In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

However, I couldn’t answer the PD that directly.

“Uh... PD-nim. I went sightseeing at the night market in Taiwan and turned into a Zhenmin...” wasn’t something I could say.

It was too long a story to explain right here, so I gave a vague answer.

“There were a few episodes over there.”

“Oh, so something did happen.”

PD Baek Seong-hyun smiled brightly.

“Great. If it makes the news, we’ll get some good coverage too.”

“...Yes, I hope so.”

It really might come up. Not the kind of thing he was imagining, but... his expression looked like he was running happy circuits in his head.

“Well then.”

PD Baek Seong-hyun said,

“Considering just the footage of Teacher Noh Jae-hyun and you kids... it’s no wonder other shows put in as much coverage.”

PD Baek nodded to himself, pleased,

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“Ah, um...”

I wanted to say “There was something, but it probably isn’t what you think...” but he’d already vanished like the wind at the assistant director’s call.

I reached out to empty air,

“...At least listen to what I have to say. Zhenmin is in there.”

“Just give up.”

Ri-hyuk tapped me and said,

“The editing is already done. What good would it do now? Give up and embrace the coming Zhenmin.”

“That’s right. Breathe calmly. Our Zhenmin. Inhale, then exhale... haaaah!”

I pinched the maknae’s nose between my index and middle fingers like crab pincers.

After drawing lots for the Challenge, Masterpiece Discovery Squad! competition songs, weekend events followed.

Saturday noon.

Today’s schedule was an event at a large shopping mall in Ilsan.

“A-baek won, a-baek won...”

Facing the waiting-room wall, I warmed up my voice, humming. My hoarse throat barely reached the high notes.

My ache remained. The power of meat had restored my stamina, but after two weeks of overuse, my throat still showed no sign of recovery.

“How are you guys? Feeling okay?”

“Just so-so. A little scratchy.”

After the maknae, Bi-ju and Ri-hyuk answered.

“Me too, a bit...”

“I’m at about sixty-percent of normal. It won’t affect the stage, so don’t worry.”

Except for our normally healthy rapper, the rest of us were in poor condition.

In the end, I called the manager.

“Manager Mingi, please tell the sound staff to add plenty of AR today.”

“Got it.”

Mingi nodded and suggested,

“Why not max out the AR? Your voices aren’t great—just lip-sync.”

“Lip-syncing is harder.”

“True...”

Used to live vocals, just moving our lips would be more challenging.

Mingi went to relay the request. Stylists adjusted our outfits and hair, and Won-seok brought warm drinks.

“Thanks, hyung.”

Sipping hot yuzu tea as I warmed up my voice, the door opened and a group entered.

“Hello!”

We exchanged bows. A woman who looked like a mother and several hair and makeup staff were visible.

But the focus of our attention was the child standing in the middle. An elementary-school boy with chubby cheeks and a cute face.

Kim Ji-ho.

An elementary-school dance M-YouTuber who would perform a masquerade collaboration with us today. This wasn’t our idea but a request from the mall.

“Hello. I’m Kim Ji-ho.”

He spoke clearly and bowed, which was adorable. Our hyungs didn’t know how to greet him. Ji-ho raised his hand to our eye level in greeting.

“Oh my, nice to meet you. I’m Wang Ji-ho. We even share a name.”

“Yes...”

Shy, little Ji-ho awkwardly clapped our hands together.

“Would you like to sit here?”

We seated him in the middle of the sofa to make him comfortable.

“Maknae, bring Ji-ho some drink.”

“...Okay.”

“Ji-ho, your legs might be uncomfortable—bring a cushion.”

“They always order me around.”

“Ji-ho.”

“Yes?”

“I called you here because you’re our cute Ji-ho.”

The maknae trembling with annoyance made us clap and giggle, then we all high-fived. When else would we tease our youngest?

We handed him a straw-inserted chocolate milk and chatted with little Ji-ho, seated in the center.

