In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

I couldn’t watch it all because of time, but I was curious how it had been edited.

No wonder, really.

“I think it’s been about a month since we filmed this, right? It feels like ages since I’ve seen Maeda-sun’s face.”

“Exactly. Feels like forever.”

It was content uploaded one month after shooting.

On another NewBlackTV video, the top comment was, “So what’s this World Channel?”

Since the account had gone inactive for so long after creation, everyone was curious.

We, the ones involved, were the same.

“I wonder if it turned out well?”

The moment we opened NewBlackTV World Channel, we gasped.

“This is so believable.”

“Looks like a Japanese variety-show logo, hyung.”

Just as Viju said, it really did look like something from Japanese TV.

We’d watched the show TNT appeared on for our TV-show concept, and the logo was identical.

Even the thumbnail smelled of perfect localization.

“Oh...”

The moment we clicked play, we immediately understood why it took a month of prep for this video.

After a colorful pop-art caricature opening of the five of us, a deep Japanese voice actor intoned, “Yōkoso~.”

“Wow. They even hired a voice actor.”

Turning on subtitles, the Korean translation flowed in:

– “Korea’s five-member flower-boy idol group! NewBlack lands in Japan!”

As narration played over concert scenes in Kobe and Yokohama, our faces burned.

While cooling the heat on our cheeks before takeoff, the preview continued.

When Maeda-sun—his face blurred by “(?)”—appeared, we were startled.

Then, at his bleeped line, we all burst out laughing.

– “Finally open for business. ‘NewBlack Café!’”

From there, it rolled exactly as shot.

What stood out was the outstanding direction and editing.

We’d planned “let’s make a TV show,” but never expected localization this good.

“Wow. Feels like real Japanese TV.”

“Even the subtitles use that exact font.”

From the subtitles to the set packed with bright primary-color props, details we’d missed while shooting were everywhere.

– “Maeda Shin!”

When Maeda-sun appeared, his name and profile popped up on screen.

With the voice-actor narration too.

Then came the interview segment.

– “[I’m getting divorced! Absolutely!]”

The roaring laughter from the set pulsed through our headphones.

We knew that line would make it in.

We stopped playback as takeoff time approached, regretting it—but feeling great.

“It really came out well, right?”

“The quality’s amazing. Japanese soufflés will love it, and it’ll promote us well.”

“I hope the reactions are good.”

We’d worried our shoot was too static and serious, but it turned out fun.

Will everyone like it? I’m curious what reactions will come.

Hoping for the best, I squeezed my chicken plush.

Director Jo, reading an article about the Go-playing AI beside me, asked,

“What’s that?”

“Oh. This?”

I introduced it with a squawk.

“This is my flight mate. Bruce.”

“......”

“Director?”

When the flight attendant checked on passengers, Director Jo quickly looked away, as if pretending not to know me.

“Directooor...”

I whispered, gently pressing the plush (“kkuuii”), and Director Jo burst out laughing.

On an idol community, someone posted screenshots with:

[NewBlack Made a Japanese Variety Show]

(collection of key screenshots from the Maeda Shin video)

Screenshots that looked like TV captures drew a flood of comments:

– “Oh lol looks fun, where’s it from?”

– “When did this air? Did they go to Japan again?”

– “[OP] Huh..? It didn’t air anywhere”

– “?”

– “[OP] It’s self-produced”

– “????”

Fans were stunned by “self-produced.”

– “ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ what did I just see”

– “Self-produced?? This??”

– “Just noticed ‘made’ in the title lol”

– “What is this”

– “ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I didn’t notice until the end, zero dissonance”

– “Felt so natural lol”

– “Watching again, there really is a NewBlack World logo”

Even longtime fans were briefly fooled by the flawless quality.

– “I know that voice actor..? He seemed super boycott-ready—how’d they hire him?”

– “Money.”

– “You can’t resist seeing Gyuho headbanging with stacks of bills.”

– “ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ look at those flashy subtitles”

– “Real-deal vibes lol”

Amid talk of quality, laughter spread in the comments.

– “The shocked-eyes at the start kill meㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”

– “Scalp-uncle: Where am I..?”

– “Shit that twistㅋㅋㅋㅋ٭ Uncle is hilariousㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”

– “I’m getting divorced!! Absolutely!! ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I literally ROFL’d”

– “Biggest laugh I’ve had this yearㅋㅋㅋㅋ my jaw’s still trembling”

– “At first it was ‘a sane person entering a madhouse’ vibe—but he was the craziest”

– “Why the shocked-eyes though??”

– “Scalp-uncle is so likableㅋㅋㅋㅋ look at his advice”

– “ㅋㅋㅋ advice is bone-deep and flesh-giving... character and skill... he had everything except hair”

– “Want to see Gyuho and him shooting Machin-SO together... real friendship, I bet”

Talk of Maeda Shin’s antics ran alongside chatter about NewBlack members:

– “ㅋㅋㅋㅋ when Sun Wooju scammed, I was like ㅇ_ㅇ too watching”

– “Dice roll = random, right??”

