Chapter 772: The Great Legacy (17)

“What do you mean, show us something?”

We looked behind the CEO.

Aside from the road managers standing stiffly at attention, there was nothing there.

“Um, CEO. We don’t see anything.”

“Well of course. The thing I want to show you isn’t here right now. Haha. You’ll see it in a little while.”

Our main vocalist, who hated surprises more than anything in the world, asked,

“CEO, what you’re saying right now... it’s not something that’s going to make us jump or anything, right?”

“Hm.”

The CEO stroked his sideburns.

A pleasant smile curled on his lips, as if he were imagining something.

“I think you might jump a little.”

“Pardon?”

“But I also think you’ll like it very much.”

“...?”

The younger members and I tilted our heads.

As if he had prepared something enormous, the CEO began to radiate proud confidence.

“Well, if you tell someone a surprise in advance, it ruins the fun, doesn’t it? Hahaha!”

While the CEO laughed heartily, we glanced at each other.

On the way to the airport.

A surprise gift that would make us jump.

A ridiculous thought suddenly crossed my mind, and I joked,

“Did we get our own private jet or something?”

Jiho burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! Hyung, what kind of private jet would we— huh?”

“....”

“CEO?”

“....”

Stop.

The CEO abruptly stopped laughing and looked down at the floor with a gloomy face.

The younger members and I blinked.

‘Huh?’

“That’s the plane.”

Seoul Gimpo Airport Business Aviation Center.

At the airport where privately owned aircraft took off and landed, we stared out the glass window.

“Wooooow...!”

A magnificent large aircraft painted black and white stood there.

On the body of the plane, in bold Gothic Pirarucu style lettering, it said:

[NewBlack]

And beneath it, in smaller English letters:

[The New Black]

“That’s your plane.”

“Our plane!”

“Well, technically speaking, it’s a chartered plane.”

“A chartered plane!”

The CEO smiled.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about what I could do for you this year, watching all your overseas activities. Haha. You’ll probably have even more international schedules next year. So I kept wondering what I could do for my kids......”

His gentle gaze turned toward me.

“And then I thought of Wooju, who’s sensitive about flying.”

“Ah.”

“Of course it’s not just Wooju. I heard all of you have gone through a lot every time you board a plane.”

CEO Park Gyuho looked around at us.

“I heard Ri Hyuk got a bruise on his elbow last time because someone rushed at him. Biju nearly got separated several times, and Jiho said his new game console got broken?”

“Yes, CEO.”

“That’s right. It was brand new.”

As the CEO mentioned those incidents, his eyes turned to Junhyun.

Sweet Potato Boy stood there smiling warmly as always, radiating health and energy.

“And Junhyun...”

“Yes, CEO.”

“Yes... Junhyun must have had it tough too.”

“Uh... yes.”

“I see......”

They both avoided each other’s gaze awkwardly.

The rest of us lowered our heads, trying not to laugh.

The CEO [N O V E L I G H T] cleared his throat.

“Anyway, while discussing how to solve this issue with the division director, I remembered something. You said that when you rode Hailey Blue’s private jet, the trip was extremely comfortable, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“So I thought perhaps we should contract a chartered plane as well.”

Apparently they had signed a contract with Koreana Airlines to use one of their charter planes for the next several years.

“Did you come up with the paint design, CEO?”

“No, that was actually the airline’s idea first. They suggested decorating it like NewBlack’s own plane.”

“Ooo.”

“They probably saw it as a good publicity opportunity.”

That explained the clean and impressive design.

It felt like a NewBlack version of Air Force One, the plane used by the U.S. President.

We bowed to the CEO.

“Thank you very much, CEO.”

“There’s nothing to thank me for.”

He waved his hand.

“This is simply what comes back to you for all your hard work... Ah, and when you aren’t using the plane, other artists from our company might use it as well. I’d like to ask for your understanding in advance.”

“Of course.”

Hearing that Hallyu star actors or Scarlet might use it, we nodded with smiles.

With that, the CEO finished the conversation and waved his hand.

