In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

I wondered what kind of verdict he would deliver.

Whether praise or criticism, I decided I wouldn’t miss a single word, so I stared intently.

But what came from his mouth wasn’t a sentence.

“Hmm...”

The interpreter let out a habitual “hmm,” then cleared her throat.

Under normal circumstances, we would have laughed, but now wasn’t the time.

The atmosphere was tense.

Clay Tyler removed his fedora and scratched his head. He glanced at the camera, hesitated, then nodded.

“Really....”

“It was an impressive performance.”

All my tension evaporated. Only then could we breathe easily.

Since the broadcast cameras were rolling, he’d deliberately paused. Exchanging relieved looks, my brothers and I laughed and patted our chests.

We were genuinely startled.

Soon he began praising us enthusiastically.

HBS MTV Reality Show “It’s The New Black,” Episode 8

Studio

Clay Tyler sits for an interview with the production team.

Clay

“Your performance was amazing. That you achieved that level of result in such a short rehearsal period is truly phenomenal. My heart was racing.”

Watching that day’s footage again, Clay Tyler commented on each member.

Clay

“Jung-hyun has excellent rhythm. He makes it look like he’s playing with the song. Ji-ho is a master of facial expression acting. Hyuk... was a bit lacking, but once I heard his singing, I understood. They’re singers, not dancers.”

He then evaluated the remaining members.

Clay

“The other two were genuinely genius. Bi-joo’s body was as flexible as in a ballet performance. She was the true center of the performance. I’d been paying attention to her even before coming, and she lived up to my expectations.”

Producer

“You really liked them, didn’t you?”

Clay

“More than liked—they’d have become my students at my academy in the U.S. immediately if I’d met them there.”

The scene of his ten-minute tirade of praise for New Black’s main dancer was shown in fast-forward.

[▶▶]

Clay Tyler then laughed joyfully.

Clay

“Woo-joo’s performance was a perfect textbook example. Flawless. I wish it had felt more creative, but he was one of the standout members. And...”

Producer

“Something incredible happened that day, right?”

Clay

“Yes. It was the first time I’d ever experienced anything like it.”

The caption “What on earth happened that day?” flashed as the scene cut back to the set.

I felt compelled to give him a nickname.

The Compliment Bomber.

His nonstop English praise was overwhelming. Listening, I felt as if we’d become some legendary dancing machines—it actually sobered me up.

Ah, it’s just lip service for the broadcast, I thought.

Of course, not all was praise.

“And... Lee Hyuk?”

“Yes.”

He turned to Hyuk and began noting his shortcomings, then ended with encouragement.

“Don’t give up. Keep going.”

Seeing potential, he urged him not to quit. Our main vocal nodded quietly.

After enduring praise that our “Masquerade” concept was brilliantly realized, we prepared for the actual lesson.

“First, I’ll give you a mission.”

“A mission?”

“Perform the routine you just did at a slower tempo—say, 0.7× or 0.8× speed.”

When I glanced at our dance trainer as if to ask if we could adjust the music speed, he gave the OK sign.

My brothers all looked at me in surprise.

I raised my hand and spoke in English.

“Um... Mr. Tyler.”

“Call me Clay.”

“Clay, could we run through it with the members first?”

He nodded and said he’d give us about three minutes.

We huddled, heads together.

“Why slow it down all of a sudden?”

“Right?”

“It’s just a mission for the broadcast, isn’t it?”

“There must be a reason.”

Our main dancer explained knowledgeably.

“When they ask you to slow down movements, they want to see how precisely you’ve learned them.”

“Oh...”

Relief replaced confusion on everyone’s faces once they understood.

It was my turn. Since Bi-joo had explained, I was in charge of boosting morale.

“It’s okay to make mistakes—let’s stay relaxed.”

I smiled.

“They want to see mistakes now, so it’s fine to slip up. Got it?”

My brothers nodded, relieved. With Bi-joo’s help, we slowed the tempo and focused on the key movements.

I thought it wouldn’t be easy on our first try, but...

“What?”

Hyuk, repeating the major moves slowly, spoke with a puzzled look.

“How are we doing this...?”

Bi-joo’s explanation was spot on.

Clay Tyler had asked New Black to dance slowly to assess the completeness of their movements. The “Masquerade” choreography mostly consisted of rapid motions—darting in with a half-turn, a swift hand sweeping across the face in the chorus. The faster the tempo, the more minor details get lost. It’s like landscape painting under a time limit: in three hours, you can render every detail, but in three minutes, you must sketch only the essentials.

