In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

I asked those who sent messages to check with Grandma if the logo was okay.

“I think it’s fine, but......”

I wasn’t sure how Grandma would react.

Ri Hyuk zoomed in on the image and said, “It feels kind of off. The design is pretty, but Grandma seems like she’d want something......”

“Like Wooju standing behind Junhyun,” Jiho added.

What did that mean?

“Junhyun.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“Want to pose once?”

Junhyun stood in front of me with his arms folded, and I slipped in behind him. Jiho pointed and said, “That’s it! Like the boss standing behind the squad leader.”

“Oh, right! Like when you thought someone was dead and then a new villain appears behind them.”

I understood the feeling, but...

“Is that really a fitting logo for bulbaek?”

“Isn’t it weird for idols to launch a bulbaek recipe in the first place?”

“That is true,” Ri Hyuk conceded with unexpected logic.

“Then let’s leave the logo choice to Grandma. If she likes it, we’ll go with it.”

Everyone nodded as if agreeing.

We stowed our phones and switched the channel back to TBC. “Oh! Mother” was airing in the slot before Our Family Is Alien.

A weekend drama that easily surpassed 30 percent ratings, it told the story of a former shaman–turned–mother-in-law and a police officer mother investigating the mysterious death of a daughter and daughter-in-law.

“They say it’s really good,” Biju said.

“Minjun said Mom’s been watching that and Our Family Is Alien back-to-back lately.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, they’re having a scene where an evil spirit possesses the mother-in-law......”

Biju explained the plot, but I only half followed. On screen, exorcists conducting a ritual cry “Damn it!” as the mother-in-law scuttles on all fours.

Jiho and I watched with soft expressions.

“That must be exhausting.”

“Right? Crawling on all fours takes serious stamina.”

“But you did it easily, hyung.”

“I had technique.”

Because I’ve been acting lately, whenever I watch films or dramas, I notice first how the actors and crew must have struggled.

In any case, I was grateful that the show airing before mine was drawing such buzz.

“Hyung.”

“Ah, you startled me.”

Upside-down, I saw Junhyun doing handstand push-ups.

“Has my episode breached 20 percent yet?”

“It did last time.”

“Riding on Oh! Mother’s ratings, we just cracked 20 percent.”

Junhyun, popping a peanut from Jiho, asked, “Will it go up again after today’s episode?”

“Probably...?”

Today’s seventh episode was set to take a slight tonal turn. Not by changing the sitcom’s mood, but by dropping an important story seed to propel the main plot.

In the latter half of today’s episode, Kim Wooju’s backstory would be revealed. What was the orb he fiddled with in episode one? What were the beads Seo Noeul had stored beneath the UFO?

My siblings, curious, began guessing like twenty questions.

“Maybe it’s an alien marker? Wooju’s the alien, and they recognize each other by it,” Biju suggested.

“No.”

“Then... a lighthouse orb that shows the way?”

“Nope.”

As talk of bombs versus jewels flew, Our Family Is Alien’s logo appeared in the top right of the screen. I smiled at my curious siblings and said, “It’s starting. If you’re curious, watch it yourself.”

Our Family Is Alien, the sitcom that just broke 20 percent ratings, ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) was in the midst of a surge in popularity. Outside of unbeatable weekend dramas, any mini-series exceeding 15 percent would land in the 2016 top five.

Granted, it followed a popular weekend drama, but even so, it was remarkable—Sunday night was usually reserved for low-rated shows.

Because of that, viewers tuned in once again for Our Family Is Alien.

“I’ll watch this too before turning off the TV.”

After Oh! Mother, the sitcom would begin immediately. Viewers waited through the ads.

The show’s appeal was simple: it was entertaining.

[“Buy it! Apples...!”]

[“What?”]

[“Just buy it!”]

In episode six, to repay a benefactor, the alien family went back in time and urged him to buy stock in Apple Phone Company, only to bankrupt himself starting an orchard. To fix it, they used the time machine again, got the timeline tangled, and Wooju suffered hugely—much to the audience’s delight.

Hence the nicknames:

– “Alien family enters second half... the myth of Young-go Wooju continues”

– “[Column] ‘Young-go Kim Wooju’: a 21st-century Gomildong myth”

– “[OH! Focus] Why are we drawn to Kim Wooju?”

Despite his cold efficiency, Kim Wooju’s actions endeared him to viewers.

“Sigh....”

“You should’ve lived more kindly.”

“Junhyun.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“Up! Eugh—up! Up!”

Though “Young-go Wooju” himself teared up at the nickname, viewers loved the flighty alien family causing chaos and Wooju cleaning up the mess.

When episode seven began, the aliens’ mischief and Wooju’s struggles were in full swing.

