Chapter 1095: I am New Black, Class of ’18 (19)

"What? A superhero movie?"

John Edwards nodded.

"I'm preparing a superhero film as my next project. Have you ever heard of Guardians?"

"Uh..."

I searched through my mental database, but nothing came up.

Had it never been released in Korea?

"It sounds vaguely familiar. Sorry, but I honestly don't have much time to watch movies in theaters..."

"No, that's understandable."

The director smiled and held out his phone.

"I looked up the Korean box office before coming over. Apparently the first film sold around 930,000 tickets. For a superhero movie in Korea—a market that loves superhero films—that's basically considered a flop."

"So you've been hired to direct the sequel?"

"That's right."

John Edwards scratched his plump chin.

"You could say I'm the relief pitcher being sent in to save the game. It underperformed not just in Korea but worldwide. So I agreed to take it on, but only under the condition that I wouldn't just direct it—I wanted full production authority as well."

In other words...

He was effectively the highest-ranking authority on the project.

Working on Sound of the Sun had taught me something.

Unlike Korea, where directors usually held tremendous creative power, American productions were generally producer-driven.

If you looked up enough Hollywood films, you'd inevitably come across the phrase Director's Cut.

"The studio chopped the theatrical release to pieces, but this is what I originally intended!"

That sort of thing happened because studios often had the final say.

The very fact that "Director's Cut" was a common label in American cinema—but relatively rare in Korean films—said everything.

The reason Director Edwards had deliberately mentioned that he was also serving as executive producer was simple.

Whatever proposal he was about to make...

Carried real weight.

"Hmm..."

After glancing around the bustling party to make sure my members were doing fine, I turned back toward him.

"Should we find somewhere quieter?"

"Sounds good."

We found a secluded table tucked away in the corner and sat across from each other.

"If I remember correctly, you don't drink. Want me to order you something nonalcoholic?"

"Sure."

I ended up with a Virgin Mojito—a strangely minty cocktail.

Tastes like something I'd get at Starbucks.

"Shall we continue?"

"Yes."

"I never really got a direct answer. Should I take it that you're interested in this film?"

"I'm interested."

Of course I was.

This was a chance to work on a project helmed by one of Hollywood's top directors.

But...

"I'm just not sure I'd be any good."

"...?"

The director blinked.

"Everyone knows you're good, Sunny. Why are you suddenly lacking confidence?"

"I may have worked on Sound of the Sun, but a superhero movie is completely new territory for me."

"Being a superhero movie doesn't make it fundamentally different. It's still just another film."

"Even so..."

As he took a sip of his cocktail, I spoke sheepishly.

"I've composed musical numbers before, but writing a superhero film's soundtrack is an entirely different field..."

"...Huh?"

The director stared at me blankly.

"What are you talking about?"

"...What?"

We both froze.

The conversation had clearly gone off the rails somewhere.

I frowned.

"Weren't you asking me to compose the soundtrack?"

"No."

"...?"

"We've already hired the composer."

"Then..."

John Edwards looked me straight in the eye.

"I'm offering you a role, Sunny."

"...!"

My heart skipped a beat.

This was such an enormous project that I nearly blurted out, Y-Yes! I'll do it!

I barely managed to regain my composure.

"But... why me?"

"Because I think you're exactly the right person for the role."

As he spoke, he pulled out a tablet.

"I know it's a little strange to turn a party into a business meeting..."

He chuckled.

"Though judging from your expression, it seems you're not particularly fond of parties either."

"I'm not."

"Neither am I. Ever since I was in school, dances and parties have always been torture."

A movie poster filled the screen.

"Since it sounds like you haven't seen the first film, I'll start there. It's based on a comic series called Elemental Guardians. It's about people with superhuman abilities..."

"Is it published by the same company as Secret Agent?"

The warmth vanished from the director's face.

"That's Wonder Comics."

"...Jiho has a cameo in one of their movies."

