In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

“Look at this.”

“Wow. This is too much.”

Before “Wind Flower” even went live on the music sites, our Soufflés frowned at their phone screens.

On the idol forums, chatter about NewBlack’s pre-released MV was raging.

– “NewBlack’s MV this time is kinda weird lol”

– “The song sucks”

– “It’s so vague. Even as a Taeduck I thought the fireworks and markers would explode, but...”

– “Yeah, no killer moment”

– “They go hard then suddenly go soft... hmm”

– “They made this hastily for Muggles after getting some mainstream recognition lol”

– “For the public it needs more addictiveness. This isn’t enough”

Our Soufflés bristled at the screen.

“Wow. What the heck. We’ve got real song critics here.”

“How many pages is this flow thread, anyway?”

Some comments were outright harsh, but others cunningly pretended to be the majority opinion.

[“NewBlack’s MV getting lukewarm reactions.metube”]

[“This album’s songs, supposedly self-produced by NewBlack”]

[“Rookie idols getting fewer reactions than expected from the MV”]

There were dozens of infuriating posts like:

“This album’s songs are kinda lame haha oh NewBlack produced it themselves?”

In the comment sections, they waged war with our Soufflés, but the parrots repeating “It’s bad! It’s bad!” were relentless.

– “Just because they got some mainstream attention, they’re beyond critique? If it’s bad, it’s bad.”

– “Fans are so sensitive”

– “Fan policing is crazy. No more comment policing.”

– “Is it ‘cause Dol self-composed? Their fans’ pride is insane ;; makes me scowl”

– “I work in music, objectively—it’s the same story among composer colleagues. It should hit in the sabbath part but here...”

Veteran Soufflés shrugged and waited it out, but most were stunned.

“How are there so many posts?”

Compared to Masquerade, there was an unthinkable volume of discussion around our MV and song. This wasn’t typical buzz for a small agency rookie; only a major agency’s star comeback would provoke this much chatter. Even our Soufflés, new to this, were on edge.

“Let it flow,” said a veteran Soufflé, shaking their head at someone fuming at their phone. “The more these naysayers scream, the more buzz we get. Once the results are in, they’ll change their tune.”

“Right?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow, you’re so calm. I envy you.”

“Well, this scene is old hat here. Look at the thread.”

They pointed.

“It’s all about the song. Nobody’s criticizing the MV quality.”

“Oh, true?”

Though they whined about this or that in the song, no one claimed the MV was low quality—because its high production was obvious at a glance. Only the music invited subjective debate, so that’s what they latched on to.

“What are these people even after?”

It was like they had a grudge. I wanted to see their faces—to know what we’d done to deserve it. But as one Soufflé said, every scathing review only increased interest. And when negativity went too far, some turned against it.

– “Isn’t this too early? Let’s talk after the charts are out;;”

– “But the song is good..? Am I hearing it wrong?”

– “Every idol’s the same: 1st album fans like it, then 2nd, then 3rd. What do you even want lol”

– “Who started the live-performance controversy last time?”

– “They’re just using this chance to slam us again”

Such chatter can surround any rookie boy group’s comeback.

“Six o’clock!”

“It’s six...!”

At the showcase, Soufflés’ fingers flew over screens like lightning. They streamed the tracks and left positive reviews on album pages. The mood was tense but hopeful.

“I hope it does well.”

A common wish. Especially for this group. Watching our live promos gives hints: though the singers may not look nervous, fans see the fear in their eyes, the extra effort thrown into promos. Knowing how much they poured into the third album, they simply wanted us to succeed.

As those thoughts stirred among Soufflés,

“How many will chart?”

More fans than at Masquerade, so higher numbers, right? And higher than Something, hopefully.

“Beat NewBlack!”

Then someone checked the five-minute chart and widened their eyes.

“Huh...?”

Other fans looked and their eyes went wide too. Then a scream, like thunder.

Rumble—

If thunder hadn’t drowned it out, we in the waiting room would have heard it.

“...”

Silence fell. Fans looked at each other in their seats. Initially stunned, umbrellas untouched even as rain fell in droplets.

Then thunder struck again, triggering another shout. As rain pelted down, everyone hurried to open umbrellas, but the joyful cries couldn’t be stifled.

“...!”

To our Soufflés, each raindrop looked like a golden “1.”

#1 on the charts.

Whether on-site or online, Soufflés partied like at a festival.

– “Guys ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ”

– “Sound the trumpets!!!!! ㅠㅠㅠ”

– “I’m crying...”

