Chapter 891: You’ve waited a long time, haven’t you? (20)

Rain was falling.

Shaa—

The sky carried that dim, heavy darkness unique to rainy mornings.

Souffle stepped out onto their balconies, checked the rain, and let out hollow laughs.

‘Is this for real.’

It hadn’t rained all month, and then suddenly it started pouring the day before the concert.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to stop at all...”

Worry was already creeping into their minds.

Forty-five thousand people would gather near the main stadium, trying to escape the rain into cafes and restaurants—would there even be space? And even if they wore raincoats, would they really be okay standing outside in the rain for over three hours?

And among all those worries, the biggest one was—

‘What about the boys.’

The singers who would be performing on stage in the rain.

‘Ri Hyuk catches a cold even in spring drizzle... Biju gets body aches pretty easily too. Wooju and Jiho...’

And then, the last face that crossed their minds.

‘Junghyun...’

A warm, gentle smile came to mind, and Souffle instinctively looked away.

They could practically picture him crouching in a straw hat, telling crops, “It’s going to rain.”

The fans who had been imagining that shook their heads quickly.

“This is bad.”

What were they supposed to do about this rain?

As Souffle stared anxiously outside, their families spoke up.

“It’s raining a lot. Take an umbrella. Dress warmly.”

“They said it might stop by the evening.”

At that bit of good news, they asked,

“It’s stopping in the evening?”

“That’s what the weather service said.”

“...”

A sudden swell of distrust.

Seeing Souffle hesitating while staring outside, their families asked,

“You don’t want to go out, do you?”

“Yeah.”

“Then transfer your ticket to Dad.”

“No.”

Absolutely not.

After fending off family members who had been eyeing NewBlack’s concert, Souffle stepped outside.

It was raining so heavily that they both wanted to go and didn’t want to go at the same time.

‘Wow. It’s even worse now that I’m outside.’

Buses splashed muddy water across the road, headlights reflecting in every direction.

Carrying humid air with them, Souffle made their way to the main stadium using all kinds of transportation.

A glowing sign greeted them.

[Olympic Stadium]

Souffle, umbrellas in hand, gasped.

“It’s huge.”

“I’ve been here for Dream Concert before, but why does it look even bigger today?”

“That’s because it’s the main stadium.”

The moment they saw the size of the venue, they instinctively knew—their favorite idols would look like tiny dots today.

But still...

‘It’s the main stadium!’

They burst into laughter.

So what if the view wasn’t great?

It was the main stadium.

So what if it rained?

It was the main stadium!

– The symbol of a top K-pop artist.

No matter how many albums you sell or how high you rank on charts, concert attendance doesn’t lie.

It’s the clearest indicator of how many real fans an artist has.

That’s why only a handful of artists can fill the main stadium.

Among idol groups, TNT—considered part of the 2.5 generation—had been the last.

And NewBlack was the first of the 3rd generation to do it.

‘The sense of accomplishment from stanning is insane.’

Even though the concert was still hours away, their hearts were already racing.

They couldn’t stay still. They wanted to stomp their feet in excitement.

“Ah, I’m nervous.”

Even while going to pick up their tickets, they were trembling.

“I heard the identity check is super strict this time.”

“Really?”

“They ask all sorts of things. It’s my first time doing this, I’m nervous... What if they reject me saying I don’t look like my ID?”

“Do you look that different?”

“I gained some weight. Back in high school I was Ri Hyuk, now I’ve become Junghyun... After eating all the fan gifts at music shows...”

But it ended with just a simple ID check.

The staff member in a raincoat glanced at their well-fed cheeks and it almost felt like they handed over a pass saying, “Souffle approved.”

For some reason, it felt like a loss.

‘What do I do now.’

All the restaurants and cafes near the stadium were already full.

Because of the rain, they couldn’t go kill time at the Han River park, and walking all the way to Sauron’s Tower didn’t feel like a good idea either.

Even with an umbrella, their jeans were getting soaked.

Inside a café filled with the smell of coffee, Souffle chatted.

“Do we have to install the central control app? Does it not sync if we don’t? Mine is version 1.0...”

“You probably have to. But the app is really bad.”

“Still, we’re lucky. TJ had all the lights suddenly go out during a group singalong event at a joint concert.”

“Wow.”

“You can find it on MyTube. ‘Concert of Darkness.’”

As they chatted, gushed about their favorites, and praised Light Gyuho, one topic kept coming up.

“The rain won’t stop...”

“The stage is going to be so slippery during rehearsal...”

What if the members slipped?

What if they caught a cold?

What if Ri Hyuk got paranoid about electric shocks from the cables?

Their worries kept piling up.

Then—

[Souffle....]

The people near chicken shops and hotdog stands around the stadium heard something.

[Souffle....]

Everyone’s eyes widened.

If it weren’t for the youthful voice, it would’ve sounded like an ancestor calling them.

Souffle looked up.

“Ri Hyuk... that’s Ri Hyuk’s voice!”

His voice was so powerful that his mic from inside the stadium carried all the way out.

Everyone listened.

[We’re... in rehearsal....]

Drivers passing by nodded to themselves. ‘They’re rehearsing.’

NewBlack’s main vocalist continued.

[We’re not slipping and rehearsal is going well, so don’t worry too much. Wooju... hyung almost fell.]

‘Almost?’

[But he landed using a fall technique.]

‘Ah.’

[And don’t worry too much about the weather either. It’s not scientific, but... Junghyun hyung is currently performing a rain ritual. Since things always turn out the opposite for him, the rain might actually stop. But I can’t guarantee it 100 percent.]

