Free Web NovelIn front of the soufflé bread company.
Right now, NewBlack was holding an album promotion event here.
“Anyone want roasted sweet potatoes!”
“Come get your roasted chestnuts over here. This way, this way.”
“Get your fish-shaped buns! You can choose custard or red bean filling!”
Each member, standing by their machine, was doing an enticing dance for the crowd.
“Uh....”
People who’d been unconsciously drawn toward the roasted sweet potatoes by Viju’s suggestive dance suddenly snapped back to their senses.
‘I almost got tempted.’
At today’s event, each person could try just one snack.
It required a careful choice.
As the smells of fish-shaped buns, hotteok, roasted sweet potatoes, and chestnuts mingled, making mouths water,
“Line up, please! Line!”
they completely forgot about the album promotion.
They even briefly forgot that their favorite idols were right in front of them, and lined up for whichever snack appealed most.
Meanwhile, snippets of conversation drifted through the air.
“Oh my, there are so many people.”
“Look at this line. Didn’t they say that if you win a ticket today, they’ll bake soufflé bread and give it to you right away?”
“I heard some people lined up since dawn.”
Judging by the chatter on Instagram and other SNS, many ordinary passersby had come.
In sheer numbers, they outnumbered the fans.
Couples, groups of college students—this looked like one of those hot TV-featured restaurants that young people flock to.
The soufflé fans exchanged warm smiles as they chatted quietly.
“At first I was a bit hesitant, but this isn’t so bad. Hiding in here makes me feel like I’m doing an ‘il-code’.”
“Right?”
“It’s like the merch became public goods? But it’s nice.”
They thought that mixing in here would let them cosplay as ordinary people—but that notion was quickly dispelled.
‘Hey, ordinary people don’t say “il-code”....’
One soufflé fan blinked at another who giggled, “We nailed the il-code!” when nearby ordinary people whispered,
“Look at those folks. They must be fans.”
They glanced at the members’ faces and trembled on both cheeks, a dead giveaway they were fans.
Normally, fans would think, “Oh, there’s someone ordinary here...” but here it was reversed: ordinary people were marveling, “Oh, those are NewBlack fans!” This played out all around.
At the same time, other ordinary people murmured,
“They’re really handsome. It’s my first time seeing them in person.”
“I know, right? Their clothes are cute too. Look at Kim Junghyun. He reminds me of that kid from Home Alone. What’s his name...”
“Kevin?”
“No. The bald burglar.”
NewBlack’s rapper’s cap vaguely reminded them of that thief.
“Ah-choo!”
The maknae, dressed like Kevin and wearing a bread-shaped hat, sneezed, his snot dangling.
“Hyung, that sneeze—sniff... wipe it.”
“Hey, Ji-ji! Don’t wipe it on your coat!”
At that, Viju, with a familiar gesture, pulled a tissue from his coat pocket.
Earlier, Junghyun had been teasing him, swirling his hair and pretending to spin the snot around.
“Puhaha!”
Starting with the leader’s bright laugh, even the managers watching burst out laughing.
The main vocalist, sighing beside them, chirped,
“He’s cute. Like a sparrow.”
“At first I thought he was scary. But the more I see him, the cutest he is.”
“Wasn’t that button the other day from Seol-Hyuk?”
They’d seen so much on MiTube that these names—just like for Jusehan’s members—were now familiar.
It felt as friendly as meeting a famous variety show star on TV.
‘Wow. The nerve of Ha Seung-ju doing a day job here.’
Ha Seung-ju, famous as a music café MC, wore work gloves like a part-timer, and it looked perfectly natural.
It felt like a guest appearance.
Maybe for that reason, as the line shortened and I met the NewBlack leader’s face up close, I almost blurted, “Long time no see.”
“Hello!”
His dazzling smile froze me in place for a moment.
With gloved hands, he and the maknae waved “Welcome!” sparkling.
“You chose chestnuts.”
“An excellent choice~ You sure know good taste~”
“Now, would you please recite the order?”
A couple closed their eyes and shouted the chant.
