In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

The moment that exhilarating intro hit, the audience started bouncing uncontrollably.

‘This is seriously amazing...!’

Matching the maknae’s finger snaps on stage, the crowd clapped their hands in response.

The five in fedoras popped their bodies in perfect sync, and the maknae winked at them.

His mischievous grin and glittering eyes felt like watching a troupe of fairies.

Yeah,

We’ve been running breathlessly

Down this path without a second thought

The following “Attention” was just like the original. Fans who knew K-pop’s hottest track burst into cheers—but as the set continued, the applause grew even louder.

‘It’s a totally different song, though?’

When Rihyuk belted a high note so fast his tie flew back, the stage felt refreshingly cool. If his voice had a color, it would be blue—each phrase felt like transparent blue droplets popping all around.

‘Is this the real “Attention”?’

It showed how vast the gap is between pros and variety stars. Rihyuk landed each ending note crisply in time with the choreography. Junghyun rapped the off-beat rhythms the MiP cast often missed. Jiho delivered facial expressions that drew every eye. And the main and lead dancers... simply perfection.

“Waaaaaah!”

Straightening his long legs in mid-air, Biju immediately spun and tipped his fedora.

‘What kind of move...?’

Each move was so fast your eyes barely could follow—like flip-through flashcards of complex choreography at one-second intervals. As he extended or closed his legs, every motion was sliced into crisp frames. With each side-to-side step, his ankles bent fluidly.

‘How do you even dance that?’

Even Soufflé fans used to Biju’s dance style gaped in awe. The moves demanded such flexibility and core strength that even at 0.1× speed they’d struggle to mimic him. The main dancer’s trademark grin and killer technique drew gasps.

‘Uju is cosmic today....’

The lead dancer, center-stage, performed almost like a photocopy of the original choreography—yet he made it entirely his own, in a way that fit him perfectly.

stop

and keep going

this night’s still long

At “stop,” Uju glided to a smooth halt, mimed checking his watch, then smiled playfully as if asking someone at a bus stop, “Wanna join the party?” He then rejoined the backing dancers.

Just want attention

We’ll have a party tonight

The chorus hit and the suited five unfurled their arms into a fluid wave. Each snap-tight move delivered pure thrill.

As the harmonies adorned the stage, the stunned audience finally snapped back with an earth-shaking roar. From the standing section just below the stage:

“Waaaaaah!”

Close-ups of their faces flashed on the jumbotron—the sparkle under their hats, the radiant smiles at the peak of emotion. The crowd’s cheers intensified, and the dancers’ lines grew even more vivid.

When the rapper flung off his hat to reveal sweat-slicked hair, I thought, ‘I could die happy tonight...!’ ‘This is insane, truly....’ ‘From now on my life goal is to be Junghyun’s microphone.’

Cameras caught American fans clutching each other and bawling at NewBlack’s performance.

‘This is so good...!’

While American fans jumped in excitement, some in the Prudential Center stood smiling quietly—the Korean spectators.

‘...Mr. Producer’s crew would cry if they saw this.’

Though not intended, it was obvious even to laypeople how on another level this performance was. The gap between pro and amateur—it hit home. If Korean onlookers were dazed, imagine how Mr. Producer’s cast must feel.

‘I can’t wait to see their faces.’

‘Someone please record and upload that.’

Watching the masters fly across the stage, Korean fans felt pained yet eager to see it on variety shows.

As the New York K-pop concert wound down amid that fevered atmosphere, soon fancams began surfacing: “NBLK full version” from the third floor, low-quality angle shots galore.

With NewBlack currently the hottest K-pop group in the U.S., Soufflés flapped over the bounty of clips—until one popped up on K-Net’s Mitube channel:

–[NY CONCERT] Attention (The New Black ver.)

After the Paris concert, Mitube saw so many fancams that K-Net apparently decided, “We can’t let them eat our views—we’ll upload the unedited official fancam ourselves.” With ATEN’s hype it was a shrewd move.

Comments from American fans who couldn’t attend exploded:

“WTF”

“Choreo sync is insane.”

“NewBlack’s stage is more organized than my entire life.”

“I imagine dancing in that— IRL I’m just swaying in the back lit by lights.”

“NewBlack’s success secret: they sing, dance, and still rake in dollars just by being adorable.”

“00:37 Uju: ‘I’m fucking awesome’ / me: damn right”

As time passed, Soufflé comments grew even more frantic. NewBlack’s “Attention” truly ignited their fandom.

“Bold man, if you have noon-chi, drop an English version—American Soufflé will take NewBlack to the Grammys.”

“If Korea becomes a monarchy, crown NewBlack king—I’ll be citizen No. 1.”

