Chapter 350: Chapter 351

In front of the company that makes soufflé bread.

Here, NewBlack was in the midst of an album promotion event.

“Sweet potatoes for sale!”

“Get your roasted chestnuts here. Come on over.”

“Fish-shaped buns available! Choose between custard cream and sweet red bean filling!”

Each member stood in front of their machine, luring the crowd with a dance of temptation.

“Uh oh…”

People, unwittingly drawn towards the sweet potatoes by Bijoo’s suggestive dance, suddenly snapped back to reality.

‘I was almost seduced.’

Today’s event allowed for only one snack per person.

A careful choice was necessary.

As the scents of fish-shaped buns, hotcakes, sweet potatoes, and roasted chestnuts mingled, saliva pooled in my mouth without my realizing.

“Now, form a line! Line up!”

Forgetting it was an album promotion event.

Forgetting, for a moment, that their favorite idols were right in front of them, the soufflés lined up for the snack that tempted them most.

Meanwhile, the buzz of conversation filled the air.

“Wow, there are so many people.”

“Look at the line. If you win the raffle today, they bake you a soufflé bread on the spot, right?”

“People have been lining up since dawn.”

Voices of the general public, who had seen the news on social media like Instagram, filled the place.

There seemed to be more of them than fans.

The atmosphere was like a trendy restaurant featured on TV, attracting couples and groups of college students.

The soufflés chatted with warm smiles.

“At first, I was a bit hesitant, but this isn’t bad. It feels like I’m incognito here.”

“Right?”

“It’s like goods have become a public commodity? It’s actually quite nice.”

I thought I could blend in and cosplay as a regular person, but that was a vain hope.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘There, regular people don’t use the term ‘incognito’…’

As other fans giggled with ‘We’ve successfully gone incognito!’, a soufflé blinked in surprise.

The bystanders whispered among themselves.

“Wow, look at those people. They must be fans.”

Anyone could tell they were fans by their glances at the members and their cheeks trembling with excitement.

Normally, fans would marvel at the presence of ‘regular people…’, but here, the general public was fascinated by the ‘Oh, those are NewBlack fans.’

On the other hand, the general public also murmured among themselves.

“But they really are handsome. It’s my first time seeing them in person.”

“I know, right? Their clothes are cute too. Look at Kim Junghyun. He looks like that guy from ‘Home Alone.’ You know.”

“Kevin?”

“No, the bald thief.”

The rapper of NewBlack’s hat somehow reminded them of that thief.

“Achoo!”

The youngest, dressed like Kevin and wearing a bread hat, sneezed and his nose ran.

“Hyung, I sneezed… snee… zed…”

“Hey, Jiji! Don’t wipe it on your clothes!”

Bijoo, with a practiced hand, pulled a tissue from his coat pocket.

Meanwhile, Jung-hyun had been teasing the youngest, twirling his head around, pretending to sling snot.

“Pffft!”

The leader’s cheerful laughter set off a chain reaction, and even the watching managers burst into laughter.

The main vocalist, who had been sighing beside them, chirped rapidly.

“He’s cute. Like a sparrow.”

“I used to think he was scary at first. But the more I look, he seems to be the cutest one there.”

“Wasn’t he the one with the button incident? Seo Rihyuk.”

Their names had become familiar, just like the members of Jusehan, from watching them on Mitube.

It felt like the familiarity of meeting a famous variety show star on TV.

‘Wow. The audacity to use Ha Seung-ju as a day laborer.’

Ha Seung-ju, famous as a music cafe MC, fit right in as a day laborer wearing work gloves.

It felt like a guest appearance.

For that reason, when the line dwindled and I faced the NewBlack leader, I almost blurted out ‘Long time no see.’

“Hello!”

His bright smile momentarily left me speechless.

With gloved hands, the leader, along with the youngest, sparkled a ‘Welcome!’

“You’ve chosen the roasted chestnuts.”

“An excellent choice indeed~ You know what’s good~”

“Alright, shall we recite the chant?”

A couple closed their eyes and shouted the slogan.

“Roasted sweet potatoes, roasted chestnuts. New Black!”

The chant for the free tasting event.

The couple twisted their bodies in embarrassment, eliciting laughter from the crowd.

Woojoo, assisted by the staff, smiled as he filled envelopes with roasted chestnuts.

“You did well. Embarrassment is fleeting, but the taste lingers on.”

“…Thank you. I hope your album is a huge success!”

“Enjoy the roasted chestnuts and may your love last forever! And hey, don’t run off—make sure to enter your raffle ticket number!”

