Hey, Seo Hyun-woo.
"Hey. Seo Hyun-woo."
The hand gripping my shoulder traveled up my arm, and before I knew it, a smile crept onto my face.
"Oh, hyung, you're here?"
"Hyung my ass, you little shit."
Kim Min-hyuk narrowed his eyes, staring me down intently.
Hello? Hyun-woo. What? Oh, right. I was on the phone.
I quickly picked up the conversation again.
"If you have any thoughts, sir, feel free to reach out whenever it's convenient. Yes. Go ahead."
I nearly exposed my secret weapon right in front of the judges.
"What was that call about?"
"What do you mean?"
Worried the caller might be overheard, I flipped my phone screen down and slipped it into my pocket.
"How'd it go? Did things work out with Black Label?"
"Well... sort of? They seemed to like my song."
"That's gotta be tough, right? And... haa."
Kim Min-hyuk turned off the mic clipped to his shirt and glanced around.
A few staff members passed by, but no one paid us any mind—except this guy, who was making a huge fuss and scanning the area like we were in a spy thriller.
Not satisfied, he grabbed me and dragged me to his waiting room.
Bam.
The door slammed shut, and only then did he relax, letting out his words freely.
"Hey, Seo Hyun-woo. You know you've taken the bait, right?"
"The bait?"
Hands on his hips, Kim Min-hyuk scratched his head.
"You don't know? The production team sent you straight to Black Label the moment judging started. That wasn't because you guys did great and earned it. They did it to boost views. Classic bait-and-switch."
"Ahh. So that's what."
Our Bitboy, always so sweet. Worried about his one and only little bro, giving me a personal consultation and all.
"I know."
"...You know?"
Kim Min-hyuk blinked in surprise.
"You know, and you still partnered with Black Label? If it was a song you prepared, Candice or any other singer could've pulled it off just fine..."
"Hyung, did you listen to my track?"
I fiddled with my palms and perched on the edge of the desk, looking up at him.
"Of course I did. You think us judges were just standing around with our hands behind our backs? We listened to every submission—at least three seconds each. That's why those tracks made it this far."
"Then you get it."
"Huh?"
"Only Black Label can bring that song to life."
"Tsk!"
He raised the massive camera, adjusted the focus, and aimed at Black Label.
Won Ji-min, mumbling her lines intently, filled the frame.
"Oh! Looks like they just snagged a partner—lucky break!"
"Really? Where? Where?"
"Eleven o'clock!"
Another cannon lens popped up next to the pre-aimed camera, pointed at eleven o'clock.
And it wasn't just here. These behemoths dotted the arena.
All wielded by fans here to cheer their faves.
The "WonJiMinDandelion" and "HyeSooYoung" crews had supported Black Label since debut.
Sensing this might be their last shot at fandom life, they'd staked out Jamsil Gymnasium early.
Four years deep into Black Label homma life—what now, jump ship to another idol? Endless thoughts swirled, but HyeSooYoung checked her shots.
Won Ji-min, lips pursed after flubbing a line—how could she be this cute?
"No wonder I can't switch to other idols."
WonJiMinDandelion felt the same, immediately uploading to their tight-knit fan group chat.
Ninety-nine members left. Who knew how long that'd last.
WonJiMinDandelion dropped it casually.
"HyeSooYoung-ssi."
"Yeah."
"Heard the news? About Black Label. Might be their last activity."
Mid-lens swap, the bombshell nearly made HyeSooYoung drop it. She caught it with her pinky nail and exhaled.
Half-doubting, she asked, "I heard rumors, but... is it real? Or just baseless chatter?"
"Well..."
WonJiMinDandelion shook her head firmly.
"I thought it was BS at first too, but you know my uncle's friend works at G&X?"
"Yeah."
"So I can't just dismiss it. Word is, if they don't break even, disbandment."
"Uh..."
"They've carried them four years—G&X probably thinks they've done their duty as an agency."
"...Yeah."
HyeSooYoung trailed off, nearly dropping the lens again, head bowed.
Fair enough—in this industry, four years with a buried group was a miracle. She wanted to trash G&X mindlessly, but couldn't. Some conscience remained.
WonJiMinDandelion, already in the know, eyed her.
"You okay, HyeSooYoung-ssi?"
"Yeah. Yeah..."
Quick reply, but the shock lingered. As HyeSooYoung sulked, WonJiMinDandelion patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry too much. We've got Black Label's backs."
"True, but..."
"Yeah. And G&X said it's not official yet."
"Wait—what?"
