Free Web Novel“So, where is our concert going to be held?”
In the company lounge.
I peered across the table at Seok-hwan hyung and Deputy Manager Hong, who were sipping coffee, and urged them.
Our manager slipped a tablet PC across to me.
“Right here.”
My heart raced at the keyword “Olympic Park” displayed at the top of the homepage.
Olympic? The Olympic Hall?
Our eyes, descending from top to bottom, halted on the venue name.
“Uh...”
“Handball?”
“The handball arena? Isn’t this place huge?”
Olympic Park Handball Arena.
Originally used for fencing, a conglomerate spent hundreds of billions converting it into a handball arena.
I didn’t know its capacity exactly, but it wasn’t something a small fandom could fill easily.
When I saw the note “Capacity: approx. 5,000,” my eyes went wide.
“...?”
Biju stared at me as if his eyes would pop out, and the others did the same.
When all of us widened our eyes in unison, laughter drifted from across the table.
“Um...”
I asked,
“I have a question, Deputy Manager.”
“Yeah. Ask.”
“Do you really think five thousand people will come to see us?”
Our juniors nodded eagerly, “Right, right.”
Five thousand.
I couldn’t even imagine it.
Even if each middle school grade had eight hundred students, that would be six schools.
Six morning assemblies’ worth of students.
Thinking that number was equal to a concert audience felt bizarre.
Of course it wasn’t impossible.
Even our recent showcase drew nearly two thousand soufflés.
But a concert was on another level entirely.
Ticket prices start at a hundred thousand won.
So people say a concert is the true gauge of how many fans an artist can mobilize.
Unlike albums where one person can buy a hundred copies, a concert requires thousands willing to pay tens of thousands.
“No matter how I calculate it, I can’t imagine it.”
Rih-yeok said after doing mental arithmetic.
“Five thousand people coming to see us...”
“What are you talking about?”
Deputy Manager Hong tilted his head.
“It’s not five thousand.”
“Oh.”
I assumed they must charge fewer tickets than capacity.
“You have to think fifteen thousand. It’s over three days.”
“...Yes?”
“Five thousand a day for three days is fifteen thousand.”
“That— that’s true.”
Junghyeon multiplied five thousand by three and widened his eyes.
While we looked dazed, the explanation continued.
Our concert, three months later in summer, would run at the handball arena for three days, and if the response was strong, we’d book small venues abroad too.
“We’re really performing overseas?”
“Yes. Overseas.”
“...?”
“Of course, not on the same scale domestically. A bit larger than the showcase. We analyzed your album sales and of course...”
“Sales figures?”
Deputy Manager Hong explained so matter-of-factly that we still couldn’t grasp it.
He half-closed his eyes and looked away.
“Director.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think they quite understand. Haven’t you told them about first-week sales yet?”
“Oh... right. I haven’t yet.”
At Seok-hwan hyung’s awkward smile, Hong-daeri paused, then said “Ah...” in understanding.
Ji-ho said,
“That’s right. You said you’d share first-week sales then didn’t.”
“Right. I haven’t mentioned it yet.”
“What were our first-week numbers?”
First-week sales measure how many albums sold in the first week. Total sales take a long time to tally, so the initial week is a practical metric, like a report card of fandom strength.
More than half of the Top 20 are TNT, Teen Spirit, and the now-disbanded Sixty Seconds. And ranks one through seven are all TNT.
“That’s surprising.”
Deputy Manager Hong said.
“I thought you’d look it up on the internet and already know.”
“We actually cut off internet.”
Our juniors nodded.
“We only play games. Only games.”
“I just use messenger...”
“Nowadays I only use my e-book reader. No time otherwise.”
The two managers gave wry smiles, understanding why. Our schedules were so busy we even split sleep, but also to avoid malicious comments.
Since some point, hate comments surged. As light grows bright, shadows deepen—more popularity meant more attacks. As trainees I imagined calmly ignoring them, but recently found that impossible. Reading obscene hate comments frayed my mind.
Once I clicked a gallery titled “Woo-ju parents’ photos”—it was airplane wreckage photos. I lost my appetite all day. Biju, who saw it beside me, almost cried. I couldn’t sleep that night. No wonder senior entertainers get depression.
So, following advice from Seong-won sunbae and top idol Han Mo, I cut off the internet entirely.
Gulp—
As I thought this, sipping iced chocolate, Seok-hwan hyung smiled.
“Your first-week sales went crazy.”
“Oh.”
Ji-ho’s eyes lit up as he asked.
“They must have sold a lot. How many? Thirty thousand? Forty thousand? Surely not fifty...”
“Seventy thousand.”
“Pfft—!”
We all sprayed our drinks.
“Ugh! Oh....”
“Cough! Please pass me a tissue...!”
“Oh, some got up my nose...”
Except for Junghyeon, who gulped down the rest in shock, we all choked and wheezed.
I handed tissues to the red-faced Rih-yeok and patted my chest. Next time I’ll ask them to remove the chocolate chips. My throat is scratchy.
“Cough...!”
But the shock was greater. Even coughing, we couldn’t look away from Seok-hwan hyung’s face.
Biju coughed and raised his hand.
