At the PBS broadcasting station, a diverse array of characters began to visit the studio of ‘Mr. Producer.’
“Welcome! Composer! You’ve dressed up nicely.”
“Ah, it’s good to see you.”
“I enjoy watching ‘The Masterpiece Band.’ You look even more dashing in person~”
Composer Pyo Hyeong-won, a judge on ‘Challenge! The Masterpiece Discovery Team,’ flashed a cool smile.
Following him, a renowned musical director and a vocal trainer made their entrance.
A woman with stylish clothes and an eye-catching earring on one ear also entered.
“The choreographer has arrived too! Welcome!”
“Hello~”
It was Han A-yoon, a choreographer renowned worldwide.As a lineup that could be called a dream team for producing gathered in one place,
The last person entered.
“How have you all been?”
A man greeted the members of Mip with a wave as he entered.
In his forties, but with a fashion sense that made him look a decade younger, it was Heo Kang-min, the CEO and chief producer of KM Entertainment, one of the top four agencies.
“You said you’d be here soon? Took you a while.”
“The Olympic Boulevard was incredibly congested. It was so frustrating I almost got out and walked here.”
Heo, adjusting his snapback, spoke gruffly.
“When I offered to write a song for 500 won, you didn’t even glance my way… but now you need my producing, huh?”
“Hahaha!”
“Sigh. I’m busy, but I made some time to come.”
“You’re very busy? Then you can leave if you need to?”
Pretending not to hear, Heo Kang-min quickly pulled out a chair, prompting laughter from the cast.
As the gathered experts exchanged polite greetings, Kim Eui-ji broke the ice.
“We’ve brought you all here for the successful debut of our rookie boy group ‘A-Ten,’ not just as Mr. Producer.”
“A-Ten?”
“Let’s introduce ourselves first.”
The six members raised their index fingers and smiled brightly.
“One, two, three!”
“It’s 10 o’clock! Hello! We are A-Ten!”
Amidst the applause, choreographer Han A-yoon laughed, saying, “You’ve chosen a good name.”
Chu Gi-seok responded with a smirk.
“Isn’t it good? Our New Black teachers came up with it.”
“Oh.”
“We got the idea from our average age of 33.5…”
As Heo Kang-min raised his eyebrows in surprise, Model Citizen asked,
“What do you think of our name, sir?”
“It’s really well chosen. If we’re just talking about the name, it’s 100 out of 100.”
“Wow!”
“It’s catchy. Sticks in your ear.”
While any name can look cool once it becomes famous, for a one-time group, an impactful name was essential.
Heo Kang-min sighed and said,
“The name is important, very important. Like how a singer’s life follows their songs, sometimes a group’s path follows its name.”
“Ah. That…”
Everyone thought of a name they couldn’t say out loud.
Sixty Seconds, once a top idol group alongside TNT, but now expelled from the entertainment industry due to a scandalous recording.
With a sad face, Heo Kang-min said,
“Idols are all about character. Character.”
As everyone made a bittersweet expression, hearing that talent alone wasn’t enough,
Choreographer Han A-yoon got to the point.
“Before we discuss producing, can we see their skills first?”
“Their skills?”
“Yes. We need to know their level to fine-tune the details.”
The vocal trainer and other officials agreed.
All thinking the same thing,
‘Surely their dance isn’t still at that level…?’
They recalled the dance video sent by the production team three weeks ago.
A dance so bad that even a wooden puppet would be scared off.
As the experts watched nervously, the latest video began to play.
“Uh…?”
The officials’ eyes widened.
‘What is this?’
In just three weeks, my dancing had improved to an insane level.
Choreographer Han A-yoon’s eyes widened in surprise as she asked, “What happened? Did you change your dance instructor?”
“…Yes?” I replied, puzzled.
“How did you improve so much in such a short time…?”
The members of Mipf responded with proud smiles to her astonished reaction, explaining, “The trainer helped, but the New Black instructors really boosted us, especially Instructor Bijoo.”
“New Black…?” Han A-yoon wasn’t asking because she didn’t know who they were. As one of the most popular boy groups in the industry, it was impossible not to know them. And she knew Bijoo too, a member always ranked among the top idol dancers and known for his stunning looks despite being directionally challenged.
But then…
‘What exactly did they do?’
As I pondered what kind of training they had undergone, Kim Ui-ji announced, “I thought you all might be curious, so we’ve prepared some practice videos.”
The officials turned their attention to the screen.
And then…
“Ha ha ha!”
The sight of a moving TV chasing after people sent everyone into fits of laughter.
Even on a second viewing, it was still hilarious, and the cast and crew laughed along.
“Aaah!”
“Stop right there~!”
The TV, with its gentle voice, was chasing after the panicked humans.
The laughter continued with the TV’s advice.
“We’re going to die, Teacher!”
“People don’t die that easily, senior.”
