Chapter 1076: Overcooked (29)

The world's cutest and most adorable hot guy!

Item number seventeen on the bucket list of none other than me, Sun Wooju.

17. Get accused of a completely ridiculous plagiarism claim.

I drew thick lines through the item in my memo.

"Man, I actually did it."

"Are you really that happy about it?"

At Ri Hyuk's question, I nodded.

"Of course I am. It's basically every real creator's dream."

"Ah. I think I've heard something like that before."

Ri Hyuk brought up a story about a famous American author.

"...He's a bestselling writer, so apparently every time he publishes a book, somebody files a plagiarism lawsuit. They claim he stole ideas from their head, or plagiarized an unpublished manuscript."

"Really?"

"Apparently if nobody accuses him of plagiarism, he starts wondering whether the book flopped."

I burst out laughing because I completely understood.

Honestly, for people who write songs like me, plagiarism is one of those words that instantly makes your heart pound.

"W-What happened? Did my subconscious commit some kind of crime?"

It's enough to make your chest tighten.

[Sun Wooju Plagiarism Controversy]

The reason plagiarism is so terrifying to songwriters is that accidental plagiarism is genuinely possible.

What if I write a melody believing I created it myself, only to discover later that it came from a song I happened to hear in a café thirteen years ago and completely forgot about?

Or what if I genuinely came up with it on my own, but another song happened to sound similar through pure coincidence?

The second situation had happened to me before.

More than once.

That's why I constantly listen to newly released music.

It's also why, before an album is released, the production team and TF team form a separate review group and check every remotely similar song in the genre.

One accusation could damage the image I'd spent years building as a composer.

"But these kinds of lawsuits are always welcome~"

I grinned at the members.

"Do you know what people like that all have in common?"

"What?"

"They never target songs that flopped."

The members burst out laughing.

Junghyun nodded in admiration.

"So they're actually the ultimate masterpiece detectors."

"Exactly."

Because if something isn't successful, nobody pays attention.

If someone wants cameras and reporters to show up, they need to accuse a song or movie that everybody already knows.

I nodded contentedly.

"In a way, they have better instincts than anyone when it comes to predicting hits. They're calculating exactly which targets will attract attention."

While saying that, I looked through the materials Seokhwan hyung had given me.

Apparently twenty-three lawsuits had already arrived across America alone.

The moment the Supernova Dodgeball performance ended, accusations had started flooding in from every direction.

"That song plagiarized my work!"

The reasons varied wildly.

Anyway, NewBlack clearly plagiarized my thoughts!

I was preparing to release that exact song. NewBlack beat me to it. This is unfair.

That's a song I sang while drunk in a strip club. Sun Wooju was definitely there that night.

Then I found one particularly unique claim.

Sun Wooju is a reptilian. Since he can hear the sounds of the sun, he merely translated what the sun was already singing.

Biju tilted his head.

"What's a reptilian? Is that some slang I don't know?"

"It's one of those... popular American alien things."

Ri Hyuk explained.

"They're lizard-like aliens. One of the types Americans commonly associate with aliens. There are conspiracy theories too. Like, 'The president is actually a lizard alien wearing a human disguise.' Stuff like that."

"Ah..."

"It's actually kind of a sign that you're popular."

Ri Hyuk's explanation made everyone laugh.

Being called an alien was so ridiculous that it was impossible not to.

Apparently the alien theories weren't the only ones.

There were also rumors about some secret organization called the Freemasons.

NewBlack's Sun is the boss of the Asian branch of the Freemasons. He definitely entered America by colluding with the American branch.

"Hahahahahaha!"

"Wow, hyung's a boss. Does that make me one of the Four Heavenly Kings?"

An Asian group becoming massively successful in a country overflowing with racism? Impossible unless the Freemasons are involved.

"Wait."

"That actually sounds logical."

For a moment, I almost found it convincing myself.

Ah, so this is how conspiracy theories happen.

