In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

“After finishing our enjoyable meat party and standing up, the TinSpirit members saw us off.

““You ate well~!””

““Come again, hyungs~!””

While the members exchanged bright smiles and farewells, I stood in the corner of the entryway and watched with misty eyes.

Then I caught TinSpirit’s gaze.

““Wooju’s going~!””

Cold stares from both sides returned.

“...I’m going.”

Seeing me turn my head with a huff, the TinSpirit members tittered and stopped me.

“Hyung.”

“Hmm?”

“Smile while you walk. Good fortune comes when you smile!”

“...”

“Ha ha ha hat!”

TinSpirit closed the door laughing, and our juniors waved, shouting “See you next time~.”

Silently I pressed the elevator button; my juniors giggled.

“Good tip, right? TinSpirit is the best at countering Wooju hyung.”

“So Wooju hyung has an archrival, huh.”

“Right? Why does he insist on being the maknae for no reason?”

I answered solemnly.

“Because I want to try it.”

“You don’t have to do that, hyung~”

Bijoo laughed.

“How great it is to be the eldest! You can boss everyone around, summon A&R staff...”

“Bijoo. I think you misunderstand the word ‘eldest’ a lot...”

Rihyuk folded his arms and said.

“Well then, I’ll hear your reason. Why do you want to be the maknae so badly?”

“They give me allowance from here and there, I can sleep alone while the staff prepares things. Even if I freeload, everyone finds me cute...”

“Such rotten motives...”

While our main vocalist shook his head, the maknae slipped in.

“Just make me the eldest~ hyung~”

“Agreed. As long as there’s soil under my eyes, I cannot serve Kim Bijoo as eldest.”

Bijoo began searching for “soil” on an online shopping mall.

Watching my juniors pat my shoulders rapidly and shout “Seon Wooju is the eldest! Great!” I laughed.

“Do you think I’ll fall for that?”

“I think you already have?”

“Exactly.”

I’d fallen. My cheek twitched without realizing it, and they giggled.

“But you guys. At least for one day...”

Immediately cold expressions returned.

“Never.”

“Abandon your obsession, hyung. Do you think you’ll become a child again by being the maknae?”

“Ha ha ha hat!”

Ah. Why are my eyes growing blurry?

After On the Stage ended, we trended again on real-time search.

Since the ratings were excellent, positive reactions poured in.

‘On the Stage mentors NewBlack move trainees with warm and powerful mentoring’

‘NewBlack fails at glamorous image transformation as mentors on On the Stage’

‘On the Stage features surprise appearance by NewBlack mentors... “Guess who we are~?”’

Among these, the most attention went to the identity-guessing game. A portal TV Cast post titled “You try guessing too” had no correct answers.

“Before identity reveal: lol how do you get this wrong? / They got it wrong...”

“This honestly would confuse even NewBlack themselves”

“No way... I never expected Rihyuk to be number three lolol”

“We are Soufflé!! Fans also got it wrong so everyone can relax haha”

“By the way, what kind of show is this?? A new NewBlack variety show??”

Some mistook it for a newly launched variety show.

Amid the laughter over that identity game, one meme cracked us up. On an idol community someone posted:

“Doesn’t Rihyuk’s cloak look like the villain Vector Man’s?”

They compared it side by side, and it was so perfect we laughed. A gif of Rihyuk walking briskly in a cloak from On the Stage overlaid with the villain had us in stitches.

“Who posted this?”

“User name ‘Rihyuk is my bias.’”

“You can post anything.”

While that warm ending wrapped up, the most talked-about online alongside the identity game was the scene of us removing our watches.

“Why is this trending...?”

Since it was before practice as usual, we said “Let’s remove our watches!” and did. People couldn’t stop laughing.

“lololololol”

“NewBlack... what do watches mean to them?”

“This reminds me of a past lecture... professor showed how department stores have no clocks, then showed a NewBlack watch photo”

“It calls to mind the Chamber of Time and Spirit haha”

“The fact they do it so matter-of-factly is hilarious lol”

A compilation gif of the five of us simultaneously removing our watches circulated with countless jokes.

An idol community post read:

“Artwork NewBlack would like”

I clicked almost hypnotically, and Salvador Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory appeared.

“Oh, I’ve seen this in art textbooks.”

“Me too.”

Those melting clocks from the textbooks. As everyone laughed in the comments, we had to agree.

“I want to rip them off...”

“Hold back. It’s just a painting.”

Elsewhere fans joked about trainees being cloned, or potato-CG scenes from our advice. Because KM Entertainment’s program aimed to select rookie idols, idol community activity was most lively.

“The reactions seem good.”

“More moderate than I thought.”

