NOVEL WEB Chapter 342
Chapter 342: The Day the Soufflé Bread Debuted
On the day the soufflé bread was launched for trial, people from all over the country who had been waiting to taste it wore puzzled expressions.
“What’s this now?”
Enclosed with the bread was a cute character sticker.
And they weren’t just cute; many were so amusing that they brought smiles to everyone’s faces.
Everyone looked at the stickers they held in their hands.
“Lv.10 Bijoo with an Apple Basket”
There was a sticker of Bijoo, wrapped in a red cape from head to toe, cheerfully jumping with a basket in hand.
“Lv.3 Rihyuk vs. Pirarucu”
Another featured a sulky-faced Rihyuk holding a fishing rod, locked in a struggle with a bait-chewing Amazonian fish.
“Lv.2 Happiness Isn’t About Grades, Right?”
And there was Jiho, a 2D character sobbing with a 69-point test paper in hand.
All sorts of whimsical stickers.
Stories about the stickers included with the bread began popping up on social media and internet communities.
[I bought the new Black Bread and it came with a sticker LOL]
(A sticker of a mini Bijoo wearing an apron and a sanitary cap, happily grating carrots)
Bijoo cooking is out and it’s so cute LOL
Showed each other what we got with a friend, and my friend got a sticker of Junghyun growing leeks
-LOL, so cute
-Super adorable
-Is there a sticker in every bread? I wasn’t curious about the bread, but I kinda want those stickers, they’re cute
-Oh, it’s really cute LOL
-The SD character designs are spot on. You can tell who’s who
-Is there stock available??? I want to buy it T_T
-Nope, even with a limit of one per person, people lined up in the morning and bought them all
-I tried to buy some on my way to work, but they were all gone as soon as they came in
-I always feel like everyone in our country is diligent except for me
As the buzzworthy bread quickly sold out, those lucky enough to purchase the soufflé bread began posting their proofs online.
-It’s really delicious T_T
-I didn’t expect much from a convenience store bread, but it’s truly satisfying LOL. I was worried it would be expensive, but it’s reasonably priced. And it’s super tasty
-Even though it’s factory-made, it’s impressive
-You should try one as soon as it’s out LOL. It’s a flavor that’s never been seen before
-Apple and cinnamon? It’s somewhere in between, hard to describe… It’s like the magical bakery bread from foreign movies
Amidst the high satisfaction with the taste, photos of the enclosed stickers also surfaced.
Among them were stickers that only completed a picture when combined.
“Lv.18 Revenge of the Kimchi Jar”
“Lv.19 I Won’t Underestimate Kimchi Anymore”
A sticker of an exploding kimchi jar.
Stickers of Bijoo and Rihyuk, covered in kimchi and smiling serenely, seemed to be part of a series.
-Is there a story behind each sticker? Does anyone know what this is?
-It’s probably one of the New Black memes
-Wow!! It’s our kids… Hold on, I’ll find that meme!!!
-They’re not your kids, so no need to rush the sales pitch LOL
-(Reality Kimchi Jar Explosion Scene.gif)
-LOL, what is this
-Why is this even real LOL
-I’m dying, I spat out my coffee laughing LOL
The unexpected benefit of character stickers.
Starting with the infamous 69 in Korean history, unbelievable behind-the-scenes memes about New Black’s stickers spread, making them infamous even among the general public.
However, there were also stickers of members that needed no explanation.
“Lv.10 I Am Korean”
A sticker of an interview on a Taiwanese broadcast as Woo Jenmin.
“Lv.17 Fashionista Woojoo’s Walk”
A sticker of Woojoo moving with a clap in front and behind, wearing a pink floral windbreaker and sunglasses, and juggling while riding a unicycle.
These were scenes from the popular Mitube account New Black TV, now turned into stickers.
-LOL, this is crazy
-Now that I see the series, it makes me want to collect them LOL. They’d look cute stuck on a phone
-I wasn’t interested in them before, but these stickers are tempting LOL
-Reminds me of the time we used to put one on our book covers
-Brings back memories of the stove in the middle of the classroom LOL
-No, it’s not quite that
As posts reminiscent of the ‘90s kids gather here’ trend surfaced, a question grew more perplexing as the soufflé bread, also known as ‘New Black Bread,’ became a hot topic.
“What does the level mean?”
An active netizen quickly called customer service and then wrote online.
