In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Saturday evening.

Under a clear sky, people emerged from Exit 2 of Gwangnaru Station and passed down a street painted with autumn leaves.

A variety of people. Although their outfits varied, the Soufflés instinctively recognized fellow fans from the moment they stepped off the subway.

As if thinking, “Ah, that person too...”

Like streams merging into one, the line of people naturally wound all the way to the front of the venue.

Soon a large banner greeted them:

[The New Black 1st Fan Meeting – Soufflé Day]

In pastel gradations of yellow and gold reflecting the real colors of Soufflés, the banner caught every fan’s eye.

Posters lined the outside of the live hall. As fans waited in line before the event, they tapped their feet in excited anticipation.

As the doors opened, MD merchandise booths and a photo wall featuring the NewBlack members quickly filled with fans.

Fans laughed and posed in front of posters and panels.

Meanwhile, something else caught wandering fans’ attention:

“What is this—so many flower wreaths!”

“Whoa... that’s a lot. At my friend’s wedding I saw about this many.”

Scattered everywhere were wreaths bearing humorous messages sent by various celebrities:

♧ Jang Sowon & Wonderful Night – See you again on the radio..!

♧ Comedian Seo Jihyung – Work less, earn more..☆

♧ Siblings Hye-yeon & Hye-chan – NewBlack works harder than the black cow or the yellow cow

♧ Maxxi – Aah... a fan meeting, huh..

Fans burst into laughter photographing each one. But the wreath that appeared in the most photos was this:

♧ TBC “A Man’s Journey” – Woo­joo-ssi..? Just sending this on the off chance..

Because the broadcast team had teased me about being a reserve-forces idol after that video call with TNT’s Taehyeon, they’d sent it. The Soufflés laughed uproariously, vowing to post it to the fan cafe so I’d see it later.

Perhaps thanks to Soufflé Week over the last five days, every fan’s expression was that of someone on the verge of the festival’s highlight.

And it wasn’t only the fans feeling the festive mood: staff at the merchandise booths also gasped.

“Assistant manager.”

“Yes?”

“One item’s already sold out.”

“We just opened...?”

At first it was confusion. Then realization dawned, and company staff shared in the festival atmosphere. It truly was the most epic first fan meeting, even before it began.

Backstage in the live-hall waiting room.

I checked my outfit in the mirror: white shirt and jeans. Trying to look stylish after so long, I tucked my jeans a bit—only to be scolded by the head stylist.

“Woo­joo, why are you making your pants sag?”

He said I shouldn’t do strange things with such a great figure. Nearby, the maknae burst into laughter.

Another day I’d have chased him away yelling, “Get over here, you rascal,” but today I couldn’t help laughing. Nervous, yet happy; happy, yet nervous.

Listening to the BGM flowing through my in-ears, I tried to calm myself.

“Five-hundred won... five-hundred won...”

Rihyeok stood in a corner, staring at the wall and warming up his voice. His low tone filled the waiting room like a dry-ice fog.

Junghyun and Jiho had been caught stealing snacks from the waiting room by Director Yoon Seok-hwan—and everything was confiscated. Silly them. I should’ve grabbed them first.

“Director, what’s this?”

“Oh, that? I saw Woo­joo sneak it earlier, so I noted where he put it.”

“...”

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice, Woo­joo?”

He waved a bag of chocolate-chip cookies teasingly. After comeback, I’m eating those first.

I eyed staff and crew bustling in the waiting room and corridors, looking for a moment to slip away—but nothing felt right, so I gave up.

I plopped onto the sofa. Bijoo sat next to me.

“Hyung, I’m so nervous.”

“Me too.”

We rubbed our palms together on the sofa.

“Ooh, you look like a swarm of handsome flies, hyungs.”

“You little brat.”

He mock-glared, then tapped the seat beside me with a smile. “Come here. Let’s do it together.”

“All right.”

“I’ll join, too.”

As the four of us tried to shake off nerves, Rihyeok—having finished his warm-up—approached with an exasperated look.

“What are you doing?”

“Loosening up.”

“Does that help?”

“A bit?”

I could see he was about to try something invisible again. Of course, it didn’t actually calm nerves—it just felt better huddling together.

