In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

This feels more awkward than I thought.

Trying to film the car-chat scenes I’d grown so accustomed to watching on variety shows felt strange in reality.

Inside this ordinary car, the camera’s little recording light blinked silently.

No matter what you said, no reaction came—it just watched everything you did.

It was like having a small child tucked away in the corner, turning their head to watch you whenever you moved.

Haysion pointed at the camera.

“This is my first time being filmed in a car—so everything we’re doing is being recorded?”

“Yes, hyung. It’s all being recorded.”

Yeo Hee-chan answered kindly, still focused on the road as he drove expertly.

“At first I felt so weird too. The cameraman doesn’t ride with you, they just put this one camera in the car and say, ‘Talk by yourself.’ I didn’t know what to do.”

“...It is kind of pressure.”

Haysion toyed with his curly hair.

Joong-hyun asked,

“So can I say whatever I want?”

“Of course not.”

Yeo Hee-chan grinned.

“You can’t say just anything, Joong-hyun. You have to say something interesting.”

“Something interesting? Then Ji-ho should do it.”

“Me?”

When our maknae blinked, I jumped in.

“Yeah, Ji-ho should do it.”

“Our maknae’s a riot.”

“...Me?”

The mischievous hyungs coaxed the maknae with warm smiles.

Haysion and Yeo Hee-chan asked,

“Is he really the funniest among you?”

“Yes, we’re all no-fun, so Ji-ho’s the only funny one.”

“No, I’m not.”

But under their relentless encouragement, Ji-ho steeled himself.

“Okay, then I’ll try telling a funny story.”

“Ooh. Good.”

Yeo Hee-chan adjusted the camera angle, smiling.

Ji-ho glanced at me hesitantly, so I told him to relax and go for it.

Then—

“It’s about Woo-joo hyung.”

“Me?”

“Yes, about hyung. A few days ago I...”

No way.

“Oh... this might be a bad idea. Seniors, I’ll tell another story instead.”

Haysion waved his hand.

“Let’s hear the maknae first.”

“Yeah, Ji-ho. Go ahead.”

Encouraged, Ji-ho began.

“It’s a mystery story. We live in a dorm. It’s really small—no wait, Hyung said to say it’s big. Is it big? Well, it’s big if you see with your heart’s eyes?”

We all laughed at the maknae relaying my exact whisper. No filter at all.

But that unfiltered habit was perfect for variety.

Before he’d even really begun, a smile appeared on Yeo Hee-chan’s face.

“So what happened?”

“Since a few days ago something weird’s been going on. Bi-ju hyung—you know, the handsome hyung—he does a lot of chores around the house. But recently he’s been nagging us.”

“Nagging about what?”

“That we bring too much dirt home. He said we shouldn’t go into flowerbeds or places like that.”

“He’s treating you like kids.”

Haysion said,

“Who’d go off into a flowerbed... oh, you do?”

The two idiots nodded.

Joong-hyun spoke solemnly.

“But we don’t go in, these days.”

“Exactly. I felt so wronged. Joong-hyun and I are old enough now not to run into playground sandboxes for fun. But Bi-ju hyung said we always bring dirt home, so I felt so unjust.”

“That must’ve felt terrible.”

“Yeah. So I made a decisive—no, an extreme decision. I had to get to the bottom of it. I started looking for the culprit, and one night...”

Ji-ho described the scene with a spooky face.

A dark bedroom lit only by moonlight.

“Suddenly Woo-joo hyung slid out of bed.”

Both men showed genuine excitement.

Joong-hyun shivered, rubbing his arms.

Our maknae even attended a children’s storytelling academy—it showed in his vibe. He sounded like a village elder narrating a hero’s tale.

Yeo Hee-chan urged,

“So then?”

“I snuck after him. Hyung quietly slipped on his shoes and stepped outside, looking around as if to see if anyone was following him.”

It was so dark by the door you couldn’t see much, but Ji-ho continued dramatically.

“The first night I thought, ‘What’s up?’ But at dawn I saw dirt on Woo-joo hyung’s shoe soles. I felt like if I asked he wouldn’t say, so I decided to tail him properly.”

“And?”

“The first night I failed—got hungry halfway and went to buy tteokbokki. The second night I succeeded. Hyung went to the playground of a nearby apartment building. Then he pulled out a shovel.”

“A shovel?”

“Yes. And he dug into the playground sand. Dug and dug, then suddenly jerked his head up—wham!”

“Ah! So scary!”

They both reacted fully.

