Chapter 844: Is This the Land of the New Black? (20)

The entertainment industry, by nature, moves fast.

In simple terms, everything changes quickly.

Slang that was trendy yesterday disappears in an instant, and music trends that were hot just recently shift in the blink of an eye.

Because of that, the lifespan of celebrities is short.

They have to constantly adapt to ever-changing trends.

Every year, stars flash brightly and vanish, and the reason so few remain active ten years later is precisely that.

That’s why people who survive in this field for decades are called legends.

“Wow....”

Everyone swallowed as they watched the national singers’ rehearsal on TV.

Daylight’s main vocalist Lian let out a sigh of admiration.

“How does Teacher Noh Jaehyun even produce that volume? He could sing without a mic.”

We said,

“But apparently his volume has actually decreased a lot. He was really sick recently and is only now recovering.”

“That’s insane.”

“I think that’s why he doesn’t look satisfied.”

After the rehearsal ended, he pulled a notebook out of his padded coat pocket, as if something still wasn’t right.

He carefully wiped the ink off his pen tip and jotted down notes on what to improve.

Every time rehearsal ended, someone else would pull out their phone’s memo app.

Everyone slowly turned their heads.

“Why are you all looking at me?”

“It’s nothing.”

When we whispered that Teacher Noh Jaehyun and Ri Hyuk had similar personalities, Daylight and TNT nodded in understanding.

Hanbin said with a solemn expression,

“So he’s someone to be careful around.”

“Exactly.”

We nodded enthusiastically.

While Ri Hyuk blinked, clueless, the rehearsal continued on TV.

“Teacher Gyeon Seonghwa really doesn’t have a peak. Every single moment is legendary.”

“Oh wow, she’s singing that one.”

“She probably has dozens of hit songs.”

As far as I knew, she had released over 1,300 songs.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she dominated trot in the ’80s and ’90s. Even Kim Deoksun’s go-to karaoke song was her “Don’t Be Ridiculous.”

Watching a national singer who had commanded the stage for decades, we gulped.

And then—

“The final boss of vocals has appeared.”

“Why does he look like a final boss today? Isn’t he cold in just that coat?”

“That’s Cha Woohyun....”

A man in his late thirties, beard neatly trimmed, stood with his coat fluttering.

Expression calm.

Cha Woohyun, always named first when listing the top three vocalists in Korea.

As he moved smoothly across registers, TNT’s main vocalist Shin Juyoung looked at me.

“How did you survive being on stage with that senior? I’m suffocating just watching on the monitor.”

“We survived by the skin of our teeth. I thought I’d die practicing.”

“I ate hundreds of throat candies....”

Memories of barely surviving Famous Song Squad sent chills down our spines.

Then Biju smiled and said,

“Seniors. Want to hear something scarier?”

“Hm?”

“I think Cha Woohyun now is several times better than he was in 2015....”

“.......”

“And what’s even scarier.”

Biju smiled faintly.

“We have to go on after them.”

“.......”

“When we did Famous Song Squad in 2015, the other seniors begged not to go on after Cha Woohyun.”

The main vocalists looked like they were on high alert.

Everyone slapped their cheeks to snap out of it.

“This isn’t the time.”

“Let’s go back to practice.”

The ones who had been watching the seniors rehearse began stretching again.

In a spacious conference room repurposed as a practice space, furniture pushed aside, everyone warmed up.

“Phew....”

But sighs continued to escape.

Watching the seniors prepare a stage of unprecedented quality made our shoulders feel heavier for no reason.

“Hm.”

Veteran singer Noh Jaehyun frowned.

It was the kind of expression a sixty-year-aged Ri Hyuk might make.

“Excuse me.”

As soon as he stepped off stage, he sought out the technical director.

“Yes, sir.”

“Is this the best the sound can be? It feels like it’s spreading instead of focusing.”

“Yes. It’s unavoidable due to the stadium structure.”

“I see.”

If the stage wasn’t ideal, then the singer could adjust their technique accordingly.

He was practical.

“Ehh, tsk tsk....”

Aside from his constant grumbling.

The trot singer with voluminous hair approached him.

“What are you dissatisfied with now, oppa?”

“I don’t like the sound.”

“You don’t like a lot of things. On a day like today, just sing happily. Smile a little, hmm?”

At the junior’s scolding, Noh Jaehyun forced a smile.

Gyeon Seonghwa immediately frowned.

“Actually, maybe you shouldn’t smile.”

“.......”

Staff chuckled at her bold tone.

