The Forum.

At the entrance leading into the red carpet venue, countless reporters and cameras had been set up.

"Hailey! Your outfit today is absolutely incredible!"

"You’ve got good taste. Which outlet are you with?"

"TLZ."

"I see. Tell your boss to stop publishing trash articles."

"Yes!"

Including Hailey Blue, famous figures stepped out of their limousines one by one, waved their hands, and entered the red carpet venue.

Reporters and photographers waited for the next turn.

'Big Morgan and Hailey Blue are here. Who’s next?'

Soon, the security staff’s radio crackled.

-NewBlack moving.

The photographers quickly lifted their cameras.

Their hearts pounded.

'It’s NewBlack!'

As a boy band that had been rising hot lately, their rates were high.

It wasn’t for nothing that paparazzi hid around the hotel where NewBlack was staying, practically using stealth skills.

One tabloid had even promised to immediately pay five hundred thousand dollars in cash if someone captured “a scene of NewBlack seemingly dating someone,” as if it were a wanted poster. That was how much attention the group was receiving in the United States.

"Who’s next again?"

"They said NewBlack. Hurry and set up your camera. And if you run into them, don’t say anything weird."

"Why? Because of the fans here?"

At the mention of fans swinging something like troll bats, someone shook his head.

"It’s not because of them."

"Then what?"

"For some reason, if you say something bad about NewBlack, the photos come out weird."

"...Really?"

"The leader’s face moves so fast it looks like a ghost photo, and the tallest member somehow leaves afterimages. I don’t know the principle behind it, but...."

"That’s bizarre."

As the photographers chatted, unfamiliar languages suddenly reached their ears.

When they turned their heads, they saw reporters wearing logos from broadcasting stations they had never seen before.

"Where are they from?"

"I heard NewBlack is almost like demigods in Korea. They’re reporters from Korea."

"That one looks like a Japanese station. I guess it’s not just Korea."

That was true.

As a boy group boasting top-tier popularity across Asia, broadcasting stations from Korea and Japan, as well as Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, had gathered to film NewBlack’s entrance.

Each frantically trying to capture the moment in their own languages.

"Oh, they’re coming!"

With fans waving light sticks and shouting greetings, the limousine glided forward.

As the photographers lifted their cameras and took deep breaths—

Click.

The door opened.

And....

"...Huh?"

The photographers forgot to press their shutters and pulled their eyes away from the viewfinders, just to confirm what they were seeing.

The Souffle fans were the same.

Perfect silence.

Like the windless surface of the moon... no, on the asphalt, someone’s plump spacesuit-clad leg stepped down.

"......."

Everyone at the scene stared blankly.

White, plump arms and legs like a tire mascot.

A helmet with a gold-like visor covered the face. On the back was the familiar astronaut backpack they all recognized.

"That’s...."

Yes.

It was an astronaut.

"......."

"......."

Americans who had grown up devouring picture books about astronauts and watching endless NASA films and documentaries automatically heard background music in their ears.

Trumpets ringing like hallucinations.

It felt as though the opening of Richard Strauss’s symphonic poem "Also sprach Zarathustra" was playing.

With a grand hallucination of timpani booming, the astronaut who was trying to get out first struggled, flailing his feet.

'You can do it! Astronaut!'

Wriggling in the car seat, pushing his hips with effort, the astronaut finally stood with both feet on the red carpet, and applause burst out.

"Waaaaaaa!"

"Viva America!"

The voice of a respected figure echoed in their minds.

As he set foot on the moon—

-That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

Yes!

Great America had triumphed over the evil Soviets in the space race—

Wait.

That’s not it.

'Huh?'

As they were briefly mesmerized by the astronaut’s overly realistic acting, strange details began to stand out.

First was the Taegeukgi patch on the shoulder.

Second was the name tag.

Each wore a badge that read something like “Woojoo Sun.” Only then did they notice the four others stepping out behind and remember that this was NewBlack.

"Is that really NewBlack? There aren’t different people inside, right?"

"What’s Sunny’s main job? I thought I was watching a real moon landing."

"Circus."

"Damn! So that’s why!"

Shaking off the momentary awe, Americans burst into laughter and snapped photos.

A country that loves attention seekers regardless of field—America.

The Americans laughed happily at the newly arrived attention seekers.

"Sunny! Show us something fun!"

Did he hear one of the photographers?

Wooju paused, then pointed at himself as if to say, Watch me.

Junhyun lifted Wooju up, and Wooju lightly kicked off the ground and floated up.

Like jumping on the moon.

Huge laughter exploded at the scene.

"Waaaaaaa!"

To the cheering fans, NewBlack removed their helmets, waved briefly, then put them back on and entered.

Thump thump.

The sight of astronauts dancing playfully as they walked in made photographers laugh to the point of tears.

Around the same time.

Koreans watching the red carpet through HBS, which had secured the broadcasting rights, fidgeted their fingers.

'When are they coming out?'

They smiled as they waited for NewBlack’s entrance.

National idols.

That was the nickname currently attached to NewBlack. But if someone asked whether that nickname was truly appropriate, Koreans could firmly say no.

