In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

I asked with a smile.

“Was that a big surprise?”

“A li, little bit...”

Eddie Green, looking slightly startled, put his hand over his heart.

The producing team’s PDs murmured among themselves.

“I get that feeling.”

“Last time I was digging in the drawer for snacks and the alarm went off—I was so shocked.”

“I got caught in that trap—ugh, these kids of ours...”

When I glanced at the murmuring producers, they quickly averted their eyes and focused on the lyrics sheet.

Hailey, wearing headphones inside the booth, said,

-So that’s your security device?

“Yes.”

-I’d like one in my studio. And you could set off one of your flash bombs too.

Junhyun held up the one-meter-long cheering stick, and Hailey burst out laughing.

-To me, it looks like the hammer of justice. Let’s hope your fans never have to fight it.

I asked with a grin,

“We had a bit of a commotion—shall we continue recording now?”

-Sure.

I glanced at Eddie Green, still tensing his shoulders around the drawers and equipment, then turned back to the monitor and pressed the talkback button.

“I’m going in.”

Immediately Hailey’s voice flowed through the speakers to match the backing track.

It truly was sweet and clear.

This water-fairy singer with blue hair and blue eyes possessed the most crystalline voice.

Like a spring that washes away impurity in myth, like a spotless lake reflecting the sky—blue sensations swirled gently around my ears.

“Nice.”

I waved my hand to Hailey to mean “you’re doing great,” in time with the rhythm—slightly slower, to convey intention. Instantly her singing adjusted perfectly.

Blue Moon is a song about the past.

The past. Time that cannot be returned to. Especially memories.

With a sound similar to classic ’80s American hits as reference, the lyrics poured out at once:

Under the blue moon

I pray

I wish

Hailey’s whispery voice intertwined with the underlying instrumentation.

It’s a tale of memories that can never return.

So the atmosphere must convey a lingering regret for the past.

Like ripples in the mind.

The echoes must linger with reverberation, and the voice must sing those past memories tenderly.

“Hailey.”

-Yeap.

“I liked that—let’s do it again. For the ‘wish’ part, let’s layer the vocals a bit.”

-Got it.

Although we spoke different languages, there seemed to be an unspoken understanding among singers: propose the desired effect, and she’d respond.

-Like this?

“Perfect.”

She immediately caught the nuance behind my words. She was a consummate professional and a wonderful partner.

‘The lyrics of this song are about my childhood.’

Earlier when describing the music video, Hailey had envisioned:

A roller coaster, an amusement park filled with colorful balloons.

A lonely child enters a haunted house where bizarre monsters awaken to greet her.

Under the blue moon, the girl flies with Halloween creatures.

When dawn comes and she returns to reality, she can’t tell dream from real life—only that she deeply wished for family.

The blue moon’s magic ends there.

“That was great.”

-Now it’s your turn, Sunny.

I nodded and stepped into the booth.

In Blue Moon—co-written with Hailey—NewBlack had several parts, and mine was the largest to best convey the song’s emotion.

Hailey had lost her parents in a car accident at nine—no one knows the longing for family better.

“Do great~!”

“If ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) you don’t, we’ll tease you forever!”

I smiled at my bandmates’ encouragement, put on my headphones, and stood before the mic.

Hailey tapped her binyeo like a conductor’s baton, setting accents in the air. Hearing my part, she grinned.

-This is gonna be one hell of a track.

“I agree.”

At her “shibal great,” our producers burst into laughter.

One by one, my brothers entered, sang their parts. Since we’d already rehearsed thoroughly, recording went smoothly.

When Ri Hyuk sang, Hailey and Eddie Green both exhaled in awe and gave thumbs-up.

“He’s got an elephant’s voice in that fish-like frame. Doctor Fish is the ultimate singer.”

“He really sings well...”

“My name is Ri Hyuk. If you call me Doctor Fish, I’ll make you pay.”

We puffed up and extended our hands mock-threateningly.

“Doc-tooor~~~”

“Fish~~”

-Seriously...!

As we layered harmonies teasingly, Ri Hyuk’s cheeks flushed scarlet.

Thus the recording wrapped in warm camaraderie.

Engineers awaited detailed editing, but even the raw takes were superb.

Eddie Green offered his hand to me.

“Keep my card safe.”

“I will.”

I smiled warmly at this American Dobby rolling into our hands.

“That won’t be enough.”

Watching that scene, Hailey told us about her musical Nostalgia’s number work. Eddie Green’s eyes lit up.

