In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 36

The broadcast began as the PBS public hall was captured in a wide shot.

In the center of the studio, brightly lit by the lights.

An MC in a tuxedo and glasses appeared.

-Welcome, everyone. Thank you for joining us at Ha Seungju’s Music Cafe.

The camera screen showed the audience.

Young men and women clapping and cheering.

The opening remarks ended and the broadcast went on as recorded.

From Buster, a hot indie band in Hongdae, to Jo Yuri Band.

The performances of the four teams ahead of them passed by in an instant.

“Uh, it’s our turn now.”

The youngest rolled his feet and muttered ‘I’m so nervous’ under his breath.

-Well, now we have a new team for you. You know, these days, if you don’t know them, you’re a failed spy. They’re the collaboration team that’s flirting with the whole nation of Korea.

The intro of Something, which they sang at the venue this morning, flowed softly from the laptop monitor.

“Wow.”

Their first reaction was admiration.

It was a stage that they thought was decent on the spot, but after editing, it changed into something amazing.

From the angle of shooting the singers to the scene transition between the audience and the stage.

It was as if they were showing off that they were the stars of the day, with meticulous directing that was noticeable.

“Ugh.”

Seo Rihyuk covered his eyes with sweet potato chips every time his face was close-up.

His ears were red, unlike his pale skin.

“Why are you like that?”

“My face keeps showing up on TV.”

“Hey, you’re an entertainer, you should be happy to get attention.”

Seon Woojoo was incredulous, but he also sympathized with Seo Rihyuk’s words.

Their faces on TV were unfamiliar and amazing.

They had been on music shows every day for a month and monitored them every time, but it felt different from then.

It felt like they really became entertainers.

It was the same when they sang at the venue.

They were amazed by the popularity of the song, not by the fact that they were entertainers, when the college students sang along to the chorus of Something.

Their hearts were still stuck in the long trainee life.

But when they saw their faces on TV, on the broadcast, they felt like they really became entertainers.

It felt like their feet were floating in the sudden reality.

“…We really became entertainers.”

Everyone nodded.

Seon Woojoo didn’t need to look in the mirror to see what kind of expression he was making.

They all had the same face.

Soon, the first stage ended and the real talk began.

They looked great on the screen.

They were nervous for their first variety show, but the PD edited it well and they came out with a fresh vibe.

Of course, there was another reason why Seon Woojoo was satisfied.

“Hyung, you’re really handsome.”

Kim Bijoo smiled smugly.

Seon Woojoo didn’t know why he was smug, but he liked his face and pressed the capture button on the laptop keyboard.

Kim Junghyun agreed and drank his beer.

“Woojoo Hyung is handsome.”

“Yeah, he looks great on the screen.”

Seo Rihyuk retorted sullenly.

“But what’s the point of being handsome? He doesn’t dress up normally.”

“Hey, I do dress up when I need to.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you do that.”

“Who dresses up to go to the practice room?”

…At that, everyone turned to him.

To be exact, to Seon Woojoo who was wearing a tracksuit up and down.

“We dress up every day…”

“He’s just relying on his face. Leave him alone, Bijoo Hyung. He’ll get hooked sooner or later.”

“Hyung, you just said we’re entertainers.”

“Yeah, Hyung. You should dress up more. Buy some clothes. Buy some cosmetics. Put on some BB cream.”

What? Why was the atmosphere suddenly turning into a pro-Woojoo style debate?

Seon Woojoo was dumbfounded, but he had nothing to say.

It was true.

Compared to what they did, he didn’t dress up much. Just shower, wash, sunscreen, repeat, like he did in the army.

On the other hand, his kids took an hour to get ready.

As a cat-like clean freak, Seo Rihyuk didn’t need to be said, and even the most laid-back Kim Junghyun spent five minutes every day deciding which snapback to wear.

Seon Woojoo surrendered to his nagging siblings.

“Fine. I’ll dress up a bit more from now on.”

Only then did they stop lecturing him to use a mask pack, apply moisturizer, and so on.

But he felt wronged after it was over.

“Guys, at least I wear a different color of tracksuit every day…”

As they were about to roast him again, he gave up on his timid defense.

Meanwhile, the talk show at the Music Cafe was in full swing.

The audience’s laughter echoed through the low-quality speakers.

They must have cut out the boring parts of the talk. Their members looked more witty and charming than usual on the screen.

It was about time for them to come out.

-But is this musical talent something you were born with? Of course, your own effort is important, but art is also about talent, right?

Then Seon Woojoo started to talk about his dad with a serious expression.

On the data screen, a video of Dad playing the piano at Carnegie Hall, a photo of him with the then US president, and a scene of him and Mom holding a press conference at the airport appeared.

It was time to remember Dad’s face, which he barely remembered, through the data screen.

His siblings, who had been laughing and chatting until a moment ago, were quiet.

They rolled their eyes at Seon Woojoo, pretending not to look.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to worry about me.”

Seon Woojoo said that, but they still looked at him cautiously.