By dancing slowly, he could pinpoint the small details the members glossed over and focus instruction on those areas. And in the performance we’d just seen, there had been no mistakes to correct.

“I can teach them thoroughly.”

A pleased smile spread across his face. With the blueprint flawlessly drawn, he’d only need to refine details over the next five days.

With that thought, Clay fetched a chair from the corner of the studio and climbed onto it. The reality-show crew filmed the odd sight of a dancer towering over the members.

“...”

New Black watched, tense, as the American in shoes stood atop the chair. The camera caught our fidgety cleaner fairy and the others stifling laughter.

Soon, Ri-hyuk walked over and offered him a wad of tissue.

“Here, take this.”

As if to lay it on the floor.

“Uh... thank you.”

Clay Tyler, puzzled at the sudden tissue offering, wiped his brow, then blinked at Ri-hyuk, whose ears reddened slightly. Behind him, the others laughed, and the choreographer remarked with a smile,

“Wow, your ears are glowing.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded.

“Like a Christmas tree.”

Amid laughter, Ri-hyuk ended his revenge by stepping on my foot.

The skit-like moment lightened the mood, and the “Masquerade” track resumed. We took our positions and began to dance at 0.7× speed. At first we were awkward, our paths tangled, but overall it was quite satisfying.

“...”

And Clay Tyler looked bewildered.

“There are no mistakes...?”

He expected errors in the details, but New Black’s performance was perfect. If the choreography comprised nine sub-movements, they executed all nine flawlessly. He blinked in disbelief.

“This isn’t right...”

He examined us again—still nothing wrong. Though Ri-hyuk moves less gracefully than the others, his steps were accurate. As he peered at us, the dance trainer Ju Ye-hyung pointed to one member.

“Woo-joo?”

The most conspicuous member, his hair soaked with sweat. Was he connected to this odd phenomenon?

I wondered, then noticed another marvel.

“The formations are perfect, too.”

He’d climbed the chair to study the formations. Given the cost of the choreography, “Masquerade” held many secrets—one being audience sightlines. Studio cameras and mirrors capture only the front, but in a live venue viewers surround the stage. Clay Tyler had crafted the routine so it looked stunning from every angle. Like Gunflower’s praised formations, “Masquerade” boasted picture-perfect patterns: diamond shapes rotating into squares, all centered around a focal point. Now, watching from above, New Black executed every formation exactly as intended.

In awe, he turned again to the trainer, who pointed to the main dancer, Kim Bi-joo.

“...”

As soon as the performance ended, he asked the members,

“When I sent the ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ choreography video, I didn’t mention formations. How did you prepare this?”

Bi-joo replied calmly in English—much clearer than her earlier excitement.

“When practicing, I always visualize the formations in my head.”

“...”

“And I discussed them a lot with our trainer.”

She produced a notebook from her bag, showing colored circles with each member’s face connected by arrows—her diagrams explaining formations. Clay Tyler gazed at her and smiled.

“She’s my favorite.”

At first she’d seemed slender and delicate, but her explosive power, fluid lines, and skillful choreography interpretation impressed him. One mystery solved, he posed another question.

“You made almost no mistakes. Could I see how you practice?”

“Usually the trainer teaches us, but for fine details, our leader helps a lot.”

At Bi-joo’s answer, Jung-hyun proudly pointed at me.

“Him. Him.”

Clay Tyler laughed, and I managed an awkward smile before speaking.

“I’m good at grasping the principles of movement, so I often demonstrate for the others. Like this...”

He felt bewildered as I broke down a signature move into twenty‐four-frame-style detail and demonstrated it.

“She hasn’t known the choreography long...”

He’d never seen anyone analyze movements so finely. Then the remaining mystery unraveled.

“So that’s how they achieved such completeness in a short time.”

Watching their cover of Teen Spirit’s choreography, I’d thought they’d practiced six weeks. In reality, it was three. I’d assumed they were dance prodigies, but it turned out each move had been analyzed and taught.

“No education.”

The members chorused.

“Brainwashing. Brainwashing.”

“What was brainwashing in English, Hyuk hyung?”

“Brainwashing.”

“Yes. Brain shower.”

“Please, Jung-hyun hyung. Remember a word you heard three seconds ago.”

“...Could you at least call it passion?”

Through the interpreter, we heard that I’d repeatedly “brainwashed” them. Watching handsome boys use strange English expressions like “He tortured us,” they burst into laughter, and Clay Tyler’s lips curved into a broad smile.

“I like her.”

