Chapter 910: Hey, where is this? Yes. This is Newniverse. (10)

That’s right.

I was absolutely getting torn apart.

If my HP had been visible, it would’ve been flashing red with barely ten thousand left.

The distorted voices of the members and the stylist team rang out.

[Honestly, these days your outfits are pretty good. But...]

[But!]

[Sometimes you brag about your casual fashion, and every time I see it, I get a little... taken aback!]

[Exactly.]

[Your fashion is waaay too free-spirited!]

[You call yourself a fashionista, but honestly, isn’t that because the luxury brand LeBlanc made you one? That’s not your own skill!]

They were talking so much that Souffle didn’t even have room to jump in.

[You’ve got a face that would look amazing even if you wore rags! Just rags! So why?! I really! Don’t understand!]

That was Ri Hyuk.

His real voice was leaking out, louder than the voice filter.

A playful distorted voice chimed in.

[Hyung, hyung, hyung.]

[What now!!]

[You’re so worked up your real voice is coming through.]

[Ah...?]

The cute tone of the filtered “Ah?” made the fans burst into laughter.

I said,

“Hey... I’m a person with my own identity. Shouldn’t I at least be allowed to wear what I want casually?”

[No.]

The members rejected it instantly.

[This is one area where you shouldn’t have an identity!!]

[Please listen to others!]

[Maybe it’s because your hair is pink now, but you’re not listening at all—just like Jiho used to!]

I turned to the fans.

“I’ll ask you instead. Was my fashion really that bad? I thought you were just joking.”

[Well... oppa.]

One fan sighed.

[We can’t exactly say it seriously to your face...]

[Right!]

[All those “lol” comments? They’re hiding Souffle’s tears!]

I asked,

“But you only look at my face anyway, right?”

[No we don’t!]

“Then who here remembers the color of the bracelet I’m wearing today?”

No one answered.

I declared proudly,

“I know. No matter what photo you take, you’ll end up looking at my face.”

The members’ voices rang out.

[Wow, that’s ridiculous!]

[Seriously...]

I narrowed my eyes at them throwing stones from behind anonymity.

Then I gave in.

“Alright. From now on, I’ll only wear clothes chosen by the members.”

[WAAAAAAH!]

I had always thought it was just a meme when fans teased me about my outfits.

Turns out... it wasn’t.

“Alright, come back out now.”

[Yes!]

The members and stylists stood up from among the fans.

The same people who had just been roasting me returned with innocent expressions.

“Did you have fun insulting me?”

“Huh? Who insulted you? I’ve never heard of that.”

Everyone laughed at the youngest’s shameless reply.

The Q&A continued.

“What do you think about something like a Souffle sports day?”

“We were thinking of doing something like a traditional exam event—like preliminary and final rounds, and then having you take the test in front of us!”

“Between me and Ri Hyuk, who’s cuter?”

They also asked ideas they had previously discussed with the TF team.

Ideas they had shelved because they weren’t sure how fans would react.

Souffle gave detailed feedback—what they liked and didn’t like.

“I think we’ve asked most of what we were curious about...”

I checked the time.

“Now it’s your turn.”

“Do you have anything you’re curious about?”

They thought fans might not have questions—but they were wrong.

Questions poured in.

[What songs do you listen to when you’re sad?]

[Your English and Japanese keep improving—what’s your secret?]

Even though they shared so much, fans still had endless curiosity.

Among the conversations, one stood out—between Junghyun and a fan.

[I always admire your personality. I want to live like that too... but it’s hard. How can I develop that mindset?]

Junghyun thought for a moment.

“Honestly, I don’t think I have a good personality.”

[?]

“If we’re talking about personality, I’m probably not that different from you. It’s more about stamina.”

[Ah...]

“I think personality is like water. It changes shape depending on the container. If it’s in a star-shaped container, it becomes a star. If it’s in a triangle, it becomes a triangle.”

He continued.

“My calmness probably comes from having strong stamina. If I didn’t have that...”

He glanced somewhere.

“Why are you looking at me all of a sudden?”

“Nothing.”

Everyone burst out laughing at Ri Hyuk’s reaction.

Junghyun finished his advice.

“Maybe try building your stamina?”

[I should.]

“But you don’t have time to exercise, right?”

[Right...]

