Chapter 263: Chapter 264:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 264

“Hahaha!”

The day after the K-pop concert.

As they were having breakfast in the hotel room, the youngest one shoved his smartphone in front of Woojoo.

“Look at this. Jiho’s face changed so fast, it was awesome, yuyu. Yuyu!”

“Do you want more milk?”

“Yes! Oops… no, Hyung. I was so cool, you know. They’re saying I rocked the stage.”

“Wow, our maknae is amazing.”

“…Please put some soul into your words. Hyung.”

Jiho was excitedly talking, but Woojoo wasn’t paying much attention.

His eyes were fixed on the tablet PC.

He enjoyed the sweet taste of cocoa and took a bite of the bagel.

He hadn’t been looking at the internet reactions lately, except for the fan cafe, but when he searched for them, they were so fun. It wasn’t just him, the other members were also eating and browsing, sticking their noses to the screen.

“Hooh…”

“Oh, this is a save.”

“Hoohoo.”

The words ‘oh’ and ‘hooh’ kept coming out, and Jiho shouted, “Hyungs! Hyungdeul!” calling them.

Woojoo winked at him.

‘Pat.’

‘Laser.’

Bijoo and Junghyun, who were sitting on either side of the youngest, stretched out their hands and stroked Jiho from both sides, keeping their eyes on the smart devices.

He seemed to calm down quickly, so it must have worked.

Rihyuk, who was elegantly sipping his coffee, asked Woojoo, “Are you still looking for that?”

“Yeah.”

“They said it’s hard to notice even if you tell them. You hid it so well.”

“Is that so…?”

What Woojoo was searching for was the connection between Flower Dance and Windflower, which he revealed during the concert yesterday. The thing that if you played the two songs backwards, you got the melody of the other song.

Jiho chuckled.

“When you said that yesterday, your expression was so funny. This song has a secret. Huhuhu.”

The manager Hyungs who were eating with them laughed at his imitation of Woojoo.

The other guys joined in.

“I still think that expression was so cute.”

“Woojoo Hyung, when you said that, your nose was twitching so much. And your eyes were huge.”

“Look at this. Junghyun Hyung noticed it, that says it all.”

“That’s right. I have a keen eye. Hyung.”

“Pfft-!”

The manager Hyungs were now laughing out loud at their proud dung beetle.

“Did I look that excited yesterday?”

Everyone nodded.

Well, he was really thrilled when he told them the secret of Flower Dance.

He understood why the tailor in The Emperor’s New Clothes was so restless. He wanted to tell them so badly, he was itching since before the concert.

Because…

“Come on, no one noticed.”

It had been a week since they released Flower Dance.

Two weeks, three weeks passed, but nothing happened.

Woojoo hoped that a fan with good ears would post on the internet, ‘Wow! Our kid is a genius! What a trick!’ But until yesterday’s concert, not a single Soufflé came out.

Even when they performed the follow-up song!

No one!

No one noticed.

As a show-off who enjoyed recognition and attention, he couldn’t stand it any longer, so he finally opened it at this K-pop concert.

“Let’s see.”

Woojoo searched for the Soufflés’ reactions.

[The secret of Flower Dance and Windflower that Woojoo revealed yesterday]

Oh. There it was.

The full translation of the Japanese comment Woojoo made at the concert yesterday was posted on the Soufflé community.

Woojoo focused and read it carefully.

-Wow, amazing;;

-I never knew while listening

-Does it really play Flower Dance backwards???

-I love these kinds of bread crumbs

-They tried this yesterday and it’s actually not Flower Dance backwards =/= Windflower. There’s a slight difference

-??? What difference?

-Well, this is… ah… what do I say, Woojoo twisted it so complicatedly

-It’s almost a high difficulty level

-To put it simply, the main melody is perfectly symmetrical when played backwards, but the side melodies have variations in each of them. It’s like I did a decalcomania, but the universe drew different and complex backgrounds on both sides.

-?

