At the same time.

Foreign tourists who were taking in the Han River night view were witnessing a strange scene.

"Look over there."

"Hm?"

"Over there, a gigantic human face is floating."

"Where?"

Their eyes followed the finger someone was pointing with.

There were an unbelievable number of people along the riverside, and huge screens were set up here and there.

And what came up on those giant screens was...

[hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!]

A five-member crew of very handsome young men, smiling with tremendous solemnity.

The moment they appeared, a deafening cheer erupted.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaa!"

Startled, the foreign tourists hunched their shoulders and looked around.

Couples on picnic mats and people holding glowing light sticks were watching a video on their phones.

"Everyone here is watching this?"

"This is starting to get a little scary... someone go ask what exactly this event is."

Soon someone worked up the courage, approached a Korean couple, and came back after a brief conversation.

"They said a national idol is giving a speech."

"An idol of the whole nation...?"

It seemed someone the public venerates as an idol was delivering an address.

They’d heard Korea was a democracy, so what on earth was this?

"No matter how you slice it, that’s Big Brother."

Foreign tourists were thinking of the named dictator from George Orwell’s novel 1984.

But the fear quickly faded.

They simply weren’t used to the crowd’s heat; the people talking on screen somehow looked... cute.

They didn’t know Korean, but there was an unmistakable whiff of harmlessness.

Only the beauty of the faces—so pretty they could hypnotize—was unusual.

While the foreign tourists found themselves raising their phones to snap photos of these pretty boys—

"Uh...?"

One of them recognized the five.

"Aren’t those the guys? That video that went nuts the other day, the one where they dodged the slime. The... the! K-pop ninjas!"

"Ah!"

"Right, those faces...!"

They were the K-pop singers known for dragging an enormous crowd around at the Kids’ Choice event.

Was their name The NewBlack?

Unlike how they were just starting to get known in the States, it was obvious they were huge in their home country.

No.

Judging by how everyone looked at the five with warm eyes, it seemed like there was something more than just name recognition.

"Someone go ask again what this event actually is."

"I’ll go."

They quickly got their answer.

"It’s an event for the fans."

"Fans?"

"They said it’s the 1,000th day since the fandom was born, and this is a celebration for that. The festival across the way is part of it."

"Wow. If they’re even holding a festival, how popular are they?"

They were clicking their tongues in amazement when it happened.

NewBlack members and the citizens, together as one, were counting down as they blew out candles stuck into a huge three-tier wedding cake.

A feeling that something enormous was approaching.

Like people watching a NASA launch, the foreign tourists shifted their gaze where the Koreans were looking.

"Uh...?"

Right then.

As the countdown ended, something whooshed into the sky and began to burst—pew-oooo! pop!

The most spectacular fireworks in the world embroidered the air.

"Wow...."

Among them, the foreigners blinked at a massive firework shaped like a smiling loaf of bread.

Koreans saw that bread and suddenly began to cry.

"Why... why are they crying?"

"Why bread? Is it like how potatoes symbolized hardship in Ireland’s famine...?"

"A miracle of the Han River?"

They had no idea.

[pew-ooooo!]

[pop!]

The most spectacular fireworks in the world were stitching the night sky.

"My goodness."

The moment they saw the special bread-shaped firework carved into the center of the display, Souffles felt their hearts swell.

They felt NewBlack’s hearts in that smiling bread.

"This is seriously insane...."

Eyes turned misty.

Whether watching offline or online, everyone felt a strange surge of emotion.

"We didn’t see this coming."

As the 4th Souffle Week approached, they had a hunch something big was coming this time.

Because the start date was the 1,000th day since Souffle’s birth.

They’d expected a special event, but they hadn’t imagined they’d set off real fireworks for the fans.

"Thanks, you guys."

What singer in the world launches a grand firework show on the Han River to celebrate their fans’ 1,000th day?

Their hearts pounded.

Oddly, watching tonight’s fireworks felt like a Part Two.

Most idol stanning tends to plateau once your favorite hits the top domestically. With nowhere higher to climb, it leans more toward defending that status.

But even after reaching the top at home, NewBlack kept expanding their footprint and growing.

"It feels like a starting gun."

A firework that said, "For our 1,000th day—let’s keep running together!" hit them right in the chest.

At the same time, it felt like, "We’ve run hard till now, haven’t we?" with a smile.

Everyone smiled, giving their own meaning to the show.

"Baby, look."

"Wow... let’s never forget today. Today’s the day our Mingging and I watched fireworks."

"Love you sooo much, baby."

"Me too."

...You two don’t need to give it meaning.

A Souffle clenched their grip on Dalbong and shut their eyes to center themselves.

"With muggles... a world where we live with muggles...."

It was a slogan circulating among fans.

They’d become a national idol, so they had no choice but to share fandom life with muggles.

Not that it was all bad.

In idol land, antis run wild because ordinary people don’t know the singer well. Thanks to the general public’s interest, there wasn’t much space for antis to strut around NewBlack.

And they could do a firework show like this thanks to the general public, too.

"If it were another singer... this would’ve been hard."

