While the prelude played, the fans sat in stunned silence.
‘Unbelievable...’
As the stage lights rose from the darkness of the intro, the stage ca into full view.
‘Wow...’
Their hair shone like polished ebony. Pale faces against black durumagi made them look like elegant scholars.
A collective sigh escaped at their dignified posture. Then the mbers joined hands, entwining like blossoms on the sa branch. Amid the circle, U-ju faced forward and sang:
“Petals gently unfurl,
Trembling in the wind—
Why must we fall apart?
I can find no answer.”
Like a courtly recitation, his clear voice delivered the lyric. On stage, only Ji-ho remained in the center. The others slipped away, their robes’ hems fluttering as petals would scatter.
Amid intermittent drum-like beats, a yearning voice continued:
“They say no flower blooms ten days without fading,
How cruel the passing season seems.”
As he danced alone, his smooth shoulder movents deepened the song’s mood. Then the rapper entered. While two mbers circled each other in intricate duet, the rapper’s verse rose like a cultured scholar enjoying refined pleasures:
“Whither shall I fly?
Your scent is hill and stream,
Your leaf sun and moon—
Where must I go, a flower torn away?”
It felt like blossoms lanting a final farewell.
‘Hmm...?’
But then, contrary to the mournful expectation, the tone began to shift. As Junghyun’s part arrived, the mood brightened, growing more vibrant—almost as if embracing the coming separation.
At that mont, Bi-ju glided into the circle between his two partners.
“Waaaah...!”
Gasps and exclamations echoed. Bi-ju stepped forward as gracefully as silk slippers on porcelain, cupping his hands to form a blossom, as though a rich floral fragrance wafted from his palms.
The main dancer, standing center stage, smiled and reached toward the sky:
“Now I must let you go,
Pouring out my heart as a cup is tipped—
For this parting brings the fruit’s true birth.”
At that point I understood the arc: grief turning to acceptance—petal-fall heralding the promise of fruit. The choreography brightened accordingly, robes shaken off like dancers electrified by life.
“Waaaah!”
As the movents grew more elaborate, fans erupted in cheers. U-ju and Ri-hyuk joined the ensemble, and the Suffle’s eyes widened.
Usually on the main vocalist’s verse, the others hold back and let him shine, but here the stage exploded. While the other mbers held poised formations, Ri-hyuk claid the floor, dancing solo with magnetic power. When he crossed his arms across his chest, hugging himself, the crowd roared.
Like a scholar promising love’s return, he sang:
“Promise the coming spring,
I will bear the winter’s chill—
Let the long night stretch on,
Let it be the longest night.”
As the pre-chorus built to its peak, life burst forth in the chorus. The five scattered and drove their hands skyward, stamping the beat:
“Return when flowers bloom,
Return when flowers bloom—”
Petals showered the stage. From the rig above, more blooms drifted down, while those on stage danced among them.
Amidst the riotous steps, the lead vocalist stepped forward alone for the chorus’s final lines:
“Return to and tell ,
Here the spring remains.”
The audience, eyes glistening, felt as if they’d discovered a secret garden. The joy of surviving winter and greeting spring again overwheld them.
“Waaaah—!”
A heartbeat late, the cheers surged. As Junghyun’s rap opened the second verse, the Suffle watched in rapture. Every elent—from costus to song to choreography—was flawless.
‘This is award-level production...’
Fans and casual viewers alike were blown away. Yet the true knockout was the song itself.
‘Sun Woo-ju is insane. Seriously.’
Each album release brought admiration for the title tracks, but “Nakhwa” was different. Rather than ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) a haunting, sorrowful lant, it was uplifting—a celebration of endings leading to new beginnings. The final flourish honoring their own transformation made it all the more powerful.
‘I love this...’
Straddling pop and traditional Korean aesthetics, it was irresistibly catchy. Even non-fans would find it morable and uplifting—perfect for spring.
“Return when flowers bloom,
Return when flowers bloom—”
As Ji-ho sang “Here the spring was,” the refrain echoed endlessly in the Suffle’s minds. When the third verse exploded, U-ju reappeared at center stage, reaching out amid a shower of petals:
“Return to tell ,
Here our spring once was.”
