Chapter 1128: Welcome to Alaska (14)

“Traitors.”

“We’re deeply disappointed in you. Deeply.”

“Seriously...”

Faced with our accusing stares, the Travel Diary production staff hurried to explain themselves.

“They’re just ideas, guys.”

“Do you really think we’d decide on a destination without having a single meeting with you first? We’re only keeping places like these in mind as possible candidates, that’s all.”

“Exactly~”

And yet the adults were still clutching their gold bars tightly in both hands.

Their determination never to give them up clashed with our gazes in midair.

“...”

“...”

Then a small laugh escaped.

The producer said,

“Anyway, thank you, guys. I really wasn’t expecting a gift like this.”

“It’s nothing. Everyone went through so much because of us.”

“The Mongolia thing was a joke. Next year, we’ll try to arrange a proper resort trip. You need some rest too.”

My members and I smiled and nodded.

Jiho said excitedly,

“Wouldn’t a resort be really fun? All of us could lie around on sunbeds all day doing absolutely nothing.”

“Mojitos under a parasol by the hotel pool...”

“Wooooow.”

We all laughed as our imaginations took flight.

Lying around all day in front of the reality-show cameras, doing absolutely noth—

“Wait.”

I whipped my head toward the others.

“Then we won’t get any usable footage.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

What was the point of filming a variety show if all we were going to do was lie around and relax all day?

We could just take a vacation with our own money.

Junghyun looked as though he had reached a profound realization.

“You’re right. People wouldn’t watch that.”

“That makes sense. Imagine filming that whole Alaska special in season three, only to spend season four rolling around and resting. The ratings would plummet.”

“People online would start saying we’d lost our original spirit...”

After whispering among ourselves as we grasped the seriousness of the situation, we turned to the producer.

“Producer.”

“Yeah...?”

“We’ll go somewhere difficult next time too.”

“??”

“Remote places are fine. Jungles are fine. Safaris are fine too.”

“You guys really are blinded by ratings...”

We smiled sheepishly at his amazement that we were somehow even worse than the people who worked in broadcasting.

Then I clapped my hands at the people still gazing happily at their gold bars.

“All right, shall we go to the company dinner now? You must all be craving Korean food, right? We booked another famous restaurant.”

“Waaaaaaaaah!”

We grinned broadly as the staff chanted, “NewBlack! NewBlack!”

At the very least, we probably did not need to worry about preparations for season four.

Everyone’s eyes were blazing with enthusiasm.

After we all enjoyed an energetic beef dinner together.

We were sprawled limply inside the vehicle headed back to the dorm.

“Ugggggh...”

At the sight of us staring blankly at the ceiling, Mingi, sitting in the passenger seat, burst out laughing.

“You all look terrible.”

“This is when you’re supposed to ask kindly, ‘Was it hard for everyone?’ Hyung.”

When we pouted, he laughed.

“Try looking at your phones. You’ll probably feel better once you see the internet.”

“The internet?”

“Your Alaska trip was all over the news. It was a huge story here too, but it was an even bigger issue in America.”

“?”

Curious, I picked up my phone.

I lazily searched a few keywords.

Swipe, swipe—

Before I knew it, my back had straightened on its own.

“Guys...!”

“Hyung...!”

Just as Mingi had said, it had become a massive hit.

Biju’s eyes grew round.

“Did you see the view count on our TikTok video?”

“No, look at the articles...”

Major outlets such as CNN and BBC, along with countless others, had published pieces praising the positive influence of singers and their fans.

Videos titled things like “Christmas in October” had climbed into MyTube’s trending rankings.

Ri Hyuk swallowed hard.

“I think it really hit the American public right in the emotions. People in that country seriously love Christmas.”

I could see exactly what had appealed to them.

In one of the article photos, we were belting out “Jingle Bells” beneath the season’s first snowfall.

I nodded as I looked at photos of us dressed like Christmas elves.

