In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Day Two’s recording proceeded smoothly.

“Woaaa...!”

We marveled at the color of the sea on the white sand.

Udo.

This island at the eastern tip of Jeju was famous for its scenery.

Among its sights, this beach—Sanho-sa Beach—was renowned for its beautiful water.

“Waaa....”

Even the production crew standing behind the cameras gasped at the sea’s color.

I asked the director beside me.

“Is this coming through well on camera?”

He shook his head.

No wonder.

While filming a video for Mrs. Kim Deok-soon, the color wasn’t translating. Though the day was bright and clear, the footage looked dull.

“The sea is so beautiful. How can it be this pretty?”

“I know. If we had time, I’d want to stay here for hours.”

“It’s perfect.”

Normally we’d chatter away, but instead we quietly admired the view. Some moments need no words.

The sound of the waves tickled our ears, and each breath brought the fragrant scent of the sea.

“This is wonderful. Really....”

The mental fatigue from preparing the album felt like it was flying away.

After enjoying the view with my younger members,

“All right! Let’s take pictures!”

We handed our phones to the writer and took levitation shots—jumping mid-air—and posed like models.

“Writers, come over here! We’ll take your picture!”

“One, two—on cue! ‘Beautiful!’”

At Viju’s sweet prompt, everyone shouted “Beautiful!” and the crew laughed bashfully.

In that warm, harmonious atmosphere, we began touring Udo.

We ate peanut ice cream and kimbap, enjoying our Udo picnic, then returned to Jeju for a folk village experience and more.

For an early dinner, we visited a famous mung bean chicken soup restaurant—it was the best meal we’d had recently.

“I think I was born to eat this.”

“Me too.”

Junghyun and Jiho pretended to wipe away tears—they were that moved.

After wrapping up the afternoon schedule,

When we returned to the lodging as the sun began to set, the crew had prepared something.

“Welcome back, everyone.”

The PD smiled.

“How was your picnic? Did you have fun?”

“Yes!”

Rihyeok, who’d wished for this picnic, replied on behalf of us.

“It was so much fun. Thank you so much for arranging this.”

“It’s been ages since I saw Rihyeok laugh like that.”

“I’ve never laughed that hard before.”

Rihyeok looked to us for confirmation, and we answered.

“He’s not the kind to laugh so openly, but during the kimbap, his expression was so pretty.”

“Rihyeok was adorable today.”

“Really. If every day were like today....”

Still grumbling that these people treated him like garbage, Rihyeok couldn’t help but chuckle. He swayed like a squid with happiness.

The PD smiled.

“I’m so glad you enjoyed it. But! Your picnic isn’t over yet.”

“Huh?”

“You’ll have dinner later, right?”

“Yes!”

“We’ve prepared a barbecue party for you tonight.”

Ta-da! The crew stepped aside to reveal a barbecue grill. And a tent.

“...A tent?”

We blinked.

“PD-nim, why is there a tent?”

“Is it a punishment? A game where the loser sleeps outside?”

“Oh, is it a punishment?”

The PD shook his head.

“This tent is not a punishment!”

“Really?”

“After you enjoy the barbecue party, this is where you’ll sleep.”

We puzzled over the idea of sleeping outdoors, when, once again, a laptop popped open. On screen, Viju spoke in a gentle voice.

–I’d like to try something like that.

–What kind of thing?

–Um, camping? Grill meat outside together, then sleep in the tent together....

Viju, lost in imagination, soon beamed.

–Just imagining it makes me so happy!

–...We’ll prepare it.

–Huh?

–We’ll definitely prepare it.

The writers looked determined enough to promise “We’ll definitely do it” with happy faces. Rihyeok cleared his throat.

“Well, it’s not too cold. Outdoor camping might not be bad.”

“That’s right.”

Jiho nodded.

“And it’s a surprisingly reasonable wish, thankfully.”

“You stay out of this, you horror special.”

The maknae fell silent, and Junghyun raised his hand.

“But what does the barbecue party have to do with the picnic?”

“Oh. It’s about sourcing ingredients!”

“Sourcing ingredients?”

“As you can see, the tools for the barbecue are here, but no food is prepared.”

Right—no meat or shellfish in sight. As we stared intently, the PD said:

“You now need to secure a budget to purchase ingredients at the market.”

“What do we do?”

