Translator: MarcTempest
Editor: Rxel
Chapter 133
Woojoo had another dream after a long time.
It was an interview room, and across from him, an interviewer in a suit, Megi, was angry at him for submitting such a poor resume that he couldn’t even boil a spicy soup.
When Woojoo asked what was wrong with his resume, Megi threw it at him and told me to look for himself.
Then he asked Woojoo what kind of skill that was and got angry again.
Skill: Black History Maker
Woojoo saw that and cried out, no, I’m not a black history maker, but Megi wouldn’t listen.
Then agents in suits came and said, ‘Mr. Seon Woojoo, you are under arrest for suspicion of leaking the secret of black history making.’ and dragged him away as the dream ended.“…That’s the story.”
“Geez, that’s spectacular.”
Rihyuk clicked his tongue.
Just like yesterday, they were chatting in the company meeting room before the live broadcast.
Junghyun said as if he was impressed, “Oh, it was really fun. I’ll definitely watch it if your dream becomes a movie.”
“That’s a million-dollar movie script.”
“Hey, kids. Don’t you ever think about why I had such a dream in the first place?”
“I don’t know…”
“I have no idea.”
The guys who had teased Woojoo until he went to bed at the dorm yesterday were all playing dumb.
Only Bijoo comforted Woojoo.
Rihyuk sneered.
“Why do you have nightmares over something like that? I’m the worst in our team when it comes to black history.”
“That’s true.”
“I would have been a chaebol by now if I made money every time I was embarrassed.”
“No way. Woojoo Hyung is not easy either.”
Suddenly, a 100-minute debate began on who was the best in black history in their team, Rihyuk or Woojoo.
“…”
Woojoo decided to ignore them and have some time for himself.
Yeah.
He would leave them and be with their Souffles…
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋThis is Woojoo’s gif from yesterday
-Woojoo grabbing his neck.gif
-Everyone… Woojoo’s hobby is lurking in the fan cafe… He might be watching right now, so let’s comfort him
-Ah…
-Yeah, we should. Woojoo, cheer up!
-It’s okay, you don’t have to be good at games ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-ㅋㄷㅋㄷ
…Maybe he should quit for a day.
Woojoo turned away from the words on the laptop screen.
Woojoo was proud that there were many positive reviews for the content he prepared for the fans himself.
But what was this subtle sense of defeat?
It felt like he got what he wanted, but he was full of wounds.
“Well, look on the bright side. This is what they call a tactical defeat but a strategic victory, right? We lost the battle but won the war. Thanks to someone’s sacrifice, everyone is happy…”
“Rihyuk.”
“What.”
“Prepare for the debate…”
“I’m doing it, okay? Geez, you’re so ungrateful for my consolation.”
Woojoo was speechless with disbelief when a staff member from the PR team called them.
“Guys, let’s move the tables.”
“Yes!”
They changed the arrangement of the tables in the conference room with the PR staff.
They split into two tables, and they actually formed teams to have a debate.
“A debate, huh…”
They were supposed to prepare some content for the fans, but somehow their main vocalist seemed to fill it with his own agenda.
“Is this really for the fans?”
“Just let it go, Hyung.” Jiho whispered to him, “Last time, Rihyuk got totally humiliated on the reality show, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.”
It was on the second episode of the reality show.
The producers asked them what they wanted to do, and Rihyuk said he wanted to have a debate, so they prepared it for them.
They were shocked by the sight of the specially prepared debating hall.
Then they were stunned by the sight of the opposing team members who were adorable kids.
It was the third graders team vs the adults team.
At first, they exchanged relaxed smiles as they saw the debate topic: ‘Are exams necessary?’
They chose ‘Exams are necessary’ as their position, like the old folks they were, and smiled at the cute kids across from them.
Third graders?
They thought they were no match for them.
But then, at some point, their expressions became anxious, Rihyuk’s voice became faster, and the producers laughed every time they said something.
When the filming was over, the elementary school kids asked them for autographs, and they asked them where they went to school. They told them they went to a gifted education center.
And they added with a bright smile.
