Chapter 1023: We Call the Rain (7)

I once got asked this question in an interview with a fashion magazine.

Q. NewBlack is famous for the chemistry between its members. Which member do you feel most comfortable with?

The moment I saw the little brats whipping their heads around to look at me.

Faced with my younger brothers' sparkling eyes, I handled the situation perfectly.

A. I think it changes depending on the situation. For example, when I'm shopping, Jiho is the most fun to be with...

When visiting museums, Ri Hyuk was the most fun companion. Out in the wilderness, Junghyun made me feel the most at ease.

Everyone was satisfied with my carefully balanced diplomacy that favored no one.

But...

If someone asked which member I could comfortably spend an entire day with, I would immediately answer Biju.

Of course, that didn't mean Biju never caused trouble.

"Hyung... I don't know where we are..."

Our second oldest occasionally got lost and triggered bizarre incidents, but he had a sense of stability that the other little brats lacked.

"I feel the same way."

Biju pointed a portable fan at me as he spoke.

"When I'm with you, Hyung, I just feel relaxed."

"Honestly, me too."

As I said that, I looked around.

"Aaaaaah!"

In the distance came the delighted screams of people riding T Express.

"Jiho really wanted to ride that. Junghyun probably would've wanted to see the zoo too..."

"I think Ri Hyuk would've wanted to come as well."

"Man... I don't feel entirely comfortable enjoying ourselves without them."

"Yeah..."

We spent about three seconds feeling sad about the little brats who weren't here.

Then—

"Hehehe!"

"Hihit!"

Biju and I burst out laughing while sucking on lollipops.

"It's okay~ We're having fun~"

"I'm so excited~!"

"Biju, let's not go home today~"

"Okay! Let's stay here tonight!"

With our arms around each other's shoulders, we happily wandered through the amusement park.

People around us raised their phones and shouted.

"Oh my god, oh my god! They're ridiculously handsome!"

"Biju oppa is so pretty!"

Grinning brightly, we lifted the selfie camera.

"Thank you! Everyone, say hello to the camera!"

"Waaaaaaah!"

The people around us jumped excitedly inside the frame.

"Little brats! Are you watching? Your hyungs are having a great time! Hahahaha!"

"Kim Junghyun, aren't you jealous? I saw a panda!"

The refreshing feeling of the eldest members finally enjoying true adult time after escaping childcare duties!

Today was genuinely a happy day.

[Current Status of WooBiz Watching Red Pandas Right Now]

(Video.twt)

Biju: They're cute.

Wooju: No, Biju, you're cuter.

Biju: No..! You're cuter, Hyung.

Wooju: Then let's just agree we're both cute.

Are those two on a date? LOLLLLLL

So cute

Wait? Why did they suddenly go to Everland??

Apparently they filmed at Caribbean Bay

Why are they so adorable lol

The red pandas are soooo cuteㅠㅠㅠㅠ

The comments section was already filling up with photos of WooBiz choosing headbands for each other in the souvenir shop.

However, the people looking at those photos now were not pleased.

"Hmph!"

"Hmph!!"

SamBlack narrowed their eyes.

They went to see animals without us.

I'm taking their names out of my autobiography.

Bad hyungs. When I asked to go to an amusement park, they acted annoyed...!

Crossing his arms, Ri Hyuk said,

"They probably can't even enjoy themselves much anyway. Look at all those people gathering around them. They won't be able to ride anything properly."

"Exactly."

"Biju has a fear of heights, so there aren't many rides he can even go on. Back in high school, whenever I went to Seoul Land with him, we spent all our time in the House of Mirrors."

They looked like foxes insulting sour grapes.

Anyway, just as they predicted, WooBiz mostly ended up looking at animals rather than riding attractions.

Crowds had swarmed in to see NewBlack, creating safety concerns.

"See~? They had bad intentions, so they couldn't have fun."

"Instant karma."

Yet despite saying that, SamBlack secretly waited.

They're coming home now, right?

They'll be back at the dorm soon, right?

But as if answering them, another update about WooBiz appeared.

[Current Status of WooBiz]

Moved from Everland to Korean Folk Village LOL

They had apparently moved to the Korean Folk Village, also located in Yongin.

"..."

"..."

