Chapter 351: Chapter 352

A warm atmosphere emanated from the VCR.

The interview cuts, originally saying “Thank you, Soufflé” and “Our members are…,” were seamlessly edited together.

“Thank you. To the Soufflés, to the members.”

As the background music, echoing “We support the dream of New Black,” played, the main vocalist smiled, and the VCR faded to black.

The third VCR.

With a dramatic thud, the date “2016. 1. 11.” appeared.

A drone captured the night aerial view of Sangam-dong, gradually zooming in on the K-Net building as the background music intensified.

The large billboard in front of the broadcasting station shone with the phrase “The New Black Is Back.”

The darkened screen then displayed a grand message.

[First Public Reveal!]

A majestic countdown began.

“Wowww!”

The Soufflés started waving their light sticks as dry ice fog began to cover the stage.

Slowly, the stage door opened.

On the TV screen, the main vocalist’s neat handwriting appeared as subtitles.

“Intro: Nineteen”

Composed by Uju, Junghyun, Rihyuk

Lyrics by Rihyuk

Arranged by Haseungju, Salt-mann, Sangyoon

Bathed in warm lighting, the main vocalist stood alone at the center.

After the gentle piano prelude, Rihyuk softly grasped the microphone.

Slowly setting,

like the five o’clock sunshine,

our summer has passed.

The fans smiled and gently swayed their light sticks.

Nineteen.

An intro that bridged the previous album titled “Nine” with the new one.

A song composed by the main vocalist, capturing the sentiments of being nineteen.

Lyrics comparing time to seasons flowed through a soft voice.

The protagonist in the lyrics had passed through the summer they had lived so far, now experiencing the unfamiliar season of winter.

Initially cowering in fear, but soon gathering courage to catch the falling snowflakes in their hands.

“It’s truly beautiful…”

The lyrics, filled with youthful sentiment, moistened the eyes of fans of similar age.

While older fans watched with warm eyes,

Rihyuk, with eyes gently closed, smoothly raised the pitch to end the chorus.

“Wowww!”

Amidst the applause of the Soufflés, Rihyuk brushed back his hair, revealing a distant smile.

In the poignant atmosphere.

“Wowww!”

The members’ voices flowed from the speakers.

“Our Rihyuk is doing so well! So well!”

“It seems like a hit!”

“A real vocal treasure~ Treasure~!”

The Soufflés burst into laughter, breaking the emotional tension.

Rihyuk, replacing a hundred words with a sigh, took the microphone.

“Come out. Right now.”

“Hey, I was about to come out anyway! Don’t kill the vibe!”

“Rihyuk always kills the vibe.”

As Junghyun’s voice made the fans laugh, the other four members ascended the stage.

“Rihyuk! We’re here!”

It felt like greeting a friend who had arrived first at a train station or airport before a trip.

“Wowww!”

Facing the cheering audience, Bizu waved kindly.

“Soufflé! We’ve arrived!”

As all five members gathered, the cheers grew louder, and Uju looked around at the members and said,

“Shall we greet them?”

“On the count of three!”

The members spread out three fingers.

“Hello! One of the three things that come to mind when you think of winter!”

“Roasted sweet potatoes, roasted chestnuts~?”

With a knowing look, the fans shouted “New Black!” with vigor.

Uju took the microphone.

“Yes, we, New Black, have returned with the special album Blue Winter! It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

“Yes!”

Broadcasting the comeback show on TV like this is a first for me, so I’m quite nervous. I even checked out how other seniors did it to prepare.

The leader flashed an awkward smile.

“Usually, we start off by sharing with fans what we did during our hiatus, but we…”

“We didn’t really have a break,” I said, laughter spilling out.

The rapper nodded and added, “If I can’t remember what I ate on a particular day when writing my meal diary, I just ask the fans.”

From live Y-app broadcasts to TV year-end shows and even on M-Tube, we’ve been busy until this special album comeback. The Soufflés had been overwhelmed with so much content it was almost suffocating.

“So, have you all listened to our songs?”

“Yes!”

“Do you like them?”

“Yes!”

They had all heard the special album released at 6 PM.

The main vocalist covered his mouth with his hand, trying to hide his smile at the shouts of how good the songs were.

Watching him, the leader laughed and said, “As you might have guessed from the music video and songs, this special album’s theme is winter.”

