Chapter 848: Answer (1)

The so-called Olympic fancams.

The fancams uploaded to MyTube caused a massive ripple the moment they went live.

Olympic fancams are actually insane

The Olympic logo in the fancam is so badass

LOL the fancam is from the Olympic closing ceremony

I didn’t know a logo alone could make a fancam this epic lol I felt patriotic from the thumbnail and then exploded when I saw the logo

This is crazy

Thank you Lemon for the fancamsㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ If it were Park Taejun we wouldn’t have gotten a single one of these

Light Gyuho

It feels like just yesterday he was called Debt Gyuho and now he’s become Light Gyuho

People who had only seen short clips on Twitter cheered as they watched the full fancams.

Group fancams.

Individual fancams.

Rather than just reliving the vivid atmosphere of the stage they had watched moments ago...

Holy shit the broadcast camera work was trash

Idol fans first exploded in rage, accusing the broadcast of filming with their feet.

1:37 who thought it was a good idea to do a tight close-up during that gorgeous choreography scene legendary cameraman

(string of heavy profanity)

It was filmed by OBS, that’s the Olympic broadcast director

I could’ve filmed it better than that

There’s a separate camera filmed by an American station and it’s way better than the OBS one yeah go watch that

Give an award to the Lemon staff who thought of filming fancamsㅠㅠㅠ You’re truly light and salt

Details of the choreography that had been impossible to see on TV now came into focus, and idol fans beamed.

‘This is insane.’

Every time they watched the stage, it felt like their eyes were being cleansed.

This is what you call a stage

Are those main dancers’ lines even real?

Sujeon, Han Taehyeon, Baek Seungje, Biju this lineup could sell a million albums first week

Today’s stage really showed how far a joint stage can go the details are on another level

I don’t even know how to explain this feeling but I want to frame it and hang it in my house

Daylight fans, in particular, were the happiest.

Daylight always gets dragged as second generation idols but their performance skills are insane

Agreed

Every time I see Rian I think he’s a genius... everything he does is cool he destroys the intro it’s so classy and beautiful and charismatic

01:37 Sujeon’s part is overwhelming it really feels like the climax

The people who used to mock them as “lazy second-gen idols” had gone quiet, and that alone felt satisfying.

Meanwhile, TNT’s fans were crying tears of joy.

I’m going to replay this stage every single dayㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Park Taejun what the hell you had talents like this and made them compete over solo fans?

If TNT had been pushed as an all-member group they’d still be legendaryㅋㅋㅋ why did you do that to them you old man

03:47 Seonung’s part I’m actually cryingㅠㅠㅠㅠ

I knew Taehyeon was handsome but he looks especially radiant on this stage... I feel like I can’t breathe

TNT yesterday was honestly legendary. My family was asking why they barely promote when they’re this good;

TNT fans had more or less accepted that the group was practically disbanded.

Individual member fans were still active, but all-member fans could feel themselves gradually fading away.

The Twitter friends who once promised eternity still kept their accounts, but seemed to have moved on to other idols. Familiar usernames grew quiet. Sometimes just admitting you were an all-member fan invited mockery online.

And just when they had been alone in their rooms, brushing dust off old albums—

This stage appeared.

‘Yes. This is it.’

TNT had perfectly shown what they had been longing to see.

Timelines that had felt like cyber ghost towns suddenly filled with content.

Then came the sightings.

‘They gathered after the stage yesterday?’

There were even rumors that they had met up at a quiet cocktail bar.

TNT fans’ hearts pounded.

‘Could it be....’

They dared not say it aloud, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° afraid of jinxing it.

But everyone was secretly hoping for the same thing.

A full-member album.

They held onto that quiet hope without showing it, the TNT fandom Together pretending not to expect too much.

‘No. If we expect too much, we’ll just get disappointed again.’

Just as they were shaking their heads—

Together, gasping as they watched the group fancam, were hit with new content.

TNT, NewBlack, Daylight Dance Practice

A video of idols in sloppy practice outfits rehearsing choreography in front of SNH Entertainment’s mirrored practice room.

‘Wooooow....’

They scrambled to watch.

Then another video appeared.

[Pyeongchang Closing Ceremony Vlog #1] Our First Impressions?

NewBlack TV began uploading vlogs documenting the rehearsal process for the joint stage.

One episode per week.

TNT and Daylight fans’ eyes widened.

Their fingers trembled.

Did agencies always upload this kind of stuff so well?

Gyuho thank youㅠㅠㅠㅠ Overwhelming gratitudeㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I’m sorry for calling you bald

Sorry for calling you baldyㅠㅠ You were just light all along

When God created the world He said “Let there be Gyuho” and light came out instead

There’s so much content

All three groups were living in festival days.

