The production team reacted positively to our new nu.
“Just looking at the photos, it really seems delicious, doesn’t it? And the na is so cute!”
Since they hadn’t actually tasted it themselves, that was just lip service, but they seed genuinely satisfied with the na. Everyone around burst out laughing every ti they heard it.
“New Bul-baek?”
Mingi hyung and Wonseok hyung, even the stylists, all roared with laughter, saying it was a perfect na. The maknae’s eyes lit up.
“The na is really good, right? Ri Hyuk hyung ca up with it!”
“It’s one of the few achievents of Ri Hyuk.”
I laughed and added as Ri Hyuk glared.
“Don’t you think the na’s really great?”
“It’s perfect.”
Our staff praised that once the na was revealed on the show, everyone would crack up. Ri Hyuk, proud of his rare accomplishnt, puffed his shoulders out.
The taste reviews were good, too.
“Mingi hyung, co try this. I used my grandmother’s recipe, so it’s really tasty.”
“Really?”
“Junhyun and Jiho, and Ri Hyuk didn’t even touch it while I was making it.”
“Oh.”
At that, the managers each took a bite of the New Bul-baek. As they went “ho— ha— ha” and “hot, hot” over the steaming불백, Mingi hyung and Wonseok hyung chewed thoughtfully, then their eyes widened.
“Oh...!”
While Biju clapped his hands in delight at its success, Junhyun smiled in agreent.
“Tasty, right?”
“It’s amazing...?”
Wonseok hyung, who was always calm, showed a flicker in his eyes.
“It’s so delicious.”
“Want more?”
“Ye-yes.”
When we even served them with rice bowls, their chopsticks moved faster. The managers, lips slick with chili oil, silently shoveled rice into their mouths.
I asked Mingi hyung, “...Hyung, didn’t you say you’d already eaten?”
“I did, but I have to try this. The flavor is insane.”
“It’s so good.”
With thumbs raised, the managers faced our selfie cam.
“Could you explain the taste to the viewers?”
“First, the at is so tender there’s no feeling of it getting stuck between your teeth. The seasoning is incredible. It’s sweet, but not overly sweet—it’s exactly the maximum sweetness people would love.”
“That’s exactly New-Bul-baek.”
Then, with a look that said “we’re done,” the managers polished off the spicy pork bul-baek. They scooped up every last crumb with their spoons, then stared blankly at the empty pan.
“Guys.”
“Yes?”
“If this goes on air, it’ll be a huge hit. Even the network staff will have a changed expression when they taste it.”
“It’s a blockbuster. Who knew bul-baek could be this good?”
Buoyed by the managers’ rave reviews, we exchanged triumphant high-fives. If the managers called in for beta testing reacted this way, ordinary custors would love it, too.
Biju bead and said, “While we’re at it, maybe we should co up with side dishes, too.”
“Shall we?”
“Yes. I think it’d be even better with so banchan, like cabbage or lettuce for ssamjang.”
We spent ti testing side-dish candidates. anwhile, the recording of “Around the World with Dice: NewBlack Edition” was rapidly approaching.
Recording, Day 1.
We piled into a car and headed to a celebrity chef’s restaurant in Mapo-gu. Mingi hyung said, “His na is Chef Park Jae-woo. You’ve t him before.” While I was nodding, Ri Hyuk pulled up the profile of a man in chef’s attire on a tablet PC. The younger mbers recognized him, too.
“He’s the one who baked bread with Woojen Min.”
“He’s the one who appeared with Pâtissier Myung Se-jin.”
He’d appeared as an adviser when we ran a one-day café in Taiwan. He’s knowledgeable about everything from desserts to savory dishes, and appears on many shows. I heard he’d be helping us for this special.
“He probably won’t be there himself, but his apprentices will co and assist.”
“Ah.”
“Because we need culinary experts.”
We nodded in agreent. Together with the seven mbers of JuSeHan, there would be twelve of us—but we were running a highway-rest-stop shop, where turnaround ti is crucial. If we got flustered, orders could backlog. We really needed professional chefs, especially since it was during the Chuseok holiday.
Vroom!
