In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

“Whew....”

It felt like a full release.

Happiness washed over us even as we sat still, and we felt as if we owned the entire world.

“Boohoohoohoo!”

“Stop crying.”

“I’m just so happy. So happy....”

The maknae, who had been beaming when we received the Artist trophy, now sobbed again back in the waiting room.

Seok­hwan hyung, laughing, raised his phone at us clustered on the sofa like a flock of penguins.

“Let’s take a photo. We need one to post for your fans.”

The stylists burst out laughing at our swollen eyes and V-signs.

While Manager Hong was writing the caption for SNS and sending it, we admired the two trophies on the waiting‐room table. Glass trophies that seemed to glow.

[Album of the Year: NewBlack]

[Artist of the Year: NewBlack]

Including last year’s Song of the Year, we’d now won every grand prize category.

“I didn’t expect it to happen so fast.”

“Me neither.”

I agreed with Biju’s words.

“I thought maybe in our fifth year—no, sixth or seventh—if we ever won an award, how great that would be.”

“But we did it in our third year.”

“Exactly. Just three years since we debuted under ‘Something’....”

From our debut with Fireworks, it’d been about two and a half years.

Idols usually plan for a seven-year contract, but before even half that time, we’d won Artist of the Year.

“....”

That thought suddenly brought a flicker of pressure.

Could we sustain this momentum next year? Could we win another grand prize?

In such a dynamic industry, no one could guarantee the future.

“Well.”

I said with a smile.

“That’s for future us to figure out.”

“Exactly.”

We all giggled and decided to savor this success for now.

While the staff prepared to leave, raucous sounds drifted in from outside.

Other artists were packing up and departing.

Then—

With a polite knock, the door burst open.

“Hyungnim—!”

A six-member boy group flicked their index fingers at their temples in greeting.

“Congratulations on the grand prizes~”

“Thanks, you guys too.”

They smiled and closed the door, but their expressions looked a bit awkward—probably uneasy because their juniors Serenity shared our agency.

“See you at the dorm later.”

“Okay~!”

One by one, starting with TeenSpirit, people began arriving in the waiting room.

“Hi, congrats on the grand prizes today.”

“It’s the maknae! I’m here!”

Senior Seo Noeul and the actors and models who’d presented awards today greeted us—mostly asking for selfies.

We all laughed and posed together.

We’d already greeted other artists when leaving the awards stage earlier.

“Shall we go now?”

“Let’s go~!”

My brothers flanked me, the trophy carrier, as we walked to the parking lot.

Mid­hyun laughed.

“Just in case it breaks.”

“You’re the biggest risk, Mid­hyun.”

“That’s harsh.”

When Mid­hyun took a dainty step back, Manager Wonseok nearly flew across the lot.

They say strength comes from mass—that certainly felt true when our 190-cm manager was nearly toppled.

Mid­hyun said, “I really want to touch the trophies, but I’m restraining myself.”

“I’ll let you handle them at the dorm.”

“Okay. Earlier I felt them—they seem really fragile, like cheap material.”

“Yep. You’ll have to wait.”

We climbed into the vehicle and, as we pulled away, fans outside Gocheok Dome recognized us, cheering.

“Congratz!”

We rolled down the windows and waved back.

“Thank you!”

As we all greeted, the car sped away. Our usual escort cars followed, but today it didn’t bother us.

11:40 PM.

The asphalt glistened with reflections from streetlights and signals, while the damp scent of rain lingered.

“This is the commute of the grand-prize artist.”

Mid­hyun’s quip had us all laughing.

“This is nice....”

“It really is. No words can describe how good this feels....”

“We worked hard. Really.”

Ri Hyuk said, gazing out the window.

“...And we have to work even harder.”

“Why are you staring? He’ll start crying, Jiho.”

“They say I’m the crybaby.”

Mingi hyung shook his head at us teasing the puffy-faced maknae.

Biju smiled.

“I hope we win again next year. It’s early to talk about it, but....”

“No, that’s right.”

Though we’d just won Artist and Album prizes, ambition for next year crept in already.

They say human desire is endless.

It certainly felt like strong motivation.

Meanwhile, our phones buzzed nonstop with congratulatory messages.

[From Han Taehyun: “Hyung”]

[“Congrats on the grand prizes”]

[“Call if you can later”]

Even messages from TNT members appeared.

I’d call back at the dorm.

We had many people to thank: Mrs. Kim, CEO Park, Director Jo, PD Na, and so on.

But the first replies I needed to send were to—

“How about it?”

“It’s good.”

After asking my brothers, I called over Mingi hyung.