Each episode comprised two half-episodes, so it was now episodes 13 and 14. Episode 13 was typical: the alien family staged a magic show to earn money and drew CIA-level attention. Wooju, understanding the stakes, panted, [“Just... please be still!”]

Because of their ordeal, episode 14 began with Wooju in bed, tossing his head side to side as the faint afterimages of the incident buzzed in his mind.

[“Agent!”]

[“Ugh....”]

[“Aaaaagent~!”]

Suddenly the echoing voice snapped to reality, and Wooju’s eyes shot open. On the window side floated the alien family, Maltese dog included, watching him.

Wooju’s eyes widened, then he collapsed unconscious.

“Wooju hyung’s collapsed!”

“A rare sight!”

“We have to screenshot! I thought he wasn’t actually sick......”

While NewBlack cheered at the scene, fans on the couch hit the screenshot button.

“How is he so handsome?”

Wooju lay sideways, hair tousled on the pillow, and fans swooned.

“Thank you, director! Bless you!”

For some reason, he seemed more striking every time he appeared. Doctor Wooju, Pilot Wooju—now the collection included Frail Wooju.

[“Are you okay?”]

[“Yes, I’m fine. Just a slight fever.”]

[“No, we’re not okay......”]

[“Really, I’m fine.”]

Wooju shook his hand politely, and the aliens’ eyes glistened.

[“We’ll nurse you!”]

[“...Then please.”]

The aliens’ zany nursing began: a ten-layer wet-towel tower on Wooju’s forehead had viewers laughing. They even sang their homeland lullaby in low-frequency tones to cheer him on.

Eventually Wooju chased them away with an excuse.

[“I want something.”]

[“Yes—just say it!”]

[“Could you get me some Sipjeondaebo-tang?”]

The aliens rushed off to fetch the herbal soup. Back in the bedroom, Seo Noeul gently wiped Wooju’s sweat-dappled brow and asked softly, [“Agent.”]

[“Yes?”]

[“I’m curious—why are you so good to us?”]

[“I don’t understand the question’s intent......”]

An alien asked a human, [“We’ve caused so much trouble—other agents fled in disgust, but you stayed. It’s strange.”]

[“There’s no special reason. It’s just my job.”]

[“Is that it?”]

Seo Noeul’s deep eyes filled a close-up, and Wooju struggled upright to gulp water, then forced a smile and said, [“...Perhaps because you remind me of my family.”]

[“Family?”]

[“Yes, my older sister......”]

He lay down again, drained. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Seo Noeul asked, [“Is she like me?”]

[“...Yes, in some ways.”]

Perhaps regretting his revelation, Wooju composed himself.

Then the aliens each took turns nursing him after returning with the Sipjeondaebo-tang. They spoke gently of things left unsaid, creating a warm scene.

[“Thank you.”]

[“Not at all.”]

[“You don’t have much longer......”]

[“I will live long.”]

[“But humans live about eighty years. It flashes by. It’s sad.”]

[“By human standards, I’ll be around a while.”]

The millennia-old aliens wailed, and Wooju donned earmuffs and lay down.

Seo Noeul asked again, [“Why are you so kind to us?”] Wooju’s answer: [“Because you remind me of my grandmother.”]

[“When I see Song Ara, she reminds me of my younger sister.”]

Viewers at home remarked, “Is he delusional?” “He says everyone reminds him of someone.” “Feels like he’s making it up because he doesn’t want to refuse.”

It had been established that Wooju had a story, and fans speculated he must have a strong motive for pursuing aliens. “Is today’s episode linking to the main story?” they wondered, excited for an important reveal.

On screen, Wooju discovered his cold was actually an alien virus they brought—and the aliens set out to cure him.

[“Ugh...”]

Wooju, delirious from fever, muttered nonsense. When his fever broke:

[“Phew. Rest and come back.”]

After the aliens left the room exhausted, Wooju, eyes closed, began speaking: [“Was I eleven? My family went camping once—we built a fire, grilled meat... my girlfriend joined too...”]

Memories of happiness surfaced: “Then... while gathering kindling, I saw strange lights near camp.” That was the first UFO young Wooju witnessed: roaring noise and light. In the flashback, he ran to the campsite only to find his family gone—as if they’d vanished. Then he spotted orbs encircling the fire—eight smoky beads where his grandmother, grandfather, father, and mother should have been.

“What is that?”

“What does it mean?”

“Did my family become those beads?”

The boy’s uncertain eyes flickered. The flashback ended, and the present-day man stood with a determined gaze: a man with every reason to find the aliens.

[“I...”]

In madness-induced ramble, Wooju paused then collapsed again.

When he awakened, composed, he thanked the aliens. Cheerful lines flew, but viewers were fixated on what came next: the aliens sneaking out of Wooju’s house.

