Translator: MarcTempest
Editor: Rxel
Chapter 127
Lemon Entertainmentâs PR Team.
Deputy Hong Seoyoung was sitting in her office, clicking her mouse.
She was checking if the press releases had gone out properly.
-New Black, first solo reality show confirmed, airing on October 3rd
-âTrendy rookiesâ New Black, debut reality show to be revealed on November 3rd (official)
-Exclusive reality show âItâs the New Blackâ, premieres on the 3rd [official statement]
She scrolled through dozens of articles with similar titles, making sure there was nothing weird in the content.
The content was all the same.
The rookie boy group New Black, who had gained attention through variety shows, was going to present an eight-episode solo reality show starting from October 3rd.
It was an article that most people wouldnât click on, except for the fans, but she checked it thoroughly.
Then she slightly raised her eyes.
âOur boys have gained a lot of fans.â
Whether they came from the fan cafe link or not, there were already a few comments on the article within 10 minutes of its posting.
-New Black fightingâŠ!
-Wow, a reality show @[email protected] Iâm looking forward to it!!!
-I hope our cuties do wellâŠ^^
It was an article that would have been buried without a single comment in the past, but this small change caught her eye.
Of course, not all changes were good.
Lately, there were malicious posts that became articles, or other fandoms that attacked them on SNS.
It wasnât something she had to see only negatively.
As there was shadow where there was light, it was a natural backlash that came from New Black suddenly becoming a hot topic through variety shows.
On the other hand, it meant that there were more people who liked New Black as well as those who hated them.
The visible indicators proved that.
âYouTube views also skyrocketed.â
The videos in the New Black category of Lemon Entertainmentâs account all showed a drastic increase in views.
And there were English comments too.
No wonder.
On the site where overseas K-pop fans gathered, there were posts with links to New Blackâs videos.
-Who are these guys? Iâve never seen them before.
-Their dance lines are so beautiful. And the penguin is so cute.
-Are they a performance team? Whatâs their name?
-Theyâre New Black. Itâs written in the title.
-Oh, sorry. I thought it was just a catchphrase.
âHow did they find out about our boys?â
It was a strange thing.
It was also brought up as an agenda at the last PR team meeting.
Why did the foreign comments suddenly increase?
She didnât know the exact cause.
She just guessed that it was because of Girls on Top.
Usually, overseas K-pop fandoms also watched Korean variety shows that idols appeared on, and they speculated that New Black caught their attention by appearing on the show with Girls on Top, who had a lot of overseas fans.
Whatever the case, the views of their own reality show and performance videos increased, and English comments like âOMGâ started to appear, and the English subtitles shone.
âSubtitling was a godsend.â
As the videos supported English subtitles, the influx of foreigners became visible.
And it wasnât just the overseas fans who showed interest in New Black.
-Why didnât I know about these guys?
-???? Their voices are my type
-I searched after watching Around the World With Dice and Iâm hooked on their reality show
After watching the variety show, they searched for related videos on YouTube and ended up watching all kinds of practice videos, fancams, and reality videos that New Black had piled up like a mountain.
Naturally, this interest also affected the fan cafe membership.
âI canât get used to it, I canât.â
She stuck out her tongue as she looked at the fan cafe membership.
It was slowing down now, but it was amazing right after the broadcast.
Before, it was like a neighborhood gathering where the Soufflés gathered and cheered. Now it was like a neighborhood festival with a lot of people.
She was also worried.
âWill they be okay?â
It was the most careful time when the fandom suddenly grew.
The membersâ behavior that was allowed when the fandom was small suddenly became like a clique and caused controversy, or the fandom was shaken by a single post that the members wrote casually on the fan cafe.
âIt was like that with Scarlet too.â
But strangely, she wasnât worried.
That was probably because the member who was the most thoughtful in interacting with the fans was leading New Black.
âThe problem is us.â
âWhat?â
Mr. Nam peeked his head out from the partition next to Hong Seoyoung.
