Chapter 839: Is This the Land of the New Black? (15)

"Haah......."

"Hah... haah......."

"Good graaace......."

My vision was white.

Every time I swallowed, it felt like my throat would tear, and even when I took deep breaths, my heartbeat refused to calm down.

I stared blankly at the practice room ceiling.

"......."

"......."

Heavy breathing echoed from all around.

Some people were sprawled face-down on the floor or squatting in place. Others were collapsed on the sofa or leaning against the wall, drinking Americano like it was water.

"I’m dying......."

Someone’s mutter perfectly summed up everyone’s feelings.

We had kept repeating the intense choreography over and over, and sweat was pouring off our bodies like rain.

Looking at the desperate, pleading eyes that wanted rest, I shouted,

"We’ll take about fifteen minutes! Everyone catch your breath!"

"Ah......."

"Finally...."

The singers collapsed in unison.

Jiho, panting, flapped his soaked sweatshirt.

"Hyung, I’m going to go change."

"I’ll go with you."

Seok Jihoon from TNT slung an arm over Jiho’s shoulder and left the practice room with him.

Daylight’s members were sprawled out on the sofa, the younger guys and TNT’s crew were scattered across the floor like a horde of zombies.

And then—

"Junghyun...."

"Yes?"

"Aren’t you ti—... never mind. Of course you wouldn’t be tired."

Unlike everyone drenched and half-dead, Junghyun alone looked healthily sweaty.

"I’m tired too, hyung."

"I see. So tired that you’re reading a book...."

"Yes."

Junghyun nodded while holding a book that looked like something titled Philosophy in a Can.

"I didn’t have the energy to do anything else, so reading was the only thing I could manage."

"Wow."

Jihanbin curled up like a shrimp and muttered,

"I’m seriously jealous. That stamina...."

"We thought we could beat anyone when it comes to stamina, but Junghyun is on another level."

I nodded in agreement and gulped down some water.

Starting with Bijoo, who was lying alone in a corner practicing choreography movements, I scanned the younger members one by one.

Rihyuk’s breathing was a little rough, but he looked fine.

After checking on everyone’s condition, I quietly asked Gu Seonwoong, who was lying beside me,

"TNT okay?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

I laughed at his blank blinking and looked around again.

Our members, Jihanbin, Han Taehyun, Jang Hanbyul......

Since I was overseeing this practice, I had to make sure everyone was in decent condition.

Part of me trusted them to manage themselves like professionals, but I also knew these people’s personalities far too well.

—Jiho. If you’re sick, you have to say something.

—Even if I say I’m sick, it’s not like the comeback gets delayed. Can’t I just practice? If I skip, it’ll be crazy hard for the hyungs to fix the formations.

—Huh?! I just checked his temperature—Wang Jiho is at 38 degrees right now?!

—It’s just because I was dancing. Hehehe....

—I said you’re going to die, you idiot! If you die, I become the maknae...!

—Then start calling me hyung from now on so you can get used to it~!

The pitiful memory in my head slowly morphed into a comedy skit, and I smiled fondly.

We can’t stay touched for more than five minutes.

As I was looking around with a grin, one person caught my eye.

"......."

Baek Seungje, my age and TNT’s main dancer, was leaning against the mirror, rubbing his knee.

His expression looked like he was holding back pain.

"Fuu."

Too tired to get up, I rolled across the floor toward him.

"Ow."

"Ahh."

After apologizing to the collateral victims I ran into, I stopped in front of my destination.

Baek Seungje looked down at me with wide, deer-like eyes. Then he opened his mouth.

"Hi."

"Uh... hi?"

I smiled, unsure if we’d properly greeted each other or not. He smiled back.

We were awkward.

Not on bad terms—just... awkward.

It wasn’t because of his personality. He’d been popular since trainee days.

—Seungje is seriously an angel.

—He’s way too kind....

He was the type everyone liked, regardless of gender. On days off, he’d bake cookies alone or volunteer at animal shelters. The kind of person trainees went to when they needed emotional comfort.

We just didn’t particularly click, so we’d always been somewhat distant.

Especially at a place like TJ Entertainment with over a hundred trainees, most people end up feeling like students from another class at the same school.

Actually, we hadn’t even been that distant......

—After you left, Seungje hyung got picked for the final lineup.

—Ah... really?

After I’d been cut from the debut team and he got in, he’d felt awkward around me.

If anything, he seemed more conscious about it than I was.

Thankfully, after New Black succeeded, we’d both relaxed about it.

"You okay?"

"Hm?"

"You’ve been rubbing your knee since practice ended. I got worried."

"Ah......."

He gave a pale smile.

"I’m fine. It’s nothing."

"What is it then?"

Jihanbin, who’d clearly been eavesdropping, pushed himself up.

"Hyung, is Seungje not feeling well?"

"He’s been rubbing his knee......."

At the mention of his knee, TNT’s members slowly stirred.

Gu Seonwoong asked,

"Your knee hurting again?"