– “Ugh, Ji-ho’s tone reminds me of them ㅠㅠㅠㅠ”

– “Auntie loves you all...”

– “We... we did it.”

– “Is this where I lie down?”

– “LOL why is everyone leaving now? Don’t go!!”

Soufflés worldwide were dancing in celebration. But it wasn’t just Soufflés who celebrated our #1.

– “They charted #1 on debut..?????”

– “Fans’ power is insane lol”

– “I liked the song, but didn’t expect #1”

– “When did NewBlack get this big??”

– “I thought they had some popularity but this firepower... crazy”

– “They really blew up”

Suddenly, all the positive voices previously buried under harsh critique surged to the surface. Public opinion reversed in an instant.

– “The song is so good... the lyrics are poetic”

– “The genre’s unusual but I love it lol can’t quite name it, but love it”

– “It’s really good, so catchy”

– “Feels balanced between pop appeal and critical pick lol”

– “So much obsession with aggressive concepts lately, this is healing and nice”

– “Why were they getting hate before? If a song’s good, how could you not know?”

– “Hey, where’s that self-proclaimed composer from earlier?”

Critics seemed to vanish, as if they’d never existed. A few insisted, “Wait to see if it’s true pop pick,” but their claims fell flat.

No matter the reaction, Soufflés no longer minded.

– “Hey! We’re fans of a #1 artist!”

– “☆Congrats... NewBlack wins Mango Chart☆”

– “LOL”

– “But suddenly I’m curious—what’s it like to be #2..?”

– “Hmm...”

– “I’ve never tasted #2 air, so I wouldn’t know?”

– “Special: never tasted #2 air”

– “Stop it, you guys, I’m embarrassed for you LOL”

– “You were trembling before release, now flexing rich-kid vibes lol”

– “I’m eight years old, drunk on NewBlack’s energy... haha”

– “LOL”

As these jokes flew online, Soufflés at the venue did the same.

“Puhaha!”

“Look at these.”

They were pointing at the flower wreaths adorning the venue.

♧ Jang So-won & (Lisa) – Wishing great success for Mini 2! (Make a hit, you guys!)

♧ PBS Best Song Squad – Best Song Squad supports NewBlack’s comeback!

♧ PBS Best Song Squad – Come back, guys... it’s never too late

♧ Premium Vocal Cha Woo-hyun – Go NewBlack (>ㅁ<)

♧ THE Maxi – Wow... third album already...

♧ GTV “Sleep” cast – Supporting the comeback of the rambling criminals and Officer Heo :D

Fans snapped photos of the wreaths, laughing at their witty messages. But the most trending one was:

♧ TBC “Men on the March” – Sincerely wishing NewBlack’s comeback and success.

♧ TBC “Men on the March” – Still not coming? We can’t give up our reservist idols.

♧ TBC “Men on the March” – Woo-joo... are you awake...?

It was the warm message from the military-variety production team, getting hilariously clingy right next to it. Soufflés giggled imagining their stunned faces.

With their goodies and cameras in hand, fans flooded into the venue.

“Wow...”

Fans who’d attended last year’s fan meeting shook their heads at the standing crowd.

When did this many show up? They’d deliberately expanded the event size, but this felt even bigger.

“They’ve grown up so much.”

It was somewhat expected: we’d made our name on top-rated competition shows, and we’d become SNS sensations—if you used social media at all, you couldn’t miss us. Bi-ju’s “Okjeo’s Daughter-in-Law” and Jung-hyun’s “Goguryeo’s Son-in-Law” memes had gone viral. And the maknae bossing around his six-rank hyungs became “Entitled True Aristocrat” memes, spawning cosplay of Seol Ri-hyeok as Choi Chi-won going to Tang China.

From the explosive buzz of History Exploration onward, we’d foreseen this. But feeling it firsthand was new.

Not just #1 entry—seeing familiar faces, but more new ones, too. I smiled warmly and squeezed through the crowd.

“Haha, Gyu-ho...”

Packed like bean sprouts, I barely freed an arm. As the lights dimmed and the screens rumbled music,

8 PM.

Before NewBlack’s intro stage, the amps’ vibrations pulsed my eardrums and set my heart racing.

The singers fans had been waiting for: five sleek silhouettes appeared onstage, triggering screams like thunder.

Under the bright lights, the five members came into view.

“...?”

Fans in the front rows, or those with sharp eyesight, stifled laughter at what they saw.

“They’re crying.”

Though we wore serious expressions, tears were clearly visible on NewBlack’s faces.

Crisis arrives twice.