After the couple completed their entry and disappeared from view.

“Pfft!”

The paper bag filled with roasted chestnuts had ‘Roasted Chestnuts, and New Black’ written on it in noticeable, old-fashioned letters.

It was the same with other snacks.

The hardboard paper wrapped around greasy hotteok also bore the phrase ‘Hotteok, and New Black.’

And not to forget the common phrase written on all, ‘Special Album Coming Soon.’

“Got the shot? Let’s post it.”

Posts about the ‘New Black Bread Event!’ were popping up on the social media of trend enthusiasts.

Already famous for their strong music presence, this made me curious enough to give their new album a listen.

“What’s going on here… Oh? It’s New Black.”

“Hey, let’s stand. Stand.”

As passersby continued to join, the company’s parking lot buzzed with guests and onlookers.

The promotional event with New Black was in full swing.

“Two tickets?”

High school boys bent backward, screaming at the top of their lungs for two raffle tickets.

“Roasted sweet potatooooes! Roasted chestnuuuuts!”

“Hahaha!”

“New Blaaaack!”

People holding their phones above their heads burst into laughter.

Ha Seung-ju, holding a decibel meter, and the members of New Black roared with laughter, enjoying the moment.

“We need to take a commemorative photo. Come here.”

“Our Roasted Chestnut Boys, come here.”

The shy high school students and New Black members took selfies, making V-signs.

After the event ended.

Amidst the reporters capturing the excitement, the raffle results for 100 people were announced.

“Ahhh!”

“Wowwww!”

A mix of joy and disappointment filled the air with boisterous laughter.

The atmosphere was brimming with the excitement of the New Year.

Amidst the bustling conversations, the machine for making soufflé bread arrived.

‘So jealous…’

Soufflé bread was the best-selling among the bread currently on the market.

Celebrities posted reviews on social media, and various bakeries launched similar bread using loopholes.

‘The people of our country really follow trends,’ some criticized, indicating its popularity.

Even convenience store bread was said to be tasty, let alone the homemade ones.

“Wow. That smell…”

The peculiar scent of cinnamon was intoxicating.

Although free regular soufflé bread was distributed to those present, those who didn’t win the raffle could only feel sad.

They could only envy those happily tasting the freshly baked soufflé bread.

“Look at their faces. It must be delicious…”

“Excuse me. You work here, right? Will there be another event like this?”

“It’s only human to have another one.”

As inquiries for additional events came in.

The members, their faces flushed from the biting cold, bowed deeply with their hands together.

“Thank you so much for coming today!”

“And…”

Even without a microphone, the leader’s voice was so powerful it reached every corner.

“As you all might have seen, we are making a comeback with a special album this winter on January 11th!”

“Wowww!”

“We’d appreciate even the slightest interest, if not a lot of love.”

As the leader finished speaking and turned his head, the members nodded with bright smiles.

“So! Before we part, shall we do it one more time? Roasted sweet potatoes, roasted chestnuts?”

“New Blaaaack!”

“Thank you! We’ve been New Black!”

As New Black left amidst applause, the remaining reporters pestered the staff for leftovers.

As the crowd dispersed, taking their soufflés with them, they huddled against the cold and spoke.

As I stepped out into the cold, a chill swept over me. “It’s freezing out here,” I muttered.

My friend nodded in agreement. “Makes you crave something hot, like a spicy broth.”

“I think it’s because I had something sweet earlier. Now I’m in the mood for something salty.”

Around us, the local eateries bustled with life.

The restaurant owners, who had been complaining about the noise just moments ago, now wore smiles as bright as the morning sun.

“Wow, look at the crowd today… Are they not making that bread again? Oh my! Welcome, customers!”

“Please wait, we’re making space for you!”

The surrounding merchants, who had been watching with dull expressions, now beamed at us, saying, “Welcome back, NewBlack!”

However, there were those who looked down on this scene with disdain.

“What’s this? Are they doing this on purpose? Having a feast while someone’s mourning?”

“The headquarters is right over there.”

“Ugh, it’s so irritating.”

“We should’ve checked it out. It’s all over Facebook and Instagram, some event that’s really trending.”

“Seriously, what’s with these idols?”

The HBS variety department staff peered out the window, frustration brewing within them.

Behind them, the drama department staff returned from lunch, their hands holding freshly baked soufflé bread.

The anticipation for NewBlack’s upcoming album was palpable.

With each teaser for their new songs and music videos, the idol community was abuzz.

