Chapter 953: Nothing Goes According to Expectations (7)

Producer Gu Jaeyoung hurriedly pressed the staff.

“Did you get it?”

“Hold on.”

“Hurry, hurry and check. Did we really record that? Is it there? We should’ve gotten it.......”

The cameraman frantically searched through the footage.

Producer Gu stomped anxiously.

It has to be there...!

The other staff members reacted similarly.

“Did you film it?”

“Juseong, did we catch that just now?”

“Hold on.......”

The cameraman skimmed through the memory files before speaking.

“We got it! Wow, we survived.”

“You got it? Properly?”

“It’s all there. You told us to keep the 6mm camera rolling even while the members were resting.”

“Good job! Seriously good job!”

The staff exploded into cheers and high fives.

Writer Yang Mihyun wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“Wow, that seriously scared me.”

“Thank god we filmed it. If we’d missed it, we would’ve thought about it for the next month.”

“Let’s check whether it was captured properly.”

At Producer Gu Jaeyoung’s words, the staff gathered around the 6mm camera.

The NewBlack members stood in the kitchen holding mini fans while humming a tune.

[Overcooked~ overcooked~]

[All I did was cook it just a little too much~♪]

The youngest, who had an arm wrapped around Wooju’s shoulder, added harmony.

Ri Hyuk hummed along from the side while the members tossed in random lines one by one as the song came together.

The melody Wooju had started kept repeating while new lyrics piled onto it.

“Wow.......”

The production staff, who had first sighed in relief, replayed the footage with amazed expressions.

[Guess my love for you was just too intense~♬]

[Overcooked~ overcooked~]

It kept lingering in their ears.

After replaying the clip over and over like a loop section, the staff burst out laughing in disbelief.

“This is insane.”

“I know, right? So this was really improvised? The kids just made it up on the spot?”

“I think so...? They always say they make songs like this.”

Even at a glance, the quality was extraordinary.

No.

At first, they hadn’t even evaluated the quality at all.

I just thought it was an existing song.

The same way someone humming a tune made you assume it was some famous track, the staff had naturally assumed the song NewBlack was singing was already wildly popular.

It wasn’t even about whether the song was good or bad.

They had simply assumed it already existed.

Even if NewBlack had said, Actually, this is Overcooked by the pop singer W.J. Sun, the staff would’ve nodded and accepted it without question.

But the song didn’t exist.

That was why the production staff had panicked so hard about whether the resting footage had been captured.

-News Universe unreleased footage revealed, NewBlack inspired in the kitchen?

-Today’s News Universe episode to feature behind the scenes of ‘NewBlack’s new song’... Producer Gu Jaeyoung: “An unbelievable scene is coming”

-News Universe ratings soar thanks to NewBlack song creation behind story

...Headlines like those flashed through the production staff’s minds.

Producer Gu Jaeyoung’s eyes sparkled brightly.

When NewBlack releases the English song, we reveal the behind story of how it was born during that week’s episode. Add a few more scenes to make it even more entertaining.......

While the variety show producer mentally mapped out every possible editing point—

Cameraman Lee Juseong let out a sigh.

“Ah, this seriously gives me chills. What kind of cast members create an entire song in the brief moment you look away....”

“We’re the ones who need to adapt. They’re NewBlack.”

“Thank god we kept the 6mm camera running just in case. If we hadn’t, I would’ve regretted it forever. Would anyone even believe us if we told them? Everyone would just say we were lying.”

Honestly, even the production staff would’ve struggled to believe it if they hadn’t witnessed it firsthand.

Who would believe a song that should’ve required dozens of hours in a studio had just casually appeared out of nowhere?

“Look over there.”

“Hm?”

“Look at Wooju’s face. It’s not just us who are shocked—he looks shocked too.”

The staff burst out laughing at Wooju’s wide eyed expression.

Why is the person who made it the most surprised?!

It felt something like this.

-Dr. Sun, you’re a genius! How did you create this robot?!

-I was eating a sandwich this morning when the blueprint suddenly came to me. Though it still doesn’t actually work... huh? W-Wait! It’s working!?

-?

-My god?! Why does it work?

I had only absentmindedly hummed it like I was complaining, Why do you keep saying it’s overcooked?!