Bijoo said, “I feel weird. It’s not the stage that’s making me nervous, but I’m still nervous.”

“It’s because we’re about to meet our fans.”

“They’re all here, right?”

I nodded. I regretted that all I could hear through the in-ears was the music from the stage. If only there were a monitor like at a TV station, we could see what the fans were doing. I imagined they wore the same expressions as us.

“Oh! The reality-show cam is here.”

“Hello!”

HBS MTV producers entered and interviewed each of us, asking how we felt before the first fan meeting.

Facing the camera, I said, “I’m really, really nervous. Even though I’ve been on broadcasts a lot lately, it still feels like I can’t adapt. We haven’t met these fans in so long. Honestly, I was so excited last night I couldn’t sleep...”

“Doobi-doobap-bap~ Doobi-doobap-bap~”

Behind me through the lens, two brothers danced like baby «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» baboons. I stubbornly ignored them and continued.

“I’ve really been looking forward to meeting our Soufflés! Today we’ll have an amazing, wonderful time...”

“Doobi-doobap~”

“Hey!”

“Ah, it’s the Cockroach King!”

I brushed my hair back as they scampered away. “Cockroach King”—that absurd nickname made the director try not to laugh.

Then Rihyeok and Bijoo stood together for their interviews, and finally my two little puppies grabbed the mic to share their thoughts.

While we chatted in front of the reality-show cameras, the moment finally arrived.

“Five minutes until showtime!”

“Let’s move!”

With managers, we left the waiting room in tense silence. The walk to backstage felt so thrilling.

Along the way, the guys sipped water from empty bottles or cracked their necks and shook their shoulders.

I smiled and asked, “Reminds you of the showcase, right?”

“Oh, it does.”

“We were so surprised then—we didn’t expect so many fans.”

“Today’s four times that number.”

The thought of a thousand people made even the brothers nervous. I’d performed before tens of thousands at the ChajaDream Concert, but a thousand devoted fans—that was something else. Still dizzy, I laughed boldly.

“Let’s do it just like our first showcase. Feel the nerves, but don’t shake.”

As the reality cam caught us, I held out my hand for a cheer. Together we clasped hands and shouted, “Fighting!”

“We’re going onstage.”

Following the cue from the stage manager’s intercom mic, we scrambled onto the stage.

Bull blackness. Then electric blue lights flooded the platform, and the fans’ cheers exploded.

“Waaaaaah!”

Their roar was so loud it felt like ten thousand people.

Through booming amps came the intro to our debut song, “Fireworks,” fresh as ever. In blue-toned outfits, every gesture and movement drew fierce responses.

Hearing that cheer we’d practiced on music shows sent chills down my spine. My heart pounded, goosebumps rose.

“Waaaaaaah!”

As the song ended and our Soufflés bounced, my heart still raced.

“Wow, the live response is incredible. Now, please give your introductions!”

The MC’s playful voice rang out. “One, two, three—”

“Hello, we are NewBlack!”

Our bowed greeting ushered another wave of cheers. As my eyes grew accustomed to the bright lights, I began to see the packed audience.

My eyes widened without thinking.

“Waaaah...”

I gasped in awe. During rehearsal I’d thought, “Will our Soufflés fill this?” Now the seats were full—from the floor to the balcony.

MC Park Jaeshin laughed as we waved to every direction 360 degrees. “So passionate from the start, NewBlack.”

A popular comedian MC for idol events—hard to book—but thanks to Seo Jihyung, he was ours. He bantered playfully while we greeted fans in turn.

I’d forgotten my lines.

“Hello, I’m Woo­joo. Uh, wow—so many people came. Did you see all the maples on the way here? I really hoped you’d see them too.”

My rambling made my brothers giggle.

“Since we haven’t met in so long, let’s all have fun today!”

“That’s right. We’re not letting you go home.”

When the maknae piped in, fans burst out laughing. Then, whenever each brother greeted the crowd, the cheers grew louder—just like our debut showcase.

No matter what we did or said, they cheered us on beautifully. It was moving. Even my grandmother Kim Deok-soon hasn’t treated me so kindly...

The fan meeting’s funniest greeting came from our main dancer:

“Hello. I’m Bijoo.”