“Director, I have a question... cough... seventy thousand?”
“To be exact, about sixty-nine thousand, but rounded it’s seventy thousand.”
“...”
“Unbelievable, right?”
Rih-yeok asked me bewildered.
“Isn’t Daylight sunbaenims’ record sixty thousand?”
“Yeah.”
Daylight, SNH Entertainment’s top second-gen girl group, sold about sixty thousand at best. I barely remember. I was too stunned.
Of course boy groups typically outsell girl groups several times over, but this...
Hong-daeri smiled.
“Congrats. As of May, your first-week sales are second this year.”
Just below Teen Spirit’s 160,000 from their comeback early this year.
“TNT and Teen Spirit will drop as they release new albums, but at this rate you’ll be in the year’s top 10.”
“There aren’t many groups to overtake you.”
“...”
Deputy Manager Hong showed last year’s first-week sales: Daydream, Wild, and other second-gen idols from major agencies. I was speechless seeing my TJ senior trainee group’s name among them.
“We actually outsold them?”
“Yes.”
“...”
To think we’d placed immediately after TNT and Teen Spirit? My mind froze.
Six months ago I’d marveled at seniors making Top 10 at awards. Now we were them.
It felt like waking a youth athlete to find he’s on the national team.
We all swallowed audibly.
Junghyeon asked curiously.
“But why didn’t you tell us, Manager? It’s amazing news.”
“There were complications.”
Seok-hwan hyung gave a wry grin.
“After the tally, rumors of chart-fixing exploded. Calls threatening prosecution, demands for proof flooded in.”
Glad we’d stayed off the internet.
But thinking of our fans suffering over it still pained me.
“Anyway, it was complicated to discuss.”
Compared to Masquerade, it felt ridiculously inflated. If I tried to spin a plausible story, it’d be an Arab tycoon exclaiming “Oh, NewBlack!” and decking out his home with our albums.
“It was insane online. ‘How can barely a year-debuted group sell seventy thousand?’ ‘How can NewBlack top those second-gen groups?’ and so on.”
Our manager remembered every complaint. Hong-daeri shuddered.
“It was no joke. Faxes demanding explanations...”
“...You really went through a lot.”
I felt grateful to them. We had no idea. They’d carefully managed everything to avoid harming our activities—thinking of that made my chest tighten. I need to prepare a good gift for them.
“So, is it okay now?”
“It’s quieter than at first. Three weeks at No. 1 on the weekly chart... the streaming numbers are phenomenal. Some still rant in comments, but...”
Deputy Manager Hong added,
“Cutting the internet was a great move. Now every kind of troll will latch on...”
“I hope you only see good things. You’ll encounter enough bad anyway.”
Our director’s words prompted us to promise we would.
As we sipped drinks, the conversation returned to the concert.
“We chose the venue based on those sales. Theoretically we could aim for the gymnastics arena but...”
“Gymnastics is too risky.”
We agreed with Deputy Manager Hong that concert estimates should be conservative. It’s not a cheap project; an empty venue would be a disaster.
We discussed domestic and overseas schedules and related matters seriously.
“Okay, let’s conclude here for now. We’ll meet again to finalize details.”
“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Congrats on your solo concert. We’re really happy for you.”
More work lay ahead, but Hong-daeri gathered his folders with a smile and left, inviting us to dinner. Seok-hwan hyung followed, saying “See you later.”
“See you!”
After we said goodbye, the door closed.
Three seconds later.
We, seated majestically and leisurely, exchanged glances rapidly.
“Are they gone?”
“I think so. Junghyeon hyung, listen.”
“Hmm... I think both took the elevator.”
“They’re gone.”
Confirming no one remained, we inhaled deeply.
Then we leapt to our feet.
“Guys!”
“Hyung!”
“Hohohoho! Hey, it’s our solo concert! Solo concert!”
“Solo concert!”
Like happy monkeys dancing around a bonfire, we shouted “Congratulations!” and did shoulder shimmies.
“Hyung, what do I do? I feel like crying.”
“Cry. On days like today you can cry.”
“I don’t think I’ll cry.”
Biju’s words made us burst into laughter.
It really felt amazing.
If Rih-yeok was smiling this broadly, that said it all.
So much to prepare, and summer was still months away, but I was elated.
Since dreaming of idols, having a solo concert had been my lifelong wish.
“I have no more regrets...”
I closed my eyes nostalgically, and the juniors shook me saying “Don’t die!”
They really care about me...
Ji-ho, with a disapproving look, said,
“Hyung, if you don’t have regrets we have to redo our movement path.”
“Right. We need more song parts too.”
“Oh, man...”
I clicked my tongue and they laughed.
After fixing the concert schedule, we’d tell our families, then return to our regular schedule.
We brainstormed designs for the lightstick and planned this week’s key schedules.
Looking at the calendar, Rih-yeok asked,
“By the way, did everyone study for the test?”
We all nodded.
We had an important exam this Saturday.
Saturday.
Students arriving for the Korean History Proficiency Test stared blankly.
“What is this?”
Although in different exam rooms, their expressions were similar.
“...?”
An idol member in a Hawaiian shirt quietly reading a book.
