After the Kids’ Choice Awards ended.
Not long after, the news started reaching Korea.
NewBlack wins the U.S. Kids’ Choice Awards “Global Music Star”.. “First ever K-pop act”
“Cheers every ti they appeared on screen”.. Foreign dia stunned by NewBlack’s popularity with kids?
“The screams were different” on-site reports from the 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards.. U.S. press: “Who on earth is NewBlack?”
Hearing that NewBlack received an award at an Arican show, Koreans felt a strange thrill.
‘Wait. They really won an award?’
At first, people thought it was just so random Arican children’s ceremony.
But every celeb seated near NewBlack was a familiar face. From superhero movie leads to top singers.
And they didn’t just pick up a trophy and leave.
[NewBlack blowing up among local kids right now.twt]
(A U.S. fan’s tweet with attached video)
Kids are shrieking every ti they’re on cara
???
What is this lol why are the kids like that
It just makes you say “why you guys..?” lol
This is kind of bewildering lol
Even if their bald boss handed out candy at the door, it wouldn’t get screams like that
The foreign stars next to them looking amazed is killing lol they don’t know why, but honestly neither do we..
From the vibe alone they’re the kid-presidents of Arica
Kids were screaming like they might faint every ti the cara caught them.
At the sa ti, monts from the red-carpet event started trending again. For people who’d heard the news late, these scenes were nothing short of jaw-dropping.
The swarm of grade-schoolers trailing NewBlack like the Pied Piper.
There were more than a few scenes reminiscent of the legendary Hellpyeong rest area incident. And not in nearby countries—this was a far-off place.
‘Good for them.’
That was the reaction of most regular folks.
They weren’t fans, but they viewed the national idols with fondness.
Seeing them command serious popularity overseas gave people a gentle sense of pride.
Just as everyone was about to drift back to daily life—
-[Photo] “Eek! We got hit by sli!”.. NewBlack slid
Photo pieces dropped.
NewBlack were huddled, clutching their coats, as green sli poured down on them.
Beyond them, celebrities were clapping and cracking up.
‘Uh......?’
Koreans who’d watched a fair number of teen movies back in the day went pale.
It was a scene they’d seen in movies.
The kind where villains pull a nasty prank to humiliate the protagonist at a party.
People pictured NewBlack going “waaah” as sli rained down while Aricans enjoyed it.
‘What the hell is that?’
Fans had heard in advance about the sli and went, “Oh, it’s a special honor they bestow only on famous people.”
But regular folks had no way to know that.
These bastards, seriously
Did they dump paint on them during the acceptance speech??? Are you deranged??
I’m gonna wreck this rotten show
Psycho freaks
Everyone on site is sitting there laughing their asses off
There’s an old saying: never trust Aricans. Pale-skinned wolves brought gunboats to our land..
Knew it since Shinmiyangyo fr
It was starting to feel like Heungseon Daewongun would resurrect and erect a “Reject Westernization” stele.
From the show’s side, the limited sli allotnt was ant as a special gesture to an overseas act, but without any explanation it was absolutely sothing to get angry about.
When a Japanese broadcast ran provocative segnts about NewBlack, regular folks had tossed around so choice curses—now their lids just went pop!
‘Just wait, you punks!’
As the fuming millions of Koreans moved to charge in—
Like peasants grabbing pitchforks and farm tools to revolt, the masses were rushing forward when the Souffle fandom blocked the road with armfuls of bread.
‘Hold on. Please hear us out!’
‘Hear what!’
‘J-just a minute!’
Souffles urgently blocked the citizens’ path. The hearts of the Souffles standing before the enraged crowd were pounding hard.
‘If this goes wrong, it’ll blow up.’
‘We have to stop it.’
In front of the regular folks ready to blow up the Kids’ Choice, the Souffles began spreading posts.
[List of celebs slid in the last 5 years]
Photos rolled of celebs who, like NewBlack, had been slid.
Famous people turned completely green.
An Oscar-winning actor, the hottest teen star locally, even a singer who’s won the Grammys twice.
