Chapter 976: I Am the King of Singers, But...? (11)

We leaned our heads together.

“What is this?”

“Seriously, what even is this?”

“I don’t understand... I truly don’t understand.......”

Under the shadow we cast over the table, Tosam sat there smiling brightly while holding up a [Yes] sign.

[Chicken Shop Four Siblings]

The script Tosam had just selected as “the most mainstream.”

Jiho spoke up.

“But it’s not like Tosam actually predicts things correctly. It’s never really gotten anything right before.”

“True. Other than saying the KG Dragons probably won’t win a championship for thirty years....”

“Hyung.”

Junghyun spoke with a sorrowful expression.

“Please refrain from making baseless statements.”

“Sorry....”

“There’s no way. My KG would never do that.......”

‘Aren’t they dead last in the league right now...?’

Leaving Junghyun alone as he suffered while muttering “Strongest Dragons,” we focused on the script again.

“Tosam. Seriously?”

[Yes]

“You really think it’s this one??”

Honestly, the final three scripts were all pretty similar.

None of them had any obvious issues.

The directors were fine, the lead actors already attached all had good reputations in the industry, and the production companies didn’t have any glaring problems either.

Meaning Chicken Shop Four Siblings wasn’t bad either.

But compared to the other two scripts, it still gave off a strangely bizarre feeling.

Because—

“I personally like this one more.”

Ri Hyuk held up another script.

It was a mystery film.

—

“A battle over inheritance rights erupts surrounding the fortune of a wealthy man.”

—

The movie opened in a beautiful yet unsettling traditional Korean estate.

A rich old man’s corpse is discovered beneath plum blossom trees by the Seomjin River, soaked in blood.

Cause of death unknown.

The problem begins when it’s revealed that among the old man’s assets is an enormously valuable painting called Plum Blossom Painting, triggering a vicious inheritance war among the heirs.

The old man’s children suspect and accuse one another, each hiring famous detectives to investigate the case.

Jiho had been offered the role of the lead detective’s assistant.

Ri Hyuk said,

“This was my favorite. I don’t know how many viewers a mystery film would pull in, but the psychological battle’s accessible enough that audiences wouldn’t struggle to follow it.”

The story, including the final twist, was genuinely solid.

“I liked this one best.”

Junghyun held up a different script.

It was based on traditional Korean folktales.

The protagonist travels to a rural village to inherit his father’s estate, only to discover that the village itself was the setting of an old folktale.

A story featuring fantastical creatures like gumiho and dokkaebi.

The script looked highly likely to succeed, backed by a famous director, a major production company, and strong funding.

Compared to those...

[Chicken Shop Four Siblings]

Honestly speaking, just reading the synopsis made it feel completely incomprehensible.

At first, even we reacted like, ‘What kind of insane script is this?’

—

“The children of a chicken shop owner... save Earth... from aliens......?”

—

At first we thought maybe it was symbolic somehow.

But no.

It literally meant exactly that.

“Aliens who had been disguised as humans on Earth suddenly begin invading the planet....”

Fundamentally, it was a comedy film.

As aliens invade, society descends into chaos, powerful elites immediately surrender to the aliens and start collaborating while basically going, “Please take Korea.”

And in the middle of that situation—

—

“The children of the chicken shop begin their heroic exploits.”

—

That was basically the premise.

The protagonists were people who, had they been born in prehistoric times, probably would’ve been out hunting mammoths with their physical abilities.

But in modern society, built around knowledge and education, they were dismissed as somewhat useless people.

The story followed four overwhelmingly capable siblings from a chicken shop, each with their own talents, saving people during the invasion.

No forced melodrama.

The script radiated a simple philosophy:

We are here to make people laugh.

Jiho had been offered the role of the third sibling, Park Jihoon.

A delivery worker with such agile physical ability that he could leap between rooftops.

—

Jihoon: “I am no longer a delivery worker. I’m not someone you can order around anymore.”

[Everyone stares in confusion]

Jihoon: “Because! (He flashes a badge and winks) Starting today, I’m a delivery app rider...!”

Junghoon: (smiling brightly) “Beat his ass.”

—

An early scene where the chicken shop faces bankruptcy, and Jihoon secretly attempts to defect to a delivery app company before getting beaten up during a family meeting.