“It’s time for your flight to depart.”

“We’ll be going now.”

“Yes. Return safely after finishing the awards ceremony in Japan.”

“Yes!”

“This may just be my unnecessary worry, but I heard a rumor circulating from the Knet side......”

As if he had heard something from an insider in the entertainment industry, the CEO spoke.

“I heard the preparations for the awards are quite a mess. It seems they’re deeply entangled with Japanese capital, and there’s a lot of talk internally about it. Whether it will directly affect the awards themselves is uncertain, but it’s good for you to know in advance.”

We thanked him for the serious warning.

“And...”

“Yes?”

“Never mind.”

The CEO shook his head.

“There’s something I’d like to discuss with you, but let’s talk about it after you return from the awards.”

Our main vocalist, who always had to hear the end of any story once it started, perked up immediately.

Seeing that, the CEO laughed.

“It’s good news, so don’t worry.”

“Yes.”

“Alright then. Have a good trip.”

When he said he would grill us delicious meat when we returned, we all burst into cheers.

“CEO! We’ll be going now!”

“We’ll blow up Japan and come back!”

From behind us the CEO shouted, “D-don’t blow anything up!”

We waved back while laughing.

Having our own charter plane.

“This is incredible.”

“This is amazing. Hyungs, we should have suggested getting a charter plane earlier.”

“I slept like a baby. Seriously.”

No stalkers.

No passengers secretly taking photos.

No reporters.

The comfortable flight almost made the members and me feel like crying.

Especially for me.

This time I had flown comfortably.

“Was my fear of flying fake?”

Until now I had always been vaguely afraid and sweating whenever I boarded a plane.

Ri Hyuk shook his head.

“To be precise, it’s not a fear of planes. It’s a fear about airplane safety.”

“Is that so.”

When I was young, just seeing planes flying in the sky made my heart sink.

But as Ri Hyuk said, as I grew older, realistic worries had replaced that fear.

Was this plane properly maintained?

Were the pilot and co pilot reliable people?

In that sense, this charter plane completely reassured my worries.

“Sukhyun hyung sent this. It’s the aircraft safety inspection documents the CEO forwarded. Check the email.”

The documents confirmed that the plane had recently been inspected and was in excellent condition.

“Oh my. It’s an honor to have NewBlack as our passengers. My son and daughter are fans.”

“I’m the fan myself. Haha!”

We shook hands with the captain and co pilot, both wearing pilot uniforms with warm smiles.

Both of them were veterans who had served for many years as Air Force pilots, and their professional demeanor inspired trust.

The interior facilities were also incredibly comfortable.

“There’s even a bed in the back!”

“A refrigerator!”

“These seats are amazing. Should we buy some and gift them to the producing team? They could probably work 24 hours in these......”

The space was wide enough that even our staff sat down smiling.

There were plenty of convenient facilities as well.

Even on long flights it would probably feel very comfortable.

“This is great.”

“Hyungs, I think this is the first time I don’t want to get off a plane.”

The best part, however, was how incredibly fast the immigration process was.

“So fast.”

“Uh... what was it again? Hayai in Japanese, right hyung?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Even after the inspection ended, it felt surreal.

Until now we had always stood in Japanese airports wondering when we would finally be allowed to leave.

While our staff gathered luggage and exchanged bewildered smiles, Sukhyun hyung approached with someone from the Japanese agency.

“Apparently we can exit through the VIP passage. What do you want to do?”

“We should greet Souffle first.”

So we waved enthusiastically to the Souffle gathered at Haneda Airport as we entered.

Japanese media had also come to cover the arrival.

There were ten times more reporters than last time.

At first I thought it was because of the Grammy nomination yesterday.

Then I realized it was for something else.

“Mr. Sun Wooju, we heard Sun Myungju left several video messages. Do you have any message for Japanese fans?”

“As his son, how do you feel about your father returning to perform in Japan after twenty years?”

“Do you plan to speak with Mr. Hashimoto regarding the Japan performance? Is there any special event prepared?”

