The journalists were taken aback by an opening that looked like it had cost a fortune.

‘Wow. Lemon really went all out.’

Judging by the CG quality, this wasn’t a music video made on a shoestring budget.

It was on par with what a major agency would produce.

‘This should get a good reaction ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) once it hits the internet.’

They paused their frantic typing as the refreshing intro began, and one by one turned their heads toward the screen.

Five boys lying on an exotic-looking sandy beach.

They wore confused expressions.

As if they didn’t know where they were, why they were there, or who the people in front of them were.

Then Sun Woo-joo’s face was shown in close-up.

The subtle beauty effects and his enigmatic expression drew silent admiration from some of them.

Where could this be

Strange sea strange air

Where are you

I opened my eyes in a remote place

Next came the youngest, the youthful-looking Wang Ji-ho.

After the introductions by the two members skilled in acting out their expressions, the mood among the watching journalists shifted.

Their bored glances turned to serious appraisal.

The music video’s quality was impressive, but fundamentally the song itself was good.

Even accounting for the initially low expectations, New Black’s debut track exceeded them.

As professionals covering the entertainment industry, the journalists were experts too.

Listening to idol releases daily and attending showcases gave them an intuitive sense.

They could tell if a song was good, if it would succeed.

In that respect, Firework passed with flying colors.

‘If the highlight is this good, it could be huge.’

While they thought that, the video kept playing.

The premise was simple.

Five young men are stranded on Earth by a mysterious girl.

At first they panic at the unfamiliar environment and faces, but soon they’re captivated by the beautiful scenery and weather, their guard towards each other melting away.

Before long the boys are laughing and playing together.

It was a refreshing song with a warm undertone.

Listening felt like the song itself was beckoning. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Come here and play with us

Before they knew it the song reached its highlight.

Against a blue backdrop, a member with a cool vibe began to hit a powerful high note.

The spark was already there

You just have to let yourself shine

Show your true colors

Then the highlight part struck the journalists’ ears like a punch.

Look over there it’s our firework

Our figure illuminating the night sky

Like fireworks shot into the night sky, each burst described the members’ individual colors and blended together.

With the chorus of ‘Like a Firework.’

When the first verse ended, journalists’ fingers flew again, ready to post their reviews of the video.

Mostly positive.

Those who had been preparing to compare them to Street Boys were giving New Black higher ratings.

Of course it was unfair to compare a hip-hop concept to a summer season song.

They were completely different genres.

But the new releases from both groups had a fundamental difference.

New Black’s song carried their own distinct color.

Warm yet joyful.

Everything—the song’s atmosphere, the lyrics—fit the members like a custom-made outfit.

Listening, you’d immediately think, Ah, this is their song.

That stood out compared to their competitor.

The more so, the more curious the journalists became.

‘What’s the leader like?’

When Jang So-won came out with Something, everyone thought it was beginner’s luck.

They assumed the composer had caught a once-in-a-lifetime break.

But hearing this song, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Unlike Street Boys, who had heavy promotion but little substance, here you could really feel the talent.

Perhaps that was why.

Some of them lit up with a strange expectation.

‘Idol self-written songs have never scored big before...’

They quietly awaited the main stage of Firework, wondering if this time might be different.

The debut showcase proceeded smoothly.

Like any rookie showcase, it was predictably neither extraordinary nor terrible.

They talked about how they arrived at the name New Black, what it meant, each member’s specialty, fun episodes from making the album, their role models, the album concept, and so on.

As with other groups, the stories centered on the album.

The only difference was their composure.

Having been through Something’s grind, they could now handle the showcase banter.

Of course they were still nervous about the performance itself.

“A little nervous but excited, right?” I said with a smile backstage before the main Firework stage.

Ri-hyeok answered, “Well, I’m less nervous than at Music Cafe. I can handle it.”

“Hyung, your leg is shaking so much right now.”

“What are you talking about? I’m not nervous at all.”

Yet my leg, planted on one side, was trembling uncontrollably.

It was cute enough to make me laugh, but Ri-hyeok shot me a glare.

While Bijoo checked the in-ears and mic packs on everyone’s waists, Jung-hyun, loosening up, asked, “Ri-hyeok, want a cheongsimhwan?”

“Huh? You have one?”

“No. Just asking.”

At the rapper’s casual words, the main vocalist’s eyes flared.

Bijoo, still checking technicals, said, “I think I’m more nervous than at Something. Back then it was thrilling, but now... it’s kind of scary.”

“Back then you were already trending.”

I laughed. “Something hit number one on the charts, so we kind of knew what to expect. Now only the video’s out. No one knows how they’ll react. Of course that’s scary.”

“Aren’t you nervous, hyung?”

“I had a good dream last night.”

Honestly I was nervous too.

People at the company had told me the song sounded great, which was reassuring, but I had no idea what the journalists would say.

There was pressure to start off right.

Of course I was nervous.

But if I showed it, how nervous would they get?

Since the year-end evaluations, I’d never seen them so tense their lips dried out like that, so I borrowed Grandma Kim Deok-soon’s dream from yesterday and passed it off as my own.

“In my dream I was floating in the sky. The sun and moon were both out, sparkling. Below was a mountain, and dragons circled an apple orchard nearby. It was a great omen.”

While the others went “Ooh,” Jung-hyun tilted his head. “Sounds like a birth dream, hyung.”

“....”

