Free Web NovelPD Shin Mu-rok nodded.
“Alright.”
He consulted with the writers about the rules and returned.
“For every perfect 100 points, we’ll award extra spending money.”
“Waaaaa!”
We cheered and clapped.
The crew watched me with curious eyes. They’d brought up 100 points, wondering if we’d actually hit it. I heard the directors quietly remark:
“Can they really do that?”
“They caught a seagull, so scoring 100 in karaoke should be easy, right? Catching seagulls is their side gig, being singers is their main job.”
“Good point.”
They didn’t seem too invested in the outcome. True to the healing-reality concept, the games were clearly designed to give us spending money anyway. Even one person scoring 90+ would suffice. It was obvious: first a general quiz to award spending money, then karaoke to ask “How about more spending money?” and create fun. They surely didn’t expect our maknae to ace the quiz so poorly.
“Did you hear that, hyung? Extra spending money for 100 points! Awesome.”
“...”
“Directors! Did you know? I actually sabotaged us in the quiz on purpose!”
The crew burst out laughing at the maknae’s ridiculous claim. Ri-hyuk and I bit our lips.
“If you’d just gotten a few quiz answers right, we wouldn’t even be here, you dummy...”
“Stop sounding like it was my cunning plan. I wouldn’t even share an egg with you.”
“Wah...”
The maknae slunk back to the sofa, looking dejected. But I was the one who’d suggested the extra game in the first place...
“Well, anyway, fighting!”
“Fighting!”
We laughed at the two chubby figures cheering “fighting!” like a proud duo. I motioned Viju and Ri-hyuk to lean in. Viju obediently pressed his ear to my hand; Ri-hyuk eyed me warily.
“What now?”
“You’re not going to blow in my ear, are you...?”
“Mention that and I’ll want to blow even more. Hurry up.”
At last I cupped my hands to Viju’s and whispered the tiniest hint, barely audible even to the mic. The PD, writers, and camera directors clustered around the audio engineer, eavesdropping with headphones.
“What’s Wooju saying?”
“I can’t hear... something about the machine.”
Thankfully, nobody seemed to catch it. I stepped back.
“Got it?”
“Yes, we’ll do exactly that.”
“No problem, right?”
The crew handed me a karaoke mic. I tested it in nineties style:
“Ahh, testing, testing.”
The directors smiled, feeling nostalgic. Facing the camera, I announced:
“Ahh, welcome to the newly opened NewBlack Karaoke!”
“Waaaaa!”
“Are you enjoying yourselves?”
“Ye-eah!”
Cheering on the directors and staff with event emcee energy, my siblings stood beside me, waving mini lanterns.
“Now that we’re in Jeju, we have to sing this song. It’s the greatest hit with a Jeju theme.”
“Waaaaa!”
“The Blue Night of Jeju!”
The karaoke lights spun as the intro began.
The Travel Diary staff waved slowly.
“This is really nice...”
Our lead vocalist sang each line softly, letting the reverb fill every corner of the room.
I no longer want to be bound by this
By newspapers, TV, paychecks
The pure, unadorned melody made you want to shake off everything and leave. Though simple, its emotional appeal was profound. The lighting director murmured:
“Wow, they sing well. No wonder they’re called singers. Their expressions completely change.”
“They ranked first in the Hit Song Society, remember?”
Without a trace of humor, they revealed their true craft—impressive. Their clear voices sent shivers down my neck. After finishing with a gentle “ooooh” hum, Wooju looked at the score display with anticipation.
“Ah, the score.”
The crew snapped back to attention.
“They sang well, but can a machine really give 100 points so easily? It’s not human judgment...”
Ta-da-da-da-bam!
Fanfare burst from the screen.
[100 points!]
[Wow! Perfect! You could really be singers~?]
Wooju spun the mic in triumph, caught it, and flashed a V sign like a grand reveal.
“Waaaaa!”
