In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

As the VCR ended, the on-site countdown began.

[10... 9...]

When the number 1 finished.

Pew!

Fireworks shot high into the sky from Sangam World Cup Stadium.

“Waaaaaaaah—!”

As the face of their favorite appeared on the giant screen, the cheers grew even louder.

‘Guys!’

The first to come into view was Wooju, wearing a white T shirt with a red jacket draped over it.

With tinted yellow sunglasses, he radiated pop star energy from head to toe, the very image of a top-tier heartthrob.

Behind the sunglasses perched on his high, straight nose bridge, his clear eyes were vividly visible.

“Souffle!”

The handsome man holding the microphone shouted with a smile.

“Are you ready?”

The fans answered with a roar.

Like their leader, the members wearing colorful sunglasses began loosening up while encouraging the crowd.

And then.

They gathered around the leader.

“Waaaaaaaah—!”

As the familiar intro flowed out for Souffle, screams erupted.

The offbeat band drums and the sound of traditional instruments kicked in.

It was Dokkaebi!

‘They’re insane right from the opening. Seriously.’

Dancing with Dokkaebi’s signature emphasized offbeat moves, NewBlack began making their way to the extended stage.

Soon the dancers poured onto the stage as well, dancing together and doubling the excitement.

The main vocalist, wearing a crisp white shirt and a refreshing blue denim jacket, brought the offbeat choreography to life as he lifted a hand to his forehead.

Did I take the wrong path

I see

His clear, refreshing voice tickled their ears.

Did I wake at the wrong time

I see

As he slightly pushed up his sunglasses and looked around, fans waited for the next line.

The members who had been smiling playfully beside the main vocalist raised their microphones.

It happens

And together the fans shouted, “It happens!”

The response was so good that the members couldn’t hide the smiles spreading across their lips.

Before the chorus, the members moved toward different sections of the audience.

‘It’s Junhyun!’

Junhyun, wearing a dark Hawaiian shirt tucked in neatly, showed off his tall, slender figure as he approached!

As fans cheered for the members coming closer to them.

At last, the long-awaited chorus burst out.

Gabi gabi dokkaebi

Odokkaebi

As the members swayed like waves while dancing, Souffle shook their light sticks in place.

It was a full-blown Dokkaebi dance festival in every direction.

Not only the fans but even the general audience followed the familiar choreography, happily bouncing their shoulders and laughing.

At the center of the extended stage, the dancers threw themselves into the Dokkaebi dance, while the members spread out in front of each section of seats to hype the crowd.

“Waaaaaaaah—!”

With a roar loud enough to shake the stadium, NewBlack’s finale concert had finally begun.

“Hooah......”

Sweat poured like rain from the very opening.

Breathless, my vision turning white, it felt like I had just sprinted a 100 meter dash.

But I felt incredible.

“Waaaaaaaah—.”

A roar so loud my whole body trembled.

I lifted the microphone and smiled.

“This is Sangam.”

Only now did it truly hit me that sixty thousand people had gathered in one place to see us.

We kept saying sixty thousand, sixty thousand.

But seeing it in person—there was nothing like it.

“Director, could you show the full stadium view for a moment?”

Soon the giant screen filled with the sight of the stadium packed to the brim with people, and the cheers grew even louder.

The younger members and I briefly turned our backs to the audience to take it in ourselves.

“This is insane.”

“There are so many people......”

Staring at the screen in a daze, we marveled—when happy screams burst from the stands.

“What? What happened?!”

“What...?”

We soon realized it was because of Biju.

Biju had taken off his colorful jacket and wiped his sweat in just a T shirt, and apparently that looked incredibly cool.

The youngest narrowed his eyes.

“What, is it just because Biju hyung took off his jacket? Really?”

After humming thoughtfully, the youngest turned to us.

“Hyungs.”

“Let’s take ours off too.”

But when we took off our jackets, the naughty Souffle only answered with laughter.

Normally I would have shot them a glare.

But today, everything looked cute.

Ah. They’re so cute.

“Hahaha.”

