Chapter 76

'Going to the Scene' was a familiar format.

It was like the TV programs that Mrs. Kim Deoksoon used to watch whenever there were no customers at the restaurant.

Things like this week's weather, a festival in a certain town, or the latest流行的疾病.

It was a program that presented news and lifestyle information in an entertaining way.

We were not originally supposed to appear.

The reporter who interviewed us that day had passed on the footage, and because of the positive internal reaction, it was decided to restructure the program around us.

If it were a terrestrial channel, this would have been impossible.

It seemed that only a cable channel suffering from chronic lack of content could do something like this.

Anyway, with a sense of gratitude towards the reporter who gave us this opportunity, I focused my gaze.

A man dressed formally appeared against the backdrop of the studio.

"Hello, I'm announcer Kim Seung-gwan."

After the MC's greeting, which started with a story about summer, the segments began to roll one by one.

A typhoon ravaging the southern regions, wild boar hunting in a rural area, and a certain pig intestine restaurant in Gwangmyeong Market.

Finally, our segment came up.

At the familiar event venue thumbnail, we all squirmed.

"Ugh, we're finally on. Why am I so nervous for something so trivial?"

"Hey, Wang Jiho. Stop making such a fuss. You're shaking the screen."

"Lee Hyuk, your legs are shaking too."

"…No, the ground is shaking."

Amidst the light laughter, Beju turned up the volume.

"'What comes to mind when you hear the word 'festival'? Excitement, joy, happiness. These words pop into your head, right? The main characters in the next segment are the people who liven up the festival atmosphere."

As the event venue thumbnail changed to NewBlack, we all covered our eyes with a groan.

It was embarrassing in a different way from the Music Cafe.

It was equally embarrassing, but appearing on a lifestyle information program that had nothing to do with idols felt somehow more awkward and shameful. We wanted to turn it off quickly, yet we also wanted to watch.

"Last Friday, the 2014 Moonlight Festival, hosted by Icheon City, Gyeonggi Province, was held in a lively atmosphere. On that day, something very special happened. Now, let's meet today's main characters, the rookie idol group NewBlack, and their event experience. Watch it!"

While we were swallowing hard, the screen changed with the announcer's gesture.

[Gyeonggi Province, Icheon, July 18th]

Over this subtitle, the scene of a temporary stage being set up appeared.

As the staff moved, the stage was being constructed, and the semicircular audience seats were revealed.

The structure allowed a clear view from the back seats due to the natural slope.

A comical voice-over narrated.

"This is Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, where preparations are in full swing for today's festival. The staff are busy preparing~"

The busy scene of the staff passed by.

"The singers are also nervous~"

Scenes of a folk performance troupe, a rock band, a boy group, and a girl group preparing for something appeared one after another.

Then, the footage taken by our company appeared.

"Who are those five men emitting light over there?"

At the clumsy and childish halo CG, we couldn't help but burst out laughing, and Lee Hyuk's face turned red as he grabbed a water bottle.

I barely managed to stop barley tea from going up my nose.

"Are you filming this?"

It was something I said to Min-ki, but on screen, it looked like I was talking to the VJ.

I heard that the broadcasting station contacted our company separately while editing the footage that day.

They wanted to feature the festival with a focus on NewBlack and asked if we had any additional footage.

It was a precious opportunity for free promotion, so our company provided the materials without hesitation.

The result was now on screen, with the subtitle 'Rookie Boy Group NewBlack' appearing.

"What are you doing now?"

"We are warming up our voices."

"That's unusual."

"That's the method our main vocalist taught us. It works well."

As we all huddled together, saying "five hundred won, five hundred won" to warm up our voices, fake laughter played in the background.

This was incredibly embarrassing.

After that, the story flowed naturally.

The scene of NewBlack cheering before going on stage, performing fireworks in the rain, and finally the MC conducting a prize draw in a chilly atmosphere.

"But the atmosphere on site is strange. The final singer, who was supposed to come, hasn't arrived. What's going on?"

Since there was no camera around when we talked to the event staff or during the tense situation, the interview with someone else played under the scene of the prize draw, narrating the situation.

The background music intensified.

A staff member reported that the final singer couldn't come due to the rain.

The reason our voices weren't used was that we all kept quiet to avoid causing trouble for Tinspirit fans.

After the voice-over ended, our interview voice was played.

"Even though our skills are lacking, we felt we should go on stage given the situation."

The content after that was nothing special.

We performed 'Night Sea' and 'Something' in front of the cold audience, and then sang a trot song.

Finally, the atmosphere was lifted when we sang with Song Bo-hyung, and the video seemed to end...

"Hey, what's this? It's not over yet?"

We thought the video would end with our touching interview, but the scene continued with us trudging off the stage.

The footage taken by the broadcasting station continued.

"But at this moment, one of the members started an unexpected action, as if he had noticed something."

