In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

It felt like ages since I’d been this exhilarated doing music work.

Waking up the next morning—Thursday—I was on top of the world.

“Hello! We are NewBlack.”

Today’s schedule was a K-net music broadcast.

Since our comeback showcase in January, it had been four months since we last visited the K-net building in Sangam-dong, and nothing much seemed different.

If there was one change, though...

“Hey, it’s NewBlack.”

“NewBlack....”

“They’re on today....”

As we passed through the lobby, broadcasting staff stopped in their tracks to stare at us.

I figured it was thanks to the popularity from MiP.

Even so, I could feel the upgraded treatment on every level.

“Whoa!”

We were led into the station’s largest waiting room.

Our maknae covered his mouth in awe.

“Wasn’t this the room that TeenSpirit hyungs used last time? What is this! We must’ve really made it big!”

“Hold on, hold on.”

I raised my hand to pause them. My younger brothers looked at me.

I cracked the door open and then closed it again, then said,

“Do you feel the difference?”

“...?”

“The door’s soundproofing is solid. You can barely hear anything from next door, and it’s completely quiet outside.”

“No way!”

“Which means...”

“We can sleep like kings...?”

We all looked at each other and shouted in delight.

“Hyung!”

“Guys!”

We bounced around gleefully, then huddled together, taking deep, luxuriant breaths as if tasting success.

Jung-hyun added a narration in the style of a sutra ASMR:

“With each inhale, we taste the flavor of triumphant success; with each exhale, we feel the energy of the sweetest sleep.”

“Um-men.”

Staff members unpacking our bags burst out laughing at that strange chant—which ended in praise of me.

“This is heaven. It’s a palace.”

“Feels like the presidential suite of waiting rooms.”

The room was so spacious that even after we dumped all our gear, there was plenty of space left.

Our maknae glanced at the cue sheet taped to the wall and said,

“Wow, it’s been ages since we did a pre-recording at a time when people aren’t lying down.”

“Exactly. I’m so glad it’s not dawn.”

I always felt bad for fans shivering in the early morning, so this slot was perfect.

Everyone—from fans to us to the staff—briefly marveled at how different this recording would feel.

“But let’s go greet the seniors first.”

With the remaining time, we decided to say hello to the two senior acts with the most tenure.

“Hello, seniors.”

“Oh, hi there. Long time no see.”

One was The Moon, a ballad singer we often ran into on variety shows and other programs.

“Hello! We are NewBlack.”

“Oh! Hello! Why, why the sudden visit?”

“We came to greet you~!”

The other was Autumn Girl, from one of the Big Four agencies, SNH Entertainment.

Since they were our seniors, we went over to say hi, but they looked genuinely surprised—like “What’s this about?”

I smiled and said,

“Congratulations on being in the running for first place today.”

“Oh, thank you. We’ve also been enjoying MiP lately—your teacher Ujuseon’s # Nоvеlight # segment....”

“Thanks for the kind words.”

We exchanged signed albums and were about to part when their member Nahyun asked us for our autographs.

“If it’s okay...”

“Of course.”

They told us their grandparents were fans, and that the two of them didn’t get along well, so we signed one each: “Kim Kyung-bae” and “Oh Young-ok.” We even took a heart-pose selfie for them, and they thanked us profusely.

It was such an odd, sweet experience that we couldn’t help laughing.

After finishing our greetings and returning to the waiting room for a break...

Knock, knock, knock.

Our illusion of downtime shattered as soon as we entered.

A six-member rookie boy group, accompanied by their managers, bowed at a right angle.

“Hello! We are The Six! We are Sinister!”

“Hello.”

We stood and returned their pose.

“We are The Five. We’re NewBlack.”

“H-hah, um.”

Just like Autumn Girl, everyone seemed to smile reflexively when they saw our faces.

Meanwhile...

We watched these rookies look at us with wide, curious eyes, as if we were living legends. There was something hopeful in their gaze.

“Can we take a photo?”

Their eyes lit up!

I’d heard their concept was “villains in a hero movie,” but their childlike excitement cracked me up.

“Sure.”

“Wow! This is such an honor.”

Their manager beamed, snapping shots of us together.

