First day of recording for Idol E Sports Tournament.

The response to the recording, where idols competed head to head in various game categories, was fairly favorable.

Especially among idol fans, the reaction wasn’t bad.

“At least they didn’t mobilize fans, so that’s good.”

It was far better than the old Dolleympics that used idols as hostages to mobilize fans.

Thinking about idols and fans shivering on cold ground in freezing weather still made curses rise to mind. Wasn’t Dolleympics ranked number one among schedules fans secretly hoped their idols would skip as they gained seniority?

Compared to that, E sports was a decent concept in many ways.

“Honestly it’s still kind of dumb... but yeah, this is fine.”

“Studio recording is nice. At stadium events the kids couldn’t even rest comfortably because of all the eyes on them.”

“As long as they don’t get injured it’s the best. Thinking about my bias spraining an ankle before a concert still makes my blood boil.”

“They’re doing kart racing? I wanna see that too.”

“Who’s appearing?”

“Looking at the events, I hope my idol is in it.”

“If Sun Wooju appears it’ll be hilarious.”

With reactions already fairly positive, the broadcast of the first day’s recording began and favorable responses poured in.

“Oh no! The kart crashes into the wall! What a dazzling play! It’s dazzling in the sense that it sets our insides on fire!”

“This is not easy. Not easy at all.”

“Watching this makes one question whether our country truly is an E sports powerhouse! Hahaha!”

Laughter flowed at the countless legendary moments created by idols unfamiliar with games.

And among them, the most talked about was the first tier idol leader eliminated in the shooting game preliminaries.

“Sun Wooju is not game clueless.”

This can’t even be described as game clueless.

Is that aim for real?

“Hahaha agreed.”

“I was dying laughing watching that. How can someone be that bad?”

“I’m confident my toes could do better.”

“If the definition of gaming is not to win but to annoy people, then it was perfect play.”

“Play that even annoys teammates.”

“Wooju wrote another legend this holiday.”

Unforgivable game skill.

Even fans were shielding and hitting their own bias at the same time.

“Today’s achievements”

Hearing gunshots and calmly walking the opposite direction.

Taking a car and flying into the sky.

Attempting mutual destruction with a junior singer on a motorcycle but crashing alone.

Attempting to punch a junior singer, getting hit once, and running away.

Throwing a grenade that bounced back and killing himself.

(Bonus) Ha Eunsung charging off a cliff while trying to attack Sun Wooju.gif

“Bonus clip is insane.”

“Sun Wooju, Chu Seon.”

“Still cute... so it’s fine.”

“The motorcycle carpool was hilarious. Hope the broadcast shows their real expressions.”

“When the car flew into the sky I heard Harry Potter music.”

“Let’s go to Hoguwarts full of composer dobis.”

Cute, though.

Truly the pinnacle of disgraceful play.

Perhaps conscious of fans gleefully teasing him, Wooju turned on Y app and made excuses to fans.

“If it were a real gun I would’ve shot well. Even during reserve training I was praised for shooting.”

“Shameful! Boo!”

“Be quiet! I only went because of you guys! I was so frustrated...!”

Of course, it didn’t work at all.

“Breaking: Mr. S says ‘If it were a real gun I would’ve shot well.’”

Apparently he practiced a lot before going.

“That may be.”

“But Wooju, this is a game.”

“If that logic worked, Olympic shooters would be dominating gaming.”

“Competing in a shooting competition vs shooting among gaming beginners.”

“Surprisingly, for our bias the former is easier.”

“Being good at a game is harder than Billboard Hot 100. Games are scary.”

“The train has already left, Wooju.”

“It’s chilling that this was after practice.”

“At least the variety god is protecting him.”

Anyway, thanks to the national idol’s fighting spirit, the E sports Dolleympics began successfully.

Countless talking points were born.

Lucky Girl’s Rui, who had punched Sun Wooju, won the shooting game that day and earned the nickname “Punch King Rui.”

“It’s truly an honor. Punch King Rui...! Thank you!”

The cute pink haired idol clenching her fists in joy at receiving her first real attention since debut became a hot topic on SNS.

Meanwhile, Hanjo’s expression of existential crisis while imitating a famous game character line also became a topic.

And among all of it, besides “game clueless Sun Wooju,” the other big topic was Teen Spirit’s heated expressions after their game ended.

“Teen kids’ expressions today.”

Teen Spirit’s faces after three straight team losses.

“So cute. They look their age when gaming.”

“Even being mad is cute.”

“Our babies have this side too.”

A photo of Teen Spirit failing to manage their expressions for a moment after three consecutive losses went viral, making idol fans burst into laughter.

At the same time.

Since it was a game themed event, clips from Idol E Sports Tournament spread to gaming communities as well.

“Sun Wooju appearing at today’s idol game tournament (spicy warning).”

I clearly said spicy warning.

“Hyung Wooju, don’t play games. It’s irritating.”

“Confiscate his keyboard and mouse.”

“This is an insult to computers.”

