Free Web NovelSmall practice room.
Members of the Malaysian female cover-dance team “one hit” crowded around their leader.
“Aren’t they coming? They’re really coming?”
“Yeah.”
JJ, their leader, set her phone down and grinned.
“NewBlack is coming.”
“Waaaaah!”
The room instantly turned into a festival.
‘NewBlack is really coming!’
Just the thought made their hearts race. They’d only ever seen the originals in choreography videos—now those famous K-pop artists were coming here.
“They’re even going to teach us the choreography? Is that for real?”
“Yeah. They said they’ll come watch us dance and then give us some tips.”
“Oooooh!”
With the October K-pop Festival finals coming up, this was a priceless chance. Sandra, one of the members, said eagerly,
“This is no time to waste. Let’s practice right now.”
“Right. We’re not good enough yet.”
They dove straight into rehearsal. When they practiced alone, they’d thought, “Not bad,” but now that the original artists were on their way, their skills felt painfully inadequate.
While they were cramming practice, NewBlack’s local agent arrived, carrying a small filming camera.
“Before NewBlack arrives, we’d like to do a quick interview.”
“Okay!”
The team sat in front of the camera on its tripod and answered questions.
“Do you know a lot about NewBlack?”
“Of course. They’re the original artists of ‘Masquerade,’ which we’re covering.”
“If you like K-pop, how could you not know? They’re even on the charts right now.”
“I bought the album. I’m getting an autograph later.”
“I have tickets for their concert tomorrow.”
At the mention of sold-out tickets, everyone looked on with envy. JJ said,
“I was so jealous they went to Singapore last time. We’ve been waiting for NewBlack to come to Malaysia.”
“Right.”
“I always left comments on their live stream asking them to come.”
“Was that you?”
Their answers showed just how popular K-pop was in Southeast Asia, and the interview continued in a warm atmosphere.
The final question came.
“Do you have a favorite member in NewBlack?”
“Hmm...”
They exchanged glances, and after about three seconds, all answered in unison,
“Viju!”
The interviewer said, “Oh,” and asked,
“Why Viju?”
Each of them gave a similar answer:
“I like him because he dances so well.”
“We chose ‘Masquerade’ after watching Viju’s fancam. That moment...”
“It was like—wow.”
They remembered the shock of watching the video titled “2014 Mango Chart Awards – NewBlack Viju fancam” on MeTube: under red lights, someone moving quickly and fluidly. They’d thought, ‘We have to learn this.’
“So then we looked up more videos. He was great. On stage he seems fierce...”
“In real life he’s totally different, which is amazing.”
“Right. We like all the NewBlack members for the same reason.”
At first, they looked unstable and cold on stage, but on MeTube someone had posted a clip of him lost in Taiwan saying “hoo...uhoh,” and he seemed endearingly human. One member said,
“As a dancer I like Viju most, but honestly I want to see all of them in person.”
“I want to see everyone. I’m curious about their faces.”
“I feel like crying already.”
After filming a brief message to NewBlack, the interview ended. Thirty minutes later:
“Are they here yet?”
“I think so.”
They smoothed their outfits and waited. Footsteps approached from upstairs, and the door opened.
“Apa khabar?”
Hearing the greeting in perfect local pronunciation, they paused, and then:
“Aaah...!” ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
NewBlack’s leader entered, smiling softly, and they all froze. His features were arranged so perfectly they looked clearer than any TV display. His lips curved gently into a smile.
‘What is this...?’
When he gave a light wave, they felt themselves melting.
‘Koreans really live like this.’
‘So dazzling!’
‘Is that a halo...?’
As they admired the shimmering glow, Woo-ju said “Ah” and softly spoke to his manager. The lights dimmed. When the halo faded:
“Waaa...”
The rest of the members appeared— from the main dancer brushing back his hair to the maknae laughing brightly. The “one hit” members, who’d been marveling at their beauty, turned their eyes back to Woo-ju.
“Waaaa—”
They could only gasp. Even after seeing such picture-perfect idols, they couldn’t stop staring. Then:
Tap. Tap.
Like toy soldiers, NewBlack’s members stood in line behind their leader, their cheeks twitching.
‘Huh? What’s that?’
‘They look so proud.’
‘They’re showing off him.’
NewBlack stood proudly, chests thrust out, like little kids bragging about their older brother in middle school.
“One, two, three!”
