In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

The auditorium of On the Stage hummed with tension among the trainees.

‘Ah, we really have to choose carefully.’

‘If we pick well, it could be huge...’

‘Which senior would be the least scary? They all seem about the same.’

On a survival show, you had to best the other teams. So the biggest question on everyone’s mind was,

‘...Which box hides which senior?’

Each NewBlack song had its own protagonist.

‘“Masquerade” is Senior Jiho, “Wind Flower” is Senior Biju...’

‘Where’s “Nine”? We need to pick Senior Junhyun.’

‘We’re “Fireworks,” so we should choose Senior Ri Hyuk.’

After Ri Hyuk’s legendary fan cam on a recent music show, everyone associated “Fireworks” with him. Trainees’ eyes darted among the five boxes.

“Do you have any idea who’s behind each one?”

“No clue.”

“There are silhouettes, but...”

They thought they’d tell by build, but it was harder than expected.

“That broadest-shouldered one must be Senior Junhyun.”

“Definitely.”

“Wow, his shoulders are like the Pacific.”

The thinnest silhouette had to be either Biju or Ri Hyuk. The vocal and dance trainers watching beside them chatted too.

Yoon Chanhyuk said,

“I don’t think even our managers could figure this out. It’s surprisingly ambiguous. I thought I’d know immediately.”

“Same here. I’ve seen NewBlack so often, I expected to recognize them right away...”

A dance trainer added,

“I don’t know what they did, but their heights are similar and shoulder widths aren’t that different...”

Their capes made their builds look uniform. Everyone glanced at Jang Sowon.

“Coach Sowon, can you tell who’s who?”

“I... really can’t...”

Even the artist who’d known NewBlack the longest didn’t recognize them, and everyone tilted their heads in confusion. One trainer, unable to resist, tried to sneak behind a box.

“Waaaah!”

All five distorted voices protested in unison.

“Don’t cheat!!!”

“That’s not allowed!”

“Ah, you really can’t wait? Just be patient a little longer!”

They laughed at the embarrassed trainer. Then the broadest-shouldered silhouette raised a microphone.

“To help you choose a mentor, I’ll give you some hints~!”

“One, the Snake!” Their voices expertly guided. A trainer whispered, “It’s Wooju!” and the voice froze.

“No....”

Everyone burst out laughing at the flustered sound.

“That’s a secret. You’ll only know if you experience it!”

Trainees murmured among themselves.

“That really sounded like Senior Wooju.”

“On NewTV only Wooju gets to give the greeting. I must be losing it. Let’s save the others for later.”

“Okay, so Snake is Senior Wooju.”

Then Box One’s silhouette spoke.

“Let me introduce myself~! I’m the adorable Chicken~~! Kyahahaha.”

“Ugh, so noisy!”

“Please be quiet! You’re annoying!”

“Sigh, there they go.”

Trainees unanimously decided:

“That’s Senior Jiho.”

“Confirmed: Senior Jiho.”

Next, Box Two’s Tiger spoke. A delicate figure. The dance trainers said,

“That’s Biju.”

“He dances in his bones.”

“Senior Biju! Hello! I’m your fan!”

The tiger silhouette visibly shivered with delight, and all of us laughed at Biju’s stunned pose.

Then the NewBlack members riffed:

“Hya... why are you doing that?”

“Aiyah, life’s hard.”

“Lost your way on stage~ lost your variety sense~ kekekeke.”

“Finally, it’s Kim Junhyun, right?”

“Uh... I’m not him. Jiho here!”

Trainees turned in awe at the nonstop banter and soon laughed uproariously—so hard that their cheeks trembled. While they absorbed the wrong lesson of “this is how you do variety,” Box Three spoke again.

“Number Three, the Snake! Nice to meet you! There are people calling me Wooju, but they have no clue.”

That was still Sun Wooju. Then Box Four, the Rabbit, appeared.

“Number Four. Hm... if I introduce myself, I have a lot to say. Where to start...”

In a crisp tone, trainees confirmed,

“That’s Senior Ri Hyuk.”

“Remember: Four is Seo Ri Hyuk, Four Ri Hyuk.”

Finally, Box Five, the Ox, spoke.

“Moo... Moooo...”

The distorted bovine moan sent everyone into hysterics. Some sat laughing so hard they collapsed; others grabbed their sides, tears of mirth streaming down.

Without question, Five was Senior Junhyun.

“Okay, that’s enough hints. Now choose your mentors~!”

“But remember—wherever you go, it’s still NewBlack.”

As the BGM cue of On the Stage’s tension rose beneath their distorted voices, the five teams were gripped by indecision. Odds were still 1 in 1—they’d end up with NewBlack no matter what. Though they didn’t know NewBlack well, everyone had watched the recent MiF special.

“Arghhh!”

“We should’ve named our group ATen (80), not A-Ten. My body feels eighty.”

“Can we take just one break...?”

