Chapter 1063: Overcooked (16)

The memory brought back another incident from the past.

Back when I'd landed a role in the sitcom My Family Are Aliens.

I'd prepared everything for the audition, even getting advice from Jiho beforehand...

Then—

—Wooju.

—Yeah?

—Apparently you got the part.

—I got it??

I still remembered how bewildered I'd been after receiving the acceptance notice before I had even attended the audition.

For some reason, this felt strangely similar.

"So we're flying to America to promote Overcooked, but Overcooked is already being promoted in America?"

"Yep."

"..."

"The reaction's been insane ever since release."

Seokhwan hyung turned his laptop around for us to see.

"You can pretty much say you've conquered every major overseas chart."

"..."

"See that? Ranked number one."

Including Spotify, Overcooked was already sitting at number one on major international music platforms.

A familiar title occupied the second spot.

#2. Moonlight - All I Want

All I Want, the massive hit that Moonlight had remade to huge success and one of the biggest songs of 2000, had been °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° pushed down to number two on most charts.

We could only stare blankly.

"It just came out."

"Well... before anything else, there's something I should explain."

"Okay."

"Your fans seem absolutely furious. Ever since the VMAs, they've been building up steam, and the firepower they're showing right now is unbelievable."

Apparently Clouds—the American Souffles—had finally started demonstrating their strength after months of growing angry over Moonlight's media play.

At that point, Biju carefully raised a question.

"Team Leader, isn't it a little early to call this a breakout success? Right now it's mostly Souffles pushing it up through sheer fandom power. Shouldn't we watch the long-term chart trends first...?"

"You mean we should be looking at metrics driven by the general public rather than fandom-driven numbers? Since public response is what matters for this song."

"Exactly."

Seokhwan hyung smiled as if he'd expected the question.

"I'm not saying this based solely on chart rankings."

"Then what else is there?"

At Jiho's question, our TF Team Leader tapped away at the keyboard.

Various metrics appeared on screen.

Search data.

Social media videos.

MyTube viewership by country.

"Wooow..."

Our youngest rubbed his eyes while staring at the figures.

"I have no idea what any of this means, but it looks incredible."

"Yeah. It definitely feels incredible."

We agreed.

Marketing professionals would probably look at these numbers and charts and go, Aha!

To us, they were just a bunch of graphs.

Minsu burst out laughing from the driver's seat, and Seokhwan hyung smiled as well.

"I'll explain it in plain English."

"Okay."

"To put it simply, your song is already showing signs of becoming a massive hit among ordinary listeners. No—not just a hit. A gigantic hit."

"It's only been out for a few hours."

Nodding, our TF Team Leader began explaining.

"There are a lot of reasons. To name a few..."

Normally, new releases from famous artists attracted attention before they even came out.

If Haley Blue announced a new album, ordinary listeners would naturally think:

Oh, I should give that a listen.

In that sense, interest in NewBlack's new song was already high.

Of course, it wasn't quite the same kind of attention that established stars like Cold Brown or Mandy Spice received.

When Haley Blue released a single, people reacted like this:

—Haley Blue released a new song? I'll have to check it out.

That was the response reserved for a Grammy Album of the Year-winning superstar.

With NewBlack, however, the reaction was slightly different.

—Ohhh, NewBlack released a new song too?

Not necessarily enough interest to search for it proactively.

But if someone showed it to them, they wouldn't refuse to listen.

Considering that most ordinary people wouldn't even click something they weren't interested in no matter how aggressively it was advertised, that was already an extremely high level of public awareness.

[The New Black - Overcooked]

Americans clicked on the song when it appeared on charts.

They clicked on NewBlack's music video when it appeared in trending videos.

People who normally ignored hype no matter how loudly it was shoved in front of them were actually reacting.

The reason was simple.

A long-term buildup.

Official promotion for Overcooked had lasted about two weeks.

But in reality, NewBlack's promotion had started much earlier.

[NewBlack's METRO Released]

First, they had established their presence among the public with an English-language song that achieved strong results, including a Billboard number one.

Then—

[Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the main performers of the Olympic Closing Ceremony—NewBlack!]

[WAAAAAAAH!]