-You co-wrote with Frank Chow? Did I hear that right—Broadway’s Frank Chow?

“Yes.”

“...”

“Hailey packaged it that way—it’s not that grand. We just recorded together briefly.”

Embarrassed, I waved my hand, when Eddie Green, having heard Hailey’s words, spun his head.

“Last year’s Thousand Dreams?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“...”

Eddie Green pulled out two more cards.

“In case you lose them.”

I laughed and our crew laughed, striking self-important poses. They stretched out their hands too.

“We’re a package deal.”

“If you take one of us, you take him too.”

Delighted, Eddie Green produced four more cards.

As recording concluded, Hailey stretched with fatigue, and we chatted on the sofa.

“I’m so damn tired.”

“You must say nice things about her, Biju.”

At Biju’s gentle chiding, Hailey said,

“B, every time I see you I think of someone.”

“Who?”

“My grandmother. Good at knitting, good at cooking—I love her, but she nags too much.”

“...I despise you, Hailey.”

We all laughed.

Jiho asked,

“What’s next?”

“I’ll just hang out in Korea for a bit. I didn’t finish all of Ri Hyuk’s Korea list... Oh!”

“...?”

“I forgot about that.”

Hailey tapped her phone and showed the SNS screen.

“These are mentions from Korean fans.”

Usernames like Lovely appeared:

-Sis, if you meet NewBlack, ask for New-Bullback. It’s more expensive than gold by weight!

-People flocked to eat this and turned the highway into hell!

-Top stars got it as appearance fees.

The jokes sounded ominous in translation, but we marvelled:

“Food more expensive than gold that turns highways into hell.”

“So cool...”

“Hearing it like that, it sounds awesome, right?”

I told Hailey, puzzled by Korean, “Want some NewBullback? But it’s a bit spicy.”

“How spicy?”

“Well... on a scale—”

Biju brought his fingers together, did a little roll call, and pointed to us four:

“Between Ri Hyuk, Jiho, Wooju, Junhyun, it’s between Jiho and Wooju.”

“Hmm, that’s manageable. I can eat that.”

While Hailey nodded, Ri Hyuk protested.

Our fourth always objected. Ignoring him, we opened the studio fridge—no NewBullback.

“Oh, PD Na gave it earlier.”

We’d stocked it at the dorm.

“But can we give that away?”

“They won’t need it—no schedule today.”

Someone was originally meant to receive it.

Biju said,

“We can make a new batch.”

“Sounds good.”

I nodded and told Hailey we had some at the dorm, and she said she’d have her manager pick it up.

Then she asked,

“Who was the original recipient?”

“Oh, that was...,” we answered, and when we said they were fans, Hailey winked.

“I’ll send my regards to them.”

In front of Lemon Entertainment—

“I’m coming out!”

“Coming out!”

Reporters sprinted as the glass doors opened and a pop star in black hanbok, binyeo in hair, and sunglasses emerged.

“Hailey!”

Cameras clicked as her name rang out.

The pop star, flanked by earnest-eyed bodyguards, walked gracefully and slid off her sunglasses.

“Any questions?”

...silence.

‘They ask weird questions and swear.’

‘This camera is expensive.’

‘I heard she bites reporters.’

We stared, but only quiet.

“I’m leaving, Korean paparazzi.”

Hailey shrugged and swished her hanbok.

She moved among fans, signing autographs.

“Is NewBlack’s song really releasing this time?”

“Yes.”

She replied kindly,

“It’s gonna be an amazing track.”

“Wow...!”

“So download it like crazy. Spend your money on me.”

“Yes! I will! Can I take a picture?”

“Not really in the mood.”

Linking elbows with a fan, Hailey made the sweetest face for the shutter.

‘How’d she do that?’

Then she returned to her pout, waved, and disappeared.

After she drove away, reporters who overheard the fan conversation began typing headlines.

“Hailey Blue & NewBlack to release collaboration late next month”

User reviews and articles about seeing a famous pop star flooded in.

Online reactions were similar:

‘They’re actually doing it...?’

‘I thought it was just talk!’

‘No way...’

‘Gyuho’s got skills to snag Hailey Blue’

‘NewBlack snatched her’

‘I still remember calling her Shibal sister because of her blue hair’

‘How do we waitㅠㅠ’

‘So submissive it’s crazy lol’

Fans buzzed, imagining the track credited to “Haley Blue, Wooju.” Hearts pounded.

