In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

With “Previous Episode” the main scenes flashed by rapidly.

Given the once-a-week nature of the Friday drama, it was a courtesy for viewers who couldn’t remember the last installment.

Of course we still didn’t catch a thing.

“What's that all about......”

“Hm. Something about somehow time-slipping, maybe?”

“Jiho, isn’t there some three-line summary online?”

“There isn’t.”

The last thing we’d seen was a Paleolithic man attacking Officer Huh.

Watching Lee Kang-jin speaking with a grave expression during the “Previous Episode,” we stared blankly.

Junghyeon said seriously.

“It sounds like a dire situation.”

“Right. Let’s eat jokbal.”

“Bossam too.”

We laughed together and dug into the jokbal.

Meanwhile on TV the drama proper began.

Mysterious tunnels that let you travel to the past.

A story following a cult that discovered and used them.

The protagonist opposing the cult, whose influence was so vast it had even recruited Assemblyman Oh Seong-gu.

Finally, the protagonist enters the time tunnel—the source of all these events.

Ssshhh—

The reeds sway in the wind.

Before entering the tunnel, the protagonist looks back at the reed field with vacant eyes.

One patch where the grass seemed pressed down.

Though there was no flashback, we knew what it meant.

“Oh! Oh! That’s where I died!”

“......”

“No way. I must be an important character to the protagonist.”

Our immersion shattered with a crash.

As Jiho chatted excitedly, the earnest, polite Officer Huh’s face almost overlapped his before dispersing.

Biju quietly dabbed the jokbal-smeared corner of Jiho’s mouth with a tissue, silencing him.

“Mmph mmph! I... I am!”

We turned our eyes back to the TV.

After exiting the tunnel, the protagonist sees the same scenery.

A reed field.

The only differences: it’s broad daylight and the reeds are fully grown.

The nearby paved road is gone.

The screen was filled with the yellowed hue of what looked like Korea in the 1960s or ’70s.

At last, in episode seven the protagonist truly traveled to the past.

Presumably the Paleolithic era, where unknown monsters might lurk.

“But if it’s Paleolithic, will there be dinosaurs? Dinosaurs.”

Junghyeon’s excited face was met with two lettuce leaves shoved into his mouth by Biju.

As someone munched on lettuce like a cow chewing cud, we looked back at the TV.

Ssshhh—

Reeds rustling.

In the drama’s serious atmosphere, we held our breath eating jokbal until Rihyeok shook his head and turned up the volume.

Ssshhh—

The protagonist scans his surroundings. He shields his eyes with his hand against the scorching sun.

Though he’s in the past, he wears an expression of not knowing what to do.

Like a lost child, his face drifts over the harsh features of the man.

“He acts so well.”

“Right. His eyes......”

The actor Lee Kang-jin, who used to flatter the director with “Director~,” was alive as Detective Park Cheol-jin.

Jiho asked in wonder.

“I’ve never seen someone whose acting and real self differ so much. If viewers knew, it’d totally break immersion.”

“......”

“Why are you guys like this?”

“......”

With no background music, only the sound of wind and swaying reeds.

Meanwhile, the wandering detective’s eyes begin to notice odd things.

“This used to be all hills! But the ruler had them all flattened to build roads.”

A voice overlaps.

In the past there should be hills where now lies flat ground.

“The reeds grew later. There was nothing before.”

The reed field exists.

An ominous clue surfaces for the protagonist and the viewers draw closer to the truth.

Park Cheol-jin stumbles as he walks.

-......

Walking without direction, he trips over a protruding stone.

Just as the protagonist, on the verge of falling, bends to tie his loose shoelace.

Something hard is exposed.

A steel pillar, like part of an iron structure.

He tilts his head, brushes the dirt off it as if denying it.

“At first we weren’t a cult. But at some point the leader went crazy.”

“Why he went mad, I don’t know. He said ‘It can’t be changed’ like he’d lost his mind.”

“Well, he did all that madness trying to resurrect his daughter......”

A green metal plate appears.

As he brushes off the dirt, all sound stops.

On the heavily rusted plate letters appear, with the familiar arrow, reading “Oseong-gu Office.”

The moment revealing where all those Paleolithic men and Joseon arrows came from.

This wasn’t a tunnel to the past but to the future.

Not Paleolithic or Joseon era.

What looked like Joseon arrows were a civilization rebuilt by humanity after the apocalypse.

“Slip” wasn’t about traveling to the past but about post-apocalyptic humans time-slipping from the Stone Age.

Judging by the rust on the sign, the apocalypse wasn’t long ago from the present.

Then a scientist’s voice overlaps.

—Theoretically it’s possible to go to the future, but going back to the past is impossible.

We dropped our jokbal as the protagonist sat down in despair.

Finally Park Cheol-jin sheds tears.

It was the first time in the drama he showed emotion.

Though there was no flashback, Jiho shared what he found online.

He said at the clue of time travel, viewers hoped the protagonist might change the past.