“Roasted sweet potatoes, roasted chestnuts. NewBlack!”
The event chant for free tasting.
When the couple twisted in embarrassment, laughter rippled through the line.
Uju, taking the roasted chestnuts into a bag with the staff’s help, smiled.
“Well done. Embarrassment is fleeting, but the taste lasts.”
“...Thank you. Hope your album is a huge hit!”
“Eat chestnuts and love us forever! And, uh! Don’t run off—please enter your ticket number!”
After the couple finished registering and left the crowd’s view,
“Puhat!”
on the paper bag of chestnuts, in bold old-style letters, it read ‘Chestnuts, and NewBlack.’
The other snacks bore the same design.
On the sturdy cardboard wrapping of the greasy hotteok was printed ‘Hotteok, and NewBlack.’
And above it all, the common phrase ‘Special Album Comeback Imminent.’
“Did you get a photo? Post it.”
People who loved trends were uploading “NewBlack Bread Event!” to SNS.
They were already famous as streaming powerhouses, but this level of buzz made you curious enough to listen to the album.
“What is this... oh? It’s NewBlack.”
“Hey, let’s line up. Go.” freёwebnoѵel.com
As more passersby joined in, the company’s parking lot buzzed with customers and onlookers.
NewBlack’s promotion event was a roaring success.
“Two tickets?”
When someone shouted that two tickets came with a big chant, high school boys bent backward and shrieked.
“Roasted sweet potatoes! Roasted chestnuts!”
“Huhahat!”
“NewBlaaaack!”
People holding phones overhead to capture pictures burst into laughter.
Ha Seung-ju, holding a decibel meter, and the NewBlack members laughed heartily.
“We need a commemorative photo. Come here.”
“Our chestnut boys, over here.”
The members posed for selfies with shy students, V-signs raised.
After the event ended,
reporters captured the excited atmosphere as the draw for 100 winners was announced.
“Aaaah!”
“Waaaah!”
Amid the cheers and sighs of disappointment, the mood felt like New Year’s excitement.
As lively conversations swirled, the soufflé-bread machines arrived.
‘I’m so jealous....’
Soufflé bread was currently the best-selling bread on the market.
Celebrities posted reviews on SNS, and bakeries were launching copycat breads.
It was so popular that people criticized Koreans for blindly chasing trends.
If convenience-store breads were already delicious, handmade ones must be unimaginable.
“Wow. The smell....”
A hint of cinnamon added to the aroma, enchanting everyone.
They gave free samples of plain soufflé bread to on-site visitors, but those who didn’t win tickets could do nothing but feel sad.
They could only envy the joyful faces savoring freshly baked soufflé bread.
“Look at their faces. They must be so damn happy....”
“Excuse me? Are you staff? Will you do this event again?”
“Honestly, you’ve got to do it again.”
As more requests for repeat events poured in, members blushed and clasped their hands against the cold.
“Thank you so much for coming today!”
“And.”
Even without a microphone, the leader’s strong voice carried to every corner.
“As you all saw, on January 11! This winter, we’re coming back with a special album!”
“Waaaah!”
“Even if you can’t give us lots of love, please at least show a little interest.”
As the leader finished speaking and turned his head, the members smiled broadly and nodded.
“All right! Before we go, shall we do it one more time? Roasted sweet potatoes, roasted chestnuts?”
“NewBlaaaack!”
“Thank you! This has been NewBlack!”
Amid applause, NewBlack departed. Reporters left behind pressed the staff to hand over remaining snacks.
Fans and visitors, huddled against the cold, said,
“Whoa, it’s freezing once you step away.”
“I know. Makes me crave something hot and soupy. Something spicy.”
“After all that sugar, I want something salty.”
Nearby restaurants naturally filled up.
The restaurant owners who’d complained about the noise now wore smiles.
“Wow, customers... will you not sell that bread again? Oh dear! Welcome! Please come in!”
“Seats! Just a moment! We’ll clear a table!”
The surrounding businesses, once scowling, now beamed, thinking, ‘Please, NewBlack, come back again.’
