In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

NewBlack TV uploaded a unique thumbnail that made the Supples curious.

[Come Dance With Korea : BUSAN]

There was NewBlack in colorful costumes with the English text “Come Dance With Korea” written on the thumbnail.

“Busan, huh?”

They clicked the video, and a dance video of the goblins played against the backdrop of Busan city.

At a bus stop near Haeundae, the goblins looked around and then began to swagger, their robes billowing.

They went to Jagalchi Market, caught rice cakes thrown by vendors and giggled, then carried popcorn buckets and cola to watch the ascending dragon at Haedong Yonggungsa while laughing among themselves.

Between scenes of the goblins having fun around the city, the night view and the sea scenery stood out.

“Wow, so this is the collaboration with the Tourism Board......”

On Dongbaek Island, the NewBlack members who were singing the chorus of Gabi Gabi Dotgabi rode a wave and laughed joyfully.

At the end, the goblins clad in various outfits bought at the market left elegantly wearing floral glasses.

“What happened to their faces”

Just as they admired the beauty of the red-haired goblin who pulled down his sunglasses and winked one eye—

Beep! Beep!

Whistle-blowing police officers ran over, and the goblins who had been causing trouble all day screamed “Waaa!” and fled, ending the video.

The focus moved up to the sky.

In thin Piraruku font, the campaign phrase [Come Dance With Korea] appeared.

They recalled that it was a collaboration between Busan city and the Tourism Board.

-NewBlack: Will they still not invite us to Pyeongchang??

-It’s made for foreigners, but for some reason it’s full of Koreans

-Don’t worry, Sun. As a Supple I know that soon English speakers will go crazy and come here..

-OH MY GOD

-See..? I told you they’d come

-The song is really amazing. It suits hanbok, it suits suits, it just suits everything

-Is this a series? I want to see more

-They say it’s the first video in the collaboration with the Tourism Board lol

-The video is really well shot. If I were a foreigner, I’d want to visit Busan after seeing this

Hearing that more dance videos set against famous Korean cities would be uploaded, the Supples were delighted.

“I want to see more costumes.”

The hanboks refashioned in a trendy way and NewBlack’s beauty were creating synergy.

And the soundtrack that fit perfectly with any costume or choreography was contributing as well.

[Goblin Dance (Monkey Magic ver.)]

[Teaming NewBlack goblins with Teen Spirit Demonic]

[Digimon Opening Goblin Version]

Perhaps because of the characteristic rhythm and addictive melody, it felt natural in every video—truly goblin-like.

It was a little sad that Monkey Magic fit so well with the choreography......

“Ahem.”

Laughing again as they reviewed the Busan collaboration promo video—

“Hm?”

Another video had just been uploaded.

[Come Dance With Korea : Temples]

They clicked it, and a music video filmed at famous temples by NewBlack began to play.

‘......Huh?’

The members wore white Korean dance costumes dyed blue and pink, put on sneakers, and danced doom-chit-doom-chit.

Behind them shone a brightly lit pagoda.

That pagoda was...

“What the. Why is Seokgatap here”

It was the three-story stone pagoda of Bulguksa, National Treasure No. 21. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Just as they wondered whether it was okay to dance in front of it—

The members joyfully came down the Bulguksa steps, jumped with a “poing!” and then appeared before a monk at another temple who was combing his hair, continuing the choreography in new costumes.

A subtitle in Hangul and English appeared: [Suncheon Songgwangsa]

-indifferent monks watching is the kill point lololol

-it’s so flashy so flashy

-from the monks’ perspective it’s literally living temptation itself

-or rather wouldn’t it be closer to debauchery since it’s NewBlack

-debauchery lolllllllll

-wow there are so many beautiful temples in our country

As praise for the video’s cinematography flowed—how well it preserved the tranquil charm of the temples while doing justice to the song—the Tourism Board posted on SNS.

They announced that over the next two weeks they would upload city-by-city music videos as well as theme videos of markets, palaces, and more.

Fans were stunned by the overwhelming amount of content teasers.

-They worked like oxen, my kids..

-I don’t think even oxen could work like that lol

-It’s a shame we can’t see it in person but I think it’s even better than music shows. The videos look so pretty

-Foreigners seem to be going crazy over it too

-But at the end of the collab videos when they show Busan City and Tourism Board sponsor stuff, I feel so proud lol

-I agree

-same lol I get all giddy about it

The Supples felt grandiose.

Filming music videos at famous temples or scenic spots usually requires strict permission.

Even as a Tourism Board collaboration, the owners would ask “Who is shooting this?” and hesitate to grant permission.

Feeling proud that such places opened their doors to NewBlack was like having a national idol group.

‘I wonder if this is how ancient fans of first-generation idols felt.’

Their hearts swelled.

They wanted to go anywhere and tell people “These are the singers I love.”

Of course, talking about NewBlack outside was not easy.

Because......

“This new NewBlack album is amazing. The songs are fucking good.”

“Goblins?”

“Gabi Gabi Dotgabi~”

“Hahaha! They dance terribly!”

