Chapter 54

Am I seeing things?

Under the bright lights, the concert hall was filled with fans who had come to see us.

So many people had come that the seats were not only full, but there were even people standing at the back.

I was dazed.

“What’s going on...”

Speechless, I looked at the audience cheering and then turned to look at my siblings.

Their eyes were wide open.

Lee Hyuk had even hidden behind Jiho’s arm.

It’s understandable.

Are these really the fans who came to see our showcase?

The hall, which had been spacious when the reporters were here, was now packed to the brim, with no room to stand.

But there was something even more surprising.

Their expressions.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes were twinkling like stars in the night sky, all looking at us.

The MC said in amazement,

“I’ve been to many showcases, but this is the first time I’ve seen so many fans at a debut showcase. Wow, the cheers from the fans are making my ears tingle.”

He smiled and asked,

“Manager, how many people did you say came in total? Ah, yes. A total of 239 people came. I don’t know the exact number, but I think this is in the top six for the number of attendees at a debut showcase.”

Hearing this, my siblings and I looked at each other in shock.

239 people?

Even Street Boys, who had gathered fans through reality shows before their debut, only had around 100 people.

Twice as many.

Is this even possible?

If Seokhwan had told us before we went on stage that over 200 people would come to see our performance, I wouldn’t have believed him.

But now, there are people right in front of us.

Fans holding signs that say “Thank you for all your hard work” or “Let’s walk together from now on” and cheering for us.

Their enthusiasm was palpable.

“...”

I don’t know how to describe this feeling.

My eyes felt warm, and I blinked them, while a tingling sensation spread from my throat.

I bit my lip.

Otherwise, I would have burst into tears.

My heart was pounding so hard that I could hear it in my ears.

Biju looked at the audience with a moved expression.

“Are these really people who came to see us? We...”

He left the rest unsaid, but I think everyone understood.

‘How could so many people come to see us?’ That’s what he must have meant. We all smiled without saying a word, fully understanding his feelings.

The MC said, surprised,

“I thought the members would know how many fans were coming, but it seems they didn’t know at all.”

“It’s because the director didn’t tell us.”

Jung-hyun took the microphone.

“And... we were worried, but we’re grateful. We thought, no matter how many fans come, even if just one person comes, we would be grateful.”

Perhaps it was because of his pleasant, deep voice.

The fans cheered.

Jung-hyun stopped speaking and tilted his head.

The expression on his bear-like face seemed to say, ‘What? Why are people cheering for me?’

Jung-hyun then said, as if he had just remembered something.

“Oh, the part about being grateful even if one person comes is something Yoojoo said.”

“Jung-hyun. That wasn’t Yoojoo, it was me.”

“Oh, it was you?”

The fans laughed at our rapper’s blinking expression. Jung-hyun immediately corrected himself, looking at the audience.

“That’s what this friend said.”

“No, I really said it.”

“Okay, if you say so, then it must be true.”

“No...”

Everyone laughed at Biju’s exasperated expression.

Thinking that Jung-hyun would get a lecture from Biju, I took the microphone.

It was time for a proper greeting.

The MC, noticing this, smoothly led the way.

“The members must have something they want to say to the fans. Let’s start with Yoojoo.”

“Yes. Hello, everyone. I’m Yoojoo.”

From up here, I could clearly see the expressions of the people.

All kinds.

Though I had never seen these faces before, they all looked at me with the same eyes.

Infinite affection.

I’ve been on many music show and event stages, but this was the first time I saw such pure eyes from fans who came just to see us.

I had dreamed of moments like this.

But actually receiving such looks was really...

“Thank you.”

Even though my voice was trembling, I received a passionate response.

“It’s been about three months since ‘Something,’ right?”

“Yes!”

“I don’t know how to express my gratitude. I feel humbled. I’m still in shock. I wonder if we really deserve the love of so many people, but I’m grateful for this moment. Just to make sure, are you really our fans?”

Laughter rippled through the audience.

“I’m so happy, it’s hard to believe. We did appear on music shows before our debut, but I never imagined we would have so many fans. This is the first time I’ve met our fans in person. So, how do I feel right now? Uh...”

“You must feel like you’re about to faint, Yoojoo.”

Hearing Jung-hyun’s words, I took a deep breath, and the other members and fans laughed.

After thinking for three seconds about how to express my feelings, I found an appropriate sentence.

“Thank you. Because of you, today is the best day of my life.”

The cheers that immediately followed made me smile brightly.

Really.

It was the best day of my life.

* * *

After the showcase, in the car on the way back to the dorm.

“It’s over! It’s over!”

“Ouch, my ears hurt. Hey, Wang Jiho, be quiet.”

