Free Web NovelThe day the Souffle bread was trial-released.
People who had waited from all over the country to taste the Souffle bread wore puzzled expressions.
‘What is this now?’
A cute character seal was enclosed.
And not just cute — many of them were outright laugh-inducing at a glance.
Everyone looked at the seal in their hands.
『 Lv.10 Viju with an apple basket 』
A seal of Viju, clad in a red hood up to his head, cheerfully running while holding a basket.
『 Lv.3 Rihyeok vs. Pirarucu 』
There was a sticker of Rihyeok with a pouty face holding a fishing rod, squaring off with a hooked Amazonian fish.
『 Lv.2 Happiness isn’t ranked by test scores, you know 』
A 2D Jiho clutching a 69-point exam paper, sniffing and crying.
All sorts of bizarre stickers.
Talk about the stickers included with the bread started popping up on SNS and internet communities.
[Bought it because NewBlack bread came out and there’s tteebutteebu seals kekek]
(A seal of mini Viju in an apron and hairnet happily slicing a carrot)
Viju cooking came out and he’s cute kekek
I showed my friend what I got and my friend got Green-onion-growing Junghyun
– kekekek what is this so cute
– adorably cute
– So each bread has one of these?? I didn’t care about the bread but that sticker’s kinda tempting, it’s cute
– Ah seriously cute kekekek
– The SD character design is so well done. You can totally tell who’s who
– Any stock left now??? I want to buyㅠㅠ
– No, they limited it to one per person but the people who lined up in the morning bought everything as soon as it came in
– I tried to buy one on my way to work but they were sold out as soon as they opened
– I always feel like everyone in this country is so diligent except me
As word-of-mouth spread, the stock sold out quickly and people started posting proof that they’d managed to buy Souffle bread.
– It’s seriously deliciousㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– I didn’t expect much since it’s convenience store bread but legit satisfiedㅋㅋ price wasn’t as high as I feared. It’s super tasty
– Even though it’s factory-made, this is impressive
– Try one when they’re out. It’s a taste we’ve never had before
– Apple and cinnamon? Somewhere between those but I don’t know how to describe it.. kind of like that magical bakery bread in foreign films
Amid high satisfaction with the taste, photos of the enclosed seals were also posted.
Among them were seals that only completed when combined into one.
『 Lv.18 The Revenge of the Kimchi Tub 』
『 Lv.19 I will not disrespect kimchi 』
An exploding kimchi tub seal.
A series of stickers showed Viju and Rihyeok covered in kimchi with blissful smiles, like a serialized set.
– Do the seals each have a story?? Anyone know what this is?
– Probably one of the NewBlack memes
– Oh!! It’s our kids.. wait I’ll find those gifs!!!!
– Chill, you don’t have to promote frantically — our parents already know them kekek
– (Reality kimchi tub explosion scene.gif)
– Eek kekekekekek what is this
– Why is this real kekekek
– I lost it, I drank coffee and spat it out kekekek
The seals’ secondary function.
From 69-point Korean history to unbelievable behind-the-scenes NewBlack gifs, these seals spread the group’s fame beyond just Souffle fans to the general public.
But there were seals of members that required no explanation.
『 Lv.10 I’m Korean 』
A seal of an interview mic from a Taiwanese broadcast, showing U Jengmin doing an interview as if he were Wu Zhenmin.
『 Lv.17 Fashionista Uju’s stroll 』
A seal of Uju in a pink floral windbreaker and sunglasses, clapping his hands front and back like an old-time fountain applause while walking.
There was even a seal of someone riding a unicycle with a triumphant juggling face.
The outrageous scenes seen on NewBlack TV, a popular myTube account, had been rendered as seals.
– kekekekek insane
– Seeing the series makes you want to collect them all kekekek would be cute stuck to a phone
– I wasn’t that into them but the seals are tempting kekek
– Reminds me of putting one on a desk back in the day
– Brings back memories of the heater in the middle of the classroom hehe
– No, that’s not it
As posts calling for all the ’90-borns to gather popped up here and there,
the more the Souffle bread — aka ‘NewBlack bread’ — became a hot topic, the more suspicious people grew about one question.