-They’re categorized by rarity. According to the customer service rep, the higher the level, the rarer it is… They asked me to please post this Q&A online
-LOL, seems like a lot of people are asking
-The customer service guy’s voice was hoarse T_T. They said they’ve been getting a ton of complaints about the stock
As even the general netizens showed interest with reactions like ‘What’s so special about the taste?’, there was one group that was particularly excited.
-Wow T_T So cute, so cute
-Gyuho did well
-Gyuho: Kyuu?
-Don’t make those annoying jokes…
-I’m 37 years old. I’m going to buy bread just to collect New Black stickers…
-I’m a school teacher, wonder if I can give the bread to the kids and just keep the stickers T_T
-You can’t, the kids are even bigger fans. My nephew knows more about New Black than I do
-Aren’t they releasing merchandise like book covers?? Merchandise??
-Feels like we should be bulk buying bread instead of albums;
-Ah T_T I give up on my diet T_T What to do T_T I need to diet LOL
-Now people will trade stickers in front of convenience stores instead of trading cards
-Does anyone have a Lv.7 Junghyun? Oh, you do?
-Ah, these days are so fresh and happy LOL. I’ve never had an idol like this in my life of fangirling
I accidentally created a bread for the fans that turned out to be delicious, and it was launched with character seals included.
The only downside was that not just the fans, but even ordinary people wanted to buy it.
When the soufflé community gathered online to post reviews of the bread.
The more active fans began compiling pictures of the seals posted everywhere, creating something akin to an album.
[Collection of all seals released so far + updated at 3 PM!!]
While they were compiling, the identity of some rare seals, which had only one or two verification shots on the internet, was revealed.
-Why does everyone else get character seals, and I get this CD-shaped one? 😭😭😭😭
It was a red CD-shaped seal posted by a middle school student who wasn’t a fan.
The seal, made of material that changed color with light and inscribed with ‘Masquerade’ in an elegant font, was luxurious.
The rarity itself sparked a desire to collect.
‘…I want it.’
And among them, there was the rarest seal.
『 Lv.∞ Soufflé 』
The soufflé bread from the subway advertisement that NewBlack had put up for the fans was emitting a dazzling rainbow radiance.
The soufflé bread looked like an adorable emoticon.
As the level ‘∞’ suggests, it seemed there were only one or two of these seals.
Those who had to collect every type to be satisfied felt their eyes glaze over.
‘I must have it…’
While collecting, the soufflés realized something odd.
-Aren’t we the rarest ones? 😂😂😂😂
-You can see our thought process… It’s the most precious, so it must be released as a rarity, hehe.
-Are they teasing us or caring for us?
-Maybe it’s Jung-hyun’s strategy to teach us that collecting stickers is futile.
-Jung-hyun: Eggs?
-Wow, just reading the comments and I can hear Lee-hyuk’s sigh playing in my head.
-Well… at least there’s no Kyu-ho seal. I was really nervous for real.
Fortunately, the fans didn’t know that such a seal was almost released during the planning stage.
The bread was a hit.
-‘NewBlack Bread’ sold out immediately… KG24 ‘All Smiles’
-[Photo] “What could it taste like?” People lining up at convenience stores since morning
-‘The taste even TNT fell for’, NewBlack Bread launch creates buzz online
Each refresh pushed out a cascade of articles, and I found myself gaping in surprise.
“…Should I really get into the bread business?”
Wherever I went online, there was talk about the soufflé bread.
I’m not sure why everyone calls it ‘NewBlack Bread’ instead of ‘Soufflé Bread’…
The youngest, who was doodling superhero comics in the corner of his Korean history workbook, said,
“It seems to be selling incredibly well. The company even called to express their gratitude.”
According to Seokhwan, they repeated their excited thanks over the phone.
It wasn’t just the soufflé bread; sales of other items had also surged.
I asked half-jokingly,
“Bijoo, should we really start selling bread?”
“No, hyung. This was just a stroke of luck… It’s tempting to do it together, but business is a no-go.”
Bijoo shook his head, perhaps remembering when his father’s business had ended poorly.
Then he smiled.
“Instead, living together sounds nice.”
“…”
“I’ve been thinking lately, how about we all move into a village and live as neighbors in five houses?”
“Ah, that actually sounds nice.”
Jung-hyun would farm, Bijoo would cook, and Lee-hyuk would clean.
My face scrunched up.
“What about the two of us then?”
Jiho and I answered simultaneously.
“Leader…?”
“The youngest.”
We both covered our ears as the nagging started flying in.
