The entrance into the venue.

As the humid air unique to concert halls mixed with the blast of air conditioning, his heart began to race.

There was a particular atmosphere you felt right before a concert or awards show began.

"It feels kind of amazing."

Biju smiled brightly.

"How does the air feel different right when it’s time to perform? It’s clearly the same space as during rehearsal."

"Right? It’s strange."

Just like how a classroom feels different during break time versus during class.

Walking into an empty venue for rehearsal and walking in when it’s packed with an audience were completely different things.

Anticipation.

Excitement.

Joy.

Positive words seemed to pop lightly in the cool air around them.

"Let’s go in."

With the help of security, they entered the venue, and sharp screams burst out from all over.

"Grrrrrrrrr!"

"Kyaaaaaak!"

That’s right.

This was a dungeon... no, a beautiful space filled with their precious Souffles!

Our cute—

"Kraaaaarararara!"

No.

It would be nice if they gave us a little time to brainwash ourselves first....

"Whatever."

"Isn’t this what makes them our Souffles? Normal cheers feel kind of bland now."

At Junhyun’s words, they all laughed heartily and waved.

Fans waving Dalbong and Wangbong light sticks also shook their placards.

The letters glittered under the lights.

[Kim Deoksun.]

[Spicy pork. Kimchi fried rice. Tonkatsu.]

[Come visit Texas too! The steak flavor is insane.]

Together with his younger members, Wooju sent heart signs with moved eyes.

Their fans really knew exactly which words to show to cheer them on.

"We said we’d eat dumplings, but now I’m craving spicy pork."

"Should we eat both?"

As they chatted, celebrities and audience members seated nearby held up their phones and filmed them.

Some looked like they were witnessing something mystical.

Others were still laughing and whispering, perhaps because of the earlier astronaut outfits.

"Hyung, everyone’s staring at us."

"Ahem."

As attention focused on them, they put on solemn expressions as if discussing global politics.

"How should we eat tonkatsu? Is there a tonkatsu place in LA?"

"Should we ask the managers later? Now I want tonkatsu and spicy pork."

"Let’s go to Koreatown tomorrow. Koreatown."

It was truly convenient that people around them didn’t understand Korean.

As they approached the front row, a security guard gestured toward their seats.

[The New Black]

They sat in the five seats with their nameplates and looked toward the stage.

From the audience, the stage looked wide.

They moved their heads like meerkats, gauging stage routes, when—

"Hey!"

At the bright voice calling out, they turned.

Glossy, wavy blue hair.

Sparkling eyes.

Someone swaggered toward them, and their eyes met.

"Hailey! Long time no see!"

"I don’t think it’s been that long... I guess that means you missed me that much, huh?"

"...Interpretation is free."

"You’re blushing."

While Hailey smiled contentedly, they spotted a young child hiding behind her with a doll in hand and cheered.

"Summer!"

"Hi."

It seemed she had attended the awards with her husband and daughter again.

As Hailey chatted with a pouty face for a while and sat nearby, others who had been watching began approaching one by one to exchange greetings.

Half familiar faces, half unfamiliar.

The youngest covered his mouth and whispered.

"I guess METRO is doing well."

"Right? Their expressions...."

"Yes, it’s our first time meeting, but judging by their expressions, it’s like we’ve known each other for ten years? They’re smiling brighter than when you look at Grandma."

It felt like they had become the Kim Deoksun of the American entertainment industry.

After shaking hands and taking photos with those pretending to be close, they returned to their seats.

It was almost time for the awards to begin.

They pressed shoulders together and shivered.

"Huddle up."

"Yes."

It was an American awards show everyone wanted to attend, yet being here made them feel excited and slightly lonely.

Like being placed alone in a vast space.

At domestic awards, from staff to audience everyone was Korean, and the singers around them were seniors and juniors they knew, so it never felt lonely just sitting there. But here, they were surrounded by unfamiliar faces.

As they leaned on one another—

Junhyun said quietly,

"This feels kind of familiar. It’s like when we go to cheer at away baseball games."

"That makes sense. Except we’re the players."

"That’s why I like it."

Junhyun waved toward the audience.

"If there are players, there are supporters."

"Grrrrrrrrrr!"

They smiled at the Souffles’ roar.

Right.

Even if they felt alone here, they weren’t truly alone.

Their Souffles were scattered throughout the audience—

"Huh?"

Not scattered.

The entire audience shimmered with a familiar light.

They all stared blankly at the waves of Dalbong light sticks glittering everywhere.

Ri Hyuk calculated the seating area versus the proportion of lights and said,

"Half of them are our fans."

"......."

"Look at that wave. It feels like a concert."

Realizing NewBlack was looking at them, the Souffles started doing their own wave across the venue.

And the cheers followed.

"Kraaarararara!"

"Kyaaaaaak!"

"Kuweeeeeek!"