Only a few HBS Variety Department staff, looking displeased, glared through the windows.
“What the heck. They did this on purpose. Throwing a feast right in front of the headquarters.”
“Head office is just across the street.”
“Ugh, it stings.”
“Maybe we should check the trend. It’s blowing up on Facebook and Instagram.”
“No way... what kind of idol is that?”
And behind those staff,
Drama Department employees returning from lunch carried freshly baked soufflé bread in their hands.
NewBlack’s upcoming album.
With hints of new songs and a music video being trickled out, idol communities buzzed.
– ‘NewBlack’ style unique album promotion
– Special album promo event with NewBlack bread: ‘This Winter Is NewBlack’
– ‘D-4’ comeback imminent for NewBlack, fan live on Y-App
Alongside the winter snack event and other unique promotions, articles were appearing.
Meanwhile, foreign fan communities of Hallyu and K-pop also showed interest.
@Redondo_24
(Photo of actor Lee Gyeon-woo eating soufflé bread with coffee)
“Korean Twitter friends. If you know what’s in his hand, answer me. Looks delicious.”
Not only SNS posts by Hallyu stars like Lee Gyeon-woo and Kwak Si-hyun, but also by singers like Jang So-won and Joanna, and TNT, all featured the mysterious bread.
Korean fans simply laughed.
– They must really wonder what that is, lol
– I’d be curious too if Hollywood stars all ate the same bread in paparazzi shots
– Damn I explained the origin and trend to my foreign friend and they didn’t believe me, calling me a liar
– Some foreign fans are arguing that’s not a real soufflé
– Good thing the fandom name is cute... imagine if it was Concrete
– Soul bread... why do Koreans eat soul bread, I bet they’re like
– Curtain bread... Gyu-ho get out
As they enjoyed those foreign reactions, interest in NewBlack soared—and bad things started happening too.
– I heard the new song preview and it’s all trash
– For real, the leader sounds off-key
– They hyped this as a winter song but it’s just another carol
– Why are they acting like artists all of a sudden lol they’re still idols
– Such timing... they should be solidifying the fandom, they’ve got artist syndrome
These were malicious comments after the preview dropped.
– It’s supposed to be a quiet winter break... they’re just doing a special album for fan service, why all the hate!!!!
– I don’t get why they’re hated for a special album
– Do they not know they’re being trolled?
Antis who’d been dormant, fueled by their dislike of NewBlack, grew bolder.
They focused mainly on attacking the special album.
From mocking them for artist syndrome despite not being singer-songwriters,
– If their fandom’s right, this album should move at least 200K first-week sales, right?
– Someone said Fibonacci sequence lol like 80K, 130K, 210K lol
– It was 70K→120K, so if they’re hot now it should be 200K
– We’ll see this time lol
– Reporters are already lining up streaming numbers, do they really think it’s easy?
They were even debating sales before the album or tracks had launched.
But the fans had heard the songs and felt certain.
‘...This will work.’
Fans are listeners too—when they hear it, they know.
It was the same with “Wind Flower” and “Nine.”
Even when people beat drums and gongs chanting “They’ll flop! They’ll flop!” you can’t help but clap your hands and think,
‘This «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» can’t fail.’
Though they shared no words, in the soufflé fans’ minds a common belief spread.
D-Day.
Finally, the day of NewBlack’s comeback showcase, broadcast live on K-Net, arrived.
Inside K-Net’s Sangam-dong headquarters.
After rehearsal we clenched and unclenched our fists.
“Phew. I’m so nervous....”
“Me too. I’m freaking out. Wow, why does my heart go boom-boom like this?”
Standing close together, our heartbeats seemed to sync and amplify.
“Junghyun, put your arm around my shoulder.”
“Okay.”
The tallest, Junghyun, draped his arm over our shoulders.
His calm, steady heartbeat soothed my racing chest.
“Um, NewBlack—excuse me, we need to get through....”
“Oh! Yes!”
“Thank you.”
A staff member bowed and slipped between us.
Moments before the live broadcast, the set was abuzz with final checks.