It’s NewBlack! Catch them!
At the thought of the Chuseok-season crowds at a highway rest stop, our faces turned a little pale. The maknae asked, “Can we really do this...?” “We have to,” I said firmly. “And if it fails, that will be our future problem.” “Right,” ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ the younger mbers agreed resolutely.
Then we unfolded the Day 1 script from the JuSeHan production team and studied it carefully. It wasn’t a script demanding specific lines—it laid out basic hosting prompts and the direction the story should take.
“Nothing special,” the maknae said. “Just greet like ‘Long ti no see, my friends!’ then cook sothing, plan with the chefs.” I nodded. On Day 2 we’d invite celebrity guests to taste and build chemistry with them, generating airti. That would wrap Episode 1. Then Episode 2 would cover Day 3’s sales.
Ri Hyuk summarized, “It looks like a two-parter or maybe two and a half.”
“If it goes well, maybe even three episodes.”
Depending on editing and how much footage we generate, it could stretch to three weeks’ worth of airti.
Next, we reviewed the TF team’s notes. Unlike ordinary variety shows, JuSeHan is a national-level program, so we had to be careful about controversial keywords or sensitive personal topics concerning the JuSeHan mbers.
‘As expected of Team Leader Yoon.’
‘The best.’
By then, our destination was drawing near. “Ugh, I’m nervous.” We sympathized with the maknae flapping both hands. It wasn’t a cold mid-September morning, but she still felt jittery—part excitent, part nostalgia for our first JuSeHan appearance.
“Co on, let’s pump up the mood!” I called, gathering the younger mbers lost in thought. “Riding the wave~!” “Waaaaa!” We did an arm-wave like squid tentacles to crank up variety-show tension, then got out of the car. In the alley, we saw cars packed tight, so with TBC logos. We greeted the busy crew moving equipnt and headed toward the restaurant.
“Hello!”
“Hello...!”
A writer waiting outside dashed over. After small talk about the weather, we greeted the crew and went inside. Clink. The cast who were chatting inside jumped up as we entered. We brightened our voices.
“Hellooo~!”
“Wooo!”
I approached Teacher Yang Ok-boon and took her hand. “Teacher, I’m here!”
“Are you? Even after seeing you at the set yesterday, it’s good to see you again. You went ho late last night—did you get ho okay?”
“Yes!”
Because of our roles as the alien family and agents on My Family Is an Alien, I felt even warr greeting her. I greeted the cast in order of age.
“Hello, teacher.”
“Oh my, it’s been a while.”
Senior actor Woo Jae-yong, JuSeHan’s grandpa figure, laughed, his crow’s feet moving. “I heard you’ve been really busy lately. Glad you ca.”
“They asked for JuSeHan, so of course I had to co.”
“Ha-ha.”
I greeted codians Na Mi-ri and Oh Hyung-seok, our variety-show parents.
“Hi!”
“Hello.”
I greeted the irresponsible uncle figure Song Jin-woo. Then there was a pair of siblings whose presence made unconsciously smile: model-built Yeo Hee-chan and Yeo Hee-yeon, who appeared with us as Team C for the JuSeHan special.
“How have you been?”
“Good. You kept asking on SNS to co, and now I’m finally here.”
“My schedule didn’t match.”
Yeo Hee-yeon rolled her eyes then chuckled, and we all laughed together. We then greeted Yeo Hee-chan, admiring the sparkling ring on his fourth finger.
“Belated congratulations on your marriage, sunbaenim. We were on an overseas tour so couldn’t attend.”
“Nonsense—you could’ve just sent a wreath.”
We ward up with small talk here so we’d be comfortable later. Writers ca over to mic us up, and the assistant chefs for today’s shoot arrived, bringing preparation to its final stage. Busy crew mbers frowned in concentration; once they found a mont of calm, we quietly rose and approached the caras.
“Hello, director. How have you been?”
I greeted the rural-shoot staff we’d worked with before. Junhyun brought one over. “This is the director who ran away first when Da-gil chased us.”
“Junhyun...”
“I say that in admiration—no one I’ve seen runs faster than you.”
