Chapter 362: Chapter 364

“Is this for industrial use?”

“Not industrial?”

“No, this is…”

As I pondered how to explain, Junghyun lifted the light stick for me to see.

“This is a cheering light.”

“Cheering?”

“Yes. It’s meant to be waved to give strength during work.”

“At the factory…”

Before I could finish, Rihyuk gasped for air, and Jiho chuckled.

It wasn’t exactly wrong, but…

I could see the old man across from us conjuring up the wrong image.

“Just what odd uses you have for it…”

He seemed to imagine the light stick being waved vigorously in a factory with conveyor belts running.

The fisherman, scratching his forehead with his fingers, said,

“Now that I look at you, your faces seem familiar.”

“Yes, it’s us.”

As the five of us pulled down our masks and smiled, the man let out a sound of realization.

“Ah, you’re New Black.”

“Yes.”

“With the weather freezing enough to solidify squid, why are you out here so early in the morning? It’s cold.”

“We’re here to make a wish.”

“Oh, you should just make wishes at home~”

We laughed, sharing a warm conversation like neighbors.

One advantage and disadvantage of collaborating with ‘Now, My Hometown’ was that the elders no longer seemed surprised to see us. We felt like grandchildren raised by the whole neighborhood. ⱤäƝO͍ꞖÊ𝐬

“So, this is a cheering stick?”

Jiho spoke to the fisherman who was fiddling with the light stick.

“Yes, when we sing, fans wave it to encourage us, shouting ‘Go on, give it your all!’”

“Oho…”

“Of course, this isn’t for sale. It’s specially made by us.”

We began to rummage through our bags.

Bijoo suddenly asked,

“Brother, I’m suddenly confused about the name of this cheering stick. Is it… Moon Stick?”

“No. Kim Won Bong?”

“That’s a freedom fighter. No, it’s not Kim Sun… nor Kim Bong Dal! It’s Dal Bong!”

“Ah. Dal Bong.”

We barely managed to recall the original name, avoiding a near catastrophe.

We explained to the fisherman.

“This is the version for sale.”

“Oho, what stick is it?”

“It’s Kim Dal Bong.”

He turned up the brightness to the maximum and seemed pleased with its usefulness.

“It’s different from a regular light; the way it spreads is nice. Like a lantern.”

“Yes, yes.”

“And it’s cheap. Where can I buy one?”

“We have a merchandise shop. Shall I give you the address?”

Jiho tapped the address into his phone and handed it over.

While Wonseok looked on, puzzled by the conversation,

“Hey, Mr. Kim!”

“Why again?”

“Come quickly! Look! There’s something truly marvelous here!”

He gestured to the other fishermen nearby.

Soon, the other fishermen also showed interest, murmuring ‘Wow.’

Curious, we asked,

“But where will you use this? For squid fishing?”

“Can’t use it on the boat. Even the machines made to withstand seawater break down all the time.”

“Then…?”

“It’s terrifying to walk the island paths at night.”

The rough-looking men nodded, as if to say ‘the night paths are too scary…’

Even the light from a phone can be frightening at times.

Meanwhile,

The fishermen who had taken the address for our merchandise shop were most intrigued by,

“Wow…!”

“Where can I buy this?”

“Look at this! The light spins around! Who needs a karaoke room!”

It was the majestic light stick, fit for a king.

Especially, it seemed that the self-powered handle at the very bottom stirred the old men’s dreams.

“Wow…!”

Each time I explained a feature or function, the people gathered around couldn’t help but express their amazement.

There was definitely something about the ‘Wangbong’ that triggered people’s desire to possess.

Even the boss had made two and taken one for himself.

“This is not for sale.”

The fishermen, looking dejected, asked me to let them know if it ever went on sale, and I responded with a smile.

Even as they headed towards the boat, they kept looking back, as if they couldn’t quite let go of the ‘Wangbong.’

We cheered them on, shouting, “Catch lots of fish!” as we waved goodbye.

“Bro, should we talk about the ‘Wangbong’ when we get back to the company?” Jung-hyun suggested.

“The Soufflés have always wanted one badly, even though it’s useless. They said they’d like to have at least one.”

“Right. Should we really bring it up?”

“We might have to downgrade the performance to make it affordable.”

While we were discussing the potential sale of the ‘Wangbong,’ which had always been in demand among the Soufflés, I spotted a seagull flying across the blue sky.

“Wow, the weather is really nice.”

“Isn’t it?”

And then, in that moment, silence enveloped us.

“Is the sky getting brighter…?”

