In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

3 minutes ago.

As NewBlack entered Jamsil Baseball Stadium, they were caught on TBC Sports’s broadcast cameras, and the casters laughed.

“At the moment I mentioned, there’s NewBlack.”

When the MC handed over the microphone, the handsome man whose features shone from beneath his baseball cap said something.

Over that, the commentators’ audio overlapped.

“Today’s first pitch and first swing will be by Wooju and Junhyun of the popular group NewBlack.”

“They’re national idols! My daughter loves them so much.”

“They were also a big topic recently for their back‐to‐back hits.”

While the commentators continued their banter, the cheers erupting from the venue were picked up on the broadcast audio.

For a moment, the screen cut to the stands, where groups of spectators stood up and raised their phones to film NewBlack.

“Their popularity is really unbelievable.”

“I’ve never seen such a roar for a ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) playoff first pitch. Their popularity is tremendous.”

“Aren’t they the hottest boy group these days?”

It was the kind of cheering you might hear when the leads of the hottest drama throw the first pitch.

Meanwhile, on the field, Wooju and Junhyun moved under the guidance of the mascot Cheongryong.

Jiho’s face, grinning like a rascal with his cap worn backward, passed by, and behind him the other members watched, their backs to the camera.

“Now Junhyun is preparing to pitch, and Wooju to bat.”

Junhyun took off his cap and bowed politely.

“They say Song Yoonho taught him the pitch, right? I heard earlier that Song and Junhyun were elementary school classmates.”

“I’m personally quite excited.”

The caster said in a tone full of laughter.

“When you think of Junhyun of NewBlack, you think of his overwhelming power and speed, right? Not long ago on ‘Around the World with Dice’ he ran alongside a car. I expect a nearly blazing fastball.”

“What’s been the highest speed by a male celebrity so far?”

“It was Lee Gyeonwoo. 111 km.”

“Can we look forward to something like that today? Haha.”

As the casters chatted and laughed, Junhyun, having finished his greeting, took his stance.

His usually gentle face shifted into a seriously focused expression, and his eyes sharpened.

“Oh, he’s a lefty.”

“A southpaw pitch, huh? Haha.”

With that, Junhyun’s right leg shot up, and his torso rotated swiftly.

From start to finish, his form was flawless.

The ball left his fingertip and flew in a straight line.

“Oooo!”

“Huh?”

While the casters’ eyes widened, a similar roar burst from the stands.

“Wooooo...!” the crowd howled.

It was the moment the casters and the baseball fans shared the same thought.

‘What was that? What just happened?’

It was so fast that one almost forgot it was a pitch.

Just as the fans on the field were about to cry out “Wow!” to each other—

“Wow, that’s really a fastball...”

“Huh?”

By then, the ball had landed snugly in the catcher’s glove, and all that remained was for Wooju to take his swing and the ceremony would end.

But at that moment—

Wooju’s terrified expression subtly changed, and his bat began to move.

‘No way...?’

With a crisp crack—the ball soared off the bat.

“Whoa?”

“He hit it? He actually hit that! The camera is so startled. The camera is all over the place!”

The flustered broadcast camera shook this way and that before tracking the ball’s trajectory.

A raucous cheer erupted from the stands.

“Wooooaaah!”

Even the spectators who had been sitting back watching NewBlack’s pitch leapt to their feet, chasing the ball.

With a whoosh, the ball sailed.

“It’s going! It’s going...!”

“Wow, it’s really going far.”

At first, fans laughed in surprise, but then their eyes followed the ball’s arc.

‘Is it a home run? Is it?’

When they craned their necks to look, the ball flew toward the fence marking the home run boundary.

“Woooaaah... oh no!”

“Oh no!”

The ball, skirting the boundary, dropped sharply.

And then—

“Oh no! It’s coming down!”

Thud!

Just before the boundary, almost as if to say “Gotcha,” it hit the inside wall with a thud and fell.

The fans who had exclaimed in shock sighed.

“Aaah!”

They opened their mouths in unison, lamenting.

‘Crazy...!’

At first perplexed—‘What was that?’—the fans soon realized how entertaining it was and began laughing.

All eyes then turned in one direction.

On the broadcast screen and scoreboard appeared Wooju, bat in hand, looking utterly stunned.

“Hahaha!”

Laughter burst forth from both the broadcast booth and the stands, even the players’ benches.

And at that moment, the catcher was shown calling to NewBlack’s leader, who stood frozen.

Is this real...?

No, how... I mean, what. Um. No.

I stood there dazed, as if my head had been turned inside out.

“Wooju.”

A sly voice came from below me.

“Run.”

“Huh?”

I turned, and beyond the catcher’s mask, I saw him grin.

“Run! Leave the bat.”

“Oh—okay!”

I barely had time to look at the ball rolling back after hitting the wall before I obeyed, dropped the bat, and started sprinting.

Laughter burst from the stands.

But how far was I supposed to run?

Watching the catcher, I asked, “Like this...?” and he waved me on, urging me to run faster.

So I dashed past second base and toward third with rapid footsteps.

“Wooooaaah!”

From afar by the fence, a player hurled the ball to Junhyun.

