Chapter 1065: Overcooked (18)

For a moment, I stared blankly at the domestic charts.

"Huuup!"

I widened my eyes and focused on them with all my might before gently closing them.

"Okay. Count to three."

"Three... two... one..."

I opened my eyes again.

[Daily Mango Chart]

#1. King of Singers Sun Wooju - Halley

#2. Orpheus, God of Song - Poem About Yesterday

#3. NewBlack - Overcooked

"No!"

"Aaaaargh!"

Ri Hyuk looked at us like we were the Four Idiot Brothers and let out a sigh.

"Do you think it'll change just because you close your eyes and open them again?"

"Because I want to deny reality."

It reminded me of the 2013 college entrance exam.

The memory of sobbing my eyes out while staring at the date on my phone the day after saving an old man pushing a handcart.

"Wow. Overcooked lost."

At Junghyun's words, I looked back at the chart.

It was an outcome we'd seen coming.

This Mission Singer match, Cha Woohyun versus Seo Ri Hyuk, had been called the most talked-about competition of the past five years.

But just because you can see a punch coming doesn't mean it hurts any less when it lands.

"We got pushed down the daily chart during our release week..."

It was the kind of statement that would've earned a barrage of curses from fellow singers, but to us, it was genuinely shocking.

Sure, back in the early days, getting pushed down here and there had been a normal occurrence.

But ever since we'd earned the title of National Idol, it had become incredibly rare for us to fall to #2 on a daily chart during release week.

Junghyun smiled generously.

"Well, spending a day at #2 on the daily chart isn't that bad."

"Junghyun."

"Yeah?"

"I think we're going to lose Weekly #1 too..."

"..."

Junghyun's warm, potato-like smile instantly withered into something resembling a dried vegetable.

He began staring at the chart with dead fish eyes.

I nodded approvingly.

"That's right, brother. That's the correct reaction."

"So this is actually serious."

That was the problem.

Getting #2 on the daily chart? We could laugh it off.

"Haha! The competition songs are popular. It happens."

But judging from the trend, Weekly #2—or even Weekly #3—was starting to look dangerously realistic.

To put into perspective just how much attention Mission Singer was getting...

#9. NewBlack - Poem About Yesterday (Drama Sleep OST)

...

#17. Minji Discordance - Halley

A song of ours that hadn't been on the charts recently had climbed all the way to #9.

Meanwhile, the original version of Halley by indie singer Minji Discordance had risen to #17.

The highest that song had ever reached on Mango was #783.

A track whose career peak had been in the 700s had rocketed all the way to #17 in only a matter of days.

That was the kind of terrifying firepower this competition possessed.

[Festival invitations are coming in like crazy! Everyone wants to hear Halley. Universities, regional events...]

The original singer had happily announced during a livestream that booking requests were pouring in from everywhere.

At this rate, our Overcooked really would lose on the weekly chart during its first week.

Jiho spoke up.

"Even if it's an English song... I can't believe our title track is losing."

"It was bound to happen eventually."

Biju patted Jiho's head.

"We agreed we'd stop getting hung up on things like this. The English songs are supposed to succeed overseas. Just like how we said we'd only promote Korean songs domestically from now on."

"But I want everything."

"..."

Biju stopped petting him and began peeling an apple with murderous intent.

Was he cultivating inner peace?

Or punishing Jiho, whose head was shaped suspiciously like an apple?

Yal-li yal-li yalla-seong. Yallari yalla...

"Life is unpredictable. The world spins round and round like a dizzying cartoon, hohoho..."

"I think he's finally lost it."

"Hohohoho... Ahahaha!"

I laughed.

Then immediately burst into tears.

"Waaahhhh!"

"Stop crying. People lose sometimes. I lost to Cha Woohyun too, and I'm doing fine."

"You came back and sniffled in your room all night."

"..."

"That never happened."

Ri Hyuk looked off toward a distant mountain and pretended not to hear me.

