Free Web NovelI used to fast-forward videos as a kid whenever a scene I didn’t want to watch appeared.
Now I wish I could rewind.
Just five seconds.
“Puhuh....”
Behind me, I could hear Serenity’s members stifling laughter in real time.
The male and female MCs covered their mouths with the cue cards, but their smiling lips were fully visible.
Especially Han Tae-hyun, who was outright guffawing.
Damn it.
Even the camera directors—renowned for never cracking a smile—were twitching the corners of their mouths.
I wanted to bolt off the stage making Pterosaur squeals, but first I had to finish my speech.
Words I had to say before the live broadcast ended:
“This is truly unbelievable, so I was momentarily stunned.”
I brushed it off casually, but looking into the audience, I saw nobody believed me.
I thanked our CEO and everyone at the company, and our families and fans who always support us.
As the staff roll aired on the TV screen, the intro to “Masquerade” played over the amps.
“Congratulations!”
We bowed our heads, returning the thanks as fellow singers left the stage.
“Congratulations, hyung.”
“Congratulations, Woo-joo.”
The TNT members each gave me a quick hug before descending the stage.
While the audience filtered out, we grabbed the mic for an encore.
At first, I was too embarrassed and avoided eye contact with the remaining Soufflé in the crowd, looking only at my brothers as we sang.
But Biju, singing beside me, motioned for me to look at the audience.
I glanced around sheepishly and almost forgot my next line mid-song.
I hadn’t seen anyone that happy in a long time.
We got our first music-show win with our song.
And it was only five months into our debut.
News about it appeared on the main portal entertainment page, but I didn’t have the nerve to click.
Especially when I saw the MusicOn popular clip titled “#Is_This_Real? Idol Overwhelmed by First Unbelievable Win” I lost all motivation.
In the car heading to our next schedule,
“Puhahahah!”
Every time the brothers looked at something, they clapped and laughed.
“Ah, I think I’m going to cry.”
Biju wiped tears from his eyes from laughing so hard.
“This is hilarious, hyung, this...”
“I’m not curious. I’m not watching. You didn’t ask.”
“...Hyung, are you crying?”
“No. I’m not.”
I rested my head against the window, taking in the dusking skyline of Yeouido.
Seeing me like that made the brothers laugh again.
Jung-hyun offered me gummy bears.
“Want some, hyung?”
“Give me a lot. I need sugar right now.”
He sorted them by color onto his palm, then handed me the rest of the bag.
Showing me his fist as if cheering me on made me laugh.
Ji-ho popped his head up from the back seat, as if to sympathize, but opened his mouth like a fish.
“Give me some of those gummies.”
“Eat them all. Every last one.”
I shoved half a dozen into his mouth, and watching him munch happily made me want to tear my hair out.
Ri-hyuk kept snickering from behind.
“I need to remember this bit. Hey mister, you know what?”
“What?”
“Fans already gave us a bunch of nicknames. They say we’ve got ‘First-Class Black History Manufacture License.’ And...”
“Aaaaah!”
I covered my ears, but the pale crane was chattering excitedly behind me.
“Be quiet, crane.”
He’s dressed like a crane too, I retorted, and the other brothers applauded and burst into laughter.
The crane—ears now red—flapped its wings threateningly at me, but I ignored it.
Three minutes later, when I finally let my ears rest, Biju in the next seat gave me a gentle smile.
“I sometimes think...”
Only he would say such a thing.
“Sometimes I wonder if the gods gave you so much talent, they had to balance it by giving you black history...”
“Biju.”
“Yes?”
“Insult me. Go on.”
He loves it when I scream “Waaah!” into the night outside the window.
And I think my brothers love it too.
Everything seemed electrified because we got our first music-show win.
Honestly, I felt it too.
Chatting and joking idly with my brothers, I was unusually uplifted.
The fatigue was still there, but for a moment it vanished like insects fleeing the light.
What moved us now was joy.
How can I explain this?
To some, this trophy might be worth less than a stone, but to us it was more precious than anything.
Our first No. 1.
I don’t know how the rest of our promotions will go, but I’ll never forget the thrill of this first win.
That helpless, spined-tingling feeling.
After six years as trainees and eight years dreaming of this, we finally did it.
The words etched on the semi-transparent glass—“MusicOn : New Black 2014.12.12”—glowed in the sunset.
Every time I see it, a lump rises in my throat.
Alongside the satisfaction of getting what we wanted, all the weight inside me drained away.
And something new filled the space.
Beyond the music-show win and Rookie Award, a craving to go even higher is already crawling in one corner of my heart.
Of course, our maknae is still bouncing with excitement.