There was even a world-famous footballer.
‘Huh?’
The atmosphere that had been ready to detonate the show cooled in an instant.
‘......So it really isn’t sothing just anyone gets.’
People scratched the backs of their heads and let out sheepish laughs.
Sorry for the misunderstanding hehe..
This is what we learned in high school social-culture class: cultural relativism.. It’s goodwill there, but we saw malice
In the UK the V-sign is an insult, you know
Oh this is like when Europeans gave milk as a gift but the natives got stomachaches and thought it was poison
Awkward;;
Kinda sorry for the misunderstanding.. but like, you should’ve had a better track record anyway
If you fart too often, one day it’s not a fart—this ti it was gold
lol they ant it as top-tier goodwill in their world, but Koreans got mad as a group lol
Awards staff: (confused)
Everyone typed “hehe” and stared off into the distance.
What almost beca an Antiwiki article titled “NewBlack Sli Korean Outrage Incident” ended as a harmless mishap.
And then.
Through that brief mishap, the public realized sothing.
‘Wait, do I like NewBlack...?’
Normally they’d just felt mild fondness.
They’d go “oh nice” when a song ca on or they were on variety shows.
But the second they thought soone overseas had ssed with NewBlack, fury shot to the top of their heads in a heartbeat.
So this is what they an by national idols
Everyone’s got one NewBlack tucked in their heart, huh
They feel like little brothers lol usually you go “tsk tsk,” but soone touches them? Whole family raids that day
fr my first thought was “are you insane??”
When did they seep in like this
It’s like the tissue under a coffee mug.. nothing’s leaking, but sohow it’s soaked
I used to scoff whenever reporters said national idols, but I kinda felt it this ti
The image NewBlack had stacked through variety and Mytube had hardened into sothing solid.
The mont anyone tried to shake that tower, scribble on it, or dump filth on it, the nation would rush in and drive them out.
It was the mont the keyword “national idols” hit ho in the flesh.
While real-ti searches filled with “NewBlack,” “Kids’ Choice sli,” and the like—
‘Let’s see.’
Koreans whose tempers had been running hot turned their attention elsewhere.
‘So how’s the reaction locally?’
At the sa ti—
The Kids’ Choice Awards organizers were grinning from ear to ear.
‘This is huge!’
Because of this year’s 2017 show’s ratings.
“What were our 2016 ratings again?”
“Was it 3.3 million? Sothing like that. 2015 was around 3.6 million. This ti it really went boom.”
“Total jackpot.”
With OTT services everywhere and Mytube content exploding, ratings had been falling year after year.
After 12 million in 2013, they’d slid and for this year’s show they’d set expectations around 3 million.
But surprise—
The result blew past their projections.
[4.033 million]
4.033 million.
The highest in the last three years after 12 million in 2013 and 5 million in 2014.
Still low compared to the peak years, but what mattered was the montum had flipped from decline to growth.
For an awards show, nothing is more important than ratings.
An award’s authority doesn’t spring from itself; it cos from the fact that the public watches it and thus acknowledges it. And in the power gas between awards shows, ratings are a crucial factor.
So every broadcast is followed by feedback on ratings.
‘Exactly what made the ratings rise or fall?’
And according to the Kids’ Choice organizers’ analysis this ti......
“It looks like NewBlack served as the engine for ratings. Right after broadcast they took over Twitter’s trends. Other SNS reactions go without saying—honestly we’re getting responses from all over the world. India, the UK, Japan, China.”
“Do they watch in China?”
“Unofficially, but they say it was the most-watched program on the internet.”
“Quite the scale.......”
Offline was lively too, but online NewBlack showed truly insane firepower.
No wonder—they got thirty tis more votes than runner-up Mandy Spice in the Global Music Star category.
The NewBlack fandom that had swelled rapidly since late last year was finally breaching the surface.
“......Where were they hiding until now?”
“I don’t think they were hiding. It’s more like the kids got called out when they voted this ti.”
