In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

The JuSeHan cast looked on in awe at the cheering sticks spinning beside the plate of pork bul-baek.

“Jinwoo,” Teacher Woo Jae-yong asked Song Jin-woo, “what’s that lurid glow over there?”

“That’s a cheering stick, sir. We wave these for the idols when they dance to cheer them on.”

“Is that so?”

“Not all cheering sticks are like that. That one’s famous for being especially bright.”

“No matter how you look at it, it’s like a military spotlight...”

Everyone laughed at the veteran actor’s remark. Meanwhile, Teacher Yang Ok-boon wiped away tears and said, “Oh, look, tears are coming. It’s making me cry.”

“Oh—!”

While everyone laughed, Junhyun quickly dimmed Dalbong’s brightness. Only then did the JuSeHan cast blink or rub their eyes. We smiled awkwardly and said, “Sorry. We wanted a really dramatic effect...”

“Well, if that was the goal, you succeeded.”

At Yeo Hee-yeon’s comment, MC Oh Hyung-seok replied, “If it had been twice as dramatic, our eyes might have popped out.”

“But could you really use something that bright?”

Jiho answered, “You can’t use it this bright—otherwise you’d get kicked out. So normally fans wave it at medium brightness.”

“How bright is medium? That’s still really bright.”

“Somebody turn off the lights!”

Even after the studio lights went out, the area grew incredibly bright. Teacher Woo Jae-yong gaped. “It’s like midday...”

When Jiho handed Dalbong to me, I raised it like the Statue of Liberty, and everyone burst out laughing. Returning to the shoot, Oh Hyung-seok organized his lines. “The cheering stick is so NewBlack—high performance but strangely uncanny.”

“That’s right.”

As everyone smiled warmly, the topic shifted back to the food. MC Oh Hyung-seok said, “Could you explain your dish for us?”

“Yes. The name of our dish is ‘NewBul-baek.’ We wanted to create a popular dish that everyone would love.”

“Ohho.”

“My grandmother runs a rice-and-side-dish restaurant, and I perfected the recipe through collaboration with Biju.”

As everyone reacted, the camera director approached to film the dish. We waved our hands to spread the aroma, and the director swallowed hard, muttering, “Wow...”

That single word perfectly described the scent. The JuSeHan cast sniffed and swallowed, eyes fixed on the NewBul-baek.

“Wow, the smell is insane...”

“When we sell this at the rest stop, it’s gonna be wild. When customers come in, that aroma will just waft through.”

“What did you put in it to get this smell?”

I answered the curious, “It has my grandmother’s secret seasoning sauce.”

Like on lifestyle shows, we said, “Our secret seasoning sauce,” and added it with a flourish. At the mention of a forty-year-old restaurant’s secret sauce, the cast’s eyes lit up. My younger siblings and I exchanged glances.

“We can’t ever admit it...”

“How do we say MSG?”

With a flush of secret sauce loaded with MSG, it was bound to taste incredible. From afar, the chefs beyond the camera smiled approvingly and gave thumbs-up.

“MSG is the best.”

We nodded in agreement. At that moment, Oh Hyung-seok, still salivating, said, “Shall we taste it? We should all try each other’s dishes.”

“Yes, let’s!”

Before we could react, seven of them surged toward us. Using the chopsticks handed by the production team, they each took a bite.

“...!”

Yeo Hee-chan and Yeo Hee-yeon lifted their heads together, exclaiming, “Oh!” Even the discerning Teacher Yang Ok-boon, chopsticks in hand, said, “It’s not as salty as I thought.”

“It’s delicious, right?”

“It’s flavorful. Good job—you have reason to boast.”

Biju and I shrugged our shoulders in delight. We watched quietly as the cast quietly slurped up the bul-baek. Since it tasted so good, their reactions were surprisingly calm.

“It’s delicious...”

“If there were lettuce wraps, it’d be a hit—dip it in ssamjang.”