‘What on earth do the levels mean?’
A proactive netizen called customer service, then posted online.
– They said it’s classified by rarity. The rep said the higher the level, the rarer it is.. I asked if I could post this Q&A online and they begged me to post it
– kekekek so many people must’ve asked
– The rep sounded hoarseㅠㅠ they said they’re getting tons of complaints about stock
While regular netizens reacted with “what does it even taste like?” the most excited group was the fans.
– Aaaah so cute so cute
– Gyuho did well
– Gyuho: kyu?
– Don’t make those jokes when I’m worked up..
– I’m 37. I’m buying bread to collect NewBlack seals..
– I’m a homeroom teacher — can I give the bread to my students and just keep the stickers?
– No way, elementary kids are more hardcore fans than us. My niece knows NewBlack better than me
– Any chance they’ll make postcard goods?? merch??
– It’s like we should be doing bread bulk orders instead of album ones
– Ahhh I’ll give up my dietㅠㅠㅠ what do I doㅠㅠ I should diet but hahaahahahah
– I bet we’ll be trading seals in front of convenience stores instead of photocard trades now
– Anyone have a lv7 Junghyun? Oh you do? Great
– This feels so new and happy kekek, never had an idol like this in my fandom life
Because the bread, made by chance for fans, was delicious and included character seals, the only downside was that even non-fans wanted to buy it.
As reviews of the bread were posted in the Souffle community, action-oriented fans began compiling photos of seals into a catalog.
[All seals released so far + updated as of 3 PM!!]
While gathering them, the identities of seals that had only one or two proof photos online were revealed.
– Everyone else got a character seal but why did I get a CD-shaped oneㅠㅠㅠㅠ fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
A non-fan middle schooler had posted a red CD-shaped seal.
It was a material that changed color with light, and in a fancy script it read “Masquerade” — a classy seal.
Its rarity itself triggered collector desire.
‘...I want it.’
And among those, the rarest seal existed.
『 Lv.∞ Souffle 』
The Souffle bread from the subway ad NewBlack took out for fans, emitting a dazzling rainbow glow.
A super-cute Souffle bread like an enormous emoticon.
As the infinity level suggested, it looked like there were only one or two of these seals.
Fans who had to collect every type as soon as they bought something went dizzy-eyed.
‘I must get that...’
Then the Souffles realized something strange.
– Wait, why are we the rarest kekek
– I can see the kids’ marketing brain.. they made the most precious thing extremely rare to be cute, hehe
– Are they teasing us or genuinely caring?
– Maybe Junghyun’s scheme to teach us the futility of collecting stickers
– Junghyun: egg?
– Wow I only read the comments and automatically hear Rihyeok sigh in my head
– Well... at least there’s no Gyuho seal, I was actually tense about that
Fortunately, fans didn’t know that such a seal had almost been planned at the concept stage.
The bread was a smash.
– “NewBlack bread” sold out as soon as it was released.. KG24 ‘Smiley’
– [Photo] “What does it taste like?” People lining up at convenience stores from dawn
– ‘TNT also loves the taste,’ NewBlack bread release stirs online
Articles poured in with every refresh; my mouth unconsciously dropped open.
“...Should we actually go into the bakery business?”
Conversation about Souffle bread swirled everywhere online.
It was officially released as ‘Souffle bread,’ but why everyone called it NewBlack bread was a mystery...
The maknae, who used to doodle stick figures in the corner of his Korean history workbook, said,
“Looks like it sold really well. The company even called and thanked us.”
He told Seok-hwan that someone repeatedly called in an excited voice to say thanks.
Sales of other items had risen along with the Souffle bread.
Half jokingly I asked,
“Viju. Should we really run a bakery?”
“No, hyung. That was just lucky... doing something together sounds tempting but a business is not good.”
Viju shook ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) his head, perhaps remembering how his dad’s business had ended badly.
Then he smiled.
“Instead, it’s nice to all live together.”
“.......”
“What I’ve been thinking lately is, how about later we live in a village with five neighboring houses together?”
“Oh, that sounds kind of nice.”
