Second Try Idol

Oh Yoo-Wol watched Eden closely and observed his reaction despite the mask and baggy clothes.

"What are you talking about…?" His reply was casual, but his hands froze and grasped a soda can so tightly that his large gloves crumpled. It was as if he'd short-circuited.

Eden was definitely Suh Hyun-Woo.Oh Yoo-Wol was highly convinced and led him down the stairs where they had paused. "Ah, maybe I was mistaken. Your voice sounded familiar, so I had to ask."

"Oh… Is that so?"

"I will head out first then. Catch you at the next show, Eden."

As Oh Yoo-Wol turned away, Eden bowed politely. "Take care, Senior."

"…Pfft." He chuckled under his breath. Considering how Eden still called him 'senior,' he obviously hadn’t realized his true identity was found out.

'Can it really be him?'

Suh Hyun-Woo was known for his distinct stage presence, but he was surprisingly bad at acting offstage. The rumors that Eden was actually Suh Hyun-Woo had never been confirmed, probably mainly due to Reina's careful management.

Oh Yoo-Wol hadn’t recognized him at all when they first met. Frankly, he hadn’t cared about Eden’s identity. While he was passionate about music and singers' voices, he rarely showed interest in other performers.

When he heard Eden's live performance, he instantly recognized it was Suh Hyun-Woo because of the familiar tunes from Again After Rainfall. That program had captured his heart since its first season, resonating deeply with him through its thoughtful song selections and earnest approach to music. It was a show he had religiously followed and secretly hoped to one day grace as a guest.

Oh Yoo-Wol, having risen to a level of fame himself, diligently watched the second season and delved deep into researching Chronos, but he wasn’t one to obsess over every piece of content like the die-hard fans. He tuned into Chronos' performances selectively, with Again After Rainfall being the exception, largely indifferent to their group stages or chart-toppers.

Instead, he found himself drawn to the solo tracks of members Goh Yoo-Joon and Suh Hyun-Woo, whose vocals shone in the songs he favored over dance numbers.

His fondness for their solo work, like Again After Rainfall alongside "Once Again," had inadvertently solidified Eden’s true identity in his mind. By the time this particular live session echoed through his speakers, he had been unintentionally sure of who was behind the mic.

‘Not that I'm thrilled or anything.’

It was merely the surreal realization of encountering a voice he frequently enjoyed, this time in the flesh. Nonetheless, this unexpected revelation was a golden opportunity for Oh Yoo-Wol.

"Hard work paid off, Yoo-Wol. Congrats on hitting number one! Didn’t I tell you this was your time to shine?"

"Oh, come on, you say that every time~" Oh Yoo-Wol chuckled, handing a bouquet of flowers to his hustling manager and nudging him toward the car in a playful shove.

"What? Why!" the manager exclaimed in a mix of surprise and protest as he was cornered toward the vehicle.

"Hyung, I think I figured out Eden's real identity." Oh Yoo-Wol confessed as they settled into the car.

"Really? Who is it? Everyone’s been so curious, even the staff’s been on a wild goose chase backstage," the manager pressed, his interest piqued as he stepped into the driver's seat.

Leaning back, Yoo-Wol smirked slightly. "I won't tell you because you know you can't keep a secret."

"What! You bastard!" the manager grumbled, but Oh Yoo-Wol only laughed.

"This could be a great chance to make some useful connections. Hyung, think we can arrange a collaboration with Eden for the company?"

"You mean for a UTube shoot?" the manager clarified, raising an eyebrow.

He was referring to the "Oh Yoo-Wol Does Everything" UTube channel they managed that blended behind-the-scenes footage with music video promotional contents. The channel had recently jumped from twenty thousand to fifty thousand subscribers following Oh Yoo-Wol’s appearance on the show Introduce My Singer.

"Yeah, it can be behind-the-scenes footage, or… Any kind of content really. That would be great."

"If it's with Eden's company..."

The manager's voice trailed off with uncertainty in his tone as he started the car. He did exchange a business card with MN Entertainment’s manager, but Oh Yoo-Wol’s company was small, and they hadn’t ventured into artist collaborations of this scale before. The manager silently doubted the feasibility.

"If it’s not possible, then don’t worry about it."

Aware of the long odds, Oh Yoo-Wol wasn’t blind to the challenges. His years of obscurity had taught him to temper hope with realism. On top of that, Eden, the singer that the top-rated Reina was producing, was one of the most popular group member of Chronos.

"Nothing's impossible! Not with you, Yoo-Wol. I will get in touch with them. You said you want to collaborate with Eden for your channel, right?" the manager asserted more confidently than he felt, his fingers tight around the steering wheel.

"Do not push too hard, though."

No matter how small the company was, anyone would hate seeing their artists get overshadowed. "By the way, who is Eden since you are trying to set up a collaboration with him? You always say you dislike anything that comes with too many restrictions. You even took a break from band activities for that reason."

"Once I got a taste of the spotlight and stood on stage, I didn't want to step down."

"Is this guy famous?"

"You don't need to know, hyung."

"Shouldn't you at least tell me since I’m your manager?"

Oh Yoo-Wol shrugged and turned his gaze out the window. It might seem like he was using Suh Hyun-Woo to his advantage, but objectively, this wasn't a bad opportunity for Eden. He was a rookie singer and even wore a mask. Therefore, he surely rarely got a chance to promote his songs in front of a camera.