“Hello, we are NewBlack!”
When they bowed and greeted, NewBlack answered with thunderous applause. They opened with Korean, then switched to English. They’d heard most of “one hit” studied music at university, so they were comfortable in English.
“Sniff...”
But the conversation couldn’t start—they suddenly burst into tears.
“Don’t cry.”
“Please don’t cry. If you keep crying, we’ll cry too.”
Their emotion overflowed. NewBlack offered tissues in gentle voices, only prompting bigger sobs. They cried for five minutes. When they finally calmed down, their eyes red like rabbit eyes, NewBlack burst into laughter.
“Feeling better?”
“...Yes.”
They answered in hoarse voices. Ri-hyuk handed them tissues; their trembling hands took them, folded them carefully, and placed them on a chair.
“Why keep the tissue?”
“I want to keep it. Sob!”
They laughed at how tenderly “one hit” pressed the tissue to their faces. It was both bittersweet and heartwarming—NewBlack’s first visit to Malaysia, and they were so glad they came.
“I heard you advanced to the K-pop Festival finals in Changwon.”
“Yes.”
“Congratulations!”
They sang a congratulatory English lyric to a trending Malaysian song and danced. The relieved smiles returned, and NewBlack praised them,
“They said your choreography is ‘Masquerade’? That’s really difficult. Getting to the finals is amazing.”
“Uh...”
“You all must have jobs, yet you practiced so hard... Oh, don’t cry again!”
When they nearly welled up again, Viju changed the subject,
“May we see your choreography?”
“Yes!”
“Just dance naturally. We’re not here to judge—just to give tips.”
Viju smiled kindly. “Take it easy. You can do it, right?”
“Yes!”
Five members stood before the mirror, nodded, and began “Masquerade.”
When they finished the last move, their hearts pounded.
‘So this is what trembling feels like.’
‘This is scarier than the finals.’
NewBlack had pressed against the wall like cicadas watching, smiling but scrutinizing every move. When the dance ended, they clapped and cheered,
“Wow!”
“You’re amazing.”
“Must be tiring—great job.”
They handed out tissues to wipe sweat and praised them. As “one hit” waited nervously for feedback, Viju said,
“You did really well. ‘Masquerade’ is tricky— nonstop movement then sudden stops, which is physically demanding.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“It requires strength we struggled with. But you delivered powerful moments, especially that spin entry.”
The main dancer pointed out each highlight, moving them deeply.
‘He said it was good...’
‘Our practice paid off.’
Other NewBlack members nodded in agreement. It seemed they’d entrusted today’s coaching to Viju.
“Before I give tips...” The main dancer approached gracefully and stretched, extending his leg to 180 degrees. Impressed, they watched as he asked,
“What do you think ‘Masquerade’ means?”
“Hmm...”
“You need to know that to convey it.”
They thought, then answered,
“Enchantment? Temptation?”
“Like something from a masquerade ball...?”
“It felt unsettling.”
Viju smiled,
“All correct. But there’s a key point.”
“A key point?”
“The original composer said, ‘Whatever listeners feel is correct,’ but in choreography, you must capture the song’s intent.”
“Ooo...”
“In ‘Masquerade,’ it’s ‘attraction.’”
“Attraction?”
“Like attraction between two people. In a world of masks, two unmasked people locking eyes—that’s the attraction.”
As they struggled to grasp it, Viju called Woo-ju over, placed palms together, and said,
“Like this.”
He spun and danced, and Woo-ju mirrored him, stepping back just enough. They gasped.
“Wow...”
They moved as if connected by a single thread. Others joined in, recreating the choreography—feeling that ‘attraction.’
“Now I’ll give some tips,” Viju said, going through each part: “Here you did this—try this instead.” Despite seeing them only once, he gave feedback as if replaying a video in his mind, even physically demonstrating their moves.
“Shall we practice each part together?”
In the friendly lesson, NewBlack empathized—“That part’s tough, right?”—and offered guidance. The maknae line teased each other, Joo-hyun demonstrated solemnly then gave a thumbs-up, and Woo-ju pointed out technical details.
‘Amazing—they pinpoint every issue.’
Despite their own talent, NewBlack understood amateur struggles, encouraging, “This will make it perfect.” They felt grateful.
“Hmm.” Suddenly, something felt off. After a corrected section, Viju asked gently,
“Is there a reason you did it this way?”