That atmosphere lasted until the microphone was handed over to Jang Sowon Sunbae.

Thankfully, when the talk changed, their expressions changed too.

From clueless faces to relaxed ones.

Kim Junghyun started to drink his beer again, Kim Bijoo resumed peeling his apple excessively, and Seo Rihyuk rummaged through the bag and took out a dried sweet potato.

This time, the youngest was super nervous.

“What is he mumbling?”

“He’s saying it won’t come out, it won’t come out. Hey, Wang Jiho. Do you think it won’t come out because you’re wishing for it?”

“Be quiet. He’s making a wish.”

Everyone laughed at the youngest, who was mumbling like a primitive man performing a ritual.

Then, the scene they had all been waiting for came out.

As Jang Sowon Sunbae’s sad life story continued, the youngest on the screen started to cry.

It would have been fine if it was just tears, but the two streams of snot were the highlight.

His chubby face, still with baby fat, was covered with redness and snot, making him look like a country puppy.

Or maybe a rice cake soaked in tears.

“Don’t let the nose-blowing come out. Don’t let the nose-blowing come out…”

The youngest prayed desperately, but soon he received a tissue and blew his nose loudly, making the PBS public hall ring.

The MC and the audience on the screen all laughed their heads off.

“Pwahaha!”

As the youngest covered his face with both hands and collapsed on my lap, the Hyungs were all cracking up.

“Ah, what is this!”

The youngest, who fell on Seon Woojoo’s lap, tore his hair and groaned.

Whether he liked it or not, Seon Woojoo was in the best mood.

Seon Woojoo thought of how he had teased him with soufflé for a month after the broadcast, and he felt like he had taken a shot of soda.

He pressed the capture button and smiled.

He would make him pay for that for the next month.

***

Thanks to the story of being the son of a genius pianist, their talk time was the longest among the guests.

But the talk was just a secondary element, the main event of the Music Cafe was the stage.

So they focused on the stage that was about to come out.

The title ‘Jang Sowon X New Black – Between’ appeared on the screen.

The piano melody sounded in the intro.

Kim Junghyun started the song with his rap.

The stage was well edited, just like the first one.

On the other hand, Seon Woojoo’s mind settled down as he watched it.

As soon as he saw the title of the song ‘Between’, he remembered ‘Untitled’, which he had forgotten for a while.

How could they show their color?

What was New Black’s identity? And what kind of music was New Black-like?

He had to know that to give ‘Untitled’ a title.

He monitored the Something stage seriously and checked the charm points of their kids.

Kim Bijoo’s dance line, Seo Rihyuk’s voice, Wang Jiho’s expression, Kim Junghyun’s rhythm.

He already knew them all.

They were the things he considered every time he planned a performance since the end-of-year evaluation.

If he had to consider himself, he would say stability?

What should he call it?

The balance of the group?

He was second best in dancing after Kim Bijoo, second best in singing after Seo Rihyuk, second best in facial expressions after Wang Jiho, and second best in rhythm after Kim Junghyun. But he was decent enough in all of them.

He had a wide vocal range that made him fit in any part, and unlike Kim Bijoo who filled his moves with tricks and flair, he was tall and danced by the book, making the viewers feel comfortable.

He felt embarrassed to say it himself.

Of course, this was not his opinion, but the result of gathering the opinions of his brothers.

Yeah, let’s say he had a sense of stability.

If he thought about all this, could he come up with a conclusion of what New Black’s music was like?

Seon Woojoo thought hard, but he couldn’t find an answer.

Maybe he should do a survey with the kids. Something like the 200 questions and answers he did back in the mini-homepage days.

That was how he watched Something’s stage with his eyes, while thinking about our debut album in his head.

‘…Huh?’

Suddenly, his eyes met with the brothers who were looking at the laptop.

Their faces were focused, as if they wanted to imprint their own stage in their eyes.

But it wasn’t the kind of focus that made them stick out their lips or widen their eyes.

They were all smiling and enjoying the music comfortably.

At that moment, a thought crossed Seon Woojoo’s mind.

Good music was music that made you feel good when you listened to it, music that you wanted to hum along to.

Taste was one of the factors that defined who a person was.

Then, wouldn’t the music we liked also be related to their identity as singers?

As he thought that, his head started to spin.

He already had a few ideas in his mind.

Some of them seemed doable right away.

Finally, when Something’s stage was over and their part was done, Seon Woojoo called the kids.

“Guys.”

“…Yes?”

But he couldn’t say anything.

It was because of their expressions, still smiling on their lips.

He didn’t want to ruin the mood by bringing up the work talk.

Seon Woojoo shook his head at the kids who were waiting for his answer.

“It’s nothing. Let’s clean up the table and go back to the dorm.”

The kids who got up from their seats and started to tidy up the table.

Seon Woojoo walked over to the youngest, who was frowning at his phone, and put his arm around him.

“What are you looking at?”

“I’m looking at the internet to see if there’s any reaction to us.”