As I sat there understanding the process, I happily reviewed the remaining items on my bucket list.

Life was good.

Then I checked the rest of our American schedule.

"Let's see..."

Media interviews.

Talk-show recordings.

A meeting with Frank Chow, producer of Sound of the Sun.

Everyone wanted to meet us.

The stars of Supernova Dodgeball.

The group that had delivered that unforgettable stage.

"Hyungs, what do you even call this?"

The youngest member searched for words.

"It's like... suddenly becoming a much bigger star? We were already famous, but now it feels like we went from level sixty to level five hundred overnight."

"...Yeah. Something like that."

Honestly, none of us could explain it properly.

But one thing was certain.

The us after Supernova Dodgeball were different from the us before Supernova Dodgeball.

The cameras felt different.

People reacted differently.

Like a newly ignited star finally beginning to shine.

The same way things had changed back in Korea when we released Nine and officially entered the TenTinNew era.

For the first time, it felt as though we were standing at the starting line leading toward artists at the very top, people like Haley Blue and Cold Brown.

"It's just beginning now."

"Yeah."

Just as we were preparing to continue our American schedule—

"Guys!"

Seokhwan hyung came running toward us.

The TF team leader looked genuinely out of breath.

I blinked.

"What happened? Something else come in?"

"...I just got word from the company. We were talking about plagiarism lawsuits, right? Apparently it's becoming international."

"...?"

"There are lawsuits coming in from thirty-three countries."

I blinked.

"Plagiarism lawsuits?"

"Yep. Same kind as the ones in America."

"...?"

All of us tilted our heads simultaneously.

It made no sense.

"Supernova Dodgeball had that much impact internationally? That doesn't sound right."

Even the Super Bowl, watched by a hundred million people, was mostly an American event.

People in other countries generally didn't care.

And Supernova Dodgeball had been a diplomatic event between Canada and the United States.

Seokhwan hyung shook his head.

"It has nothing to do with Supernova Dodgeball."

"Then what?"

"Overcooked just exploded."

"...We didn't do anything."

We had poured every ounce of effort into promoting Overcooked in North America.

Yet now we were hearing that it had become a smash hit in countries where we'd done absolutely nothing.

My brain froze.

Biju traced numbers in the air.

"If there are plagiarism lawsuits coming from thirty-three countries..."

"It means the song reached number one in all of them."

"...!"

We stared blankly.

Seokhwan hyung smiled.

"Congratulations, guys."

"No, seriously. What happened? How did it suddenly hit number one everywhere?"

"Well..."

And Seokhwan hyung began explaining.

Around the same time.

Korean netizens were also busy discussing Supernova Dodgeball.

Collection of reviews for NewBlack's Supernova Dodgeball performance (Long Post)

Real-time peak streaming numbers for Overcooked

NewBlack buzz before vs. after Supernova Dodgeball

When NewBlack had first announced they were participating in a dodgeball event, Koreans hadn't cared much.

Now the internet was on fire.

They finally did it!

Of course, NewBlack had already succeeded in North America.

Their fandom had grown to stadium levels.

Their recent song had reached number one.

But this was the first time North American mainstream audiences were truly paying attention.

Overcooked had already been successful.

Then they turned the performance itself into a phenomenon.

And everything exploded.

"Wow..."

Even reading the news made the scale of public interest obvious.

Koreans instinctively straightened their shoulders.

It wasn't just the music.

The members themselves had become massive topics of conversation.

Naturally, many of the most viral moments came from Supernova Dodgeball.

Hahahahahahahaha

I'm dying

Why are they calling him Ball Hunter of all things?

He definitely has humiliation stars in his fortune.

The way he pats people on the back feels exactly like high-school boys.

Physical comedy transcended borders.

And then there was Wooju's absurd movement.

Americans getting destroyed by off-beat timing is killing me.

Off-beat! Off-beat-beat! Off-beat!

