In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

“I can’t believe you want to make it right here?”

“Yeah.”

Hailey Blue shrugged her shoulders.

“What’s stopping us?”

“It’s not that, it’s just a bit sudden. We were eating chicken and then you said we’d make a song.”

Mouth full of chicken, she asked,

“When was the last time you wrote a song just for fun, without pressure? Can you even remember?”

“I’ve written a lot of fun ones.”

But every time you keep revising, the fun disappears. Working on an album is always fun at first—from the fireworks intro through “Nakhwa.” When you start writing a song, your heart flutters at the thought of how much fun it’ll be. Except...

“Writing without pressure....”

“Has it been a while, right?”

I thought the last time was when I co-wrote “Something” with Senior Seong Jae-won—but even then, the pressure was a hundredfold. The last time I wrote something totally carefree was from when I failed TNT’s debut lineup until I began military service—just freely practicing and playing.

Hailey Blue gave a bright smile.

“I’m not asking for anything special. The weather’s nice. We’re in a good mood. Let’s just play and have fun.”

“Without pressure?”

“Let’s aim to make proper garbage.”

When we burst out laughing, Hailey’s smile grew even more refreshing.

“Those gangster friends from earlier...”

“Teens Spirit.”

“Watching them gave me an idea. Honestly, you guys must have music you want to try sometime.”

“That’s right. I want to try something unique.”

“Maybe a musical number, or jazz.”

But an album isn’t just whatever we want. The more success you have, the more hangs on you—agent, manager, dancers, and fans’ expectations. You can’t break orbit with that weight—like when you really want to rap but you know people aren’t expecting that.

“Exactly. You wouldn’t serve steak to guests who came for pizza.”

She twirled japchae on her fork like spaghetti.

“So some of my energy gets discharged, and the rest just builds up.”

“You’re saying let’s release that.”

“Yep. It’s like time to unleash my crazy side.”

In other words: let’s write any song we want, no cares in the world. She said,

“I could do it alone, but it’d be more fun together. If you’re the fried chicken here, I’m the seasoned chicken.”

“No way. We’re the seasoned chicken.”

At Jiho’s line, everyone laughed. Finally, the blue-haired singer blinked and asked her brothers,

“Deal?”

“Deal.”

Not just me, but everyone looked excited—like painters handed blank canvases and brushes.

“Deal.”

At my answer, she slapped my hand and laughed, “That’s it!” With a flick of her binyeo, her blue hair cascaded down. Behind-the-scenes cameras began rolling on our impromptu proposal.

While everyone sat with eager expressions—

“But....”

Ri-hyuk pointed out something important.

“What kind of song are we writing?”

“.......”

“I know we said anything, but even that needs a framework, right?”

“Good point, Right Leg.”

I praised him; he smiled, then suddenly frowned. Biju said,

“Then let’s each name the kind of song we’ve always wanted to write.”

Starting with me, we each answered.

“A children’s song that’s addictive.”

“A nature rap—like rap in front of a waterfall.”

“A song praising my cuteness.”

“Sometimes I want to smash things madly—so a song where I can break everything while singing...”

After a series of warped ideas, Hailey Blue and we all exchanged glances and chuckled—a camaraderie blossoming in the garbage.

‘Where do such trashy ideas even come from....’

‘We sure found each other, huh.’

It felt like one of those nights where you vow “We’ll party all night!” but end up playing Uno until you drift off. I thought it’d be nice to have a single board-game–style prompt to kick things off.

“Oh...!”

An idea popped up, and Hailey’s eyes sparkled.

“What is it, Sunny? A trashy idea?”

“I have just the thing.”

Back when we sent “Survivor” to TJ Entertainment, Taehyun—trying to prank me—mixed in horror-movie BGM like a Dracula laugh, “Bwahaha! I love garlic!” I’d offered it as a gift; they refused to accept the demo.

“There’s an untitled demo. Listen to it.”

I played the music file. Soon, owl hoots—“Hoooo—”—and insects chirping, then thunder and lightning. Amid the eerie BGM, a guide vocal “Nyaaaah—!” played, sending the staff into a frenzy.

I asked Hailey,

“How is it?”

“How is it? Do you even have to ask?”

From her mischievous look, I knew the answer.

“It’s fucking awesome.”

Her casual approval made us burst out laughing.

It was the most nonsensical composition of my life. The maknae laughed and said,

“Should we add a chorus of ‘Hooooo~’ like a ghostly wail? I’m great at that!”

“Do it. Do it.”

Jiho’s realistic ghost howl had us all cracking up. Hailey Blue gasped between laughs. At first she’d asked why Koreans laugh and clap, but now she was roaring along with us.

“We need a rap here. Here’s where it goes: ‘Nowhere, aimlessly wandering—No air.’”

