Chapter 55:

Chapter 55:

Chapter 55

Wonderful Night

Its been ten days since we successfully finished our debut showcase.

During that time, weve been busy with music shows, photo shoots, small events, and so on.

Today, we had a new schedule to handle.

Nice to meet you.

A reporter greeted us at a cafe near the HBS open hall in Deungchon-dong.

She had sharp eyes and a sophisticated vibe.

Im Oh So-hee, a reporter from Entertainment IN. We met at the showcase, right?

Yes, hello!

We bowed our waists at 90 degrees, and she smiled at us.

She told us to relax and sit down, but we kept swallowing our saliva.

Our first interview after debut.

We had done a lot of interviews during Something, but this was the first time we did it without Jangso-won sunbae or Seok-hwan hyung.

Min-gi hyung came with us, but it was hard to expect much help from him.

I remember that the manager always followed you around. Where did he go today?

Yes, hes currently unavailable because of a meeting.

The road manager answered, and Oh So-hee nodded.

Then lets start with just us Hm?

She was about to press the record button on her phone, but she stopped at the sight of our members movements.

We all turned off our phones.

She smiled as if she found us cute.

Did the company tell you to do that?

No, Woojoo hyung nagged us all the way here. He said that when we do interviews with reporters, we should turn off our phones. He said he would follow us around and nag us all day if our phones ring in the middle of it.

The youngests words made us laugh warmly.

The atmosphere lightened up, and I relaxed my stiff shoulders.

I felt a little less nervous.

It was annoying to see the customers around us staring at us or taking pictures with their phones, but there was nothing we could do about it.

We had officially entered the entertainment industry.

Min-ki hyung walked over to the customers who were blatantly taking pictures of us, and the interview began.

First of all, congratulations. As of the 27th, the music video for Fireworks reached one million views, right? I heard that its the shortest record for a rookie idol group thats not from the Big 4 agencies.

It was a flattering compliment, but it wasnt wrong.

Since the 2010s, when idol fandoms started streaming 24 hours a day, the rise of Fireworks was unbelievable.

It wasnt like Yoon Chan-hyuk, who people would listen to whenever he released a song, or TNT, who had a powerful fandom. It was a miracle that a rookie group like us achieved such results.

We were also flustered.

We would check the chart rankings as soon as we opened our eyes every morning, with our eyes wide open.

The conversation about our performance ended, and she changed the topic.

You were also quite a hot topic in the idol community, right? Especially the acapella live video that got a lot of attention.

Yes, we received a lot of compliments that were too generous. Among them, I remember the comment that said we were like a group of main vocalists. We were really happy when we saw that.

She smiled as if she knew what we meant.

Then, how do you feel about the name New Black being hot in the idol scene right now? Does that popularity affect your daily life? Do people recognize you on the street?

I dont think so.

I answered with a smile.

Rather, there were more people who recognized us when we were doing Something. I guess people dont know us much because were rookies. And its more comfortable to have less attention for now.

It would be different if we were a national idol group like TNT.

If you asked the average person on the street to name an idol, they would probably name less than three.

It was natural that people didnt know us.

Thats why we had to work harder.

We were having a pleasant conversation, when the question I expected came out of her mouth.

How is your relationship with Street Boys these days? There was a rivalry between the two groups before you debuted. Especially you, Woojoo, you were often compared to Hanjo because of your image as a composer-idol.

Street Boys.

To be honest, I havent had a real conversation with them since we debuted.

We just exchanged brief greetings when we passed by each other.

It was awkward because of the diss, but also because we had nothing to say.

And considering the atmosphere between the two companies managers, it wasnt a situation where we could chat casually.

But I couldnt tell the reporter, We dont care about each other, and we dont talk. So I was about to give the prepared answer.

We think of them as our fellow debutants in the entertainment industry.

Led by the calm voice of Bi-ju, the members chimed in as if to ease the leaders burden.

Right. Good job, my kids.

Compared to the times when they froze during the interviews in the Something era, this was a huge improvement.

As I watched the members say a word or two, Reporter Oh smiled.