Jung-hyun, who was carrying Jiho, started walking slowly with a serious expression.

"Huh?"

Beside me, Jung-hyun, who was watching the DMB, blinked and asked.

"Is this also going to be shown?"

On screen, Jung-hyun, who was talking to the director, squatted down and started helping with the repairs.

His rain-soaked face was depicted in a cool way.

Finally, when the pump started working again, the staff on site looked relieved.

"I was really surprised."

When did the director get interviewed?

"He said, 'I know how to fix it,' and started repairing it. I was really surprised. Anyway, today's performance and the help he gave on site, NewBlack is really great!"

The awkward smile of a man with a scruffy beard, giving a thumbs-up, made us laugh.

Of course, the laughter grew louder.

Our interview appeared.

"Jung-hyun? Sometimes we are really surprised by him."

"I'm not just surprised; it happens a lot."

"He's a remarkable person."

"Earlier, he predicted the rain. He was looking at the sky on a clear day and said, 'It will rain later.'"

While the junior member imitated someone perfectly, we burst into laughter, and Jung-hyun scratched his cheek awkwardly.

The screen switched to a solo interview.

"How did you know how to fix it?"

"Since I retired, my dream has been to be a farmer."

The unexpected answer made us laugh again.

When he spoke seriously to the reporter that day, this is what he meant.

The main PD in the screen scratched his beard.

"I've seen a lot of farming on the internet, and when I went to my hometown, I saw a lot of adults handling machines. It was just a lucky guess. I saw the same problem before..."

His slow, sincere tone filled the screen.

When asked if he had any message for his hometown, Jung-hyun said,

"Father, Mother, I'm doing well, so don't worry. Um?"

As moths kept flying in front of the camera, Jung-hyun stretched out his hand and caught one.

The reporter's surprised face.

Jung-hyun, however, continued talking with a nonchalant expression.

"Anyway, I hope the crops grow well and there's a good harvest. Oh, and send some rice. You know my friend, Beju. He uses rice like water."

While our team's rapper was being pinched by a fairy in the waiting room, the scene quickly transitioned.

When asked who made the biggest impression that day,

"Kim Gyu-hyun / Icheon, Gyeonggi Province"

"NewBlack. They performed really passionately despite the rain."

"Roh Yu-jung / Icheon, Gyeonggi Province"

"I came out to make memories with my mother, and the NewBlack members left a lasting impression. They sang really well."

"Bak Dae-bok / Icheon, Gyeonggi Province"

"I don't know. The trot singer and the young guys were the best."

The audience laughed and praised us, and the interviews with the staff continued.

"Song Bo-hyung / Trot Singer"

"The young guys are amazing. Singing trot wasn't an easy choice, but they left a deep impression. I hope we can perform together someday."

With that interview, the scenes from that day passed by quickly.

The cliché narration about supporting the dreams of the rookie group NewBlack ended, and the screen returned to the studio.

"..."

We felt a strange emotion.

Perhaps it was the moving feeling we didn't realize after the event ended.

It was a cable program that didn't even appear in the ratings, but we couldn't help but smile.

Of course, we didn't forget to tease someone who was embarrassed.

"Hey, now Jung-hyun is a star."

"Totally a big star."

"Bro, don't pretend you don't know after becoming famous."

"Jung-hyun, do you really use a lot of rice?"

The person being teased just scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed face.

"I just fixed the pump..."

* * *

A considerable amount of time had passed since the broadcast of 'Going to the Scene' in the morning.

Sunday night.

At a time when everyone was resting, the TBC Entertainment Division meeting room was brightly lit.

"Who should we choose?"

A man with a baseball cap pulled down, PD Goo Jae-young, stroked his rough beard.

In front of him were piles of documents.

Profiles sent by various agencies.

They were diverse.

There were actors, idols, and variety show personalities.

It was a simple matter of picking one.

'Easy to say.'

Having many choices wasn't always a good thing.

Especially for a special episode featuring multiple guests, it wasn't just about the guests' fame but also their chemistry.

What kind of chemistry would they show on screen?

'This is tough.'

PD Goo Jae-young was in charge of TBC's Chuseok special.

Although Chuseok was still two months away, the actual filming was just a month away.

Moreover, with the suspension of TBC's flagship holiday variety show 'Idol Sports Day,' the upper management was worried about losing ratings to other channels.

This made the guest selection even more stressful.

"What are you thinking so hard about?"

While sitting in the empty meeting room and looking at the documents, his junior PD Oh stuck his head in.

Goo PD licked his dry lips.

"Taehoon, it's about Team C."

"Team C?"

"Who should we pick from here?"

"Ah, Daydream or NewBlack?"

The profiles of two 5-member groups were lined up.

One was a rookie, the other a 3-year-old boy group.

While sipping an Americano, PD Oh said dismissively,

"Just go with Daydream. It's a Chuseok special, and if we use rookies, we might ruin the atmosphere on set."