Brilliant blue lights spun overhead, and the cozy winter-café set came into view.
We stood with the managers, meticulously checking for any issues, when Rihyeok asked, freewebnσvel.cѳm
“They said about four to five hundred people would come, right?”
“Yeah, around that.”
“Considering the size, it’s hard to fit more.”
Compared to the two-thousand-strong Wind Flower concert or the five-thousand-person Nine audience, this was smaller.
But this had its own merits.
“Since it’s live-streamed, I’m even more nervous.”
“Same here. Thinking about live broadcast makes it worse.”
It would air on K-Net’s online channel and on TV.
So even if fewer fans could attend in person, households—and overseas fans—could all watch.
“Guys, let’s fix our makeup and go.”
“Okay.”
“They said fans will be let in soon, so go to the waiting room.”
At Manager Wonseok’s word, we walked down the hallway of K-Net.
“I thought I’d be less nervous since it’s a special album showcase, but I guess not.”
“Same.”
Viju gave a slightly disappointed smile.
“I turned 22, so I thought I’d be calm now, but I still can’t get used to it.”
“Why 22?”
“You were 22 in your debut year, hyung. You looked so composed when your first album came out.”
“You thought turning 22 would do that?”
“I guess not....”
At Viju’s words we all burst out laughing.
Jiho exclaimed,
“It’s weird—second year, now Uju hyung is the age Viju hyung is, but Uju hyung felt ancient back then.”
“He really was like a grandpa.”
“Ah, so some people are just old souls.”
Junghyun’s pointed comment made me and the juniors laugh.
“You ungrateful brats.”
“What can we do?”
We joked to ease the tension and finished the last checks.
“It’s getting a bit boring.”
“We’re all like spoiled sons who can’t do housework.”
Since the songs were mellow, our hairstyles were also subdued—light or dark brown.
Our outfits evoked young travelers, fitting the winter-trip concept.
“All right, let’s head up soon.”
6:50 PM.
About fifty minutes after the music video and tracks dropped, and before the 7 PM showcase, we made our way backstage.
Already we could hear excited chatter from fans waiting outside.
“It’ll go well, right?”
One of us seemed especially nervous.
“It’ll go well, right? Answer me.”
“It’ll go well.”
I made a silly gesture with the microphone in my hand.
“If it doesn’t, it’ll be your fault.”
“What are you talking about? Why would that be on me?”
“That’s exactly it, Rihyeok. With that confident mindset, you’ll relax on stage.”
He cracked a wry smile and we patted his back.
Though he said he hated it, he quietly swallowed up his nerves.
As we warmed up on the spot, taking deep breaths,
“Live broadcast starting in 5!”
the FD with a headset mic held up five fingers, and beyond the stage we heard roaring cheers.
At precisely 7 PM,
on the monitor backstage flashed the “All Audiences Welcome” notice, and a VCR began.
[NewBlack x Jang So-won – Something]
Starting with the collaboration track, then our four title songs on visual screens.
“Waaaaaah!”
From the Nine dance break at the KMA Awards to the live cheering, the excitement swelled.
The second VCR rolled.
– What does winter mean to NewBlack? –
As we took turns in interviews, each appearance drew thunderous cheers.
When the explanation of the album’s concept appeared,
the camera panned to one seated with legs crossed, exuding a poised aura, and fans exploded.
– To me, this album is youth. That’s the meaning I wanted to convey. –
We stifled silent laughs at how pink our ears looked on screen, both on TV and in the studio.
– Everyone’s definition of youth is different. But if someone asks me later what my youth was, I’ll answer NewBlack without hesitation. –
“Ah, that edit...”
– Not just for teenagers, but even in my twenties I’ll devote all my time to this group... –
“Did they splice that? Damn devil editors...”
Somebody next to me started stamping their foot, part angel, part devil.
Amid the fans’ cheers,
“Mr. Rihyeok, it’s time for your intro stage!”
“Rihyeok, fight—”
“Ahhh!”
At Rihyeok’s odd cry as he bolted away, we all burst into laughter.