-Explain again pleasen/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

-I drew a big picture, but the fans didn’t know, so Woojoo was sad

-Ah, I see

-I don’t know what it is, but it gives me goosebumps

The reaction was more like ‘Wow… Woojoo had a big meaning’ than Woojoo expected.

“…Did I make it too complicated?”

“When you were making it, the A&R Team told you to go easy. They said no one would understand it.”

“They did say that.”

Woojoo nodded at Rihyuk’s words.

When he felt a bit gloomy, Rihyuk put a piece of bread with butter on his plate.

“Thank you.”

Woojoo looked at his siblings with a sullen expression.

“I think I’ll try to put this kind of design a bit easier next time. I’ll also take the A&R Team’s advice more actively.”

“Yeah. And if possible, let’s have a suitable song for the choreography…”

“Right.” Bijoo answered as he neatly sliced the fish. “This time, the Windflower was too easy for the choreography. We have to make it fun for the fans to watch the stage.”

“…”

“Bijoo Hyung. Rihyuk Hyung is crying now.”

“Ah… Rihyuk. It’s okay. We just have to work hard together. Do you want a ginger cookie?”

They talked about the next album for a while.

The fourth album.

They hadn’t planned it exactly yet, but they were having meetings about the comeback schedule.

They needed at least 25 to 30 songs to have a solo concert.

Woojoo had been making well-made songs, putting their blood and sweat into each one, so the number of album songs was low.

Thanks to that, they got great reviews from the critics.

But the problem was that if they went on like this, they would have to fill a lot of the setlist with cover songs.

Fortunately, they had a lot of good songs besides the album, like Night Sea, Slip’s OST, or A Poem from Yesterday.

But still, album songs suited solo concerts better.

So Woojoo suggested that they should advance the comeback, riding on the momentum of Windflower.

The next album would be much easier to work on.

The person who was the best at communicating and had the stamina of a bull when working was the main character.

“Junghyun.”

“Yes. Hyung.”

“Let’s work hard together when we go to Korea.”

“…”

Junghyun gasped and dropped the morning bread he was holding on the plate.

Jiho exclaimed, “Wow. I’ve never seen Junghyun Hyung make such a heart-sinking expression.”

Woojoo smiled warmly.

“Junghyun.”

“…”

“Look at me.”

He lifted his head with a squeak, and Woojoo gave him a warm smile.

“Let’s exchange our souls again, like we did at Fireworks. We’re going to make our soul song, you and me.”

“…”

“Let’s go with hip-hop, which you like, for the theme. Come on. Let’s cheer with hip and hop. Hip.”

“…Please save me. Hyung.”

“Hop! Wow! This is exciting!”

Woojoo clapped and celebrated.

As they danced along, not caring about their own work, Junghyun looked at his morning bread with a lost appetite.

While they were having fun.

“Oh?”

Dowon Hyung, who was browsing through YouTube, blinked his eyes as if he had found something.

They showed interest.

“What’s up, Hyung?”

“I was watching your stage video. It seems like the comments have increased more than yesterday.”

“Hmm? The comments have been increasing all the time, right?”

“It’s Japanese comments.”

“…!”

They leaned in to look.

There were new comments in Japanese on the YouTube video.

“Are they the ones who came after watching the concert yesterday?”

“Who knows. It could be a coincidence.”

“But it feels good.”

They giggled among ourselves.

It felt like something good was growing in an invisible place.

The day after the K-pop concert.

The first item on the official schedule was a magazine interview.

It was the top-selling Hallyu magazine in Japan, and they also did a photo shoot.

“Great! Good!”

The photographer smiled brightly, saying that everything they did looked good.

They must have learned some tricks for taking pictures, because they already had a bunch of A-cuts that they could use.

After the photo shoot, they had an interview with a friendly-looking editor.

After some simple small talk, the editor turned to Woojoo with a sparkle in her eyes.

“Woojoo, you must have a lot of feelings.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Your father was very famous in Japan. Anyone who remembers the 90s would know the name ‘Seon Myungjoo’.”

Seokhwan Hyung, who was standing nearby, narrowed his eyes as he heard a whisper from the local coordinator.

Was it Hashimoto Genji?