After the intro stage ended, tears threatened again. It was truly heartwarming. Though we’d done many broadcasts, we’d never met fans face-to-face with the sole purpose of meeting them. It felt like finally keeping a long-delayed promise.

My heart sprinted into the crowd. My brothers, faces alight, waved.

“Thank you.”

Staff dashed onstage, handing out handheld mics. I gave a grin and signaled.

“One, two, three—”

“Hello, we are NewBlack!”

The roar that followed was deafening—our loudest yet. I blinked and looked at my brothers, and we couldn’t help quiet laughter.

This is two thousand people. Not just those standing on the floor— even the second floor was packed with waving lightsticks. It felt like a mini-concert, with singer and fans both electrified.

Now it finally felt real, though still surreal.

“Um...”

My voice trembled unknowingly.

– “Hyung, are you nervous?”

– “Woo-joo hyung’s shaking!”

– “Why are you so shaky?”

These hyenas wouldn’t miss a thing. I shot my brothers a look, then took the mic with a smile.

“So many of you came, it doesn’t feel real. Even with the rain and waiting, you all made it here—thank you!”

– “Thank you!”

– “I’m the most thankful!”

I surveyed the audience, breathing steadily.

“You’ve been waiting a long time, right? Finally, with our mini-2nd album ‘Yellow, the Color of Sunshine’...”

– “We’re back!”

Amid cheers and a wave of lightsticks, we then spent time greeting fans one by one. Finally, it was my turn to speak for the group.

“...Hmm.”

How to put this? I considered mentioning the #1 chart entry but decided to avoid it—there’s a different weight when fans bring it up versus the artist. And regardless of chart results, our gratitude wouldn’t change.

I wanted them to know that.

“First, I want to thank all the fans here and all our supporters.”

I saw excited faces everywhere. Making album three was fun but sometimes exhausting—right now, it felt like total compensation. Meeting fans truly lifted our spirits.

“I know you’re curious, but for this fan showcase we don’t have an MC. We asked the company to let us host ourselves.”

Bi-ju took the baton.

“For this album, Woo-joo hyung oversaw production and we all participated. As singers and producers, we wanted to introduce the album ourselves.”

No one knows our songs better than us. The purpose of this fan showcase was exactly that: to meet fans and talk about the music. So as we began the talk, the lingering personal quips I’d been skirting came to mind.

Ri-hyeok grabbed the mic like someone caught off-guard.

“You keep asking if we cried—absolutely not.”

“That’s right.”

As fans laughed, Ji-ho said primly,

“We have no tears. I didn’t even cry when Officer Heo died. I’m cold.”

Bi-ju grabbed the mic.

“I... didn’t cry either.”

“I shed one tear.”

...At their confessions, the fans burst out laughing. I nearly joined in. We all looked like puffer fish with swollen eyes.

A fan waved a banner reading “Calm down, NewBlack,” and I stifled a laugh, clapping my hands.

“Alright, shall we hear our crybabies introduce mini-2nd?”

Ignoring their screams of protest, we pressed on.

As the fan showcase continued, each NewBlack member explained parts of the album. Their on-air polish was clear: the awkwardness of Album Two was gone. Now they smoothly elicited fan responses and guided the show fluidly.

– “The MV background was the reeds of Suncheon, and Bi-ju got lost.”

– “We found him using a ‘find my kid’ app.”

– “That was great. When you pressed Emergency it kept chiming ‘Mom, I’m here!’ nonstop.”

Their non-stop storytelling nearly drained fans’ energy laughing along.

– “Kyaaaa!”

– “Heehee!”

Finally it was time for the title track “Wind Flower.”

– “I co-composed ‘Wind Flower.’ It’s about feeling alone sometimes, but knowing someone is watching you... I hope it becomes a song that gives strength.”

Bi-ju smiled, adding a brief introduction.

After the members left to change outfits, a soft track played as the curtain rose again. Onstage was NewBlack’s rapper, performing “Intro: Wind” before “Wind Flower.” Its jazzy, trendy music enveloped the audience.

Drums kicked off the rap, a flow weaving between offbeat and onbeat. Lyrics told of Wind discovering a single flower seed in an alley, struggling to plant it—easy for a mighty wind, but hard for a small one. It spoke to how even planting a wildflower by the roadside can be a tremendous effort.

As “Wind” ended, the music seamlessly shifted. Jung-hyun stood center, and the other members joined like ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) drifting flower seeds in the breeze, each taking place. Clad in spring-bright costumes that shimmered under lights, they launched into “Wind Flower.”