While the leader was treating his younger members like servants in LA,

news was spreading in Korea that Wooju was headed to the ER.

[Breaking] NewBlack’s Wooju hospitalized with acute gastritis

The press release Lemon Entertainment officially circulated began to spread in an instant.

Normally they would have kept it quiet and let it pass, but they had no choice.

A large press conference at Incheon Airport was scheduled,

and after the Billboard Music Awards everyone was waiting for NewBlack.

“When are those NewBlack kids coming back?”

“Didn’t they say after the concert? I think I saw something about a press conference at the airport.”

“That company keeps the kids overseas all the time.”

Right then, the hospitalization news popped up in front of a curious public with a bang.

Hearing that the leader of the nation’s idol group had been hospitalized made the public stir.

“Hey, hey, hey.”

Someone looking at the portal’s entertainment page on the subway nudged a friend.

“What?”

“They say Sun Wooju was hospitalized in the U.S.”

“Huh...? Why?”

“Look at this.”

Other Koreans on the subway who heard the news all unlocked their phones at once and went to the portal.

Keywords like “Wooju,” “acute gastritis” plastered the real-time search rankings.

In a college group chat, “Did you see this? Sun Wooju got hospitalized,” spread one after another.

“What happened?”

People who only ever pictured a sturdy, bright smile quickly skimmed the article.

[...The agency, Lemon Entertainment, stated, “He was hospitalized with acute gastritis, but with help from local medical staff he is resting and recovering quickly.”]

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like anything major had happened.

Soon Wooju posted a “I’m doing fine” selfie on social media and people relaxed.

But that wasn’t the end.

“How hard is the company working the kids for him to crash like that?”

“The bald CEO is too greedy.”

“Obviously they put him through the wringer to make money in America. Entertainment companies all do that.”

“That ‘I’m fine’ photo was probably ordered by the company too, right?”

Most everyday conversations hit the same point.

“How badly did they grind that kid for that sturdy one to break down!”

From Lemon Entertainment and CEO Park Gyuho’s perspective it was unfair, but to the public the situation looked too clear.

How hard did they “work him” for that to happen.

“What would our Wooju have done wrong. It’s the company’s fault.”

The comment sections went up in flames.

— Get it together, Lemon... keep this up and next time you’ll [N O V E L I G H T] be juice

— If a kid who never once had minor health issues since debut collapses from illness, how hard did you overwork him??

— Wooju ㅠㅠㅠㅠ stay strong

— Fan here. Wishing you a quick recovery

— Aigoo ㅠㅠㅠㅠ rest well and come back. And Lemon, step outside for a chat with me

— Lemon Entertainment needs to get it together. Are you not planning to go public? If you were listed right now your market cap would have lost hundreds of billions

— A company that should take care of its artists is overworking a singer, tsk tsk tsk

For Lemon Entertainment employees, it was an injustice.

“I mean...”

The public believed Wooju was being worked to the bone.

But Wooju was a presence who reigned within the company.

From Lemon’s point of view, their prince had collapsed from overwork despite the ministers’ dissuasion, yet outsiders were flaming up like they were preparing a peasant uprising.

— Citizens! No! Our Lemon isn’t like that!

— Can’t you reflect?

— W-we’re sorry.

Looking at the brutal comments online, Lemon’s PR staff felt a jolt of crisis.

Assistant Manager Nam in PR said,

“I feel more rattled than when an actual scandal breaks. Every time I read comments my heart pounds...”

“I’m honestly scared.”

“This is worse than back when that old drug scandal hit. At least that quieted down once we cut him off...”

Someone said,

“So this is what ‘national idol’ means. If it were another idol, the reaction wouldn’t go this far.”

“That’s true.”

Members of groups everyone knows by name—TNT, Teen Spirit, etc.—have been rushed to the ER more than a few times.

Frankly, it just doesn’t get reported. If you include cases where they go to the ER after a music show and get IVs, the number is huge.