And somehow, an absurdly good song had been born.

「Excuse me? You mean this song didn’t exist before?!」

Chef Bobby Ross flexed in shock.

Bulge!

The carrot he had been holding disintegrated instantly.

「Oh my, you’re saying you created this just now?」

「I... don’t think it’s that surprising.」

Of course we were shocked.

Singing was literally our profession, so we immediately recognized how good the melody I had just hummed actually was.

But for the general public, wouldn’t the normal reaction just be something like, Oh, nice song~?

「Of course it’s surprising!」

Chef Bobby Ross’s eyes gleamed.

「Judging from your reactions, it sounds like an incredible song was created. Which means there’s a high possibility this becomes NewBlack’s next track—and that song was born in my restaurant, wasn’t it?!」

His rapid fire words poured out nonstop.

「If this song becomes successful, I can put up a plaque in the restaurant! The exact place where NewBlack created a song!! A sacred site for Souffle fans! The birthplace of a legendary NewBlack masterpiece! The cradle of Souffle civilization...!!」

Dollar signs flashed across the chef’s eyes like slot machine reels.

Bobby Ross asked eagerly,

「What’s the title?!」

「It’ll probably have to be Overcooked... right?」

The chef cheered loudly.

「Then when the song releases, I’ll absolutely put up a plaque on the wall. New Orleans Restaurant, birthplace of Overcooked. With that, I’ll probably never have to worry about customers for the next ten years.......」

「C-Chef.」

I was about to explain that we hadn’t even confirmed it as the title track yet when—

「Ah! First, I need to sign a confidentiality agreement! I swear not to say a single word about the song I heard on set today until release day. Bobby will protect your secret!!」

「Uh... s-sure.」

His overwhelming determination to protect future business opportunities left me stunned.

At the same time, I gained a new realization.

So this is the level of shamelessness necessary to survive in business.

“Anyway.......”

The little lackeys and I gathered into conference formation.

“So what do we do?”

“I think we just found the title track.”

Jiho spoke first.

“We’ll need to discuss it with the company staff, but...... isn’t this basically confirmed already?”

“I agree.”

Junghyun nodded.

“The hardest part is making the hook, and we already have that. If we polish it up properly, it could absolutely work as METRO’s follow up.”

“Should we work on it when we get back to the hotel, hyung?”

Even Biju was saying things like that when—

Our attention turned toward the one person who had been quiet this entire time.

“Hmm.......”

“Knock knock. Yeobje Young. Mr. Seo Ri Hyuk.”

Despite Jiho calling him, Ri Hyuk remained lost in thought.

He finally lifted his head toward us.

“I’ve been thinking about the phenomenon that just occurred. A scientist pays attention even to accidental phenomena.”

You’re a singer....

“As a man of science, I’ve been analyzing the cause behind what just happened.”

“What phenomenon?”

Ri Hyuk’s eyes sparkled.

“The phenomenon where we accidentally hummed something and a masterpiece was born.”

“Stuff like this happens all the time though, doesn’t it?”

It wasn’t like this was the first time.

Quite a few of the songs I’d composed in the past had also been born through accidents like this.

“No.”

Ri Hyuk spoke firmly.

“You can’t stop your thinking there. If an apple falls and all you conclude is The apple fell from the sky, then you’ve failed. You need to identify the gravity behind the apple’s fall— Why are you looking at me like that, Wang Jiho?”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I’m saying we should identify the cause behind what just happened.”

As we listened while yawning, Ri Hyuk continued,

“If we can figure out the cause of this phenomenon, then theoretically we should be able to reproduce it in the future too.”

“!”

“!!”

That part immediately caught our attention.

If we could identify the reason a masterpiece had appeared, maybe we could recreate the same conditions next time too.

“Why did a masterpiece suddenly come out just now.......”

We all stroked our chins thoughtfully.

Biju spoke first.

“Maybe it happened because we were exhausted?”

“!”

That actually made sense.

Strangely enough, whenever a comeback was approaching or we got busy with other things, composition ideas tended to spring out rebelliously.

Junghyun nodded in agreement.

“I think part of it was that we were so exhausted we didn’t have room for other thoughts. Though personally, I wasn’t tired at all.”

“No room for unnecessary thoughts.......”

