In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

An impromptu village festival broke out 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

My brother line belting trot songs in the yard, the elders clapping and laughing, the Pomeranian Doo-shik bounding around excitedly

And I was in agony

Ah, my arms hurt

If you’ve ever given someone a shoulder massage, you know it takes more strength than you’d think

You know when you’re massaging a friend like “I’ll give you a massage,” and after about twenty seconds your arms go weak and you quietly lower your hands

The problem was I’d been massaging for twenty minutes straight

It was really exhausting

My arms were cramping

My hands had been red for ages

Silently I clasped my hands behind my back, made a fist and opened it again, but my hands stayed stiff

Still, I kept my composure and smiled brightly at the grandfather who’d just sat down in front of me

“Where does it hurt?”

“Well, my back is all bent... it aches even when I lie down”

“Let me try rubbing it”

Immediately came the grandfather’s heartfelt exclamations

Like pressing a vending machine button and getting a drink, every time I kneaded a knot he exclaimed how good it felt

And whenever the massage ended something wonderful happened

The elders’ faces, tense and hardened, would bloom like flowers in full blossom

Seeing that expression gave me a quiet sense of pride

While the maknae went around entertaining the elders, Ri-hyeok whispered in my ear

“Stop there. You look like you’re in too much pain”

I smiled and said I was fine

Ms. Yang Ok-boon, peeling a tangerine nearby, piped up so everyone could hear

“Oh my, look at you. Shouldn’t you stop? Your hands... oh dear, those beautiful hands are bright red”

Only then did the chatting elders realize and, concerned, start speaking up

“So this is a nuisance... oh dear”

“What if we brought some ice to smooth them out?”

“My goodness, I didn’t notice at all”

I waved my hands

“I’m okay, I could keep going...”

“Stop right now and sit down”

Mr. Woo Jae-yong tapped a yard chair with his hand. Under that silent look, I quietly sat

“You’ve worked hard”

“No, you didn’t have to...”

In an instant the roles reversed

Some grandfathers patted my shoulders with playful jabs, others brought honey water from the kitchen

Someone even brought ice cubes for my hands

“Aren’t you hungry?”

If I’d said yes they would’ve cooked in the kitchen right then, so I shook my head

Ri-hyeok slapped his hand over Ji-ho’s mouth as he opened to answer

It felt like I’d become the grandson of a dozen elders

Amid it, Mr. Woo asked

“Why work so hard? Just pretend a little, okay? You need to be smart too”

“But we’re only here for one day, so I want to do it sincerely”

“You’re hopeless, so hopeless”

As the veteran actor clicked his tongue, Ms. Yang said

“Still, how admirable. You gave it your all just to help. Look at your face, you’re drenched in sweat”

“Oh my”

Three VJs were taking turns filming this scene

It’s definitely going on air

During filming you get that feeling—this won’t be cut

Though my arms were still stiff, I was pleased we got good footage

Of course, Madam Kim Deok-soon would watch and scold those naughty elders for making her grandson work so hard

Still, being doted on by the elders felt surprisingly good

If only there was one thing I didn’t like

“There are still some elders I haven’t massaged...”

“Oh hush, someone else will do it”

“Right, I want to massage too”

Ji-ho interjected brightly, making everyone laugh

Then I heard a voice behind the elders

“Hello!”

It was Yeo Hee-chan’s voice

Behind him Bi-joo and Jung-hyun walked up holding bags of apples

When did they get here?

“We like massages too”

Bi-joo smiled and looked at me

It felt like he had something to say, though I didn’t know why

I felt like I’d done something wrong recently, but my list was too long so I gave up

The elders I hadn’t massaged kept refusing as a nuisance when the new faces offered, but after much persuasion they finally sat and received massages

With Ju Se-han’s senior members leading lively chatter and my brothers showing filial piety, it was a warm scene

I sipped cool honey water as Jung-hyun massaged my shoulders

“Ouch! Hey! Gently!”

“Oh, sorry”

“Jung-hyun, go massage the other elders. Why you massaging me?”

“You’re the eldest here”

“Actually I’m two years younger than you”

“Right”

“When you agree to something, put some feeling into it”

“By the way, speaking of agreement...”

Jung-hyun asked

“Hyung, am I letting Bi-joo win, or is he being considerate of me?”

“...Huh?”