“So it was thanks to my outfit selection after all. Those costumes giving off such a strong Christmas atmosphere may have played a major role.”

“...”

“...”

I ignored the others glaring at me.

Ri Hyuk said with a sour expression,

“Honestly, the outfits you picked were the only flaw.”

“You’re secretly pleased because you just called me hyung naturally, aren’t you, Ri Hyuk?”

“I am not?!”

I snickered at his reddened face and ears.

Successful subject change.

In any case, the response was explosive across social media and countless other platforms.

Biju said,

“This is just my impression, but... I don’t think it’s because we did something especially well. It feels more like we happened to match what people wanted?”

“Yeah. That’s what it feels like.”

The success of popular culture was usually closely tied to what the public desired.

There were times when people wanted sweet romantic comedies, and times when they wanted tragic love stories.

No matter how impressive something was, there were moments when the public simply did not choose it.

On the other hand, there were also occasions like this performance we had created together with our fans and the citizens of Anchorage, when what we made aligned perfectly with what people wanted.

Junghyun said,

“Yeah. Maybe people needed news like this. That might be why the reaction seems even stronger.”

Conflicts between nations were intensifying, and everyone was exhausted by divisions within American society.

Maybe a story everyone had wanted to see had appeared at exactly the right time.

That was probably why the response had been so strong.

And in just another month or two, Christmas would arrive, a holiday so enormous that people said Americans spent the entire year preparing for it.

“You’ve also been flooded with appearance requests.”

At Wonseok’s words from behind the steering wheel, our eyes widened.

“Really?”

“A famous streaming platform invited you to appear as guests on a Christmas special. There’s also a huge New Year’s show in America, where they hold a New Year’s Eve performance in New York.”

“...!”

“They contacted us too.”

“Isn’t a New Year’s Eve performance a pretty major event?”

“It is. And do you know the Jingle Bell Ball? Every year, a radio station invites famous singers for a concert...”

We all stared blankly as he explained that they were currently sorting through the flood of incoming schedules one by one.

Mingi grinned.

“The important thing is that your recognition has skyrocketed. Rabbit Uncle, Overcooked, Supernova Dodgeball, and now Alaska. You probably won’t have to worry about recognition in North America for a while.”

Apparently, once the “Jingle Bells” video went viral, we had successfully imprinted our faces in people’s minds.

We stared into space and swallowed our tears.

Thank you, Alaska.

You gave us so much.

We could only feel grateful toward Alaska, which had given us so much like the Giving Tree.

Attention was as precious to us as oil and gold.

After spending a while excitedly staring at the internet, the members and I soon regained our composure.

“Time to get back to normal life.”

We calmed our soaring excitement.

Now that we were back in Korea, there was a great deal of work waiting for us.

Jiho asked,

“Come to think of it, isn’t the show with our kids airing today or tomorrow?”

“Our kids...?”

“The trainee reality show.”

“Oh.”

The names X Buster and Lemon Boys, which had been sitting in a corner of my mind, resurfaced.

Thinking that I should monitor the broadcast, I also looked toward Junghyun.

“Anyway, you’re going to be really busy, Junghyun.”

“Yeah... I think I’ll have to start practicing again tonight.”

Junghyun had a showcase to prepare for ahead of his solo album release.

I also had Hanbyul’s album and the upcoming promotional campaign for to prepare.

I stared into space as I looked over the schedule our managers had given us.

The work has piled up again.

There were messages to record for students taking the college entrance exam, video acceptance speeches for the MTV Europe Awards, and so on.

On top of that, preparations for year-end award shows such as the MCA and KMA would soon begin.

Smiling happily at how blessed I was with work, I rested in the car while looking through an English vocabulary book for the college entrance exam.

“Guys, get plenty of rest today.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow.”

We got out at the dorm and walked inside, massaging our necks.

Just as we reassured the security guard, who asked whether we were all right after hearing about Alaska, and gave him a souvenir—

“Oh, and TeenSpirit asked that you contact them as soon as you returned.”

