Second Try Idol

On our final journey to the school for Graduating, I could feel the crisp air.

“Look at this great weather! Suh Hyun-Woo, wake up and take a look," said Goh Yoo-Joon as he was bubbling with excitement.

“I wasn't sleeping," I remarked as I pulled out my earphones. Then I looked outside to see snowflakes falling. The wind had felt gentler when we set off, which must have been a hint at the snow's imminent arrival.

I neatly winded my earphone cord and chuckled, “Snowy weather hardly counts as nice.”

Goh Yoo-Joon turned my way and grinned widely. “It's the perfect setting for our graduation. You might not see it now, but a snowy ceremony will stick with you."

“Really?" I humored him and played along.

Goh Yoo-Joon snatched the earphones from my grip and shook his head. “Where's your sense of romance, Suh Hyun-Woo? Plus, those are my earphones."

“Alright, alright, they are all yours.”

In the midst of our banter, Su-Hwan’s eyes met ours in the rearview mirror, and he asked, “Got a minute, you two?"

“You are aware of the Graduating crew dinner after today's shoot, right?"

“Yes, we've heard. Rumor has it that we will be having beef."

Today marked the conclusion of Graduating—our graduation ceremony. As with most shoots, we'd celebrate the wrap with a cast dinner. Given that we were all of legal age, alcohol was expected to flow freely, so Su-Hwan's reminder likely stemmed from concerns about our drinking habit. “I trust you both will behave, but let's be real, it's your tolerance I'm worried about.”

Goh Yoo-Joon couldn't help but ask, “Are you suggesting we are lightweights, hyung?"

Su-Hwan nodded solemnly and replied, “That's one way to put it. Anyway, please control yourselves, and don’t drink too much. We are always in the public eye. I trust you won't embarrass yourselves in front of the crew, but try to keep it to one or two drinks.. You know what I mean, right? I trust you."

He seemed to have said his piece, though his lack of trust was evident. However, that was fair given our mishap with alcohol at the dorm. He had not only witnessed our drunken spectacle but also had to clean up after us. So, it was understandable.

“Okay. We will be careful.”

“We will avoid drinking if we can.”

“Thank you," Su-Hwan said with a sincere tone.

Soon, the school gates loomed before us, and the car came to a stop. After saying goodbye to Su-Hwan and getting out of the car, I saw that the snowflakes had become larger than before and coldly touched my skin.

I lifted my head to look up at the school. The damp earthy smell and the quiet school grounds gave rise to a mix of emotions: a bit of regret, yet a strange sense of excitement. Perhaps, it was a scene memorable enough to stay etched in my mind as Goh Yoo-Joon said.

“Let's go."

“Yeah."

I followed Goh Yoo-Joon toward the school building with his arm slung over my shoulder.

***

From morning on, the classroom was already bustling, with noises echoing through the entire hallway. Goh Yoo-Joon ran ahead and opened the door of the classroom, quieting the din momentarily before cheerful greetings filled the air again.

“Hey, Joon and Woo!"

“Hi."

“Wow, look who it is! Aren’t they from the super duper idol group called Chronos?"

I approached the kids with a chuckle and asked, “What is up with Joon-Hwan today?"

Goh Yoo-Joon replied, “Just ignore him. Ever since the inauguration ceremony, he's been like this. Always messing with us through messages and calls. He is just teasing us."

“Oh, I see." I nodded in understanding.

Hee-Su tilted his head at Goh Yoo-Joon and my conversation. “Hmm? Isn't Hyun-Woo in the group chat too? How come you don't know about Joon-Hwan's antics?"

“Suh Hyun-Woo hardly ever checks his phone," Goh Yoo-Joon said.

“...I figured as much. There's always that one person who never reads the chat. So it was Hyun-Woo."

Since Joo-Han always received the schedule-related messages and we were usually together, I didn’t really bother to check my phone. Even though I had started checking more since becoming the sub-leader, I often missed messages because I turned off notifications for the group chat.

“How can you live without checking your phone?"

“Exactly. I need to check mine all the time. Doesn't it feel suffocating not to?"

“Yeah, same here."

The last time I checked the group chat was right after the fan meeting. Due to Hee-Su, Joon-Hwan, and Lee Cheol-Min's part-time job shifts, we couldn't properly say goodbye and ended up exchanging messages in the chat.

With a skeptical look, Hee-Su asked, “Did you know Lee Cheol-Min joined the chat?"

“Ha! Of course he doesn’t." Goh Yoo-Joon spoke up before I could, so I just smacked him on the back.

“That’s not true! I saw it. You invited him, Hee-Su. You said you all got close at the fan meeting, and I am not the person who doesn’t check the chat. It should be someone else."

