Chapter 242: Chapter 243:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 243

By the way, was it okay to go out like this?

He meant, what could possibly happen in his past…

There was kindergarten, elementary school.

And from middle school, TJ Entertainment was his whole world. So there were only his trainee days and the army.

Woojoo counted on his fingers the possible things that could come out of there, and his heart started to pound.

…This was bad.

There were plenty of things from TJ Entertainment alone. Woojoo knew dozens of people who were in front of his eyes right now.

“Hyung.”

He ignored his siblings who were still singing ‘Happy Black History Day~’ and called the manager.

He looked at Woojoo.

“Why?”

“Did you already agree to appear on the show?”

“Of course. Do you know how high the ratings are for it? There’s no other program that has such high buzz and impact.”

That was true.

The format of ‘New Concept Talk Show: Find Your Memory’ was simple.

Someone who knew the guest’s black history would expose it with a voice changer, and the show would make fun of the guest’s reaction and talk.

It was a show where the movie stars who always looked cool would get up with a red face and the cold celebrities would crumble cutely.

It was a popular format.

It would make the real-time search list whenever someone appeared on the show.

The ratings were good, and the buzz was even better. It was a beneficial show for the guests.

A veteran actor who was famous for being disliked by the public succeeded in changing his image with a friendly and humane editing. It was the show that the celebrities who caused controversy wanted to go on the most.

And it was important that it was a terrestrial entertainment show. A chance to promote their third album.

“We have to go.”

He resigned himself to the situation and his siblings started a new song.

I smiled warmly.

“From now on, anyone who says a word will work with me on the fourth album title song.”

There was a silence so quiet that Woojoo could hear their breathing, and he looked over the proposal and asked, “So who’s on the show?”

“Oh, that.”

Seokhwan Hyung immediately showed him the list of guests on his phone.

It was a special episode for ‘boy group leaders’.

“I know them all.”

Street Boys, Wild, TNT, Teen Spirit. The faces of the leaders came to mind one by one.

Woojoo had a rough idea of how the show would go.

There were some people he was still awkward with, but he wasn’t lonely because there was a friend among them.

Time flew by quickly.

On the weekend of the comeback week, they had a public fan signing event at a shopping mall in Yeouido.

“Wow-!”

There were more people than he expected.

There were a lot of our fans, but the people who were passing by didn’t just pass by.

There were couples who stopped and whispered with their mouths covered, college students who held their smartphones above their heads and took pictures, and families who watched with their children around their necks.

There were people lined up on the upper floor railing who watched their faces throughout the fan signing event.

“New Black…”

“…New Black…”

“…It’s No Black. Huff huff.”

It sounded like Voldemort’s voice, but Woojoo could hear them talking about them even through the loud music.

Woojoo could feel that Windflower was popular with the public.

The fan signing event ended and Woojoo heard their song playing at a beauty shop.

Woojoo met with Reporter Oh, from Entertainment IN, and the song played at the cafe where they had the interview.

It also played at the convenience store.

If Woojoo searched for Windflower stages on YouTube, there were already dozens of cover songs sung as solo songs.

“Windflower~ Oh my flower~ Money money money~”

Even their President sang Windflower with his own lyrics.

He looked at them like treasure goblins since the third album was released.

The company staff were the same.

They were happy to see them whenever they came with coffee boxes.

“Ah, New Black? Just a moment, I have to check our schedule… We’re fully booked until June.”

“Yes, yes, I understand. I’ll pass it on to the manager in charge of New Black.”

“The sponsorship is…”

“Oh, you guys are here?”

They greeted them without any hesitation.

Time passed quickly.

They filmed the music video outdoors in Suncheon, as well as in the studio.

“Wow-!”

The scenery was beautiful.

The yellow reeds swayed in the wind on the flat land.

There were a lot of tourists, and some of them recognized them.

“Wow, are you filming a music video? You look like singers!”

“We are singers.”

“…?”

“…?”

There was a funny moment when a college student who thought they were actors was surprised.

He said he didn’t know anything about the entertainment industry.

He thought New Black was a name for the ‘F4’ concept in History Explorers.

“Wow. You’re singers, huh? I thought you were in a drama or something.”

“Oh. We’re also in a drama.”

“…?”

They also promoted the drama ‘Slip’ that they cameoed in.