“National idol” was simply the closest way to describe the position NewBlack occupied in Korean hearts.

In reality, it was a little different.

How should one put it.

Like the kids next door.

Except those kids were incredibly handsome, polite to adults, always spoke kindly wherever they went, never lost focus on those cheering for them, and seemed to study all day without looking elsewhere.

And whenever people were tired, they would risk themselves performing tricks and shout, "Cheer up!"

So of course they were lovable just by looking at them.

"Oh dear. The Black boys went to America again."

"They’re performing their new song there. Showing METRO to the Americans."

"I hope it goes well. Is Ri Hyuk okay? The others are fine, but he gets especially nervous and shaky. He’s frail."

"The CEO should stop eating fancy things and get him some tonics."

Koreans whispered while watching the TV.

Whenever famous American stars they had heard of passed the red carpet, Koreans chuckled softly.

'This is amazing.'

It felt amazing and good that NewBlack stood proudly among foreign celebrities.

They called them national idols, but when NewBlack went abroad, the gaze changed slightly.

Like watching national representatives at the Olympics.

-Yes! This is the moment we mentioned! NewBlack is beginning their entrance!

-Camera! Switch the screen!

The camera view showing inside the venue switched to the outdoor scene.

The limousine slid in and the door opened.

"Oh my!"

"They’re coming! Volume! Turn up the volume!"

From the TV came the roaring cries of monsters.

-Grrrrrrr!

"Turn it down!"

"Did they swallow train whistles? Do only the loudest survive in that fan club?"

"If you’re weak, you can’t be a NewBlack fan~"

And finally, NewBlack appeared.

As astronauts waddled onto the screen, Koreans in restaurants, public facilities, and on public transportation collapsed in laughter.

Laughter burst out everywhere.

If a satellite orbiting the Korean Peninsula perked up its ears, it would hear huge laughter echoing loudly.

Not just in the south, but faintly in the north as well.

'I’m going crazy, seriously...'

Koreans who grabbed the person next to them or slapped tables while laughing wiped tears with tissues.

If offline was like that, online was even worse. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

[NewBlack red carpet at this hour]

(Photo of five astronauts.jpg)

Looks like they didn’t get the dress code memo

-kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

-What the hell kkkkkkkkkk

-This isn’t a dress code issue kkkkkkk

-Destroying the dress code kkkkkkk

-If they can’t dress well, they’ll destroy fashion instead, spaceship!!

-Finally showing their true colors in America

-Never imagined this;

-Don’t cover your faces ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-Why astronauts though???

-Apparently the VMA symbol is an astronaut

-Watching the video, the crowd burst out laughing too kkkkk

-The photographers freezing at first is hilarious kkkkk

-Watch the video, every time Americans laugh I laugh too

-Take off the Taegeukgi patch ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-If NewBlack were kings, they’d be attention seekers

-Four-year reign of attention seeker king marching west with his four underlings to shock and defeat barbarians

-Asdfkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

As clips of the “zero-gravity jump” spread, another wave of laughter broke out.

Meanwhile, once inside the red carpet venue, NewBlack began interviews with various media outlets.

When footage aired of a rapper who had been interviewing earlier spitting out his water, and reporters bursting into laughter, Koreans felt thrilled.

"Yes! This is what our boys are really like!"

The moment NewBlack’s true identity was revealed, beyond the image of five polite boys from the East.

"Our boys are subtly crazy!"

"Kind but weird!"

"Have a taste of the real NewBlack!"

A field reporter burst into laughter and asked:

-First, I have to ask. Are the people inside really NewBlack?

At that, the members removed their helmets.

Sweat streamed down their faces from the unventilated outfits. Wooju wiped his sweat and took the microphone.

-Nice to meet you. We’re NewBlack.

-Wow!

The reporter exclaimed dramatically.

-Today’s outfits are truly impressive. I might say they’re the best fashion I’ve seen at an awards ceremony.

-Thank you.

-Why did you choose these unique spacesuits? Will you wear them the entire awards ceremony?

-We can’t do that~ It’s hard enough just standing like this.

Wooju smiled slyly.

-I heard the VMA symbol is an astronaut. Since it’s our first time attending, we wanted to follow Neil Armstrong’s great leap and mark our first step on American soil.

-Come to think of it, you have a new song stage today, right?

-That’s right.

As if saying “Please look forward to it~!” the five winked.

Then the youngest took the mic.

-Actually, besides that intention, there was another reason for today’s outfits.

-Oh! What is it?

-We wanted attention.

At the shameless and confident declaration, the reporter burst into laughter. So did viewers.

-We thought it might be hard to get attention with just our stage. So we chose this secret weapon.

-It certainly seems effective.

Some sharp viewers nodded.

Mostly industry insiders.

'Smart strategy.'

NewBlack’s identity as a boy band was clearly different from traditional American boy bands.

A kind and polite image.

Because of that, it wasn’t easy for them to become gossip material in America.

They didn’t dine romantically with other celebrities, didn’t get arrested occasionally, didn’t badmouth each other backstage to spark feud rumors.

That might be good for Korean fans, but to the general American public it could seem boring.