"I think so too, but..."

"But what?"

"For some reason, they caught my eye."

"NewBlack?"

His junior tilted his head.

"When we investigated, there was nothing special. They appeared in 'Something' with Jang Soo-won, and one member's father gave a boat. That's all."

"What about Daydream?"

"They're similar, but they've appeared on more shows. Less risk."

"Is that so?"

"Maybe the manager of Lemon is on your mind. That guy with glasses keeps coming around."

"You're really something. I've been in this industry for years; do you think I'd let a manager influence me?"

It was true that the manager of Lemon, Yoon, had been persistently pitching.

Thanks to that, Daydream, who wouldn't have been considered otherwise, was now in the final candidate pool with NewBlack.

But it wasn't just because of that.

While reviewing the materials gathered by the writers, he thought, 'They're not bad.'

It was a gut feeling of a variety show PD.

The problem was that there was no concrete evidence to support this feeling.

'Rookies are a gamble, after all.'

Even though they had been active since February, putting rookies in a variety show's Chuseok special might be too risky.

Just as he was thinking this and about to move NewBlack's profile under Daydream's, a voice interrupted.

"What were you two talking about?"

A sub-writer entered with a cup of coffee.

PD Oh seemed to have an idea.

"Right, Yang."

"Yes?"

"You handled the pre-investigation for Team C, right? You investigated NewBlack too?"

"Yes."

"Was there anything special?"

"Nothing special, but... Ah!"

At the sudden exclamation, the two turned their heads.

"A friend sent me a video earlier. He works on a cable channel and said they had NewBlack on their rural special. He suggested I watch it."

"What video?"

"I haven't seen it yet."

To satisfy their curiosity, the sub-writer brought a laptop.

When he clicked on the file in his email, a video appeared.

"Going to the Scene, what kind of show is this?"

"It seems similar to the information programs our company produces."

"Both of you, be quiet and watch."

Before she could finish speaking, the broadcast started, and the two fell silent.

A 5-minute clip.

But by the end, the main PD's face showed a strange expression.

"Hold on, play that part again."

"Here?"

Without specifying a particular part, PD Oh moved the mouse.

The scene where Kim Jung-hyun, after fixing the machine, said he lived in the countryside and dreamed of being a farmer.

The slow, sincere tone began to paint a picture in his mind.

The main PD, lost in thought, looked at his junior.

"Taehoon, we're going to the countryside for this special."

"Right."

"How about it?"

"Definitely..."

"Doesn't the image seem good?"

"Yes, it was ambiguous before, but now it's clear."

When the sub-writer tilted his head in confusion, the main PD nodded.

"Let's contact them tomorrow."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

Goo Jae-young.

He was the main PD of 'Around the World with a Dice,' the most popular variety show at TBC.

* * *

Monday is our official day off.

Of course, this doesn't mean we do nothing and just rest.

It's like when we were preparing for our debut; we're not scheduling anything so we can focus on self-improvement.

The company also provides us with this consideration.

Meanwhile, on this day off, Lee Hyuk and I were deeply engrossed in recording.

-Lee Hyuk, the tone needs to be a bit lower.

"Okay, I'll fix it."

-Uju is doing well, but when you sing 'That Night Sea,' try to breathe a bit more subtly. Pay attention to that part.

"Got it."

We nodded at the words of the A&R team members behind the glass and continued recording.

We were currently recording the official audio for 'Night Sea.'

With the release of the audio imminent, the atmosphere was quite serious, and our attitude towards the recording was different.

"Great job!"

After about 2 hours of recording, we were left alone in the studio.

Lee Hyuk and I were exhausted and collapsed.

"Move over."

"I got here first."

"I was born first."

"Being old is great."

"Rude."

"Old-fashioned."

After a brief argument over the best spot on the sofa, we agreed to share it.

Lee Hyuk, stretching like a tired cat, groaned.

"I'm dying. Really."

"Are you still feeling unwell?"

"Maybe. I need some sleep to feel better."

"Just hang in there. The music show will be over the day after tomorrow, and we can rest for a day."

"That would be great."

Perhaps due to the fatigue, our eyelids started to droop, and our voices became drowsy.

Just as we were about to fall asleep, the door burst open.

Ah, what is it?

When we looked up, it was our juniors.

"Seniors! Seniors!"

"What's up?"

"We have great news!"

At first, I didn't know what it was, but then I had a hunch.

Earlier, Seok-hwan said he was heading to the broadcasting station because he had some good news.

Maybe it's a variety show offer.

As I tried to shake off my drowsiness and feel hopeful,

"Seniors, us."

But the excited words of Beju completely threw me off.

"We've been picked as the top candidate for Showtime 1st place tomorrow."

"What?"

Without realizing it, I jumped up, and Lee Hyuk rolled off the sofa.