“Are you ten?”

“Yes...”

“What do ten-year-olds study these days? Do you still learn Proper Life, Wise Life?”

“What’s that?”

“...There’s no such class?”

Ri-hyuk immediately searched and told me that subject had been renamed “Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.”

Seeing my surprised face, Ri-hyuk explained,

“Just ignore him. He’s harmless but when he sees someone young he doesn’t know what to do to make friends.”

“Oh... is that it?”

“It’s not voluntary. He’s barely older than you. What year were you born?”

“My birthday is August 13, 2006.”

At “’06,” the hyung line’s pupils shook. The 1993 and 1995 members looked at each other,

“Wow... we’re not hyung to him anymore.”

“Hyung, we’re uncle now.”

“You can call us uncle or mister, Ji-ho.”

With that we lightened the mood, and little Ji-ho, who’d been tense, began to smile. He was a smart kid—at ten, I was probably running around singing “Hehe, Kim Duk-soon, hehe.”

After that comfortable moment, the staff said,

“It’s time to go.”

We all stood to check outfits in the mirror, and I spoke briefly with Ji-ho’s mother.

“Thank you. It’s been a while he’s been so comfortable in the waiting room.”

“Was it bad before?”

“Last time we shared with other singers, he got hurt....”

I smiled quietly, understanding the situation. Sometimes sharing a waiting room with certain people can be unpleasant—halfhearted greetings, curt responses, or indifference.

“Okay, let’s go.”

We left the waiting room with the two Ji-hos. Pushing through the mall doors, the noise hit us.

It was packed.

The central hall opened all the way to the top like a large mall should. Walking toward the temporary stage labeled “Winter Sale Mini Concert,” we waved.

“Hello!”

From the winding escalators and glass railings on each floor, people watched us. Some froze in their tracks, staring blankly as we passed.

“This way.”

With security’s help, we cut through the crowd and stepped onto the stage.

“One, two, three—hello! We’re NewBlack!”

“Waaaaah!”

A small cheer rose from a cluster of idol fans—probably our fans. Other idols were at today’s event too, so there were many fandoms, but everyone recognized us. Of course, not all gazes were friendly. Some eyes above masks gave us resentful looks. For some reason I couldn’t explain.

Hearing the shutter clicks of big DSLR cameras, I resolved not to make any mistakes today.

The MC introduced us.

“Please introduce yourselves.”

“Yes, hello. I’m Woo-joo Sun, lead vocalist and leader of NewBlack.”

I smiled widely and made eye contact with each person.

“The weather is wonderful today, and even though it’s the weekend, I’m so happy to perform for so many people.”

I gently guided little Ji-ho to stand in the center.

“Especially today, I’m thrilled to share the stage with such a talented dancer.”

The kid YouTuber watched me intently, his round eyebrows raised. I gestured, and Ji-ho grabbed the mic and greeted,

“Helloooo~”

“Huh, what do I do? So cute... oh, the mic was on?”

Our maknae’s mumble echoed loudly, causing laughter all around. In the joyful atmosphere, we chatted pre-performance. Curious gazes stayed on me and my brothers. As at Wednesday’s competition, most of the public reacted with “He’s handsome.” Here and there someone went “Huh?” Of course, Joo Se-han’s impact was huge, but even a single Chuseok special appearance still draws “Oh” moments six months later. Our upcoming shows were no less impressive by comparison. Tonight’s TBC Pâtissier Korea airs with high ratings, and the regular cast Challenge, Masterpiece Discovery Squad! gets heavy promotion. I hoped by spring not just idol fans but the general public would recognize us more.

“NewBlack has several broadcasts lined up, right?”

We promoted hard to mall patrons.

“Yes, do you know PartyKo? We appeared as special guests on the Taiwan episode.”

At “PartyKo,” people looked more curious. We added that Challenge, Masterpiece Discovery Squad! was about to air and urged them to look forward to it, promoting with all our might.