We had braced for negative feedback, since on a survival show the participants and their fans might resent mentors stealing screen time. But those critics were outvoted by Soufflé’s numbers. KM’s trainee fans seemed frankly intimidated.

“We really have gained a lot of real fans...”

“In the past, just appearing on an idol show would have had everyone tearing us apart.”

“That was ‘tearing us apart’?”

Before, mentioning our close friend Taehyun was difficult; now such restrictions were gone. Success truly makes everything easier.

Smiling at those fleeting pangs of past sorrow, I checked the behind-the-scenes video link HBS posted.

“Oh...”

@HBS

Guess who came to #On_The_Stage

The surprise mentors who astonished everyone!

While marveling at the high production quality of that behind-the-scenes, a chill ran through the comments:

“2 minutes 30 seconds~~”

“They treated us like beggars last year, now that we’re national idols they’re milking us for verses”

“Why so clingy...? Just flop”

“Even if I forget NewBlack, I won’t forget you”

“Ooh~~ spoon-joining fail... haha”

“Hansung Broadcasting, watch out—I almost passed by but had to leave a word”

“NewBlack, we love you, we support you”

It wasn’t only Soufflé but copy-Soufflé and elders mixed in. A diverse generation united in one place: HBS MeTube’s comment section.

“Grandpas and grandmas are here too.”

Perhaps from our past appearance on ‘This Is My Hometown’ and our Friday regional events segment, elders felt connected. It was enlightening to see how sharply they could insult.

“Oh, right.” Junhyun said.

“Did you know? The elders formed a fan club too.”

“Our fan club?”

“Yes. Grandpa called a few days ago to tell me.”

Junhyun showed us a bustling community of elder fans blinking at us.

[Songpyeon – NewBlack Ah, We Love You]

The café title in garish pink made me burst out laughing. Maybe out of sheer delight, Bijoo applauded and laughed softly. I asked Junhyun with a smile:

“Why Songpyeon?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Maybe they thought young fans are Soufflé. That means we’re Songpyeon?”

At Rihyuk’s hypothesis we nodded. It made sense.

“By the way... how many fandoms do we have now...?”

“Three.”

“Right...”

Soufflé, copy-Soufflé, Songpyeon. My heart fluttered at what might come next.

“But how do elders ‘fan-drive’?”

“I think it’s pretty much the same. They look at photos and give hearts as if grandchildren...”

“There’s a ‘Yumor’ board too?”

“Yumor?”

I saw a board titled [NewBlack Yumor], a space where elders post self-made jokes. It was also active.

[Junhyun opened a restaurant.]

I clicked the most enticing title. It read:

“One day NewBlack fans went en masse to Junhyun’s restaurant and ordered steak. Then NewBlack music played. Fans grinned.

“Excuse me, what song is this?”

Junhyun replied, “Beef.””

I burst out uncontrollably. While laughing, I explained to my puzzled juniors:

“The word ‘song’ (‘gok’) sounded like ‘meat’ (‘gogi’).”

“Oh...”

I then gazed sadly at the ceiling as they laughed. If grandma were here, she’d have laughed with us.

“But this really does suit Ms. Kim Deoksun’s taste.”

I should send her that link later. The kitchen auntie would love it too. It reminded me of humor series from Mom and Dad’s old bookshelf. Seeing elders having fun warmed my heart.

“Should I leave a comment?”

“Yes, write ‘Live long and well.’”

“Now?”

Thus, while monitoring On the Stage’s response, we found new delight.

But not all feedback was positive. We expected some backlash—someone was furious after watching On the Stage.

[You.......]

“Hi, Clay~!”

It was a complaint call from world-renowned choreographer Clay Tyler in LA. His lips trembled. On the video call screen, Clay Tyler glared at us.

[I knew this would happen. I’ve felt something was off. Every time I work with you, watches vanish! Time stops!]

“I’m sorry, Clay.......”

[You’ve finally realized the truth!]

“But how did you find out...?”

[Someone DM’d me. The ID was something like ‘Squid Princess.’ They seemed to hold a grudge against you.]

“That could be.”

I imagined our fan who became legendary after being forcibly sent to Ulleungdo. A grudge was understandable.

Anyway, thanks to that, I could talk to Clay after he’d been avoiding our calls. Of course he wasn’t calling simply because of the broadcast.

“So Clay, what’s up?”

[Just wanted to see how you’re doing...]

“Be honest: you want to work with us again, right?”

[What are you talking about...!]

Clay, about to scold, instead gave the OK sign with his right hand.

“Ha ha ha hat!”

[When I walk around LA, I keep hearing about you. Even regular folks taking dance classes...]

Perhaps our growing recognition in the U.S. made him see it as a career opportunity.

[I heard you’re starting work on a new song.]

“That’s right.”

But another choreographer was already next in line.

