Chapter 1093: I am New Black, Class of ’18 (17)

Just as the agent had warned, SNL's audio setup was brutally raw.

"Wow. This isn't easy."

"Yeah. I think we need to pay more attention than usual. There's barely any echo. 'Raw' is exactly the right word."

The kind of sound system that could start a vocal controversy thread if someone tried performing live on an off day.

Ri Hyuk and I both clicked our tongues.

"This is tough."

"It really is."

"So this is why people say it's rare to get praised for singing live on SNL. It really is difficult."

"The singers who pull it off are amazing."

We shook our heads.

Then both of us stopped talking.

And looked at each other.

"But we pulled it off, didn't we?"

"Hehehe!"

Clap!

Our palms met.

After finishing sound check, we waved enthusiastically at the SNL staff members applauding us.

"That was NewBlack~!"

The director approached with an excited expression and showered us with compliments.

Apparently it was one of the best performances he'd seen recently.

Thanking him with a smile, we turned our attention to the monitors.

"Hmm..."

Standing in front of the camera monitor, Biju clasped his hands together like he was praying and focused intently.

I asked,

"What do you think, Biju? Does the choreography look okay?"

"Yeah."

Tracing our movements on the screen with his fingertip, Biju nodded.

"I think it's at a level we can be satisfied with. Actually, I'd like us to be even freer during the real performance. Overcooked is all about freedom rather than rigid choreography."

Everyone nodded and listened carefully to the main dancer's feedback.

Even after returning to the waiting room, we continued replaying rehearsal footage while getting our hair and makeup done.

"Ri Hyuk. What about you? Anything bothering you?"

With his eyes closed while his hair was being adjusted, Ri Hyuk calmly nodded.

"Everyone did well."

"And?"

"I'd give it about ninety points."

"Then we're good."

One of the great things about being in a group was having world-class specialists right beside you.

A leader's role wasn't particularly complicated.

Keep the members working together smoothly and create the best possible synergy.

In that regard, there wasn't much for me to do today.

"Five hundred won~ Five hundred won~ Five hundred won~"

"Fifty thousand won~ Fifty thousand won~♬"

The members were warming up their voices at maximum energy.

The agents and local staff were equally excited.

The American hairstylist transforming my dull silver hair into something stylish grinned happily.

"I still can't believe you're performing on SNL."

"Tell me about it~"

I still didn't fully grasp how prestigious the show was.

But judging by how excited all the local staff seemed, it had to be a huge deal.

When I secretly checked social media, the American Souffles were in complete meltdown.

Replacing the words "SNL" with "Living Together" in their posts helped me understand the emotional equivalent.

Even with cultural differences...

"Damn it! Where's wardrobe?! Wardrobe! The zipper's broken!"

"What about the set? Is everything ready?"

Listening to the shouting outside, live television seemed the same everywhere.

No matter how perfectly you prepared, something always went wrong.

The sounds of staff members yelling and running around over the season premiere echoed all the way into our waiting room.

Knock knock.

"Come in~"

"Hello."

A deputy director peeked inside and immediately handed us a script.

Or rather, a sheet containing the comments we'd agreed to say during the performance.

He spoke firmly.

"Please check everything carefully and confirm it's correct. After this point, absolutely no revisions."

"Looks good."

"And please refrain from making any comments that haven't been approved by production."

Reasonable for a live broadcast.

Still, the American side seemed especially strict about it.

When we confirmed there were no changes, the staff member nodded.

"That's a relief. It might feel a little strict, but everyone's still sensitive because of the Beau Riley incident. I'm sure you understand."

We smiled and nodded.

After all, we'd seen firsthand how difficult it had been to clean up the atmosphere after that country singer's controversy.

"Then I'll see you later. Let's surprise everyone tonight."

The staff member smiled and left.

After that—

Waiting.

More waiting.

And even more waiting.

But as time passed, the hurried footsteps gradually disappeared.

The hallways became quiet.

A silence like the calm before a storm settled over Studio 8H.

Then—

"Live from New York!"

America's most famous comedy program finally began broadcasting live.

Tonight.

The American Souffles—the Cloud Corps—were operating at maximum excitement.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. I'm literally shaking."

"Same."

Groups of close friends sat together on couches, screaming excitedly.

Their hearts pounded so hard they could practically hear them.

"It feels like I drank ten energy drinks."

"Aaaahhhh!"

The Souffles flailed around wildly before screaming again.

SNL!

The ultimate comedy show where top musicians came to promote their work.

Even before the broadcast began, fans had been replaying the promotional videos posted by the official account.

Rupert Dean and the NewBlack members were singing in a chain.

"SNL!"

"Please!"

"Watch!"

"It~!"

Then everyone got tangled up and burst out laughing before ending with:

"Please look forward to the season premiere of SNL!"

