Chapter 1079: I am New Black, Class of ’18 (3)

Silence fell over the room.

"..."

"..."

The university students who had been hugging one another and crying tears of joy only moments ago were now staring at us with suspiciously cold eyes.

Their expressions seemed to say:

If everyone passed, why did we have to make PowerPoints?!

NewBlack played with our feelings!

We're disappointed.

After all, they'd just learned that all their preparation might not have been necessary.

I picked up the microphone.

[You must be surprised by the sudden announcement that everyone passed. You're probably thinking something like, "Wait, what? Are you kidding? Then you should've told us beforehand." You're wondering why we made it a competition in the first place...]

Nod. Nod.

[Originally, there were supposed to be eliminations.]

Several students blinked.

I smiled and explained.

[We have the Japan tour coming up, so originally we only planned to select three or four schools. But after listening to your presentations, we realized everyone had prepared incredibly well.]

Biju nodded and picked up his microphone.

[It became difficult to justify eliminating anyone. So we decided to adjust our schedule a little.]

"Ooooooh..."

The students collectively released sounds somewhere between sympathy and amazement.

Originally, we'd only planned to visit a few schools.

But today's presentations had changed our minds.

We'll just sacrifice a little more rest.

We'll make a little more time.

That was the conclusion we'd reached.

Still, it felt awkward announcing it.

Like a survival show's final episode where the producers suddenly hold an emergency meeting and declare:

"No contestants will be eliminated. Everyone advances!"

I doubted it would happen, but there was always a chance some people might be dissatisfied.

Competitive people sometimes reacted that way.

Logically, everyone winning should make everyone happy.

But reality wasn't always logical.

We were obviously the best team.

Why do the weaker teams get the same reward?

Shouldn't first place and last place be treated differently?

I could easily imagine comments like that appearing later.

Which was why I wanted to address it now.

If anyone had concerns, they could say it directly.

I smiled and asked:

[Does anyone have objections or questions regarding the results? If you'd like to say something now, we'll absolutely take it into consideration.]

[And if you're uncomfortable speaking here, you can tell the production staff afterward.]

The students immediately began shaking their heads so hard it looked like headbanging.

"No!"

"We love it!!!"

"Please keep it exactly like this!"

Just as we'd struggled to decide who deserved to be selected, it seemed the participants themselves had no idea which teams would've made the cut.

[So everyone is happy?]

"Yes!!"

"Absolutely!"

[We're happy too.]

I grinned and exchanged glances with the members.

Then we bowed toward the students.

[Thank you all for the incredible effort you put into preparing these presentations. We truly appreciate the time you invested. It was a valuable and enjoyable experience for us as well.]

Then I winked.

[We'll see you at the festivals next time.]

The room erupted into thunderous cheers.

At the same time.

A sleepy atmosphere hung over a university classroom.

"All right. We'll stop here for today."

The professor closed his textbook and left.

Immediately, the teaching assistant shouted:

"If you haven't submitted your assignment yet, do it now! Nothing will be accepted after this!"

Students who had arrived late hurried forward.

As the TA collected stacks of printed papers, another announcement followed.

"And don't forget! We have a quiz next week! I'm repeating this for the students who came in late!"

"Aaaaaaah..."

A collective groan echoed throughout the lecture hall.

Why do we have quizzes every week?

I have officially buried my Cost Accounting professor.

He acts like his class is the only one I take...

University students suffering through the beginning of the fall semester.

Those with another class hurried away with backpacks and laptops.

Those enjoying a free period slowly dragged themselves upright.

"This is brutal."

"Now I understand why everyone warned me not to take this class. Why are the quizzes and assignments so hard?"

"No clue. I'm already getting repeat-course vibes."

Then someone casually dropped a bombshell.

"Want to hear something terrifying?"

"Huh?"

"Midterms are only a month away."

"..."

Most students looked exhausted.

But autumn on a university campus was still autumn.

Cool breezes.

Leaves beginning to change.

At schools near mountains, occasional chilly winds forced people to zip up jackets.

Then the sun would come out and everyone would immediately take them off again.

Students wandered toward cafeterias and nearby restaurants.

Conversations and laughter filled the air.

Then, around the same time across the country, something happened.

"Ah. It's time."

University students everywhere reacted similarly.

Whether they were studying in libraries.

Waiting in line for meal tickets.

Or just arriving on campus wearing baseball caps.

Everyone reached for their phones.

"What?"

"Did something get posted?"

"They're announcing it today."

"The NewBlack festival list."

"Seriously?!"

Apparently NewBlack's official social media account was about to reveal which universities they would visit.

Hearts began pounding.

This was a chance to see NewBlack.

The group currently dominating not just American charts—

But global charts.

Students everywhere grew excited.

Pleaseeeeeeeㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Come to our school.

I mean, NewBlack isn't THAT amazing, right? Everyone's overreacting lol... Actually they are amazing, so please come to our schoolㅠㅠ

If not this, I'll never see Billboard artists in personㅠㅠ

For people who weren't members of the Souffle fan club, this was practically their only opportunity.