A unique album promotion befitting ‘NewBlack’

A special album promotional event with NewBlack bread, ‘This Winter is NewBlack’

‘D-4’ to NewBlack’s comeback, connecting with fans through Y app live

Articles about the winter snack event and unique promotions were popping up everywhere.

Meanwhile, international communities of Hallyu and K-pop fans were also showing interest.

@Redondo_24

(A photo of actor Lee Gyeon-woo eating soufflé bread with coffee)

Korean Twitter friends, if you know what this is in Gyeon-woo’s hand, please tell me. It’s said to be delicious.

Not only the social media of Hallyu stars like Lee Gyeon-woo and Kwak Si-hyun,

But also singers like Jang Sowon, Jo A-na, and groups like TNT were posting about this mysterious bread.

Korean fans could only laugh.

From their perspective, it must be really intriguing, lol.

If I saw Hollywood stars eating the same bread in every paparazzi shot, I’d be dying of curiosity too.

I explained the origin and trend to my foreign Twitter friend, and they didn’t believe me, calling me a liar, lol.

But there are some foreigners who insist it’s not a real soufflé.

Lucky our fandom name is cute… imagine if we were called ‘Concrete.’

Soul bread… Why do Koreans eat soul bread?

Curtain bread… Kyuho, get out.

As everyone enjoyed the reactions of these international fans, inserting their own fandoms into the mix,

The heightened interest in NewBlack due to the album promotion also led to some unpleasantness.

The new song previews sound mediocre, don’t they?

The leader seems to have lost his touch.

I had high hopes for their winter song, but it seems like the carol is the end of it.

Why are they suddenly acting like artists? They’re still idols at heart.

At a time like this… they should be solidifying their fandom, not catching the artist bug.

What’s Lemon Entertainment thinking? Do they really believe they can succeed with just vocal tracks?

These were the negative comments that surfaced after a preview of the album tracks was released.

It’s supposed to be the off-season in winter… They’re releasing a special album as fan service, how many times do I have to say it?!

I don’t understand why people are hating on them for releasing a special album.

Do you think they don’t know that? They’re just looking for something to criticize.

The rise in NewBlack’s popularity had emboldened the hidden antis to come forward, mainly attacking the special album.

Starting with criticism that idols who aren’t singer-songwriters have caught the ‘artist bug’ too soon.

But according to the fans’ claims so far, shouldn’t the next album hit around 200,000 initial sales?

Someone joked it’s like the Fibonacci sequence, lol. Roughly 80,000, 130,000, 210,000…

It was 70,000 to 120,000, so if they’re at the rookie level now, they should hit 200,000.

We’ll see with this release, lol.

Are the journalists already lining up the music charts? Do they think it’s going to be easy?

Even before the album or music tracks were released, there was talk about the expected performance.

While the fans remained silent, others were setting benchmarks for NewBlack’s success, saying, “If they don’t hit this mark, it’s a failure.”

This time, without a dance performance,

And given the nature of a special album, which is more like a side story than the main plot, the expectation was that it would not perform as well as the regular album line.

The Soufflés were fiercely battling it out, yet due to the nature of the internet, where a hundred people read one post and one person writes a hundred, the detractors were gleefully writing endlessly.

“Ah, I’m getting heated.”

Anger surged, but it was just annoyance at the naysayers.

The Soufflés who had listened to the album were convinced.

“…This is going to work.”

Being fans, they were listeners too, and the song struck a chord with them.

It was the same with “Wind Flower” and “Nine.”

Despite the surrounding clamor of drums and gongs, proclaiming, “It’s doomed! Definitely doomed!” the moment they heard the song, an involuntary clap echoed within them.

“This time, it’s bound to succeed.”

Though not discussed, a common thought spread among the Soufflés.

D-Day.

The day of New Black’s comeback showcase, broadcast live by K-Net, had finally arrived.

At the K-Net building in Sangam-dong, we finished our rehearsal and repeatedly clenched and unclenched our fists.

“Whew. I’m nervous…”

“I know, right? My heart is pounding so hard. Why does it feel like this?”

Huddled together, our heartbeats seemed to amplify each other.

“Junghyun, wrap your arm around our shoulders.”

“Okay.”

Junghyun, the tallest among us, did so, and his overwhelmingly strong and slow heartbeat seemed to calm ours.

“Excuse me, New Black. Sorry, but I need to get through…”

“Oh! Sure!”

“Thank you.”

A staff member bowed slightly as they passed between us.

With the live comeback showcase imminent, the set was abuzz with loud voices doing final checks.