“Mingi hyung.”

“Yes?”

“Can we go live on Y-App now? I want to say a brief thank you.”

We hadn’t gotten to everything in our speeches under time constraints.

Mingi hyung thought for a moment and nodded.

“I think it’s okay.”

He handed me the phone we use for Y-App.

As soon as Y-App connected, our images streamed live from the car.

“Souffléééé!”

And then—

“S, s, s, soufffflée....”

The phone Mingi hyung used to monitor comments began sputtering.

The viewer count, which had climbed into the tens of thousands, froze with an error message.

We stared wide-mouthed.

“Wow, they actually crashed it....”

We could only marvel at the soufflés’ power, solo-handedly breaking the server.

After several attempts, ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ NewBlack finally got the “Grand-Prize Black” Y-App live on air.

– What’s up with Y-App being so slow?

– NewBlack’s live now

– Ah

– LOL amazing

– Grand-prize fireworks (server crash)

– Lemon should pay for YouTube and Y-App server fees

– Just buy Y-App, Gyuho

Overseas fans waiting on Y-App had joined in after hearing the grand-prize news, causing the crash.

Meanwhile, online communities were cooling off from the fandom fights.

[Why TeenSpirit’s Song award still causes controversy (+screenshots)]

[Long-standing Nak-hwa vs. REALITY similarity debate]

[Also, Demonic foreign-song plagiarism claims]

Tired of comment wars, many moved on to other topics.

– Watching the awards, I saw NewBlack really rose up lol

– Their streaming numbers are just absurd

– Honestly, Song of the Year was nearly tied with REALITY after votes... that would’ve been chaos

– Artist of the Year I agree 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

– Boy-group hierarchy is NewTeens now?

Debates about boy-group standings dominated.

“NewBlack truly hit the top.”

It was one thing I’d sensed vaguely, but the awards made it clear to many idol fans.

Everything NewBlack accomplished this year:

Record-breaking public exposure through two top variety shows, and in music, they topped the charts.

Individual activities too.

Although TeenSpirit led domestically and in their Japan tour, calling them rivals felt odd.

“I feel for TeenSpirit—if they weren’t so young....”

Their youth felt like a weakness here.

Debuting in 2012, they were a fifth-year group but still seemed like rookies.

Youth is an asset, but in image, sometimes a drawback.

Though long-tenured acts can still feel fresh, it was a pity now.

Regardless—

“The competition is too strong.”

Even if the legendary Sixty Seconds returned, they couldn’t beat current NewBlack.

How do you compete with an idol whose soufflé bread and Fireworks cake sell out?

– I heard soufflé-bread sales hit ₩40 billion this year

– Just below the Big Four

– LOL

– Sure it’s sold by the bakery, but still insane lol

– New fans don’t believe it was originally merch

– Try the chocolate flavor. Legend...

– Even haters buy it

Interest from the awards drove more write-ups on NewBlack than usual.

Then one post caught our fans’ eyes.

[Today’s awards show Wooju personality controversy.gif]

Hearts thumped as they clicked.

And—

“Ah.”

They laughed softly at the next content.

(Wooju grabs Han Jo’s hand before the Album award, then lets it go.gif)

(Again before the Artist award, Wooju grabs Han Jo’s hand, then drops it.gif)

Poor Han Jo, attacked while doing nothing! ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

ps. They debuted together and are same‐age friends

– LOL

– He did nothing! ㅠㅠ lol

– 0 confession 2.0?

– They look so awkward—definitely friends lol

– (From “TBC Man on the Go,” Han Jo gives Wooju a longing stare.gif) Sun Wooju... kills me,

Everyone laughed at poor Han Jo’s twin hand-grab betrayals.

Meanwhile, chatter about friendliness with Street Boys, Trickster’s tearful New Artist speech, and so on, provided lighter diversion.

“Hmm hmm~”

Just days after the awards, new fodder emerged for the happy soufflés.

None had seen this schedule before.

“...What’s this? A US talk show?”

NewBlack’s upcoming overseas talk-show appearances.

A few days after winning Artist of the Year.

We, luggage in hand, descended from the dorm’s second-floor stairs.

“Ugh, uuuugh!”

Ri Hyuk, face tomato-red, clutched his suitcase handles and froze against the railing.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to lift this... ugh! Car!”

His face looked ready to explode.

“How much stuff did he pack? Did he fill it with bricks?”

“I heard he started two days ago.”

We whispered, and Ri Hyuk wailed.

“...It’s because of you guys. Always abroad, always saying I left this or that behind.”

“Just buy it locally.”