“They did?”

The moment we contacted them, they told us to come over.

When we went down one floor to our neighbors’ apartment, a group of handsome boys in sweatpants came rushing out amid a great commotion.

“Hyungs!”

“Are you okay?!”

We smiled warmly at them as they passionately declared that they had been fucking worried sick.

I asked,

“But why did you call us over?”

“Oh, we wanted to grill meat for you.”

“We already ate.”

Dejected...

“We can eat more.”

“Waaaaaaaaah!”

We burst out laughing along with the handsome boys, who beamed brightly as though singing, fucking la la la.

Yeonhu spread his arms and invited us inside.

“Welcome to the fucking land of dreams and fantasy~!”

“Th-thanks.”

They looked incredibly excited to see us after so long.

As soon as we saw a portable gas burner, grill plate, and pork belly being set up, we tried to help.

“Hey now!”

Hahyun, who was the same age as Jiho, waved us off.

“The patients should sit still.”

“We’re perfectly fine...”

“Your bodies might be fine, but your hearts could still be shaken. Don’t you know the rule that fucked-up memories stick around for a long time??”

“Most people call that trauma...”

At Ri Hyuk’s mutter, Hahyun flared up and accused him of looking down on him because he was not highly educated.

They were both attending online universities...

While we sat blankly at the table waiting, the meat was finally placed on the grill.

Sizzle—

Biju whispered anxiously,

“But can we actually eat any more?”

“Good question... Is that even possible?”

...And the moment we picked up a piece of pork belly, we realized.

It was possible.

Hwiyeon puffed out his chest and asked,

“Well? We’ve gotten better at grilling meat, right?”

“You’re the best.”

“We’re old enough to be college freshmen now. We’re adults. Ah... don’t laugh.”

When I burst out laughing while eating a lettuce wrap, the handsome boys looked offended.

After chatting about various things, we brought up the reality show airing soon, and TeenSpirit brightened.

“Our juniors are debuting soon too.”

“They’re your juniors, so I bet they’re handsome.”

“They’re fucking incredible. Seriously. They’re all over six feet tall with model proportions. If we have a little-kid image, they’re going for mature appeal.”

“Oh...”

Then Jiho, chewing on meat, asked,

“But aren’t they debuting at a really awkward time?”

“Why do you think?”

Hahyun lightly smacked Jiho and said,

“It’s all because of you guys... no, because of you and the hyungs.”

“Us?”

“Why do you think rookies keep debuting at weird times, and why do you think we’re promoting now? Every time you hyungs make a comeback, your songs swarm in like a fucking plague of locusts.”

“Oh...”

“That’s why both we and the rookies plan our schedules to avoid you.”

Just as we realized that was the reason—

Junghyun spoke hesitantly.

“But guys.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m making a solo comeback soon.”

“...”

There was a genuine moment of silence.

The laughter vanished completely from TeenSpirit’s faces.

They looked as though they had dodged and dodged and dodged again, only to be struck square in the face by a ball flying in from somewhere else.

“Haah...”

We burst out laughing at the sight of them staring into space with expressions that seemed to compress a thousand words into a single sigh.

Hwiyeon, looking as though he had lost his appetite, held out the grilling tongs.

“Hyungs.”

“Yes.”

“You grill.”

“Yes...”

We quietly took the tongs and started cooking the meat for them.

Even we felt a little guilty.

The TeenSpirit members asked,

“No, fuck... seriously, do you have three bodies?”

“Ah, why is being a singer so fucking hard?”

“Be honest. You marked our comeback date on your calendar with ‘The day we crush these bastards ^^,’ didn’t you?”

We burst out laughing at the handsome boys’ complaints.

For some reason, I felt a strangely familiar warmth, as though I had come home.

While NewBlack had finally returned to Korea and was enjoying some rest—

The butterfly effect caused by the Alaska incident was not yet over.

