A black hoodie and a hat.
That was my work outfit, and as soon as I appeared on the screen, the jeers poured out.
My siblings all went âAye~â in unison.
âWow, what a dramatic shot. When did you start wearing makeup for work?â đđđđđŽđđđ«đđđđ.đđđ
âMakeup? Thatâs my bare face, everyone.â
âThatâs not your bare face.â
Junghyun looked at the screen with a hawkâs eye.
âYour eyebrows are different, hyung.â
âMy eyebrows are a bit fickle. I guess they were in good condition that day.â
âWow, youâre really shameless.â
With Rihyukâs exclamation, Bijoo started to laugh.
He seemed to like my weird jokes.
His long fingers, holding a dried sweet potato, pointed at the screen.
âBut, ajusshi, what shade of BB cream did you use? 13?â
âRihyuk-ah. The fans are watching too, so donât make trouble.â
âOur SoufflĂ© needs to know the truth.â
âThatâs right.â
I smiled brightly at the chat window, where â????â was rising in real time.
âIs anyone here curious about Rihyuk or Jihoâs dark and secret past? Raise your hand, please. Iâll tell you.â
The chat window became busy right away, as if the eager breads were raising their hands here and there.
-Hand!
-Hand here!
-??????Look at Jiho and Rihyukâs faces
I put my hand on my mouth and pretended to whisper, and the two brothers said politely.
âOh, I was mistaken. Youâre totally bare-faced now.â
âI thought you wore makeup, but you have mineral skin. Oh, is it called water glow?â
I chuckled at the change of attitude of my brothers.
They tended to be annoyed when I dressed up for TV and acted like it was my usual look, because I didnât care much about my appearance.
Of course, there were some exceptions.
âBijoo-ya.â
âYes?â
âLetâs do the capture later. Iâm busy.â
âOh. But you looked really cool just nowâŠâ
Bijoo made a regretful expression as he kept pressing the capture button.
I was running out of laptop space, so I couldnât keep it all.
Last time, at the music cafe, he pressed the capture button so much that one folder took up a huge amount of space.
Junghyun pointed at the laptop screen.
âOh, the scene changed.â
The A&R team staff appeared on the screen.
Thatâs strange.
They werenât the kind of people who wore such neat clothesâŠ
The composers, who had dressed up for the broadcast, gave interviews.
-It was amazing. Woojoo brought Fireworks as his self-composed song, and as soon as I heard it, my head went ting.
-I cried. (Why?) I had already planned to secure the title song in advance⊠but it all fell apart.
-I think heâs a fast learner. Iâve been watching him since Something, and I was moved by his recent Night Sea.
I looked away, embarrassed by the compliments.
While the fans and my siblings were teasing me, the scene changed again.
This time, it was our members.
-He was extraordinary from the first time he came. He boasted that he would do a difficult arrangement in one day.
-Rihyuk-hyung lost miserably in a bet then. (No, I didnât! I only lost a little.)
-We always talk about that. If it wasnât for Woojoo-hyung, we wouldnât have made it this far.
I said with a smile.
âNow itâs flattering.â
âThatâs right.â
We smiled warmly at each other and looked at the distant mountain.
Then, the video of the Night Sea composition process on the companyâs YouTube, the headlines of the articles about the success of Fireworks and Night Sea, and the majestic BGM followed.
This was really embarrassing.
It felt like I was watching the great biography of the glorious comrade Seon Woojoo, made by a dictatorship.
âPlease donât misunderstand, everyone. The reality show producers made it look so big for the broadcast.â
I cooled down my flushed cheeks with a water bottle and waited for the next scene.
ââŠHuh?â
"I thought the screen went off, but then a drowsy voice popped out from the screen.
-Seokhwan hyung.
That was the call that started it all.
âOh, no!â
The embarrassing call I made to the director played back.
The melody was hummed for security reasons, and only the first note was heard before it was beeped.
I erased the sound that leaked out of the laptop speaker with a loud âAhh!â every time my voice came out.
Junghyun smirked and asked.
âHyung, but the fans are not watching this here, they are watching it on their own TV at home right now.â
âOh.â
âIâm smart, right?â
ââŠâ
While they were laughing at me saying âSeokhwan hyung, Iâll buy you pork cutlet~â, the chat room was filled with pork cutlets.
I teared up as I saw it.
Then, Director Jo Gyuhwan was sitting in the office and giving an interview as the producer of New Black.
The laughter of the production team was heard first.
-(Did you eat the pork cutlet?) Yes. I even took a proof shot.
A proof shot popped up on the screen with a click sound.
So thatâs why he asked me to take it that day.
I lowered the level of the gift card I was going to send to the director after the broadcast.
From tiramisu set to bagel.
-Our kids have received a lot of attention while they were active. But there are also a lot of parts that didnât get attention. I always felt sorry that I couldnât show the true colors of these talented kids as a producer.
He went on to say this and that.
-âŠFor that reason, through this reality show, I want to show the fans of New Black how the members participate in the album production and their production process.
