In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Backstage.

While rehearsal footage and interviews played on the stage screen, Apple Team was taking deep breaths.

[gulp]

Ran, having moistened her throat with water, exhaled loudly, and Biju smiled.

“Senpai, are you nervous too?”

“Yeah.”

She gave a small grin.

“It’s been a while since I stood on stage, so I’m trembling. I’m just the right amount of nervous. How about you?”

“Me too.”

“Come here. Let’s stick together.”

“Okay.”

Biju, Ran, and Ha ru pressed their shoulders together and shivered, “Uuuuuu,” from the cold and nerves.

A loud cheer erupted as Biju appeared on screen.

Hearing their own screams from the distant VCR, Ha ru gave an awkward laugh.

“But... this VCR is really long.”

“It’ll take about fifteen minutes.”

“...Fifteen minutes?”

At those words Ha ru’s body gave a slight shake.

They had to wait fifteen minutes in this heart-trembling state.

‘I feel like I might throw up.’

Because of the important stage ahead, the air seemed to press down on him from all sides.

Biju called to him.

“Ha ru.”

“Yes?”

“You okay? You look super nervous.”

“Ah...”

Ha ru answered calmly.

“I’m just a little nervous, senpai. You don’t have to worry.”

“Are you really okay?”

Her dark brown eyes asked, Really?

Ha ru hesitated, then sighed.

“...Actually, I’m really shaking.”

“I thought so.”

Biju smiled in sympathy.

“We were really nervous when we first entered the competition round at Myunggokdan too. We drank a liter of water backstage.”

Ha ru spoke to the smiling Biju.

“Oh, right. Senpai was at Myunggokdan...”

Biju nodded.

“I was so nervous back then. Uju hyung, me, everyone was so flustered.”

“Didn’t you get first place then?”

“Yeah. But I actually don’t remember a thing. I think my body just moved on its own.”

He could relate to that feeling.

When he had debuted, he’d felt the world spinning in front of his eyes.

Seeing Biju smile as he recalled the event two years ago, Ha ru thought, ‘Our quality of experience is different.’

Since debut they’d swept rookie awards and now even dominated the Gymnastics Arena as NewBlack.

With large and small overseas performances too.

Climbing higher gave a different perspective.

“You’re definitely less nervous, senpai.”

“No.”

Biju laughed lightly.

“I’m super nervous too.”

“...”

“In the past I thought that doing concerts would make me less nervous, but I’m still nervous before performances.”

Biju stretched and changed the subject.

“If you don’t mind, want me to share a good method?”

“A good method?”

“How to be a bit less nervous!”

“Yes...! Yes!”

Biju glanced at the clock nearby and asked.

“What are you usually doing at this time?”

“On weekends I’m at the dorm... on weekdays I’d be at the company practicing with the members now.”

“Vocals? Dance?”

“Dance.”

“Perfect.”

Biju smiled.

“Close your eyes for a moment.”

“Yes.”

“Where do you usually practice? The Soom Entertainment studio Ran and I visited last time?”

“Yes, there.”

“Now, imagine that studio in your mind. From right before entering, starting at the door.”

With his eyes closed, Ha ru pictured the studio.

–Our 24-hour is here!

–Hey, we could eat tteokbokki in the studio. The lounge is fa... Yes, sorry. Yes.

Seeing his twitching expression, Biju said, “You can erase the others if you want.”

“Oh, okay.”

“For me, I couldn’t focus because I kept imagining Kim Junghyun levitating.”

At those words, the youngest of Apple B erased the crazy hyungs and calmly pictured every detail of the studio.

The amp Kevin had gnawed on in the corner.

The broken glass another hyung had smashed.

Tteokbokki stains in the lockers.

As Ha ru pictured Soom Entertainment’s studio in detail, Biju said, “Now imagine performing today’s stage in that studio.”

“Yes.”

“And... open your eyes.”

Ha ru, who had pictured calmly practicing choreography in the studio, opened his eyes.

Biju pointed to the passage leading from backstage to the stage.

“The rest will be easy. Once you reach the end of that passage, think of the studio you visualized in your mind.”

“Ah...”

“After a few tries you’ll get used to it.”

He smiled softly.

“Think of it as practice, not the real thing. The final rehearsal, not the stage.”

“Understood.”

“How do you feel? A little more relaxed?”

When Ha ru nodded, Biju smiled.

“That’s good.”

They clapped each other’s hands in a fighting gesture, and Ha ru bowed in thanks.

As Biju moved to the others, Ha ru closed his eyes again.

Using Biju’s method, his rapid, shallow breaths became steady.

–Ha ru...? Already struggling?

–Eek!

Biju’s interjection was a variable, but Ha ru felt the tense muscles in his face loosen.

Meanwhile...

‘Ha ru seems relaxed too.’

Checking the other members’ faces, Biju let out a relieved breath.

Apart from their exhausted looks, they all seemed in good shape.

Satisfied, he closed his eyes.

“Phew...”

Now it was his turn to check himself.

‘Hmm, a bit sore, but...’

Except for his knees and waist, he was fine. He could adjust jump intensity to fix that.