Another quietly eating gummy bears, another reviewing neatly written notes, or eating a morning apple.
One even watching a historical drama on his phone.
“Aren’t they NewBlack...?”
“The ones from Music Discovery?”
“Oh, History Expedition’s Khitan episode.”
Most recognized their faces.
The idol group spawning all those history memes.
Realizing it, they were even more puzzled.
“Why are they here...?”
They’d come for the history test, yet these trend-setting idols sat among examinees.
People tapped on their phones.
[Just came for the Korean History test and there are idols here]
It’s NewBlack
Accidentally took a selfie too
Ps. They’re the same noble rascals who bullied sunbaenims
–lol why so timid
–What’s that in their hands?
–[author] Gave me one because I forgot my computer science calculator
–Why here?
–[author] They came to take the exam
–lol obvious but weird
–Maybe filming content for History Expedition???
–You’re a legend writing this before the test
–Maybe here for the MiTube shoot
–But seems lame... will just show their faces then do nonstop PR
–What score.. lol when would they have time to study
Offline, it was the same. People assumed idols were here filming content.
Examinees were intrigued, then shook their heads and opened their study guides.
“They just came, I guess.”
But few knew the corner of their guides said “made by SLH,” thinking it an internet username.
They learned the truth only after the test ended.
And...
“What is this?”
In Biju’s exam room, a soufflé holding his identity hid among students, swallowing hard.
An idol he adored sat taking the history test.
While planning to tell other fans after the exam, she held back laughter.
Worried she might distract others, Biju nervously chewed his gummy bears.
The Korean History test was a planned promotion. freewēbnoveℓ.com
As we wrapped History Expedition, taking the test ourselves seemed a good idea.
The PR team supported it for image-making too.
But we studied diligently, not wanting to embarrass ourselves.
“Everyone memorize the Goryeo kings. Tae-Hye-Jeong-Gwang-Gyeong-Seong-Mok... If you can’t, you’ll be composing with that guy.”
“Tae-Hye-Jeong-Gwang-Gyeong-Seong-Mooook...!”
Someone’s brainwashing was most effective. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
“Ugh, this is so hard.”
“Good work, everyone.”
After the test we returned to TBC’s Sangam building.
Rih-yeok asked,
“How do you think it went? I missed one or two ambiguous ones.”
“Me too... it was harder than I thought.”
Biju nodded at Junghyeon’s words.
“I guessed on many I didn’t know.”
“Aren’t we gonna get hate for being up to something? Us?”
While everyone fretted, Ji-ho was grinning ear to ear.
“I studied everything that came out. Maybe I’ll get Level 1.”
“Oh.”
When our maknae was the beacon of hope, we were all pleased.
At two in the afternoon.
The official answers were released. We held red pens nervously.
While we graded, Mingi hyung filmed with a handycam.
And the first result appeared.
“Oh... oh! Hyung! Hyung! I got seventy-one!”
“Amazing. That’s Level 1?”
“Yes!”
“Wow... Biju you’re great!”
As Biju and I high-fived and cheered “Our second is the best!” the others finished marking one by one.
“Oh. I got ninety-one; I missed three 3-point questions.”
Rih-yeok complained about controversial questions still debated academically.
Searching online confirmed it was indeed one of the easiest exams ever; pass rates would be high.
“Hyung, what did you get?”
“I got eighty-seven. Guess I forgot what I studied.”
I still had my old CSAT skills, so I # Nоvеlight # did okay.
“Junghyeon, you?”
“I got seventy. I got the ones I studied wrong, and my guesses right.”
They laughed saying it was so like Junghyeon.
So far all Level 1.
We celebrated “Now idols with Level 1 Korean history!” when our maknae was unusually quiet, watching us.
All of us turned simultaneously.
“What’s with you?”
“Oh, nothing...”
“What score did you get?”
“Not that I did poorly... it’s just, um...”
I signaled to Junghyeon. As he reached for the maknae, Rih-yeok swiftly snatched his test paper.
Soon our faces gathered over it.
“...”
As the maknae sighed “Ha...,”
“Huhahat!”
“Hey! What’s this pfft...?”
On his paper timidly written was “69.”
Level 1 cutoff is seventy.
He alone was Level 2.
–NewBlack boasts Level 1 on SNS “Ji-ho is Level 2”
–NewBlack all Level 1? “Is this the rise of brain-idol?” “Maknae is Level 2”
–NewBlack uploads test papers “Ji-ho didn’t study enough so Level 2”
–NewBlack laments “We could’ve been all Level 1. Maknae got 69, so Level 2”
“Ahhh! Stop it, really!”
“Hahaha!”
“But it’s only one point! Junghyeon hyung got seventy and I missed by one!”
“What are you talking about? Even at the Olympics a 0.1-second difference is silver, Ji-ho.”
“Then get Level 1 if you’re so aggrieved~”
“Haha!”
“Agh, I hate you all!”
In the broadcast station corridor, our maknae ran in misery as members displayed “69” on their score apps with vicious expressions in hot pursuit.
And watching them were the rookie idols.
“...”
The Iris members blinked in confusion, and DreamTicket smiled knowingly.
