Free Web NovelWhile the idol community was heating up over TeenSpirit’s Album of the Year win, other posts began popping up one by one.
-“Scarlet’s stage was the most impactful today danb.gif”
-“Does GirlsOnTop have a hit this year??”
-“Idol outfit coordinator who looked like they were fighting fans on the red carpet.jpg”
-“Mango was so fun today. Personally liked NewBlack, Enoti, Scarlet”
-“Overall super satisfied with today’s stages”
Boards filled with talk about the day’s performances and outfits, and among them the hottest topic was—
-“The boy group from a small company who just won the grand prize in their second year”
-“NewBlack ‘Song of the Year’ acceptance speech”
-“NewBlack goes from Rookie to Grand Prize in one year at Mango”
Most idol community best-of threads were about NewBlack’s grand prize.
-“Their growth is insane lol”
-“Huge”
-“Wow... I looked at their career this year and expected it, but they actually got it”
-“They did feel huge this year; anyone could’ve seen them taking the prize”
-“Congrats to NewBlack’s fans lol”
-“Honestly, if it hadn’t been NewBlack, people would’ve complained”
-“Gyuho: do your three-times-a-day ritual in the direction of NewBlack, ok?”
Overall the tone was congratulatory and respectful.
It was because of the records “Baramkkot” had set.
Seven consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the weekly chart.
Six straight wins on music shows.
Not just for the first half of the year—“Baramkkot” was practically guaranteed to top Mango’s year-end streaming chart.
Even on the latest weekly chart it still sat comfortably in the top 20—this year’s biggest hit.
Of course, not everyone agreed.
-“Am I the only one who doesn’t get it?? Everyone’s talking about ‘feels,’ but to me Cha Woo-hyun’s song felt bigger...”
-“Public pick is strong lol. Never seen a small-company group win like this and people just accept it”
-“Why aren’t they getting hate????”
But such reactions were a tiny minority.
-“Ridiculous lol. Since when are the judging criteria based on personal ‘feels’?”
-“Do we have to get permission before they hand out awards?”
-“Did someone spike those haters’ heads with soju; it’s hard to chart these days, how are people acting like annual No.1 is someone’s dog’s name”
-“It’s not that people are quiet because it’s a public pick—there’s no disagreement, that’s why it’s quiet lol”
-“TNT and TeenSpirit fans wouldn’t be quiet for nothing”
-“If you write stuff like this they’ll think they’ll get support like in the vote-stuff scandal”
Most forum members didn’t side with that small faction of critics.
Public opinion leaned toward “they earned it.”
Beyond “Baramkkot,” NewBlack had high public metrics all year: frequent airplay on TV, radio, streets, plus “Nine” and the nostalgia OST that even entered the Billboard Hot 100.
By popular indicators, NewBlack had outperformed pretty much everyone this year.
After Something, their astonishing rise over roughly two years spawned all kinds of memes.
-“I left for baby food and came back and the baby has grown up...”
-“NewBlack: [baby cry] (1 minute later) NewBlack: HAH! Souffle I’m here!”
-“Why’s it getting so intense lol”
-“Feels like the Zeus-son saga from volume 18 of Greek mythology”
-“Agreed lol”
-“Feels like the fans grow with them lol, the cheering at the gymnastics today was insane”
-“Every time the audio picks up the cheering I jump lol, they shout ‘Ujuyaaa’ like Doraemon calling Jingu”
-“Personally the scene-stealer of the award show today”
Amid the jokes, NewBlack’s image among idol fans gradually shifted.
People had noticed their songs hit and they were a hot topic on variety shows, but today was the first time other idols’ fans really felt how big the “Souffle” fandom had become.
With the grand prize and the hot offline response, perceptions were changing.
-“So the big three boy groups are TNT / TeenSpirit / NewBlack now??”
-“Nope, looks like TeenSpirit should be first based on current trends”
-“I don’t know everything, but in terms of album sales they’d be the top three—NewBlack huge gap from the one below them”
-“TenTenNew”
-“Seeing this, NewBlack’s growth is crazier lol”
After a bit of debate about who sits where, NewBlack had been admitted into the so-called “first division” lineup.
While people argued over exact rankings, Souffles—who might normally be checking every comment and frowning—were wearing the brightest smiles anywhere.
“Ha-hat!”
Whether they were leaving the gymnastics arena, sitting on the couch watching TV, or watching on their phones outside—fans everywhere wore the same smile.
“Our kids won the grand prize.”
Sitting still, you felt light from your toes up like you were floating.
A smile crept to your mouth, then seeing the acceptance speech again reddened your eyes.
