In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

The VCR continued in a warm, cozy atmosphere.

They played the edited interview clips—originally “Thank you, Soufflés” and “Our members are...”—seamlessly spliced together.

Against a BGM like “We support NewBlack’s dream,” the main vocalist smiled, and the screen faded to black.

The third VCR began.

With a dramatic sting, the date “2016. 1. 11.” appeared. A nighttime drone shot of Sangam-dong gradually zoomed in on the K-Net building, and the BGM swelled. On the broadcaster’s front façade, a giant LED sign read “The New Black Is Back.” The dark screen flashed a bold caption:

[Domestic First Reveal!]

Some grand countdown music played.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

As dry ice rolled across the stage floor, Soufflés waved their light sticks.

The stage doors slowly opened. On the TV screens, neatly handwritten subtitles appeared:

“Intro : Nine-teen”

– Composed by Uju, Junghyun, Rihyeok

– Lyrics by Rihyeok

– Arranged by Ha Seung-ju, Salt-mann, Sang-yun

Under soft golden lights, the main vocalist stood alone. A gentle piano prelude ended, and Rihyeok wrapped his hand around the mic.

“Like the fading sunlight

of five o’clock

our summer has passed.”

Fans smiled and swayed their light sticks to the mellow melody.

Nine-teen was the bridge between the previous album’s title “Nine” and this new release. It was a song Rihyeok had written himself, reflecting on being nineteen. The lyrics used seasons as a metaphor for time, flowing out in his smooth voice. The protagonist experiences a strange new season—winter—after all the summers they’ve lived through. At first, they shrink back in fear, but then bravely catch falling snowflakes in their hands.

‘It’s really beautiful...’

Fans around Rihyeok of similar age blinked back tears at the fresh sentiment, while older fans looked on fondly. Rihyeok closed his eyes and rose into the high notes, ending the chorus.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

As Soufflés applauded, Rihyeok swept his hair back with a wistful smile.

Just then, over the tender atmosphere, the members’ voices boomed from the speakers:

Their playful cheering shattered the mood, and Soufflés burst out laughing. Rihyeok sighed and grabbed the mic again.

At Junghyun’s teasing, fans laughed, and four more members climbed onto the stage.

They ran in as if greeting friends who’d arrived early at a train station or airport before a trip.

“Waaaa!”

Viju waved kindly toward the cheering crowd.

As the five of them assembled, the cheers grew. Uju looked around at his members and said,

They held up three fingers.

With their “You know, right?” expressions, fans shouted back loud and clear,

“NewBlack!”

Uju took the mic.

“Yeaaaah!”

The leader gave an embarrassed smile.

Laughter broke out. The rapper nodded and said,

From Y-App live streams to year-end TV shows to MiTube, the Soufflés had been overwhelmed by clues until they almost choked.

“Yeaaaah!”

“Yeaaaah!”

They’d all heard the special album tracks released at 6 PM. Thrilled by the shouts of “They’re so good,” the main vocalist covered his mouth with his mic hand. The leader, watching him, said,

He gave a brief album overview.

As fans went “Ooh,” Uju smiled and continued,

Finally, Rihyeok grabbed the mic.

Soufflés waved their light sticks in response.

“Waaaaah!”

“...?”

Junghyun raised a finger.

A phrase tailor-made for K-Net’s obsession with exclusivity, and fans smiled. Uju snapped his fingers and all took up their mics.

An old anime’s opening riff—“shupa shupa”—played.

“First

First first first

At last first~ reveal

NewBlack! Special~!”

As Junghyun narrated, “This comeback is brought to you by K-Net,” laughter erupted inside and out. The PD slapped excitedly on the table.

With that, the intro to the title track “Hibernation” began the full-blown comeback show.

After the intro, the first song was “Hibernation.” In the darkness, NewBlack members sat on chairs.

“Waaaaah!”

A spotlight revealed a man seated at a keyboard, commencing the prelude. He was a middle-aged pianist in horn-rimmed glasses and a suit.

“Waaaah?”

Startled, fans exchanged puzzled looks.

‘What am I seeing?’

