Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Overflowing Debut Showcase
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Am I seeing things?
Under the bright lights, the concert hall was packed with fans who had come to see us.
There were so many that not only were all the seats filled, but people were standing in the back.
My mind went blank.
“How did this...”
At a loss for words, I stared at the cheering crowd, then turned to my members.
Their eyes were wide open in shock.
Ri-hyeok had even hidden behind Ji-ho, grabbing his arm.
And who could blame him?
Were these really fans here for our showcase?
Normally, we should’ve greeted them right away, but we were all too flustered to move.
The MC grabbed the mic with a smile.
“Hey, looks like our New Black boys are pretty shocked. They’re speechless. Even if it’s overwhelming, how about we start with a greeting for the fans?
“Yeah, okay!”
Snapping out of it, I signaled to the others.
“One, two, three.”
“Hello! We are New Black!”
As we bowed, cheers erupted again.
I was still dazed.
“This is real, right? Not a hidden camera prank or something?”
Everyone burst into laughter at my words.
The MC relayed what Yoon Seok-hwan was saying from below the stage.
“Our manager says not to worry—staging a hidden camera this big would cost too much in labor fees.
The fans—and us—couldn’t help but crack up.
We’d been so tense, but laughing like this loosened the knots in our chests.
These were all our fans?
The hall that had felt so empty with just the reporters earlier was now packed tight, no room to step.
But the real shock was something else.
Their faces.
Hundreds of eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky, all fixed on us.
The MC spoke in awe.
“I’ve hosted tons of showcases, but this is the first debut one I’ve seen with a crowd this big. Wow, just the fans’ screams are making my ears tingle.”
He grinned and asked,
“I heard the exact number from the manager—how many was it again? Oh, right. A total of 239 fans showed up. I don’t know the all-time records, but this has to rank in the top five for debut showcase attendance.”
We exchanged stunned glances with the members.
239?
Even Street Boys, who’d built a fanbase pre-debut through their reality show, only had around a hundred.
More than double that.
Did this even make sense?
If Seok-hwan hyung had told us before going onstage that over 200 people would show up for us, I never would’ve believed it.
But here they were, right in front of us.
Fans holding signs that read [You Worked Hard All This Time] and [Let’s Walk Together Now], cheering for us.
Their energy washed over my skin.
“...”
I couldn’t put this feeling into words.
My eyes grew hot, making me blink rapidly, and a tremor rose from my jaw, spreading through me.
I bit my lip.
If I didn’t, the tears would spill right away.
My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears.
Bi-ju stared out at the crowd, his face thick with emotion.
“Are these people really here for us? We...”
He trailed off, but we all knew what he meant.
‘Who are we to deserve this many...’ We got it completely, so we just smiled in silence.
The MC sounded surprised.
“I figured the members knew how many fans were coming ahead of time, but you all had no clue, huh?”
“Our manager didn’t tell us.”
Junghyun grabbed the mic.
“We were worried, but... thank you. No matter how many come—one or a hundred—we’d be grateful even for just one.”
Maybe it was his smooth mid-low tone.
The fans screamed.
Junghyun paused, tilting his head.
The expression on his bear-like face seemed to say, ‘What? Why are they cheering just because I’m talking?’
Then, as if remembering something, he added,
“Oh, that line about being grateful for even one fan? That was Woojoo hyung’s idea.”
“Junghyun, that was me, not Woojoo hyung.”
“Oh. Was it you?”
The fans laughed at our rapper’s blinking confusion. Junghyun glanced at the crowd and corrected himself.
“That’s what he says.”
“No, I said it.”
“Yeah, sure, if you say so.”
“No, really...”
Bi-ju’s real-time meltdown had us all cracking up.
Figuring Junghyun was in for an earful later, I took the mic.
Time for proper greetings.
The MC caught on and smoothly teed it up.
“I bet each member has something to say to the fans. Let’s hear from them, starting with Woojoo.”
“Yes. Hello, everyone. I’m Woojoo.”
From up here, I could see every face clearly.
All different.
Strangers to me, but all looking at me with the same gaze.
Pure affection.
I’d been on plenty of music show and event stages, but this was the first time fans had come just for us.
This was the moment I’d dreamed of.
And now, receiving those eyes...
“Thank you.”
My shaky voice drew an enthusiastic response.
“It’s been about three months since ‘Something,’ right?”
“Yes!”
“I don’t even know how to thank you all. It’s overwhelming. I’m still dazed, wondering if we deserve this much love—but this moment itself feels like a gift. Just to double-check, you’re really our fans, right?”
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
“This feels too good to be true. We’d done music shows pre-debut, but I never imagined this many fans. This is our first time meeting offline. So how do I feel right now? Uh...”
“I can barely breathe, hyung.”
I took a deep breath at Junghyun’s quip, making the members and fans laugh.
After three seconds of pondering how to express it,
I found the words.
“Thank you. Thanks to you all, today’s the best day of my life.”
Cheers exploded, and I flashed a bright smile.
It really was.
The best day of my life.
* * *
In the car back to the dorm after the showcase.
“It’s over! It’s over!”
“Ow, my ears hurt. Hey, Wang Ji-ho. Quiet down.”