“Hyung, let’s do a live stream with our fans.”
“Sure.”
Above all, we lifted the company phone to send thanks to Soufflé, who must have felt every bit as much pressure as we did.
Today the company happily agreed.
We started without warning, and fans poured in.
All huddled together with pounding hearts, waiting for the chat to fill up.
A blink later, the first comment appeared:
–Congrats on No. 1 New Black!
Grinning, we pumped our shoulders and yelled “Waaah!” as the next comments scrolled up:
–I heard New Black got No. 1, is it true?
–Oh, it’s real..?
–You also got Rookie Award, right?
–Oh, it’s real..??
As the comments whirl in a fast-paced jam, we were stunned while the brothers howled with laughter.
Then came:
–I heard Woo-joo sucks at gaming? Is that true?
–Oppa is a gaming noob
Just when I was expecting another “Oh, it’s real,” that curveball hit me hard.
Clutching the back of my neck, the chat exploded with “ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ.”
“Yes, this week’s live music show Music Camp No. 1 goes to—yes! New Black’s Masquerade! Congratulations!”
“Popular Artist of the Second Week of December, reveal the score sheet! Yes! Digital score, album score, broadcast score, SNS score, and text votes. Congratulations! New Black!”
Like any luck, it struck us without warning.
Though our run on music shows ended this week, we didn’t stop at our first win—we swept all three major networks, achieving a triple crown.
“Congratulations!”
Amid our stunned joy, birthday-style fireworks went off in front of us, scattering confetti.
A barbecue restaurant in Gangnam-gu.
This was the company-arranged dinner to celebrate us and the staff holding No. 1 all weekend.
Perhaps because the CEO kindly said to eat our fill tonight, and because we were relieved the music-show run was over, the atmosphere was electric.
“Woo-joo! Say something!”
Makeup artists tapped spoons and chopsticks, prompting me, while managers, staff, and my brothers yelled “Say something!”
Meanwhile, the CEO and his wife carried platters of prime rib with happy smiles.
When I stood up, the maknae brought me a spoon as if it were a mic.
“Uh, thanks... Hey, where did you learn this?”
“My dad showed me videos of previous dinner parties. He and the company people sang trot and pulled out tissues.”
“We can’t do that.”
“Right, that’s not allowed,” Biju agreed.
After thanking the staff, someone suggested a toast, then without discussion they all decided in unison:
“All together, a toast!”
“Huh? It’s real!”
Hearing “Huh? It’s real!” echoing around made the back of my head feel like a newly stretched rubber band.
“Hyung, let’s make a toast too.”
“If you copy that exactly, I won’t forgive you.”
“Then let’s go with ‘I won’t forgive you.’”
“I won’t forgive you!”
Damn it.
Managers, brothers, and I clinked our cider glasses joyfully.
Though I can’t drink alcohol, everyone sipped cider and ate meat as though possessed.
While we feasted like starving dogs, Jung-hyun and Won-seok handled the grilling.
“How’s this cooked, right?”
“Oh, it’s perfect, Jung-hyun.”
“Ahem.”
Watching Jung-hyun beam with grilling pride, I kept giving thumbs-up.
Meanwhile, I chatted work talk with Director Yoon Seok-hwan.
“...Is that for real?”
“Really?”
“Yes, it’s true.”
He answered through a mouthful of wrap.
“They haven’t finalized the program title yet... but the artists already signed contracts. We wrapped up appearance details yesterday. Having a No. 1 group in their debut year is a great title.”
“Senior Cha Woo-hyun and Jo Yuri Band will appear?”
“Yes, they’re recording around January 20.”
“Wow....”
I stopped eating and gaped.
The schedule our director secured was for a PBS music competition program recorded in January.
He said it’s a project they’re investing in.
He’ll show me the network’s plan in the office when no one’s around.
“And TBC hasn’t given ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) specifics yet, but they’ll probably request a joint stage—a cover performance.”
“Where will our stage be? Sangam? Or Ilsan?”
“Sangam.”
“...It’ll be cold.”
“Still, it’s not Imjingak; we should be grateful.”
I nodded at Ri-hyuk’s words.
For the TBC year-end music festival on December 31, there are two stages; we got the outdoor one in front of the Sangam building.
It’ll be freezing for the audience at night.
I heard there used to be live stages even at Imjingak’s New Year bell; I feel deep respect for senior artists.
Ji-ho, chewing giant wraps, asked,
“If it’s a joint stage, who will we perform with?”
“Not decided yet.”
Already three weeks away, and they won’t even tell us the details.
It’s absurd, but I let it slide.
