novelnext Chapter 203: Joy (40)
Chapter 203: Joy (40)
Chapter 203: Joy (40)
The echoes of Rings’ cheers floated to our ears. We whispered our slogan behind the curtain before making our way to the stage.
“Kyaaaak!"
The moment we came into view, the Rings erupted into thunderous applause, their cheers filling the entire space.
Snap, snap, snap, snap!
The sound of cameras clicked nonstop as the Rings at the front captured the moment, the flash adding a sparkle to the atmosphere. The air was charged with intimacy and camaraderie closer than ever before, wrapping around me in an indescribable warmth I hadn't felt in a long time.
Joo-Han confidently lifted the microphone. “On the count of three! One, two!"
“Hello! We are Chronos. It's a pleasure to meet you."
“Yaaaaay!!!" To my surprise, I recognized many faces among the sea of fans, perhaps from various music shows we'd been on.
“Have you all been waiting long?" When Goh Yoo-Joon shouted, a chorus of “No!” came back loud and clear.
Joo-Han chimed in with a warm smile, “I see some familiar faces from Music Case. How did you find our comeback?"
Though responses came from all directions as they blended into discord, the overwhelming sentiment was clear. The Rings loved it.
“We are so grateful to kick off our comeback with a trophy, all thanks to you. It's an incredible honor."
“Thank you!"
“Thank you so much!"
Joo-Han looked backstage and nodded subtly before addressing the crowd again. “There's so much I'd like to share, but it seems we need to keep things moving. How about we save our chats for later and get things started?"
“Yes!!!!"
The incessant shutter sounds created a symphony of their own. Amidst the growing tension, the fan-signing event finally started. I forced a smile, trying to ease my stiff expression, and turned my attention to the first fan in line.
Jin-Sung was already engaged in conversation, signing an autograph for a fan at the far end. Despite his earlier nervousness, the fan had broken the ice and led to a smooth exchange. Next up was Goh Yoo-Joon. Right from the start, he dove into cheerful banter with a beaming smile.
Then it was my turn. As the next Ring approached, I licked my dry lips and managed a natural smile. “Hello."
“Hi there! Feeling nervous, oppa?"
“Huh?"
The fan leaned in to lock eyes with me and flashed a reassuring smile.
“Do I seem... nervous?" I asked
She gestured “just a bit” with her hands and a nod. Her gaze was filled with such warmth and friendliness, a stark contrast to the cold looks I had dreaded on my way here. Thankfully, her kindness melted away my fears in an instant and relaxed my tense muscles slightly. My hands still trembled, but thankfully, it wasn't noticeable while I was signing.
“It's my first time, so the nerves are kicking in. I hope it doesn't show too much."
“Don't worry. A bit of nervousness is endearing. I love you, oppa!" The fan extended her hand for a high-five. Smiling back, I high-fived back and she moved on to Joo-Han after a cheerful exchange.
Soon after, another fan stepped forward. “Hello! Gosh, I'm really shaking."
“Hello to you too."
This fan seemed even more nervous than I was, her voice quivering. It dawned on me then that everyone here was supportive, all of them rooting for me. This realization enveloped me in a comforting sense of belonging.
“Could you... Um, answer this question on the sticky note for me?"
“Pardon? Oh, sure! what is it?"
“Alright, I will do it!" Yoon-Chan declared, his face taking on a determined expression.
“Wow!"
We all gathered around Yoon-Chan, lending our support. With a shy smile, Yoon-Chan stammered, “I... I just really..."
His voice was filled with a mix of bashfulness and hesitation, unexpectedly charming.
“What is it?"
“What are you trying to say?”
“You got this, Yoon-Chan!”
"I... miss you... meow..."
The room fell silent. Was this his attempt at aegyo? Seeing it being delivered in such a tender whisper, we couldn't help but burst into laughter, completely charmed by his effort.
“Ahahaha!”
“Incredible aegyo!"
“Wow, what a great display of aegyo!"
“Yikes! Hyung, you nearly gave me a heart attack. That was no joke!"
“Okay, okay, that's enough..."
“Indeed, that was some amazing aegyo. Shall we move on to the next?" Joo-Han quickly wrapped it up and hurriedly drew the next number. “Who's number sixty-seven here?"
“That's me!" Fan number sixty-seven stood up, shyly covering her face with her hand. The microphone was then handed to her, and she said, “Um, well, it might not be possible, but I was wondering if you'd consider releasing a song as a sub-group."
“Oh, a song as a sub-group." It was a sincere request and question, so all of us automatically looked toward Joo-Han.
After a moment of thought, Joo-Han took the microphone to answer it. “We haven't planned anything like that so far, but we will consider giving it a try."
“Yaaaaay!!!"
“Hold on, we will obviously need to discuss it with the company first, but if we were to release a unit song, which combination would you prefer?" Joo-Han asked.
All the fans shouted out their preferred unit combinations. Of course, with everyone talking at once, it was hard to hear them.
Joo-Han listened to the fans and then took the microphone again. “What combination would you like, fan number sixty-seven?"
“I'd like... um, a roommate unit, maybe."
Goh Yoo-Joon started laughing and joked, “If it's a roommate unit, our leader will feel left out."
“Oh, no, that's not what I meant..."
“Hey, are you teasing the Rings too?"
“It's just a sign of closeness, antisocial Suh Hyun-Woo."
As Goh Yoo-Joon and I bickered, Joo-Han thoughtfully said, “We will take it into consideration. Thank you for your suggestion."
After that, we concluded the session with various promises: Jin-Sung's acapella dance—which I ended up joining, group promise for the Q&A app, Goh Yoo-Joon and my cover songs, selfie update promise, and so on.
Following a photo session in various playful poses and a brief talk about our schedule, we ended our first fan-signing event with words of thanks. Not long after it ended, reviews and accounts of the event started popping up on various social media platforms.
The posts detailed the conversations we had while signing autographs, the minor incidents that occurred, and what happened during the photo and talk session.