Chapter 860: Answer (13)

Public hall stage.

Cold and I stepped onto the stage after changing into our performance outfits and looked around.

“Wow.”

The rapper let out a whistle.

“This is incredible.”

“You like it?”

“I love it. It feels like the bar on 55th Street I used to go to when I was still unknown is right in front of me. That place had amazing beer...”

The concept of the stage where Cold Brown and I stood was a small bar.

The kind of place you’d see in American movies where hip-hop musicians or stand-up comedians perform locally.

A glass display like a bartender’s shelf.

Brick walls.

And even a wired microphone like the ones hip-hop artists use.

“Perfect.”

Cold said with a satisfied smile.

“I’m starting to feel jealous of Korean musicians. Do they always build stages this cool?”

“No, not really. They only do this for comebacks.”

“Oh.”

“With company money.”

When I said this was funded by our company, Cold nodded.

“Then I should thank your brilliant CEO. Tell him I appreciate the effort.”

“Haha.”

As we talked, we checked our positions.

The mic cables could easily get tangled, so we roughly decided who would stand where.

After a quick rehearsal, we waited for the audience to enter.

“Looks like people are coming.”

From the artist entrance, we could hear chatter.

Today’s pre-recording audience wasn’t just Souffle and Cold Brown’s long-time fans.

—Cold, is there anything you want to do on a music show?

—Hmm. A party.

—A party?

—In the US, when you release a song, you invite friends and have a listening party. You listen together and get praised. I want that kind of feeling on stage.

That’s why today’s audience was a little different.

“Ah, my back...”

Souffle fans entered, tapping their backs.

Not because their bags were heavy...

‘I feel like I’m going to throw up.’

They had eaten too much.

Carrying the lingering smell of pizza, they sat down and looked at the stage.

‘Wow.’

The jazz-bar-style set drew admiration.

Soon, they began taking out their items.

‘Hide the slogan for the event... check the lightsticks...’

Click click.

As they tested their lightsticks—

Flash flash.

Blue lights flickered in the distance, and Souffle’s eyes narrowed sharply.

‘Who is it? Who brought a Soul baton?’

Gripping their own lightsticks like weapons, they looked up.

“Huh?”

“Wait!?”

They were startled.

The approaching lights belonged to TeenSpirit’s Soul batons.

‘W-why is TeenSpirit here?’

TeenSpirit shyly greeted the audience.

“Hello, Souffle. We’re TeenSpirit!”

Seven years into their career, now just over twenty on average—

But still looking like gentle, youthful boys.

Every time they smiled, it felt like the world brightened.

Yeonhu, with his blonde hair, brushed it back.

“We came to watch Cold Brown’s performance today. He said he wanted other artists to see it too.”

“Ah...”

“We’ll take our seats now!”

Voices saying “they’re so cute...” echoed everywhere.

TeenSpirit sat in the front row, frowning slightly.

‘Everyone keeps calling us cute...’

‘I’m twenty now... I’m an adult...’

‘We’re in our seventh year. Why doesn’t anyone treat us like seniors?’

Every time they tried to act mature, they remembered someone telling them—

Looking young is a good thing.

But Wooju didn’t understand.

‘Do you know what it’s like to be treated like a kid forever!?’

As they grumbled quietly, Souffle watched with fond smiles.

‘Typical boys.’

Fans who had followed them long enough knew their real personalities.

And that was exactly what made them cute.

While TeenSpirit reflected on maturity, more artists entered.

“Do you smell pizza?”

“Yeah...?”

“Ugh, that smells so good...”

At the mention of pizza, Souffle discreetly adjusted their clothes to hide the scent.

But the conversation didn’t last long.

“WAAAAAAAA!”

“AAAAAA!”

The sudden roar made singers instinctively cover their ears, while hip-hop fans panicked.

Then they realized why.

‘No way... it’s really Cold Brown.’

“Coldy!”

As Cold Brown picked up the mic, cheers erupted.

—Hello! Music On!

“WOOOOO!”

—I’m really happy to meet you. I heard many of you are NewBlack fans. And some of you have been waiting for me in Korea...

Hip-hop fans raised their hands.

Cold carefully looked at them.

—Could you stand up for a moment?

“...?”

They stood awkwardly.

Cold turned to his manager.

—Ben, get their names and contact information.

Everyone was confused.

Then Cold said,

—Congratulations. You’ve just won VIP seats to my concert in Korea next year.

“WHAT?!”