In simple terms, thatâs what he meant.
The gap between the debut in June and the comeback in November was long, so he was going to throw some hints about the second album through an eight-part reality show.
At the same time, he was going to show my aspect as a composer idol, which the fans were always curious about.
The remaining 15 minutes were scenes inside the studio.
-Hello. Iâm Woojoo.
I waved my hand and smiled at the camera.
-Well⊠I was just going to film the scene where I play with the song, but since it might be unfamiliar to our SoufflĂ©s. Iâll tell you some very simple things about composing.
I played some chord progressions with the guitar and gave a basic explanation of harmony, but none of them seemed to understand.
-I donât know what it is, but Woojoo is doing something hardâŠ
-Lololololololol
-Itâs okay if you have a good voice⊠Weâre happy
-We donât have to know everything to be happy, right? Right? (Moist)
I laughed at the fansâ reactions.
Our fans are really nice.
I would have yawned and made a fuss if it were me, but they responded to my boring explanation.
And then."
âJunghyun.â
âYes.â
âHow can you play with your smartphone when Iâm on the screen?â
ââŠAh, it was boring for a moment.â
He threw a fact bomb with an innocent face, and the chat room burst into laughter again.
âI canât live. Really.â
While he lamented, the scene of composing continued.
From why we call each other piggy song to me making a melody with Jeeho sitting next to me.
It came out edited in a funny way.
While I was talking with confidence, Jeeho, who was sitting next to me, fell asleep and woke up, and repeated the cycle of suffering for an hour.
I shook my head at the comment that I looked like a wicked boss.
âItâs edited for broadcasting. Actually, Jeeho enjoyed it too.â
âIt was the hardest time of my life.â
âPeople grow through trials.â
I coughed at the glare of the youngest.
Meanwhile, as the production process approached the end, the fans were puzzled.
When I closed my eyes and imagined the stage in my head, or spread dozens of A4 papers and immersed myself in thought.
And when I explained the color of the sound to Jeeho and adjusted the tone of the song.
The scenes that were normal for us seemed unfamiliar to our soufflés.
At first, some people teased me if it was a setting, but soon they realized that the scenes on the screen were real and lost their words.
I wonder if I could see their bewildered expressions beyond the chat room.
Come to think of it, it was the first time I showed how I make songs properly.
Someone commented.
-Is composing usually done like that?
I answered.
âI think it depends on the person. But I tend to work in that style⊠Something was a bit different, but I made Fireworks and Night Sea like that. Basically, I think of it in my head first and then keep touching it when the result comes out.â
It felt like it was not a reality show but a Q&A time.
While I was talking about the questions that came up quickly, the kids smiled.
âFinallyâŠâ
Finally?
âOur soufflĂ©s realized that youâre weird.â
âItâs a historic day.â
I thought I was screwed as I looked at the happy siblings.
Friday evening 7 p.m.
As New Blackâs first reality show âItâs the New Blackâ ended, posts began to appear on the fan cafe.
-Kimchi explosion scene gif please lol
-Woojooâs expression when he saw the picket at the training ground lololol
-But whatâs the relationship between TNT Taehyun and Woojoo?
The reactions to the reality show were varied.
Some fans mentioned the scenes that were funny enough to be mistaken for a sitcom, and some fans were curious about the support from TNT Taehyun.
For that, there were posts with the answer âWe were close when we were trainees.â along with the proof shots taken at Music On in March.
The atmosphere was happy enough to complain of indigestion with the countless hints that poured out.
But what the fans were most interested in was the album production process at the end.
-Do you know any soufflĂ©s who know a bit about composing lol? I was a bit surprised watching itâŠ
-Iâm not the only one who felt that way lol
The fans who had thought âWoojoo is good at composing too~â as an idol who is good at something were happy but confused.
They had seen that side of him in music cafes or self-produced reality shows, but it was the first time they saw it in detail like today.
There is nothing more proud than having an idol you like do well in a certain field, but the scene that the fans witnessed today exceeded their expectations too much.
Thatâs why they still felt a bit awkward.
On the other hand, there was also regret.
-But we canât promote this anywhere, right?
-Yeah, it looks scripted and we might get bashedâŠ
-Iâm still a bit awkward lololol
It was a bit awkward to post âLook at our kids!â on the idol community.
It had a vibe that you could feel when you watch the video, but if you only see the picture, it was enough to be ridiculed as a script.
Especially after Juse, the awareness was high and there was a subtle pressure from everywhere.
Thatâs why New Blackâs fans started to promote the kimchi explosion scene, the reserve army lunch box, and the tripe restaurant mukbang, which had good reactions, on the idol community.
Meanwhile, the first episode of New Blackâs reality show went viral on various online communities with hilarious screenshots.
It received positive feedback for its funny scenes, such as the kimchi pot explosion, but it also got some unexpected reactions from elsewhere.
âWhatâs this?â
Seo Ji-hyung, a comedian who ran a tripe restaurant in Hongdae, tilted his head as he checked the sales records.
