The mixtape titles brought to ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) mind the mother-of-pearl wardrobe in my grandmother’s old room.
Engraved on it were the ten symbols of longevity—stones, turtles, mountains, the sun.
“No....”
Usually a mixtape would have cool English titles and a sophisticated vibe.
But what lay before us felt entirely different.
“Junhyun.”
“Yes?”
“These are the sa tracks you brought before, right?”
“Yes, they’re the sa.”
Relief washed over .
“But the titles....”
“Well, rap has to be honest. I put down what I most wanted to say.”
“So you included potatoes. Even on the album art.”
“That’s right.”
Although I’d helped with a few parts, this mixtape was essentially Junhyun’s own album as producer and artist.
This mirrored our personal projects—each of us seeking advice where needed but otherwise fully expressing our own talents.
“I see....”
I exchanged uneasy glances with my siblings, wondering what had driven him to choose these titles.
Then Junhyun smiled warmly and asked,
“Don’t you want to hear it?”
“Oh. Right.”
I’d been montarily stunned by the titles. Bi Joo took a deep breath and hovered her cursor over play.
Ri Hyuk let out a small groan and slid out of sight behind . I sympathized—he covered his ears.
Track one, “Pebblestone,” began.
“O...?”
My siblings and I widened our eyes.
“The intro is nice.”
“Great. There’s still hope!”
While my siblings praised the analog-style sound, I listened closely.
I’d never heard this track before—gentle accompanint suited to gazing at a sunset sky on a bus or subway ride.
Over it, a warm midrange voice began:
On the way ho
Beneath the shadowed utility pole
I’ve lost again today
In another endless day
The rhythmically delivered words seeped into our ears like rain-soaked clothes.
A song capturing the feeling of trudging down an alley at dusk.
“Hyung, why is it called Pebblestone?”
“Listen more.”
We focused as Junhyun rapped about running hard but slowly wearing down in repetitive days.
Unable to express his frustration, he kicks a pebble, then later throws it into a river, hoping its ripples will bring change.
“....”
I didn’t know when he’d written it, but the emotion hit ho.
“Did you write these lyrics as a trainee?”
“Yes. I jotted these down in a notebook in high school. Compared to now they’re rough....”
Junhyun scratched his cheek.
“When I decided on the first track, I felt there was no other choice. It’s one of my earliest pieces.”
“The first track suits it perfectly.”
“Right?”
Junhyun laughed.
As the lyrics continued, every one of us—forr trainees—all listened quietly.
Bi Joo and Ri Hyuk nodded along without a word, so I think we all felt that sa nostalgia.
Waiting indefinitely for debut, running to the riverbank to relieve stress, riding a bike.
Climbing the rooftop at night to look at stars, finding comfort that our worries were small in the vast universe.
Yet once back in the practice room, that tiny world felt like everything.
“Wow....”
When track one ended, the youngest exclaid in awe.
“Hyung, you had a lot to say.”
“Yeah, I’m surprised myself.”
Monts earlier, we’d been mortified by the titles and art. Now the atmosphere ward instantly.
Bi Joo stretched and spoke in relief.
“Thank goodness... I was so scared this would be a joke mixtape.”
“Hey, I did well, right?”
“A little...? Well, I accept it.”
At Bi Joo’s praise, Junhyun bead as if he’d won the world.
We then noticed the main vocalist alone, head bowed over his phone. Sothing sparkled in his eyes.
“Ri Hyuk?”
No answer. The youngest peeked up at him and burst out laughing.
“Ha ha ha! He’s crying!”
“I’m not crying!”
“Really? Look up.”
Ri Hyuk shook his head but then lifted his face.
“He’s crying.”
“Crying—tears.”
“It’s okay. It’s fine to cry.”
We teased him, nodding “it’s okay to cry,” and our fourth responded with an exasperated growl.
He didn’t look truly tearful, but his eyes were moist.
As we giggled, Ri Hyuk explained,
“It’s because it’s late. It’s the early hours.”
Indeed, that ti is when emotions run high—never the hour to write diary entries or letters.
While Bi Joo handed Ri Hyuk a tissue, I hovered over track two on the mixtape’s list.
“Shall we hear more?”
Track two, “Red Clover,” played.
If track one captured trainee frustrations, track two’s lyrics reflected childhood.