“Even just walking is enough. Start small.”

Fans quickly took notes.

It was a warm, gentle atmosphere.

After the talk—

“Alright, now let’s go back to seeing each other face-to-face.”

The screen was removed.

Fans who had been laughing under anonymity now smiled shyly.

We awkwardly avoided eye contact too.

Those moments happen sometimes—

When it’s hard to meet each other’s eyes.

After all, they had just been saying “You’re the best fan!” “No, you’re the best artist!”

Gu Jaeyoung PD spoke.

“Did you all enjoy the talk?”

“Yes!”

“I have a habit of breaking warm atmospheres. Now that you’re done... it’s time for games.”

We laughed.

Staff handed out mini whiteboards.

“The next segment is a quiz about NewBlack. We call it—Challenge, Black Bell!”

“WAAAAAH!”

“There will be prizes. We expect fierce competition.”

“We won’t fight over something like this.”

“Right!”

“We get along great!”

Even the fans agreed.

Then—

“Let me introduce the prize.”

A cooler was brought out.

The moment it opened—

“Holy...”

“Oh my god.”

Inside was premium Korean beef, glowing red.

Even without tasting it, it looked incredible.

“This is a top-tier premium set.”

“How much is it?”

“It’s so expensive it’s hard to even assign a price.”

Junghyun whispered,

“That’s rare. You can tell just by looking.”

“A rare item.”

We exchanged glances.

Nod.

We grabbed whiteboards.

“We’re joining too.”

The fans immediately looked wary.

‘We won’t go easy.’

‘Let’s compete fairly.’

And so—

The battle began.

We lost.

“....”

“....”

We sat in a corner, stunned.

“How do they know all this?”

“We don’t even remember...”

Even I, confident in my memory, failed question after question.

Only Biju made it far.

“I could’ve gotten it if it was about you, hyung. But it was about Junghyun...”

“You did great.”

I patted him.

Then I asked,

“How do you even know all this?”

Biju swallowed.

“I’m... a fan of °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° all of us.”

“As expected of Biju.”

The winner was a fan named “Feng Shui Ri Hyuk.”

They smiled proudly, holding the beef set.

“I think it’s because my fortune was good today.”

Ri Hyuk smiled brightly, suppressing something.

Everyone laughed.

After the quiz—

“Oh?”

“The rain stopped!”

“Should we go eat dinner?”

“Yes!”

Before that—

They performed for the local residents as thanks.

A trot medley for the elderly, gifts prepared in advance.

“Thank you!”

“Goodbye!”

Then—

They boarded a large bus with the fans.

“We’re going to eat pork belly!”

“Woooo!”

On the 45-seat bus—

At first it was awkward, but after spending the day together, everyone had grown close.

They chatted, sang together.

It was a perfect time.

At the restaurant—

“Cheers!”

“Let’s make this special a hit! New Universe!”

“Let’s go!”

They ate, talked, laughed.

It felt like a memory that would last.

“Honestly...”

A fan smiled.

“I wish every day was like today.”

“Us too.”

After dropping fans off—

“Ugh...”

We collapsed at home.

“My whole body hurts...”

“I was so tense.”

“It’s only because it’s over that I can say this—I was really nervous.”

Ri Hyuk said,

“I’ve decided something.”

“What?”

“I’m not driving again.”

Everyone agreed.

Driving was fun—

But too stressful.

One mistake—

And headlines would explode.

“...Yeah. Let’s seal our licenses.”

“Seal them.”

Decision made.

Then—

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“I just thought of a rap for my next mixtape.”

“Really?”

Junghyun hummed.

“I thought I’d be happy once I got you... but I wasn’t...”

“What’s the title?”

“Driver’s License.”

Everyone laughed.

Then—

“How about another title?”

“What?”

“Something harder to get. More responsibility.”

“What is it?”

“Class 1 Large License.”

“....”

Yeah.

None of us had naming talent.

After finishing the special—

They returned to music shows.

“First place goes to... NewBlack’s White Night!”

Record after record.

Then—

On the plane—

I grinned.

“Ask me why I’m so excited.”

“...Why?”

“Because I get to show my fashion.”

“....”

“At a global event.”

I laughed.

Finally.

The day had come.

[18.5.7 Met Gala]

One of the biggest fashion events in the world.

The Met Gala.