And then...

“Now, NewBlack’s Masquerade with Kim Ji-ho! Let’s watch together!”

To the opening formation, we performed the Masquerade. Fortunately, today’s stage went off without a hitch.

After the schedule, we finally flopped down at the dorm. I lay on the sofa in a Tyranno-printed T-shirt and resolved to do absolutely nothing.

“Jung-hyun.”

Fwoom!

Jung-hyun, lying on the living-room floor like shooting a basketball, tossed snacks into my mouth. Every shot landed.

“Bi-ju.”

Swoosh!

Bi-ju, reclining on the sofa, offered sweet dessert with a spoon to my mouth. I was happy. Every time I brushed the crumbs from my lips with a happy smile, Ri-hyuk, disgusted, swept the crumbs into a tissue.

“How old are you going to be and still drool... hey! Hey! Wang Ji-ho!”

While I scolded, Ji-ho scattered leftover chicken crumbs everywhere. As the two wrestled, we watched the TBC channel. A simple logo reading “Pâtissier Korea – The Tour” appeared at top right. As actor Lee Geon-woo sipped coffee in a commercial, saying “This is it,” Jung-hyun said,

“Hyung, you look so relaxed.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Before the Idol Show, you were so anxious.”

“Jung-hyun. Even embarrassing moments have levels. If my old tolerance for embarrassment was level one, now I’m at level ten. Zhenmin is now commonplace for me.”

“You’ve grown a lot, hyung.”

Usually one would say “matured,” but... as the TV ad played, I opened my phone to check messenger—800 unread messages. My schedule had been so busy I’d fallen behind. I checked favorites first.

Grandma: “You’re on TV again today.”

I hate our family group chat. Because of it, our grandmother Kim Deok-soon always knows what I’d rather she not.

Grandma: “Why so secretive?”

Grandma: “What mischief did you get into this time?”

Grandma: “Last time it was goat feed, now are you cooking goats with Peng?”

I replied:

Me: “Nothing like that.”

Me: “Deok-soon, just enjoy your grandson’s good looks.”

Me: “(emoji)”

I sent a hippo stirring flowers with a cool-pose emoji, and Grandma Kim Deok-soon sent back,

Grandma: “You nut”

I felt a warmth in my chest.

Other members’ families also messaged—Han Tae-hyun sent a picture of someone in 3D glasses eating popcorn, captioned “What’s up today?” At that moment a carrier-ad appeared on TV: TNT members striking a pose saying “Yeah, Welcome to the brave new world.” I snapped a photo and sent it, and they ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) trembled with laughter.

“Hyung, it’s starting.”

At Bi-ju’s words I straightened up. Even more dramatically stretched out, I guzzled my drink...

“Pffft!”

A coughing fit hit as I tried to drink. The others laughed so hard I briefly felt embarrassed. Finally I sat up and drank my beverage. Alternating between the TV and the maknae’s laptop screen, I saw community comments:

– “Watching part two of their overseas tour.”

– “Oh? Taiwan?”

– “[PartyKo] They went to Taiwan to showcase desserts.”

– “[PTK] Why go abroad when you could stick to Korea...”

Unlike idol shows, this program had many general-public viewers, so there were lots of community reactions. Live talks on SNS and portals too. Soon people gathered in the studio with pâtissiers and mentors to discuss.

– “Today we’ll see the Taiwan trip.”

– “What happened?”

– “It was really dynamic.”

Pastry chef Myeong Se-jin and Chef Park Jae-woo, familiar faces, teased exciting footage. Then the video started.

“Oh, here we are.”

“Hyung, look!”

At the airport, variety cast Yoo Chang-hyun, Myeong Se-jin, and Park Jae-woo chatted when we appeared, waving as we stepped through the gate. A gold subtitle “NewBlack” flashed, and scenes cut rapidly: our music-video shots, award shows calling our name “NewBlack! Congratulations...,” white headlines popping up like “Rookie of the Year.”