I tried to laugh seriously, but a foolish grin kept slipping out.

“This is so good! Right?”

“Yeeees—!”

“Are you as happy as we are? If this feeling I have right now were a cake, I’d cut it into slices and share it with all of you.”

As I grinned, someone next to me interrupted the mood.

“That’d be sixty thousand slices.”

“Junhyun.”

“I’m going. I’m going, so don’t call me Junhyun hyung.”

Laughter burst from the audience.

Smiling as I looked at the sea of light sticks waving in colorful waves, I lifted the microphone and turned to the younger members.

“Have you caught your breath?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s properly greet them. Ready, one two three. Hello! We are NewBlack!”

We all held hands and bowed deeply together, and the cheers came rushing back.

After taking time to introduce ourselves.

We decided to once again explain the purpose of today’s finale concert.

Biju lifted his microphone.

“We felt really disappointed last year. Our first concert was in Seoul, right? But since it started in spring, we couldn’t show you the songs released in the second half of the year.”

If there hadn’t been a finale concert this time either, Souffle would have seen a song like METRO at next year’s concert.

Of course we performed it on music shows.

But while fans in the latter half of the tour countries got to see METRO at the concert, domestic Souffle wouldn’t.

Biju continued with a smile.

“That was the first regret. And secondly, we wanted to show you a more polished performance.”

Our theme has always been growth.

A more improved version of ourselves than before.

When we said we wanted to show that, Souffle let out adorable squeals.

“And.”

Jiho took over the microphone.

“This year we had a lot of overseas performances, right? We did Blue Moon on the Billboard stage, METRO at the VMA... Every time you saw those overseas stages, I’m sure you thought the same thing.”

The youngest asked in a subtle voice.

“I want to see that live.”

The fans nodded enthusiastically.

The youngest glanced at me, handing over the turn.

“Yes. With that in mind, the theme of our 2017 World Tour Finale Concert is ‘Replay 2017’!”

“Ta-da!”

In sync with the members’ reactions, the giant screen once again displayed [RE-PLAY 2017].

“Starting from Dokkaebi released in January all the way to the Korean Series just a few days ago! Literally every moment of NewBlack this year, right here, right now!”

“Kwaaaaaah!”

“We’ll show it to you all again. Are you ready?”

I held out the microphone toward the jumping Souffle. Soon a massive roar surged through the speakers.

Enjoying the wave of sound, I signaled the staff.

“Then let’s go straight to the next song!”

“They’re born for it.”

Sitting in the waiting room watching TV, Glenn Davis stroked his beard with a satisfied smile.

His secretary asked, “Who are you referring to?”

“All of them. They’ve got instinct for live performance.”

He couldn’t understand a word of Korean. But precisely because of that, the nonverbal reactions—cheers, expressions—stood out even more.

Watching the idol group that had the audience in a frenzy, Glenn Davis said,

“That kind of thing, you have to be born with it. Live performance isn’t just about singing skill.”

More important was the ability to communicate with the audience.

The instinct to see exactly what the audience wants and to grip and release them at will.

In a way, performance had something in common with religion.

The old man smiled as he watched Jiho bouncing around on stage, shaking the crowd.

‘I haven’t seen Mr. Davis like this in a while.’

The secretary tilted his head as he watched the singers dancing energetically on TV.

To him they looked like just another boy band, but apparently to a master of the performance industry, something was different.

Of course, it could be dismissed as lip service, but Glenn Davis wasn’t that kind of man.

“Ten years ago, I think,”

An Australian rock band that had once been popular asked Glenn Davis for his opinion.

“Trash music. Music aside, you lot have no talent for the stage.”

The following year, the rock band included a track titled “F**k You, Glenn” on their album.

He was not a man who spoke empty words.

He had grown his beard to hide scars from his youth, most of them from getting into fights with antis when he couldn’t control his temper.

As the secretary smiled quietly at the memory.

“What about you?”

“Pardon?”

“That performance. What do you think?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Then is there anyone who stands out?”

The secretary pointed at the handsome man holding the microphone out toward the audience.

