“Haha, hahaha!”
Ha Seung-ju, the MC, fanned himself with a cue card. He was supposed to say his lines, but he couldn’t stop laughing.
Everyone around him was laughing too.
The audience members who were wiping their tears from laughing so hard.
The managers and the music cafe staff who were covering their mouths from below.
“…”
Rihyuk’s face turned red as a beet.
His face was so flushed that it looked like steam would come out of his ears. We fanned him vigorously with our hands.
“Ouch, my stomach.”
Just when Ha Seung-ju’s laughter subsided and he was about to say his lines, Bijoo crouched down and picked up the buttons that had fallen off.“Huh? Bijoo, why are you picking up the buttons?”
“They’re sponsored.”
He said with a shy smile, ‘Not ours…’ and the audience laughed again.
The MC said with a voice full of laughter.
“It’s amazing. I thought you were really cool just a moment ago, but now you seem so friendly.”
“Oh, that’s not good.”
I grabbed the microphone.
“We came out today to look cool…”
“It looks like you’re having a hard time…”
“No, it’s not over yet. Everyone.”
“Yeah! We’re cool!”
The youngest, who had no sense of coolness, made everyone laugh louder.
All eyes were on Rihyuk, who had taken off his vest that had lost its buttons. The MC asked.
“Are you okay inside? Did it not burst?”
“Yes.”
Rihyuk brushed his hair back and answered.
“It only burst on the outside. The inside is fine.”
“That’s good. If your shirt had burst too, the broadcast rating would have changed today.”
After the FD came up and took the vest, Rihyuk, who was now in a shirt, flapped his clothes and said.
“I guess it’s because I wore the vest too tight.”
“It looked like it.”
The MC asked.
“But how strong is your diaphragmatic breathing that you can do that? I’ve seen people who burst their stage costume belts, but…”
I answered instead.
“He has a great lung capacity.”
“Yeah. Rihyuk hyung, he’s really good at that too. He can make his stomach bulge like a basin by filling it with air.”
“Please edit that part out.”
I smiled as if to say ‘please’ to the PD who was in the control room.
Ha Seung-ju asked.
“Why? It’s funny.”
“If we go that far, we won’t be able to fix our image…”
“Well, if we go a little further, we’ll have to pay the membership fee to the comedy club.”
“That’s right. We are-”
We all held out our palms and shouted.
“Singers!”
“Hahaha!”
As the audience burst into laughter, Ha Seung-ju scolded us in a realistic tone.
“Hey, don’t do that. Every time you come out and say ‘We are~ singers!’ people laugh at you.”
“I’m sorry. It’s a habit.”
“You’re really unstoppable. I’ve heard the words ‘entertainment idol, entertainment idol’ a lot. But now I can see what it feels like.”
The audience made noises as if they agreed.
The MC looked at the cue card and laughed.
“I almost forgot what to say because I laughed so much. Shall we get back to the main point?”
He moved on from the button explosion incident to the main topic.
Ha Seung-ju looked at the audience and said.
“Every time a guest comes out, our writers do research. They research what people are curious about the music of this singer…”
This time, he turned his gaze to us.
“For New Black, there are overwhelmingly many questions like this. ‘Do they really produce their own music?’”
“Yes, a lot of people are curious about that.”
“They’re very curious, right? Whether Woojoo really composes, and whether the other members participate in the song work.”
Ha Seung-ju asked me.
“How do you feel when you hear that?”
“Hmm.”
I didn’t think for long.
“I think, ‘They might think that way?’ I think. It’s hard for people outside to know about the song work. And nowadays, composing is like a collaboration.” �
“That’s right.”
“And I think we didn’t have many opportunities to introduce our music.”
The younger ones nodded their heads seriously, and Ha Seung-ju smiled as if he agreed.
Then he joked.
“So you came out on the music cafe? To show that we are the musicians of this area.”
“Yes. We came out to show off our musicality.”
The slightly serious atmosphere was loosened by the joke. Ha Seung-ju skillfully led the corner that was already written in the script.
“Then, shall we introduce the songs of New Black here?”
