Chapter 1159: Artist of the Year (2)

Inside the limousine.

“My goodness….”

I stared wide-eyed at the crowd packed tightly in front of Gocheok Dome.

Apparently, I had been mistaken in thinking people might have started leaving since we were the final group in the lineup.

Biju leaned his face closer to the window.

“Looks like they all waited to see us.”

“Are they Souffles?”

“Hmm. I don’t think so. Their light sticks look different.”

There were clearly plenty of fans mixed into the crowd whose atmosphere was different from the Souffles’.

But whether they were our fans or not, the look in their eyes was similar.

It was the expression people wore when they had been waiting to see something.

Our youngest grinned as he fiddled with his tie.

“Wow. It’s been a really long time since people looked at us like this in Korea, hasn’t it? They usually look at us like we’re comedians.”

“You’re right. This feels strange.”

Was it because these people followed the idol industry closely?

Seeing them wait for us like they were waiting for actual celebrities felt oddly unfamiliar.

Then my eyes met Jiho’s as he loosened his tie ever so slightly.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m loosening my tie a little.”

“Why?”

“Obviously, to show off my sex appeal.”

“…….”

We looked at him with displeasure.

Judging by appearance alone, it was understandable.

Our youngest now had the fully developed frame of an adult. The baby fat had left his face, and he boasted a mature appearance.

But attaching the word “sexy” to the name Wang Jiho made us uncomfortable.

“I don’t like it.”

“I share that sentiment.”

As Ri Hyuk and I high-fived, Jiho went, “Hmph.”

“Even if you don’t like it, there’s nothing you can do. I’m an adult now. I can do whatever I want.”

“…….”

“D-Don’t make the face my oldest sister makes!”

I copied the expression Jiho’s oldest sister used whenever she scolded him, and it worked beautifully.

We were chuckling at how quickly our youngest became timid when—

-Waaaaaaaaah!

At the sound of cheers outside, everyone loosened up.

I asked,

“Who wants me to get out first? Raise your hand.”

“Me.”

“I do.”

Junghyun raised his hand.

“I don’t care who goes first as long as I’m not right after you.”

“Why?”

“If you eat the best sweet potato in the box first, all the others taste worse.”

“I understand what you mean.”

I smiled and declared,

“Then I’ll get out first.”

“!”

“!!”

The others were about to protest in outrage, but the limousine door opened before they had the chance.

I turned my head and smiled sweetly.

“Then your hyung will go first.”

Maybe because I had been sitting inside the warm limousine until moments ago, the cold seemed to pierce straight through the lining of my suit.

I rubbed my chilled cheek and waved.

“Hello.”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

I greeted the people welcoming us with screams and started down the red carpet.

I considered reaching out to shake the hands extended toward me….

But when I saw the security guards struggling desperately to hold the line, I gave up and moved quickly.

“This way, please.”

I followed the staff member’s gesture.

I had walked so many red carpets by now that it felt as natural as going to the kitchen for a glass of water.

We had become so accustomed to it that even Biju now….

“Hey, Biju. That’s the staff entrance.”

“Oh… ahem.”

“Let’s hold hands and go together.”

Everyone burst into laughter when I took our shy second-oldest by the hand and led him away.

[Yes! NewBlack is entering now!]

The announcer serving as red carpet host spoke in a booming voice.

[They are the pride of Korean K-pop and our very own NewBlack, who have grown into global superstars watched by the entire world.]

[That’s right. They are also the nation’s idols, loved by people throughout the country. They are the seniors I respect most and consider my role models as an entertainer~!]

I even heard Eunsung, the male host.

We waved to the reporters taking photos enthusiastically at the photo wall, then moved inside.

The two hosts waiting for us welcomed us warmly, and I greeted them just as happily.

I knew both of them.

Eunsung, of course….

Sergeant~! Ehehehehe!

When are you ever going to grow up?

He had never changed.

The announcer beside him, Jung Hyojin, was also someone I knew.

She had hosted a festival in Icheon City when we were rookies, and we had crossed paths at several events since then.

What came to mind most clearly was the 2014 Mango Chart Awards.