Junghyun would farm, Viju would cook, Rihyeok would do the cleaning.
White-faced, I furrowed my brow.
“What about the two of us then?”
Jiho and I answered at the same time.
“Leader...?”
“Maknae.”
We both covered our ears as the nagging began to fly.
Even after the K-Net Music Awards ended, our daily life didn’t change much.
There was only one thing different.
“Heh heh.”
“Uh-huh heh heh.”
“Please stop laughing like weird people. The downstairs kid is scared of us now.”
A trophy had been added to the top shelf of the dorm display case.
Just seeing it reddened my eyes and made us happy — the K-Net Music Award grand prize trophy.
“Ooh- oohhh....”
Along with the Mango Chart Award trophy, we’d softly polish it whenever we had a moment.
“Oh dear. This pretty thing....”
Creak.
Like a hair-void made by the hairdresser’s mistake, a part of the gold trophy had turned silver.
“......?”
While I blinked, Junghyun rubbed the trophy with his finger.
Peeling-scratch!
“.......”
Watching the gold leaf flake off, we smiled warmly at each other.
“They basically overlaid it with silver foil.”
“The material’s almost like scratch-off lottery paper, hyung.”
“So the grand prize trophy was a dud.”
When I wondered if we’d received a defective one and sent Taehyun a picture, a photo came back immediately.
A split-in-two last year’s KMA grand prize trophy and the stunned faces of TNT members.
What a Solomon moment.
We probably exchanged only “ㅋㅋㅋ” at that point.
“......Let’s just display it from the back.”
“Yeah.”
We decided to show its shy backside because the front was peppered with dents.
Despite shabby trophies and clumsy stage direction, KMA had been a huge boon for us.
“Wow, hyung your fancam views are crazy. It shoots up like mad whenever I check.”
“Huh? Which fancam? I haven’t seen my side view yet!”
“I’ll send you the link, Viju hyung.”
My juniors marveled while watching my fancam and I let out an embarrassed smile.
There are days when everything — each member’s condition and stage effects — aligns to make a perfect stage.
For me, KMA stage was that kind of day.
I also felt different dancing at the center, surrounded by light.
Junghyun said,
“Wow. No Korean comments.”
“Hyung, look. For most fancams you have to go to around the 36th comment to find a Korean one.”
As Viju said, whatever fancam you watched, people from all kinds of countries were leaving comments in English.
Even the most upvoted Korean comment was unusual.
– Please!!!!! Make it so only Korean comments are visibleㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
We laughed at that and read the comments.
Most were praising the stage. The juniors cheered “Waaah!” but as the actual performer I felt a little embarrassed.
“Uju is clearly a direct descendant of the sun god Apollo... pff!”
Rihyeok mocked me.
There were so many fresh compliments that the more I heard them the more I felt the air leave me.
I can accept most praise, but praise about my dancing still felt oddly unfamiliar.
“But our fan club numbers did go up a lot.”
“Really?”
“At first I thought it was because of the bread, but seeing the vibe I think our stage had the biggest effect.”
Souffles, who already felt enormous, were multiplying.
They were like bread sprites puffing themselves up a dozen times over.
Fans came in one after another, just like when we released a new album. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
It’s great the bread we made for fans sold, but the best part is still doing our main job well.
That’s why I want to do better.
“All right, let’s go to practice.”
“Go!”
After a short break we headed back to practice.
Even though the awards were over, year-end schedules remained.
Mainly, year-end stages for the three major broadcasters.
We were preparing special stages requested by PBS and TBC among others.
“There’s still no word from HBS.”
“Right. They should’ve contacted us by now....”
Other terrestrial broadcasters had contacted us but had been vague about preparation.
It felt a bit off, but we moved on.
Besides the three networks’ stages, there were corporate year-end events and big hospital year-end parties.
We were also scheduled to make a brief surprise guest appearance at teacher Baek Sang-gyo’s year-end dinner show, who had contributed to our album.
Though the awards ended, we were immediately busy again.
Practice. Preparing remarks. Practice.
Preparing content to upload to myTube for the year-end.
And then.
– We’ve scheduled your new album release.
The most important schedule was our next album project.