Besides, Oh Yoo-Wol’s own popularity as a contestant was low, but the contents of "Oh Yoo-Wol Does Everything" were quite entertaining. Therefore, he hoped that Eden's side would consider the collaboration on a positive note.

***

After finishing the concept meeting for "Sirens," we were on our way back to the practice room.

"We got a casting call from Oh Yoo-Wol's side for Eden," Tae-Seong, making me feel like hundreds of question marks popped over his head.

Oh Yoo-Wol? Just like that? I usually welcomed any casting opportunities with open arms, saying, 'Please, thank you.' But Oh Yoo-Wol was somewhat burdensome.

That guy had figured out that I was Eden even though I tried to act oblivious out of sheer embarrassment. No matter how much I altered my voice during live performances, it was unmistakably mine, and recognizing it was inevitable.

But wouldn't anyone freeze if their name was called as they were stepping off the stage? He must have called it knowing Eden was me and wanting to confirm his suspicions.

"If you don't like it, I will decline. It's just an inquiry so far, and Reina said it's okay to decline if you want to."

I turned to look at Tae-Seong. He was already holding his phone, ready to make a call. "Is that okay?"

Tae-Seong nodded. "It's just a UTube channel with about fifty thousand subscribers."

For reference, the Chronos channel had about 6.7 million subscribers.

"We need to prepare for ‘Sirens’ soon and the concert is not far off. If it's bothersome, you don't have to do it."

I watched Tae-Seong handling his phone and asked, "Will I have my identity figured out if I go on the show again?"

Tae-Seong nodded without hesitation. "Yeah."

"I think so too."

"No, you've already been figured out."

"Senior Reina also said that," I said with a resigned smile. I couldn't forget the trend that took over the BlueBird platform right after the shooting. They were 'Suh Hyun-Woo = Eden' and 'Hyun-Woo Confirmed as Eden.’

How could I suddenly dominate the real-time trends before even being broadcasted? It all started with the audience's reports.

- LMAO Eden is definitely our kid 😂 If not, then I will quit being a Ring lol I'm two hundred percent sure. I will explain more why when I get home.

- But I'm a bit uncertain about this. His singing voice is similar but his speaking voice is totally different... I stared at him the whole time, but except when he was singing… I don’t think it’s Suh Hyun-Woo.

- The moment he sang one verse, I was like, ah.. 😂😂😂

- When he gets nervous, his movements become awkward and he becomes less talkative. It was a typical Hyun-Woo thing that Eden did lol

The Rings who had been in the audience that day were sure that 'Eden = Suh Hyun-Woo,' but other Rings only had a slight hope. This wasn't based on objective and accurate information, and they thought it wasn't possible due to our personal schedules.

- But if Eden is Hyun-Woo, then are you saying he is preparing a solo song for the concert and running an Eden schedule as a side gig? Does he have enough time for that?

- After all, their agencies are different

However, there was a moment that unified the divided opinions of the Rings. The SES Introduce My Singer'sofficial website had a gallery category that was as well-managed as the popularity of the broadcast. Naturally, high-quality photos from the filming site were uploaded much faster than the previews, including information about the cast of that episode.

Those who had been reasonably suspecting that I was Eden naturally focused on the photos uploaded to the gallery. And there, my mistake was revealed.

- He couldn't give up the peach drink even as Eden... lol

- What’s the point of wearing a mask then? Hyun-Woo, how are you gonna handle this? You've been caught... lol

- Thinking that's Hyun-Woo holding the drink can in his big gloves makes it look even cuter. 😭😭😭

The problem was that I carelessly placed my favorite drink that the manager had bought to suit my taste under my chair. The Rings, who knew the members' drink preferences well, saw the peach drink at my feet or in my hand and were convinced that I was Eden.

‘Is this one of those situations where there are only deceivers and no deceived?’

Even if I tried to hide it, these fans could recognize me just from a bottle of juice. How could I hide that, then?

When I mentioned to Reina that my identity seemed to have been unveiled, she told me to just pretend not to know.

Back then, she said, "It’s okay, it’s okay. We did our best, but if we've been caught, there’s nothing we can do about it. Just stay quiet. It's fun to keep playing dumb until we reveal the truth, right?"

"Hyun-Woo, what should we do? Should we reject their request?"

The conversation drifted off topic for a moment. I shook my head. "It's not that I don’t like the idea. He’s a senior I may see often, so it would be rude to refuse. Just tell them I’ll join, please."

Besides, my schedule had not been that packed lately. I thought it wouldn’t be bad to promote my song since it seemed I had been partly caught anyway.

"Hey!" When we decided to set the schedule, Yoon-Chan and Goh Yoo-Joon came out of the practice room, spotted the car, and approached.

I got out of the car and faced them. "What about Yoon-Chan's shoot?"

"It just finished, and I arrived at the practice room. I ordered something at the cafe and came here because it seemed like you were coming."

"How was the meeting? How’s the song?"

"How was it?"

I grinned. "It’s insane."

"Sirens…" When I first heard the title, I thought it would have a mystical and mysterious vibe like "Moon Sea." Listening to the guide today, it was indeed mystical, but it went classic uptempo. Thus, it was a bit different from what I expected. The composer said that the "siren" in this song wasn't a fairy of the sea, but rather a beautiful nightmare that you can’t forget even in death.

Because Supervisor Kim had boldly promised high quality and urged us to prepare for the high costs, the solo song prepared hastily for the concert matched my taste so well that I found myself smiling without realizing.

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