The audience’s gaze was riveted to the stage.
“Welco,” Rupert Dean greeted with open arms.
Bella Paige was there too, her smile just as bright as she welcod everyone.
The quintet, who had been exchanging hugs and handshakes with the two actors, now set down the chairs they had been carrying.
Rupert Dean asked, “Where’s my chair?” with a slightly aggrieved expression.
At his words, all five shrugged their shoulders in unison, prompting laughter from the audience at their well-tid skit.
“They didn’t give you one,” replied the handso man at the far left, his voice smooth.
His eyes and mouth glead, reflecting the stage lights. His beauty was undeniable, the kind that would draw admiration anywhere in the world, even from the Arican audience.
The female spectators’ eyes softened.
“The cute ones,” they thought.
“The one in the middle with broad shoulders is exactly my type.”
“A bit too skinny, though…”
Even the slim-cut suit pants they wore seed loose on the slender singers.
anwhile, the audience’s minds were busy trying to guess the identity of the five newcors.
“Colorful hair… K-pop singers, maybe?”
“I know the band’s na, but I can’t quite place them.”
As these thoughts swirled, the leader, seated at the far left, picked up the microphone.
“Good evening. It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?”
His natural Arican English made him sound like soone from the neighborhood, friendly and approachable.
“You’re probably wondering who we are. We’ve been thinking about how to introduce ourselves in a way that you’ll rember, so we looked it up on the internet.”
He showed his smartphone with a smile.
“And ‘Book guys’ ca up.”
The mbers gazed into the distance as if looking at a faraway mountain, and the audience burst into laughter at the spot-on summary.
“Yes, that’s us,” the leader said with a laugh, joining in the audience’s amusent.
As the concert filming crew captured the laughing crowd from various angles, the singer continued with a witty remark.
“Even if we tell you our nas now, you’ll forget them by the end of the show. We all know that.”
He then turned to the mber seated in the center, as if performing a skit.
“Hey, rember the singer who perford ‘Thousand Dreams’ earlier? The group of five?”
“Uh…”
The mber with the fierce look blinked innocently like a teddy bear and replied,
“You an the Book guys?”
Laughter erupted from the audience.
They could vividly imagine the situation and couldn’t help but laugh in agreent.
“You see?” the leader said, as if proving a point.
“That’s why we’ll introduce ourselves just before we leave the stage.”
“By that ti, you’ll rember our nas.”
The youngest mber at the far right confidently assured the audience, who responded with smiles.
Gradually, curiosity about the unfamiliar singers turned into fondness.
Backstage, a sense of ease spread among the staff, who had been nervously anticipating any unexpected incidents due to the foreign singers’ surprise appearance.
“These guys are good,” they murmured, exchanging approving glances.
They had hoped the stage performance would be enough, but the singers had already captivated the audience with their skilled banter, fitting perfectly with the live concert’s the of “An Elegant Night Party.”
However, one person wasn’t smiling.
“What’s going on?”
Anton, a stagehand who had encouraged the band New Black before their performance, was puzzled.
He had thought they were unknown newcors, but their stage presence and skill surpassed everyone else’s that day.
“They seem like professional singers.”
Then he realized he hadn’t been present during New Black’s rehearsal.
“Anton!” called a senior staff mber.
“Coming!”
Even as he hurried off, a nagging doubt lingered in his mind.
On stage, the universe seed to pause as the keyboardist took his seat at the empty instrunt.
He clapped his hands to draw attention.
“Before we start the song, I have a request.”
As all eyes focused on his pointing finger, it gracefully descended onto a piano key, producing a single, delicate note.
His lips approached the microphone placed on the keyboard.
“Imagine,” he began softly.
As he played a gentle lody with one hand, his voice continued soothingly.
“Imagine dreams floating up to the sky like balloons. Literally a thousand dreams taking flight.”
The tender lody from the keyboard, along with the voices of the four mbers sitting in a row, filled the concert hall.
