In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

The new semester began, and Min-jun was having a truly happy time.

“Hello!”

He greeted every adult he passed in the hallway cheerfully.

“Hi!”

He even greeted his classmates energetically on the way to school.

“Smile and say hello to everyone. That’s most important—remember!”

His brother had told him that.

During vacation, Min-jun had been excited about going back to school, but as the new term approached, his worries grew. What if I can’t fit in? What if they ignore me because I’m small?

Alone, fretting, he once sent his brother a text asking for advice.

He expected a reply much later since his brother was busy. But within five minutes, his brother called.

Calmly listening, his brother said, “You’ll adapt just fine. You’re handsome and cute—if you just greet people well, you’ll make friends in no time.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. So don’t worry.”

His brother’s words came true.

Just by greeting people diligently, he already had friends by the second week.

Maybe it was because his hair had grown back, but friends praised him for being good-looking! The girl next to him even told him he looked pretty.

“You look like some celebrity.”

...someone had said that, but Min-jun just responded, “Oh, really?” He wanted to say more but held back. He didn’t want to burden his brother.

Still, whenever anyone mentioned idols, his ears perked up.

Sadly, there was no talk of NewBlack.

Most chatter was about obscure internet streamers, and the sparse idol mentions were only about Teen Spirit or maybe TNT.

Then...

“Today, I’m going to show you a fun video.”

In social studies class, as they discussed rural villages and natural environments, the homeroom teacher said they’d see how people lived when they used stone axes, and played a “MyTube” video.

“History Exploration Team?”

“...What? More educational TV?”

At the title screen “SsokSsok! History Exploration Team!” classmates groaned. We’re fourth graders, complaining it was for kindergarteners.

“Huh? Isn’t that a celebrity?”

“Who?”

“An idol. NewBlack.”

Amid the whispers, Min-jun was stunned.

“Why are my brothers in that...?”

NewBlack appeared on the classroom screen.

Ri-hyuk hyung explained history while the others performed skits. Initial resistance turned into laughter.

“Ha ha ha!”

In the darkened room, students’ faces glowed with the screen’s light, and laughter spread. Min-jun’s heart pounded.

There was his brother, too.

Bi-ju pretending to cook with a toy stone tool inside a hut set.

After Junghyun entered wielding a stone axe and spoke solemnly:

“Give me rice.”

“You do it.”

“Okay.”

When a slender someone glared, the burly one shrank and said, “O-okay,” making everyone laugh.

The screen froze.

“Did you see that?”

Ri-hyuk hyung appeared like a commentator: “Prehistoric society was egalitarian.”

More skits and jokes followed, laughter erupting everywhere.

When the teacher tried to stop the video, the class groaned, “Noooo!”

“I’ll show one more minute.”

Finally, in the behind-the-scenes fire-lighting scene, everyone laughed uproariously.

The highlight was the chase between Woo-ju hyung and Junghyun hyung:

“Stop right there, Yo!”

“I refuse, Yo!”

Only after a wave of laughter did class return to normal. Though still dull, students’ faces remained smiling.

Min-jun saw a friend nearby secretly Googling “NewBlack” on his phone.

He was curious too.

“What’s this?”

Isn’t my brother an idol? Why do they show this here? And I heard Woo-ju hyung was good... What on earth are the five of them doing?

Ready to ask his brother right after class, Min-jun was surprised again during break.

“That was hilarious.”

“Hey, let’s watch it again. What was it called—SsukSsuk Exploration Team?”

...His friends were talking about NewBlack.

It must have been really funny, as some boys already gathered around a phone, giggling.

A few girls were discussing their looks.

“He’s seriously gorgeous.”

“Who’s the blond? I want to marry him.”

Min-jun started coughing from laughing too hard. After ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ several coughs, he quickly texted his brother.

[Bro. It’s me. You were on the History Expedition in class today]

[Do you have any other funny stuff like this?? That’s all??]

His always-gracious brother gave no reply today.

Teacher community forum

Title: Showing a MyTube video in class got a great reaction

Posted by: tnvmffp94

“I was looking for visual materials and found a video called History Exploration Team on MyTube by chance.

It’s fun and quite informative, so I played part of it, and the kids loved it.

P.S. Here’s the link in case you’re curious.”

– Oh? This exists??

– LOL well made.

– They must really like history to crack those jokes.

– Too bad it’s only about the Stone Age, so few episodes.

– LOL I laughed so hard I choked.

– I showed it in class too—kids couldn’t stop laughing. Our humor aligns.

– From the Masterpiece Discovery Team??

– Oh, I’ll use this too.

