Chapter 69

The fan signing event was also approaching its final stages.

It was planned to allow for quite a long time to have ample conversation, and because of that, the faces of the fans who were taking their eco-bags were full of smiles.

It was a scene that made one feel full just by looking at it.

While the sound check was being done for the stage that would follow the signing time, I secretly glanced at the faces of the fans in the audience.

“The fans really seem to like it.”

“Of course they do.”

The fan manager standing next to me replied.

“Even if we had just given them lotion, they would have liked it.”

“Hey, that’s a bit much.”

“Really. At Scarlett’s first fan signing, we gave out rice cakes as gifts.”

“Rice cakes?”

“A member’s family runs a mill. Anyway, even though we only gave out rice cakes, the fans were really happy. When I checked the internet reviews, some people said they kept the rice cakes until they molded.”

She pointed at the fans and said,

“Look. Those people’s expressions.”

Everyone was hugging their eco-bags with bright smiles.

“Even with just a rice cake, they had such a reaction. There’s no need to say anything about my singer giving them something they made themselves.”

Indeed.

I don’t know much about it because I’m a singer, not a fan.

But if the fan manager says so, it must be true.

I was just grateful that the fans appreciated the gift.

I had been thinking that using just an eco-bag might be a bit too simple.

Maybe it’s about the heart.

While I was thinking this, someone suddenly whispered in my ear,

“The fans really seem to like it.”

“Ah, you scared me.”

“It’s me, Jung-hyun. Don’t be surprised.”

“Please, give me a heads-up before whispering from behind.”

Fortunately, I instinctively controlled myself, or I might have felt the sensation of a backhand from a nerve.

That would have been a disaster.

I glared at him, and the guy who had been laughing sheepishly started to massage my shoulder apologetically.

“Wow, that feels good.”

Seeing me close my eyes and exclaim, the fan manager and the staff filming us laughed.

“Bro, when you say things like that, you sound like our grandfather.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Me too.”

While we were chatting, Min-ki and the others returned from the restroom.

I burst out laughing as soon as I saw them.

“Do you guys look like you just had a drink at a bar?”

“What do you mean?”

Ri-hyuk, whose face was flushed red, snorted.

“You don’t look much better yourself.”

Well, I was in the same boat.

During the signing time, my face kept getting hot every time the fans praised us or said something nice, and now it was completely flushed.

It felt like we were five brothers who had applied blush too enthusiastically, rather than a five-member idol group.

Just as the youngest member said, “I’m so disappointed it’s already over. We could have done much more,”

“More and your neck would have been broken. Hey, Wang Ji-ho, don’t you get a sore throat from talking so much?”

“Yeah, I guess. Since I talked so much, even my hyung’s words came out of my mouth.”

While a fierce eye battle was unfolding, Be-ju placed her hand on her flushed cheeks.

“Fans must have been really nervous.”

“Yes, I really made a lot of mistakes. I wrote names wrong and made weird sounds while talking.”

“You did a great job.”

“Having you by my side really helped. When I followed what Hyung Taehyun said, it really helped.”

“…Did you hear everything?”

“Yes.”

He raised his hand and whispered, “I’ll keep the World Cup to myself.”

I only managed a wry smile.

Just then, I turned to the others, who were giving the signal to wrap up the schedule with the last question.

“Now, there’s one last question. This time, I’ll pick it. I noticed one that stood out.”

While I was thinking about how to wrap up the fan signing event, I found a post-it note.

—Q. What are fans to New Black?

The lively atmosphere suddenly turned serious.

“This is a question that many fans, including those here today, might be curious about.”

All relationships are fundamentally unstable.

I know my own heart, but I don’t know what’s in the other person’s heart.

That’s why fans are always anxious.

I love you guys so much and support you from behind, but do they just see us as a source of money or as annoying people who follow them around?

We’ve already shown through a VCR that that’s not the case, but I wanted to say it again in my own words as we wrapped up.

“The relationship between idols and fans can’t be defined in one way. If there are 100 people, there will be 100 different thoughts. So, what I’m saying now is just one of those thoughts.”

I held the microphone and faced the fans with serious eyes.

“Sometimes, we joke among ourselves that we’re not a five-member group but a seven-member group. What that means is that we can’t do anything on our own. We only know how to sing and dance; we can’t do anything else. We don’t know how to schedule, how to drive, or how to choose outfits. Without the company staff who help us in every way, we wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

Even though I was talking to the fans, the staff members were also paying close attention.

“And the other two spots are for the fans. Just like the staff who help us, without the fans, we wouldn’t be able to achieve anything. Really.”

The company creates the process, like albums and fan signing events, but the fans are the ones who create the results.

Music show number one.

Who makes that happen? The fans do.

“Every time I look at our members, I feel grateful, and every time I look at the fans, I think of them as solid and grateful teammates. That’s what we’ve wanted to say to you all along.”

I concluded with a heartfelt message.

“It’s okay if you don’t support us up close. Even from a distance, we just want you to support us comfortably. If you do that, we’ll focus and work hard to show you our best. Yes, that’s all. Thank you for being with us today, New Black. Thank you.”

“Thank you!”

We all bowed deeply in unison.

But for some reason, there was no response from the audience.

As I looked at the heavy silence in the audience, feeling uneasy,

“……”

Just as I was wondering if I had said something wrong,

an incredibly enthusiastic response began to come back.

Much more than I had expected.

* * *

A few days later.

“Hyung! Hyung!”

“Why again?”

“We got the results!”

“What?”

“We announced the fan club name vote, remember! It ended today. They just announced the results.”

“Really? What is it?”

“I don’t know either! I haven’t looked yet, I wanted to see it with Hyung.”

“Let’s go check it out. What did we get?”

The members gathered in front of their smartphones, filled with excitement.

“Wow, I’m really nervous.”

“I’m so nervous too. What should we do, now we’re getting a name.”

“That’s what I’m saying. It’s a good thing we didn’t even peek at the fan cafe. We really have no idea what it could be.”

“Yeah. I feel like I’m opening a random box in a game.”

“How do you feel, Woo-ju Hyung?”

“I’m really nervous. Now we’ll have a name to call the fans. We’ll be able to say, ‘Our fans, who are who…’”

“Right.”

“Ah! Here it is, the result!”

When we clicked on the announcement post, the voting results appeared.

And then.

“……”

Everyone looked at one person.

[New Black Official Fan Club Name Vote!! +3-day voting period, please participate]

-Final Results

1st: Souffle (85.2%)

2nd: Teammate (11.8%)

3rd: Tablet (2.9%)

4th: New Pink (0.1%)

-The fan club name is officially Souffle~~^^!!

“……”

Silence filled the room for three seconds.

Then, a voice denying the reality began to echo through the practice room.