Second Try Idol

Chapter 381: Choose (24)

When I suddenly stood up, I could feel Aeon getting nervous. He glanced at Hyo-Joon and me, then loosened up a bit. He reluctantly took his stance. His eyes darted around.

"Should I dance alone?" he asked, his voice a little shaky.

"Yes, or Hyo-Joon can join you if you'd like." I tried to sound as encouraging as possible.

"Ah, then I will dance with him."

Hyo-Joon readily took his place beside him. Despite their different personalities and practice styles, which probably led to many emotional clashes, their bond seemed strong. They showed no rough edges. This had to be thanks to Leader Il-Seong's efforts in balancing them.

"Alright, let's start from the top. Hyo-Joon, you sing loudly."

"Yes!"

"Go ahead."

The two started dancing and singing. I clapped along to keep the rhythm, encouraging them to stay in sync. After a few moments, I held out my palm. "Stop."

"Huh?"

"Aeon, don’t move and stay as you are." Aeon froze mid-step as he tried to hold his position. His eyes were wide with confusion. "Look in the mirror and see how you are standing."

Aeon glanced at the mirror and appeared startled. His posture was awkward and unbalanced, like he was caught in an awkward moment.

"Saying you can’t dance because you are singing is just a terrible excuse. It looks like you've developed a habit of glossing over each move because you are unsure about your dancing."

"Ah..."

"You might have gotten away with it as a trainee because your vocals are strong. But on stage, it’s obvious and can come off as unprofessional. You know that, right?"

When he realized he had been unconsciously skipping steps, Aeon looked disheartened and nodded. His shoulders slumped. "Yes... I’m sorry."

"Hey, no need to apologize to me. It's just a habit formed out of insecurity. Let's try again, okay? Hyo-Joon too."

"Yes!"

Hyo-Joon resumed singing and dancing, his voice steady and strong. Aeon concentrated on mimicking Hyo-Joon’s moves precisely instead of focusing on his singing. His brows furrowed in determination.

I stopped clapping and watched them through the mirror, then pushed down on Aeon's shoulders. "Lower. You are not matching Hyo-Joon's height. More, more."

Hyo-Joon slowed his singing to help Aeon, who was now sweating but trying his best to hold the correct posture. They continued practicing.

"Stop. Widen your knees further. Pretend that you are doing squats. You don’t squat like this, do you?"

"No!"

I adjusted Aeon's knees myself by positioning him correctly. Aeon’s face was flushed with exertion, but he held the stance.

Hyo-Joon started singing again, this time with a slight smile to encourage Aeon.

"Stop. Stay still."

"Yes."

I pushed Aeon's waist inward and nudged his feet wider with my own. "You need to go lower and spread out more than you think. When practicing the moves again, focus on each one separately. You guys should start from scratch again to synchronize."

"Yes! Thank you!"

Aeon snapped to attention and bowed deeply. This surprised Hyo-Joon, who quickly followed suit. Only then did I realize that I had been speaking informally throughout the session. It was a habit from my days as a trainer, and it seemed to resurface naturally in these teaching moments. It had been over two years since I became an idol, but a brief stint of teaching brought back the trainer habits, including my speech and behavior.

After finishing with these two, I took a break. Goh Yoo-Joon came over and sat beside me with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Teacher Suh Hyun-Woo, I've heard a lot about you."

I raised an eyebrow. "What did you hear?"

"They say you are an excellent teacher."

I had wondered why he came over, and it turned out it was to tease me. Han Jun must have given his feedback about me acting like a trainer.

"And you? All I see you doing is chatting away. How's it going with the lessons? I saw you laughing a lot with Il-Seong earlier."

"Oh, that." Goh Yoo-Joon rolled his eyes before suddenly bursting into laughter by clutching his stomach.

"What’s so funny? Let me in on it."

"Remember when I asked who would do the 'rolling leaves, kyaa~' part?"

"Yeah, I remember." I clicked my tongue and jabbed Goh Yoo-Joon's side. He was quite something. "First, you mess with Joo-Han hyung, now Il-Seong hyung? You’re going to get a reputation for bullying juniors."

"So what? Everyone knows we’re close, and the show will make that clear too. Anyway, after I mentioned that..." Goh Yoo-Joon's eyes sparkled as he leaned in. It seemed he had thoroughly enjoyed teasing Il-Seong. "They had a meeting about it during the break."

"A meeting? Wait... was it about...?"

I looked over at Il-Seong. He was talking with the Sequence members, looking displeased. When he noticed us, he mouthed ‘Ah, seriously!’ and let out a deep sigh. The Sequence members burst into laughter, clearly enjoying the situation.