“But Hanya Yoon was chosen to choreograph it. It hasn’t been long since the talks started.”

[A step too late—it’s Yoon’s now.]

“Still, if you ever want to work with us, there might be a good chance~”

Whether he’d be involved wasn’t certain, but we did have another music project beyond the album. Clay’s face brightened instantly.

“Really...? What is it?”

“You probably know, but we’re planning a collaboration...”

“Oh.”

Though it was just a brief “Oh,” Clay’s wide-eyed expression on the video call said it all. I thought of Haley Blue slapping a reporter and spitting on someone.

Clay swallowed hard and asked:

“Please tell me it’s not Haley Blue.”

“Ha-hat!”

“I thought I’d die of fear after working with her last time.”

“Uh, it’s time to go to another schedule! Let’s talk again later! Clay!”

“No, wait...”

His face went pale as we waved goodbye.

Finally, September arrived.

The midsummer heat still hadn’t faded, but the approaching autumn was palpable. The breeze was beginning to feel cool. Soon the ginkgo nuts would fall in droves, and Rihyuk would be pinching his nose as he walked.

Autumn was our season of harvest.

‘My Family Is Alien’ recorded 13% for episode one, 16% for two, and rose to 18% in the recent third episode. It absorbed new viewers from the record-breaking ratings of the melodramatic mystery ‘Oh! Mother,’ which aired just before. At this rate, it might hit weekend drama levels. HBS and PBS were scrambling to schedule new sitcoms, the buzz said. And amid all that, I was also receiving attention.

[Kim Wooju transforms into a magician?! Haley Blue makes a surprise cameo]

[If only every teacher were like this... Kim Wooju becomes a school teacher]

[Now it’s a pilot... Kim Wooju’s new disguise]

On the TV Cast rankings for ‘Alien Family,’ my face always appeared. Viewers seemed to appreciate Agent Kim Wooju’s various transformations into different professions.

[I’m a student... there’s no teacher like him at schoolㅠㅠ]

[I’m in a hospital... no doctor like that exists]

[I’m a police officer... sorry]

[I’m on a plane... I’m flying]

[I work in the industry and the accuracy is perfect +_+ Clearly Wooju-nim did a lot of research! But in reality no one looks like that...ㅠㅠ]

It was worth conducting field research, contacting acquaintances, and receiving tips from special forces. A pastry chef in Taiwan showed me helpful hand gestures. It was satisfying to infuse those details into my acting.

Meanwhile, while the drama I appeared in was doing well, Bijoo’s show aired the next day.

“But the reactions aren’t great....” Bijoo sounded discouraged.

That was understandable:

Ordinary viewers didn’t care much since it was a dance show, and idol fans doubted its quality. Fair reaction—if I hadn’t seen the competition or VCR, I’d think “Huh? Fifteen idols? The format is dance competition...?”

Bijoo, who excitedly started web-surfing, grew glum each time he saw such comments.

“Don’t worry so much, Bijoo.”

“I’m just afraid it might flop.”

“It’s a show Junhyun said would flop.”

“Ah......”

Since we filtered the show through every possible lens before joining, we weren’t too worried. Bijoo finally relaxed.

Thus, with Bijoo’s competition and Rihyuk’s OST release date approaching, and Junhyun’s mixtape nearly finished, it was time to confirm the results of our hard work one by one. And among us, the one who worked most secretly returned with his own result.

“Hyungs!”

“Hmm?”

“I’m in a web drama now!”

September 1. Thursday.

Jiho’s web drama, which he had joined without telling us any details, premiered that day.

“Gather ’round!”

We sat in the living room, and the puffed-up maknae announced, then tapped the MeTube thumbnail. The screen overflowed with game content, and with the remote Jiho navigated to the production company’s channel, where “Shin-Eui Episode 1” caught our eye.

“Ahem ahem.”

Jiho cleared his throat, holding an unofficial press conference.

“So the title means ‘mysterious and strange,’ hence ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ ‘Shin,’” he said.

“Yo~!”

“Quiet down...”

“Yeoh......”

We averted our eyes from the glaring maknae.

“The scriptwriter is the Sleep writer, and the director is also very famous.”

“But is it a web drama?”

“Yes. Since it’s on MeTube, it’s a web drama~ Watch, hyungs. It’s like variety but debuting idols get called idols.”

“Makes sense.”

Our maknae explained the web drama and then asked,

“Any questions~?”

“Tell us what it’s about.”

“You’ll know once you watch it~”

Jiho still refused to spoil the plot.

‘What kind of content is this?’

‘Is it weird?’

‘But he’s smiling...’

His grin, as if savoring our reactions, felt ominous.

When the living-room lights went out and we clicked the thumbnail—

“...!”

The moment the first scene appeared, we understood why the maknae had held back spoilers until now.