Chapter 1074: Overcooked (27)

At the same time.

The Souffles were completely losing their minds.

"No way!"

"Calm down, Souffle."

"No, seriously! Look at that...!"

As they watched the members performing Like The Sun on stage, the hearts of the Souffles felt ready to burst.

It was impossible to describe the feeling in words.

My singers are creating a legendary stage right in front of me!

A video had just been born that would absolutely be recommended ten years from now whenever someone asked, "What's a legendary NewBlack fancam?"

"Wow..."

A North American Souffle watching the broadcast live on television rubbed the goosebumps that had risen along her arm.

Is this actually real?

There was one thing that Korean Souffles were used to, but American Souffles were only beginning to discover.

NewBlack never wasted an opportunity.

It was something Korean fans always said with complete confidence.

Our boys always deliver when it matters.

People often say that an entertainer's growth happens in steps.

Not a smooth upward curve, but a staircase, climbing from one level to the next.

And every single time NewBlack reached the edge of a new step, they detonated something massive.

Everyone watching the performance knew it.

Not just the Souffles.

Anyone with eyes could tell.

The NewBlack that had entered the North American market was about to leap one or two entire flights of stairs with this stage alone.

Thump. Thump.

The Souffles' hearts felt ready to explode.

Even now, every time they refreshed social media, ordinary viewers were posting reactions to the Supernova Dodgeball performance.

This song is ridiculously good.

Wait, he wrote this himself? He's honestly one of the most talented musicians I've seen lately.

Can they perform Overcooked one more time? (crying)

My God.

I finally understand why the fans are obsessed with them. I won't question it anymore.

Honestly, when Beau Riley started trolling, I thought this whole event was screwed.

Only a short while ago, the internet had been burning because a country musician had pulled out a MAGA hat.

Now the entire conversation had become NewBlack.

The narrative surrounding today's performance had played a huge role as well.

A festival atmosphere that had suddenly descended into chaos.

Then, during the final performance slot that nobody had particularly high expectations for, a rookie group stepped onto the stage and absolutely tore it apart.

You know Uncle Bunny, right?

NewBlack's leader revealed that he was the creator of the globally beloved children's song Uncle Bunny.

He showed off impressive musicianship by performing a variation of the Johnny B. Goode intro while effortlessly controlling the crowd.

This is our new song.

Then came the exhilarating performance of Overcooked, a stage people already wanted to watch again.

The choreography was so addictive that viewers were laughing while copying the sugar-sprinkling dance moves in real time.

Now, shall we share one final moment together? Let's all shine like the sun.

And then NewBlack's leader performed a movie soundtrack he had personally composed.

The members layered beautiful harmonies over the song.

Audience members waved their phone flashlights, creating a breathtaking scene.

The television commentators spoke excitedly.

[This truly is a moment where everyone has become one!]

Like the closing ceremony of the Olympics, a moment had emerged where everyone felt united.

People's hearts swelled with emotion.

The atmosphere was so uplifting that it almost felt as if someone should stand up and declare:

"And now begins an era of peace!"

While audiences at the venue and viewers at home smiled and raised their drinks in celebration—

"That's really fascinating."

—something else was happening inside the minds of ordinary Canadians and Americans watching on television.

Q. Do you know NewBlack?

A. Uh... a boy band?

Moonlight's aggressive promotional campaign had recently pushed a narrative of a two-way rivalry between the groups.

Even without that, however, most people would have answered the same way.

Q. Why do you call them a boy band?

A. I mean... they're a bunch of handsome guys, girls go crazy for them, and they seem to appeal with cuteness and stuff?

But what they had just witnessed was nothing like that image.

While the members of Moonlight had been dropping like flies—

Wooju and Junghyun had gone berserk against NBA legends in dodgeball.

Wooju stood on stage introducing songs he had personally written and composed as a singer-songwriter.

The vague "boy band" image people had carried in their minds was melting away across fifty million viewers.

