Chapter 348: Chapter 349

“Huff. Huff.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

As I returned to the green room, I patted Rihyuk’s shoulder in encouragement, and he collapsed onto the sofa with a thud.

“I really burned myself out there… Huff…”

It must have been tough performing a duet with senior Cha Woo-hyun, as our main vocalist gulped down water handed to him by Bijoo.

We nodded in agreement and said,

“You definitely burned bright.”

“Like firewood.”

“Your vocal cords were blazing. You were trying so hard not to be outdone by senior Cha Woo-hyun.”

Rihyuk clicked his tongue and said,

“You should try going up there. All of you. It felt like running a 100-meter dash with a cheetah.”

“I can imagine without trying.”

“Even after it ended, singing with you felt so comfortable,” he said calmly, nodding his head.

Imagining the solemn expression of the ballad singer made us burst into laughter. Then we comforted Rihyuk.

“You did well. You were amazing.”

“…Really? You’re not just saying that?”

“Just like Woojoo hyung said. You were so good that we went ‘wow’ watching from the green room. The fans loved it too.”

“Hmm.”

As the youngest member and I playfully teased him, Rihyuk’s eyes brightened with pleasure.

Bijoo squinted at us from the side.

‘Both of you were on your phones.’

I coughed and flashed a thumbs-up to Rihyuk, whose cheeks were tinged with a slight blush.

Then we turned our attention to the TV in the green room.

The Jo Yuri Band and the main vocalist of the girl group NYX were in the middle of a rock-based performance.

-Wow!

The popular band received a great response, but the cheers intensified whenever Muri, NYX’s main vocalist, appeared on screen.

Jung-hyun commented while reaching into a giant bag of popcorn,

“NYX is getting a great reaction too.”

“Of course. They became a hot topic after performing well in the second season of ‘Song Masters.’”

“Oh, that’s great.”

I remembered when they first debuted a year before us, how timid they were when they came to greet us.

Although we had never spoken, I felt a sense of kinship since we had seen each other around as trainees at TJ Entertainment.

“But,” the youngest member said,

“This year, there seem to be fewer stages for girl groups. Last year, there were so many.”

“It seems to be that time.”

Every article I read as 2015 came to a close mentioned it was ‘the year of the boy groups.’

The second-generation top girl group Daylight had virtually stopped activities.

Girls on Top, who debuted in 2011, were also gradually slowing down.

Except for Scarlet, most of the top girl groups were focusing on solo or acting careers.

Groups like Serenity, Blingk, and NYX, who debuted the same year as us, were on the rise, but they were still seen as emerging girl groups by fans and the public.

It was a kind of generational shift.

Agencies were fiercely competing to fill the vacancies.

This year, along with TNT and Teen Spirit, we had secured the largest share among boy groups, a different situation from the one that had settled last year.

“Wow.”

We applauded for the Jo Yuri Band and Muri, enjoying the performances that followed.

“Tied to this chain~ Tied… What? What? Those seniors are really tied up.”

“Koala Apocalypse. Apocalypse~”

“It’s Eucalyptus. Jung-hyun hyung.”

We laughed at the performance of the trio folk group ‘Lee Jihon and the Underdogs,’ famous for their silly songs.

For some reason, Lee Jihon, wearing a kangaroo hat, clapped his hands rhythmically, chanting, “Eucalyptu~us~.”

Amid such unique performances, special stages were interspersed throughout.

Bijoo, munching on soufflé bread like a hamster, said,

“This year, it seems to be trendy to modernize songs from the ’70s and ’80s.”

“Right. That seems to be the trend.”

“That’s why there are so many special stages. Other idol seniors are also singing old songs.”

The reason we were so busy today was due to the retro trend that had hit this year.

“Who started this trend…”

As we sighed, wondering if this was why we had so many stages,

Minki hyung, sipping canned coffee, looked at us with an incredulous expression.

“Hey.”

“Why?” I blinked in confusion.

“It’s because you guys started this trend,” they accused.

“…What?” Our eyes widened before realization dawned on us, and the stylists began to giggle.

“Are you saying we shot ourselves in the foot again with this trend?”

“It seems so.”

“No wonder the seniors from TNT were giving that guy resentful looks earlier.”

So that was the reason. I had wondered why, after wishing them ‘Good luck with the special stage!’, they had looked back at us with such annoyance.

