The New Black members were collectively in a state of panic.

‘What do we do?’

None of them had ever experienced this kind of audio malfunction before.

They naturally all looked at one person.

Sun Woo-joo.

Whenever something difficult happened, the members always believed their leader would find a solution.

With the stage lights so bright, every change in Woo-joo’s expression was visible in real time.

At first he looked as confused as they did, then he stared blankly for a moment before nodding.

‘Is he got some idea?’

Below the stage, Lemon Entertainment staff were berating the agency people, and a chill radiated from the journalists.

Woo-joo took a single step forward.

A quiet singing voice began to resonate through the still stage.

Where could this be

Strange sea strange air

At Woo-joo’s choreography, his fluttering sleeves drifting, everyone below froze in their tracks.

The staff hurriedly fixing the sound.

The managers scolding the on-site crew.

Even the journalists poised over their laptops with displeased faces.

All stared dumbfounded at Woo-joo’s sudden action.

Where are you

I opened my eyes in a remote place

After a moment of daze, the members too began their choreography as their leader carried the first line.

No accompaniment, but it wasn’t difficult.

After practicing it ad nauseam for the past month, their bodies moved automatically at the sound of the lyrics.

But confusion remained.

‘What is Woo-joo hyung trying to do?’

They couldn’t talk it over, so the members, unaware of their leader’s intention, were bewildered.

Just then.

Woo-joo, dancing a solo at the front, held up four fingers behind his back.

The number four.

At that gesture they immediately realized his meaning.

‘He’s signaling track four.’

No wonder the pitch felt subtly off and they were uncertain.

Track four of their debut album was also “Firework.”

But unlike the crisp original, it was arranged as a Sing Along version suited for concerts.

Certainly track four suited an unaccompanied performance better.

‘Song unaccompanied, track four. Choreography unchanged.’

Understanding the situation, the members naturally picked up their parts.

From Woo-joo’s part to Wang Ji-ho’s.

From Kim Jung-hyun’s part to Kim Bi-joo’s.

Before long the panic and confusion that had spread through their minds vanished.

They no longer felt fear.

Because someone had walked the path they needed to go first.

‘Let’s just do our best with whatever we’ve got.’

As they performed the choreography honed over the last month, the members focused so intently on the stage they didn’t notice that the journalists had also stopped typing and were watching them.

Oh So-hee, a reporter for Entertainment IN, sighed.

‘What are they even doing, inviting reporters then messing up sound at just a showcase?’

It wasn’t live broadcast, yet they couldn’t manage a single audio feed at a showcase.

She found it absurd.

Of course it wasn’t Lemon Entertainment’s fault.

It was entirely the agency’s error in managing the site.

But regardless of the cause, annoyance was inevitable.

Reporters are human too.

Covering news day and night, always alert to the endless incidents in the entertainment world.

They could never not be tired.

So for those timing when to do photo time and Q&A, when to post an article and move on to the next assignment, any schedule delay was maddening.

‘It’ll take thirty minutes to restore sound.’

Watching the flustered on-site staff, she tapped her laptop.

– New Black debut showcase disappoints with poor site management...

She increased her typing speed as she saw others preparing similar titles.

Suddenly.

A pleasant voice rang out in the quiet hall.

Where could this be

Strange sea strange air

Low humming vocals.

Reporter Oh looked up.

Perhaps due to the unexpected voice.

The journalists with their heads buried in laptops also peered up.

What met their eyes was a member standing center stage.

His heavily made-up face looked like a painting.

New Black’s lead vocalist Sun Woo-joo was singing with no accompaniment.

‘What is he doing?’

The reporters, who had been furiously typing their criticisms of the hosts, wore bewildered expressions.

Oh narrowed her eyes at the stage.

‘Could they really be doing this unaccompanied?’

Idols typically perform live with AR backing track.

Put simply, if 100 is a perfect live, they lay down 30 via AR then add 70 of live skill on top.

Naturally.

It’s unreasonable to execute perfect vocals while performing intense dance moves.

So totally raw live would inevitably max out at about 70 points.

They might as well be criticized for poor stage management, but New Black’s choice looked reckless to anyone.

If they messed up, their lack of skill would be exposed and laughed at. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

While their tactic diverted journalists’ attention, it yielded no other benefit.

But she soon changed her mind.

‘...They’re good?’

She already knew New Black had solid skills.

As seen with the senior group Scarlet, producer Jo Gyu-hwan was famously picky in scouting.

And New Black had already shown their abilities once at Music Cafe.

A team with strong fundamentals and lovely vocal blends.

Still, she’d never thought them exceptional.

Among top idols, groups with this level of skill were common.

New Black had seemed like a promising Team A.

But watching them perform naturally under such handicap—no MR and an unwelcoming audience—she felt her opinion shift.

How many teams could pull that off?

Probably almost none.

‘Lemon is really sending out monsters.’

A spectacular live stage that made one wonder if the sound accident was deliberate.

Oh glanced around.

Not only she, but other reporters watched Firework’s stage in amazement.

As the spotlight swept out a dreamy blue glow, the five members moved elegantly.

Though no MR played, it never felt lacking.

On the contrary, it was overflowing.

Like coloring blank paper, their voices filled the stage with vibrant hues.

Look over there it’s our firework

Our figure illuminating the night sky

Around main dancer Bi-joo, the members spread like wings.

Then they began to sing Firework’s chorus together, like a hymn.

Like a Firework

We’ll show you

Like a Firework

Your colors and mine

Five-part harmony.

Their joyful expressions—and the song’s refreshing mood—brought a few of the watchers to smile.

Most remained expressionless, but everyone present shared the same thought.

Someday, though they didn’t know when.

This idol group will definitely rise.