He seemed to be bothered by the famous Japanese pianist who had been contacting him lately.

He was worried that the questions might go in that direction.

The managers watched to see if they should intervene or not, depending on the direction of the questions. Woojoo thought for a moment and answered.

“Well… I was too young when my father was famous, so I don’t know much about that time.”

“Oh. I see. How old are you…?”

“Twenty-one.”

“Heh… You must have been very young in the 90s.”

The younger ones gave Woojoo a look as if to say, ‘Where is your conscience?’ But it wasn’t a lie.

In Korea, they use the age of the year.

The editor nodded.

“That makes sense. You were too young then.”

“I guess I feel more happy than nostalgic. Even though I didn’t know much, I’m glad that many people remember and love my father. As a son, I feel proud.”

After that answer, there were no more questions like that.

The questions were generally good, and the younger ones made the atmosphere soft with their cheerful answers.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

They took a group photo with the editor after the interview, but she called Woojoo separately as they were about to say goodbye.

“Excuse me…”

“Yes?”

“Can I take a picture with you alone?”

“Sure. What pose do you want to do?”

“Maybe this one.”

She made a V sign with her fingers, and Woojoo immediately followed suit. She took the picture right away.

Then she whispered to Woojoo as if she was telling him a secret, “Actually, I was a huge fan of Seon Myungjoo when I was young. I even begged my parents to take me to his concerts when I was in middle school. Oh, of course I’m still a fan now.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I was so excited when I heard you were coming. I insisted to the editor-in-chief that I had to do this interview.”

No wonder she looked so bright when she talked about his dad.

She was a fan of his.

Even after 15 years, the face of the 30-something editor who spoke with enthusiasm reminded Woojoo of his 10-year-old self.

“He was amazing. He had so many instruments at his concerts, but he only played the piano. Every time he moved his hands, my mood went up and down like a roller coaster.”

Then she whispered to Woojoo as if it were a secret, “Honestly, in Japan, they say that Hashimoto Genji is Seon Myungjoo’s rival, but I don’t think so at all.”

“…Haha.”

Woojoo smiled awkwardly.

On the other hand, Woojoo felt warmth as he listened to her talk about his dad’s concert.

He had left his mark on the world as a musician, but Woojoo had never felt it in his skin.

Sometimes people who remembered that era would say, “Seon Myungjoo’s son!” and share their memories, but this was the first time Woojoo met a passionate fan overseas.

And that was 15 years later.

It was heartwarming to find the traces of his family in others.

“You know a lot about my father.”

“Of course! I’m his number one fan.”

The editor said, “He was really kind-hearted. After the concert, I happened to meet him, and when I told him it was my birthday tomorrow, he took out an instrument and sang me a happy birthday song on the spot.”

“That must have been a nice memory.”

Woojoo had a similar experience when he was a kid.

His dad and his friends played instruments and sang for him.

While Woojoo was lost in thought, the other person spoke.

“By the way, I took a picture back then, and it was the same pose as today.”

She took out her wallet and showed Woojoo the picture.

In the blurry photo, his cheerful dad and the nervous teenage fan were making a V sign together.

Then she said as if she remembered something, “Come to think of it, it was the same back then.”

“What do you mean?”

“I made a V sign like this, bending my fingers, and he matched me just like you, Woojoo.”

“Oh… you’re right.”

“He was so considerate. I guess it runs in the family.”

Woojoo smiled quietly.

She seemed to really want to share those memories, and she kept saying nice things to Woojoo for a long time.

When she finished her story, she said sincerely, “I hope you and New Black do really well.”

“Thank you.”

“In that sense, can I also get the signatures of the New Black members?”

Woojoo nodded gladly, as she said she had forgotten to get them because she was too excited.

Woojoo said to his brothers, “Sign!”

They took out their marker pens with serious faces, like magic wands, and exchanged glances. Then they opened the caps with a pop, making the editor laugh.

The paper with their five signatures on it made the other person smile happily.

The second schedule was a recording.

It wasn’t a terrestrial or cable entertainment show.