[They are truly an incredible musical group.]

A phrase spoken by one of the commentators lodged itself firmly in people's minds.

A musical group.

The term normally used to describe vocal groups or mixed ensembles.

Because no matter how they looked at it, NewBlack didn't feel like a boy band anymore.

Honestly, they feel more like a supergroup.

The definition wasn't technically correct, but somehow the term fit better.

A blond heartthrob dancing seamlessly among professional dancers.

A green-haired rapper commanding the center of the stage.

A main vocalist whose singing recalled the alien diva from The Fifth Element.

And a youngest member whose specialty nobody could quite identify except that he was somehow adorable.

...Wait. They're completely different from Moonlight. Why were they grouped together in the first place?

Moonlight's marketing team, who had worked tirelessly to frame them as direct competitors, would probably be having a meltdown.

But that was the power of a broadcast being watched live by fifty million people.

It ignored months of marketing overnight.

The media's carefully crafted "two great boy bands" narrative was collapsing in real time.

Of course, these changes were happening quietly in the subconscious corners of people's minds.

As for the immediate reactions of ordinary viewers watching television, they were remarkably similar.

"Wow..."

Whether they were friends devouring pizza and beer at a home party.

Families sitting on couches with cushions hugged against their chests while munching potato chips.

Or patrons watching television over drinks at a bar.

Everyone had the same response.

[Behold.]

[Your sun, shining brilliantly—]

Viewers watched the musician passionately playing the piano while singing.

And they all said the same thing.

"That guy's seriously a genius, isn't he?"

A newly emerged musical genius.

That was the conclusion North American audiences shared.

After finishing Like The Sun,

I lifted my hands from the keyboard and smiled toward the camera.

[Thank you! We've been NewBlack!]

[Have a wonderful evening!]

Cheers erupted as the red camera light switched off.

The live broadcast was over.

"Hoooo..."

The moment I exhaled, all the tension drained from my body.

Goosebumps swept across my skin, and a tingling sensation ran up the back of my neck. I instinctively shrank my shoulders before standing.

The crowd immediately exploded.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

I brushed the gold flakes from my cheek.

The production staff fired compressed-air cannons, sending colorful paper into the air where it shimmered beautifully under the lights.

I waved to the audience, who were still roaring with excitement.

[Thank you!]

The crowd demanded an encore from us, still intoxicated by the energy of the performance.

Naturally, that part had already been planned.

[Then how about everyone comes up on stage together?]

As soon as I said it, the other performers came running onto the stage as if they had been waiting for permission.

Famous songs suitable for an encore medley began to play.

Singers grabbed microphones.

Cold Brown and I linked arms and sang Answer together.

When Hailey performed Blue Moon as part of her hit-song medley, we joined in as well.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

For fifteen more minutes after the broadcast ended, singers and actors gathered together to entertain the audience.

We responded by performing a short section of METRO, which had been released the previous year.

And everyone joined in singing along to a song performed by Canada's national diva.

At last, Supernova Dodgeball came to an end.

The moment we stepped off stage, hands immediately reached toward us.

"That performance was unbelievable! You guys are insane!"

We exchanged compliments with an excited Mandy Spice and took pictures together.

Then came actors and singers one after another.

Greetings.

Handshakes.

Selfies.

Ri Hyuk said with an exhausted expression,

"At this rate, this is never going to end."

"Seriously."

"Leave it to me, hyungs."

The youngest member raised his phone and shouted,

"Everyone! Let's take one big selfie together!"

The surrounding singers immediately gathered around Jiho's phone.

With everyone squeezing their faces together like steamed buns, we took photo after photo while laughing.

"Thanks, everyone! We'll see you later!"

After promising to meet again at the after-party, we waved and escaped.

And when we finally returned to the waiting room—

Click.

The door closed.

The five of us immediately collapsed to the floor at the same time.

"Ughhhh..."

"Ugh..."

The strength vanished from our legs.