“Aaaaah!”
“In the spirit of encouragement, I’ll play the OST from Die Hard for you.”
As the aptly titled movie BGM played, the officials couldn’t stop laughing, and the members said, “Just like you said, we didn’t die easily.”
“We only rested as much as allowed. If we exceeded even by a second, the TV would start making recorder noises.”
“It was a complete Spartan regime, haha.”
Representative Heo Kang-min clicked his tongue, “Even in Sparta, they would have been arrested for something like this… labor law violations…”
Everyone laughed at his joke.
Then, Han A-yoon, who had been watching with her chin propped up, pointed at Bijoo on the TV and said, “But it wasn’t overwork.”
“Excuse me?”
“It wasn’t overworking us; it was just a very tightly scheduled routine. It was tough, but manageable, right?”
“Yes…”
The choreographer smiled, “Bijoo really did a great job with the routine. It was designed to quickly improve our weak points.”
The members of Mipf blinked in surprise, “…You seem very interested.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a beautifully crafted practice routine. How was it? It was fun once you got into it, right?”
“…”
“Wow, the routine was really beautifully done.”
Watching the members struggle yet smile made me wonder if all dancers went through this as the cast averted their gaze.
Composer Pyo Hyeong-won changed the subject with a laugh, “The future looks bright, doesn’t it? Your dance skills will only get better, and you all have great vocal skills too.”
“That’s true. We could go for something a bit more challenging.”
A lack of choreography can limit a performance, but that issue seemed to have been resolved.
“So, we’ll need to fine-tune the details.”
Heo Kang-min stroked his chin, “The concept is disco, right? Whoever came up with it had a great idea.”
“Exactly. We saw the proposal from the production team and thought, ‘This is perfect!’ It suits our age group, the difficulty level is just right, and it’s not unfamiliar to the public.”
“Who decided on it? Did the members choose?”
An Jae-hee answered with a warm smile, “Our New Black instructors decided on it.”
“…This too?”
“Yes. To be precise, Instructor Uju pinpointed it perfectly.”
Heo Kang-min looked incredulous at the revelation that even the concept was chosen for them.
“So, what did you guys actually do…?”
I practiced to death, just as I was told. What does a trainee know? You, as the head of the agency, must understand well.
“No, it’s right for trainees to do as they’re told, but…”
He clicked his tongue at the shameless pace of the entertainers for a moment.
“Anyway. The old folks have sucked the life out of the young ones. Completely.”
“Young ones? Please watch your words. He is our respected pro-ducer.”
The members glared with indignation at the audacity shown towards our New Black teacher, and Heo Kang-min blinked.
‘Why are they like this?’
Especially towards Woojoo, the leader, there was a reverence akin to what the first followers of the Woojoo religion might show.
When I wondered why they were acting like that, I immediately understood as I listened to the title track ‘Attention,’ which Woojoo co-composed.
“So this is why the song I sent was rejected…”
Composer Pyo Hyeong-won laughed bitterly, and everyone wore a sad smile.
The CEO of KM Entertainment opened his mouth wide in shock.
“Wow…”
“What’s wrong?”
“How much did you pay for this song?”
“50,000 won.”
“Tsk.”
The members burst into embarrassed laughter at the agency head’s cursing eyes.
“If it weren’t for the broadcast, I would’ve paid millions for this.”
He exaggerated, but there was half-seriousness in his words.
‘Even millions would be a bargain.’
The most important thing for a singer’s success is the song.
If there’s such a song, I’d willingly spend millions to promote our idol…
To laypeople, it might sound like ‘Hmm, nice to listen to,’ but experts saw the value of this song.
‘Was New Black a lemon? Ah, it’s frustrating… They’re someone else’s kids; I can’t just take them.’
If I were a freelance composer, I would’ve visited their home with the director right away.
But Heo Kang-min, the CEO, sadly resigned himself to the fact that they were idols from another company.
Then he looked enviously at the laughing members of Mipeu.
‘This is why they’re dying to be loved.’
We made them into stars with dance practice. Gave them a concept. Even crafted an amazing song for them.
It was as if Shin Murok PD’s ancestral spirit had blessed New Black, saying, ‘Descendants, get good ratings!’
‘It’s too good a song to waste on them.’
When I felt envious, like the neighbor who struck oil, Kim Eui-ji asked Heo Kang-min.
“Do you regret it that much?”
“I’ll just be honest.”
Heo Kang-min spoke bluntly.
“This song is too good for you guys.”
This song was at least top five on the annual charts.
He told the wide-eyed members.
“You guys might not know anything else, but bow in the direction of the person who wrote the song every morning.”
“We already do.”
“Do it three times. Morning, noon, and night.”
Amidst the laughter at the ‘bow three times’ joke.
The eyes of the officials, who initially came for a TV appearance, began to sparkle with life.