Those places required a certain level of recognition in Japan to appear. Just like a foreign rookie singer couldn’t appear on a terrestrial entertainment show as soon as they came to Korea.

They shouldn’t have fallen for the offer from our self-proclaimed rival pianist.

In the waiting room, the makeup artist was brushing Woojoo’s eyebrows with a brush, when Seokhwan Hyung brought him some news.

“Again…?”

It seemed that Hashimoto’s side had asked to meet them again.

“This time, they just want to have a meal.”

“Tell them we’re not feeling well.”

“I already did. The agency is taking care of it, so don’t worry.”

“What if they really show up in front of us?”

The makeup artist stopped her hand with the brush and made a sad face.

“Woojoo, calm down your eyebrows.”

“Okay.”

Woojoo kept his eyebrows flat and only opened his mouth, making the makeup artist laugh as if she was crying.

Seokhwan Hyung said to Woojoo, “Don’t worry about what to do if they show up unexpectedly. I’ve taken care of it.”

“How did you… Never mind. I don’t want to know.”

“Good. That’s a good attitude.”

It wasn’t a topic to talk about in front of the makeup artist.

It must have been one of the 101 ways to politely tell someone to buzz off. Whatever.

Woojoo laughed, thinking of Hashimoto and his group waiting for them with their hands held, saying, ‘Come on, New Black.’

They finished their makeup and left the waiting room.

“Hello!”

The handsome male MC who was waiting for them in the studio greeted them.

This was one of the broadcasting stations in Japan that streamed programs through the internet.

It was like a middle ground between YouTube and TV.

It was a channel that only came out on smartphones’ DMB and such.

That was why they had a variety of content, including programs that introduced Korean idols like now.

They sat around the soft leather sofa that was lined up on the white background, like in the movie Matrix.

They finished their self-introduction and went straight into the talk.

“Who is the one who takes care of the members the most in New Black?”

Tey all pointed at Bijoo.

Rihyuk, who was the most fluent in Japanese, explained, “Bijoo is really caring and attentive to the people around him.”

“Bijoo Hyung is the best.”

“But he also nags a lot. … He’s good at sneaking a glance at the camera from an angle where it doesn’t show, like now.”

The MC asked with a smile, “That’s surprising. I thought you, Woojoo, would take on that role since you’re the leader.”

“Absolutely not. He’s as far from being considerate as the earth is from the end of the universe.”

“He’s just a grandpa. A grandpa who’s good at music.”

“… You guys will see after this is over.”

Woojoo threatened them with a kind smile, and his siblings looked at each other’s faces.

“Huh…”

“I think we’re in trouble.”

“Since we’ve already messed up. Let’s go.”

“No… guys…”

“Let’s go!”

“Kyarruk!”

Seeing his siblings act like bouncing balls and go kyarrur! with excitement, the MC’s spirit was sucked out in real time.

“Well… I see.”

“Say more!”

“Me too!”

“This recording is so fun! Let’s do this forever!”

After calming down the jumping siblings, the talk corner ended and a simple game corner came up.

“It’s a famous game in Korea, right? It’s the ‘Guess What I’m Saying With My Body!’ game.”

The MC took the card that the production team handed him and said, “For example, if the word is ‘giraffe’, one person has to describe a giraffe and the team members have to guess it.”

“Yes!”

They were confident because it was a familiar game.

And their eyes widened at the next words.

“By the way, there’s also a prize to boost your challenge spirit. There’s a promotion opportunity if you succeed. And if you succeed perfectly! There’s also a prize. A whopping 500,000 yen!”

“What?!”

“Money comes out?”

They all stood up as the MC chuckled.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Is it true that you get a prize if you guess all the questions in ‘Guess What I’m Saying With My Body’?”

“Of course.”

They looked at each other.

“It seems too easy…”

“Right. We’re bad at thinking but good at moving.”

They were seriously worried about the production team’s well-being, thinking that they were getting the prize for free. But they were laughing over there.

“It may seem easy, but none of the Korean idols who have appeared so far have won the prize. There are words like ‘amoeba’ too.”