Artists collapsing while keeping up with schedules is an everyday thing.

Some people imagine top stars enjoying a leisurely life, basking in wealth and fame on lax schedules, but in reality most maintain their renown by pushing through tight schedules.

Like a swan paddling its little legs nonstop under the water.

Part of it is the company’s will, but it’s also what artists want. They know exactly how easily work dries up if they stop even briefly.

So rather than “blocking” heavy schedules, an agency’s goal is to steer toward protecting health...

Lemon Entertainment was proud that, in their own way, they’d done well so far.

However—

— Lemon! Lemon! Do you have a death wish!

— Lemon! Snap out of it!

— The company was the villain. Total villain.

None of that mattered to people raging online with plows and sickles in hand.

“...If the names of our kids end up in future history books, the line for Koreans will be ‘Koreans were sincere about NewBlack.’”

Everyone nodded.

When they won at the Billboard Awards, people calmly congratulated them with a “Whoa whoa, don’t pressure the kids,” but now, with news that Wooju went to the ER, those same people were on fire.

It felt like doting aunts and uncles looking after a beloved nephew or younger cousin.

And, as most Koreans do, it didn’t stop at words.

“Hm?”

Phones started ringing like crazy.

“Hello, Lemon Entertainment PR...”

— Hello!

“Yes.”

— Ah. I’m a man named Kim Jongdeok living in Sangju. I heard very worrisome news today. The kid was hospitalized.

“Ah, yes, yes.”

— Our family’s been oriental doctors for generations, and I have very important information to pass on. Now then. I’ll list foods and herbs good for gastritis, so quickly prepare a decoction...

The calls exploded.

— In my view the CEO is way too greedy. Are you listening?

— I want to brew some herbal medicine and send it, what are the boys’ body types? Junhyun is definitely Taeyang type, and Ri Hyuk seems Soeum type... You need to know the constitution based on Sasang medicine...

— I’m a physician at a university hospital. As for Wooju’s gastritis care, let me note a few points...

— When he gets back, feed him some warm meat, okay?

Before long, Lemon’s PR staff simply couldn’t handle the ringing phones.

It wasn’t the curses they’d expected, but...

“Why does this feel like dealing with in-laws.”

“I feel exactly like when I visit my mother-in-law.”

“The whole country is in-laws...”

Lemon Entertainment’s PR team felt dizzy.

Unfortunately, their ordeal didn’t end after work.

They went home to finally rest when—

“You’re home, sweetie?”

“Yeah.”

Mom scraped a chair over and sat across from the PR staffer eating kimchi stew.

A tender face like she was worried about her daughter.

“Is Wooju okay?”

“...”

“I saw the news on TV and I was so shocked. The ladies’ club only talked about that today. Is Wooju really okay?”

Her expression worried about Wooju, not her daughter.

While parents and family at home asked, “How’s Wooju?” with familiar warmth, staffers who went out in the evening to meet friends had the same experience.

“You work at Wooju’s company. Is he really okay?”

“...”

Not only PR, but all the other Lemon employees were going through similar situations.

And among them was someone having the hardest time of all.

“What on earth...”

It was CEO Park Gyuho of Lemon Entertainment, whose mood was gloomy all day after hearing that Wooju collapsed from stress.

He’d had no appetite for days,

sniffling with teary eyes, and only after hearing he was recovering did he relax and go to his regular restaurant.

But—

“Boss.”

The owner set a bowl of hangover soup in front of CEO Park and clicked his tongue.

“I hear Wooju’s sick in America. He’s really okay, right?”

“Yes...”

“Ay, I’m worried, that’s all.”

At the regular’s expression like “the kid is sick and you’re sitting here eating soup,” CEO Park felt wronged.

“No, that’s not it... it’s not like that...”

These were problems born of NewBlack’s image being too good.

And while Lemon staff were being pestered by those around them, there were folks blinking at the sight of the entire nation breathing fire.