Their voices rged into a single harmony, resonating through the space.
The familiar variation of the lody began to take shape, and blue and yellow lights bathed the stage.
The live band’s strings and drums, silent until now, started to find their voices.
All these elents combined into the musical number ‘Thousand Dreams’ from a famous movie, evoking a sense of nostalgia in the audience.
In the corner dedicated to foreign language books, I found myself lost in a song, a scene that would linger in my mory.
As I anticipated the first verse, a mber with a face as pale as snow picked up the microphone to my right.
We have no story to show,
No hero in our midst,
Yet our dreams are plentiful.
The vocalist’s voice soared smoothly into the high notes as the lyrics progressed.
Before the echo of the song could fade in the auditorium, an involuntary gasp burst from the audience.
“Wow!”
It was a spontaneous exclamation, quickly swallowed by the sound of the venue, but it left the audience in awe.
“It’s different.”
“It feels unlike anything heard in a theater.”
The thought of how wonderful the live experience was caused a complete shift in the audience’s perspective.
The song continued.
A mber with fiery red hair moistened the air with his tender falsetto.
A figure with a deep voice recited the lyrics with gravity.
A youthful-looking mber drew all eyes with a smile that brightened one’s mood.
And the leader, orchestrating the performance, played the keyboard and sang refreshingly.
“Wow…”
The performance was distinct from the stages flaunted by the musical actors present that day.
It was as if the excitent was shared.
The lody, which began gently, transford into sothing delightful, prompting the audience to tap their toes rhythmically.
What we possess are
Hundreds of words,
Thousands of dreams,
And a humble bookshelf.
With each continuation of the song, scenes from a movie vividly ca to mind.
A library enchanted with magic.
Unlike the popular novels and science books that usually garnered attention, the foreign language section sat neglected in a shabby corner.
These books, too, yearned for the love of readers, but their circumstances were far too dire.
They contained languages that, aside from academic study, garnered little interest.
Dreams were plentiful, yet unattainable.
Yet, without sorrow, the books sang joyfully of what they had been given.
The mood of the song grew more serious.
If you can grasp a dream,
Seize it,
And send it soaring into the sky.
The lyrics spoke of dreams each person harbored.
No matter how beautiful or grand, they urged not to fret over holding and losing them.
Dreams are but a part of oneself. Do not beco consud by them.
The five singers harmonized as if in a choir.
To the high heavens,
Release them gently,
Dreams will beco stars,
Illuminating each of our night skies.
Instead, they advised the protagonist of the story to use those dreams not as destinations but as compasses.
To know what one desires, what one wishes to do, and where to go.
The main vocalist led the powerful chorus of ‘Thousand Dreams.’
Across the vast ocean,
A thousand dreams will beco
A thousand stars,
Guiding your voyage.
The voices resonated with the uplifting lody of the musical number, filling the air.
As the first verse concluded, the audience softly applauded.
While the aning of the lyrics was interpreted in various ways, one thing was certain:
The live experience, unlike listening in a theater or through earphones, was profoundly different.
As the first verse ended and the second concluded,
“Wow!”
Amidst the pouring applause, the quintet rose, smiling graciously as they bowed on stage.
“We’ve been New Black.”
“Have a wonderful night!”
With a neat wave, the mbers descended from the stage.
The keyword ‘New Black’ resonated in the ears, promising to be a na rembered for a long ti.
“New Black…”
The cara capturing their retreat backstage panned to the clapping audience.
anwhile, Anton, a staff mber waiting below the stage, blinked in disbelief.
“What a following…”
The follower count on New Black’s SNS account made him gulp, unseen.
And the photos from a performance venue far grander than the current live hall confird it.
They were undoubtedly famous singers in Korea.
Though he hadn’t seen the live performance videos, their stage presence and performance were far from that of newcors.
And so,
“How did you like our performance?”
As the mbers of New Black descended, beaming at him, Anton felt an overwhelming urge to hide.
