In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

I felt a chill run down my spine.

“I'm sure I saw that person by the well...”

“Didn't Junghyun say he saw him twice?”

“Yeah.”

Junghyun counted on his fingers.

“Once when we arrived at the well, and once after you got there. Like that.”

“Was it really the same person both times? Maybe someone else?”

“No. He was dressed like a security guard, looked a bit older.”

Deep in thought, Junghyun said “Ah.”

“There was one strange thing. Even when I waved and said hello, he just...”

“Just...?”

“Vanished without a word.”

“......”

One by one, odd details began to emerge.

Then Jiho’s eyes flew open.

“Right! I also had something weird happen.”

“You didn’t see him.”

“No, when I was alone, bugs were chirping nonstop, then stopped all at once. It felt creepy, so I shone my flashlight over—and I caught a human-shaped figure staring back...”

“Ahhh!”

“Thinking about it now is scary! Feels like the same person, right?”

While my younger members freaked out, I realized something odd too.

Normally, after seeing someone, I’d notice their movements and be able to imitate them.

...This time, I couldn’t.

“Could he be non-human?”

“Ahh! Why are you suddenly talking about weird stuff!”

As we talked, the producer—PD—asked with a serious expression.

“So you’re saying there was someone else here besides the actors and staff?”

“Yes...”

“Not like a sasaeng fan or stalker?”

“We’d know a sasaeng’s face.”

“Hold on.”

The mood among the staff and managers turned grave. If an outsider had broken into our lodging grounds, it was serious. Could be someone there to steal or do harm. As that uneasy feeling settled, the PD rushed over with the camera directors.

“Let’s check the footage. Which point?”

“Around the well on the map... here. In this area.”

“Director, rewind the tape.”

Everyone at the monitors tensed as they cut to that point.

“Uh... here! Yeah! Here.”

The green-tinted footage showed the five of us gathered by the well. Slightly blurry, but the terrain and human forms were clear. We were whispering and pointing at something in the distance. But...

“There’s nothing there.”

“Huh?”

“Right there. Where you’re pointing. No one’s passing by.”

“...Huh?”

At first we thought it was too far, but it wasn’t. Yet the screen showed nothing—only bushes swaying in empty air.

“This is weird.”

The camera director, arms folded behind his back, voiced his opinion.

“Look at how the grass moves. The wind is blowing left, but the grass moves right.”

“...”

“We need to check other cameras to be sure, but...”

He was right—something felt off. As the atmosphere grew eerie, the crew fetched other tapes.

They checked Junghyun’s footage.

“...Still nothing.”

Junghyun stood at the well, waving at empty air. Then Jiho’s.

When Jiho dropped his flashlight in shock, the camera still showed nothing. Everyone was silent but felt the strange vibe.

“Wait, wait.”

The camera director raised his hand again.

“Pause those two sections.”

“Here?”

“Yeah, right... oh my.”

Oh dear?

“This might sound strange, but Junghyun’s wave and Jiho’s fall...”

“Yes.”

“Occurred at the same time. 10:39.”

Shh—

A cold silence fell over the clearing as the wind ruffled the bushes. The writers held their breath.

“So does that mean we saw a ghost?”

“...”

“I can’t think of any explanation.”

While everyone stayed silent, Rihyeok pressed his palm to his forehead.

“I’m never sleeping tonight.”

After a bit of commotion, we settled in the lodging to film a vlog, eating late-night market snacks. The living room glowed with cozy lighting. Junghyun, changed into sweatpants, reached for the lamp.

“It’s almost bedtime. Shall I turn off the lights?”

“No!”

Everyone answered in unison.

“Let’s sleep with the lights on tonight.”

“I agree.”

“Yeah. I really won’t be able to sleep if the lights go off.”

We jumped at the whistling wind outside. So spooked, we abandoned the bedrooms and spread blankets in the living room.

Viju, lying to my right, asked.

“Hyung.”

“Hmm?”

“Um... if I need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, can I wake you?”

“Sure.”

“Can I join too? Can I wake you when I need to go?”

Bathroom buddy pacts formed everywhere. As we discussed that, Junghyun—who’d been googling “Jeju ghost stories”—asked.

“But what was that, really? A ghost?”

“Ahh! Don’t even say the word ghost, hyung! And why are you watching ghost videos next to me?”

“I’m searching for Jeju ghosts but nothing’s coming up.”

“Yeaaah!”

“Your scream is scarier. Rihyeok.”

“Shut up! What’s wrong with my scream?”

The mysterious man we saw remained unidentified. The crew had scoured all tapes—apart from us and the actors, no one else appeared. They called the rental company; no guard over forty. Managers were sleeping upstairs, but...

“I’ve experienced every weird thing in my life.”

“Right? We’ll never be able to share this on air. Who’d believe it?”

“Oh, I’m tired but wide awake...”

“Me too.”