At the competition venue he'd gone around saying, "It's an honor to lose to such a senior!"

But once he got home he'd cried his eyes out.

That's the sort of competitive drive that creates a vocalist with skills rare even among people in their twenties.

I turned back toward the Korean Mango chart with a sorrowful expression.

#3. NewBlack - Overcooked

Then I looked at Spotify, the largest music platform in America.

#1. The New Black - Overcooked

"We're #1 on Spotify, so why are we #3 in Korea...?"

"Isn't getting #1 on Spotify way harder? Especially when All I Want is such an all-time masterpiece."

"Exactly."

Someone could easily tell us to stop being greedy.

That maybe we'd accomplished enough.

But the reason we'd climbed this high in the first place was because we were all walking Pots of Desire.

The youngest member's earlier comment summed us up perfectly.

"But I want everything."

And we were the kind of people who would do absolutely anything to get what we wanted.

After a brief crying session, I stood up.

The sadness lasted only a moment.

A solution had already appeared in my mind.

"There's one way out of this situation."

"...!"

"If a bucket leaks indoors, it'll leak outdoors too. What happens if you reverse that saying?"

"If a bucket leaks outdoors, it'll leak indoors too...?"

The others froze.

Then their eyes widened.

"!"

I nodded.

"Exactly. The answer is reverse import."

"...!"

"If Overcooked explodes overseas and becomes a massive hit? Korean listeners will eventually get swept up in the trend too."

"!!"

As my younger brothers and I nodded at one another...

"Team Leader. Are they okay?"

"Just leave them alone... When they're like this, the safest thing is not getting involved..."

Ignoring the nervous whispers from the managers, we united our wills.

"Let's go! Reverse import!"

"Reverse import!"

That was the moment we gained yet another reason to promote Overcooked as hard as possible.

The legendary quote Junghyun had left behind at the Met Gala:

"He's the Sun. We're his clouds."

A brilliant piece of wordplay that elegantly rebranded his underlings as clouds.

For North American Souffles, it had become both light and salt in their lives.

-I wanna be a Zol-gae too! Zol-gae!

The truth was that pronouncing zolgae was absurdly difficult.

So the moment "clouds" appeared, North American Souffles immediately adopted it as their identity.

And now the newly formed Cloud Corps felt like they were floating through the sky.

Oh my God!

The reason wasn't complicated.

Our boys are promoting in America!

The Cloud Corps had always envied everything happening across the Pacific.

Sure, they could attend concerts.

But NewBlack wasn't a group famous only for performances.

-I want to try NewBlack Bread tooㅠㅠㅠ

-I wanna go to Goblin Restaurantㅠㅠ

-I wanna see a NewBlack university festival too. Why won't Harvard invite NewBlackㅠㅠ

-I'm so jealous of you guys... why was I born American

Fans fluently typing Korean tears into their keyboards.

When Rabbit Uncle appeared on music broadcasts, Korean fans could apply for audience seats.

During album promotions, they could enter fan sign lotteries.

We have to buy plane tickets just to participate...

Unless a fan was wealthy or had a job flexible enough to take random vacations, joining Korean promotions was difficult.

But now NewBlack had released an English song.

And immediately come to America.

-Boysㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-I missed you

-Boys be carefulㅠㅠ If you're not careful in America someone might kidnap you. Because you're basically priceless artwork

The Cloud Corps had never been happier.

The days of fighting through VPNs and technological acrobatics just to watch Korean variety shows were finally behind them.

Now they could simply turn on the television and see NewBlack.

Switch radio stations and hear NewBlack.

Our boys are on TV...!

Photos of NewBlack members rushing around Los Angeles in sunglasses appeared in paparazzi shots.

And every time they did, new content followed.

-Billboard editor interviews NewBlack about Overcooked

-Global superstar NewBlack's Sun reveals one secret behind Overcooked in Rolling Stone (shine)

-Today's guest on Brian Wilcox Power FM: The New Black

Fans studied interview transcripts word by word and suffered happily over every sentence.

