The final stage began with the same prelude as Something.

The audience looked puzzled.

They wondered if the duet song they saw as the first stage would be used again as the farewell stage.

Some frowned.

“They’re milking it like an old stew.”

No matter how many number-one hits and blockbusters a song had, repeating the same song on stage was overkill.

Everyone thought so.

Until five seconds in, before the prelude changed.

“I thought it was good at rehearsal, but it’s just as good hearing it again.”

Ha Seung-ju, standing to the side, smiled.

It was a different intro from the original.

A sprightly piano melody had been added to the acoustic guitar intro, and there were drums too.

Unlike the calm, refreshing original, this version felt lively and upbeat.

Listening to the new melody, Ha Seung-ju kept a smile on his face.

“Gyu-hwan must’ve tweaked it.”

You could certainly feel the expert’s touch.

Even if Sun Woo-joo could compose, he wouldn’t have had time to arrange after confirming the appearance.

In the subtle details, you could smell the touch of his close junior composer.

“At any rate, it’s really good.”

A song by the son of the pianist he admired, arranged by his favorite junior composer, made for something splendid.

A delightfully mixed flavor, you might say.

Ha Seung-ju closed his eyes and beamed.

He didn’t even notice the production crew’s camera was on him.

“Puh-hat!”

A staff member in the control booth burst into laughter.

On the broadcast feed, Ha Seung-ju was smiling with his chin in his hands.

Somehow a cute expression.

“Ha MC does that face again? The girlish face when you hear good music.”

“They’ll make another meme out of this on air.”

“They’ll definitely snag a capture.”

The staff chuckled.

“This New Black episode really hit on everything. Ha MC’s expression, the genius pianist story, Jang So-won’s underdog life.”

“Right.”

The PD nodded in agreement.

“But the most important part is now.”

And he was right.

Ha Seung-ju’s Music Café was, after all, a music show.

They invited singers to talk ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) about music, but its essence was to present great performances.

The talk with Jang So-won and New Black had been excellent.

But the real stage was coming up.

The first stage, Something, had been flawless, but the problem was that song was too familiar to the public.

Having dominated the charts for over a month, it had grown tiresome.

That’s why something new was needed.

Something fresh.

Sun Woo-joo’s jazz performance served as the appetizer for that freshness.

The main course started now.

“Just like rehearsal.”

While the PD thought that, the song began.

In the original song, the part where Jang So-won approached Seo Ri-hyuk was where the vocals would appear.

But defying expectations, the first to take the mic was none other than New Black’s rapper, Kim Jung-hyun.

Confidently walking out, he sat on the prepared stool.

My clock waiting for you

says 2:30 p.m.

When will I see you

you see my anxious face

It was a rap that felt like singing.

His powerful voice and gentle melody enticed the audience.

When the unexpected rap burst in, the crowd’s focus shot up instantly.

Next was Jang So-won.

Her clear voice echoed through the Public Hall.

Will you wait long what will your face be

I leaned on the bus window imagining

Where does this thrill come from

Maybe it’s between us

As the audience naturally built that scene in their minds—

a man waiting at a bus stop, a woman boarding the bus to him—

the mic passed to Sun Woo-joo.

Is this what love is

waiting is nothing

You like the spring breeze

won’t you wait a little

A third character appeared.

While enjoying Sun Woo-joo’s singing, the audience began weaving imaginations in their heads.

“Is it a love triangle?”

Some recalled Jang So-won’s talk.

“Actually, Something originally had separate parts for each New Black member.”

“Really? Then why were they cut?”

“Well, I’m the female vocalist, and there are five male vocalists, so the vibe felt off.”

“Off how?”

“It felt like I was managing multiple guys.”

Indeed, adding a new character gave the song a completely different atmosphere.

As the audience’s curiosity peaked, the main vocalist appeared.

A more cheerful mood than the original.

In that song flowed Seo Ri-hyuk’s rich voice, reverberating through the Public Hall.

If you ask what we are

I think

our relationship is sweet candy

slowly melting between us

I’ll cross that wall and hold your hand

Holding your hand that’s almost there but not quite

I’ll whisper to you now

If the original version was fresh, this was sweet and delightful.

New Black’s expressions proved it.

Unlike the solemn first stage, everyone sang in joyful spirits.

Smiles appeared on the audience’s faces.

At first, New Black had planned a mellow song fit for late-night emotions.

Until Sun Woo-joo objected.

“This is the stage where legendary seniors performed. Even if we’re among the better-singing idols, giving an emotional performance there would be tough.”

His point was that instead of struggling for emotional impact, they should give a fun performance.

Thus they prepared the lively version of Between.

A special arrangement of the original song meant to entertain the audience.

“Well done.”

The PD in the control booth smiled.

“You’ve got the sense to enter and exit during the talk, and you know to make the stage fun instead of a clumsy ballad. I’ll remember this. What was that leader’s name again? I forgot.”

“It’s Woo-joo.”

“Right. That kid.”

The PD thought to invite them to another music program he’d handle in the future.

“The highlight’s coming soon.”

“Indeed.”

Expecting the audience’s reaction, they focused on dozens of monitors, including the stage cameras.

In the second verse, the mic passed to Kim Bi-ju.

His voice, nearly a countertenor, began the song.

I want to see your face

I’ll pick spring flowers and wait

Our sweet relationship

so you can feel the thrill

Singing those words, Kim Bi-ju smiled and produced a bouquet.