– “Brazenly in Korean: ‘This is called “coincidence,” sensei’ lol”

– “This is a scam hot-spot”

– “They all speak Japanese so wellㅋㅋㅋ”

– “Japanese fans tweets call them ‘effort kids,’ too cool”

– “Except they’re not funny, these NewBlack guys can do anything”

– “I’m Japanese, but if I saw this I’d genuinely like them”

– “ㅇㅇ you can see they respect senior artists but treat them seriously as artists”

– “Ah I want to get entangled with NewBlack... (just their faces, not them)”

That meme spread from idol forums to others.

[You Should Stay Away from Alcohol]

(video of Maeda Shin shouting “I’m getting divorced! Absolutely!”)

– “ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”

– “ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ what is this?”

– “Burst out laughing for real”

– “Who’s this balding uncle?”

– “When did NewBlack go to Japan lol”

– “But drinking leads to divorce... true fact... don’t ask how he knows”

– “Did you get divorced?”

– “You bastard”

– “ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”

– “No idea what that is but gotta go watchㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”

Maeda Shin’s line became a meme, spreading rapidly: his perfect expression plus bold subtitles.

Lists like “Now Hot: Scalp-Uncle’s Flower-Boy Days” appeared alongside his gems, like:

[Hot Advice from Scalp-San]

(screenshots)

– “Yoㅋㅋㅋㅋ NewBlack why are you taking notes?”

– “(Dictator-taking-notes meme) O...pposite sex... refrain...”

– “How did NewBlack not laughㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”

– “They say ‘eyes, nose, mouth are precious ecosystem’ but why am I wrecked?”

– “’Cause you’re ugly, even he can’t help itㅠㅠ”

– “Crossed the line from morning this bastard”

– “Give me the face to wreck firstㅋㅋ beauty doesn’t return but let’s have looks to return...”

– “Does this apply to sports too? Think of the freeloaders...”

– “Every time Scalp-San speaks, them holding back laughter is hilariousㅋㅋㅋ reminds me of that elementary-school hero meme”

When it hit baseball and soccer forums, “stay away from the opposite sex, career eternal” was everywhere.

On celebrity-fan sites, his lines were also trending:

[Advice from Shin Scalp I’d Love to Hear My Singer/Actor Give Me]

(screenshots)

“Hot advice from Scalp Shin”

Listening felt like a slap to the forehead:

– “ㅋㅋㅋ helpful advice lol how does he know so well”

– “(Photo of Maeda Shin in his flower-boy days)”

– “A living witness...”

– “If you want to argue, go look at that hair”

– “But it’s factㅋㅋ dammit”

– “Those who don’t get it are truly happy fans...”

– “Drunk-driving Ku-oppah, looking at you”

– “It’s not Scalp Shin, it’s Maeda Shin... is he Satan”

While his lines buzzed through all kinds of fandoms, Japan—the main target—was reacting too.

As Japanese “soufflés” left SNS comments, even non-idol fans were tunneled in by the algorithm.

“Huh...?”

Eriko Kawasaki, a 43-year-old housewife, was baffled by a video she’d never seen.

“What is this?”

She’d been looking for old song or performance clips when a strange video popped up.

Moving to click [x],

“I know that voice from somewhere?”

It was husky but familiar.

Hovering the cursor over the MyTube play bar, she saw the face: Maeda Shin.

A singer she’d loved in school days.

He’d had many fans, but now he was a regular on “Top 10 Completely Flopped Singers” lists.

And...

“NewBlack?”

She’d heard the name too, like Maeda Shin, in a negative light.

“Hmm.”

They said he was a national singer of Korea.

She always felt uneasy hearing his name on TV.

She’d heard about fan controversies when he visited Osaka.

Eyes narrowing, she hesitated.

But every time they smiled, their visuals were a feast, and her cursor drifted from [x].

“Ahem.”

With a display like a French-dessert set, she couldn’t help smiling.

One or two minutes in, she was hooked.

He commented on 80s and 90s hits, included rare live stages you’d normally pay for, making her feel nostalgic.

And...

‘Ah. So this is why they’re famous in Korea.’

She was amazed at NewBlack’s on-the-spot rearrangement and performance of Maeda Shin’s hidden gem “Chō no Ie (蝶の家).”

A fresh shock—she’d assumed such visuals meant weak skills.

‘Incredible....’

Wooju, the arranger, and every member, each had remarkable talent.

If they’d debuted in Japan, they’d have scattered as dancers, vocalists, producers—but here they were together.

No wonder they did well in Korea.

She was captivated watching them breeze through “Butterfly’s House,” especially Seorihyeok smoothing back his hair.

‘So cute.’

His cold expression turned warm like a stuffed toy when he sang, his body rising and falling like a small bird.

His voice was pure.

“...”

Even after the video ended, it lingered.

Eriko typed “Butterfly’s House” into MyTube.

She wanted to hear the original.

As it played on her speakers, she searched “NewBlack.”

“As expected.”

The usual info she knew was everywhere, but something felt off.

Between NewBlack listening to Maeda Shin and the NewBlack she knew, there was a huge gap.

Then she realized: she’d never seen them in person.

‘Next time I’ll watch again.’

Muttering that her curiosity was minor, she turned on MyTube.