Even after the K-net Music Awards, our daily lives hadn’t changed much.
Except for one thing.
“Hehe.”
“Hehehe.”
“Please stop laughing like weirdos. The baby downstairs is scared of us.”
A new trophy had been added to the top shelf of our dormitory display.
Just looking at it brought tears to my eyes, the grand prize trophy from the K-net Music Awards that made us happy.
“Hoo- Hooooo…”
I would gently polish it, along with the Mango Chart Award trophy, whenever I had the chance.
“Oh, my pretty…”
Crack.
Like a bald spot caused by a hairdresser’s mistake, a part of the golden trophy had turned silver.
“…?”
While I blinked in confusion, Jung-hyun rubbed the trophy with his finger.
Crackle!
“…”
We exchanged warm smiles as the gold leaf flaked off.
“It’s just been painted over with foil.”
“The material is almost like a scratch lottery ticket, hyung.”
“It’s not a grand prize trophy; it’s a dud.”
The quality of the grand prize trophy was incredibly poor.
Was ours defective, or…? When I sent a photo and a message to Taehyun, he immediately replied with a picture.
It was a photo of last year’s KMA grand prize trophy, split in two, with the disheartened TNT members standing beside it.
What a Solomon’s choice.
We were so dumbfounded that we just exchanged ‘😂😂😂’.
“…Let’s just display this on the back.”
“Yeah.”
We decided to display it shyly, showing its backside, now riddled with bald spots.
Meanwhile,
Despite the defective trophies and the various challenges of an immature stage setup, the KMA had been a great benefit to us.
“Wow, the views on your fancam are exploding. Every time I check, the numbers are soaring like crazy.”
“Huh? Which fancam are you talking about? I haven’t seen the side view yet!”
“I’ll send you the link. It’s amazing, bro.”
Watching my fancam, I couldn’t help but let out an embarrassed chuckle at the sight of my younger brothers’ impressed expressions.
There are days when everything just clicks – a member’s exceptional condition or the stage effects come together to create a perfect performance.
For me, that day was the KMA stage.
Even I felt there was something extraordinary about being enveloped in light, dancing at the center of the stage.
Jung-hyun commented, “Wow. There’s not a single comment in Korean.”
“Bro, look at this. You have to scroll down to like the 36th comment to find one in Korean.”
True to Bijoo’s words, no matter which fancam I looked at, it was flooded with comments in English from people all over the world.
Even the most liked Korean comment wasn’t your average comment.
Please!!! Make a filter to see only Korean commentsㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
I laughed as I read through the comments.
Most were rave reviews of the performance. While my brothers exclaimed in awe, I, as the subject, felt a bit shy.
“The universe confirms you must be a direct descendant of the sun god Apollo… Pfft!”
Rihyuk teased me.
The praises were indeed creative, and the more I heard, the more I wanted to find a hole to hide in.
I could take other compliments well, but praise about my dancing always felt strangely unfamiliar.
“But the fan club membership has really spiked.”
“Really?”
“At first, I thought it was because of the bread, but it seems like our performance had the biggest impact.”
The number of Soufflés, already feeling immense, was growing even more.
It was like the fairy of bread puffing up its body dozens of times over.
Just like when we released a new album, fans were pouring in.
I was happy about the bread we made for the fans, but the best feeling was excelling in our main job.
And that made me want to do even better.
“Alright, let’s head to practice.”
“Let’s go!”
After a short break, we immediately went to work and continued practicing.
The awards were over, but we still had a packed schedule for the end of the year.
Primarily, the year-end stages for the three major broadcasting networks.
We were preparing for special stages requested by PBS and TBC.
“But there’s still no word from HBS.”
“Yeah, they should have contacted us by now…”
While the other terrestrial broadcasters had reached out, HBS was vague, asking us to prepare without specifics.
It was a bit unsettling, but we let it slide.
There were plenty of other events at the end of the year, like corporate events and large hospital year-end parties.
We were also scheduled to make a brief surprise appearance at the year-end dinner show hosted by Baek Sang-gyo, who contributed to our album.
Though the awards had ended, we were immediately busy again.
Practice. Preparing remarks. Practice.
Preparing content for MyTube to release at the end of the year.
And then.
We’ve set the release schedule for your new album.
Among all, the most important schedule was our next album project.
Our fifth album.
We gathered in the conference room to discuss the release of a special album themed around winter, with Rihyuk as the main focus.
“Hello.”
“Welcome.”