Ignoring the reporters’ barrage of questions, I waved and shouted,

“We love you!”

Junhyun blocked the reporters trying to approach me and gave me a thumbs up with a smile.

Only after we finally boarded the bus and left them behind could we catch our breath.

“Wow. I’m sweating in this weather.”

Even though it was December in the middle of winter, steam rose between our long padded coats due to the heat of the crowd.

I spoke to our math genius who was pushing his hair back.

“I expected it, but the atmosphere is even hotter than I thought.”

“That’s because your father was incredibly popular in Japan. The Japanese media has been talking about him nonstop too.”

In Korea the reaction had mostly been mild surprise and nostalgia.

But Japan seemed almost like a festival.

Every day news programs were broadcasting updates about Sun Myungju’s concert.

[A genius who captivated the world twenty years ago. His story will be revealed today.]

Japanese public broadcasting had even produced a documentary titled Star of Asia The Story of the Genius Who Moved the World.

They even analyzed photos from the fundraising party I attended.

“This person next to Mr. Wooju in the photo is New York City Mayor John Mayer, a Republican presidential candidate. And the person on the right is famous CEO Victor Franklin. Truly a star loved by both politics and business.”

“Amazing. That’s world class.”

“A Stradivarius violin? What makes it so expensive?”

They had even recreated the party venue as a model set.

And to top it all off.

[The Star of Asia Returns!]

The day after the concert teaser was uploaded to MyTube, that headline appeared on the front page of major Japanese newspapers.

Honestly, I didn’t know whether to be happy about it or not.

Something about it felt... strange.

Hard to put into words.

“Wow.”

Biju looked surprised while checking his phone.

“Your father really was unbelievably popular in Japan.”

“He was popular.”

But the current popularity felt artificially boosted somehow.

As if someone had deliberately stirred it up.

While we were thinking about it, our TF team leader spoke.

“This is just speculation, but here’s how we see it.”

“What is it?”

“Recently you’ve had Billboard and Grammy nomination news. But strictly speaking, you don’t owe Japan anything. You’ve never released Japanese songs or promoted here.”

“That’s true...”

“But your father did receive some help from Japan early in his career.”

That was also true.

At a time when it was difficult to perform in Korea, the Japanese market had opened for him.

“So if that father’s concert returns after twenty years, and his son happens to be a singer gaining global popularity... if they promote your father’s concert like that......”

“...?”

“Then it becomes as if they helped raise you too. The genius whose talent blossomed thanks to Japan now has a son rising globally.”

It took me a long moment holding my forehead before I understood the logic.

Japan raised the beautiful tree called Sun Myungju.

And from that trunk bloomed the flower called Sun Wooju.

Without Japan watering the seed, would that flower have ever bloomed?

That seemed to be the argument.

“Of course that’s just my guess.”

“No. It’s plausible.”

If the logic had made perfect sense, I might not have believed Sukhyun hyung.

But precisely because it didn’t make complete sense, it strangely felt believable.

Then the unnatural media frenzy made sense.

And one stubborn name surfaced in our minds.

“Team leader.”

The youngest asked casually.

“You don’t have to answer, but among the Japanese schedules you cut... that Hashomon guy was there again, right?”

“...Yes.”

“What was his name again? Hashomon... something like Rashomon.”

“Hashimoto Kenji.”

We burst out laughing.

Junhyun shook his head.

“He’s like those mites that cling to plants.”

“So persistent.”

Just when we thought he was gone, he appeared again.

When we thought he had finally left, he came back again.

At this point it was almost becoming an affectionate annoyance.

“It’s not like we even promoted in Japan that long...”

Because things had become so noisy, I even searched my father’s autobiography and other records.

To see whether his activities in Japan had really been that extensive.

In reality, although he had many fans, he had not stayed here long.

Roughly six months to a year during the early period.

Yet they had been talking about it for over twenty years.

“Then...”

I looked toward the back of the bus.

“All those reporters are probably here for that too.”

“One hundred percent.”

Seeing the vehicles with Japanese broadcast logos following us, the younger members and I exchanged warm smiles.