That proud emotion when something ends well.
Your heart swelled.
A kind of overflowing fullness you can’t put into words filled you from head to toe.
Even after the awards, the prevailing “NewBlack deserved Song of the Year” vibe helped fuel that feeling.
“They really made it. Us.”
There was still a long way to go, but in that moment you felt like you’d climbed to the sky.
Hashtags like “#Congrats_NewBlack_GrandPrize” trended in real time.
Souffles flooded threads and comment sections with tears.
-“Guys ㅠㅠㅠㅠ you worked so hard ㅠㅠㅠ”
-“No matter what they say, I love you guys. Let’s keep shining.”
-“To the person above... if you say that under the nickname ‘I want Junghyun’s nose hair’ he’ll smile, I swear ㅠㅠ”
-“I’m about to cry but holding it in ㅠㅠ”
-“I know y’all are saving Uju’s speech fail and Rekah acrostic 7-line poetry, I see you ㅠㅠㅠ”
-“Really thanks todayㅠ to other fans who shook glowsticks during our stage, too”
-“Foreign fans are congratulating us too, chaos!”
Overseas fans’ congratulatory messages overflowed on social media.
It was a night when everything around you seemed beautiful.
Souffles watched performance clips and photos and smiled, and then their phones buzzed.
[whY-App]
Surprise live starting!
We’re here..!
A live app notification.
As Souffles poured in quickly, the number joining rose fast.
“Huh?”
They’d logged in to see the members’ faces, but the screen was entirely black.
[Hello......]
[We’re here......]
Choked voices drifted from the dark.
[But in that case shouldn’t you just turn on voice? Fans want to see our faces.]
[We’re all so teary, though. Ri-hyuk hyung.]
[Then how about showing our faces a little?]
Souffles laughed at their flustered voices.
They wanted to talk to fans but were ashamed to show tear-streaked faces—awkward and endearing all at once.
[Wait a moment.]
Junghyun’s voice, and then—light flared.
[Aah!]
“Hey! Turn it off! Turn it off!”
Wangbong’s light filled the screen.
The members’ faces disappeared like yokai vanishing under a hero’s finishing move.
After a brief commotion, a dim light settled.
[Ri-hyuk turned on the book lamp.]
[The brightness is just right, right?]
[Agreed. At this level you probably can’t see us crying.]
It was actually very visible.
The swollen-eyed members laughed and joked.
My phone buzzed.
[Mingi hyung says our faces are too visible.]
“Huh.”
They pulled a blanket up to cover their faces.
Judging by the phone’s angle, the five of them were sprawled on one bed watching the screen.
I smoothed my hair and said,
[This is Junghyun’s room at our dorm.]
[We turned on a live because we wanted to talk to Souffles.]
Viju added,
[There’s a set time for acceptance speeches, and we had so much we wanted to tell our fans but couldn’t cover it all within the time.]
So they were using the live to say more thank-yous they hadn’t managed to fit into the ceremony.
Ri-hyuk began.
[First of all, please... cheer for us...]
Tears welled up in his eyes.
“Hey, Ri-hyuk hyung’s crying!”
“Junghyun. Turn it off.”
At my command Junghyun deftly pulled the book lamp off the power bank.
Darkness returned.
“Ughhh!”
“Hyung, if you cry I’ll cry... ughhh!”
“Why are you crying... then I’ll cry too ughhh....”
Blanket rustling and five muffled sobs bunched together in the dark.
It was a bittersweet scene that made Souffles laugh.
As each member expressed thanks, the light would flash on and off in a slapstick rhythm.
[I’m so grateful today... Hey, Kim Junghyun. If I’m going to cry, you’ve got to turn it off first, okay?]
[Okay.]
[Today is the happiest day of my life...]
[Off.]
At first some Souffles accidentally teared up with them, then burst out laughing.
-“Aigoo they’re so cute lol”
-“Tears gone, you’re responsible”
-“lol which idol does a live like this”
-“You guys are the skirt of my heart”
-“Plz say Camila Mendez”
-“why you guys calling Gyuho??? who’s that”
-“fatal”
-“Why are there so many foreigners lately”
-“Gyuho is a rich bald man who owns NewBlack”
-“Don’t transmit that weirdly lol”
-“iPhone autocorrect is savage”
-“say Camila Mendez”
With many foreign fans chiming in, English comments showed up frequently.
As the comments scrolled fast, the members started interacting.
Junghyun squinted and caught a comment, whispering to me.
“Which stage did you like best today? TNT seniors’ ‘Glory’ was awesome.”