I can’t believe I used to dismiss K-pop idols; my wife and I watched the stage and were genuinely shocked

It felt like sending them as national representatives in the K-pop category haha

NewBlack really is something else... no one needs to force-feed it, you just accept it

The historic wave of patriotic euphoria continued, praise pouring in both online and offline.

[???: Wait, NewBlack, Daylight, and TNT did a joint stage..?]

(Grandma from The Black Rubber Shoes and grumpy Giyoung meme.jpg)

Grandson: Grandma please... how many times are you going to tell this story

Grandma: Damn it listen to me... I saw the most insane stage live...

LOLLLLL

People who saw the closing ceremony live are the real winners

Anyone who saw it in person could use it as drinking material for life

They really tore it up

If it were me I’d talk about seeing it live to every person I meet for a monthㅋㅋㅋㅋ

It had become the kind of stage people would brag about for life.

Even Souffle, who usually consumed content calmly, smiled warmly.

‘This is it.’

They had grown used to nodding along at Billboard entries and Grammy nominations, thinking, “Oh, I see.”

But the Olympic closing ceremony was different.

On a historic stage, their singer had truly become the protagonist.

‘This feels incredible. Seriously.’

A wave of happiness.

Pride in their singer, goosebumps racing down their spine.

And a certain thrill.

‘How do they always explode at the right moment?’

Idol groups usually have critical turning points.

In the staircase structure of rising popularity, how much you explode at that timing determines what comes next.

NewBlack always nailed those moments.

Not just using the Olympic stage well—

They detonated it.

Souffle’s dopamine was bursting at the sight of their favorite seizing every opportunity perfectly.

‘This is what being a fan is.’

As they watched the members’ fancams, they smiled in bliss.

They could feel it.

As of today, NewBlack would rise another step.

And Souffle weren’t the only ones who thought so.

@LeBlanc

(Photo of Wooju in black hanbok)

The highest beauty.

That is the value LeBlanc pursues.

@DK_Link

(Photo of NewBlack’s dance break)

An overwhelmingly fast stage.

DK Link leads the 5G era.

Luxury brands and advertisers with NewBlack as ambassadors subtly chimed in.

Domestic brands.

International brands.

They all knew the reaction to the closing ceremony.

Crazy

Why are the advertisers so funnyㅋㅋㅋㅋ

But everyone is pretending the EDM ending didn’t happenㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

(Photo of Kim Junghyun in bear sunglasses) but he’s so cute

Wow the overseas reaction must be huge;;

METRO is skyrocketing on international charts right now

METRO climbed simultaneously to the top ranks of major overseas charts.

Fancam and stage video views soared at insane speed.

People even joked the group fancam might surpass 100 million views.

‘Unbelievable.’

Idol fans watched in awe.

But the real change unfolding beneath the surface was something else entirely.

Click.

Click.

Viewers with tired eyes, watching K-pop idol fancams, lit up as they glanced at related videos.

‘This is insane....’

Newcomers were greeted by a vast library of content, wondering how they had only discovered this now.

It began with Wooju’s opening ceremony fancam.

Then curiosity sparked after the closing ceremony joint stage.

How am I only finding this now

Where do I go if I want more videos??

I’ve only heard of K-pop by name before, but this is my first time actually watching a stage. I am ready to throw myself into this today.

Of course, those who actively searched and showed signs of falling in love were only a fraction of the global audience.

But that fraction came from 300 million viewers worldwide.

Even one percent meant three million people.

If even a few percent grew interested in K-pop...

‘What is this?’

As NewBlack fans grew puzzled by the sudden surge in views on old videos—

The next generation of overseas K-pop fans, dubbed the “Olympic Generation,” slowly began to take shape.

An overwhelming influx of new fans.

The fundamental size of the K-pop market pie was expanding.

No one yet knew what that would mean for NewBlack’s next album.

But one thing was certain—

NewBlack Olympic Fancam Surpasses 100 Million Views... Fastest Record Worldwide

The biggest beneficiary of this upheaval was NewBlack.

Several days passed since the closing ceremony, yet the heat remained.

“Unbelievable.”

I muttered, staring at the stack of books in the lounge.

“All of these are about us?”

“Yes.”

Ri Hyuk slid one out.

NewBlack and the Humanities.

We stood blankly, staring at the towering pile.

Trends 2018 Through NewBlack

A Humanist Sees the World Through NewBlack

NewBlack, Their Burning Passion

Ri Hyuk said,

“They were mass-published during the Olympic season. I heard books like this started coming out after METRO blew up last year, but...”

“We’re not the only ones rowing when the tide comes in.”

I nodded at Junghyun’s words.

Documentaries titled NewBlack, Writing a New Myth in K-pop aired on TV.

On MyTube, every patriotic content thumbnail featured us.

And now books too.

“So how are they?”

“Hmm....”

Judging by the veins on his forehead, not great.

After skimming the preface, Ri Hyuk began tossing books aside.