“Let’s avoid responding as much as possible.”

“Confirmed.”

We all pulled the curtains closed at once.

I had no idea how things would turn out.

But our schedule in Japan this time was probably going to be quite dynamic.

For this KMA, we entered Japan about a day earlier than the other singers.

We needed to discuss some matters with the Japanese concert agency related to my father’s performance.

And the scale of the ending stage was quite large, so we had to rehearse the movements in advance.

More than fifty dancers were involved.

We rented a huge warehouse on the outskirts of Tokyo and recreated a stage similar to the real one for repeated rehearsals.

“Lunch is grilled eel bento!”

“Yay!”

Most of our meals were packed takeout.

Every time we tried to go eat outside, reporters followed us everywhere.

When we saw them trying to follow us into restaurants, we simply gave up eating out.

The media attention was that intense.

“Let’s just endure it this time, my minions. Once my father’s concert ends, ninety percent of them will disappear anyway.”

“Honestly we’re fine. Packed food is nice.”

“Takeout is the best.”

The younger members comforted me when I felt guilty.

It made me feel oddly warm inside.

“Wow, look at his emotional expression.”

“We just really like takeout though......”

To protect my fragile emotional moment, I ignored them.

Anyway.

After repeating rehearsals dozens of times, we headed to Saitama Super Arena for the final rehearsal the day before the show.

“Let’s see.”

As soon as we arrived at the venue, I reviewed the cue sheet.

The opening stage was by Trickster, the boy group from TJ Entertainment.

Various K pop singers followed in the lineup.

There were also performers invited by Knet.

A famous Thai diva.

A Chinese rock band.

A Japanese idol group.

“Are they famous?”

“Yeah. I’ve heard songs from all of them. That singer there is extremely famous in Thailand. You guys don’t know?”

“We’re not you, hyung......”

Just as I was scanning down to the ending stage where NewBlack was listed.

Something odd caught my eye.

The opening stage of Part 2.

[Kenta Hashimoto & NORAH]

The name of a classical pianist collaborating with a Japanese female solo singer.

“He’s performing at the KMA too.”

“The surname is the same. Is he the son?”

“Yeah.”

What a coincidence.

I laughed.

“Look at Wooju hyung smiling again.”

“That’s not a good sign.”

After unpacking in the waiting room and heading toward the stage for dry rehearsal.

We turned a corner in the hallway.

A cameraman holding a broadcast handheld camera appeared with someone.

“Oh?”

A handsome young man in his twenties appeared, trying to look as if this were a coincidence.

He seemed strangely familiar.

It was Hashimoto Kenta, the name I had just seen on the cue sheet.

“What a coincidence to meet here. Did I use up all my luck for today already?”

He smiled dazzlingly.

Listening to that textbook Japanese line, I saw Ri Hyuk rubbing the goosebumps on his arm.

“I should introduce myself. I’m Hashimoto Kenta. A humble rising pianist from Japan.”

“I see.”

Mindful of the camera, I greeted him with the appropriate level of politeness.

“I’m Sun Wooju.”

“I’ve only heard about you in rumors, so meeting you in person feels quite surreal. Perhaps this is destiny?”

“....”

Jiho couldn’t hold back a sigh.

Junhyun blew air through his nose and stared into the distance.

Biju pinched his own arm behind his back, barely suppressing laughter.

“I had something I wanted to say to you, Mr. Wooju.”

“Yes?”

Hashimoto Kenta inhaled as if preparing a decisive line.

A terrible premonition made the hairs on my neck stand up.

What now.

Whatever it is, don’t say it.

Please don’t.

Things like this become lifelong embarrassing memories.

I know because I’ve done it before.

But despite the desperate plea in my eyes, my message clearly went straight to his spam folder.

“Please.”

Hashimoto Kenta bowed stiffly.

“Let’s compete fairly, just like our fathers did.”

“.......”

His sparkling eyes waited for my reaction.

The camera lens beside him waited too.

And my response was—

“Hic...!”

A hiccup that escaped while trying to hold in laughter.