They said New Black was worse than their sixth grade seniors.
Woojoo teared up as he recalled that honest fact violence.
“Who would have thought we’d lose to elementary school kids…”
“I want to forget that memory, Hyung. From now on, I’ll pretend I don’t know anything when it comes up,” Bijoo said, looking at the distant mountain, and Jiho raised his finger as if he had something important to say.
“But we’re more popular than them.”
“Right. And we’re older too.”
“Oh, come to think of it, we have IDs, Hyung.”
“I just remembered. We can buy beer, but they can’t.”
“That’s true.”
“Man, I feel so lucky that the fans don’t see this pathetic conversation.”
Someone said, and they looked at each other at the same time.
Woojoo then resumed the story.
“Do you remember when he lost a verbal fight to an elementary school kid and steam came out of his ears?”
“I remember. The PD teased him, saying that he had dry ice coming out of his ears, right?”
“It was hilarious when he tried to win against the kid desperately.”
“When did I do that?”
Rihyuk denied it.
“And I lost because they were studying for the college entrance exam right now. If I was studying at school, I would have won easily.”
“Against an elementary school kid?”
“Well, that…”
He seemed embarrassed by his own words, and his ears started to glow like Rudolph’s nose. They clapped like seals and laughed.
Woojoo laughed even more.
Woojoo remembered the guy who teased him last night from the lower bunk of his bed, saying, ‘Do you like YouTube? I’ll send you some game videos.’
Of course, Woojoo secretly watched the videos under the blanket after everyone fell asleep.
But while he quickly understood the flashy mouse control, he couldn’t grasp the logic of the game.
-You’re a game noob, Oppa
Woojoo shook his head to get rid of the words that lingered in his mind.
Whatever.
Since their Soufflés were enjoying all these black history, Woojoo decided to be happy too.
Then, he remembered today’s event.
“By the way, Rihyuk, did you prepare well for the debate topic?”
“Yes. More or less.”
“Let’s do something fun. You know it’s content for the fans, right?”
“Don’t worry. I brought a topic that suits the fans’ taste. The PR team also approved it.”
He was so confident that Woojoo decided to trust him for now.
The live broadcast resumed.
Just like yesterday, Rihyuk, the star of today, led the talk show with various topics.
And then, the so-called 1st New Black Debate began.
They divided into teams according to the topic and received various materials and ideas from the fans to express their opinions.
Rihyuk looked at the chat window and said, “Hello, Soufflés. Today, we have the 1st New Black.”
“Debate~!”
“…with Seo Rihyuk. Thank you for joining us.”
The fans teased him in the chat window for his serious tone, like a moderator of a real debate.
Rihyuk cleared his throat and said, “There are three topics for today in total. First, let’s warm up with a preliminary debate.”
The preliminary debate topic was the classic fried vs seasoned chicken.
With the help of the fans, the debate was filled with nonsense for 10 minutes.
Of course, there was no conclusion.
Woojoo said, “Jiho. Put your hand on your chest and tell me. If you had to choose one between seasoned and fried chicken for the rest of your life, honestly, you would choose fried, right? Isn’t that obvious?”
“No. I would choose seasoned.”
“Excuse me, everyone.”
“To be honest, this is a matter of boneless versus bone-in. If you have to choose between seasoned and fried chicken, seasoned is the official choice, right?”
“Excuse me!”
Bang, bang, bang!
As Rihyuk banged the mini hammer on the table like a gavel, the fans burst into laughter.
The absurd debate finally ended and the real debate began.
Rihyuk had asked them several times, almost begging, to be serious and not do this kind of thing.
But as soon as the first topic came out, everyone became serious.
“Okay, the first topic is about Woojoo, the leader of New Black.”
Him?
“Woojoo’s position is lead vocal, lead dancer, and leader.”
“Oh, right. You could say that lead is his position. Leader is also lead+er, right?”
As they clapped and laughed at Junghyun’s random remark, Rihyuk glared at them and said, “Thank you for your opinion, but I always had doubts about him. Should we consider Woojoo as a vocal member or a dance member?”
