2 Minutes and 30 Seconds
At first, I thought I had seen it wrong.
“No way,” I muttered under my breath.
Rihyuk frowned, “2 minutes and 30 seconds? That’s barely enough time for one song. We’d have to cut more than a minute from the original track.”
“We can always rearrange the song. It’s not like we’re the only ones with just 2 minutes and 30 seconds,” I reassured him with a smile, trying to ease the tension from his reddened ears.
2 minutes and 30 seconds.
For idols not from the top four agencies, getting a solo stage of just over 2 minutes at the year-end music festival was common. Even Scarlet, excluding joint stages, always had a performance time between 2 and 3 minutes.
But still…
“It seems a bit extreme, doesn’t it? The difference from other networks is too stark,” I couldn’t help but voice my concern.
“Exactly,” I agreed.At PBS and TBC, other terrestrial broadcasters, our solo segments were at least 7 minutes each.
It was odd that only one network had slashed our time to a third.
There had to be a reason, and one possibility immediately sprang to mind.
“Could it be because of that?” Bi-Joo suggested.
“Remember when they wanted to do ‘History Explorers Season 2’ and we declined?”
I had the same suspicion.
After ‘History Explorers’ became a sensational hit on MiTube, HBS proposed a second season right away. We refused because they seemed to be looking for a one-sided benefit.
“But didn’t they say that issue was resolved? That it was just the MiTube department that got a little upset for a while?”
“That’s true. But this time, it’s a combination of different issues,” Seok-Hwan, our manager, clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“The ‘History Explorers’ issue was settled, but then several other things came up.”
“Really?”
“You guys might not have heard, but there were failed business deals and variety show appearances that didn’t pan out.”
I listened intently to the new information.
“You hit the jackpot with ‘Classic Melodies’ on PBS, remember? The ratings soared past 15%.”
“That’s right.”
“And on TBC, Woo-Joo’s appearance on ‘New Rabbit’ became a hot topic. ‘A Man Goes’ was a ratings smash.”
The youngest member blinked in confusion, “But what does that have to do with this?”
“It seems they started to see you as some sort of ratings guarantee, constantly trying to get you on their variety shows.”
“Wow.”
“We turned them all down, though.”
I was puzzled why we would decline terrestrial variety shows, which are generally a good opportunity, when Seok-Hwan handed me the variety show proposals.
“Take a look. There’s a reason I cut these from our schedule.”
“My Own Quiz?”
I was shocked as I reviewed the proposals with my younger members.
‘Fail a quiz and the chair flies into the sky, plunging you into a swimming pool! Hot stuff!’ it read.
It felt like a throwback to the early 2000s.
“Is this a current proposal? It feels like the kind of variety show I watched in elementary school…”
“Wow. Then I wouldn’t have even been born yet.”
“The format seems too harsh on the participants,” Bi-Joo commented with a disapproving look, and we all nodded in agreement.
Seok-Hwan responded with a warm smile, “That’s why it flopped.”
“Ah…”
“It barely lasted five episodes before the viewer’s message board was flooded with complaints, leading to its cancellation.”
The conclusion strangely made sense.
Starting with ‘My Own Quiz,’ most of the variety show proposals from HBS’s entertainment department were similar.
Even as a manager, I would’ve rejected them, thinking, ‘This is a bit much…’
“HBS has been lagging in variety shows this year. They must have been ambitious in their attempts, but the results were… lacking.”
“Truly lacking indeed.”
“And yet, they seem to be under the illusion that having you as guests will solve everything, as if you’re some kind of cheat code.”
We laughed off the idea of being a variety show cheat code.
“Why would they think that? It’s not like we guarantee success just by showing up.”
“Right. We’re not that funny.”
“Honestly, even if we did appear, it wouldn’t make much of a…”
Rihyuk stopped mid-sentence, and we all paused, realizing something.
Silence filled the room, but in my mind, a vivid picture had formed.
A chair launched into the air.
Junghyun was on it, soaring through the air with a whoosh, spinning around and around before crashing down with a thud!
Or perhaps, writing ‘Kim’ in the air with his bottom before dropping out of the sky around ‘Geuk’.
“Uh…?”
“Is it even possible…?”
While I flinched at the thought of Junghyun’s flight, the other members were looking at me, each lost in their own imaginations.
We decided not to ask each other what we were imagining, to keep the team’s spirits high.
As we exchanged awkward glances, the manager continued speaking.
“Also, a major variety show got canceled unexpectedly. It seems like there’s some bad blood with the entertainment division over casting issues. That’s what I’ve heard from other company managers.”
