In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Within the same grounds, two special task forces belonging to different agencies were split left and right.

No matter where you go, it’s hell.

On the left we had just passed was the Coast Guard Special Task Force. To the right was the National Police Agency’s Special Task Force building.

The bus stopped in front of the right-hand building.

“Wow...”

We all stared blankly at the sign on the wall, then let out nervous, wry laughs.

“I knew it. I recognized it the moment they told us to bring our passports.”

“Yeah—there’s never an easy way.”

“Look—PD Do is out there smiling.”

Do Jun-gi PD stood at the bus door, beaming and waving. After denying reality °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° for a long moment, the cast began filing off one by one.

“Welcome, everyone.”

They shot the PD a glare at his enthusiastic greeting. Even eldest brother Lee Pil-seung, who’d been smiling gently from the opening, trembled.

“Jun-gi, you said this would be easy. You said nothing like the army.”

“This isn’t the army—it’s the police.”

“It’s supposedly related to airport security?”

“Yes. When a terror incident or hostage situation happens at the airport, this police special task force responds first.”

“...Terror?”

“And of course they also handle major incidents like shootings or kidnappings.”

The more the PD explained, the paler we grew.

“Is this for real?”

“Last time, on the special ops episode, I thought someone was going to die during training...”

“I thought we were going overseas; I packed so many new clothes.”

As everyone fell into despair, Han-jo whispered to me.

“Uju, what should we do?”

“Don’t worry too much.”

I said brightly, and Han-jo looked relieved—“You have a plan!”—so I continued,

“Even if it goes badly, we all go down together.”

“....”

“That’s the beauty of the military.”

Han-jo’s eyes squeezed shut at my comforting smile—and the others burst out laughing.

“Only someone who’s served would know the taste of the military, Uju.”

“It’s fun to fail together! Ha-ha!”

“Ha-ha-ha....”

They couldn’t tell whether they were crying or laughing. Once the crew collected our mic packs and the cast began loosening up, taking deep breaths to calm nerves, I leaned in beside Han-jo.

“Han-jo.”

“Yes...?”

“Don’t worry. Junghyun and I will help you the whole time. Let’s show them our brotherhood.”

“You speak of brotherhood as if... I’m here because of you, Uju.”

I pretended not to hear and gave a fighting shout. Then, seeing the cameras about to roll again, I whispered to them,

“From now on, it’s a battle of wits. Try not to stand out with any movement. If they catch you at the start, they’ll keep filming you until the end.”

“We’ll be careful.”

Han-jo nodded, and Junghyun turned with serious eyes to do the same. Then Junghyun asked me quietly,

“Hyung.”

“Yes?”

“How do I read the room?”

Right—this was Junghyun.

“Just watch what I do and copy.”

“I can do that.”

After rallying our fellow guests and aligning for the shoot, we stood at attention. Lee Pil-seung, as leader, raised everyone’s morale:

“Uju just dropped a proverb: Even if we fail, we fail together.”

I almost choked on my breath laughing.

“That’s a proverb.”

“If we die together, we’re not lonely.”

Pil-seung continued:

“Even if we fail, we win together if we succeed. Let’s record with that mentality. Fighting!”

“Fighting!”

We shouted with gusto, then trudged through the front gate.

Inside the large L-shaped building lay an ordinary sandy drill ground like a school playground. On the central platform stood five instructors.

“...”

The atmosphere was chilling. Clad in black tactical gear, sunglasses, and skull-patterned scarves, the operators stood at attention. They looked terrifyingly formidable.

Without a word, we all sprinted toward the instructors. One in a black T-shirt scowled.

“What time is it now?”

“....”

He checked his watch and growled,

“What have you been doing these past eight minutes? Were you stalling because you didn’t want training?” 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

“They said filming wasn’t ready inside...”

“Who are you?”

Cho So-hyeong’s face drained of color. We all tensed under the instructor’s intensity. Expecting drills to start with a shout, we braced—but the instructor softened.

“Reasonable.”

He introduced himself:

“I’m Sergeant Go Gwang-soon of Tactical Team 1, your instructor from today onward. Nice to meet you.”

When we applauded, he smiled in satisfaction. Then the five team members—four men and one woman—introduced themselves.

“From now on, you’ll undergo the same training as special forces: rappelling, infiltration, emergency response, close-quarters combat. You’ll also observe and learn various other classes. Understand?”

“Yes!”

“Obviously it won’t be easy.”

Sergeant Go continued,

“These team members are from the 707 Special Missions Unit and UDT. Because training at full intensity could cause injuries, we’ll proceed at a much lower intensity.”

We all expressed relief. Go Gwang-soon smiled,

“And if it gets too tough, speak up anytime! This isn’t the army. Pushing through and getting hurt only hurts you. Avoid injury—that’s the top priority. What’s the top priority?”

“No injuries!”

“Good.”

His gentle smile melted our fears.

“You may have expected a solemn, suffocating atmosphere, but...”

He beamed.