âWhatâs the problem now, Ms. Hong?â
âItâs the fan meeting venue. If we go with this locationâŠâ
âThen what?â
âWeâll get cursed out, right?â
âWhere is it?â
âItâs Art in Hongdae, a small theater near Sinchon. I booked it three months agoâŠâ
âLet me see. Maximum capacity 300 people?â
Mr. Nam chuckled and sipped his coffee.
âGo ahead and announce the venue. Itâll be fun. Theyâll say the company is crazy, how can they fit 300 people when the showcase was 200, right?â
âThatâs what theyâll say, right?â
Right now, they were preparing for their first official fan meeting. Originally, they planned to do it on a small scale.
They were going to gather at a small theater to celebrate their 100th day since debut, blow out some candles on a cake, and clap lightly.
That was what they thought would happen back then.
âWho would have known the fans would increase so muchâŠâ
She remembered the place they had booked before, but then she imagined himself being crushed by angry Soufflés and decided to call and cancel.
âBut itâs a happy problem. If you go somewhere and say our fandom grew and thatâs a problem, theyâll curse you out.â
âUnless youâre going to make the call for me, be quiet.â
âYes, sir.â
Ms. Hong glared at his colleague, but soon smiled.
He wasnât wrong. It was a happy problem, in a way.
As she picked up the phone, she thought of someone who had caused all this.
***
âThatâs why we had to postpone the fan meeting we planned for the end of September. The earliest we can book a place is mid-October.â
Lemon Entertainment conference room.
Hong Seoyoung explained to New Black, who were sitting around.
âThis is the place weâre trying to fix now.â
A picture of the venue appeared on the tablet PC. A live hall operated by an online bookstore.
Woojoo asked, âHow many people can it hold?â
âAbout a thousand?â
âWowâŠâ
They looked at each other in shock.
âDid you hear? A thousand.â
âA, a thousand? A thousand people are coming to see us?â
âMs. Hong, are we really having a fan meeting there?â
As they raised their voices one by one, Rihyuk pinched his thigh next to Woojoo.
He glanced around and smiled warmly when their eyes met.
His sneakers stepped on Woojooâs shoes.
Ouch.
It wasnât a dream.
A thousand peopleâŠ
Why couldnât he believe it? A thousand people came to see them?
Director Jo Gyuhwan laughed.
âWhy, donât you believe it?â
âI feel a bit nervous. A thousand people⊠I wouldnât come to see myself if I were them.â
âThatâs true.â
Woojoo hit Rihyuk, and the youngest got his foot stomped in return.
Director Jo said with a smile, âYou might not believe it, but that might not be enough. The fan cafe membership has increased more than you think.â
That was true.
âAnyway, do you want to check the date? Itâs an official fan meeting, so the preparation will be pretty tight, but I want to give you a choice.â
The brothers immediately picked up the tablet PC and looked at the calendar.
Bijoo asked, âHyung, when do you think it would be appropriate?â
âJust a moment.â
Woojoo turned on his phone, and Junghyun leaned in.
âWhat are you looking at?â
âJust a moment, Junghyun.â
âOkay.â
Woojoo checked the date on his phoneâs background and counted the days on the tablet PC.
And he stopped at the 25th.
âThis day. Saturday the 25th.â
The staff across from Woojoo tilted their heads.
âI have an anniversary app on my background. The 25th is exactly the 100th day since SoufflĂ© was born.â
The staff started laughing at the app that said â63 days with our SoufflĂ©!â on his phone screen.
Seokhwan Hyung clicked his tongue and said, âIâve never seen anyone use a dating app like that.â
âItâs really weird.â
It wasnât weird. He was serious.
âŠThat was what he wanted to argue, but he quietly put down his phone after seeing the words â269 days until Mrs. Kim Deoksoonâs birthdayâ or â92 days since our debutâ on the screen.
Then Woojoo said what came to his mind.
âI just thought of something. How about something like SoufflĂ© Day or SoufflĂ© 100th Day Party for the fan meeting title?â
âWow, 100th Day Party sounds really good.â
Bijoo agreed enthusiastically. He has the same sensibility as Woojoo.