“We were super nervous during our stage. When we stood like those sculptures, a cloth made me almost sneeze.”
“Want to see the trophy?”
They chatted about behind-the-scenes things as if talking to friends, and Souffles felt the ceremony’s afterglow longer.
You could read how grateful they were without words—through their expressions and tone.
[We’ll go now.]
[We’re going to eat late-night with the managers. Wonder what we’ll eat?]
Members lifted their phones and panned over steaming chicken, jokbal, bossam, pizza, and a bubbling gopchang stew laid out in the living room.
“.......”
Watching the hot food on the live, Souffles’ stomachs started to ache with envy.
[Good night~]
Members waved brightly while Junghyun hissed and poured cola behind him.
“What is this—this happy but toyed-with feeling...”
“So mean.”
A “live has ended” notification popped up and their faces faded on the black screen.
After the awards.
While NewBlack members lounged on the bed cradling the trophy like an egg with bewildered faces, they got another gain beyond the grand prize.
-[HD Fancam] The New Black’s Reaction to NOT
-151107 NewBlack artist-seat reaction compilation
-MCA 151107 TNT - Glory’s reaction
Reaction fancams showing how artists in the artist seats reacted to each stage—NewBlack’s reactions were in those clips.
In any artist-seat clip you watched, NewBlack was shaking with excitement in the little square at the bottom.
[NewBlack reaction: Do they only watch stages all day?.metube]
(video compilation)
Check from 01:37 onward
They dance along to every artist’s choreography lol
-“They really did say they study songs all the time for music shows; guess it’s true;”
-“I heard Uju and Viju watch stage clips all day”
-“I thought they just happened to be filmed dancing for my bias’s stage, but they do that for everyone lol”
-“Their tension is insane”
-“I liked them for reacting to other artists’ stages”
-“If I were the artist they reacted to, I’d be so happy”
-“Their reaction during TNT’s stage is hilarious lol; they even mimic the cheering”
No matter whose fancam they were caught in, they wore excited faces and chanted along with TNT fans’ calls—everyone laughed.
When Scarlet performed, Viju spread his palms and mimed the highlight choreography.
When rookie groups performed, Ri-hyuk hummed and nodded along to the songs.
“Their reactions are nice.” ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
“They know the lyrics to everyone’s songs?”
“Do they just listen to songs after meals?”
Those reactions softened other idols’ fans’ attitudes toward NewBlack.
-“NewBlack seems to have really good personalities. In artist-seat cams they look friendly with half the attendees.”
-“I’ve never seen Cha Woo-hyun greet like that lol”
-“Maybe they have a variety-show vibe? Like someone greeted a member in the elevator and froze initially but was like an uncle”
-“Taehyun is super shy but he’s whispering and looks friendly—Uju must be a good guy”
-“Yeah someone claimed on a live that TNT’s younger line said they’re nice”
-“Capybaras of the idol world...”
-“My friend works event staff and always says NewBlack is super nice, downside is they make the waiting room loud as hell”
-“So glad TNT’s nice boys found friends :'(”
Friendly moments of NewBlack chatting comfortably with TNT and TeenSpirit were being talked about.
Overall reaction: positive.
Of course, favorable views came because NewBlack had strong results.
And the people most kindly disposed toward NewBlack were some fans of rookie acts.
-“Thanks so much for NewBlack’s reaction”
-“There was almost no reaction in the crowd, so we nearly cried... but NewBlack reacted the most”
-“Thanks for the reaction”
-“I started liking NewBlack too”
-“I was so sad yesterday ㅠ”
Fans of Enoti and HighColor—first-time Mango entrants—noticed that while the crowd stayed quiet, NewBlack in the artist seats sang and smiled loudly with them or mimed choreography, and those rookie fans slowly warmed up.
[Knock knock is anyone from the charcoal-grill side here?]
-“Who are you?”
-“Thank you ㅠㅠ”
-“No, who are you?”
Souffles blinked, puzzled at the rookie fans leaving sudden thank-you messages.
The award week was the happiest week of my life.
“There.”
“Here?”
“No—move it 1cm that way.”
“Like this?”
“Let’s move it 0.5cm more.”
“.......”
“Junghyun, I’m your hyung. Don’t look at it with such impish eyes.”
“Pfft...”
Junghyun snorted and nudged the trophy with his index finger.
The trophy centered itself proudly in the display case.
“Waaah—!”
We applauded, proud as the golden grand-prize trophy took its place on the second shelf.
Under it, the rookie-award trophy steadfastly supported it, and the Top 10 and songwriter trophies sat atop.
