In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

“Puhahaha!”

Amid laughter, I sprang to my feet and reached toward the camera.

“Did you see that, everyone? This is a break fall!”

The writers behind the cameras burst into laughter.

I turned to the sobbing MCs and my brothers and asked,

“Why are you all like this? I was just demonstrating a break fall.”

“No.”

Main MC Bang Moon-soo fanned his face with a cue card and asked,

“Why did you break fall in the middle of Random Play Dance?”

“Just dancing alone would be boring, so we rehearsed something extra.”

“Oh, so when Junghyun bounces you fly and do a break fall?”

“Exactly.”

I winked, and the assistant MCs looked at my brothers.

“Is that true?”

Junghyun opened his eyes wide and answered,

“Huh?”

Everyone erupted in laughter at his expression of utter confusion.

Meanwhile Viju leaned in and whispered to me,

“Hyung, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Let me see your hand.”

He gently took my wrist, careful I hadn’t hurt it when I braced on the floor. After checking me over,

“Wahaha!”

Viju joined in the laughter. Seeing him grinning so comfortably, all worry gone, I smiled warmly. Yes, you’re NewBlack too.

Assistant MC Song-song seemed to catch that and said,

“Wow, you’re really close.”

“Huh?”

“I saw Viju holding Uju’s wrist just now, worrying.”

“Oh.”

Bang Moon-soo asked,

“So Viju is the group’s mom?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you check Uju’s wrist? Were you worried?”

“Yes.”

Viju smiled kindly and answered,

“If he gets hurt, we can’t practice.”

“...”

“If we miss even one day, we lose our touch.”

I, expecting something more sentimental, blinked blankly, and my brothers chuckled.

The MCs, impressed, said,

“So it wasn’t that deep—just care for your co-worker.”

“Concern for the laborer.”

“You must practice a ton, especially you, Viju.”

I nodded.

“We never stop practicing. Even playing, we go to arcades for Pump It Up or dance games at home with the controllers.”

“Yeah, I love that.”

“But I hate playing alone, so you all have to clap or join me.”

When my brothers all agreed, Viju protested to the MCs,

“No, that’s not it. You all said it was fun!”

“Hmm.”

Moon-soo stroked his chin and looked at us.

“Judging by your expressions, I’m not convinced.”

“That’s right.”

The maknae said with a glum face,

“He tried to go solo last time, but he danced with a sad face in the living room, so we couldn’t help it.”

“It’s like when Uju talks about the army.”

“Wait, what?”

“I’m the toughest here, but I get weak around him.”

At the siblings’ frank revelations, Viju and I put on sad faces and the MCs laughed.

“They say NewBlack is all about killer choreography, and Viju is the chief credit.”

“But why dislike solo practice?”

Viju smiled awkwardly and stammered,

“Well, practicing alone feels lonely...”

“Is it less lonely together?”

“Yes. Whenever we do things together, it just feels good and fun, so we get more pumped.”

He beamed. Song-song, moved by his warm, spring-flower smile, said,

“I get why you all feel weak around him.”

“I feel weak now.”

“PD-nim, when Viju smiles, please add flower CGs and heartfelt BGM.”

We protested,

“We’re the ones suffering, MC-nim, why get emotional?”

“Exactly!”

“MCs get emotional, and we get the pain.”

Moon-soo, calming our anger with ‘whoa whoa,’ still laughing at Viju, asked,

“There’s some grumbling among members. Any plans to change?”

“Yes, we’ll discuss with the members...”

“Hyung. Say ‘come to an agreement.’ Agreement.”

Ri-hyuk’s correction had the adults around us laughing. Viju nodded and said,

“Okay, we’ll reach an agreement... and decide.”

We jumped around Viju cheering.

“Waaah!”

“It’s liberation!”

“We’re free!”

Junghyun spread his arms wide, eyes closed, expressing ‘free as a bird,’ and everyone laughed.

The MCs, laughing with us, suddenly paused.

“Wait, how did we get here?”

“Member complaints, then practice talk, then Uju’s wrist... and Random Play Dance!”

“Oh. It was Random Play Dance time.”

“That’s right.”

We all realized at once, stared at each other, and laughed.

Moon-soo burst into a guffaw.

“PD-nim, are we okay on time? This might run long.”

“We’re already way over.”

“Really?”

He looked at his watch in disbelief.

“Time just flew like a spell.”

“We feel that too.”

“You did this! Every line, you’d hype it up.”

“Fuhaha!”

At the MC’s playful reaction, we giggled.

Moon-soo quickly organized traffic.

“Okay, let’s proceed. We’re tight on time. We might need a second segment extension.”

“Waaa!”

“Don’t ‘waa’! Only the PD’s happy; we’ll be late getting off work!”

“Oh dear.”

The two MCs turned and chuckled at each other’s varied reactions, and Moon-soo clicked his tongue.