As the bul-baek disappeared at a startling rate, the crew behind the camera looked on fondly. We smiled and said, “Directors, come over! Writers, too!”

We approached the camera and audio directors, feeding them bul-baek. The PDs and writers also joined, tasting a bit.

“How is it?”

“...It’s a blockbuster.”

They all gave thumbs-up. After the near-silent tasting ended, Oh Hyung-seok, rubbing his stomach, asked, “Wooju.”

“Yes?”

“Where is your grandmother’s rice-and-side-dish place?”

“In Gunsan.”

I smiled, and Yeo Hee-yeon said, “Lucky us. Before our episode airs, let’s go to Gunsan and try it.”

“That’s a great idea. We can take the KTX.”

We laughed at the thought of visiting my grandmother’s restaurant, though sweat broke out on my back. Once this airs, crowds will flock in. We’ll have to turn ourselves in and clear things up later.

Then Jiho asked, “Can we have some cutlet, too?”

“Come on over.”

We exclaimed and moved toward the cutlets. They were still steaming on a warm platter. Each of us had one cutlet in front of us. Na Mi-ri, the mother figure on JuSeHan, offered the sauce.

“Should I pour on the sauce?”

“Yes!”

As the sweet sauce was drizzled over the Western-style cutlet, my heart pounded.

Junhyun placed a hand on his chest, trembling. “Junhyun, what’s wrong?”

“I’m so excited.”

“Me too.”

As we all stared at the crispy cutlet before us, Ri Hyuk hesitated, “But I’m not sure if I should... we’re on a diet.”

“You’re on a diet?”

“Yes—we’re comebacking next month, so we’re dieting.”

From afar, Mingi hyung mouthed, “Eat just a little.” Seeing our deflated expressions, the JuSeHan cast looked at us sympathetically. Yeo Hee-chan said, “Then just eat a little.”

“Yes, that’s what we’ll do.”

Then I asked my siblings, “Eat just a little, and then we skip dinner?”

“That sounds good.”

After agreeing, we picked up our forks and knives. Slash, slash. After quickly cutting the cutlets, we each took a bite.

“Oh...!”

I thought our NewBul-baek would outperform it, but this cutlet was equally delicious. As we inhaled the hot cutlet, the cast’s eyes sparkled.

“How is it?”

“It’s so good...!”

Director Cho said it reminded him of the cutlet he once bought for us near Namsan.

“How did you make this?”

“We asked around to masters, hunted down the best cutlet places, and learned their secrets.”

“It’s really delicious.”

My siblings silently devoured the cutlet. Chaar-rang! Junhyun reacted intensely—like sparks flying from a pan—while cutting his piece. About three minutes later...

“Phew...”

Rubbing his empty plate and feeling satisfied, Teacher Woo Jae-yong blinked and asked, “You said you’d eat little?”

“Yes, we did.”

“Is that so?”

“One cutlet counts as a small portion...”

Grandparents usually say, “Eat more!” but Teacher Woo just blinked at us. Oh Hyung-seok looked for Mingi hyung from a distance.

“Manager.”

“Oh, yes!”

“Was that really a small amount?”

Mingi hyung smiled warmly. “These guys eat two plates of salad when dieting. They binge on chicken breast and twenty cherry tomatoes...”

“But you call that dieting?”

“Yes...”

“Just now I felt sorry for you, but now I don’t.”

The other cast nodded. “Well, eating one portion instead of ten is diet, after all. That counts.”

“Don’t you think about doing a mukbang?”

“Ri Hyuk, you’re nibbling and you ate two cutlets...?”

They marveled at how much we eat, and we laughed, then asked, “Can we have more?”

“Uh, sure.”

We each ate one more. When both plates were empty, the JuSeHan cast and we looked at each other.

“This is bound to be a hit from the start.”

“Right. No need to prove the taste...”