I awkwardly tried to explain myself, but the look in his eyes clearly said:

How could anyone not know that?

It reminded me of earlier in the dressing room.

I'd pointed at a character on Jiho's handheld game console and asked,

"So that's Zelda?"

He'd looked at me like I'd committed a crime.

"The princess is Zelda. The main character rescues her."

"That's weird. Shouldn't the title use the protagonist's name?"

"The Legend of Kim Deoksun. Starring Sun Wooju."

"Ahhh. I see."

The director continued.

"Guardians focuses on heroes who can transform into animals."

"Oh."

So, as he explained it...

They were superheroes who possessed the powers of various animals.

"For example..."

He enlarged the image of the protagonist.

"Here's Eagle."

A beautiful black-haired man with blue eyes stood in a trench coat.

"Eagle possesses the powers of an eagle. He can fly at speeds exceeding sixty miles per hour. His vision allows him to see over two miles away. During combat, he transforms his fingernails into razor-sharp talons."

A clip played of the protagonist in a black combat suit slashing through villains with clawed hands.

"I thought you said they transformed into animals."

"They do in the original comic. They become full beast-hybrids."

He shrugged.

"But if we did that on film, the CG budget would become unmanageable."

"..."

So there were grown-up problems involved.

"The base visual effects already cost around a hundred million dollars. If we fully recreated the comic transformations, we'd be looking at closer to three hundred million."

Three hundred million dollars.

That was blockbuster team-up movie territory.

"Besides, this interpretation looks much more stylish."

Apparently reproducing the comic exactly would come across as dated, so the film version aimed for a more grounded, realistic aesthetic.

I understood what he meant.

After introducing the world, the director didn't shy away from discussing its weaknesses.

"To be honest, even the comic isn't one of the publisher's biggest hits. It has a loyal fanbase, but little mainstream recognition. The first movie performed so poorly that no one can confidently predict how the sequel will do."

"So there's considerable risk."

"Exactly."

"If you don't mind me asking..."

I looked at him.

"Why did you choose this project?"

He was one of Hollywood's most accomplished directors.

He'd turned action franchises into hits.

He'd transformed Nostalgia into a worldwide musical phenomenon.

He'd even picked up multiple Academy Award nominations afterward.

Someone with credentials like that would normally be launching an entirely new superhero franchise.

Why take over the sequel to one that had already failed?

"I'm a fan of the original comic."

John Edwards' eyes sparkled.

"Sunny, you probably won't understand, but comic ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) fans have a certain sentimentality."

He smiled nostalgically.

"School would end, and we'd run straight to the comic shop to buy the latest issue. Then we'd pass it around among our friends and spend hours talking about it."

Kind of like rushing home to watch cartoons after school.

His eyes looked almost boyish as he reminisced.

"Guardians was the comic that changed my life."

He laughed.

"Among the kids who read comics back then..."

The next twenty minutes were spent listening to his stories about the series while I nodded along.

So many unfamiliar names flew past that I struggled to react naturally.

"I see..."

"Mm..."

"Oh... really?"

"Wow... it must have been incredibly popular."

"The villains actually became good guys and fought alongside the heroes..."

"No wonder people loved it."

...

By then, I no longer needed any further explanation for why he'd taken on this film.

Around that point, just as he'd warned me that the movie's success was far from guaranteed...

I decided to give him a warning of my own.

"I should mention one risk on my end."

"...?"

"What kind of risk?"

"If I'm cast..."

I hesitated.

"The film might not be released in China."

The second most important market for superhero films after the United States.

There was a real possibility it wouldn't open there at all.

The director looked utterly unconcerned.

"Don't worry about that, Sunny."

"You're okay with it?"

John Edwards answered confidently.

"It already can't be released there."

"..."

"Because the first movie already exists."

"..."

"There's a reason I was handed complete creative control over a superhero movie—a genre that's notorious for studio interference."

Apparently the first film had already been banned because it had offended the authorities.