The Souffles clasped their hands together and prayed.

Please let them appear in a sketch.

Musical guests usually just performed and left.

But occasionally they participated in sketches too.

Please let them do something funny. They're genuinely hilarious!

Some people even claimed NewBlack became popular in Korea because they were funny before they were talented.

Whenever Souffles felt depressed, they often rewatched NewBlack comedy compilations.

Images flashed through their minds.

Wooju riding a unicycle while playing a recorder and escaping from his chasing members.

Our boy is amazing at unicycles!

Ri Hyuk loses to carp! He's great at running away!

Junghyun is funny just by existing!

So they quietly prayed for even a single sketch appearance.

Of course, some had also attached funny clips to SNL's social media accounts while lobbying with comments like:

"These guys are hilarious!"

"Ratings might go up if you put them in a sketch!"

But regardless, simply appearing on SNL already made them happy.

"Live from New York!"

The cold open featured a parody where the sitting President and Vice President shared an intense romance inside the White House.

Then—

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Rupert Dean!"

A handsome actor in a blue shirt and white suit stepped onto the stage.

Applause and cheers erupted.

His comedic monologue opened the show.

"Tonight's musical guest is NewBlack."

The crowd roared.

"You all know what song they'll be performing, right?"

"WOOOOOOO!"

As the live band played Overcooked, Rupert Dean performed the famous sugar-sprinkling dance.

Then the sketches began.

Movie trailer parodies.

Satirical racial comedy.

Political satire.

The audience reacted exactly as the writers had hoped.

"Hahahahaha!"

"Ha!"

Rupert Dean completely destroyed his own image throughout the sketches, making everyone laugh.

A femme fatale parody in drag.

A sketch where he tried to pull out nose hairs using glue, only for his finger to get stuck inside his nose—and unfortunately the trapped finger happened to be his middle finger.

Pre-recorded and live sketches flowed one after another.

Then—

"Hm?"

A superhero parody featuring Rupert Dean appeared.

Bent over beneath a heavy backpack and wearing thick glasses, he watched superheroes flying between skyscrapers.

His eyes sparkled.

I wish I could become a superhero too...

Perhaps the universe heard him.

While feeding rabbits in a university laboratory, he accidentally got bitten by a genetically modified rabbit.

"Ow!"

Cheap-looking CGI showed his DNA changing.

After awakening his powers, the protagonist became a superhero.

Unfortunately, things went terribly wrong.

His teeth grew like a rabbit's until he couldn't stop chewing cabbage.

Instead of gaining only rabbit strengths, he inherited all the weaknesses too.

The audience howled with laughter.

This is way more realistic lol

It's parodying superhero movies. People get exposed to radiation and somehow only gain powers without drawbacks

Stay strong Rabbit Man

Fun fact: rabbits mate for two seconds

Uh... oh...

Finally, after endless suffering, the protagonist screamed:

"I don't want these powers anymore!"

And returned to normal.

The Souffles were laughing along with everyone else.

Then suddenly—

Their eyes widened.

A robbery occurred in front of the protagonist.

"Thief!"

An actress screamed after her handbag was stolen.

A pickpocket sprinted away.

Then—

"?"

"??"

Something black shot into frame from off-screen.

It appeared instantly.

Wrapped around the thief.

And slammed him into the ground.

What was that?

Everyone blinked.

The takedown looked like something a veteran detective with twenty years of experience would perform.

The genre suddenly felt completely different.

Then the camera zoomed in.

And the audience exploded.

"WAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The Souffles shot up from their couches.

It's them!!!

Then they burst out laughing.

Because there stood Wooju in a black bodysuit.

And beside him, Junghyun.

What are those costumes?!

Junghyun stood with his arms crossed in a yellow bodysuit and red cape like some absurd bodyguard.

The pedestrians in the sketch murmured.

"Who are you?!"

"Grrrrrr..."

Parodying a gravelly action-hero voice, Wooju declared:

"I am Bunny Man. Guardian of this city."

"Bunny Man...!"

He fired a grappling gun and leaped dramatically toward a rooftop.

The crowd cheered for the magnificent hero.

Meanwhile, Rupert Dean stared in disbelief.

Both heroes had been bitten by rabbits.

Yet somehow the other guy had become cool.

"Seriously!? Seriously?!"

The protagonist screamed at the heavens.

The sketch ended.

And the Souffles lost it.

"Hahahahaha!"

Immediately they turned to the non-fans sitting nearby.

"Did you see that? Sunny's costume was hilarious!"

"Huh?"

"...?"

The reactions felt strange.

People looked dazed.

Mesmerized.

"That Sunny guy is ridiculously handsome."

"...We watched the same thing, right? You didn't think it was funny?"

"He was kind of sexy."