Then—

"It's up!"

"It is?!"

The post appeared.

NewBlack officially announced the seven universities selected for this year's festival tour.

The schools were listed in Korean alphabetical order.

Immediately, joy and disappointment spread.

Most students sighed.

"I kinda knew we wouldn't make it."

"Man... every university in the country entered. Seven schools was always going to be impossible."

"Looks like they picked one major school from each region."

"Look at that alliance team. I told you we should've partnered with neighboring schools."

Gangwon.

Chungcheong.

Honam.

Yeongnam.

Major universities representing each region.

Most people simply nodded and moved on.

The selected schools, however...

Were losing their minds.

"This is insane."

"So we're actually going to see NewBlack?"

"I'm camping out from dawn."

People were already talking about bringing tents.

Everywhere.

In cafeterias.

On campus walkways.

The words "NewBlack" echoed endlessly.

AAAAAAAH!

Souffles attending the selected universities clenched their fists while desperately pretending to be normal.

Their friends looked at them knowingly.

The Souffles are losing it.

Meanwhile, online—

We did itㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

This is why I got a fourth-grade CSAT scoreㅠㅠㅠㅠ

As expected of NewBlack, the world's greatest artists, Korea's unrivaled top stars, beloved by the entire nation.

Is this the value of tuition????

At this moment, I don't even envy Harvard.

Harvard? Isn't that some irrelevant American university that couldn't even book NewBlack?

As students celebrated, news outlets rapidly spread the story.

Those campuses are going to be packed lol

Can outsiders attend university festivals? Could I buy a ticket or something?

Depends on the school.

Ours allows it.

Some regional festivals are basically community events anyway.

Crowd control is going to be insane lol

I'm so jealousㅠㅠㅠ

Among all the reactions, one university attracted particular attention.

Korea National Open University.

People couldn't stop talking about it.

How exactly is an Open University festival supposed to work?

An online festival? lol

Actually sounds kind of interesting.

I'm enrolled there and I'm completely confused.

A university without campus jackets getting NewBlack is wild.

Hey, we do get functional T-shirts during marathons thoughㅋㅋㅋ

This grandma still remembers the virtual singer Adam... hohoho...

Compared to the other schools, it carried a uniquely mysterious aura.

Interest in New Universe's upcoming festival arc was already building.

Meanwhile, excited students immediately began searching for NewBlack videos.

So this is NewBlack.

The world's biggest artists.

Students watched Supernova Dodgeball clips and live performances.

And all of them reached the same conclusion.

We need to prepare something.

Their mindset resembled audiences waiting for an international superstar's concert.

Not just any concert.

More like a world-tour artist who skipped Japan and chose only Korea.

Did you know NewBlack's appearance fee is basically free?

Even if they charged a normal fee, people say it'd still be a lossㅋㅋㅋ Their staff alone move like an army.

Apparently they originally planned to do three or four festivals and increased it to seven.

It felt like global superstars voluntarily lowering their fee just to meet fans.

And the appearances were squeezed between a Japan tour and American schedules.

After reading all that, students felt obligated to do something.

Should we organize a paper-airplane event?

Foreign artists always love those.

We need to move them emotionally.

Maybe a singalong is the answer?

Before long, students were searching up NewBlack lyrics.

Which was exactly why NewBlack would later be stunned by the audience chants and fan projects waiting for them.

After completing three days of pre-recording.

We resumed normal domestic music-show promotions.

Starting with KNet.

And collecting trophies.

[The winner of the second week of September is...]

[NewBlack's Overcooked! Congratulations!]

The MCs handed us flowers and trophies.

"Congratulations, sunbaenim!"

"Thank you."

Some people might think music-show wins stopped feeling meaningful after a certain point.

They would be wrong.

"Hehehe! Ahem... thank you."

I, Sun Wooju, was a living embodiment of ambition.

A man who loved titles.

Awards.

Trophies.

Plaques.

When kindergarten teachers had said:

"Make whatever you want out of paper!"

I'd made a rainbow-colored paper crown.

That was the kind of person I was.

[All right! Let's hear the encore!]

[Music~ cue!]

Jiho winked dramatically.

The crowd screamed.

Other idols danced along to Overcooked as they exited the stage.

Meanwhile, we performed the choreography and belted the high notes.

"Overcooked~ Overcooked~"

The Souffles sang along enthusiastically.

They managed the Overcooked parts perfectly.

Then the English lyrics arrived.

And the audience immediately devolved into:

"Uhhhh—"

"Ooooh—"

"Aaaah—"

The adorable chaos made me laugh.

The cheerful atmosphere continued during our mini fan meeting in Sangam.

[Everyone! Did you know?]

Junghyun held a megaphone while Souffles munched on snacks.

[Overcooked is number one in forty-nine countries right now! And it climbed all the way to number three on the UK Singles Chart!]

The crowd exploded.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Overcooked's momentum was incredible.

