In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Souffles were brimming with excitement.

‘Finally, the competition...!’

From the airing of episode 1 to the release of episode 2 today, that week had felt like several weeks to them.

The atmosphere was more hyped than usual. The reason was simple.

‘The stage...!’

It had been a month since fireworks on Music Bank and the LA K-pop Concert in early August, so this was their first real stage tease in weeks.

Of course, NewBlack TV had posted cover videos—Wooju’s piano rendition of a recorded track, Ri Hyuk’s vocal clip—but stepping onto a stage properly was completely different.

‘There’ll be another legendary stage, right?’

Souffles who attended the live audience and other idol fans had already posted spoiler-y reactions.

They didn’t say exactly which stage, but everyone agreed it must have been something amazing.

With that anticipation, they tuned into episode 2 of IMOVE. But what appeared on screen was nothing they expected.

‘Guys...?’

Biju was giving an interview, and beneath that table NewBlack were wildly waving their hands.

Souffles blinked.

‘Why are you coming out from under there...?’

Why on earth were they under the table?

While Souffles sat dumbfounded at the flashy caption [THE NATION’S IDOL HAS ARRIVED!], other fans were bursting out laughing:

As if to answer that question, the caption [30 MINUTES EARLIER] appeared, showing NewBlack on screen. They’d come to cheer on their tense main dancer, and were debating where to hide, before wriggling beneath the table.

[Oh, this feels good here.]

[Right?]

Watching them giggle, Souffles sighed.

‘Guys...! Junhyun says it feels good, look!’

But the performers couldn’t hear them.

Just as NewBlack were about to slip back out, the door clicked open.

As the contestants streamed in to the waiting area, viewers exploded with laughter. The four under the table froze, eyes wide, staring at each other in disbelief. Souffles nearly lost it at the sight of this quartet of fools.

Then:

[※ This is not scripted.]

A stunned production crew in the control room flashed on screen under that caption, drawing gasps.

Everyone’s eyes lit up. It was incredibly entertaining: NewBlack in panic under the table, clueless dancers above munching sandwiches and chatting.

‘Why is this so fun?’

Suddenly everyone was hooked.

[I want to see NewBlack in person. They say they’re handsome... Are they really all that?]

[Yes!]

At Biju’s answer, NewBlack members bobbed their shoulders in celebration. Then someone teased:

[Biju, what rank are you in looks?]

[I’m dead last~]

[Just joking. Objectively, where do you stand?]

[Hmm... I’d say fourth?]

At “fourth among five,” the hidden members under the table all froze in the split screen. Wooju chuckled nonchalantly—are you kidding?—while the other three glanced at each other like, “Did he say fifth?”

In the cramped space, legs and feet bent Matrix-style, NewBlack prepared to emerge. ‘Are they about to scare them!’ Yet instead of jumping out, they chose to text the crew to announce they were under the table.

When Kim Wooju spoke up:

[If I popped out suddenly, they might get scared and fall—this is their competition, after all, so I can’t have them tripping or getting hurt.]

Souffles nodded, “Ah...”, agreeing that jumping out bare would risk injury. Laughing at how considerate they were,

Suddenly:

“......?”

The table lifted on screen.

‘Huh?’

Four pairs of legs slid out from beneath.

At that moment, IMOVE viewers recalled the brief preview in episode 1:

Rustle—

[!!!]

[AAAAH!]

The screeching laughter and the insect-leg table sent Souffles blinking again.

‘Guys?’

Wouldn’t it have been better to just scare them? This looked like prime trauma material.

On screen, panicked performers scattered, and off-camera the living room echoed with laughter.

“Wahaha!”

As we laughed in the living room, the chat lit up too:

After Junhyun’s legendary beetle meme came the historic cockroach meme. While everyone laughed, NewBlack’s families watching elsewhere chuckled too. Biju’s family cracked up, Junhyun’s family laughed at how he couldn’t lift a member with one arm, and Mrs. Kim Deoksun—watching on her lap cat Nabi—smiled warmly.

“Those rascals...”

“Meow?”

She gently covered Nabi’s eyes and murmured, “Jiji, jiji,” as her laughing grandchild echoed in °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the next room.

After NewBlack, other contestants’ visiting-member cameos played out, then the real stages began—and idol fans screamed:

The opening act’s quality left jaws on the floor. It felt like the broadcast had prepared every stage prop you could imagine to please us. Main dancers from each group teamed up to reveal what they could do in a grand opening.

‘The dancing... is crazy. Seriously.’

Watching principal dancers with commanding stage presence unite in choreography was awe-inspiring. Even better:

The camerawork was meticulous: every cut was clean, no shaky highlights, the stage always in perfect view. There wasn’t a single moment you couldn’t tell what was happening.

‘I understand everything.’

Even without lyrics, the narrative came through. It was truly a musical told through dance.

Each chapter’s intro VCR flowed into scenes that felt like a feast for the eyes.

[Every time I dance, I feel liberated, you know?]

[I just love dancing.]

[Last time, Biju said when he saw the plan he knew he had to be on it. I felt the same.]

Every new stage was preceded by practice clips and smiling cast interviews—showing how frustrated they’d felt not sharing this side of themselves.

They all genuinely loved dancing.

When the fourth team finally took the stage:

[Waaah!]

As on-screen audiences roared, viewers leaned in. Chapter 4: The King’s Birthday Celebration, the hottest part of Eratreia and today’s dark horse.

[Which team are you watching most? Definitely the Apple Team. The balance of Ran, Biju, and Ha ru is perfect.]