As the maknae line burst into laughter, Bijoo wiped his face like he was about to lose it. “Stop talking nonsense, Kim Jung-hyun.”

“My grandpa said dragons and apples mean a son.”

While the main dancer scolded his same-age friend, Ji-ho eyed me sleepily. “Hyung, you said you don’t believe in superstitions.”

“When you need to, you should. Life’s easier if you swallow the sweet and spit out the bitter.”

“Wow, my dad said the same thing.”

Just then a staff member called us. “New Black team, please get ready to go on.”

“Yes!”

The lighthearted mood snapped into tension again.

The members looked at me.

Hearing their faint breaths, I met each of their eyes, then smiled and extended my hand forward.

“You’ve all worked hard following your overzealous leader.”

“You really did, worrying us so much.”

Ri-hyeok placed his hand on mine. I laughed. “We’ll kill it tonight. Trust me.”

“Yeah. Our song’s good, so it will.”

At Jung-hyun’s encouraging words, the maknae line looked ready to balk, but I jumped in.

“Alright. Let’s break Jung-hyun’s jinx today. Seriously, this is ridiculous.”

While Jung-hyun nodded, the staff gave the signal to go on.

“Okay, one last fighting cheer before we go.”

We piled our hands together and gave a quiet cheer.

Then we stepped onto the stage.

All lights cut out on the stage.

On the large platform before the seated journalists, their faces glowing like ghostly eggs in their laptop lights, we took formation.

Me in the center.

Bijoo and Ri-hyeok at my sides.

Jung-hyun and Ji-ho at the wings.

I gently placed my hand on the shoulders of the two younger members beside me as they took deep breaths.

Three, two, one.

As the countdown ended, the lights snapped on, dazzlingly bright.

A variation of Firework’s highlight MR blasted out with a fierce, fast beat.

A thirty-second dance break before the main stage.

We all gathered and began to dance.

After a few sequences of converging and dispersing formations,

We regrouped from different spots on stage.

Our breaths came fast.

Just as we clung together, waiting for the song’s intro as at first.

Now the refreshing deep-house-style prelude was about to start...

“Huh?”

Something was wrong.

-crackle-

I felt Ri-hyeok and Bijoo flinch beside me.

‘What’s up with the track?’

At first I thought it was just static mixed in, but then the sound quality started acting strangely.

The prelude slowed down.

To about 0.4× speed.

Caught halfway timing our choreography to the song in slow motion.

I glanced downstage in panic. Chaos had already erupted.

The audio staff were flustered, running around in confusion.

What should I do?

My heart pounded and my head spun.

What now?

As leader, but with only a month of music-broadcast experience, I was just as clueless.

I’d done events for Something, but I’d never faced this kind of audio failure.

And having veteran Jang So-won by my side had always eased my mind.

What should I do?

During those two seconds of audio chaos, all four pairs of eyes turned to me.

When trouble arises, people look to the most trusted person.

The problem was, I was just as flustered.

Uh...

A cold sweat trickled down my neck.

Calm thinking would solve this quickly, but I had no headspace to be calm.

I’d focused on stage blocking and expressions, never anticipated this.

My mind felt blank.

It was like opening Task Manager on a computer and seeing Sun Woo-joo’s brain keep responding “Not responding.”

While I panicked, a strange sensation and a familiar phenomenon began.

Just like at the university hospital.

The scenery before my eyes changed.

Before I could register what was happening, the scenery transformed.

Distant thumping music.

The past me was sitting in a shabby waiting room.

Where was this?

I thought, then remembered immediately.

It was the festival site in Gangwon Province where Between had performed at Music Cafe.

“Oh my. Now that I think about it, it’s funny.”

In front of me, Jang So-won sat cross-legged, eating a soufflé.

“What do you mean, sunbaenim?”

“Well, during Something’s promotions, there wasn’t a single audio accident.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Not at all. It’s better to have at least one. It’s like a jinx—if no minor incidents occur, a major one will.”

Past me, who didn’t believe in superstitions, laughed—Jang So-won pouted.

“You don’t trust me, do you?”

“No. I do.”

Unlike with Professor Choi Yong-jae, as I wondered why I was experiencing this memory,

Past me changed the subject.

“Sunbaenim, what should we do if an audio accident happens? We should know beforehand so we can prepare in an emergency.”

When Jang So-won spoke, both past and present me focused and listened closely.

Her answer was simple.

“If an audio accident happens, the rule is: unless it’s catastrophic enough to collapse the stage, you must never stop.”

“Why not?”

Past Ri-hyeok asked, confused.

“Isn’t it best to wait until the audio is fixed? That seems most logical.”

“That might be best for you.”

The senior in the industry said, “You can’t ignore the flow of the stage. If the audience is hyped and it suddenly dies down, it takes forever to build that energy back. At a standalone concert, maybe, but at a festival you can’t fill the time.”

“So you mean perform without music?”

“If you don’t have the skill, fine. But if you do, go a cappella.”

“Wouldn’t that be awkward? Weird?”

Half skeptical, we watched as Jang So-won burst into laughter, then looked at us fondly.

“You’ll understand once you go through it.”

With that, the scene before me changed again.

Only one second had passed.

I had no time to question why this strange phenomenon had appeared.

Just before murmurs rose from the audience,

With the other members looking at me, I swallowed and took a step forward on stage.

Until just now I didn't know what to do.

But now I did.