It was lucky the road was clear. If not, Yeo Hee-chan might’ve turned the wheel sharply and we’d all be gone.

How embarrassing that’d be. The King of the Underworld asking why we’re here and we can’t say, “Because that spooky story felt so real...”

I’ll have to warn the maknae to be careful when driving.

Though it seemed he’d timed it on purpose—when I’m not sure if his thoughtful actions are planned or lucky—I never know with him.

Anyway, the story got a great reaction.

“Wow, that really surprised me.”

Haysion patted his chest.

“But Woo-joo, why were you digging there?”

“Um, for variety-show prep...”

“Prep?”

“When they did the pre-meeting and I mentioned I was in the military, the PD asked if I was good with a shovel.”

“You do plenty of digging in the military. Do you really have to practice?”

“I was actually in the administrative corps.”

Yeo Hee-chan burst out laughing.

“And you’re only telling the truth now?”

“Yes. Back then the PD had high expectations, so I couldn’t explain properly. But now I think he won’t say, ‘Pack up and go home!’ anymore...”

They both laughed heartily.

Thanks to the maknae’s ghost-story talk, the atmosphere was better. Even Haysion’s gaze toward us showed some warmth.

He seemed to recall something and asked,

“You’re those guys, right? The ones who clashed with Street Boys?”

“We didn’t clash. Just happened to release albums at the same time.”

So our companies tussled over it.

“At the station we greet each other warmly.”

Except our directors would fling insults by eye contact.

Haysion snorted.

“Han Jo said they got totally beat.”

“Ha ha...”

“I teach his rapping. I’ve heard a lot of trivial stuff, but he only said good things about you. He said you helped them when they were on the radio.”

That must’ve been the day Ri-hyuk saved Yoon Ki-won from a slip-up on Jang So-won’s Wonderful Night show.

The dreadlocked rapper smiled.

“Come to think of it, we’ve got a faint connection. When Something came out I didn’t dip on the charts, did I?”

Right. Entertainment reporters wrote, “Hip-hop heavyweight Haysion appears! Is Something’s era ending?” yet it stayed at #4 until we left.

Crazy what life brings.

Meeting someone I never expected to meet on a Chuseok special felt surreal.

As our small talk eased the mood, Joong-hyun rummaged in his bag and spoke to Haysion.

“Sunbaenim, I have a favor.”

“What is it?”

“Could you sign this...?”

Haysion tilted his head, then laughed when he saw the album.

“What’s this? Isn’t this my album?”

“Yes. I bought it in elementary school. I brought it to get signed today.”

“Wow, this is a total dark chapter. You’ve held onto it well.”

“Your first album?”

“Yes. It flopped hard—1,000 copies pressed, only 200 sold. So you were one of those 200?”

He looked pleased.

He studied Joong-hyun’s face, as if checking if this was for show.

Then he seemed to realize the truth and laughed.

Of course. No one lies worse than our maknae.

He took the name-pen and CD, smiling.

“What’s your favorite track?”

“Track 3: The Soundness. The first mixtape I made in middle school used that beat.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I loved that rhythm.”

“You’re someone who knows good music. I love track 3 best too.”

“A true classic. Hearing it in elementary school made me decide to become a rapper.”

Yeo Hee-chan looked amazed.

“How’d you even find this album in elementary school?”

“Well, I thought it was rock and bought it. And as you can see on the cover you look like....”

“Ah—stop there! Respect my portrait rights.”

Haysion covered the camera. Curious about the cover, we peeked and burst out laughing.

A long-haired rocker–lookalike posed under a cheesy “Rapper Kim-Deok-bae” logo. Definitely going into the broadcast’s archival footage.

As Joong-hyun cradled the album like treasure, Yeo Hee-chan beamed.

“Well then, since things are like this, shall we listen as we go?”

“This is a precious album, though...”

Seeing Joong-hyun’s worry, the two men laughed. Especially Haysion, delighting in the CD’s scuffed surface from so many plays.

Soon the raw sound filled the car. As Haysion offered commentary for each track, Joong-hyun listened intensely, notebook-ready.

Then, moved, he said,

“I feel like I just visited a temple to welcome Buddha.”

Haysion laughed—a genuine laugh, not a variety-show one. I laughed along.

I’d worried about how to break the ice, but thanks to his childhood fan devotion, it turned out simple.

Following winding roads, the vehicles arrived at a small village in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province.

Broadcast trucks and six Starexes parked neatly in front of the village hall.

Though we’d had air conditioning the whole way, everyone felt cramped and stretched out.