“We’re the culprits then…” A proud smile spread across our faces as we realized we had not only shot ourselves in the foot but had also inadvertently stepped on others’.

While Han Taehyun was belting out trot songs on TV, Rihyuk fiddled with his tablet PC.

“It seems the older generation likes it because of us.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, our parents at home are enjoying it a lot. Not just Soufflé’s fans, but fans of other groups too.”

“…?”

December 30th.

Idol fans watching the PBS Song Festival at home were experiencing something unusual.

“…?”

Usually, during the end-of-year season, a silent battle ensues over the TV remote control.

“Oh, why watch something so boring?” Parents would typically switch the channel to fishing or dramas, but now they were engrossed in the stage performances.

“The original is still unbeatable.”

“That song is ancient. Do kids these days even know it?”

I had thought the performance, featuring old songs rearranged in a new style, was somewhat dull, but it had an unexpected benefit.

“What’s this?”

As I blinked at my parents, who were lost in a nostalgic trip, they remarked, “Back in the day, we would’ve watched this kind of thing on TV all the time, but nowadays, it’s just not fun anymore…”

Sure enough, my dad stealthily reached for the remote and pressed the buttons.

‘I should switch to DMB… Oh, it’s the volume.’

The volume increased by two levels.

Despite their grumbling about preferring the original song or disliking the arrangement, my family continued to watch the TV.

And then…

“Who is that? They sing well.”

For the fans of the idol group participating in the special stage, it was a subtle opportunity to get their name out there.

“A search shows they’re Yeon-hoo from Teen Spirit. Seems like they’re one of the idols known for singing well.”

“They look so innocent and pure.”

“I searched the news, and it seems they had a brief stint as a child actor in a historical drama.”

“Is that so?”

As a sense of satisfaction washed over me, the second half of the PBS Song Festival introduced a new stage with a VCR.

“That’s New…”

“New Black.”

“…”

The parents were already discussing among themselves.

“What happened with that? I heard there was some controversy about them being mistreated on the internet.”

“Have you ever seen the broadcasters apologize? Adults always seem to be causing trouble for the kids.”

“Tsk, such terrible people.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

People were about to say, ‘That’s New Black,’ but they stopped and blinked, sensing that the parents knew more.

“Mom and Dad seem to know them well.”

“Know them? Not really.”

Mom shook her head and explained, “I just came across them while searching for recipes on MyTube.”

“MyTube?”

“It’s handy when trying to cook unfamiliar dishes. There’s this kid, Bijoo, who’s really good at household chores and cooking.”

Pulling out a phone to search, I found a video titled ‘Bijoo’s Cooking Recipe – Hamburger Steak!’ In it, renowned chef Park Jae-woo watched in admiration as Bijoo twirled in place, sprinkling salt.

‘…They both seem to really like it.’

Dad seemed to enjoy the playlist full of songs, while Mom watched with fondness.

As the five members sang ‘Thousand Dreams’ by Nostalgia and waved to the audience…

Posts started popping up on the internet, each household sharing their reactions.

“NewBlack has debuted, and my parents are loving it, LOL!”

“I think my parents know more about NewBlack than I do?? Do they have some kind of pheromone that appeals to the middle-aged?”

“I’m curious about the secret to their appeal to the middle-aged.”

“My mom says: ‘It’s because the good-looking kids are cute.’”

“My mom mentioned their looks too.”

“I’m wondering, does NewBlack have an older fanbase…? I thought I might have been mistaken all this time.”

“I thought they were popular with the kids, but it seems to be a wide range.”

Then, fans of other idols began to comment.

“To the charcoal-grilled aunties, I’m sorry for being rude all this time.”

“Auntie…”

“At the fan meets, you all looked so young, I thought we were about the same age. My apologies.”

“Don’t call me auntieㅠㅠㅠㅠ We’re still young, baby.”

“We know everything…”

“No, that’s not itㅠㅠ”

Amidst these unexpected misunderstandings, the Soufflés were quick to embrace it, saying, “Yeah. Who says aunties can’t be good fans?”

And among them…

“Whoa. That stung for a moment.”

The Soufflés held their breath, remarking how sharp the young ones are these days.

The next day.

I heard that the music festival we appeared on, PBS’s ‘Music Gala,’ had achieved the highest viewership in the past six years.

“PBS Music Gala’s viewership hits a jackpot at 13.8%, up 4% from last year.”