From Aricans’ perspective they seed to pop up out of nowhere, but NewBlack had been continually active on Mytube since 2014.
Early in 2016 they launched the World channel and tried to reach countries around the globe.
Sowhere in there, the hit of Blue Moon seems to have brought in a wave of kids.
“My take is these guys are about to step into the next ‘boy band’ ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) slot.”
“Sa.”
The U.S. music scene runs on positions.
Who’s the male dance singer, who’s the Black female rapper, who’s the middle-aged country singer. One winner holds a position.
For example, in the “female singer-songwriter” position, Hayley Blue has it locked down in a long reign.
With the “boy band” seat vacant, NewBlack appeared—bam.
“If there’s any project we could do together, pitch it. We opened the route for them, so.”
“Got it.”
“Move fast. The hyena pack will be on the move.”
As the organizers, broadcasters, and brands started waving dollars and doing courtship dances—
A video on Mytube was spiking fast.
[“It’s Sli-tastic!” The New Black Slid!]
A video whose title blended sli with fantastic.
The recomnded-video thumbnail grabbed eyeballs.
‘What’s this?’
The view count was skyrocketing; the comnts were buzzing. It felt like you had to watch this to stay on-trend.
On screen, a five-mber flower-boy group was giving an acceptance speech.
Then—
[Fwooooooosh!]
A sli cannon fired, and while presenter Becky Tyler flinched and hunched her shoulders in surprise nearby—
Two NewBlack mbers turned their backs to shield their teammates.
As if protecting comrades from danger.
‘Ho.’
Just as they looked smug for dodging it—
This ti the hangar of a blimp that had been hovering nearby opened. Sli poured out in torrents.
‘Oh!’
Just when it seed impossible to dodge—
‘Huh.’
......They dodged that too.
Strictly speaking, they hadn’t dodged it.
They simply lifted their suit coats like hoods, turtle-style, so only their jackets were soaked.
Their clean white faces were pristine.
In their midst, the leader smiled with cheeky brilliance.
[This actually works.]
He winked one eye as he grinned, with a faint sar of sli under his eye—perfect.
Like he’d dabbed paint on for a photoshoot.
The video ended right after, but viewers unconsciously scrubbed back ten seconds.
[This actually works.]
For so reason you just kept replaying that expression.
Peerless beauty is universal.
Only after watching three or four tis could people scroll down to the comnts.
04:37 no matter how many tis I watch it this mont is legendary. From the tiny movent around the eye on “well” to the curve of the smile when he beams
Kids have been hoarding sothing this good all for themselves
I was soone who discovered NewBlack in 2014 and thought they were really underrated. They’re big now, but I truly think they’ll beco even bigger
I don’t know who NewBlack are but I can see why they’re famous
Fun fact: NewBlack are already famous K-pop singers worldwide; Aricans are only now finding out
I’m a regular Aussie and I know NewBlack
Are these guys what kids are into now. I’m happy the Spicies are gone
Spicies.
That’s what people call the fans of Mandy Spice, a solo singer explosively popular with teens.
A fandom notorious for extremity.
The Souffles showing up now seed pretty extre too, but for those exhausted by Spicies’ rampages, this was delightful.
And surprising.
‘They beat Mandy Spice in a vote.’
Mandy herself posted a cool “congrats to NewBlack on the win” with a smiling photo together on SNS, but her fans seed stunned.
For regular folks, of course, it was just another piece of gossip.
“Did you see this group NewBlack? The kids who dodged sli twice in a row at the Kids’ Choice?”
“Yeah. I saw. They dodged it in a weirdly cool way.”
“Social networks are going nuts. Enough to rival Mandy Spice fans.”
“Even winning the vote is wild.”
As the “dodged sli twice” video and the clips of kids cheering whenever NewBlack appeared spread—
Given the commotion at a major awards show, the na NewBlack was reaching regular people for the first ti.
It was the biggest impact yet of their North Arican promo.
“These NewBlack kids.......”
“...NewBlack......”
