Free Web NovelThe musical film Nostalgia is set to premiere soon, and they’re touring the world for promotion. The first stop is Korea.
Ahead of the Chuseok week release, they’ve come here to do various PR: “I Love You” segments on Entertainment News, a fun “Do You Know?” dance, and even trying on hanbok when time allows.
—Hey, guys.
The morning after we earned our first No. 1 with “Nine,” we returned from a dry rehearsal on PBS’s MusicOn and got a call. On the laptop screen, Director John Edwards beamed.
—It’s my first time in Korea—I’m excited. Anything you’d recommend? Preferably tasty restaurants.
I laughed and replied in English,
“If it’s great food you want, we’re the K-Michelin. Let’s start with barbecue...”
—Barbecue?
“Yup.”
—Oh! Hang on, I need to grab a notebook.
As we listed restaurants, he eagerly took notes. The atmosphere was warm. Working on the Nostalgia OST brought us closer. At first everything felt businesslike, but once we talked music, we clicked. Whenever I suggested a sound tweak, he and the music director agreed wholeheartedly. And whenever production needed a change, I’d fix it on the spot. Crunch time or not, we enjoyed it.
‘Aaaah!’
‘Ugh... I have to get out of here!’
Of course, the producers felt ground down like a millstone in between.
—By the way, I heard I might meet you at a Korean event. Will you attend?
“No, we won’t.”
—Ah.
We’d politely declined the PR agency’s “please attend our local event” invite. It felt a bit awkward, but it was because of our popularity. If we showed up, fans would swarm the venue and things would get chaotic. We might even clash with the film’s fans. And if the event went poorly, we’d take heat instead of praise.
—Shame.
He didn’t seem too disappointed.
—Then let’s at least have dinner together. How about Rupert too? He’s wanted to meet NewBlack ever since hearing your song.
“That’d be great.”
After setting dinner plans, he cleared his throat and said,
—So...it’s my first trip to Korea, and I’m a bit nervous. Cultural differences are big, and I’m putting a lot into this promotion...
We smiled and nodded.
‘Production budget overrun.’
‘They must have a high break-even.’
Loosely translated: “We spent a fortune making this film, so we need big returns.” Which meant more effort on promotion. Bottom line: he wanted Koreans to think Nostalgia is great.
—Musical films aren’t hugely popular in Korea, I hear.
Director Edwards asked,
—My agent said Billboard magazine featured an article on this—huge buzz.
“Heh!”
—...But it’s popular in the U.S. too, right?
“Heheh!”
We, the ever-cheerful clowns, responded explosively to American compliments. Jiho beamed, “Thank you!”
—Did the Korean distributor give you any hearts...?
He made a finger-heart and asked.
—I shared all kinds of tips, but they want more detail.
“Mmm, tips...”
We huddled.
“Guys, if foreigners want to win Korean hearts, what’s the sure-fire way?”
Viju nodded at my glance—he’d caught my thought instantly.
“That’s it, hyung.”
Junghyun chimed in.
“I don’t know what it is, but I agree.”
“Hmm. Statistically, that has the highest chance of success—if done right.”
Ri-hyuk and Jiho, scratching their chins, clearly thought the same.
After we agreed, we beamed and spun around, then smiled at the middle-aged man onscreen, blinking.
“You asked for tips on how to win Korean hearts, right? Heh.”
—Well, yes...
“Heh heh.”
We locked eyes with him.
“Now, take notes, Director.”
“We’ll tell you something great.”
A few days later: the Korean Air flight from LA to Incheon. In first class, Director Edwards stared intently at his smartphone.
“May I refill your drink?”
“...”
The flight attendant nodded at his focused expression. “I’ll ask again later,” she thought, quietly moving on to avoid disturbing. She glanced around first class: actress Bella Page sleeping with a loosely tied blonde hair and an eye mask; then Rupert Dean, headphones on, gazing at clouds before returning to his phone. She was amazed at the celebrities’ presence—until she noticed something on the screen.
“Excuse me.”
A teenage actor, smiling kindly, spoke after removing one earbud. Rupert Dean said, fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
“One earbud’s broken. Could I get a new pair?”
“Yes. I’ll bring one right away.”
“Thanks—ugh.”
He dropped his phone. As the attendant picked it up, she recognized the five faces playing across it.
‘NewBlack?’
They were chatting away in a low-quality video call, but their features were crisp. The vibe was... “like an online lecture.” Uju, in the center with gray hair, looked like a veteran online instructor with thirty years’ experience. Beside him, Jiho flashed finger-hearts like a demo assistant.
Handing back the phone, she hesitated. The actor asked,
“Do you know them?”
“They’re one of Korea’s top groups.”
“Ah, got it.”
He pointed to the screen,
“I’m watching a tutorial on ‘How to Be Popular in South Korea’.”