“Gosh, it’s crazy. In just 30 minutes we all got so close. I’m already having second thoughts.”

We both faced the camera, gave thumbs up in pairs, and laughed, “Yahoo!”

At that moment the two MCs said,

“This vibe feels familiar—makes time fly like magic. Ah!”

“...?”

“NewBlack is under Lemon Entertainment, right? Scarlet’s juniors.”

“I knew it. That’s why. Talent gets passed down?”

He explained that our senior group from earlier this year apparently turned the studio upside down. Learning we were from Lemon Ent., they nodded in sudden understanding.

“Now back to Random Play Dance!”

Moon-soo explained the rules.

“It’s simple. Dance to whatever title track plays randomly. Including the double title Flower Dance, five songs total. You get three tries. If you fail, there’s a penalty.”

The MCs smiled ominously.

“Shall we show today’s prize?”

A masked staffer brought a box, swept off a cloth, and a radiant glow poured out.

“Woah...”

As we stared in awe, the MCs teased,

“Here it comes—marbled beef!”

“Sponsored by the National Hanwoo Association, a 1++ Hwasung Hanwoo special cut set. Let’s all shout.”

“Thank you! Hanwoo Association!”

Reaching out and shouting together, our eyes stayed glued to the meat. Jiho was already drooling.

“Ssseep... so that’s the prize?”

“Yes? Uh, yes.”

“Jiho, sparks are flying from your eyes.”

“When it comes to delicious things, our competitive spirit ignites.”

Junghyun, staring intently, nodded. At that moment Ri-hyuk asked,

“Wait, so the penalty today is...”

“Correct. If you succeed within three tries, our staff will grill the meat for you.”

He grinned.

“But if you fail, only we eat.”

“You can watch from the side~”

Junghyun dropped his arms in dismay. We all felt similarly. The aroma of meat wafted, MCs waved chopsticks, and we were helpless spectators. The thought made us sick.

Gulp.

Jiho swallowed, looked at us, and we returned his serious gaze.

“Success.”

“We must succeed.”

“One hundred percent success.”

Ri-hyuk said,

“By the way, if we don’t succeed in three tries...”

As he tried to say “fail,” we wafted our hands.

“No, no, no! Bad luck talk.”

“We’ll succeed, Ri-hyuk.”

“That’s right. If we fail, Junghyun will scold us. He can kill with one look.”

Junghyun’s eyes narrowed into triangles at the thought of meat, and Ri-hyuk turned pale.

As we warmed up, the MCs asked,

“Everyone ready?”

“First, we’d like a practice round.”

“You get exactly three tries.”

Immediately music played and we began practice.

“Aiya!”

“Uju-hyung, Ri-hyuk-hyung, roll toward that side!”

“Junghyun, did you bounce again?”

On the first try, Ri-hyuk collided with Junghyun and tumbled.

“You okay?”

“Pain is youth.”

“Aha... stop joking and help me up!”

As we lifted Ri-hyuk, the MCs laughed and asked,

“Hard, right?”

“Yes, it’s really harder than expected.”

Truly, some teams look impressive in rehearsals but fall apart in Random Play Dance. Only now did I understand why.

“It’s easy doing only my moves, but syncing the formations each verse is tough.”

“Yeah. Standing still for your part is easy, but when everyone moves differently...”

For example, in Flower Dance everyone moves to center. I start on the right and move left with Junghyun toward center. But in random play, if I start left, I move left automatically when fireworks part plays.

Moon-soo fluttered his cue card and said to the camera,

“Most idols struggle with Random Play Dance. Without realizing it, their bodies follow old formations.”

We nodded in agreement.

“It’s really tougher than expected.”

“Exactly. We practiced so much we thought it’d be easy, but it makes it harder.”

“What shall we do?”

My brothers alternately looked to me and Viju.

“Hmm... the moves are perfect for everyone.”

“The formations are the problem.”

“It’s the formations getting tangled.”

Viju and I conferring briefly, we swiftly changed strategy.

“Everyone remember who’s center for each song?”

“Yes.”

“When the center gives a signal, we’ll all gather there.”

Having agreed, we entered the second practice. Fixing on Ri-hyuk as center was far better. Until...

Clap clap clap!

Junghyun solemnly clapped three times while moving to center.

The MCs interjected.

“Puhahaha!”

“Why clap? As I said, no signals in Random Play Dance.”

Instead of a subtle cue, Junghyun gave a resounding mountain-top cheer.

“My kids!”

I beckoned with my eyes and everyone formed a circle. The MCs teased, “You’re so serious about meat.”

“Let’s use our eyes. Eye signals.”

“Yes.”

We’d used eye signals for mics or cues on stage, so it wasn’t hard. Repetition improved us swiftly.

“In the Ri-hyuk part, you two came in a bit late. Try half a beat faster.”