“What the... the muggles are beating everyone up for us.”

“Powerful. The people of Korea...”

“Compared to the muggles we were so weak.”

They were the Souffle who’d grabbed clubs to charge out shouting, “You company punks!”

They were ready to wage war and charge, but the vast plain had become a barren field slathered in yellow lemon juice.

Watching the beings disappear beyond a great cloud as if their mission were complete, the Souffle clasped their hands.

Dazed eyes.

“The muggles are mighty indeed...”

A fandom that was, as always, operating a little strangely.

As Korean TV was flooded with “NewBlack’s Wooju hospitalized with acute gastritis,”

and TV and online columns ran pieces like “NewBlack’s Wooju hospitalized—what is acute gastritis?” and even medical content started covering gastritis,

the ruckus was just as loud across the Pacific.

“...”

Staff at the LA university hospital where NewBlack was staying were flustered.

Letters piled in the administration office.

One staffer asked,

“So you’re saying these arrived from all across the United States.”

“Yes.”

“For one person...?”

“Yes, all addressed to NewBlack’s Wooju... with occasional ones written to Zen-min or Joo Sun.”

If you combined all the letters here into one, it wasn’t a joke to say you could build the Empire State Building.

The admin staffer said,

“Including emails... there are even more. So many that to store them you’d need terabytes.”

“...”

The hospital staff clicked their tongues.

“I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Given that Hollywood is in LA, they’d seen plenty of famous sports stars, singers, and actors.

But had fans ever gone this wild when some star came to the hospital?

“Was he that big a singer?”

“Fascinating...”

Because hospital workers are busy, few knew much about the recently risen NewBlack.

But this made them learn very well.

“They were the highlight of the Billboard Music Awards this year, I hear.”

“Blue Moon was that singer, huh.”

“People who look like fans were doing a fan-dance for a speedy recovery outside... it was kind of amazing.”

Ordinary folks felt firsthand that this was the newly hot act outside.

While general staff were grasping NewBlack’s fame,

the attending internist, Rob Kendrick, had a different take.

“Hmmm...”

Something was odd.

Normally a patient brought in with acute gastritis that bad recovers slowly.

“No, why is the recovery this fast.”

Not medically impossible, but every number in his body was rapidly improving.

The patient himself laughed and said,

— Maybe it’s because I’ve been sleeping deeply.

It was like numbers worsened by chronic sleep deprivation and stress were rapidly returning to baseline with sleep.

It made sense.

But before that, something else stuck in his mind.

“Hmmm...”

Click. The doctor opened the door and a rare sight unfolded.

A dignified handsome man had his hands over Wooju’s stomach, murmuring.

“Jelly— jelly.”

And the other four, hands on the dignified man’s shoulders, stood in a circle.

“Jelly— jelly.”

“Oh— my jelly.”

They even clapped in time like a sacred chant as they bobbed in a circle; among themselves they called it Kang-kang Sue-Wallet.

“Oh, the doctor’s here. Hello, doctor.”

Sensing him, the NewBlack members greeted him and Rob Kendrick smiled awkwardly.

At first he didn’t think much of it, but after realizing they were famous celebrities he became oddly cautious.

Checking the chart, Rob Kendrick asked with a smile,

“Are you going to keep doing that Kang-kang Sue-Wallet?”

“It’s just a little thing we do for fun. There’s not much to do stuck in a hospital room.”

Wooju’s complexion looked brighter and brighter.

Rob Kendrick felt mystified.

“Is this that Eastern chi. The harmony of yin and yang...”

He even briefly wondered whether energy therapy might be real.

Glancing at the dignified handsome man chanting jelly jelly, the internist checked the chart again.

When he finally reported the condition had improved further, they cheered.

Numbers clearly better.

“Eh, no way.”

Shaking his head, Rob Kendrick left the room.

Behind him, the jelly jelly continued. He shook his head at the odd ritual they performed among themselves.