Cha Woohyun approached, coat fluttering, and bowed.

“Aren’t you cold in that?” Gyeon Seonghwa asked.

“My hometown is Cheorwon.”

He answered calmly, like a robot.

“Hm?”

Noh Jaehyun suddenly felt something missing.

“I think NewBlack was here just now. Where did they go?”

“They said they were going to practice.”

“They’ve got good energy.”

While Gyeon Seonghwa said that, Noh Jaehyun began walking.

“Where are you going?”

“To see Seo.”

NewBlack’s main vocalist, someone whose temperament matched his.

Their greatest shared trait was—

‘Honesty.’

When he asked younger singers how his stage was, they usually praised him without reservation, intimidated by his seniority.

But Seo Ri Hyuk was different.

When asked for an objective evaluation, he gave one.

“There were a few parts that could’ve been better, sir.”

Age aside, he was a precious companion.

They hadn’t met often.

But nowadays, there was something called the internet.

An elderly man and a young man communicating by email beyond time and space.

Cha Woohyun rarely showed curiosity.

“You seem very close to Ri Hyuk.”

“We exchange letters once a week. Share information about good books.”

“Hm....”

“Why are you interested?”

“He’s a junior I like.”

“Unfortunately, I called dibs first.”

“If we’re counting who met him first, I think that’s me.”

Listening to two titans of the industry bicker, Gyeon Seonghwa let out a hollow laugh.

She asked the manager guiding them,

“Why did they go practice again?”

“Well....”

As if recalling something amusing, he said,

“They saw you all rehearse and panicked.”

“Oh my.”

Laughter spread.

Just imagining it was cute.

Those pale babies running off going, “We have to practice!” with teary faces.

“Oh, youth is wonderful.”

Gyeon Seonghwa smiled like a mother.

Then—

“Is it that room?”

“Looks like it. I can hear music.”

They stopped in front of a room labeled [Conference Room A].

Through the glass door, they could see inside.

Idols who had tossed off their padded coats, sleeves rolled up, adjusting formations.

“It’s packed.”

With nearly twenty people inside, even the large conference room looked cramped.

The seniors watched.

“That group over there must be the good singers... and that side’s the dancers.”

“Oh dear, their joints will give out.”

They watched the joint stage of famous idols with affectionate yet sympathetic expressions.

Through the soundproofing, Seo Ri Hyuk’s voice and other main vocalists’ voices seeped through.

“......Hm.”

The three singers’ expressions subtly shifted.

Then their eyes moved to the main dancers.

A dazzling display unfolded.

Vocally, the seniors were superior.

But as a complete stage—

“That kid smiling in the center, that’s Wooju, right?”

“Yes.”

“My eyes keep getting pulled to him.”

Gyeon Seonghwa swallowed.

The babies they thought were cute—

weren’t babies.

They were child warriors swinging greatswords while crying “waah.”

“.......”

“.......”

“.......”

The seniors exchanged subtle looks.

The first to speak, known for his honesty, was Cha Woohyun.

“I have something to attend to.”

Then Noh Jaehyun.

“I also... just a moment... heh heh.”

As the two hurried off, the trot queen lowered her voice.

“Is there a quiet place to practice?”

“I’ll find one.”

Soon, each senior claimed a room.

Voices echoed through the stadium like spirits wailing.

“Hm?”

“What’s going on...?”

The PBS documentary crew filming behind-the-scenes blinked.

Normally at this hour, singers would be laughing nervously and waiting.

Instead, both national singers and idol groups were practicing intensely.

They asked the directing team,

“What exactly is happening?”

“Honestly, we don’t know. But one thing’s certain....”

The director smiled warmly.

“We’re going to see an incredible stage tonight.”

Before an important stage, rest is usually best.

Store up energy and release it in one burst.

But today was different.

“Ugh....”

Jiho looked nauseous.

“The lunchbox is coming back up.”

“Same.”

“I feel it too.”

Even I felt it.

The charcoal-grilled beef lunchbox I’d eaten for dinner felt like it was rising back up.

Junhyun asked,

“Should we just practice more? Sitting around makes me anxious.”

“No. From now on, we rest.”

“Hm....”

With only a couple of hours left, we had to conserve energy.

Even though nerves made our stomachs churn.

“I don’t know,”

Minki hyung said.

“If you eat five servings of grilled ribs per person, anyone would feel sick.”

“We ate reasonably!”

“Exactly!”

Even so, we’d been losing weight lately.

