A few days after DNS Media’s surprise promotional blitz, Lemon Entertainment launched a full-scale counterattack.

With twice the original budget, the PR team began distributing press releases like crazy.

“Summer hit legend New Black returns with a self-produced track”

“‘This time it’s the summer season song’ – New Black debut album tracklist revealed”

“New Black to land on the charts next month with title track ‘Fireworks’”

They must have spent a fortune on publicity, because some articles even made the front page. Our group name popped up in real-time search rankings. Thanks to music shows and MusicTube, our name was spreading in ways DNS Media’s promotion of Street Boys never achieved.

It seemed to provoke our rivals, too. DNS Media responded with another wave of publicity.

“La Vie en Rose cheers on junior group... Who are the ‘Street Boys’?”

“Rapper Heshion storms with praise for Street Boys leader Han Jo”

“‘Street Boys’ trending in real time even before debut”

The rivalry between the two companies played out everywhere. It was so obvious that idol community forums lit up with comments.

“Are Lemon and DNS into something? They’re so competitive”

“Are Gyu-ho and Hyun-sik at it again?”

“This didn’t happen with Scarlet and La Rose—why now?”

“DNS threw the first punch, didn’t they? Street Boys changed their debut track since April—obvious they’re reacting to Lemon”

“Didn’t you see the interview? They said the debut schedule was too tight in April, so they planned it for the second album but had more time now”

“That’s nonsense—they clearly copied New Black”

“Fanwars everywhere lol”

“How do these newbies have fans already? New Black’s from ‘Something’, but Street Boys? I heard their debut reality on K-net did well”

“Lol watching these fandoms fight is entertaining”

“Some comments are savage”

“They’re all talk since they’re rookies”

“Reminds me of TNT vs. Seventeen fans brawling—won’t be boring anytime soon”

Except for a tiny minority of die-hards, most idol fans were ready to grab popcorn and watch. Sensing it, entertainment reporters pounced like hyenas.

“June boy group showdown—who will win?”

“‘Producer-idol vs. producer-idol’: June boy group clash talking points” 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

“June music scene: rookie boy groups’ bold challenges”

Entertainment reporters even dubbed it the “June boy group showdown.” Other groups were mentioned, but that was just to fill space. The main storyline was the New Black vs. Street Boys rivalry. Who’d have the more successful promotions? Whose song was better? The general public remained largely indifferent, but idol fans’ interest was rising. Since Sixty Seconds collapsed, there’d been no true idol rivalry—especially with major artists planning comebacks in July and August. A rookie group war made June more exciting.

Visible changes followed. Fan café memberships grew, and our MusicTube video views surged. The stakes were clear: opportunity. Whoever won would claim all the attention. It was a fight we had to win. As both groups and their agencies sharpened their swords, summer was slowly approaching.

May, a studio in Gangnam-gu.

“Wow.”

At the studio for our album jacket shoot, the New Black members couldn’t stop exclaiming.

“Hyung, sit down. This couch is as comfy as my own.”

“Seriously. This is amazing.”

Wang Jiho and Kim Junghyun sat on a luxurious sofa laughing.

“Doesn’t this look really expensive?”

“For sure. Looks like some ancient Egyptian urn. Would look great in our dorm.”

“Why put it in the dorm? Junghyun hyung and Wang Jiho would break it for sure.”

Seo Rihyeok and Kim Biju admired a strange craft piece in the waiting room. Every item looked high-end, the kind of décor that said, “You belong here.”

“I heard this photographer is the hottest in Gangnam. You can really see it from the waiting room.”

“Look at the photos on the wall. All top-star seniors.”

“Wow. Huh? But there aren’t many idols here. That TN... ah, why?”

“Can’t you tell?”

Seo Rihyeok pointed to someone sitting in the corner of the sofa. Only then did Wang Jiho realize he’d forgotten someone ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) from the TNT debut lineup who’d been cut. The person seemed oblivious, staring at their smartphone with a serious expression.

Seo Rihyeok mouthed, What is he looking at now? and then quizzed, “Junghyun hyung, what are you watching, Woo-joo hyung?”

Kim Junghyun blinked at Wang Jiho with a bear-like blank expression. Before his booming voice could blurt out “What’s up?” Wang Jiho quickly raised a finger and opened a messenger chat.

It was the secret room called [Team Without Woo-joo (4)], created when Sun Woo-joo began composing “Fireworks.” A group for worrying about their leader’s obsessive focus. Kim Biju had started it when Woo-joo dived into work so deep he’d forget to eat.

Jiho: “Woo-joo hyung, what are you watching?”

Junghyun peered at Sun Woo-joo’s phone and made a look of realization. His pupils trembled, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and he swallowed hard. The members exchanged puzzled glances.

Rihyeok: “Hyung, what is it?”

Rihyeok: “Why are you so shocked?”

Junghyun: “Uh...”

He waggled a big finger.

Junghyun: “I’m looking at pictures of women.”

Junghyun: “In bikinis.”

Bikinis? The members’ faces registered disbelief.

Rihyeok: “The guy who looked at women like stone statues is now looking at photos?”

Jiho: “Woo-joo hyung must have a crush ♥”

Rihyeok: “What’s wrong with him, seriously”

Jiho: “Stop or I’ll send a txt to Dad’s company legal team”

Rihyeok: “PDF, you idiot”

As the two maknae wrestled, Kim Junghyun wiggled his finger again.