“It’s not just spicy, it’s capsaicin level.”

“It’s not frustrating, it’s just funny.”

“Isaac Asimov: Advanced bad gaming skill is indistinguishable from humor.”

Game users laughed at the ridiculous scenes and joined in teasing.

“Let’s refrain from teasing Sun Wooju.”

If he develops a negative perception of games, what then?

Game is annoying -> anti game movement -> nationwide parents cheer.

Can you handle that?

At that serious nonsense, game users suppressed laughter and nodded.

“But that’s kind of true.”

“Parallel universe where Sun Wooju resents games: end of gaming.”

“We need to praise him.”

“Did you know? Praise makes whales grow.”

“Let’s wave praise.”

“Wow he’s so good.”

“Sun Wooju is a god!”

“To save Korea’s game industry, I praise Sun Wooju today.”

From that, the “Game God Sun Wooju” meme spread and the online world erupted in laughter.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

With staff chanting in unison, applause broke out everywhere.

Filming had just ended.

I wiped the beads of sweat on my forehead and face with a towel handed by the manager.

“That’s it?”

“All done. That was really the last one.”

Ri Hyuk drew a long line through the final schedule entry.

Starting with Idol E Sports Tournament, we wrapped up Chuseok related shoots one by one.

Wearing hanbok for brands we model for and filming “Have a bountiful Chuseok!” greeting videos, recording a Chuseok greeting for PBS’s Now My Hometown, and even filming NewBlack TV’s Chuseok special content for fans.

Overall, the flow was good.

Except for one thing.

“Wow, Game God Sun Wooju!”

“Game bodhisattva who turns bystanders into enlightened monks!”

“It’s kind of fun. Hehe.”

The underlings sparkled like forsythia flowers.

Thinking they had found a great angle, they teased me daily with “Game God.”

I grabbed the maknae who was making raspberry noises and trembled.

“Jiho. What are you going to do about hyung? What about hyung’s public image?”

“Hm?”

The maknae smiled brightly.

“Why should I take responsibility? You were the one who went.”

“You told me to go!”

“I only suggested it. You decided to go. Logically, isn’t that correct?”

“.......”

At his flawless logic, I turned my head sharply.

There’s no way our maknae is this smart.

As expected, there was another culprit.

Ri Hyuk was holding up his phone screen with lines for Jiho to read.

“Hey!”

“If you can catch me, try!”

Watching the fourth unit dash away fast enough to leave an afterimage, I lamented.

“I made a mistake. I debuted with ungrateful people......”

“Endure it, hyung.”

Biju put a hand on my shoulder and smiled.

“You’re Game God.”

“.......”

The underlings clapped and laughed.

There’s no one I can trust. Not a single one.

How can they enjoy teasing me this much? If it were me I’d be bored.

The maknae smiled.

“Not bored at all, hyung. Every moment is thrilling and fun.”

“Ugh!”

There’s nowhere to complain.

Everyone I contacted was teasing me about my game skill.

“When we get a break, I’m really going to practice games. So no one can tease me anymore......”

“But the break never came.”

“Two thousand years later......”

I smiled sadly at their jokes.

Now that Chuseok shoots were done, we had to attend the DA Duty Free concert we were modeling for, then depart for Japan for performances.

After part of next week’s Japan performances, we would depart for Paris for fashion week.

Teen Spirit and Sbo recording, Japan shows, Jiho’s short drama...

“Packed, packed.......”

“You have to endure this much to stay in this position.”

“Ri Hyuk. That’s page one.”

“What? There’s a back page?”

Smiling at the packed schedule, we held a strategy meeting with the TF team for the upcoming Japan tour.

Seokhwan adjusted his glasses.

“The goal of this Japan tour is simple. Do the concert quietly and come back.”

“Just the concert?”

“Yes. We’ll only do minimal fan promotions.”

It felt strange.

It was different from previous Japan tours. We always did fan promotions, but also tried to promote to the broader Japanese public.

Since we didn’t release Japanese songs, we tried to build goodwill, even appearing on morning programs.

We uploaded Japanese content on NewBlack World TV as well.

There had to be a reason the TF team said this.

“No press conference?”

“No. We thought it best not to contact media. Considering the current atmosphere in Japanese media......”

“What’s the atmosphere?”

“Well.”

Seokhwan chose his words.

“You know Japanese media is very conscious of the US, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So since you advanced into the US, it’s been noisy. A Korean singer receiving major attention in the US.”

“Ah......”

I could imagine.

The kinds of things we’d seen before.

“As expected, the Korean government’s policies have achieved amazing results. What is our government doing? Rather than useless cabinet infighting, perhaps we need a clever strategy like Korea’s.”

“Looking at NewBlack, you can see how successful Korea’s anti Japan indoctrination of the youth has been.”

“If Seon Myeongju were alive, perhaps his son’s attitude toward Japan would have been different.”

I shook my head.

Biju asked cautiously,

“The reaction won’t be good. They’ll tear us apart for doing well... so that’s why you’re avoiding media.”