It was a sight that made your stomach feel full in the best way.
“I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”
“Wanna eat meat? Beef?”
Maybe because we were the first Lemon Ent artists to win a grand prize.
The CEO told us to eat meat every day for weeks and even handed out company cards.
Many happy days followed.
“The chopstick skills of a grand-prize artist.”
“Pfft!”
“That one is the songwriter award winner.”
Outside, we answered “thank you” with solemn faces, but at the dorm or practice room we teased each other, “Oh, the grand-prize artist,” full of excitement.
It never got old.
We rested properly for a couple of days, basking in the joy.
We celebrated on a live for my birthday.
That evening my grandma came up from Gunsan and we ate out with members’ families.
We recovered our tired bodies from the tour.
“All right, now let’s work! Work!”
Winning the grand prize we’d dreamed about was great, but the real work began now.
With the Asia tour finished, we needed to prepare fan meetings in North and South America.
In early December we’d be performers and grand-prize candidates at Hong Kong’s K-Net Music Awards, so stage prep time was tight.
Most important was preparing the next album.
The comeback was scheduled after the winter Japan tour for next spring, but we’d better get ready early.
I’d gained public recognition for composing, but responsibility was creeping in.
Every time I switched on the MIDI in the studio, it felt like people were watching, “The next album will be great, right?”
Before I’d always felt like walking a tightrope at high altitude preparing an album, but after the grand prize and songwriter award it felt like tightrope-walking atop the 63 Building.
“I’m calm. I’m calm....”
“You do not look calm at all.”
I ignored Ri-hyuk.
“I’m Kim Junghyun. Because I’m Kim Junghyun, I’m calm...!”
“I don’t make that face, hyung.”
“......”
I gave up convincing myself and ate.
At breakfast’s dried pollock soup, Ri-hyuk asked,
“Is it because of next album prep?”
“Yeah.”
“We’ll talk later. I’ve got a few ideas.”
I nodded.
The next album’s color is blue.
The figure to star in it would be Ri-hyuk, but right now he wasn’t in a state to work on music.
“I’m off.”
Ri-hyuk slung his schoolbag over while still in uniform. Viju asked anxiously,
“Already leaving? You barely ate a bowl.”
“I’ll sleep during language section. Better eat a little. I’m off then.”
“Want us to see you off?”
“Don’t come out!”
“Watch out for icy roads! If you see an old man pushing a cart, don’t follow him!”
“Shut up!”
He and Mingi hyung quickly put on shoes and dashed out, saying they didn’t want the bother of being seen off.
As they waved, Junghyun shouted,
“Hey! Lunchbox! That guy left his lunchbox!”
Junghyun dashed out faster than anyone with the lunchbox in hand.
A minute later he returned entirely nonchalant.
“Why did it take so long?”
“Ah. The elevator stopped at 11 first, so I had to run up the stairs to catch them, took a bit.”
“.......”
“I pressed 8 first and it was the right call, right?”
The door dinged and opened and Junghyun walked in with a warm smile and the lunchbox, and their faces must have been a picture—so we laughed.
Then I asked Viju,
“By the way, what did he ask you to pack for his lunch?”
“Oh. I asked what he wanted to eat.”
“And?”
Viju shook off his apron and relayed someone’s words.
“He said there was always this one food at school other kids ate that he was super envious of since he was little. On special days other kids’ parents packed for them, but he ate the teacher’s and felt sad.”
“Oh.”
“And he said he wanted that...”
Warmhearted, I nodded and then froze.
“Wait. What did he ask you to pack?”
A CSAT exam site.
After lunch ended, examinees studied for the foreign language test.
A low murmur whenever a student glanced through the open back door as people passed the hallway.
Not consciously—he stood out because he was unusually pale and radiant.
“Wow. He’s so handsome.”
He wore a coat and carried a long-legged, elegant posture—NewBlack’s Ri-hyuk.
As people whispered admiringly, a student in the seat right in front of him frowned and tried to study vocabulary.
Tap-tap.
A soft finger tapped his back.
When he turned his head, he saw the unreal-looking handsome figure staring icily.
“Yes?”
Before he knew it he swallowed, feeling overwhelmed. The bystanders leaned in—the famous celebrity who’d been silent suddenly spoke.
“Um...”
Ri-hyuk’s «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» voice was barely there.
“I’m really sorry, but do you have any stomach medicine?”
“.......”
“I got indigestion.”
“.......”
“I ate kimbap for lunch...”
And just like that, NewBlack’s main vocal became the subject of the anecdote “NewBlack member gets an upset stomach on CSAT day and people help him out.”