This is standard operating procedure for broadcasters.
Well, regardless of which team we pair with, we’ll give it our all.
“For now, eat, hyung.”
Jung-hyun placed meat atop my shredded radish.
“Even Mount Geumgang is best enjoyed after eating, right?”
“That’s very true.”
He said it without error—even in casual speech.
I marveled and bit into the beef, savoring the fat, aroma, and juice in pure bliss.
Then I saw it....
On my smartphone: “Korean Language Encyclopedia : Even Mount Geumgang Can Wait Until After a Meal.”
Right after a perfect weekend of Rookie Award and a music-show triple crown, we headed back to schedules.
Monday’s first job was recording HBS MTV’s “Idol Show.”
“Idol Show.”
Reading the program plan, it seemed made in response to rival K-Net’s “Show! Show! Show! Idol High School!”
Like Idol High School, they invite one idol team and play various games for fun, plus talk segments.
A show targeting idol fans.
It aims to air in early January 2015, and we were the honored first guests.
I heard PD Bae Jong-geon, in charge of “It’s the New Black,” recommended us to the external production team for the premiere.
With both recommendation and the burden of being first, I felt the need to do well.
“But the script here isn’t tightly written.”
Ri-hyuk flipped through the pages in the car en route to the studio.
“They give MC lines, and the rest is up to us.”
“Well, they probably want ad-libs.”
It’s nice to have a free format, but also nerve-wracking.
We alone have to generate the entertainment.
Biju, stretching in all directions next to me, asked,
“How should we address them? Sunbaenim? Seonsaengnim?”
“Sunbaenim seems better.”
“True, they might not like Seonsaengnim.”
On the portal search bar, the name “Trend” appeared.
A coed group labeled as debuting in 1994 with five members.
One of the first-generation idols who defined the ’90s, still legendary today.
The MCs were the eldest member Seri and the youngest Bubuk.
“Bubuk sunbaenim. Bubuk sunbaenim.”
We all practiced eagerly.
It felt awkward, and for some reason we kept laughing, so we forced serious faces.
Bubuk bubuk bubuk bubuk bubuk bubuk.
“Get used to it.”
In the rearview mirror, I saw Won-seok’s stunned face and heard Min-gi in the passenger seat say proudly,
“That’s our boys.”
Because “Idol Show” is produced externally, the studio wasn’t at the network but elsewhere.
I knew that.
The problem was:
“....What am I looking at right now?”
“Exactly.”
“Let’s name everything we see.”
“Taegeukgi.”
“A slogan. ‘The Reliable Cane of the People.’”
“Detective Squad 4 sign.”
“Steel bars.”
“My teeth in the mirror.”
We looked around, mouths agape.
Cubicle-divided desks and office supplies, police logos everywhere.
And even a holding cell.
This place—a perfect police station set—was the studio where we were filming today.
“Surprised?”
“No.”
Yes, very.
PD Go, in charge of this external production, explained:
“The original location was one floor up, but it suddenly needed renovations... long story short, we figured this would be fun too.”
“Ah. A police station special?”
“Of course not. First-episode special.”
“.......”
I’m not sure if it’s a production team trait, but the director and PD had a unique vibe.
The two MCs, who’d arrived early for makeup touch-ups, greeted us.
“Hi there!”
Seri, with her warm smile, waved and shook each of our hands, making us blush. freewebnoveℓ.com
The other MC, Bubuk, arrived with a box of coffees.
“Here you go, unni.”
“Thanks, my Bubuk.”
Even off camera, their mutual smiles showed their close relationship.
Their attention turned to us, so we greeted them:
“Hello, we are New Black!”
Seri’s face still held the same round cuteness she’d had back in the day, even in her thirties.
“Hey, do you want coffee? I didn’t know your preferences, so I looked up interviews and bought these.”
“Whoa...”
She’s an angel.
I felt wings unfold behind me, with a halo...
“Passing lights!”
They didn’t, but they dazzled me anyway.
As my desire to perform surged,
once the equipment was all set, the PD clapped his hands:
“Alright, before we start filming, let’s do the opening ritual (gosa)!”
“......Yes?”
A makeshift ritual table appeared, with a pig’s head photo on a tablet PC and chips and snacks roughly arranged.
...right in the middle of the police station set.
While I stared vacantly, Jung-hyun whispered to me:
“Hyung, there’s a stun gun over there too.”
“...What?”
Startled, I turned and saw a prop lie detector—palm pad and all.
Luckily it wasn’t real. ƒrēewebnovel.com
But...
“Isn’t this whole show... weird?”
At Ri-hyuk’s whisper, we all nodded.