The members surged forward, sandwiching the leader in a joyful huddle. Laughter rang clear. As the celebration over extra spending money peaked, the PD and crew exchanged puzzled looks.
“What just happened?”
The lighting director tapped the karaoke machine.
“How did they do that?”
Before anyone could answer, Viju selected a children’s song. He grabbed the mic, and the members performed the dance. Their adorable antics only lasted a moment before:
Ta-da-da-da-bam!
Another perfect 100 points flashed.
“...?”
“Waaaaa!”
Chanting “Kim Viju! Kim Viju!” the members encircled him, cheering. Amid the laughter, the PD and writers grinned in disbelief.
“You guys didn’t rig this, did you?”
“No way.”
The members answered firmly.
“We’re not that clever!”
“Ah...”
Their response was unassailably sincere. As the PD slipped more cash into the envelopes, he shook his head.
“It still feels weird.”
They’d done karaoke missions on other idol travel shows, but never had celebrities hit perfect scores like pros. Yet when Ri-hyuk, our main vocalist, scored 100, everyone nodded in understanding.
“This one even a machine must award 100 for.”
“If it doesn’t give 100, it needs repairs immediately.”
“Ri-hyuk may not excel at everything, but he sings like a master.”
They joked about adding a subtitle: “The God of Song.” Ri-hyuk’s ballad turned the living room into a concert hall. He suddenly seemed more handsome; all the earlier scenes of him cowering from seagulls vanished behind one powerful song. The staff shook their heads in amazement while NewBlack showered him with celebratory tosses.
“Seo Ri-hyuk! You’re amazing!”
“Ah, please stop...!”
Ri-hyuk, giggling and overwhelmed, trailed off. Finally, the PD called the members together.
“Everyone. Your spending money is ready.”
“Waaaa!”
They dumped the tossing Ri-hyuk onto the sofa and filmed him roll. The directors barely contained laughter.
“Here’s your spending money.”
“Thank you!”
As the grateful leader accepted the envelopes, the PD asked:
“But how on earth did you do that?”
K-Net upcoming broadcast, “NewBlack’s Travel Diary Season 1,” Episode 2 edited clip.
Dark Interview Room (D)
Cut from the leader’s spending-money reception to the interview room. Wooju sits smiling.
[Q. How did you do it?]
“Oh, it’s nothing special. Each karaoke machine has its quirks.” ƒrēewebnovel.com
[Quirks?]
“Old machines award high scores for loud, sustained singing. Newer ones focus on rhythm...”
As Wooju laid out tip after tip, the crew listened in amazement before interjecting.
[I heard from Jiho that Wooju hyung is a real cheat(?).]
“No, he really... saying that makes the soufflé dancers misunderstand me. I’m not that kind of person!”
Wooju’s eyes went wide as proof clips flashed under “Source: MeTube NewBlackTV.” He looked at his siblings with the world’s kindest face.
“What’s rock-paper-scissors? A random game. Science, you know? Right, Ri-hyuk? Oh, not science? Okay.”
“The same with roulette.”
“In school we learned the probability of dice—six faces random... not taught that? Got it.”
After showing the crew how he’d always outsmarted his siblings, Wooju in the interview room cleared his throat.
“If I had to say, I just directed each member according to their vocal tone. I’m not a cheat...”
[Not?]
“I’m a producer.”
His brazen smile sent the crew into laughter. Even he giggled. Pretending to give a wanted-poster tune, he joked.
[But how do you know all this?]
“Oh, when I was a trainee, I went to karaoke a lot with friends. We always bet scores, so I researched how to win.”
[What kind of bets?]
“Well...”
Wooju sheepishly scratched his neck.
“You know those free paper-cup ice creams at karaoke? Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry.”
[Ah.]
“I hated having to share them...”
The crew burst out laughing at such a trivial motive. Wooju then asked for emotional BGM and looked into the camera.
“My friends probably monitor this, so to them—I’m sorry. I’ll buy you ice cream next time.”