His parents died in a childhood fire, his orphanage friends perished, a child died for lack of hospital fees and then his wife, and even an officer whose name he barely knew.

The drama told the protagonist he couldn’t go back.

Guilt tightened its grip on the man trying to escape it.

“......”

An inexplicable feeling arose.

I used to think like that as a kid too.

“But our song hasn’t played?”

“Is this really the end? What’s going on?”

At our siblings’ words, snapping back, we saw the word “S L I P” appearing in reverse as usual.

“...What is it?”

I tilted my head.

“The director said he’d appear today, so watch...... huh?”

“Our song is playing?”

Our song, which hadn’t been shown even once in episode seven, finally played after the drama ended.

Usually the staff roll would start here and end.

A gentle acoustic guitar riff played.

“......?”

The screen, once dark, began rewinding as if on fast-forward replay.

It started with the title “S L I P” again.

Really rewinding?

While the prelude played, Park Cheol-jin, returning toward the tunnel, began moving backward like moonwalking.

Faster and faster, skipping all of episode seven in seconds as time flowed further back.

All the while our song played as background music.

May I leave a little more slowly

Before today fades like a sunset

Rihyeok’s voice gently washed over our ears.

Though time heads toward the future, the lyrics of wanting to remain in the past merged with flashback scenes.

Park Cheol-jin, expressionless like a stone all episode, smiled through all the past moments.

“Wow......”

The seamless transition into the past and the subtly shifting colors each time.

And our lyrics fitting the past scenes like puzzle pieces.

“Sounds like the chief director got inspired by your song” Director Kang’s voice flashed through my mind.

At last episode seven of Slip ended with the photo of the young protagonist smiling brightly before the photographer with his parents.

“......”

We stared at each other, dumbfounded.

“I didn’t expect it to be this impactful......”

We’d only heard we’d appear in a key scene, so we were caught off guard.

“Hyung......”

Jiho looked at his smartphone and said to us in surprise.

“Our song is a hit.”

With a 13.3 percent rating, the highest the show had ever achieved, episode seven of Slip was hailed as a blockbuster of genre drama, spawning countless aficionados.

–[YesterdayTV] Slip’s Scale Expands, Ratings Soar

–Slip’s Shocking Twist: Paleolithic Men Were Post-Apocalyptic Humans

–Slip’s Surprise Twist Thrills Viewers

Though episode seven ended, its impact was enormous.

For over three hours after airing, portals and communities buzzed with talk of Slip.

–Twist was insane Never saw that coming

–Chills when the sign appeared lol felt like I got slapped in the back of my head

–So creepy

–But not a unique twist lol seen it in Planet of the Apes and other shows so not surprised

–Just move to the US then

–All creep no story

–Slip stans already censoring comments lol never seen such obsessive fans

–Drama felt cliché They used Huh Uigyeong as a tool character

While fans and haters clashed each episode, they agreed on one thing: the final ending.

–The final direction was genius

–Hope the clip drops soon

–The disappearing shots were epic

–Cried watching itㅠㅠㅠ Cheol-jin-nimㅠㅠㅠㅠ

–Was just watching to follow a trend but this ending was amazing lol

–That song was so good Who sings it?? Sounds familiar

–Curious too lol

–From the first line I knew it’d be a hit

As the legendary ending of episode seven circulated, interest in the song surged.

Already “Slip OST” trended as a popular search on music sites, and entertainment reporters raced to publish articles.

Idol communities reacted similarly. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

–Found the article! It’s NewBlack’s “A Poem About Yesterday.”

–NewBlack?

–Again NewBlack?

–AgainBlack ;;

–lol as soon as I heard it I thought it was them wow

–They’re everywhere... gonna dominate the charts

NewBlack, once called a rookie idol group months ago, had five songs in the top 100 charts.

Stakeholders were bewildered by this unusual situation.

“Hey, have you heard that song about yesterday?”

“A Poem About Yesterday? How could you not know that.”

“It’s so well made......”

Songwriters chatting over drinks.

“Lately it’s all NewBlack, all the time. How many of their songs are on the charts? Five I think.”

“I’ve seen top acts lined up by streams, but filling the charts by popular pick...”

“In my ten years as a songwriter, I’ve never seen this. Really.”

“I’m about to produce a rookie boy group next. They’re planning their comeback schedule around NewBlack’s.”

Stories surfaced everywhere.

“If only I’d submitted to their next song contest... at least make a connection.”

“What’s the point now? They’ll only work with big names.”

“But because of Woo-ju, all agencies got carried away. So many requests for songwriting classes from trainees.”

Others shared similar anecdotes.

“But can you really nurture that skill?”

“No matter how I explain it’s special, they don’t get it.”

“I’ve been in this industry ten years and never seen someone like him. People spend years hoping for one hit—he’s doing home runs every time.”

“I’d love to meet him. Curious what he’s like.”

“Me too. Want to see how he works up close.”