“That one. Wooju.”

“As expected.”

“There’s something... sparkling about him.”

He couldn’t say exactly why, but even among his teammates, he shone brighter.

Like a solar system revolving around the sun, the other stars sparkled around him.

Glenn Davis watched him with interest.

“Like father, like son.”

Thinking of the father of the one striding across the stage, he smiled quietly.

‘Interesting.’

He had retired and rarely accepted invitations these days.

Normally he would have declined NewBlack’s guest request out of laziness, but his connection with someone involved lingered in his mind.

He had once received personal help from that young man’s father.

And hearing the audience count was sixty thousand made him readily accept.

‘A number you don’t see often these days.’

Remembering a past concert in Moscow with one million people, he savored the heat of the scene.

“Shall we head up?”

Wearing NewBlack concert merch over shorts, the old man slung the guitar his manager handed him around his neck.

Srrrreung.

The musician’s expression shifted instantly as he plucked the strings, filling the waiting room with anticipation.

‘Mr. Davis is performing.’

Lightly creating a sound that some composing goblin would have praised as beautiful color, Glenn Davis smiled.

“Well then. Shall we go.”

“Whaaaat!”

“Isn’t that guy famous?!”

As Glenn Davis stepped onto the stage, Souffle’s eyes widened.

‘Of course!’

Even up until the moment he came up, fans had been half doubtful.

It was real.

‘They said he’s some legendary master!’

If rock fans had heard that, they would have spat blood saying, ‘Not just some master...!’

Glenn Davis shared a light hug with NewBlack and waved with his guitar strapped on.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

Anyone who treats our boys well is a good person!

And guaranteeing cheers and bread-filled heaven to good people—that was Souffle’s law.

The old man smiled pleasantly at the enthusiastic welcome.

“Thank you, Korea. Gam-sa-hamnida.”

As he spoke with a smile, subtitles appeared on the giant screen.

“The last time I came to this country was, I believe, in 1999 and 2002. I came to watch the World Cup. The one where Australia went undefeated in the qualifiers but was absurdly eliminated in the intercontinental playoff...”

Everyone laughed at his sad smile.

“Back then too, I thought so much had changed in just three years. And this time as well, it’s changed tremendously. A truly dynamic country.”

After saying kind words about Korea, the guitarist shifted his gaze toward the end of his remarks.

Looking at Wooju and the others, he smiled.

“And thank you for inviting me here. May blessings fill the path ahead for everyone here!”

As he flashed the rock hand gesture with index and pinky extended, Souffle cheered again.

While the members gathered beside the senior musician with microphones in hand, fans’ gazes lingered on the somewhat thin old man.

‘He really just looks like a grandpa.’

...They thought.

And then.

The acoustic guitar strings were plucked softly, producing a magical sound.

A master is a master.

‘Look at that composing goblin.’

The composition-obsessed goblin barely held back a grin at the good sound.

Soon the song began.

Ailo’s “My Sunshine,” which NewBlack had busked in Australia during a reality show, was perfectly recreated.

Smiles spread across Souffle’s faces.

‘This is so good.’

Even though this was autumn in Seoul, not Australia.

It felt as though the chirping of insects somewhere and the leisurely sound of park busking were gently moistening their ears.

“Waaaaaaah!”

Fans squealed softly in delight.

They were about to clap the guitarist off stage.

“Hmm?”

As if it wasn’t over yet, when the final song of the busking medley ended, Glenn Davis switched guitars.

It was an electric guitar.

“Everyone.”

Junhyun smiled warmly.

“Wouldn’t it be a shame to send him off like this?”

“Yes!”

“Since we have Glenn Davis here, we’re going to cover a song by Devil Grills. You’ll cheer loud for us, right?”

The passive skill possessed by all Koreans—being able to hum along to anything no matter what song comes on.

Soon Glenn Davis ran his hand across the electric guitar, and gasps flowed from the audience.

‘Crazy.’

Even a simple ziiing made their bodies vibrate.

After moving his fingers a few times to regain the feel, Glenn Davis looked toward the band for today’s concert.