Ri Hyuk added,

[Scientists don’t use the word 100 percent.]

Souffle burst into laughter.

[Just like how the ground becomes firmer after rain, I believe that once this rain passes, our amazing time will begin. Everyone, lo—]

His voice suddenly faded out with an echo.

‘Why can’t we hear him?’

Then—

[Vroom! Ri Hyuk hyung is pretending his voice is fading awaaaay—!]

“Hey!”

Laughter exploded everywhere.

“Hyung, Souffle are asking you to read out lottery numbers in the fan café. They say you sound like an ancestor.”

“Uh... recommending numbers like that is really hard...”

Then Wooju’s voice cut in.

[It is your ancestor... buy one ticket each automatically......]

Everyone in the café burst into laughter, even the staff choking on it.

Souffle laughed, saying they should buy lottery tickets before the concert.

A few hours later—

Just as their singer had predicted, the rain began to stop.

“Wow! It’s stopping!”

“It really is!”

The clouds cleared, revealing a bright sky.

Souffle ran outside and took deep breaths.

“The air is so clean...”

Thanks to the rain, the spring dust had completely washed away.

Flowers glistened under sunlight, and a warm spring breeze began to blow.

‘It’s spring.’

The concert banner fluttered.

[The New Black : Good Night]

Their spring had arrived.

“My hands are cold.”

“I can’t believe I’ve become Ri Hyuk.”

“Me too, hyung.”

Biju placed his hand over mine.

Then Ri Hyuk placed his hand on top as well.

Biju flinched.

“Ah, cold. Ri Hyuk, are you okay?”

“As expected, the original is different.”

Ri Hyuk smiled warmly.

“This is what real cold extremities feel like.”

“You’re seriously cold.”

Then—

A warm hand covered ours.

“Ah, warm.”

“As expected, Junghyun has no worries.”

Junghyun smiled.

“Why wouldn’t I worry? I’m nervous too.”

“Really?”

“A little.”

Who wouldn’t be?

Our youngest was practically wedged between us, shrinking in place.

I said,

“Alright. Stay calm.”

“Hyung, your eye is twitching.”

“That just means I’m excited.”

They laughed.

Thirty minutes before the concert.

We stood up in full stage makeup.

The waiting room was filled with congratulatory wreaths.

[Welcome. First time at the main stadium? – TNT]

[Congratulations on NewBlack’s main stadium concert ♥ Our beloved youngest son – Hoho Chicken Wang Hyuntak]

[View Korean translation: Congrats or whatever – Haley Blue]

Snacks were piled everywhere.

I picked up Cold Brown’s chocolate, then put it back.

“Eat that and your teeth will turn brown on stage,” the head stylist had warned.

So we just sucked on candy.

“It’s time.”

“Yes.”

We left the waiting room in our stage outfits.

“Waaaah!”

“NewBlack! NewBlack!”

Staff lined both sides, applauding.

We nodded, greeting them as we walked.

Normally, I would’ve seen every face clearly.

But now, it felt like something was blocking my vision—I could only look forward.

We greeted the band.

“Let’s do great today.”

“Looking forward to it.”

The dance team shouted at Biju.

“Go easy today!”

“Please spare us!”

The backstage hallway felt endless.

Then—

The exit.

The moment we stepped outside, the deafening roar of speakers shook us.

– Wooju! Biju! Junghyun! Ri Hyuk! Jiho!

– NewBlack! NewBlack!

Forty-five thousand voices surged through our bodies.

Jiho grinned.

“I think I was born for the stage.”

“Me too.”

We couldn’t see the audience yet—

But we could feel them.

“Let’s go up.”

We sat behind the stage doors.

The VCR began.

“WAAAAAH!”

The countdown started.

We exchanged glances.

‘Let’s go.’

After all this time.

It was time to meet our fans.

“AAAAAAAH!”

Screams erupted.

In the darkness, thousands of lightsticks waved like a sea.

A beautiful ocean of light.

Then—

The opening VCR played.

Clips of pre-debut NewBlack appeared.

Practice videos.

Stage clips.

Messages.

“So cute.”

“The cutest in their twenties in Korea.”

Then—

The scene shifted.

From 239 people at debut...

To 45,000 now.

The stadium filled to the brim.

“WAAAAAH!”

Then—

They appeared.

Same outfits.

Same stage.

But this time—it was real.

Ri Hyuk raised the mic.

“Look there.”

“Our fireworks.”

His clear voice echoed effortlessly.

“Painting the night sky...”

Souffle responded.

“Like a Firework—”

Wooju sang.

Jiho and Biju followed.

Then—

Silence.

No backing track.

Pure live.

“...WAAAAAH!”

The crowd exploded.

It reminded them of that moment—

When NewBlack first proved themselves.

And now—

They were even better.

“Wow...”

Even non-fans were stunned.

‘I get it now.’

Then—

“Like a Firework—”

Ri Hyuk added,

“We’ll show you.”

“Now.”

The doors behind them opened.

“WAAAAAH!”

Fireworks exploded.

Wooju shouted,

“Are you ready?!”

“YES!!!”

Forty-five thousand voices roared back.

The concert had begun.

Outside the stadium—

Thousands who failed to get tickets watched from afar.

Fireworks lit the sky.

“...It started.”

“Ahh...”

Some watched from the Han River park.

“They’re doing a drone show later too.”

Officially 45,000.

Unofficially over 50,000.

NewBlack’s world tour had begun.