Second Try Idol

"It's a shame, really… But…"

So what?

Goh Yoo-Joon’s wrists were bound by the special force. His expression was a mix of frustration and defiance. Instead of responding, I simply rattled the handcuffs adorning my own wrists. Seeing this, Goh Yoo-Joon’s eyes twinkled mischievously, and his grimace quickly transformed into a beaming smile.

"Boss!"

Oh, I guess there was no need for sweet talk, eh?

"Just spare me. I will give it my all." Goh Yoo-Joon quickly caught on to what I was about to propose and switched allegiances with a sly grin that seemed too cunning for comfort.

I pretended to mull over his offer, then nodded solemnly and gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. "Alright, your life is spared. Now make sure you live up to your promise."

"Ah, yes, yes. Of course, Boss."

"Why do you keep calling me 'Boss?’"

But I knew Goh Yoo-Joon well enough to expect this from him. He always said winning or losing didn't matter as long as he had fun.

"Let’s continue this chat in jail," I said.

"Sounds good to me."

Goh Yoo-Joon followed the special forces to jail without a fuss.

After about five minutes, he was released and received a crash course in spy tactics from the director.

Clink, clink-

As we walked side by side, the clinking of our handcuffs could be heard. It was somewhat embarrassing because it sounded like the bells of defeat.

"Anyway, the goal is to get everyone to jail, right?"

"Right, you handle the members. I've got to find the key."

Goh Yoo-Joon shot me a suspicious look. "Wait, why are you on key duty? Are you planning a solo escape?"

I dodged him pretending to lunge at me to put me in a headlock. "Did you not catch what the director said earlier? I've got to find the key first and bring it to jail to get the gift for the Rings."

"Oh, right, okay."

We picked up our pace. Goh Yoo-Joon was now as relaxed as I was after his brief stint in jail. He seemed carefree and scouted for the other Chronos members without a hint of concern.

"Man, at least pretend to be on guard. If the special forces see you too act too relaxed, fooling the team will be tough."

"Got it, got it. But if we are tricking members into elimination, Joo-Han hyung should be the last one."

Goh Yoo-Joon was on the same wavelength as me. Joo-Han was always the sharpest and quickest, so getting him eliminated if he got suspicious would be a tough nut to crack.

"Let’s start with the easiest target first... Hold up." Goh Yoo-Joon suddenly paused and stared at me.

What? I raised an eyebrow.

"Wow~ You thought of me as the easiest catch, didn’t you?” Goh Yoo-Joon grumbled. “That’s why I was the first one you nabbed?"

He mimed putting me in a headlock, so I quickly backed away and pointed in the opposite direction. "Who knows? Anyway, take care and keep those cuffs quiet. I recommended targeting Yoon-Chan first."

"Wow, did you see this, everyone? Hyun-Woo always kills me first in a heartbeat if it comes down to games like this. Let's go~"

"Check the second floor, then come find me."

Goh Yoo-Joon muttered into his self-cam and headed in the direction I pointed to.

"Guess it’s time I started looking for that key."

It felt easier to divide tasks now that I had an ally. While Goh Yoo-Joon took up the task of finding members, I was all in on the key finding mission.

First, I collected all hints and powers from the second floor. The hints were mine to use, and though I wouldn't need the abilities myself, keeping them from other members could prove crucial.

I ended up with three hints. Those were ‘Go to a place where the lights never go out,' 'The target is at the peak,' and 'It’s dark and hard to see.'

It would have been better if they were more direct. The hints were frustratingly vague, all metaphorical and open to interpretation. But considering all the Chronos members participated in this game, the production team wouldn't have made it too difficult to the point that only Joo-Han and Yoon-Chan could decode them.

When I interpreted them literally…

'The lights never go out.'

'The key is at the highest point of the building.'

'It’s dark.'

I decided to go to the highest spot first since the second hint seemed the easiest to interpret. The rooftop seemed like the most obvious first stop.

As we prepared to move on, Goh Yoo-Joon scanned the area cautiously before quickly whispering, "Suh Hyun-Woo, I checked the other side, but there is no sign of members. Seems like they are all on the third floor?"

"Then let’s head to the third floor too."

"Did you find any good hints?"

"From what I can tell, it's either the third floor or the rooftop."

After sharing the hint with Goh Yoo-Joon, we headed toward the third floor.

"What does this even mean…?" Goh Yoo-Joon grumbled while trailing behind me.

"By the way, I spotted Jin-Sung earlier, but there's no sign of Joo-Han hyung and Yoon-Chan."

"I caught a glimpse of them too. Looked like they were sticking together."

"Both of them? That will make it tough to snatch Yoon-Chan then."

"Exactly. If Joo-Han hyung is around, they will tag us as spies and it's straight back to jail for us."

"We need to avoid Joo-Han hyung as long as possible."

"Like he’s some kind of final boss."

