Chapter 1077: I am New Black, Class of ’18 (1)

After receiving the bizarre reply that claimed I had won the Idolympics Vocal Battle.

I asked what on earth that was supposed to mean, but no further response ever came.

"What exactly is happening at Idolympics?"

"Th...at's what I'd like to know."

Jiho stared at his phone.

"The TeenSpirit guys only keep saying they're exhausted. They don't seem like they want to talk about it."

"Yeah. Feels awkward to ask."

I was curious about what was going on, but it was difficult to bring up.

If it had been the usual Idol Athletics Championship, it would've been easy to ask how things turned out.

But this one involved their actual profession.

[Let's hold a real Idol Olympics!]

[Who is the best vocalist? The best dancer? The best rapper?]

If we had been participating ourselves, alarms would've been going off in our heads right now.

Not only did they have to battle completely live, but one mistake would be immortalized until the next Idolympics rolled around.

No.

The people who hated us would probably keep recycling those clips for the rest of our lives.

In that situation, imagine the people who had indirectly(?) contributed to the birth of this competition conveniently staying out of it, then constantly asking their friends, "So how'd you guys do~?"

Wouldn't that be incredibly annoying?

Ri Hyuk spoke with a weary expression.

"It's going to be unbelievably noisy during Chuseok. People are probably going to talk about Idolympics online for over a month."

This was the brilliant project conceived by the TBC executives who had been feasting on the view counts generated by my and Ri Hyuk's appearances on Mission Singer.

Naturally, idol fans—the primary audience—weren't exactly thrilled.

Are they insane?????

Holy shit, are they really this obsessed with ratings?

They seriously created an arena for antis and solo stans to run wild.

What a complete circus.

TBC President Kim Byungsoo, please live a long and healthy life. 🙏

I'm already exhausted just thinking about it.

But regardless of those reactions, plenty of people were paying attention.

Why's everyone freaking out? lol If your idol can sing, isn't that enough??

Watch all these talentless idols get exposed lol

Everyone complains about getting injured at sports competitions. Now they're doing singing and dancing instead. What's got everyone so nervous~?

Huh? What's the problem? Just be good at your job.

The people who already disliked idols were having the time of their lives.

Even ordinary viewers seemed interested.

"A completely live battle?"

The idea alone was enough to pique curiosity.

Needless to say, idol fans were watching too.

Just like every Korean survival audition show, everyone would complain nonstop while simultaneously driving the ratings through the roof.

"I think it's definitely going to explode. Whether that's good or bad."

If I had to find something positive, it was that someone whose talent had gone unnoticed until now might finally receive attention.

For people desperate for an opportunity, this could actually help.

With that thought, I pushed Idolympics out of my mind.

TBC had created it, not us.

Still, our Mission Singer appearances had undeniably caused the butterfly effect that led to it, so I couldn't help feeling a little responsible.

[Ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin our safe journey to Gimpo Airport.]

As the aircraft engines began to roar, I lowered my phone.

I was about to switch it into airplane mode when—

"Ah, I should check that first."

"Huh?"

"Our chart ranking."

I pulled up the domestic charts I'd barely had time to monitor while we were in America.

[Real-Time Chart]

NewBlack — Overcooked

King of Singers Sun Wooju — Halley

"We did it!"

"Hyung! Overcooked finally took back first place!"

The members and I clapped happily.

Then a certain malicious triangle who enjoyed ruining people's moods tapped the screen with his finger.

"That's the real-time chart. Check the daily chart."

[Daily Chart]

King of Singers Sun Wooju — Halley

Orpheus, God of Song — Poem About Yesterday

NewBlack — Overcooked

Junghyun sighed.

"I was happy right up until Ri Hyuk told us the truth."

"Same."

"He's the kind of guy who'd choose the red pill in The Matrix. I'd take the blue pill and stay happy."

"...I told the truth for everyone's sake."

As Ri Hyuk desperately defended himself, my gaze burned into the chart.

"Maybe you really do have to conquer Korea to conquer Korea."

Even after all our hard work in America.

Even after dodgeball.

Even after that legendary performance.

The daily chart remained completely unmoved.

"Guys."

"Yes?"

"Let's go do promotions."

"Okay."

United in purpose, we took a screenshot of the chart.

Like the ancient Chinese story of the man who tasted gall every day to remind himself of his goal, I would stare at this image from now on.

"Let's go. Back to Korea!"

"Go, go!"

Just wait for us, KOREA.

We're coming back.

Hehehehe.

I had a dream.

Mr. Wooju. We've arrived in Korea.

I see.

Unfortunately, it's North Korea.

AAAAAAAAH!

I jolted awake, shivering after dreaming that I had landed at Pyongyang Airport.

When I told everyone about it, Junghyun rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Maybe it's a prophetic dream that you'll visit North Korea someday."

"Could be. Maybe it's a prophecy that we'll perform at Rungrado Stadium someday... Though it was terrifying. Still, I like that interpretation. Dreams are all about the interpretation."

Most likely, I'd been thinking about the word Korea before falling asleep, and my brain had gone:

"What about North Korea?"

