Chapter 915: We are, well... uh... henchmen. (5)

While stories about NewBlack were spreading in the United States,

news about the Met Gala was also spreading in Korea.

[This year’s Met Gala outfit collection]

[Met Gala outfits getting great reactions locally]

[Long post) Explanation of the Met Gala]

Because of the news that NewBlack had attended, the Met Gala was receiving more attention than usual.

Of course, not everyone knew about it.

‘The Met Gala? Guess they held it again this year.’

People who had been busy all day showed curiosity as they logged into online communities on their way home from work.

‘What kind of party was that again?’

‘A gala show?’

‘I think it was that thing where people wear dresses.’

Even for those who frequently browsed entertainment communities, it was recognized as just a party celebrities attend.

An event that gets mentioned as the source whenever famous dress photos are uploaded every year.

[Selected by American fashion editors, this year’s best dressed at the Met Gala]

As people clicked on such articles, curiosity followed.

‘Who could it be?’

They expected to see a beautiful actress in a jaw-dropping dress when they clicked.

“?”

“??”

But the person smiling elegantly in the photo was none other than the nation’s idol.

Huh

??

???

When did Wooju go there...?

Because of the Met Gala’s nature of keeping its attendee list under wraps, everyone reacted with surprise.

At first, they were shocked—but soon it made sense.

Fair

A face that’s both insanely handsome and insanely beautiful = Wooju

Wow...ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

If he doesn’t talk, he’s actually that handsome

The outfit is seriously pretty

Jimmy Robbins is the worstㅋㅋㅋㅋ Because of him everyone thinks Sun Wooju is a fashionista

It truly was a beautiful outfit.

A so-called genderless look showcasing the signature style of Jimmy Robbins, designer of LeBlanc.

It was ceremonial attire fit for a queen, yet somehow also felt like something a king might wear.

Strangely exquisite.

A look that proved that extreme handsomeness and beauty are not so different.

‘Gotta save this.’

GIF files of the outfit changing colors in real time began filling people’s phone download folders.

Don’t just watch the gif, watch the video clipㅋㅋㅋ the satisfaction is insane

The video is the real dealㅇㅇ

Those who checked the video were amazed.

‘Wow.’

Wooju smoothly removed the outer veil like part of choreography, and the fabric scattered into the air.

With the help of staff, the long white train unfolded in waves.

Cheers erupted, and the on-site camera shook wildly from the crowd’s reaction.

And then—

“Waaaaaaa—!”

The color-changing dress shook the venue with deafening screams.

Even viewers watching through a screen got chills.

It became obvious why Sun Wooju had surpassed top fashionistas to become the star of the event.

I’m getting hypedㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

If it feels this insane just watching, imagine being there; must be crazy;

No wonder Wooju thinks he’s a fashionista

National prestige skyrocketing

We may not have oil, but we have Sun Wooju

And then posts started appearing.

[Maybe we were the ones who were wrong?]

What if Sun Wooju really is a fashionista???

What if we’re the ones who don’t understand fashion???

What if he was actually a true pioneer???

I’m confused, so confused

But honestly, anything others dress him in, no matter how weird, he pulls it off perfectly

No wonder designers love himㅇㅇ

“No matter what you put on him, he makes it his”? That’s muse material

Can pull off high fashion but not casual outfitsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Difficulty: Sun Wooju casual >>>>>> high fashion

Because this outfit was such a massive hit,

and because he perfectly pulled off something no one else could,

people’s brains were starting to short-circuit.

[Counterexample to “Is Sun Wooju a fashionista?”]

(Casual outfit.jpg)

No explanation needed.

Normally, people would nod and say “as expected” upon seeing such photos—

but perhaps because of the Met Gala’s impact, the confusion didn’t stop.

Wait but if you ignore the colors, it kinda looks okay??

My brain has been corruptedㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

It suddenly looks stylish

The fashion from 2016, once heavily criticized as tacky, now strangely seemed... decent.

And so—

as a joke, the “Sun Wooju fashionista theory” began spreading as a meme.

[The greatest fashionista of this era]

[Top of fashion]

[???: Is that what you call fashion?]

Amid various humorous posts—

[NewBlack Met Gala leaving photos]

New photos of NewBlack in the US were uploaded, making Koreans burst out laughing.

Because of their faces.

They had looked radiant and glowing on the red carpet—

but now they looked completely drained, like dehydrated cucumbers.