“Is there anything?”

“Not yet. I guess the news and stuff haven’t been posted yet because the broadcast is still on.”

“…Well, what’s the big deal? I only got a few comments on the community on the day of the college entrance exam.”

“That’s not the problem.”

There was no need to explain what the problem was.

New chats popped up on the smartphone without a break.

Most of them were laughs like ‘ lol  lol  lol  lol  lol  lol ’ or boys’ chats like ‘Wang Jiho BS’, or girls’ chats like ‘Jiho lol  lol  lol ’.

Oh, right.

He went to school.

Looking at the atmosphere that was still coming up, it seemed like he was going to be teased a lot tomorrow.

Seon Woojoo smiled and patted his shoulder.

“Now you know how I felt.”

Seon Woojoo ignored Wang Jiho, who narrowed his eyes like Seo Rihyuk, and checked the chat that came from his grandmother.

KingGodKimDeoksoon [You did well]

Seon Woojoo smiled and read on.

KingGodKimDeoksoon [The kids are so pretty]

KingGodKimDeoksoon [You take good care of them]

KingGodKimDeoksoon [Sent an emoticon]

Seon Woojoo laughed at the emoticon of a cute bear waving cheer sticks.

Don’t worry, Grandma.

Just like you did for me, I’ll take good care of them.

***

The next morning, when Seon Woojoo woke up in the dorm, he was literally shocked.

A few missed calls, dozens of texts, hundreds of chats.

What the hell?

Did a New Black recording leak while he was unaware? Or did a war break out while he was asleep?

Seon Woojoo couldn’t even remember where he put his uniform.

Seon Woojoo made such a silly thought and entered the messenger. He looked at the chats and realized what the problem was.

It was the Music Cafe that aired yesterday.

“Uh, what the hell.”

The kids who woke up from their sleep also grabbed their phones and frowned.

Judging by their expressions, they all seemed to be in a similar situation.

Seon Woojoo went online to figure out what was going on, and blinked his eyes at the first page of the portal.

[Real-time search rankings]

10th. New Black Woojoo

Did people search for this on their way to work?

His name was shining on the real-time search rankings.

“Hyung, our article is on the main page of the entertainment news!”

“What? Really?”

“And it’s an exclusive article by us.”

Except for the occasional news of winning first place on music shows, their names had never appeared on the portal main page.

Even if it did, it was only briefly mentioned behind Jang Sowon’s name.

His heart pounded at the excited shouts of the kids.

Seon Woojoo flipped through the entertainment news page with trembling fingers.

…Huh? Was this for real?

Their group name was plastered on the main page, three times.

One at the top, one in the middle with a Music Cafe clip, and one at the bottom.

-New Black Universe “My father is the pianist Seon Myungjoo”

-[Music Cafe] What’s between us? ‘Jang Sowon X New Black – Between’

-Jang Sowon and New Black, a sweet collaboration stage

What was going on right now?

Just like when they found out about the success of Something on Wang Jiho’s graduation day, they traced the path of this phenomenon.

It started with the article that came out after yesterday’s broadcast.

The article about the broadcast content where Seon Woojoo revealed who his father was.

Of course, they expected that much.

His father’s whereabouts were enough to make headlines.

But what he overlooked was the influence that his father had as a pianist, ‘Seon Myungjoo’.

A genius jazz pianist who was the pride of Korea during the IMF era, and the tragic plane crash in 1999.

If you thought about it, there was no way people wouldn’t remember him.

The article that came out yesterday made those people recall their memories. And it sparked their curiosity.

‘The idol who debuted this time is Seon Myungjoo’s son?’

A normal Friday morning before the weekend.

On a quiet morning commute with no hot topics, people looked at the entertainment news page and naturally moved on to the Music Cafe clip.

The views proved it.

The Music Cafe clip, which only the viewers watched, had almost doubled in views compared to other days.

And the most important thing was the quality of their ‘Something’ stage.

The people who came without much thought watched their performance and gave positive feedback.

-Wow, the live harmony is crazy.

-Is that brown-haired guy Seon Myungjoo’s son?

-Are they not idols but some vocal trainer team?

-There are so many good singers in our country  lol  lol  lol  Amazing

-The vocal colors are so prettyㅠ

Seon Woojoo couldn’t help but smile at the comments that made him feel good, and the number of likes that piled up on them.

Was it an unintended event that turned into a huge topic?

Was this why celebrities’ children revealed who their parents were, he wondered, and it was amazing in many ways.

But the most amazing thing was the voice calling him.

“Hyung.”

Seon Woojoo turned his head and saw Seo Rihyuk looking at him with a blank expression.

It reminded him of that time.

He had the same expression when Something became number one.

“What’s wrong?”

“Look at this.”

He showed Seon Woojoo his phone screen, where a music site was open.

And when he saw the ranking of Seomthing there, he widened his eyes like Seo Rihyuk.

1st. Jang Sowon X New Black – Something

The song that was released this morning was staying at the top of the real-time chart.