“I feel we’ll be a blockbuster. We devoured both bul-baek and cutlet.”

As we laughed warmly—

“Excuse me...”

The two chefs waiting to appear raised their hands.

“We haven’t eaten yet.”

At that moment, the cast and we locked eyes. “Oh.” The production team chuckled. Twelve of us stared at the empty plates, feeling awkward.

“....”

“....”

Finally, MC Oh Hyung-seok and I made eye contact. Smiling, I said, “Since the plates are empty, we’ll need to make more. Shall we cook again?”

“Great idea. Now let’s make the real dishes with the chefs!”

As the chefs’ expressions grew wistful, we all laughed energetically and continued filming.

Shwaaah—

While everyone prepped ingredients, a forlorn sound echoed from the center of the studio.

Gurgle—

It was the chefs’ stomachs. Everyone laughed as the chefs, looking wistful, said, “We heard we should empty our stomachs for the tasting...”

“Oh...”

“But there’s no more food...”

“I wanted to try NewBul-baek...”

At that, Biju peeled apples prepared for dessert-menu development and fed one to each chef. The chefs’ eyes welled with emotion.

“Thank you, Biju.”

“You’re welcome~”

“By the way, you peel apples so well. It’s rare to handle a knife like that at your age.”

They seemed impressed by Biju’s knife skills. We smiled and replied, “That’s why we treat them well.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that...”

Another chef laughed while eating an apple at our reply. Fortified by apples, the chefs began assisting with serious cooking preparations—reviewing our recipes, advising on large-scale production adjustments, menu composition, and sales strategies.

“Did Wooju make the NewBul-baek sauce?”

“Yes.”

“Could you show us?”

As he focused on making the sauce by recipe, people applauded and laughed. When I tilted my head, Jiho pointed at me and said, “When you watch, you can see Grandma’s expression when she seasons it.”

“Ahem.”

“Wow, I can picture how Grandma looks.”

With Grandma mentioned, we sent a hand-heart gesture to the camera, saying we love her. Teacher Yang Ok-boon smiled happily.

Meanwhile, my siblings rolled up their sleeves to help. “Biju, help me with the sauce. Ri Hyuk, organize those containers. Junhyun...”

“Yes, hyung.”

“If the kids ask for anything, help them out.”

Watching them move in sync, Jiho popped his head out from behind Junhyun’s shoulder, “What about me?”

“Uh... you...”

“What do I do?”

“You’re ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) in charge of cleanup.”

The maknae’s eyes widened. “I want to cook, too. Can I cook?”

“What’s the difference between guk-ganjang and jin-ganjang?”

“...I’ll just stand next to Junhyun.”

Junhyun welcomed her and draped an arm around her shoulder. As they giggled together, Biju struggled with a stubborn seasoning jar.

“Kim Junhyun!”

“I got this.”

Junhyun moved to help, and the cast laughed. “Aw, how cute.” “So that’s how you help.”

Then Junhyun twisted the lid. Crack! At the sight of the jar’s neck snapping, the JuSeHan cast and chefs flinched, clutching their throats.

“Uh, this is a bit tough.”

Junhyun, embarrassed, twisted it the other way with a pop pop, and they all flinched again. After a few more turns, the jar’s neck popped off.

“Done.”

“You...”

At Biju’s expression—words rising in his throat then sinking—everyone laughed.

“You two must be really close.”

“Yes.”

Junhyun smiled fondly. “I think we became close for no reason.”

“Hey...”

“When I wasn’t even elected vice-head...”

Recalling Junhyun’s memory of the leadership retreat and Biju’s silent trembling, everyone laughed. Meanwhile, the cooking was finished. The chefs, having watched the process, picked up chopsticks and tasted the NewBul-baek.

“...Oh.”

“How is it? Is it okay?”

“It’s really delicious...? I’d pay to eat this.”