This is hilariousㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

They just ate, so why do they look half-dead

Even NewBlack becomes introverts in Americaㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Relatable

Someone support Ri Hyukㅋㅋㅋ

They look like dogs after an 8-hour walk

Feels like they’ll turn on the app and eat ramen today

And that prediction came true.

[Surprise live broadcast!]

NewBlack went live from their hotel room, devouring cup ramen and late-night snacks.

“We noticed... people didn’t really eat much. We also only managed a few bites...”

“Please tell us about the outfit. Ah, well, this outfit...”

“Everyone talked to us so well, so...”

They shared their impressions of the Met Gala.

“It helped us understand Souffle’s feelings better...”

They realized why Koreans always felt drained after meeting them.

Calling it “mirror therapy,” NewBlack smiled faintly.

Fans and casual viewers burst into laughter.

‘Ah, this is hilarious.’

As the night of the Met Gala came to a close,

local media heavily spotlighted Wooju’s fashion,

and a new phrase began spreading like a trend.

“This Met Gala’s main star was NewBlack. An enormous number of fans gathered...”

“Sun and his clouds...”

A phrase American media, fond of wordplay, used perfectly.

As Junghyun’s joking line—“We are the clouds, hehe”—spread,

Koreans burst into laughter.

That’s perfectㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Honestly, to Americans it’s just Sun Wooju and his underlings

Normally being the underling isn’t enviable, but NewBlack’s is

If they recruit underlings, Koreans will line up,, so many want that job

So cuteㅋㅋㅋ “clouds”

Even the name is fluffyㅋㅋ

Those “clouds” are actually insanely strong

Ri Hyuk cloud: feels like drizzle / Biju cloud: pretty autumn cloud / Junghyun cloud: no, don’t come here

What about Jiho?

Feels like you look at the sky expecting clouds but there aren’t any

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Because of how fitting it was—

[Sun & his clouds]

rose to #1 on global SNS real-time trends.

And then the finishing touch.

As the phrase gained attention, the members changed their Instagram bios.

[Cloud No. 1]

[First Cloud]

[0th Cloud]

[-1th Cloud]

As each claimed to be No.1, people turned to Wooju’s account.

What would he say to them?

With curiosity, people watched—

and Wooju posted a short reply.

@dmwn_sun

“The one asking what number they are is No. 4.”

People burst into laughter at the witty response.

As expected of NewBlack’s leader.

“The one asking is No. 4.”

Even I thought it was a clever answer.

But... I should have known my opponents weren’t that easy.

Ri Hyuk asked,

“So who’s No. 1?”

“The one asking is No. 4.”

The moment I finished speaking, all four of them asked at once.

“Then I’ll ask too.”

“Me too.”

“Me as well.”

After all four asked, they said—

“Alright, now we’re all No. 4. Fair and square.”

“So who’s the best No. 4?”

“....”

Like seagulls treating their eldest like a walking shrimp cracker.

“Who?”

“Who is it?”

“Who am I?”

They kept pecking at me as they followed behind.

“Aaaah!” I could only dodge.

I asked,

“Is it that important who’s No. 1?”

“Yes.”

“Super important.”

“If Biju hyung is underling No.1, then I could be Cloud No.1.”

These elementary schoolers.

Even when I refused to answer, they kept chanting “Who? Who?” like natural monument kestrels.

Thankfully, their cries didn’t last long.

We had reached our destination.

“That’s it over there.”

We walked toward the exit where bright light was pouring in.

The moment we stepped out—

at first, the brightness blinded us.

“Waaaaaaa.......”

Then, an overwhelming view filled our sight.

A massive stadium.

“It’s huge...”

“Wow, Osaka Dome looks small.”

“It actually is smaller.”

Centered around a concert stage, the seats spread out in a semicircle.

A large screen visible in the distance.

[MetLife Stadium]

This was MetLife Stadium.

Located in East Rutherford, New Jersey—

home stadium of an NFL New York team.

Capacity: 80,000.

This was where New York City’s upcoming concert would take place.

You might wonder why a New York concert is held in New Jersey—

but it’s only about a 30-minute drive from Manhattan.

“It's insanely big.”

Ri Hyuk clicked his tongue.

“Starting in a place like this feels so surreal.”

“Yeah.”

After the Met Gala, we stayed in New York instead of returning to Korea.

Since the first concert of our US tour was starting soon.

The first stop of our North American tour—

was right here at MetLife Stadium.

“NewBlack begins stadium tour... ‘unprecedented scale’”

“NewBlack’s US tour... ‘what will be the economic impact?’”

“NewBlack launches North American tour... record-breaking audience expected”

Even the media were publishing articles about the economic impact.