Earlier that year, they had performed at both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Pyeongchang Olympics.

Not long afterward, leader Wooju used that momentum to create Answer with Cold Brown.

A legendary song.

"Marcus said~"

"I know the answer~"

One of the longest-running Billboard number-one songs in history.

The kind of track radio stations played endlessly every single day.

Office workers hummed it during their commutes.

It played at virtually every party.

As the song exploded, public awareness of NewBlack—and especially Wooju—grew dramatically.

[Today's Number One on NetPlus: Korean Horror Stories]

The hit NetPlus drama commonly known in America as KHS, much like how American Horror Story was shortened to AHS.

The show built a strong cult following.

And Jiho had gained recognition as one of its stars.

[NewBlack Chosen as Best Fashionistas of the Met Gala]

[Cold Brown and Wooju Perform at the Time 100 Gala]

One by one, all these pieces continued piling up.

Each becoming another brick in the foundation.

Then recently, two events dramatically increased public interest in NewBlack.

Bunny Bunny~

Uncle Bunny~

Uncle Bunny~

Uncle Bunny, the children's song that had reached one hundred million views in record time and was still charging toward several hundred million more.

The rabbit plush associated with the song was selling so well people joked it was single-handedly keeping toy factories around the world in business.

Even people living in remote mountain villages knew who Uncle Bunny was.

The music-show performance where NewBlack performed Uncle Bunny live had already surpassed eighty million views.

And then—

The final stroke arrived.

[The Like The Sun Live Performance Watched by Ten Million Viewers]

A single livestream had elevated Sound of the Sun onto countless people's must-watch lists.

The performance featuring the genius composer playing piano against a sunset backdrop alongside the cast had generated staggering viewership even among ordinary people.

As a result, the song currently sat at number forty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100.

By that point, curiosity among the public was inevitable.

—Ladies and gentlemen! The boy band that created the children's song taking over the world and the movie soundtrack watched by ten million people has released a new song!

And then came the overwhelming promotional push.

The record label and agency poured resources into the campaign with absolute commitment.

Five members who ranked within the Top 100 most-followed Instagram accounts promoted the song.

Their followers became curious.

A fandom capable of drawing ten million live viewers carpet-bombed social media with publicity.

"Hmm..."

"Hmmm..."

Even Americans who knew almost nothing about NewBlack found themselves getting swept up by the atmosphere and clicking on the Overcooked music video.

And then—

There was one final ingredient.

The perfect ingredient that made everything explode.

"Huh?"

"Uh...?"

People who watched Overcooked stared blankly.

What is this?

What am I listening to?

The melody felt fresh and pleasant.

The music video told a straightforward story rather than relying on layers of symbolism that needed endless analysis.

The sugar-sprinkling dance move was irresistibly easy to imitate.

People couldn't fully explain it.

The song was simply fun.

—I've played this MV over ten times already and I still don't know why

—This is driving me insane. I need to sleep but my brain keeps whispering Overcooked

—Leaving this comment in advance. Anyone still watching this in 2021?

—It's like a short film. Every time I finish watching, I feel happier and want to watch again

—The silver-haired guy is Wooju, right? My dream career is becoming his hair

The song lingered in people's ears while they drank coffee at work.

While they stood in cafeterias holding trays.

Like an auditory hallucination.

Overcooked~ Overcooked~♪

We only cooked it a little too long~

A man holding a cafeteria tray muttered:

"I'm going crazy. This song won't leave my head."

"Overcooked?"

"Yeah."

"Same."

The cafeteria worker serving food blinked.

"Was there a problem with the cooking?"

"No, no, no. The NewBlack song. It's called Overcooked."

"NewBlack released a song?"

"Yeah. You should listen to it."

People began quietly recruiting others into the same trap.

And so Overcooked started capturing ears almost immediately after release.

It was a song perfectly tailored to American tastes.

This is fun!

Singing "Overcooked~" while mimicking the sugar-sprinkling dance was fun.

Watching the music video was fun.

The whole thing simply felt cheerful and enjoyable.

Then—

The signs of a hit among ordinary listeners began transforming into signs of something much bigger.

"Did you see Dante Cellini's video?"

