Second Try Idol

“Go ahead and publish the article as it is. We will be proceeding with the lawsuit exactly as stated in the notice with no leniency. Yes, thank you."

After ending the call, Chronos' manager, Lee Su-Hwan, closed his tired eyes for a moment and sighed deeply.

“Hah."

Exhaustion was weighing on him, but he knew he couldn't afford to relax during such a critical time. The scandal involving Goh Yoo-Joon's father had just been resolved, and they were now gearing up to sue a slew of malicious commenters.

He was overseeing the legal preparations while also managing the artists, who were busy with their first concert and about to launch a new label. The workload would have been overwhelming if Tae-Seong hadn't come on board.

He longed to snatch even a brief nap in the office, but… Today was one of those days when he found himself missing the cigarettes he had given up. He glanced once more at the building where the Chronos members were filming before moving on.

'Sleep when you are dead[1],' he reminded himself.

His first priority was to check on the filming process of Chronos.

“Hard work deserves a little reward. I’ve brought some coffee."

After Su-Hwan set down the cups, the young staff members flocked like birds to a feeder and eagerly gulped down the coffee. They were part of a new content production team in charge of creating the video for Chronos' concert eve.

Su-Hwan watched the vibrant team for a moment before his gaze returned to the monitor.

“How's the shooting going?"

“Perfect timing! You caught us right at a cliffhanger moment. Chronos really knows how to bring the drama."

“Thanks." He was about to return the compliment with a pleased nod when his attention was caught by what was unfolding on the monitor.

- Aaaaah! Suh Hyun-Woo!!!

-...Uh?...Oh, no. Don't come over here.

Once again, it was Goh Yoo-Joon and Suh Hyun-Woo.

“Pfft." Su-Hwan chuckled unintentionally.

Goh Yoo-Joon was charging toward Suh Hyun-Woo, leading three members of the special forces with an alarming ferocity.

Off in the distance, Jin-Sung looked utterly panicked as he ran for his life. Meanwhile, Suh Hyun-Woo was initially frozen in shock, but he had finally started to flee. It was always Suh Hyun-Woo and Goh Yoo-Joon who brought the unintended comedy. Watching them sprint like madmen brought back memories of the old days when they filmed Graduating. Ꞧ𝐚ＮỘᛒËṡ

Was it during the sports festival? Even though there weren't any special forces back then, the chaos had been somewhat similar… Goh Yoo-Joon had refused to pass the baton and just kept running.

“…What exactly are the members up to now?"

Lost in his nostalgia, Su-Hwan was jolted back to reality by what he saw on the screen. The two members were speeding along. After Goh Yoo-Joon caught up with Suh Hyun-Woo, they started to whisper conspiratorially and gained some distance from the special forces. Those two same-aged members were always plotting something.

Suh Hyun-Woo reluctantly draped an arm over Goh Yoo-Joon's shoulder with a visibly frustrated expression. He started to limp exaggeratedly.

Goh Yoo-Joon shouted, “We are so done! Go on without us! Make sure to survive and send my regards to my family...”

Suh Hyun-Woo's head drooped at Goh Yoo-Joon's awkward acting.

What in the world? Just as Su-Hwan's confusion peaked, the special forces stopped their pursuit and carefully walked around Goh Yoo-Joon and Suh Hyun-Woo.

“What is all this about?"

“Oh, it’s part of Yoo-Joon’s ability. His ability is…" The director consulted a notebook that detailed the proceedings. “Yoo-Joon is a villain who can turn into the hero's friend once. If he supports a member and delivers those lines, the special forces will turn into allies for thirty seconds."

“Ah." A slight smirk appeared on Su-Hwan's lips. That explained the limping and the terrible acting. Through the high-definition monitor, he could even see Suh Hyun-Woo's extreme embarrassment. It was hilariously awkward.

Su-Hwan found his fatigue eased not only by their antics, but…

- Aaaaaahhhhh!!!

- Ugh!

- Sorry! Really sorry! Goodbye, no, thank you, no. I will apologize properly later!

Meanwhile, Jin-Sung was making a scene on the other side of the corridor, screaming at the top of his lungs as he bulldozed his way through the special forces by using his sheer bulk to his advantage.

“Look here, folks,” Joo-Han announced, cleverly hiding Park Yoon-CHan behind him and brandishing a prop hypnosis tool in front of the troops. “I’m going to count to three, and you will fall asleep. Get any closer, and sleep will be the least of your worries. One, two, three. Red Sun.”

The game was heating up as members scurried around, finding clues and unlocking new abilities.

“Ah! We caught one! Jail team, get ready," the director shouted as he pointed excitedly at one of the monitors.