“NO WAY!”

As they covered their mouths in shock, envy spread through the crowd.

Cold pointed at them.

—Today, this song is for you, my friends.

More cheers.

Then all eyes turned to Wooju.

—Souffle, please stand up.

Everyone stood, including TeenSpirit.

Wooju smiled.

—I don’t have tickets. Haha.

Boooo!

Amid playful booing, Wooju grinned.

—Instead, I’ll sing for you. Sound good?

As he chatted with the audience, the staff signaled.

Recording began.

Lightsticks waved.

The spotlight fell on the two men.

Cold Brown started first.

“...Wow.”

Rap usually wasn’t easy for general audiences to connect with.

But his flowed so smoothly, it pulled people in.

Like waves of language washing over them.

The saxophone cut in perfectly, controlling the rhythm.

‘It sounds exactly like the recording... insane...’

As Cold stepped back after the first verse—

Wooju appeared from the corner, pulling down his hood.

The light hit his face.

It glowed.

His features stood out sharply today.

People stared.

‘I’d forgive him even if he spilled food on my bed...’

‘Even if he dragged me to eat weird food... maybe...’

‘Why does he look so different even though he’s the same age...’

Then—

His rap began.

A soft singing rap.

It felt like this stage was the only thing in existence.

He hummed the lyrics, looking at his shadow under the light.

From above, the camera captured him.

“How is he doing that?”

Each hand movement changed his shadow.

Different shapes.

Different expressions.

As he closed his eyes—

I think I finally found the answer

The one I was searching for

You know it too

Cold Brown joined in with vocals.

Their bodies moved in sync.

Smooth choreography.

The singers watching blinked.

‘Wait... they’re both good at dancing?’

Cold Brown was known to be multi-talented.

But Wooju matched him effortlessly.

TeenSpirit sighed in relief.

‘Thank god he’s not on our team.’

‘We’d be dead from practice.’

As the stage reached its end—

They extended their hands toward the audience.

Dropped their mics.

They had crushed it. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

Souffle cheered.

Then raised their slogan.

[Like a spring breeze, your answer wraps around us]

Wooju smiled.

Cold Brown’s eyes grew wet.

“For me?”

To idol fans, this was normal.

But for him, it was different.

Souffle smiled.

‘Cry, American.’

‘This is K fan support.’

And soon—

He really was tearing up.

During the broadcast.

“...Did I see that right? It’s already over 3%?”

“...Yeah...”

A shocking rating.

Music shows usually struggled to reach 1%.

But this—

‘Why is it 3% before it even starts?’

All because of two people.

“Not Cold Brown. Gold Brown.”

“If this keeps up, this could be the biggest show of the decade.”

“Unless NewBlack does something else again...”

Everyone nodded.

‘Right... it depends on NewBlack...’

Meanwhile—

Online comments flooded in.

—When is Wooju and Cold performing??

—Near the end probably

—People who went said there was Chicago pizza... jealous

—Cold Brown’s favorite place apparently

After Cash Cow’s stage—

Finally.

Their performance aired.

—Wooju’s rapㅠㅠㅠ

—Now I see why Cold is number one

—That saxophone is insane

The song hit deeper than before.

Souffle smiled softly.

‘Hip-hop is good too.’

When the winner was announced—

NYX took first place.

During the encore—

Cold Brown stood awkwardly.

—LOL he doesn’t know what to do

—Looks like a rookie

Then—

Wooju showed him the dance.

Cold joined in.

Dancing behind NYX.

The entire stage burst into laughter.

A legendary ending.

After the show.

In the hallway—

“Ah! Hello!”

NewBlack members stood there.

TeenSpirit stopped.

“Why are you here?”

“To congratulate Wooju.”

“...Why are there four cakes?”

“Can’t there be four cakes?”

There was clearly a story.

TeenSpirit stared.

“Can we have a bite?”

“Sure.”

They smiled.

Wooju arrived.

“Why are there four cakes?”

“...We just wanted to eat more.”

Surprisingly—

He accepted it.

As they celebrated together—

TeenSpirit said,

“Hyung, congrats. You really hit big.”

“Thanks. Your song was great too.”

“...But it overlapped with yours...”

They sighed.

Then joked,

“Just release something every month.”

Suddenly—

NewBlack froze.

Sparkling eyes.

“That idea...”

“That’s actually good.”

“Should we make it a special album?”

TeenSpirit froze.

‘...Wait.’

Something felt very wrong.