“Yes!”
“Not you, but the audience.”
The audience said ‘Yes!’ with a laugh.
I said with a smile.
“We prepared a medley of our title songs. If we just do it-”
“Because I was bored!”
“I also prepared some lyrics.”
It was a song that I made by cutting out some parts of each song to make them flow smoothly as a medley.
As I put my hands on the keyboard, my siblings behind me picked up the microphones.
“Ah, ah, ah-”
They were just testing the volume, but people laughed.
‘Should we start?’ I turned around and saw my siblings wink at me.
I immediately started playing and began to sing the title song medley softly.
Fireworks-
Fire- works-
As I played, I repeated ‘fireworks’ as if to brainwash them, and then moved on to Masquerade.
The people sitting in the audience closed their mouths and squirmed.
Masque- rade-
Mas- querade-
As we sang in harmony with our eyes closed, Ha Seung-ju burst into laughter.
The laughter spread like paint in the auditorium.
“Hey! You said you came out to change your image!”
We nodded and brought our mouths close to the microphone as we moved on to Wind Flower.
Image change-
We’ll change and show you-
The hall erupted in laughter again.
The audience sitting in the seats laughed like crazy.
“Cough! Cough!”
Some of them choked on their laughter.
As people laughed and whispered ‘this is crazy’, Ha Seung-ju under the spotlight gave a wry smile.
“Come on, you said you came out to manage your image, but you sing like this.”
“We wanted to inject some of our songs into you.”
As Woojoo played the piano with a bang, the four of us answered in a fantastic harmony, ‘Fireworks-’
Ha Seung-ju gave a snort.
“This perfect harmony… I’ve never seen an idol use it like this.”
“But you remember, right?”
“It definitely leaves an impression. At first I was like ‘what is this?’ but I don’t think I’ll forget the fireworks I heard just now.”
The audience agreed.
‘I think I’ll remember it later.’
‘Fireworks-’
‘I have to cut and save this part when it airs. I’ll watch it when I’m depressed.’
It was funny, but it definitely stuck in my memory.
Whenever I heard the melody, I remembered the sweet harmony of ‘Masquerade-’
“Can we do it again?”
Woojoo smiled and played the keyboard.
Including the follow-up song ‘Flower Dance’, New Black’s five title songs came out as sweet melodies.
And the harmony that melted the eardrums.
Nine-
Remember- this is Nine-
With the sweet whisper of ‘Nine, Nine, Nine’ at the end, the New Black members put down their microphones.
The audience applauded and they smiled shyly.
After returning to their seats, Ha Seung-ju asked.
“That’s nice. I had that thought while listening to the song. ‘Oh? Is this all connected?’”
“I deliberately arranged it that way.”
“Is there something consistent?”
Woojoo grabbed the microphone and answered.
“We wanted to show you the change of the message in our songs.”
“Message?”
“Yes, first of all, Fireworks…”
As Woojoo winked, they all picked up the microphones and harmonized. It was the same part as before.
It was a song that made you feel good and want to go out.
“Fireworks is our debut song and also the first song we showed to the listeners.”
The members continued.
“So it’s a song that says ‘let’s have fun with us for the first time’.”
“It’s about becoming friends with strangers on the beach and watching fireworks together at night.”
The audience, including Ha Seung-ju, understood with an ‘ah’.
New Black’s leader said.
“But just because we had fun for the first time, the distance between us and the listeners didn’t close perfectly, did it?”
“That’s right.”
“The next song, ‘Masquerade’, is about looking at each other properly, approaching more seriously.”
They explained that they considered the feeling of the two people who met eyes without wearing masks at the masquerade.
Looking at each other’s true feelings in a place decorated with pretense.
As Woojoo winked, the youngest of New Black sang a serious verse of the song.
The song introduction continued like that.
“When it comes to Wind Flower, we approach more actively and say ‘I’m here’ and look at you…”
“A comforting song?”
“That’s right.”
As Bijoo, who made the choreography himself, showed a soft dance, the people were captivated by his dance line.