“Highest viewership since ’09, PBS Music Gala.”

“Year-end music festival report card: HBS cries, PBS laughs.”

The articles suggested that along with the success of the classic song group, the special stages featuring old songs had attracted a new audience to the traditionally idol-centric year-end music festivals.

“And this year, ‘NewBlack’ was voted number one idol in a public survey.”

“Hehe.”

“Hahaha!”

We all giggled with delight as Rihyuk read the article aloud.

“Even if it’s just lip service, it feels good.”

“Right?”

While we were thinking that our influence couldn’t have been that significant, Minki spoke up.

“You guys had quite an impact.”

“Really?”

“The manager received a call from PBS today. Apparently, your appearance did affect the ratings.”

“Is that true?”

He nodded.

“There was a slight increase when you guys were on, but after your stage ended, the ratings dropped significantly.”

“Why?”

I wondered why, considering there were still performances by TNT and TeenSpirit to come.

“Some people must have thought your performance was the finale.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the unexpected response.

It seemed that viewers unfamiliar with TNT or TeenSpirit had turned off their TVs thinking, “That’s NewBlack for you.”

“It’s kind of bittersweet.”

It felt like a funny mishap due to people’s lack of knowledge about modern idols.

We all nodded in agreement with the youngest member’s words.

“Anyway, thanks to that, we’re getting treated well.”

“Yeah. Remember how short our stage was at the TBC year-end festival in ’14?”

“Right.”

Perhaps due to PBS’s ratings success, TBC had slightly altered the cue sheet order.

Originally, we were scheduled earlier, but now, our stage was set for midnight as the new year of 2016 began.

It seemed like our segment had been extended too.

Everything was great until…

“Here we are again.”

“I’ve missed this. The red doors and the blue goblin statues.”

The familiar view of Sangam-dong TBC, where we had previously filmed an opening, appeared outside the car window.

The snowflakes were still fluttering outside.

On a day when you could taste the bitterness of Siberia with your whole body…

“We’re happy. We are happy.”

“The outdoor stage isn’t cold. It’s not cold.”

Once again, we were chosen for the outdoor stage set up in front of the Sangam-dong TBC building.

The TBC year-end music festival was divided between the outdoor stage in Sangam-dong and an indoor stage in Ilsan.

Having succeeded this year, we were hoping to be called for the warm indoor stage.

“Ta-da! Congratulations! You’ve been selected as the main performer for the outdoor stage!”

That’s how the message came through, with an air of excitement.

Since you can’t cram all the major artists into one place, the outdoor stage needed its own highlight of the day—and that was us.

As I lamented the snowfall outside, our phones kept lighting up with notifications.

Namoo: [LOL, this is epic!]

Namoo: [Ilsan is the jackpot]

Hanjo: [(Hanjo sent a gifticon)]

Hanjo: [Enjoy a cup of coffee, everyone]

Yugeon: [I can hear it… the sound of disassembly]

“Aaargh!”

That was my reaction to the Street Boys’ teasing messages about winning the Ilsan office lottery.

While I was about to send an angry reply, another message popped up on my phone.

Han Taehyun: [LOL, I didn’t expect to copy and send last year’s message again]

Han Taehyun: [You’re performing outdoors? LOL]

I softly hit the block button and changed my messenger status to ‘Mention outdoors and get blocked.’

Eunsung, who asked, ‘Is outfield okay?’ also got blocked.

Ignoring the people eager to tease from all sides, I looked outside.

“Junghyun, open the window, will you?”

“Okay.”

With a whooshing sound that seemed straight out of a snowy landscape movie, flurries whirled into the room.

“Pffft!”

A young couple passing by laughed and waved at us, and Jiho responded with a bright smile.

“Post the story of spotting us!”

“Sureee!”

After receiving their warm response, I closed the window.

Shivering, the managers asked us.

“Are you that cold? I didn’t know you hated performing outdoors this much… Should we prepare a heater?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s because of the fans.”

“Oh.”

“I was hoping to meet them somewhere warmer this year.”

That was a bit disappointing.

We arrived near the outdoor special stage and warmed up in the waiting room until the snow stopped.

“Brr, it’s cold.”

The chill seemed to seep into our bones.

Even when we stepped outside for rehearsal, our hands, faces, and ears felt like they were freezing through our padded jackets.

Shivering.

Before starting the camera rehearsal, we huddled around Junghyun like penguins.