“01:37 Biju’s movement—is that even legal?”

“If NewBlack tours the U.S., life insurers must sponsor—they’ll give everyone heart attacks.”

“02:47 Junghyun’s English is better than mine—chills.”

“00:37 Where is Gunsan? Is it the city of angels?”

“Me: My bias is Rihyuk / Uju: Think again.”

Across the ocean, Korean fans watching the uproar shyly began commenting:

“Mom, foreigners already fangirled so hard I’m out of lines 😭”

“Those Americans... they fangirl so shamelessly.”

“If you’re Korean, pls endorse this comment.”

“Things NewBlack must do as world stars: 1. Visit Mitube HQ to add comment-translation by language 2. Marry me.”

“00:37 This will be the legendary 37 seconds, mark my words.”

“01:37 Biju guilty.”

“Biju’s parents: Is it a boy or girl? Doctor: This child... is an idol...!”

“Rihyuk, keep it sweet—too much sugar and I’ll have to get implants 😭”

“Jiho, can I call you oppa?”

┕“Hehe sure—if you want to!”

┕“Don’t break immersion with your real voice.”

┕“I sometimes dream of NewBlack—only then did I realize it was a dream.”

“Anyone seen Daegil during sleep paralysis? I heard a black goat bleating in the dark—terrifying.”

As the fancam spread, idol fan communities buzzed with promotional threads:

[NewBlack’s New York K-pop concert stage breaking it down for American fans]

[Why NewBlack’s “Attention” slayed overseas (+ extras)]

[Biju’s main dancer aura showcased here (title updated...)]

Just as detractors appeared with “It’s not that great!” titles, glowing headlines replaced them. Rivalries with TeenSpirit and other boy groups fueled nitpicking contests over every word.

In reply, one more dance video surfaced on Mitube:

–ATEN – Attention (NBLK Choreography)

Uploaded by choreographer Han Ah-yoon’s studio channel—NewBlack danced as a six-piece with her, wearing their stage outfits. The slow-camera footage highlighting the lines erased the last of the criticism, replaced by praise:

“They really can dance...”

“Wow, so this was the real Attention stage lol.”

“Example poster: If you think it’s easy, try it yourself, seniors.”

“They would do it if asked... the juniors probably had no idea.”

“Why you ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ shouldn’t let NewBlack produce you: two months of hellish training to boost your skills, then blocked from No. 1 by their own song, and as thanks they mock you.”

“Says a jerk, lol.”

“They revivified Bulkkotnori but stabbed ATEN right in the heart—legendary repay.”

“Bulkkotnori really means Ujuseon’s explosive personality.”

“If I were those aunts, I’d be heart-broken.”

And it was true.

“......”

When Mr. Producer’s eighth episode aired—finally ending the idol special—MiP cast members shivered.

“Served as a thank-you cover for Bulkkotnori... and then you drop the real Attention!”

The main vocalist had gone wild, the main and lead dancers strutted the stage like a moving walkway—it felt like “Ta-da! The real Attention, revealed!” MiP’s members trembled in both body and spirit.

“Gahhhh!”

The producers inflicted suffering to the very end.

After returning from the U.S. schedule, we held a wrap-party near PBS with the MiP cast and crew.

“You rascals!”

“Hahaha!”

“Turning gratitude into payback—where’s that happened before? We gave you that comeback boost! And... we did nothing, but still!”

The MiP cast’s teases sent us into laughter. The project’s instigator, model Hong Seok-yi, spoke softly:

“Thanks to you, I can comfortably let go of my idol dreams.”

“Huh....”

“Just kidding.”

Thus began a string of good-natured jabs from the variety stars:

“You said you’d give us No. 1 and make us shine...!”

“We thought we had it, then bam—Nakhwa and Bulkkotnori blocked our path.”

“Then you did a stage so epic we looked like knock-offs!”

Imagining the reverse position made us tremble with laughter. As the cast bantered:

“Now, now—stop the nonsense and sit down!”

“Why leave them standing?”

Other staff scolded the MiP members to sit with us. They clicked their tongues:

“We’ve got no allies here. None...”

“Look at Sin Mu-rok’s face. The last time I saw that expression was when his son was born.”

Indeed, PD Sin Mu-rok and the crew beamed—after an average rating in the 20 percent range, peaking at 30 percent, everyone was grinning ear to ear.

“Come on, everyone—sit down and eat meat!”

“Waaaaaah!”

As we cheered and sat, the laughter swelled. We’d rented the entire barbecue restaurant—just like a drama wrap-party.

“To success!”

Glasses passed around with guffaws.

“Meat.”

“Meat.”

We played an endless chain game, waiting for the grill to heat.

“Uju.”