Then later came things like temporarily allying with a rival pizza shop after the alien invasion began.

“Uh.......”

“Mm.......”

There were definitely a lot of funny scenes...

But something about the core premise itself triggered resistance deep inside me.

The reason this script had survived to the final round was simple.

There was genuinely nothing wrong with it.

“Jiho, what’s this director like?”

“I don’t know personally, but senior actors say he’s ridiculously funny. Apparently he’s basically like a comedian in private.”

“Really?”

“Yep. He writes all his own scripts too.”

And all five of his previous films, despite having relatively small budgets, had succeeded commercially.

There was literally nothing externally wrong with the project.

Even just reading the script was funny.

Still, the premise made me wonder:

I laughed... but would everyone else laugh too?

The feeling was kind of similar to laughing at absurdist MyTube videos.

Like those foreign comedy skits where two Black comedians corner white people going, “Prove you’re not actually an alien.”

That exact kind of energy.

“This isn’t easy....”

As I muttered, Biju spoke up.

“Let’s ask for outside help.”

“Good idea.”

Honestly, any of the three choices would’ve been fine, but we still couldn’t shake the feeling of uncertainty, so we decided to double-check.

Shuffle shuffle shuffle.

After properly mixing the scripts, we blindfolded Junghyun and made him choose two.

“Junghyun. Pick two. Go with your instincts.”

“Hmmm.”

And the single script left behind was—

[Chicken Shop Four Siblings]

At this point, it almost felt like the adorable chicken mascot printed on the cover was winking at us.

Jiho grabbed his head.

“Ah, seriously, what is this...? It’s like... there’s obviously nothing wrong with it, but somehow it still feels suspiciously questionable.”

“We feel the same way.”

“It matches my situation too perfectly, which makes me even more suspicious. Chicken Shop Four Siblings... it seriously feels like the universe is screaming that this is the script.”

“Oho.”

“But the universe in question is Wooju hyung, which makes it suspicious— Aaaagh!”

While I squished our youngest’s face into wrinkles, the others watched with satisfied smiles.

Biju grinned.

“Still, Jiho, if you take this role, at least you won’t have to worry about product placement. Your dad would probably love it.”

“True. I could definitely brag to Dad a lot about this....”

Jiho whined and collapsed onto the floor.

“Ah. I seriously have no idea what to choose.”

“Then think about it this way.”

I offered a simple solution.

“Think about it like the opportunity cost example Ri Hyuk mentioned before.”

“Ah, what was that again? The [N O V E L I G H T] thing where after choosing between jokbal and bossam, you pick whichever one you’d regret missing more?”

“Similar idea.”

I explained,

“Imagine I take whichever script you reject.”

“Why are you always trying to steal your younger brothers’ stuff!?”

“No, I mean... just imagine it.”

“I refuse to lose that easily.”

Watching Jiho clutch the superhero movie script protectively to his chest made a vein throb in my forehead.

“If I took the one you rejected and it became a massive hit? Then you pick whichever script would make you regret it the most.”

“Mmm.......”

“How is it? Rational, right?”

Thoughts crossed Jiho’s still slightly youthful face.

Then, after a short moment of consideration—

“I’ve decided. I’ll do this one.”

Jiho reached out.

In the end, Jiho chose [Chicken Shop Four Siblings (Working Title)].

—

“When I imagined hyung taking it instead and making it a huge hit, this was the one that hurt the most.”

—

That was how the selection process finally ended with two scripts.

One was the superhero film Secret Agent 3, where he would appear briefly.

The other was the comedy movie Chicken Shop Four Siblings, where he would play a major role despite the title not even being finalized yet.

“I’m seriously choosing this because I trust you guys.”

“Don’t worry so much.”

We answered confidently.

“Even if the movie flops, you’re still only twenty-two!”

“Exactly...!”

Jiho looked completely dead inside.

But we genuinely meant it.

Right now, Jiho’s greatest strength as an actor was the fact that he was born in 1998. Even if a movie failed, wasn’t being twenty-two enough?

Of course—

‘If it succeeds, all thanks to us.’

‘If it becomes a hit, it’s because of our guidance.’

That was our mindset.

As I smiled at Jiho glaring at us suspiciously—

“But.”

Jiho suddenly asked me,

“Hyung, don’t you get a ton of scripts too? Last time you said you got even more than I do.”