“The grand finale to end your picnic: the essential treasure hunt!”

“Treasure hunt...!”

We exchanged excited looks as if on a variety show.

“Just as expected.”

“Just as expected.”

I thought they wouldn’t waste the treasure card from yesterday’s courage test. The PD pointed to the walking trail used for the fear challenge.

“You have 30 minutes.”

“Wait!”

We all crouched down and tightened our shoelaces. As the staff and managers laughed, sparks flew in our eyes.

“In 30 minutes, find as many treasures scattered here as you can.”

“Yes!”

“For reference, treasure cards have tiers: gold, silver, bronze. Golden key is 50,000 won, silver is 10,000 won, bronze is 1,000 won.”

We nodded at the explanation.

“All right, go!”

At the PD’s “Go!” and his stopwatch, we all sprinted without hesitation.

Thump-thump.

I, with my fragile nerves, took a deep breath.

“Stay calm.”

To save my mayfly-like stamina, I slowed my pace. Around me,

“Yiaaaah!”

“I’ll find all the treasure!”

“No way! I’ll find the most!”

The eldest and youngest were in a frenzy, laughing, while Rihyeok shook his head.

“Going around randomly is foolish. I need strategy.”

Recalling yesterday’s map, I scanned the area. If I were the production team, where would I hide treasures? Especially the 50,000-won cards—where would I hide those?

“They’d put them somewhere unexpected. I need a change of perspective.”

No way they’d hide the big prizes in obvious spots. Sure enough, the maknae cried out:

“Argh! It’s just 1,000 won!”

“Yeesh. What an idiot.”

Hearing my mockery, Jiho shouted back, grinning:

“Don’t laugh, you villain!”

“I’ll find them soon.”

“Last place for you, squid!”

“...Squid?”

The maknae scampered away, and the camera director filming a solo shot stifled a chuckle.

“Ahem.”

He cleared his throat and spoke to the camera.

“I chose a different approach than the others. I imagined where I’d hide things if I were the crew.”

“Oh.”

“Hehe, follow me.”

Having deduced the likely spots, Rihyeok headed to his chosen locations. Then—

“Here! As I predicted, under this rock...”

With a cold expression, he heaved the heavy stone aside, his heart pounding hard. Please let it be here!

“...Hey-yah! It is! It’s here!”

He found the golden key card exactly where he expected. He wiped it clean, sealed it in plastic, and dashed to the next spot.

“Here! Here! Found one here too!”

He beamed at a silver key. One by one, he collected cards. But he didn’t find them all. Some spots were empty—about a fifty-fifty chance.

“...For that reason, I thought this spot... but as you see, there’s a silver card.”

“Ooh!”

“I’ve gathered nine cards through deduction.”

As he brushed his hands, a distant whistle blew.

—Ah! Time’s up! Everyone, return!

Walking back with the camera director, he met the maknae trudging in.

“Hey!”

“What?”

“How many did you find?”

“Ah, I don’t know. Two....”

His sullen mutter put me in a good mood.

“Ha-ha!”

Zap.

“Ahem... Hey. Can I have one of yours?”

“No way. You found them, hyung.”

“I’ll give you two silvers.”

“Really? That’s a relief. I thought Uju hyung would tease me a lot.”

His face brightened as he chattered, and Rihyeok cleared his throat.

“Yes. I’m the hyung.”

Proudly, I walked toward the courtyard.

“But hyung.”

“What?”

“Each of our wishes came true—Viju’s camping too. What did Uju hyung wish for?”

“Who knows.”

Someone predictable, indeed. The maknae gazed at the circular sunset sky, lost in thought. I recalled our leader’s shining eyes.

“How about a children’s composition camp in Jeju? I even designed a flag.”

“Rest is a luxury. Let’s plan a 2-night, 3-day NewBlack workshop... it’ll be invigorating...”

They both pressed their foreheads simultaneously.

“Even imagining it, all I think about is work....”

“Me too.”

As this sad conversation continued, the lodging appeared.

“Everyone! Come quickly!”

“Yes!”

Once we gathered, we began showing our collected cards.

“I have four!”

“That’s odd.”

I stroked my chin.

“You couldn’t have found more than three—didn’t Rihyeok give you two?”

“No... that’s not it! What are you talking about?”

It sounded like a lie. The crew laughed, and Rihyeok clicked his tongue, pulling out his cards.