I had a rough idea why we were disliked.
But…
There was something I wanted to say, but I just couldn’t find the words, so I just moved my lips silently when the youngest member spoke up.
“Adults can be so petty.”
We all burst into laughter at that comment, feeling a sense of relief as if the youngest had spoken our minds.
I said with a smile, “At least that clears up one mystery.”
“Indeed.”
As we were talking, Seokhwan adjusted his glasses and asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m a bit worried about how the fans will feel, but apart from that, not really…”
We had exclusive stages for ‘Wind Flower’, ‘Nine’, and ‘Nostalgia OST’ at the PBS and TBC year-end music festivals.
And on the Sunday afternoon of the HBS Music Awards, we were scheduled for a live broadcast of the ‘Classic Melody’ year-end special.
Adding comeback preparations to that, our practice schedule was already more than excessive.
Honestly, I felt a sense of relief that one performance had been canceled.
It was absurd to prepare for two shows and then be told to do only one at the last minute.
“It’s embarrassing to say this myself,” said Rihyuk, touching his ear.
“If I were a broadcaster, I’d honestly love to have us on more often.”
“It’s very embarrassing, but I feel the same.”
Both of our title songs this year received great public response.
‘Wind Flower’, in particular, was being recognized as the most streamed song in South Korea this year.
The ‘Nostalgia OST’ continued to play on American radios and international TV even after the movie ended.
And there were the stages we performed with arrangements from ‘Classic Melody’.
According to producer Ha Seung-ju, it was hard to talk about this year’s music industry without mentioning us.
It wasn’t that the PBS or TBC year-end show producers were giving us more screen time because they liked us.
We had three indispensable songs, that’s why.
From that standpoint, HBS’s actions were incomprehensible.
It felt like a school kid riding a bike, wielding a switch and laughing, ‘Ha-ha-ha! New Black! Taste the spice!’ as they jammed the stick into the wheel spokes.
Normally, it would be a frightening move.
If the broadcasters had acted this way last year, it would have seemed incredibly daunting…
“But we’ll just have to ignore it and move on. It’s a bit disappointing, but…”
Seokhwan stretched and said, “This is the benefit of having mass appeal. Last year, if we lost a year-end stage, we would have been trembling. But now, everyone knows you, even the general public, so there’s nothing to regret.”
We all nodded in agreement.
The significance of the year-end stage is that not only idol fans but also the general public watch it.
Just a few days ago, when I visited a shopping mall for an event, a man in his fifties stopped me and asked:
“Life?”
“Life is tough, isn’t it?”
“No, I mean the song ‘Life’. From ‘Classic Melody’.”
“Yes! That’s right! You~ why are you wavering~”
I shook my head, trying to shake off the loud laughter that echoed around me at the time.
The younger members seemed to be recalling their own personal memories, their eyes glistening.
The youngest said, “I thought when we debuted and became popular, everyone at school would be envious and go ‘Wow’. I never expected to become the face of meme jokes in group chats.”
We all laughed out loud.
“90% of those are about you guys.”
We chose to ignore the conversation about the trends among teenagers these days, which we really didn’t want to know.
Then Seokhwan asked, “By the way, there’s a separate request regarding the year-end stage.”
“What is it?”
“PBS and TBC are trying to recruit idols to promote their year-end music festivals.”
“Oh…?”
We showed sudden interest.
“What kind of promotion?”
“They want to hand out tickets to the audience and shoot a short promotional VCR.”
“When do we do it? Should we do it right now?”
Before the conversation even finished, we were all eager, our eyes blazing with enthusiasm, and the manager laughed.
“Hello! Director! Writer!”
“Hellooo!”
The writer and cameramen flinched at our fiery enthusiasm.
The writer of PBS’s ‘Music Festival’ smiled and said, “You’re full of energy today.”
“We’ll work hard and then head out!”
We harmonized our response to ‘head out’, and the writer laughed.
“You’re so good at this. Just do it like you always do.”
Late at night.
We arrived at an apartment complex in Incheon, looking around curiously.
As we walked towards Building 109, the lighting crew and cameras followed us closely.
“Yes, we, New Black, have come here to deliver the PBS Music Festival tickets!”
“Wow!”
“We heard one of our fans lives here, and we’re here to surprise them!”
While tossing out lines fit for the VCR, I asked the writer as we headed to Building 109 with my younger brothers in tow.
“The fan knows we’re coming, but does the rest of the family know?”
“Yes, we’ve informed them in advance. They’re probably getting dressed and ready.”