Assistant Hong rolled her pen and muttered, â100th Day Party sounds a bit old-fashionedâŠâ
ââŠâ
âSoufflĂ© Day. This is good. Iâll reflect it when I make the proposal.â
Assistant Hong wrote a note in her notebook.
After some trivial talk about the fan meeting, Director Jo changed the topic.
âNow letâs talk about the album. The comeback date is set for November 20th, so keep that in mind.â
He continued, âIt could be a week earlier, but then weâd have to do the showcase the day before the college entrance exam. And start the music show on the exam day. Thatâs kind ofâŠâ
âRight, the fans have to study for the exam.â
Woojoo nodded, and the brothers agreed.
âRight. We canât disturb the fansâ studies with our showcase or music show.â
âThatâs true.â
âThey need time to study.â
But as they said that, the adults on the other side dropped their pens and laughed.
One staff member scratched his neck and said, âWell, kids. We said that because of the revenue aspect. If we release it on the exam day, the buzz will drop and it wonât be good.â
âOh, right. I wanted to talk about that too.â
They laughed again at their follow-up.
It felt like a meeting to pamper them rather than a meeting.
Maybe it was because their recent activities went well.
But as Director Jo continued with a calm face, the meeting atmosphere became thick again.
âThe comeback gap is five months, so it might feel long, but I think itâll be fine. Weâll show you the album preparation process and your appearance through the reality show, and by the time the eighth episode ends, itâll be exactly 21 days.â
âOh, weâll start the music show around the time the reality show ends.â
âThatâs right. And a month before that, weâll have the fan meeting.â
He timed it well.
Actually, it was a result of coincidence.
Scarlet said it was because they ran a music show in October.
It was a rule that idols from the same company didnât overlap their music shows.
The A&R team leader said, âBy the way, the title song is pretty much done. Stay after this is over. Iâll let you hear it.â
Director Jo turned his head to them.
âYou know that Woojoo is participating in the album producing this time, right? Iâm going to see him a lot with me. So help him out a lot too.â
âYes. We will.â
âAnd Woojoo, you said you have something to show us?â
âAh, yes.â
Woojoo got up from his seat.
Then he took the USB and turned on the laptop connected to the beam projector.
At the same time, Bijoo and Rihyuk started to distribute the prints from Woojooâs bag.
The staff laughed at the sight of a small company.
Assistant Hong said in a cheerful voice, âDid you prepare a presentation too?â
âYes, I was preparing the materials andâŠâ
Woojoo smiled and stood in front of the staff and members.
Soon, everyone chuckled at the PPT title â2nd Album Proposalâ that appeared on the screen.
Meanwhile, the male staff looked somewhere uncomfortable and asked, âWhat is that? Itâs a very familiar font. What is it?â
âOh, Iâm a former administrative soldier, so I used the same font as I used in the armyâŠâ
âIt was the smell of a familiar spam. No wonder, the official document that the copyright association sent a few days ago was exactly the same.â
One of the staff touched the post-it that was pressed like a belt where the stapler was stamped and laughed.
âYou learned how to do your job properly.â
âThatâs right. Heâs much better than our intern.â
They joked that they should call the reality camera and film this too, and Woojoo laughed and started the presentation.
It was the ideas he came up with since he was in charge of the album producing.
He wanted to do it with a determination to break his bones.
Maybe that was why, the staff who were listening jokingly at first became quiet as the content went on.
The younger ones also listened to his words seriously.
Woojoo didnât know how much of his opinion would be reflected, but it seemed successful from the staffâs reaction.
As soon as the explanation was over, questions flew in from all over.
***
âTwo, three.â
âHello, we are New Black!â
âWowâŠ!â
In the car going to HBS Broadcasting Station.
Woojoo waved his hand at the phone for SNS attached to the selfie stick.
It was a live broadcast after a long time.
Woojoo thought there would be few people because they did it without notice, but there were quite a lot of fans coming in real time.
