Free Web Novel“Hm?”
The phone screen kept lighting up.
Yun Seokhwan [Are you enjoying the meat? ^^]
Yun Seokhwan [(photo)]
My heart dropped. When I checked the message, a selfie of Seokhwan hyung smiling warmly appeared.
“Hyung. What’s up?”
“You guys. I think we’re screwed.”
“Why?”
“Seokhwan hyung knew we were eating meat.”
“...!”
Bijoo and Rihyuk looked up mid-bite, and Junhyun stopped chewing in shock. Then they started devouring the meat like crazy.
“...Guys. What do we do?”
“He’s the leader—how are we supposed to ask him! That’s why he outsourced his brain to us!”
“Exactly!”
It wasn’t wrong. Not knowing how much he knew, we decided to feign ignorance for now.
Me [Meat?]
In such situations, it’s crucial to know whether the other party has a hunch or solid proof.
“First, we need to find out how much he knows. My dad says it’s best to pretend we don’t know anything for now.”
“Jiho, your father’s business is going okay, right...?”
That was when another message came in.
Yun Seokhwan [(photo)]
It was a photo of us eating meat and chuckling.
Me [I have nothing to say even if I had ten mouths]
Yun Seokhwan [Meat is fine]
Yun Seokhwan [Just don’t eat too much]
Yun Seokhwan [I’m just worried you’ll get an upset stomach]
It was touching.
Yun Seokhwan [Because if you get sick you can’t earn money..]
Why can’t warmth last even ten seconds for our NewBlack team?
I sent a thank-you message to Seokhwan hyung—“Thanks, I’ll eat comfortably”—and showed it to the others.
“Phew...”
“We’re saved.”
“Wow, we actually survived that.”
Just as we all breathed a sigh of relief—freeze.
“...?”
In our panic, we remembered what we’d forgotten. How did he know we were eating meat? He even has a photo of all five of us.
So the conclusion is....
“Guys.”
I smiled and turned to those who'd been silently grabbing meat since earlier. They flinched. freewёbnoνel.com
“It was you, right?”
“...”
“Okay, children. I’ll give you ten seconds to confess. Ten.”
At that, the TinSpirit members pointed at each other.
“It was him!”
“He’s the one who tattled!”
“No, it’s that one!”
I smiled at their sandcastle-tight loyalty.
“Now, close your eyes.”
“...”
“I’m not angry. I’m just curious.”
To the handsome boys with their eyes closed:
“In that spirit, I’ll give you a one-time chance to confess. I sent the message. Raise your hand and your sins are forgiven. Pyororong.”
“Pyororong-.”
At our words, TinSpirit wiggled and then all six raised their hands. We burst out laughing and told them to open their eyes. They squinted at each other, embarrassed, and confessed.
“You know how hyungs flooded manager hyung with messages, right? Manager hyung was really touched and all.”
“We thought it would work if we did it too.”
“But hell no, it backfired hard...”
I patiently explained what went wrong to the dejected trainees.
“The Seokhwan hyung contact you had—he got promoted to TF team leader this time. In a regular company hierarchy, that’s like a department head...”
“Damn, he got promoted...”
When we first met TinSpirit at that event in Icheon, Seokhwan hyung was just the site manager. Now he’s the TF team leader overseeing all our related work. Normally you’d have messaged Minki hyung or Wonseok hyung, who handle field duties.
“Ah damn, we messed up.”
“And just like that, my dream of adulthood drifts further away...”
I gave the despondent cafeteria friends the current manager hyungs’ contact info and taught them texting etiquette.
“You can’t text like you’re messaging friends. You have to start by stating who you are.”
“Ah, yes.”
“It’s not necessary, but it’s good to know~”
They’d been active since childhood and hugely successful, so nobody taught them this.
“Kya, an adult. An adult!”
I smiled warmly at them high-fiving over texting.
On TV, the commercials ended and finally the live broadcast of On the Stage began.
“It’s starting! It’s starting!”
We all turned up the volume and focused on the screen. The episode preview kicked off.
[Honestly, it’s a bit absurd...? Shouldn’t you work on your own teamwork before criticizing us?]
[They say you have to go head-to-head to know who’s longer and shorter, but really...?]
[They said, “Our team will crush everyone!” but who got crushed were they.]
TinSpirit applauded aggressively provocative interview comments.
“Kya, nonstop talk party from the start~”
“Bold statements.”
“They say they only live today?”
We burst out laughing. Then I explained:
“They don’t have phones or TVs, so they don’t know the outside reaction.”
“Aha.”
Not knowing their own notoriety, many trainees unload unfiltered comments. After the preview:
At the end: “Surprise guests appear... Who could they be?” played over [Ya-i-yaaah~] in a helium voice.
“That’s fucking hilarious!” TinSpirit laughed holding their stomachs. Meanwhile, we’d also watched the fifth broadcast of On the Stage.
“This feels so good to see.” Bijoo smiled gently.
“I guess we still got attached in that short time. Seeing it again feels so good.”
“Right. But I wonder if those kids think the same?”
“...Ah, it really warms my heart!”
Bijoo pretended not to hear Jiho’s question.
On TV, trainees reacted to the MC’s announcement that NewBlack’s song had been selected as the next mission, alternating cheers and interviews:
[NewBlack sunbaenims’ song? I really like it!]