Looking at the words, they were definitely hard. It would be hard to tell what they were if you expressed them with your body.

Maybe it was a prize for an event.

Like ‘Throw a dart and win 100 million!’ but the roulette’s mark was a nanometer.

But the word prize made them eager.

“500,000 yen…”

“How much is that in Korean money. Rihyuk Hyung?”

“Unfortunately, it’s yen now… It’s probably about 4.56 million won at the current exchange rate.”

“Wow. Hey. That’s 400 king pork cutlets.”

“Wow. If you go to a 100 yen shop, you can get 5,000 socks.”

Rihyuk swept his hair back and said, “… I really hope this conversation wasn’t translated into Japanese. No, the Soufflés in Korea shouldn’t know either.”

They had a strategy meeting among themselves. Especially who would go out as the representative and explain the motion.

“Woojoo Hyung should go out.”

“I think it would be better if Hyung goes out.”

“He’s the most suitable.”

Woojoo’s siblings chose him as the person to explain the words.

Actually, he was talented in that area, so he was going to volunteer.

Then Rihyuk raised a question.

“But if this guy goes out, who will guess the problem? I’m not good at guessing this kind of thing quickly.”

“That’s true.”

“Right. We’re a mess among ourselves.”

“Is there a way for Woojoo Hyung to give the problem and guess it…”

They were planning to use Woojoo without thinking about what they would do.

“First of all, guessing is more important. Let’s try having Junghyun Hyung give the problem.”

“Hmm, but isn’t it better for Woojoo Hyung to give the problem?”

“We have to choose the side that can eat more. Hyungs.”

“Then…”

They turned their heads after a brief moment of hesitation and discussion.

“Can we do a practice game or two before we start?”

“Sure. Whatever you want.”

MC Kunimura smiled.

‘How cute.’

They were New Black, a Korean idol group that had the same fire in their eyes as the other Korean idols who had appeared so far, wanting to win the prize money.

‘…They won’t succeed anyway.’

This game had a success rate of 0%.

You could tell from the prize money of 500,000 yen. The difficulty was so hard that it would be worth giving that much money if someone actually succeeded.

But how easy was it to express and guess a word like ‘encyclopedia’ with your body within the time limit?

“You can’t say or express the word directly. You have to do it with your body only.”

“Yes!”

But for some reason, the idol group called ‘New Black’ who was answering now had a confident face.

As if they had a hidden secret weapon.

‘What do they have?’

As he wondered, a tall and handsome man stood where the problem was given.

They cheered each other with ‘Fighting!’ and then the practice game started.

The first word given by the production team behind New Black was ‘power.’

Junghyun pondered for a moment and then took a pose.

And at that moment.

The production team, MC, and New Black members were all startled at the same time.

Junghyun, who had been thinking for a while, soon took a pose with an ‘Ah’.

A slightly relaxed pose.

With a blank face between sternness and arrogance, Junghyun started to clap his hands.

“…?”

And at that moment.

They all gasped.

That…?

Bijoo looked at Woojoo. ‘No, right? Hyung?’ That kind of feeling. Rihyuk, who was next to him, also gasped.

That expression and applause.

It was like he was looking down at a parade from somewhere high and clapping his hands.

If a compass saw that, it would shake its N-pole and point to the north.

“…!”

As MC’s pupils shook and he wondered what to do with this.

The youngest, who had been looking at him with narrow eyes, hummed and then got up with an ‘Ah’.

Jiho pointed at Junghyun with his finger and smiled brightly.

“I know who that is! Kim…!”

Woojoo shouted urgently.

“Hey! Stop him!”

“I’ll stop him!”

“That’s Kim…!”

“Yayayayayaya!”

As Woojoo made a noise with ‘yayayayaya’ to erase the youngest’s voice, the brothers blocked Jiho’s mouth.

“Uhuh…!”

Meanwhile.

“Puhahaha!”

The MC and the Japanese production team, who had been staring with a dumbfounded expression, started to laugh out loud.

Their staff, who had been watching from afar, were lying down and sobbing.