In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

“Did you watch the video okay?”

“Yes, thank you so much, PD-nim.”

“I’m glad.”

A relieved voice came over the receiver.

“I felt so good watching it.”

“....”

“Actually I didn’t have a clear image of my mother’s face. I’d seen lots of photos, but I couldn’t remember her smile or her voice.”

After seeing the video yesterday, though, I feel like those memories are slowly coming back.

“My grandmother also loved it. She said she’ll watch it every night. She was so thankful she wants to send you some side dishes.”

Laughter came from the other end for the first time.

“Just tell her you accept the thought.”

“Yes, I already told her she wouldn’t take them, but she insisted anyway. If she really needs side dishes later, I’ll let you know.”

As I whispered “They were so delicious” like a secret, Ha Seungjoo laughed, then said,

“Oh, by the way, I actually have good news.”

“Good news?”

“The video I sent you—there’s more.”

“Huh?”

My eyes widened.

“...There’s more?”

“I filmed a lot more than I thought. It’s on tape, so I’ll have to review it all, but there should be plenty.”

My cheeks heated without realizing it. My heart thumped with excitement. Who knew my habit of capturing memories in photos and videos would pay off like this? I said,

“This is the best news I’ve heard recently.”

“Once I extract the footage, I’ll send it to you.”

“Thank you so much.”

I bowed to the air in gratitude.

In response to my joyous voice, he laughed happily and changed the subject.

“So how’s the song coming along?”

“I’ve been researching it, but I’m still stuck on the solution you and the director mentioned.”

“It’s tough.”

“I’ll keep pondering it in between my schedule. And...”

I tapped my foot on the studio floor; the chair I was sitting on spun me around. The studio blurred before my eyes.

“After watching the video of my parents, I thought... maybe I should write a song...”

“You want to write one?”

“No. I already have the song.”

“Huh? Already?”

When I told him it took about three hours, he went silent. If I could see his face, I imagine he’d be blinking at me in amazement at my speed. He said with a hearty laugh,

“How fast you work.”

“I’m thinking of including the song about my parents as a B-side track.”

“That’s a good idea. This album is kind of your solo spotlight.”

“Could I send it to you later for feedback?”

“Of course. That’s why I’m getting consultancy fees.”

After a long discussion about the B-side track, as we wrapped up the call, I asked in a pitiable voice,

“PD-nim, could you give me a hint about the title-track revisions?”

“I’m hanging up.”

“Ah...!”

The click of the hang-up tone made me flare my nostrils.

While continuing to study the unresolved song, we also sped through the rest of our schedule ahead of the upcoming four-day Jeju reality shoot. Most of it was commercials—the ads that came in during our small-theater and Japan tours. We’d done poster shoots and small video shoots intermittently, but the major campaigns piled up now that Japan was complete.

“Hello, we’re NewBlack!”

“Woooo!”

As we arrived, the crew applauded. They seemed to be hyping us up so the commercial shots would look energizing.

“Ha ha ha! The mood is awesome!”

“It really is!”

We danced for fun, and the clapping subsided—it seems we were too excited. Director Wonseok motioned a diminuendo, and we toned it down. The staff looked relieved.

“Thank you for today’s shoot!”

We greeted the lights, production crew, and ad agency staff scattered throughout the studio. They all gave us enthusiastic welcomes.

In the waiting room for talent, snacks were laid out like a hotel breakfast buffet. Junghyun’s eyes lit up.

“Is this where I get buried...!”

“Let me get buried too, hyung!”

I laughed at my brothers giving each other celebratory high-fives, then we clapped lightly and headed for the food.

Viju bent ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ down to admire the display and exclaimed,

“Wow. It’s so pretty. Hyung, look at these macarons—they’re like art, right?”

“Really. I thought they were decorations.”

“I can’t even touch them... I have to photograph them for my family....”

Just then, Junghyun snatched up a macaron and chomped it down. Viju, phone in hand, pursed her lips and squeezed her eyes shut. She gently prodded Junghyun’s side with the phone in mock revenge.

“You are so... mean, Kim Junghyun.”

“It’s going to get eaten anyway. You should grab one.”

“No thanks.”

“Red macaron? Blue macaron?”

“Blue.”

Junghyun popped a blue macaron into Viju’s mouth. She chewed, then opened her eyes wide and gave a thumbs-up. Jiho and I, each holding a macaron to photograph, reached for ours and took a bite.

