As the lights rose on the stage, the set came into view.

Two benches.

The New Black members were split between them.

On the left sat Kim Bijoo and Kim Junghyun.

On the right was Sun Woo-joo, seated with an acoustic guitar.

When his long, pale fingers moved, a clear guitar riff rang out and the instrumental backing began.

At the same moment, captions appeared on the TV screen:

[Jang Sowon X New Black – Something]

Lemon Entertainment’s PR team burst into applause.

“Wow, Sun Woo-joo.”

“I’d only heard he played guitar, but I didn’t know he was that good. When did he practice?”

“They say he’s always handled instruments well. It runs in the family.”

“Is that really skilled playing? Honestly, three months at a music school and anyone can play like that.”

“Heh, sure.”

“No, really.”

“He’ll never go hungry. His face does all the work.”

On screen, Woo-joo looked every bit the part.

A man sitting cross-legged, playing guitar.

His handsome features and full makeup combined to create a look that surpassed many actors.

The close-up was a genuine “wow” moment.

The scene shifted.

Before the three men on the bench now stood two others:

Jang Sowon and Seo Rihyuk.

Dressed like university students, they gazed at each other.

The first verse showed Sowon moving in towards Rihyuk with practiced confidence.

Her stage presence, vocal skill, and the softness of her delivery all shone through.

“You don’t know my heart, and I don’t know yours

But you know, don’t you

That our relationship is still unripe

And in that space flows Something”

A gentle song.

The light, caressing vocals evoked memories of a first love in the quietest of ways and left the live audience breathless.

A hint of playful whining in the lyrics, yet not unpleasant.

Words spoken to a man who doesn’t understand her feelings.

Sowon lowered the mic slightly, and the part transferred to Rihyuk.

His expression was icy.

Like winter snow—aloof, yet somehow harboring a sharp edge.

But when the part returned to him, it felt as if winter faded and spring arrived.

The chill gone, his face broke into a warm, tender smile. His voice through the mic was like a spring breeze.

“At first I thought you were the spring breeze

Not the petals on my shoulder

But you who tickle my heart, who are you

We said we were just friends, but I feel different”

His steady, mature vocals belied his rookie status.

“What is this between us? I’m still confused

So—”

Sowon and Rihyuk shared the mic and gazed at each other.

The sweet look of a couple on the verge of something more.

“From today I’ll be in that something with you

Grasping your hand that seems just out of reach

I’ll close the gap between you and me

Holding your hand that seems just out of reach

I’ll walk the line between friendship and romance”

From the second part onward, the rest of New Black joined in.

– “Sounds even better live.”

– “But besides the main vocal, the rest only do chorus?”

– “If that’s the case they might as well be the two of them lol.”

– “I knew Sowon was good, but these guys are amazing... tight harmonies.”

Some questioned why the other members appeared, but both online and in the venue the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.

“Something” was the hottest hit right now.

Regardless of who sang which part, Sowon and Rihyuk’s live skills electrified the performance.

Of course, the reason the main vocal had so many lines was intentional.

At first, we ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ divided the song equally in a spirit of fairness—each member got the same share—and recorded it that way. Everything sounded perfect: each member’s individual color shone, and the overall balance was beautiful.

But after everyone—including the New Black members and Jang Sowon—heard the finished track, we had to redistribute the parts.

Sowon spoke up:

“Doesn’t this make me sound like I’m leading them all on?”

That was the issue.

The song’s quality was flawless, but we’d overlooked that its theme was “something”—the playful push-and-pull of romance.

In that context, four distinct male voices and one female voice together created a strange vibe.

It seemed as if one woman were flirting with four men at once, and the four men were all caught in her “friend zone” game—an odd tableau indeed.

So we had to split it again.

One man and one woman.

The result was the “Something” you’d just seen.

“From today I’ll be in that something with you

Grasping your hand that seems just out of reach

I’ll close the gap between you and me

Holding your hand that seems just out of reach

I’ll walk the line between friendship and romance”

As the chorus’s harmonies soared, I smiled.