I asked Joong-hyun, sniffing the air,

“How is it? Different from Seoul?”

“Definitely. Not as much as where my dad lives, but I like it here.”

“Ugh... I feel queasy.”

“Told you, you silly. Who told you to eat so many snacks?”

The maknae rubbed his stomach, looking queasy. I massaged his shoulder and patted his back.

Soon he let out a roar like a lion.

Startled, he turned to me.

“No way. My stomach feels totally fine now. How’d you do that?”

“It’s my massage skills—practiced with MiTube whenever I had time, to use on Kim Deok-soon.” I laughed at his amazed face.

“Why do you look so proud?”

Turning, I saw Ri-hyuk looking pale.

“Want me to pat your back too?”

“No, don’t touch me. My stomach’s upset.”

His face was so wan I was going to ask what was up when someone draped a hand over my shoulder.

Bi-ju slumped, groaning.

“What’s wrong? You okay?”

“No, well... the seniors started talking all at once, then it got awkward, then they talked, then awkward again. I was watching my chance to butt in.”

“You did great.”

“How about you, hyung?”

“We loved it. Joong-hyun turned out to be Haysion sunbaenim’s fan.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Sharing stories from our cars, we approached the hall. Haysion and Joong-hyun walked arm in arm—“sunbaenim”—“aunty”—back and forth. An unexpected camaraderie.

Meanwhile, Yeo Hee-chan and Yeo Hee-yeon stuck together, Lee Gyeon-u and Maxi walked quietly, each with little to say.

Lee Gyeon-u seemed to be a quiet type—speech only when needed. A bit enviable. To be on a variety show and not have to talk passionately.

I’d been five times louder than usual today—thankfully I’d had several throat lozenges from Han Yeoreum before.

Looking around, the others seemed to have blended in well and were chatting.

Where was Seo Ji-hyung?

Just then someone behind me bumped my shoulder on purpose. Instinctively, I moved—using a boxing maneuver I’d learned blocking the president of Lemon Entertainment and Seok-hwan hyung’s criticisms.

Effortlessly dodging, the would-be pusher lost balance and wobbled.

“Whoa!”

Gasps rose around us. I looked over to see the red-haired man sprawled on the ground.

There you are.

I reached out to him.

“Sunbaenim? Are you okay?”

In a gentle voice I helped him up.

“Oh? You’ve got dust on your clothes.”

“Ah, it’s fine....”

“We’ll brush it off for you!”

“Ufufu...”

“Oops, sorry! We’ll brush lightly.”

“Cough!”

People around us smiled as we wiped dust from his black T-shirt. A heartwarming scene.

PD Oh Tae-jun, filming with his camera, captured it too before moving on. Seo Ji-hyung watched us bow and walk away, dazed: “What just happened?”

“That was nerve-wracking,” Bi-ju whispered.

“I thought he might tackle me again.”

“That would’ve given you airtime.”

“In a bad way, though.”

Thankfully it didn’t turn out that way.

I remembered the tabloid text Seok-hwan hyung might’ve received:

– “Rookie idol A disregards comedian, body-slams senior during variety filming...”

I’d been on edge too—afraid I might accidentally take someone down.

I always tried to control my ability to avoid that—today it paid off a bit.

At the village hall, the head of the township addressed the gathering, and local residents swarmed out.

“Hello!”

Residents recognizing the celebrities cheered.

The biggest reaction came for the two veteran actors, Woo Jae-yong and Yang Ok-bun—once national treasures. «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» The grandmothers turned back into starry-eyed girls.

Fan devotion never fades, even with age...

“Isn’t that the handsome young man from the drama?”

“That’s him! That’s him!”

Lee Gyeon-u was instantly the center of attention. VJs caught Woo Jae-yong’s wry expression and the members teasing him.

Then—

“And who are these? Five handsome young men! So handsome. Oh, look at these hands.”

“They’re lovely, aren’t they?”

Surprisingly, we drew interest too. The elders, unfamiliar with entertainers, judged purely on looks. Meanwhile younger residents gaped and waved.

As lively chatter went on and each team lined up, PD Koo Jae-young raised his script.

“Today’s broadcast concept is a Chuseok special called < Filial Duty to Elders >, honoring elders who’ve worked hard all year!”

He continued,

“For one day, the residents will rest, and you will perform acts of filial piety. Before detailed instructions, we’ll reveal the first mission.”

The head writer unfolded a white banner bearing calligraphy:

[First Duty of Filial Piety: Cook Delicious Rice]

At that moment, Bi-ju’s smile lit up like the sun.