They had even rented hanbok and were taking photos together.

I like the Folk Village too.

Me too...

Still, they weren't that jealous.

"There'll be crowds there too."

"Yep."

As expected, more people gathered, forcing WooBiz to move again.

"They went to Yongin Recreational Forest...? I guess there aren't many people there. It looks really peaceful."

"..."

"Oh? Apparently they went to some café street..."

"..."

"They're at Daejanggeum Park now. Biju hyung is taking photos with a chef concept..."

The two of them were enjoying themselves so thoroughly that they showed no signs of returning home.

Watching them look happier than ever, as though spending time alone together was the most enjoyable thing in the world, SamBlack blinked.

"..."

"..."

At this rate, it felt like the two of them might run away forever while saying, We're going to live happily together~!

SamBlack's pupils began to tremble.

Everyone has at least one bluff they like to make when hanging out with friends.

"Hey! Let's stay up all night!"

"Yeah! All night!"

And usually the person who says that falls asleep first.

People boast about going all the way, only to end up doing the exact opposite.

That was what happened to us this time.

"Should we head back?"

"Yeah. We should probably go. We need to practice too."

We'd moved around a lot, but we hadn't actually spent that much time playing.

It was more like we'd checked off Yongin's major tourist attractions one by one.

Even Wonseok hyung asked us,

"You're leaving already?"

"Yeah..."

There were several reasons.

We had a reality show meeting early tomorrow morning.

After that, there was a pre-recording for a TBC music show.

Then Biju and I were scheduled to appear as panelists on TBC's Mission Singer.

But those were only the surface reasons.

Whine...

Whiiiine...

The image of our little brats waiting desperately for us in the practice room kept appearing before my eyes.

It had been the same earlier.

Even while shopping for souvenirs, we kept buying things for the younger members instead of ourselves.

Rustle—

Most of the shopping bags Biju and I carried in both hands weren't for us.

They were gifts for the others.

The famous oversized macarons from near Jukjeon Station.

Korean Folk Village tote bags.

Traditional folding fans and hand mirrors.

Rice crackers for Junghyun.

And more.

Looking at the list of gifts, Biju and I exchanged awkward smiles.

"Did you buy anything for yourself, Biju?"

"No. What about you, Hyung?"

"Me neither."

Smiling, Biju rummaged through his bag and handed me a present.

"I figured that might happen, so I bought something for you."

"Me too."

I handed Biju a gift as well.

After warmly exchanging presents, we got into the car and headed straight to the company in Seoul.

"Ugh..."

"What's wrong, Hyung?"

"Did you check your phone?"

"Ah..."

Missed calls and messages flooded our screens.

Was it fun playing by yourselves?

Hmph.

We're not talking to you anymore.

Messages from thoroughly offended little brats filled the screen.

After reading them, I stared into the distance.

"W-We should be okay, right?"

"W-Well... we bought a lot of souvenirs."

Before they could say anything, we'd just hand over the gifts and shower them with affection.

That was the plan.

Thump. Thump.

By the time we arrived in the company parking lot and rode the elevator up to the sixth floor, I was genuinely nervous.

"Hoo..."

Music drifted from the practice room.

Biju and I exchanged glances, took deep breaths, and opened the door.

Click—

But the expressions we saw inside were completely different from what we'd expected.

I had expected narrowed eyes and ugly pouting faces.

Instead—

"Hyungs~ You're back~?"

The maknae came running over with a bright smile.

Biju and I froze in confusion, gift bags still in hand.

"?"

"??"

Jiho approached us and began acting cute.

"I missed you guys soooo much today~♡"

"I-I see."

"And you?"

"W-We missed you too, Jiho."

The practice room came into view behind him.

It's spotless!

They even folded their clothes!

The little brats who usually threw clothes and bags everywhere had neatly organized everything.

As Biju and I stared in confusion—

"Good work today."

"...?"

"Come sit down, Hyung."

Junghyun sat Biju and me down and suddenly started giving us shoulder massages.

"...?"

"??"

Just as we exchanged a look that clearly said What's wrong with them?

"You're back~?"

A gentle voice drifted over.

Instantly, goosebumps spread across my skin.

Even Biju flinched.

When I turned around, I found the culprit responsible for making my hair stand on end.