A brief introduction to the album followed.

“If last time with ‘Nine’ we invited you to have fun with us, this time the mood is a bit more serious. It’s good to have fun, but we grow closer when we share our true feelings.”

The intention was to have a serious conversation in the friendly atmosphere that had developed.

“Winter is cold, so we spend a lot of time indoors. It seems like the perfect time to share stories.”

As the fans murmured in agreement, Woojoo grinned and exclaimed, “Of course, staying in isn’t our style at New Black!”

“Right. That would be boring~”

“To include some upbeat songs as well, we chose a winter travel concept for the special album. Today’s showcase will follow the album’s tracklist.”

Finally, Rihyuk took the microphone.

“We’ve worked really hard on this album, so we’ll give it our all here today.”

“We’ll shower you with love!”

The Soufflés waved their light sticks in response.

“The next song is the title track, ‘Winter Sleep.’”

“Wow!”

“But before that, there’s one thing I need to tell you!”

“…?”

Junghyun raised his finger and announced, “The premiere of ‘Winter Sleep’ will be at the K-Net comeback show.”

“That’s right! A premiere! Yoo-hoo!”

The fans chuckled at the phrase, perfectly suiting K-Net’s obsession with being the first to reveal anything.

Woojoo snapped his fingers, and everyone grabbed their microphones.

The sound was reminiscent of the opening of an old famous animation that started with ‘Shupa Shupa.’

“First!”

“First, first, first!”

“Finally, the first reveal!”

“New Black! Special~!”

Laughter erupted both inside and outside the TV at Junghyun’s narration, “This comeback is brought to you by K-Net.”

The producer clapped like a seal, saying, “Yes! That’s it!”

“Now, shall we go on a winter journey with us?”

With the prelude to ‘Winter Sleep,’ the comeback show began in earnest.

After the intro, the first song was ‘Winter Sleep.’

In the darkness, the members of New Black sat on chairs.

“Wow!”

A spotlight shone on a man seated at the piano, starting the prelude to ‘Winter Sleep.’

A middle-aged man in horn-rimmed glasses and a suit.

“Wow?”

The fans looked at each other in surprise at the unexpected appearance.

‘What am I watching?’

‘Using Ha Seung Ju as a piano shuttle…’

‘But it fits.’

The album producer, Ha Seung Ju, nodded towards the camera and audience with a gentle smile.

“Wow!”

A cheer as if thanking him for treating our kids well flowed out.

Then, the professional pianist’s tall and gentle fingers pressed down on the keys, one by one, heavily setting the mood.

As the spotlight shifted to Rihyuk, his face was momentarily shadowed, as if backlit by a stray beam of light.

The main vocalist brought the microphone closer to his lips, even closer still.

Was it something that passed?

Or something that came by?

No footprints to be seen.

From the very first verse, a song so chilling it raised goosebumps on my arms, eliciting short bursts of awe from the audience.

With an impressive vocal range, the song he sang softly filled every corner of the auditorium.

Rihyuk recited the lyrics as if pressing hard with a pencil while writing.

Even forgetting to wave the light stick, I was absorbed in the live performance.

This time, the spotlight was on Woojoo, the lead vocalist.

The path to return has vanished,

On this wandering road,

Only snow fills my sight.

The lyrics, heavy with lonesome emotion, continued.

As Woojoo nodded with a warm smile, the spotlight moved to the rapper.

A rap that flowed like poetic verses.

Jiho and Bijoo were raising the atmosphere, taking us to the chorus.

“It’s really good…”

The broadcast camera briefly captured fans with hands clasped over their mouths, listening intently.

As the chorus approached,

Rihyuk grabbed the microphone again, and the lights behind the members brightened dramatically.

Blue lights spread out like blooming winter flowers.

The main vocalist, surrendering to the melody, gently closed his eyes and sang an echoing song.

When I wake from this long sleep,

Spring will be here.

Just close your eyes and hold my hand,

We’ll be there.

Each high note mixed with breath seemed to express something as his hand moved towards the audience.

Winter.

A season where even the footprints left behind are soon erased by the snow, and the path back is obliterated.

The song “Winter Sleep” spoke of memories and people we’ve left behind.

In the chorus, it comforted us, promising that after a brief winter sleep, spring would be waiting.