Ah, the reason I asked this question is because I interviewed Street Boys a while ago, and one of their members mentioned New Black as the group they want to be friends with. Especially you, Ri-hyuk.

Me? Me?

Not only Ri-hyuk, but the kids were also surprised.

This hyung?

Our Ri-hyuk?

Uh, why?

A perfect raw reaction.

As our main vocal opened his eyes wide, Oh Sohee reporter burst into a hearty laugh.

Of course, I was holding my head in pain.

Reporter, the kids comments just now

I got it, Ill skip this question. The PR team leader already asked me to be careful.

Reporter Oh smiled and changed the question.

Then let me ask you something else. I heard that Street Boys are going to start filming their second reality show on K-Net soon. What about New Blacks future activities? Do you have any plans for broadcasting?

And with some news that made our ears perk up.

By the way, your show schedule is set.

Schedule? What is it?

Radio.

The manager explained to us, who looked curious.

Its called Wonderful Night, a radio program hosted by Jang So-won.

***

Jang So-wons Wonderful Night.

HBSs flagship radio program that runs from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The date we were going to was July 6th.

Exactly a week later, on Sunday.

He said he was doing a special feature on rookie boy groups. The writer there told me that Jang So-won recommended you guys strongly.

He joked that he would definitely call you when we parted in May.

I didnt expect him to actually do it.

What the hell is this? We were moved by the new schedule.

Then Seok-hwan hyung delivered the unfortunate news.

Only two of you will go.

Why?

The corner youre going to is a competitive one. You compete with stories, and show live corners.

So they decided to send out Ri-hyuk, who sings the best, and me, who sings the next best.

We all agreed to that.

But we frowned at the following story.

Then whos the other team?

Street Boys.

Was it because we had been through it so much for the last month?

It was a name I didnt want to hear at all.

***

Cheer up, guys.

We had finished the pre-recording and only had the live broadcast left. I was taking a break at the cafeteria.

Bi-ju and Jung-hyun had some errands to run, so they left.

I was with the two younger members.

The menu was, of course, the famous sandwich of <Popular Singer>.

I felt uneasy as I watched the youngest one devour the sandwich with enthusiasm.

Why are you so excited when youre telling us to cheer up?

Well, of course. Im not the one whos going on stage.

Aaah Why are you like that when Im eating?

I grabbed his cheek, which was like a sticky rice cake, and glanced at the side.

Ri-hyuk, who would have joined me in teasing him at any other time, was quietly looking at his phone.

What are you looking at?

Im searching for an article. Someone said they wanted to be friends with me in an interview earlier.

Oh, that. I was curious about that too.

Who was the one who said such a strange thing?

He tapped his smartphone with his long and slender finger, and an article popped up.

Street Boys Interview.

The reporter was right.

There was really such a statement written there.

The speaker was the youngest member named Kiwon.

He said he wanted to be friends with me because he saw my face at the same agency before What does that mean? We were in the same agency?

Ri-hyuk tilted his head, and the youngest one exclaimed as if he remembered something.

Ah! I think I know him! Isnt he Yoon Kiwon?

It doesnt say his surname.

It must be him.

Ji-ho started to chatter.

Hes in the same school as me. Vocal class B. I heard he was from Oullim before. Didnt you train at Oullim before you came to our company, hyung?

Oullim? I was there for a while.

Ri-hyuk recalled his vague memory, while I shook my head.

Why did he do such an interview?

He must have known that he dissed us in a rap. I dont understand why he chose one of us as the idol member he wanted to be friends with.

Was it because he didnt like us because of our history?

Or maybe this was some kind of elaborate scheme.

As I was thinking that, a shadow loomed over us, who were eating sandwiches and chatting.

Excuse me

A very calm and low voice.

Who is it, I thought, and lifted my head. I had to hide my nervous expression.

It was because of the person standing in front of me.

Hanjo.

The leader of Street Boys, and the one who had embarrassed us with his diss rap.

What the hell.

Why is he suddenly talking to me?

I was startled by the person who spoke to me for the first time in ten days since our debut.

Not only me, but also my siblings were shocked by what Hanjo did next.

Here, take this.

He handed me two bills worth 50,000 won each.