“No way.”

Even as he thought it made no sense by modern medical standards, some doubt lingered.

As he stepped out—

“Hm?”

Rob Kendrick spotted two men in gowns and neckties outside the room and tensed up.

“Uh.”

It was the hospital director and the surgical chief, called the power behind the hospital.

Adjusting their ties, the two asked,

“How is the patient?”

“Greatly improved—he could be discharged now.”

“Good, good.”

With the director and the next-in-line power appearing, Rob Kendrick, slightly tense, asked,

“But what brings you two here...”

“Ah.”

The two men pulled out autograph boards.

“My daughter is a fan.”

“Mine too.”

“Ah...”

Seeing the sales smiles reserved for fundraising galas, Rob Kendrick felt briefly confused.

“What kind of singers are they, really.”

An internist who, for a moment, felt a little fear at NewBlack’s influence.

My condition is improving at a very rapid pace.

When I first got admitted my bloodwork numbers were bad, but now they all exceed normal.

The doctor said he’d never seen recovery this fast.

“Jelly jelly.”

“Bwahahaha!”

It must be because I’ve been laughing a lot.

Whenever I started to get bored, the younger ones made me laugh, so there was no time to be bored even in the hospital.

After I improved, I did a video call with Grandma.

“Yo, Deoksun!”

— Don’t you ‘yo’ me. You little punk. If you’re sick, say you’re sick. You stubborn brat...

“Aaaa... when Grandma nags me I suddenly feel pain.”

— Look at this brat.

Her cheeks looked a bit hollow from worry; we consoled her with antics.

That kicked off replies to the backlog of messages.

I replied to Sbo members who set my photo as their profile pic with “Wishing Manager Joo Sun a speedy recovery,”

and to the neighbor who cheered me on with “Tell that gastritis punk to read the room.”

“Oh? Nayun texted too.”

There was a text from Scarlet Daisy.

Kim Nayun: Oppa, hang in there

Kim Nayun: We’re filming right now thanks to you hehehe

Kim Nayun: (photo)

Kim Nayun: Thank you so much!!

It was the four members of Scarlet smiling big in front of the HBS escape-observation variety set.

I remembered what the PD we met at the Korea Arts Awards said.

It would be really scary.

Looking at the photo, Jiho smiled.

“And this turned out to be their last photo...”

“Wooju, you’re in trouble.”

“When we go back to Korea, we’ll have to avoid getting spotted by them.”

Ignoring the teasing, I looked through the stacked chats.

There were get-well messages from KM Entertainment’s Plankton CEO and many check-ins from variety folks.

If this were a hospital in Korea, everyone would be lining up to visit.

“Did you see this? Someone in Korea posted an article and then took it down right away.”

“What is it?”

I laughed at the capture on the tablet Ri Hyuk showed me.

“Unilateral cancellation of press conference,” grumbling that NewBlack canceled the Incheon Airport press conference and left reporters with empty time.

Apparently it got taken down in an hour under the people’s hammer.

And not just that—antis and critics saying bad things about us had slunk away too.

— Because of you, Wooju got sick!

— Aaaagh! Why are you coming at us!

— Because it’s your fault!

...That was the vibe, they said.

I didn’t know people liked us this much.

I thought the whole patriotic-pride thing was just a joke, but according to the company folks, lots of people said they’d send herbal medicine or meat.

As we laughed, hearing what was happening across the sea in Korea—

“Is it up now?”

We turned on the hospital TV together and got settled.

With the N swelling on screen with a duh-dung, we clicked a “Continue Watching” item on the Netplus account.

[From Now On] NewBlack — Episode 2

NewBlack finally confronts the true terror looming over them. A fortress where darkness deepens.

Now is the time for a bold choice.

Reading Netplus’s signature blurb, we clicked episode 2.

“Yay!”

Today was the day episode 2 of ’s NewBlack special aired.

It was the episode where the legendary Mr. H finally appears.