He clasped his hands politely and bowed to the navel—hilarious—and continued:

“I want to thank all our Soufflés here. Your throats must hurt from cheering, your faces from smiling, your arms from waving light sticks, your legs from walking here...”

He added another “pain” each time, and fans finally erupted in laughter. The MC quipped:

“According to Bijoo, our fans have no pain-free parts.”

“Ah.”

The live hall filled with laughter as Bijoo glanced at me in embarrassment. I seized the mic, grinning:

“Yes, on your way home today, we’ll make sure you leave feeling completely refreshed.”

The crowd’s enthusiastic response followed instantly.

Once the fan meeting fully began, Soufflés in the audience never stopped waving their mini light sticks.

A few tried filming and were gently stopped by security, but most couldn’t tear their eyes from the stage.

“Hoo...”

“Wow...” 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Though they stood far away, each member’s face seemed magnified. Especially newer fans, drawn in during our first-album promotions, reacted so vividly.

Some members had boyish, scholarly features; others had sharp eyes that softened with their smiles. Then there were those who stood out like peacocks—distinctly handsome, confidently bold. Their features seemed to shout “I’m here!” to every corner of the country.

“Faces win it all...”

As with any idol fan meeting, the early mini-games were unbearably corny—but the members’ faces made them fun. Unfortunately, they seemed oblivious to their own looks.

One sat blankly; for another “silhouette talk” segment, they sat offstage where only silhouettes appeared while voices, disguised, squealed:

[This is so fun, ehehehe.]

[Shh, turn your voice down.]

[Junghyun, you have so many stories. Let’s see~]

[What to say about Junghyun? So many things, but too embarrassing to share here...]

“Bijoo, is that you?”

[No... it’s Wang Jiho.]

[Ehehehe, so funny!]

[Seriously pathetic, ehehehe.]

Though distorted, fans recognized the voices and laughed nonstop.

While the truth-reveal segments and goofy game clips kept fans roaring, the performance stages took their breath away.

Junghyun’s solo rap performance; Bijoo’s random dance to a trending song; the first official “Night Sea” duet. Each stage’s afterimage was replaced by the next’s powerful impression.

Finally, Jiho’s impromptu drama lesson. As he taught acting, the members improvised scenes.

Rihyeok and I played “boy and girl students on a countryside road at sunset.”

I tapped the air and said:

“Hyuk-sun, want to ride to school with me? You can sit behind.”

“No thanks.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a unicycle.”

“That’s why I brought two. You ride one.”

“Okay.”

“Ah, hyungs! Don’t do it like that!”

As the maknae pouted, we pretended to ride unicycles and scurried offstage. With corners like that, time flew by.

Meanwhile, one of the fan meeting’s most memorable moments was NewBlack’s cover stage. We arranged Teen Spirit’s “Gunflower” for a five-person lineup.

Under red lights splashed all around, the five members in suits moved to the groovy melody. Bijoo led from center, the formation shifting like a painting, and fans darted heads to follow every move.

Those laughing, exuberant expressions vanished as the song’s dark, serious tone demanded matching faces.

Before the chorus, Rihyeok performed upper-body choreography while two members on either side glided soft waves, crossing behind him. From the balcony it looked like wings intersecting.

Then Bijoo slid to the front. Flicking his hair, he beckoned to me with a graceful hand gesture—prompting a roar from the crowd.

Just a moment later, he withdrew that gesture, and the line of members split to either side like wings.

Then—

Thud—

The deep red lights shifted to a bright color. Centered on Bijoo, the members drew L-shapes in the air with their hands for the main choreography, and the cheers exploded again.

Each time we smoothly wave-danced through our hips, the decibel level skyrocketed. The amount of practice was obvious; in such a short time, our synchronized waves were razor-sharp, flowing gently side to side.

It was a sight I’ll never forget.

After the stage ended, friends who came together whispered excitedly:

“Wow, that choreography felt so different.”

“But even ‘Fireworks’ feels different today, doesn’t it...?”

“Right. And they look more grown-up.”

Fans unaware that the members had been hitting the gym hard for the second album couldn’t know the reason—but they could only exclaim in awe.

“I wish time would stop...”

While Soufflés thought that, sadly the final segment approached.

It was the special stage Woo­joo had prepared.