‘They brought in Ha Seung-ju as a piano shuttle...’

‘But it fits.’

The album’s producer, Ha Seung-ju, smiled gently and nodded at the cameras and audience.

“Waaaaah!”

As if thanking them for treating him well, cheers followed. His steady, smooth fingers pressed each chord heavily, calming the atmosphere. Simultaneously, the spotlight shifted onto Rihyeok, his face dimly backlit.

He brought the mic close to his lips.

“Did it pass by

or did I pass through?

I can’t see my footprints.”

From the first line, fans gasped softly. Rihyeok’s powerful yet soft delivery filled every corner of the venue. He enunciated the lyrics like writing with a pencil, forgetting to wave light sticks as he immersed himself in the live performance.

Then the spotlight moved to the rapper, who delivered poetic verses. Jiho and Viju split parts, building momentum toward the chorus.

‘It’s truly beautiful...’

A broadcast camera captured fans holding their hands to their mouths, eyes closed. As the chorus approached, lights behind the members brightened in a burst of blue, blooming like winter flowers. The main vocalist closed his eyes and sang softly, echoing around the hall.

“When you wake from this long sleep

spring will be here

Just close your eyes and take my hand

We’ll be there”

With each high note mixed with breath, they reached out toward the audience. The song spoke of winter—a season where footprints vanish in the snow and the path home is erased—yet promised that if you hibernate and then awaken, spring awaits.

“At the end of this road

spring will wait for us

We’ll be there”

After the final line—added for the showcase and absent from the album—the crowd erupted.

“Waaaaaaah!”

Smiling softly, the members bowed and said, “Thank you!” as cheers rained down.

Amid the roaring response, they finished “Hibernation.”

“Thank you!”

They rose and bowed deeply to Soufflés. Even after the piano stopped, fans continued cheering like a roar.

“Oh, this is so good.”

While the juniors waved back at Soufflés, they waited for the applause to die down.

“Yes.”

Then they introduced their producer.

“Today’s showcase pianist and composer, our senior Ha Seung-ju!”

“Waaaaaaaah!”

Ha Seung-ju, still smiling, leaned into the mic by the keyboard.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ha Seung-ju. After helping at the last event, I’m today’s one-day piano stand-in.”

“Waaaaaaaah!”

“I don’t know how long it’s been since I received cheers from such a young audience. It makes me feel young again.”

As Soufflés laughed, the members waved him off.

“Ah, don’t speak so humbly, senior.”

“You’re young enough.”

“Thanks for the compliment, NewBlack.”

Then the pianist stood with a mock groan.

“This is the ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) first idol album I’ve ever produced, and since I personally like these guys, I wanted to contribute something.”

He glanced at them, then to the cameras.

Meanwhile, the PD—likely pleased by the surprise MC from a popular music variety show—looked ecstatic.

“With that in mind, I decided to join as pianist. Please support us tonight.”

“Waaaaaaaah!”

“My back’s killing me. I’ll head off now.”

When they reached out, shouting “Don’t go!” he laughed.

“I’d love to chat like at the music café, but my fee didn’t cover it.”

His playful excuse made Soufflés and members laugh.

“I’m expensive, so I’ll see you all later!”

“Thank you, senior!”

He departed, joking that he’d get in the way of singer-fan time.

They watched him go, then asked each other,

“How was it? Good, right?”

“Yeaaaah!”

“I thought you’d love it. In our A&R and producing team blind vote, this track was chosen unanimously as title.”

Soufflés nodded enthusiastically. They explained how the melody derived from “Night Sea,” shared brief composing anecdotes, and continued the performances of the remaining tracks.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

Originally planned only for Y-App live, there weren’t many VCRs, but K-Net’s editing and extra footage made each one land perfectly. They even held a quiz with Soufflés midway. Starting with tracks 3 and 4—“Platform” and “Winter Trip”—the mood grew increasingly lively, and everyone loved it.

Even some K-Net staff joined in:

National trot singer Baek Sang-gyo. They had remade his travel-essential song “Companion.” Since they’d been guests at his year-end dinner show, he’d teased, “Wait for me! I’m coming!” and actually appeared, much to everyone’s surprise. As fans laughed and enjoyed the original artist’s added flair, Ha Seung-ju played on. The PD applauded furiously, then gave a thumbs up.