So it seemed like a strategy to give the public enjoyable laughter and prevent their image from becoming fixed.

Even now, rather than self-destructive, it felt like watching handsome singers perform skits on American SNL.

Elegantly funny—

-You want to see something fun? Then please enjoy Biju’s zero-gravity dance!

"Hyung! No!"

While an elementary schooler in Korea screamed, Junhyun lifted spacesuit-clad Biju high.

Spinning him like a windmill, Biju danced like someone moving in zero gravity.

As the reporter clapped like a seal and burst into laughter, Koreans laughed in embarrassed delight.

"Can’t they take off the Taegeukgi?"

"It’s too late now. No going back. Just accept it. This is just the beginning in America."

"Americans are going to think all Koreans are comedians."

"Hehehehehe."

Watching NewBlack on the red carpet, Koreans smiled contentedly.

'Whatever. Good is good...'

They laughed, letting fate take its course.

The red carpet interviews went smoothly.

If you make people laugh at the start, you’re halfway there.

After one big laugh, people looked at them with friendly eyes.

"This is the best outfit I’ve seen."

They thanked reporters giving thumbs up and continued the Q and A.

"Did you know many singers named NewBlack as the most anticipated performer today?"

"Really?"

"Take a look."

Clips played of many singers saying, “Of course NewBlack,” expressing excitement for their stage.

When famous rapper Cold Brown pointed at NewBlack, Junhyun made a moved expression.

They smiled watching other singers say, “METRO’s new song is good. I’m looking forward to their stage.”

"So we’ll ask you this. Whose stage are you most looking forward to?"

"We’re most looking forward to our own stage."

The reporter went “Oh,” and they laughed, saying it was a joke, then mentioned other artists they were excited for.

They also didn’t forget to thank the VMA.

"We sincerely want to thank VMA for preparing such a wonderful stage."

Their stage today was a full five minutes.

For newcomers here, that wasn’t a small slot. It was almost preferential treatment. Except for special Artist of the Year features that ran around ten minutes, this was a top-tier allocation.

Since they had invested generously in them, they needed to repay that trust.

"VMA seems like the best awards show."

"I heard it’s competing with a big TV finale today, but wouldn’t it be more fun to watch VMA...."

"The world’s best awards show! VMA!"

They scattered “Thanks VMA, let’s get along well” comments everywhere.

Of course, there were exceptions.

"As expected, VMA is...."

They noticed a camera marked Billboard.

They gave a thumbs up.

"The best awards show along with Billboard."

"Hot hot hot!"

Politics is hard.

Only after spreading friendly comments everywhere did they finally reach the waiting room.

"Ughhhhh...."

Ri Hyuk, with weak stamina, collapsed onto the sofa first.

Stylists rushed over and quickly cut and dismantled the spacesuits with scissors and tools.

It was a pity, but time was more precious.

"Wow. Look at all that sweat."

"Dry him quickly. Jiho! Please dry Jiho’s sweat!"

The venue had strong air conditioning, but even so, it was unbearably hot.

The material didn’t breathe at all.

"Guys! Quickly! Change and move!"

"Yes!"

Answering Seokhwan, they fixed makeup and changed outfits.

They had shown off their attention-seeking power on the red carpet and achieved their goal. Photos would already be flooding social media.

They entrusted their bodies to the hands drying and styling their hair and took deep breaths.

"What do you think?"

Seokhwan asked.

"Was it effective?"

"The reaction was good."

"It looked that way. Online reactions seem great too... We don’t have to worry. It’s «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» really good."

"That’s a relief...."

Their hearts had pounded while wearing the spacesuits.

They had hugged each other with their plump bodies and shouted inside the limo while the driver laughed.

They had worried Americans might react coldly with “What are they doing...?” but most responded positively.

"Whew...."

After wiping off sweat and changing into the stylish outfits prepared by the team, Ri Hyuk straightened his clean suit jacket and looked in the mirror.

"I can finally breathe. I thought I was going to turn into a dumpling steaming in a pot."

"I want dumplings."

"Should we eat dumplings after? I heard there’s a good place in LA."

Chatting like that, they left the waiting room.

Time to enter the main venue.

As people in the hallway went “Oh my?” while looking at them, their steps felt light.

"Hehehehe."

Their goal of giving Americans fresh enjoyment on the red carpet had succeeded.

People must still be talking about them online.

Who would have imagined they’d arrive in spacesuits?

As they laughed together imagining the attention—

"Hm?"

"That...."

"That’s...."

Their expressions vanished.

From the opposite side of the hallway, a large-built Black rapper was walking in wearing a pink dress.

'We lost.'

'Please take first place.'

They clapped in admiration. The other smiled shyly as he passed.

"......."

"......."

With their younger members speechless, they turned sharply.

"To think he’d try to capture attention with an outfit."

"Hmph."

"A singer should speak with the stage."

Flapping their suit jackets, they walked proudly toward the venue.

"Let’s go, underlings."

"Yes!"

As they walked with deadly serious expressions, staff laughter floated toward them.

"Don’t laugh!"

"Yes~"

"I’m serious, our stage is going to be incredible."

"Sure, sure."

Seriously...!