His breathing rhythm was regular.

He was nervous but not mentally unsettled.

‘It’s practice. The final rehearsal.’

Closing his eyes, he calmly pictured walking up the passage to the stage.

Erasing thoughts one by one in his mind.

Ran called to him.

“Biju.”

“Yes!”

“It’s time to prepare. Three minutes left.”

Opening his eyes, reality crashed in along with the bright faces of the dancers.

“Alright, let’s gather!”

At Ran’s call, Biju and Ha ru joined, along with the dance crew who’d practiced with them.

Ran smiled.

“Before going on stage, there are regrets and hardships, but leave those below and go up!”

“Yes!”

“One, two, three—fighting!”

“Fighting!”

No more words were needed.

They shouted fighting and bounced in place to warm up.

“Apple Team, standby please!”

At the intercom from a staff member, Biju closed his eyes again.

He pictured the studio in his mind.

Though he hadn’t told Ha ru, there were always four people in his imagined studio.

The brightest people in the world.

The hyung who reached out to him in deep despair, and the friends and younger brothers who supported him during trainee days.

Thinking of his people, he smiled.

‘Let’s do well.’

He opened his eyes to the bustling surroundings.

“Apple Team! We’re going on stage!”

“Yes!”

With a bright smile, Biju stepped toward the stage.

The stage was dark.

As dancers’ silhouettes appeared, cheers rose. Somewhere mixed in was “Universe-colored Kim Biju!”

While the scene-introduction video for Eratreia played behind, Biju bowed his head and looked at the floor.

He erased worry, anxiety, impatience, and excitement one by one from his mind.

‘Empty thoughts to be comfortable.’

He disliked having too many thoughts.

That was why he loved chores and cooking people disliked.

When his body moved busily, his thoughts disappeared.

He felt most uneasy when resting. Like a fish sinking when it stopped swimming, he suffered from jumbled thoughts.

Now every day felt like an apple, but once it felt like eating rotting apples.

The bleak family atmosphere.

The responsibility to earn money for his family and the hazy future after debut.

That was why he loved dance.

When he danced, stray thoughts vanished. No complex calculations needed. He just entrusted his body to the music.

“Phew...”

Taking a calm breath, Biju finally raised his head.

A clear light, like a perfectly still lake, settled in his eyes.

Matching breaths to the music’s rhythm, his hand reached into the air.

Once more.

It was time to be free.

Dancers streamed onto the stage.

Amidst the cheering of Soufflés, we shouted our cheers.

“Waaaah!”

“Universe-colored Kim Biju! We love you, Kim Biju!”

“There’s our hyung!”

Even Street Boys members joined in, shouting “Pretty Biju!”

Scanning the dancers on stage.

‘Who is Biju?’

‘I can’t see him.’

With no spotlight and similar costumes, he blended in.

Suddenly—

The screen behind lit up.

[Chapter IV]

The king’s birthday.

CG-stained-glass-like images moved.

The prince and princess who decided to assassinate the king chose separate paths.

The princess, using the dance skills learned at the troupe that took her in as a child, became a court dancer.

“I will become a dancer. And you?”

“I will join the royal guard.”

The prince, taken in by the blacksmith, was skilled with a sword.

He secured a position in the royal guard protecting the king and was chosen as the king’s guard.

United in a common goal, the pair arranged the secret society that supported them and fixed the day of the plot.

“To kill the king, this day only.”

On the celebration of the king’s birthday, when defenses were lax, they would strike.

During the dancers’ congratulatory performance, the princess would throw her dagger to kill the king.

If she failed, the guard prince would finish the mission; if successful, they would flee together amidst the chaos.

But...

“Is this really right?”

While the princess prepared to assassinate as a dancer, the prince, who had served the king up close, felt doubt.

He watched the real villainy of the corrupted minister and the helpless king and pondered.

Suddenly—

With the screen darkened, the stage lights brightened.

“Waaaaah!”

The roar from the audience and the stage music mixed, making hearts pound.

What kind of performance would follow?

Under the slowly brightening lights, dancers appeared as if a play’s curtain was rising.

In the left-right split formation, the left side lit first.

“Oooooh...”

Ran sat on a separate throne, propping her chin and wearing a languid expression.

Her gestures were listless and emotionless.

Beside her was the dancer playing the guard prince.

‘Isn’t that a famous person?’

‘Yeah.’

He was the leader of the renowned dance crew Ran had booked.

Biju admired his dance skills; he was known in the industry for exceptional ability.

Next to him was Ha ru playing the cunning minister, and Eunsung was visibly excited.

‘Let’s not kick the front row.’

‘Sorry~’

With that, the left-side performance began.

The king, guard, and minister danced together in a unified piece.

After showing a festive birthday celebration, the right side lights brightened.

“Waaaaah!”

Dancers in silk robes draped in red transparent cloth appeared.

Under stage wind, the red ends and decorations fluttered softly.

In the center stood Biju.

Like the other dancers, a red cloth covered his face, revealing only his eyes, but everyone °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° recognized him.

