Second Try Idol

Chapter 392: Red Rouge (11)

“First of all, congratulations on your comeback!” Stew Rion clapped his hands energetically. The filming atmosphere here was so joyful that even the production team was cheering and congratulating us on our comeback. This made us feel a bit flustered as we repeatedly bowed.

The air buzzed with excitement, and I couldn't help but smile.

“Thank you!” We all chorused, feeling genuinely grateful.

“We've been waiting for a long time. It has been a while since your last comeback, right?” Stew Rion continued, and his eyes sparkled with genuine curiosity.

“Yes, it has been a while since we’ve come back with a new album.”

“How have you been? I heard you've been very busy with concerts.”

“Yes, we had our first concert and were also preparing for the album. We worked hard to come back as soon as possible, but we’re grateful for your patience. Sorry for keeping you waiting.”

Stew Rion waved off our apology with a big smile. “Oh, there's nothing to be sorry about. You just wanted to bring us the best songs!”

“Haha.”

“We missed you a lot, but the wait was worth it for such a fantastic album. For those who are getting to know Chronos and ‘Red Rouge’ for the first time through this channel, could you briefly introduce the album?”

Joo-Han straightened up and introduced the album. “‘Red Rouge’ is our latest project, and it’s probably the most rebellious and message-driven concept we’ve attempted so far.”

The beginning of the interview consisted of the usual questions we had faced before. However, there was something different about this one because there was an abundance of affection in the conversation.

Stew Rion conducted the interview more like a fan at a fan meeting than someone working. Whether it was because he was a professional at creating such an atmosphere or because he was genuinely a fan, his friendly approach made us feel more at ease and familiar with him as the interview progressed.

“When it comes to ‘Red Rouge,’ we can’t help but talk about the music video,” Stew Rion said with a knowing smile.

“Oh yes, the music video. It turned out amazing!” Goh Yoo-Joon said, and Stew Rion nodded vigorously before quickly giving a thumbs-up.

“I don't know if I should say this, but it was dope. When I saw the music video, I thought, ‘I definitely need to invite them and see this performance in person.’ I mean it! Every dance move, expression, everything was so intense and striking.”

“Hahaha, yes. Thank you.”

“It’s hard to grasp the story, but even just watching the dance scenes, you can feel the narrative. It’s difficult to explain, but you get it, right?” Stew Rion’s excitement was palpable.

“I’m so glad that it gave that impression to viewers,” Joo-Han said with a sigh of relief.

The theme of the "Red Rouge" music video was about rebellion or revolution. Although it was a dance-focused video, the way we split into different factions and our expressions conveyed our concept and the song’s charm.

For someone like Stew Rion, who loved grand and lavish productions, it must have been a perfect match.

“‘Red Rouge’ was the most rebellious and message-driven concept we’ve ever attempted. Even though there’s less story in the music video compared to our previous ones—” I started.

“Right! Our CEO wanted to showcase Chronos' skills more than the story this time,” Goh Yoo-Joon cut in, eager to explain.

“Yes, so we made sure to include elements in the choreography that would leave a strong impression and convey a lot just through the dance scenes,” I continued, feeling a sense of pride.

Stew Rion responded with enthusiastic exclamations and applause. “Exactly! There’s no explicit story, but you can still see the narrative. It’s like, ‘What’s this? I need to dig deeper! I want to know more!’ That’s the feeling!” His eyes widened with excitement.

“Wow, really.” Jin-Sung laughed heartily. “You’re the first person who’s picked up on everything we hoped people would notice.”

“Of course. I might be lacking in analyzing your work compared to the Rings, but I really do like Chronos! I’m not just saying it.”

Stew Rion looked almost offended, pleading for us to believe him. He stood up again and began dancing on another medley of Chronos' title tracks. Performing in front of the original artists would be embarrassing for most, but Stew Rion’s enthusiasm was impressive.

“Oh, haha! Ha!” Goh Yoo-Joon's laughter mixed with Stew Rion's dance continued for a while.

After finally calming down, Stew Rion sat back and picked up his cue cards. “As Jin-Sung mentioned earlier, there’s someone who has become just as famous as Chronos recently.”

He rummaged through his seat and pulled out a panel.

Who could he be talking about? We were puzzled, not knowing who he meant, as most of the people we’d worked with recently were already more famous than us.

“Who is it?”

“Someone famous?”

“Huh?”

Stew Rion enjoyed our curiosity and peeled off the sticker on the panel with a meaningful smile.

“...”

“Ta-da! It’s this guy!” he announced dramatically.