We exchanged excited glances with my brothers.
I could imagine the soufflé upstairs grumbling to our parents, “What? Someone’s coming, and we have to get dressed?”
The thought of us popping up and surprising them made my heart race.
“Alright, Junghyun. Let’s put these on.”
“Okay, hyung.”
During the elevator ride, Junghyun and I applied the items we had prepared from the envelope to our faces.
The writer who joined us started to laugh silently.
Ding.
The announcement for the 9th floor rang out, and we stepped out in front of the apartment door.
With a finger to our lips, signaling silence, I nodded to the youngest.
Then, the youngest, masked, pressed the doorbell with the poise of a delivery person.
-Who is it?
“Chicken delivery.”
-Chicken? Mom, did we order chicken?!
The door burst open with an excited voice.
A high school girl who opened the door froze in place.
“On the count of three!”
While Junghyun and I, wearing chicken radish and drumstick hats, popped out, we all greeted together.
“Hello! We’re not chicken, but we are New Black!”
“Ah…”
The girl gasped as if she was out of breath, hands flying to her mouth, stepping back.
“Crazy…”
If the camera hadn’t been spotted, it would have been the perfect tone for a teen spirit catchphrase.
A younger brother, looking to be in elementary school, also exclaimed “Ah!” and covered his mouth just like her.
Our parents, who knew we were coming, also covered their mouths in surprise.
The cute family scene made us all burst into laughter.
“May we come in?”
“Co-come in! Please, come in! Mom, the cushions! Where are the cushions?”
After a bit of commotion, we sat around the living room table.
While the siblings took off their hat toys, exclaiming “Amazing!” our mother asked with a smile.
“Can I get you something to eat?”
“Oh, no, thank you. We’re in the middle of preparing our album, so we can’t really eat…”
“Fruit should be okay, though. Should I bring some?”
“Fruit…”
“Is fruit alright to eat?”
“Just a moment. Let me check if our manager came up with us.”
As we looked around and then smiled widely saying “We’ll eat!” the family laughed.
Bijoo reached out to our father, who was holding a knife.
“May I do the cutting? I enjoy slicing fruit.”
“Right.”
Soufflé vigorously nodded to our parents, saying,
“This brother is good at cutting.”
While we laughed, Bijoo skillfully sliced the pear.
“Wow…”
Everyone marveled at the elegant way he peeled the pear.
Soon, we all chatted while munching on pear slices.
“I’m Danah Kim, and this is Dahoon Kim.”
“Are you both fans of ours?”
“He recently became a fan. I used to go by the nickname PowerwSoufflé…”
A high school freshman and a sixth-grader, siblings four years apart, both fans of Soufflé, brought satisfied smiles to our faces.
Across from us, they giggled continuously, probably because of us, biting into the pear and then pausing mid-chew whenever someone spoke.
Our father asked, puzzled,
“Why not just eat? Why do you keep starting and stopping?”
“Oh, it might get caught on someone else’s audio.”
“There are some tangerines from Jeju Island on the balcony; I’ll bring some.”
“Thank you!”
We shivered with joy at the sight of a pile of tangerines our father brought.
“Wow. It feels like the air and sunlight of Jeju Island are alive on my tongue.”
“Lately, we’ve only been eating chicken breast with bananas or cherry tomatoes.”
“It’s delicious. So delicious.”
Our father laughed heartily at our teary-eyed delight.
“Eat as much as you want. There are five boxes to go through.”
“Can we eat more?”
Although we felt a bit guilty for indulging, we figured we could burn it off during practice until dawn.
While eating the tangerines, we chatted with the Soufflés about their ages and hobbies.
“Is there anything you’d like to see?”
“Oh, that dance move you did in the center at the KMA finale…”
“That one?”
We performed a wave dance together, minus the jumping to spare the neighbors below.
While Soufflé covered her cheeks, our mother seemed the most pleased.
During our mission to deliver the tickets, we made sure to charm the most important people there.
“Do our father and mother… perhaps know us?”
“Of course, we do.”
“How could we not? You’re on TV every day. I even saw you raising a dog in the army.”
We laughed at the mention of singing ‘Deoksuna’ often at karaoke. Then, we pulled out the ticket envelope.
I was ecstatic to have won the audience event this time, especially since it came with family tickets. “My parents have to come and watch us,” I said with a smile.
“This time, I’ll also be performing a trot song with the senior members of the music group.”
As I handed over the tickets to the curious faces before me, I asked with a grin, “Do you have a favorite song by any chance?”
“Delivery of Love’s Flower? It’s a song we listened to a lot when we were dating.”