After finishing their set, they waved to Soufflés who couldn’t move.

“Phew...!”

They exhaled, clapped each other’s hands, and laughed in relief.

“Good job.”

“Great job!”

High-fiving, they greeted roaming K-Net and team staff.

“Thank you for all your hard work!”

“You guys were amazing!”

Still trembling from nerves, they headed back to the waiting room, cold sweat chilling their hands.

“Man, it’s exhausting just singing.”

“I know right? I thought I’d pass out.”

Rihyeok drank water, shaking his head. Meanwhile, their hearts pounded on the way back.

It was 8 PM. Since their tracks dropped at 6, the real-time charts would have shifted twice by now. Would they do well again? As a special album, maybe the title track would be less popular? Or even more?

They entered the waiting room, tense, when suddenly—

Bang!

Stylists who’d been waiting popped celebratory confetti cannons. Colored paper fluttered in the air.

“Congratulations!”

They wiped confetti from their hair. PD Ha and Baek Sang-gyo sat smiling on the sofa, and in the middle, Manager Wonseok held a cake. Even Director Seok-hwan laughed, holding up a tablet.

“...Director Seok-hwan?”

“Congratulations.”

He held out the tablet screen.

“From the intro to the outro.”

As a warmth crept through their chests, he laughed as if giddy.

“All nine tracks charted.”

Staff erupted, “Waaaaah!” They stared at the Mango 8 PM chart on the tablet.

“Wow...! Wow! Wow!”

“Oh! Oh!”

From No. 1 down to No. 100, every song from the special album had placed:

Seeing all nine songs in the top 50 was astonishing. They felt not laughter but a rush of wind. Their veins seemed filled with twinkling stars instead of blood, as if floating weightlessly.

“Wow.”

As Rihyeok laughed with mouth agape, the others nodded furiously. Then—

“Waaaaaaaah!”

They screamed until their throats hurt and hugged one another. It was the best moment of New Year 2016.

On idol community boards:

– “NewBlack’s special album is insane right now”

– “Blue Winter’s tracks all in the top 50”

– “Post-freeze Hibernation MV MiTube views trend”

Fans buzzed about the unimaginable chart performance from day one.

– “LOL this is crazy”

– “An idol group dominating streaming, lol”

– “I knew when the antis started whining it would blow up”

– “I thought it’d be big when the tracks dropped at 6, and damn it was big”

– “Climbing ranks even more—wow”

– “They’re top class among streaming powerhouses now”

– “Their first-week sales are gonna explode too”

Signs were there from the promo event, but public interest sent the songs soaring. The career high started immediately, and Soufflés watched in awe.

Then an official notice popped up:

[Surprise Live Tour Announcement!]

From company announcements and Y-App: a small-venue tour starting in Seoul and Gyeonggi, then Chungbuk, Chungnam, Jeonbuk—circling the country counterclockwise. Along with the tour came news of a winner announcement for tickets soon.

‘What’s this?’

People living near Gangneung, Jeonju, Tongyeong asked curiously. MiTube and TV channels also began running the name NewBlack.

[NewBlack x PBS Collaboration!]

A trailer announced that NewBlack would team up with public broadcaster PBS. Dramatic BGM, PBS’s glittering night skyline, clips of NewBlack’s Nine dance break, and then—

“Moo-oh!”

At the sound of a cow mooing, Soufflés blinked. The grand BGM switched to the pastoral theme from a classic rural drama, and the mood instantly turned homespun.

[Special PBS Program with NewBlack]

[Tune in at 6 PM to “Now In My Hometown”!]

A special project airing weekdays for three weeks, with NewBlack traveling through regions for on-location recordings. Soufflés who’d been yelling “Waaa—” paused in confusion.

‘Wait, what kind of collab is this?’

“Now In My Hometown” was PBS’s most beloved show among viewers over sixty. News of NewBlack appearing on it drew both stunned and delighted laughter from fans.