Chapter 858: Answer (11)

After the filming ended.

Cold Brown and I walked up to the seated audience and greeted them.

“Were you surprised by the sudden showcase? Thank you so much for your amazing response to today’s stage.”

“You guys are amazing.”

As [N O V E L I G H T] we approached, people covered their mouths in shock or asked for photos, and we smiled while posing with them.

“That was insane!”

“The song is so good! I’m seriously becoming a fan starting today.”

“I’m Souffle, oppa!”

Since there were as many as 500 people, Souffle fans were mixed in here and there.

To confirm, I casually asked.

“0619?”

“0718!”

We both chuckled.

The Souffle fan smiled smugly.

“This is basic, isn’t it, oppa?”

“So you really are my fan. Come here. I’ll give you a special service.”

“Huuuh!”

“Ri Hyuk! There’s a Souffle here—”

I tried to call Ri Hyuk over to talk, but he was nowhere to be seen.

I asked Manager Jongwan, who was standing nearby.

“Where did Ri Hyuk go?”

“He said he had somewhere urgent to go for a moment. He asked you to wait—he’ll be back soon.”

Did he get something dirty on his hands or something?

For a moment, I imagined our main vocalist going “damn it” while obsessively washing his hands like a man possessed, then turned my attention back to the crowd.

Cold Brown had a pen cap in his mouth as he diligently signed autographs. Then he bumped fists with people reaching out to him.

We were even eating into our break time because of fan service, but neither of us minded.

In that regard, our philosophy was similar.

—For us, one minute is short, but for the audience, it can become a memory that lasts a lifetime.

If a little effort could leave someone with a great memory, who would refuse?

“C-could you sign here?”

“Hyung, my grandma’s name is Kim Deoksun. Uh...? Why are you hugging me?”

“Can we take a group photo?”

That was when we were shaking hands and taking photos with people.

Click—

Suddenly, some of the venue lights began to turn off.

As Cold Brown’s bodyguards surrounded him like a human barrier, turning him into something like a chocolate gimbap, a voice echoed through the speakers.

[Huh? What’s this?]

[What is this~?]

The kind of staged voice you hear during a birthday surprise.

But the voice was very familiar.

Before I even realized it, I was smiling, and the audience who recognized it started screaming.

“It’s the squad!”

“N-no way! We hit the jackpot!”

“Damn, I feel like I just used up all my luck for the semester.”

As the audience cheered, our youngest member’s voice rang out.

[Everyone, did you know? Answer has just taken first place on Mango’s real-time chart!]

Applause erupted everywhere.

Cold Brown asked me,

“What’s Mango?”

“It’s like Korea’s version of Spotify. People use it as a metric to see how successful a song is with the public.”

“Ohh.”

Cold smiled with satisfaction.

As we moved back toward the stage, a four-member group came running out from backstage.

But...

“Hm?”

Why was there no cake?

The squad surrounded us, each holding a decoration with a “1” on it, spinning around us in a circle dance.

“Congratulations~ congratulations~!”

“Congratulations on Answer reaching number one~!”

“Woooooo!”

I asked the dizzying group.

“Isn’t that... cake decoration?”

“Woooooo! Congratulations!”

“No, I mean, the thing in your hands—that’s cake—”

“Woooooo!”

I couldn’t focus at all.

Junghyun kept muttering “congratulations... congratulations...” like he was casting hypnosis, making things even more chaotic.

Biju was doing a congratulatory dance like tap dancing.

The youngest placed flower garlands around Cold Brown and me, and I felt like my head was spinning.

“Ah... this is too much.”

Normally, we would blow out candles and celebrate first place with a cake.

But instead, the squad was just dancing around with decorations, as if they had forgotten the cake entirely, and I could only laugh.

The youngest greeted energetically.

—Everyone! Hello! We’re the squad!

As they gestured, the staff at the venue began peeling off a sticker attached to the banner.

Wait.

There was another sticker?

[2018 Special Lecture by Music Industry Leaders for a Successful Career Path ① Cold Brown & Wooju]

Riiip.

The sticker over my name was removed.

[2018 Special Lecture by Music Industry Leaders for a Successful Career Path ① Cold Brown & NewBlack]

At that moment, laughter burst throughout the venue.

I nodded, laughing along.

“Woooooo!”

The audience erupted in cheers at the appearance of the full NewBlack lineup.

Students who had been awkwardly getting up to leave sat back down again.

I picked up the mic and asked,

—Didn’t you all say you had classes next?

Nod nod.

I looked at the college students, who now had expressions like classes didn’t matter at all, then shifted my gaze.

Professors holding their phones with warm, proud smiles.

—Professors? Don’t you have classes to teach?

Shake shake.

Everyone burst into laughter at the professors’ sparkling eyes.

[Understanding Popular Music – Class Notice]

Due to the professor’s schedule, class will begin 10 minutes late. (NewBlack is currently at the arts theater. Those who want to watch, come over.)

Ding dong.

[Understanding Popular Music – Class Notice]

All enrolled students have been confirmed present on-site. Today’s lecture will be replaced with a field practice session (observing NewBlack).

At that time.

Amid the buzz of NewBlack’s visit to the arts university, the Souffle fandom was celebrating wildly.

‘This is great!’

A new thumbnail was sitting at the top of every music platform.

A black background with a red circle, and inside it, the word Answer.

[1st Place] Wooju, Cold Brown – Answer

The comment sections, already flooded with five-star ratings, were overflowing with praise.

—Sunwoo, you did it again. This hyung always believed in you

—Sunwooㅠㅠㅠㅠ

—Holy shit, the beat goes crazy...