And created the nightmare.

[Thank you for enduring the long flight.]

After the captain finished the announcement and stepped out of the cockpit, we shook hands.

Was it because mid-September had arrived?

The sky above us was so brilliantly blue that "the season of high skies and well-fed horses" felt like the perfect description.

A grin spread across my face.

"Koreaaaaaa!"

"We're back!"

We high-fived one another excitedly.

Then we followed the routine we always did whenever we returned from overseas.

We visited our favorite barbecue restaurant and stuffed ourselves with meat and soybean stew.

We distributed souvenirs to Park Gyuho and the company staff.

Then we went home and rolled around on our beds like seals.

After we'd fully recovered, Minki hyung asked:

"Everyone fully recharged?"

"One hundred and twenty ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) percent."

The fatigue from America had completely disappeared.

And so we immediately launched our domestic promotions.

The first item on the schedule was...

A music show.

Normally we'd have Monday through Wednesday free and begin music show promotions on Thursday.

Not this time.

This time we had a music show on Monday.

Not one run by Arirang TV.

Not one on a cable channel.

If other idol fans heard this, they would probably say:

What are you talking about? There aren't any music shows on Mondays.

Correct.

Normally there weren't.

"That's why we made one ourselves. Hehehe."

"Hehehe."

Strictly speaking, it was closer to a stage recording than a music show.

We were creating music-show-style content for NewBlack TV.

The project had been born after the WAVE music-show appearance that Woobiz had done.

Back then we'd asked:

So how was participating in a music show?

The members of 3Black had experienced the process firsthand while Biju and I performed.

Their reviews had been remarkably similar.

It was exhausting. Everything else was fine, but the waiting times were ridiculous. The schedule feels unfair too. If you have a regular job, you'd have to take a vacation day just to come.

The fans looked so tired waiting around. Then the recording starts, ends in a flash, and you're just like... huh?

The amount of fun feels way too short compared to the effort.

The number one complaint from both artists and fans was waiting.

Artists spent endless hours in dressing rooms after rehearsals.

Fans waited even longer.

If the recording happened at dawn, everyone showed up with bloodshot eyes.

Of course, that was simply how broadcasting worked.

People tolerated it.

But that wasn't the real problem.

[The Three Major Network Music Shows Hit Record-Low Ratings... "The Public Has Turned Away"]

The real issue was that people no longer watched music shows.

In the past, everyone endured the inconvenience because they were network broadcasts.

The public paid attention.

Now?

Unless you appeared on a variety show, nobody cared.

No matter how good the performance was, the general public barely noticed.

That was why promotion periods kept getting shorter.

Artists, companies, and fans all devoted entire days to these schedules.

Yet there was almost no practical benefit.

Back in the 1990s, artists promoted title tracks for a month and follow-up tracks for another month.

Even in the 2000s, four to five weeks of music-show promotions were standard.

Now it was three weeks.

Two weeks.

Sometimes even less.

Biju and I had felt it firsthand.

Woobiz had gone all the way to a water park for a special performance.

The ratings were still low.

Meanwhile, Souffles wanted longer promotion periods.

As an artist, I couldn't perfectly understand a fan's heart, but it was probably something like this:

A chance to see my favorite artist in person!

New stage content! Fancams!

Special merchandise!

At least four weeks' worth of different outfits.

Different stage versions.

Different performances.

If promotions ended after only six stages across two weeks, it probably left an empty feeling.

That was when our youngest member had made his suggestion while we were discussing Overcooked's domestic promotions.

Why don't we just make our own music show?

?!

At first we'd laughed.

Then we thought about it.

And realized it made perfect sense.

"Even now, I still think it was a great idea."

Ri Hyuk smiled proudly.

"It's in the evening, so people can come comfortably. Much easier for anyone with a job."

"Exactly."

It really was the perfect solution.

Which was why we were currently on our way to a live hall in Gwangjin District.

The same venue where we'd held our first fan meeting and revealed our fan song, Starlight.

[You're Invited to NewBlack's Overcooked Stage Recording!]

PM 07:30

The timing was perfect.

Like a concert.

Fans could attend after work.

All the usual merchandise could still be distributed.

And instead of holding a mini fan meeting in a nearby park afterward, we could just do it directly on stage.

The hall could accommodate around one thousand people.

Roughly six times the audience size of a typical pre-recording.

Most importantly...

"I think the stage footage is going to look amazing."

"Right?"

The same staff who filmed our concert Blu-rays were handling the recording today.

The Souffles were going to love it.

And we weren't filming Overcooked just once.

We were recording it three times with different outfits.

Three days.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.

Instantly creating enough stage content and fancams to cover three weeks of promotions.

"Hehehe!"

"Ri Hyuk?"

"Ahem. I'm just happy."

Our fourth member couldn't hide his joy whenever something was efficient.

Biju laughed.

"There are a lot of things I like about this, but honestly, what I love most is that we're actually able to do it."

"Same."

"A project like this would've been hard to push through last year."

He was right.

Not because of the money.

Because of the broadcasters.

Hey, broadcasters! We're filming content for MyTube!