Searching for
Your small, slender na
A story of a child so tiny and fragile
“Who is it about?”
“.”
“...?”
My siblings and I exchanged bewildered looks.
“What are you talking about?”
“I think I’m hearing things.”
Bi Joo clarified,
“Who?”
“.”
“...”
Junhyun said,
“I was very weak as a kid. My grandfather always brewed herbal dicine and fed tonics....”
“So you?”
“Yeah.”
“You?”
“Why do you keep asking the sa thing?”
I’d heard our mother say he was born a strong infant—this was quite different.
“Does his family think without tonics he’d die?”
“Who’s Utoori?”
“I’m getting weird vibes. What kind of family is this?”
As we reacted, Junhyun offered comntary.
“Clover is rabbit grass. Red clover is rarer—it takes special conditions to root.”
If in English, the track would be titled “Red Clover.”
Whether he was actually frail as a child, the sincerity in the lyrics stood out.
The mixtape’s remaining tracks followed.
Overall, Junhyun’s mixtape conveyed honesty and simplicity.
“I like this.”
Ri Hyuk said.
“It doesn’t boast or pretend; it feels very genuine.”
“ too.”
Initially the titles seed crude, but on closer listen the lack of embellishnt was its charm.
Junhyun nodded.
“At first I thought about making it cooler, even naming my rap persona Sweet Spud or Kind Potato.”
“...”
“But HaeShion sunbaenim and the producing team strongly advised against it.”
I felt gratitude for HaeShion, the reggae-haired senior rapper who guided him.
Sweet Potato felt almost dignified by comparison. Had his na really been Kind Potato, no one would have clicked.
“Maybe it would’ve been okay?”
“If you say my taste is okay, then it definitely wouldn’t have been.”
In any case, we were more than pleased with Junhyun’s mixtape.
Idol mixtapes rarely get general public attention, but for Sufle who’d awaited it, it was a wonderful gift.
Especially the final track, thought to reflect emotions after our first concert.
“When fans hear this, they’ll love it.”
Sufle logged into SoundCloud, where the mixtape was set to drop, and gasped.
Not from delight.
“No way....”
Koreans’ ultimate “No, seriously?!” nearly escaped.
“What is it?”
The rap na stunned us.
Sweet Potato.
No—Sweet Potato?!
– Hello, I’m Sweet Potato.
We recalled the “potato boy” in that secretary concept video on MiF.
Did that turn him into a potato?
Fans, who’d waited until midnight, were bewildered.
“But why is the art a potato?”
Titles like Pebblestone and Red Clover only added to the confusion.
We feared a flood of anti comnts mocking a “ridiculous mixtape concept,” 870 comnts debating whether this was a joke.
‘I hate that I think like this....’
As Sufle braced themselves, other posts in the community appeared.
– Mixtape is amazing ㅠㅠㅠ
– Our potato vibes are incredible
– Lyrics are so good... poetic
– Listen now, and “Sweet Potato” looks different
Rather than poor quality, the tone was enthusiastic.
‘Is it actually good?’
Curious Sufle began playing the tracks one by one.
Then—
“...!”
Into their earphones flowed a sweet lody and a comforting midrange voice.
‘Wow....‘
It was beautiful.
A new flavor distinct from NewBlack’s usual music.
And you could feel the ti spent on it.
‘He’s really worked on this for ages.’
He’d ntioned on the Y-App live broadcast that it was a long-term project.
From his trainee days, unseen processes beca evident in the music’s depth.
– The beat is ridiculously well-made
– This mixtape is totally my vibe ㅠㅠㅠ
– I feel what Junhyun wants to say—mixtapes have their own charm
– At first the titles startled , but now they fit perfectly lol
– Junhyun’s really talented
Junhyun’s talent, often overshadowed by our group’s extraterrestrial composer, shone here.
The only regret: it was released for free.
Sure, a paid release would have drawn haters attacking chart performance...
‘He really wrote it well.’
Even without rose-colored glasses, it was a strong mixtape.
Especially the track “Field,” likely written after our first handball stadium concert, felt like a fan song.
When the wind blows
The field’s grass becos one
Waving beautifully
You are my beauty
Those poetic lines captured the feeling of seeing the crowd ripple in the arena.