“Uh...”
“Oh, you don’t have to explain.” He laughed and waved it off. “I was just curious.”
“Well...”
Though his tone was kind, it felt frightening, like his eyes burned with intensity.
‘Something’s wrong.’
‘Why do I feel déjà vu?’
His face was the one they knew, yet there was an eerie familiarity—like their choreography professor. Realizing it suddenly, they all widened their eyes.
“...!”
A shock ran through them as other faces overlapped Viju’s:
‘P-professor?’
‘Why does our lesson teacher’s face appear here?’
As music students, they nearly blurted, “Yes, professor.”
“Okay, let’s practice together~!”
From then on, it got truly scary. “Let’s rehearse this part together! Haha!” “This is so fun!” They felt like # Nоvеlight # graduate students around a giggling professor, their senses muddled.
And then,
“Huh...hah...”
“It’s so fun, right? Now let’s connect it.”
“Connect it?”
“Yes!”
NewBlack beamed,
“It’s not hard. With us, it’ll feel easier.”
“...”
As they loosened up, fear took root—like zebras playing when a herd of elephants thundered toward them, shouting, “Come play with us!” Danny swallowed,
“Um, aren’t you busy?”
“Yes?”
“You must have a packed schedule in Malaysia.”
“Oh, we have other events...”
Maknae Jiho smiled,
“But we wanted to spend more time with you, so we made time!”
Their pupils flickered.
“How long?”
“About two hours.”
“...”
At any other time they would’ve sobbed with joy at two hours together, but now their blood ran cold. Not that they disliked it—sharing air with their idols was bliss, and each tip improved their moves—but...
‘They’re not leaving...’
Even their favorites don’t plan to go home yet; they want to keep practicing together.
“Sob!”
“You can do it! Haha!”
“Ahhh!”
“This is fun! Fighting!”
Despite the terror, their gratitude for such sincere coaching and the agony of rapid improvement wrestled in their hearts. Faces grew grim like reeds in the wind, yet their eyes burned with determination:
‘Once we win, it’s over—we’ll make it happen.’
‘I’ll do it no matter what.’
‘I mustn’t slip a hand move.’
Having prepared just for fun, “one hit” had been underdogs—but now they rose as the dark horse of the competition.
@thenewblack.official
(Photograph: Cover-dance team “one hit” stand with fierce, special-forces stares, while NewBlack laughs behind them like drill instructors.)
“A happy time in Malaysia! It was so much fun.”
On the largest domestic idol community’s Best Board:
[The idol moving art nerds’ hearts right now (feat. NewBlack)]
(MeTube video link.)
“Start at 3:46. Subtitles available. NewBlack visited Malaysia on their overseas tour and taught a cover-dance team choreography tips lol. But Viju’s lines in the video are triggering all the arts majors:
– Hahaha just hearing it is torture
– ‘Why did you do it like this??’ lol
– ‘Why put the black in there?’
– Trauma just from hearing it
– I smell something familiar from a stranger idol...
– He’s so sweet
– ‘Now connect it’ is total chaos lol
– He’s cute though
– They tried so hard to be considerate, it’s hilarious ƒгeewёbnovel.com
– Why is this video so funny damn lol watch the dancers’ expressions
– Gentle at first, then dazed, then fierce—so funny
– Foreign fans in the comments are crying in English too; people are the same everywhere lol
– But impressed by their improvement
– Yeah, they really pinpoint stuff—before vs. after looks like two different dancers
– At this rate they’re a sure win candidate
– As expected, Lemon Entertainment is great at refining people
– If they really win that would be epic, right?? lol
– Nah hahaha
The first week of the tour wrapped up smoothly: a mall fan-sign event, radio appearances, and a concert the next day. As lightsticks swayed in the dark, their hearts tightened.
“Thank you!”
During the final song “Fireworks,” they bowed to the crowd’s chorus. They took a commemorative photo with the national flag. The next day they held a concert in Singapore. After that hectic schedule, they returned to Korea to record “Ha Seung-ju’s Music Cafe.”
“We will definitely...”
On the way to PBS, they placed hands together in a resolute vow.
“We will come back transformed.”
They nodded in determination. As managers pumped their fists, someone noticed the time—5:25. They shared a glance and soft smiles.
“Viju si—”
“Viju si—”
As Viju pressed his hands to both cheeks in delight, the managers’ faces turned anxious.
