Chapter 1064: Overcooked (17)

Rob Murphy's Live FM.

It was such a popular radio show that people joked his voice could be heard from every car in Los Angeles during this time slot.

Even major artists appeared on the program whenever they released a new album.

[Guess who's joining us today~? It's NewBlack!]

Today's featured guests were NewBlack.

As Americans tapped their steering wheels while driving through the city, they listened to the banter between the five-member boy band and the DJ.

So that's what my coworker was talking about yesterday when he kept mentioning Overcooked.

NewBlack released a new song?

While the DJ entertained listeners with his usual wit, the members of NewBlack explained behind-the-scenes stories about filming the music video with celebrity chefs.

[I've heard you even opened a restaurant in Korea with help from famous chefs~! How exactly did that happen?]

[We're currently appearing on a reality show in Korea.]

They talked about how they met chefs whose names everyone recognized and what they'd done together.

The stories were entertaining enough that listeners found themselves laughing along.

And while the Q&A continued in a warm atmosphere—

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

Rob Murphy relayed a listener's question.

[...Recently, it seems like teenage girls have become obsessed with Moonlight. Did that influence your decision to change your musical style?]

[And I'm also curious what you think about being viewed as a boy band adored by teenage girls. Have you perhaps been dissatisfied with that image...? Wow! That's some strong wording.]

Drivers waiting at red lights immediately perked up.

This is going to be good.

Hands automatically reached for the volume knob.

Americans loved watching celebrities get hit with awkward questions.

They were curious to see what kind of reaction would follow.

While ordinary listeners leaned forward in anticipation—

—What did I just hear?

—Is this guy insane?

—Should we turn this bastard into a muffin?

—Sir, have you lost your mind?

The American Souffles, the Clouds, were staring at their screens with wide eyes.

Radio hosts throwing blunt questions at celebrities wasn't unusual.

But this question carried obvious malice.

[I'm a high school student who's really been enjoying Overcooked.]

The opening alone translated itself.

Translation:

It's me. A Moonlight fan in high school.

The question had Moonlight fan written all over it.

NewBlack had moved away from the traditional boy-band style this time.

The implication was obvious.

Had they changed because they couldn't compete with Moonlight, who had supposedly monopolized the teenage demographic?

Or—

Did they secretly dislike the boy-band image and want to escape it?

No matter how they answered, it was designed to make them uncomfortable.

...How are they supposed to answer that?

The first implication was completely wrong.

But the second wasn't entirely inaccurate.

Strictly speaking.

That was more or less Lemon Entertainment's intention as well.

And unlike some countries, American Souffles didn't particularly like NewBlack being reduced to a typical boy-band image either.

Our boys are NewBlack!

Groups like Moonlight fit the traditional boy-band mold.

NewBlack felt like something else entirely.

Something unique.

It wasn't that the label was completely wrong...

It simply felt limiting.

As though it reduced all the different sides of NewBlack into a single category.

In any case.

Questions like that existed because many former boy-band members in America eventually spoke negatively about those images.

—Wow! A boy band!

And every time, celebrities ended up grinding their teeth while trying to prove their masculinity.

—No, I'm not. I'm overflowing with masculinity. Look. I even got a huge tattoo on my arm.

—Boy band!

—I grew a beard too. I'm a man. Not some feminine boy-band member.

—Wow!

—[Post-disbandment interview] "As a naturally masculine person, pretending to be a cute boy-band member was hell."

Every time girls screamed over their looks, some guy in the crowd would inevitably sneer, Can you even call that a man?

Questions like this were designed to lure them into saying:

"You felt the same way, didn't you?"

What a garbage question.

Damn Sunshine bastards.

And then there was the DJ reading it aloud.

Nobody believed Rob Murphy—famous for his instincts—had read it without understanding exactly what it implied.

He simply enjoyed watching guests squirm.

[What do you think, NewBlack?]

The DJ smiled brightly.

Listeners and Souffles alike leaned closer.

[Was that really sent by a listener? It wasn't a question you wanted to ask yourself or anything?]

A direct hit in response to a direct hit.

Everyone burst out laughing at Jiho's playful question.

[Are you seriously suspecting me? That's harsh. A listener genuinely submitted this. It's not my personal opinion.]

[You almost had me suspicious there. Dropping a question like that out of nowhere~]

Jiho replied with a grin.

The other members laughed as well.

And suddenly Souffles realized something.

Jiho bought them time.

The youngest had created a window for their leader to organize his thoughts.

Then, at last, NewBlack's leader spoke.

[To answer Christina's question... first of all, what was the listener's name?]

[It says Christina.]

[Christina, thank you very much for taking an interest in our music. The fact that you've listened to both METRO and Overcooked means a lot. I can understand why the sudden change in genre might have surprised you.]

Everyone listened attentively as Wooju smiled.

[But it sounds like you haven't listened to our earlier songs. Is that because they're in Korean?]

[Does that have anything to do with it?]