At the time, she had hosted the red carpet with Andrew, the Hong Kong member of Daydream….

[NewBlack! Please come this way!]

Perhaps because of that association, memories of the Mango Chart Awards four years ago suddenly surfaced.

What had their introduction for us been back then?

-They’re the rookie group that set this year on fire! You’re attending today as nominees for the Rookie of the Year award, correct?

-They became the fastest rookie group to surpass one million views, and from Something onward, it would be no exaggeration to say they swept the music charts!

…I could not remember it exactly, but it had probably sounded something like that.

This year’s introduction reached my ears.

[First, congratulations on your nomination for the grand prize. NewBlack achieved incredible results in many different fields this year, didn’t you?]

[That’s right. As a group, they reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 multiple times and gained worldwide popularity with Overcooked and their carol. They also displayed outstanding performances on various variety shows and received the love of the entire nation.]

The cue cards were so densely packed with text that even the hosts struggled to read everything.

[Not only that, but in solo activities, Wooju achieved the longest-running number-one song in Billboard Hot 100 history. There were also Wooju and Biju’s unit activities as WooBiju, Junghyun’s solo activities, Jiho’s Netplus drama, and his recent film. They can truly be called the idols who represented this entire year.]

[…At this rate, it would take us all day just to read out everything they did this year.]

After answering the hosts’ eager questions one by one, I passed the microphone to the others.

In the past, I would have watched their interviews anxiously.

But seeing the members, now fully grown professionals, give witty answers with ease made me happy.

-Aaah! Hyung, you get out first!

-I don’t want to get out!

Back when we were rookies nominated for the 2014 Rookie of the

{N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t}

Year award, I remembered them making a huge fuss inside the car and forcing me to get out first.

When had they all grown up this much?

“Hohohoho.”

I wore a satisfied smile as we walked away after finishing the red carpet interview.

Ri Hyuk asked,

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“I feel like I’ve become even more of an adult. Hmm. Like I’m intoxicated by how mature I’ve become?”

“…….”

I put an arm around Ri Hyuk as he shook his head and walked down the corridor leading to the venue.

Singers could be seen outside exchanging warm greetings and chatting as we climbed the stairs.

And then.

“Waaaaaaaaah!”

The artists who had been sitting down jumped to their feet, startled by the cheers from the Souffles in the audience.

“Hello!”

“Hello!”

We bowed in return as we passed those bowing deeply to us.

It was embarrassing how formally everyone was greeting us.

Among them was senior singer Yoon Chanhyuk from our company.

“Good evening.”

“Senior…. We’re your juniors.”

“I know. It just felt like I should greet you this way.”

He muttered something about it being a working adult’s instinct and stared into the distance, making me laugh awkwardly.

Just as we shook hands and prepared to move to our seats.

Taehyun, one of the most senior artists there alongside Yoon Chanhyuk, saw me and waved.

At least there was someone who treated me comfortably….

“Oh my. Our dear junior has arrived.”

“Hey.”

“My apologies, junior.”

“…….”

I smiled while giving him a slight glare.

Still, I was delighted to see someone whose eyes were full of the desire to tease me mercilessly.

Aura.

It was a word commonly used to describe the unique elegance or charisma surrounding a person.

-I saw Kwak Siyeon in person and it was insaneㅠㅠㅠ She was seriously overflowing with aura

-Seeing Lee Gyeonwoo in person is genuinely shocking. It’s not even about his face, his entire presence is different from an ordinary person’s

-I saw someone with such an incredible aura that I wondered who they were, and later found out they were a celebrity lololol

Obviously, this kind of aura did not actually exist.

It was closer to each person placing a filter over their own eyes.

A beautiful person.

An impressive performance.

The emotions someone felt while looking at a particular subject became the filter known as an aura.

It was similar to how an old man standing on the street might look perfectly ordinary, but if he happened to be the chairman of a major corporation on an inspection visit, the employees would suddenly feel an aura billowing behind him.

In that sense, the singers were currently feeling someone’s aura.

Gulp-

Their gazes remained fixed on one place.

A group of five who seemed to radiate brilliant light from behind.