"I've been waiting for you~~"

The unnaturally sweet tone didn't suit him at all.

Ri Hyuk held out two mugs.

"I thought you'd be here soon, so I made drinks~~"

"Ah, Ri Hyuk. Thanks, but coffee this late..."

"It's decaaaaf~~"

"T-Thanks."

The warm mug even had latte art.

Underneath a cute little rabbit were words written in foam.

[Thank you for everything]

[I love you]

Biju and I exchanged horrified looks.

W-What is this, Hyung?!

I-I have no idea...

We'd only gone out for a little while, yet somehow our younger brothers had become strange.

Unfortunately, their kindness didn't last even an hour.

"Sooo~ that's why you came back late? Because you were buying gifts for us~?"

"I was wondering~"

"Ohhh~ so you were busy picking out presents for us."

The moment we handed over the souvenirs and explained we'd bought them specifically for the younger members, they immediately reverted to normal.

Honestly, thank goodness.

They'd become so nice that I'd started wondering whether Ri Hyuk had poisoned the coffee.

That was why I hadn't touched mine until after Biju took the first sip.

"Hyung? What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"...?"

"I just wanted to make sure it was safe to drink."

"...!!"

While Biju glared at me, I took a sip.

Mm.

As expected of our barista.

"Ri Hyuk. Are you ready?"

"Yep."

"Want me to help check your vocals?"

"I've been waiting."

That evening, I helped Ri Hyuk with a final vocal check ahead of tomorrow's fourth round of Mission Singer.

"Ri Hyuk. On the line 'The love I'll send to you—,' try entering the high note just a little later. The narrator is hesitating before sending the letter, right? Right now it feels like he's sending it via express delivery."

"So you want more hesitation."

"Exactly."

Ri Hyuk marked the lyric sheet with his pen and immediately incorporated the feedback.

To be honest, there wasn't much I could coach at this point.

He'd already spent two weeks practicing the song.

Top vocal trainers had given feedback, and Ri Hyuk himself had put enormous thought into it.

The most I could do was evaluate how it might sound from an ordinary audience member's perspective.

"Good job."

"Hoo..."

"At this rate you'll become a four-time consecutive King of Singers."

"You never know."

After drinking some water, Ri Hyuk shrugged.

"We don't know who's coming next. Someone stronger than anyone so far might show up."

"That's true..."

"More importantly, make sure you cheer properly tomorrow."

"Biju and I'll be in the front row with giant signs."

Since Biju and I were appearing as panelists tomorrow, we promised to wave signs enthusiastically.

Ri Hyuk chuckled.

Then he made me an offer.

"I've got plenty of time now. Want me to help check your vocals for WAVE?"

"Sounds good."

This time, Biju and I performed while singing live, and Ri Hyuk evaluated us.

"Your breathing was off. Your breathing."

"Think about the people listening with their ears, not their eyes. Just because there's choreography doesn't mean the vocals can be weak."

"Nooo! I'm saying breathe properly."

Your Majesty of Vocals... we humble subjects were not blessed with your fish gills...

"..."

"..."

I thought I was pretty confident in live vocals while dancing.

Apparently our King of Singers disagreed.

I wanted to protest, but the moment he demonstrated it himself, I lost all grounds for argument.

How °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° did he dance that hard and still keep his vocals perfectly stable?

"Again."

"Yes..."

Still, thanks to Ri Hyuk's help, the vocal side of WAVE became even stronger.

And along with our vocal skills...

Just wait, Seo Ri Hyuk.

Ri Hyuk...

Our grudge continued to grow as well.

Saturday morning.

Ahead of the WAVE pre-recording scheduled for later that afternoon, Biju and I headed to a company meeting room with the little brats.

"Hello!"

"Hey!!"

We greeted the producers and directors with enthusiastic hugs.

"It's been so long~"

"Seriously."

The people visiting today were the production team behind our reality show, NewBlack's Travel Diary.

In Season 1, they'd gone to Jeju with us.

In Season 2, we'd traveled through Australia together.

Technically, all the time we'd spent together over two years didn't even add up to a month.

But the density of those experiences was something else entirely.

"Aaaah! It's a ghost!"

We'd seen ghosts together in Jeju.

"Hyung, should we go see a great white shark?"

