Chapter 32:

Chapter 32:

Chapter 32

The last stage started with the same intro as Something.

The audience was puzzled.

They were going to do the duet song they saw in the first stage as their farewell stage too?

Some frowned.

Theyre milking it too much.

No matter how much it topped the charts and was popular, it was too much to repeat the same song for the stage.

Everyone thought that.

Until the intro changed at the 5-second mark.

I thought it was good during the rehearsal, but its still good to hear it again.

Ha Seung-joo, who was standing on the side, smiled.

It was a different intro from the original one.

There was a cheerful piano melody on top of the acoustic guitar intro.

And drums too.

Unlike the calm and refreshing original song, it was lively and upbeat.

Hearing the changed melody, Ha Seung-joo smiled.

Gyu-hwan must have tweaked it a bit.

He could feel the touch of a professional.

Even if Seon Woojoo could compose, he wouldnt have had time to arrange it after the appearance was confirmed.

He could smell his favorite junior composer in the small details.

Anyway, its good.

It was wonderful that the song made by the son of his respected pianist senior was combined with the arrangement of his favorite junior composer.

It was a strange mix of flavors.

Ha Seung-joo closed his eyes and smiled all over his face.

He didnt even notice that the production teams camera was pointing at him.

Pfft!

One of the staff in the control room burst into laughter.

It was because Ha Seung-joo was smiling like a flower bud on the TV screen.

He had a cute expression somehow.

Ha MC-nim is doing it again, right? The girlish expression he makes when he hears good music.

There will be another meme when the broadcast comes out.

Im sure someone will capture it.

The staff chuckled.

This New Black episode is getting a lot of attention. Ha MC-nims expression and all. The story of the genius pianist, and Jang So-wons underground life.

Thats right.

The PD nodded in agreement.

But the most important thing is now.

It was as he said.

Ha Seung-joos Music Cafe was a music show after all.

They invited singers and talked about music, but the essence was to show a good stage.

Jang So-won and New Blacks talk was great.

But it wasnt a stage.

The first stage, Something, was perfect, but the problem was that the song was too familiar to the public.

It had dominated the music charts for over a month, and by now it had accumulated enough fatigue.

Thats why they needed something new.

Something fresh.

Seon Woojoos jazz performance was like an appetizer for that freshness.

The main dish was from now on.

I hope they do it as they did in the rehearsal.

The PD thought that when the song started.

In the original song, Jang So-won started the part by approaching Seo Ri-hyuk.

The part where the vocals were expected.

But breaking everyones expectations, the first member to grab the mic was none other than New Blacks rapper, Kim Jung-hyun.

He walked out confidently and sat on the chair that was set up.

My clock waiting for you

Is at 2:30 pm

When will I see your face

Can you see me being nervous

It was a rap that sounded like a song.

His powerful voice and the gentle melody seduced the audience.

Their attention rose instantly as the rap came in unexpectedly.

The next in line was Jang So-won.

Her clear voice echoed in the hall.

How long will you make me wait, what kind of face will you make

I leaned against the bus window and imagined

Where did this thrill come from?

Maybe its between us

Now people are starting to picture it in their minds.

A man sitting at the bus stop.

A woman going to him on the bus.

As I naturally imagined that, my mind drifted to Seon Woojoo.

Is this what love is?

Waiting is not really my thing

Youre like a spring breeze

Wont you wait a little longer?

A third person appeared.

The audience enjoyed Seon Woojoos song, but also started to spread their wings of imagination in their heads.

Is it a love triangle?

Some people remembered Jang So-wons talk.

Just like a good game where everything goes perfectly from the start, a good performance flows smoothly from the beginning.

It was like that when we sang trot for our year-end evaluation.

But knowing that we did a good performance and seeing the audiences reaction with applause and cheers were two different things.

Thats why I was smiling as I received the applause.

Jang So-won.

Bi-ju. Jung-hyun. Ri-hyuk. Ji-ho.

The members who performed with me and Sowon senior exchanged smiles and politely greeted the audience with their microphones.

Thank you!

I laughed involuntarily at the applause that echoed in the hall.

But what I liked the most was the expressions of the people.

The expressions of my parents in my childhood memories floated over the faces of the audience.

That was the reason why I wanted to become an idol.

***

In the car on the way back to the dorm.

Its quiet.

Everyone is buried in their car seats, probably tired.

We had a pre-recording for a music show since morning, and then we had to wait and do a live broadcast.

But I was proud.

I felt like I had lived a very hard day.

You guys did a great job.

I smiled brightly.

We finally finished our activities.

Phew, I cant believe its over

Are you relieved?

More than relieved, Im sad. We were on cloud nine for a month.

We agreed with the youngests words.

But dont you think we ended it well?

When people clapped for us, it was really amazing. It felt like ten times bigger than the year-end evaluation.

Ten times? It felt like a hundred times to me.

How did we do, manager?

At Bi-jus question, Seok-hwan hyung, who was quiet in the passenger seat, smiled faintly.

The reaction was good. You guys sang so well that theres no more criticism on the internet.

Wow.

You did great, guys.

We cheered and clapped our hands at the experts affirmation.

It was what we wanted.

Showing our singing skills was our goal.

Min-ki hyung, how was it for you?

She was pretty.

Min-ki, can you send me to Hwai?

Ah, manager. Im sorry. Im distracted by holding the steering wheel.

We burst into laughter thanks to our clumsy road manager.

Bi-ju asked me as if to confirm.

Hyung, do you think well get a good response on the broadcast?

The live reaction was good too.

It was. I think there was a woman who cheered when I gave you a flower at the end.

I was worried about that reaction, but Im really glad.

Its a relief.

I nodded and smiled at Ri-hyuk.

I called the member who was quietly looking out the window.

Jung-hyun, are you okay?

I was good.

Thank you the most today. You know without me saying it, right?

He was the one who told me not to worry about them in the waiting room, and to make a choice for myself.

I was grateful to him.

Jung-hyun smiled silently.

It was a melancholic atmosphere for some reason.

Past 10 p.m.

In the dark car where only the street lights poured, we felt a different feeling than usual.

Should I say it was empty?

As Ji-ho said, the dream-like time was over.

The music broadcast activities were over, and the celebrity-like activities like photo shoots would be gone soon.

We havent debuted yet.

When we go back to the dorm, well be trainees again.

A long tunnel.

We ran through the dark tunnel and slipped into a side road, where we smelled the flowers in a beautiful garden and sang joyfully.

But the sweet time came to an end.

We had to go back to the tunnel and run towards the light.

But even if we pass through that tunnel, will we be able to meet that sweet time again?

They would all be worried like me, even if they didnt say it.

Dont worry.

I wanted to say that, but Im not a god of the entertainment industry, and I cant guarantee unconditional success.

So I said something else.

Youve worked hard, guys.

We all looked at Yeouido, which was getting farther away beyond the car window.

Until we come back, lets work hard.

We all nodded and smiled.

March 2014.

With the recording of Ha Seung-joos Music Cafe, New Black ended their activities for the project song Something.