Part of it was their beautiful appearance, but the true halo came from everything they had accomplished that year.

What do they mean, approachable national idols? I don’t think I could even speak to them….

They’re all more intimidating than I expected.

They did not look cold.

Rather, they had an atmosphere that made them seem impossible to approach.

On variety shows, they wandered around laughing like idiots, but now they were only smiling faintly, and they looked like completely different people.

Uh, I think we just made eye contact. Should I… greet him? Oh! He greeted me back!

He debuted only one year before me, so why doesn’t it feel that way at all…?

I said in an interview that they were the seniors I respected. I wonder if they saw the article.

Various emotions intertwined in the gazes directed at NewBlack.

Admiration.

Wonder.

The same was true for the friends who had always watched them from nearby.

“Hey.”

Hanjo called out to his friend, who turned his head.

“…?”

“Hey.”

“What? Why?”

“I just wanted to say ‘hey.’”

Hanjo smiled with satisfaction.

“I was worried you might suddenly say, ‘Are we really close enough to speak so casually?’”

“They say things like this usually reflect the thoughts hidden inside the person saying them. So you were planning to do that.”

“You caught me.”

“You should strive to become a more mature adult, Lee Hyeonjo.”

While the two leaders bantered and chuckled, TeenSpirit had surrounded NewBlack’s youngest and were smiling.

“Hey.”

“Hey, hey, hey.”

“Hey, hey.”

Jiho’s friends his age, including Ha Hyeon, kept calling him “hey” as they played around with him.

Jiho complained,

“Why are you only doing this to me? You don’t do it to Ri Hyuk. He’s only one year older than me.”

Having discovered new prey, TeenSpirit whipped their heads around.

Their eyes met Ri Hyuk’s as he sat quietly with his legs crossed, straightening his suit.

Fans often compared Ri Hyuk to a cat, but to them, he looked like a two-meter-tall cat.

And most people called that a tiger.

“…….”

They smoothly avoided his gaze.

While Ri Hyuk looked puzzled, they turned back to Jiho.

“Hey.”

“Hey, hey, hey, hey.”

“Hey, hey.”

“…….”

As Jiho closed his mouth and sighed inwardly, TeenSpirit and Street Boys smiled in relief.

They were certainly friends, and they were top idols in their own right….

But recently, there were moments when they felt cautious around NewBlack.

They would joke around as usual, then suddenly think, Oh? and remember that these people were NewBlack.

Not just music and variety shows, but now films as well.

With Sound of the Sun surpassing ten million admissions, their friends seemed to have risen to an unreachable position.

And yet.

How is this possible?

To Hanjo’s amazement, NewBlack had not changed at all.

If he had achieved even half of what they had, then no matter how hard he tried to remain objective, his ego would surely have grown enormous.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Hanjo asked,

“How do you keep the same mindset even in a situation like this?”

“If I hadn’t kept it, I probably never would’ve made it to the situation you’re talking about.”

His friend whispered to him,

“Want to know a secret?”

“What?”

“I’ve only accomplished half of what I’m aiming for. Maybe I’ll change once I get there.”

That was why he could maintain his original mindset.

A chill ran across the back of Hanjo’s head.

He swallowed inwardly as his smiling friend casually turned away again.

He really is insane. What else is he planning to do…?

He shuddered, convinced that his friend could not possibly be sane.

At that moment, Han Taehyun approached, brushing back his wine-colored hair.

“What? What were you talking about?”

“I told him a secret.”

“What is it?”

“I’m not telling you.”

Han Taehyun frowned when Wooju stuck out his tongue to tease him.

“Ugh… You’ve been hanging out with Jang Hanbyeol so much that you’ve both become equally childish. Are you elementary schoolers?”

“Has it never occurred to you that he takes after me?”

“In my opinion….”

As the two longtime friends bickered and TeenSpirit and Street Boys worked out their own new relationship with NewBlack.

There were people who were more frozen than anyone else in the situation.

“…….”

Rigid shoulders.

Eyes darting nervously.