Everyone getting hit because they can't process it lol

Even NBA legends are helpless against off-beat rhythm.

The version with Korean percussion edited in is hilarious.

Throwing balls while looking somewhere else.

Dodging with annoyingly slippery little movements.

But another member had also seen his search volume skyrocket.

Junghyun.

Compilations of American reactions included comments asking whether he was even human.

Right? We think it's weird too.

Junghyun actually got tested because of that once lol

How did the Kim family's baby bird end up like this?

Baby bird? That's pure fan bias.

(Photo of Junghyun standing beside a grandfather much taller than him)

Wait, he really is a baby bird.

Idols often went viral after a single appearance on Idol Olympics.

Now Americans were finally discovering why.

The result was obvious.

Everywhere people were talking about Supernova Dodgeball.

Among those discussions were posts from Canadians thanking Koreans.

Canada: "Where is Korea?"

(A child pointing at America on a map.)

(Meme image pointing at their own chest labeled HERE.)

Thank you... KOREA...

Canadians were posting memes saying:

"Korea lives in our hearts."

The same style of meme used years earlier by countries that had advanced in the World Cup because Korea defeated Germany.

Koreans laughed.

Republic of Korea, Hunter of Great Powers.

The Canadian guy I know was insanely happy. Said Korea put America in its place lol

Local reaction (Photo of elderly Canadian thanking Korea)

So can we date Canadian girls now???

└ No, idiot.

└ People who post things like this are walking anti-Korean generators.

Canada fought beside us during the Korean War. We finally repaid the favor!

We waited a long time for this, General Sherman! This is our revenge!

While people joked around online—

A strange piece of news appeared.

"Popularity Showing No Signs of Slowing: Overcooked Reaches #1 in 33 Countries"

Most people assumed it was because of dodgeball.

Then they read the article.

Overcooked had been out for one week.

At first, it entered charts thanks to Souffles streaming.

Then it steadily climbed.

And now it had reached number one.

The reason was simple.

Because the song is good.

A perfect demonstration of the eternal truth:

A song that deserves to rise will rise.

Unlike Korea or North America, where promotion had been extensive, it simply took longer elsewhere.

Word of mouth spread.

The challenge spread.

And around the same time, country after country saw the song hit number one.

"...?"

"...??"

Koreans narrowed their eyes.

As they watched videos flooding MyTube, an odd feeling of familiarity emerged.

Overcooked Challenge by Singapore University Students

Three Hundred Indians Perform a Flash Mob

Overcooked Minecraft Version

A street-food vendor in Egypt sprinkled spices while imitating the choreography.

A famous Hong Kong chef performed the sugar-sprinkling move while serving desserts.

Groups gathered everywhere, singing the chorus together.

It had only been a week.

The trend was just beginning.

Yet the sight felt strangely familiar to Koreans.

Then suddenly—

They realized why.

"...Ah!"

"...This is...!"

A worldwide phenomenon from six years ago.

"...!"

"...!!"

The signs were unmistakable.

It looked as though NewBlack's song was about to create another one.

I moved the Rabbit Uncle doll.

"Once upon a time, in a beautiful land, there lived five handsome young men."

"La la la la~"

"They set out across the sea in search of treasure. With the help of tens of millions of people from the Kingdom of Souffle, they finally found the treasure they wanted and were very happy!"

"La la la la~"

"But then..."

I spread the doll's little arms.

"It turned out they never needed to search for treasure in the first place~!"

"La la la..."

"They would've been showered with treasure even if they'd done nothing..."

"La... la..."

The managers around us burst out laughing.

Minki hyung grinned.

"Why are all of you so depressed?"

"I don't know. It just feels kind of empty."

Overcooked was showing signs of exploding globally despite being only one week old.

"It's like studying your entire life to get into Seoul National University, only to discover your department couldn't fill all its seats."

Everyone cracked up.

Jiho innocently said,

"But hyung, you never even took the college entrance exam."