The day after the live concert.
We celebrated a successful fan eting in LA with the Arican fans, the Soufflés.
“Thank you for coming all the way here today!”
“We truly appreciate it!”
As usual, after an overseas tour, we gathered in front of the national flag for selfies with the fans.
The event was sowhere between a fan eting and a concert in scale.
Not as large as those in Asia, but still far beyond our expectations.
And the enthusiasm was incredible.
“Aaaaah…!”
I waved back to the fans, signaling them not to leave, my hand filled with reluctance.
Even after coming down from the stage, my face remained flushed from the heat of their enthusiasm for quite so ti.
“Seokhwan hyung.”
“Hmm?”
“You said to think of the fan eting as sothing casual.”
“Well, you know, you guys always give your best, even on the smallest stages…”
Seokhwan hyung laughed, avoiding our teasing gaze.
“It turned out that more fans showed up than expected, so we had to increase the seating…”
It was like planning to pour just a cup of rice, but then the whole bag spilled over. We all laughed at the analogy.
And with this turnout, he suggested that we could seriously consider a concert tour next year.
“Wherever you go, the local staff always say the sa thing about you guys.”
Our manager said with a smile.
“The enthusiasm is extraordinary. They say we could definitely plan concerts in other regions next year.”
“Wow…!”
“This fan eting had people flying in from other states.”
“Really…?”
I asked.
“They flew here? Why?”
“Well… they couldn’t co by car, could they?”
“Hold on. So if we were to tour from here…”
“We’d have to fly.”
As I sadly murmured ‘Wow…’ and hung my head, my younger brothers comforted with a chorus of ‘Oooh…’ and patted my back.
Then we just laughed.
Such worries were for later; for now, we were content with the positive local response.
“Great job everyone!”
I thanked all the staff who worked with us on the live concert and the fan eting in the US.
“Live concert?”
“It’s over!”
My brothers replied with clenched fists.
“Fan eting?”
“It’s over!”
“Interview schedule?”
“That too.”
This ti, we all shouted together.
“It’s over!”
“So what do we do now?”
“We play and eat!”
With a cheer of ‘Waaaah,’ we imdiately headed back to the hotel.
Our youngest, who would be a high school senior next year, couldn’t contain his excitent and started jumping on the bed.
“Let’s do it. Pillow fight!”
“Oh, co on, a pillow fight… Let’s do it!”
“Aaack!”
At first, we started with high spirits.
“I’m joining in.”
The battle ended because of a monster who spun pillows in his hands like a Shaolin master, not filled with cotton but bolts and nuts.
“Junghyun-ah, it’s . It’s your brother, aaah!”
“Aaack! Kim Junghyun… from now on, I’ll only put carrots in your fried rice…”
“There’s a saying not to hit even with a flower, but I always think that hitting with a flower would still hurt if it’s that hyung.”
We all fell to soone spinning like a figure skater, twirling their body like a top.
Our managers were the only ones happy, clapping like seals at the thought of more videos for YouTube.
Anyway, after five minutes, we switched from pillow fighting to dancing with pillows.
After juggling pillows and tap dancing, I won by unanimous vote from my brothers.
And then I imdiately passed out, asleep.
“The weather is really nice.”
“Right? It feels great to play outside.”
We were enjoying a break before our departure, basking in the unexpectedly warm weather and sunshine, when Bijoo spoke.
“It’s not just the weather. It’s nice that no one recognizes us here.”
“That’s true.”
“Back in Korea, it was embarrassing whenever people recognized us doing anything.”
“Exactly. We couldn’t even dance freely in the alleys.”
We all agreed.
Being recognized on the streets was nice, but it also restricted our actions.
Gone are the days when we could dance and play in the alleys as before.
Every ti we conversed among ourselves, the nearby tables burst into laughter, forcing us to speak with decorum.
And that made happy.
“In a place where no one knows us…”
Excited, I chatted away with my siblings about trying this and that.