Beside me, Goh Yoo-Joon was laughing even harder than the Sequence members. "Originally, Byeong-Kwan was supposed to do it, but the Sequence manager insisted Il-Seong should take over."

"Pfft." Joo-Han overheard while passing by. He stopped and laughed out loud before mockingly teasing Il-Seong with his expression and walking away.

"Ah, that’s why you were having a blast messing with him earlier." I couldn’t help but laugh too. Seeing the usually tough Il-Seong doing the 'kyaa~' part would be quite a sight.

Goh Yoo-Joon struck a proud pose. "It’s revenge for our trainee days."

"Ahahaha."

He used to get into plenty of trouble back then too, so what was the point? I shook my head at him while he just waggled his eyebrows playfully. "Don’t look at me like that. Il-Seong hyung already kicked me as soon as the cameras were off. But seeing him agree to do the 'kyaaaa' part was totally worth it."

"You’re something else." I chuckled, shaking my head again. "Oh, Goh Yoo-Joon. Isn't Aeon next on your list to teach?"

"Right, the main vocalist of Sequence. What should I do? I've never interacted with him before. It's going to be so awkward~"

That was nonsense. This guy would have him exchange phone numbers and call each other 'bro' in no time. Goh Yoo-Joon was the master of making friends fast.

Just then, Aeon and Hyo-Joon approached us cautiously and sat down, their expressions a mix of excitement and nervousness.

"Um, excuse us, seniors."

Goh Yoo-Joon and I exchanged glances before turning to face them, curious about what they wanted. "What's up?"

"We’re sorry to interrupt your conversation, but..." Aeon trailed off and looked to Hyo-Joon for support. They hesitated, then pulled out something from their bags and held it out to us. It was their phone cases and concert slogans, clearly prepared for this moment. "Could you please sign these for us?"

"Aww, you guys are adorable. You’ve got everything ready," Goh Yoo-Joon muttered under his breath with a smile. "Sure, we'd be happy to." Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Actually, they are not just saying it for the camera. They are legit fans of yours," Jae-Seok commented from across the practice room, where he was chatting with Joo-Han. Joo-Han nodded in agreement while smiling at me.

"Hyun-Woo, it looks like Aeon came all the way from the States just to see you."

"Really? For me?"

"Yes... It’s a bit embarrassing, but after watching your year-end performance, I looked up everything about you. I respect you a lot. Please, can I have your autograph?" Aeon’s cheeks turned a shade of pink.

"Me too, please sign this!" Hyo-Joon chimed in, holding out his slogan.

"Chronos, gather around for a moment!" Goh Yoo-Joon called out, and we all gathered to sign their items.

"Honestly, we wanted to ask during the ‘Joy’ music video shoot, but it felt too awkward with the cameras around."

They both looked like they were walking on air, carefully placing the signed items back into their bags. Aeon said he didn’t want to just slap the case onto his phone carelessly during practice. He wanted to put it on with care when he got home.

YMM idols sure knew how to fanboy.

Our break was soon over, and it was back to filming. My next 'student' was On-Sae. On-Sae was easier to teach. He had the most stage experience and was already skilled. Plus, I had trained him before, so I knew his strengths and what he might struggle with.

"Hyung, do you think I lack impact when I am in the center?" On-Sae asked, his brows furrowed in thought.

"Impact?" I repeated as I pondered on his question. Despite changing agencies, groups, and environments, On-Sae's concerns remained the same. He wasn’t the type to naturally command attention in the center.

He was more of an all-rounder, reliable but not flashy. Honestly, he didn’t have the stage presence of someone like Hyo-Joon or Aeon. When On-Sae was in the center, he sometimes blended in rather than stood out. Even though he had received significant parts due to high expectations, his presence didn’t always leave a strong impression.

"Don’t you think so too, hyung? Like during ‘Joy?’" On-Sae pressed, his eyes searching mine for answers.

"Hmm, I didn’t notice much, but I get what you’re saying," I replied.

Sequence was a powerful group, so On-Sae's issue wasn't detrimental to the group’s overall performance. But for On-Sae, it was a significant concern. Rejoining under a new group meant heightened scrutiny. Without standing out, he'd face as much criticism as he did attention.

"What should I do? You have such a strong presence on stage, hyung. I came here wanting to learn from you, but I just can’t seem to get it right," he confessed, looking a bit defeated.

Seeing him so earnestly brought back memories in YU. Despite our more relaxed relationship now, it was heartwarming to see his determination had not wavered.

"First things first, On-Sae. How about starting with a smile?" I suggested, a grin spreading across my face.