“Nine is a bit different, it’s about comforting someone who is having a hard time and saying ‘let’s shake it off and have fun today!’”
The audience smiled at the sight of Woojoo, who was excitedly explaining the song with his eyes shining.
Ha Seung-ju also smiled with a similar expression.
“There’s a flow. We have fun and get close for the first time, and then we open our hearts and approach. And comfort each other.”
“That’s right.”
“There’s a title protagonist for each member in reverse age order, right? And there’s a symbol color too?”
They introduced themselves like Power Rangers, saying ‘I’m red!’
“Why did you choose the color?”
“Oh. The company decided that for us.”
The audience laughed at the honest answer. Because of that answer, New Black’s story sounded more sincere.
Whenever they heard the background explanation of the song, they would say ‘ah’ and easily understand it.
The MC also pointed out that context.
“Since you participated in the producing, the song explanation is not difficult at all.”
“Right. Everyone. Our song is easy, right?”
“That’s the advantage of New Black’s song. It’s easy to listen to and understand.”
The members smiled brightly at the sincere compliment.
Ha Seung-ju looked at the cute juniors with a fond expression and then teased them.
“You must have been suffocated until now. You wanted to talk about this.”
“My mouth was itching.”
Jung-hyun expressed his itchiness with his finger and Ha Seung-ju laughed.
“By the way, you have a lot to talk about music… Do you have any troubles when composing, Woojoo?”
“Hmm? In what way?”
“Well, idol songs have some formality, right? There’s a boundary between the music you want to do and the music you have to do.”
Woojoo thought for a moment and answered.
“I don’t think I have that problem. Not yet. I don’t even know if there’s an idol-like distinction… Even if there is such a frame, I still have a lot of things I haven’t done.”
“Oh. That’s too bad.”
Woojoo blinked his eyes at the MC’s expression of losing his appetite.
“What?”
“If New Black wanted to do a different kind of song, I would have quickly grabbed it. Let’s do it with me.”
“Oh.”
“I don’t have any talent for idol songs.”
The audience burst into laughter. The New Black members also laughed and then said as if they liked it.
“It would be an honor to work with you.”
“Please come soon. Hurry. Our producing team staffs admire you a lot.”
“Please come for sure.”
The members welcomed the famous producer.
But it was like a ‘please come for sure’ atmosphere. It was as if they were dragging him into something bad, and their smiles looked sinister.
Woojoo also smiled warmly and said.
“If we try new music, I’ll contact you for sure.”
“You’re promising, Woojoo.”
“Of course.”
“Kim PD, are you filming this? Please send it. It’s a promise between senior and junior composers.”
The audience laughed at the sight of the two men making a pinky promise and taking a picture in front of the camera.
At the same time, the eyes looking at New Black became softer.
They were already a popular boy group that people knew, but they became more friendly as they talked about music.
If the former was lightly ‘they are fun’, the latter was ‘they have these worries’.
It was the bond that they experienced when they talked seriously with a friend who only joked around.
‘They are all nice and diligent.’
‘It would be fun to be friends with them.’
‘The button boy still likes red bean. How cute.’
As they each had different thoughts and sent their eyes with affection.
The MC asked a question.
“We don’t have much talk left. Soon we’ll have the second stage, ‘Thousand Dreams’.”
The people cheered as the OST of the famous movie was mentioned.
“A lot of people are interested in this song too. A Korean singer participated in a Hollywood movie project. Can you tell us the behind story?”
“Yes. Of course.”
Then they explained how they participated in the OST of Nostalgia.
How the full version of the song they just sent was adopted as the OST, and how the movie scene changed.
The audience was amazed by the story that the New Black members told.
“We signed a confidentiality agreement.”
“Do you write that too?”
They explained how they worked in a tight security to protect the Hollywood movie.
After that, everyone asked a curious question.
“By the way, how did you come up with this ‘Thousand Dreams’?”
“Oh. This?”
“Is it a secret?”
“No, it’s just…”
Woojoo said with a sheepish expression.
“I told you in the pre-interview too… I just thought of it.”