[“But you said I look like your sister?”]

[“Right? You said I look like your brother.”]

[“What... are you lying? Just say you don’t want to talk about it.”]

As the aliens chattered away while leaving, Wooju sighed and picked up a family photo left face-down on the table.

“Oh my.”

“It’s real.”

Just as he said, the alien family on screen bore a striking resemblance to Wooju’s real family—played by the same actors in different styling.

“So, are those aliens his real family?”

“I don’t think so. Probably just a likeness. They have three eyes, after all.”

Watching the photo, Wooju rose, and scenes intercut: he walking down a hallway and Seo Noeul descending the UFO ladder.

[click click click—screech—]

A safe hidden behind a painting opened, revealing rows of beads. Wooju peered in, eyes steely.

Meanwhile, among the identical beads, Seo Noeul hummed as she counted: “One, two, three......” A smile brightened her face as she moved a bead to create space.

[“More will come in.”]

The screen cut to black. As usual, Our Family Is Alien’s logo appeared with a flourish, ending the episode.

And...

“...Huh?”

“What happened?”

“Wait, what does that mean?”

Viewers watching Our Family Is Alien erupted in chatter.

Shortly after the broadcast, fan sites exploded with posts.

“Today’s immersion level was insane!”

“The twist at the end was epic.”

“Last episode was a laugh riot, so I thought today was slow, but I’ve been stunned for thirty minutes.”

“It was hilarious lol.”

“I missed today’s episode—was the tone different?”

“No, it stayed sitcom-y, but they dropped a huge seed at the end like episode one.”

The dropped seed left everyone curious.

“So are the alien family the ones who turned Wooju’s family into beads?”

“No way.”

“Could be the technology of that alien race, though.”

“Probably not—they have different UFO shapes.”

“Oh.”

“I thought it was explained, but now I have more questions.”

“This gave me chills.”

It was the episode that explained Wooju’s obsession: to recover his family turned into beads. Fans predicted the finale would reveal the connection explicitly.

“Please give us a happy ending.”

Fearing the sitcom’s history of bittersweet endings, viewers worried it might conclude with, “Your family can’t be restored. Live your life.”

“I can’t be the only one who can’t stop watching.”

Fan communities marketed the show with posts like:

[(Spoiler) Today’s fandom-blowing seed]

[The sitcom that has viewers guessing]

[3 reasons you must watch Our Family Is Alien (+updates)]

Amid the promotion, reviews praising Wooju’s acting emerged.

“He was amazing.”

“Agreed.”

“It was a one-man show this episode, and he nailed it.”

“He nailed the despair.”

“Always in a suit, hair perfect, then suddenly frail—it was perfect.”

“His best performance yet.”

“Wooju is my new bias.”

Of course, there were dissenting comments—people who hold idols to stricter standards in non-music roles.

“Probably fan bias.”

“His diction was off.”

“I like Wooju, but this praise is over the top.”

“No scandals, but not objectively great.”

“He covers it with looks.”

“Not that amazing—listen to industry reviews.”

Those critiques didn’t gain much traction. After episode seven, lead actors posted screenshots of Wooju on social media.

@Sunset_seo

(a photo of Seo Noeul giving a thumbs-up to Wooju on the TV)

#OurMaknaeIsAmazing

Entertainment reporters monitoring community reactions were overwhelmingly positive.

Seeing the wave of excitement, the Souffles’ eyes widened.

“What a day!”

After the heat of Jusehan and NewBulBaek, now Wooju was everywhere. Fans debated where to get their fix, and comments on Our Family Is Alien articles flew:

“But NewBlack must feel jealous. Wooju probably told them the spoilers...”

“Right? So jealous.”

“Do you think Wooju told them...?”

And indeed, back in the practice room, the leader smirked at his entourages.

“Spoilers?”

“Yes!”

“Want to know?”

“Yes...!”

“Hmm, depending on how you behave...”

Junhyun kneaded Ri Hyuk’s left shoulder, Ri Hyuk massaged Junhyun’s leg knots, Jiho cracked peanuts into Wooju’s mouth, and Biju wafted a fan. Wooju luxuriated, then said, “The spoilers are......”

He swallowed.

As the members’ eyes shone, the leader giggled, “Not telling you.”

“......”

“I absolutely won’t tell you~”

A three-second pause.

Then hands plunged into the peanut basket and began hurling nuts.

“Ah! Hey! Ri Hyuk...? Ri Hyuk? Hyung, you’ll die. Seriously. No, wait—ugh! Did you just throw peanuts at me?”

“Everyone, throw back!”

“Ah! Waaah!”

After three years with NewBlack, the entourage staged their first rebellion.