Their leader clasped his hands and said,

“It’s an honor. We watch your videos all the time when we practice.”

“Oh, really?”

“Every time we see you on stage, we just—admire you so much.”

“Y-you do? Thank you.”

It’s not everyone who gets that kind of praise. My brothers smiled proudly at how bashful I looked.

Luckily, the greetings didn’t drag on too long. Another act knocked to say hello, so we bid them farewell with smiles.

“Congrats on your debut. Let’s at least shake hands.”

“Ah, yes.”

I wiped my hands along my trousers—mimicking their leader—then shook hands with him.

Tap-tap-tap.

Their trembling, bath-mitt-like grip returned our handshake with nearly worshipful enthusiasm.

After seeing those shaking hands off, I sighed,

“How embarrassing.”

I fanned myself, and Bi-ju and Jung-hyun fanned me from either side.

Ri-hyuk—looking amused—asked,

“Is it really that embarrassing?”

“Want to switch places?”

“No way. I’m never going up there.”

“See?”

Being hailed as “my heroes” by junior groups barely two years younger than us—how could it not feel overwhelming? Their eyes seemed to say, “You’re our hope!”

Looking back, it was mortifying.

“Shall I keep fanning you, hyung?”

“Yeah.”

While Bi-ju and Jung-hyun fluttered their fans like Joseon court attendants, the next group arrived.

They were a rookie girl group that debuted this year.

“One, two—huh!”

When they saw me sitting there being fanned, they let out a yelp. Embarrassed, they ran off in tears.

“Sorry! We’ll come back!”

“No, stay—”

I turned and caught Min-gi hyung and Won-seok hyung looking at me down the hallway, and they nodded.

“That was worth laughing at.”

“Your pose with the fan made you look like a pleasure-seeking monarch.”

Hearing them call me that cracked up Jiho and Ri-hyuk standing behind me.

Hyung Min-gi had even taken a photo of it, and we all agreed it was hilarious. Then we changed our group chat profile picture to that shot.

“How many acts did they say were appearing today?”

“Twenty in total, including us. We’ve seen two seniors already, so there are seventeen groups younger than us.”

“How did it end up like this?”

We decided to just roll with it.

“One, two, three! Hello! We are E-Naughty!”

“Fly, fly, fly to the dream! Hello! We are DreamTicket!”

We greeted groups we knew from awards shows or music broadcasts warmly, and also said hello to rookies whose songs we’d heard but whose faces were new to us. Everyone wore the same amazed expression, making the greetings feel interminable.

“Next time, maybe we should just surprise-attack them with our hello.”

“Then it’d feel like we were scolding them instead. Imagine seeing senior Cha Woo-hyun announce ‘We came to greet you.’”

“True...”

Just then, the group I’d personally been waiting for finally appeared.

Knock, knock.

“- Nyeobje-young~?”

A sweet, pleasant voice called out.

“I’m hereee!”

My junior from the military swaggered in.

“You crazy person...!”

Haru—the leader and maknae—screamed, grabbed her by the scruff, and threw her back.

While the other members clicked their tongues and apologized, I couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s okay. It’s Eun-seong.”

“...!”

“In the military, even the drill sergeant had given up on her.”

I gave a warm smile to the A-PB members—our seniors—who looked like they understood our plight.

Meanwhile, Eun-seong—bounced back in—brightened up our staff’s faces with laughter.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s Kevin~”

The handsome guy’s easy smile earned applause from our staff.

I wondered how his variety-show image was crafted, because our staff looked utterly charmed.

He’d been on seven shows, including cable and semi-regular spots—no wonder he’s one of the hottest variety idols right now.

“Congrats on being in the running for first place today.”

“Thank you, seniors.”

“Today’s the final broadcast, right? I’ve heard every track on this album; they’re all amazing. Being in the running for first place...”

“‘It’s just a stroke of luck~,’ ” Haru tossed Eun-seong back at me, and she exchanged a signed CD with me.

After saying goodbye to A-PB as well, small talk resumed.

“So, in the military, there was this one time the drill sergeant...”

“Ooh!”

Staff even chimed in, turning the hallway into a marketplace of storytellers and listeners.

“Want to hear another story?”