[We've only released a couple of singles in America so far, but we've actually been active in Korea since 2014. During that time we've released a huge variety of songs. Our musical spectrum is very broad.]

Then Wooju began humming.

As though inviting everyone to listen.

His voice dropped into a rich, resonant low register.

"Gabi gabi dokkaebi~ odokkaebi~"

Ri Hyuk naturally joined in with the chorus, harmonizing effortlessly.

"Wooow..."

Listeners' ears were treated to a beautiful harmony.

Then Wooju returned to his normal tone.

[That song was called Goblin. It's a blend of EDM and traditional Korean music. And there are plenty of others. Fireworks, Masquerade, Falling Blossoms, Winter Sleep, Windflower... Coin. Empire.]

The members joined together, briefly singing snippets from various songs like a medley.

The DJ let out an impressed whistle.

After demonstrating an array of genres live, NewBlack's leader smiled.

[I think that explains why the genre change isn't actually unusual for us. We've always enjoyed exploring different kinds of music.]

[That makes sense!]

[And if you still think the change is surprising, I'd recommend Episode 7 of the music documentary Greatest Songs on NetPlus. The Thousand Dreams episode. It's an English-language musical song.]

Everyone laughed at the subtle promotion.

Then Junghyun added:

[You'll also get to witness the scene where Wooju coughs up blood while biting his lip.]

The atmosphere erupted into laughter.

Souffles cackled.

For some reason, the person who'd asked the question ended up looking foolish instead.

NewBlack had simply continued doing what they'd always done.

Exploring different genres.

The listener had picked a fight based solely on a couple of English releases without understanding their history.

Even ordinary listeners smiled.

That was good.

NewBlack had casually brushed aside a ridiculous accusation.

People loved celebrities who answered rude questions with wit and grace.

Just then, the DJ laughed and continued.

[Come to think of it, there were actually two questions. What about the second half? What does NewBlack think about teenage girls being passionate fans? About the whole boy-band discussion?]

[I think North American boy bands and us are fundamentally different.]

Listeners perked up again.

[We're K-pop artists. There are differences between us and what people here typically imagine when they hear "boy band."]

[What kind of differences?]

[Honestly, explaining that would probably take an entire day.]

Wooju continued.

[And regarding the other topic... I think it's a little strange that people treat teenage girls being passionate about a boy band as some kind of issue.]

[Why is that?] ℯℯ𝘭.

[For example, nobody treats it as a problem when teenage boys adore a female singer. Likewise, if women in their twenties become huge fans of a male singer, nobody asks him, "Women in their twenties are obsessed with you. Are you okay with that?"]

[Well... that's true.]

[I don't think popularity among teenage girls is any different from any other kind of popularity.]

In other words:

Why was enthusiasm from teenage girls always treated as irrational or somehow lesser?

—So what you're saying is that all other kinds of popularity are acceptable, but teenage girls liking something is somehow wrong?

—Uh... well...

One careless response could turn someone into a villain.

[What do you think, Rob?]

[...Me?]

[I'd love to hear different perspectives on the subject.]

The DJ who'd been laughing moments ago suddenly became much more cautious.

Listeners snickered.

[Well... you're right. That's a fair point.]

[Honestly, we don't think age or gender matters when it comes to liking an artist. If you like someone, you like them. Isn't that enough?]

Then NewBlack smoothly shifted the mood.

[With that in mind, NewBlack is fully prepared to win over listeners of every age.]

[Want country music? We've got it!]

[Hip-hop, R&B, classical—we're ready for all of it. Just give us the chance, and we'll win you over.]

The DJ, eager to escape the topic, happily handed them the opening.

The members performed snippets of several songs live.

After the commercial break, the show wrapped up with Overcooked.

Overcooked~ Overcooked~♪

We only cooked it a little too long~

The song echoed across one of America's most popular radio programs.

People found themselves humming along.

Oh?

Oho??

Even first-time listeners found the melody lingering in their heads.

Many added Overcooked to their playlists.

Others searched for the music video on MyTube.

Meanwhile, Souffles celebrated.

How NewBlack Handles Rude Questions

A clip of NewBlack answering difficult questions with humor and sincerity quickly spread online.

People loved it.

—That was an incredibly rude question, and Wooju didn't raise his voice even once. Absolute masterclass.

—I love how Wooju handled that. And I agree with what he said about boy bands. It always feels weird when celebrities try to reject their own past.

—Everyone has the right to like whatever artist they want.

—Moonlight fans tried to set them up and somehow only made NewBlack look better 😂

└ Not all Moonlight fans are like that. I agree with Wooju too.

└ Judging by your fandom's reaction, I'm not so sure.

As expected, Moonlight's fans were trembling online.

Even they had to admit it.

The answer had been flawless.

But Souffles couldn't have cared less.

That's my artist.

NewBlack had openly said that age and gender didn't matter when it came to loving music.

Older fans smiled proudly.

The only disappointing thing...

