In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

The outside became noisy.

Peeking out, Ye Heechan looked at the cameras moving at a distance and said,

“Seems like someone else has arrived.”

“Who is it this time?”

Those seated turned their gaze toward the entrance.

Soon laughter was heard.

“Hahahaha~”

A bright laugh that alone felt refreshing and made one sense how beautiful the world could be.

“I do not know who it is but they laugh so cutely”

“Right It must be the kids”

When Nami Ri and Yang Okbun smiled gently, the three from TNT tilted their heads a few times.

And we held back our laughter until then.

‘They have arrived...!’

It seemed the shapeshifting pretty boys from the downstairs had appeared.

After finishing the vote on what to eat more in the lobby, TeenSpirit entered through the entrance.

“Oh...!”

At the appearance of idols currently topping the idol scene, the members of the Jusehan cast stood up from their seats.

Song Jinwoo said in a flustered voice,

“TeenSpirit is here...?”

“Aren’t they the ones who rarely appear on variety shows?”

Expressions of having hit the jackpot spread across their faces.

Meanwhile TeenSpirit greeted with angelic faces.

“Hello~ We are TeenSpirit”

Interpretation) They deliver that greeting perfectly

I do not know why such a bizarre interpretation flashes through my mind.

Perhaps because of their usual behavior, the greeting felt automatically filtered by my brain.

Comedian Oh Hyungseok opened his eyes wide and asked,

“No... What brings TeenSpirit here ? Are you faces we do not see often on variety shows ?”

Yeonhu smiled shyly and said,

“We share a dorm with NewBlack. We live downstairs. NewBlack lives upstairs, so we became friends. Then we came here using that connection.”

Interpretation) The pork rice is fucking delicious so they told us to come

Junghyun next to her lightly flicked his ear.

It seemed not only I but the other juniors also had TeenSpirit’s words automatically filtered.

Then variety star Nami Ri asked,

“Is it true? Are the two groups neighbors?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my Goodness.”

“TeenSpirit seniors originally lived here, but we moved upstairs.”

“That is really interesting. What a coincidence.”

At someone’s words Hwiyon nodded.

“That is right. We are being formal now since this is a broadcast, but we liked the seniors from the start. Usually we are close like older and younger siblings.”

Interpretation) They look so cool we treat them as respectful seniors

At those words the Jusehan cast and Lee Gyeonwoo nodded while saying oooh.

Only TNT and we quietly turned our gaze and held back our laughter.

‘Ah, I cannot get used to this.’

‘How are they not laughing at this?’

Meanwhile I was impressed by the professional awareness of the Jusehan cast who treated TeenSpirit’s angel mode as if it were ordinary.

When I think about it, there are many in the entertainment world whose real selves differ from their broadcast images, so the school-lunch kids’ minor mischief might be cute after all.

“Wow~”

While they started preparing the cooking again, Song Jinwoo looked around the scene and said,

“This lineup looks like an awards ceremony. It is rare to see idols like these even at the Idollympics.”

“That’s true. TNT and TeenSpirit...”

Watching them say that, Jiho cleared his throat and coughed to make his presence known. We also puffed our bodies out to Uu, to increase our presence.

Only then did the Jusehan cast standing beside us notice our presence.

“Oh.”

Oh?

Ah?

Blinking my eyes feeling bewildered, the Jusehan cast averted their gaze and said,

“That’s right. You guys are singers...”

“Sorry. I did not think of you as singers.”

“Wow! How many hits we have!”

At Jiho’s words of feeling slighted, everyone giggled. It turned out they wanted to tease us.

At that moment Ye Heechan stirred the eggs and said,

“Then NewBlack and TNT know each other because of the show. TeenSpirit and NewBlack are neighbors, so they know each other.”

His finger pointed toward TNT and TeenSpirit.

“So the two groups—how well do you know each other?”

“Ah.”

Hwiyon extended both hands politely toward Taehyun, Hanbin, and Jihoon and said,

“They are truly seniors far above us.”

“Oh no. That is not it.”

While Taehyun waved his hands saying it was not that bad, Nami Ri smiled at the still-standing TeenSpirit.

“They really seem uncomfortable. Look—they are still standing.”

