Chapter 73

The sound of an acoustic guitar flowed gently, and the audience's gaze focused on one spot.

Below where the spotlight shone.

A singer with sharp features stood holding the microphone.

At first, his expression was cool, but when he closed his eyes and smiled, it changed dramatically.

From icy cold to warm spring breeze.

The audience, who had been watching this transformation with interest, heard a gentle humming.

It was an unusual introduction.

Even the couple who had been nagging their grumbling child, the old man who had been soothing his complaints with his cane, and the fans of Tinspirit who had been chatting on a fan cafe, all stopped what they were doing and looked at the stage.

It was a soothing hum.

Like a lullaby sung by a mother to her child on a rainy day, a low and soft hum came through the drizzle.

After about 30 seconds.

Seo Ryeok finished the humming and opened his eyes with a gentle smile.

Soon, the sound of waves in the MR signaled the start of the song.

The imagery of a starlit night's sea, which the song was supposed to convey, wasn't quite clear due to the weather, but the warm prelude of piano and guitar created an emotional atmosphere.

The blue light slowly circling the stage began to surround the lead vocalist.

Walking through a distant memory,

The creaking tail of a rusty gate.

With the sound of rain as the background, his voice spread throughout the audience.

The lyrics were clear and easy to follow.

Since it was a song written by a grandson for his grandmother, the story in the lyrics was easy to understand.

A song for someone who had taken care of him in his childhood.

Perhaps because of the melody reminiscent of an old song about a starlit night's sea, the audience responded positively, regardless of age.

Amidst the blue and yellow lights scattering in all directions, creating a mysterious atmosphere, the two vocalists took turns singing.

Of course.

The audience didn't know that the lighting team for the festival was putting in all their effort to create this atmosphere.

Just reacting to the good song.

The smiles on the faces of those who had been amazed by the humming had now turned calm.

After about 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

The audience gave encouraging applause.

* * *

As the audience sent gentle applause to the Night Sea stage, Jung Hyojin, the MC, let out a sigh of relief.

‘...It’s done.’

The audience's expressions had clearly changed.

Just a moment ago, their gazes had been so fierce that she felt her face tingling during the prize event.

But now, it was as if they were looking at someone else.

There were no furrowed brows or pursed lips.

Just calm faces.

Is this the power of a song?

Thinking it would be a dance group because of the Fireworks song, the audience now saw them as a vocal group.

To the point where it made you wonder why they were idols.

Moreover, some audience members felt a sense of dissonance knowing that the person who created such a song was standing there.

‘How many things can you do?’

With the ease to manage a member who was about to fall and the ability to sing without being overshadowed by the main vocalist, plus songwriting.

It felt like a group that no one would believe if you told them about it.

- I saw an idol at this festival. They're called NewBlack, and they filled in. But none of them were bad at singing. Even the one who’s good at dancing sang incredibly well. They could all perform solo, seriously.

And then.

- The leader writes songs, and he made the title track. And he made Something with Jang So-won, right?

Just as she was thinking that it felt like a promotional statement, the tall member grabbed the microphone between the first and second verses.

The rap that soon began.

A pleasant voice rhythmically tickled the ears.

“...”

To the story she had just told, she added that they were also good at rapping.

Meanwhile.

Even if it wasn't to that extent, most of the audience felt something similar.

‘Preconceptions are really strong.’

NewBlack's performance wasn't different from before.

It was just that, because the Fireworks song was typical idol music, they had subconsciously thought, ‘They’re idols,’ and moved on.

They did well, but to the general public, idols were meant to dance on stage.

But when they looked without those preconceptions, everyone was amazed by their skills.

Plus, their professionalism.

Despite the cold rain and wind, and the sudden need to fill in for the performance, the NewBlack members were enjoying the stage with bright smiles.

Enough to make the audience feel good.

As the performance of Something continued, the name ‘NewBlack’ began to be etched into the audience's minds.

One thing was certain.

Among the teams that performed today, these would be the ones remembered the longest.

* * *

After the song ended, a fairly warm applause echoed.

The heat of the applause could be felt even through the cold rain and wind.

How long has it been?

It had been a while since they performed Something at an event, and it had been a really long time since they received such applause.

Feeling a sense of accomplishment, they looked at the audience with proud eyes.

