Free Web NovelMy heart’s pounding.
Normally a track takes an hour after release to hit the real-time charts.
If our song charts, we won’t know until 7:00.
Even though the ranking isn’t available yet, my chest is pounding and my stomach’s churning.
“Phew...”
My deep breath sounded like thunder. I turned and caught my brothers’ eyes.
All five of us took a deep breath at once.
We looked at each other and laughed. I felt my tension ease a bit.
“I wish it were live already. I’m so, so, so nervous I can’t do anything.”
I felt exactly the same.
Wiping the cold sweat from my palms, I started a countdown at 5:55.
Opening my laptop on the waiting-room sofa, staff gathered around.
Manager Seok-hwan, hyung Min-gi, hyung Won-seok, Director Kim and the stylists, 홍서영 from PR and the intern, the fan manager, dance and vocal trainers.
Team NewBlack, who’d worked hard to create our third album.
Everyone’s face was tense.
Seok-hwan hyung put his hand on my shoulder and soothed me calmly.
“It’s up, it’s up.”
At Jung-hyun’s cue we all counted down ten seconds together.
Ri-hyeok, mouse in hand, hit refresh repeatedly.
At exactly 6:00 PM, our album art appeared under “Artist: NewBlack.”
“Waaaah!”
We all applauded and cheered at the birth of our new album.
As I, the producer, told the staff, “You’ve all worked so hard,”
“Download it, download it—hurry!” Bi-ju said, excitement in his voice. Soon everyone shouted “Download! Hurry!” and pulled out their phones, downloading all eleven tracks.
On my phone, the titles appeared:
“Yellow, the Color of Sunshine.” The trendy album art captured sunlight as color: a flower formed in dotted lines like a hieroglyph at the center. Bi-ju had drawn it himself.
“Wow...”
I laughed at Bi-ju, inspecting the art on his phone from every angle, as excited as a child seeing a 3D picture.
“Hyung, this is amazing.”
Bi-ju’s eyes were wide.
“Our work is out in the world now. Even the songs Jung-hyun and I composed are here...”
“Amazing, right?”
“Yes. So this is how you’ve felt.”
It must have been surreal for them to see songs they’d helped create released to the world, including the title track “Wind Flower.”
As everyone talked excitedly,
“Dinner’s here!”
Managers arrived with steak sets from a family restaurant.
Seok-hwan hyung clapped to gather attention.
“To thank you all for your hard work, our members are treating the staff. Enjoy.”
“Oh my.”
“Thanks! We’ll eat well!”
Blissful knife-and-fork action began as we devoured steaks like starved souls.
“Wow, this tastes... so worth dieting for a month. It’s amazing.”
“I feel like crying from how good it is...”
“I’m already crying a bit.”
Jung-hyun dabbed his eyes with a napkin mid-bite. No one was surprised.
“Did you yawn?”
“Yes.”
Figures.
Meanwhile, we’d eaten so fast to avoid talking about the inevitable question no one had voiced.
“Do you think our song will chart?”
...Our teddy bear asked kindly.
As soon as chart talk came up, my throat closed.
Ri-hyeok coughed and gulped water so fiercely the tint stained his straw.
A silence settled.
“...”
“...”
An expected ranking.
Honestly, making the top 100 is huge in itself—I’d have been happy just to chart, in my mind.
But lately even Best Song Squad tracks charted, and Something was breezing through the top ten. Our previous album Masquerade had debuted at ten. It’d be a lie to say I had no expectations.
But nothing’s guaranteed. Even chart titans can slip. That’s why I was afraid. If I dared hope and our track underperformed, if people didn’t love our song...
I could say, “We worked hard, and that’s enough,” but hearts aren’t so simple. This album was our project front and center. Though Director Jo oversaw as executive producer, in practice I and my brothers had the strongest influence—from the album art to every minor detail. We had to deliver results. The company wouldn’t blame us, but we had pride. We’d said, “Let us try!” and if the result was disappointing...
No. Don’t think pessimistically. That’s for after the results. Besides, my brothers were watching my face like sailors reading a compass at sea.
“Let’s wait and see. There’s no point guessing now.”
“Right.”
Bi-ju agreed.
“Talking about whether we chart now is pointless. If we get our hopes up we might get disappointed.”
“I agree.”
“I’m just gonna keep imagining in my head.”
They said it, but swallowed dry and blinked or placed hands on chests for deep breaths—everyone looked anxious. Except our third, who cheerily stabbed broccoli with his fork.
