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Chapter 82: Debut (5)

Onstage, we concentrated on the performance seriously, but the real reason behind the vocal split—be it a technical glitch, our sheer vocal power, or a collective aversion to lip-syncing—remained a mystery to our audience.

Yet, one thing was clear. Some fans out there had thoroughly enjoyed our performance. A fan-run UTube channel even uploaded a video titled “The Idol Who Hated Lip-Syncing.” It was humorously edited to capture the fun essence that the uploader felt, drawing in not just Chronos’s fans but also casual viewers who discovered us through the algorithm, adding another highlight for the newly minted fans.

***

“Our kids are lucky, talented, and good-looking. What are they lacking?" The manager was abuzz with excitement over our first variety show shoot.

With a cool head, I responded, “The answer is our witty personalities."

“...” He seemed like he wanted to disagree, but his constant glances in the rearview mirror said otherwise. We were adept at straightforward answers, but apart from Lee Jin-Sung, we were all quite shy. Even Goh Yoo-Joon, the face of extroversion at YMM, struggled when dealing with adults.

Finding no comeback, the manager finally conceded with his lips pouting. “Well, it\'s a great opportunity to get noticed. Give it your all, just like during Cha-Cha."

We didn’t know during the survival show shooting, but it turned out that the director of Flying Man had met with Director Lee Won-Jae and took a liking to us. What was initially a two-member opportunity had turned into an invite for the entire group. Thanks to him, we were on our way to shoot Flying Man with High Tension members.

We sported neatly styled yet comfortable hair and outfits reminiscent of a college campus wardrobe. The journey was lengthy, with two stops at rest areas along the way.

“Hyung, can I get a hotdog at the next stop?"

“Oh, sure—"

“No!" The stylist immediately shot down the manager\'s approval. “You are in sponsored clothes, so no hotdogs. Eat something less messy, like roasted chestnuts or steamed potato."

“I\'ll wrap the clothes up in a blanket. Chestnuts can be messy too, you know." Lee Jin-Sung\'s relentless pursuit of food was on another level even after he had eaten a full meal.

“You\'ll gain weight if you keep eating like that."

“I work off what I eat, so it’s okay, right Yoo-Joon hyung?"

“There\'s only so much exercise you can do, you know? Sigh." After observing the playful banter between Lee Jin-Sung, the stylist, and Goh Yoo-Joon, I shifted my gaze to the passing scenery outside.

After our long-awaited debut, changes brought about by me joining Chronos and our variety show appearances had finally settled down. Now, the future that I knew would unfold slowly. In my mind, our title song was the first sign of the future I knew, and the second was Flying Man.

Goh Seong-Cheol had been a regular cast member of Flying Man since its first broadcast fifteen years ago. When I was very young, he used to be an actor, but now, he had become a familiar face on numerous variety shows while also managing a shoe business. In the not-too-distant future, he would become a criminal and retire from the entertainment industry after causing a major incident.

He was married but apparently had secret meetups with some fans and then shook them down for money. When that scandal hit the news, he disappeared, right around when I was getting my feet wet as a trainer.

Though it had not unfolded into a full-blown event yet, his reputation was already tarnished to the point that people didn’t want to meet him. However, fate had other plans, leading me to engage in a cheerful face-to-face shoot with this asshole.

“Ridiculous,” I muttered under my breath.

“Hy..hyung? What is going on? I said I don’t want a hotdog!”

“Huh? What are you talking about?” I asked.

Jin-Sung whined, clinging to me for reasons unknown. I patted him on the back while contemplating how to navigate the upcoming broadcast. After all, the idea of fraternizing with a criminal, even for the sake of the show, was unappealing to me.

“We\'ve arrived. Everyone out! If you need the restroom, go now. Jin-Sung, are you eating or not?" The arrival at the rest stop prompted the team to disperse. Jin-Sung and the manager went to purchase snacks, while others headed to the restroom or stepped out for a breath of fresh air. Seizing the moment, I posted a scenic photo on the official phone, announcing our journey to the shooting location on BlueBird.

Then, suddenly, the door to our van flung open.

“Hyun-Woo, are you here? Oh, there you are!"

“Um, yes?"

“Sorry to meet like this, Hyun-Woo, but we need to hurry!"

“What? Oh! Hello!" The familiar cast from Flying Man burst into the van, abruptly dragging me out. While confused, I was whisked outside.

“Hyun-Woo, come with us! This way!"

“No, we found him first!" To my right were Yoo Il-Seok and Woo-Seok, the main hosts of Flying Man, and to my left, Jang Seok and Goh Seong-Cheol were holding my arm, vying to take me with them.

“What\'s happening?"

“Sorry, Hyun-Woo. We\'re splitting into teams for the game."

“Is the shooting starting now?"