Because it was NewBlack, they could get permission for a grand firework show in a mainstream space like the Han riverside.

"This is so nice. Really."

"It’s unreal, isn’t it? Who else in the world throws fireworks for their fans?"

"Mm-hm."

Souffles huddled together, picking at HoHo Chicken boneless bites while watching the fireworks.

Fireworks beneath cherry trees.

It was truly atmospheric.

A spontaneous chorus rose among the fans.

"Look there—those are our fireworks (Firework)

Our shapes embroidering the night sky"

The song "Firework," which had climbed back up the charts to become one of 2016’s biggest hits, began echoing along the Han.

One by one, they added harmony to the song.

Even ordinary folks clapped along and sang the "Firework" lyrics, and a soft, fuzzy mood spread along the riverside.

"This is so good."

While muggles and Souffles sang together and made fast friends...

As beautiful as the scene was...

"Mm?"

Fireworks kept bursting in the sky.

"Why are the fireworks..."

"Still going?"

"Why aren’t they stopping?"

They kept watching the sky, thinking it should be about time to stop, but the fireworks didn’t stop.

Just like their favorites, who didn’t know when to call it enough.

The fireworks kept blooming.

— I, Firework, appear!

— Oh, you’re here.

— Firework!

— You’re here....

— Firework! Firework! Firewooooork!

— Y-you can stop now.

That was the vibe.

One fan, staring at the seemingly endless fireworks, said:

"This just popped into my head—there’s that old joke: while watching a university’s fireworks, ‘Behold, your tuition is exploding!’"

"Bwahahahaha!"

"Turns out that was about us."

"...."

Don’t laugh. It is about us...

Hearing an echo of that from somewhere, Souffles gazed into the air.

Beyond the fireworks, on the round moon, they pictured Gyuho sitting on a cushion made of cash.

"Come to think of it, ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) how much money have they made?"

Wasn’t Lemon second in overall agency sales off NewBlack alone?

The free Gocheok Dome showcase, and now this free firework show.

At first they’d been awed by the overwhelming scale, but it turned out it wasn’t free—it was prepaid.

"...."

"...."

While Souffles stared blankly into space, someone started singing altered lyrics.

"Look there—those are our fireworks (money money)

Our bank accounts embroidering the night sky"

Laughter burst out, and Souffles joined the chorus.

That’s how the post titled "Your money is exploding.metube" ended up appearing online.

Starting with the 1,000th-day fireworks launch, Souffle Week’s curtain rose in earnest.

— "‘Look there—those are our fireworks’... Fireworks embroidered the Han. ‘A real fireworks show.’"

— "NewBlack announces the start of Souffle Week for fans... ‘One week starting today.’"

— "[Oh! Focus] NewBlack’s all-time fan service... ‘The fireworks aren’t the end.’"

It was an event for fans, but perhaps because they launched real fireworks, media interest was huge.

Same for the general public.

"Hyungs! Hyungs!"

The youngest burst out laughing while browsing online.

"‘Souffle Week’ is a trending search on 34th Street."

"Huh...?"

"There were rumors they’d do ‘NewBlack Friday’ for Souffle Week, right? Looks like everyone searched to see if there were any deals."

"Hahahahaha!"

We laughed at the public’s passion for discounts.

While the new managers nearby snorted "Discounts, seriously?" and shook their heads, we smiled.

"If they’d searched just a little later."

"...Sorry?"

Manager Jongwan, who was jotting down our gag code in his notebook, blinked.

"...What do you mean, a little later?"

"Oh. Because there really is a sale. We’re promo models for that site’s parent company—KG Telecom."

"Oh."

"You know that ad where we’re ‘running away’ and Junhyun ‘chases’ us shouting, ‘4G is fast~’?"

"Yes."

"So a few items are going on sale this time."

We explained the whole situation to the open-mouthed managers.

Wonseok hyung, who had been smiling with a very mature face, grinned and encouraged the new managers.

"See? They’re our kids."

"Y-yeah...."

We winked at the new managers staring with reverent eyes.

"Heuk-kik!"

We really do need to fix that laugh.

Anyway.

Between Souffle—the biggest fandom at home—our MiTube fandom "Fakefle," and the ordinary folks who like us, the "Foils"...

Maybe because so many people were connected to us, congratulations came pouring in from everywhere.

There were tons of related events, too.

"At this rate, Souffle Week might actually turn into something like Pepero Day someday."

"Possible."

"Things I thought were ridiculous are becoming reality one by one."

We all burst out laughing at Biju’s proud remark.

And so, starting with the fireworks on Day One, we kept rolling out content themed on our title tracks.

"Today is Falling Blossoms Day. In its honor, we present a Joseon-era NewBlack poetry contest."

"Whosoever crafts the finest three-line acrostic on ‘Souffle’ shall take top honors. First, Scholar-King, pray recite a verse."

"A spoon-antlered deer..."

"Take him away."

During a live broadcast, we summarily dealt with a cultural criminal who couldn’t even tell D and S apart while trying an acrostic.

We also met traditional musicians and performed our title tracks in traditional arrangements.

We ran Souffle Week in line with each title track’s concept, though there were a few things we couldn’t do.