While they were filming the music video and practicing for the album, the day they had been waiting for came.

It was the first broadcast of GTV’s ‘Slip’ where New Black made a cameo appearance.

Maybe it was because they had released their third album and treated the company staff to a meal.

When Woojoo asked if their work had increased because of them, Assistant Manager Hong waved her hand and said she was happy.

“It’s okay to have more work like this. It’s hard to deal with controversies or accidents, but this kind of work is enjoyable.”

“I agree with that. Ugh, dealing with crap… I mean, accidents is really…”

She said she was relieved when compared to the time when a child actor from their company posted on SNS, “I’m an adult now, so I can download 19+ movies from torrent! Heehee.”

The A&R Team was also happy that they would get a hefty bonus thanks to them.

Their third album’s success had brought a warm breeze to the company building.

‘Windflower’, which was making everyone happy, didn’t seem to want to come down from the chart’s first place.

Sometimes it would drop to second or third place in real-time due to the release of popular singers’ songs, but it would stubbornly hold on to the daily first place.

Rather, it felt like it was getting more momentum as more general public joined in.

And the album market was also responding.

“Hey, do you know that your name is on the overseas album chart too?”

“Ours?”

“Yeah, from Taiwan and Singapore, you’re in the chart ranking.”

It was the news that they were on the main overseas album chart, including the places where they had done overseas promotions.

They were staying between first and tenth place on the album charts of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and so on.

The overseas response seemed to be quite good.

Well, the music video views were also going up by three million, four million, and so on.

Even their family, who were usually distant from idols, talked about the popularity of our album.

Kim Deoksoon [Hey]

Kim Deoksoon [When is that album coming? I can’t get it]

Kim Deoksoon [Bijoo’s mom went to five places]

Kim Deoksoon [This is today’s Nabi picture]

Woojoo told his grandmother, who was urging him to send her the new album.

Woojoo [I’ll send it soon]

Woojoo [Our Nabi is so pretty >ㅂ<]

Woojoo [But what are you talking about, Grandma??]

Woojoo [You can’t get our album?]

The record store in the bookstore.

The store manager told Bijoo’s family, who were full of anticipation.

“New Black’s album? The recent one is out of stock right now… Maybe it’ll come in tomorrow.”

“…Really?”

The family was excited by the news of it being out of stock. Bijoo’s mom asked with sparkling eyes, “Does it sell that fast?”

“Yes, these days, it’s strange. The supply is quickly running out. There’s not much supply, but there are a lot of people who want it… I guess their company didn’t expect it to sell this much.”

It was a story that would have made the fans say ‘Gyuho-ya!’ automatically, but they smiled happily at the news that the demand was higher than the supply.

Of course, they had the mini second album. Their son had sent it to them as soon as it was released.

At first, they wanted to buy the album to help with the sales, but now they were having fun.

They left the bookstore with a cheerful face.

“Our son is doing really well.”

“Honey, our child has succeeded in farming.”

“It’s not success.”

“Then what?”

“It’s a big success…!”

“Big success…!”

They hugged each other tightly and laughed. The eldest daughter and the second son shook their heads.

Minjun, who was eating ice cream, said to his sister, “But these days, the school is talking a lot about New Black.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, yeah, the kids who used to talk about other idols are talking about New Black and saying how they are different and stuff…”

“Is there something that bothers you?”

The brother answered with a sullen face to his sister’s question.

“There are a lot of things that make me feel bad. I wish they wouldn’t say that…”

“What? Who cursed Bijoo?”

She was about to get angry at whoever hurt her brother, but she spit out the coffee she was drinking at the next words.

“They say they’re going to marry our brother.”

“Pff-!”

“They keep saying they’re going to date New Black every day of the week, and especially our brother is their husband on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.”

“I’m going crazy. Really.”

Bijoo’s popularity seemed to be rising because he was the main character of this album.

Biyun smiled as she looked at her brother who was telling her the New Black episode that happened at the school.

She suddenly had that thought.

‘It’s good.’

She liked seeing her parents smile so brightly like young boys and girls, and her younger sibling chatter away about school with a healthy face.

Even this scene of them going out for a weekend trip, everything was good.

As her mind reached that point, she remembered the face of the New Black member who made all this possible.

‘Thank you.’