...What kind of content?

This kind.

Isn't that basically a music show stage? Are you trying to pick a fight?

If things went badly and a broadcaster decided:

Fine. You're banned from our variety shows.

Then it would become a headache.

Of course, we'd already gone far beyond worrying about that.

But this year felt different.

We finally had the confidence to push projects like this forward.

Success all over the world.

And New Universe achieving twenty-percent ratings on cable television.

"Besides, we're being considerate too."

Ri Hyuk nodded.

"We're releasing the full content on MyTube later."

Exactly.

To preserve the broadcasters' prized title of "First Stage Performance," we'd only upload the recordings afterward.

Everybody won.

As Biju had said, last year this would've been a difficult project to even propose.

But—

"I like it."

I smiled.

"Because this is how we start changing things."

The members nodded.

The success of New Universe.

The success of Overcooked.

Together they had brought us something new.

The power to change reality.

"Hyung."

"Hm?"

Junghyun raised his hand.

"Can we change the reality where we have to go to Antarctica?"

"...Probably not."

That evening.

Souffles studying in university libraries.

Souffles leaving work.

All of them smiled.

Yes!

They could only clench their fists discreetly because people were watching.

But inside, they wanted to dance.

A music show!

A music show!

I actually got selected!

Thank you, God! Thank you, Buddha!

People poured out of Gwangnaru Station on Line 5 and hurried toward the venue with bright expressions.

Naturally, countless other Souffles were already there.

Friends who had arranged to meet waved at each other from afar.

"Unnie, isn't this amazing?"

"I seriously thought they weren't going to do music-show promotions this time."

Since Overcooked targeted the North American market, most fans had assumed there would be very few Korean performances.

Then suddenly their favorite artists had created an entire music show themselves.

Inside a thousand-seat venue.

For free.

Amazing!

The view alone was incredible.

After spending concerts in the upper levels of massive stadiums staring through binoculars, they would finally see NewBlack up close.

"And the stage videos are going to be insane."

"No kidding."

Instead of the infamous shaky-camera network broadcasts, the footage would be produced by the same team responsible for NewBlack's concert Blu-rays.

Everyone buzzed with excitement as they completed identity verification and entered.

"Please take one."

The fan manager team distributed gifts.

Regular attendees blinked in surprise.

The fan managers actually looked healthy.

Normally they always looked exhausted from managing events.

Then the gifts kept coming.

Rabbit Uncle dolls wearing Overcooked outfits.

Photocards.

Various other merchandise.

This has to be losing money.

No.

Actually, it was guaranteed to lose money.

Like a real music-show recording, admission was free and attendees were chosen by lottery.

And yet the scale was enormous.

"How much money have they made?"

Souffles whispered among themselves.

"I heard the North American tour alone made over a hundred billion won. Every agency is doing overseas tours now. That's where the real money is."

"Apparently Overcooked is going crazy in America."

"Wow. Park Gyuho's head must be shining brighter than ever."

The entire event radiated comfort and abundance.

Fans took their seats beneath the giant LED screens displaying rolling ocean waves and pulled out their light sticks.

If only every recording could be like this.

Receive gifts.

Sit comfortably.

Wait in your seat.

It felt heavenly.

Then the MC appeared.

[Hello, Souffles.]

"Uh...!"

"Ohhh!"

The crowd erupted in surprise.

A bespectacled pianist stood on stage.

[I'm Ha Seungju, host of PBS Music Cafe and your special MC for the next three days.]

The famous pianist who hosted his own national music program had appeared in person.

Just as everyone was marveling at Lemon Entertainment's ability to hire someone like him—

[You're wondering why I'm here, right?]

"Yeeees!"

[In exchange for MCing for three days, NewBlack agreed to appear on Music Cafe. The PD practically shoved me out the door.]

The crowd burst into laughter.

After several pre-show events and audience games, excitement continued building.

Then the stage lights suddenly went dark.

Everyone's hearts pounded.

They're coming.

Finally.

The artists who had set North America ablaze with Supernova Dodgeball were about to return.

From the darkness came Jiho's playful voice.

[Souffles! Are you ready to have fun tonight?!]

More than a thousand Souffles screamed in response.

The lights exploded on.

NewBlack appeared wearing pristine white chef uniforms and chef hats.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The legendary performance that had captivated fifty million live viewers was being recreated right before their eyes.

As NewBlack's self-produced music show reached its peak—

"Hm. Is this the place?"

"I think so."

Several groups of people wandered around outside the venue.

Not one or two groups.

Many.

"..."

"..."

While thunderous cheers erupted inside, youthful faces stared at the building with solemn expressions.

So this is the place.

Some thought NewBlack was holding a fan meeting.

Others assumed they had simply rented the venue and added one on afterward.

This is the final battlefield.

They checked their phones.

[Final Presentation Venue Information]

The competitors who had arrived early for reconnaissance glanced at one another and nodded silently.

Tomorrow.

Their eyes burned with determination.

Bring NewBlack to our university festival!

These were the student council representatives from universities across the country who had survived NewBlack's university festival competition and advanced to the final round.