In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

With the official SNS notice uploaded, we watched the fans’ reactions.

At the news of our first official fan meeting, the Soufflés were bouncing and dancing with excitement.

Bijoo said, eyes gleaming, “Hyung, it’s been a while since I’ve seen the fans this happy.”

“I know, right? It makes me so happy, hah.”

“That’s a different meaning, hyung. They watch our reality show on TV, but this is actually seeing our faces in ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) person.”

“Don’t you think we’re even more excited?”

“No, we’re not.”

...Just then, the laptop screen went into sleep mode.

Within that black screen, our grins were so bright our teeth sparkled.

I cleared my throat to keep up appearances.

“...Let’s check the fans’ reactions a bit more.”

I shook the mouse to wake the screen back to life, then let the corners of my mouth relax. A silly smile crept out—I felt so good.

When was the last offline event? The last music show was in July, three months ago, and even counting the fan sign, it’d been two months since we’d officially met fans in person.

Though we weren’t worlds apart, we had almost no opportunities to meet the fans, so I’d been feeling restless. I’d been calming that emptiness with fan café posts and live broadcasts.

This felt different. Showing myself on a TV show and interacting with fans face-to-face are worlds apart.

Sometimes Junghyun would spot our Soufflés in the audience with hawkish eyes and point them out, and I’d recognize them to confirm. Then we’d wave like crazy.

Some fans did come looking around our company or dorm, but we never responded. It was regrettable, but that was the rule.

It’d been announced in company notices, and above all, personal interactions between celebrities and specific fans are strictly forbidden. A simple greeting might seem harmless, but if it led to personal friendship, there’d always be trouble.

Even small friendly chats on official occasions could build up and make other fans feel left out.

In short, we mustn’t give other fans the impression of “Oh, they’re friendlier with those fans—only those who come near the company or offline get special treatment.”

We might not notice, but it would hurt fans’ feelings. It’s a trap anyone could fall into if they didn’t see the precedent of accidents caused by seniors in TJ Entertainment.

Rihyeok agreed with my reasoning. “Right. I moved to several reading cafés because of staff favoritism. We even got into big fights.”

His example was odd yet fitting.

For that reason, the ‘Soufflé Week’ I proposed was designed as a festival not only for those who come offline but for Soufflés at home to join in.

A festival for all Soufflés.

I scrolled down and clicked the notice for Soufflé Week:

『Soufflé Week』

Mon : Jiho – Member talk + games

Tue : Rihyeok – Member talk + debate

...

Sat : Official fan meeting

Sun : Surprise gift reveal

Every day until the official fan meeting, each member would have time with fans: Jiho playing games, Junghyun hosting quizzes, Bijoo drawing a name for a Soufflé he made, and so on.

Prizes were modest—like stationery gem rings—but the point was participating with fans.

“This event is great, hyung,” Bijoo beamed. “It’s small-scale, within budget, and something we can do ourselves.”

“Right?”

“Yes. I’m going to look up Soufflé recipes right away.”

Our Bijoo-whiz tapped away on his phone. I joked about calling it “Bijoo Week” instead of “Byeoljubu-jeon” (Turtle Whiz Legend), and he laughed so hard he flipped over.

Even our usually picky main vocalist had a satisfied smile today. “I hate to admit it, but it’s good. We can even have debates in front of fans.”

“A debate sounds more important. You?”

“Of course. I’ll pick a topic that will never reach a conclusion.”

“Rihyeok.”

“What?”

“If AI comes to rule the world, let’s not do this. Got it?”

“...”

“Haha, your face just went pale.”

Jiho pointed and laughed, and I said to Rihyeok, “Bring something fun. Like last time—‘Should we dip tteokbokki in sauce or eat it dry?’ that kind of thing.”

“How is that a debate topic?”

Junghyun shook his head. “Dry dipping, obviously.”

“No, sauce dipping.”

“I vote for soy sauce...”

They formed an alliance and attacked soy sauce, deciding that was the winner. Their excitement at preparing their events made me laugh with pleasure.

Jiho asked, “Hyung, can we do this every year?”

“Every year?”

It wouldn’t be bad, but I wasn’t sure it was possible. “Well, it’d be nice.”

“I imagined it earlier. Each year we expand the scale, and if we succeed, we rent Coex and hold a Soufflé Expo...”

The youngest got carried away, and we all laughed at the image of it. A Soufflé Expo.

“Won’t there be balloons of our dolls floating around?”

“Oh, then I’ll set up a stand selling ‘Kim Junghyun Hotdogs’ and ‘Kim Junghyun Burgers’. I’ll get the recipe from Bijoo.”

“I can do that well.”

“I want to be the guy with the soda backpack at American amusement parks, refilling drinks.”

“Hey, can we talk about realistic ideas?”