“My hyung, Eui-ji?”

Former soccer star Kim Eui-ji, already flushed, asked quietly:

“You really can’t handle alcohol, right?”

“Yes.”

“Aww, I wanted to share a drink...”

My brothers frantically stopped him:

“One sip at most for him!”

“Even speaking from that distance is dangerous—watch out for alcohol fumes.”

They fanned at his breath as MiP’s writers chased him away:

“You’ve all worked so hard—till the very last minute.”

PD Sin Mu-rok proposed a toast:

“Now that it’s all over, forget your worries. Let’s have a blast tonight! To that...”

“To that!”

“It was fun together!”

“Let’s never meet again!”

At the bleak toast, the PD reluctantly sat.

Ballad singer Ahn Jae-hee poured cola into our glasses:

“You all did amazing work—thank you.”

“Senior, you too—thank you for everything.”

“And don’t worry about those internet rumors.”

“I hardly ever read comments.”

He nodded. After the U.S. schedule, a minor controversy had popped up:

–[Opinion] Fairness in fact: chart-topping NewBlack and MiP

A column asking if variety-show influence to claim chart No. 1–3 is fair competition. We’d expected it—it might look effortless from outside, though we labored through concerts and albums. Surprisingly, it emerged late. With the debate sparked, a few netizens spat venom—but it vanished quickly:

–He always starts this... does the public have no ears?

Mostly because fans defended us: “What else can you do when the song’s great?” And:

–Bring me a producer who can work like that, and I’ll bite my tongue.

–Funny? (Y) All members produce? (Y) A jerk composer who writes No. 1 hits? (Y)

–When nobody else wants it, we make it succeed—and now they cry unfair.

The gist: nobody else could match our grind—so electric guitar-brandishing idols proved invaluable. Seok-hwan-hyung explained:

“They say giving a song to Ta-hyun really shook things up.”

“I’ve heard the rumors—agencies are stepping back.”

Often other labels roar in envy, but my sending a song to Ta-hyun set a precedent: we could write for outsiders too. So they decided, “He might write for us someday—better not act aloof.”

They say even dung has use. Being a top idol once paid off big.

“Hyung, the meat’s ready.”

“Oh? Thanks.”

“Junghyun’s turn on the char, and here’s a well-done piece for you.”

I tore off a lettuce wrap from Biju and returned to the feast.

He smiled:

“I know what you’re thinking—think later, just eat now, hyung.”

“Okay.”

With the project’s period closed, my mind buzzed with next-album plans. I murmured “I am Kim Junghyun” to clear my head, then ate another bite.

A middle-aged man in a short-sleeve shirt burst in:

“NewBlack! Where are you?”

Our PBS Variety Director arrived—ready to smother us with kisses but settled for hugs.

“I hear NewBlack’s got connections with us—after the Best Song squad last year....”

He shook our hands, referencing the hit-discovering show, “My Hometown Is...,” and MiP. We laughed at his pledge to continue our partnership.

“I hear you love beef—eat until you burst tonight.”

“Just moderately...”

“Tonight, I don’t care if I bankrupt my budget—eat up!”

“That I will...!”

And that was the director’s final word—he left supported by staff, bemoaning “How many stomachs do they have?”

Regardless, it was a joyous wrap-party.

“Uju, mix me cider and cola.”

“Okay.”

Instead of soju-mix, I made “sacokeul”—cider and cola. Junghyun snapped off the cider cap, and I mixed at the perfect ratio. The swirl in the bottle made the variety stars jump.

“Uju, be honest—when the cameras go off, do you drink?”

We all laughed as Rihyuk pointed at himself:

“If you don’t move and just sit there, you’ll see every drop splatter on me—I’ll wipe it with my handkerchief.”

That had everyone in stitches.

“That’s the scene in NewBlack TV—vocally scolding the leader but actually loving him...”

“Junghyun-hyung! Quickly!”

“Eeeeeek!”

Chug-chug-chug—laughter rattled on. With record-breaking ratings, the mood was electric.

“Let’s prepare for the distant future...”

“Debut?! Who said debut?!”

“I said I can’t debut anymore... can’t....”

As long as we avoided certain trigger words, it was a perfect wrap-party. Glancing at MiP’s sobbing cast, my phone vibrated on the table—a link from Mr. Mo:

–Composer Ujuseon to co-write TNT’s Han Ta-hyun’s solo album... ‘Epic collab’

I sipped my drink quietly, pondering new work... work....

“Hyung, that’s my cup.”

“Junghyun.”

“Yes, hyung?”

“Let’s meet in a bit.”

“See you soon, hyung.”

Expecting drowsiness, I leaned in a corner and drifted off like a caterpillar into sleep.