“Really?”
“Rihyuk listened to Falling Stars for the cover. When I heard it and heard the scene description where the song comes out… I thought I should do it like this and imagined it in my head.”
“Is that possible?”
“So, to tell you…”
Woojoo sat down at the keyboard again and played the melody of ‘Falling Stars’, which is now famous worldwide.
Then he repeated a certain part and said.
“Falling Stars has a falling atmosphere overall. Just like the stars are falling.”
“Hmm.”
“The sound goes down softly, right?”
Then he played the chorus of ‘Thousand Dreams’.
“So I thought it would be better to lift it up softly before that song comes out.”
“To make the emotion more when it falls?”
“Yes, that’s why I conceived the song. The dreams go up.”
As if a thousand dreams were floating in the sky like balloons, a cheerful melody flowed.
“And the dreams become stars and fall.”
As the melody of the stars pouring down continued, the audience unknowingly exclaimed ‘wow’.
Ha Seung-ju, who already knew the content to some extent, also opened his mouth for a moment.
Woojoo played the melody of Falling Stars and said.
“The person who composed this is really a genius. How did you think of this, I get goosebumps every time I listen to it.”
But the audience just blinked their eyes.
‘No. You’re more like a genius…’
They felt a subtle feeling at the sight of Woojoo admiring and praising ‘this song is awesome’.
They were very friendly until a while ago, but now they felt a huge distance.
After explaining the behind story of the song.
We performed ‘Thousand Dreams’ in front of the audience.
As I played the guitar, I sang cheerfully with my siblings, exchanging lines like we were in a movie.
“Wow!”
I smiled at the audience who applauded us after the song.
Their eyes sparkled every time I looked at them.
They had looked tired when we first appeared, since it was late, but now they were laughing happily.
Usually, some people would leave around this time during the music festival, but the seats were full.
My siblings grinned.
‘Success.’
‘Well done, slackers.’
I put down the guitar with a satisfied face.
Ha Seung-ju spoke.
“You listened to Thousand Dreams very well. The song will be released tomorrow, right?”
“Yes. It’s a worldwide simultaneous release.”
“I was disappointed that only Falling Stars was on MeeTube, but this is great. Don’t you want to listen to it soon?”
The audience answered ‘Yes!’ in unison.
Meanwhile, Ha Seung-ju held the microphone and said.
“Unfortunately, it’s time to say goodbye to New Black.”
“Aww…”
“Hey, usually the audience does that, New Black. Not the ones who are leaving.”
We made a sad expression and the audience laughed and clapped.
“It’s too bad to let you go like this. Can we see something before you go?”
“What kind of…?”
“You talked about composing, but you didn’t really show us any composing. How about improvising?”
Ha Seung-ju asked.
“Can you do it?”
“Yes. Of course.”
I sat down at the keyboard and my siblings moved.
“Huh? Are we doing it together?”
“Yup.”
Our youngest answered.
“We’ve been playing music for about two years, so we all know how to compose to some extent. We’ve been doing it together lately.”
“Oh.”
He seemed interested and I asked him.
“What do you want us to show you?”
“Um, how about a theme…”
Ha Seung-ju was thinking.
The hall was silent.
Then, a phone ringtone started to ring.
People murmured and looked around, and a young couple turned off their phone with a panicked expression.
And at that moment, I thought, ‘That’s it’ and laughed.
“Let’s do it with that ringtone.”
“The default ringtone of the Apple phone?”
“Yes.”
I pressed the keys and reproduced the ringtone, then started to vary it, and my siblings joined the rhythm.
After repeating it a few times, we made the main theme.
I smiled at the couple and brought my mouth to the microphone.
This is for you
My siblings added a chorus of ‘Ooh-’ and the couple bowed their heads, and Ha Seung-ju and the audience chuckled.
Rihyuk was the first to open his mouth to the improvised melody.
The ringtone that rings
In the dark
When everyone said ‘Oh’, Junghyun recited.
You forgot to turn on silent mode
Our chorus of ‘You forgot!’ made the hall explode with laughter.