He’d come to correct minor details over five days, but now his plan changed.

“I think I can do it.”

For the first time in a while, his artistic spirit ignited. He’d intended to teach them how to draft perfect sketches, but seeing a near‐finished sketch made his heart race. What would the completed masterpiece look like?

“I’ll teach them everything I can over these five days.”

He didn’t regret that decision for long.

HBS MTV Reality Show “It’s The New Black,” Episode 8

Practice Room

The first day’s lessons passed lightly. After an impassioned lecture from the choreographer, we ordered chicken and beer at a nearby pub and chatted with dance trainer Ju Ye-hyung.

Clay

“Thank you for following so passionately. I really want to bring you all to my academy in the U.S. right away. Especially Bi-joo—there’s so much I want to teach her.”

Ju Ye-hyung

“Well... give it a few days; you’ll change your mind.”

Clay

“What do you mean?” (tilts head)

Ju Ye-hyung

“You’ll see once you experience it. Normally they’re gentle and kind, but when it comes to work, they’re... pure embodiments of desire.”

Clay

“De... what?”

Ju Ye-hyung

“Think of them as little devils.”

Clay’s eyes went wide.

Clay

“Your children...?”

Ju Ye-hyung clumsily said “my children,” sparking a brief misunderstanding that became a comedic highlight. Then the practice room reappeared.

Woo-joo

“Seeing this again brings back memories.”

Hyuk

“We got tired of that choreographer in less than two days.”

Bi-joo

“But he told us we could ask anything.”

Woo-joo

“Yeah. And three hours is too short.”

Ji-ho

“Hyung and Bi-joo hyung were the worst.”

As Woo-joo and Bi-joo stared into the distance in the studio, the practice room scene played out: members clustered around the choreographer like minions.

Woo-joo

“Clay, I have a question about my solo part’s hand sweep.”

Bi-joo

“When spinning, which way should I sweep my head?”

Woo-joo

“And this part, Clay.”

Clay

“Just a sec—let me grab some water.”

Startled by the barrage of questions, he tried to leave but quickly gave up.

Woo-joo

“Jung-hyun, bring a bottle of water.”

Clay

“...”

Jung-hyun

“Here, hyung.”

Clay

“Is there a restroom here?”

Bi-joo

“You probably don’t know where it is. I’ll show you. Meanwhile, may I ask a few questions?”

Clay

“...”

Woo-joo

“Bi-joo, you know the way...?”

Bi-joo

“...”

Meanwhile, the other three bounced excitedly.

Jung-hyun

“Woo-joo hyung, I have questions about my part—please interpret.”

Ji-ho

“Me too. I’m curious about facial acting.”

Hyuk

“Aren’t you all going too far? I’m the weakest dancer, so shouldn’t I ask the most?”

Clay

(surrendered sigh)

Every day of lessons, the members burned with determination to soak up the world-class dancer’s know-how.

Cut to Clay Tyler’s interview with the production team—his face looked strangely different.

Ji-ho

“Wow... Clay’s face looks gaunt.”

Bi-joo

“Oh no, I feel terrible...”

Jung-hyun

“In just a few days, he’s lost so much weight.”

Woo-joo

“We were pretty clingy, weren’t we....”

Hyuk

“We were nuisances.”

Clay Tyler, looking haggard, stared off and said,

Clay

“I said earlier I wanted to bring these guys to LA to teach them. I take that back.”

Producer

“Changed your mind?”

Clay

“Yes...”

His voice turned wistful.

Clay

“If I hear that New Black is coming to America, I’ll be hiding at my friends’ houses for a while.”

Producer

(laughs)

Clay

(awkward laugh) “I’m not kidding.”

Then, back to his usual cheerful self, Clay Tyler smiled warmly.

Clay

“Well, it was memorable. Hard work, but I was captivated by their passion. Honestly, I’m sad.”

He laughed.

Clay

“I wanted more time with them, but already they’re heading back to LA... it’s a shame.”

Producer

“You look so happy.”

Clay

(grin) “Not at all.”

A heartfelt video message wishing success for their second album followed. His expression seemed inexplicably relieved.

After the broadcast, fans flooded the cafe with the “grinning Clay” meme and the joke “Clay is free!” Someone even posted an analysis of his expression:

(Clay Tyler’s face in a square frame)

Anger 0.00000

Contempt 0.00000

Disgust 0.00000

Fear 0.00000

Happiness 1.00000

Neutral 0.00000

Sadness 0.00000

Surprise 0.00000

It was 100 percent pure “happiness.”