"It's a kangaroo!"

"PD-nim, there's a python in our swimming pool."

And we'd gone through all kinds of adventures in Australia too.

Meeting them felt similar to meeting comrades who had survived hardship together.

Today was our Season 3 planning meeting.

"I watched yesterday's broadcast. It was hilarious. I was shocked when your grandmother and Jiho's father showed up."

The PD brought up yesterday's episode of Newniverse.

Kim Deoksun and Wang Hyeontak's appearance had become a major talking point.

[Newniverse shocks viewers ahead of restaurant opening with surprise mentors... "Why is the grandmother here?"]

We hadn't had time to monitor the broadcast because of practice, but the reaction was clearly explosive.

I'd already received messages saying lines were forming outside Grandma's restaurant this morning.

Jiho grinned.

"My dad was really excited. He said he's finally developed a variety-show image."

"Really?"

The man who'd spent the episode eating and then leaving had somehow become a lovable variety character thanks to Gu Jaeyoung's editing.

Jiho shook his head.

"Other shows are already asking him to appear. He keeps asking me if he should do it."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him not to. He's boring."

Everyone burst out laughing.

While the staff laughed, Jiho leaned closer and whispered,

"Honestly, more than that, I told him he shouldn't appear too much because he's done way too many bad things."

I nodded in agreement.

A one-time appearance usually wasn't a problem.

But once someone's public profile grew, every mistake from their past eventually resurfaced.

And Jiho's father had...

If the left hand learns about the bad things the right hand is doing... then the right hand should just join in. Hohoho!

...left behind countless legendary quotes.

Mm.

True.

After finishing our greetings, we got down to business.

The production team of NewBlack's Travel Diary spoke up.

"Today we're mainly here to discuss possible destinations."

"Okay~!"

The PD displayed a world map on the screen.

"We want the trip to actually feel like travel, so we removed countries where too many people would recognize you."

Click.

A large number of countries vanished from consideration.

China and Japan.

Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

"We've already done Australia. America and Canada are obvious non-starters. Unless we go somewhere completely remote, fans would swarm you."

"Honestly, we think so too."

"Western Europe is difficult as well..."

Countries like the United Kingdom and France disappeared.

The staff continued.

"Our current candidates are Southern European countries like Greece and Italy, Eastern European countries like Slovakia, or somewhere in Northern Europe. Places where your fandom isn't huge and that make for good travel."

"Ooooh."

"Anywhere you particularly want to visit?"

We offered our thoughts.

"We really enjoyed Australia. It let us see natural environments that are hard to experience in cities."

"Nature, huh? Then Northern Europe has plenty to offer."

Several destinations appeared.

"What about Finland or Iceland? If you're lucky, you could even see the aurora."

"Wooow..."

"That sounds great. Australia was so hot last time. A cooler country would be nice."

We were discussing possible destinations when—

"Hm?"

One of the writers looked at her laptop and called out to us.

"Guys... have you seen this?"

"Seen what?"

She turned the screen toward us.

[Newniverse breaks its own ratings record... "15.8%" for restaurant preparation alone]

"Holy crap! Hyungs! We hit fifteen percent!"

"Woooooooah!"

As we cheered in surprise, the writer pointed lower on the page.

"...Look at the article underneath."

"...?"

['Newniverse' 15% ratings pledge—Will NewBlack head to Alaska?]

"..."

"..."

The production team exchanged looks.

Then the PD clicked the pointer.

"A cold region, unlike Australia..."

"A place where you can see the aurora..."

"Beautiful natural scenery..."

"And not many NewBlack fans..."

"How many people live in Alaska?"

"Around seven hundred thousand. It's seventeen times larger than Korea, but the population is about the size of Namyangju."

Everyone's eyes turned toward the map.

A single location sparkled on the screen.

Alaska

The PD looked at us in disbelief.

"I think your destination just got decided."

"..."

For a brief moment, I tried imagining Northern Europe instead.

Beautiful urban design.

Salmon dishes.

The original IKEA store.

Palaces and art museums.

Whoooooosh—

All of it was blown away by Alaska's icy wind.

My eyes and the younger members' eyes grew moist.

"Guys...?"

"..."

Watching us silently shed tears, the staff burst into laughter.