“Pretty slow, huh?”

“It’s a skeleton-rapper concept. Clack... clack.”

“What’s ‘clack’?”

“A rattling jawbone.”

We laughed at the utterly absurd pun. Writing whatever we felt was surprisingly fun. Honestly, I’d jumped in aiming for content like “Impromptu Composition with Hailey Blue!” but once we started, everyone got serious.

“Since it’s horror-themed, let’s add spooky points that give listeners chills.”

Hailey Blue plucked her guitar. She took my melody, varied it simply, then colored it in her style. I asked,

“What if we subtly layer a gayageum line under the opening? For that string-instrument feel.”

“Try it.”

I lightly plucked the gayageum to add that opening motif—a chilling riff as if dark clouds drifted over a full moon. Hailey Blue’s eyebrows shot up.

“Wait. Then I’ll add this.”

“Shall we sync up?”

True to the top singer-songwriter she is, her guitar intertwined elegantly with my gayageum—like puzzle pieces meant to fit. As I tweaked a gayageum line, the acoustic guitar followed immediately.

“.......”

She smiled and winked without a word. I nodded back, smiling. Meanwhile, the maknaes added chorus “Hoooo~ Hoooo~” swaying their bodies. Ri-hyuk led the chorus with a hum. Suddenly, that song we’d begun on a whim took shape—like splattering paint that, within the chaos, revealed a pattern.

“Actually, this is pretty good.”

“Pretty good...?”

About thirty minutes in, with some guitar plucks, gayageum twangs, and a spoonful or two of human voices, the song was done. We added ideas we’d wanted but never managed before. It was like opening a pot of MSG-laden stew and breathing in that rich, savory aroma.

“I’ll play it back.”

Biju cued the track. It was a bizarre sonic collage, but something inside it shone. We stared at the phone on the wooden floor, then looked up at each other.

“.......”

“.......”

It was good. Surprised by how well it turned out, we blinked.

“Hailey.”

“Yeah?”

“Copyright will be one-sixth each.”

She laughed and nodded.

“I didn’t see that coming.”

“Neither did we.”

“This song’s too good to keep to ourselves. Don’t you think?”

We started it like a horror demo for fun, but the blend was deceptively cohesive. A few ideas popped—some electronic sounds, unique effects. She seemed to think so too. When our eyes met, I knew we were on the same wavelength.

“Is there a good place to work?”

“There is.”

“Perfect. After your tour, our schedule’s lighter. Let’s set it up for you to visit.”

The most important question arrived.

“What shall we call it?”

“I’d like something with ‘moon’—it feels lunar.”

“How about ‘Blue Moon’?”

Not a bad title. Since we made it without pressure, we didn’t care much what it was called. Fun was the key. I offered another thought.

“We’re Blue and Black, so the artist name could be Blue Black.”

“I like it.”

Then we considered the theme. Since the horror season had passed, we laughed as we toyed with it. Listening to the ghostly chorus “Hoooo~,” Hailey Blue spoke with conviction:

“Halloween.”

“Halloween...?”

“I’ve decided. Let’s release it on Halloween.”

Halloween is October 31 in the Anglophone world—a festival where kids dress up and beg for candy with “trick or treat!” It’s when devils and monsters roam. Imagining laughing jack-o’-lanterns with the song we’d just made made her laugh.

“That’s perfect.”

Jiho asked with bright eyes,

“So it’s a Halloween release?”

“Sounds fun, right?”

“It’ll be so much fun!”

As we cheered over “We made a song together!” the cameras behind us lingered.

“......?”

Producer Sung and the staff stared blankly; our managers blinked. Hailey Blue’s team looked equally puzzled. Seeing their “What just happened?” expressions, we burst into laughter.

“We made a song~!”

The maknae danced the little imp dance into the behind-the-scenes camera, making everyone laugh. It had all happened in thirty minutes; I was still dazed, wondering how. One thing was clear:

‘They’ve just opened a branch in America!’

‘They’re going corporate!’

We were embarking on a project we’d never tried before. I thought about the negotiations and promotions that now lay ahead when Hailey Blue held up her phone and aimed it at us.

“Hey, say hi! These are my followers.”

“Hello! We’re NewBlack~!”

She grinned at her live broadcast.

“I turned on live to share something! Today I made an epic song with these amazing friends! Curious? Wait and see! Bye! Stay awesome.”

As she cut the stream, we blinked in disbelief.

‘What just flew by?’

‘What just happened?'

Hailey... no, Hailey just zipped past us. I’m not ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) one to lack execution—yet her speed left me breathless.

“Promotion’s done.”

“.......”

“Don’t worry; I told my followers.”