“TNT is scary too. Look at them. They must maintain discipline always.”

“No, no! That is not it!”

At the cast’s teasing, Hanbin was startled and waved his hands in refusal.

Then Taehyun shrewdly said,

“We really wanted to become closer, but we never had the chance to get close.”

“That is right.”

The members of TeenSpirit nodded as they spoke.

“Oh, then let’s become closer through this opportunity.”

“That would be nice~”

Taehyun grinned and extended his hand. Hwiyon nervously wiped his hands and took it warmly.

The atmosphere was heartwarming. It only looked a little awkward, but it was obvious that nobody actually disliked each other—it was more like playful joking.

Sitting down, Yeonhu said,

“We debuted in 2012. The seniors have been active since 2010. At that time we were all middle school students, so...”

As if understanding what had happened, everyone nodded. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

When TeenSpirit debuted, TNT was in their third year at the top of the industry alongside Sixty Seconds.

TeenSpirit began to boom around early 2014, so until then how distant and lofty TNT must have felt need not be said.

It must have felt like entering middle and high school and seeing the third years.

While such stories went around and around and TeenSpirit and TNT were laughing, Song Jinwoo turned his gaze to Lee Gyeonwoo.

“Gyeonwoo, you know them here too, right?”

“Oh, yes.”

Lee Gyeonwoo, who had been laughing heartily in the warm atmosphere, nodded.

The introverted actor who loved quietly blending into the atmosphere hid his burden and greeted TeenSpirit.

“Hello.”

“Woah!”

The members of TeenSpirit widened their eyes.

“Jo... Jo...”

“Jo, nice to meet you!”

“Jo, greetings! I saw you in a drama!”

It felt natural.

Seeing TeenSpirit gaze like curious cats, the Hallyu star smiled.

Then he stood up and went to the sink to do the dishes.

“Wow, even someone that handsome does the dishes.”

As TeenSpirit said that, while I seasoned the pork rice I smiled as if telling them to look at me.

When I was expecting what they would say next, TeenSpirit spoke with slightly cooled angelic faces.

“Um, Wooju hyung.”

Interpretation) Hyung

“Yes?”

The pretty boys smiled brightly.

“Please do not stop cooking. Keep going.”

Interpretation) Stop the useless actions and just cook

Ri Hyuk, Taehyun, and the other lackeys applauded and laughed. The cast watching nearby also burst into laughter.

I kneaded the pork rice vigorously and said,

“My luck with matchups is bad today.”

“That is true. They are all our nemeses.”

While Jiho spoke, Biju gave me a look that said I am still on your side.

Then Taehyun asked TeenSpirit,

“Is it still like that these days?”

“Yes. Last time one suddenly said they wanted to be maknae and said I am coming to Wooju.”

“It is still the same. Still the same. It has been carried on since trainee days. They even want to use a child transportation card.”

“Really?”

At that moment I, who was pouring oil into the pan, asked,

“Um, Taehyun.”

“Yes?”

“When will you leave?”

The Jusehan cast burst into laughter. Taehyun pointed brazenly at the pork rice and said,

“They said they would give us another bowl, so we will eat just this and then go.”

“Just go.”

“I will pay for it.”

“No, I will give you the money. Hurry home.”

Seeing me trying to send them off, the lackeys of TNT laughed.

Then they quickly allied with TeenSpirit.

“Hahahaha!”

As our lackeys laughed at me too, I softly chuckled.

Then the laughter of the lackeys began to disappear.

“Huh...”

A member of TeenSpirit looking at the vegetables Jiho was cutting said,

“Is that right? I do not think so.”

“It is right.”

“But I do not think so...”

Another member raised their hand.

“By the way, I cannot eat spicy food.”

“I cannot eat salty food.”

“I also cannot eat things that are too sweet.”

“Do you serve vegetables too?”

“Um, it seems Junghyun hyung is using the knife backwards.”

It was TeenSpirit kindly meddling here and there, their eyes full of mischief.

Junghyun blew out his nose, and Ri Hyuk wrote in his smartphone’s vengeance list ver.1 the actions of the present moment.

“Senior....”

“Yes?”

Biju gently smiled and filled the six glasses with water.

“Please have some water.”

“Yes....”