“Then, may I borrow your phone for a moment…?”
I borrowed the father’s phone and handed it to Junghyun.
We adjusted the angle so everyone could be in the video, switched to video mode, and started singing in unison.
Ah-ah-
To have given birth to such wonderful soufflés,
The two soufflés covered their faces as if embarrassed.
We laid a narration like the narrators of old movies.
Mr. Kim Yong-hoon and Ms. Sung Yoo-mi,
May you gain wealth with every inhale and health with every exhale,
Wishing your children’s success and prosperity, ready for the grand opening,
Delivery of Love’s Flower-
The soufflés buried their faces in the sofa, singing “Delivery of Love’s Flower” while their parents laughed.
After the song ended, the parents were delighted with the saved video.
“Please make sure to come.”
“Yes, we will.”
The parents happily agreed, and my siblings smiled at their joy.
Ding-dong.
At the sound of the bell, my mother, looking puzzled, got up and went outside, returning with a surprised look and a chicken delivery.
“Did someone order chicken…?”
“Oh, that was me. I thought it’d be disappointing to come in a chicken costume without any actual chicken.”
The family’s mood brightened at the sight of two steaming hot chickens, the thumbs-up chicken logo promising deliciousness.
While they were distracted by the chicken, I gestured to my siblings and whispered something.
That’s when we decided to wrap up the VCR recording.
As the PBS staff withdrew, the departing families asked, “Won’t you have some before you go?”
“No, we really shouldn’t eat this…”
I waved my hands, refusing the offer.
As the other families left, I called over the star of the ticketing event, young Miss Kim Dana, to the entrance.
Seeing her cheeks flushed with excitement, I couldn’t help but smile.
“It’s been a while.”
“Huh?”
“It feels like it’s been over a year. You came to our first fan signing and we talked, remember?”
“…!”
Her eyes widened in recognition.
I had recognized her the moment I saw her, though it was hard to mention during the VCR recording.
“That time, I made a silly mistake asking if you watched the World Cup when you were four. I was so embarrassed.”
“How did you remember that…”
“When someone speaks, it just sticks with me, and it doesn’t leave easily.”
We laughed as I handed her the gift envelope we had prepared for the end.
“Thank you for continuing to support us since then.”
“I’m so glad to see you after such a long time. Really.”
“…”
“What’s wrong?”
It was like watching the water level rise in real-time, tears welling up in her eyes.
Thump!
She dropped the envelope and burst into tears, and we were taken aback.
“No, if you drop that…”
“Oh. It burst.”
Cream oozed from the cake box onto the entrance floor.
Zzzt-zzzt-zzzt.
“Hey! Daegil! Where are you going?”
The robot inside, a black goat with red lights in its eyes, began to move to the beat.
“What’s happening?”
The family approached with stunned expressions.
Amidst the soufflé’s wailing and our confusion,
The black goat robot walked on, leaving creamy footprints.
“No, this wasn’t us…”
As the staff and families outside burst into laughter, we frantically waved our hands.
“We didn’t do anything!”
But no one believed us.
Not long after, a video was uploaded to MyTube.
[2015 PBS Music Festival – ‘NewBlack’s Ticket Delivery Mission!’ (feat. Tangerines)]
The thumbnail showed us munching on tangerines with the caption, ‘The tale of eating 40 tangerines?!’
We had eaten 40 tangerines, indeed.
Embarrassed but proud of the high view count, we decided it was worth celebrating.
The video collaboration with the TBC had a similar trajectory, with both sides’ representatives grinning at the impressive view counts.
“I had a feeling our name was being used a lot lately to attract attention on MyTube.”
“Seems like it. Trustworthy Black, perhaps?”
We didn’t think it would be such a big deal, but after HBS saw the numbers, they were thrilled with the high view count.
-NewBlack’s TBC Year-End Music Festival MyTube Promotion, ‘50 Years of Korean Music Medley’
-PBS Music Festival, “Come see the collaboration stage with the music group”… Unique promotion catches the eye
-‘6 Million Subscribers’ MyTube Star NewBlack, Promotes Year-End Stage with Terrestrial Broadcast Station
Thanks to even more subscribers than TJ Entertainment’s channel, the promotion seemed to be going well.
As I surfed the web, the car gradually came to a stop.
“We’re here, kids!”
“Yes!”
The sight of the PBS Broadcasting Station in Yeouido with its photo line came into view.
Today was December 25th.
It was the day of the Christmas special of ‘MusicOn’ and the pre-release of the carol performance.
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