Was that the radio DJ wasn't getting roasted harder.

Technically he had only read the question.

And compared to some of the outrageous questions routinely asked in Hollywood, this barely registered.

This was, after all, an industry where people would ask Haley Blue about her estranged father being in prison directly to her face.

Besides—

Darn it. Our boy answered too well.

Wooju's response had been so good that all attention shifted to him instead.

In any case—

"Hehehehehe."

"Hehehehe!"

Souffles stared at the charts with satisfied smiles.

The very first promotional appearance on a major FM show was already producing results.

The real-time metrics were steadily climbing.

This is only the beginning!

The Overcooked boom is coming.

While people across America were shouting "Yes," American Souffles were furiously shaking their heads.

After the FM broadcast ended—

We took commemorative photos with the DJ and exchanged warm handshakes.

"Wow!"

The surfer-looking DJ stroked his beard.

"That was incredible. Those were difficult questions, and you handled them perfectly."

"Weren't you the one who picked them?"

"I just had a feeling NewBlack would handle them well. Hahaha!"

The members and I narrowed our eyes slightly.

The man simply grinned.

There wasn't much point revisiting something that had already happened.

Doing so would only make me look petty.

Besides, this was one of the biggest radio personalities in America.

Someone even Grammy winners wanted to appear with.

"Please take good care of our song."

"Of course!"

After thanking him for supporting Overcooked, we left the booth.

The producer, who looked exhausted after apparently being chewed out by our agent, said goodbye.

Then we headed toward our next schedule.

"You all did wonderfully."

Mr. D'Angelo smiled proudly.

"Honestly, that felt like scoring one hundred out of ten. I don't think I've ever seen Rob Murphy look genuinely flustered before."

"Was that what you were talking about earlier?"

"Most likely."

The possibility that Moonlight's producer, Terry Austin, had been pulling strings.

Our agent nodded.

"He's close with a lot of radio DJs. Rob Murphy tends to remain neutral, though."

"What does neutral mean?"

"It means helping one side while quietly leaving himself an escape route with the other. He gave you a lot of favorable coverage today. Judging by how things went, he'll probably support your radio promotions as well."

Ask the uncomfortable question through a listener.

Keep his own hands clean.

Then later, whichever side won—

My friend!

He'd act as though they'd always been close.

The entertainment industry really was full of crafty people.

"You truly handled that beautifully. Sometimes I forget you're technically still young artists, but moments like this remind me how experienced you really are."

While our agent reassured himself that he had nothing to worry about, my underlings immediately swarmed me.

"Good job, hyung."

"Knew I was right to entrust my brain to you."

The little brats showered me with praise.

Junghyun massaged my shoulders.

Ri Hyuk and Jiho took turns stuffing jelly and snacks into my mouth.

Biju snapped pictures while calling me cute.

I even posed for him.

And then we officially launched into our American promotional schedule.

"There was actually a story behind Overcooked. Back when we were learning to cook at Bobby Ross's restaurant..."

We interviewed with Billboard, Rolling Stone, and countless music publications.

We answered questions from media outlets nonstop.

Most of the questions were similar.

Though one topic kept appearing again and again.

"What do you think about Moonlight? Right now the two of you are sitting at number one and number two on the charts."

Questions about Moonlight's All I Want, currently number two, and our Overcooked.

For media organizations looking for eye-catching headlines, it was irresistible.

"People are calling it a boy-band rivalry. What do you think?"

We answered with relaxed smiles.

"We've heard people say that. But I think it's a misunderstanding to frame it as a rivalry between artists. They're both good songs. We don't really view it as a competition."

As our American activities continued, a clear pattern emerged.

NewBlack vs. Moonlight

Regardless of what we or Souffles thought, mainstream American media seemed determined to push that narrative.

Because it was more entertaining.

From our perspective, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

The more competitors and challengers attached themselves to us, the more attention we received.

Unlike when Moonlight debuted shortly after the audition show, they were now a genuine chart-topping act.

Pretending they didn't matter was no longer realistic.

A legitimate challenger had appeared.

If we couldn't shake them off, we'd simply respond accordingly.

"Looks like the interviews are wrapping up. Let's start preparing for the talk shows."

"Yes."

"And Junghyun, come with me."

After finishing our interviews, we began preparing for the upcoming talk-show appearances.

And while practicing dodgeball throws with Junghyun ahead of the America vs. Canada Supernova Dodgeball event—

"We're going to win."

"Hehehe."

"The idol group that never loses. That's us."

This time, too, victory would be—

"Hyung."

"Hm?"

"The Supernova guys sent a message."

Clicking the link they sent brought up a meme post.

???: Lift your head, NewBlack

There is no shame in losing to us.

Beneath one of our Empire concept photos—the one where we were looking down at the camera—was a screenshot.

[Mango Daily Chart]

King of Singers Sun Wooju - Halley

Orpheus, God of Song - Poem About Yesterday

NewBlack - Overcooked

...

Overcooked lost?