The piercingly blue lights kept spinning from the ceiling, and the cozy winter café-themed set caught my eye.

As we stood with our managers, meticulously checking for any issues on set, Rihyuk asked,

“They said about four to five hundred people would come, right?”

“Yeah, about that many.”

“Well, considering the size, it would be hard for more to come.”

Compared to the “Wind Flower” performance with two thousand or the “Nine” concert with five thousand, this was smaller.

But this time, there was something that surpassed those merits.

“The thought of it being broadcast live makes me a bit nervous.”

“Me too. The idea of it being live is making me more anxious.”

It was a showcase being streamed on K-Net’s online channel on MiTube and broadcast on TV.

The fans who could be there were few, but unlike before, even those at home could watch the showcase.

And so could our international fans.

“Guys, let’s touch up our makeup and head back.”

“Okay.”

“They said the fans will be entering soon, so we should go to the waiting room.”

Following Wonseok’s words, we walked down the corridor of the K-Net building.

“I thought I’d be less nervous since it’s a special album, but guess not.”

“Right.”

Bijoo smiled wistfully.

“I thought I wouldn’t be nervous now that I’m 22, but it seems I still can’t get used to it.”

“Why 22?”

“You debuted at 22, right? You looked so calm when the first album came out.”

“Thought you’d be like that at 22?”

“Doesn’t seem like it…”

At Bijoo’s words, we all burst into laughter.

Jiho chimed in with a chuckle.

“But it’s strange. There’s only a two-year difference, and when Woojoo was Bijoo’s age, he felt so much older.”

“He really seemed like a grandpa.”

“Ah, so it’s just the person who’s old.”

Junghyun’s biting remark made the younger ones and me laugh.

“You ungrateful lot.”

“What can we do? That’s just how we are.”

We joked around to ease the tension and did our final checks.

“It’s gotten a bit dull, hasn’t it?”

“Everyone seems like young masters who are terrible at household chores,” I mused.

The calm nature of the song seemed to have subdued everyone’s hairstyles a bit, settling into shades of dark or light brown.

Their outfits gave off the vibe of youthful travelers, fitting perfectly with the winter journey theme.

“Alright, let’s start heading up,” I announced.

It was 6:50 PM.

Fifty minutes had passed since the music video and song release, and we were heading backstage, with the showcase set to start at 7 PM.

The fans’ excited murmurs were already audible.

“Will it go well?” I wondered aloud.

One of the guys, particularly nervous as the main focus of this album, asked me.

“Will it go well? Please answer.”

“It has to,” I replied confidently, holding the microphone.

“If it doesn’t, it’s on you,” I teased.

“What are you talking about? How would it be my fault?” he retorted.

“That’s the spirit, Ryuk. If you approach the showcase with that confident mindset, you’ll relax,” I encouraged him.

He laughed, relieved, and we patted his back in support.

Though he protested, he seemed to find some comfort in our words, quietly swallowing his nerves.

As we were stretching and taking deep breaths in place.

“The live broadcast starts in 5!”

The floor director, headset on, signaled with five fingers as cheers erupted from beyond the stage.

Finally, it was 7 o’clock sharp.

The writer’s monitor backstage displayed the caption ‘Harmless to children’ along with the all-ages rating.

The VCR subtitles for [NewBlackXJangSoWon – Something] appeared.

Our collaboration song started playing, followed by four of our title tracks on the stage screens.

“Wow!”

The cheers grew louder when Nine’s dance break from the KMA Awards played.

Then the second VCR started.

What does winter mean to NewBlack?

We took turns in the interview, and each time a face appeared, the fans cheered thunderously.

When it was time to explain the concept of this album.

Cheers erupted for the figure sitting cross-legged in a chair, exuding an air of haughty elegance.

If I were to define this album, I’d call it youth. That’s the sentiment we’ve captured.

We stifled our laughter silently as ears turned red on and off the TV.

Everyone has their own definition of youth. But if someone asks me what my youth was, I’ll answer without hesitation: NewBlack.

“Oh no, that edit…”

Not just in my teens, but as I enter my twenties, this is the group I’ll dedicate all my time to…

“That’s a splice. No, it’s devilish editing…”

Someone next to me started pacing, unsure whether it was the work of an angel or a demon from KNet’s editing.

Amidst the growing cheers of the fans.

“Ryuk, it’s time for your solo intro on stage!”

“Ryuk, good lu—”

“Ah!”

With a strange yelp, Ryuk dashed off, and we burst into laughter at his retreating figure.