When our debut performance ended, the tension dissolved.

I nearly collided with another boy group waiting to come on as I carried my guitar offstage.

Junghyun grabbed me by the nape—thankfully—otherwise we might have had an accident.

Everyone else was equally relieved. Rihyuk in particular lay sprawled out, looking utterly drained.

“Great job, you guys!”

Back in the waiting room, Jang Sowon gave each of us a hug.

Exhausted herself, she collapsed onto the sofa and gulped down water.

Her cheeks were flushed from the spotlight and the audience’s energy.

Rihyuk looked the same.

“Good job, Rihyuk.”

“It was nothing.”

“It was something. You were shaking so badly this morning I was worried, but onstage you were flying. You nailed your debut.”

“When did I ever say I was nervous? Hey, why is everyone laughing?”

Everyone burst out laughing.

Especially the maknae, who wore a mocking grin.

Who was it that sat in the bathroom complaining of stomach aches for twenty minutes this morning?

Though he tried to sound composed, his pale face and red cheeks gave him away—and made him look oddly cute.

Like a tough kid who’s accidentally put on his mother’s lipstick.

Sowon laughed and chimed in, “He really did the best, Rihyuk.”

As she showered him with praise, something light landed on my shoulder.

“Hyung, I’m sleepy.”

“Jiho, you can’t sleep now. Your face will puff up.”

“Five more minutes.”

“No!”

He bobbed his shoulder, determined to nap.

This kid could nap on a battlefield, using a helmet for a pillow.

“But your hair is so light.”

“Insult or compliment?”

“Compliment. Lighter than most girls’ hair.”

“Huh? How do you know girls’ hair weight, hyung?”

At that, the others’ eyes turned on me like hyenas.

In an instant, I could see they were plotting to gang up on me.

“You were quite the playboy back in the day, huh? Slept around a lot.”

“Be honest. How many people’s shoulders did you use that for?”

“Turns out “Something” was about you after all.”

“Really? You wrote the lyrics about yourself, leader?”

To Sowon’s amused curiosity, I shook my hands and denied it.

These kids.

Laughing in resignation, I grabbed a snack from the table.

“Oh, this is delicious.”

“Look at him change the subject.”

“It really is good. Try some, you guys.”

This really was tasty.

Soft, fluffy bread—something special. I passed it around to my juniors.

They all reacted the same:

“What is this snack, senior?”

“Oh, that.”

Sowon said, “It’s a dessert called soufflé.”

“Soufflé.”

I filed the name away to buy some later, never imagining how that would lead to something else.

Time to decide the number-one candidate.

Before the finale, Jang Sowon and we members took the stage.

TNT stood beside us.

Some of them looked surprised to see me—perhaps remembering Tae-hyun’s stories.

We gave the customary eye salute and faced the cameras.

Front row.

Surrounded by seniors, we naturally shrank back a little.

“This week’s Music ON number-one candidates: TNT’s Blink and Jang Sowon X New Black’s Something.”

A tense hush fell.

Especially because the huge TNT fandom in the audience held most of the placards.

“Digital score, preference score, broadcast score, album score—so who will be the number-one winner?”

If you were watching on TV, you’d see a split-screen with all the scores, but for us there was nothing but the MC’s voice.

“Yes, Jang Sowon X New Black’s Something! Congratulations!”

The moment I heard “Something,” time seemed to stop.

My heart thundered so loudly it echoed in my ears.

Glittering confetti rained from above.

Maybe because of how I felt, it was like watching stars fall from heaven.

As the sparkles drifted down, I looked at my fellow members beside me.

Bijoo’s eyes were wide and his hand covered his mouth; Junghyun coughed—he’d inhaled some confetti; Rihyuk bowed his head, fighting back tears; the maknae just grinned, delighted.

MC Jeon Yubin handed the trophy to Jang Sowon.

The audience and fellow artists onstage applauded.