“Wow, this is good.”
“This is nice. I’ve been thinking about this too.”
The guys sparkled their eyes and liked it.
Jiho and Rihyuk took the side of dance, and Woojoo naturally joined the vocal side with the Hyung line.
The real debate started.
It was funny, but it was more serious than he thought.
It was like the debate of the century, whether he was more focused on dancing or singing.
And the way Woojoo looked at that fierce debate.
“Woojoo Hyung, why do you look so moved?”
“Yeah, your eyes are moist too.”
Woojoo smiled and said, “I have a reason.”
It was a moment of loneliness and emotion for him.
Meanwhile, the light-hearted debate that started with the first topic went back and forth as soon as one side gained an advantage, the other side counterattacked with another piece of evidence.
It was like a ping-pong match, with the ball bouncing back and forth.
Woojoo was busy moving around too.
“Our game noob, please sing for us.”
“Hyung, can you dance for us? It would be nice if you rap too…”
The kids kept asking Woojoo to do this and that.
Woojoo honestly wanted to refuse because it was annoying, but he did his best because he was in front of the camera.
But even though he did that, the first debate didn’t seem to end.
And it really didn’t end.
They were still debating the first topic until the live broadcast ended that day.
Especially in the chat room and the fan cafe.
“This, this was not part of the plan…” Rihyuk said with a flustered face.
He didn’t expect the fans to jump in so seriously on a topic he prepared for fun.
The fan cafe poll that followed the debate was almost a tie.
It was the moment when the New Black version of the fried vs dipped debate appeared: ‘Is Woojoo a vocal member or a dance member?’
Of course, someone’s sigh was a bonus.
“Ah… I prepared the debate topic so hard…”
***
The Soufflé Week proposed by the New Black members was sailing smoothly with the fans’ good response.
An event where they gave out small gifts to the fans by lottery.
The gifts were cheap, but they received great praise from the fan cafe and the idol community.
-It’s much better than selling goods with greedy eyes. Are you watching, MOP?
-Kya… Why didn’t you do this when you were in Scarlet, Kyuho?
-I heard that it was because Kyuho let go of his hand that this happenedㅇㅇ
-Why are you like this, Lemon, so shocking
-I became a fan of New Black recently… Kyuho, Kyuho, give me some goods, head-banging
-Headㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋare you a monk?
-But they’re having a fan meeting so soon;; Isn’t it only four months since their debut?
-It seems like they have some variety show inflow… Well, it’s a very exceptional case, but anyway, their first single album was a hit for a rookie
As expected from the idol community, the conversation quickly turned to their performance.
Normally, the fans would have been sensitive about such talk, but they were relaxed enough for the week leading up to the fan meeting.
Whether they talked or not.
They were busy catching the breadcrumbs falling from the sky.
The Soufflé Week was truly a festival for the fans.
Monday’s game, Tuesday’s debate.
Then there was Wednesday’s quiz show where Junghyun asked the fans questions about the members’ personal information.
On Thursday, they went to a workshop led by Bijoo and made soap to give to the fans by lottery.
Bijoo: Wow. This is really fun. Guys, Hyung. Let’s do a lot of events like this in the future.
Everyone: (ignores)
Bijoo: (turns around with a grin)
Everyone: (claps and cheers) Wow!
Bijoo: (happy smile)
And Woojoo’s live broadcast on Friday got a reaction from the idol community for its unusual content.
At first, he started to talk to the fans and give them some advice on their minor worries, but when he talked to a senior high school student who was preparing for the college entrance exam, the broadcast content changed weirdly.
Woojoo: Uh, the history question for the 2011 college entrance exam, number 8? Let me see… This is Na Woongyu’s Arirang in 1926, and the Wonsan General Strike in 29. So the word that goes in the blank is an event from the 20s. The answer is obviously the Shinminhyeop faction, KAPF. But this kind of thing is all in the commentary book… Yes? You want me to wear glasses too? This has no prescription… Just a moment. (fumbles) Is this okay? You want me to explain more?
Jiho: Hyung, you’re being fooled by the fans.