While our staff watched with amused smiles, we grinned at the managers holding behind-the-scenes cameras.

Wonseok hyung asked,

"How do all of you feel after today's historic performance?"

"Historic?"

I laughed.

"I don't know about history. I just feel like I'm about to pass out."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Honestly, I'd been so out of it on stage that I barely remembered what I'd said.

Minki hyung chuckled.

"You still did amazing."

"...I think we did."

The audience reaction had already given me a clue.

But once we left the stage, it became undeniable.

Other celebrities had approached us as though we were the stars of the entire event.

Leaning against the door, I glanced over.

"Junghyun. How are you doing?"

"Fiiiine..."

"Rate it from one to ten. For reference, ten is the KG Dragons losing every game in the league."

"How can you say something that cruel...?"

Normally he would have glared at me with those intense eyes of his while taking a dramatic breath.

Now he didn't even have the strength.

If Junghyun looked this exhausted, there was no need to check on the others.

Ri Hyuk looked completely drained, practically becoming dried squid as he sat with his eyes closed.

The youngest member looked seconds away from falling asleep against the door.

And Biju had already slid down and was using my leg as a pillow.

Seokhwan hyung laughed and patted us.

"Guys, this isn't the time for this. You still have another schedule."

"Ah... right."

The event wasn't actually over yet.

There was still the after-party.

Normally we skipped after-parties because most music-award after-parties were privately organized events.

But tonight's was different.

The First Ladies of both countries had organized it to encourage and congratulate the participants.

"We should go."

"Yeah. Let's change first, and before that..."

Seokhwan hyung walked over, patted my shoulder, and pulled me into a hug.

"You worked hard. You really accomplished something huge today."

"How's the reaction? Is it good?"

"Good? It's absolutely exploding."

The moment I heard that, energy returned to my body.

After changing into tuxedos, we headed toward the venue prepared at a hotel in Manhattan.

And none of us could put down our phones.

"Wooooow..."

Since it was an American event, Korea still didn't seem fully aware of what had happened.

For now, only humorous dodgeball clips were circulating.

But when I searched "The New Black" in English, the search volume had gone completely insane.

"Hyung. There's... a lot of English."

"Seriously..."

"Wow. Everyone on social media is talking in English too."

Unfortunately, my exhausted brain was operating at the level of there sure is a lot of English.

We all turned to Ri Hyuk.

"Translator."

"The translation service is closed today. The letters aren't entering my eyes."

Everyone laughed as Ri Hyuk applied eye drops.

Meanwhile, one man in front of us was furiously scrolling through his phone while grinning.

Our local agent, D'Angelo Costa.

"Good. Excellent."

He muttered to himself.

Clenching his fist.

Clapping.

Reacting in every possible way.

"What kind of response are we getting?"

"There are too many reactions to describe."

The agent smiled broadly.

"You'll understand tomorrow, but..."

He pointed at us.

"You're going to be shocked."

"??"

"Because an absolutely ridiculous number of opportunities are about to come your way."

We tilted our heads, about to ask what he meant.

Then distant screams drifted through the air.

"Kyaaaaaaaah!"

"Grrrrrrrrrr!"

"Rooooar!"

As the limousine approached, the ferocious noises suddenly transformed into:

"WAAAAAAAH!"

The cute shift made all of us laugh.

Looking at the Souffles and the paparazzi crushed between them like steamed buns, we adjusted our bow ties.

"Let's finish the event first."

"Yep."

"Who's getting out first? Rock-paper-scissors. Whoever refuses loses."

"..."

"Hm. Looks like I coincidentally won again."

I grinned at my glaring younger members and stepped quietly out through the opened door.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The cool autumn air greeted me.

Flashes exploded from every direction.

It was a truly beautiful night.

Cheers drifted faintly from somewhere in the distance.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The noise drew a group of people gathered in a conference room toward the window.

They couldn't see the source from this angle, but it was loud.

