Gocheok Dome.

There were still five hours left before the showcase, but the area around the dome was already packed shoulder to shoulder.

“Wow. Insane.”

A Souffle said to her friend.

“Dude, doesn’t it feel like you’ll get pushed along even if you just stand still? There are seriously so many people. More than the showcase headcount...”

“Uh, hey.”

“Hm?”

“Your friend just got... carried off.”

“...Huh?”

She realized she hadn’t been talking to her friend at all.

Sharing embarrassed little smiles—ah, yeah—they cupped their hands and shouted toward the distance.

“Hey!”

“Uwooo!”

Friends, swept by the Souffle tide, waved to each other with pleading eyes.

“So many people!”

The showcase capacity was twenty thousand, yet even more people were milling around Gocheok Dome.

It felt like a festival.

Spring was in full bloom, flowers everywhere, and the showcase banners rippled in the warm breeze.

[NewBlack 2nd Full Album Showcase: Hello, WOrLD]

Seeing the bustling crowds and all the on-site giveaways warmed the heart.

“How long has it been since an offline like this.”

There had been awards shows and such, but a large-scale event gathering only Souffle offline like this had been a while.

It brought back the concert at the gymnastics arena last year.

There’s something ineffable about people who love the same artist gathering at this scale.

“Whoa.”

On top of that, there was another kind of bond.

“Everyone here cleared the game, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Wild... Koreans are so serious about games—uh? Who are you?”

“Huh?”

“My friend... wait?”

“Oh? Then where’s my friend...”

While they were shouting “Who are you!” toward the spots where their friends had been and sending them pleading looks again,

the Souffle on site glanced at one another and smirked.

They had the eyes of finalists gathered at the World’s Greatest Martial Arts Tournament.

“To have climbed this far... that one won’t be easy.”

“Looks strong.”

Sizing each other up with those eyes, they looked around again and were surprised.

“There are foreigners too?”

In principle, any Souffle worldwide could join the game after fan-club verification.

But maybe it was the difficulty.

With Koreans occupying the vast majority of ranks 1 to 100, non-Koreans were struggling even to clear. A few Western fans had cleared through sheer grit—but at the cost of dropping the F-word at least a few hundred times.

“There really are foreign fans here.”

“Much respect.”

They marveled at the pure devotion of overseas fans who survived “Difficulty: Korean,” cleared the game, and finally made it to the showcase invite.

Those plane tickets can’t have been cheap.

Korean fans approached foreign fans standing alone, speaking English.

“Hi! Where are you from?”

“I came from Papua New Guinea.”

The first words were awkward, but geeks befriend geeks fast.

The Souffle from Papua New Guinea pressed a flushed cheek with her hand and said:

“It’s my first time in Korea, I’m so excited. People are so kind, and it’s just like NewBlack TV. Seeing so many Souffle in one place—my heart’s about to burst.”

“But how did the invite arrive? By email?”

“Yes! Ah... and I...”

The overseas fan rummaged in her bag and pulled out a printed sheet. It said Award Nomination.

Beaming, she added:

“I’m here to receive an award today.”

“An award?”

“Yes. My nickname is on it.”

The Souffle crowded around and read the English.

“Oh my.”

“It’s really the nominee sheet.”

It said:

[I exist among the Korean rankers... insane presence]

☆ International Souffle Gamer Award

— To the #1 non-Korean Souffle on the leaderboard (ID: 23rd Wife of SunWooju)!

Souffle admired the ranked nickname in the top 100.

“She’s amazing.”

“Wow, so there was a non-Korean in the top 100.”

“The twenty-third wife, huh.”

When the locals burst into applause—waaah!—the Papua New Guinean Souffle’s eyes overflowed.

“So this is the Jeong of Korea NewBlack always talks about...”

It was the moment the proper noun ‘Jeong’ from subtitles clicked into meaning.

Meanwhile—

As the Souffle gathered and enjoyed an impromptu offline party with a chorus of waaa, the topic drifted to the same place. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

“Do you think all the nominees will come today? The Souffle Awards nominees.”

“They’ll come, right?”

“If it were me... I’d really have to think about it...”

They meant the first Souffle Awards nominees.

Normally you’d be thrilled about special seating, seeing your faves up close.

But this was a delightfully embarrassing awards show.

Not only would twenty thousand people watch you receive it live, it would be broadcast worldwide on Y app and MeTube simultaneously.

“And our kids are national... idols.”

“Exactly.”

Those clips would definitely spread online.

You could picture the next day, walking into your classroom or club room, people calling you by the new title:

— Hey! Firefly!

— Firefly has entered~!

— Oh my? Your face is glowing... Firefly...?

Souffle shuddered.

“Ugh...”

They curled up thinking, I can’t do it.

And there was another reason today’s awardees might want to hide.

“That’s... what I think it is, right?”

“Yeah.”

“They’re rolling out a red carpet.”

Security in tuxedos rolled a red carpet at the entrance.

“Whoa...”

“A true path of hardship.”

“Is this a flower road or a thorny one.”