At the video title, she blinked, and Rupert demonstrated, snapping his thumb and forefinger into a perfect finger-heart adorned with the Korean flag patch. She couldn’t help laughing.
Incheon Airport, Arrivals, Level 1.
“Waaaah—!”
Staff pushing trolleys streamed in, flanked by Hollywood stars, causing chaos. Paparazzi along the fences flashed nonstop. Fans who came to greet the foreign actors waved excitedly.
“...?”
The actors and director glanced at each other and rummaged in their pockets. Then—
“Waaaah—!”
They struck perfect finger-hearts, and the fans laughed. Then—
“Hello-o!”
They greeted in awkward Korean, bowing slightly. In posture and expression, they felt friendly rather than foreign.
“Kamsahamnida, ppyong.”
Blonde Bella Page bowed and made a finger-heart for a fan who’d given her art. Rupert Dean signed an autograph, then asked in Korean, “Wuri selka?” (“Our selfie?”) smiling. Meanwhile, Director Edwards stood tall, answering reporters’ questions.
“What are your impressions of Korea?”
“It’s wonderful.”
He smiled.
“The airport itself is magnificent. No wonder it’s ranked the world’s best airport. I look forward to our schedule here in Korea, too.”
“Were you well-informed about Korea beforehand?”
“I studied a lot—back in the U.S.”
He then thrust forward his chest, emblazoned with the character “John” in bold Korean script, as if to be photographed.
In the ensuing press Q&A, the reporters looked dazed.
“What’s this? He knows more about Korea than I do.”
“Stop praising Korea... now I feel awkward.”
“I don’t feel like doing the Do You Know? dance.”
He spoke fluently as if Korea were his second home. When asked who taught him, Director Edwards stammered in Korean,
“Hankook yeoreobun, pungseonghan hangawi doeseyo”—
(“Koreans, have a bountiful Chuseok”)
“....”
As he moved on with the actors, he suddenly stopped, as if he’d forgotten something. Then he turned back to reporters, launched another finger-heart, and smiled.
“Please write well.”
Even the previously stern reporters burst into laughter.
From Incheon Airport onward, the Nostalgia cast’s bold antics made headlines:
-[Photo] A K-heart from the pocket: Nostalgia cast’s affection offensive freēwebnovel.com
-Director Edwards shares “Gyeongbokgung selfie” with lead actors... “This is Korean beauty” praise
-“So many outstanding Korean films for Chuseok...” Edwards praises Korea’s cinematic power
-Nostalgia director mentions last year’s Cannes entrant Korean film Ghost City
-Director Edwards and cast plan DMZ visit
-Director Edwards: “My dear NewBlack told me Korea is a land full of warmth”
Unsurprisingly, these antics flooded Korean internet communities. Everywhere, people posted about the Nostalgia team:
-GIF of Rupert Dean faking to pick something up, then making a finger-heart at the press conference
-Why is the director storming ahead without caring about anything?
-[Breaking] My older sister says “This is loyalty,” I agree—“Let’s book three tickets: one for mom too”
Each event’s comments became a sea of laughter:
-LOL😂😂 so funny
-That director’s “Is this the land of Arirang?” clip is a legend
-He’s in a hurry LOL
-That one? Since he arrived, there’s been zero Do You Know? at any conference
-Right—because he did it first
-Too much national pride
-“I didn’t know what you’d like, so I brought everything” (shy)
When the Nostalgia team did rice-cake making, traditional market tours, TV interviews, scrap every second for a jam-packed schedule, some wondered:
-But where did they learn this?
-Did the Korean branch teach them? Non-local folks couldn’t pull this off
-Someone definitely told them
Answering that curiosity, at one press conference Director Edwards said,
“I wanted to connect with Korean audiences, so we asked NewBlack for help. Yes—NewBlack. They taught us everything about Korea.”
“How did they teach you?”
“They made us a short video. I still remember it. Rupert?”
Rupert nodded.
“No clasping, yes nodding.”
Puhaha!
As laughs filled the press hall, at a shopping mall in Yeongdeungpo, hundreds of fans greeted the cast on the red carpet. Blog posts revealed the truth:
-It was NewBlack ... Makes sense
-Only Koreans know Korean hearts best
-What video did they send to make these foreigners do that?
-They just sent a normal clip, and they interpreted it like that
-Becoming a popular idol isn’t for everyone
-Whenever you hear something bizarre in K-pop, it’s probably them
By then, the burning question on everyone’s mind was:
“How did they even meet NewBlack?”
It made no sense. A Hollywood director linked to a Korean idol group? Theories flew, and official articles surfaced:
-Edwards reveals “NewBlack on Nostalgia soundtrack”
-“Mysterious and enchanting track,” Rupert Dean praises OST by NewBlack
-Musical film Nostalgia to feature a Korean singer “NewBlack”
Reactions were split:
-Ugh, that makes me uneasy... an idol in a musical film?