“Wow... seeing it again, there were so many people, hyung.”

On TV at Incheon Airport, our introduction among the crowd played as I read live-talk comments:

– “NewBlack? Are they famous?”

– “Nope”

– “They were on Joo Se-han’s show, otherwise no idea”

– “This isn’t right. Myeong the pâtissier is a winner, why pair him with rookie idols?? TBC has always favored certain cast members.”

– “Whoa, calm down, mister”

– “Here they go, hating again... but Myeong’s fandom helped him win, admit it’s not outstanding”

– “Skill-wise, Ha Jae-kwon is better”

– “Haters stop, it’s a special so chill”

– “Crazy fans, here we go again”

As a survival program, and a popular one, fights broke out easily. Few mentions of us until we arrived at Taoyuan Airport:

– “Wow...”

– “What is this?”

– “[PTK] What’s this situation?”

Hundreds of fans swarmed us.

– “Hallyu is big.”

– “Even considering Hallyu, they must have overseas fans?”

– “Nah, new idols abroad usually draw crowds like this.”

– “Still cool to see idols go abroad and draw this.”

Interest in us seemed to rise. Especially:

– “[PTK] That kid Woo-joo speaks good Chinese, right?”

– “[PartyKo] His wife is Taiwanese and says his pronunciation is great.”

– “Sounds natural.”

– “Is he even Korean???”

My fluent Chinese piqued curiosity. When talking with security, a scene of me mistaken for a local at a xiaolongbao shop triggered live-talk comments:

– “ㅋㅋㅋ they misunderstood him”

– “So natural”

– “The auntie was flustered”

– “Why does he confidently say he’s better at it lol”

– “I was worried she’d take my serving, thankfully not”

– “Same, I was nervous even though it wasn’t my food”

Then a mukbang began and Park Jae-woo described the dishes. Live-talk exploded:

– “Chef, why so mean to us?”

– “Beef noodle soup looks delicious...”

– “Gah, now I have to order chicken, you’re responsible”

– “Noodles come, why chicken?”

– “(Subtle hint)”

– “I already ordered, you fools”

– “Chicken shop uncle: pleased”

– “Is that mango shaved ice from that Joo Se-han appearance?”

As the mukbang continued, viewers raved. We decided to order pizza too.

“Why are we eating it if we’re hungry?”

This proved even for us watching, it looked delicious.

Meanwhile, our hearty eating also became a hot topic:

– “They eat well...”

– “They sure can eat lol”

– “Don’t they diet? No professionalism”

– “Even if fat, they’re a million times more handsome than you”

– “Why the sudden personal attack?”

– “I like them because they eat well... when idols eat like sparrows, weird”

– “I looked up their dance, it’s as tough as Billy Bootcamp”

– “LOL why undo the belt, killing me”

Scenes of us eating and unbuckling belts played with a funny BGM. Reactions weren’t bad. A small caption noted Taiwan Tourism’s cooperation, then on the street promo...

An unexpected scene appeared before us, waiting only for the coming Zhenmin. A close-up of one person:

“Uh? Bi-ju, why are you on screen?”

“Right?”

It was Bi-ju, speaking halting Chinese with a bright smile, “Please come visit,” while subtitles read:

[Count how many times it says ‘Bi-ju-ya’]

As we blinked in surprise, similar clips played: us, cast, and staff shouting:

– “Bi-ju-ya!”

– “Bi-ju-ya... why are you going there!”

– “Bi-ju-yaaa!”

– “Bi-ju-ya!”

Each time, we’d get lost, murmuring “Uhh, how do I go back?” and checking around timidly, then be rescued, then smile brightly, “I must promote!” and set off again—only to get lost once more.

“Pffft!”

Even the person himself laughed at the hilarious editing, and we all burst out laughing. Then Ji-ho said,

“Hyungs, look at this.”