And they saw it.

Like heroes surrounded by monsters, the celebrities and audience on the first floor were trembling slightly.

The gazes directed at them had grown polite.

"......."

"......."

They looked into the distance.

Maybe the lonely ones weren’t them—but the Americans in this room.

The 2017 Video Music Awards officially began.

It was their second awards show after the Billboard Music Awards, and there wasn’t much difference.

Just an American awards show.

The host came out and went, "Hot hot hot! Joke!" and the audience and celebrities responded, "Hot hot hot! Reaction!" pretending to have fun.

In between, capitalist corporate ads like “This awards show is brought to you by cola” popped up.

Mostly similar, though there were differences.

"Oh, that prop’s nice."

"Wow...."

The stage was more fun.

If the Billboard Music Awards felt like a tidy dinner show, this was more provocative and free.

Shirtless rappers and bikini-clad performers danced wildly.

Some stages had such astonishing set designs they made them think they should ask their CEO to buy one.

"Ri Hyuk, put that in your mental shopping cart. That and the mini fireworks from earlier."

"Stop ordering useless stuff. I added it."

"Okay."

True to its reputation as a stage-focused awards show, it was a feast to watch.

Americans said that was what the VMA was about.

-Awards where the stages are fun.

A place where singers express their musical style or lyrical meaning through multimillion-dollar props, set designs, and performances.

For example, rapper Cold Brown, who wrote about a period of wandering, rapped inside a mirror maze set on stage.

Wearing a red hood, each time he rapped, slightly cracked mirrors reflected his face.

The performance showed him leaving behind a fragmented identity and stepping onto the protruding stage whole, drawing admiration.

"Wow...."

Then Mandy Spice sang about being tired of fake men and threw off her mask at a masquerade-themed stage.

As stages that must have taken nearly a month to prepare flew by in an instant, they felt both regret and awe.

"Guys."

Wonseok approached.

"It’s time to get ready."

"Ah, okay."

Reluctantly tearing their eyes from the stage, they moved.

In the waiting room, they quickly changed outfits, touched up makeup, and checked each other’s condition.

Even then, the stages they had seen floated in their minds.

"They were all really good."

The younger members nodded.

The youngest drank water and puffed his cheeks.

"We have to do well too...."

"Ughhhh!"

"We have to do well!"

They flapped around nervously in the hallway.

Too tense, they hugged tightly, then separated and made a fuss.

Wooju wet his throat and tilted his head back.

"Ughhh...."

He had been confident during rehearsal.

But seeing those expensive-looking props and overwhelming live performances shook him slightly.

Stretching his limbs, he frowned and sighed.

As he recalled rehearsal mistakes and breathed in and out—

Someone’s unstable breathing reached his ears.

"Hup ha. Hup ha... hhhh... hup."

Ri Hyuk was breathing pale and dizzy.

Before Wooju could step in, the youngest grumbled and approached.

"Hyung, you’ll hyperventilate again."

"Whooo...."

"Honestly, who would take care of you if not me? Come here. Your hands are cold."

Watching the youngest knead the main vocal’s hands, Wooju looked at Biju and Junhyun, who were steadying themselves calmly.

When he glanced at them, they smiled silently and nodded.

We’re fine.

"......."

Perhaps their mood spread, because even their staff waited silently in standby.

A staff member wearing an intercom ran over and shouted,

"NewBlack! We’re getting ready!"

It was nothing special, yet his heart dropped heavily.

Like lying on a hospital bed about to enter surgery, when someone suddenly unlocks the wheels and the ceiling begins to move overhead.

Suppressing dizziness and nausea, he stood.

"Let’s go, underlings!"

"Yay!"

Now was the moment to raise the mood, tension or not.

"VMA! VMA!"

"We can do it!"

As they moved backstage, they hyped each other up.

High-fiving the American dancers, the energy gradually heated up.

Soon, they heard the presenter’s voice on stage.

A famous actor starring in a crime drama began, “It’s truly an honor to introduce...”

"Huddle."

They wrapped arms around each other and pressed their heads together.

"Younger brothers."

"Yes."

"I love you."

"We love you~"

Wooju looked quietly at one silent member. Ri Hyuk muttered,

"I lo... lo...."

They giggled and exchanged smiles.

"Let’s eat something good after."

"Hyung’s paying?"

"Whoever does the best on stage pays."

Junhyun said,

"Then that’s me."

"No, it’s me."

"Honestly, it’s me. Americans can’t not love my cute face."

They laughed at the nonsense.

The staff’s hurried movements signaled it was time.

"One, two, three."

"Meat! Meat! Fighting!"

They clenched fists with the dancers and shouted before stepping onto the dark stage.

With the curtain down, it was dim.

Staff quickly cleared out after setting props. Dancers moved to their positions.

Even the sound of breathing was audible.

"It’s an honor to introduce their first solo stage in America."