Laughter rippled among the cara crew as we asked for their support on today’s shoot.
When preparations were complete, PD Koo Jae-young crossed his arms to survey the scene, and PD Oh Tae-joon called out, “Alright, let’s start shooting!” While we stepped aside, the JuSeHan cast bead and greeted the caras.
“Roll the dice!”
“JuSeHan!”
MC Oh Hyung-seok continued, “Now it’s ti to introduce our special guests, whom we’ve secured with great difficulty—PD Koo almost went to their agency office.” He laughed.
“Many guests have appeared on JuSeHan and found success, but among them, these are the most successful stars.”
“The greatest output of JuSeHan, right?”
Song Jin-woo’s quip prompted laughter. We, lingering at the side, waved to the cara and did a little shoulder shimmy. Yeo Hee-yeon clicked her tongue, “Don’t talk about ‘greatest output’—embarrassing. We haven’t done anything for the show.”
“It’s just a figure of speech.”
The MC happily bantered and then introduced us.
“Now rising as national idols, one of JuSeHan’s greatest stars—NewBlack!”
“Waaaaa!”
We waved to the cara as we walked in.
“One, two, three!”
“Hello! We are NewBlack, the idol born of JuSeHan!”
The cast’s joke set us up, and everyone laughed. Then they asked how we’d been. Codienne Na Mi-ri said, “I see you’ve been doing a lot—aren’t you filming a drama?”
“Yes!” the maknae answered.
“I’m shooting the web drama God on Tube. Wooju hyung is in a sitcom on TBC.”
“Ah, Kim Wooju! Teacher Ok-boon is in that, too.”
“Yes. I’m learning from her on set.”
Ok-boon teacher laughed, “Look at her pretending—once she’s on set, her eyes change, she’s scary.”
“Ha-ha.”
As we exchanged banter, Yeo Hee-chan spoke about Jiho’s web drama, “Jiho’s web drama is intense, too. On SNS, everyone’s talking about God.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it’s really scary.”
Overall, the JuSeHan mbers were hyping our individual activities, saying how great they were. It was almost too much praise, but it wasn’t bad—it was good promotion. Ri Hyuk and Junhyun hinted they’d soon have sothing to show, when Song Jin-woo exclaid, “By the way, Biju, didn’t you appear recently on that dance show, On the Stage?”
“On the Stage is HBC’s... Jinwoo...”
“Oh, I an I MOVE!”
They praised Biju’s dancing after seeing clips online, and we laughed. MC Oh Hyung-seok then realized sothing.
“Co to think of it, they’re all TBC shows—My Family Is an Alien,I MOVE, and now JuSeHan.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“At this rate, you’re TBC’s sons.”
A quip about the network director rushing out to welco us made us awkwardly laugh. As we stood neatly, the cast said, “But NewBlack looks unusually composed today.”
“Oh.” We smiled wistfully and said, “You didn’t give us a chance to speak...”
“It was like watching an iron-walled defense.” The cast laughed, and Jiho said, “Yeah. Every ti I tried to speak, you rushed in and knocked aside.”
“Ah, that’s showbiz instinct.” Oh Hyung-seok explained, “Among entertainers, if soone funnier is next to you, you try to get your line in first.”
“But we’re not entertainers, we’re idols...!”
“Sorry. We got carried away.”
They apologized for not letting us speak, and we laughed.
“You think we could be that funny?”
“Right.”
“Sotis weird things just slip out. We’re not that funny...”
Then the production team showed the table-lift clip on the monitor. Under the rippling tablecloth, eight legs moved like insects, and the JuSeHan mbers applauded and laughed.
“We’ll stick to being entertainers.”
“Be careful or they’ll take over the show—New-SeHan next.”
We laughed in defeat. At that mont, PD Oh Tae-joon said, “It’s been two years since NewBlack last appeared on JuSeHan.”
“Yes.”
“In that spirit, we’ve prepared a special welco ssage.”
“...?”
On the TV screen a caption appeared: “To NewBlack.” Then familiar faces appeared: the residents of the village in Yeoncheon-gun we visited for the JuSeHan special.
Can I speak from here?