Then sightings of the pop star popped up everywhere:

“Spotted Hailey Blue at Dak Hanmari House”

“Live: Hailey Blue biking in Yeouido Park”

“US pop star here to truly enjoy Korea again”

Meanwhile, a hotel suite live stream of the American pop star went viral.

“Korean fans said I must try this—New Bull-Back.”

She showed the dish and took a bite, reviewing:

“I heard this was a $70,000 dish in Korea. It’s not that much, but... it’s spicy and tasty.”

She abruptly called it so-so yet kept devouring meat.

Seeing pork oil on her blue hair tips made us laugh.

“Oh! By the way.”

Peeling a Post-it from a black bag, Hailey said,

“Tinsprit? I heard NewBlack was gonna give it to them. Not sure who they are—sorry, Tinsprit, are you a singer?”

She searched on her phone and played Tinsprit’s latest song as background, then took a bite:

“This one’s for you. Ah, shibal! Germ bastards! Don’t cling to my bulback!”

She brandished a chopstick in tribute, then frowned collecting fallen bulback.

“Waaaah...”

Six floors up, the Pretty Boys learned the news and stared dreamily.

Hailey saying “shibal” right in front of them looked so cool, confident, amazing. They high-fived in awe.

“We did it...”

“We’re on top...!”

“She swore in the livestream.”

Tinsprit members sparkled watching a foreign singer swear.

Hailey Blue spent the next day roaming all over Korea.

“You really have to be a star to do this. What stamina...”

“Amazing.”

Ri Hyuk, glancing at an online article, asked,

“So she’s returning to the US?”

“No, she’s off to see the pyramids in Egypt.”

“E-Egypt?”

When I gave him a wow look, Ri Hyuk’s eyes widened.

“Re-really...”

“Really?”

“I’m so jealous...!”

“Which pyramid is she seeing? The Great Pyramid of Khufu? She’s seeing the Sphinx too?”

Watching our fourth’s cheeks flush, I thought we should visit Egypt someday too—perhaps a Seven Wonders tour would knock him out.

As Ri Hyuk enthusiastically explained pyramid construction, Jiho yawned and flopped down, then opened a book.

“But no matter how I look at it, this title is weird.”

It was volume one of “I Blew Up My In-laws,” the novel Ri Hyuk had been steadily reading. Our maknae, who normally dozes at text, was now wide awake, skimming the pages.

That was because the novel had been adapted into a drama.

“Hey, Jiho, don’t dog-ear the pages.”

Ri Hyuk cautioned as we set up a laptop in the practice room, gathered close.

“Why bother watching it?”

“We have to.”

“I only sang the OST.”

“Still, we can’t skip it.”

“There’s only one NewBlack.”

“I’m just looking for an excuse to rest.”

“You’re so picky...”

We all hummed and shook our heads. Ri Hyuk cleared his throat and edged closer.

“Just watch it.”

I smiled and asked,

“So which scene?”

“The in-law house explosion scene.”

“Does it really explode?”

“Probably.”

“How does it explode—did someone plant a bomb?”

As Biju laughed, Ri Hyuk nodded matter-of-factly.

“Yes.”

“Huh?”

“Really?”

He nodded again and we focused on the laptop showing the HBS channel.

“We have to watch this.”

“They said the in-law house explodes.”

I’d known the synopsis: a kingdom princess from another world is reborn as a chaebol daughter-in-law, sharing her body with the original spirit and seeking revenge.

“It seems the ratings are doing okay.”

Jiho said, checking the internet. As expected of the script he chose—solid but not spectacular, gradually rising.

“But do we really have to watch it?”

“Yes.”

“It’s unnecessary...”

We stared at Ri Hyuk, who kept insisting.

Cross-legged yet trembling legs, hands shielding a flush of warmth, his Adam’s apple bobbing every three seconds.

“Ri Hyuk hyung.”

“Huh...?”

Jiho narrowed his eyes.

“What’s in this drama?”

“Ah, nothing.”

But his tell—“Ah-ho-hot yes!”—betrayed him.

Biju smiled brightly.

“Seems like there’s something.”

“No there isn’t.”

We laughed and turned to the laptop.

The ad for Lee Gyeonwoo ended, age rating flashed, and the drama began.

Ten minutes later—

“Oh...?”

We realized why Ri Hyuk had tried so hard to stop us from watching.

Jiho leapt up with excitement.

“Ri Hyuk hyung is making a cameo!”

On the screen, a very pale face was appearing.