Then NewBlack began appearing on talk shows, the core of North American promotion.

[Hello! We're NewBlack!]

Their first appearance was on a morning talk show.

One of the highest-rated morning programs in America.

After a brief interview and performance...

[Lately everyone's been looking for healthy food, right? That's why we're here today.]

"? "

"??"

[Presenting: Cooking Class with NewBlack!]

Dressed in chef outfits matching the concept, NewBlack began preparing Korean food with the hosts.

The Souffles burst out laughing.

After enthusiastically cooking on live television, NewBlack confidently presented the meal as breakfast.

[This is a Korean breakfast.]

[...Excuse me?]

[Do you not eat breakfast?]

[We do. Just... not this much.]

The sheer quantity of a Korean meal delivered cultural shock to Americans who considered a single slice of bread a sufficient breakfast.

The camera alternated between the horrified faces of the hosts and the equally horrified faces of NewBlack.

Everyone burst out laughing.

Expressions that basically translated to:

-Americans survive on only that in the morning?

-Koreans don't believe in moderation?

The hosts asked:

[Looks like Koreans eat a lot for breakfast. Do you eat less at lunch and dinner?]

[...? We eat more.]

[!]

The episode generated online threads asking whether Koreans were secretly enormous eaters.

And from there, NewBlack's talk show campaign exploded.

They started appearing on programs that regularly competed for the highest ratings.

These guys are really pushing our boys!

With Overcooked reaching #1 on the charts and the music video attracting widespread public attention, the treatment they received had visibly changed.

One of the biggest talk shows on the American West Coast, The Larry Gordon Show, officially declared an entire week to be NewBlack Week.

[Apparently cooking while talking is the new black in talk shows these days. In that spirit, The Larry Gordon Show will lead the trend.]

The first day featured games and variety segments with NewBlack.

Larry Gordon and the members split into teams and competed in food-themed challenges.

Starting on the second day, NewBlack began appearing indirectly.

[As you know, this week we're eating while we talk.]

[Really?]

[Should we call the waiter?]

The celebrity guest rang a bell at the table.

[Ding!]

Immediately afterward, the opening notes of Overcooked began playing.

[Thank you for waiting!]

Head Chef Biju rolled in a food cart while the other members danced to Overcooked.

The hosts and guests burst out laughing.

After personally introducing the dishes, NewBlack stepped back.

[Bon appetit.]

When Wooju winked at the guest and lit the candle on the table, Souffles frantically searched for the screenshot button.

Oh right. This is American television!

Unlike Korean broadcasts streamed online, this was happening directly on American networks.

The Cloud Corps watched with blissful smiles.

[Wow. This food is incredible.]

[Mmm... This deserves to be savored slowly.]

What fascinated people was how nearly every guest reacted the same way.

At first they offered polite responses.

"NewBlack cooked this...?"

Then they actually tasted the food.

And their expressions changed instantly.

Reality-show superstar Leslie Thompson took a bite.

Then immediately lowered her fork.

"...!"

Covering her mouth with one hand while pointing at the food with the other, she silently screamed.

The audience erupted with laughter.

[My God.]

She whipped her head toward the production staff.

[NewBlack hasn't left yet, right? I need this recipe. Seriously, everyone should try making this.]

After filming, the star—who had tens of millions of followers—uploaded a video of herself recreating Biju's recipe at home with her personal chef.

The topic exploded even further.

As a result, every celebrity appearing after Leslie Thompson arrived filled with anticipation.

[Wow, this is really...]

[Woooow.]

Aside from one celebrity famous for having no appetite, everyone praised the food.

Because of that, conversations about NewBlack started popping up in everyday life.

"Did you see NewBlack on The Larry Gordon Show?"

"That food looked amazing."

For ordinary people, it was genuinely surprising.

The singers they'd only known as musicians were suddenly showing up on television as chefs.

Of course, professional chefs had helped adapt Biju's recipes to American tastes.