Ending on a warm note, Wooju waved “sorry,” and the screen cut to NewBlack heading to the night market.
Seogwipo’s night market bustled with people. As we walked surrounded by the 6mm crew, vendors cheered us with open arms.
“Oh my, look who’s here! Our boys!”
“Mama!”
We embraced strangers with genuine affection, then broke into polite smiles.
“Since we’re here, show me some tteok! Tteok!”
“Of course you should buy some. But our budget’s tight, and these look pricier...”
“Oh, I’ll give you a discount.”
Viju’s warm smile and deft haggling earned thumbs-up from each vendor. He politely greeted them, then whispered excitedly:
“Hyung, I got this at the original price!”
“Well done, our second son.”
“Next, let’s buy the next thing!”
Viju beamed happier at our praise than the bargains. Although curious onlookers yelling “NewBlack! NewBlack?” shortened our market time, we scored plenty of treats and souvenirs.
“Hyung, do you think grandma will like this? The flowers are drawn so big.”
“She’ll love it. Viju. Do you think Min-jun will like this chocolate?”
“Yes, totally.”
We picked gifts for our families and asked the PD, writers, and camera directors.
“Director, didn’t you say you wanted to buy tangerine chocolate for your daughter? I can get it here.”
“Then this one...”
The director’s sweat-slick face lit up with a smile despite the heat and cameras.
“How about you, writer? Want to pick an outfit?”
“Uh... is that okay?”
“We’d love to buy you one.”
We beckoned the hesitant writer over; subtitles read: “Our kids are too kind...” and everyone laughed.
While gathering souvenirs, a vendor calling “Long time no see!” stopped us.
“Hello!”
“You’re NewBlack, right? My Woo-jung!”
“No, I’m Woo-ju.”
“Woo-jung. Of course—Sun Woo-jung.”
She shook our hands fondly. After praising our appearance on “My Hometown,” she asked the camera:
“Is this My Hometown, too?”
“No, we’re filming a travel show.”
“Oh...”
She looked disappointed, then exclaimed:
“My, I have something I’m so upset about with NewBlack!”
“What? Suddenly?”
We listened, concerned we’d offended her.
“When you were on My Hometown, why did you leave? Just when I was getting attached...”
“We didn’t appear...”
“That’s it. I was so sad—if you’re absent, it feels empty.”
We’d bonded with her, and she’d watched carefully, only for us to vanish. I took her hand and smiled.
“We’re sorry.”
“Oh, it’s not that...”
“We’ve finished filming My Hometown, but I’ll see if there’s a way to get you back on.”
We signed autographs and took photos.
“Who would you like to stand next to?”
“Junghyun.”
“Here you go.”
She flashed a V sign shyly, and we laughed.
After stocking up on late-night snacks and wandering happily, we headed home.
“This night market is fun.”
“Right? Even more fun than in Taiwan.”
The night-market’s lively chaos lifted our spirits. We chatted about the day as we returned.
“Waaaah—”
A chilling children’s song played through speakers as our vehicle screeched to a halt.
Frozen, we sat in shock. In the passenger seat, the PD shone a blue flashlight on his face and snapped:
“Everyone!”
“Eeeek!”
“...Ugh.”
The PD shuddered violently. If there were a subtitle, it might read: “The audio director’s eardrums are being destroyed.” After handing Ri-hyuk, clinging to me, over to Junghyun, Ri-hyuk exclaimed:
“That really startled me!”
“We’re such scaredy-cats, PD-nim!”
The PD cleared his throat and continued:
“We’re now near the lodging.”
“Yes?”
“From here to the lodging, you must follow the designated path.”
“Wha...?”
We looked out. Complete darkness. A darkness I’d never seen in Seoul. Only the distant lights of the lodging and silhouettes of trees stirred in the gloom.
Ri-hyuk, on the verge of fainting, asked:
“Are you saying we walk from here?”