Chirp!

With cheers of “Ooooh,” the laughter grew as Junhyun caught the throw and prepared to toss it to home plate.

“Aah!”

As I shot toward home plate, Junhyun’s throw landed cleanly in the catcher’s mitt.

“Hah... hah...”

While I bent over clutching my thigh, panting, the umpires and staff around me broke into laughter.

I asked the still‐smiling catcher, “But why... did I—run?”

“Because it’s fun!”

At that, I burst out laughing too.

I saw people in the stands laughing as well.

Perhaps because they’d witnessed something so rare, everyone seemed doubled over in laughter.

“Woooooooah!”

Amid the applause from the spectators, I laughed.

Junhyun approached me.

“Hyung, you did great.”

“Man, I thought I was gonna die.”

Our younger members, who’d been standing back watching, now ran up, and we all removed our caps and bowed politely to the fans.

Moments later, a huge mix of cheers, laughter, and applause reverberated through the stadium.

“Thank you!”

Today’s first pitch and first swing had been a smashing success.

While the laughter continued on the field, the casters in the booth were laughing too.

“This is Game 3 of the playoffs between the KG Dragons and Gusong Motors. NewBlack just scored the first run!”

“It’s 1–0–0.”

“They’re really strong, aren’t they? NewBlack Back‐to‐Backs.”

At the mention of “Back‐to‐Backs,” laughter erupted.

Perhaps thanks to the memorable pregame event, a replay of the scene appeared with a “[Replay]” caption.

We saw the moment: eyes squeezed shut with a “Hyaaah!” then a sudden wicked grin as the ball flew off the bat, then running past third to home while Junhyun’s throw landed in the catcher’s mitt. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Then the call came.

“He’s safe!”

The casters laughed.

“It really felt like watching a genuine game moment.”

“It was so much fun.”

They then discussed speed.

“What was Junhyun’s speed just now?”

“They say it was 128. Honestly, that pitch would have been great even on a proper mound.”

“It makes you wonder if he retired from baseball to become an idol. Haha.”

“NewBlack should shoot an ad—baseball’s their thing now.”

As they laughed, the broadcast camera panned to NewBlack seated in the VIP box.

Wooju still looked dazed, Junhyun wore a dignified smile, and the others gleefully clung to their shoulders, giggling.

Maybe they spotted themselves on the jumbotron, because as the two laughed, the other three shook their shoulders and squealed.

Meanwhile, a subtitle appeared like a player profile.

[Seon Wooju] Batting Average 1.000

Hit 1

The casters laughed at the clever caption.

“There’ll be so many articles tomorrow.”

“That was such an amazing first pitch!”

As their laughter subsided, the casters began seriously discussing the game’s progress.

Back at the stadium, preparations for the real game resumed, but online the news had already spread.

“(Live from Jamsil) NewBlack Wooju gets a hit.”

“Current baseball score: Back‐to‐Backs 1 : Dragons 0 : Motors 0.”

“Celebrity first‐pitch record topped by an idol.”

People were stunned by the real‐time videos and posts.

“No way hahahahaha what is this”

“So hilarious lololol”

“Talent stolen by Taereung”

“Talent that even steals Ttareung... (gif of Junhyun riding away on Wooju’s bicycle from NewBlackTV)”

“lul what is this”

“f––k so funny”

“Back‐to‐Backs lolol NewBack‐to‐Backs lolol”

“Check that scale lol”

Meanwhile, clips of the manager spitting out water in surprise and a Dominican player mouthing “wow s–t” in Korean were circulating.

The genuine reactions of staff seeing such a first pitch and first swing for the first time were everywhere.

“But well deserved lol”

“How on earth did he do that lolol”

“Back‐to‐Backs are a strong team”

“That caption’s insane lol ‘Hit1’ so funny”

“But if you throw 130, shouldn’t he turn pro??”

“We’ve lost our best left‐handed fireballer...”

“If one day a UFO invades and shows Kim Junhyun’s picture demanding our species, I’d understand”

“Perfect plausibility lol”

Everyone was in stitches at that historic pitch.

“How did he do it?”

Watching again, it was still incredible.

Not only the fastball but terrified Wooju opening his eyes and swinging like a major‐league pro.

On the real‐time comments:

“Mom, when I grow up I want to be NewBlack”

“Mom: 128 km pitch, home‐run swing. Kid: I don’t want to be NewBlack!”

“lol wow”

“In a few years they’ll call it ‘First Pitch More Talked‐About Than the Game’ lol”

“That pitch stole the show”

“Can’t stop replaying it, it’s so crazy lol how did he do that?”

Soon real‐time search terms were flooded with ‘first pitch’ and ‘first swing,’ and discussions of NewBlack’s performance spread across communities.

“Junhyun’s clocked at 128— is that fast?”

“I don’t know amateur baseball; he’s an idol, right?”

“At that level, sure. But control matters.”

“If you ignore control, maybe.”

“Control’s what makes it real.”

“Even at 120, less than 5 % of amateurs reach that lol.”

“Guys, that’s basically 130.”

“He’s gifted, wow.”