These seniors had been ruthless to their own juniors—now trainees hoped to wring every last bit of insight from them. Kind mentorship from the original artists was an opportunity never before seen in song missions—a lifeline for those desperate to debut. In fact, if the seniors went easy, trainees would beg for tougher critique.

“Shall we head to Senior Jiho first? “Masquerade”—we need to learn facial acting.”

“Definitely Senior Jiho.”

“Our choreography needs work, but going to Senior Wooju, the original “Wind Flower” artist, is best.”

“I want vocal coaching—let’s pick Senior Ri Hyuk.”

Cameramen filmed each of the five teams huddled in serious conference. After about ten minutes, the team leaders—ranked first to fifth in the last individual evaluation—chose mentors in order of rank.

First, the Wind Flower team:

“We choose Number Three, Senior Wooju.”

“But I told you I’m not Wooju!”

Everyone sighed—Wooju was the all-rounder pick. Then the other teams chose:

“Fireworks team picks Number Four, Senior Ri Hyuk.”

“Our Nine team selects Number Two, Senior Biju—we want choreography lessons.”

“Wind Flower team picks Number Five, Senior Junhyun.”

“Masquerade team chooses Number One, Senior Jiho!”

As each team stood by its booth, NewBlack’s distorted voices murmured:

“Really sticking with that?”

“Not changing?”

“There’s something called the Monty Hall problem—switching could up your odds~?”

But the teams remained steadfast. Team leaders exchanged determined nods.

“Yes! We’re going with our choices!”

“Hmm? Really?”

Number One the Chicken—Jiho—spoke with an unfamiliar inflection. The Masquerade team and others tilted their heads.

‘Huh...?’

‘Wasn’t that Senior Jiho?’

‘Something feels off...’

They heard the sound of someone stepping out behind the curtain, then—

Whoosh!

The drape swept aside and revealed...

“...!”

Shock rippled through trainees, trainers, and crew. Emerging from behind the curtain was...

[Revealed in 60 seconds!]

An air-conditioning commercial cut in, featuring our youngest, Jiho, dripping sweat.

[“Phew, it’s hot. Why’s the weather like this today?”]

[“Haha, our maknae’s hot-eyed~?”]

[“Our maknae’s hot? That won’t do—where’s the remote?”]

As Junior Junhyun and Senior Ri Hyuk laughed and searched for the remote, the AC beeped on. From the sofa, Wooju held up his phone.

[“Who still uses a remote? There’s an app.”]

[“Wow, hyung! There’s an app?”]

[“Yep. You can even control the fine dust filter.”]

Biju grinned wide. NewBlack locked arms, smiling broadly as if teasing viewers.

[Curious?]

[If so, go search it~]

“Huh...?!”

Out darted someone whose beauty literally shone. Sparkling in the light, they removed a jewel-encrusted cape and folded it gracefully—a model-like moment. Trainees’ eyes widened so sharply you’d think a curse might slip out.

“Hello. I’m Number One—your presumed Jiho—but I’m actually Wooju!”

With a wink, Wooju’s reveal electrified the Masquerade team.

“I—I was sure you were Senior Jiho.”

“I worked hard to imitate him. How was my acting?”

For trainees with no TVs or phones, unaware of Our Family Is Alien, it was astonishingly convincing. The Number One team leapt up, cheering.

“Oh! Our greeting—Hello!”

“Hello!”

Their team leader bowed sharply at ninety degrees, and dozens of bobbleheads did the same. The initially stunned Masquerade team brightened.

‘It’s indeed Senior Wooju!’

Though not Jiho, it felt like gaining an army of support. As Wooju approached the nervous Masquerade team, he casually glanced over at the other booths. Those at Booth Three blinked.

‘Wait—wasn’t Wooju here?’

That silhouette had looked so buff we’d thought it was Junhyun, and the voice was undeniably Wooju’s—a chilling twist worthy of a horror film.

‘If Booth One is Wooju, who is Booth Three?’

Just then, Team Nine, standing before Box Two, saluted and cheered:

“Hello~!”

Curly brown hair, a boy-next-door face—Biju stepped from behind the curtain, and the Nine team whooped wildly.

“Nice to meet you!”

They returned Biju’s graceful wave with a crisp team greeting and beamed.

And as all waited for Booth Three’s reveal, a lump formed in their throats...

gulp

Trainees and trainers pressed forward.

“But wait—shouldn’t 3 be revealed last, for variety?” Wooju interjected with a grin.

“Great idea!” the PD exclaimed, thrilled, and the crowd buzzed.

Meanwhile, Booth Four revealed Ri Hyuk.

“Hello~~!”

“...!”

That was Jiho in the Rabbit booth. The Fireworks team cheered but blinked in surprise. Jiho winked and said,

“My acting’s pretty good, right~?”

“Y-Yes... amazing...!”

“Imitating Ri Hyuk isn’t hard—you just gotta be petty.”

