In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

I’d never felt quite so awkward locking eyes with someone before.

“...Uh.”

“...Er....”

We both let go of each other’s hands at once as we skidded to a stop.

It was truly embarrassing.

I gave the egg-ghost—hesitating there—a polite nod.

“Um, hello.”

“Hi! Hello. I’m really a NewBlack fan... ah! I shouldn’t say that. Hee hee hee!”

She raised both arms in mock menace—“Boo, I’m scaring you!”—and I couldn’t help laughing.

“Listen.”

“Yes?”

“There aren’t any cameras around here.”

“Oh....”

“There’s one, but it’s outside the field of view right now.”

“Wow. How do you know?”

“I always check camera positions first, wherever I go....”

I pointed out the rigged camera and explained, and behind her mask I saw her eyes light up in wonder.

I smiled and asked, “By the way, are you one of our fans?”

“Oh—yes....”

“Your voice is really nice. Hee hee—so clear and perfect through the mask.”

“Really? I was in theater before I ended up here.”

Her low voice behind the mask rumbled with delight.

We both shivered from the dark foliage, so we bantered lightly to keep each other calm.

I tapped my palm against a pocket map and asked with my lips, ‘Can you tell me where the other ghosts are?’

I felt her considering, then she pointed to a few spots with a trembling finger.

I grinned and bowed. After we parted, I moved us to a quieter clearing and shone my light on the map.

“Where do you think Viju is?”

We needed to find Viju and Ri-hyuk first. I pictured ghost locations and my siblings’ likely paths.

Since Viju always somehow chooses the worst route, I knew roughly where he’d be.

By a camera rig, I said, “Viju’s probably around here. And Ri-hyuk zigzags when he runs....”

He’s fast but burns out like a low battery—he’d be ‘dead’ in under a minute.

Knowing his timid nature, he’d freeze there: ‘Junghyun hyung... Viju hyung? Jang Jiho?’ I guessed his spot too.

“Ri-hyuk should be around here. These ghosts are scary, so I need to hurry.”

As I lifted my foot, my walkie buzzed.

“Ah...!”

Right. The walkie the crew gave us vibrated, and a plaintive voice came through.

–Wooju hyuung...

“Yes, Viju?”

–I think I’m lost....

I laughed and said, “I’ll be there soon. Can you describe where you are?”

–Uh, I see the moon in the sky but it’s behind clouds, and there are trees and grass all around.

“...”

–Oh! And there are insects chirping nearby—crickets, I guess?

If she had to draw a portrait, she’d say it had eyes and a nose and so on.

I started to say something but instead checked my map.

“Which direction does the lodging light look faint? North, south, east, or west?”

–North.

So it’s south of me. I pressed the walkie:

“Got it. I’ll come straight away. Stay exactly where you are.”

–Okay.

As I hurried off, the walkie buzzed again.

–Hyung.

“Yes, Jiho?”

–...Please come save me too. I don’t know where I am. Ghosts go ‘Aaah!’ and I’m scared!

That meant one more person to find.

“You said you like horror movies, right?”

–I might cry, so don’t tease me. It’s so scary.

His trembling voice made me reassure him, then promise to find him immediately.

As I hurried onward, the walkie vibrated again, voice trembling:

–Somebody, please come to me.

“Ri-hyuk. Should I come?”

“Viju—please stay put.”

–Okay...

–But why can’t I hear Junghyun hyung’s voice? He’s been silent this whole time.

–I’ve been listening.

–Oh, hyung, where are you?

–I don’t know. I’m just following the path. Oh—just now a snake slithered right under me.

–Was it a fake model?

–Looks real. When I nudged it, it tried to play dead.

The walkie went crazy.

–...! There’s a snake?! Aahh! Mom! Sis!

–Eek! Don’t talk like that! I’m terrified just looking at a snakeskin purse!

–It’s a baby snake—it’s not scary.

–That’s easy for you to say!

I turned down the volume as I walked toward Viju’s last known direction.

Meanwhile...

“...What’s going on?”

I had the uneasy feeling someone was trailing me. Not like a paparazzo—something else. A chill crawled up my spine, as if someone stared from a diagonal behind.

“Who’s there?”

I snapped my head around, but only the crew’s camera rig dangled from a tree branch.

“Just my imagination....”

I muttered to myself—at first joking for the cameras, but growing more anxious, I kept talking aloud. Soon, the walkie crackled with a relay song:

–“If you look around the briars~”

–“There’s nothing but square things~”

Please don’t start a sing-along, guys... I could picture the crew bursting with laughter monitoring this.

Meanwhile, Junghyun pushed through the darkness.

“Excuse me.”

He strode past a suspicious web of fake spider silk.

Fog machines drifted the air with artificial mist.

“Wow—these special effects are amazing.”

I almost expected CGI—but it was right before me.

Kiyaaaaak—

A monstrous spider’s roar echoed.