Kim Deoksun had asked how much we were dancing to eat like that and still lose weight.

“Just replenishing nutrients... ugh....”

“Hyung, your breath smells like meat.”

“So does yours.”

While we lay around like that, something tapped my leg.

“Hanbyeol.”

“Yeah?”

“Why are you here?”

“I’ll be family soon...?”

Fair enough.

“But....”

I looked at the others nearby on their phones.

“Why are you here?”

“Just because.”

TNT’s younger line munched snacks, lounging around.

Was this how Go Gildong felt when the Dooly gang took over his house?

Taehyun said,

“Sunwoong hyung keeps talking about his enlistment.”

“Everyone go nap.”

There were plenty of empty rooms, yet they were here laughing in our waiting room.

Hanbin said,

“When I’m with you, hyung...”

“When you’re with me?”

“I feel relaxed. Like I can half-ass it. What do you call that? Free-riding?”

The younger ones nodded.

“I get that feeling.”

“Feels like we can piggyback.”

“You’re like... what’s that? Ri Hyuk hyung? No, a lighthouse.”

I heard something strange just now.

Anyway, I smiled.

“Then who do I rely on...?”

Minki hyung and Wonseok hyung winked.

Managers slumped their shoulders.

Well, honestly, I’d never been the type to rely on others anyway.

“I rely on myself. Hahaha....”

“Wooju hyung’s lost it again.”

“He always talks to himself before evaluations.”

As I was about to say something—

Knock knock.

The door opened.

“Hello.”

“Oh.”

The person I’d been waiting for arrived.

A young man with faint freckles and a mild expression.

Same age as me. The golden youngest of our producing team.

Kim Hyeongseop.

“Hyeongseop!”

“Ugh....”

He dodged my attempt to grab his hand.

Everyone burst out laughing.

“Hey. What kind of sound is that to make at a friend?”

“Friend....”

“Yeah. We’re the same age.”

“Real friends don’t announce they’re friends.”

He gazed into the distance.

“Friend is just a title to exploit someone more comfortably....”

“Hey.”

“Anyway. I’m here as ordered.”

He had come straight from Hawaii after the song camp.

TNT made space, and he plopped down.

He no longer looked starstruck at idols.

“We made him confident,” we thought proudly.

When we introduced him as NewBlack’s arranger, TNT eagerly shook his hand.

“Hyeongseop. Did you bring the equipment?”

“Yeah.”

“Ready?”

“I practiced every day. Even in Hawaii. I synced with the staff earlier. I don’t know if I’ll do well though....”

“You will.”

I patted his shoulder.

Okay.

Hyeongseop’s here.

Everything’s ready for tonight’s highlight.

All that remained was the countdown.

[Time until closing ceremony – 01:59:07]

As dusk settled over Pyeongchang, the closing ceremony drew near.

7 p.m.

The Olympic Stadium shimmered under LED lights.

“ID and ticket, please.”

Audience members passed through metal detectors.

“Wow, it’s farther than I thought.”

“Good thing we got off at Jinbu Station.”

“Look at all the foreigners!”

As at the opening ceremony, people spread blankets over their seats.

They took photos, sound checks echoed.

“Hey, look.”

“What?”

“There are so many lightsticks. Must be idol fans.”

Lightsticks glittered across the stands.

Unlike the opening ceremony, idol fans were everywhere.

“NewBlack and Daylight are performing, right? And... TNT?”

“Teen Spirit?”

“No, TNT. I saw it in an article.”

Nearby TNT fans silently fumed.

Souffle and other fandoms filled the venue.

Online chatter exploded.

—How are they even going to stage this? I can’t imagine.

—It’s gonna be good though lol.

—Stage masters collab? It can’t fail.

—As a 193-year K-pop fan, I foresee deep emotion tonight.

—193 years? So since 1825?

—Jealous of everyone going to the closing ceremony ㅠㅠㅠ

They opened and closed community apps.

‘I’ll check later.’

‘They’re fighting again.’

Arguing over which group would get the ending.

‘Focus on the live stage.’

At the request to minimize lightstick use due to LED seating, fans tucked them away.

Pre-show events continued.

A global cheerleading team performed acrobatics.

“Handsome men! Beautiful women! Make some noise!”

They cheered politely at the old-school MC.

Finally, the countdown began.

Children’s voices echoed.

[Five!]

[Four!]

[Three!]

Heartbeat pounding.

[Two!]

[One!]

Fireworks shot into the dark sky.

The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics closing ceremony began.