Amidst the playful squabbling between the casts, Jang Seok forcefully ceased the argument. “Let Hyun-Woo choose. Why are we dragging him around?"

As Jang Seok patted the dust off my jacket, Yoo Il-Seok was flustered and shook off Jang Seok’s hands. “Hey! That makes me look like a bad guy! Are you okay, Hyun-Woo?" Then, Yoo Il-Seok scanned my body to see if I got hurt.

I simply smiled, still processing the sudden intrusion of the cast and cameras.

“Hyun-Woo, you just need to choose the team you want to join. We are going to start the game soon," Yoo Il-Seok explained.

All of them kept convincing me to join their team, and I pretended to debate my options. On one side were national MC Yoo Il-Seok and the iconic betrayer Woo-Seok, while on the other side stood Flying Man’s ace Jang Seok and Goh Seong-Cheol. I hesitated for a few seconds and then reached for Yoo Il-Seok\'s hand. “I\'ll join Senior Il-Seok\'s team."

Jang Seok complained as if he couldn’t understand my decision. “Really? You\'re choosing that team? Why?"

Then, Yoo Il-Seok jokingly grabbed Jang Seok by the collar. “Why! Why are you saying that? Why!"

“It\'s a losing team!" Jang Seok retorted.

Woo-Seok patted my back, nodding as if he understood me. He said, “Smart social move. Haha"

I then boarded the car with Yoo Il-Seok and Woo-Seok. Of course, Yoo Il-Seok wasn’t particularly skilled at any game, and Woo-Seok was known for either betraying his team or being betrayed, which did concern me. However, the presence of Goh Seong-Cheol on the other team just bothered me too much, not giving me any other choice.

As soon as I got in the car, Goh Yoo-Joon waved at me awkwardly. “Where were you caught?"

“In the van. And you?"

“The restroom."

We both burst into laughter at the absurdity of the situation. The sudden start of the shooting was amusing no matter how I thought about it. I had no idea where the manager had disappeared to, but from there, we traveled to the shooting location in the car driven by Yoo Il-Seok.

“Why did you choose our team, Hyun-Woo?"

“Right. I thought you would definitely choose the other team since Jang Seok hyung was there."

After a moment of contemplation, I replied, "Well, maybe being with Il-Seok hyung would help me get more screen time?"

Il-Seok and Woo-Seok laughed exaggeratedly at my response. “Hyun-Woo seems to be a very honest guy."

“I\'ve watched your performance videos."

“Oh, thank you!" exclaimed Goh Yoo-Joon and me at the same time.

“You two are friends of the same age, right?"

“Yes, that\'s right. We\'ve been friends since middle school," answered Yoo-Joon.

“We started as trainees then, so he was the only friend I could hang out with." This was before Han Jun joined us. After that, Yoo Il-Seok and Woo-Seok kept asking questions and making small talk to ease any awkwardness. They were indeed true professionals at variety shows. Gradually, our tension eased as we conversed with them.

***

After about thirty minutes of driving, we arrived at a scientific institution nestled in the mountains. Members of High Tension, who seemed to have been captured like us, had arrived earlier and welcomed us.

“How long has it been since you guys last saw each other?"

Ji-Hyuk then answered Yoo Il-Seok\'s question, “It\'s been a while, right? We\'ve been too busy to see each other since our debut."

“Have you met separately after the competition?"

Ji-Hyuk pointed at me in response to Goh Seong-Cheol\'s question. “I occasionally meet and keep in touch with Hyun-Woo, who was in the same Team D as me."

“What about the others?"

Joo-Han raised his hand and replied, “Jin-Sung and Yoo-Joon from our team seem to be in frequent contact with other teams."

After asking about our recent activities, Yoo Il-Seok turned to Director Han Bu-Joon. “So, what are we doing today?"

- Today\'s theme is \'The Return of Tag MT Memories.\'

“Return of Tag?"

Director Han Bu-Joon nodded.

- Considering we have young and energetic guests today, we thought it\'d be great to bring back Flying Man\'s signature content, Tag, which we haven\'t done in three years.

Tag was a cornerstone of Flying Man, almost synonymous with its identity. However, due to the unchanged line-up of members over fifteen years and them getting older, it eventually ceased.

- The teams are as you are standing right now. If someone steals your prop, you\'re out. The final winner will receive a grand prize.

“Sounds like the original Tag."

- Right, but there\'s an unlimited revival system. We\'ll play several games from now, and you can earn revival tickets through them. You can use the tickets to come back into the race after being eliminated. Are you ready?

I nodded solemnly. My goal was to win, get screen time, and keep our members as far away from Goh Seong-Cheol as possible.

Director Han Bu-Joon beamed and announced.

-The first game is \'Jump Over Score Ninety! Coin Karaoke.\'