Someone made a reality check, but we kept joking—it was fun to imagine. After all, imagination is free. Planning this ourselves just made me happy.

“All right, let’s each prepare our parts.”

We nodded, and Bijoo looked at the screen and asked me, “Hyung, Friday is our day to talk with fans—why is the event slot blank?”

“Oh.”

I smiled. “I have something else to prepare.”

“...?”

I indicated the studio table with a nod, and they all got it. Smiling, I asked, “Anyone curious what I’m planning?”

They all shook their heads—only Junghyun almost raised a hand before Bijoo grabbed his wrist.

While preparing Soufflé Week and the official fan meeting with the PR team, we also sped up the reality show and album production.

Together with A&R, we selected songs from submissions. We decided to have Junghyun, our rapper, handle the album’s Intro and Outro.

Since he’d gotten fired up after meeting Hae­sion at Jusehan, I asked if he’d do it—he was immediately on board.

We quickly found someone to help with the trackwork. I showed up at the studio loaded with red-bean buns and pine-needle drinks to cheer on Junghyun and saw a familiar face.

“...”

A tall, thin man sat next to Junghyun: a black hoodie, leather jacket, and dreadlocks. It was Hae­sion from Jusehan.

“Hi.” 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

“...Hello.”

I asked cautiously, “What brings you here?”

“To help the kid who raps.”

I was a bit surprised. He’d been a massive fan of Junghyun since Hae­sion’s minor first album—and they were close like brothers. But he’d always shown hostility toward the idol industry.

I watched him for a bit, then asked: “Why help with idol work if you dislike idols so much?”

He gave me a clear answer: “Well, I still don’t like idols much. It’s not about you, it’s the whole system I don’t like.”

“...”

“But what I’ve realized as I get older...”

Hae­sion made a serious face and gave a thumbs-up. “Money is the best.”

That pearl of wisdom lodged itself in my heart.

Thanks to Hae­sion’s help, the album’s Intro and Outro came out great. The PR team was thrilled:

But the PR and our managers were even happier about another story:

After the Chuseok special, Daegil the black goat’s cult popularity surpassed many celebrities. Junghyun and Jiho visited a village in Yeoncheon County to reunite with locals, and Daegil stole every scene.

A vet who appeared checked Daegil for any health issues—none were found. Then a zoologist watched footage and examined the goat, nodded, and said:

[Im Jeongho/Zoologist]: “There’s nothing wrong mentally or physically. Simply put, his personality is just... nasty, or not good.”

That euphemism for “jerk” paired perfectly with his expression, so it spread across communities. Finally, the cause emerged:

[Im Jeongho/Zoologist]: “That cabbage they’re feeding... they changed it recently, right?”

[Go Myeongsik/Daegil’s Owner]: “...How did you know? This year’s crop was bad, so I switched to foreign cabbage.”

[Im Jeongho/Zoologist]: “It just didn’t suit his taste. That’s why he’s always angry.”

[Junghyun/Daegil’s Friend]: “He’s angry because the food tastes bad?”

[Jiho/Daegil’s Friend’s Younger Sibling]: “Wow. Amazing. So clueless.”

At the end of the broadcast, Junghyun gently took Daegil’s hoof and said, “From now on, you must eat well.” A gentle ending with calm BGM, petals falling in CG, and Junghyun strolling Daegil on a leash—an absurdly funny edit that became a hit.

That same day, a preview aired for Jusehan’s trip to Hawaii—“A Man’s Journey” male celebrity special—so busy, I only caught the clips later. My video call with Taehyeon got high views.

In the car

Taehyeon: “He’s our second-closest hyung after our members. We were really close as trainees, and he’s already done his service... I’ll call him for advice.”

Then I appeared in uniform.

Taehyeon: “Hyung, about that outfit...”

Woo­joo: “Reserve forces training is over...”

Taehyeon laughed for a long time as I gave a reluctant smile. Behind me, Junghyun and Jiho held [Milky-skin Sun Woo­joo] and [Welcome to Society] banners, and Bijoo shyly waved a mini flag.

When Taehyeon said he’d be on “A Man’s Journey,” they showed me bursting into laughter on screen. It was a bit annoying, but the editing was good—they included my serious advice:

Woo­joo: “There are no shortcuts in the military. Just do what they tell you.”

Taehyeon: “But sometimes you have to read the room and step up.”

Woo­joo: “Here’s a rule: when something happens, ask yourself, ‘Do I have to do this?’ If yes, then you must. If you ask, ‘Can I do this?’ then you shouldn’t.”

Taehyeon: “Oh.”

I heard that advice got good responses from veterans on internet communities.

Woo­joo: “Don’t get hurt—that’s the most important thing.”

Taehyeon: “But screen time...”