They were accusing me for nothing! I even sent an emoji to welcome him, but it got buried under the rapid-fire messages from the others.

Then the classroom door slid open again, causing the students' attention to shift back to the door. But this time, an awkward silence filled the air.

“...”

It was Lee Cheol-Min. He surveyed the classroom with a sullen expression, as if scowling at everything inside. Instead of entering quietly, he always had to make such an unnecessarily dramatic entrance…

Ever since On Ki-Hoon's threats against, his already sour demeanor only sharpened, earning him a bad reputation at school. No wonder the class reacted this way. Still, there was no need to make it so obvious. Aside from some early friction with me and Goh Yoo-Joon, he hadn't really caused trouble in the class.

I broke the silence and greeted him, “Hey, Lee Cheol-Min."

Then, his eyes, which had been defiantly sharp in an attempt not to be overwhelmed by the surrounding atmosphere, looked at me with bewilderment.

“Why are you late? Hi," asked Goh Yoo-Joon. Following his lead, the other kids started greeting him.

“Cheol! You made it?"

“Hey, Lee Cheol-Min."

“..." Lee Cheol-Min scowled but approached us with hands stuffed in his pockets. “Why are you guys suddenly acting friendly toward me?"

The hypocrisy of his statement was glaring. He was the one who came to us but wondered why we were acting friendly.

“Ha, stop joking."

With a laugh, I slapped Lee Cheol-Min on the back and remarked, “Did you get home okay the other day? You were the only one who didn't reply in the chat. Not that I was worried."

“I was busy with my job."

“Right, Lee Cheol-Min has two part-time jobs."

“Gosh. Hey, did you take shifts after the fan meeting? You must have been exhausted. Okay, you are forgiven," said Goh Yoo-Joon.

“Who are you to forgiv—"

The door slid open again, and a voice rang out. “Everyone, take your seats."

Kun-Ho entered and calmed the bustling students. After that, Lee Cheol-Min simply shot Goh Yoo-Joon a glare and scampered back to his seat. Kun-Ho dressed formally, in a tie and matching suits.

“Alright, has everyone been well?"

“Yes!"

Kun-Ho looked around at the class with a bittersweet look. Instead of the usual attendance book, he held graduation certificates for each student. “The day has finally arrived. With today's ceremony, you, the first batch of Memory High students, have completed all courses and graduated. You've all worked so hard. Great job!"

The kids normally would've been joking around, but today, they listened intently to Kun-Ho's words.

“It was such a short time, but I didn’t expect to become so attached to every single one of you. As your guardian beyond the show, I am incredibly proud, grateful, and honored that we could all graduate together without leaving anyone behind.” Kun Ho simply poured out his heartfelt emotions. He had always been more of a friend than a strict teacher

“It feels like we are actually graduating. This is so weird,” whispered Goh Yoo-Joon.

I nodded in agreement. “Right?”

At this moment, all students including myself were probably experiencing the peculiar sensation of graduating from a real high school.

“Memory High School. It is literally a school where you create the memories of adolescence that you missed while starting your career. I want to ask you all: have you made many memories here? Before we graduate, shall we share our thoughts starting from the front row?”

At Kun-Ho's words, the previously quiet students started to murmur. It had been a while since Kun-Ho's enforced presentation time, not since our first meeting and self-introductions.

“Teacher! Why does it always have to start from the front? Can't we start from the back today?"

Last impressions were often more daunting and challenging than introductions. At the outcry from the students in the front row protesting the discrimination, Kun-Ho agreed and pointed to a student sitting at the very back. “Alright. Let's start from the back!"

“Ah, why from the back..."

The decision left Hee-Su and Joon-Hwan feeling like the ground had collapsed. Anxious, they started racking their brains for what to say when their turn came. The students before them spoke briefly and finished quickly, unprepared and embarrassed.

Kun-Ho seemed unsatisfied with the brevity and specifically called on Hee-Su. “Next is Hee-Su. Hmm, no, this won't do. You need to speak for at least thirty seconds. You can't sit down until then."

“Ahh! Why do you have to enforce this rule on my turn, Teacher!?"

“It's the teacher's prerogative. Now, Hee-Su, begin."

I looked at Hee-Su with a teasing gaze. Standing up, Hee-Su met my eyes, then Goh Yoo-Joon's, Joon-Hwan's, and Daniele's with an aggrieved expression.

“..."

“Hey?" Then his eyes started welling up. “I just..."

“What? Is Hee-Su crying?"

“My precious… ugh.”

As I had noticed, Hee-Su was quite emotional. Seeing his tears, everyone, including myself and Kun-Ho, was taken aback. Some couldn't help but laugh, and there was no one to console him as we watched his presentation unfold.