The audience clapping and smiling, people murmuring as they discovered something interesting on their phones, agency staff talking with the on-site crew with relieved faces.

Even the Tinspirit fans, who were sending supportive applause, seemed a bit puzzled.

The tension that had been taut relaxed.

Nodding and smiling at the members who were looking at me as if to ask if we did well.

‘You did great, guys.’

Nearby, Seokhwan hyung was giving a thumbs up.

Then, after listening to what Mingi hyung said, he drew an OK sign with his fingers.

It meant the final preparations were ready.

- Now, only the last song remains.

“Yes, I’m really disappointed.”

- I heard you’re going to perform a song by another singer. Can we hear the title?

“It’s Mr. No Jae-hyun’s ‘Will You Be With Me?’”

As expected of a famous classic, the audience's reaction was positive.

Especially the faces of the elderly lit up.

‘Will You Be With Me?’ was the trot song we performed for our year-end evaluation.

Initially, we had several options, but considering the audience's age and the event's atmosphere, it was the best choice for the finale.

After livening up the mood with Night Sea and Something.

We planned to further energize the atmosphere with this song, which we had in our MR, and then pass the baton to Song Bo-hyung.

The trot singer would take care of the rest.

Most importantly, the reason we chose this song was because we had practiced it the most.

Last December.

We practiced this song for a month, 10 hours a day.

Of course, after a six-month break, there would be some awkward parts, but we planned to cover them by encouraging audience participation.

While laying the groundwork and chatting with the MC.

...Hmm?

A murmuring sound came from somewhere.

It was a serious atmosphere, enough to be heard over the rain, so I glanced sideways.

And we were startled.

What is that?

We didn't know where the problem started.

We couldn't see from that angle.

But water was spreading from where a group of crew members had gathered, as if it were flowing back.

It seemed like it might overflow to the side of the stage.

The audience wouldn't know what was happening due to the angle between the stage and the seats, but once they found out, it would be quite chaotic.

What should we do?

First, we need to reassure the audience so they don't get scared.

No, it would be better if they didn't notice at all.

My mind was racing.

The crew would solve this problem professionally, so it would be good if we could divert the audience's attention for a moment.

As far as possible...

Suddenly, the space between the stage and the audience caught my eye.

Honestly, I wasn't sure.

But it was the best I could think of at the moment.

While the lively prelude was playing, I signaled to the two members who were quick to catch on.

They nodded in understanding.

If these two act, the others will follow.

Clap, clap-clap.

As people clapped to the lively trot accompaniment, I slightly stepped down from the stage and headed towards the audience.

The people in the front row opened their eyes wide.

As we took our places in the empty space between the stage and the audience, the others followed.

With a slightly bewildered but smiling face.

While clapping and encouraging applause, our bodies moved naturally.

Perhaps because we had practiced for a month, almost non-stop.

It flowed more naturally from our bodies than when we had done a light check before going on stage.

As the first line began, our youngest member stepped forward.

The young face began to sing the first line of the trot song with a flavorful tone.

Where are you?

Are you here? Or there?

The audience responded with adoration.

Well done, our youngest.

Just this much was enough to judge that he did well.

While preparing for my part, Jiho moved while singing.

Eh, where is he going?

My heart sank as I saw our youngest member approaching the mayor and his spouse.

He wouldn't do anything strange, would he?

While swallowing nervously, Jiho approached them, making gestures as if pointing to someone while performing the choreography.

Why are you avoiding me?

I didn't do anything.

The youngest member sent a hand heart with a playful smile.

His expression, as if saying, ‘Look at me, I’m so pretty,’ made the audience's faces noticeably soften.

It was a dramatic change.

Especially the person pointed out by his finger.

It was a surprising sight.

The mayor, who had been stiff all day with worries, burst into laughter that surprised those around him.

* * *

At the same time.

Tinspirit fan cafe, Soul's free board.

- Haven't the kids arrived at the event yet??

- Why isn't mop making an announcement? Damn it.

- What should we do??

- The atmosphere at the scene must be really bad, huh...

- Can anyone at the scene give us a live update?

A comment soon appeared.

- A new group called NewBlack is filling in.

- Oh...

- I can guess the atmosphere...

- They must be embarrassed, damn it.

- Huh? No.

- ?

- The atmosphere is good.

The comment section was filled with question marks, and a short comment was added.

- The atmosphere at the scene is really good.