Woo­joo: “Screen time matters, but staying safe matters more. So if the instructors warn you, be careful. If you feel it’s too much, opt out. Your body matters more.”

Taehyeon: “Then people say I’m dodging and complain, hyung.”

Woo­joo: “Then you’ll live long.”

Taehyeon: (laughs) “Hyung.”

Woo­joo: (laughs) “Anyway, don’t get hurt. If you do, the fans will be the saddest.”

Then I asked, “How many days was your training?”

Taehyeon: “I was there two nights, three days.”

Woo­joo: “Three days?”

Taehyeon: “Yeah.”

Woo­joo: “Three days...? Just three days... sigh”

My shaking on screen was the comic highlight—it showed in the comments.

That clip ended up benefiting me: the PR team heard that TNT fans liked me a lot thanks to my advice not to get hurt. They even got an article out of it:

Since it was on network TV, the promotional impact was huge. Everyone was happy—well, almost.

Monday, the start of Soufflé Week.

“......”

In the silence, I said, “Guys.”

“Why, traitor.”

“Traitor? Your words are full of barbs, Rihyeok.”

“You’re a traitor, hyung.”

The youngest answered sulkily. “You always nag and scold and hit us, but you’re so kind to Senior Taehyeon...”

“Hey, that’s...”

I tried to explain to the scowling faces: “It’s different. He’s someone I only see occasionally, so I’m friendly. You guys are close and always with me—it’s more everyday...”

Junghyun stroked his chin. Sensing he was about to say something smart, I fed him a sweet snack. It worked.

Then Bijoo, avoiding my gaze, said, “I’m a bit disappointed, hyung.”

“Well, you ordered delicious food when I was in reserve training, right?”

“Wow, you’re holding that against me?”

“I knew it—you’d remember.”

“How...”

Facing 4-to-1, I felt defeated. “I’ve committed a grave sin, everyone...”

“We know.”

Though I felt wronged and resentful, I soon laughed—it was all in jest. Before the first Soufflé Week event, we were jittery in the company meeting room with a camera in front of us.

The youngest offered his shoulder: “Hyung, I’ll forgive you if you massage my shoulders.”

Gripping: “Agh! Too strong!”

“Aww, our maknae. Your neck’s so stiff.”

I kneaded his neck, and he winced. But his shoulders, always soft from no stress, felt stiff today.

“What did you do yesterday?”

“I practiced a lot for today’s fan games.”

Bijoo asked, “Jiho, did you sleep after stopping at 2 AM like hyung said?”

“Yep, of course.”

“No way—you were on your laptop cover at dawn, and it was warm.”

Rihyeok clicked the mouse, and the log showed [Yesterday’s end time 05:34:29]. The youngest shot Rihyeok a hurt look—if only not for you, I wouldn’t be caught.

As Bijoo gently explained the dangers of long hours at the computer, we finished preparing. Part 1: live broadcast with all fans; Part 2: random invitations for Jiho to play games together.

The company suggested solo member specials, but I opposed it: viewer counts would fluctuate too much per member.

When time was up:

“One, two, three—Hello, we are NewBlack!”

“Waaah!”

We clapped hands and greeted the incoming Soufflés.

We surrounded Jiho and started the live broadcast: Q&A about the maknae, plus a casual talk time.

Then it was game time: colorful big-headed characters racing in karts, or a “Does this look like Rihyeok?” quiz. I had no clue, so I just watched blankly. I’d only played PC bang games as a kid—I knew nothing about modern games.

“Guys, I’m bored because only I’m playing. I’ll give you a chance—Woo­joo hyung, what do you want? Shall we open the Go (baduk) app?”

“...I can play other games, you know?”

I didn’t know that. So every time Jiho started a game, my brothers behind me and the chat in front yelled “ㅋㅋㅋㅋ.”

“...Ah, the mouse is stiff.”

“They said the PR team bought it this morning, hyung.”

“It’s slow because of computer storage issues...”

“I optimized it yesterday.”

After finishing last in every game, I looked at the camera and said, “I haven’t played recent games. I only used to play StarCraft.”

“Oh, there’s StarCraft too.”

“Really?”

The maknae clicked the StarCraft icon on the shared laptop. I said, “But not many still play it... Oh, you do?”

“Whooo!”

A match was made. When I created a random lobby, a fan entered instantly: [Killer_SouFulle].

“Hyung, the fans ask if you’re good.”

“Of course,” I smiled. “I played this a ton in elementary school.”

“Oh, an expert?”

“Yes. This is my domain.”

After saying that, the game started—and I lost three times in a row with the exact same strategy.

When I typed GG, Killer_SouFulle left, leaving one cool comment:

–“Oppa, you’re terrible at games.”

“......”

Amid my brothers’ biggest laughter ever, the fan café was flooded with my meme holding my neck.