"What’s that about a final boss?"

Just then, a familiar voice echoed. We froze mid-sentence, mid-step.

"..."

Crap, my eyes darted up the stairs. Joo-Han, phone in hand, was peering down at us with a smirk that made him seem like the big boss of an adventure game.

"Uh?"

"Weren’t you guys just talking about me?"

We were taken aback by Joo-Han's smiling face, which was kind yet determined. We found ourselves staring at him with our mouths agape without even realizing. Looking up at him felt like how an adventurer must feel when facing a great demon king. It was not as though Joo-Han was tormenting or killing us, but still, there was an inexplicable tension in the air.

"No? No, we were not talking about you."

Goh Yoo-Joon's feeble attempt at acting only made Joo-Han's smile grow wider. He turned to head deeper into the third floor. "Come on up, guys. Let’s head to a spot where there are no special forces. There are still some places here I haven’t checked for hints. Let’s look together."

"Yeah, sure!"

"Okay!"

We hurried up the stairs to follow Joo-Han. Once inside, he began scouring the room as if he wasn’t concerned about anything.

"Hurry up and search. If we are done with this room, we've covered the whole practice area on this floor."

"That quick?"

"And the hints?"

Joo-Han nodded. "The hints were straightforward, so I've got a rough idea where the key is. Not sure exactly where, but with Jin-Sung and Yoo-Joon keeping the special forces busy, it’s been quiet around here."

Come to think of it, all the ruckus involving the special forces had indeed been because of Goh Yoo-Joon and Lee Jin-Sung. Their antics had inadvertently given Joo-Han and Yoon-Chan some breathing room to carry out their quiet investigation.

"So I sort of figured out where the key might be." Joo-Han stopped and turned to us, a sly grin spreading across his face. "But I am not going to tell you guys."

"…!"

"Hyung…"

Joo-Han just chuckled, giving us a knowing look that confirmed he had pegged us as spies.

Chills ran down my spine. He knew. He was certain about it.

Joo-Han glanced at our wrists. "What’s that on your wrists, Hyun-Woo and Yoo-Joon?"

How did he spot that underneath our sleeves? Because of the tension, Goh Yoo-Joon was unable to hide his nerves, so he quickly hid his handcuffed wrist behind his back.

Joo-Han quizzed us. "What’s going on with you guys? Is there something I should know about other than trying to escape? You’re not exactly on our side, are you?"

We were busted way too soon. I knew running into Joo-Han was a surefire way to get caught, but… We should not have met him this soon. I had no idea he would be right at the entrance.

"Hey…" Goh Yoo-Joon subtly nudged me forward. He mouthed, 'You talk.'

"…Alright." I stepped forward and gathered my courage before approaching Joo-Han. "Hyung, let me explain—" I began recounting everything that had happened since my elimination, trimming down the details.

"Oh, so that’s what happened." Joo-Han looked at us as if we were just a couple of clueless kids, then let out a dismissive chuckle. "You guys are such amateurs. No wonder you got eliminated before Jin-Sung."

"Ah, well. That's how it went. Hyung, please. Just this once. Please forgive us."

Joo-Han tilted his head as if puzzled by our plea, then gave a small and sarcastic clap. "I was about to praise you for doing so well."

"What?"

"Huh?"

Joo-Han burst into laughter. "It looks like you were trying to make sure you got enough screen time. Well done." His hand on my shoulder felt oddly heavy.

What was this? Was he hinting that I didn’t pull my weight in the Newbie Crew? His praise didn’t feel like a compliment at all.

"If you had been eliminated outright, you would’ve barely made a two-minute appearance. Smart move, Hyun-Woo."

Joo-Han then held out his clenched fists toward me. "Go ahead, arrest me."

"Huh?"

Joo-Han urged me to hurry up and arrest him by shaking his hands. "I figured out the location of the key too quickly, and wondered what to do about it. I thought I might as well use my abilities in front of the special forces."

As soon as he heard Joo-Han's praise, Goh Yoo-Joon became visibly relaxed and cheekily replied, "Don't show your worry about screen time in front of the camera, hyung~"

Goh Yoo-Joon couldn’t contain himself anymore. Well, Joo-Han was notorious for his greed for money and screen time. Literally everyone knew about it, so there was no point in pretending otherwise in front of the camera.

Ah, so despite having found the key, he had come back down to the second floor, planning to use his powers in front of the special forces.

"But what are you going to do after being caught?" I asked him as I cuffed his hands.

"This might make a more interesting scene. Let's recruit Yoon-Chan while we’re at it. And then—" Joo-Han paused to think for a moment, then spoke with glee, "Let’s all prank the coward Jin-Sung! Haha! I can't tell if he's going to cry or not, but he will definitely be startled!"

Joo-Han really enjoyed teasing Jin-Sung in various ways because he found it endearing.

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