“...Delicious!”

We chatted about learning the vendor’s name later as we sat on the waiting-room chairs. Meanwhile, Rihyuk sipped hot coffee in a cup, savoring its aroma.

“Wow. This is great coffee.”

“Is it?”

“I think it fits the criteria for good coffee. It matches the description I read in that book.”

“Then it must be good.”

I looked around the model waiting room. The flowers, decor, snacks, and interior felt elegant—definitely a duty-free shop campaign.

“That’s why duty-free ads are different.”

“Right? They bring in top stars, so they prepare like this.”

Today’s schedule was a duty-free commercial. We were booked as models for Donga Duty Free, one of the industry’s top shops. They host family concerts and fan meetings with famous singers and hallyu stars each year, drawing Chinese and Japanese tourists by featuring popular idols. That’s why this shoot environment felt so lavish—they’d go to great lengths to please their models.

“Hello, welcome!”

After makeup and fittings, the director greeted us.

“I saw Lee Gyeon-woo in person the other day and was dazzled, but seeing NewBlack today is even better. You’re so handsome~”

“Thank you, Director.”

“You’ve seen the concept and storyboard, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

He laughed in relief. I wondered if some people come unprepared.

“Today we’ll film a few things. First, we’ll shoot multiple versions of our logo jingle.”

“Yes. We’ve practiced.”

“To get a feel, I’ll show you previous model videos.”

We sat with the director at the monitor. Soon, a video of actor Lee Gyeon-woo appeared: in a semi-formal suit, against a white backdrop, snapping his fingers to the ‘Duty Free’ jingle.

“Notice his expressions?”

“Yes. It really feels like a duty-free ad.”

“He’s excited but classy.”

As we nodded, other videos played—TNT members laughing and winking to ‘Duty Free’. They all struck super-flirty poses. I imagined how mortified they felt watching that back. We also watched relay logo-jingle clips from other stars.

“That’s all for now.”

As the director closed the window, we raised our hands.

“Could we see the others too? We want to match our pitches.”

“Match pitches?”

“Yes. To blend in harmoniously.”

He paused, then obliged. More videos played, and my brothers and I exchanged glances.

“Now I see why he didn’t show them first.”

“There was a reason.”

They were just ten-second relay clips—nothing crucial. But some models looked halfhearted, giving only the minimum. Unlike Lee Gyeon-woo or TNT, they seemed to be just collecting their paycheck.

“Great, thank you. We’re all set.”

We stood, stretched a little before the shoot, and held a quick meeting. Then we conferred with the director.

“What mood should we aim for?”

“Mood?”

“In the ‘Duty Free’ relay, they interpret ‘Duty’ as freedom from obligation. Should we convey the freedom travelers feel? Or the freedom of shopping...?”

The director’s eyes lit up as he said,

“Let’s mix both: freedom from the everyday plus freedom to shop, with more emphasis on the latter.”

“Freedom to shop.”

We nodded, and the maknae said,

“Got it. It’s ‘tangjin-jam’*.”

“Ha ha!”

The director laughed, then began directing our facial expressions in detail. His face literally glowed. I understood—creative people all love talking about and refining their work.

“...That should do it.”

“Yes. Understood!”

“Any other comments? Ah, Jiho.”

The maknae raised a hand and pointed to the storyboard the director held, showing which actor or singer appears when.

“May we add one prop?”

“A prop?”

“It seems the ages varied. For example, Lee Gyeon-woo wore a semi-suit and a luxury watch.”

They’d chosen him to promote high-end purchases. The director nodded.

“For us, maybe a travel vibe for early twenty-somethings—something lively.”

“Got it.”

“So after shopping, maybe we hold a duty-free bag with the logo?”

“Ah! Perfect!”

The director clapped and told staff to fetch five duty-free bags. While we silently applauded the maknae’s idea, he turned to us,

“Well done.”

“You really came through, Hoorin-i.”

The maknae frowned.

“That name’s so corny. What even is Hoorin-i?”

“Then Jirin-i.”

“Let’s stick with Hoorin-i.”

As we joked, staff handed us the duty-free bags, and we began filming.

“I’m exhausted now.”

“Daengbeol~~ daengbeol~~”

We hummed the jingle to get in the mood, then beamed fresh smiles as if remembering the first pay check spent on Grandma’s clothes. We sang our relay logo jingle.