He laughed conspiratorially, then behind him, Booth Five’s Junhyun emerged. Of course, it was Junhyun. The Wind Flower team, gearing up for their hip-hop arrangement, cheered, but a question lingered:

‘The only one left is Senior Ri Hyuk...?’

Unless second-member Yoon Seokhwan’s booth appeared, it had to be him. Yet...

‘His build’s different...’

To look like the Ri Hyuk they knew, you’d need massive bulking up. Before they could ponder more...

“Ri Hyuk! Come out!”

“Senior Ri Hyuk, show yourself~!”

Whoosh!

The curtain fell away to reveal Seo Ri Hyuk—with a villainous, shoulder-padded cape like some Power Ranger bad guy, striking a haughty pose that was oddly regal.

“Who among you called me Sun Wooju? Step forward.”

Laughter exploded as the trainees and trainers greeted their mentor.

“One, two, three—”

“Hello! We are NewBlack!”

Their greeting earned an uproar of cheers. “Wahhhhh!” Applause and cries of “Amazing!” filled the air as I invited them to sit. Around fifty trainees took seats—down from the original eighty-nine, now fifty remained. In Episode One, forty had been eliminated.

[PBS On the Stage... 40 Eliminated °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° in Episode One, Shocking]

A brutal first round had sent them back to their original agencies. Now forty-nine trainees formed five teams.

“Great to see you all!”

“We’ve wanted to meet you since we saw you on TV!”

Trainees murmured at the mention of TV, wide-eyed—they really believed they’d never see their idols up close. I smiled.

“It must be frustrating to miss outside news.”

“Yes!”

“Definitely!”

Ri Hyuk cleared his throat and stepped forward.

“We thought you’d be curious about the world outside, so we brought some interesting updates.”

Their eyes lit like drill recruits at news from home.

“Anyone curious about what’s happening with the UK and the EU?”

“...”

“Really? No one?”

A chill silence fell until I jumped in.

“How about which hero wins in the latest movie?”

“Me!”

“Anyone not interested should cover their ears now.”

They roared. I slipped in a few mild spoilers about a hot release they couldn’t see yet; cheers followed each tidbit—drama news, film buzz.

“...”

I felt like a drill sergeant in basic training as memories of less pleasant times flickered in. Comforting a sullen Ri Hyuk, I continued.

“But before mentoring, we wanted to spend some time getting to know you.”

“We need to be friends before we can talk freely~”

The trainees, nervous as if world-class stars had arrived, forced shy smiles. We nodded knowingly.

‘I thought so.’

‘Exactly as expected.’

That’s why I’d prepared something special.

“To get closer, you need to share food.”

“Food?!”

They laughed as Junhyun pointed approvingly at that brilliant line.

“It’s not a meal—”

“I brought snacks~!”

The production team brought in boxes and milk crates. When the boxes opened...

“Oh...!”

They revealed trays of souffle bread. The trainees’ eyes widened, but since the souffle craze had peaked and cooled, the reaction was polite. Anyone who wanted it had tasted it already.

Biju smiled warmly.

“This is a new flavor.”

“No way!”

“You’ve only tried apple. This one is...”

Biju paced his reveal for maximum effect.

“Strawberry.”

“Oooo!”

The trainees shouted as they each took two pieces of the new souffle bread. We exchanged pleased smiles—promotion and snack in one.

“Thanks, Senior!”

“Thank you!”

They puffed their cheeks full, grinning. As the mood warmed, the producers suddenly exchanged a furtive glance and passed something along.

“Now here’s some good news.”

The main PD beamed as if delivering a coup.

“We did a survey on which senior each team wanted most—and I’ll share the results.”

“Aaaaah!”

Though teams clamored, the main PD drilled on, reading figures to prevent the warm atmosphere from turning into mutual back-patting.

As my siblings and I perked up, he smiled and said,

“In every team, the majority—your top choice—was Wooju!”

“...!”

My brothers beside me began to look pleased.

The main PD of On the Stage froze.

‘This isn’t right.’

He’d expected team rivalries, shocked trainees, and jealous glares among NewBlack. Instead, the set felt cozy and harmonious.

‘Didn’t they hear?’

As he wondered, Ri Hyuk from NewBlack flashed a sharp look and asked,

“Excuse me, PD—who did you say?”

So he’d truly not heard. The PD, brimming with hope, repeated,

“Wooju!”

And once more, as if for emphasis, NewBlack’s members beamed from behind him, shoulders thrust back in pride. The assistant director whispered,

“They love it.”

“No way...”

The main PD blinked. Instead of the tension he’d envisioned, the whole crew felt enveloped by NewBlack’s warmth—trainees cheered for the leader more than anyone else.

‘Why are they this happy?’

It was like a warm breeze had swept through a record-setting storm of conflict and shouting. From the first take, the main PD sensed today’s shoot wouldn’t go as planned.