“They’re awful. You can clearly see they’re just slapping NewBlack’s name on it to sell copies....”

He trembled in irritation.

“They’re distorting the essence. Saying we succeeded because we embedded humanities into our lyrics. That’s not it. They’re over-interpreting everything... and it doesn’t even look properly researched.”

“Calm down, Ri Hyuk.”

“Paper waste... I bought them thinking they’d be interesting.”

He grumbled like Jiho raging over a terrible movie.

We laughed as we browsed the rest.

Under The Humanist’s K-pop Stroll sat something titled Children’s Comic Biographies: NewBlack.

“Guys. Look. We’re great figures.”

“Hahahaha!”

We burst into laughter at our cartoon faces.

But the real laughter came when we saw CEO Park Gyuho.

Drawn as a sparkling, handsome middle-aged man with glitter effects.

“We have to show this to him.”

“He’ll love it.”

A biography, huh.

It was funny, but not entirely bad.

The fact that people published books hoping to capitalize on the Olympic buzz showed just how much attention we had gained.

“Anyway, this is amusing.”

With so much work piled up, even this felt refreshing.

“Break’s over. Back to work.”

“Yes!”

A few days had passed since the closing ceremony.

The calendar had flipped from 2 to 3.

Winter and spring were beginning their seasonal tug-of-war.

NewBlack’s “Something” Re-enters Charts... Becoming a Perennial Hit?

Hearing that our spring song Something had re-entered charts made the season feel real.

Spring meant we were insanely busy.

“Recording. Recording. Fun recording~”

“In the lush green season I record and lose my mind~ I’m happy~ I’ve been happy for 13 hours~”

“The heater’s making me dizzy. I’m gonna go throw up real quick.”

We were wrapping up album recordings.

Endless meetings with the TF team about the music video and jacket photos consumed entire days.

Oh.

There was also the Paralympic torch relay.

Since we’re ambassadors for both the Olympics and Paralympics, we want to properly promote the Paralympics too. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

At Biju’s insistence, we agreed.

We participated in the torch relay starting at Jamsil Sports Complex.

NewBlack Participates in Paralympic Torch Relay... “Please give lots of love to the Paralympics!”

Who were the torchbearers? ‘NewBlack, Serenity, Former National Athlete Park Seongju’

“A Flame That Makes Everyone Shine”... NewBlack’s Relay Appearance Becomes a Hot Topic

At the site, Biju tried to dance the letters P and Y with his body to spell Pyeongchang.

No one understood.

We didn’t either.

After wrapping up all ambassador duties—

We completed another project.

It was a good session, Sunny.

“Thanks to you, it was a great experience too, Cold.”

Our collaboration with Cold Brown.

With help from producers returning from the Hawaii song camp, we wrapped the track quickly.

“I’m a bit worried we finished too fast. It’s the first time we’ve worked this quickly...”

Don’t worry.

America’s top rapper grinned.

Songwriting time and quality don’t correlate. One of my best tracks was hummed out in five minutes. Won a Grammy for rap.

“That’s true.”

Many of my best songs were born in an instant too.

“So when are you planning to release Answer?”

Soon.

“So soon?”

Yeah. We’ve got to milk the Olympic buzz before it dies down. No dragging our feet.

He wanted to release within the month.

I agreed.

It was a collaboration single; timing wasn’t critical.

As we discussed schedules between companies, something occurred to me.

“Cold.”

Yeah?

“Have you thought about promoting in Korea this time?”

Sure. Hayley’s been telling me to visit. Says the food’s insanely good.

It had been one of my conditions.

That he promote in Korea too.

We ended the call after agreeing to coordinate schedules.

“Busy.”

I sat in the studio, checking items off the list.

Meeting Producer Gu Jaeyoung, who had left TBC at the end of February, about a variety show.

Meeting about Dad’s film project as producer.

As I crossed things off—

Knock knock.

The members entered.

“Hm?”

“It’s time to go, hyung.”

“Already?”

The movers began coming in.

Our studio was the last to be cleared.

“Please handle this carefully. The equipment’s heavy...”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

“Wrap the synthesizer properly...”

After giving instructions, I was pulled into the hallway.

Boxes lined the floor.

Staff rushed around finishing up.

Lemon Entertainment’s old building was already half empty.

“This is the last time here.”

“Yeah.”

The members looked around nostalgically.

So did I.

It felt like middle school graduation day.

Walking through an empty school.

Thinking I’d never come back.

Four years.

As I looked at the building I had spent four years in, Jiho placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Let’s go, hyung.”

“Let’s.”

We took one last look.

Then stepped away.

Quick footsteps.

Laughter echoing.

“Hahaha!”

“New buildingggg!”

“Goodbye old building!”

We ran out toward the underground parking lot.

Early March.

Today was the day we visited Lemon Entertainment’s new headquarters.