My heart pounded. I prayed it’d be a giant spider prop. I charged into the fog—

“Eeeek!”

Someone screamed and raced past. Like an alien movie, a victim writhed with a spider mask plastered across their face.

Junghyun tilted his head.

“...?”

The actor barreled past, nearly clipping him, then shrieked and darted off.

Junghyun realized his mistake.

This was where he was supposed to be startled.

“Hah....”

He pressed his left hand to his mouth, right to his chest.

“Whew. You gave me a fright.”

He looked pleased with his reaction as he passed through the fog. There, on a tree stump by the clearing, lay a treasure-hunt–style keycard.

With a camera pointed at him, Junghyun tucked the card into his pocket and beamed at the lens.

“PD-nim, writers, thank you all so much. I’ve never had so much fun. Can you hear me?”

The camera rig bobbed up and down as if nodding.

Junghyun grinned.

“Thank you for this experience.”

He made a finger-heart and skipped off.

After collecting several cards:

“Looks like everyone’s found.”

He heard Wooju hyung calling in the walkie to gather each member, and nodded.

“Should I head back to help...?”

He knew Viju would pester him later about whether he’d looked out for his friends. He didn’t want that.

He slumped his shoulders for a moment, then straightened with resolve.

“I’ll relax once we hand in all the cards.”

He nodded to himself and walked on.

Soon he came upon a brightly lit clearing.

“Oh. Here it is.”

Just as they’d said, a well stood in the very center of the long trail. Junghyun pulled the bottle from his bag and approached.

He heard water sloshing inside and saw the bucket.

“I’ll fill this when we all meet up.”

He muttered to the walkie that he’d arrived. Meanwhile, a figure patrolled nearby: a middle-aged man in what looked like a security uniform.

“Hello.”

“...”

The man merely shifted his position without speaking, so Junghyun shrugged and looked up at the clouded sky.

Huddled behind a tree, Jang Jiho shivered.

–I found Viju.

–And Ri-hyuk. I’ll be there soon, Jiho.

–We’re coming. Jiho~

Five minutes had passed since Ri-hyuk’s triumphant message. Though the minutes were short, they felt like an eternity. Nursing his lip anxiously, Jiho stomped his foot.

“Cold....”

It was mid-March. Not quite cold enough to see his breath, but at night the wind stung. A chill seeped under his windbreaker.

Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo—

Every time a ghostly wail blared from the speaker, he flinched.

“Eeeek....”

His legs gave out; he slid down against a stump, huddling to conserve heat. He swept his light around, but the underbrush was empty. Yet rustling sounds persisted.

“Aagh!”

He shone the beam everywhere—nothing. He frantically swept back and forth—still nothing. Anxiety drained his energy. He felt cold and hungry. On the verge of tears, he buried his face in his windbreaker.

“Why did I agree to this?”

He’d thought it’d be no big deal—he loved horror movies. But it was nothing like that. He was terrified; any moment something might lunge out. ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Though he knew it was all fake, his body froze.

“Eeeek!”

A sudden rustle in the bushes jerked him upright. Junghyun had said he saw a snake—he hoped it wasn’t that. His legs stiff but determined, he forced himself to stand.

“I want to cry....”

He’d only been alone maybe forty minutes, yet he missed his brothers desperately. Tears welled as he imagined Viju and Wooju shouting, “We’re here!” any second now.

“Why aren’t they coming....”

He stared at the empty sky, leaning against the stump, when—

Rustle—

His ears perked up.

‘A sound?’

He tensed, listening. At first he hoped it was his brothers, but that couldn’t be. They’d be loudly chatting. He shone his light and shouted,

“Hey! Who’s there?”

But there was nothing. As he scanned again, he realized something odd:

‘Why have the insects gone silent?’

The chirping of crickets and grasshoppers had abruptly stopped.

He swallowed hard, heart pounding as if something would spring out. He held his breath and shook, sweeping the light...

“...!”

He spied something dim ahead, dropped his flashlight in shock, and locked eyes with it. His hands trembled; he repeatedly dropped and picked up his flashlight, then clutched it like a weapon.

“Who are you? Who...!”

Suddenly...

“Eeeek!”

Hands grabbed his shoulders, and he leapt in fright. He threw off what felt like a grotesque crawling creature, stumbled, and fell.

Then two arms reached out to him.

“You really got scared, huh? You okay?”

“...?”

“Jiho. We’re here.”

Wooju and Viju stood before him, smiling gently and extending their hands.

As he stared up in dumbfounded relief, Ri-hyuk exhaled and crouched beside him.

“How old are you, being such a klutz? Get up, let us shake the cold off you.”

“...”

“Hey. Jang Jiho, you...”

And at that moment, his tension broke and he burst into sobs.

He hadn’t cried like that in ages.

“Why are you crying?”

“...”

Jiho clung to us, his shoulders shaking with sobs.

What was he so upset about? Even wiping his tears, he let them fall freely on our shoulders.