After about a second of staring at the panel, we burst into laughter. The man in the photo was wearing a suit, looking cold and composed while talking on the phone. It was Su-Hwan.

Had Su-Hwan really agreed to reveal his face like this? That was surprising. He was already quite famous among our fans and even outside our fandom, but he generally disliked being mentioned in public.

“The man who’s quite famous among your fans, known as the Photo Album President, is Lee Su-Hwan, the CEO of the label Chronos belongs to. He used to be your manager as well, right?” n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Stew Rion had promised to ask questions from a genuine fan’s perspective, and he kept true to his word.

Su-Hwan was often mentioned by the members, and the Rings loved hearing stories about him. He used to take pictures and videos of our fun and memorable moments, and there were rumors that he still got updates from Tae-Seong. Because of this, Rings often requested to see Su-Hwan’s photo album.

He used to be a manager who was deeply respected by us and cherished by the fans, but Su-Hwan recently got promoted to the label’s CEO. He had been earning praise for various reasons from Rings of not only our group but other YMM idols as well.

Stew Rion’s smile widened. “I usually try not to mention anyone other than Chronos, but the more I researched for this interview, the more I realized I had to talk about him.”

“Ahaha! Really...? What stories? Actually, our CEO is quite shy and feels embarrassed when he is mentioned like this,” I chuckled.

“Oh, really? Then, let’s keep it simple. There’s a rumor that our Photo Album President is a huge fan of Chronos. Is it true?” Stew Rion asked with a grin, leaning forward as if sharing a secret.

Jin-Sung’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he grinned, and he nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Su-Hwan hyung really loves Chronos!”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Many people probably already know this, but if you look at his gallery and photo album, it’s filled with pictures of us from start to finish. I’m not sure about it now, though.”

Stew Rion furrowed his brows, clearly deeply engaged in the conversation. “There were a lot of opinions that the idea for the ‘Red Rouge’ music video, which uniquely showcases Chronos' skills, came from your CEO.”

It seemed the Rings knew quite a bit about the internal workings of YMM. I nodded, feeling a surge of pride. “That’s right. It was the CEO’s idea. He felt that we were often only recognized for our concept or universe, and he regretted that. So he wanted the title track music video to focus entirely on us, the members.”

“Ah, so that’s the meaning behind the music video. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed at first as someone who loves Chronos' universe. But as soon as the chorus started, I realized, ‘Ah! This is why they didn’t directly show the story!’ It was perfect choreography, perfect song, and you guys were perfect as well,” Stew Rion exclaimed.

Suddenly, Joo-Han raised his hand dramatically and pointed at the camera filming us. “For those wondering, ‘Why is there no story this time?’ as Stew Rion mentioned...”

Stew Rion’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Oh? Does that mean...?”

“The story is...” Joo-Han paused for effect and let the suspense build, then smiled playfully. “We are Chronos, the masters of concepts! Stay tuned! Look forward to it!”

“Aah!!! Now I’m so curious! I won’t be able to sleep if you don’t tell me! Can you give us a little hint?” Stew Rion pleaded by shaking his shoulders playfully like a child begging for candy.

Joo-Han mimicked Stew Rion’s actions, playfully shaking his shoulders. He replied in a sing-song voice, “Just look forward to it!”

“Gosh, you’re so strict~!” Stew Rion pouted dramatically and played along. This made everyone laugh.

The two of them had surprisingly good chemistry as they bounced off each other effortlessly. The members, who hadn’t seen Joo-Han being playful since Pick We Up, couldn’t help but laugh and smile at the unexpected show.

Anyway, during this chaotic yet entertaining interview, Joo-Han subtly teased the upcoming “Ario愛” music video. Stew Rion laughed and chatted with Joo-Han before the members gently guided him back to his seat, where he picked up his cue cards again.

“Now! Let’s go back to the main topic. Why do you think I suddenly brought up CEO Lee?”

“Oh, what is the reason?”

“Yeah, why did you suddenly start talking about our CEO?” Goh Yoo-Joon added, his eyebrows raised in anticipation.

“Well, well!”

Just then, a huge panel was wheeled into the set and quickly set up. Our eyes widened in surprise as we wondered what was coming next.

“Only on the Stew Rion channel! We are revealing some exclusive, never-before-seen photos of Chronos from CEO Lee’s photo album. I heard the Rings have been so curious about it!”

“...What?” I blinked, unable to believe what I was hearing.

“No way! Really?”

“Yes! Really! Let’s look at these photos together while we take a trip down memory lane, from Chronos' pre-debut days on Pick We Up to now.”