âWow, there are so many comments. I canât read some of them. Oh, I can read this one. This is, uh, nihao, right?â
âThere are more English comments than before.â
There were more comments written in Korean, but it felt like the proportion of English comments had increased.
Amazing.
Woojoo smiled and waved his hand again.
âYes, we are on our way to the broadcasting station for the first episode of the New Black reality show âItâs the New Blackâ.â
âWe usually announce it beforehand, but today we wanted to see you guys, so we turned it on.â
âI also had a dream about SoufflĂ© yesterday.â
âReally?â
âYes, Hyung. I dreamed of shaking hands with SoufflĂ©. My hand was made of bread, and every time I shook hands, bread crumbs fell offâŠâ
They burst into laughter, and the fans also wrote â????â in the chat window, laughing for a long time.
âOh, right.â
Woojoo clapped his hands and said, âDo you know that? I went to the reserve army a while ago. I have some amazing episodes from then, and Iâve been saving them to tell you guys.â
âHere we go again. Military stories. Everyone, cover your ears.â
âDonât you get tired of telling the same stories every time we eat?â
Woojoo ignored the protests and continued.
âIt was me. It was me, I shot a full score for the first time. Iâm really notorious for being clumsy, so it was the first time I ever hit anything on the target. I used to always hit other peopleâs targetsâŠâ
Woojoo took out the shooting target from his bag and showed it off, and his brothers sneered.
Wait, you guys.
You wonât be able to laugh at me in a few years. Especially you, Rihyuk.
âIs shooting a gun that hard? Itâs easy.â
âWhere did you shoot a gun?â
âSudden Attack.â
âAh, ouch, my neck. I reallyâŠâ
As Woojoo grabbed his neck, Bijoo handed him a ginseng pouch.
âThank you.â
Woojoo sucked on the ginseng and spread its greatness to the fans.
âAh, I feel alive. Everyone. Ever since I ate ginseng, I wake up really well in the morning. Itâs great.â
âWhy are you suddenly advertising ginseng?â
âHyung, a fan just commented that you look like their grandfather when you eat ginseng.â
âWho is it? Confess right now.â
Woojoo shivered and the chat window popped up with â???â again.
They had a fun time communicating with the comments left by their Soufflés.
âWeâll have some good news soon. See you again, byeong!â
âByeong!â
âŠand they ended the live broadcast around the underground parking lot of HBS.
Woojoo felt energized after meeting the fans for the first time in a while. That was why he looked a little brighter.
When they arrived at the studio, the PD greeted them.
âHello. You guys are in a good mood today.â
âYes, we came fully charged.â
âGood. Go inside the studio and get used to it. It will take some time to set up the equipment.â
The set of HBS MTVâs âItâs the New Blackâ was decorated with a very unique atmosphere.
There was a three-seater sofa in the middle, and two one-seater sofas on the side.
The table was filled with various snacks, and the set had props like bookshelves and vases.
It was like looking at the living room of a luxury house with good lighting. đđđŠđŠđđźđ·đŻđžđđźđ.đŹđžđź
âWow, it feels like weâre home. Itâs been a long time since we had this kind of atmosphere.â
âThe sofa is really soft. Hyung, should we buy one of these when we move?â
âShall we?â
Bijoo and Woojoo looked at each other and searched for the product name of the sponsored sofa, and nodded as soon as they saw the price.
Bijoo wrote down the item in his memo and saved the memo title as âSomedayâ.
On the other hand, the more Woojoo looked at the set, the more familiar it felt.
Something familiar.
Woojoo asked Minki Hyung, who came back from talking with the staff on one side of the set, âHyung, do you know what our reality show is? What did the PD say he used to do?â
âHe said he did Beauty Salon, a cable beauty program.â
âOh, a beauty program.â
Woojoo nodded and gasped.
âA beauty program?â
âYeah, why?â
âNo, nothing.â
It might be just his feeling, but he had a feeling that the reality concept was not ordinary.