The members of the rookie girl group Dahlia, dressed in stage outfits with ribbons in their hair and frilled costumes, were extremely tense.

Unnie… I think I’m going to get indigestion.

M-Me too….

It was because NewBlack was seated directly in front of them.

Of course, there was no actual reason for it, but NewBlack’s very presence was enough to make a rookie girl group nervous.

That remained true even though they had debuted through a K-Net survival show that year, ranked among the top five girl groups in first-week album sales, and were widely considered the best rookie act of the year.

“…….”

It felt like being a new employee with the chairman and executives seated directly in front of them.

Worried that NewBlack might somehow sense their stares on the backs of their heads, the members of Dahlia began counting the lights in the air.

[The 2018 Mango Chart Awards will now begin!]

The lights dimmed along with a flashy VCR, and Lucky Girl prepared to take the stage for the first performance of the night.

“Excuse me.”

They jumped in surprise.

NewBlack’s leader had turned his head slightly and was looking at them.

The rookies shrank their shoulders as Sun Wooju slowly parted his lips.

His voice was exceedingly polite.

“Um, would it be all right if….”

“Yes.”

As they stared at him like frightened sheep, Wooju asked,

“Would it be all right if we had a little fun? Since you’re seated behind us, I was worried we might distract you.”

“…What? Yes.”

“Ah. Thank you.”

Wooju smiled gently and turned away, leaving the Dahlia members staring at one another.

What does he mean by asking if they can have fun?

I don’t know either.

As though answering their question, the NewBlack members seated in front of them began whispering.

“What did they say?”

“They said we can have fun.”

“Really? Then should we take them out?”

Rustle, rustle.

The five men pulled out their light sticks, Dalbongi.

Then Lucky Girl’s performance began, and the members of NewBlack waved their light sticks.

“Lucky, lucky, Lucky Girl!”

“We love you anytime, anywhere!”

“Kyaruk!”

The surrounding singers burst into laughter at the sight of NewBlack enthusiastically singing along and even shouting the fan chants.

I had realized it both in the military and in the entertainment industry, but the best part of gaining seniority or reaching a good position was that you could have fun.

More precisely, you could have fun without people glaring at you and accusing you of trying too hard to stand out.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

We had an incredible time.

We had attended so many events unrelated to our primary work recently that we had not had many chances to enjoy Korean music, which made everything feel especially exciting.

“Hyung! I’m having so much fun!”

“Me too!”

Since this was a digital music awards ceremony, the performances truly felt like a complete summary of the year in music.

Impressive rookie stages.

Outstanding ballad singers.

Taehyun’s solo stage, which seemed to declare, This is what the greatest idol looks like.

Performances by TeenSpirit, Street Boys, and the top girl groups Serenity and Scarlet.

[Yes! Next is the Songwriter of the Year award! Congratulations, composer Woojusun!]

[Next is the Best Dance category. WooBiju! Congratulations!]

As we happily collected the wide variety of trophies pouring our way.

The awards ceremony approached its final stretch, and the staff called for us.

“We’ll begin preparations now.”

“Yes.”

It was a shame that we would miss the remaining performances, but it was time for us to prepare.

We changed into our stage outfits, calmly checked the condition of our voices, and warmed up lightly.

Minki, who was overseeing the venue, approached us.

“How’s everyone feeling today?”

“We’re in good condition. The important thing is getting properly excited….”

I smiled.

“Honestly, I was a little worried before coming to the awards today. It’s been a long time since we did a major full-group stage in Korea, so I wondered whether I’d feel more nervous or unfamiliar than excited. But….”

“But?”

“I’m having so much fun that I want to go onstage right now.”

He grinned and held out a fist.

“Go destroy the stage, boys.”

Junghyun raised one eyebrow and gave him a look asking whether he really meant that.

Minki hurriedly waved his hands.

“Uh… not you, Junghyun.”

Chuckles spread through the room as I held out my hand to the others.

“All right. Shall we go? It’s time to begin our final stages of the year.”

“Yes!”

“One, two, three.”

“Let’s go!”

After cheering together, we stepped into the corridor leading toward the stage.

It was time to show everyone who the artist of the year was.