A melody that had simply flowed out naturally without obsession over composition theory or perfect structure.

“So the secret is the rebellious urge where everything becomes fun right before exams combined with being too busy to think about anything else....”

We were discussing theories when—

Chef Bobby Ross asked,

「Should we stop for today?」

「Excuse me?」

「I’m not an artist, but even I know you shouldn’t miss inspiration when it strikes like this. Hahaha! Why not continue tomorrow and focus on the song tonight?」

「No.」

We shook our heads.

Even when something important appeared, we were the type who couldn’t rest until we properly finished what we were already doing.

Besides....

There was one more experiment we wanted to try.

-We got a great chorus because we suffered while cooking!

Then wouldn’t suffering even more naturally produce the remaining parts too?

「Please work us hard, Chef!」

「?」

「Push us until our mouths taste sweet from exhaustion. Until we master every skill you teach us...!」

The chef broke into a huge grin.

「Oh, really? Works for me!」

「We’re good with it too!」

「Hahaha! Hahahahaha!」

「Kyaaaahahaha!」

Around the same time.

At the LA lodging, where the sunset stretched beyond the horizon, preparations were in full swing.

“Move the grill over there.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“Everyone packed already, right? If you finished your luggage, come help set up the barbecue party!”

The people setting up barbecue equipment in the yard were Lemon Entertainment’s producing team.

-We’ll be heading out for a two month workshop, Mr. Spaceship.

-Have a safe trip.

-Thank you!

These were the composers who had spent the last two months training intensely in America to improve their skills.

Their goal was singular.

-To support NewBlack’s expansion into America!

When it came to composition skill, the producing team firmly believed they could compete with any composing collective in the world.

Individually, they might not surpass superstar composers, but as a systematically operated production group, they considered themselves unmatched.

-Team Leader. Isn’t this sliiiightly inefficient? We’ll end up doing the same thing twice.

-Right?

-What if we improved it like this?

Because Team Leader Na Sangyoon and Wooju constantly held meetings to optimize their workflow to the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) highest possible efficiency.

And on top of that, the experience gained from working daily alongside someone called a genius.

At this point, every individual on the team had developed enough ability to make a living as a composer within the K-pop industry forever.

But....

This still isn’t enough.

When it came to Korean promotions, they were experts beyond compare.

But as NewBlack’s scope expanded globally, a problem emerged.

-What’s trending in America right now?

-N-No idea? Though Wooju would probably know.

-The members are preparing for a photoshoot right now. They’re super sensitive because they haven’t eaten meat for days.

The problem was that the composers lacked knowledge of overseas trends.

Of course, collaborating with foreign composers could solve that easily.

But foreign composers often failed to understand the uniquely K-pop style charm points necessary for English language songs.

They wanted Korean bulgogi adapted into an American style.

Not just a plain American hamburger.

That was why—

Let’s just study like maniacs ourselves and support them properly.

—became the entire producing team’s mindset.

And so, over the last two months, they studied with terrifying intensity.

They received lessons from legendary American composers arranged through Wooju’s connections and gathered every day for brutal training sessions to sharpen their understanding of overseas trends.

Working until dawn while crushing empty beer cans, then waking up early the next morning to study again.

For the last two months, the composers had looked like students possessed by obsession.

-This is money our kid earned for us.

The opportunity to stay in luxury accommodations in LA while receiving salary and eating great food for two whole months.

There was no need to explain whose money had created that opportunity.

That was why the production team members had spent those months with fierce determination burning in their eyes.

But now—

“Haha!”

“Hahahaha!”

Laughter echoed everywhere today.

The two month training period was finally ending, and they would soon return to Korea.

“We ate a lot of Korean food in LA too, but I still miss food from Korea.”

“I seriously miss the cafeteria food these days. The seolleongtang soup the cafeteria auntie makes is incredible....”

“Honestly, our company food is probably better than SNH Entertainment’s. I tried theirs when the CEO went for acquisition inspections once, and ours was definitely better.”

The composers chatted excitedly about Korea.

I miss Mom.

Honey....

They were all excited to reunite with family, friends, and everyone waiting in Korea.

And unlike two months ago, they were now filled with confidence too.

“I think we can finally pull this off now.”