PAH—! Confetti of purple stardust and flower dust rained down.
“Waaaah—!”
The first public performance of “Nakhwa” ignited the hottest reaction of the night. The mbers bead as they took their bows.
Ah. I feel like I’m dying.
Monts after smiling at the cheering crowd, my brothers and I gasped for breath, shoulders draped over each other. Steam rose from our heated bodies. I wasn’t sure whether it was the tallic taste of exertion or sweetness, but my tongue felt odd.
—Waaaah—!
Only after the lights went out did I collapse to the floor. Until now, the “Nine” performance at last year’s KMA had been the toughest. Now I’d have to concede it: “Nakhwa” topped that.
“Huff... huff, huff.”
It wasn’t as calorie-burning as “Nine,” but by the concert’s second half, our stamina was drained. “Nakhwa”’s choreography demanded maximum flexibility—like a hundred vertical jumps versus a twenty-minute yoga hold.
As we panted, the lights rose again.
“Waaaah—!”
Fans spotted our struggle and seed moved. Ri-hyuk’s hand trembled as he lifted a water bottle. I opened it for him, drawing another cheer.
“Thank you. Thank you...”
“Drink up.”
“Can I have a sip?”
“Thanks, but I’m good. Want mine?”
Ji-ho tapped my leg. “Hyung... too...”
He looked pale, gripping his thigh and bent over. Bi-ju was gasping too, head thrown back. Junghyun rely wiped sweat from his neck, wincing.
“P-please wait... 50 seconds... b-breath... haah.”
That shaky count of fifty drew laughter and cheers. We each emptied a bottle, then:
—Yeah—!
Revived, Ji-ho stretched out his arms as the Suffle roared. Though the glare of the lights blurred my view, I could see smiling faces all around.
“That was our new songs ‘Byeol’ and ‘Nakhwa.’ How was it? Did you like them?”
—Yessss—!
“Are you sure you really liked them?”
—Yesssss!
I grinned.
“Every ti we debut a new song, I wonder what you think. I wish I could read your minds.”
Miming zipping my finger into my brain made the crowd laugh.
“But actually, you probably don’t want that. Let’s keep our On/Off switches, capisce?”
Off-topic asides sotis spark ideas.
“Hey, that’s great. I should write a song about On and Off.”
—U-ju hyung.
Ji-ho clicked his tongue.
“Stop talking shop in front of fans. We ca here to have fun—why bore them with work talk?”
“...Sorry.”
—Keep work and fun separate, mister.
The Suffle erupted in laughter. Embarrassed, I scratched my cheek as Bi-ju seized the mic.
—The song is amazing, right?
—Yessss!
—We feel your love for it, and we love it too. This song ans so much to us.
Bi-ju shared a brief behind-the-scenes story:
—So U-ju hyung was stuck on the song, rember our trip to Jeju?
—Still the legendary tearful barbecue party.
—That day, we were so moved that we played him the demo files we’d been working on—saying it was for him.
The Suffle responded with dinosaur-like roars at Bi-ju’s wistful expression. Then Junghyun cut in, bursting the mood:
—But...!
Amid the laughter, Ri-hyuk’s mock-hurt face spoke volus.
—He just laughed and said, “This will be a hit,” but then...
—I was so upset.
—When Bi-ju said it was the final version, he went “Final version, this is it?”
—I can do that expression too!
When Ji-ho imitated that dismissive look perfectly, the crowd went wild. Bi-ju and Ri-hyuk clutched their stomachs laughing.
“Did I really do that?”
—Ha-ha-hat! Yes, exactly that.
“I deserved that....”
I recounted the era when I wore a sleeping bag and wriggled like a grub on stage, and everyone laughed. Thus ended the tale of how two songs beca one.
“Like my brothers said, ‘Nakhwa’ ans so much to us. It’s a song we created as a truly united team.”
—That’s right.
“Though I did 90 percent....”
My joking add-on provoked an uprising of grubby noblen. After calming them, I explained how the song was born:
“Through our ‘Sothing’ collaboration, I often sought advice from sunbae Jang So-won. The best tip he gave: Know yourself. Just as fans love a singer, you must love yourself and understand who you are. That’s the foundation for songwriting.”