The director smiled contentedly.

“Nice. Nice.”

NewBlack hummed “DA Duty Free” while holding the paper bags. A music staff member gave a thumbs-up—no pitch correction needed.

“They really matched the pitch.”

Usually relay jingles require tone correction or ADR. They often tweak pitches on set, but NewBlack didn’t need it.

“This can go straight into the ad.”

He looked warmly at us. Though he was famous for a good reputation last year, that’s no guarantee—many overnight stars are divas on set.

I recalled the star in the waiting room a few days back complaining the fake flowers smelled like durian and fumed all shoot. He’d taken two calming pills during the shoot.

“Why are you so embarrassed about your own fart...?”

He’d come unprepared, had to scramble for a vocal trainer. The agency and crew must have been terrified before a big duty-free cast.

But today...

“He’s smiling.”

The client gave a small applause and nodded approvingly. I felt relieved. Maybe he’d heard our earlier conversation with the director—the client’s gaze on us was very favorable.

After monitoring the footage,

“Cut! Great work!”

We nailed the relay jingle scene in just a few takes thanks to our thorough prep. We could have shot more, but it wasn’t necessary.

Yet NewBlack members shook their heads as they monitored playback.

“Director, sorry, but could we do one more? I think we had a slight miss.”

“Oh, sure!”

“Okay, we’ll get ready.”

They relaxed their facial muscles, then reset their expressions.

“Ready! Three, two, one!”

They sang again, and the director laughed heartily. Usually when you ask models for another take, they glare or wonder if it’s worth it—but these models gave their all.

Just as I was soaking up the good vibes, the client with dangling agency badges approached.

“Director.”

“Yes?”

“I just had an idea. At the end of the relay MV, it just cuts to the logo, right?”

“Yes.”

“Since we’re shooting today, what if we let these guys finish it?”

He gestured to us, glowing with joy.

“They could say, ‘Donga Duty Free welcomes you!’ at the end. It’d be perfect.”

“That’s a great idea. I’ll discuss it with the team leader.”

Soon after, the team leader on site thought it over and gave an OK.

As that was settled,

“Cut! Great job! Ha ha!”

The director roared with delight—but his expression in monitoring wasn’t cheerful.

“They could do better, right?”

“Yes. One more take would be better, hyung.”

“Director, could we do one more...?”

The director smiled warmly.

“All right, one more...”

Moments later, he noticed something odd.

“We’ll do one more.”

“Oh dear, I grabbed the wrong bag, Director!”

“Director!”

“....”

As the saying goes, joy that lingers too long becomes pain. NewBlack members furrowed their brows, monitoring takes again and again until perfection.

“Can we stop now...?”

“One more.”

“Yes....”

The director rubbed his eyes—they were glistening. Was it happiness or sorrow?

Looking around, he asked the assistant director,

“Hey, Juwon, where’s the client?”

“He said seeing the shoot, he trusts us and went home.”

“....”

The director laughed.

“Models this dedicated—what a pleasure.”

Yet... why wouldn’t he go home?

“One more time!”

His eyes glistened again.

We wrapped the duty-free shoots successfully—studio logo jingle, in-store posters, model-specific ads. Then we shot clothing and footwear campaigns, a telecom spot, and new commercials for the foundation and cosmetics and so on. Finally we did a public-service ad.

[Local autonomy and regional balanced development!]

[A goal we must achieve, right?]

We shot that because, collaborating with my hometown and touring nationally, public institutions reported our visits boosted tourism and sales. We even received honorary certificates and plaques. Beyond our spring tour, our unexpectedly strong vocal results were another gain.

Finishing spring season shoots, we visited PBS headquarters in Yeouido for a pre-meeting—our last schedule. On the fifth floor in Entertainment was the biggest partitioned show, Mister Producer. A top-rated program alongside Jusehaehan. It was PBS’s flagship show, and the PD had invited us last year at the Entertainment Awards.

“How have you been?”

A sullen-looking man greeted us—PD Shin Murok.

“I saw Wooju hyung get drunk on chocolate the other day.”

“Ha ha ha!”

“That was exactly the character I wanted.”

“T-Thank you... it’s important to bring joy, right?”

Amid backhanded compliments, we sat in the conference room and the head writer handed us the proposal titled Mister Producer – Idol Debut Project.