“It does seem brighter, doesn’t it…?”

“…”

“…”

We were so captivated by the ‘Wangbong’ that we hadn’t noticed the sun had already risen high.

The managers had been muttering to themselves with their hands clasped since earlier.

“Wow, these sly people.”

When the corners of Minki and Wonseok’s mouths twitched slightly upward, we quickly clasped our hands together too.

“Hey, hey! Make a wish! A wish!”

We looked sideways at the already high sun and made our wishes in the bright light that seemed to combine all the ‘Wangbongs’ in the world.

After wishing for our families’ eternal health and the Soufflés’ longevity…

“Since we’re making wishes, let’s go big.”

We all nodded and clasped our hands together.

“Please make our album a hit, selling ten million copies.”

“Sun, someday help us hold a concert at the main stadium.”

“I heard from Rihyuk that you have to be specific when making a wish. Please make the title track of New Black’s album number one on the global charts within ten years. Like this.”

At Jung-hyun’s words, Bijoo and I tilted our heads in confusion.

“But isn’t that a bit too arrogant for a wish? It’s not like we’ve left our wishes in someone’s care.”

“Hmm. Is it?”

As we debated whether it was okay to offend the sun with our wishes, the others made their wishes too.

“Please let my name be remembered in history textbooks. If it’s too hard, at least let it be just me, without these guys…”

“Let me be successful enough to travel abroad in my own private jet. Of course, the maintenance costs are shared, but I want to be the owner…”

Our wishes were shamelessly grand.

Of course, the rest of the wishes were just as outrageous, and we burst into laughter among ourselves.

After taking a selfie with the managers, we stood before the sun.

“It’s about time.”

Usually, when we earnestly made a wish, something would happen in the sky as if to say, “Keep your conscience in check.”

The lantern we had released with our wishes last time had burned up spectacularly.

I wasn’t originally a person who believed in superstitions, but I’ve changed a lot, I thought.

And sure enough.

Jung-hyun pointed to the distant sky.

“Look over there. Dark clouds are passing in front of the sun.”

“Indeed.”

“Whoa! It looks like a squid!”

We stared blankly at the squid-shaped cloud passing in front of the sun and then burst into laughter.

What could this omen mean?

It almost seemed like the Squid Princess was declaring revenge with her eyes shining through the holes in the cloud.

After returning from Ulleungdo.

We took a day to rest fully before busily moving on to our next schedule.

“Ah, my whole body aches.”

“Ah…”

Having traveled tirelessly across the country, my body felt utterly drained even when I was still.

Yet, the backlog of schedules demanded that I overcome this fatigue.

“One, two, three!”

“Hello! We are New Black!”

I waved cheerfully in front of the camera set up in the company’s hallway.

As the officials from KG Telecom filmed, I clasped my hands together and beamed a bright smile.

“Hello, dear subscribers of KG Telecom! Are you enjoying the delightful Lunar New Year?”

“The year 2016 has finally dawned! A year filled with hope!”

“How about we listen to the ‘Safe~ Safe~ Safe Driving’ campaign song by New Black for the holiday homecoming?”

Jung-hyun’s rap echoed, “Keep your eyes on the road—eyes on the road,” as we danced, chanting, “Drowsiness is a No~no~no!”

The officials clapped their hands, pleased with our performance.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes, I really like it. Can we proceed like this? You’ve worked really hard.”

“Just a moment.”

After reviewing the footage with my younger colleagues, I shook my head.

“I’m sorry, but let’s give it one more try.”

“Okay!”

After several takes, the KG Telecom officials left with the footage, thoroughly satisfied.

“Next up!”

This time, it was a video we shot to send out.

“Hello, K-Net!”

“Yes, it’s already been a month since 2016 started. How’s everyone spending their Lunar New Year?”

“The Lunar New Year is a time to recharge!”

“In the first half of this year, K-Net has some truly amazing programs lined up, right?”

After explaining the list of programs, I smiled mischievously.

“And don’t forget, New Black’s travel reality show is also in the works!”

“Remember~ Remember~ Remember for a long time~!”

“Have a bountiful Lunar New Year.”

Then, Rihyuk and I explained the Lunar New Year to K-Net’s English-speaking audience and wished them a happy new year.

“Happy new year~!”

I’ve always wanted to give off the vibe of a K-pop broadcast watched by the whole world, just like I felt during the awards.

“Next! Let’s keep going!”

From PBS’s New Year greetings to New Year messages for MyTube and YApp.

Due to requests from advertisers and others, it took two hours just to film a single greeting.