At “I’d pay,” we beamed. That was the highest praise from professional chefs. We thought they might not eat this kind of dish, but apparently they would. Eating the bul-baek with instant rice, they would have kept going if no one stopped them.

After checking the cutlet as well—

“You prepared so well that there isn’t much to point out. We’ll just add a few comments.”

They gave a lecture on large-scale production and turnover. During Q&A, the JuSeHan cast asked serious questions, and we asked some too.

“Around the end of Chuseok holiday, there’ll be a huge crowd. Some people might not get in. What menu could serve them? Like rest-stop snacks.”

“We’ve prepared for that, too.”

The chefs proposed good ideas, and we took notes on recipes for sweet potatoes or simple snacks. Thus ended the first round of filming for menu preparation.

“When you actually face enormous crowds, you might feel nervous or flustered,” PD Oh Tae-joon said. “So we’ll do a tasting test—to practice large-scale cooking and get real feedback.”

“Oh—!”

“It’s not a competition, so you can each invite anyone you like—famous or active in showbiz.”

We raised our hands. “PD.” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

“Yes?”

“Can we invite anyone? As long as they’re entertainers or famous?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

We nodded, already thinking of names.

A few days later.

“Is it around here?”

“I think it is.”

In the car, TNT’s maknae Seok Ji-hoon said, “This looks right—see the crew standing outside.”

“Wow, look at all the people.”

Ji Han-bin marvelled at the crowd size—three or four times a normal variety show. “JuSeHan really lives up to its name.”

“Ah, what should I say on camera again?”

Seok Ji-hoon looked at the other two members. “Do you have anything prepared? I get stage fright.”

“You’ve been in this for years and still get stage fright?” Han Tae-hyun muttered as he checked the script. Seok Ji-hoon replied, “It’s not just any show—this is JuSeHan.”

“But how did NewBlack get on again?”

“I know, right?”

It was mysterious. Even at their peak, it was hard to get on Mr. Producer or JuSeHan—top actors rarely appear. Seeing NewBlack on back-to-back episodes was simply astonishing. Seok Ji-hoon said, “If we’d been with Wooju hyung, maybe we’d fit in better on variety shows.”

“Who knows.” Han Tae-hyun shrugged, unbuckled his seatbelt, and said to the manager, “Seongho, we’re getting off.”

“Okay, have fun~”

Through the rearview mirror, the three younger TNT members peeked at themselves and got out. Cameras immediately followed.

“Hello~!” They greeted the camera with bright bows and strolled leisurely down the alley. Nearby shopkeepers and residents, curious, asked, “Who are they?” and the trio smiled and nodded. Entering the building—

“Oh...”

They saw the lobby before the restaurant: a “NewBlack × JuSeHan—Let’s Do Business” logo, with promotional photos of JuSeHan and NewBlack on either side. Laughing at Sun Wooju gleaming in chef’s attire, they took selfies. Then they stood before a kiosk-like screen.

[Please choose the dish you want to try.]

They approached as if it were novel, checking the camera angle. It seemed they were supposed to comment on the monitor.

“What is this?”

“It asks us to pick the dish that looks tastiest? Pork bul-baek or cutlet?”

“Is it a vote? Or choosing what to eat?”

As they discussed, someone popped into their minds.

“Who likes what?”

Immediately they thought:

They knew one person was a cutlet fan.

“Obviously cutlet.”

Just as they raised their hands toward cutlet—

Swish—

From the NewBlack wall poster that had been motionless, Sun Wooju’s mouth opened, revealing a real person’s mouth.

“Cutlet?”

The three scared members’ hearts sank.

“Eek!”

“Cutlet? Taehyun, were you really thinking that?”

“The wall is talking...!”

Startled, the TNT members fell backward onto their butts, then stared wide-eyed at the wall.

“What is this?”

And the realization dawned:

“To be on JuSeHan, you have to do something like this...?”

Behind the poster, Sun Wooju and his cohorts giggled.