Junghyun: “Guys.”

Junghyun: “Now it’s videos.”

Biju: “?”

Biju: “No way, Woo-joo hyung wouldn’t do that.”

Jiho: “ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Biju hyung is in meltdown”

Yet the others were equally bewildered. In the past six months, their leader had obsessed over idol success like a racehorse chasing a target. He’d constantly say, “Look at the staff. We must work as if our bones will break.” And now, on the day of an important photoshoot, he wasn’t practicing choreography but watching bikini photos and videos—intently.

Biju: “There must be a reason.”

Junghyun: “Now he’s even smiling?”

They watched Sun Woo-joo smiling broadly at his phone.

Jiho: “Biju hyung.”

Jiho: “Come defect to my side, Woo-joo hyung.”

Biju: “No.”

Biju: “Woo-joo hyung’s been composing a lot and working hard... he’s just stressed. He’s human too.”

Biju: “sniff”

Rihyeok: “Hyung looks hit by a serious reality check”

Jiho: “ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”

As they debated their leader’s strange behavior, Seo Rihyeok chuckled and typed:

Rihyeok: “Let’s watch.”

Rihyeok: “There’s definitely something he’s plotting.”

That was enough. I turned off my phone, the models’ expressions I’d just seen still clear in my mind. I flexed my facial muscles slowly, recalling the perfect expression for today’s shoot.

Perfect.

When I heard the album concept was summer freshness, I prepared by practicing mimicry. I’d studied the smiles of soda commercial models, the eye-muscle movements in summer magazine spreads, and models’ casual smiles on MusicTube—and combined them all. Thanks to my mimicry ability, I could mix muscle movements naturally, like a chemist optimizing a formula. Since the flashback incident at Professor Choi Yong-jae’s hospital, my efficiency had skyrocketed. I still didn’t know why, but that wasn’t urgent. What mattered was delivering results for this album.

“But...”

I asked the members staring oddly at me.

“Why are you all looking like that?”

No one answered. Just as I tilted my head, the managers entered.

“The photographer just arrived. Let’s go greet him.”

As we left the waiting room, Yoon Seok-hwan’s voice followed.

“You know this photographer is famous, right? He normally won’t work with rookies—we had to beg him. So give him a strong greeting, like on your first music show.”

“Yes.”

“Shoot your best. These photos will go online right away.”

Everyone nodded eagerly, and Jiho asked,

“Director.”

“Yes?”

“Why doesn’t he usually work with rookies?”

“Rookies make a lot of mistakes. Too many expressions and poses to correct. From the photographer’s perspective, if the subject is clueless, it’s annoying.”

When we entered the studio, we gaped.

“Why are there so many people?”

“Who else?”

Yoon Seok-hwan laughed at the bustling crew.

“These are the company staff helping with your shoot.”

“Wow...”

There were over twenty people—external makeup artists, outsourced staff, and management team members sent by the company. All of them here because of us. It finally hit me. When they said the company was pouring money into promoting New Black, I was dazed. Seeing it now made it all real.

I steeled myself and told my juniors,

“We have to work like our bones will break.”

Hmm? Why were they laughing? I’d been serious.

The shoot began in earnest.

“...”

The New Black members blinked, staring at one spot.

“That’s it!”

The photographer, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a beanie, pressed the shutter with excitement.

“Yes. Yes, like you’re watching fireworks in the night sky. Perfect! Good job.”

The members exchanged silent looks.

“Did you hear that right? When they shot me before, that photographer tore me apart, saying quit if I did it like that.”

“Same here. He said my expressions were awkward. First time I’ve ever been dissed like that.”

“He told me my body was too big—you’re the largest subject he’s ever seen. He said my pose looked like a Sphinx.”

“Hyung, that’s because you lay down when he told you to relax.”

Before Sun Woo-joo’s turn, they’d been insulted by that same photographer, their nerves raw. But now, the strict photographer was beaming.

“I feel kind of wronged, but this guy now...”

“He’s so good.”

“Right? He’s amazing.”

They watched Sun Woo-joo standing in the studio: white T-shirt, jeans, and a light blue shirt fluttering. He smiled and posed, exuding perfect summer freshness.

“Did Woo-joo hyung always act so well?”

It wasn’t just them. The company staff helping with the shoot stared spellbound at his expression. It wasn’t just his looks—there was something in that expression that captivated people, like watching a sunset or the night sea.

“...Huh?”

Kim Junghyun’s voice made the others turn.

“What’s up?”

“That expression—wasn’t it just like the models in the videos he was watching?”

They looked at each other.

“So he was practicing expressions with that?”

“Seems like it.”

“Can you really practice that way?”

“Now that I see it, yes...”

They shared wry smiles. They’d realized what their leader was doing. If anyone else had tried it, they’d have scoffed, but with Sun Woo-joo, it made sense—he always broke the bounds of their common sense.

“He’s incredible.”

Seo Rihyeok said, impressed.

“I’m glad he’s on our side.”

“Street Boys got unlucky,” Jiho laughed. “They’re up against a crazy guy like this.”

The older members laughed.

“Weren’t we supposed to release our jacket photos around the same time as them?”

“Oh, right.”

“I’m so curious about the reactions.”

As everyone buzzed with anticipation, a few days later both companies’ SNS accounts posted concept photos.