It was a splendid sight.

As each of the five members finished their parts, people realized their assumptions about New Black had been wrong.

New Black was a team where every member had a distinct vocal color.

Had they not been idols, you might’ve believed they were a four-person vocal group.

Audiences who marveled at their singing now pondered the lyrics.

“What’s going on here?”

Kim Jung-hyun waiting for someone.

Jang So-won riding a bus to the man.

Sun Woo-joo approaching someone.

And Kim Bi-ju waiting for someone too.

“A quadrangle?”

Like Puck from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Seo Ri-hyuk and Wang Ji-ho played narrators of the lovers’ stories.

The remaining four men and women felt entangled with each other.

As the final highlight began, the four moved around Seo Ri-hyuk and Wang Ji-ho at center stage.

Holding your hand that’s almost there but not quite

I’ll whisper to you now

Jang So-won hurried toward Jung-hyun as if getting off a bus.

As expected, Jung-hyun.

He greeted her like she’d stepped off the bus, and they touched mics and harmonized.

“So what about the other two?”

If Jang So-won chose Jung-hyun, who remained for the others?

As that question lingered, Sun Woo-joo approached Kim Bi-ju.

Kim Bi-ju smiled and handed him the bouquet, and Sun Woo-joo accepted it.

A small laugh escaped.

Sun Woo-joo and Kim Bi-ju harmonized toward each other, and the audience couldn’t help but smile.

Some recalled a music video.

A man longing for an unattainable love while watching a bride. But in the end, the man realized he longed not for the bride but for the groom she was marrying—a twist ending.

Seo Ri-hyuk and Wang Ji-ho then moved about like cupids congratulating each couple.

Finally, as the song ended, the audience applauded the six who had entertained them.

The hall rang with thunderous applause.

A singer knows.

Whether a performance was good or bad. You don’t need applause to know.

A great show feels different.

Like a perfect puzzle that clicks together from the start, a good performance flows smoothly from the first note.

It was that way when we sang trot at the year-end evaluation.

But knowing you gave a good show and confirming it with applause and cheers are entirely different.

That’s why I stood there smiling at the applause.

Jang So-won.

Bi-ju. Jung-hyun. Lee Hyuk. Ji-ho.

The members and Senior So-won exchanged smiles and held their mics to bow politely to the audience.

“Thank you!”

The hall’s thunderous applause made us laugh.

But above all, the best part was the expressions on people’s faces.

The expressions my parents once wore when they looked at me in my childhood flickered across the audience.

That was why I wanted to become an idol.

In the car returning to the dorm.

It was quiet.

Everyone looked exhausted, sinking into their seats.

Having done a music show pre-recording since morning and then waiting and going live drained all our energy.

But we felt proud.

It felt like we truly lived today to the fullest.

“Great work today, everyone.”

I grinned broadly.

“Finally, our activities are over.”

“Wow, I can’t believe it’s over....”

“Relieved?”

“More sad than relieved. We floated on cloud nine for a month.”

We all agreed with the maknae.

“But we wrapped up nicely, right?”

“When the audience applauded, I got chills. It felt ten times bigger than the year-end evaluation.”

“Ten times? It felt a hundred times.”

“How was it, Manager?”

At Bi-ju’s question, Manager Seok-hwan, who’d been quiet in the passenger seat, smiled.

“The response was great. They won’t be quibbling about your vocals online anymore.”

“Ooh.”

“You did really well, kids.”

With that expert’s confirmation, we high-fived and cheered.

This was the result we wanted.

Showing our singing ability had been our goal.

“Min-gi, how about you?”

“Beautiful.”

“Min-gi, should I send you to the fansite?”

“Ah, Manager. Sorry. I’ve been so focused on driving I lost track.”

Thanks to our clumsy road manager, we burst into laughter.

Bi-ju confirmed with me too.

“Hyung, our reaction will look good on the broadcast too, right?”

“The live reaction was good.”

“It was. When I gave you the flowers, there was a cheer from some women.”

“I was worried they wouldn’t react, so I’m really glad.”

“Glad, right.”

I nodded to Lee Hyuk and smiled.

I called the member quietly looking out the window.

“Jung-hyun, how was it for you?”

“It was good.”

“Thank you the most today. You know why, right?”

He’d said they didn’t need me to look after them and told me to do what I wanted. I was grateful.

Jung-hyun smiled without a word.

For some reason, a melancholic mood settled in.

Past ten p.m.

In the dark car lit only by streetlights, we felt something different.

Empty, perhaps.

As Ji-ho said, the dreamlike time was over.

Music show activities ended, and there would be no more idol-style photo shoots soon.

We were still trainees, not officially debuted.

Once we returned to the dorm, we’d go back to being trainees.

A long tunnel.

We ran through a dark tunnel, veered onto a side road to a beautiful garden, smelled the flowers, and sang with joy.

But the sweet time ended.

We had to return to the tunnel and run toward the light.

But even if we passed through, could we ever return to that sweet time on the side road?

Without saying it, everyone probably had the same worry.

“Don’t worry.”

...I wanted to say that, but I’m no god of show business who can guarantee success.

So I said something else.

“You did great, everyone.”

We all gazed out the window at the receding Yeouido.

“Until we return, let’s work hard.”

Everyone nodded and smiled.

March 2014.

With the Music Café recording by Ha Seung-ju, New Black concluded their promotions for the project single Something.