[They practiced so much.]

[I’m watching them closely in rehearsal. All I can say is they sharpened their blades...]

While rivals gave interviews, the camera followed Biju, Ran, and Ha ru backstage, shouting “Fighting!” as they walked. Then, amid cheers, the dancers appeared on stage.

‘Oh....’

Against a Three Kingdoms–style palace set, a birthday festivity buzzed. The king lounged on his throne, cup in hand, while the minister shot him a fierce gaze.

Then, as the camera panned, Souffles swallowed at Biju’s visual.

‘He’s insane....’

Wearing a red shawl over his face, only his eyes showed—a sultry red line extending like feathers, drawing every gaze.

Fully immersed, the dancer raised his hand to the sky as court music plucked a single gayageum string. Red lighting bathed the stage, and his body moved with lightning-quick footwork; every twirl curved his smiling eyes like a bow.

Whenever another dancer crossed in front, his stare turned chillingly royal.

“Wow...”

As the music swelled, his dance grew more dynamic. From their folds, short ritual daggers slipped free—blades knotted with red silk.

In their hands, the knives wove through ornate motions. Offline viewers murmured:

“He’s so good.”

“Think they’ll win?”

“Definitely. If you put in this much, even if the back half falls short, they’ll win.”

After the blade dance, NewBlack’s main dancer yanked off the face-covering cloth in one swift motion, revealing cherry-red lips against a sweat-drenched cheek.

Souffles lost all restraint:

While Souffles gushed, other idol fans watched in stunned agreement.

‘...No wonder their fans go crazy.’

The dancer’s decadent, palace-court moves were unforgettable. To nail both menacing choreography and theatrical expression flawlessly was undeniable.

As the music peaked:

“......!”

Reaching toward the king to assassinate, the red cloth shot out like an arrow, embedding in the royal guard.

Viewers unfamiliar with Eratreia gasped at that twist—then:

Snap.

‘Hm?’

The lights cut out, as if the stage had ended. Viewers fumbled for the remote, fearing someone hit power, until:

Snap.

Lights returned.

The lights flickered dark and light again, like frames in a film camera. Each blackout/return depicted the aftermath of the assassination, vivid as a movie scene. Every freeze-frame move earned live applause from the on-site audience.

‘...First place has to be here.’

After Biju’s solo and Ran and Ha ru’s finale, it was clear no other team could top this stage today.

Within moments, the forum was flooded with Biju praise. Souffles beamed, ready to fend off any doubters. Pride in NewBlack swelled.

‘My NewBlack pride is overflowing...!’

On screen, sweaty Biju flashed a wide smile, bowing in thanks. Fans wanted to bask in that afterglow—while, off camera:

“Honey...?”

“Our children’s harvest...”

“A bumper crop...?”

Biju’s parents laughed in delight. Even their normally calm father, excited, dialed friends: “Look, look! That’s our son!” Their older sister Kim Bi-yeon narrowed her eyes, thinking, ‘These hopeless parents...’

She watched her TV brother, smiling: ‘He must be having so much fun.’

When she put her arm around youngest brother Minjun’s shoulder, she noticed his face had darkened.

“Minjun, what’s wrong?”

“Hmm. I remembered I have school next week...”

“Why school?”

“Well—you know how popular hyung is with girls.”

Minjun sighed at the TV.

“They’ll be telling me to marry someone, and it makes me uneasy...”

She laughed, “Haha!”

“No—you have to experience it too. They’ll say I should be his concubine, and I hate it already.”

Minjun’s pout earned a tighter hug from Bi-yeon, as she glowed at her brothers’ success. Nothing made her happier.

After the broadcast, online was buzzing with praise for the Apple Team’s stage.

“Biju, you did great!”

“Ha ha!”

“You made us look bad...!”

“.......”

Their cockroach meme was overshadowed by this stage. A famous pop-culture critic gave episode 2 five stars, singling out Biju:

[In particular, Biju’s ability to embody the concept is unmatched. His talent for understanding and commanding the stage simultaneously...]

That glowing review spread across SNS. TBC, ever-timely, immediately uploaded fan cams and edits, amplifying interest. Episode 2 ratings hit 7.3%, up from episode 1, with word-of-mouth set to push it higher.

“Junhyun really nailed it when he said this would be the worst idea.”

“I feel proud of myself.”

“My dad’s jealous of your talent, hyung.”

And unexpectedly, IMOVE trended in other places.

“What’s this on MeTube...? Why is Biju’s fan-cam so high?”

“They say it’s because of this.”

Ri Hyuk showed us a tablet: American director Sarah Hurst’s SNS account, saying, “This is so incredible,” thanking them for a magnificent reinterpretation of Eratreia, and attaching a clip.

“That’s the original director.”

An elderly man gave a thumbs-up to the Eratreia stage on TV, eyes moist—and we felt it too.

“But what does this have to do with the Apple Team video?”

“Oh, Hailey retweeted it.”

She’d posted Biju’s link on her account—she’s got nearly a hundred million followers, so it had immense impact.

‘Thank you, Hailey...!’

We all bowed toward the Pacific in thanks.

Meanwhile, a few days before Chuseok, we returned to TBC studios for a pre-meeting on the upcoming national variety show Dice Around the World.

“Long time no see.”

A big PD with a kindly face—Koo Jaeyoung, now CP of TBC Variety and the one who scouted us as rookies—greeted us warmly.

“It’s been two years since then?”

“Yes!”

“Welcome back.”

He smiled as he welcomed us home.