“I was talking with him, and his words didn’t match”

Beside me Bi-joo, smiling softly, narrowed his eyes at me

Then I remembered

They hadn’t fought, but when they were almost upset I’d stepped in as mediator, mimicking politicians I’d seen on TV

“I don’t recall exactly...”

“Hyung, I’m disappointed”

“It’s okay. Your disappointment is nothing new to me”

“Then I’ll be doubly disappointed”

As that provoked laughter, Ri-hyeok, tapping another elder’s shoulder nearby, said

“Jung-hyun hyung, there’s more. Earlier when you were chased by the black goat that guy saw it and shut the gate on you”

“No way”

Jung-hyun’s eyebrows turned into triangles

“I’m triply disappointed, hyung”

“Wow, Ri-hyeok, you little tattletale...”

“I did nothing wrong. I just told the truth”

“Then I’m quadruple disappointed”

How many multiples would it go up?

Amid the elders’ chuckles and additions, I defended myself

“Jung-hyun, how do you help someone chased by a monster? Even in movies you run first and ask questions later”

“No. I watched a zombie movie with Bi-joo once. The zombies chased people so a kind gentleman saved them, told them to hide in his house”

“...Why are you only smart when you talk to me?”

“I’m smart”

His earnest but funny expression set the siblings and elders laughing again, then Jung-hyun said

“But I realized that gentleman died”

“....”

“So from that perspective, you were wise, hyung”

“Jung-hyun”

“Yes”

“Just curse me”

Great laughter erupted

The second mission that began with garlic peeling ended like a charming village feast

The elders departed with fresh expressions and garlic-scented shoulders, and we quietly enjoyed having secured our screen time

“Look over there. Garlic peeling was the jackpot”

Ji-ho pointed to the Girls on Top members, who were a mess

Grimy, covered in sweat and dust, one had even slipped and got dirt on their behind

That must have been the autumn radish seeding mission

Still, their expressions looked bright, so they must’ve gotten good footage too

Other teams looked similar overall

Maxi and Haesheon looked zombie-eyed at what they’d done

“I swear I’m never living in the countryside”

“Grandpa said earlier that it’s better not to live in the countryside”

“Right. I’m a city-style beauty”

Suppressing laughter at that celebrity line, Jung-hyun whispered

“She seems really unique”

“Maybe”

“To me she seems like the soulmate for your soul”

“Everyone, high five!”

Meanwhile Yeo Hee-yeon appeared, carrying two or three watermelons tied with string in each hand

Everyone’s eyes widened

“What’s that, sunbae?”

“Oh, the grandpa who praised my work gave them. Let’s eat them all later”

“You worked so hard”

Lee Gun-woo explained

“Not that much”

“No... you were so passionate”

The Hallyu star gazed off wistfully

A very sad expression, like she’d endured the pain meant for me

As greetings flew around and our team finally gathered, debates flared over the final mission’s nature

“But what will the last mission be?”

“Right, maybe a game. Like whispering words with earmuffs on”

“Might relate to the second mission? The PD said it’s in extension”

“True. I was checking for hidden things the whole time, like if keys were hidden around the houses”

“Did you find anything?”

“No. I got scolded for snooping around someone’s belongings for no reason”

Listening to them, our team discussed too

Yeo Hee-chan stroked his chin

“From experience, this is five hundred percent going to be a physical mission”

“Huh? Why?”

He answered Haesheon’s question

“In experience-based patterns, there’s a physical special about one in ten times. It’s been a while so it’s due. And above all, look at the guest composition”

“Guest composition?”

“Ah, it’s hard to explain. Hey, Yeo Hee-yeon”

When her brother lightly hit her back, Yeo Hee-yeon answered

“Look at Team A. Three members and seven guests. Team B has two members and three guests. Team C two members and four guests”

“Sunbae, doesn’t our team have eight guests?”

“You’re one unit. Remember when you won a key only once as a unit?”

True

That felt unfair—guests four, max four keys, while A-team had seven individuals

“Usually when they give Jae-yong teacher and Ok-boon teacher’s team an advantage it’s a physical mission. Because they’re not even trying. Hyungseok oppa is the clumsiest ever too”

“Oh...”

Then we and the other guests nodded

A piece of the puzzle clicked

Lee Gun-woo asked

“Then maybe a chase?”