“They dodged sli like ninjas......”
anwhile, the root cause of this word-of-mouth was simply that NewBlack were popular with children.
Kids dart around everywhere.
Every ti little Souffles chirped about NewBlack, curiosity blossod here and there.
“Oh my. Who did you draw?”
“A goat, teacher.”
“The goat’s na is NewBlack?”
“Um, that’s a bit complicated to explain.”
Preschool teachers, elentary teachers, and school staff learned the na NewBlack.
Rumors spread through kids’ gossip communities.
“NewBlack?”
Parents learned it too.
Then their workplaces learned it, creating a chain reaction.
“My kid is head-over-heels for a K-pop singer called NewBlack these days. Did you see the video? They were at the Kids’ Choice this ti.”
“Really?”
“I only found out now. She’s begging to buy the CD.”
NewBlack’s na was spreading to the public on the strength of children.
And—
Among them were adults who, watching videos of NewBlack’s kid popularity, were falling for them one by one.
“Hooooh......”
Adults secretly watching NewBlack going oooh in private.
They couldn’t exactly go around saying they liked a K-pop act popular with children, but more and more “grown-up” fans were seeping in.
‘Of all things, kids like them.’
Being hugely popular with kids had its downsides.
You can’t just go around saying you like them.
Especially if you’re a man, you’re bound to get teased sowhere. So they watched in the shadows and smiled.
“Wooooow... wow......”
As late-arriving muggles dove into the vast sea of “becoming a fan” content and lost their minds—
The very culprits behind all this fuss were in LA, handling a new schedule.
After the Kids’ Choice Awards, our greenroom was truly jam-packed.
On the red carpet, a few people had co by to say hello; after the show ended, the vibe totally changed.
Aricans we didn’t know started coming up to talk.
“Hi!”
“If you’ve got any secrets for popularity with kids, share them. Let get so attention too. Hah-hah-hah!”
“How about a photo together? Rick! Bring the cara!”
Stars with staffs in tow ca by wanting photos together.
Showbiz is just as dynamic here.
They ca up acting all friendly and snapped pictures with such ease you’d think we’d been friends for a decade.
So asked if we’d drop by their parties when we had ti later.
“Hell congrats, you little punks!”
A blue-haired star was into it, slamming high-fives.
“I knew you’d win this. My eye is impeccable.”
“Thank you.”
“Are you going to the after-party?”
“No. We’re working on the album right now, so we have to work.”
“Boring guys.”
Hayley grinned and gave us a light hug.
“But that’s why I like you.”
With album work underway, our schedule was tight.
I was curious about the vibe, but parties full of foreigners and mingling didn’t really fit our personalities.
Soday, when we had ti, we decided to try one of those events.
It wasn’t that I wasn’t interested......
“Trust .”
What Ri Hyuk said with a warm smile stuck in my head.
“I’ve been to parties in this country, and in Arica, APLV’s Eunseong cos off as introverted.”
“......”
“We won’t survive this.......”
We scaredy-cats decided to aim for next ti.
We wrapped the awards schedule and were supposed to fly ho... but a new booking ca in and our stay got extended.
“We’re shooting for a kids’ magazine?”
It was a top-tier magazine among children and teens, offering a photoshoot and interview.
“I an, it’s nice, but a kids’ magazine.......”
“Isn’t it a bit weird for people in their 20s. Kinda feels like grown-ups barging into a kids’ playground.”
“Exactly. We’re adults.”
Feeling sheepish, I picked up the Kids’ Choice Award trophy we’d received yesterday with the younger mbers.
An orange blimp-shaped trophy.
There’s a hole like a telescope; when you look in, you see colorful patterns like a kaleidoscope.
The maknae scread.
“Woooooow! Guys! Look at this. The picture inside actually moves all colorful.”
“As expected of Arica. A practical trophy......”
“I wanna see. too!”
Smiling, I watched Biju, Junhyun, and Ri Hyuk press their bun-like faces next to mine to peek.
Maybe......
It’s exactly at kids’ level.
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