As my brothers watched me, I looked around for someone to meet my gaze—and saw Seok-hwan hyung.
Bi-ju whispered,
“Hyung, doesn’t Director Kim look... off?”
“Yeah, he does.”
Director Kim frowned at his phone. The road managers whispered among themselves. 홍서영 from PR stepped out, serious, phone in hand. I pride myself on reading faces—and they all looked worried.
Something about this situation...
“...”
Seok-hwan hyung caught my eye and grinned. But his grin made me more anxious. My brothers returned their gaze to me.
“Don’t worry too much.”
I smiled.
“But I don’t have a bad feeling...”
At that moment: when I spoke, when Bi-ju clasped his hands, when Jung-hyun fed Ri-hyeok a steak morsel, when Ri-hyeok gulped water with a pale face, when the maknae took a selfie in front of the album art—
Rumble—
Thunder rolled, and everyone’s gaze shot to the window.
Outside the venue, dark clouds poured a sudden downpour.
“...”
Ri-hyeok tilted his head.
“I thought I had a premonition. What were you going to say?”
“...Nothing.”
I cut another piece of steak in silence.
Fan showcase rehearsal.
To burn off the steak, we moved busily on stage.
“I’ll be center under the lights. Jung-hyun and you can come in half a beat early.”
“Got it. On the ‘you’ part?”
“Yes. And Ri-hyeok...”
Our performance director nodded as he described stage choreography.
“Aah, oh-baek won, oh-baek won...”
We all warmed up our voices.
But during rehearsal, I felt uneasy. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
“What do we do? It’s raining...”
Our fans waiting outside worried me. In my mind I pictured drenched soufflés collapsing in puddles.
“Min-gi hyung, will the fans be okay out there?”
“They all brought umbrellas. The rain’s eased, and seating will start soon. Don’t worry.”
“Oh, thank goodness...”
We all sighed in relief. We’d been happy that spring weather meant it wouldn’t be too cold or hot for lines—never guessed we’d get a rainstorm.
“Alright, let’s run through the timing again.”
We quickly checked our movements. As we prepared to leave the stage for entry, Ji-ho asked,
“But why did they clear all the chairs?”
“Huh, you’re right.”
The hall’s first floor—where chairs had been—was now empty. That’s where reporters sat at the media showcase. Ri-hyeok asked,
“Wait, how many did they say would come?”
“A thousand, right?”
“But now it’s standing only.”
“...That is odd.”
Since we’d cut ourselves off from news, we hadn’t known the fan-show numbers. I assumed around a thousand because that’s what we had for fan meetings. But this looked different.
“Let’s ask later.”
But once back in the waiting room, we completely forgot about the showcase attendance. 7:00 was approaching.
“...”
My stiff neck ached—I didn’t know how to calm down.
I’d never been this nervous since debut. Our breaths were ragged as if after a 100m dash.
Ri-hyeok spoke up quickly,
“I—I’ll be satisfied with any result.”
Ji-ho nodded.
“I already feel... free...”
“Enlightened.”
“I’m enlightened. What matters is what we’ve done. Uh... I don’t know what to say. Aah! Ri-hyeok hyung!”
“Don’t expect too much! I’m nervous too!”
As they fussed, we remained calm—and inside our organs were doing dance breaks.
Ri-hyeok’s hand, on the mouse, trembled.
“He’s closed it again.”
After several mis-clicks, Bi-ju took the mouse. His hand was steady—but his eyelashes trembled wildly.
Five minutes to 7:00. As everyone in the waiting room tensed, I looked at Seok-hwan hyung. His expression was unchanged—still frowning at his phone. I wanted to grab him but held back.
“Hey, the sky cleared.”
The rain stopped and the sky brightened. Though dusky, the evening sky was clear.
A good omen! We all nodded and began the countdown.
“Ten.”
Nine... eight... seven...
Each number made my heart race.
God, Deok-soon: please let our track do well. I have one last wish... okay, not the last, but can I make a wish?
“Seven o’clock!”
The maknae grabbed our arms in excitement. As Bi-ju prepared to click the mouse—
Waaaah—!
A scream, distant yet thunderous, shook the whole venue. Bi-ju mis-clicked and closed the window.
My fingers, typing “mango” in the address bar, trembled.
My heart shook with excitement.
Could it be...?
It’s like when the national team scores but you don’t watch— you hear the roar and you know it’s a goal. That roar sounded like the latter.
“It’s in!”
Just as I tried to reopen the chart details—
“Huh?”