‘I want to touch this.’
The quality and concept of the song were too good.
Suddenly, I felt an urge to work again.
It was possible because New Black had brilliantly set the foundation.
As the experts began to enthusiastically pitch ideas, feeling professional admiration for a group they had never spoken to.
One hour, two hours, three hours…
When the long meeting continued with the members of Mipeu joining in.
“It seems we’ve reached an agreement among ourselves, but we should call the producers to ask for their opinion.”
Following Heo Kang-min’s suggestion, they decided to consult New Black about the matter.
The officials nodded vigorously, and the cast narrowed their eyes.
“It’s all just an excuse. You just want to talk to New Black, don’t you?”
“Hmm…”
The officials coughed and averted their gaze, and the manager who received the video call switched to New Black.
“Looks like you’re at the music video shoot.”
“Preparing for the album, I see.”
The experts’ eyes filled with curiosity and affection as the New Black members approached the screen.
‘I’m curious.’
I knew their variety show and YouTube image all too well, but I wondered what they were really like.
What had they done to impress the experts so much?
And how was this song written? Various questions swirled in my mind.
“…Sigh.”
The leader of New Black appeared on the screen.
With skin as white as snow and features so vivid they cast shadows, he looked like an orchid painted in a traditional Eastern artwork, perhaps due to the thick eyeliner applied for the music video shoot.
As I marveled at the beauty of the heavily made-up figure, an actor named Nam Dohoon caught sight of something.
“Hm?”
“Uju, what’s with your eyes? Did you cry during the music video shoot?”
“No,” replied the beauty with a forlorn expression.
It was clear to everyone she had been crying, and just as confusion set in, Uju, along with the other members, showed us a special lunchbox she was holding.
It wasn’t sadness on her face, but overwhelming joy.
“The spicy pork stir-fry is so delicious…”
“So delicious!”
“If happiness was rated from one to ten, this would be an eleven.”
Everyone burst into laughter at the sight of five fluffy cotton balls seemingly floating on her white makeup.
Just then, the CEO of KM Entertainment, with a kind smile, interjected.
“Do you like meat?”
“Uh…?”
The members of New Black recognized him and their eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes, I’m Heo Kangmin from KM. Would you like to visit our company cafeteria? It’s like a hotel buffet where you can grill unlimited beef…”
Before he could finish, the CEO was swept away as if caught in a rapid current.
“Bijoo, have you ever been to a dance studio?”
“It’s been a while since we’ve all met. I’m Pyo Hyungwon, who judged at the Song Festival…”
“I really enjoyed ‘A Thousand Dreams.’ The musical…”
The CEO of KM Entertainment had opened the floodgates for entertainment, and everyone was eager to talk.
“Wow!”
Of course, he was being pushed aside by others trying to get through.
The chaos of everyone bringing up their own matters turned the filming set into a sea of laughter.
Suddenly, my network expanded.
“What’s this?”
Experts gathered for the production of A10 showed immense interest in us.
I was initially taken aback, not knowing the full story until later, as told by the cast. After all, these were industry veterans I had known since my trainee days at TJ.
Perhaps it was the impression left by ‘Attention’ that garnered such an overwhelming response, which was flattering yet somewhat burdensome.
Especially…
“Wow…”
Bijoo, who had received the contact of a choreographer she admired, couldn’t stop smiling all day.
“He said I dance so well, and if I ever want to shoot a cover video, I should come over.”
“Oh…”
“That sounds fun, doesn’t it?”
I wasn’t so sure.
That choreographer seemed to love intense and challenging work.
The others just smiled warmly without a word.
“But the lineup is quite impressive,” said Ryuk, looking at the list of producers released by the media.
“From composer Pyo Hyungwon to director Yu Young-ha, and even the CEO of KM Entertainment. It’s the first time I’ve seen such people come together.”
“Right. But guys, do you think it’s true that KM has a buffet in their cafeteria?”
“Hold on.”
Junghyun tapped his phone so fast it left afterimages.
Then, showing us a photo, he said, “Confirmed.”
“It’s real.”
“Ashley?”
“Trying to pretend you’ve been there, we all know you’re from the VIPS generation, old man.”
“There’s still so much I don’t know…”
The company cafeteria was like a franchise buffet.
Members of Blink stood trembling with vegetables in hand in front of a chef grilling unlimited refills of meat, as seen in a social media proof shot.
We all nodded in agreement.
“Let’s build something like that in our company later. A barbecue grill and a dining table.”
“That’s a great idea. Then we won’t have to go out.”
It was an ambitious plan to turn Lemon Enter into a giant meat house, complete with a dry-aging fridge stocked with fresh Korean beef.
Amidst the laughter at Minki and Wonseok’s hilarious jokes, only Seokhwan was swallowing his saliva.
In such a cheerful atmosphere, we wrapped up the music video shoot.