Our fifth album.
We met in the conference room to discuss releasing a winter-themed special album with Rihyeok as the main.
“Hello.”
“Welcome.”
Producer Ha Seung-ju and the staff in charge of the album had gathered.
A solemn atmosphere.
Staff sipped coffee and nibbled Souffle bread.
“Is it good?”
“It’s so good. Seriously. This is my third today.”
“Nowadays people head straight to the pantry as soon as they get to work.”
We laughed at staff showing the seals stuck to the backs of their phones.
Everyone had become softened in expression in just a few days.
The manufacturer had sent boxes of Souffle bread as a thank-you and the company put them in the pantry for welfare.
“Seems like peace of mind comes from carbs.”
“Want some?”
“We’re on a diet so we can’t eat any....”
If it weren’t for Seok-hwan hyung watching us like a pigeon, we might have tried one.
Seeing our disappointment, the A&R and producing team looked heartbroken.
“Oh dear, so sad.”
“What can we do. We can’t give this out~”
“Aigoo!”
The men puckered their cheeks and smelled the bread, making us tremble.
We then ate a banana that had been set aside for us and listened to the meeting’s decisions.
“As for the finished songs, everyone agreed they’re really good.”
“Thank goodness.”
“Among the winter songs I’ve heard lately, this is the best.”
The teachers who participated had poured blood, sweat, and soul into the songs and everyone praised them.
“We’re aiming for early to mid-January. It’s a special album this time.”
“Yes.”
“We’re going to try a variety of promotions. The producer also offered many ideas.”
Ha Seung-ju, who had been listening quietly, spoke.
“There’s that last carol song, right?”
“Oh, yes.”
“What if we pre-release that around Christmas? As a pre-release before the album.”
We exchanged looks and nodded.
“Sounds like a good idea. Since it’s a seasonal song... But how would we release it?”
“Through a special stage.”
“Hmm, a special stage.”
“Nothing’s decided yet, but I'd like it to be a stage memorable enough for people at Christmas.”
When Junghyun went “Oh” and seemed about to pitch an idea, Viju fed him a jelly.
We were all for pre-releasing a NewBlack version of the carol.
It’d be a chance to get our music out to the public.
“If you have good ideas we’ll think about them too.”
“Right. And...”
They brought up jacket shoots and music video plans.
They said locations like Gangwon-do and various places had been secured to match the atmosphere we wanted.
“We even got cooperation from places that said filming would be difficult.”
“Really?”
“Once we mentioned your name it all moved smoothly.”
Many local governments had been cooperative and they were astonished.
As we listened and gave feedback,
“Also, there’s a project we want to try. Thought up after our overseas tour.”
“What is it?”
“Intimate theater concerts.”
I spoke and Rihyeok continued.
“While touring abroad I thought maybe a domestic tour would be good too.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
“Yes. Sometimes going to some domestic cities takes more time than a nearby foreign country.”
Staff nodded as Rihyeok spoke.
“We’d like to go to the fans this time, not have them come like at concerts. Not big-scale, though...”
“Focus on small theaters?”
“Yes.”
We all nodded.
“This set of songs suits this more than music shows. Even if we don’t have the same crew as music shows, plan it so local fans can attend....”
A domestic tour ahead of the Japan tour in February.
When we looked to staff with that suggestion, they thought it over and nodded.
“Sounds good.”
“We’ll check venue schedules and let you know.”
They didn’t say it was definite, but their expressions suggested they’d try to push it through.
After we’d made our proposal,
we finished the meeting and grinned as staff asked,
“What’s with you guys?”
We smiled cheerfully.
“Oh, we’re excited to shoot the MV. Feels like a winter trip.”
“We’ll get to see the winter sea.”
“Have snowball fights in snowy woods during breaks.”
Our excitement made staff try not to laugh. Then, looking at us blankly, they asked,
“You guys haven’t gone on a winter trip, have you?”
Whooosh—
“.......”
Whooosh—
“Aaaaaaah...!”
Full of romance, NewBlack members ran out to the seaside.
Managers laughed as we screamed at the cold Gangwon-do wind and raced back like mad.