The presenter pointed toward the stage.

"Please give them a warm welcome! NewBlack!"

Rough breathing.

Cheers and screams.

And with dazzling lights, the curtain began to rise.

Millions watched live across America, and even more in Korea.

'Finally!'

Souffles around the world cheered.

Friends in a dorm in Vietnam shouted at a laptop. A fan in Iceland fixed the TV channel at a pub and passed around beer. A fan in Egypt waved a Dalbong at a computer screen.

As if that heat carried over, fans in the venue roared.

"Waaaaaaa!"

The cheers drowned out the presenter’s voice as the curtain rose.

Other audience members felt their hearts pound.

‘Finally NewBlack’s stage.’

They wanted to see if the rumors were true.

‘They say if you see their stage, you become a fan.’

Soft background music began, and lights brightened.

Spotlights illuminated parts of the stage.

‘Huh?’

Like in a musical, multiple areas were lit.

Dissonant music played.

Under each spotlight, people were fighting. Couples, friends, people of various races and genders, conflicts and hatred.

As Americans interpreted it that way, the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) lights moved past the scenes of conflict and illuminated two children.

‘What are they doing?’

As if adult conflicts didn’t concern them, the children walked calmly, and lights dimmed one by one.

They approached an arcade machine.

A large one, like in a game center.

Even the dissonant music faded to silence as the children pulled out coins and inserted them.

[Clink-]

The sound of coins rolling echoed, and video game-style text appeared on the arcade screen and LED board.

The machine vibrated and glowed.

[Insert Coin..]

Blink blink.

Reacting to the inserted coin, the word Coin enlarged dramatically.

‘Coin is the title!’

At the same time, music began.

The intro of Coin, with cheerful children’s chatter—actually Lemon Entertainment staff laughter—played.

NewBlack emerged playfully from behind the arcade machine.

"Waaaaaaa!"

Souffles teared up at the sight of their visuals on the screen.

Soft eyes against pale cheeks.

Glittered makeup that gave an innocent vibe.

Kitschy outfits like video game characters.

‘Wow.’

After the opening wave choreography—

Jiho jumped out.

A red basketball-uniform-inspired top paired with faded jeans, sparkling eyes above a refreshing smile.

Tapping his watch mischievously, the sub vocal sang,

Woke up late again today

So what if I’m late

A messy kind of day

Let’s color this boring routine

With a humming-style ending and a wink, Souffles roared.

Then Junhyun stepped out in a denim jacket with a loose tie, syncing choreography with the youngest.

His deep rap followed, and even general American audiences responded loudly.

‘They’re good!’

They didn’t understand the words, but it felt good.

The rhythm and flow of Korean rap blended smoothly into their ears.

Smirking, Junhyun flicked a coin gesture mid-choreo.

Spin.

Tap!

"Waaaaaaa!"

Cool energy spread as fans cheered.

The main dancer burst forward, brown hair fluttering, cross earrings swinging.

Everything seemed to dance with him.

Like someone living only for today, he danced fiercely yet joyfully.

Gather up, gather up

All together

Listen up, listen up

Hear the sound calling you

With a grin under his cap, he high-fived the leader and stepped back.

Wooju’s face filled the screen.

"Grrrrrr!"

"Kwang!"

Cheers exploded at his appearance.

Wearing a black T-shirt with fabric tied at his waist, he raised his hand as his high notes rose smoothly.

Feel it, feel it

This shining fever

We share together

With sparkling eyes like starlight, he beckoned.

Then the main vocal stepped forward.

Ri Hyuk’s clear voice burst through the chorus of Coin, and the venue exploded.

Like fireworks shooting golden coins everywhere.

A fan on the screen sniffled with a red nose, wiping tears.

‘The song’s good.’

General audiences smiled, satisfied.

‘Now I get it.’

Because of NewBlack’s intro performance.

A world full of conflict.

But conflict doesn’t last forever.

Like children happily playing with arcade tokens, maybe conflict ends when hands reach out.

Or maybe it’s about putting heavy conflict aside and just having fun.

As NewBlack gestured, the dancers who fought earlier now danced together smiling.

The colorful, video-game-like visuals delighted the eyes.

And—

‘Wow, they dance so well.’

You could see the secret to their popularity.

They performed intense choreography for over two minutes without looking tired.

They didn’t fall behind even beside professional dancers.

Finally, after Coin ended—

"Waaaaaaa!"

The audience applauded and admired—

When suddenly the stage went dark again.

Fans cheered.

"That was so good!"

"Is METRO next? Now we’ll finally see NewBlack’s dance!"

"Finally, the real dance."

"Coin choreography was light on purpose. Wooju said it was to focus on the song."

The general audience’s eyes shook.

‘...Did I mishear?’

Was that not dancing just now?

As they processed that thought—

The dark stage lit up again.

Silence.

And someone stood on it.