What would their family be like now if it weren’t for him? She shook her head as she imagined it in her head.

Biyun parted her lips.

“Mom, Dad.”

“Hmm?”

“Should we buy some gifts? The members worked hard, starting from Woojoo.”

“Yeah! Let’s buy! Buy!”

Soon, they started to pick out thoughtful gifts for the members. And finally, the most important person.

“What should we get for Woojoo…?”

“What did he say he liked? Grandma?”

“Pork belly? He said he often dreams of pigs.”

“Uh, well, we have that. Bijoo sent it before.”

Biyun checked the message her sibling sent on his smartphone.

It took her a while to scroll through the long letters he sent every day. Then, Kim Biyun’s eyes sparkled.

“I found it…!”

“What is it?”

The family gathered around the phone. She lowered the phone for her sibling who was on tiptoes.

Soon, the family exclaimed, ‘Oh, right!’

“…!”

At the same time, their eyes turned to the men’s clothing store nearby.

“Hahaha! Hahaha!”

Woojoo’s laughter echoed from dawn, and his siblings made disgusted faces.

“What should I wear? What?”

Woojoo asked the siblings who were sitting in the living room, holding up several hangers to his body.

They were Hawaiian shirts that Bijoo’s family sent.

“This is the lovely Hawaiian shirt that our Bijoo’s family sent, this is. Look. The blue color with colorful flowers embroidered on it, right? Hahat!”

Woojoo loved it.

All his floral prints had been confiscated, but now he had clothes that wouldn’t be taken away.

“…”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Bijoo, and he made a repentant expression, saying, ‘My sin is great…’

In the end, Woojoo wore the blue floral shirt that the siblings rated the best.

“How is it?” Woojoo asked Jiho for his opinion on the way to the shop.

“Um, you look like a young heir who inherited an organization. You know, in movies, there’s a role where you get betrayed by an old man with scars on his face and right arm and leave early.”

“…”

“Or maybe a handsome fish restaurant owner in a weekend drama…?”

Woojoo didn’t ask any more.

But it seemed like the best reaction he got from the floral prints he wore so far.

The shop staff also looked surprised and sent him proud glances, saying that a decent floral print had finally appeared.

And they kept asking Woojoo if he was going to the stage, so he told them not to worry.

Today was an important day.

“Hoo…”

Woojoo smiled as he watched the members rub their hands and gulp down saliva in the car heading to the broadcast station.

“Nervous?”

“I thought I cried everything out at the showcase, but… I guess I can’t help being nervous,” Bijoo said. “Will we be number one today?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

A week after the first comeback broadcast.

It was a monumental day when they became the first candidate for number one with Windflower.

“I think we’ll be number one.”

They were showing record-breaking results like Something. It was undeniable that they were sure to be number one.

It was just that they weren’t used to going to get the trophy so naturally.

“Is this really not a dream?” Junghyun looked at the cars passing by the window and said, “Recently, I feel like it’s not real at all.”

“Me too. I wake up in the middle of the night to check the chart and go back to sleep. I wish I didn’t wake up if it was a dream.”

“Me too.”

Woojoo felt the same way.

He thought it would take at least a few years for this day to come, but it happened in their second year.

No one called them rookies anymore, nor did they see any articles that said so.

They were the hottest group in the scene, and everyone mentioned their name when asked.

Their songs played on TV, and just now, Windflower came on the radio.

The youngest asked with a worried face, “But what if we don’t feel anything when we win first place? That would be a disaster.”

The day flew by in a blur.

As soon as they arrived, they filmed a VCR for a special corner inside the music show. It was something like introducing today’s performers as the first-place candidates.

Everyone they met congratulated them on being the first-place candidates, and they thanked them.

Their Soufflés were also soaked in a strange heat throughout the pre-recording.

The manager Hyungs were wondering what kind of cake to prepare, and their director, who usually didn’t follow them to the music show schedule, came specially.

Everyone looked excited. Except for New Black.

“Why are you so calm?”

“Me too. Me too. I should be nervous, but I’m very calm.”

Woojoo’s heart rate didn’t go above a certain level during the rehearsal or the live stage.

He was calm.

It seemed like the boy group Fantanis, who were the first-place candidates with them, were more nervous.