“No. The opposite.”

“What?”

“The reaction is overwhelmingly positive. That’s the problem.”

We blinked.

“It’s like a festival right now.”

“Why?”

“Because an Asian singer broke through Billboard.”

“What?”

There was a tone of “Hey! We’re friends!”

Manager Hong Seoyeong turned her laptop around.

Clips from Japanese current affairs and lifestyle programs played.

“Asian star! NewBlack enters Billboard Hot 100 at number four! Asia has achieved this again since 1961!”

“I think the secret to NewBlack’s success is K pop imitating J pop. Didn’t they become national idols by showing broken, comedic sides like Japanese idols?”

“A tremendous achievement for Asia!”

They celebrated like it was their own success.

Seokhwan explained,

“Since you’re succeeding in the US, they’ve changed from a defensive stance. They’re acknowledging it and trying to ride along.”

“.......”

“They seem to want to position you as successors to J pop.”

Interviews with Japanese citizens appeared.

“Do you feel similarity between NewBlack and J pop singers?”

Citizen 1: Maybe a bit? The way they break their image feels similar to Japanese idols.

Citizen 2: Like a more refined version.

Citizen 3: Appealing with a friendly image feels familiar.

Citizen 4: Maybe they’re idols raised by Japan. (laughs)

“When did they raise us.......”

“That’s their perspective.”

It felt like working hard to succeed and then a neighbor claiming he raised you and presenting a bill.

And that same neighbor had always blocked us whenever we tried to befriend the next door kid.

Seokhwan smiled.

“Anyway, they’re making your image positive, but that’s why we’re in trouble.”

“Right.”

“Broadcast appearance requests are flooding in. Major Japanese variety shows are asking you to appear.”

Manager Hong explained the strategy.

“They want to lift you up now. Then in 2019 or 2020, they can use 2017 footage to say ‘NewBlack raised by Japan.’ Who will remember clearly by then?”

“It’s obvious.”

“Plus the expected questions are a problem.”

Why don’t you release Japanese songs?

Did you benchmark famous J pop seniors?

How does it feel to be a singer raised by Japan?

“...It’s best to avoid media contact.”

“That’s right.”

Appearing on famous Japanese variety shows sounded nice... but it was like pizza topped with poisonous mushrooms.

“They’re a country interested in Korea and very interested in the US. With this reporting trend, in a year they’ll remember each of your names. There’s no need to push promotion.”

Seokhwan outlined the strategy.

“Just get through this transitional period. Right now they’re trying to ride along since you’re rising in the US. But if you achieve even greater success later... they won’t dare try to claim you.”

Like investors who boast during a company’s growth stage but become just another shareholder once it becomes a conglomerate.

We nodded.

“Got it. We’ll minimize media contact.”

“Yes. Think of it as just doing the concert. Maybe a nominal magazine interview.”

No contact with major TV media.

Understood.

A few days later, after the duty free concert.

We departed from Gimpo Airport and arrived at Haneda Airport in Japan. But we couldn’t enter immediately.

Seokhwan, with a Japanese interpreter, looked troubled.

“They say the crowd is too large to control right away......”

“How many?”

“Two thousand.”

“Two thousand isn’t that.......”

“And another two thousand outside who couldn’t enter the airport. Including people who gathered just to see you.”

“.......”

The hit happened in the US, yet the scale had changed here too.

We were told to wait while about 300 security and police personnel controlled the situation.

Roars echoed outside.

We huddled together, trembling.

“What do we do?”

There was a VIP exit, but that was usually for state guests.

And with four thousand people gathered, leaving without showing our faces felt wrong.

While staff and we debated—

“Excuse me.”

The airport security chief approached.

“We have prepared something ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ in our manual for situations like this.”

“Really?”

“To end this disturbance, swift breakthrough is essential. There is a perfect method.”

We showed curiosity, and he continued with resolve.

“There is a cutting edge method, integrating Japan’s advanced technology. If NewBlack agrees, perhaps we could use this.......”

“Cutting edge technology!”

“What do you think?”

At his sparkling eyed suggestion, we readily agreed.

At the words new technology, Ri Hyuk’s eyes gleamed.

“So where is this advanced device?”

“Right here!”

The security chief introduced it confidently.

The airport arrival doors opened.

“Waaaaaa!”

Souffle cheered loudly.

Fans bouncing and screaming froze.

“Huh......?”

They had stood on tiptoe to see their bias’s face, but NewBlack’s faces floated through the air.

As if riding something.

Ziiiiing—

A cylindrical robot guided the way.

NewBlack rode on fully automated cardboard carts, waving slowly.

And from the speaker, electronic notes of “Für Elise.”

“It feels like a parade.”

“Walking might be faster.”

“Ri Hyuk’s eyes look colder than usual.”

Japanese Souffle watched seriously, wondering if it was just their imagination that Ri Hyuk’s gaze at the cardboard cart seemed slightly chilled.