“That’s the wrong mindset. Look at this—completely unplanned....”

Biju nodded awkwardly, and the three unplanned souls linked arms.

“Unplanned is great~ great~”

“Be quiet!”

I said to Mid­hyun as we watched Ri Hyuk struggle.

“Mid­hyun.”

“Yes?”

He dashed upstairs and returned carrying the suitcase alongside me.

Sweat beaded on his forehead; I grabbed the handle.

“Whoa....”

This is tough even for me.

“What’s in it?”

“Just odds and ends—meds, clothes... and stuff for Mom and Yein in LA.”

“Got it.”

We agreed to help bit by bit as we walked.

“Okay, ready to....”

“Wait. Can we admire the trophies one more time?”

“Oh, right.”

We approached the trophy display in the first-floor living room.

In 2014, the grand-prize slot was empty.

Next, 2015’s Song of the Year.

Beside it, this year’s Album and Artist trophies.

These days, it was our ritual to polish the glass daily.

Scrub. Scrub-scrub.

Biju wiped the display glass with a cloth, then we headed out.

“The award-winning artist Kim Mid­hyun pressing the elevator button.”

“The award-winning artist Wang Jiho pressing the close button.”

“This is the award-winning artist’s suitcase.”

We bantered solemnly until laughter broke out.

Our in-house jokes after the Mango Chart Awards.

We reached the first-floor entrance and climbed into the waiting car.

Biju shyly said, “The award-winning artist boarding the car~”

Wonseok hyung in the passenger seat replied, “And that artist’s manager.”

“Ha-ha-ha!”

Managers asked, “Got all your stuff?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s go.”

The car pulled away as we buckled up.

Clear skies, frosty air—perfect winter weather.

Today, we flew to the U.S.

“Wow, an overseas schedule at last.”

This week, we’d appear on U.S. talk shows.

Recording one on Wednesday, another on Friday.

Both were famous American shows—we were invited because Blue Moon hit No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Strictly, Hailey would host the talk, and we’d appear to perform Blue Moon.

“Just think of it as a concert abroad? I don’t know much about America.”

“It’s a big deal, trust me.”

Ri Hyuk said, “Famous singers do just the performance and leave.”

Director Seok­hwan had prepped us too, but foreign stuff still felt abstract.

We’d get the vibe on site.

Mid­hyun asked, “So we just perform well, right?”

“Exactly.”

As with our Blue Moon collab, the goal was to draw new fans.

We’d hope viewers would watch and think, “Oh my!” and join us.

When Hailey first asked, we hesitated—Mango Awards just ended, KMA in Hong Kong awaited.

But seeing the talk shows’ millions-strong ratings, we said yes.

We’d practice in LA.

Biju smiled, “How about revisiting Clayton Studio? We could drop by and rehearse.”

“Oh, good idea—they invited us back.”

“Ha-ha-hot!”

We laughed, thinking of familiar faces.

As we approached Gimpo Airport, we bobbed heads to the radio’s upbeat tunes until a new song caught our ears.

“This is that new track, right? On The Stage.”

“Yeah.”

It came from “Wonder Child,” a newly debuted group.

I liked it at first listen.

The audition show was so hot that their chart position kept climbing.

I expected to see them at K-Net Music Awards.

“Strange feeling coming to Gimpo for a U.S. flight.”

“Right.”

We usually fly Incheon for Japan or overseas, but today we came to Gimpo.

Passing through the terminal, we saw a sleek new building we’d never noticed.

A clean facade marked SGBAC—the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center, opened this year.

“Let’s go in.”

We shivered in the cold and entered the polished lobby.

Marble floors.

A luxurious lounge on the left, departure check-in on the right.

Staff greeted us and we returned their smiles.

“Hello!”

This terminal served private jets.

Hollywood stars arrive and depart here via charters.

“Wow....”

Biju said, “It’s the first time I’ve come through an airport this quiet.”

“Yeah, it’s amazing.”

Usually sasaengs board the plane with us or tail us on departure, so this serene lobby moved us.

“Thank you, Hailey...!”

“Overwhelming gratitude...!”

We came here today because a U.S. artist, grateful for that Hot 100 No 1, sent us their private jet.

“I repay kindness a hundredfold, and gratitude twice over.”

After check-in, we saw the long, silver fuselage through the glass.

“Sunny, you said you care about safety? My pilot is the best. And I’ve arranged a few more things.”

While walking toward it, Jiho said, “We should take a commemorative photo.”

“Oh, right!”

We gathered around Jiho, who raised his phone for a V-sign.

A commemorative shot was essential.