I continued:
“‘Nakhwa’ was born from studying myself. Every album of ours had its protagonist—from Ji-ho in ‘Masquerade’ to Ri-hyuk in ‘Winter Sleep.’”
“So this song was hard. When I wrote for my brothers, I had clear images to evoke.”
—Really? What image were you aiming for?
“For Ji-ho, sothing enchanting and mysterious... but with a passionate core.”
—Wow...!
“But Ji-ho, you kept getting serious PhD-level questions when you should’ve been “Uh-huh!”
As Junghyun and Bi-ju pretended to shepherd him off stage, everyone chuckled. I took a sip of water and smiled:
“It was tough because it’s about . I wondered which part of to show. I wrote the intro’s wistful, dreamlike mood as the original ‘Nakhwa.’ Because...”
I steadied my voice.
“I thought my story was a history of farewells. Like everyone, I’ve known many goodbyes—my parents’, giving up piano for my grandmother, my trainee dreams dashed, college plans cut short by the army.”
“Farewell was the greatest the in my life,” I said. “Yet the song felt incomplete. It wasn’t just sadness—I sensed sothing vital was missing.”
Then I heard my brothers’ demo from Jeju. I smiled at them.
“I’m not sure why, but when I heard their lody, I thought, ‘This is it!’”
—I loved it.
“At first from a purely musical angle, I thought ‘This will kill,’ but while preparing this concert, I pondered: Why did adding their lody perfect the song? After days of thought, I realized their lody carried hope of reunion—‘Even if we part, we will et again.’”
I had written petals falling for fruit’s sake—an ending. They wrote of blossoming again and reuniting next spring.
“That’s what I felt. Even if we part, we will et again.”
I spoke to the cheering crowd:
“Then it made sense why it beca perfect. I guess I didn’t want to say goodbye anymore.”
—...
“And so I love the new ‘Nakhwa.’ Even if we part for new fruit to grow, we promise to reunite.”
Looking at the staff and fans awaiting my closing line, I smiled. They were all people I never wanted to say farewell to.
“Thank you so much for loving our song ‘Nakhwa.’ And...”
I called my brothers in close.
“mbers, Suffle, Lemon family—thank you for coming into my life. You are the flowers in ‘Nakhwa.’”
A roar so loud it hurt my ears answered.
“And... are you crying again?”
Behind , Ji-ho used his forearm to wipe his tears, head bowed. Junghyun stared skyward, and Bi-ju and Ri-hyuk, eyes reddened, leaned on each other’s shoulders.
Embarrassed, I said:
“You’re supposed to save tears for the encore’s closing remarks, not now.”
—Sob...
At the maknae’s wailing, laughter rippled through the arena. The little noble, sniffling in hanbok, said:
—How could I not cry, hyung...
“I can’t survive this.”
While waiting for his tears to subside, I patted my sobbing runt. Ri-hyuk, eyes glistening, asked:
“But, um...”
“Yes?”
—This was opening night... what about tomorrow’s lines?
Suddenly I felt a void.
“...We’ll figure that out later.”
—Rember: concerts are thrice-run.
Ri-hyuk raised three fingers, and we all laughed—his lingering grudge from last concert still sharp even after a year.
Glancing at my calr brothers, I turned to the audience:
They’re still crying up there too. I waited patiently.
“All right!”
I clapped to rally everyone.
“This concert’s far from over. Shall we rock one more song?”
—Sob, sob...
“All we need is a minute’s wait.”
—Heh...
“Then just two more minutes...”
After two minutes of banter, surrounded by the Suffle’s tears, we launched into another new song, “Kkotnori,” a boisterous, folk-ensemble number. The cheers rose again.
And then:
“Waaaah—!”
Perhaps it goes without saying, but from opening night, the concert atmosphere soared to its peak.
With “Nakhwa” and encore in the books, the curtain fell on Day One of NewBlack’s solo concert. As usual when a new song debuts live, a fan-shot cam of “Nakhwa” surfaced on idol community sites:
– Today’s NewBlack concert pre-release “Nakhwa” stage.tube
With rapidly climbing views, comnts soon poured in.
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