After deep sighs, Souffle burst into laughter.

“As long as it’s not me~!”

People grow to resemble the ones they love.

Fans were becoming more like their faves.

Alas... in the not-so-good direction...

5:59 p.m.

Souffle around the world poised their mice and phones to click in sync with Korea time.

— MeTube! MeTube!

— Mango! Is the crab—er, server—ready!

Like besiegers gathering before walls draped with Mango and MeTube flags, fans cackled and rallied.

Inside those walls, tension ran high.

In real life, MeTube Korea staff and Mango’s systems team swallowed hard as they checked traffic.

— Th-the army headcount is no joke...

— Hold as long as you can. If we die, die with honor—last.

The Mango and MeTube admins resigned themselves to tears ahead of time.

“How did it grow even more in three months...”

It had been only three months since “Dokkaebi,” and yet that fandom did not understand moderation.

While others grew arithmetically, they grew exponentially.

“Ten seconds!”

“Ten... nine...”

Five, four... one.

At the instant every clock hit 6:00 p.m. KST—

the stalwart Mango and MeTube servers began to tremble.

Shake—shake—

For five minutes.

Maybe all the preparation after the “Dokkaebi” incident paid off.

“S-success! We held!”

“Yaaahhh!”

“We did it! It held!”

While the server teams toasted their stability,

“Held your butt, you guys... the MV is stuck at 360p.”

Souffle inhaled deeply and rage-stanned.

But the rage didn’t last.

Every time they listened on Mango or watched the MV on MeTube, the anger melted away.

“Holy—this is insane...”

“Wow.”

“Whoaaaa. Unreal...”

Souffle listening offline let out the best kinds of exclamations.

The song was good.

Hearing the arcade SFX in the opening sent tingles down the spine; when the main melody hit, hot breath escaped.

“Juseon, Juseon... you’re really...”

On the pure-white album cover, “Hello, WOrLD” was set in a programming-style font.

Inside it, the [Title] “Coin” was no ordinary track.

Candypop vibes.

Like eating Shooting Star ice cream, the song popped! in your ears.

“Refined and refreshing.”

The tones were shaved elegantly and sleekly overall, giving a cutting-edge sheen.

And still—pop!—sparkled.

Online, fans were already bouncing.

— Unreal ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

— Time to redo MBTI test ㅠㅠ pretty sure yours says IDOL

— It can be sophisticated and refreshing at once?

— This is idol-y in the best way

— Feels like an upgraded “Fireworks,” I’m crying ㅠㅠ I’m a Fireworks stan

— My muggle friends’ reactions are legit the best

— They pulled a classic, they did it

— From now on, instead of “exam-banned song,” we should just say “a NewBlack song”

Even the antis’ voices were gone.

A few muttered that it was “too safe,” but fans didn’t care.

From release, it smashed the five-minute realtime charts clean off the top.

And the MV—

“Paradise isn’t far away after all.”

It delivered aesthetic joy.

The concept and story felt similar to “Nine.”

The difference: if “Nine” was darker, this was bright near-future.

In a backdrop like the bright Seoul of 2025, they discover a run-down arcade and the story unfolds there. Like watching a well-made 3D game animation, it delighted eyes and ears.

“Wow...”

Dyed-hair members in newtro suits danced slickly, scenes unfolding like pop art.

“This will hit. One hundred percent.”

From there the parade of great B-sides continued, and Souffle’s eyes grew dewy.

Like when a long-awaited film opens and it moves you beyond expectations.

Smiles tugged at lips as fans listened to the tracks, including “What If.”

“Wow...”

“This is real stanning.”

“I’m losing it. I took 500 screenshots.”

Souffle camped near Gocheok and along the stream grinned and grinned.

At 7:00, as they cheered seeing the full album lining up #1s,

and chanted jackpot watching MV views rocket—

“Showcase entry now open!”

The 2nd full album showcase they’d waited so long for announced its start.

Everyone drew ragged breaths and lined up.

And then—one group drew the most eyes.

“Yes! We will now begin the VIP entrance, with energy! Please welcome them with applause.”

With an announcer on the mic and full red-carpet pageantry, fanfare blared.

Murmurs rose.

Flashes popped along the carpet, and cameras captured Souffle walking in.

Security guided the path with courtly grace.

“So those are...”

“Whoa. The backdrop says red carpet, but the vibe says prosecutor’s photo line.”

“Wild...”

With everyone watching,

today’s Souffle Awards nominees entered wearing masks or hoods pulled low like faceless spirits.

As Souffle clapped hard, the VIPs cried out:

“Uwaaa! Don’t clap!”

“Waaaaa!”

“Oh, come on!”

“Waaaaa! I’m. So. Jeal. Ous!”

8:00 p.m.

Just like with “Dokkaebi,” my heart thumped watching the charts line up from #1 down.

“We’ll cue you up now!”

“Okay!”

Even as the stage manager spoke, we couldn’t tear our eyes off the internet.

Everywhere we checked—Mango, every chart—“Coin” sat at #1.