– So this is the buzz—that’s why there are so many reviews. I’ll try it when my kids zone out.

With word-of-mouth that it worked in class, NewBlack’s “History Exploration Team” was exported to schools everywhere.

At an all-girls high school:

“Pfft!”

A student sipping barley tea spat it out. Embarrassed by stares, she grabbed a tissue to wipe her desk.

Her mind was racing.

“What is this?”

On the big screen were NewBlack members, laughter echoing around her.

If this were a fan meetup in a café, it’d make sense, but this was class.

She couldn’t believe her favorite idols were lesson material in history class...

“Now I get how Taiwanese fans felt.”

Imagine seeing your faves on the morning news in your country. But hey, we appear in class, too, overseas fans...

“Ha ha ha.”

She laughed awkwardly, watching the video. The reaction was great—and the teacher was covering her mouth laughing, too.

More than students, the teacher seemed to enjoy it.

She reacted as if “Stone Age haha! Stone Age!” were the funniest thing ever.

And she wasn’t alone.

– [Shocking] NewBlack in class... School fans ask, “Is this real?”

– LOL why in class?

– How is this educational?

– So jealous...

– My kids watch this, and I feel I can’t compete...

– They’re like cacti—grew fast even with little care

– Almost like Jack and the Beanstalk

– Never thought of this publicity plan, lol

– I’m studying history from today

– Pretended I didn’t know, but when I tried to share, trending searches blew up—fail haha

– What were the search terms?

– “Woo-ju lip balm”

– Oh...

Meanwhile, humor pages on social media posted clips of NewBlack’s “History Exploration Team.”

– “Idols lighting fires (laughter warning)”

– “Stone Age chase scene”

– “Even non-fans laugh at these idols.jpg”

Buzz spread, boosting subscribers on HBS MyTube and NewBlack’s official channel.

“Oh...”

Publicity rep Hong watched the slight subscriber uptick with interest. At the HBS New Media Department in Mok-dong, chaos ensued.

“What’s going on with subscribers? Is it an error? It jumped up!”

“How did this happen?”

Until now, growth had been gradual, but a sudden spike occurred.

“...?”

A startled staff member struggled to grasp it, until someone in a convened meeting analyzed.

“According to internet chatter, the History Exploration Team went viral on social media.”

“Why on social media? Did their agency do a viral campaign?”

“Um...”

Clearing his throat, the analyst said, “It’s because schools reopened... teachers showed it to teens a lot. That’s how it spread.”

The listener blinked.

“How do I report this to our superiors?”

He pictured his pitch: “Our MyTube account’s subscribers are skyrocketing!”

“Great! What’s the cause?”

“Not us—an idol rookie group appeared in a kids’ ed program, and it got popular!”

“....”

It was amazing, but he dreaded explaining it to upper management.

Meanwhile, the History Exploration Team’s creators were most stunned by the reaction.

– “The response is incredible.”

“From us?”

– “Yes.”

“Why?”

– “...Anyway, well done.”

The PD at the station flattered them and promised to push the budget harder, so they shouldn’t worry and just spend.

“What on earth is happening?”

Production staff exchanged perplexed looks, then gazed at the real poster of “SsokSsok History Exploration Team” featuring NewBlack.

“What is this?”

They’d made a kids’ show, yet it was a hit in unexpected places.

Forum post

Title: I really don’t know Korean history

Author:

I have to take the Korean history exam soon, but I know nothing.

I can’t focus in lectures.

I tried following a historical drama curriculum someone told me about... it turns out “Tears of the Dragon” is 159 episodes.

By the end, I’ll be white-haired.

I just want a big-picture summary—any good resources?

[3 comments]

– Check out the MyTube with NewBlack—it’s hilarious

┗ Oh thanks. But is NewBlack an instructor team?

┗ They’re idols

┗ ???

Maybe times have changed.

I used to imagine a scenario: “Give it your all on a music show → get famous → blow up!” I daydreamed that even in elementary school. I still imagine how to get our name out there.

But...

“I never saw this coming.”

“What do you think? This...?”

In an outdoor garden lined with flowers, we gathered around a phone showing HBS MyTube’s subscriber graph, which had spiked sharply. If this continued through March, the curve would climb even more steeply. It sounded premature, but it seemed possible.

“....”

Making our name known to adults, to people uninterested in idols—it was unreal, but we were stunned.

Won-seok hyung, filming us on a reality cam nearby, asked, “How does everyone feel?”

“Shall we show it with our bodies?”

On tiptoes, we bent into a “?” shape together, making Won-seok hyung burst out laughing. Attempting a solo shrug, Ri-hyuk was playfully pushed aside.