Junghyun: The comment window says you fell for it again, Woojoo Oppa, kung kung kung. Oh, you have to read it as keu keu keu?
When the younger ones burst into laughter, Woojoo realized the truth and took off his glasses. The screenshot of him doing that was all over the fan cafe.
Meanwhile, the reality show ‘It’s the New Black’ was also entertaining the fans along with the Soufflé Week.
The scene where they arrived at the indoor rock climbing gym in episode 4 and saw a bear scratching the back of its head and grumbled.
Or the red creature that collapsed before climbing 5 meters.
Or the youngest who laughed at him and collapsed himself.
Woojoo had climbed to the top with such astonishing speed that people wondered if he had been a cockroach in his previous life.
And there was Bijoo, who had acrophobia, sitting on a blanket and drinking helium gas as a penalty. He cheered them on with a high-pitched voice, saying “Fighting! Fighting! Kyahaha!”
It was a feast of clues.
And the day before the fan meeting.
A video was uploaded to the YouTube account of Lemon Entertainment.
The members were sitting in front of their computers in the empty management team office.
Woojoo: Did you all sync your clocks?
Jiho: Hyung, who uses a wristwatch for ticketing these days? I heard from my sister. For college course registration, you have to sync with the server time.
Woojoo: Oh.
Bijoo: Let’s make sure we succeed in ticketing today, and give this as a prize to our fans.
Junghyun: What if we fail?
Rihyuk: Don’t worry. I searched the internet yesterday and read all the ticketing tips. In theory, we can’t fail.
Woojoo: I get nervous when he’s so confident.
Junghyun: Me too.
Jiho: One minute! One minute left!
They put their hands on their chests and said their hearts were pounding, their faces tense as they tried to ticket for their first official fan meeting.
Soon they grabbed their mice with a combative attitude.
As the atmosphere became more intense, the time approached.
As the site that announced the server time started to beep 10 seconds ahead, the members’ throats went up and down.
Rihyuk: Now!
With that, they all clicked their mice.
Three seconds later.
The computer stuttered and the same pop-up window appeared on everyone’s screen.
[The seat you selected is already taken.]
In the video, the members blinked blankly, while the fans burst into laughter in the comment section.
***
Finally, the day of the fan meeting.
At a live hall in Gwangjin-gu, rehearsals were underway for the event.
-Hello, we are New Black!
The MC and the members waved their hands and greeted the audience, assuming there were fans in the actual seats.
While the HBS MTV camera crew filmed the fan meeting preparation scene, the on-site staff were busy.
The lighting crew, wearing pouches on their waists, moved quickly according to the director’s instructions, and the stylists, who procured the costumes, walked down the hallway with their hands full of clothes bags.
‘There shouldn’t be any problems.’
Yoon Seokhwan, the manager of New Black, stood next to the director and looked at the stage.
He had to check the site thoroughly, as he had experienced a humiliation once due to a sound problem at the debut showcase.
The New Black members, dressed in casual clothes, performed the ballad song and cover dance they had prepared for today, while the director held the microphone.
He directed them to stand according to the lighting position.
“Junghyun, move back a little and stand on the top light side. Yeah. There.”
-Yes, I got it.
The director smiled as he watched them understand each other perfectly every time.
“They’re really good kids. You’d think they’d be nervous on a stage in front of a thousand people, but they’re not.”
“They’re only like that on stage.”
Yoon Seokhwan adjusted his glasses and smiled.
He wouldn’t say that if he saw how they were shaking backstage.
Meanwhile, the rehearsal for Woojoo’s self-composed song, which was the last part of today’s fan meeting, continued in sequence.
After a somewhat unusual performance, the director grabbed the microphone.
“Yes, thank you for your hard work, members. Please go back to the waiting room.”
-Thank you!
The director chuckled as he watched them cheer and go down to the backstage.
Then he asked as if something came to his mind.
“That, the last song. I think the fans will love it when they hear it later.”
“Yes, I think so too.”
Yoon Seokhwan smiled.
“Regardless of the quality… it will be a memorable stage in many ways.”