While it’s a holiday for everyone, for singers like us, the festive season is a busy time without a moment to rest.

After successfully wrapping up the album, I was supposed to have dinner with producer Ha Seung-ju, but there wasn’t even time for a phone call.

New Black, live panel appearance on PBS’s ‘Challenge Song Corps’ Lunar New Year special

TBC Lunar New Year special pilot ‘Who Are You?’, the PD in charge says, “New Black to appear as a special guest”

TBC ‘Radio Time’, New Black says, “Felt a change in recognition after appearing in ‘My Hometown’”

During the peak travel times of the holiday season, I also participated in mellow talks on the radio.

Most were Lunar New Year special pilot variety shows.

A pilot typically refers to a one-off special variety show aired during viewer-heavy seasons like Lunar New Year or Chuseok.

If the response from viewers is good, it might even become a regular program.

Unlike popular variety shows like ‘Mr. Producer’ or ‘Joo Se-han’, these programs often rely on famous celebrities as panelists to gain attention due to their lack of recognition.

“Was your trip here okay? Come on in, New Black!”

The PDs at TBC’s studio came out to greet us almost barefoot for the pilot broadcast recording.

“Since we’ve been pushing our special album promotion for over three weeks, everyone seems to know our slogan now.”

“Shall we have some roasted sweet potatoes, roasted chestnuts?”

The general audience in the broadcast studio cheered ‘New Black!’ as we greeted them.

It seemed like our campaign to associate ‘winter = New Black’ had been a success.

The MC spread his arms wide towards the camera as if to say, ‘Here is New Black.’

“New Black has made a huge hit with their winter song!”

“Yes, thanks to the love from so many people, it seems to have gone well.”

“I really enjoyed ‘Winter Sleep.’ Shall we listen to a verse?”

We also took on brief performances in a show where amateur singers competed.

And participated in karaoke-style variety shows.

Mostly, these were pilot variety shows run by TBC.

Perhaps it was a kind of compensation for deciding not to participate in last month’s ‘Turnlympics’ recording.

I heard from Han-jo that there were a lot of injuries this time too.

I’m glad I didn’t go.

There was an incident where boy group members slipped while running a relay and ended up in a pile-up.

LB: “Without New Black, Street Boys would rule, that’s what I’m saying!”

LB: “This trophy, won with my fervent support!”

Rex: “Tree, step outside.”

LB: “Why?”

Rex: “Just go.”

Yoo Gun: “An own goal in futsal… Are you even human?”

Hanjo: “Don’t go too far, just about 400 meters should do.”

When the Street Boys boasted about their victory on the show ‘Dollympics’, flaunting the trophy to us, I initially thought they were being too harsh.

But then I saw the clip of Tree scoring an own goal when he was supposed to defend, and I understood why.

I heard that Teen Spirit played a significant role in this year’s Dollympics.

They said if one album does well, they’ll hit it big, and the mood seemed optimistic.

With that, I also heard some unwelcome news about my debut peers:

APLB Kevin joins TBC’s ‘People Are Going’ as a regular guest.

“You have to be crazy to stand out,” APLB Kevin, with his ‘crazy variety sense’, a unique idol like no other.

Kevin’s past becomes a hot topic after joining QTV’s ‘Fresh Wind Radio’, netizens say, “Makes sense as Sunwooju’s successor.”

It was a story about my junior from the military who debuted last year.

He must be crazy because it seems he’s receiving love from variety show producers everywhere.

I sent him congratulations when I heard he’s now a regular on three variety shows.

Me: “I knew you’d make it in variety shows.”

Silver Guy: “Right? LOL”

Silver Guy: “Why did I even learn to sing?”

Me: “A guy who sings well and is funny > Just a funny guy.”

Silver Guy: “Oh? Is it time for self-introductions?”

…The times when we teased each other were the best.

This guy’s wit was getting unnecessarily sharp as he did more variety shows.

He warned me that after establishing himself in the variety world, he’d pave a thorny path for me. I wasn’t worried at all.

Meanwhile, I spent the first holiday of 2016 on schedule, immediately preparing for the upcoming tour in Japan.

“Arghhh…!”

“Weren’t the days when we just sang better?”

“Argh. Argh…”

Even during the small theater tour, we practiced in the hotel, aligning our movements.

But once we started preparing for the concert under the guidance of the main dancer, it felt like my body was falling apart.

“About this concert in Japan,” the sweat-drenched youngest member asked while gulping down water.

“Isn’t it much bigger than we thought?”