"The chef?"

Dante Cellini.

A celebrity chef far more famous than NewBlack within America.

A video filmed at his restaurant had gone viral.

Customers cheered as the famous chef pushed a cart loaded with food toward them.

[Thank you for waiting, everyone. My apologies.]

Viewers blinked.

Then laughed.

That's a lyric from the song!

Dante Cellini grinned.

[We burned all the food.]

A customer shouted, "What?!" in complete shock, sending everyone into laughter.

Someone hurriedly explained the joke.

Meanwhile, Dante Cellini and his daughter performed the signature Overcooked dance.

The customers applauded and cheered.

Viewers smiled fondly at Luna Cellini bouncing excitedly up and down.

Then Dante pretended not to hear requests for an encore and lifted a serving lid.

[Which means... complimentary dessert for all of you. Souffle! Have a wonderful evening!]

The tray opened.

The free dessert appeared.

The restaurant erupted once more.

Even through low-quality phone footage, viewers could feel the excitement and joy in the room.

Dante Cellini wasn't alone.

Other celebrity chefs who had appeared in NewBlack's music video were offering similar special performances.

Wow...

In any country, becoming a celebrity chef required more than cooking skill.

It required showmanship.

People who knew how to capture the public's attention.

And they were using their appearance in a world-famous group's music video to promote themselves.

[You may not know this, but NewBlack's Overcooked, released today, was created right here in Bobby's restaurant.]

A giant Black chef laughed heartily and sang with the booming voice of a musical performer.

[Overcooked~ Overcooked~]

[Ladies and gentlemen! Spread the word far and wide! The holy land of Souffle! The legendary place where NewBlack's song was born!]

[And this is a complimentary barbecue special for all of you!]

Videos of famous TV chefs dancing to the choreography in their own restaurants made Americans' eyes light up.

The exact kind of trend they loved most.

This is fun!

And so videos slowly began appearing across TikTok, MyTube Shorts, and other short-form platforms.

The first signs of an Overcooked craze were beginning to emerge.

"...And that's the situation."

As Seokhwan hyung finished explaining, we nodded.

"Ah..."

"I see..."

The story was so long that it continued all the way until we arrived at the airport and boarded our flight.

Seokhwan hyung added:

"Of course, these are still just signs. The song's only been out for a couple of days. It's too early to say it's definitely made it. We need to watch it longer. But the reaction already looks unusual."

"So our upcoming activities are going to matter too."

"Exactly."

The foundations of a massive hit were already there.

What happened next depended on how we handled promotions in America.

Junghyun spoke up.

"Then we'd better be ready to break ourselves working."

"Seriously. We need to go all in."

Everyone nodded with solemn expressions.

"Well, it's still too early to say we've succeeded, so—"

"Kyaaaahahahaha!"

"Kyaak!"

"Kyaaaahahaha!"

We immediately started slapping palms together and celebrating.

Outside observers would never have guessed we'd just spent the previous minute pretending to stay calm.

Manager Hong Seoyoung and the TF staff, who had been working on laptops nearby, laughed and scolded us.

"Look at them getting excited already. Kids, if you're this excited now then—kyaaaahaha!"

"Kyaaaahaha!"

"Honestly, everyone needs to stay focused—kyaaaahaha!"

They kept insisting we stay serious while laughing harder than anyone.

After all, the initial reaction to Overcooked—the project we'd all poured our hearts into for months—was incredible.

The start couldn't have been better.

Excitement mixed with pressure as I rubbed my hands together.

"Let's make this American promotion count."

"America, here we come!"

After nearly twelve hours of blissful sleep, we arrived in Los Angeles.

The moment we emerged from the airport, our American agent, Mr. D'Angelo, came running toward us with his arms wide open.

"Starting with a home run!"

He looked ready to hug us from sheer excitement.

We laughed.

"Thank you. We heard you put a huge amount of effort into this promotion."

"It was definitely exhausting, but completely worth it! My phone hasn't stopped ringing!"

As if to prove his point, the phone rang continuously.

"Spotify rankings? Yeah... hold on. We can lock in the radio schedule through Brian. The fashion show? Do you really think that matches NewBlack's image?"