Even when we tried to sleep, our eyes stayed wide open. The five of us stared blankly at the chandelier. Rihyeok in the middle turned to me.

“Mister. Can we switch spots?”

“Why?”

“I’m worried that chandelier might fall. If it drops, we’d die instantly.”

“I won’t switch. If I move, I’ll be the one to die.”

I yawned.

“By the way, Junghyun.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“What was the keycard you gave Viju earlier?”

“Oh, that. The writer said they planned to use it to give us spending money.”

They’d prepared thirty; we only took five.

“They said they expected us to take at least ten. Must’ve thought we’re timid.”

So it was dropped. The crew seemed flustered—they’d planned the course for thirty minutes, but we wandered and cried for ninety. Thinking of that, the maknae tossed and turned and asked.

“Editing this is gonna be hard, right?”

“It will.”

“Sigh...”

“Why the sigh? We’re living fine even rolling around with goats.”

“You guys don’t go to school. I’m in the same vocal department as Gil Chaekyung. And the group chat keeps...”

“Is she okay?”

“Don’t ask about other people’s maknae. Hyungs are supposed to look at me only.”

His logic was twisted, but I let it slide. As we chatted, Viju thought of something and said.

“I once bought a dream interpretation book, hyung.”

“Oh, that one? Dream Interpretation Encyclopedia?”

“Yeah. Whenever you had a pig dream, I wondered what it meant, so I read it...”

Viju continued.

“It’s different, but when you see a ghost, isn’t it usually a sign you’ll hit it big?”

“Oh...!”

“Didn't our TNT seniors have such an episode? They saw a ghost in the studio and then hit the jackpot.”

“Really?”

Curious, I messaged Tae-hyeon; he replied immediately.

Tae-hyeon [No, it’s a lie]

Tae-hyeon [The recording went smoothly, so the company made it an entertainment episode]

To protect Viju’s innocence, I quietly put my phone down. Meanwhile, the younger members excitedly shared other seniors’ ghost episodes. Stories of a strange voice on a recording that shook the country. Our gloomy faces brightened instantly.

“Oh...”

“If you think like that, it’s a good ghost.”

“Right.”

Junghyun said.

“I heard from Grandpa that singers and shamans have similar fates. They gather ghosts with rituals or songs...”

“Ahh!”

“So singers see ghosts well.”

As Junghyun spun that bizarre tale under blankets, a cold voice intervened.

“But actually, there’s a more likely explanation.”

“Hmm...?”

“When preparing an album, it’s the hardest period mentally and physically. One or two hours of sleep, nineteen-hour studio sessions.”

“...”

“Under extreme stress, you see things that aren’t there. That’s logical.”

“...”

“...”

Sensing the chill, Rihyeok hid his face under the blanket like a hermit crab. The maknae sighed and recited a trending line.

“You ruined the mood, so you’re responsible.”

“If you have a conscience, sing us a lullaby, Rihyeok.”

Unable to bear our teasing, Rihyeok began a soft hum of hibernation. We all drifted off to dreamland.

The next morning.

I stood in the living room in a hooded sweatshirt after dabbing concealer on my haggard face. As before, cameras surrounded us.

“Slept well?”

“Yes!”

We beamed and chanted “slept like a log~” The staff laughed—by their tired eyes, we weren’t the only ones sleep-deprived.

“NewBlack’s travel diary, Day Two. Today we fulfill Rihyeok’s wish.”

“Waaaaa!”

“Unusually calm, aren’t you?”

“Whatever Rihyeok does has its limits. He can’t do terrifying or dangerous things.”

We answered.

“I expect an exploration of Jeju’s lava coast and columnar joints formation.”

“Or studying Jeju dialect, perhaps.”

“Or about the Sambeolcho’s uprising during the Mongol invasions.”

When Rihyeok stiffened, the PD held out a laptop.

“Today’s theme is a picnic.”

“A picnic?”

“Let’s watch the video for details.”

On screen, Rihyeok sipped coffee with poise.

–Member spring picnics... I’d like to try one.

–A picnic?

–Yes. I attended elementary school in the U.S., and when people talk about spring picnics from elementary or kindergarten, I felt a bit envious.

–Ah, I see. So you said you brought kimbap even on Suneung day?

–...

Rihyeok averted his gaze at the shameful memory. He continued that he’d like to go on a one-day picnic with the members.

“So today’s first mission: making kimbap for lunch!”

“Waaaaa!”

Each of us had to customize kimbap with chosen ingredients. We gathered at the island counter and made kimbap ourselves.

“Viju hyung, which side of the seaweed is inside out for wrapping?”

“Ha! Hyung! How would I know?”

“Smooth side out, spread rice on the rough side, flatten it.”

“...”

As Rihyeok sneered, the maknae coaxed a retake with aegyo, then performed a skit: “rough side~” Judging by the PD’s expression, it would air as is.

While we happily made kimbap, one roll stole all attention...

“Wow. How did he manage that?”