– Potato ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– Just played “Field” for the second or third ti
– I wasn’t a fan then, but I practically feel the mont and emotions
– How did I not know NewBlack better?ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– Now the art looks different... though called Sweet Potato, the potato may symbolize paradox
While fans on Twitter and SNS scread with joy, so stared blankly, moved to tears.
‘You rciless people....’
‘Only you get to enjoy this.’
International Sufle struggled without translations.
Thankfully, NewBlack TV’s official channel uploaded lyric videos.
Those overseas fans, reading the lyrics, wiped away tears and clicked another video:
[Learning Korean with Ri Hyuk I (Beginner)]
While being teased by their favorite, they learned Korean.
anwhile, the next day, when NewBlack TV posted the mixtape and making-of, general listeners discovered the tracks.
“Hmm, not bad.”
A good driving song.
Soon, “Sweet Potato” and “Red Clover” began trending in real-ti search and hot keywords on music sites.
And:
– ?????
– Why are these trending on Mango right now??
– Red Clover?
– Sweet Potato? Are we talking pizza?
– Who faked the pizza event earlier? Show yourself
– Wait, so NewBlack dropped a mixtape by Junhyun called Sweet Potato with a track called Red Clover?
– Chaos
– Muggles lol there’s no song for that
Idol fans confused by the sudden newbie rapper regained composure.
‘Oh, it’s NewBlack.’
Those two words cald the storm.
Overall, Junhyun’s mixtape received praise.
– Seven tracks flow organically with surprising completeness—worth attention.
– Sotis honesty and simplicity add charm.
Short one-liner reviews from critics like Hwang Ho-cheol were overwhelmingly positive.
Watching online reactions, Ri Hyuk said,
“I’m not seeing the concerns we feared.”
“Right. Thank goodness.”
Our biggest worry among personal projects was Junhyun’s mixtape.
We feared hip-hop’s criticism. Indie and hip-hop scenes often dislike us—jealous of our chart dominance.
I recalled a rapper on a show hinting at dissing us, but paid no mind.
“My dad said if soone hates another for no reason in business, it’s about money.”
Still, we knew so saw us as nuisances. Mixtapes are niche and vulnerable to attack—if critics collectively trash it, the public might wonder, “Hmm, rap’s not my area... is it bad?”
Junhyun said,
“It seems working with HaeShion sunbaenim helped. I hardly see any negative comnts.”
“It does seem that way.”
Perhaps collaborating with the hip-hop grandmaster made people hesitant to criticize. Or...
“Sufle are scary. They scare us sotis.”
“They are strong.”
We nodded in agreent. With no worries, spirits lifted.
“Phew.”
Junhyun sighed in relief.
“I was worried if reactions were bad, you’d all look sad and tense. Good thing.”
“You worried because of us...?”
“I didn’t worry about people ntioning specifically.”
Junhyun smiled.
“My worth isn’t decided by those who dislike . Those who love validate .”
A quote worth saving.
Thus, with Ri Hyuk’s Walk Again holding steady in the charts and Junhyun’s mixtape complete, our individual projects were nearly wrapped up after the world tour.
Jiho recently finished filming with Xini, leaving only and Bi Joo with drama and dance-variety shoots.
And then.
“Oh.”
“Why?”
“My grandmother says all the procedures are done. She got so paynt a few days ago.”
We heard from Mrs. Kim Duksun that all legal formalities for Newbulback’s upcoming release were complete.
Our CEO’s recomnded lawyer had handled it smoothly.
Bi Joo bead.
“Grandma must be thrilled. Her bulgogi rice bowls are going nationwide.”
“She was excited—typos all over her chat ssages.”
“That’s just her way of writing “FU.””
“....”
I blinked at Bi Joo and laughed.
Seizing the mont, I video-called Mrs. Kim Duksun to hear her reaction.
Expecting her usual scowl and “Why?!”
– Hellooo~
Her unexpectedly soft voice made us blink. It wasn’t just —my siblings reacted the sa.
On screen was soone in an elegant coat, gemstone ring on a finger, wearing sunglasses.
They shook their head at us with a grin.
– Hi~ It’s Kim Duksun~
We stared, mouths agape at Grandma’s sudden transformation.
How much did she get paid...?
User Comments
0 comments from readers