“I have one gold.”

“Woaaah—!”

“And seven in total. Including the two I gave Jiho, that’s nine.”

The members applauded. As Rihyeok boasted about his reasoning, Uju and Viju stepped forward.

“...Why is Viju tied up?”

They’d wrapped their wrists together with floral scarves to avoid getting lost. Beaming, Viju stood beside Uju, who held out his cards.

“We have twenty-three cards!”

“...What.”

My heart sank. I lost again?

“How did you find so many?”

“I glanced at where cameras were set up—it clicked immediately.”

“...”

I’d thought certain spots would surely hold cards, but they were empty more than once. As his empty expression showed, Viju smirked.

From afar, the maknae raised his hand.

“PD-nim. How many cards did you hide in total?”

“One hundred.”

Everyone’s eyes widened.

“Excuse me? How many?”

“We scattered many to adjust difficulty.”

Basically, “You were so bad we set difficulty to Super Easy.” As we gaped, Uju asked in surprise:

“What? Then where did the rest go?”

At that moment—

“I’ve been waiting for this moment.”

“...?”

“It’s me, your hero.”

With a solemn line, Junghyun stepped forward. As he inverted his crossbody bag and rattled it like a shy bear sharing honey, we tilted our heads.

Rattle-rattle—

“My goodness, cards are pouring out....”

“How many is that...?”

“Cardcaptor Kim Junghyun?”

Even the crew gaped. After his performance, Junghyun gathered the cards.

“I’m not sure if the count is exact, but it’s sixty-six.”

“...”

“Go ahead and check.”

Together, they made a hundred. The crew was stunned, and the others stared. Junghyun, looking sheepish, explained:

“When you farm, you must guard against pests eating crops.”

“...”

“Because of that, I noticed the crew’s traces easily. Haha.”

At Junghyun’s innocent smile, everyone was dumbfounded. The maknae muttered:

“That’s it.”

“...”

“The mind that uses strategy can’t beat the one with keen observation, and even that can’t surpass the farmer....”

“...”

“If this were a game, the forum would be demanding Junghyun be nerfed.”

The crew roared with laughter at their stunned faces.

It was a huge budget. Even after buying loads of beef, pork, shellfish, and various foods, two-thirds remained. It made for a joyous party.

“All right, let’s toast!”

“To NewBlack’s next album smashing success!”

“Success!”

We clinked paper cups of soda, cheering “Success!” As our laughter filled the air, Viju fed Junghyun meat with chopsticks, and whenever sparks popped in Rihyeok’s face, the maknae giggled.

Sipping my cola in this peaceful scene, the maknae asked:

“But hyung.”

“What?”

“What was your wish?”

“Me?”

“All the others got their wishes—camping for Viju—but you never said.”

“Oh, that.”

It was nothing special.

“I didn’t have a big wish.”

“...?”

“Just wanting to sleep a lot.”

Even at the pre-meeting with the crew, I’d said, “I want to have the luxury of sleeping as much as I want.” Thanks to that, I’d slept soundly.

“Oh. That’s boring.”

“You should have asked for something big, hyung.”

My younger members urged me to wish something now.

“Then a Jeju composition camp open...”

“Ahhh! I can’t hear you!”

I laughed at them plugging their ears. Meanwhile, as we were about to wrap up the barbecue party, the crew pushed something toward us.

“...?”

A large monitor. Curious, I eyed it. With a click, the screen lit up—my face appeared.

–Your wish?

–Yes. Something I’d like to do on this trip.

–I don’t really have a wish... Ah! I want to sleep a lot.

–Sleep?

–Yes. My recent song stalled, so I lost sleep.

On screen, I looked exhausted. Maybe feeling sorry for me, Viju offered me a shrimp peeled with gloved hands. But why show this? What else is coming? Then the interview moved to its latter part.

–If I have to ask for something, I hope the younger ones have fun on this trip.

At that, I felt reactions beside me freeze.

–Lately I’ve felt heavy pressure from results. If I don’t run at 100 km/h, I feel like I’ll sink. Rest is more stressful than work.

–That must be hard.

–Usually when an album is released, if it doesn’t do better than the last, people declare it a failure.

My members and the crew nodded.

–Because of that, I feel I can’t rest lately—my younger ones, too.

–So this trip is to relax?