“Yes, please! Please! We’re always starved for these stories.”

We all sat on a sofa and settled in to hear my dark-history anecdotes, but I pulled myself away.

Eun-seong beamed and waved to my brothers.

“See you next timeee!”

“I’ll remember~!”

“Thank youuu—!”

Then she slipped from my grip and walked alongside me, grinning.

“How was it? Nice to see each other after so long?”

“For about a second.”

“I get it—the thrill of being shy even though you’re really happy. I feel that sometimes, too.”

“Eun-seong.”

“What is it?”

I narrowed my eyes, looking down the hallway.

“Want to go check out the end over there?”

“Why? What is it?”

“Um.”

My junior, who had already trotted down the hall, returned.

“There’s nothing here. What did you think was here?”

“My happiness.”

“Seriously!”

“People who run whenever I tell them are fools.”

“Of course.”

She nodded.

“I realized something recently—want to know?”

“No thanks.”

“If you do what Sun Woo-ju tells you, you can make gold even from dung.”

“Don’t involve my name in that.”

“Look at this. I did what they told me in the military, and I became an idol, didn’t I?”

Her expression of career satisfaction was so earnest that I couldn’t help laughing.

“Right. Do you know what my nickname is on variety shows these days? Human vitamin—always making people smile.”

“They captioned you as Eun-chin-nom, didn’t they?”

“Th-that was the producers’ doing.”

I got a drink from the vending machine, and she happily said, “Thanks,” and seemed to love it.

I asked her quietly,

“How’s it been lately? Enjoyable?”

“Enjoyable? Hmm, I guess? Kinda? That’s the feeling.”

Eun-seong slurped her drink and said,

“Variety’s fun, but no matter what I do here, people don’t really remember the group.”

“That does make it hard to build momentum.”

“I wish I could spark a big hit with the members, but it’s a bit disappointing.”

She sounded a little down.

Just then, her somber mood lifted.

“It’s because the public isn’t recognizing our effort. They need to appreciate A-PB’s cuteness.”

Impossible! For someone who’s called a variety-genius to feel isolated was heartbreaking—so I found myself applauding.

We talked about all the shows she’d been on until my maknae sent a message: “S-j-n-h j-b.” Pre-recording prep was starting.

“I need to go change outfits.”

Eun-seong bowed and said,

“Thanks for the drink.”

“Sure.”

“Next time, buy me something fancier than this.”

“Hey!”

As Eun-seong backed away about three meters, tongue-clicking, I waved goodbye—then she suddenly looked like she’d remembered something.

“Lately, I envy you and the NewBlack members.”

“Why?”

“Well, feels like the variety gods bless you. Even if you just stand there, they throw opportunities your way.”

“What are you talking about? You think we’re always funny?”

Time for the pre-recording.

“One, two, three!”

“Hello! We are NewBlack!”

Cheers erupted after our rehearsal.

“Wooo!”

“Bi-ju, happy birthday!” voices called from all around.

While the on-site staff checked cameras before shooting, we chatted with fans about lunch menus and the like.

“These outfits are pretty, right?”

“Yes!”

“Later on MyTube, the secret behind this outfit will be revealed. Coming soon.”

We mentioned uploading a video—with designer Seo In-ah—explaining which parts of the costume drew from hanbok.

Just then, the signal came that we were ready to record.

Our stage today consisted of the new song “Nakhwa” followed by the special stage “Kkotnori.” Before “Nakhwa,” we’d perform “Intro : Byeol,” forming our positions while waving to the Souffle.

“Wooo!”

Our maknae winked to keep up, and Jung-hyun blew a kiss to fan response—then the director spoke into his mic.

“Before we start recording, let me point out a few things to fix.”

“...?”

“That glowstick light is too bright—please tone it down a bit.”

He blinked in the glow of our newly released “Dalbong” light sticks.

Luckily, there was no “Wangbong” light stick. I heard someone had smuggled one in, but it’s banned for safety—a sensible rule.

In the waiting room, our maknae’s wild theory made sense, too:

“Maybe the station banned them because they’re scared of us!”

“If hundreds of fans start lighting one-meter sticks like laser swords, it would be terrifying.”