“...”

Oh So-hee stared at her Korean document, the cursor blinking.

– New Black debut showcase disappoints with poor site management...

She shook her head and pressed backspace.

Then began typing a new headline.

Completely different from before.

At the same time, backstage.

“Director.”

“Hm?”

“I heard from the on-site staff: the sound won’t be fixed ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) for about thirty minutes.”

“I see.”

Yoon Seok-hwan responded nonchalantly.

His gaze was on the members singing the final part of Firework.

“Tell them as soon as sound’s restored. Hold all scheduled acts after our title. If anyone asks what to do, say start with photo time.”

“Yes, I’ll convey it.”

“And Mingi. These people can’t be trusted to handle things. Keep a close eye. First impressions are everything. One mistake and they’ll slip elsewhere. We need to be cautious.”

Seo Min-gi nodded and hurried off, and Yoon looked back to the press section.

It seemed he could breathe easier now.

In entertainment, number one you don’t want to offend is broadcasters and PDs, but number zero is entertainment reporters.

Due to their profession, they’ll bleed you for any sign of displeasure.

Even a one-minute tardiness to an interview can lead to spiteful articles.

If you make reporters wait thirty minutes, it’s horrifying to imagine what might happen.

– Rookie ‘New Black’ debut, stumble right at showcase

– ‘New Black’ debut showcase marred by poor event management

– New Black showcase goes from wow to gasp, ‘Song was good though’

He shook off the auto-playing headlines in his mind.

Fortunately, that wouldn’t happen now.

The reporters’ reactions were positive.

Each time the lights swept over, the faces of the journalists were fully revealed.

They all stared as if enchanted.

Like beholding a mystical, exotic creature.

Yoon watched the one responsible for drawing those reactions.

Sun Woo-joo, dancing so hard you could see sweat droplets spraying into the air.

“He’s done it again. That bastard.”

Yoon Seok-hwan smiled contentedly.

I’d sensed it since TJ Entertainment days—he’s something else.

Such snap judgment.

A rookie would have frozen, yet in that brief moment he made this decision.

Thanks to him, a potential disaster became an opportunity.

Reporters’ expressions—so often bored at rookie showcases—were different today.

Not the awe of a great concert, but curiosity: ‘Oh? Look at these guys?’

Or recognition: ‘They’re the best among this batch of rookies, given that raw live performance.’

In any case, they’d built a favorable impression.

Which was the showcase’s goal, so it was an excellent outcome.

When the stage finally ended, Yoon was taken aback.

“Uh...?”

Applause.

Small but steady claps came from the normally silent press section.

Quiet, gentle.

As if encouraging those on stage for their effort.

A highly unusual occurrence.

‘Do reporters even applaud at showcases?’

Even when TNT had showcases, reporters crossed their arms and watched as if to judge them.

Yet here they were, clapping, however softly.

Perhaps surprised themselves, they then resumed typing.

“Unbelievable.”

Seeing that, Yoon finally relaxed.

He’d been fretting how to handle the accident, but it turned out even better.

He looked at the stage.

New Black’s members bowed repeatedly to the reporters, then exchanged smiles among themselves.

They seemed to find joy in each other’s eyes.

“Director.”

Seo Min-gi returned breathlessly at his side.

“I sent your instructions. They’ll start with photo time.”

“Got it.”

“Oh, and Director.”

“Hm?”

Min-gi, as if recalling something, held up his phone.

“An article’s been published.”

“Already?”

“Yeah. I thought the main feature would wait until evening, but the article is already up.”

“Who wrote it?”

“It’s Oh So-hee from Entertainment IN.”

“Oh, reporter Oh?”

A sudden ominous feeling gripped him.

“Isn’t she the one who broke the Sixty controversy first? And the actor–idol dating rumor?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Yoon Seok-hwan scratched his cheek in dismay as he took the phone.

Hearing the name of a notoriously fierce reporter, his heart pounded even before seeing the headline.

‘Did she write it about the sound accident?’

Wishing he could call the PR team to pull it down, he opened the article—and his eyes widened.

– Rookie ‘New Black’ impresses with poise under pressure

Yoon paused.

He scrolled, then checked the reporter’s name again.

Yep, it was Oh So-hee.

“...Despite initial site management shortcomings, New Black turned crisis into opportunity, proving their skill. Their calm handling of the audio accident left a deep impression on reporters, and at the end of the title track stage, they even received applause— is this the same writer?”

The keywords in the article were glowing praise.

‘Calm,’ ‘impressive,’ ‘beyond rookie expectations.’

Even at a glance it was near-flattery, a clear sign she was smitten.

“Especially leader Woo-joo drew all eyes during the showcase. With that sharp nose we saw at Music Cafe... I’m completely sold.”

Reading nothing but compliments, his tension evaporated.

And from that moment, reports about the mishap and New Black’s response poured in.

‘Reporters’ reactions are better than I expected.’

He’d thought success meant only a ‘Oh, this is decent’ reaction.

This was beyond any expectation.

Yoon Seok-hwan’s mind began racing.

If singers are athletes on the field, managers and labels are the team’s coaching staff.

How best to leverage this? A camera caught his eye.

“Mingi. That camera in the center—our company’s, right?”

“Yes.”

“Before photo time, ask that photographer for the stage footage ASAP.”

“Should I send it to the company?”

“Yeah, I’ll contact PR to prepare a release. You send it to our video staff. Focus on reporters’ reactions, and include only snippets of the new track.”

“What should we title it?”

Yoon pondered briefly.

“‘A Rookie’s Poise in Handling Audio Malfunction.’ Let’s go with that.”

As he watched the members heading backstage, a broad smile spread across his face.

The real fireworks were just beginning.