“Great work, everyone! Thank you, Director!”
“Working with you was a mess, let’s never meet again.”
“That’s what you say, but we always end up meeting again~”
Having warmly concluded the music video shoot for ‘Falling Blossoms,’ we plunged into the preparations for our concert.
In between, we also recorded Mip’s fan song.
“I’ll come in half a beat faster at that part.”
-Yes!
“Be mindful of your pronunciation; you’re saying ‘song’ as ‘shong.’ Please pay attention to that, senior.”
-Yes!
Since we all had multiple recording sessions before, the process went quite smoothly.
The shooting atmosphere was good too.
Even after spending nearly two hours on a single verse, the entertainers’ expressions were clear and bright.
Euiji Kim joked around.
“I have a good feeling about this. It’s just like when we did the curling special three years ago.”
“Right? It’s like total déjà vu.”
“And the song is so good too.”
We laughed at the mention of a sense of déjà vu, reminiscent of the blockbuster special from three years ago.
We had a hunch about it too.
After all, we heard from the production team that we had filmed too much good content to cut.
As the first episode of Mr. Producer approached.
We also made appearances on other programs.
-[Please Take Care of My Manager] The mysterious figures Teen Spirit encountered on the first floor of the dormitory…?
It was a clip posted as a teaser by TBC Broadcasting.
Of course, our faces were covered with animal emoticons to prevent spoilers.
“Why am I the only one depicted as a fish?”
“But why am I always a bear?”
“Think about it, bear-ly. Bro.”
Yet, even without showing our faces or voices, everyone recognized us.
-LOL, if you’re going to mosaic us, at least cover us with something long like a hotdog.
-So New Black LOL.
-The bouncing laughter is so New Black.
-The silhouette everyone in the country knows LOL.
-I’m a subscriber, so I know; it’s the New Black formation. Two people flanking Sunwooju on each side, in minion mode.
-A shabby walk but somehow cool.
-“Behold, am I destined to be the leader?”
While I chuckled quietly, my younger brothers protested.
“Minion mode, really?”
“That comment makes no sense. When have we ever stood two by two on each side…”
“…”
“…Jiho! Hurry over here!”
I laughed as the brothers, uncomfortable with the 1-to-3 formation, shifted to a 2-to-2 stance.
Anyway, it was nice that everyone knew ‘New Black’ would appear for just a second, yet they were looking forward to our screen time.
And then.
-‘Isn’t this hand wrong?’ Woojoo’s awkward encounter with the Egg Ghost.
-New Black’s treasure hunt (feat. Cardcaptor Jung-hyun Bear)
-New Black’s first courage test! “Let’s be together forever! Us!” → “Aaaah!”
…The reaction to the healing-themed travel reality show was overwhelmingly positive.
I heard that the ratings for the main episodes were very good for a reality show, but it was incredibly popular on the portal sites too.
Most clips were about 1 minute and 30 seconds long, but ‘New Black’s Travel Diary’ filled the weekly video rankings.
The PD seemed to be enjoying himself more and more, his title-making skills improving by the day.
It was a feast made for the Soufflés, but it felt strange yet delightful to have guests come in saying, ‘Wow, this is a gourmet spot.’
It was great to see the fans enjoying it.
Especially the part from the last night of our Jeju trip, where my pre-meeting video was released, got a good response.
“Uh…”
I was taken aback by how much everyone was crying in the comments.
The younger ones did cry a lot on-site, but it wasn’t that emotional.
It must have been thanks to the poignant editing and the gentle flow of ‘Sea at Night.’
After all, it’s a song that sets the mood like no other.
“Uhuhuhuk…”
“Huhup.”
I was about to get teary-eyed watching the video, but the sobbing guys made my tears retreat.
As the youngest sibling poked at the vegetables with a fork, they asked, “So, it seems the ghost was edited out?”
“Seems like it,” I replied.
“It’s strange. The staff were filming the set with their phones at that time, weren’t they?”
Indeed, I had seen such comments in the comment section of the third episode of the ‘Courage Test’ series of our travel diary.
But why do they keep waving their hands at something??? It’s ominous…
Doesn’t it show what that is?
It feels like something is passing by… What is this?
It’s not even a horror movie, so why is it scary?
There were many other videos, but it seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt something odd.
“The production team might be pushing it as a separate behind-the-scenes. Or maybe they chose not to broadcast it.”
“Hmm.”
“They must have their reasons.”
While enjoying a cozy dinner with my siblings in the company break room, looking at our phones, Bijoo, who had been glancing at the TV, tapped me and called out.
“Bro, I think it’s starting.”
“Oh, it’s starting! Let’s watch!”
The logo of Mr. Producer appeared on the TV screen.
Saturday evening at 7 o’clock.
Finally, the much-anticipated idol debut project announced the start of its first broadcast.