“Why? I’m excited. I know you’re smiling, Lee Hyuk.”

“...Take your hand off.”

The older members laughed at our youngest member, who was making a yolo motion on Lee Hyuk’s chin.

When you’re in a situation like this, your younger siblings are really in sync.

The acting youngest member, who was clearing his throat, soon regained his composure and said,

As if imitating someone’s expression, he furrowed his eyebrows in a sentimental way.

“Thanks to you, today is the best day of my life.”

“Hahaha!”

“That’s not how he said it. You guys...”

The driver, Min-ki, and Seokhwan in the front seat also burst out laughing.

Biju, who was laughing so hard he almost cried, asked me with a wronged expression,

“Did I really say it that sentimentally?”

“It’s okay, Yoojoo. The fans liked it.”

Biju’s words made the bear, who was rummaging through a snack bag, nod.

He then offered me a snack.

“What is it?”

“It’s a comfort.”

“...It’s subtly mocking me, isn’t it?”

“Ah, do you want me to feed you?”

Our team’s rapper’s sweet expression as he put the snack in my mouth made me laugh.

“Still, I feel really good. Even when we were doing the music cafe and events, I thought it would be great if we had fans. But it’s even better than I imagined.”

“Yeah, it feels like we’re flying.”

“I still can’t believe it. 239 people. I thought it was a surprise camera set up by the director.”

The manager, who had been listening, laughed.

“Because of the cost, it’s not possible. We spent a lot of money on your album. Honestly, I didn’t expect the 250 tickets to sell out. I’ve never seen anything like this at a debut showcase.”

“We’re still in shock. Where did all these fans come from?”

“We did a lot of things, didn’t we? We topped the music shows for a month, appeared on music cafes, and did a lot of events.”

“Is that so?”

“Or maybe it’s because of Street Boys? After they dissed us, the fan community seemed to rally.”

When Lee Hyuk said this, we suddenly remembered something we had forgotten.

“Oh, right! Our song is out today.”

Although our official debut day is tomorrow, the company had moved the schedule forward, and the song was released at 8 PM today.

It was now 9:30 PM.

Curious about the current reaction to the released song, we took out our smartphones.

Meanwhile, Seokhwan’s eyes in the rearview mirror were smiling strangely.

“I’ll check the charts.”

We gathered in front of Biju’s phone and started to go through the chart from 1st to 100th place.

As expected, we weren’t in the top 50.

But when we moved to the 50-100 range, our eyes slowly went down and then stopped at a certain point.

They went up and down several times.

[98th. NewBlack - Fireworks]

Seeing the number on the screen, we blinked.

“...Is this right?”

“It seems to be.”

“Is it really?”

“Of course it is.”

The members, who had been staring at each other.

“...”

Finally, we let out a cheer that could make the car fly.

* * *

DNS Media headquarters.

It was late, but the meeting room was full of employees.

All of them had serious expressions.

Especially the middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table, his face was ashen.

On his laptop, a music chart with a yellow mango symbol was displayed.

[88th. NewBlack - Fireworks]

NewBlack’s debut song, which had entered the chart at 98th place at 10 PM, had now climbed to 88th place as midnight approached.

The CEO of DNS Media, Lim Hyun-sik, scanned the chart.

[24th. Jang So-won X NewBlack - Something]

[88th. NewBlack - Fireworks]

[97th. Street Boys - Hunger]

As the already stern face of CEO Lim hardened, all the employees in the meeting room swallowed hard.

The atmosphere was completely different from a week ago when they had fired celebratory shots for making it into the top 100.

The department heads started to speak.

“Our A&R team said we shouldn’t change the song...”

“From the perspective of the publicity team, we said that noise marketing could have the opposite effect...”

“From the perspective of the manager on the ground...”

“Didn’t the 2nd team insist on changing the lyrics to include diss lines that weren’t in the song? And now you’re trying to back out after writing the script for the interview lines...”

Watching them shift the blame and raise their voices, CEO Lim Hyun-sik rubbed his temples.

His head hurt.

NewBlack’s success doesn’t mean Street Boys’ performance will suffer.

But everything in the entertainment industry is relative.

If a drama usually gets a 20% rating, you would say it’s successful.

But what if there’s a 50% drama at the same time?

Would you still call it successful?

A boy group from a small agency, and with an original song, had entered the chart in the 80s on their first day.

It was unimaginable how much higher they could climb.

At that moment, his smartphone screen flashed.

Baldy [Park Gyu-ho sent a gifticon.]

Baldy [^^]

Suppressing the urge to throw his phone, CEO Lim Hyun-sik sent a short congratulatory message.

‘Damn it.’

The expression ‘giving a dog a bowl of soup’ had never felt more appropriate than today.