In North America alone—

750,000 attendees.

Same number of cities as last year—

but seven times the scale.

“I didn’t really feel it before.”

The youngest raised his hand to block the sunlight as he looked around.

“Even when METRO hit No.1 on Billboard, I was just like ‘Oh? Wow.’ Since you can’t really see the results.”

“Yeah.”

“But now... you can actually see it.”

When METRO first released globally, it didn’t feel real.

But now—

after returning to North America a year later—

the fandom had grown sevenfold.

Like accidentally opening multiple browser tabs—

Souffle felt like it was duplicating endlessly.

From behind, a voice spoke.

“Well, there were many factors.”

Seokhwan approached with Manager Hong Seoyeong.

“METRO hit at the perfect timing, and after the Olympics, our subscriber count exploded.”

“Oh?”

“We were just looking at data, but seeing it in person is something else.”

Seokhwan looked down at the stadium and let out a breath.

I grinned proudly.

“Pretty cool, right?”

“No, I just have mild acrophobia.”

“....”

As Biju called him over—

we smiled, looking at the stadium.

“It really feels rewarding.”

When we first released English global tracks, there had been doubts.

Would it really make a difference?

But now—

the results proved everything.

“...We should start thinking about the next global track.”

A sevenfold increase in fandom.

Now that its effectiveness was proven—

it was time to prepare the next one.

The youngest nodded.

“If you have a good idea, tell me. I’ll clap and praise you.”

“Hey. You should be the one coming up with ideas.”

As I nudged him—

Seokhwan asked,

“Want to check the stage effects we prepared here?”

“Sure.”

Three days, 55,000 per day.

A total of 165,000 attendees.

Because of the scale—

various stage effects were prepared.

Holograms.

Projection mapping.

Drone shows weren’t possible due to nearby air traffic—

but everything else more than made up for it.

“Whoa......”

A feast of advanced technology.

Even Biju looked worried.

“Uh... it’s amazing, but...”

“Yeah?”

“Will the CEO be okay? It feels like we’re spending too much on this concert.”

We always invested heavily in concerts—

but even this felt excessive.

Like imagining the CEO losing hair from stress.

But—

“Ah.”

Seokhwan smiled.

“You don’t need to worry about that at {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} all.”

“?”

“He’s probably smiling right now.”

Management is, at its core, about managing risk.

On sunny days, you sell debt.

On rainy days, you sell umbrellas.

Because relying on only one leads to instability.

That’s why—

“Lemon Entertainment must not rely only on NewBlack.”

They pushed into content production.

And it worked.

Dramas launched on NBS performed well,

and Studio Lemon’s The Faith achieved global success.

‘At this rate, we’ll balance NewBlack and content business!’

That was the plan.

But—

“Here is the North American concert ticket revenue, sir.”

“....”

CEO Park Gyuho rubbed his eyes.

“...This is ticket revenue?”

“Yes. Sold out.”

750,000 attendees.

Already exceeding last year’s global tour.

And—

the reason global stars aim for success in the US.

“High purchasing power.”

Top seats resold at $10,000.

Total revenue:

$106,089,170.

One hundred million dollars.

From North America alone.

“....”

“....”

Executives stared blankly.

“With merchandise, it’ll easily reach $150 million.”

“In the US alone?”

“Yes.”

Park Gyuho blinked.

This didn’t feel real.

Like winning the lottery.

No—

winning NewBlack.

“What’s our content division revenue?”

The answer came.

‘Not even close.’

Even after success—

NewBlack widened the gap even further.

“Is it just me? Even though they’re ours... sometimes they’re scary.”

“Same.”

“They keep breaking ceilings we thought were limits.”

“Ha...”

Park Gyuho swallowed.

“Make sure the tour has everything it needs. Spend freely.”

With revenue like this—

what was there to worry about?

Left alone in his office—

his heart pounded.

“Heh...”

He sipped coffee and spun his chair.

Then stood up—

walked to the window—

and dropped to his knees.

“Ha... hahaha!”

Arms spread wide—

laughing uncontrollably.

“This is insane.”

“Is this a dream?”

Joy overflowed.

He wanted to roll on the floor.

“HAHAHAHA!”

He had never been happier.

Cafeteria at TJ Entertainment.

“Hey, look over there.”

“Huh?”

“Something’s sparkling at Lemon Entertainment.”

“Oh, you’re right.”

Something was shining brilliantly—

like a mirror ball—

from the Lemon Entertainment building across the street.