“No need to worry about safety. We’re already inside the training center grounds used as lodging, so no outsiders can enter. Our safety staff will be stationed along the route.”
“No, it’s not that...”
“We also have infrared cameras set up everywhere to film you.”
We were stunned. I’d expected to grab night-market snacks, chat, then wrap up with a cozy “Today’s Travel Diary” vlog on the bed. Instead:
“What’s happening?”
“NewBlack’s Travel Diary: The long-awaited second wish fulfilled! A test of courage.”
“Who...?”
I started to ask, but the maknae shot his gaze elsewhere. The PD held out a laptop. It showed Jiho laughing in a conference room interview with the writers:
-I sometimes want to do outings with hyungs—like escape rooms or horror experiences. Every time I suggest horror movies, the hyungs hate it.
-Oh?
-Ri-hyuk especially hates it. The moment I mention it, fluffy pillows fly. And if not Ri-hyuk, then the others... haha!
“Jiho?”
“Listen on, hyungs...”
-I’ve always been the maknae at home and in the group, so I have this fantasy of big brothers protecting me.
-Right, maknaes often feel that.
-So I want the hyungs to rely on me here... haha! Just the thought makes me so happy!
His giggles on screen made me rub my temples.
“Jiho.”
“Y-yes...”
“If you want to be the big brother, there are other ways—class president, one-day leader. Hyung has no pride, he’d yield right away.”
“I totally agree. You really...”
“Eek, this is scary.”
“I predict it’ll be fun.”
We feared pushing him more would make the maknae cry, so we conceded. We couldn’t undo this.
“All right.”
“Heh.”
Patting his back, we listened on:
“There’s a walking trail in the training center grounds. On the way to the lodging, there’s a well.”
“Eeeek!”
“They say it grants wishes. You fill the provided bottle with water from that well.”
“Aaaargh...”
A well in this darkness. My imagination ran wild with things crawling out. As we disembarked with haggard faces:
“PD-nim, you haven’t hired actors disguised as ghosts, right?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
“No wonder they were setting up tents and construction outside...”
The PD handed each of us a walkie-talkie, a map of the training center, and a flashlight. He confiscated the maknae’s lantern for its brightness.
The car drove off with a rumble.
“....”
Red lights flickered from the cameras around us—like ghostly eyes. A spine-tingling nursery-rhyme moan played through an amp.
“Eeeek!”
Clinging to me like a living pillar, my siblings whispered:
“Let’s push through this as fast as possible.”
“Good idea.”
“Then switch on the flashlights...”
At that exact moment, something darted across our beam—a shadow in human form, crawling on all fours, moving quickly and eerily.
“....”
We were too stunned even to scream, eyes wide as we stared at each other.
“What was that? Did you see it?”
“Was that a person...?”
Recalling the motion, I felt I could mimic it. Hard as it seemed.
“It must be an actor.”
“No, why would they go to such lengths for a travel show?”
“Right? Right! Aaaah!”
Then I suddenly remembered what they said at the pre-meeting:
“They’d better have a big budget if they’re going to do a NewBlack reality.”
“Oooo!”
“Since it’s come to this, let’s do it properly.”
...And they really had. They’d set the stage so elaborately, I felt I had to give a perfect reaction. My siblings seemed to think the same, eyes steeled as they gripped their flashlights.
“No matter what happens, don’t let go of each other.”
“If we die, we die together; if we live, we die together!”
“I’m with you. Never let go. Us together.”
“Right. NewBlack is one!”
After shouting “fighting,” we clasped hands and stepped into the thicket. Then—
“Ihihihihihihi!”
An egg-ghost in a jeogori dashed out.
And—
“Eeeek!”
As if by shared instant reflex, we abandoned one another and ran off in different directions. I too bolted, clutching Viju’s hand—
“...?”
Huh? Why does this hand feel so strange? Looking up in surprise—
“....”
I locked eyes awkwardly with the egg-ghost actor who’d run alongside me.