The six looked at the glasses measuring angles and then simultaneously leaned forward like zebras in the savanna and drank the water.

Ye Hyeoyeon said as if amazed,

“It is the first time I have seen Biju speak so firmly.”

“So the upstairs people must be very scary.”

When we were about to deny that, Okbun said,

“But they also seem comfortable with Wooju. They stick to that table, not ours.”

Seeing TNT three and us nine crowded around our table, everyone burst into laughter.

Meanwhile the cooking was finally finished.

“Now the pork rice you were waiting for is ready.”

“The pork cutlet is out too.”

The faces of TeenSpirit brightened as they looked at the steaming food.

Yeonhu plucked a few pieces of the pork rice and widened her eyes.

“Wow, shit...!”

Perhaps in extreme wonder she nearly swallowed a curse with the pork rice.

Seok Jihoon smiled triumphantly.

“Tasty, right?”

“Yes.”

“This guy is pretty good at cooking.”

I do not know why he felt proud.

At that, Hwiyon smiled and answered,

“Yes. We know too. Last time we ate chicken ribs together and he made fried rice for us.”

“.......He did not make it for us.”

Hanbin, who sounded extremely betrayed, said, and I said,

“Then you should move here too.”

“Really? We really will come?”

“No. Do not come...”

In the conversation that had somehow turned into a complete mess, the Jusehan cast held their stomachs laughing.

Soon TeenSpirit began eating.

It took only five minutes until the meal was over.

Eating the pork cutlet sauce and the leftover seasoning of the pork rice clean, TeenSpirit offered their plates.

“It was so delicious.”

Like TNT, TeenSpirit gave immense praise but soon looked around nervously.

“But...”

“Yes?”

“Could we have two servings of this as well?”

“Uh...”

At those words the cast and our gazes shifted to the distant crew.

Sending a look that they wanted the guests to stay another moment, PD Koo Jaeyoung replied immediately.

‘No problem.’

Perhaps thinking that since they had invited the top idols in the idol world they could extract more footage from them.

The only problem was.

“Will this be enough ingredients...?”

Ye Hyeoyeon said as she checked the ingredients prepared for today’s guests,

“It looks like it will not be enough.”

“That is right. We prepared plenty in terms of number.”

When assuming TeenSpirit would eat another round, the ingredients were for six servings.

Staring at the container of ingredients we glanced at each other and TeenSpirit hid their expression of “damn” replacing it with a wistful smile.

“We are fine....”

“They can have the rice later downstairs since we live downstairs.”

Yet seeing the watering eyes of the school-lunch kids, we and the Jusehan cast put our heads together and came up with a good plan—a way to include even more rich scenes in this Jusehan special.

“Then....”

Represented by Oh Hyungseok, he said,

“It is just that we cannot serve it now because of the ingredients. Why not go to the supermarket and buy more ingredients?”

“Ingredients?”

“Well, only if it is busy then never mind.”

“No, I can go buy them. Whether it is snowing or raining, I can go.”

Fortunately the people concerned were full of enthusiasm.

Just as TeenSpirit members stood up quickly saying they would go buy additional ingredients, Oh Hyungseok cleared his throat.

“Ahem.”

Turning his gaze to the TNT members who were about to naturally leave, Taehyun and I made eye contact.

‘Footage?’

‘In that case we would be very grateful.’

I called the TNT juniors.

“All of you need to come along too.”

“Huh? Us?”

“You ate, so you need to earn your meal money.”

“......”

They pretended to hate it but thinking they could appear a few more minutes on the broadcast, their faces brightened.

“But we do not know how to buy ingredients.”

“Then....”

He turned around and found the right person.

“Junghyun.”

“Yes, hyung?”

“I want you to come with us.”

“Yes.”

Under the camera director filming the ingredient expedition, Junghyun stepped forward solemnly.

“Follow me, please.”

“Yes.”

Pattering sounds as ten idols walked quickly like in a speed-walking competition at the Idollympics. Then in an instant their backs disappeared toward the exit.

And thirty seconds later...

Pattering sounds as the ten returned.

“Hyung.”

“Yes, Junghyun.”

“By the way, what should we buy?”

“...You were fast.”

At my conversation with Junghyun everyone burst out laughing.