— “Form a line,” NewBlack “Coin”... lines up every chart upon comeback

— NewBlack “Coin” at #1, “So the Aussie gold coin really was lucky”

— With NewBlack’s arrival, every chart shoved down 13 spots... netizens: “Lemon, please go public”

Every entertainment desk pushed headlines declaring the album a jackpot.

No need to mention Mango’s review tabs or MeTube’s comments.

Reading the rave for “Coin,” my legs felt weak.

“U—uh, Wooju hyung!”

“Don’t go! If you go, go after the showcase!”

“I can die happy now...”

“No!”

“Hehehehehehe.”

Laughing blissfully among my supporting younger members.

We were hosting a showcase at Gocheok Dome, and the album—not to mention—was shooting for the stars.

Nothing could surprise me now.

“We really do have to get ready!”

“Right!”

While we checked in-ears and mics, I pulled Ri Hyuk aside.

“Ri Hyuk.”

“What?”

“Good work.”

“...”

“‘Coin’ started from that melody we tinkered with late at night at Grandma’s place. You pitched ideas then too.”

“I helped a lot.”

“No... not that much...”

At my being painfully honest, Ri Hyuk’s eyes went sly.

“Objectively speaking—about flea-sized?”

“...”

“Ahhhh! Don’t walk off!”

I grabbed our sulking main vocal and told him I was kidding.

“Anyway, thanks.”

“Well, thanks to you too. For making a good song...”

“It’s all thanks to you guys.”

Maybe because of the album’s success, everyone’s faces were flushed.

“I love you, kids. I’m saying this sober, so it’s real.”

“Me too.”

“Haa... I love this vibe so much. Let’s live like this till we die.”

“Deal.”

We bounced in a group hug, then straightened our expressions at the sight of the behind-cam rolling nearby.

“All right. Let’s go meet Souffle.”

“Let’s.”

Even as we shouted “Fighting!” before taking the stage, my heart pounded.

Maybe because ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) it was Gocheok Dome.

It was just a simple showcase, not the concert at the end of the month, yet my heart wouldn’t calm. Every time the fans outside roared at a VCR, we wanted to scream along.

In the chill of the arena, hot breaths billowed.

Even while we nudged our mic positions and traded glances, my breath shivered out in tiny tremors.

“Waaaaaaaaa!”

A hazy roar swelled as our lift rose.

“Uwaaaaaaa!”

In perfect darkness, with every Dalbong switched off, we revealed only our silhouettes.

Tack.

The instant the stage lights came on—

I nearly missed the downbeat of the first song.

“...”

My mouth almost formed a silent “wow.”

At the exact moment the lights flared, every light stick in the arena shifted into a riot of colors.

Dalbong and Wangbong pulsed to the beat.

“Uwaaaaaaa...”

Even after the first song ended, we stood slack-jawed, staring at the sea of waving light sticks.

“So this is central control.”

The maknae marveled.

“I get why kings in history fought to centralize power. It’s worth it.”

“Please refrain from baseless claims, Jiho.”

At Ri Hyuk’s quip, Souffle burst into early laughter.

We waved and greeted them.

“It’s been a while. How long has it been since we gathered at this scale?”

“To be precise, it’s been—”

“Ri Hyuk, please don’t kill the mood.”

At my line, Ri Hyuk mouthed a grumble.

Like chatting with familiar friends, we traded opening banter with Souffle.

“Thank you so much for coming to the showcase for our second full album.”

“Waaaaaaaaaa!”

“And I hear we’re live on both MeTube and Y app today. Hello to Souffle watching online too!”

It was a dual stream—rare, since Y app usually wants exclusivity. This time they recommended simulcast in advance, saying they weren’t confident.

We couldn’t see the realtime viewer count, but it had to be huge.

After that—

“And we have some very special guests today, right?”

“That’s right.”

Biju smiled brightly.

“Tonight also doubles as the eve of Souffle Week, which starts Wednesday. The Souffle Awards will be held right here.”

“Waaaaaaaaaa!”

“Director! Could you swing a spotlight that way?”

A VIP section had been set aside for the Souffle Awards attendees.

When the light hit them, the rest of the fans burst into loud laughter.

“Yes. NewBlack aims to protect your privacy to the utmost—so we prepared very special disguises.”

“A showcase everyone can enjoy—that’s the NewBlack way, isn’t it?”

“Our Potato Boy came up with it.”

While Junhyun did a smug little bear-shoulder dance, the spotlighted VIP seats showed elegant ladies fluttering fans.

A masquerade concept.

Unlike their entrance, the Souffle in masks and costumes now sat brimming with confidence.

“Ooh! That one stands out!”

“Who?”

“Firefly!”

At Jiho’s words, the spotlight found Firefly seated center.

It was a pre-planned bit.

As Firefly froze her fan and raised a hand, her mask lit up—and every light stick in the arena flashed in Firefly’s color.

“Yes. For one night only, we bequeath this authority.”

“The Firefly: she who commands all light sticks.”

A huge laugh rolled across the arena.

From the start, the mood was pure joy—and we laughed along.