–Yes. I want them to rest without worry.

It felt awkward. The younger members scratched their cheeks, and I took a random sip of my drink. On screen, I began talking about each member.

–Jiho loves games. Honestly, I think, “Why do you play?” He’s really bad, but he has a strong spirit of challenge.

The crew burst into laughter. Viju giggled, patting Junghyun’s back, and Jiho pouted.

“My LoL tutorial dropped me and called me noob.”

Having listed Jiho’s traits, I moved on.

–Rihyeok is more delicate than he appears. He’s so delicate it’s like glass—and he really matches the members’ needs perfectly.

I avoided Rihyeok’s glaring eyes.

–But he’s also modest. After one or two folk village rounds or columnar joint stops, he’d be so happy he’d faint—and his diary that night would be super long.

“What? How do you know I write a diary?”

–I’m not sure if he writes or not, but if he’s offended by that, he must be writing.

The crew laughed heartily. As Rihyeok held his head and the others clapped and laughed, I continued.

–Junghyun likes active things but loves nature, so he’d enjoy anything in Jeju. But he must avoid natural monuments—they break them.

“Haha... what?”

I emphasized as if saying “really,” and the others nodded. Junghyun smiled proudly.

–Viju has a gentle soul. Everything about him is great, but his flaw is... he’s overly kind. Even if he wants something, if someone else does, he yields, smiles at their happiness...

–Ah.

–I always tell him not to lose out, but it’s ingrained. Whatever he does, he’ll put the others first. He’s always last, so he’s someone who should be first.

As images of me earnestly advising my members rolled on screen,

–Look at me rambling too much...? Anyway, more than a big wish, I just hope when this trip ends, the younger ones have so much fun they want to travel again.

At that point, the video stopped.

“Oh, this is so embarrassing.” 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

“...”

“You asked me to explain each member’s traits... and ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ then aired it like this.”

I narrowed my eyes at the PD and writers avoiding my gaze. Surely this was their plan to cut in an “Jeju’s last night...” nostalgic caption. Feeling mortified, I turned to my juniors.

“Guys. Don’t get too emotional. This is to keep you healthier...”

Before I could finish, I froze at their silent sobs.

Inside the tent.

Once we slipped into our sleeping bags, the crew collected their cameras.

“If any of you feel unwell, you can come inside to sleep. We’ll just shoot you waking up in the morning.”

“We’re fine!”

“All right. Contact us if anything comes up.”

The writer zipped the tent closed with a hiss. My younger members, like little caterpillars, snuggled up beside me.

“Aww, so cute.”

“Did you really have such sweet thoughts?”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop smiling at their tiny, round shapes. They looked like wide-eyed grubs.

“What were you so moved about?”

“I wasn’t crying. The acting was spicy....”

“Rihyeok cried the most!”

“Hey!”

I laughed and looked away.

“Junghyun, did you cry? Was it crocodile tears to digest it?”

“I’m not a crocodile, hyung.”

In the darkness, a giant grub wriggled, revealing its hurt feelings. The mood was soft and gentle. Perhaps they’d loved my pre-meeting video so much, these little grubs cuddled me with shy giggles. As I peeled them off one by one, I asked Viju, who was looking at his phone.

“Viju. What are you doing?”

“Oh, I just thought of something. This wasn’t what I planned to reveal now, but....”

“Hmm?”

“About a candidate for the next album’s title track.”

“One I wrote?”

“Yes. But also another song we wrote thinking of you. I thought it might help.”

So there was a song about me, the next album’s protagonist. Suddenly awake, I sat up.

“Do you have it now?”

“Yes. Want to listen?”

He handed me one earbud. I put it in and listened.

“Oh....”

A gayageum in the intro. I listened through the remaining three minutes of the Korean-style soundscape, then four little grubs stared at me in silence.

“I’ve heard it.”

“...So? Hyung?”

“It’s good.”

They wriggled happily. I laughed and handed back the earbud.

“When it’s finished, it’ll be a real hit.”

“...Huh?”

“Uh?”

“What do you mean ‘finished’? This is the final version....”

“What?”

Without thinking, I blurted.

“The final version? This...?”

“......”

“...Oh! So it was the final version after all!”

“......”

I scrambled to fix it, but no luck. Oh no. In the darkness, the grubs began to writhe menacingly.