SWNOVELXO Chapter 171
Chapter 171
Early April.
As the cold winter air receded and spring arrived with new buds, our comeback date was rapidly approaching day by day.
For the record, Kang Ji-woo succeeded in shedding the weight he had gained during the Lunar New Year holiday before the music video shoot.
“I barely gained any weight!”
“You screamed about that ‘barely gained’ weight.”
“It’s because I usually don’t gain any!”
“You’re so annoying, hyung.”
Gyun Seong-ha, who easily showed weight changes, got slightly irritated at Kang Ji-woo’s words.
Eventually, the topic shifted to me.
“On Raon looks like he’s about to die when he practices, but suddenly, he’s refreshed like someone who slept for eight hours.”
“Are you eating something special by yourself?”
Due to chronic stamina issues, whenever I seemed like I was about to die from practice, I used my reserved Grace skill to recover. This appeared fascinating and odd to the other members.
Well, even so, I couldn’t overuse the Grace skill since it had resource consumption and limits.
If we practiced for ten hours, I would be lively for one hour, exhausted for another, and feel like dying for the remaining eight hours.
This wretched stamina.
“I take short but intense naps during breaks.”
“True. You do sleep deeply.”
According to Ban Yo-han, based on what people who shared the same space with me said, if I set my sleep mode to (which I rarely use these days) fatigue recovery mode, I wouldn’t wake up even if someone died next to me.
We then heard about the comeback news of other teams, which we had been deliberately ignoring for our mental health. We screamed in shock.
“Wow… What’s with the April comebacks?”
“Cherryteen seniors, Jupiter seniors’ unit, and even the 20th-anniversary comeback of Chronicle seniors…”
“You’re calling them Chronicle seniors? Add ‘great’. They’re Chronicle great seniors.”
“Right. Chronicle is older than On Raon. They’re not just seniors; they’re great seniors.”
‘No, they’re not. I’m older.’
I couldn’t openly refute this since I’d be seen as a mentally unstable person if I revealed the hidden truth.
“They debuted in 1998, so they are older than Seong-ha.”
“They’re the same age.”
“If you count the months, Chronicle seniors debuted first.”
Thus ended the absurd debate over ‘Who came first, Chronicle or Gyun Seong-ha?’
Everyone seemed mentally strained ahead of our first comeback.
“Do you think we can be a candidate for first place this time?”
Gyun Seong-ha’s question, as if he had already decided on the answer, brought a moment of gloomy silence.
We vaguely thought we might be able to win first place at least once on cable TV this time, given how many times we were candidates for first place during last year’s promotions.
But the artists coming back alongside us were stronger than ever.
Trying to dispel the deflated mood, Ban Yo-han spoke more coldly on purpose.
“No. It’s unrealistic to think that we, who are only on our second album, can win against those seniors.”
“What! So what if it’s our second album!”
Kang Ji-woo exaggeratedly flared up.
“It’s amazing that we even dare to compete against those seniors with only our second album.”
The saying, ‘It’s not what you say, but how you say it,’ was fitting here.
Kang Ji-woo nodded in satisfaction at Ban Yo-han’s corrected words.
“Yeah. Keep expressing it positively like that from now on.”
“Kang Ji-woo, you’re really annoying.”
“Enough, let’s just practice.”
Everyone agreed that practicing was far more beneficial than continuing this nonsense.
Soon, Chronicle’s hit song ‘Alive’ started playing from the speakers.
* * *
Chronicle, celebrating their significant 20th debut anniversary, had been actively appearing on various entertainment shows recently.
Not only Jo Yeon-ho, Kim Seong-yeong, Han Do-kyun, who had regularly appeared on different shows, but even Muk Hye-sung, who rarely appeared solo on variety shows, took on a public broadcast entertainment show with determination.
[Chronicle’s Muk Hye-sung X Orca’s On Raon to appear on ‘Ten to Ten’]
Our News = Reporter Park Joo-min
Chronicle’s Muk Hye-sung will reveal his private life by appearing on ‘Ten to Ten.’
On the 2nd, MBS’s ‘Ten to Ten’ confirmed Muk Hye-sung’s appearance.
Muk Hye-sung has previously appeared on shows like ‘Emotional Trip’ and ‘Welcome’ with Chronicle members. However, this is the first time he’s appearing solo on an observational variety show to reveal his private life.
Last year’s appearance on the audition survival program ‘Pick Your Heart 3’ as a mentor was Muk Hye-sung’s first solo variety show appearance in about ten years since ‘Late Night Camping Club’.