“Why? I’m hyped! I know Ri-hyeok hyung’s face is smiling even if he’s acting grumpy.”
“...Get your hand off.”
The hyungs burst out laughing at our maknae rolling his fingers over Ri-hyeok’s jaw.
They shot me a displeased look as I grinned.
“Hey, stop laughing and say something. You just watch when he teases me.”
“Hmm. Fair point.”
I called Ji-ho over.
“Ji-ho.”
“Yeah?”
“Good job. Keep it up.”
“Argh, seriously!”
Ri-hyeok closed his eyes in annoyance as our eldest and maknae cracked up.
I slung my elbow over his shoulder.
“Hey, compared to when you guys teased me with the soufflés at my first music show, this is nothing.”
“That was hilarious.”
“I can do it again this time.”
“No, don’t.”
“The guy who stays quiet when I’m getting teased? Hey, Wang Ji-ho. Do it quick.”
“Yes, sir! Hold on!”
Our dongsaeng line clicked perfectly in moments like this.
Our maknae cleared his throat dramatically, then nailed the imitation—eyebrows furrowed in that cheesy expression.
“Thanks to you all, today’s the best day of my life.”
“Puhahaha!”
“I didn’t say it that lispy! You guys...”
Even Min-gi hyung in the driver’s seat and Seok-hwan hyung laughed.
I shot Bi-ju, who was tearing up from laughter, an aggrieved look.
“Did I really sound that cheesy?”
“It’s fine, hyung. The fans loved it.”
As Bi-ju consoled me, the bear rummaging through snack bags nearby nodded.
He offered me some.
“What’s this?”
“Comfort food.”
“...Feels passive-aggressive.”
“Want me to feed you?”
Our team rapper’s sweet face as he popped a snack in my mouth cracked me up.
“But seriously, this feels amazing. Remember after Music Cafe, doing events? We said fans would make us feel great. This is way better than we imagined.”
“Yeah, feels like flying.”
“I still can’t believe it. 239 people? I thought it was the manager’s prank.”
The managers listening chuckled.
“I told you, no budget for that. We blew it all on your album. Honestly, I never dreamed the 250 seats would sell out. First time I’ve seen this at a debut showcase.”
“We’re stunned too. Where did these fans even come from?”
“We did a ton of stuff, right? Topped music shows for a month, Music Cafe, tons of events.”
“Huh.”
“Or maybe Street Boys? Their diss fired up our fan cafe.”
At the Street Boys mention, we suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, right! Our music dropped today.”
Official debut was tomorrow, but the company released it early at 8 p.m.
It was now 9:30.
Curious about the reaction, we pulled out our phones.
Yoon Seok-hwan watched us through the rearview, smirking oddly.
“Let’s check the charts.”
We crowded around Bi-ju’s phone, scanning from 1 to 100.
As expected, nothing in 1-50.
At 50-100, our eyes scrolled down... and stopped.
Up and down, over and over.
[98. New Black - Fireworks]
We blinked at the screen.
“...Is this real?”
“Looks real.”
“For sure?”
“Obviously.”
We stared at each other.
“...”
Then we screamed loud enough to shake the car.
* * *
DNS Media headquarters.
Late as it was, the conference room was full of staff.
All grim-faced.
Especially the middle-aged man at the head table—his face was ashen.
His laptop showed a music chart with the yellow mango logo.
[88. New Black - Fireworks]
New Black’s debut track had entered at 98 just after 10 p.m., and by now, nearing midnight, it was at 88.
DNS Media CEO Im Hyun-sik scanned the chart.
[24. Jang Sowon X New Black - Something]
[88. New Black - Fireworks]
[97. Street Boys - Hunger]
As Im’s already sour face hardened, the staff swallowed hard.
The PR team leader continued.
“Our promo seems to have backfired. We created the rivalry successfully, but then Hunger’s diss rap and Han-jo’s genius comment rallied their fandom. Even casuals turned into core fans.”
“...”
“We underestimated New Black’s potential fanbase from Music Cafe, events, and broadcasts. Similar influx ratio to Street Boys, but their sheer size...”
“So...”
Im massaged his throbbing temples.
“Everything we did just helped Lemon Entertainment?”
“...Seems like it.”
Heavy silence fell.
A week ago, they’d celebrated charting in the top 100. Now, total opposite.
Department heads chimed in.
“Our A&R said not to change the song...”
“From PR, we warned noise marketing could backfire...”
“As field managers...”
“No, wasn’t it Team 2 pushing the diss lyrics that weren’t even in the original? Scripting interviews, and now dodging blame...”
As they pointed fingers and raised voices, Im Hyun-sik rubbed his temples.
His head throbbed.
New Black succeeding didn’t tank Street Boys.
But in entertainment, everything was relative.
A 20% drama is a hit—unless a 50% one airs same time.
A mid-tier agency’s boy group, with self-composed tracks, charting in the 80s on day one.
Who knew how high it’d climb?
Then, his phone lit up.
Baldy [Park Gyuho sent a gift icon.]
Baldy [^^]
Suppressing the urge to hurl it, Im Hyun-sik sent a curt congrats reply.
‘Damn it.’
No day had ever hit harder with “fattening the enemy.”