It had influenced not only broadcasting opportunities and public recognition, but other areas as well.

“Hmmmmmm...”

A sharp-looking man wearing glasses crossed his arms.

Everyone around him immediately held their breath and watched.

The titles ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) by which people called him were countless.

Genius fashion designer.

One of the greatest talents produced by the twenty-first-century fashion industry.

LeBlanc’s new hope.

The future of American fashion.

He was Jimmy Robbins, regarded as America’s greatest genius designer and the chief designer of LeBlanc, the world’s number-one luxury brand.

Every time he unveiled a new collection, the entire balance of the fashion industry shifted.

Wearing gold-rimmed glasses, Jimmy Robbins sighed.

Next year’s trend...

He wished some kind of inspiration would come to him.

Staring blankly at an empty sketchbook, Jimmy Robbins scrolled through fashion photos on the internet.

Trash. This is trash too. That is also trash...

Then something caught his eye.

He shot to his feet.

“My God. This is...”

“Jimmy?”

“This is insane. It’s a completely new reinterpretation...!”

Everyone gathered around the excited Jimmy Robbins.

Then they recoiled in horror.

Who on earth would wear something like that...?

It was a photo of NewBlack’s reality-show costumes.

Everyone was horrified by the video of them dancing while dressed like bizarre Christmas elves.

Jimmy Robbins, however, was deeply moved.

Sunny. Oh, Sunny. My sun...!

As expected, Sunny was his muse.

Jimmy Robbins suddenly burst into tears and covered his mouth.

“Wait, wait. I need a pen.”

The designer immediately began drawing in his sketchbook.

Each light sweep of his hand gave birth to another elegant outfit.

A genius designer recreating modern art from materials salvaged from a garbage dump.

Yes. This is it...!

A new trend in the fashion industry was about to be born through a genius designer who had found inspiration in someone else.

Meanwhile—

The fashion industry was not the only field experiencing an enormous NewBlack effect.

“Mayor.”

“Yes?”

“These are the visitor statistics.”

“???”

After NewBlack left—

Anchorage Mayor Margaret Müller, who had returned to her usual daily life after the city completed its earthquake recovery, stared in shock.

“...These numbers look wrong.”

At first, she thought the city employees had made a mistake compiling the data.

The tourism statistics were simply too strange.

“These figures are spiking far too sharply. How can they be higher than the June-to-August season?”

Alaska’s peak tourist season was normally during the American summer vacation period from June through August.

There was more to see then, and the weather was relatively warm.

But around this time of year, the days started growing shorter as the polar night season approached, and tourist numbers usually declined.

Yet the numbers were surpassing the summer vacation season?

“That’s correct. We also thought it was strange, so we analyzed the visitor statistics. Please look at the next page.”

It was a survey asking visitors why they had come.

Ninety-three percent had given the same reason.

[Reason for Visit: NewBlack]

“...”

“Tourism is surging for the sole reason that NewBlack visited. The places NewBlack went are currently overflowing with tourists. Apparently, they call it a pilgrimage.”

“...”

“What should we do, Mayor?”

At those words, the mayor of Anchorage rolled her eyes in thought.

A calculator immediately began rattling away inside her head.

“Make the festival an annual event. A NewBlack festival without NewBlack. From now on, Anchorage’s local specialty is NewBlack.”

“Yes.”

“And contact NewBlack’s company about changing the airport billboard.”

“Yes.”

Alaska moved quickly.

And so, when Souffle arrived at Anchorage Airport on their pilgrimage to Alaska—

They were greeted by a massive billboard.

[WELCOME TO ALASKA]

Beside the existing billboard bearing those words was another one.

It featured an illustration of the five members smiling brightly alongside Souffle bread dolls before an enormous Alaskan glacier.

[VISITING ALASKA IS THE NEW BLACK!]

Visiting Alaska was the latest trend.

A wind stirred up by a certain Korean five-member group was blowing across the far northern land of Alaska.