“So—everyone’s tweeting their speeds now?”

“Lots of amateurs claiming 110 measure slow—usually around 100 lol.”

On baseball forums, debates raged over whether it was fast and on Wooju’s batting form.

There was even talk of how many jerseys Junhyun would’ve sold as a pro player.

“Lol—it’s definitely a foreign news hit.”

“Gets at least ten million views for sure.”

“If he wasn’t already famous, he’d skyrocket now.”

“Still insane to watch—Kim Junhyun’s got bragging rights for life lol.”

“Too bad it was just foul.”

Meanwhile, as the video went viral even overseas, baseball fans of the Dragons and Motors began referencing NewBlack in their memes.

“How come they’re worse than the Back‐to‐Backs.”

“Back‐to‐Backs scored 1 while NewBlack’s at zero lol amazing.”

“Back‐to‐Backs got at least a point.”

“They run faster than a spaceship man!”

“Ah s–t!!!”

“These guys must be an assassination squad aiming to spike my blood pressure.”

On forums:

[Back‐to‐Backs >>>>> Pro Baseball Explained]

Back‐to‐Backs: good comedy and baseball

Pro Baseball: should play baseball but jokes around

“lol switching to Back‐to‐Backs f–k it”

“Back‐to‐Back dies”

“The Back‐to‐Backs’ owner must’ve spent so much money”

Meanwhile, the Souffles watching these fervent Back‐to‐Backs supporters widened their eyes.

‘What kind of sport is baseball anyway?’

For some reason, people were so fired up.

In any case, baseball fans’ positive response to NewBlack’s first pitch and swing reassured them.

‘We should cheer too.’

Invited by the KG Dragons, they wore jerseys and threw the pitch, so they cheered for the Dragons as well.

“Wooooah...!”

To fans unaccustomed to baseball, the stadium felt full of wonders.

A bigger venue than expected.

Cheer songs played, everyone pumped, it felt like a concert hall somehow.

“Yaaaah!”

Whenever the Dragons scored or erred, they joined the “wooah!” and “ooh!” with the fans.

But gradually, as they immersed in the game, the Souffles’ expressions began to change.

At each absurd mistake:

“...!”

Their hearts clenched, anger rising.

Amid the baseball fans’ intense reactions, around the fifth inning:

“Wooooaaaah!”

Now mixed in with baseball fans, these idol fans gained a revelation.

‘How could they miss that?’

‘No, no...!’

‘Ouch, my neck.’

Whether it’s baseball or idols, fandom brings both joy and pain.

And—

“Wooooaaaaah!”

At the sight of idol fans in agony, the surrounding KG Dragons supporters burst into laughter.

“Oh...”

Maybe because it was my first time watching baseball in person, it felt amazing.

“So this is what it’s like.”

“It’s great.”

Though the October night air was a bit chilly, the excitement in the stadium was thrilling.

With chicken in hand, it was even happier.

“Mmm, delicious...”

As Biju smiled happily, I used wooden chopsticks to pick up piece after piece.

Ri Hyuk opened his phone’s notepad and erased something.

“What are you doing?”

“Crossing it off my bucket list.”

“Oh.”

I recalled we’d talked about someday going to the ballpark and eating chicken when stressed.

Among our trainee conversations at TJ Entertainment: “Let’s go watch baseball later, chicken go go?”

Usually unfulfilled wishes, yet somehow our schedules aligned and we lived one of them.

The maknae, chewing on a hot bar, said:

“But Junhyun hyung’s friend is amazing at this.”

“He really is.”

Watching Song Yoonho throw blazing fastballs, we marveled.

“Ooh...!”

Whenever the KG Dragons scored or made an error, we joined in the “ooh” or “eek,” though none of us knew much about sports.

“Think they’ll win? They have to.”

“They have to.”

They say throwing first pitch is a bad omen for the team; an idol’s pitch means a loss.

So we cheered hoping they’d win tonight.

“Figh—ting!”

As we watched on, Biju poked my side.

‘Why?’

He pointed at my expression.

And when I turned, I almost laughed out loud.

“...!”

It was Junhyun, frozen with mouth agape over KG Dragons’ absurd error, chicken in hand.

His eyes, suddenly triangular, seemed to blaze with fire, and we all covered our mouths, laughing.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

‘He must be so angry.’

Who is Junhyun? Even when Jiho spilled ice cream on the blanket, he didn’t just smile and say it was okay.

He even laughs heartily at scary things.

He’s the calmest person I know.

Yet...

This was the first time I’d seen him this furious.

“Heh...”

Unable to calm down, he exhaled and trembled.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine. Just a bit dizzy.”

Junhyun sighed and rubbed his temple.

Just then:

“Oh? They’re on us!”

We reached out and waved brightly toward where we guessed the broadcast camera was, and Junhyun, still flushed, rubbed the back of his neck.

The crowd in the stands laughed.

“Why are they laughing?”

“Beats me...?”

Since we were winning, weren’t they allowed to laugh?

Baffled by the reaction, we kept smiling and waving.

And that night, after the game, our image titled “Baseball Fans vs. Ordinary People.gif” was posted online.