“New Black, let’s start the rehearsal.”

“Ready!”

“Junghyun, try to breathe a little quieter for a moment.”

“Got it.”

Junghyun, who had been puffing out breaths like a fog machine, let out a small sigh, and we all laughed.

After a well-aligned rehearsal.

We waved to the fans who were watching and headed back to the waiting room.

From now until the midnight performance, we had some personal time, so we each opened our bags.

“Let’s warm up our hands.”

We rolled the warm hand warmers in our palms and pulled out a handful of prints.

The stories were from fans who had won the ticket lottery for the small theater tour we were planning after our comeback in January instead of appearing on music broadcasts.

Of course, the winners didn’t know about the small theater tour yet, but I bet they’d be thrilled to find out.

“Wow, I didn’t realize how far away Seoul was.”

“That’s why we’re offering a ‘come to you’ service this time.”

For instance, places like Jeonju or Gunsan in Jeollabuk-do.

We planned to visit various cities in each region and meet the Suples nearby.

Eating famous local foods during the day and meeting fans at night—it was a perfect schedule.

Junghyun read a fan’s story.

“Meeting you guys changed my winter.”

“Oh.”

“After eating Soufflé bread, I gained 3kg. Thanks to the new friends of fat on my belly, I think I’ll spend this winter warmly.”

“…That’s our fault.”

Bijoo nodded in agreement.

As we prepared for the performance, we decided to select a few stories from the event to read aloud.

“It’s settled then. We should also meet and apologize to that person.”

While discussing this, my siblings and I began selecting stories to be featured in the upcoming event.

The end of 2015.

As the year drew to a close, our comeback was on the horizon.

11:55 PM.

Amidst the fervent anticipation of the New Year, we took to the stage.

“Yes, finally 2016! The Year of the Monkey is just around the corner.”

“We’ve gathered many stars here tonight to join us for the New Year’s bell-ringing ceremony at Imjingak!”

Behind the MCs, who were puffing out white breaths in the cold, the singers shivered.

“Brr, it’s cold.”

I envied the Scarlet members nearby, who were smiling warmly in their furry coats.

Earlier, Jiho had teased me, saying I looked like a character named Doflamingo, and I had playfully hit him for it. But he really did look the part.

In contrast, dressed in our formal suits, we could only shiver.

“Shall we have a quick interview?”

Jun from Daydream, who had been interviewing girl groups, strode over to us and extended the microphone.

“Wow!”

“Yes. Wow!”

“New Black!”

“Yes. New Black!”

We greeted politely and responded with a “Wow!” spreading laughter among us.

As the crowd at the outdoor venue cheered, we waved and made ‘V’ signs at the camera.

“You’ve been really busy this year. From variety shows to commercials, New Black has taken over!”

When asked about our thoughts on the year, I took the microphone.

“Truly, 2015 felt like a year where we received a lot of love. There were many unbelievable moments.”

“Indeed.”

“It seems like it was a year filled with only happy moments for us.”

“Indeed.”

My younger siblings, sounding nasally, joined their hands like my followers and repeated “Indeed,” making the other singers around us laugh.

The youngest then burst in, shouting into the microphone.

“Soufflé!”

“Wow!”

“Being together this year couldn’t have been better! Happy New Year!”

Following Jiho’s greeting, we all waved our hands together.

The youngest, who had been proudly repeating “couldn’t have been better” to get it right, now wore a satisfied smile.

After the interview with the singers born in the Year of the Monkey, 1992.

“Yes! 59 minutes and 50 seconds! Let’s do a 10-second countdown!”

“10!”

Excitement for the New Year filled the faces of everyone present.

My heart raced.

“5!”

Together with my siblings, we joined in the countdown, and the broadcast showed the scene at Imjingak.

Bijoo whispered, “Let’s make a wish. A wish.”

“2!”

“1!”

Dong!

The deep sound of the bell began to resonate repeatedly.

As the pre-arranged fireworks burst into the sky with a bang, we linked arms and laughed together.

“Finally, the New Year 2016 has arrived!”

As the MC announced excitedly, Junhyeon mumbled a question.

“Did you make a wish?”

“No.”

I hadn’t made a wish this year.

“Because all the wishes I’ve had so far have come true.”

“Don’t lie. You missed the timing, didn’t you?”

“Yeah…”

As the fireworks exploded in the night sky, my siblings burst into laughter at my wistful gaze.