“This training will be conducted in a fun atmosphere. You may laugh. You may cry.”

“Ooh...! Oh?”

We thought something strange followed, but he went on:

“Our PD Do Jun-gi, who served in special forces, asked us before training to keep it fun and go easy on you—all of you unfamiliar recruits.”

As Do PD waved, the cast visibly relaxed.

“Honestly, I’m not the type to scowl and scream. Does loud shouting make you feel better?”

“No!”

“We’re all the same. So during training, do it properly—and have fun. Understood?”

“Yes!”

We all looked relieved. We’d assumed coming to a special forces base meant certain doom, but here we were, in a healing, supportive world—complete with permission to rest or drop out if needed.

“When you laugh, laugh freely. No forced seriousness.”

“Ha-ha-ha...!”

“Ha-ha-ha!”

Min Tae-won’s meditative chuckle spread, and even the instructors smiled. Once the mood settled, Go Sergeant said,

“Again: avoiding injury is priority one. To avoid injury, what must you do before exercising? Recruit over there!”

Han-jo answered loudly,

“Warm-ups!”

“Correct. Without warm-ups, sudden muscle use leads to injury.”

“Understood!”

“So, before training, we’ll begin with running and PT calisthenics!”

“Ha-ha...huh?”

At that instant, we all realized the universal truth: when your body is comfortable, your mind suffers; when your mind is comfortable, your body suffers.

He shouted with excitement,

“Three seconds of battle cry, face forward!”

“Uaaaaaah?!”

“Good! Now on this momentum, we run! Light jog—start with twenty laps! Go!”

At that moment, our futures darkened.

After the “Men on the Go” cast—including Sun Woo-ju—panted through the grueling run, we moved directly into PT calisthenics.

“Waaaah!”

“Ugh...”

PT—Physical Training—designed to strengthen the body, launched savage assaults on our limbs.

“They said it’d be fun...!”

As we twisted and contorted, we screamed and cursed. We’d laughed at first, but pain grew with time. Our muscles trembled; sweat dripped in the scorching sun. Our sweat plopped onto the sandy drill ground.

“This is insane!”

The subtlety of intensity maddened us: we felt we’d die, yet our bodies obeyed. Whenever we thought we couldn’t take another rep, they switched movements—a divine torture, testing exactly how far before we collapsed.

Yet the cruelest twist: the operators were absurdly kind.

“Good! Well done! One more!”

“One more!”

“Reach up here and rest. If everyone lifts to this height, five-minute break!”

They strolled among us, correcting our form with smiles. We groaned.

“Everyone! Having fun?”

“Yes!”

“Speak up! More cheerfully—having fun?”

“Yessssss...!”

“Ha-ha, I love this energy. Ten more reps!”

We shrieked and strained. When Cho So-hyeong, infamous for weak stamina, collapsed like an ailing grasshopper, Officer Lee Jeong-ah ran over.

“You okay? Painful?”

“My arms—so numb my strength’s gone!”

“Oh dear...”

As she looked concerned, So-hyeong hoped for mercy.

‘Please let me sit out....’

Predictably, she asked,

“Can you walk?”

“Y-yes!”

“See that pole with the flag?”

“Yes!”

“Jog lightly to it and back.”

“...Yes?”

“Until your arm strength returns—back-and-forth sprints. Do your legs hurt?”

“....”

“If your legs hurt too, we’ll stretch together.”

Her gentle smile felt like charity. As So-hyeong painfully sprinted, we all wept silently.

‘Better to endure than sit out.’

‘This is hell...!’

‘Jun-gi, I’ll send you to the afterlife express.’

Meanwhile, our own suffering continued.

“Sun Woo-ju—going to kill me...”

Han-jo twisted his leg left and gritted his teeth.

‘No, I can’t kill you.’

Then right.

‘Could I punch him? No.’

He repeated this mental tug-of-war like plucking petals: “Should I grab his collar, or not?”

Beside him, Junghyun performed the calisthenics serenely.

“Recruit No. 9, excellent form.”

“Thank you.”

“Enjoying it?”

“It’s fun.”

At Junghyun’s warm smile, an operator gave a thumbs up—caught on camera.

Just as the cast predicted, the operators were thrilled.

“This is wonderful.”

“We were bored seeing the same faces. New people are refreshing.”

“When we saw the same faces every day, it got dull. Now even entertainers come—so fun.”

“How lucky. We have no new bodies to strengthen; they get reborn anew.”

Sergeant Go called over the PD:

“Jun-gi, what do you think? Are we having fun?”

“Absolutely, sir. It’s very gentle and great.”

“Right?”

The ex-special forces PD and operators laughed warmly. Then Officer Lee Jeong-ah boasted,

“Remember So-hyeong’s arm pain? I told him to at least run to that pole then rest.”

“Oh, how kind, little brother.”

“Back in my day, if you complained, we’d roll you until you puked. Compared to that, these are angels.”

Every time they laughed, the assistant director and staff nearby turned pale.