Already? Su-Hwan, who had been enjoying the members' struggles, suddenly looked concerned when he saw someone being caught by the special forces after a fall. It turned out to be Suh Hyun-Woo.

“Hyun-Woo's been caught! Oh no, he even had a special ability, but he tripped over. Yu-Ri, can you check with the special forces to make sure he is not hurt?" Su-Hwan requested, clearly flustered.

“Yep, sure.”

Su-Hwan had never expected Suh Hyun-Woo, of all people, to be caught so early. He was supposed to be one of the last ones standing.

***

“Ah, that's such a bummer.”

“Hyun-Woo, are you alright? Did you get hurt?"

“No, no, I’m perfectly fine," Hyun-Woo quickly reassured the staff.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. After smoothly dodging the special forces with a painfully embarrassing ability with the help of Goh Yoo-Joon, I dashed into the nearest room to hide. There, I stumbled upon a clue and an ability named 'Goodbye My Love Villain.' I let my guard down for a moment, and the special forces appeared at the end of the hallway just as I was stepping out.

I panicked, ran, tripped, and ended up in their grasp. How had I, of all people, become the first member to be captured?

The real problem was the impact on my screen time. I had been so obsessed with it during the past few months of shooting Newbie Crew that the thought of being eliminated so early was agonizing.

If only I had managed to use my new ability or even performed a dramatic dance to leave a lasting impression... But then again, the abilities Jin-Sung and Goh Yoo-Joon had found were far more sensational than my dance to secure lots of air time.

Still, the 'Goodbye My Love Villain' ability seemed promising. It involved acting like someone heartbroken over a breakup and singing a sorrowful song, which might have earned some sympathy from the special forces, potentially sparing me. But being caught so quickly and sent to jail was frustrating and didn't sit right with me.

I pondered, 'I can't just give up on the game. What should I do?'

'Cry.' I recalled Joo-Han's advice to do whatever it takes to get more screen time. I approached the special forces tentatively.

“Excuse me, could we have a word?" I asked gently.

“Let's talk in the jail," they responded.

“Okay..." I agreed, resigned. They handcuffed me and led me away.

“...”

Once alone in the jail, I took a moment to look at the handcuffs binding my wrists and spoke up. I was hoping to strike a deal with the director who was filming.

“Director, would you consider a deal with me?"

After all, this content was made to showcase various sides of the members. I had to secure my screen time by any means necessary. That was the unwritten rule of the industry.

Fortunately, the director seemed to be intrigued. “What's the deal?"

“Please let me out of jail.”

“And if I do?" he prodded.

“I will bring another member in," I promised and gave a mischievous grin that made the director chuckle darkly, almost as if he was revealing his true, scheming nature.

His expression seemed to say, ‘Yes, that's exactly what I wanted to hear!'

“So, Hyun-Woo. Are you suggesting becoming a spy for the special forces in exchange for your freedom?" he clarified.

“Yes, exactly.”

“And you do realize this might prevent Chronos from escaping, right? That would mean no gifts for the Rings,” he pointed out, already seeming to accept my proposal by his tone.

“Then tell me how I can still secure gifts for the Rings, and I will do that," I offered, ready to do whatever it took.

“Well, what do you stand to gain by stirring up such trouble?"

Why am I stirring up a muddy mess for myself? Of course…

“I’m doing this for screen time. I was eliminated too early..."

“Ah, I see. Give me a moment. I will discuss this with other directors and come back."

“Thank you for listening to my proposal!"

[※All members must cooperate.]

I decided to erase this line from the game's starting instructions from my mind.

Soon after, the director I talked to returned and unlocked my handcuffs. “There's a condition. You must not let anyone find out you are a spy."

“Understood."

“And if you want to give gifts to the Rings, either you must help the remaining members escape, or you must be the first to find the key and bring it to us before the other members notice."

If I couldn't find the key or if the members didn't escape within the time limit, the gifts for the Rings would disappear.

“So, there is an additional way to provide gifts to the Rings."

“The other directors suggested we do this so the Rings can still receive gifts somehow. Let's get started."

A pair of handcuffs was fastened around one of my wrists.

“This will signify that you are a spy. The members will be suspicious if they see this. Be careful not to get caught."

“Is it possible to recruit another member?"

“It's possible, but that member would also need to be captured and go to jail once before being released."

I received my confiscated phone back and turned on the video after I left the jail.

“Where could the key be, hyung?" I asked the special forces member accompanying me out, but he shyly shook his head, indicating he didn't know.

Thinking back, it seemed I had played a similar role in Flying Man. I set off leisurely to find the other members with a relieved mind.

1. Oof, it sounds a bit extreme, but Koreans say this a lot. ☜

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