"A little...?"

As Seungje waved his hands, clearly uncomfortable with the attention, Taehyun slid his hand lightly onto Seungje’s knee.

"I don’t think you’re fine. Right here...."

"Ugh......."

"See? It’s not good."

His pain seemed worse than he let on, so I whispered to TNT,

"What’s wrong with him?"

"We’ve had a lot of intense choreo. His cartilage’s kind of weak, and apparently it’s worn down a lot."

"Lately he’s basically learning exercises like rehab."

That explained why one of TNT’s two pillars, alongside Taehyun, hadn’t released many solo albums.

"Hey, what are you all talking about without me? Something fun?"

"What’s going on?"

Jiho and Seok Jihoon returned after changing and joined the scene with worried looks.

Bijoo covered his mouth and went, "Oh no..."

"What happened?"

The Daylight members, freshly awakened, shuffled over too.

Hearing the knee pain was fairly serious, Daylight’s faces fell.

"We always say this. Cartilage is basically a consumable. You have to use it sparingly... though that’s easier said than done."

"Want some Tylenol?"

"If it’s bad, take a break and come back in."

Everyone offered concern in their own way.

I fell into thought.

Wasn’t there a better solution?

He said he was fine, but with only two weeks left before the performance, it bothered me.

"Hmm......."

I gathered the main dancers and asked for their opinion.

"What about slightly changing the choreography?"

"Changing it?"

"Not completely. Just adjusting the jumping parts and a few sections into something different...."

"That’s not a bad idea."

I’d prepared some reasons, but thankfully the main dancers agreed right away.

Daylight’s Susan smiled.

"If we’re saying we’ll show a stage that proves K-pop isn’t some inhuman whatever, then dragging someone who’s hurting onto stage to jump around doesn’t make sense. We can just tweak a few things."

"Right."

"I think that’s better too."

Bijoo’s eyes lit up.

"It might actually highlight the strengths of idols with experience. Tone down the movements a bit and emphasize expression instead. Choreography is about expressing the song anyway, right?"

"True. Well said."

"Our biggest strength is expression. If we lean into that, it might be even better."

After that, there was no room for me to intervene.

The main dancers quickly collaborated and altered the jumping moves and a few knee-straining parts.

The overall structure stayed the same, but small changes were made.

Taehyun, Bijoo, and Susan discussed things, and Seungje, who’d initially looked apologetic, joined the debate.

For people who ate, slept, and breathed dance every day, alternative choreography came out in no time.

"Here, we’ll adjust this move slightly. Reduce the lower-body action and use the upper body like this instead."

And the moment we applied the new version—

"Huh......?"

"What?"

"Wait. This is better?"

It was far better than I’d expected.

We’d left a bit of space in the choreography, and somehow that made the composition feel stronger.

It was strange.

"That’s amazing."

When I reacted in surprise, Daylight’s leader Rian smiled.

"It’s much better. Good call, Woojoo."

"I wasn’t sure it’d improve... but it’s really good."

"Intense choreography isn’t always the right answer. We’re not just dancers. We’re performers."

"That’s true."

"We use intense choreography to draw attention. That’s where synchronized dance came from too. But sometimes it feels like the focus has flipped. Hard doesn’t automatically mean better."

I understood what the senior meant.

Difficult, acrobatic choreography can make people go, "Wow!"—but high difficulty alone doesn’t guarantee a better stage.

"In the end, it turned out well. We removed a few things and it actually improved it. Especially for a real stage."

"Ah......."

I realized the key point.

"There’s space now."

"Exactly."

Space on stage means giving the audience room to enter.

Instead of being too busy gasping and dancing at the camera, we’d have a second to lock eyes with the crowd.

As I absorbed that unintended lesson, everyone returned to practice and repeated the revised parts several times.

Then they all turned to Seungje with worried eyes.

I asked,

"How is it? Feeling better?"

"Hmm......."

He parted his lips to speak.

And then—

"Huh?"

"Seungje. Are you crying?"

"He’s crying?"

For some reason, he’d raised his hand to cover his face.

Daylight rushed over.

"Why are you crying?"

"It’s kind of touching, right? They changed the choreography for you."

"Hyung, why are you crying again?"

TNT and Daylight gathered around him, hugging like penguins.

The atmosphere turned soft and warm.

Everyone had something aching—knees or otherwise. There was a sense of shared suffering.

Preparing for a stage always meant physical strain.

Everyone understood that feeling.

As I smiled, thinking we’d added a spoonful of warmth to this stage—

"Sob......."

"Waaah!"

The younger members were crying in full force, and everyone burst out laughing.

"Why are you crying too?"

"Sobbb!"

"If you guys cry, we cry too... I’m the type who cries whenever someone cries on TV...."

And then Daylight started bawling too.

Watching three groups openly sobbing, I realized something else we had in common.

"Sob......."

"Waaah!"

...The answer was crybabies.

That’s right.