On our side Ri Hyuk swallowed and wrote the list, while on Jusehan’s side Nami Ri wrote the list.

“Then we will be off...!”

I waved my hand at the {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} expedition party who said they would return safely.

Meanwhile Lee Gyeonwoo also stood up.

“Then I will go too.”

“Leaving already? You could stay a little longer.”

“I am going to buy ingredients too...”

At the actor’s figure disappearing wistfully, everyone burst into laughter.

Ye Hyeoyeon said with a laugh,

“But I think this is good.”

“That’s right.”

Then, exchanging a knowing glance between the Jusehan members and us...

And then...

“Ri Hyuk.”

“Yes?”

“Let us write a notice.”

“R-Really? Can I write a notice?”

Our main vocalist who loves rules soon created a notice with beautiful handwriting and posted it.

[Notice on Refills]

Due to insufficient stock, if you want a refill, please purchase ingredients yourself.

It was the first notice in the Jusehan and our collaboration restaurant.

A large local supermarket.

There ten idols wearing masks strode proudly.

Customers shopping stopped in their tracks.

‘What is this? Is it General Yi Sunsin?’

With two or three cameras following, nine of them were walking in formation led by one person like at the Battle of Hansan.

At that moment the young man standing in the middle whose voice sounded familiar said,

“Since it is hard for others to pass, should we walk in a line?”

“That is a good idea, hyung.”

Then like a flock of ducks searching for food they began to walk in a line.

One could not see their expressions because of the masks, but those trailing behind seemed to enjoy it greatly.

“Are those celebrities?”

“Who are they? They look like an idol group.”

“Could be...”

Even those who did not know idols felt a certain aura as if different elements mixed in the atmosphere.

Some walked leisurely and casually, while the few following looked like they were in a whirlwind of youthful angst full of anger at life.

Among them, everyone recognized the one walking at the front.

“...!”

Kim Junghyun.

Wearing a mask and with his hood pulled down, but the overall lineaments were those of Kim Junghyun.

An elderly man selecting fruits for the Chuseok ritual recognized him.

“Junghyun ah~!”

“Oh, hello.”

“What are you doing?”

“I came to get ingredients for the pork rice. But how did you know it was me?”

“How would I not know? I see you all the time!”

At the old man’s words, laughter flowed among customers shopping nearby.

They were busy shopping and did not approach closely, seeing cameras as if a broadcast was being filmed, but their eyes followed Junghyun.

At that level of public recognition, Hwiyon whispered,

“Let us work harder too.”

“Yes. Let us do that, hyung.”

...said the members of TeenSpirit with smiling eyes.

‘Mind your own business.’

‘He is our hyung, you guys.’

During the warm exchanges, TNT’s three members also felt joyful.

“It has been a long time since we shopped.”

“Feels good. When was the last time we came to a supermarket?”

Under normal circumstances passing people would have gone “huh?” but since Junghyun walking at the front attracted all the attention, it was like a pleasantly comfortable obscuring of attention.

Then Junghyun walking proudly was stopped by someone.

“Junghyun ah~!”

“Yes?”

“Have some samgyeopsal here and go.”

It was a tasting corner.

Junghyun showed an embarrassed look and waved his hand.

“We have to finish shopping quickly.”

“Bring your friends too. I will grill this at the tastiest spot.”

“...”

Junghyun turned and said,

“Senior?”

“Since it is just a moment, would that be okay?”

TNT’s three members nodded.

“Thanks to hyung we are eating meat. Love you.”

TeenSpirit made a heart gesture.

As they exchanged conspiratorial looks chuckling softly, some of those watching the masked meat eaters were idol fans.

‘Oh my god...!’

An impossible scene was unfolding before their eyes.

Using trembling fingers, she wrote on an idol community:

[Crazy I am at the supermarket and I saw members of TeenTenNew together]

Amazing;;

Comments started immediately:

Then she realized she had not taken photos and noticed a comment by someone named Souffle.

Following that advice, she changed the subject:

[I think I saw NewBlack Junghyun shopping with TNT and TeenSpirit at the local supermarket]

Amazing ddd

Then the tone of the comments began to change.

Why did plausibility suddenly increase just by changing the subject?