Even so, viewers were amazed every time the show's account uploaded behind-the-scenes cooking footage.

Whatever the reason...

It's sinking in!

Overcooked was gradually embedding itself into public consciousness.

Day after day, every metric continued climbing upward.

The number of TikTok challenges.

Views on NewBlack's talk-show clips.

Music video views.

Search trends.

Like a stock entering a bull market, every graph was beginning to curve upward.

Not a straight climb.

The sort of curve that suddenly turns into a rocket launch.

The Cloud Corps clenched their fists.

Just a little more...!

Public response was already enormous.

On the music charts, ordinary listeners had begun choosing Overcooked over the supposedly unbeatable All I Want.

But the battle was still neck and neck.

Overcooked might be #1 on the daily chart, yet Moonlight and NewBlack continued trading positions on the real-time rankings.

Which left the Cloud Corps stamping their feet anxiously.

Everything is in place now.

The gunpowder had been carefully stacked.

The fireworks had been built.

All they needed now was a spark.

Just one decisive catalyst.

And right when everyone was thinking that...

-Clouds!!!! New content just dropped!!

Good news arrived.

-NewBlack joins Supernova Dodgeball as the Canadian team's White Knight

It was news about one of the hottest events around.

From Monday through Thursday, we barely had a moment to breathe.

With more schedules waiting afterward and our stay in America limited, every minute had to be used efficiently.

"Wow..."

Jiho looked at the itinerary Ri Hyuk had organized.

"I think we've literally done everything possible on the West Coast."

"Pretty much."

Radio interviews.

Magazine interviews.

Photo shoots.

Talk shows.

The talk-show schedule had been particularly brutal.

Most American talk shows were pre-recorded, and Thursday was when they filmed multiple days' worth of episodes at once.

On top of that, we'd visited Bobby Ross's restaurant for promotional events.

We'd been racing across Los Angeles nonstop.

"Let's go."

I stood up.

"To the East Coast."

Our West Coast promotions were finished.

Now it was time for the East Coast.

Fortunately, most of our commitments had been concentrated in the West, so the New York schedule was comparatively relaxed.

"Next week we've got Good Morning USA and The Alan Dale Show..."

The talk shows listed on the schedule.

We needed to repay the host who had introduced us at the Time 100 Gala four months ago.

There was also a private meeting with producer Frank Chow regarding Sound of the Sun.

And before all of that...

-Supernova Dodgeball

The event that would become the highlight of this entire promotional tour.

Held in New York.

Jiho tilted his head.

"I thought it'd be in Los Angeles."

"Yeah, me too."

It felt like the sort of event that naturally belonged in LA.

Then Ri Hyuk explained.

"It's probably because the major Canadian cities are closer. I've heard it's basically evolved into a friendship event between the two countries."

"Ah."

"It's also relatively close to capitals like Washington and Ottawa. Apparently even the First Ladies are attending."

That explanation made enough sense.

In any case, the venue was Madison Square Garden.

A famous sports arena in New York.

One where we'd previously held a concert.

"This feels a little intimidating."

Junghyun rubbed the back of his head.

"When I think about it, this might be the biggest American event we've participated in."

"Yeah. I'm a little nervous too."

Thanks to Halley's success, we'd even been given the chance to perform Overcooked.

As we boarded our flight to New York, I reviewed every detail of the upcoming stage.

The event would draw even more attention than the Macy's Parade we'd participated in before.

And among the tens of millions of viewers who would be watching, the most important thing was our performance.

The match itself, where we'd be acting as mercenaries, was secondary.

"...? Didn't you just say it was secondary?"

"Yep."

"Then what exactly are you watching?"

"This?"

I turned the screen toward him.

"Reference material."

[Hyaaaaaaah!]

On my MyTube screen, a fiery-haired hot-blooded boy launched a blazing dodgeball attack.

Ri Hyuk stared blankly.

I grinned.

"King of Dodgeball."