Bi-ju grabbed my arm, exclaiming,
“Oh! Oh!”
The other brothers likewise gasped. Before we could see the detailed ranking, we all made gasp sounds.
“...!”
Goosebumps covered my arms. The vibrating jolt ran from my arms, tightening the muscles under my jaw.
As I swallowed dry, my mind froze.
19:00 real-time chart.
In the list from 1st to 10th, only one entry showed our album art.
The number-one song.
Next to the #1 entry was our yellow album art.
#1. NewBlack – Wind Flower
The world stopped.
Everyone in the waiting room screamed.
“Waaaah—!”
At 7 PM.
Real-time chart #1.
A record-breaking rank we’d never even imagined.
All my strength drained like rice pouring from a sack.
“Hoooh...”
We ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) all collapsed onto the sofa like limp squid.
Our backs damp from sweat. I must have perspired without realizing it.
“Haha, wow...”
Leaning back, we stared at each other, laughing inanely. Mouths hung open, only wind escaping.
“Congratulations!”
“Guys, congrats for real!”
Staff rushed in, excitedly patting our shoulders and waving. Only then did our tension break. The reality we’d struggled to believe hit us hard.
On the monitor, “#1. NewBlack – Wind Flower” waved at us.
“Congratulations, you worked hard.”
Seok-hwan hyung patted my shoulder, and I finally asked the question I’d held back.
“Hyung, why did you look like that earlier? I was so nervous.”
“Oh, that.”
Our manager grinned.
“I was managing my expression. Wanted to surprise you.”
“...?”
We cocked our heads. Bi-ju asked,
“What do you mean, Director? You knew the result in advance?”
Just as that strange thought flickered, Seok-hwan hyung and the staff burst out laughing.
“Fools—five-minute chart.”
“...?”
“What’s that?”
“There’s a chart showing projected #1, #2, #3 for the next time block.”
“...!”
“They saw that and were so shocked, they had to hold their faces in. They barely kept straight faces.”
So that’s why they all squinted! Watching the amused staff finally laugh, we grinned and thought, “You bad people.”
Then we laughed together.
“Let’s look at the charts some more.”
At Bi-ju’s urging, I clicked “View Details,” showing 1–100.
“Wow.”
Seeing Wind Flower at #1 again, we gasped in admiration. Scrolling down elicited more gasps.
“Our album tracks too...!”
“What?”
It still felt unreal. Our album tracks appeared at #23, #27, #38, and even “Flower Dance” set for the next single, plus Jung-hyun’s “Intro: Wind.”
“...This is insane.”
After confirming up to #100, we returned to #1—Wind Flower.
It felt like every tightened screw had loosened.
Fearing it might disappear, we kept the #1 screen open and buried ourselves into the sofa.
“...”
I was alive. That was my first thought. A wave of relief washed over me at seeing #1.
Next thought:
“Our Soufflés really gathered their energy.”
Gratitude for our fans. We made the song, but they lifted it up. Honestly, I’m still dizzy. I bet our Soufflés are asking themselves the same: Is this real?
“How did they do this...?”
Of course, chart entries depend on public streams, so it’s not permanent. Tracks can debut top two, then plummet the next day. But this moment was precious in itself.
At 8 PM.
Before the fan showcase, we finished all preparations. Though our eyes were red, makeup artists worked tirelessly to erase any trace of tears. Only one thing remained: stepping onstage. Then we remembered the question we’d forgotten.
“Hey, Seok-hwan hyung. Why did they clear all the chairs? Is today standing only?”
“Oh? Of course.”
Of course?
“With two thousand people coming, there’s no room for chairs. We’re standing.”
“Oh... what?”
“Your showcase. Two thousand people.”
He narrowed his eyes.
“You guys didn’t know?”
“...”
“Everyone said two thousand... you seriously didn’t know?”
We gaped, and Seok-hwan hyung chuckled.
“You’re not rookies anymore, kids.”
“...”
“A singer who doesn’t even know how many people are coming to the fan showcase.”
I stared at him dumbly as he muttered about turning this into a PR anecdote. After a moment, we shared a wry laugh.
My goodness.
Two thousand people.
“Alright, let’s go onstage.”
Quietly, we walked down the corridor with the members.
Still dazed by the two thousand, excitement grew stronger than nerves as time passed. Our steps grew lighter, hearts fluttering at the thought of seeing our long-awaited Soufflés again.
8 PM.
Wind Flower, which entered #1 earlier, still fluttered its petals at the top.