"It’s such a shame about the masquerade ball."

We nodded at Junhyun’s comment.

"Right. It would’ve been awesome."

"But the police said no. Honestly, the reasoning made sense."

On Masquerade Day, the Souffles wanted to join in on a masquerade-ball theme...

But whenever we brainstormed, there was always someone who ruined everything with a single counterpoint that snapped us back to reality.

— Hey, folks.

— Yeah?

— The idea of holding a masquerade ball isn’t bad.

— Uh-huh.

— But if you consider the size of our gatherings, that’ll turn into, well... V for Vendetta.

A problem born from our scale.

If a few dozen people gather, that’s a party... at our fandom’s scale, it becomes the French Revolution.

And the moment even a minor accident happens, there’s the matter of liability.

Honestly, even with the Han River fireworks, we were extremely worried about anything happening offline.

Fortunately, aside from small incidents, Souffle Week was proceeding without problems.

The Souffles’ help was especially big this time.

— "Souffle, NewBlack’s fandom, hits 1,000 days; helping hands poured into agencies nationwide."

— "NewBlack fans join donation relay... ‘My bread to another.’"

— "NewBlack + Souffle = Positive Influence: little streams make a great river."

Souffles made donations here and there, making this Souffle Week even more memorable for good reasons.

Call it unity of heart and mind.

Since it was a fan event very open to the general public, it felt like there was a shared understanding that we had to manage our image meticulously.

"We could’ve just done the donating ourselves...."

Thanks to the fans’ help, the event was an even bigger success.

While we were running Souffle Week, we didn’t forget to prep the upcoming concert and world tour.

Seokhwan hyung made the announcement again.

"You know we’re assigning a doc team to this concert and world tour, right?"

"Yeah."

"Filming is important, but your condition matters most. Give us signals in the middle of shooting and we’ll cut at the right times."

We were set to shoot our first documentary.

You know, the kind of tour film singers often make.

It opens with "I’ve always loved music~" as the face on a gorgeous stage fills the screen. The next moment, in a dark backstage, a weary modern face sighs.

"Haven’t seen Director Yougun in a while."

The director slated to shoot our doc was the very same one who filmed the "Magic School" uniform CF back then.

Famous for visual flair in indie film.

Lately he’d gotten interested in documentaries and crossed paths with us.

Seokhwan hyung smiled.

"The competition was fierce."

"Whoa. Director’s gotten really popular lately, huh?"

"No, I mean among directors applying for your tour doc."

"...?"

"Directors even did presentations to our TF team. They called it a huge opportunity for their careers."

We laughed at how much had changed.

Along with news about the concert and tour doc, we heard it was confirmed we’d have a stage at the Billboard Awards.

"You’ll be on stage with Hailey Blue for ‘Blue Moon.’ Stage time is the song plus or minus thirty seconds."

"We’re really performing there?"

"Yeah."

"Heoooo...."

We and Seokhwan hyung, who’d been wearing nonchalant faces, met eyes and burst out laughing.

"Billboard stage! Billboard!"

"We’re going to sing at Billboard...!"

"Good grief...."

It was a collab track with Hailey, but since more than half the effort was ours, we felt proud and happy.

We always vow not to get hung up on overseas popularity...

But this was different.

When we heard about a possible award, we just went, hmm... but a stage?

For an actor, that’s like getting invited to receive an award at the Academy Awards or Cannes.

"Seokhwan hyung."

"Yeah?"

"If future me had popped up back when we met in ’13 and told us this, wouldn’t we have said he was out of his mind?"

"Would it stop there? I’d have thrown salt, too."

I laughed with the math demon.

Seokhwan hyung chuckled.

"Here’s hoping even crazier stuff is waiting."

"For real."

As we joked and laughed, beside us the younger ones were tap-tap-tapping something in.

They looked eager to brag and thrilled.

"What are you doing?"

"Emailing the professor."

"Professor?"

"We’re college students, remember."

Ah.

They meant the online university they were currently attending.

Centering on Rihyuk, the younger ones copied what he was writing and asked:

"Hyungs, our stage news isn’t classified, right?"

"Right."

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.

Watching their busy fingers, I asked:

"Why are you emailing the professor?"

At the same time.

"Hmm...?"

Ding-dong! Ding-dong! The general-education professor squinted at the inbox chiming.

"Attendance issue?"

Four emails arrived at once.

He clicked the bottommost among the similar subject lines, and a name popped up.

"Rihyuk."

NewBlack’s main vocalist and a student famous for diligence.

Inside was a very polite email.

"[General Psychology] Inquiry about attendance — 160827 Seo Rihyuk"

The professor narrowed his eyes at the request to either take the class early or shift the attendance window.

He believed attendance had to be strict.

Even if it was an online university...

Given that their absences for performances had already been frequent and would continue to be, he skimmed the mail with a long "hmm."

"Absent again... so what is it this time..."

Reading to see what schedule could be that important, the professor’s eyes calmed.

"Billboard stage?"

The professor, who had been looking on with a stern gaze, broke into a smile.

"Approved."

Billboard deserved it.