‘I need to find the station.’

“Hmm...?”

She was puzzled by “NewBlack TV World”—it seemed self-produced.

Laughing {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} in surprise, she clicked another Japanese video.

Muting her TV news, she settled in.

[Korea’s government is fully backing NewBlack, commissioning regional-development ads...]

In the quiet room, NewBlack’s background music played.

Five minutes, ten, an hour passed as she lost track of time.

When World Channel videos led into NewBlackTV,

their variety show trended on Japanese SNS, causing a ruckus.

They even trended on the biggest portal’s search list, sparking backlash comments and downvotes.

– “Japan’s doomed www only sinking left”

– “Why watch this? Waste of life”

– “Who are you to criticize at this hour?”

– “Korean idols’ features are too strong, it’s overwhelming”

– “Trying to mimic Japanese idols’ friendliness but not easy”

Koreans reading English translations wondered, “Don’t they know how to diss properly...?”

The more it blew up, the more curious people clicked in.

Meanwhile, Maeda Shin’s “Butterfly’s House” began rising on Japanese music charts—offline success contrasted with online hate.

Reactions to the MyTube video were intense.

The dislike ratio was huge, so it was hard to tell good or bad, but

the view count proved its reach.

“Congrats, Maeda-sensei! ‘Butterfly’s House’ charted, right?”

“‘Congrats’ my ass. I’m so pissed I could die.”

On a check-in call, he clicked his tongue.

“When they treated me like garbage, no calls. Now they hit me up asking how TV feels.”

I set the phone down at his blunt “shit” comment, but he sounded in high spirits.

He expected the buzz to die soon and kept himself grounded.

“Charting isn’t that big a deal.”

“Is it not?”

He said Japan has so many charts, it doesn’t feel like a single “we made the Mango Chart!”

“But it’s still good, right? You should be happy, Sensei.”

“Temporary attention for a has-been. That’s not important.”

“Yes, Sensei.”

“Let me give you my advice again...”

We talked for thirty minutes.

After promising another call, we kept browsing online and MyTube.

The maknae, staring at a tablet, said,

“Wherever we go, I see Maeda-sun’s face. That impact must have been huge.”

“It did.”

“‘Getting divorced! Absolutely!’ is a cult meme all over Korea and Japan now.”

Viju asked,

“But is Maeda-sun okay? Didn’t he say he avoids personal stuff?”

“I think the producers asked him first—he gladly agreed.”

He seemed happier about the internet buzz than charting a hidden song.

The reaction was bigger than expected.

We thought one small MyTube post would spark modest chatter, but

thanks to Japanese netizens, it became huge.

“How many downvotes? Wish it was all money.”

“Sounds like old-man talk... ah!”

Rihyeok, teasing Jiho, said,

“They’re idiots. No attention is scarier. This makes people curious to look more.”

“At this rate, they’re dark soufflés.”

We all laughed at Junghyun’s apt phrase.

Shouting “NewBlack! Go away!” made ordinary viewers think, “What’s this? What?”

We don’t know how much impact one video will have, but if it brings new fans, that’s great.

The Japanese downvotes irk us, though...

“A Spanish soufflé is cussing.”

“Here’s Russian.”

“Wow, they can cuss so vividly in English too...”

The comments were chilling enough to trace out body parts.

Since Nine’s MV hit 100 million, foreign comments have spiked.

At that point, we closed the tablet and stood.

“All right. Let’s head to the meeting, minions.”

“I wanna watch more...”

Laughing at my siblings lazing around, I said,

“First one up is Minion 1.”

“Me! Me!”

Viju shot up from the sofa like a bullet-dodging Matrix hero. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

His grin as Minion 1 cracked us up.

We led them up to the third-floor meeting room.

“Hello!”

“Hi.”

A&R and producing staff were chatting.

The NewBlack TF team gathered with laptops.

Today we’d pick our title track and discuss concept details like costumes.

“Did you rest well?”

“Yes.”

As I sat, the producers asked after me.

“The songs—did you submit?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Glad it’s done. Good work.”

PD Na Sang-yoon and others patted my shoulder or gave encouraging looks.

“Actually, um...”

As I hesitated to speak,

The composers, reading my mind, said,

“You were stuck and freaked out, right? It’s fine. Everyone hits this once.”

“I never thought I’d see Sun Wooju stuck on a song.”

“You might worry about a slump, but this happens sometimes.”

They genuinely comforted me, and I was at a loss for words.

“Um...”

I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

Jiho and Rihyeok giggled between themselves, then started play-fighting, while Viju and Junghyun quietly cheered.

Why does my chest feel so tight?

“Everyone doing well?”

The CEO entered with Director Jo and the division head.

After seats settled, Director Jo announced blind voting.

“This is a blind vote for the title track. We’ll play them randomly. Pick your two favorites for the final round.”

All nodded.

In the serious silence, the first song began.

“...Ah.”

It bombed instantly.

My siblings glanced at me; when I parted my lips,

the producers across from me politely lowered their eyes.

Moments of nodding through the intro gave way to “!!!” expressions as they snapped alert.

“...”

The fired-up masses glared with fierce determination.