Word spread that everyone would join the next NewBlack song contest.

Someone sipping quietly was addressed.

“Right. Pil-geun, you moved to Lemon. You’re close with Woo-ju, right?”

“Uh......”

A&R assistant Seo Pil-geun looked sad as everyone watched expectantly.

“How is he normally in sessions?”

“He’s incredible.”

Staring into space with a forlorn expression, Seo Pil-geun murmured.

“When we work together I’m awed, then feel like I’m going crazy and want to run away and I’m hungry......”

His drunken mutter confused the other songwriters.

“Is he okay?”

“He’s in rough shape.”

“Someone at the company must be stressing him out? Still, jealous. I want a session like that someday...”

Unaware of his turmoil, they fantasized about NewBlack’s leader.

While Seo Pil-geun quietly composed, someone checked their phone and asked the other songwriters.

“Hey. But this ‘A Poem About Yesterday’—its trajectory looks unusual.”

“Your song is a candidate for MusicOn’s number one.”

“......”

So there it was.

They told us as soon as we entered the management office.

“......”

Silence.

We stared blankly until Biju raised her hand.

“Director, our competitor is us?”

“Yes.”

Startled, I asked.

“Hyung, were you about to say life is a battle against yourself or something?”

“Don’t you know me. I wouldn’t say such cheesy lines.”

“......”

I cleared my throat, and our siblings laughed, saying that was so like the director.

Seok-hwan hyung explained.

“Your OST ‘A Poem About Yesterday’ is a candidate for number one next week along with ‘Wind Flower.’”

“......!”

We’d guessed, but hearing it was astonishing. “A Poem About Yesterday” was sitting at number two on the charts.

The gap to number one wasn’t huge.

If “Wind Flower” is Rihyeok running “Neuaaa!” then “A Poem About Yesterday” is Junghyeon chasing after him.

Ah, feels like we’ll definitely get caught.

Better think the other way.

Junghyeon wrecks the vacuum and ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) runs, Rihyeok chases with a broom.

“So wild. Our competitor is ourselves... it really is a battle against ourselves.”

Jiho looked bewildered, and so did we.

Biju asked.

“Hyung, what should our reaction be?”

“First let’s decide this. How do we react if we get number one?”

“When we stand on stage, should we split up?”

“In that case, Woo-ju hyung composed it, so he stands center, the rest two on each side?”

As Seok-hwan hyung chuckled watching us, our siblings excitedly discussed scenarios.

We were both stunned and delighted.

Being a candidate for number one means whoever wins, we win.

And both songs are mine.

Impossible not to feel joy, yet the astonishment lingered.

As our siblings said, it was complicated.

Should we be happy or regretful if we win number one?

How should we stand on stage?

While we pondered with serious faces, Jiho asked the most important question.

“First, let’s see what the broadcast station plans to do.”

Yeouido. PBS Broadcasting Station.

“Wow!”

On this Friday, debuting on MusicOn, the boy group Iris stared wide-eyed at the arrival cameras.

Like a red carpet, fences lined with cameras.

Fans everywhere.

“Hello! We’re Iris!”

They greeted loudly, pausing the cameras that had been clicking at them with puzzled “Who are they?” expressions.

“Wow!”

Everything was new for the rookie idols.

“Amazing!”

Here they were on the MuOn arrival, marveling among themselves as they awkwardly posed at the photo zone.

“Eek!”

With screams the chatter grew louder. Amid the frenzy of camera shutters, reporters turned.

The group heading inside with their manager halted, gaping.

“Oh my, it’s NewBlack.”

“No way, it must be NewBlack sunbaenims.”

The famed senior group dominating the idol scene.

As five handsome men approached, screams erupted like horror movie extras.

Their confident waves drew admiration unlike the rookies’.

How could casual street fashion look that good?

“Leader Woo-ju is so handsome in person...?”

“Incredible.”

“That floral shirt is gorgeous... I want one too.”

Woo-ju’s red Hawaiian shirt, bold for most, looked perfect on him.

“Let’s go, guys.”

After gawking at NewBlack, they followed their manager inside.

“Hyung, I need the restroom.”

“Know where it is?”

“Yes. I just saw it.”

“Don’t go alone. Go with the others.”

Nervous before the dry rehearsal, one member needed the restroom, so all seven followed.

The idol with hair dyed in seven rainbow colors walked timidly.

“So scary......”

The station staff in the hallway looked so tense just by their expressions.

“Hello!”

They greeted loudly but only received frowns in response.

Swallowing their embarrassment, they headed for the restroom.

“Hey hey! Move!”

A male staff carrying boxes shoved them aside.

Thud!

One member fell.

“Geez. Watch where you’re going?”

The staff stalked off annoyed while they apologized with “Sorry.”

The fallen member, first startled, then on the verge of tears.

“I-I’m okay?”

A pale hand reached out.

They all turned to see Jiho of NewBlack offering a gentle smile.