We exchanged warm smiles and shook hands.

It's good to see you again, Director.

Haha. You too, kid.

Once we'd laid all our cards on the table...

He began explaining the role in greater detail.

"I'd actually been reading scripts recently."

I smiled.

"I was wondering if there were any acting projects that looked fun."

Aside from filming the sitcom Our Family Is Alien back in 2016 and making a cameo appearance as an independence fighter in Faith...

I hadn't really acted since.

Jiho saw acting as his future primary career.

For me...

It was simply one of many things I enjoyed doing.

If something interesting came along, I'd give it a shot.

And now...

Something interesting had appeared.

"The reason I think you'd fit this movie is simple."

The director smiled.

"You use your body exceptionally well."

I nodded.

Jiho had told me something similar before.

"Hyung, actors really need good body control. Acting isn't just facial expressions."

Whether it was hunching your shoulders during a tense moment...

Or carrying yourself with confidence to express a character's personality...

"That's even more important in our film."

He continued.

"The audience has to feel the animal within the character. When your character attacks, it shouldn't just look like a man slashing."

He demonstrated with his hands.

"It has to feel like an eagle striking with its talons."

"Oh."

"That's true."

"The first time I saw you was when you subdued that special forces instructor."

He was talking about the variety show where I'd taken down the SWAT instructor nicknamed Viper.

"And what you showed today as Bunny Man impressed me just as much."

"..."

"Everyone was calling it sexy."

He nodded matter-of-factly.

"This role also needs someone whose appearance naturally attracts the audience."

"...People thought Bunny Man was sexy?"

I couldn't begin to understand American tastes.

But I decided not to dwell on it.

Something else mattered far more.

"So..."

My eyes sparkled.

"What role did you want to offer me, Director?"

"What kind of superhero is he?"

"...?"

John Edwards tilted his head.

"Superhero?"

He looked confused.

"He's not a superhero."

"...?"

"He's the villain."

"...??"

The SNL after-party ended on a lively note.

"Come on!"

"One more round!"

"WOOOOOO!"

Rupert, arm-in-arm with his friends as they toasted loudly, looked over at us.

"You guys aren't coming?"

"We've got concerts coming up."

"And schedules tomorrow."

"What a shame."

He grinned.

"Next time, then!"

Rupert Dean climbed into a van with his friends to continue partying elsewhere.

Meanwhile...

The members and I silently climbed into our own vehicle, breathing in New York's chilly pre-dawn air.

"..."

"..."

Sunken eyes.

Dark circles.

We looked at each other's utterly exhausted faces...

Then burst into melodramatic sobs and hugged one another.

"I want to go home to Korea..."

"Me too..."

"But we still have American schedules tomorrow..."

SNL hadn't been the end of our work.

There was a reason we couldn't go home yet.

NewBlack's "Overcooked" sparks worldwide sensation... No. 1 on charts in 54 countries

That was why.

Overcooked had officially become a global phenomenon.

"It's absolute chaos."

Seokhwan hyung yawned from the passenger seat.

"You guys have been too busy to notice, but there are hundreds of new videos being uploaded to MyTube every single minute."

"I've only been seeing the thumbnails."

Every day...

New flash mob videos appeared from public squares around the world.

Australia's biggest talk show featured one of the country's biggest celebrities dancing the Overcooked choreography.

A few days earlier, an article reported that over a thousand people had gathered in India just to perform the dance together.

Even Britain—where the reaction had supposedly been the quietest—currently had the song sitting at No. 2 on the charts.

China had recently produced a parody video that surpassed nine million views while climbing to No. 1.

It truly felt as though a worldwide craze had begun.

"I honestly didn't feel it before we came to America."

Jiho spoke first.

"Me neither."

We kept hearing that the response overseas was huge...

But back in Korea, everyone had remained relatively calm.

Since we'd experienced international success once before, it had mostly been,

"Wow. That's amazing."

Japan had been similarly reserved during the tour.