The drummer, guitarist, and bassist began playing with faces so happy they looked ready to faint.

A song driven by a bold guitar riff.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

Spreading his arms wide to draw out cheers, the guitarist enjoyed himself as the members with microphones began encouraging claps.

Souffle clapped enthusiastically.

Then the lead vocalist and main vocalist began singing together, and fans’ eyes widened.

‘Huh? Huh?’

I know this song.

They didn’t know the exact title or lyrics, but it was one of those old songs they’d hummed at least once.

Maybe they’d heard it in a movie.

Crawling out of the darkness

Holding a shotgun in my hand

They weren’t sure of the details, but since it was a familiar song, everyone hummed along.

Soon {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} the chorus became a mass singalong.

At first, the guitarist had been smiling lightly while playing, but as the response grew, his gaze changed.

By the end he was practically running from one end of the extended stage to the other, playing like a madman.

‘He’s having fun! He’s having fun!’

If singers were professionals at making the audience happy, fans had their own know-how for energizing singers.

Perfectly timed claps.

Appropriate cheers.

Making eye contact and singing along.

Like a dog dancing wildly after receiving enthusiastic applause from its family, Glenn Davis ran wild with his guitar.

“Waaa......”

After the breathtaking performance ended, sweat even dripping down.

Glenn Davis, smiling at the audience’s hot applause and response, picked up the microphone.

“I... I don’t want to go back to Australia.”

The audience burst into collective laughter.

As the members told him it was time for him to head down, Glenn Davis waved at the crowd with a reluctant expression.

“You have to go, Glenn.”

“I... I......”

Like a comedy skit, NewBlack and the veteran musician bantered back and forth.

He asked, “You’ll invite me again next year, right?”

“Of course.”

“Hook pinkies and promise.”

“I’ll hook Ri Hyuk’s pinky.”

“What? Me?”

As the audience laughed endlessly, the veteran musician winked and stepped down.

A perfect finish to the very end.

Everyone cheered and applauded.

Except for one person.

“Ah, Sibal......”

Watching the incredible performance, Hayley Blue scratched her head roughly.

For Souffle, the first day of the finale concert was truly a happiness party.

Overseas performances from 2017 they hadn’t been able to see in person.

Overseas fashion week stages.

Even Wooju’s song for Scarlet being covered as NewCallet!

Fireworks and explosions at the venue.

An unbelievable guest lineup.

“Hello, Seoul! It’s a damn good night. I’m Hayley Blue, here to kick you out of Souffle and turn you into Bloomers!”

“Boooo!”

“Boo? Did you just boo me?”

“Hayley! Hayley!”

The blue-haired singer smiled coyly.

“You guys know how to train people, huh? Then open your ear holes and get ready to be amazed by my stage.”

After performing Blue Moon and doing a duet before stepping down, the top star received applause for her powerful singing.

And when the leads of Nostalgia came out to recreate a scene from the film, it became another iconic moment.

Usually after a concert ends, there’s a hollow, dazed feeling.

“During Nostalgia earlier, they were insane.”

“Ri Hyuk’s vocal chemistry with Hayley Blue was crazy......”

“At the last fireworks......”

There was a truckload of things they wanted to say about today’s performance.

If that was how fans felt offline right after leaving the venue, there was no need to mention online.

[Today’s Hayley Blue fancam]

[Legendary guest lineup + legendary live performance at today’s concert]

[Overseas rock fans are going crazy right now]

Even nationalist MyTube creators appeared from somewhere, increasing the attention on NewBlack’s concert.

‘Ah. I seriously want to see it. I want to see it so, so badly.’

They said NewBlack put on a legendary performance!

They said the guest lineup was insane.

They recreated a scene from Nostalgia.

“Ugh......”

Just as everyone was thinking that.

Good news arrived for those crying that only others got to see something so amazing.

[Exclusive] NewBlack Finale Concert Day 2 to Be Broadcast Live on Channel NBS.

NewBlack and Lemon Entertainment began to row the oars.