Word of mouth was spreading rapidly.

Australia.

New Zealand.

Indonesia.

Canada.

Every time we refreshed our phones, another chart update appeared.

"Wooow..."

It wasn't quite at the point where people could say:

"A global phenomenon is sweeping the world!"

But it was getting there.

And there were surprises.

Unexpected countries where our name suddenly appeared.

"India?"

"Yeah."

After the fan meeting ended, Seokhwan hyung spoke.

"Your video hit number one on Indian MyTube."

"Really?"

That alone wasn't shocking.

But then—

"For some reason, India's response has been especially strong. Hundreds of parody videos are appearing every hour."

"...?"

"Look."

We watched countless Indian Overcooked Challenge videos.

I tilted my head.

Something about Overcooked seemed to resonate deeply with Indian viewers.

Maybe the choreography?

"Wow. India..."

Jiho blinked.

"Is that really such a big deal?"

I nodded.

"Indians don't usually listen to much Western pop. Their domestic music scene is extremely strong."

Much like Bollywood dominated India's film industry.

Domestic music dominated the charts.

Most of the biggest songs were Hindi tracks.

I knew because I'd often listened to them while composing.

Biju nodded.

"So kind of like Korea suddenly having a foreign pop song dominate the charts?"

"Exactly."

It felt surreal.

Such a huge reaction from somewhere we'd never expected.

We'd definitely need to record a thank-you message in English and Hindi.

As I continued saving screenshots of chart rankings from around the world—

I frowned.

"Japan and the UK are giving us trouble."

"Yeah."

Of course, second place in Japan and third place in the UK were still amazing.

But compared to the rest of the world, those rankings felt modest.

Maybe Overcooked is weak against island nations?

I checked Japan's number-one song.

The title was unfamiliar.

Jiho immediately recognized it.

"I think it's anime."

"Anime?"

"Looks like a movie soundtrack."

"I see..."

"It's incredibly popular in Japan right now. Second place is honestly impressive."

So in Japan, Overcooked was losing to a blockbuster anime film theme song.

In the UK, first and second place belonged to famous Britpop artists.

"Hyung, are foreign events inviting us yet?"

"Not many."

The song seemed to be in the phase where it was exploding on charts.

But invitations hadn't fully arrived yet.

Though it felt like it was only a matter of time before countries started saying:

Could you come over for a moment?

"If this happened a few years ago, invitations would've flooded in already."

Seokhwan hyung shrugged.

"But you've grown too big."

"...Ah."

"Smaller events don't even bother asking anymore."

That made sense.

Our value had risen so high that only major organizations could realistically invite us.

And those organizations moved slowly.

While we discussed Overcooked's global success—

News arrived regarding the upcoming American Music Awards.

Overcooked unfortunately missed the eligibility window.

But we had still received nominations in several categories.

"The closing performance..."

Technically it wasn't the actual closing performance.

A tribute stage for a legendary deceased musician would happen afterward.

But we were effectively the final major act.

Ri Hyuk checked the calendar.

"It overlaps with Hangul Day."

"We should probably think carefully about the performance."

October.

The awards show.

The Japan tour.

The university festivals.

Everything was approaching at once.

So we decided to spend the week resting.

Music shows only.

Condition management.

"Should we watch New Universe for the first time in a while?"

"Sounds good."

We planned to watch the final episode of Goblin Restaurant.

The culmination of six weeks of work.

But there was still time before it started.

So I casually switched the TV to TBC.

Mission Singer was airing.

Two weeks had passed since Ri Hyuk stepped down.

Cha Woohyun had become the new King of Singers.

His era had supposedly begun.

We settled in to watch.

Then—

"...?"

"...?"

Everyone froze.

Ri Hyuk actually stood up.

Because on the screen—

[From this moment onward, it is the era of Orpheus, God of Song.]

The dramatic declaration made during the previous episode echoed.

But the lighting above Orpheus had gone dark.

[!!!]

A caption appeared.

ORPHEUS, GOD OF SONG — ELIMINATED

The strongest traditional vocalist had lost.

Ri Hyuk could only gesture helplessly.

Then a new King of Singers stepped onto the stage.

Wearing the Black Rose mask.

Baek Siyeon.

She smiled triumphantly and raised her microphone.

[It wasn't an easy battle. There were many reasons I won, but strategy definitely played a major role. I found the clue during Orpheus's previous match!]

The Black Rose mask burst into laughter.

[I should express my gratitude here. Sun Wooju, thanks to you, I learned an excellent strategy! Hahahahaha!]

"...Sunbaenim?"

[Hahahahahaha! Our era has arrived!]

The king of ballads had fallen.

A rock singer stood before the traditional-vocal camp and declared the dawn of a new age.

And then publicly credited me for helping make it happen.

"Wait, I..."

I stared blankly at the screen.

Then I felt a burning gaze from beside me.

Very slowly.

Very carefully.

I turned my head.

"..."

Behind Ri Hyuk.

A dark aura was rising like black flames.