Only after arriving at tonight's party—where every celebrity we met kept talking about Overcooked—

Did it finally sink in.

"We've really made it."

Junghyun looked deeply moved.

"I kept wondering when a day like this would finally come."

He smiled.

"And now people are actually reacting like this."

Before Overcooked, things hadn't been quite like this.

Now...

People genuinely treated them as world-famous superstars.

In any case...

That was why they still had countless interviews to finish in America tomorrow.

Strike while the iron was hot.

"By the way..."

I looked around.

"What was the response to SNL?"

We all turned toward our resident English expert—

"...He's passed out."

"Ri Hyuk's officially closed for business."

Our main vocalist was completely unconscious, lying there with his mouth hanging open like a cat that had spent the holidays entertaining endless guests.

Junghyun gently lifted Ri Hyuk's chin with the back of his hand and closed his mouth.

Guess we'll have to check everyone's reaction to SNL and Uncle Bunny tomorrow.

Just then—

"Hyung."

"Hm?"

Jiho yawned.

"What were you talking about with Director Edwards? You guys talked for almost an hour."

"He offered me a movie."

"What?!"

"You're going to wake Ri Hyuk."

Covering his mouth, Jiho whispered excitedly,

"Seriously?! What movie? Wait... if it's Director Edwards, isn't he working on that superhero sequel?"

"That's the one."

"Hyung, seriously?"

The others looked equally curious.

I smiled.

"I'll tell you everything back at the hotel."

"Let's talk somewhere private."

The driver was an agency employee, and we were the only people speaking Korean inside the van...

Still, it felt like the sort of conversation that deserved a little discretion.

Granted...

The director himself had joked that it didn't matter since the first movie had already flopped.

But still.

"I'll explain when we get back."

"Okay."

Unfortunately...

The moment we reached the hotel...

Every single one of us collapsed.

Flying from Japan to America before we'd adjusted to the time difference...

Pre-recording SNL...

Photo shoots...

The live broadcast...

Then an after-party that lasted until dawn...

It was the perfect recipe for instant unconsciousness.

The next thing I knew...

Bright morning sunlight streamed through the window.

"..."

I was so dazed that for a moment I honestly wondered,

What did I even do yesterday?

"...Ah."

"SNL."

I glanced over at Junghyun, who was sleeping perfectly straight on his back.

Then I picked up my phone.

My heart began pounding.

Yesterday hadn't just been about the performance.

It had been our very first comedy sketch in America.

Would the variety skills we'd earned recognition for in Korea work with American audiences?

What had people really thought?

The celebrities at the party had all enthusiastically told us,

"You guys were hilarious!"

But considering how generous Americans could be with compliments...

Even if they hadn't actually laughed, they might have said that anyway.

I wanted to know the real reaction.

"Hoooo..."

Taking a deep breath...

I opened social media.

Immediately...

The No. 1 trending topic in America appeared.

#1 Uncle Bunny

#2 The Curse of Uncle Bunnies

My hand trembled as I tapped it.

A feed exploded onto the screen.

Dozens of new posts appeared every few seconds.

"...!"

I switched to MyTube.

The uploaded SNL sketch.

The Curse of Uncle Bunnies – SNL

Below the thumbnail of the five Tele-Bunnies dancing...

4 million views.

I scrolled through the comments.

There was no mistaking it.

People were going crazy for it.

"J-Junghyun!"

"Mmh... huh?"

"We did it!"

"Hehehe..."

Still half-asleep, Junghyun grinned foolishly.

"Did... did what?"

"Look."

I shoved the phone toward him.

"Junghyun. Our sketch blew up."

His eyes grew as wide as saucers.

He shot upright.

"Hyung...!"

"Junghyun...!"

The two of us jumped around the room, shouting at the top of our lungs.

"PD Gu! Are you watching?!"

"We actually pulled it off...!"

K-variety idols...

NewBlack.

Their American comedy debut...

Was a success.