“Got it.”

“And Junghyun, soften your footwork. The floor’s delicate here.”

Thanks to our main dancer’s coaching, we improved rapidly. Moon-soo, watching us, put on a mock-serious face.

“This is tough. You’re too good.”

“Exactly. Last time TNT said NewBlack’s dances are the hardest among rookies. We tried to give chances...”

“Now we need adjustments.”

Wiping slight sweat, we murmured,

“Adjustments? We’re unfairly penalized for being good!”

“We’ll just go as is!”

But they wouldn’t easily concede—they wanted drama. Soon desks formed a negotiation table.

“You’re too perfect. Let’s add speed-up dances.”

“Then pick one song, and only Viju does it?”

“Ah.”

Moon-soo narrowed his eyes.

“I saw Viju dancing earlier. More flexible than a squid—can’t accept this.”

“Then I’ll offer me and Viju as a set. A burger is lonely alone—like fries, I’ll join him.”

“...”

“Speed can be 0.5x or 1.4x, whatever.”

“What?”

Moon-soo scratched his head.

“Another group, I’d say okay to slow-motion dance, but NewBlack makes me nervous. Feels like you’d do it.”

“No, we’re nervous.”

We answered with innocent smiles.

Moon-soo opened his mouth with a doubtful look.

“Ah, I’m nervous. You guys are too good.”

The other MC said,

“Me too.”

“I bet you’ll succeed within three tries. Then we can’t hog the meat.”

While NewBlack cheered, the MCs boosted the energy before the cameras.

“Even practice was insane!”

Assistant MC Ujin flicked his cue card off his pants and said.

Which was true. NewBlack’s title tracks feature dizzying choreography. Even the more vocal-heavy songs like Fireworks or Wind Flower aren’t easy. Hands never rest even while singing.

Though they’d watched videos, they didn’t expect such detail.

“That’s all choreography?”

“Yes.”

“All of it?”

“Yes.”

Watching them launch into Random Play Dance with such poise, Ujin marveled,

“This group must practice so much.”

Seeing this momentum, people said they’d land in the Top 3 boy groups by year’s end. Ujin realized their strength firsthand.

“Let’s start!”

“Fighting!”

The members clapped and cheered, “Go! Meat! Love!” to each other.

Then the music began.

“Oh, great start.”

“Fireworks.”

Like bodies on autopilot, the five moved fluidly. Centered, Jiho winked and hummed the melody in a bright voice—dancing and singing effortlessly.

“It changed.”

“Masquerade!”

They tightened their focus for any opening, but there was no flaw. Like a mass performance, the five formations snapped into place, led by the main dancer.

“Wow...”

That exclamation came from staff watching the overhead camera. Beyond their unity, one figure stood out: main dancer Viju glided from his original spot to the new formation.

“It’s like the original choreography.”

Every move flowed without break, as if weaving a complete dance. Then lead dancer Uju stepped up.

“So these two anchor the group.”

“Great...”

The main and lead, pillars of the performance, locked positions the instant the song changed, and the others filled in flawlessly. The PD behind the staff wore a satisfied smile.

“You have an official fancam, right?”

“Yes.”

“Save it well. We might have another legend.”

The gray-haired member in the video smiled at the camera, and the PD’s smile deepened.

Meanwhile, Random Play Dance continued.

“Aaah!”

“No!”

“So close?”

Unlike the MCs’ shrieks, the staff relaxed their shoulders.

“It feels comfortable.”

“Kind of effortless to watch.”

Usually viewers tense up, but today was different. Even amid rapid transitions, they looked at the cameras and performed facial expressions with ease. When performers are comfortable, the audience can enjoy it too.

After mid-song singing and dancing, it ended.

“Not success yet!”

“That’s right! Viju and Uju’s speed dances remain.”

Watching them switch between 0.5x and 1.5x speeds and dance freely, the MCs blinked. The writers also marveled.

“I thought they were great on video, but seeing them live is even better.”

“Exactly. They’re so good.”

“But how are they this good?”

“From our research, they often practice at 0.5x speed to study the moves.”

Proving it, the other members backed them up, as if to say “We’ll show you how good we are, too!” A writer said,

“When you watch them perform, they’re not like other people...”

And in that moment, NewBlack flawlessly completed every part at once, gave the camera an ending smile, and shouted,

“Meaaat!”

“Yesss! Meat! Give us meat!”

“Hanwoo! Where’s my Hanwoo?”

Like woodpeckers pecking, ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ they pelted the MCs with demands. The fairy-like expressions from seconds before had turned into yokai-like intensity.

“Suddenly it feels so familiar.”

“Like watching my nephew. He’s seven.”

“Like my own daughter.”

The two who’d been laughing now turned at a new sound.

“Audio director?”

“Aaargh...”

The audio director, headphones on, grimaced as NewBlack’s decibels kept climbing.