—So this is what classic hip-hop feels like

—Cold Brown really said he’s going for a Grammy; this song is insane

—Top of US charts × top of Korean charts collab... now I get why both are at the top

—Feels oddly American in taste lol but it’s good

—Both of their voices are instruments lol, tone really is half of rap

Watching the positive reactions pouring in from everywhere, Souffle fans rubbed their noses proudly.

‘They really made it well.’

What made them especially proud was the artistry.

The fact that the two had the confidence to hold a showcase in front of music professors and university students.

Because of that, critics both domestically and internationally were also showering it with praise.

Various analyses poured in, but the conclusion was similar.

‘This has a strong shot at a Grammy.’

Clean lyrics without the usual profanity.

A melody that perfectly balanced popularity and artistry.

A serious theme that Grammy judges would appreciate.

But just as Souffle fans were smiling at the overwhelming praise—

“......”

They sighed.

Because of the group moving in the shadows.

‘The antis are having a field day.’

Posts were popping up, clearly intent on throwing dirt.

Most were rumors with shaky or false facts.

A complaint about rude service at a Chinatown restaurant had somehow turned into accusations of anti-Asian racism. Typical diss lyrics from hip-hop were suddenly framed as character controversies that didn’t even exist in the US.

Of course, there hadn’t been zero mistakes.

But still...

‘If you apply the same standards as Korean celebrities to American ones, who would survive...’

Seeing people nitpick every tiny flaw like a grain mill, Souffle fans looked briefly disgusted.

Since there was nothing to criticize about NewBlack, they were targeting the collaboration partner instead.

The antis’ goal was simple.

Drag one side down, then frame both as the same.

Even when clarification posts appeared, people deliberately ignored them.

‘Fighting them head-on won’t solve anything.’

So—

‘We bury them.’

The best solution was to flood the space with positive posts.

“Let’s go.”

With overwhelming firepower, Souffle fans drowned out the antis.

At the same time, they monitored reactions across various platforms.

Communities, social media, and especially MyTube—

The Answer video uploaded by Lemon Entertainment had already reached tens of millions of views.

‘Good, good.’

If there was one place with negative reactions...

...it was among self-proclaimed hip-hop purists.

Souffle fans took one look and backed away.

‘Not touching that.’

Meanwhile, they turned their attention overseas.

‘What about the US response?’

Soon, the reply came back.

They had hit the jackpot.

This was the era of streaming.

Just as CDs once replaced records, streaming was now replacing physical albums in the US.

And in this streaming market, hip-hop held the greatest influence.

At the center of it was Cold Brown.

“Cold Brown dropped a new track?”

So it was no surprise that his song immediately took first place on streaming platforms.

The real question was what came next.

To keep streaming, the song had to be good.

“...Wait. This is actually really good.”

The jazz-based melody looped smoothly, pleasant to the ear.

People found themselves humming along before it ended.

And then replaying it again.

Meanwhile—

“Who’s this?”

Next to Cold Brown’s name was another.

Woojoo.

People searched.

“NewBlack? Is that him?”

“That Sunny guy or whatever? Girls like him, right?”

Young American men who usually only listened to hip-hop to maintain a certain image—

For the first time, a NewBlack member entered their awareness.

“...The song’s not bad.”

As they watched the performance video on MyTube, the autoplay moved to METRO.

Normally, they would have clicked away.

But the melody kept them listening.

“....”

“....”

Without realizing it, they added METRO to their playlists.

And just like that, NewBlack’s music began reaching new listeners.

At the same time, Answer was gaining traction everywhere.

Streaming records, radio promotions—

Everything was moving fast.

Of course, not everything was positive.

Debates broke out about whether Wooju’s singing rap qualified as hip-hop.

There were also complaints in certain communities.

But overall—

Things were going well.

Very well.

After finishing the showcase at the university.

Cold Brown and I moved to a nearby hotel and wrapped up the press conference.

Next on the schedule was a music broadcast at Yeouido PBS.

“I’m excited.”

Cold Brown’s eyes sparkled.

“So now we compete where Korea’s top singers gather... and win first place there, right?”

“W-well...”

“I wonder what I should say in my acceptance speech.”

I hesitated.

Wait.

I think he misunderstood something.

“Acceptance speech?”

“They give out trophies, right? It’s obvious we’ll win, isn’t it?”

“Cold.”

“Hmm?”

I struggled with how to explain it.

His eyes were shining so brightly, it felt like telling a child that Santa doesn’t exist.

“...Unfortunately, we can’t win first place today.”

“....”

“Why...?”

“Music shows have a tracking period, like the Billboard Hot 100. Our song was released today, so it won’t be included yet.”

“...Why?”

“Because... those are the rules.”

Cold Brown’s face fell.

I quickly added,

“It’s not that special anyway.”

“....”

“But there’s a high chance we’ll win next week.”

“Oh. Really?”

When I said I’d accept the trophy and send it to him if needed, he visibly brightened.

He really was someone who loved awards.

“...Phew.”

Just as I was hoping PBS had prepared things well—

“Hm?”

Manager Jongwan, who was driving, pointed ahead.

“There’s a banner.”

“A banner?”

“Yes... with Cold Brown’s face on it.”

Above the entrance to the public hall, a banner hung.

[Welcome to Cold Brown]

[From All PBS Staff]

There was even a red carpet, and the entertainment director and the program’s chief producer were waiting with flowers.

I felt embarrassed at the excessive reception, as if a politician were visiting.

Cold stared at it, then asked me,

“Who are they?”

“The director and the producer in charge, I think.”

Then—

His lips curled upward.

His body trembled.

His eyes shone with uncontrollable joy.

“Today is truly... the best day...”

“....”

Why does it feel like only strange people gather around me?