Composer Yoo Woong, who had joined Lemon Entertainment after last year’s song camp, spoke confidently.

“Don’t you think we can finally challenge for a title track now? We’ve built up tons of knowledge about American trends.”

“It’s possible.”

“Yeah. We’re people who write songs for TeenSpirit and Street Boys now. Maybe we can’t beat Wooju outright, but we can at least compete with him.”

And this time, they had another major opportunity too.

-We’re going with a cooking theme!

-Have you written the song yet?

-No. Nothing’s coming to me....

After hearing that, the composers had spent the last few weeks pouring their hearts into songs.

Songs they adjusted before sleeping and revised again the moment they woke up.

Each one smiled confidently while imagining submitting their track.

Hehehe. I’ll show him how much I’ve grown...☆

You’ll be shocked, Wooju. My song will slide right under your chin like cold ice cream.

Maybe my song will actually get picked if I’m lucky!?

They all laughed proudly to themselves when—

“By the way, when are the kids getting back?”

“Soon, probably.”

Team Leader Na Sangyoon checked his watch.

“They’ll probably arrive around the time the barbecue party starts. I heard the variety show cooking lesson is almost finished.”

“Then should we start grilling meat first?”

“Let’s do that.”

Meat was placed onto the grill in the yard.

Tonight was their final night in America.

Tomorrow, the composers would board the plane together with NewBlack and head back home.

This was their final American meal.

And also a gift prepared for NewBlack.

[NEWBLACK! WE LOVE YOU!]

The banner fluttered in the warm LA summer breeze.

A party prepared for the company artists who had invested endlessly in them and waited two whole months.

“What about the gifts?”

“They’re hidden safely in the living room.”

Just as the gifts for NewBlack were fully prepared—

A vehicle slowly approached in the distance as the meat finished grilling.

“Oh, they’re here!”

“They’re back! Get the fanfare ready!”

The black SUV stopped in front of the lodging, and the doors opened.

And then—

“?”

“??”

A pair of wobbly legs stumbled out weakly.

...Is he about to collapse?

Jiho desperately supported Ri Hyuk as he nearly lost his balance.

The composers blinked at the sight, which looked exactly like wounded soldiers supporting each other on a battlefield.

Then the other members slowly climbed out of the vehicle too.

Tremble tremble tremble—

The members shook violently from muscle pain as they climbed down.

They looked just as cute as always, yet somehow carried the exhausted aura of elderly grandfathers.

Team Leader Na Sangyoon asked in alarm,

“W-What happened?”

“The experiment... failed.......”

Ri Hyuk muttered before collapsing to the ground.

“Ri Hyuk...!”

“Hyung can’t collapse! We all suffered because of you...!”

“How was I supposed to know this would happen?!”

The production team stared blankly at the members bickering like idiots.

“What happened?”

“Well, this is what happened.”

Wooju calmly explained the entire situation.

“......Still, it wasn’t all bad. We perfectly mastered the cooking techniques. And we made the chorus too.”

Maybe because of that, the members smelled strongly of grilled onions and hamburger steak.

“Tch.......”

“Ugh! All that suffering for nothing!”

The composers burst into laughter at the pitiful yet ridiculous sight.

“Hahahahahahaha!”

“Hahahaha!”

“Hahahahaha!”

And while everyone was laughing—

“Uh...?”

The composers suddenly froze.

Something strange from the story they had just heard surfaced in their minds.

-And we made the chorus too....

Team Leader Na Sangyoon asked carefully,

“Wooju...?”

“Yes.”

“You made the title track?”

“Ah! It’s not confirmed yet. But something title track level came out! Isn’t that amazing~?”

“You said... you were blocked?”

Just a few days earlier, when asked, You still haven’t written the song? Wooju had answered, No, not yet.

“Well, that was true until yesterday....”

The genius smiled brightly.

“But then inspiration suddenly struck today!”

“.......”

“Why are you all acting like that?”

Silence spread among the composers who had spent the last two months studying in America to create an English title track.

Then one by one—

They collapsed to the floor.

“W-Why are you all doing that?”

“Uwaaaaaaah...!”

“H-Huh?! Why are you crying?”

“Uwaaaaaaah!”

In the end, they had simply become people who studied in America for two months.