"Junghyun."

"Mmph! Mmph!"

The conversation naturally shifted.

I turned toward the managers.

"Speaking of college, we should finalize the university festival schedule once we get back to Korea."

"Already prepared."

After completing ten days of American promotions, we were currently on a flight home.

We had done everything worth doing.

There were still invitations coming in, but most were bonus opportunities at this point.

"Music shows..."

"Korean promotions..."

I reviewed the schedule one item at a time.

Appear on music programs.

Collect first-place trophies.

Complete the special promotions we'd prepared for Souffles.

Finalize NewUniverse's university festival appearances.

Then there was the Japanese dome tour.

"Ah."

And it was almost time to help Hanbyeol prepare her album.

We were aiming for a November or December release.

As I wrote Hanbyeol's name into the calendar, more responsibilities came to mind.

Check how Jihyuk was doing.

Practice Japanese.

Prepare the encore concert at the Olympic Stadium.

The AMA performance.

Film promotion.

I wasn't the only one muttering.

Junghyun was talking about his solo album.

Jiho was reviewing movie schedules.

Then Jiho made a suggestion.

"Hyungs, why don't we just stay in America forever?"

"Not a bad idea."

Unfortunately, the captain emerged from the cockpit and announced that takeoff would begin shortly.

So the plan failed.

There were mountains of work waiting for us.

Yet I still felt excited.

Home was like that.

Spend a few days away, and suddenly you want to return.

"Oh, right."

Biju spoke up.

"They should be filming Idol Olympics in Korea right now."

"Ah, that."

"I heard the recording schedule overlapped with Supernova Dodgeball."

The Chuseok special that had somehow convinced idols to battle each other live.

I suddenly became curious.

So I messaged an old friend.

How'd Idol Olympics go?

Flash.

Hanjo: This year's Idol Olympics winner is you.

Me: ???

Hanjo: You won.

Me: Did the heat melt your brain?

Staring at the middle-finger emoji that arrived in response, I turned to the members.

"Apparently I won Idol Olympics."

"...???"

Around the time NewBlack boarded their flight home—

"WAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"AAAAAAAH! WHEN DOES THIS END?!"

"KYYYYAAAAAA!"

The Gocheok Dome echoed with the screams of idol fans.

The awards ceremony for Idol Olympics was underway.

[Next is the Men's Vocal Division.]

Exhausted boy-group members climbed onto the stage one after another.

Silver and bronze medalists waved to fans.

Then a handsome young man strode forward.

Here he comes.

Today's champion.

Street Boys.

TeenSpirit.

Wonder Child.

Trickster.

Main vocalists from every major boy group had gathered for an all-out vocal war.

The competition had been brutal from the preliminary rounds onward.

Quarterfinals.

Semifinals.

Finals.

And now the gold medalist was approaching.

Final Winner: APLB Kevin

The APLB main vocalist, who had become famous through variety shows, walked toward the podium.

But nobody looked at him the same way anymore.

The idol everyone had considered a comedy character had suddenly revealed overwhelming vocal ability.

The black-haired troublemaker flashed a V-sign as TNT's Shin Jooyoung held out a microphone.

[How do you feel?]

"Hahahaha! It feels amazing! I love all our CDs! And I'd also like to thank the person who helped me develop these skills..."

Ha Eunsung's eyes sparkled.

"I'd like to thank Sergeant Sun Wooju!!"

The idol vocal competition had taken place without NewBlack's main vocalist Ri Hyuk and lead vocalist Wooju.

And the ultimate winner turned out to be someone who had received vocal training from Sun Wooju since their military days.

"..."

"..."

Hanjo and the Street Boys applauded with blank expressions.

TeenSpirit looked exactly the same.

Why do I feel like I'm hearing things?

Someone whose presence remained overwhelming even when absent.

Kya-ha-ha!

For some reason, beyond the mischievously laughing idol on stage, they could all hear the faint sound of another person's laughter.