“I do.”

“You’re not interested in anything? I could help you choose too.”

Jiho looked genuinely curious.

It was that uniquely youngest-member expression of, ‘You helped me, so now let me help you!’

I smiled and shook my head.

“There just aren’t any scripts I’m especially interested in.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I looked through everything, but none of them made me think, ‘I absolutely want to do this.’”

Unlike Jiho, who was seriously expanding his acting career, acting was strictly a side job for me.

Nice if I did it. Fine if I didn’t.

Of course, after my role as Kim Wooju in Our Family Is Alien exploded in 2016, an absurd number of scripts had started pouring in, and I’d even won Rookie of the Year at the Korean Arts Awards...

“But none of them really grabbed my attention.”

Nothing truly caught my eye.

If anything, every time I read a drama or movie script, it just made me want to work on the OST instead.

“Well, who knows.”

I grinned at Jiho, who looked more disappointed than I did.

“Maybe someday I’ll get an offer that sounds genuinely fun.”

My eyes drifted toward the superhero movie script Jiho was cherishing and the Chicken Shop Four Siblings script beside it.

If something ever came along that made me think, ‘I really want to try that!’—

Maybe then I’d make a different decision.

“Anyway, let’s get ready to land.”

Beyond the airplane window, endless blue mountain ranges came into view.

Argentina.

The first destination of our South American tour.

The moment we arrived in Buenos Aires, we immediately plunged into our packed schedule.

[Hola!]

First came interviews with various Argentinian television programs.

We appeared on a children’s show wearing the original Tosam puppet on our hands while enthusiastically singing songs.

Dancing together with children in a garden covered in green grass!

—

“Children of Argentina! Bunny Uncle is here!”

—

The reaction was unbelievably passionate.

“I love you, Uncle Bunny! I really love you!”

“I love you! Uncle, please marry my dad!”

“Bunny...!”

We learned that children’s enthusiasm was truly unmatched no matter where in the world you went.

Argentinian children were literally crying as if they’d met the celebrity of their dreams.

“Now then, did everyone have fun with Bunny Uncle? We’re NewBlack!”

“Waaaaaah—!”

“.......”

Their perfectly textbook reaction left us trembling.

After filming ended, we removed our animal headbands while shivering emotionally.

“Just wait a few years.”

“Hmph.”

“In a few years they’re definitely gonna go, ‘I can’t believe NewBlack was right in front of me and I didn’t realize it!’ while pounding the ground in regret.”

After finishing the children’s show recording, we continued answering a few brief questions about Bunny Uncle during interviews with major television networks.

Only after coming here did we truly understand what Tosam’s global popularity meant.

♪ Bunny Bunny Uncle Bunny~♬

Every store we passed blasted the Uncle Bunny melody.

And every time we waved around bunny dolls, local child fans and parents covered their mouths in emotional shock.

Ri Hyuk said,

“I heard they’re preparing exports for Tosam dolls now. Apparently it’ll take a while before they reach South America.”

“Makes sense....”

“But fake Tosam dolls are already everywhere.”

“We need to become famous enough for fake merch too.......”

Dreaming of becoming singers popular enough to inspire counterfeits, we continued our Argentina promotions.

Of course, Tosam’s popularity played a part...

“WAAAAAAAAAAH—!”

...but it was also the moment we truly felt the reality of holding the title of the world’s most popular boy band.

For two nights straight, over seventy thousand Dalbong lightsticks glittered toward us inside José Amalfitani Stadium, originally built for the 1978 Argentina World Cup.

Honestly, the weather was cold enough that I’d even worn a jacket, so I wondered if people would actually come.

“My god.”

“There are thirty thousand Dalbongs in Argentina...!”

According to Ri Hyuk, Argentina sat literally on the opposite side of the Earth from Korea... so seeing people in a country we’d never even visited welcoming us this passionately felt surreal.

Souffles jumping up and down while waving signs.

[We like NewBlack more than the World Cup]

[WE LOVE U]

At the end, I smiled watching Souffles waving banners reading:

“Spring Has Arrived Where You Are”

Junghyun looked amazed.

“They’re seriously passionate.”

“It feels like summer even though it’s technically winter somehow....”

“It’s probably warmer than Seoul?”

Even though it was winter, the atmosphere burned with heat.