Red makeup swept at the corners of his eyes, and Soufflés in the audience leaped in excitement.

While cheers echoed live, the festive music appropriate for the king’s birthday slowly faded.

“Woooah?”

A hush fell, and voices lowered as if out of respect.

As the red-clad dancers surrounded Biju all knelt and sat.

All eyes turned to Biju standing alone in the center like a dot in a red circle.

“...!”

A gasp escaped the audience before silence returned.

Alone under a thousand gazes, Biju lifted his chin nobly.

The red cloth draped around him swayed, and his white limbs glowed under the lights.

As everyone held their breath, Biju extended his hand gracefully into the air, and faint music began.

Retracting his hand, the full court dance music played.

At that moment, the climax of Eratreia—the dancers’ grand performance—began.

Watching the main dancer bound across the stage, NewBlack’s shoulders rose like Baekdusan and Hallasan.

General audience members stared in awe.

‘This is insane...’

The formation shifted constantly.

One point, then spinning like a pinwheel, then blooming like a flower bud.

With a performance like this, no one would notice an assassination.

And...

‘So this is Biju’s dance.’

Though idol fans ranked him among the top dance lines, he wasn’t well known to the general public.

As if to make up for that, NewBlack’s main dancer soared, trailing cloth ends behind him.

‘He’s crazy. Really.’

Soufflés were in a frenzy.

‘I was born to see this!’

‘If we caught them, the broadcasters wouldn’t get off easy.’

‘Now I can leave without regrets. Go home....’

If their emotions connected over Wi-Fi, the server would crash from traffic.

“Biju!”

He flew gracefully, facing the audience with a proud gaze.

Using the red cloth’s movement, he passed it in front of him like an arrow, then smirked playfully behind it.

Leading the other dancers, the red line circled around Biju at the center.

“...”

Looking around, other idol fans in the audience sat with mouths agape.

It was truly that much of a performance.

By the time the show ended, more than half would be searching MiTube for Biju.

Then—

With a swoosh—

In the final dance, Biju flung the cloth from his face.

As the red cloth drifted down, his sweat-damp, radiant face was revealed.

“...!”

Gasps nearly escaped the audience before music abruptly changed and lights moved from stage right.

The focus shifted.

As the princess prepared to kill the king, a change happened on the king’s side.

No dialogue, but their movements spoke volumes.

[Who is that...]

As one dancer’s face appeared, surprise dawned on the king’s face.

She resembled the late queen.

Feeling a strange pull, the king straightened.

[...]

The guard prince, disguised, noticed the mark on the king’s neck.

Identical to his own.

In that moment, the prince also realized instinctively.

But it was too late.

Dancers from the right edged left, and the princess gripped the dagger.

“No!”

At that instant—

Biju’s hand shot forward, and the long red cloth shot out like an arrow.

It felt as if he saw the dagger’s path.

And the dagger struck...

[...]

The guard prince standing before the king.

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock and muffled “What...?” when the dagger struck its mark.

Then the lights abruptly went out mid-performance.

‘What the...?’

Preparing to curse at an ending like this—

Flash!

The darkened lights flared on.

“...Huh?”

The audience felt bewildered.

All the dancers stood frozen.

It looked like a 3D tableau.

Nobles with hands over their mouths against a palace backdrop, the guard prince collapsed, dancers stunned.

Like a single photograph captured.

‘Huh? Again...?’

Then lights darkened once more and lit up again.

The stage scene changed.

The surprised king bent over the guard prince’s body, and the princess looked distraught among the dancers.

‘It’s like snap shots!’

It seemed to show the aftermath of the dagger strike in multiple images.

[Who...!]

As the guard prince lay dying, the king appeared to roar in anger.

Though unclear where, a dancer-thrown dagger had assassinated the guard.

As the princess stepped forward, the prince reached out.

[...?]

His finger pointed to the minister.

Naming the minister in his final moment, the prince died, and the scene moved to its latter half.

In the finale, the minister’s faction fought the king in a duel.

Lights dimmed where the dancers had stood, and the minister and king spun in combat.

Finally, the victorious king faced the princess disguised as a dancer, ending Chapter IV.

With Eratreia’s future uncertain, the long, slow music stopped.

“Waaaaah!”

Cheering rained down on the dancers in their ending pose.

Close-ups showed the three dancers panting in sweat, then Biju’s smiling face filled the bright stage.

“Thank you!”

He bowed brightly to the applauding audience, his expression both refreshing and liberating.

“Biju!”

Soufflés screamed in delight.

Pride for their favored singer and plans for effusive praise filled their minds.

The camera scanned the audience and panel seats.

Soufflés had to admit their own inadequacy.

In the panel seats, NewBlack stood for a standing ovation, phones flashing.

[Biju? Don’t you smell the scent of grass? Wonderful... Beautiful...]

[What? You say Wang Jiho looks like world’s best dancer Kim Biju’s younger brother?]

[It was a performance like marbled steak.]

[※We don’t know these people. We love Biju hyung.]

Their own over-the-top cheers embarrassed the stars themselves.

Seeing NewBlack laughing happily with phones raised, everyone burst into laughter.