-Isn’t it a famous Broadway musical? Why add them?
-Pop music and musicals are totally different...
-Don’t ruin a serious film with idols
-Gross, am I forced to watch?
Half the comments were negative. People accepted NewBlack’s pop achievements but scoffed at a musical film soundtrack. Even longtime critics piled on, saying they didn’t know where to draw the line. Meanwhile, fans defended them, and curious onlookers asked:
-The film isn’t even out yet—why the fuss?
-Other countries got local artists too—why only here?
-They must just dislike NewBlack
-It doesn’t even say K-pop anywhere...
And one comment that echoed everyone’s wonder:
-How did they even get in touch with NewBlack?
Then someone answered that, too:
-LOL obvious, isn’t it? Like the code name 17 for the snake-tamer incident. The director tweeted about it, so he saw it and decided.
┕That makes no sense LOL
┕Even you know it’s nonsense
┕Think before you type
┕LOL I’m just passing by and laughing
┕Say he fell in love with them after watching History Quest instead LOL
Speculation ran wild, but no one knew the truth—except whoever got unfairly roasted for stating it.
From Thursday’s K-Net to Sunday’s HBS, our “Nine” toppled TeenSpirit’s “Feel So Good” every time, taking No. 1. Even though TeenSpirit led in album sales and text votes, the gap wasn’t huge—and the streaming popularity of “Nine” maintained our chart-top streak into week two.
Nine Nine Nine—its infectiously upbeat vibe blasted everywhere. Streets, phone-shop speakers beyond car windows, cosmetic stores in Myeongdong, even in newly opened barbecue joints among dancing balloon mascots. Friends sent club videos of it—mind-blowing.
Viju glanced at his phone:
“Min-jun says it’s super popular at school. Next year’s retreat talent show will all be “Nine.”
“My classmates talk about Nine all the time, too. Right, Ri-hyuk hyung?”
“Yeah, I guess?”
“True—your only school friend is me. At lunch... aaah!”
While those two bickered, I scrolled:
“Nostalgia’s chaos is unbelievable.”
“Right?”
“We never said that much...”
“We didn’t expect Director Edwards to level up this far.”
Junghyun smiled in satisfaction. On screen, Edwards held up a placard reading Resident ID: Joan Do (John Edwards), roaring with laughter. As a greenhouse bloom, he was admirable. That’s what it takes to live as a famous Hollywood director, I thought.
“This OST fuss is inevitable...”
“I’m sure their minds will change once they hear it.”
There was a lot of chatter about the Nostalgia soundtrack, but I wasn’t bothered. Most feared a sudden “nil-riri” K-pop insertion, but once they hear the song, they’ll change their view. We were confident. If they still hated it, so be it.
“Let’s go.”
We in the waiting room moved at a staffer’s beckon. While the Nostalgia cast hustled through fan events, we had our own: a fansign at a Mok-dong hall.
“Hello!”
A roar greeted us as we took seats behind tables set with water bottles—Soufflés cheering wildly. Taking the mic, I grinned,
“One, two, three—Hello! We are NewBlack!”
Since our music-show run was short, they’d generously scheduled a weekday fansign, even longer than usual. In front of as many pro cameras as a press conference, we bantered our opening lines with the brothers, then began signing.
“Hello!”
At first my heart pounded and I felt dizzy, but the fans soothed me every time. I’d grown used to this—after a year and a half of fansigns and concerts, most fear was gone. Now it was my turn to ease their nerves...
“Uhahahaha! Oppa!”
Yes—that’s Soufflés for you. No nerves at all. A fan in dark glasses, seeing me drawing a spaceship in the album, flashed a triumphant smile:
“Oppa, why do you always wear the same T-shirt?”
“Cutie?”
They smiled approvingly,
“Pretty.”
“Beauty.”
“What? You know them all.”
“I lurk on your fan-cafe. I know all your jokes.”
We exchanged perfect banter and high-fived laughing, having fun. Meanwhile Viju memorized “Beauty, Cutie, Pretty...” quickly.
“Ri-hyuk, here—this is for you.”
A fan stood and offered Ri-hyuk a cute gem ring. Our blushing maknae glanced before coolly saying,
“Not really my style.”
“Uh...”
The fan pretended to be hurt and moved to me; Ri-hyuk panicked,
“Wait! ‘Not my style’ was ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) planned...!”
“Hahaha!”
Laughter erupted. Ri-hyuk, failed in his quip, donned the ring with a sad look, “Look at me, please.”
In that joyful mood, we carried on with signings.
“...?”
A sudden chill ran down my back. I rubbed my neck and looked around. What was it? On the surface a fun fansign, yet something felt out of place.