“Ri-hyuk. Read the room.”

“But it’s obvious I’m normal here...”

“You know what to do. How old are you now?”

“Hey!”

Ri-hyuk chased Ji-ho through the flower beds. He ran fast, but Ji-ho used strength to pin him down. They looked like paper-thin detectives who topple over after one punch.

Ji-ho trapped Ri-hyuk from behind.

“Give up?”

“Do I look like I’d do that?”

Squeal.

As the two performed their slapstick, the rest of us held the reality cam.

“Hi, Supre!”

“We’re currently in Singapore! Ta-da-da-da!”

“Wow!”

Singing a BGM from when you enter your home, we filmed the nearby flowers.

Junghyun said, “Wow. A flower next to flowers.”

I waved him off.

“Come on, Junghyun. Don’t say that.”

“Huh?”

“Yes?”

“Here, a wildflower next to roses...”

Bi-ju, amused by my awkward face, laughed and then smiled at the camera.

“...Anyway, we came here today to shoot concept photos for our third album.”

“And to meet our Singaporean fans, too!”

Although the main purpose was an overseas showcase, we also planned our third-album concept shoot here. Near the equator, the weather is consistent year-round—a perfect floral backdrop. We’d shoot some here and finish the rest back home.

“As you can see, the weather is great.”

“The sun’s strong. So...”

“I brought parasols in my bag. Let’s see... Ah, here it is... Hey, where are you all going?”

When I opened my floral parasol, everyone scattered.

It’s so pretty. I didn’t understand why managers and staff clapped and laughed.

“Ha ha, hyung! It looks like something grandma would use.”

“I got it from my grandmother.”

“So it looked so dignified and pretty.”

“Grandma said it was tacky and would throw it away.”

“...Hyung, why are you doing this to me?”

Giggling, the maknae looked ready to pout, so we comforted him.

“Everyone, let’s get ready!”

“Yes!”

The photographer was setting up his camera. Tae-seon Hwang, who shot our debut album, greeted us with a bright smile.

“Wow, you all are glowing today! The conversation vibe is great, and the shooting atmosphere is perfect.”

“Yes.”

...When shooting the debut album, he’d complained that we didn’t know poses and were chatting too much. But good is good.

“Junghyun, try a free pose! Ha ha! Statue pose? Nice sense. But let’s try something else.”

Even when Junghyun did a quirky pose back then, he got teased a lot... I thought he must see us differently now that we’re more famous.

Listening to his gentle direction, we each struck poses in the garden, holding a birth flower as “children of the reed fields” outfits suggested by an external designer.

“Fighting!”

We cheered from the shade each time someone shot.

By now everyone was adept at posing. When the photographer gave direction, we executed it flawlessly.

“Try a bit of a sultry vibe!”

“Wait a moment.”

Ri-hyuk looked up “sultry” on his phone dictionary, then struck a pose, making us laugh. The weather was splendid, and the mood upbeat.

I fiddled with my myrrh flower—supposedly November 9’s birth flower—and pondered. Everything was going smoothly, yet I felt the weight of expectation. From Masterpiece Discovery Team to History Exploration Team, this third album was the culmination.

“Hyung, they’re calling for the group shot!”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Walking toward my brothers holding flowers, I thought: One day in March, a comeback that felt so distant was right around the corner. Since last November, the thought of performing on music shows again thrilled me but made me nervous. Would our new songs win fans’ hearts again? Would critics praise us?

We’d never treated an album lightly, but this one mattered more. Would we ride this momentum upward or just maintain the status quo? It was a turning point. That’s why the company poured capital into this third album—more than the first two combined. People thought it extravagant then; this time, it was beyond question. No wonder the staff around us smiled yet looked tense.

Of course we felt it too. We laughed together, but our eyes were full of nerves.

“All right, let’s do a group pose.”

Holding flowers to our chests, we gave gentle smiles. Sweat trickled down in the heat, but we shot until we got the best cut. Since the CEO invested so much, we had to make it count.

Oh, and also our third-album choreographer is arriving in Korea soon.

We exchanged happy smiles.

“Hyung, I’m so excited.”

“Me too.”

We resolved to make the most of this opportunity.

Incheon International Airport.

Clay Tyler, pulling his suitcase, sighed as he scanned the arrivals hall.

“Phew...”

Here I am again.

He swallowed dryly at a sign reading, “Welcome to Korea, Clay.” After NewBlack drained his energy last time, he’d vowed not to return—but he had no choice.

Because... the money was too good to refuse.