"...?"

The Souffles froze.

We know he's pretty, but...

They looked at screenshots on their phones.

Beneath the black rabbit mask, a sharp jawline and red lips were visible. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Combined with his elegant bearing...

Okay.

They could understand the reaction.

He looked like a more seductive version of the Phantom of the Opera.

But—

The costume is ridiculous!

They asked their friends.

"You didn't see the outfit?"

"I did. The yellow one with the red cape."

"No, Sunny's outfit."

"The outfit...? What was he wearing again? A cape?"

When they showed screenshots, everyone finally reacted.

"Oh!"

The Souffles achieved enlightenment.

They were only looking at his face.

People had become so distracted by his appearance that they forgot what he was wearing.

Nearby, conversations continued.

"He's seriously handsome."

"Was he always that handsome? The mask somehow makes him look more mysterious."

"I liked the guy next to him more. He was cute."

Watching ordinary viewers suffer visual shock, the Souffles grew curious.

Then maybe...

They began searching for older photos of Wooju online.

Specifically, pictures from before his contract with LeBlanc.

Back when fashion freedom still existed.

"What about this one? He looks really handsome here."

"Eugh! What is that garbage outfit?!"

People recoiled in horror.

The Cloud Corps stared into the distance.

What exactly was Wooju's fashion sense...?

The mystery remained unsolved.

Midnight.

The broadcast was roughly one-third complete.

Rupert Dean appeared in a suit and smiled.

"Ladies and gentlemen."

The handsome actor pointed toward the stage.

"NewBlack."

"WAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The darkened stage lit up.

The studio erupted.

Part of it was NewBlack's popularity.

But even more importantly—

Everyone knew what song they were about to perform.

It's Overcooked!!

The hottest song in North America.

A Billboard Hot 100 number one.

A track crushing Moonlight's All I Want in second place.

The performance audiences wanted most.

"Ooooooh."

"The stage is a kitchen?"

The set resembled a kitchen.

The members of NewBlack appeared in chef outfits with their arms draped over each other's shoulders.

♪♩♬

Cheerful cooking-themed music immediately lifted everyone's mood.

Neon lights painted the late-night stage.

Boom.

Boom-boom.

The chefs stomped in rhythm with the guitar.

Smiling brightly, they walked forward.

The lyrics of Overcooked began.

The Souffles cheered.

They're killing it!

This is it!

The SNL stage sounded unmistakably live.

Even singers who normally sounded fantastic occasionally appeared on SNL and somehow ended up sounding nasal, strained, or strangely off.

Fans had been worried.

NewBlack was juggling a world tour alongside Korean schedules.

Their condition might not have been perfect.

But—

They're in incredible shape.

NewBlack dominated the stage as though they owned it.

Overcooked~ Overcooked~

I only meant to cook it a little

But maybe my love for you got carried away

Overcooked~ Overcooked~♬

High notes rang out.

The members danced.

Cheers and applause flooded the studio.

Even during the dance break, they moved with playful confidence beneath dazzling lights.

The stage seemed to be proclaiming:

We're the biggest thing right now.

Naturally, the response was excellent.

The general public wasn't quite as emotional as the Souffles, who were already declaring NewBlack legendary artists.

But they were impressed.

"They're good."

"I think this song is better live."

"Yeah. It's more fun than the recording."

"I love this song."

"Wait. That part wasn't Auto-Tune? That's an actual voice?"

The Souffles fought to suppress smug smiles.

Online reactions were equally positive.

Souffles screamed in delight.

Ordinary viewers casually commented:

"Overcooked is great."

Hehehehehe!

This is going to blow up on social media again.

Good job, my singers.

Ri Hyuk soared through the high notes.

Biju anchored the choreography from side to side.

Every member showcased his charm.

It was a fantastic live performance.

The fans were already celebrating the inevitable attention.

Then—

"Huh?"

A pre-recorded sketch began after the stage ended.

The Souffles screamed internally.

They filmed a sketch!!!

Apparently the production team had granted their wish.

Excitement filled the room.

What kind of comedy would it be?

Then the title appeared.

An ominous title.

[The Curse of Uncle Bunnies]

And immediately—

NewBlack appeared.

All five members wore toy sunglasses.

And Teletubby costumes.

"Pfahahaha!"

Well—

They were Teletubby costumes.

Except they had rabbit ears.

Red rabbit.

Purple rabbit.

Every color imaginable.

Among them, Junghyun wore the Tinky Winky costume.

Arms crossed.

Expression stern.

The audience erupted.

"Hahahahahaha!"

While everyone laughed uncontrollably, the Souffles wiped tears from their eyes.

Then blinked.

Sweat gathered in their clenched hands.

What exactly are they about to do...?

For an entirely different reason, their hearts began pounding.