(omitted)
Additionally, On Raon from Orca, who garnered a lot of attention due to his special family relationship as a great-uncle and grandnephew with Muk Hye-sung, was also confirmed as a guest.
For On Raon, this was his first solo variety show appearance. Having already showcased his various charms as a variety rookie on programs such as ‘Pick Your Heart 3’ and the ‘2018 Lunar New Year Idol Variety Show Special’, expectations were high for the chemistry and performance he would show with his senior singer and great-uncle Muk Hye-sung.
(omitted)
Meanwhile, Muk Hye-sung, born in 1981, debuted in 1998 as a member of Chronicle and has been actively pursuing his career as a singer ever since.
(omitted)
The broadcast date for ‘Ten to Ten’ featuring Muk Hye-sung and On Raon was yet to be decided.
The official announcement caused a stir among Chronicle’s fans.
To think Muk Hye-sung would appear on an observational variety show that showcases a celebrity’s daily life from 10 AM to 10 PM.
– I’ve been an Eternal for 7 years, and I thought I’d never see Muk-op on a solo variety show before I quit being a fan…
┗ 222 And it’s an observational variety showㅠㅠㅠ Ten to Tenㅠㅠㅠ What’s happeningㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– Chronicle is just getting startedㅜㅠㅠㅠ
– Muk-op still manages his voice and body so wellㅠㅠㅠㅠ It would be great if he appeared on broadcasts more often…
On Raon’s fans were also excited.
– Muk Hye-sung and On Raonㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I’m not the only one looking forward to this combo, right??
┗ Me tooㅠㅠ I was in tearsㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– I was already looking forward to their interactions since their activities overlapped, but now they’re appearing on a variety show togetherㅠㅠ
– Huh, the meeting of the representative handsome men of the 20th and 21st centuries… MBS is finally proving its worth for the subscription fee…
┗ What’s with your toneㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ- (photo) Look at Muk Hye-sung during his prime. He’s still incredibly cool, but a century ago, he had an irreplaceable style unique to that era.
┗ No way, I thought he was handsome even now, but he was seriously so good-looking when he was younger??????
┗ (photo) Ah, the man who was always a popular member in any era… The man who made me, who used to scoff at idols, run headlong towards him with my hair down… The man who, when he smiled once at a concert, made the rumor that the core fan base doubled the next day believable… With that personality and physicality, being the youngest in the group added even more charm… Anyway, this oppa would still be incredibly popular if he debuted now.
– But seriously, how is Muk Hye-sung in his mid-30s with that face..? He looks like he could be a cousin about ten years older than me, not a great-uncleㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– I usually don’t like close relationships, but I support this one.
┗ 222 Blood ties are acknowledged.
┗ ???: Such courtesy, born of that lowly connection…
┗ Ah, my laugh cool-down time reset. I’m going to rewatch thatㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
* * *
Airies, who were always hungry for new content like On Raon’s variety show news, concept photos, and highlight medleys, were having exciting and happy days.
– An a cappella teaser medley… Sid.. It really feels like they’re doing the best promotion possible with a low budgetㅠ
– Every time something like this comes out, I can feel how proud Auntie is of our kids’ skills, and I love it. Please upload more of these.
– Orca Patience List
1. Orca comeback (confirmed)
2. Airie 1st generation
3. Orca light stick (are we seriously bringing temporary fan light sticks to public broadcasts again? Sid, do your jobㅠㅠ)
4. Orca group variety show (the world needs to know how hilarious our kids are)
5. Orca commercials (water park, mineral water, sports drinks, anything refreshing that won’t fail)
6. Orca concert
7. Behind-the-scenes of recording
8. Pajama V App
(omitted)
– Wow, what’s with the kids’ hair this time??ㅠㅠㅠ Especially Yo-han, it’s perfectㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
That night at midnight, the first teaser of the music video was released.
[ORCA ‘Dream’ MV Teaser]
An Airie, with a pounding heart, clicked on the teaser thumbnail.
The thumbnail showed Ban Yo-han’s chilly side profile with his pale platinum blonde hair.
‘Wow… This is crazy…….’
Though it was known through previously released concept photos that Ban Yo-han had dyed his hair, seeing it like this felt different.
However, a few seconds after playing the video, the Airie noticed something strange as no sound was heard. They checked the speaker volume.
Everything was normal.
In the midst of an eerie silence and a dark screen that evoked a peculiar foreboding, a sound that would be happy and bright if you closed your eyes and listened, like something from a music box in a fairy tale, played from the speakers alongside the dark teaser video, creating a strangely chilling dissonance.