Great expression on stage comes from sensitivity, and sensitivity comes from empathy.

"In that sense, a few tears are a natural qualification for a singer."

"So are you crying, Woojoo?"

"...No. I’m not."

"Right. I’m not either."

Rian and I stared at the ceiling with red eyes.

The power of tears is incredible.

After the shared-pain party of half-broken singers ended, we somehow felt closer.

"Should we go eat?"

"Yes!"

Earlier, the three groups had moved separately.

Now, heading down to SNH Entertainment’s cafeteria, we were all mixed together.

Temporary though it was, we’d be working as one team until the Olympic closing ceremony. This felt like a good sign.

"Oh my god! Jihoon hyung! Look! Meat!"

"M-meat!"

"Wait, what? Was today meat day in the cafeteria...?"

When we got downstairs, trays piled high with pork belly were waiting.

Portable burners and iron lids were set on every table.

Cheers erupted from both men and women alike.

"Junghyun. Load up on side dishes."

"Yes."

Watching Junghyun return with a tray piled high with kimchi and side dishes, I turned to our maknae.

"Our maknae~"

"Yesss!"

"Go get water."

"......."

Everyone burst out laughing at the maknae’s glare.

Daylight’s youngest, Harang, giggled.

"Jiho isn’t exactly low seniority anywhere else now."

"But here, I’m the youngest."

"Hahaha!"

He could puff his chest elsewhere now, but unfortunately the people around him were too strong.

Rihyuk snickered.

"It’s like Korea being tenth in national power globally but fourth in regional hegemony."

"......."

"......."

The cold reaction to his geopolitical joke made everyone laugh harder.

TNT’s main vocal Shin Jooyoung smirked.

"I thought it was funny."

"Really?"

"I love dad jokes."

"......."

"W-wasn’t it a dad joke?"

Rihyuk drooped against Bijoo’s shoulder.

Soon, pork belly hit the grill and the meal began.

"Wow......."

The side dishes were incredible.

We sent hearts toward the grumpy-looking head chef watching from afar.

For some reason, the unfamiliar auntie gave off Kim Deoksun vibes.

"It’s really delicious."

"Our madam’s been friends with the CEO for twenty years."

"Really?"

"The food’s amazing, right? Even big companies like KG have tried to scout her."

That seemed believable.

I’d never been somewhere with side dishes this good.

And on top of that—

"They’re all our favorite dishes."

"Exactly."

The dishes we’d mentioned liking in interviews were all here.

My eyes met the younger members’ as I remembered CEO Jang Sohui earlier.

‘Did she prepare this on purpose?’

‘It seems like it...?’

Was even this calculated?

Then something else came to mind.

"Do you usually have surprise days off like this?"

"No. I think this is the first time this year. Usually they plan leave quarterly with clear reasons."

Daylight chimed in.

"I was shocked when they suddenly said we’re off."

"Same. I was like, huh? The CEO doesn’t usually do things on impulse."

"She plans even her days off."

Earlier, I’d just thought the company was unique.

But after seeing the menu so carefully planned, a reasonable suspicion formed.

Last year’s girl group survival show.

Back when I was active as Kim Deokchun, TJ and SNH had criticized it behind the scenes as unfair.

Well. Backstabbing is practically industry etiquette, so I’d let it go.

"Ah......."

Now that I thought of it, things made sense.

Usually when New Black TV visits an agency, we interact with staff.

There could’ve been managers or PR team members who’d bad-mouthed us.

It seemed like they’d cleared the place out entirely.

To prevent any potential criticism in the comment section.

—We left it up to the employees since it’s a day off. Those who want to come see New Black can come with their families, and those who aren’t interested can just rest at home. But 95 percent showed up.

Maybe the other 5 percent included those people.

Still... even if we were important guests, was all this really necessary?

Daylight smiled.

"Good, right?"

"Yes."

Our maknae wobbled happily.

"If I get the chance, I want to come eat here often. I’ve never had food this good...."

"Us too."

Even TNT, proud of their own company, agreed.

"It’s seriously so good. Now I know why the noona-hyungs keep telling us to come eat."

"I admit it. This is better than ours."

"How is the same rice this good...?"

As Cha Hyunjung, Daylight’s eldest, smiled like a mom, Daylight’s Dabom smirked.

"If you want to eat here often, tell your CEOs to buy our company."

"What?"

"Oh, our CEO’s looking for investors these days. Talking with funds and stuff. Hasn’t the news spread yet?"

Apparently they needed additional funding.

As talk about our companies continued—

"Hm......?"

The mention of new investors hit us all at once.

Why they were being so kind to mere guests filming for MewTube.

We were major shareholders.

‘Oh?’

‘This is totally.......’

We locked eyes and remembered.

The CEO personally guiding us through the building.

The carefully prepared meal tailored to our tastes.

The welcoming event showcasing staff unity and positive company culture.

"......!"

We stared at each other in shock.

‘We were the clients!’