Fans in the red seats waved their light sticks in time to “Something.”

In that frozen moment, Sowon gripped the mic.

Tears in her eyes, she began her acceptance speech—but I didn’t catch a word.

I was just stunned.

I couldn’t believe it was real.

Then suddenly the mic was in my hand.

It was my turn, representing New Black, to give an acceptance speech.

My grandmother at home, watching on TV; Manager Yoon and our agency folks waiting backstage; the artists and audience here; and my bandmates—all their faces flashed in my mind in a split second.

In that 0.1 seconds of daze, those were my thoughts.

I gripped the mic and smiled, delivering my prepared words.

“Thank you so much. It feels like a real miracle to achieve this before our debut.”

It was true.

A breathtaking moment.

As recently as last November I was just an ordinary twenty-year-old preparing for my college entrance exam.

Four months later, I stood on the number-one stage of Korea’s oldest terrestrial music show.

The highest rung of a stage I once dreamed of.

A place that demands humility.

I finished by naming those to whom I owed gratitude.

“Please continue to love Something, and we—Soufflé—will work hard to repay the love we’re receiving.”

At that, laughter erupted all around.

Why were they laughing?

Sowon whispered in my ear, “Leader, you just said Soufflé.”

You know that feeling.

Every hair on your body stands on end.

Surrounded by fellow artists and the audience roaring with laughter, I tried to salvage my mistake and grabbed the mic again.

“We—our tablet....”

Oops.

“Please love New Black a lot~!”

Sowon snatched the mic and saved the day.

Though I’d flubbed my line, everyone responded with warmth.

They must’ve found it cute for a rookie.

Even TNT and the other groups were chuckling, and so was the crowd.

I’d messed up.

This would be preserved forever.

I felt overwhelmed with embarrassment.

At home, Kim Deok-soon was peeling onions and sighed.

“What a foolish boy.”

“He’s doing well then he always has to make me worry.”

“Why? I’d be dancing on the ceiling if my grandson received a trophy on TV.”

“Don’t speak if you don’t understand. You don’t know how much he almost made my heart stop.”

“Why did he worry you?”

The aunt peeling onions asked.

“He doesn’t look like he’d cause worry. And what if he did? Nowadays looks are everything. First is looks, second is looks.”

“Is that all that matters?”

“If you’re handsome, people forgive your mischief. Look at my grandson. He’s pretty, but when I went to visit last time, he told me to stop coming. That his mother was exhausted of me. I bit back so many curses I nearly choked.”

“Well.”

He did look like his parents—very handsome.

“If you look like that, even if you make me angry, I can’t stay mad.”

Kim Deok-soon peered at her grandson on the blinking Music ON screen.

They’d utterly crushed the competition.

He already had a face worth a fortune, and on TV he looked even more handsome.

Her eyes filled with tears and her gaze stung warmly.

“These onions are spitefully spicy.”

“Sister, why wear swim goggles to slice onions?”

“If they’re spicy, they’re spicy! Why do you always argue?”

“Oh, your temper...”

Then, with the jingle of paper, the door to the eatery opened.

A man in a motorcycle helmet entered carrying a large flower wreath.

“Ms. Kim Deok-soon?”

“I’m here.”

She removed her goggles and approached.

“What’s the occasion?”

“I need your signature, please.”

“Excuse me?”

“For this floral delivery. The sender’s name is Sun Woo-joo.”

“Oh, my grandson.”

“Your grandson asked to have it delivered right on time. Please sign here.”

The deliveryman left as soon as he had her signature.

“Sister, what’s this?”

“Oh, you don’t need to know.”

The kitchen aunt, drawn by the wreath’s size, exclaimed.

“Did your grandson send this?”

“Don’t know.”

On the left of the wreath was written: “To the prettiest Kim Deok-soon in the world, thank you and I love you.” On the right: “[Your identity is a secret].”

At first it felt absurd, but not unpleasant.

“Oh my.”

She smiled softly.

“My foolish boy.”