"No break-even, disband. Means if they hit it, no disbandment."
Before HyeSooYoung could process, WonJiMinDandelion grabbed her arm.
"Oh, Black Label's up!"
The associate director bellowed through the megaphone, announcing the stage.
HyeSooYoung and WonJiMinDandelion grabbed their massive cameras and followed to the mirror room.
A studio-like setup for music shows. With dozens, hundreds of acts, stages flew by—no audience seats like broadcasts, but straight-cam views galore.
Obvious ploy to spread on SNS.
Seats around them empty for Black Label's turn. A stage just for these two fans—Black Label couldn't see them, but they savored it quietly.
As the melody faded, WonJiMinDandelion ventured, "They might pull it off this time?"
Maybe no disbandment after all.
Both hit SNS right after.
"That song was made for Black Label?"
Back at the judges' table, Kim Min-hyuk tilted his head.
He couldn't wrap his mind around it. Seo Hyun-woo's track was solid, mainstream—any girl group with decent understanding could've nailed it.
Jay-Q yawned amid the grueling reviews. "Yeah. Next."
The door opened. Seo Hyun-woo and Black Label entered.
"Players: Black Label. Composer: Falcon, Seo Hyun-woo, correct?"
"Yes, that's us!"
The studio boomed with their unified shout. Jay-Q rushed ahead.
"Alright. Whenever you're ready, stage on."
Composer Seo Hyun-woo stepped aside. Kim Min-hyuk eyed Black Label closer than the rest.
Intro: intense trap beat.
Vrooom-vroom.
Groups strong in sync might've gone flashy, but Black Label played it safe from the jump.
Clack.
Clean choreography synced to the beat, gradually spotlighting members—like introducing the team to the judges. Intro ended.
Ray kicked off vocals.
Short prep, tons of entrants. Others blasted ear-splitting highs and tricks for attention.
Not Black Label. Ray's smooth, ear-friendly tone drew eyes gently.
Solid start—Seo Hyun-woo nodded approval; Kim Min-hyuk too.
Plain stage turned comfy with that subtle edge.
Ray's intro wrapped, easing ears to eyes now.
Check our dance skills.
No grueling limits-pushing—just choreography fitting the song. Not textbook either. Off-beat twists intrigued viewers.
Building to bridge, immersion peaked—no one hit fail.
Not even close to elimination; grades stumped them all.
Jay-Q sighed deeply, evaluation a nightmare.
Balanced parts, no black holes. Perfectly tailored—each member shone.
Camera director hyped, nailing group shots and straight-cams instinctively, despite no broadcast.
Jay-Q whispered to Kim Min-hyuk for backup.
"Tough one."
"Pardon?"
"The beat—what's your take?"
Beat? Flawless. Beyond that—seamlessly smooth, no rough edges. Seo Hyun-woo's insistence clicked now.
Not one-trick stars, but balanced Black Label members owning tailored spots.
Standout: Won Ji-min.
Did she always sing this well? Effortless highs shamed old-school tri-runs—pure, unblocked volume.
Chorus ended, verse two. Improv lyrics had awkward bits, but otherwise A-grade perfection.
Three minutes flew. Black Label panted back to spots.
Full out, including outro—but judges frozen, mics untouched.
"Uh... judges?"
Even Jo Young-soo PD signaled Joo Seong-hwan.
"Black Label's stage concludes!"
He grilled the youngest judge, Bitboy.
"All judges stunned by Black Label! Bitboy-ssi!"
"Yes."
Bitboy fumbled for the mic—tension broke into chuckles.
"Mic's right there, but you can't find it. That shocked, huh?"
"Uh... yeah. Honestly, stunned."
Big time. Short time: form team, grasp song, choreo. Three impossible steps.
Judges had lowered bars, barring extremes.
Bitboy squinted at Falcon and Black Label.
"Be real. You two knew each other before?"
"No!"
No gaps for goofy edits—Won Ji-min firm.
Bitboy pressed on decisively.
"But that synergy? Impossible in our timeframe."
"True."
Jay-Q nodded, pointing at himself, then Kim Min-hyuk.
"Even if I took Bitboy's track now, no way I'd match this quality. Probably couldn't."
Arms waving, head shake.
"How'd they pull this off?"
"Thank you!"
Black Label beamed, relief washing over.
Raves poured in. No one expected this polish.
Fatigue could've buried them—instead, they refocused the judges.
Pens out, scribbling high letters.
Black Label exited to lingering praise.
Bitboy too—pen down, no hesitation.