Haesheon shook her head

“It’d be tough with the terrain. Jung-hyun and I got chased there before”

“Oh, that was fun. I’d do it again”

“No, skip it”

Meanwhile I sank into thought about the final mission’s details

I had a hunch from Grandma Im Soon-hyun’s house

Something clicked

Yeo Hee-chan nudged me

“Woo-joo, what are you thinking? Come up with something”

“I have a guess. Not certain but...”

“Just say it”

“Okay. Hear me out”

I spoke carefully

“I’ve felt it from earlier. Didn’t you notice during missions the elders kept telling their life stories?”

“They did”

“Yeah, I was listening for a long time too”

Everyone nodded

“But when I went to the same house for the first mission and again for the second, they told the same stories again like rewinding a tape”

“Oh right, I thought ‘They’re repeating themselves’”

“Was I the only one?”

“Then could it be...”

I nodded

“The PD said the second mission relates to the next. I think that comment was a hint”

“Oh man, we’re in trouble”

Haesheon said

“I just brushed off their stories”

“Me too, I was busy working...”

While they looked worried, I said

“I might be wrong. It’s just my guess”

“No, it makes sense”

Yeo Hee-yeon asked

“Woo-joo, did you take lots of notes from the elders?”

“I did. I wrote everything down in my phone’s notes app so I wouldn’t forget”

“Oh...”

As the expressionless VJ filmed us in turns, Lee Gun-woo began to speak

“I...”

“Everyone gather!”

With the assistant director’s shout °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the atmosphere stilled and PD Gu Jae-young emerged from a meeting with the writers

“All right, time to reveal the much-anticipated third mission. The team that wins this will get the luxury travel voucher”

Everyone swallowed as PD Gu stroked his scruffy beard and smiled

“How did you like the second mission?”

“Director Gu, stop teasing and just tell us”

“Actually, the third mission is linked to the first and second missions”

“...?”

“Haven’t you wondered why the elders kept repeating their stories?”

As everyone blinked, our teammates looked at me with strange expressions

PD Gu smiled

“In showing filial piety, you can give gifts or help with work, but the most important is listening to what they say”

“...!”

“Let’s reveal the third mission”

As everyone realized, the chief writer spread the final cloth

[The Most Important Virtue of Filial Piety: Listening]

“The third mission, Treasure Box Hunt, is based on the stories you heard from the elders”

Murmurs of “What? What do we do?” rose, and the PD beamed, “Didn’t see that coming, did you?”

Our team glanced nervously at me

Yeo Hee-yeon swallowed and asked

“So all your answers are in your phone notes?”

“Yes”

When I nodded, their faces brightened

“I noted everything everyone told me”

In the final “treasure hunt” game, teams received question sheets printed on A4 and multiple maps

The PD explained

“Look at the example question at the top. It says ‘Gu Jae-young’s birthday is October ( ) day.’ Under it asks ‘Which is correct?’ with choices 1 to 9. Choose the right answer”

He continued

“We made these questions based on what you heard the elders say. If you know an answer, go to that elder’s house and call out ‘Number (x)!’ like a password. They’ll give you a key”

“That’s it?”

“Yes, simple right?”

He smiled

“But you have only one chance. If you’re wrong you get no key. If you truly have no idea, tell our staff for a hint—though not for free. You’ll have a mission for it”

“...Like when we filmed the intro video?”

“Yes, but that takes too long”

He smiled again

“That’s why you can also steal keys from other teams. Just declare ‘I challenge you!’ and compete in a mission”

“What? That’s so advantageous”

“Right. But to steal someone’s keys you must risk the same number of your own keys”

“....”

“Think carefully”

A hand shot up

“PD, so does sixteen keys win?”

“Oh, I forgot to mention. On the back of your last map is the rear mountain map numbered 1 to 64. Each team’s treasure box is buried at three of those spots”

A thought passed through everyone’s mind

“You’d think you could just dig at three spots each, but we buried them one meter deep”

“....”

“So even if a team got sixteen keys, don’t worry. If you dig harder with your shovel, you can still win”

“....”

“Isn’t that more fun?”

As the PD laughed like a devil, everyone glared at him

From behind clanged three metal shovels

Seeing that, we felt bleak

Haesheon noticed the leader of New Black smiling contentedly

At first she wondered why, then suddenly remembered our morning car conversation

And Woo-joo, who’d said that, wore a delighted smile

Haesheon nodded

Just like with the black goat, this group had some very strange members