Even without knowing the details, it was obvious they were talking about us.

We didn't get a proper chance to speak with him again until after we'd unpacked at the hotel and were heading to our first schedule.

"Whew."

The agent wiped sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

"This is insane."

"Sounds like a lot of people are looking for us. It's only been a day or two since release."

"It's still early. But this industry survives by predicting what's going to explode and what's going to fail. They think the song is about to blow up, so everyone wants to secure you in advance."

As he promised to get us the best schedules possible, we thanked him.

"First up is an interview."

"Right."

The schedule was simple.

Interviews with various media outlets first.

Talk-show appearances starting the next day.

Our first stop was a famous radio program.

Most recently, Grammy winner Kelly Nelson had appeared there.

"There probably won't be any major problems, but you should be careful about what you say."

"Because it's live?"

"You know Terry Austin, Moonlight's producer?"

"Yes."

The distinguished middle-aged man from Moonlight's audition show came to mind.

"He's one of the industry's top figures with more than twenty years of experience. His connections are everywhere. Now that Overcooked has overtaken All I Want in the real-time rankings, he's probably furious."

"Ah..."

"The interviewer may ask some less-than-appropriate questions."

The image of a man with a web of connections across the industry currently seeing red made us nod.

"We'll be careful. Thank you."

"You're all so kind and good-natured that I worry a little sometimes. Haha."

"That's true. We're extremely kind and gentle people."

We smiled warmly.

The managers looked puzzled.

"That's... technically not wrong."

"They're kind of like steel tofu."

"Steel tofu?"

"Still mild tofu. Just made of steel."

"That actually makes sense."

While we glared at the managers, we finally arrived.

A radio studio in Los Angeles.

Waiting outside a studio whose ON AIR sign was still dark stood a curly-haired DJ.

He wore a Hawaiian shirt and sported a beard.

He looked exactly like someone who would spend his weekends surfing.

"Hello, genius musicians! I'm Rob Murphy! I've been dying to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too, Rob."

"No, no, the pleasure's mine! You're today's precious ratings boosters!"

The uniquely draining enthusiasm we always encountered in Los Angeles.

We thanked him repeatedly as he praised the new song and called us geniuses.

After he finished his usual opening segment—

"Hello, listeners! Guess who's joining us today! It's NewBlack! Welcome to Live FM!"

Wearing headphones, we exchanged smiles with the DJ.

"The reaction to your new song has been incredible!"

"We're just grateful that people are showing so much interest even though it was only released recently."

"Could you introduce yourselves? The more entertaining, the better!"

We introduced ourselves one by one.

Unlike pre-recorded talk shows, this was live radio.

And in English.

It was nerve-racking at first, but we adapted quickly.

We laughed and chatted with the DJ.

Then—

"It's time for our Q&A segment!"

"Woooooo!"

"We'll be asking questions submitted live by listeners. Are you ready?"

"Ready."

The DJ began reading questions.

Ideal types.

Who slept the most.

What they'd bring to a deserted island.

The interview continued in a cheerful atmosphere.

Then—

"Looks like we have another question here. Hmm. This one could be a little sensitive. Is that okay?"

"I suppose that depends on the question...?"

"Fair enough. Then let's hear it."

The DJ read aloud.

"I'm a high-school student who's been enjoying Overcooked. Compared to METRO, the musical style feels completely different. Recently, it seems like teenage girls have become obsessed with Moonlight. Did that influence your decision to change your musical direction?"

The DJ grinned at us before continuing.

"And what are your thoughts on being viewed as a boy band adored by teenage girls? Have you ever been dissatisfied with that image? Wow! That's pretty strong wording. A bit sensitive, perhaps, but I'm curious what NewBlack thinks! Questions that are too nice aren't any fun, right?"

A question loaded with potential landmines.

Outside the glass, our agent was glaring at the producer and visibly arguing.

The producer wore an awkward expression as he responded.

"So, NewBlack?"

The DJ smiled innocently beneath his headphones.

My eyes met those of the members.

Feels intentional, doesn't it?

Definitely.

I'll handle it.

I quietly smiled back at the DJ, whose eyes gleamed with anticipation.