"What's going on?"

"Apparently there's a Supernova Dodgeball after-party. Probably NewBlack fans."

"Not Moonlight?"

"Moonlight's cheering sounds weaker."

The group belonged to a television network located at Rockefeller Plaza.

Writers.

Busy preparing the next season of their show.

"Sounds like today's event was fun."

"Apparently."

They hadn't had time to watch the broadcast themselves.

One writer, typing on a laptop, said,

"I should send Benjamin a congratulations message. He apparently killed it tonight..."

They were discussing Benjamin Washington, a stand-up comedian who had once worked on the same program.

Then someone frowned while looking at a phone.

"Oh my God."

"What?"

"Did you see this? Beau Riley wore a MAGA hat during the Supernova Dodgeball performance."

"...On a live broadcast?"

"Yeah."

Everyone immediately dropped their pens and grabbed their heads.

"Is he insane? On live television?"

"Wow. I just got chills."

"Seriously disgusting. The broadcast was bad enough, but how does someone even think that's a good idea?"

They spent several minutes venting.

Then someone pulled out a phone.

"Social media must be absolute chaos right now."

"Ugh."

Everyone could already imagine the endless fighting online.

They opened Twitter to comment on the country musician's disaster.

"Mm?"

"Huh?"

But the trending topics looked nothing like they expected.

Beau Riley and MAGA were surprisingly low on the list.

Instead, something else dominated the rankings.

Trending in United States

#1 TheNewBlack

"...NewBlack?"

Confused, they tapped it.

Immediately, clips and GIFs flooded the screen.

Wooju being nicknamed Ball Hunter after repeatedly targeting the sensitive areas of Colin Evans and Lenny Jones.

A photoshopped image of Junghyun merged with a Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva statue.

Wooju stepping over the line while attempting a ridiculous power shot and being eliminated.

"Hahahahaha!"

"Hahaha!"

The writers laughed at the physical comedy that perfectly matched their tastes.

"These guys are hilarious."

"I like them."

Then one thought occurred to all of them.

Wait. Physical comedy pushed Beau Riley's controversy off the trends?

At that moment, a writer called out.

"Guys."

A video began playing on his laptop.

The writers gathered around, sipping energy drinks while watching.

[In that spirit, I'd also like to proudly express my own opinion today.]

A country musician pulled out a red hat.

The crowd immediately became uneasy.

"Ugh..."

"Wow."

The atmosphere collapsed in real time.

Then NewBlack took the stage.

Uncle Bunny.

Overcooked.

Like The Sun.

And with every performance, the audience reaction grew hotter.

"Oh?"

"Wow... that's actually incredible."

The energy pouring from the stage was impressive enough.

But they liked the message even more.

It felt like the exact opposite of Beau Riley.

Then came Overcooked, strange and refreshing in the best possible way.

"Hmm..."

One writer spoke up.

"I'm not the only one thinking it, right?"

"Nope."

"Same."

All eyes turned simultaneously toward a whiteboard.

Who should be the musical guest for the Season Premiere of 2018–2019?

The board was filled with names.

America's biggest singers.

Artists who fiercely competed for the opportunity to promote new music on the show.

The priority rankings were already written down.

Someone picked up a marker.

And wrote a new name at the very top.

NewBlack

"What do you think?"

"I like it."

"Yeah. It means something."

As the writers continued talking, the logo above the whiteboard gleamed beneath the lights.

SNL

One of the greatest comedy programs in America.

A show that singers considered the ultimate platform for promoting new music.

And among all its episodes, the season premiere consistently delivered the highest ratings.

An opportunity everyone dreamed about was beginning to move toward NewBlack.

And not only there.

Elsewhere, eyes were turning toward them as well.

"Have you seen this? NewBlack's performance at Dodgeball..."

"For our event..."

"NewBlack at Supernova Dodgeball..."

The butterfly effect created by the Supernova Dodgeball stage had finally begun in earnest.