The staff couldn’t believe how much meat and ham our third member stuffed in. Viju and I asked.

“Junghyun.”

“Yes.”

“Can he even roll that?”

“Yes.”

“I never thought he could.”

Junghyun began rolling as if puzzled. Whoosh.

“...”

The kimbap was perfectly formed as if pressed by a machine.

“I guess our lack of strength was the problem.”

“So they say a bad body means a hard head...”

“This is talent too, really.”

As we marvelled, the staff burst into laughter. The rest followed Viju’s cooking class to roll their kimbap.

“This amount of rice is right.”

“Yes.”

“Keep the thickness even. Remember our sheer outfits at the marker event? Spread the seaweed so it’s faintly visible.”

“So just do the opposite of Junghyun hyung.”

The lesson continued on ingredient combinations. Writers and staff opened their phone notes to jot down tips. As each roll passed inspection...

“Wow, Uju hyung, that’s perfect! Director, please insert Uju hyung’s kimbap.”

“Oh, really.”

“What, did kimbap watch ghost videos too?”

My younger members widened their eyes in amazement as I flashed a V sign.

“It’s innate. I am, after all, the son of a rice shop owner.”

“Oh.”

“I can cook almost anything. Haha.”

“Huh? Hyung.”

Viju tilted his head and asked.

“You said you didn’t know how to roll kimbap when I asked before, didn’t you?”

“...”

“I said I had no talent for kimbap...”

“...”

After the cameras turned off, I had a brief talk with Viju.

On the way to the port for Udo, the bus swayed as we huddled together. The PD turned to us.

“I’ve received great news from the agency. Something to congratulate NewBlack on!”

Congratulations?

Reading from a tablet, the PD said.

“As of 3:45 AM yesterday...”

“...?”

“Your dance track ‘Nine’ MV, released last August...”

He grinned at our rapt attention.

“Has surpassed 100 million views!”

“What?”

“Look here. Your MV has 104,507,003 views.”

“...!”

We frantically pulled out our phones. Under ‘The New Black - “Nine” Official MV’ it read:

[104,507,003 views · 6 months ago]

When did it hit 100 million? My heart thumped so hard I could hear it. Startled, I met my members’ wide-eyed gazes. After a moment of silence,

“Waaaaaaa!”

We hugged, screaming for nearly five minutes.

“Wow... wow...”

“Any screenshots? If someone captured it at 100 million.”

“Oh, here. A Souffle fan said they screenshot when it hit 100 million.”

We all saved the picture the maknae shared, calming our racing ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) hearts. We searched the portal for ‘NewBlack.’

–NewBlack ‘Nine’ MV surpasses 100 million views on MTube

–In 199 days, NewBlack ‘Nine’ MV hits 100 million views

–NewBlack ‘Nine’ breaks record for fastest K-pop group MV to 100 million views

Articles sprang up, many copying the press release. They said it was their tenth MV, fifth among K-pop groups, and third boy group after Sixty Seconds and TNT. But the standout was the period.

“This is insane. Wow, how is this possible?”

“Unbelievable.”

“Did you see this?”

Until now the fastest was Daylight at 18 months. Though unnamed on camera, 6 months to 100 million was the fastest ever. Even staring at the number, I felt dazed.

“Amazing.”

At this sudden success, we only exchanged “amazing.” Once back at the lodging, we planned to chat with Souffle fans on Y-App.

“Ohhh...”

My hands trembled with excitement. After sending the SNS draft to Manager Hong, I called the first person.

—Hello?

A bright voice.

It was the director of ‘Nine.’

“Director!”

—Oh! You saw it too?

“Yes, thank you so much.”

—I stayed up all night waiting. Thanks to you, it’s my career highlight.

We traded compliments: “It’s because of you,” “No, it’s because of you.”

“Director~”

—Yes.

“So, how about directing our next title track MV?”

He hesitated.

—I...

“What’s wrong?”

—I’ll do it. Yes, I will...

“Waaaaaaa!”

We succeeded in securing the MV director. His schedule was tight after ‘Nine,’ but the timing was perfect. After hanging up:

“This is so great. A trip, MV success, and a director secured.”

“Exactly. Today feels like a we-can-do-anything day.”

We waved toward the lodging.

“Thank you, ghost!”

“Thanks, ghost!”

We joked that last night’s ghost had blessed our album. Then Rihyeok messaged.

ThesisSpoiler [But the company said at least nine months was needed]

ThesisSpoiler [It was shortened by three months]

I’d heard it would take nine months, but six was unheard of. It said a spike in North American views shortened the period.

Hmm?

My tablet auto-played another video after ‘Nine.’ American news anchors laughed as they imitated cow moos. In that moment, I realized why the period was cut by three months.

[Funniest K-pop Singers (a.k.a The New Black)]

A compilation titled “The World’s Funniest K-pop Singers.”

I slammed the home button. As we hung our heads in embarrassment, our rapper gave a warm thumbs up.