Do PD asked,

“How do you feel about our guests?”

“Overall weak. A few are in bad shape.”

“Well, they’re not all young.”

“But the young ones do pretty well—who are those three? Not bad form.”

“Number 9, right? He’s good.”

After complimenting Junghyun, their eyes shifted—and changed.

“But the most outstanding recruit would be...”

“I’d pick him.”

“Me too—want to train him more.”

They stared at me—Sun Woo-ju—straining through PT moves in perfect form. My posture was textbook. They looked eager to run over and teach me more.

“Look at that intensity. Reminds me of US Marines doing PT.”

“You’re not the only one thinking that. Feels like Marine special forces.”

“Just watching is healing.”

They didn’t know I was subconsciously mimicking PT videos on YouTube.

“He’s like one of our operators.”

“Right? Seeing him sweat so earnestly feels like a fresh recruit.”

Then, time for a new exercise:

“Oh my, look at his form—so beautiful...”

“Those angles—vivid.”

“I can’t resist. I’m going to check his form up close.”

“Come with me!”

The operators’ eyes glittered as they approached.

“Ugh...”

My legs were numb, yet my body moved on its own. Sweat poured, but as I breathed deeply and held the stance, I heard:

“Recruit, excellent posture.”

“Thank you!”

A couple of operators joined me. I thought they’d praised and move on, but they crouched beside me, correcting me.

“One, two; one, two—yes!”

...Yes?

“Perfect form! Absolutely perfect.”

“See how your abs engage—using muscles properly. Wow...how do you use your muscles like that?”

“Your traditional stance is correct, but it doesn’t suit most Koreans—tilt your leg slightly like this.”

Were these people personal trainers? The PT calisthenics had become one-on-one coaching. I followed their directions, and they nodded approvingly.

“That’s it!”

“Wow—perfect on the first try.”

“Team Lead! Look at this!”

They summoned colleagues. It was torturous. The real pleasure in PT calisthenics is secretly adjusting your form when the instructor isn’t looking to rest—but here they hovered, scrutinizing every move. Surrounded by their dark silhouettes grinning at me, I was terrified.

But my ordeal wasn’t over.

“Recruit No. 8.”

I raised my right hand and called,

“Recruit No. 8, Sun Woo-ju!”

“Step forward.”

“...?”

Standing before the cast, Sergeant Go smiled kindly:

“Perform the last move exactly as before.”

“Begin!”

I arched my back into an exorcist-ghost arch. Looking out at the cast upside-down made me dizzy.

“Yes—that’s it!”

He cleared his throat, then asked,

“Do you see this perfect arch?”

He pointed at my back with his baton.

“When demonstrating posture, do it properly—just like recruit No. 8. Understood?”

“Yes!”

“Thank you, recruit No. 8. Return to formation—and round of applause for recruit No. 8!”

“Wooooaah!”

Everyone cheered and clapped. I suspected they enjoyed this because it gave them a break while I demonstrated. Han-jo felt the same; Junghyun looked triumphant—“That’s my bro!”

Wiping sweat, I tried to rejoin the line, but Sergeant Go stopped me.

“Recruit—where are you going?”

“...Yes?”

“From now on, you will demonstrate posture as an example for the others.”

“....”

My face must have been caked in dust on camera. And thus began true hell.

“Recruit No. 8—yes!”

“No. 8!”

“Excellent work, recruit No. 8. Show us again.”

Whenever they needed a demonstration, they summoned me—and each time, the cast applauded.

“Wooooah!”

“You’re amazing!”

“Do it again!”

Whenever I looked at them miserably, they averted their eyes—“We’ve got to survive”—and cheered.

As I unwittingly became a drill instructor in the blazing sun...

“Attention.”

Sergeant Go placed his hand on his hip.

“With lunch soon, instead of more PT, let’s try something else.”

“Ooh...!”

“Recruit No. 8.”

“Yes?”

“Our instructors have conferred on a reward for your hard work.”

“Ooh...!”

“A special experience only you can have!”

“Ooh...!”

“Rope climbing!”

“Ooh...?”

We stared in disbelief as Go Sergeant stepped aside, revealing the high rope-climb course. The rope swayed in the breeze like a gallows.

“This—is supposed to be a reward?”

I stammered, and the operators shyly nodded—as if saying, “We prepared this for you.” The cast began snickering.

TBC “Men on the Go – Police Special Task Force Episode 1”

In the studio, clad in black tactical gear, Han-jo sits laughing uproariously at something.

Writer: Was it that funny?

Han-jo: Yes—because before Uju entered the base, he had this serious look and said—

He mimicked my expression.

Han-jo: “From now on, it’s a battle of wits. Try not to be noticed. If you get filmed at the start, they’ll film you until the end.”

Writer: (laughs)

Han-jo: But he got filmed himself! (bursts out laughing)

As they laugh, the scene cuts to Sun Woo-ju standing before the rope-climb course, wearing a look of a man who’s lost his kingdom.