[Wow... they’re using these sunbaenims’ song as a competition piece. It’s so great.]
We smiled, but TinSpirit snickered next to us:
“Idiots, you don’t even know how difficult NewBlack’s song is.”
“You cocky brats.”
“Our company copies everything else, but they couldn’t copy those songs...!”
Watching them giggle, I exchanged glances with the younger members.
‘But why are they proud?’
‘Neighborhood camaraderie...?’
Suddenly the trainees on TV began to struggle:
[Hufffff...]
[I’m sorry.]
[You... um, why can’t you hit that note?]
[Think about why it’s happening.]
[Uh... Because I’m not Rihyuk sunbaenim...?]
Vocal trainer Jang Sowon burst out laughing. The choreography was equally brutal:
[Gasp... gasp...]
[I weighed myself after practice and lost weight. If anyone wants to lose weight, I recommend it.] ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
[I realized why sunbaenims can eat so much meat and still stay slim.]
Each practice left them panting and collapsing. Online communities reacted:
At the first evaluation, shock and horror:
Trainers remained calm:
[We expected this. It’s a difficult song. They just need a lot more practice.]
[I know it’s hard. But even on the real stage, will viewers understand the backstory?]
[They’ll understand, but there needs to be something to judge.]
Viewers accepted the nuance: “I guess it really is hard.” Even Wind Flower struggled. Comments:
Fireworks shocked everyone, even silence and blank stares.
Then—dun-dun! A black van pulled up in front of the Namyangju studio. Slim legs stepped out.
[Is it here?]
[No? Over there.]
Their voice distortion made it hilarious.
It felt like a legendary doctor arriving in a village of the ill. On the Stage’s ray of light. Soufflés at home’s hearts raced:
‘Are they exuding senior vibes?’
The idols always seemed insignificant—now they had their cool moment. They walked gracefully, trainees went “Uwaaah,” Sun Wooju and the lackeys smirked. But the soufflés’ prediction only partly came true:
[Waaaaaa!]
Some trainees ran in cheering, but NewBlack’s entrance was nothing like expected: five booths with animal emojis, helium voices giggling.
Viewers had to guess their mentors:
In living rooms everywhere, viewers debated. We smiled at Bijoo getting caught by a trainer’s question.
“Number one’s definitely Jiho. Who else would the one calling him cute be?”
“True.”
“Number two is...”
Then Jiho (expected as #4) appeared at 4, and Rihyuk (expected #3) at 3, in a padded cloak. Everyone laughed as NewBlack greeted the trainees:
“Hello! On the Stage trainees!”
Only then did viewers recall the survival format. Teams matched and practiced, NewBlack mentored with bright smiles—“They really are kind lol,” “Our warm NewBles...♡,” “I want to marry Sun Wooju... then the other four come along!” “That’s true.”
‘You are now watching NewBlack seriously doing their main job.’
They taught with warmth like a ray of light. Trainees smiled, viewers were content. Then:
‘Huh...?’
NewBlack removed their watches—a ritual to disorient time. Viewers realized:
‘Are they ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) messing with our sense of time...!’
Again they smiled warmly and taught—trainees’ faces said it all:
Trainees were drying out in the seniors’ warmth like an open wet wipe. Subtitle: [Check out mentoring behind the scenes on HBS MeTube!] Then midterm evaluation.
I blinked at trainees mirroring their mentors: Junhyun team laughed “ha-ha-ha,” Jiho team giggled, Rihyuk team sneered, Bijoo team chuckled, Wooju team was Wooju team.
At Jang Sowon’s quip “It’s like an amoeba multiplied,” everyone burst out laughing.
Members’ advice got attention. Nervous trainees were told to imagine the audience as potatoes, apples, jelly, and CG potatoes surrounded Heo Kangmin’s face—everyone laughed.
Midterm evaluation:
Performances improved across the board. The Fireworks team, once deemed weakest, revealed a stunning reversal:
[My pick for today’s number one is you.]
It was a heartwarming moment, given how much they’d suffered from ridicule.
As the main competition began, viewers speculated:
Masquerade team with a decadent, sexy concept; Wind Flower reborn in hip-hop; Fireworks maximizing freshness; Nine boasting intense choreography; Falling Flowers lively and revamped.
[The final winner of the cover song mission is...!]
The Masquerade team mentored by Wooju took first, their chokers and sexy outfits highlighting the choreography.
“Waaaaah!” “Aaaah...!”
Some cheered, some wept—joy and sorrow intertwined.
“Hello~ everyone! From today on I’m NewBlack’s adorable maknae, Seon! Woo! Ju! Hehahaha!”
“...”
“Hyungs~ can I call you hyungs from now on?”
Twenty-four-year-old Mr. Seon giggled, patting his knees.
‘I really hate this.’
‘This is the worst case.’
NewBlack members put down their chopsticks with pursed lips as TinSpirit stared dumbfounded.
“Our friend-friend~!”
Bubbling with cheer, he asked TinSpirit, “Our friend?” and they raised their hands.
“Uh, hyungnim.”
“Yes~!”
“Control yourself, please.”
“Yes...”
NewBlack members laughed uproariously at their leader sinking under the teenagers’ scolding.