A group of people chatting at a café flailed their arms while mimicking the choreography.

Among them, a Supple smiled nostalgically and sipped coffee.

“How do they all know it so well?”

Even when they wanted to pretend they were fans, the reaction would be “Is there anyone who doesn’t know it now?”

“Oh right. You said you were a fan?”

“Uh? Yeah.”

“When fans make videos like this, do they like it? They say the song is good?”

At their non-fan friends’ question about whether fans liked dance videos, the Supple nodded with a smile.

“Of course they do......”

They could only smile at the sight of ordinary people asking “We like it, but how about you?”

Still, it felt good.

They seemed to have put a lot of effort into promotion to release a mainstream song.

You could feel that even in daily life.

Not to mention the streaming charts.

Every time they visited a café or mall, the special album’s title and tracks were playing.

[Our song must be doing really well this time..]

(a video of an elderly man’s bicycle speeding by with an audio playing “Gabi Gabi Odogabi~”)

I saw that grandpa walking along Anyangcheon

-lolololololol

-me too me too.. I went to the town center and the electronics shop owner was playing Goblin

-seems the elders like it too. I heard a lot of people talking about the new NewBlack songs around me

-maybe because the song is easy

-Gabi Gabi Dotgabi really hit big

-I thought it might be a bit bland but maybe that’s why the public liked it

Some critics accused it of being too commercial, but to the Supples it sounded like praise.

Harsh criticism on success never hurts.

‘At this rate... it’s a hit!’

After monitoring reviews on music sites and comments on MeTube for days, the Supples’ attention shifted.

-NewBlack will perform a farewell stage live on PBS “My Hometown Now” today

It meant NewBlack’s variety show promotion was officially beginning.

PBS broadcasting station.

They visited the studio of “My Hometown Now,” which airs hometown news nationwide at 6 PM.

“Hello! We are NewBlack!”

They greeted the reporters practicing narration in the small editing room and the writers in the cultural affairs meeting room.

Today, Thursday, was the last episode they would appear on “My Hometown Now.”

They chatted while handing out small gifts to the smiling staff.

“Your song has been a huge hit. Congratulations!”

“We knew it would do well.”

“If they ask for the secret of your success later, make sure to mention your appearance on My Hometown Now. Okay?”

They joked lightly with the writers, reporters, and MCs.

“Thank you. It really helped us a lot.”

Since early last year, they had appeared every Friday in taped segments.

They delivered about one minute of local festival news that didn’t fit as main segments, in front of a chroma-key background saying “Next week’s regional festival news!”

It had really helped them gain recognition among middle-aged and elderly viewers together with songs by the Myunggok Ensemble.

That was why grandparents they met on the street shouted “Kids!” at them.

“What are you saying. It helped us a lot too.”

“My Hometown Now” PD guiding them to the waiting room had a beaming smile.

“Our show normally doesn’t get that much attention. This time, when we looked for successors, the response was overwhelming. Teams everywhere offered to do it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. About seven teams contacted us.”

They smiled at the news that seven teams competed to take over their local news segment.

“So who got it?”

“Serenity did.”

“Oh.”

Serenity, who won the Song of the Year award last year and is now the top girl group, would be the successor.

They hoped they would carry it on well as they opened the waiting room door.

“Wow......”

They gasped at the waiting room decorated all around with flowers.

Roses, lilies, and other colorful flowers filled the room, and the head writer held a cake.

“I’m going to cry......”

They all laughed at Biju’s eyes welling up.

Seeing a cake with four candles—one for each year—they sang a parody of Happy Birthday.

The staff sang with sad faces.

-farewell sadness~! farewell sadness~!

-dear NewBlack! farewell sadness...! waaaa!

Some burst out laughing in the middle, wiping away tears.

While the maknae blew out the candles with a “hoo,” Junhyun handed me the cake knife.

“Oh my.”

“That works.”

Everyone admired my skill cutting the cake into sixteen perfect slices on plates.

The maknae clicked his tongue.

“If there’s a national bakery slicing association, you should be its president.”

“Want me to cut it into a rabbit shape?”

“Yes...!”

Bijoo, watching the maknae’s plate, asked for an apple-shaped cut.

After the brief cake party ended and both staffs began preparing for the broadcast—

The My Hometown Now PD, who was thanking them, handed over a large package.

“Please take this.”

“......?”

They carefully checked the contents and found it full of handwritten letters.

Ri Hyuk’s eyes grew as large as lanterns.

“......What is this, PD?”

“When NewBlack said they were leaving My Hometown Now, viewers were sad. So we planned a letter event. We asked them to leave letters on the bulletin board......”

The PD lifted the package with both hands and said,

“This many came.”

“Tears......”

“Read them slowly. Some are prints. Some people mailed them through the post office.”

“Thank you.”

“Then.”

As soon as the PD nodded and left the room, they opened the package.

“To Ri Hyuk. Oh! There’s one for you!”

“Is it mine?”

There were letters to all members and individual letters.

Maybe because many writers were elderly, they recalled Mrs. Kim Deoksun and felt sentimental.