At the end of this road,

Spring will be waiting for us,

We’ll be there.

After the last verse, not in the original but added for the showcase, had passed.

“Wowwwww!”

The members, smiling gently, said “Thank you!” as cheers from the fans filled the air.

After finishing the “Winter Sleep” performance to a heated response,

“Thank you!”

We stood up and bowed deeply to the Soufflés.

Even after the piano ceased, the flushed faces of the fans screamed cheers like a scream.

Ah, it feels good, so good.

While the Soufflés waved their light sticks and the younger members waved back, we waited for the cheers to subside.

“Yes.”

Then we introduced our producer.

“Today’s piano performance for our showcase was by the pianist and composer, Senior Ha Seung-ju!”

“Wowwwww!”

At that response, Ha Seung-ju, who had been laughing, brought his mouth to the microphone set up on the keyboard.

“Nice to meet you, everyone. After working as a part-time event staff, today I’m your one-day piano stand-in, Ha Seung-ju.”

“Wowwwww!”

“I can’t remember the last time I received cheers from such a young audience. It makes me feel younger and happy.”

Amidst the laughter of the Soufflés, we waved our hands dismissively.

“Ah! Don’t say that, Senior.”

“You’re young enough.”

“Even if it’s just words, thank you. Our New Black.”

Then the pianist stood up with an ‘Ah, my back.’

“This is the first idol album I’ve produced, and since they’re friends I personally like a lot, I wanted to contribute something.”

His eyes briefly met mine before turning to the camera.

Meanwhile, thanks to the popular music variety show MC who appeared as a surprise guest at today’s comeback show, the director looked ecstatic.

“With that in mind, I decided to participate as a pianist. Please take care of me today.”

“Wowwwww!”

“Ah, my back. Well, I’ll be stepping down now.”

As we cried out ‘Ahhh!’ asking him not to leave, he laughed in response.

“I wanted to chat more like we were at a music cafe, but we couldn’t agree on the appearance fee,” I joked, and both the soufflés and we laughed.

“I’m quite expensive, so I’ll see you all in a bit!” I announced.

“Thank you, senior!” they replied.

The producer, ever so tactful, excused himself, saying his presence might disrupt the time for the singer and fans to communicate.

We asked with a smile, “How was it? The song was good, right?”

“Yes!” they cheered.

“I thought you’d like it. It was unanimously chosen as the title track by everyone from the A&R to the production team through a blind vote,” I explained.

The soufflés nodded in agreement, as if to say it was well deserved.

After sharing a brief anecdote about the melody that originated from the night sea, we continued with the performance of the remaining tracks.

“Wow!” the crowd erupted.

Originally planned only for the Y app live, there weren’t many VCRs, but thanks to K-net’s excellent editing and additional footage, each VCR received an incredible response.

We even conducted a quiz with the soufflés in between.

Starting with the third and fourth tracks, ‘Platform’ and ‘Winter Trip,’ the atmosphere became increasingly lively, and everyone really enjoyed it.

Among them were the K-net production crew.

“Hello, everyone! I’m Baek Sang-gyo, your guest singer for today!”

The national trot singer, Mr. Baek Sang-gyo.

His famous song ‘Companion,’ which is a must-have for any trip, was the one we remade this time.

Perhaps because we attended his end-of-year dinner show as guests, he had announced his appearance at our comeback showcase with, “Just wait! I’ll be there!”

And while the soufflés burst into laughter, enjoying the remade song with the original artist’s flavor added,

“…!”

Ha Seung-ju played the piano, and Baek Sang-gyo made a surprise appearance as a featured guest, which seemed to please our producer immensely, who started clapping and eventually gave a thumbs up.

After waving goodbye to the soufflés who couldn’t leave, we descended from the stage.

“Phew…!” we sighed in relief, clapping hands and laughing together.

“Well done.”

“Good job!”

After a round of high-fives, we greeted the K-net staff and our own staff milling around.

“You all worked hard!”

“You really did a great job!”

I was so nervous that my steps back to the dressing room were shaky.

Despite just singing, my hands were cold with sweat.

“Man, are you this tired even though we didn’t dance, just sang?” I wondered aloud.

“I know, right? I thought I was going to pass out,” Rihyuk replied, shaking his head as he quenched his thirst with water.