Thus began our day of leisure, filled with amusent parks and als.
We all moved busily according to the titable that Ri Hyeok had created, segnted by ti.
“It’s been a while!”
“Chichipong!”
The first was a casual al with Rupert Dean, the lead actor of Nostalgia.
A friend I had grown close to during a promotional event in Korea.
“My manager says this is the most famous Korean restaurant around. They say the ribs are delicious.”
“Ribs…!”
My heart raced at the thought of the LA ribs I had only heard about.
As we followed Rupert inside, the restaurant buzzed with activity.
Perhaps it was the delicate, artist-like impression beneath his brown hair, but more likely because he was one of the hottest actors in Hollywood right now.
We felt a sense of pride under the murmuring glances from all around.
‘No one knows us.’
‘The perfect strangers…!’
That’s when we were waiting for the nu with proud smiles.
“Hmm…?”
At first, the waiter glanced at Rupert and approached, but then he caught sight of us and did a double-take.
“New Black?”
“…Yes?”
As we looked on, puzzled, the waiter, who seed to be a Korean student, greeted us warmly.
“Hello.”
“Oh, hi. But how do you know us…?”
“I’m Korean.”
His logic was that being Korean, he naturally knew us, which left us montarily flustered before we returned the greeting with a laugh.
It wasn’t surprising to find a Korean student working part-ti at a restaurant specializing in Korean cuisine.
Rupert smiled broadly at our conversation in Korean.
“You guys are quite famous.”
“Not really. It’s just a coincidence that there’s a Korean person here.”
…I dismissed it, but as ti passed, I realized sothing.
Even at the amusent park we visited with my siblings, while waiting for our turn on the rides.
A newlywed couple passed by and waved.
“Hey? Hello.”
“…”
“Why are you here?”
Even while shopping on a street lined with stores, a family of tourists recognized us.
“Oh, New Black…!”
“…”
“Right?”
Whether visiting Hollywood Boulevard or touring various landmarks, soone always greeted us.
Whenever we asked where they had seen us, the Koreans replied, ‘On TV,’ or ‘On eTube.’
By the end of our schedule, we looked at each other with hollow expressions, feeling robbed of our freedom.
And then we realized an important fact.
“Why are there so many Koreans here…?”
Wherever in the world we went, there were Koreans.
anwhile, in Korea.
A post appeared on several community boards dedicated to international celebrities.
[Rupert Dean’s Paparazzi Shot Today]
The teenage actor, recently proving his acting chops in Nostalgia.
The views soared, befitting his reputation.
Those who saw the photo couldn’t help but laugh.
What? Why is New Black there again?
NewBlack again;
I thought it was strange I hadn’t seen their faces all day
If you don’t see New Black, New Black will co to find you
Hawaiian shirts, LOL. The ones bowing their heads beside must be the mbers, right?
Bowed so low, couldn’t recognize them
First ti seeing a Korean celebrity in a foreign paparazzi shot, LOL
There was Woojoo, smiling happily next to a foreign actor, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and grandpa sunglasses.
And it was the sa on other communities and social dia.
@Dayoung.227
(A photo of a bewildered New Black with a brightly smiling tourist family)
Ca to LA for a trip and was surprised to find Koreans!! It was New Black~~ haha
So happy to take a photo together~
When I told Woojoo he was very handso, he suddenly burst into laughter and offered handshakes to and my husband (I don’t know why…)
Stories and selfies with New Black spotted in LA were popping up everywhere.
It was a consequence of their fa in Korea.
While New Black was becoming a household na in Korea, sothing else was trending across the Pacific in the US.
‘Huh? What’s this?’
People tilted their heads at an unfamiliar thumbnail on eTube’s trending videos.
It was a live concert video posted by the production company of Nostalgia.
Initially, the interest was modest, but soon it beca the fastest climbing live clip.
[“Thousand Dreams” Perford by The New Black]
Fingers of those browsing eTube began to press play.
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