Honestly, the whole country felt that way.

It was probably because Argentina had advanced to the World Cup Round of 16.

No matter where we went, TVs discussed the World Cup nonstop, and the entire country buzzed with energy.

“You came at a good time.”

The Korean coordinator assigned to guide us locally smiled warmly.

“And I think you’re leaving at a very good time too.”

“?”

“This Saturday is the huge Round of 16 match against France, and if Argentina loses... well......”

“Does losing soccer really affect the mood that badly?”

“Not quite that badly. Unless it’s something like Argentina getting eliminated by Brazil, like a Korea-Japan rivalry situation. But....”

The coordinator smiled gently.

“It usually becomes the sort of atmosphere where staying indoors is recommended. Hahaha....”

“.......”

Exactly how important was soccer in South America?

Junghyun, who knew the most about sports among us, immediately started discussing soccer with the coordinator.

“Both lineups are insanely stacked this year. It’s impossible to predict who’ll win. What do you think, Junghyun?”

“I kinda feel like Argentina’s gonna win somehow. Haha.”

“......Then perhaps avoiding going outside would be wise.”

I made a mental note that future South American tours should never overlap with the World Cup again.

While touring Buenos Aires with our local guide—

“Hello, Newniverse viewers!”

“NewBlack has arrived in Argentina~!”

—we also successfully filmed in South America alongside the Newniverse Project production crew, who arrived later.

Every time we visited a local restaurant, happy screams escaped our mouths.

“Argentina has the highest beef consumption in the world. That means our country has endless beef dishes!”

“!!!”

It was heaven.

“W-What is this, sir?”

“It’s called asado. Hahaha. One of Argentina’s representative dishes!”

It was barbecue slow-cooked over charcoal on a grill, and despite barely using seasoning, it was unbelievably chewy and delicious.

The South American-style dumplings called empanadas were also fantastic.

“They kinda taste like fried dumplings.”

“Oh, these are good too.”

Then there was milanesa, which suited our tastes surprisingly well.

Because—

“Huh? Hyungs, this is literally tonkatsu.”

“It really is tonkatsu?”

We smiled warmly after discovering a familiar Korean-style flavor.

As we explored Argentina’s paradise of meat dishes, we also met several famous local chefs.

“We heard a message from Chef Dante Cellini.”

“Yes. Whatever you heard is probably false.”

“We heard Wooju wants to learn advanced cooking techniques! Hahaha! We’ll teach you immediately!”

“You’re not listening to me at all....”

We even received short cooking lessons from famous South American chefs.

Honestly, it wasn’t so much that they sincerely wanted to teach me valuable techniques...

More like—

‘It’s NewBlack!’

‘Ride the NewBlack hype train!’

—that sort of look in their eyes.

Still, it was a good thing either way.

World-famous chefs who would normally be extremely difficult on variety shows were voluntarily appearing on ours.

Just like Chef Bobby Ross had taught me hamburger steak recipes before, the Argentinian chefs also passed down several cooking techniques.

“Things are going smoothly.”

“Feels like we just need to add a few more menu items to the hamburger steak now.”

Our Goblin Restaurant project back in Korea was progressing smoothly.

The production staff had already prepared things so thoroughly that we could practically start immediately.

Now all that remained was menu preparation and our own practice.

“We should probably start having meetings about it soon.”

“Let’s do it once we get to Brazil, hyung.”

I nodded at Biju’s suggestion.

Then, after finishing our schedule in Argentina and arriving in Brazil—

our eyes turned toward a satellite TV stream airing live.

“Finally...!”

Spreading my arms dramatically toward the lackeys, I declared,

“The time has finally come, lackeys!”

“Yes!”

I happily questioned them.

“Popcorn?”

“Ready.”

“Cola?”

“Ready.”

“Main character?”

At that, the younger members shoved Ri Hyuk into the center and shouted,

“Ready!”

“Ah, stop it. This is embarrassing....”

“Our Ri Hyuk hyung’s debut as King Sun Wooju~!”

“Ah, seriously, I wanted to watch this alone.......”

We danced in circles around Ri Hyuk, whose face had already turned bright red.

Then the logo appeared on the TV screen.

[Mission Singer]

Today was the day Ri Hyuk would finally debut before the world under the name King Sun Wooju.