Meanwhile, our hearts began to race as we headed to the dressing room.

It was 8 PM.

Since our music was released at 6 PM, it was time for the real-time charts to have changed twice.

Did it go well this time?

Would our special album be less popular than the title track, or did it do even better?

Filled with tension, we entered the dressing room.

Bang!

The stylists who had been waiting for us set off celebratory paper poppers.

Colored papers flew through the air.

“Congratulations!”

We brushed the paper off our heads with dazed expressions.

There, sitting on the sofa, laughing, were Producer Ha and Mr. Baek Sang-gyo, with Wonseok holding a cake in the center.

And there was Seokhwan, holding a tablet PC and smiling.

“…Seokhwan?”

“Congratulations.”

He extended the tablet screen towards us.

“From the intro to the outro.”

As something began to well up inside me, he laughed heartily as if he was thrilled.

“All nine of your songs charted.”

Amidst the staff’s applause and cheers, we began to check the 8 PM Mango chart with stunned faces.

“Wow…! Wow! Wow!”

“Oh! Oh!”

Starting from the largest number, 1, all the way to 100.

The special album really contained all the songs.

NewBlack – Winter Sleep

NewBlack – Winter Trip

NewBlack – Merry Christmas

NewBlack – The Sea, Stars, and You

NewBlack – Platform

NewBlack – Journey Together (feat. Baeksanggyo)

NewBlack – Never Say Goodbye

NewBlack – Intro: Nineteen

NewBlack – Outro: Cycle

Seeing all nine songs within the Top 50 was truly an awe-inspiring sight.

Instead of laughter, the sound of the wind leaked out.

It felt as if, instead of blood, the twinkling stars of the night sky were floating through my veins.

Perhaps it was the sensation of floating weightlessly, my body drifting aimlessly.

“Wow.”

While Ri Hyeok’s mouth was wide open, laughing with a ‘ha’, we just nodded our heads vigorously.

And then.

“Waaaaah!”

We screamed so loud it was as if the broadcasting station would fly away, hugging each other tightly.

It was the best moment of the New Year 2016.

Idol Community.

The current craze is NewBlack’s special album

NewBlack’s Blue Winter, all songs within the Top 50

The trend of views for the Winter Sleep MV on MyTube after the freeze was lifted

The New Year started with a buzz about NewBlack’s special album, which showed an insane chart trend.

Wow, this is crazy

An idol group that the public streams

I had a feeling it would explode when the haters started their tirade

I thought it would be a hit when the music was released at 6 PM, and it really was

The rankings keep rising… Wow…

At this rate, they have to be considered top-class even among the music giants

It looks like their initial sales are going to explode too

There had been signs since the album promotion, but the songs soared higher with public interest.

Album performance showing a career high.

Even the fans, the Soufflés, watched with surprised expressions.

[Surprise Live Starts!]

Announcements from the company and the Y app about a small theater tour came in.

Starting from the Seoul metropolitan area, moving to Chungbuk, Chungnam, Jeonbuk, and touring the country in a counterclockwise direction.

News followed about the plan to proceed with this instead of music broadcasts, and soon, the announcement of the winners would come.

‘What’s this?’

People living in or near areas like Gangneung, Jeonju, Tongyeong showed curiosity, wondering, ‘What’s this?’

NewBlack’s name began to appear on MyTube and TV channels.

[NewBlack and PBS have teamed up!]

A teaser was released that NewBlack and the public broadcaster PBS were doing something together.

Majestic BGM.

The splendid night view of the PBS broadcasting station, along with NewBlack’s Nine dance break from the music festival.

And then.

Moo-meh-meh-meh-

The Soufflés blinked at the sound of a cow mooing.

“Moo-meh…?”

The once majestic BGM changed to a song from an old rural drama, and the atmosphere began to feel homey.

[A Special Project with NewBlack and PBS]

[Find it at 6 PM on !]

A special project where NewBlack tours various local spots, recording as they go.

After the caption announced it would air as a special segment on weekdays for the next three weeks.

“Woah…?”

The Soufflés, who had been exclaiming in awe, paused.

‘Wait, what kind of collaboration is this?’

, the program most loved by those over 60.

The news that NewBlack would appear on such a show brought out bewildered laughter from the fans.