His younger brother asked.
âWhat is it?â
âI donât know, I feel like the sales are increasing slightlyâŠâ
âYouâre imagining things. Thatâs all.â
But as the days went by, the customers kept increasing.
It wasnât a huge surge, but it was encouraging that the downward trend had stopped.
âWhy are there so many female customersâŠ?â
He searched the internet, but couldnât find anything, so he often asked the customers how they came.
Every time, he got a flustered reaction.
âWhatâs going on?â
Soon, a couple who came in told him the truth.
âOh, I saw this meme on the internet a while ago.â
âA meme?â
âYeah, the idol kid who eats well.â
âOh.â
He remembered.
Two weeks ago, New Black came and made a record-breaking sales and left.
Thatâs when he understood the reactions of those who asked how they knew.
âThey were fans of New Black.â
Lately, as he saw the gradually increasing sales records, the faces of New Black members flashed in his mind.
âThenâŠâ
The next day.
Seo Ji-hyung printed out huge screenshots of the reality show where New Black members appeared and stuck them on the wall.
He also wrote a phrase on the wall where they had sat.
[â Where New Black members ate]
He looked at it and smiled contentedly.
Then he thought of someone.
Someone who gave him this great opportunity.
Joonhyun said.
âBut the reality show is getting reactions from unexpected places.â
âThatâs right. Hyung, same with the album tracks.â
I nodded.
We worked hard on the reality show for our fans, but it surprisingly got attention from elsewhere.
Before the reality show aired, there were few people who sent us songs for the second album contest, but the number increased a lot after the first episode.
There were some pretty famous ones too.
According to Director Jo, the scene where I appeared in the reality show became a hot topic among the composers.
It was more of a curiosity than a compliment, as they thought I was a âstrange kidâ, but anyway, it was good news for us.
It meant we could make our second album more diverse and rich.
Of course, what was most important to us right now was the official fan meeting that would take place before the album.
âLetâs talk again about what we should give to our fans.â
We sat in the lounge and spread out a paper, exchanging various ideas.
The topic was the gift for our fans.
From food to photo cards, to giving them eco-bags again, there were different opinions.
âNo, letâs try something different this time.â
I said.
âEco-bags or food are things we can only give to those who come to events like fan signing or music shows.â
Rihyuk agreed.
âThatâs true. They are gifts that can only be received by those who come to the site.â
âI want to broaden the scope a bit. There are people who want to come to the fan meeting but canât.â
âWhat about those who come to the fan meeting?â
âWeâll give them something else too.â
âAh, I get it now.â
The younger ones finally understood what I meant.
I wanted to take care of the SoufflĂ©s who couldnât come to the fan meeting, as well as those who did.
To deliver our hearts to everyone equally.
âIt might be a bit difficult.â
Bijoo said.
âI talked briefly with the promotion team earlier. They didnât say it outright, but it seems like the budget is over.â
âThat makes sense. We upgraded the venue too.â
The atmosphere became somber as we thought of the cancellation fee for the small theater and the weekend live hall rental fee.
Joonhyun asked.
âShould we fold paper cranes? Paper is cheap.â
âDo you have the confidence to fold as many as the fan cafe members?â
âHold on.â
He tapped his phone calculator and nodded.
âIf I start folding paper cranes right after eating, itâs possible.â
ââŠI see.â
âPaper cranes are a no. Letâs think of something else. Something that will make the fans go wow.â
âShould I film a cute video?â
âPut it in.â
I shook my head.
There were various suggestions, but none of them seemed convincing.
The problem was money.
What could we give them that wouldnât exceed the budget like the last time with the eco-bags?
Then, Rihyuk asked me something that reminded me of something.
âRight, speaking of gifts, you said that last time on Chuseok. You said youâd buy me a vacuum cleaner.â
âOh, that.â
âWhen are you going to buy it?â
âJust wait a bit. Thereâs a weekly sale this month. Itâs a waste of money to buy it now.â
Rihyuk nodded as I said that, and then something flashed through my mind.
The keyword was weekly sale.
An event where products are discounted for a week. I thought of the so-called Black Friday overseas and the Black Friday Week for the week with that day.
My head started spinning fast.
We named the fan meeting event SoufflĂ© Day, soâŠ
I quickly explained to the younger ones what came to my mind.
An event that wouldnât exceed the budget realistically, and that all the fans could participate in.
âThat sounds good.â
The most picky main vocal of ours agreed, and Bijoo said with a serious face.
âHyung, but.â
âYeah.â
ââŠLetâs keep it a secret that you got the idea from the weekly sale.â
âAh.â
Naturally, I decided to keep it a secret.
Some time later. On the fan cafe of New Black.
[The New Black 1st Fan Meeting â SoufflĂ© Day]
A news that would make the fans jump with joy came out.
The first official fan meeting.
As everyone was happy to see the group poster with the schedule and the venue, another notice was posted.
It was a strange title: [Soufflé Week].