“Hey. Why are you crying like a baby?”

“Ri-hyuk.”

At Viju’s words, Ri-hyuk fell silent, then awkwardly patted Jiho’s back. Even Ri-hyuk looked unsettled.

I patted his other shoulder and asked,

“Were you that scared? By all this?”

“No... I wasn’t scared at all... sob.”

He hiccuped through his words, and we couldn’t help laughing. He sniffled and hiccupped, tears still in his voice.

He swore he’d never be a leader again, only the maknae—but we weren’t sure exactly what he meant. We simply patted him until his tears subsided. After five minutes or so:

“Ah.”

He rubbed his puffy eyes, calming down. With swollen eyes and a watery smile, he looked adorably foolish.

“Can you tell I was crying?”

“Definitely.”

When we all answered in unison, his face fell.

“But there were no cameras....”

“There was.”

“There was?!”

“Right there. Above that tree stump you were leaning on.”

“Aaaah!”

Jiho shrank into himself, arms and legs tucked like a terrified T. rex.

“What are people going to think when they see me?”

“You’re cute.”

“Viju-hyung, only you find me cute. I’m supposed to be the ‘visual’ with a cool image.”

“Well, at least you’re back to making sense.”

I nodded in agreement and looked around.

“First, let’s head to the well where Junghyun is.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, Jiho—do you want some chocolate?”

“Yes!”

I gave him a candy bar, and he cheered instantly. The four of us then navigated the remaining haunted trail sections without incident. Finally, we reached the well.

“Junghyun! We’re here!”

“I’ve been waiting.”

Junghyun smiled warmly, but when he saw Jiho’s puffy eyes, he blinked.

“Oh, Jiho....”

Jiho made frantic ‘don’t mention it’ gestures, and Junghyun nodded, then brightened again and teased:

“Jiho was crying!”

“...”

“Why did you cry? Did another seagull scare you?”

As my siblings bantered, I spotted a figure moving distantly through the bushes. It looked like the security guard from before.

Junghyun answered, “I think it’s the guard.”

“Oh.”

“He’s in a guard uniform.”

Ri-hyuk nodded too. Meanwhile, Junghyun handed something to Viju.

“I gathered these for you.”

“Oh, really?”

Viju beamed over the keycard. Grinning proudly, Junghyun seemed pleased with his clever planning. Then he called my siblings together and we stood before the camera:

“All right! We, NewBlack, have braved this treacherous path for one hour...!”

A breeze wobbled the “5 minutes on foot” sign right next to us. We all stepped forward to block it.

“And have finally reached our mission site.”

“We fill the bottle at the well, right? Our horror ace, Kim Junghyun, will draw the water.”

“Waaaa!”

Junghyun dipped the bucket and poured the water into the bottle. As if by magic, black letters formed on its surface, but then:

[NewBlack’s next album big hit...] 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

...it cut off.

Drip drip drip—

Water leaked out of a hole in the bottle. It was like “pouring water into a bottomless jar.” The words of good fortune were dripping away. We all burst out laughing at the absurdity.

“Junghyun.”

“Ah, I wonder why it’s pierced.”

“It’s the size of your finger, isn’t it?”

“...”

Jiho said, “Then cover it with your finger—like the toad in that folktale.”

“Okay.”

Junghyun used his finger to plug the hole and refilled the bottle. We cheered his “wish for success” before continuing:

“Great job, everyone!”

At last, our one-hour courage challenge ended and we made our way back to the lodging.

Bang!

“Waaaaa!”

The crew set off bakery-style popper fireworks to welcome us.

“You did great, guys!”

“Were you really scared? Jiho, we’re sorry.”

“Come here.”

They patted our backs. We were exhausted but happy, so we smiled at the crew.

“You really worked hard setting this up.”

“Thank you so much!”

“But it was truly scary—people bursting out with fake blood and dashing at us... eek!”

At the maknae’s shriek, Ri-hyuk and Jiho dove behind me and Junghyun.

“Yikes!”

Viju screamed a beat too late and hopped to the rear. On the empty courtyard ahead of the lodging, a dozen ghost actors in full costume—bandaged heads, spider-people, egg-ghosts—filed in.

The PD laughed as he introduced them:

“These are the actors who helped with NewBlack’s courage challenge tonight. Let’s give them a round of applause!”

“Thank you for working late!”

We shook hands and took commemorative photos with the ghost actors. While we posed for SNS, one person we’d forgotten came to mind.

“Oh, right.”

I turned to the PD.

“PD-nim, that patrol officer—do you know where he went? I want to thank him. He made it less scary by patrolling at a distance.”

The PD’s expression turned puzzled.

“What are you talking about? The guard left long ago.”

“Excuse me?”

“There was no one out there besides you and the actors. Who was walking around?”

“Uh...?”

Ri-hyuk’s eyes went wide as he looked at all of us.

“So who was that person?”

“...”

We all froze in place.