“To Ri Hyuk.”

We recited from behind Ri Hyuk, who held the letter.

“Ri Hyuk. How did you get such a name. Are you Seol-Ri-Hyuk because you resemble frost. ...Are you a poet?”

“Everyone get out from behind me.”

He peered out from the front and yelled at us.

In the end, we stepped back to watch Ri Hyuk read his letters, and his face flushed before his eyes grew moist.

“Ri Hyuk looks like he’s going to cry.”

“Don’t say weird things. Why would I cry?”

We all laughed at the sight of our fourth member, always tender-hearted, already welling up.

“Ugh!”

The maknae blew his nose into tissue like an elephant, ready to sob.

Bijoo, with eyes on the verge of tears, said,

“Shall we see him later, hyung?”

“We should.”

Wonseok, watching nearby, laughed and took the letters from them.

Just then, Jiho, holding the last letter, said,

“Hyungs, did you see this?”

“What is it?”

“The writer is an eighty-year-old grandmother. She walked all the way to the post office to send this.”

“Oh my.”

“She said it’s her first time writing a letter since learning Hangul.”

As we looked at the letter written in shaky handwriting, trying to hold back tears, the maknae unfolded the last page.

“She wrote a poem too.”

“A poem?”

There was a poem full of lyrical words.

The maknae frowned and said,

“No, maybe she was practicing handwriting by copying it? It looks familiar, like it came from a textbook.”

“......”

But unlike the maknae, our eyes grew cold as we read.

“Jiho.”

“Yes?”

“......That thing you called a poem.”

“Yes?”

“It’s lyrics from our song.”

“!”

Life went out of the maknae’s eyes.

“Specifically, track four on the Masquerade album.”

“R-Really? But I don’t remember singing it.”

“Bijoo and Junhyun sang it as a duet.”

The maknae glanced between us and the lyrics, then burst out laughing and bolted out.

“......”

That night, Ri Hyuk and I, who composed and wrote the song overnight, rubbed the back of our necks, and Bijoo’s eyes turned triangular as she sang, while our staff burst into sobbing laughter.

Truly, from afar it was comedy; up close it was tragedy—our maknae.

After exhaling with a “hoo,” I called Junhyun.

“Junhyun.”

“Should I go catch him?”

“No.”

I thought for a moment and said,

“Let him be.”

“Oh.”

“If you ignore him he comes back.”

Sure enough, within a minute, the maknae trotted in like a puppy through the ajar door, and we laughed without realizing it.

“Hurry up and apologize.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know....”

“Pardon?”

“Yes~”

The maknae smiled innocently and said,

“It’s just that I’m at a disadvantage right now.”

“Hey!”

On PBS1 channel.

After one segment of the live broadcast ended, the screen returned to the studio.

-Even in this cold winter, the warm spirit of the Gosari Village residents seems to reach us here.

-It really warms my heart too.

The anchors exchanged lines, then faced the camera.

-And today we have some very sad news. NewBlack, who has served as our local news informants for the past year, will sadly be leaving My Hometown Now.

While viewers watching “My Hometown Now” expressed regret, the NewBlack members entered the studio.

Wearing colorful jeogori outfits, they gave interviews and shared their thoughts.

Behind them, their past achievements played on the screen.

When Junhyun made his “ummmooo” sound last year, the seated reporters bowed their heads slightly and bobbed.

Even the Supples watching My Hometown Now at home were moved.

‘They’re all concentrating so well.’

But at the next absurd clip from My Hometown Now, the leader paused mid-line.

-Is that going to keep playing?

-Yes.

-How embarrassing.

-Not at all. It’s... um, fox-like.

At the visibly amused MC’s reaction, the members squinted their eyes like Tibetan foxes before soon standing in the My Hometown Now studio.

-Yes, this is the first time in history that an idol's new song is being unveiled on My Hometown Now!

-Let’s all shout together? NewBlack’s~

-Goblins!

For the first time on TV, their stage was unveiled.

Fans watched with great anticipation and tearful older viewers looked on as the Goblin stage unfolded.

But unlike the dance videos, Junhyun held a goblin club in his hand.

‘It’s Wangbong!’

It looked as if a custom goblin skin had been applied to Wangbong.

After finishing the verse choreography and doom-chit-doom-chit waiting for the second verse, Junhyun held the mic and Wangbong together.

-This is the New Year of the Rooster, 2017. May luck follow your every step and may all you do become a hit.

-Wishing you a big hit!

-Now then, gold come out with a snap.

He shook the club lightly and fake gold coins /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ flew into the air from the boss and his minions.

-Gold is out!

Each snap sent gold flakes fluttering down.

Like a celebratory fanfare, the members spread their hands.

-Oh my! The gold really came out~!

-Wishing you a big hit!

-Have a golden New Year!

Viewers burst into laughter.

Suddenly the studio looked like the golden kingdom Eldorado, and the performers covered their mouths or bowed deeply.

It was a broadcast mishap, but the audience laughed with sympathetic expressions.

‘I have to admit this.’

No one could resist that scene.