“Exactly,” Beejoo nodded.

“I keep thinking, huh? Huh?”

“Me too. I can’t quite believe it. Do you know anything, sir?”

“No, not really…”

I was bewildered when I first heard about the size of the venue.

Because we hadn’t done anything significant.

In Japan, our promotion was limited to a K-pop concert in Saitama Prefecture last year, fan signings, and album promotions.

Though I was surprised by the crowds at the airport and offline events, there wasn’t much else.

“…Then what’s this?”

We tilted our heads, comparing the list of venues with actual photos.

Still huge.

Curious about what was happening, it seemed even the company people couldn’t pinpoint the reason.

“We’ll have to check it out in Japan.”

We chatted about this during our break.

“Hm?”

Junghyun pushed his phone towards us.

“Did you see this, hyung?”

“What is it?”

“We made it into the American news.”

“What?”

We leaned in to look.

In Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

At a certain restaurant.

‘Wow…’

21 years old.

Annie, a student at the University of Nebraska and a K-pop fan, tapped on her tablet PC.

“Ah…”

Nibbling on the omelet that came with breakfast, I watched the NewBlack members beaming on the screen.

It was like a daily challenge, watching ‘Nine’ before moving on to another video.

Originally a fan of various idols, I had recently become a fan of NewBlack.

“Every day feels so new.”

Thanks to the overwhelming amount of content on MeTube, there was always more of my favorite videos to watch, even daily.

It was like opening an incredibly entertaining life novel, where the pages I needed to read increased every day.

With one earbud in, I set the subtitles to English and watched a reality show video.

“Ha ha ha!”

The video I was watching was a compilation made by a K-pop fan of NewBlack.

Lately, with the growing number of NewBlack fans, it was easy to find English subtitles for any video.

When RiHyuk looked disdainfully at the other members, holding his breath, a subtitle that read [(Pause)] appeared.

“I want to share this.”

I wanted to grab the attention of the patrons in the diner and exclaim, “Look at this, it’s a whole new world!”

Just as I was entertaining that thought…

“Ha ha ha!”

The distinctive, trivial laughter of NewBlack reached my ears.

From outside my earbuds.

“…?”

I removed my earbuds and looked up.

The laughter of NewBlack was leaking from the TV installed in the diner.

“That can’t be right?”

Following the gaze of the other customers, I looked at the TV, which was tuned to a news channel, and tilted my head in confusion.

A famous news channel.

The screen was split, with an anchor on the left and a reporter on the right.

The gray-haired anchor asked with a smile, “I hear we have an interesting international topic prepared for today?”

“Yes, it’s a video that recently became a hot topic on MeTube. It’s something everyone can enjoy.”

“Please introduce it.”

“It’s a video of a K-pop singer performing the song ‘Thousand Dreams’ from the OST of Nostalgia.”

It was indeed NewBlack.

Annie’s eyes widened in shock.

“What is this?”

My heart pounded.

As I wondered what the news was…

“Nooo…”

A “Nooo…” slipped from my lips.

No, no.

As Annie shook her head, looking for a way to change the channel…

In a video with the Korean caption ‘My Hometown’ on PBS, a young man took deep breaths…

Moo-oo-oo-

It was a scene of him making a cow’s sound.

“Pfft!”

“Ha ha ha!”

Amidst the cheerful laughter filling the diner, the anchor and reporter continued their talk as more videos played.

“These are videos that went up like a challenge after the original went viral. Let’s watch them together.”

It was a scene of farmers in the central United States playing the video for their cows.

The cows, each busy with their own thing, stopped and gathered as they heard the cow sounds from a Korean singer through the amplifier speakers.

The cows and dairy cows murmured, “Moo-oo-oo-.”

As the anchor and reporter burst into laughter on TV, a boisterous laughter also filled the diner.

“…”

While Annie was swallowing her breath, the owner with a coffee pot asked, “More coffee?”

“No!”

“What’s that video you’ve been watching?”

“It’s nothing.”

Annie hurriedly closed her tablet PC to hide the NewBlack video she had been watching.

Meanwhile, news about that very video was being discussed around her.

On TV, the original segment continued, explaining the context of the video.

“It’s a group known as ‘NewBlack,’ famous K-pop singers from Korea.”

As a brief explanation, including the Nostalgia OST, flowed, the customers’ attention remained on the TV.

Though their interest soon waned, a few diners began discussing the recent video.

“It’s nice in a way, but this awkward feeling…”

I was a foreign fan, somehow embarrassed as my favorite singers gained recognition.