Just like they had made it to the first-place candidates by chance when Autumn Girl left the music show, they had also risen to the candidates after the first-place singers left last week.

Woojoo saw themselves from last year in them.

“Let’s go up!”

As the pre-recorded footage of the last stage played, the singers rushed up to the stage.

New Black and Fantanis stood on either side of the MCs.

As Woojoo stood in the front row, he saw their Soufflés waving disposable glow sticks all over the audience.

He smiled and waved back.

-Yes, we only have time for the first place announcement left.

-Well, shall we check the score?

Along with the MCs’ comments, the score started to appear on the screen above the stage.

-Yes, the first place on the K-net chart is!

-Congratulations, New Black!

With a bang, gold confetti fell from the sky.

And at the moment when the first place was confirmed.

“Wow!”

“Wow!”

They did it! They did it!

The ones who shouted were not their Soufflés, but them. They clenched their fists and screamed, then met each other’s eyes and coughed.

The MCs handed them a bouquet and trophy.

“Thank you.”

“Congratulations. First place.”

Woojoo handed the trophy to the younger ones, who touched them one by one with strange expressions.

Woojoo handed the microphone to Junghyun for a moment.

“Yes, thank you to President Park Kyuho, Director Jo Kyuwhan, Director Yoon Seokhwan…”

He finished his fast rap-like greeting and Woojoo took the microphone back.

Oh, why was he suddenly nervous. Again.

He was fine until the first place announcement, but suddenly his whole body started to shake like a pine tree.

“Uh, we…”

Why was his voice trembling?

“We won first place. Yes, first place. Really first place.”

What was he saying?

Woojoo had thought of hundreds of feelings, but he couldn’t remember any of them. He thought about handing the microphone to the younger ones to avoid the crisis.

…They were crying.

They were crying. These guys.

The sound of them sobbing and holding the trophies made the people around them laugh.

Especially Jiho, who was already spilling his nose.

Woojoo was embarrassed.

What did he say? He forgot everything.

In the end, he said what came to his mind.

“Sometimes I think I don’t want to wake up from a dream, and that’s how I feel right now.”

Woojoo smiled at the audience and the camera.

“Thank you for giving us this dreamlike time, Soufflés. We will work hard to make our New Black’s time a dream for you too. We love you!”

-Wow!

Woojoo handed the microphone to the younger ones.

The guys who had turned into a sea of tears started to sob and sniffle as they shared their feelings.

“Th-thank… sniff!”

Woojoo wrapped his arm around Bijoo’s neck, who was holding the microphone and saying ‘thank…sniff…you’ and smiled.

The others were the same.

Junghyun spoke with moist eyes, and Jiho showed a bizarre sight of crying and laughing, saying ‘sniff…haha’ in the middle of his speech.

Woojoo couldn’t believe the guys who had claimed to be calm just a moment ago.

While they were thanking the other people who were getting off the stage, Rihyuk grabbed the microphone.

-T-thank you. Thank you so much. Really, I never thought this moment would come while preparing for our third album…

Rihyuk wiped his tears with his sleeve. A happy smile appeared on his tearful white face.

-Thank you so much. Thank you. Soufflé. And our members…

When they opened their eyes wide and looked at him, Rihyuk continued.

-I always appreciate and love you. I do.

Junghyun dropped the trophy.

Woojoo’s body moved reflexively. He grabbed the trophy that had landed on his bent legs like a kick.

But unlike his calm reaction, his mouth was wide open.

“…”

They looked at each other and had a blank expression.

‘What did he just…’

‘What did he just say?’

After a second of processing what had just happened, they ran to Rihyuk without any hesitation.

“Rihyuk-aaa!”

“Yeah! I knew that’s how you felt!”

“I love you too, Hyung!”

While the intro of Windflower played for the encore, they hugged someone who was struggling in their arms for a while.

At the same time.

Someone smiled contentedly as they watched New Black’s first place on TV.

“Hahaha!”

A middle-aged man who was practicing putting with a golf club burst into laughter.

“Hahaha!”

His body, which had been trembling with excitement when he bought the composing equipment, was now shaking for a different reason.

The man’s head and eyes sparkled with excitement.

‘Money out, money in…!’

He was Park Kyuho, the president of Lemon Entertainment, who felt happy as he anticipated the money storm that was coming soon.