Smiling, she asked,

“How many followers do I have?”

“About seventy million? Oh, actually seventy-five million now.”

“....... ”

My head spun at that scale.

It took about five minutes to regain my bearings. Thirty minutes ago, we were eating chicken and wondering about writing a song; now it was promoted worldwide. In under five minutes, entertainment headlines flipped:

– Hailey Blue × NewBlack, “Surprise Collaboration Confirmed?”

– Hailey Blue: “Secret Project with NewBlack Underway”

– Hailey Blue: “Preparing a Secret Song with NewBlack for a Long Time”

I hadn’t checked online reactions, but inaccurate real-time articles were already pouring in. A collaboration with one of the top ten SNS-followed artists in America—anyone would beg for that chance. Yet I’d never seen such turbocharged momentum. Then it hit me:

“How’s the article looking?”

I heard that even our Korean concert had been decided impromptu—she’d gone live, seen a Korean fan’s comment asking her to visit, and said, “Let’s go to Korea!” on the spot. I gave her a thumbs-up:

“Your drive is incredible, Hailey. Like going to Italy just to eat pasta.”

“Huh...?”

Her eyes went wide.

“How did you know?”

“I once went to France for wine, then detoured to Italy for pasta.”

That was a level of determination worthy of respect. I pictured Hailey Blue at the White House, then shook myself awake—it wasn’t over until the broadcast ended. I turned to my dazed brothers:

“Snap out of it. Even if a tiger bit us... wait, I’m totally out of it. What gets you through that?”

“If you don’t sleep?”

“If you rebel...?”

“If you charm them?”

Even Ri-hyuk, usually quick-witted, stammered. Luckily, we could handle NewBlack TV interviews. To viewers, we probably looked like we’d been hit by food comas—but we finished the interview professionally. For the final segment, Hailey read fan messages and answered questions.

“‘Loo-bley’?”

“That’s Hailey’s nickname.”

Explaining the Korean fans’ “Blue sister” or “Loo-bley,” Hailey visibly brightened.

“Korean fans, thank you so much for the love. I’ll remember all these cheers and sing my heart out at the real show. See you soon~!”

“Waaaaa-!”

“Thanks to you all. Today was so much fun!”

As the last act, she played a live version of “Blue Bird” for us and the fans, then enveloped us in a triumphant hug.

“It was an amazing interview—no trashy questions.”

“Thank you for the great interview.”

With her next interview looming, staff bustled preparing. Hailey signed autographs and took selfies with our team, then said,

“Let’s finish up the project after the show.”

“You perform well too, Hailey.”

“I’m staying in Korea a while longer—if you need anything, call me. Being with you guys is so fun.”

Hearing that warmed our hearts.

“Playing with big brothers is just epic fun!”

We laughed recalling our downstairs neighbors. When she said to call if anything fun came up, an idea struck me.

“Hailey.”

“Yes?”

“By any chance, are you up for something fun?”

In a small theater on Daehangno, preparations were in full swing for the sitcom Our Family Is Aliens, soon to air on TBC.

“Boxes! Put the boxes over there!”

“Is the magician’s costume ready? Have extra costumes on standby!”

Agent Kim Uju was to perform a “magic show” before the alien family, who’d mimic his powers with telekinesis—obliterating a hundred-meter radius. While staff set up busily, the actors sipped instant coffee in the audience seats. Lead actor Seo No-eul said,

“Looks like we’re ready, sir.”

“Is that so? But where’s Uju? He’s nowhere to be seen.”

“Where’s Jo-seon?”

When veteran actors Yang Ok-bun and Song Hoon peeked around, Director Hwang Jeong-gu—checking the script nearby—answered.

“He went outside to bring a cameo actor.”

“A cameo?”

“Yes. Someone suggested a cameo as the magician’s assistant, and Uju said he'd bring one.”

“Who?”

“They didn’t ask. Just told him to bring a handsome guy or girl.”

Curious if a friend was coming, we heard murmurs from outside, then Uju—dressed as Agent Kim Uju—strode in waving.

“Director!”

“Oh, Uju.”

“I brought the cameo for the assistant role!”

Staff parted like the Red Sea, and in stepped the assistant: blue hair and blue eyes. Scanning the theater with an intriguing expression, the first to react was Scarlet Ara, her eyes going wide.

“He... He... gasp!”

“Hello. I’m Hailey Blue.”

Pfft—!

Ara and the other actors sipping coffee all choked. There stood Uju, his eyes shining like a child craving praise. Director Hwang Jeong-gu’s hand trembled.

‘How is this just a cameo...?’

Instead of fetching snacks, the leader of NewBlack had acquired the entire snack company. ‘Oh my mind....’

He needed to praise them, but he looked like he might faint first.