We chuckled at his joke about teaching good manners.

“Wooo!”

We waved back at Souffle waving their Dalbong, then—

“Wooo!”

—the MR kicked in and we danced the choreography.

With so many performers onstage, it felt like a showcase.

Every flutter of fabric brought deafening cheers, and everything was perfect.

“Huh.”

As I struck the ending pose, a flurry of confetti kept drifting into my mouth.

“Huh.”

I stifled a sneeze and smiled through it.

When the lights went down—

“Wooo!”

—we spat out confetti together, then laughed along with the cheering Souffle.

First week of our comeback.

Souffle bustled around, hungry for any “Nakhwa”-style tidbits.

At K-net especially, it felt like they’d been waiting just for NewBlack—uploading their own broadcast-exclusive content.

“The station folks did well this time.” 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The camera work was solid, and the airtime was practically a NewBlack special: intro, “Nakhwa,” and “Kkotnori.”

Watching the fuzzy fancams replaced by crisp station footage felt like pure bliss.

“Glad it wasn’t a footcam for once, lol—the close-ups and group shots were perfect.”

“Ending Uju.gif is life.”

“From today on, our MBTI is SEXY (no sexy fan art in the comments, pls).”

“Why didn’t I stan back when they debuted? I missed out on all this good stuff.”

“If I could turn back time, I’d have stan’d NewBlack at Something and bought lottery tickets.”

“The song ‘Kkotnori’ is so good—feels like ancient Joseon warriors.”

“┕Ri-hyuk would freak out if he saw that comment title.”

With new Souffle joining, the community buzz felt like a bustling marketplace.

MyTube content was also delighting Souffle everywhere.

“Here’s how this costume draws from hanbok.”

A video explaining the hanbok elements, along with designer Seo In-ah’s commentary, went up on our World account—educating overseas fans while helping Souffle understand the traditional references.

“Now that’s satisfying.”

Any nitpicks—like wrong collar direction or criticism of Chinese/Japanese influences—had been deleted.

And then, good news:

“NewBlack ‘Nakhwa’ MV surpasses 10 million views—fastest ever.”

By 11 AM, “Nakhwa” had hit ten million views in 65 hours—a record.

Souffle, who’d been bracing themselves, and other idol fans alike were stunned.

“Wow.”

“Congrats!”

“Isn’t that way faster than Nine??? Wow!”

“Well, NewBlack always had many overseas fans, so no surprise.”

“I heard a lot of fans from China and Southeast Asia joined via MiPro—MyTube’s mostly SEA, and album sales are probably China.”

“Jealous, congrats.”

“If you’re just gonna congratulate, do it—why so many side comments, lol.”

“This is insane.”

People even speculated we might break Nine’s record for fastest to 100 million views.

When the official SNS posted thanks for ten million views, veteran idol fans who’d become Souffle were wide-eyed.

“Fan life this happy? Who knew?”

From the outside, you might not see it—but inside, it’s the sweetest fan experience imaginable. Like starving scavengers suddenly invited into a lavish royal court.

While others might scamper to devour every crumb, Souffle here were so well-fed they rolled around asking, “Do we really need more?”

“This place is insane.”

In the best way.

Fans could devour all the scraps, but also enjoy Souffle-bread they could actually chew.

Still...

“This is odd.”

Something felt off.

New fans awaited tomorrow’s Music Cafe broadcast and this week’s MiP tidbits.

But veteran fans kept saying something was missing.

“Hmm... it’s time for something new to drop.”

“An extra track will come out.”

“Work faster, K-net fools.”

“At this point, something has gotta drop.”

Sure enough, K-net uploaded individual fancams for each member along with a special clip:

“What’s 7+2+5+14+2? (feat. NewBlack)”

New Souffle clicking the video burst out laughing. One by one, Rihyuk, Biju, Uju, Junghyun, and Jiho—after finishing their poses—spat confetti toward the camera.

Each time they spat, a number appeared beneath them. When Jung-hyun fired a machine-gun volley of fourteen petals, new fans laughed—then paused.

“How did they predict this would be released?”

The more you watched, the stranger it got.

The fandom of newly arrived idol fans was full of peculiar, inexplicable people.