Second Try Idol

Apologize? To them? Callia's expression was filled with incredulity. “What are you talking about?"

“An apology,” Joo-Han said. “You just left yesterday. Because of that, our entire schedule was messed up, and the members were really disappointed."

“Well, we ended up doing it after all anyway, didn't we?" Callia asked.

Kang Joo-Han's expression turned grim. “So, does agreeing to do it after all erase the fact that you canceled yesterday's schedule?"

“..."

“You don't want to apologize to us nobodies because it hurts your pride?"

Joo-Han was acting as if he would really call off the song and the shooting if Callia didn't back down.

‘Though I doubt he would actually go through with it...'

Callia knew that Joo-Han was just like her. If he said he would do something, he would.

She sat back with a scoff and laughed in disbelief. She seemed to have lost interest in modifying the song further. “You seem to have a lot of grievances against me, but what's the point? You will be the ones at a loss. I've come back for you, and your attitude is just unbelievable."

Kang Joo-Han raised an eyebrow. His expression was annoyingly smug and showed no signs of backing down as if he wouldn't care even if Callia got mad and turned away.

“We don't feel like we lost anything at all. We will succeed and become famous without your song, anyway. I have my own compositions."

“Joo-Han, you are really short-sighted. Me offering a song isn't an opportunity that comes by easily. Despite your grievances, you should accept it. It's a chance for you to climb the ladder much faster—"

“Nah.”Kang Joo-Han shook his head. Callia had been acting as if she was the only great thing that could happen to them, as if she was granting Chronos a huge opportunity.

Honestly, many of Callia's offers were indeed big opportunities for Chronos, but this was just a nice-to-have for Joo-Han, not a necessity. He was usually opportunistic, but he was willing to let go of this card so easily.

“Do you think you are the only opportunity for us?"

“..."

Kang Joo-Han's confidence stemmed from his belief in Chronos' talent.

‘What does that mean...?'

Callia's mind raced. Hearing him say that there were opportunities other than the one she offered baffled her. She had been certain that this was like winning the lottery for Chronos. Even if it was a song made for broadcasting, just the fact that they received a song from Callia could have created a buzz in Korea and even in the US for a while.

But she was smart. It didn't take long for her to grasp the meaning behind Kang Joo-Han's roundabout words.

‘Since you quickly changed your mind about us, it’s possible for us to catch the eye of other famous composers and artists without any issues.'

It meant that even without working with Callia, Chronos had plenty of other opportunities lying around. Joo-Han himself was talented enough when it came to composing songs, and even Callia had to admit their skills were compelling enough to make her give them her song.

Although Chronos was not well-known at the moment, they would soon receive the recognition they deserved if they continued to work as hard as they were now, even without Callia.

‘She got it.'

Kang Joo-Han grinned annoyingly. He thought Callia would quickly understand what he had meant. In a nutshell, he was telling her 'You are not Chronos' savior, so don't act high and mighty and show some respect.'

“Whether you give us the song or not is up to you. If we can't get it, I'd feel really sorry for the broadcasting company and the members who were expecting it. But I don't want to suck up to someone who canceled an entire day's schedule on us just to get a song and a performance."

“..."

“Do you understand, Callia?"

Given Callia's own strong pride and self-esteem, she should understand why they couldn't stand being disrespected.

“I would appreciate an apology."

If Callia decided to quit the show over this, so be it. However, it was essential to address this issue to ensure Chronos wouldn't be disrespected any further during the filming.

“..."

Callia remained silent, her lips sealed as she was deep in thought. She was frustrated at having to listen to such remarks while offering her song, yet she also felt like she'd been hit over the head with a revelation.

Kang Joo-Han had bluntly stated, 'I don't like you, so I don't want to work with you' without any affection for Callia. It was the first time in Callia's career anyone had done this.

Since her debut at twelve with her own composition that became a hit, she quickly rose to the top globally. The influence she wielded worldwide was significant, hence her manager, the industry, and even her fans always spoke well of her.