Producer Ha Seung-ju and the staff responsible for this album were all present.
The atmosphere was solemn.
Amidst it, the employees sipped coffee and nibbled on Soufflé bread.
“Is it good?”
“It’s delicious. Really. This is my third one today.”
“These days, I head straight to the pantry as soon as I arrive in the morning.”
We burst into laughter at the sight of the employees showing off the stickers on the back of their phones.
In just a few days, everyone seemed more relaxed.
The manufacturer had sent us a generous amount of Soufflé bread, which the company had placed in the pantry as a welfare measure.
“It seems true that peace of mind comes from carbohydrates.”
“Do you guys want some?”
“We can’t right now because of our diet…”
If it weren’t for Seokhwan hyung watching us like a hawk, we would have tried at least one.
As we expressed our regret, the A&R and producing team staff looked sympathetically at us.
“Oh, that’s too bad.”
“What can we do? We can’t give it to you~”
“Oh dear!”
We quivered at the sight of the uncles, their cheeks bulging with the scent of bread.
We poked at the bananas that were set aside for us and listened to the decisions made in the meeting.
“First of all, everyone agrees that the completed songs are excellent.”
“That’s a relief.”
“They’re the best winter songs I’ve heard recently.”
Everyone praised the songs, filled with the blood, sweat, and souls of the various teachers who participated in the work.
“We’re planning to schedule it for early or mid-January. It’s a special album, after all.”
“Yes.”
“We’re looking to try various promotional activities. The producer has provided a lot of ideas.”
Ha Seung-ju, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
“There’s that last carol song in the album.”
“Oh, yes.”
“How about we pre-release it around Christmas? As a pre-release track before the album comes out.”
We exchanged glances with the younger members and nodded.
“That sounds like a good idea. It is a seasonal song, after all… But how will we release it?”
“Through a special stage.”
“A special stage.”
“It’s not confirmed yet, but I want it to be a memorable stage for people during Christmas.”
As Jung-hyun was about to voice an idea with an “Oh,” I quickly ordered a drink and fed him some jelly to help him articulate his thoughts.
We were all in favor of the idea to first release the New Black version of the carol. It was also a chance to make sure the public knew our song was coming out.
“If you have a good idea, we’ll consider it,” we said.
“And then…” the conversation continued, leading to discussions about jacket photoshoots and music videos.
We had managed to secure locations that matched the atmosphere we wanted, even in places like Gangwon Province.
“Even the places that were difficult to shoot in have agreed to cooperate.”
“Really?”
“Yes, once we mentioned your name, everything proceeded smoothly.”
We heard that various local governments were very cooperative, which took us by surprise.
During the meeting, as we listened and provided feedback, I mentioned, “By the way, we have a project we’d like to try. It came to mind during our overseas tour.”
“What is it?”
“A small theater concert,” Rihyuk continued after me.
“While touring abroad, we thought it might be nice to do a domestic tour as well.”
“That’s a great idea.”
“Yes. You know, traveling from Seoul to places like Busan or Gwangju takes time. Sometimes it takes longer to come to Seoul than to travel to a nearby foreign country.”
The staff nodded in agreement with Rihyuk’s words.
“We don’t want the fans to come to us like they do for concerts; this time, we want to go to them first. Of course, not on a large scale…”
“Touring small theaters?”
“Yes.”
We all nodded in agreement.
“This song seems more suited for this kind of setting than for a music broadcast. Even if we can’t accommodate as many people as we do for our broadcasts, we plan to make it so that fans from each region can come…”
Before the Japan tour in February, we proposed a domestic tour.
The staff pondered our suggestion and then nodded in agreement.
“That sounds good.”
“We’ll check the venue schedules and let you know.”
They didn’t say for sure, but their expressions suggested they were willing to push forward with the plan.
After we made our proposal and the meeting ended, the staff asked us, smiling brightly, “Why are you so happy?”
We laughed warmly.
“Oh, we’re excited about shooting the music video. It feels like we’re going on a winter trip.”
“We’ll get to see the winter sea.”
“And have snowball fights in the snowy forest during breaks.”
The staff tried to hold back their laughter at our excited expressions. Then they asked us, looking at us curiously, “You’ve never been on a winter trip, have you?”
Whooooosh-
“…”
Whooooosh-
“Aaaahhh…!”
The New Black members, filled with romantic notions, ran towards the beach.
But the cold wind of Gangwon Province made them scream and run back as if they were fleeing, causing the managers to burst into laughter.