Yes.
Grandmother Im Sun-hyun looked at the cara. She and I, and Ri Hyuk and Maxie, had cleaned her house.
How have you been? Back then, we didn’t even know each other’s nas, but now you’re on TV every day—our Kim Wooju.
“Sun Wooju...” Ri Hyuk and I tittered beside her.
Our na is pretty, Wang Ri Hyuk.
“Grandma...?” Ri Hyuk’s stunned face made Jiho and break into giggles.
As she petted her Poranian Dusik, Im Sun-hyun continued:
Thank you again for cleaning last ti.
Ri Hyuk wiped at the corner of his eye as she said:
But you cleaned and threw everything away. Even the containers for perilla oil! You called everything trash and threw it out. Did you know how far I had to walk to get more PET bottles?
Your house is cleaner, but you lost your belongings, I guess.
If you call this clean, then thieves sweeping out the house made it clean. You threw away even the things you were supposed to keep, calling them trash.
She then noticed the cara and softened her expression:
Anyway, thank you, and may NewBlack prosper~
While everyone applauded and laughed, only Ri Hyuk looked away, cheeks burning.
“They were thrown away in a trash heap,” he said.
Next appeared Grandpa Kang Moon-sik, aka “Turric Grandpa,” and as the ssages continued, the final appearance made our eyes sparkle.
“It’s... Dae... Dae...”
Junhyun gasped.
“It’s Daegil.”
“Is it really Daegil?”
A cantankerous black goat appeared.
Baa—
Junhyun nodded.
“Yeah, yeah.”
Baa—
The animal communicator, smiling warmly, nodded along as the cast and we exchanged glances.
‘It’s Junhyun.’
‘Ah.’
Then the owner-grandfather erged.
Nice to see you.
I heard you recognize Junhyun?
Yes, this fellow got quite a scare, so he knows well.
As we watched, the grandfather held out a printed photo of Junhyun. The goat trembled excitedly.
See? I told you he recognizes people...! It’s a spiritual creature, a sacred beast!
The production team took the paper and then offered a blank sheet. The goat trembled again and tried to chew it. The grandfather, looking sheepish, said:
It was just another ○○. This ○○...
At the bleeped-out curse, we all burst into laughter.
“Thanks for the updates—it’s so nice to see everyone’s doing well. And...” I signaled to Ri Hyuk, who continued,
“Sorry about throwing away the PET bottles.”
“Ha-ha-ha!”
“I just thought they were trash...”
His eyes looked wronged yet sad, and everyone laughed.
After the opening with NewBlack and the chefs’ arrival, the real recording atmosphere took hold. In the segnt where each team introduces the dishes they prepared, Yeo Hee-yeon pushed in a cart while Yeo Hee-chan played grand music as BGM. When the lid lifted on their trays, the JuSeHan mbers shouted, “Ta-da~!”
“Our JuSeHan team prepared old-style Western-set pork cutlets...! We call it Nostalgia Cutlet!”
Doo-doong!
A mouthwatering aroma and rising steam revealed the cutlets, beautifully plated like on a cooking show, complete with dramatic BGM. Yeo Hee-yeon waved her hand as if inviting us to sll it, and NewBlack swallowed hard. Just as JuSeHan felt they’d seized the initiative...
“...?”
NewBlack appeared, smiling confidently, pushing their own cart.
“Our nu is...!”
“The new breeze in the world of bul-baek... NewBul-baek!”
When they lifted the lid, the brilliant hue lit up the room.
“No way...!”
As if a legendary dish had arrived, the crew and JuSeHan mbers closed or squinted their eyes at the radiant trays.
‘How is the food shining...?’
At that mont, the mbers blinked.
‘It really is light.’
Twinkling, NewBlack’s cheering sticks, sparkling with dazzling lights, whirled madly beside the bul-baek trays.
“How does it look?”
“Doesn’t it look even more delicious?”
The JuSeHan mbers blinked at NewBlack’s smirks from behind the bul-baek. It was astonishing, but...
‘Who uses cheering sticks for food...?’
It was a usage that would horrify NewBlack’s fans.
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