The managers and staff closest to her were busy catering to Callia's whims, and multiple companies also bombarded her daily with gifts, hoping to impress her and get her to use their products at least once. Callia's parents were living luxuriously off her earnings, so they were out of the picture.

The only somewhat affectionate advice came from Reina, but since she and Reina were influential in different countries and lived in different places, they didn't interact much.

Who would dare ask her to apologize? It was the no-back-down revolutionary Kang Joo-Han who did that.

Callia was stunned as if shocked by the mere request to apologize. She eventually closed her agape mouth and became lost in contemplation.

'I did mess up, didn't I?'

No one had ever called her out for canceling a schedule before, but if she were in Chronos’ shoes, she would've been quite upset too. Therefore, she knew she had to apologize.

‘But do I really need to apologize and give them the song?' Isn’t this completely reversing the power dynamic? For whose benefit?’ Just as Chronos didn't necessarily need Callia's song, Callia didn't necessarily need to give Chronos her song.

As Kang Joo-Han said, it really was Callia's choice to make. She wasn't one to freely give without receiving and wasn’t as calculating as Joo-Han. She had no intention of giving a song to someone who openly disliked her.

Honestly, the thought of giving them a song now was irritating. It felt as if she was the one desperate to offer her music. No way. There were plenty of others who would kill for a song by Callia.

But… She glanced at Joo-Han, who was silently waiting for her response.

‘But...'

After much deliberation, Callia's expression softened as she let out a sigh. “I'm sorry."

“..."

She decided to apologize for her wrongdoing first. “It was wrong of me to leave like that yesterday. I was wrong to belittle and overlook you without knowing anything. I will apologize to your members later too. I will give you the song, but I'd like to work on it together with you."

Callia had a weakness for talented people. Despite the emotional confrontation, her desire to offer Chronos a song stemmed not only from her attraction to the members' voices and skills, but most importantly, from her interest in Kang Joo-Han's compositional talent. It seemed he hadn't been composing for long.

She wasn't sure if it was a common composition method in Korea or something, but Kang Joo-Han's unique approach was exactly to Callia's taste. Their personalities were polar opposites, but their musical directions aligned.

Callia softened her expression as she thought it wouldn't be bad to collaborate with this composer from Korea at least once. Joo-Han's expression finally eased up a bit after Callia readily apologized.

“Okay."

“Let's continue. Any thoughts?"

“Yeah, how about turning this into a dance track? Have you worked on dance music before? Something like this-"

After their initial clash, the two surprisingly proceeded smoothly with the first modifications.

***

It was almost midnight when Kang Joo-Han finished working with Callia and returned to the accommodation. At the same time, Reina came to Chronos' room. She was lively and very excited.

“I have tomorrow's schedule for you. We are traveling a bit farther away."

“Where is it?"

“Farther away?"

Reina briefly answered, “Ellen Hall.” We were all clueless and didn’t react because of the lack of context. This prompted Reina to laugh heartily and explain in more detail. “It's not that far. Probably about a three-hour drive? It's a small concert venue, often used for rookie artists' performances or rehearsals."

“Are we going into a concert venue already? Will we have enough of an audience?" Joo-Han asked.

Reina shook her head. “There won't be an audience. Tomorrow, we will have two performances. The first one is a street performance in front of people, and the second is at Ellen Hall. Ellen Hall is more of a filming than a performance. It will go up on UTube as part of Again After Rainfall’s promotion."

“Ah."

It seemed we were filming something like a pre-release video, which was a must-have for any show these days. It could ease the public's anxiety about the idol version of Again After Rainfall and serve as promotional material.

The members buzzed with excitement over the new schedule. Reina indicated she wasn't finished and pressed her index finger to her lips before adding, “And the footage we shoot will not only go on UTube, but will also be sent to foreign media who've requested reference materials. So, perform with all your heart. Got it?"

“Whaaat?"

“Foreign media?"

“...Gosh."

Reina's excitement made sense. It was unlikely that the relatively unknown Chronos' Again After Rainfall would garner interest abroad, so it seemed that there was already interest and planning regarding the news of Callia Lawrence's joining.

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