our mission?"

- That\'s right.

“Wow, look at this interesting piece!" Goh Yoo-Joon grabbed the tree costume mask and inspected it closely. The mask had a cut-out for the face, which meant that anyone who donned it would be transformed into a Christmas tree.

- We are counting on you.

We gathered around the props with the cameraman’s encouragement and formed a circle, realizing that the backstage buzz was all due to this mission.

With a resigned shrug, Joo-Han picked up the tree costume. “Let\'s divide these among us fairly and settle the tree costume with a game of rock-paper-scissors."

We exchanged puzzled glances at Joo-Han\'s suggestion.

“Really?"

“Yeah, why? Rock-paper-scissors."

It was a well-known fact that Joo-Han had quite the losing streak when it came to games of chance like rock-paper-scissors. It was almost impressive how consistently he managed to lose every single time.

Perhaps it was because the stage was right around the corner? Or maybe he had simply forgotten just how bad he was at rock-paper-scissors, considering it had been a while since his last game.

“Well, if that is what you want.”

The sly Goh Yoo-Joon pretended he knew nothing and stretched out his hand. “Even if you end up wearing the tree costume, no complaints, okay? Just happy and enjoy it, get it?”

“Okay.” Joo-Han excitedly extended his hand. We simply looked at him with a mix of amusement and pity. Knowing that he was about to suffer, we then shook our hands up and down.

“Rock, paper, scissors!"

And there it was, the inevitable outcome... just as expected...

“...Huh?" the bewildered voice of Joo-Han resonated.