In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

When I was little, listening to Mom read the fairy tale Cinderella, I had a question.

“Mom.”

“Mm?”

“The prince is in plain shoes and the princess is in heels. How could the princess run faster?”

“Huh? You’re right.”

It was that scene where Cinderella’s magic ends at the stroke of midnight, she runs away in heels, and the prince can’t catch her.

Even at that age I wondered, does that make sense?

“Maybe Cinderella trained a lot. So even the prince couldn’t keep up.”

“But she even drops one of her heels while running.”

That part never made sense to me.

I mean—why can’t he catch someone in hard-to-run-in heels, and with only one on?

But....

Twenty years later, now I understand why the prince couldn’t chase Cinderella in that picture book.

“NewBlaaaaack!”

“Eeeeek!”

All five of us got tagged and caught by a bride in a wedding dress and heels.

Junhyun looked especially shell-shocked.

“You okay?”

“...Huh?”

“You look a little shaken.”

“It’s just, I’ve never been chased by a civilian before.......”

Fortunately for Junhyun, the Souffle who chased us down was no civilian.

Blonde, tanned skin gone a deep brown. Thick cords stood out at her ankles below the dress.

Tidying her wedding dress, the Souffle beamed at the camera.

“My name is Ann Garner!”

“Sorry, but may we ask what you do...?”

“I’m on Australia’s national track and field team! I even won a bronze medal once.”

“Thank goodness....”

“Pardon?”

Junhyun let out a relieved sigh and nodded.

We chatted for a bit with Ann Garner, who’d chased us down.

She’d been taking wedding photos with her fiancé when the five guys with mounted cameras took off their sunglasses in unison.

The Souffle clenched her fist.

“In that moment I knew. The destiny I’ve been waiting for these last few years was right here...!”

“Honey, I’m your destiny....”

We cracked up at the groom massaging his temples.

Still grinning, Ann windmilled her bouquet and asked:

“So what are you shooting here? NewBlack TV? Or a Korean comedy show?”

“We’re filming a travel reality.”

“Heeeey! A travel reality!”

“So we wanted to ask your permission in advance—please keep it a secret that we’re traveling.”

Eyes shining like, NewBlack is asking me for a favor!, the Souffle mimed zipping her lips.

“I’ll take it to the grave.”

“N-no need to take it that far. Just keep it quiet for a few days.”

If our location got out, Souffles might swarm from all over and make the trip impossible.

Maybe because she’d just met her ultimate bias, Ann dabbed the tears at the corners of her eyes, and her fiancé pulled her into a little hug.

She murmured:

“To meet my destiny here....”

“Honey....”

In the cheerful mood, we congratulated the couple and took photos with them.

We even slipped into a few wedding shots.

“Are we... getting into your wedding photos too?”

“This needs to be commemorated. Then decades later I can tell my kids I took a picture with NewBlack.”

“Then we’d better work even harder.”

“You’re definitely going to get even bigger!”

Maybe it’s the country’s endless sun.

We thanked the sunny, optimistic Souffle for her pep talk, said our goodbyes, and moved on—then looked over at Jett Miller, who stood there clammed up.

“Jett, why were you just standing there without a word?”

“Well....”

Jett scratched his mustache.

“I’ve used Korean so much that English doesn’t sit right in my mouth. The words just wouldn’t come.”

“Bwahahaha!”

“For a second I was like... ‘oh, right, I’m Australian.’”

We laughed when he said that since college he’d lived in Korea for over a decade and his home country felt more foreign now.

Jett gave a sheepish smile, then his eyes sparkled at me.

The look you give a mentor.

“Did I get screentime, senior?”

“Plenty.”

While cameras were off, the ambitious man bowed; we gave him a thumbs-up for excellence.

“But the sun’s getting stronger.”

Ri Hyuk squinted and lifted the observatory brochure to shade his eyes.

“Is it always like this?”

“Yes. Australia’s sunlight is incomparable to Korea’s. This country has the highest skin disease rates in the world.”

“We should put on hats.”

As everyone dug out baseball caps and snapbacks, I pulled out a sun visor and drew dagger looks.

“Guys. Be honest—form follows function, right?”

“Kim Junghyun. Confiscate that.”

“On it.”

“Nooooo! My sun visor! Give it back, you villainous gremlins!”

“Ew, no. Toss it somewhere.”

In the end, I borrowed a fresh cap from Junghyun and tightened it a notch.

While our day guide Jett explained the next stop, the Opera House, we called to the PD as we headed for the subway.

“PD.”

“Mm?”

“This just occurred to me.”

“Mm.”

“Didn’t you say people in Australia wouldn’t recognize us...? But we met someone at the airport. And then again on the observatory hill.......”

“Uh....”

The PD gave an awkward smile.

“Coincidence.”

“Must be?”

“Yeah.”

We decided to chalk it up to coincidence from the start.

Before the Opera House, we went for brunch.

A famous brunch café.

“I’ve actually wanted to try this place.”

Ri Hyuk smiled, a little excited.

“It’s famous in Australia for brunch. They have a branch in Korea too.”

“Really?”

“But it’s a bit pricey....”

“How pricey?”

Right on cue, a server brought menus.

Looking over the prices on brunch combos like pancakes and coffee, salads and such, I blinked.

“Treasurer.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s take a quick look at our cash.”

“Yes.”

We checked the amount in our envelope, then looked back at the menu and blinked again.

Biju blinked too.

“Th-these are pricey.......”

“With this kind of money I’d rather get pork belly. Our whole day’s budget could get eaten by brunch.”

“That’s life. Blow it all—that’s the fun.”

Brunch wasn’t cheap.

Not unaffordable, but if we wanted to buy things while out all day and also think about dinner, it was iffy.

Felt like one of us might have to skip dinner.

“Ri Hyuk, you like eating light, right?”

“Don’t put that on me. I’m eating a lot today.”

“Hmmmm....”

While we hesitated, the youngest asked the crew:

“Will aegyo work?”

“No.”

“Then what can we do to earn extra budget?”

“Goblin dance in front of the Opera House?”

A mission meant to be embarrassing—but to our eyes, it was pure joy.

“Can do.”

“I can even do it on a handstand.”

“Easy.”

“Money beats shame.”

We got a promise for a little extra, then ordered brunch.

Tapping away on the calculator, Ri Hyuk said:

“Ah... even with the extra, it’s tight.”

“Why?”

“Because then we can’t splurge on dinner. I wanted to do a fancy steak tonight....”

“If it comes to that, we can just get fries at McDonald’s.”

We chatted about how that’s a memory too.

Soon a smiling server brought our plates. We’d asked nicely for generous portions, and the pancakes were thick.

Pancakes topped with an egg yolk.

Naturally, the taste was....

“Holy....”

“Sacred. This is divine.”

“Insane.”

Worth every bit.

The kids said the coffee was amazing too. As a caffeine lightweight, I just enjoyed the aroma.

Sipping coffee, the youngest asked:

“I’ve always wondered, though. Hyung.”

“Mm?”

“Cola and cocoa have caffeine too, but those are okay for you to drink? That’s what Ri Hyuk said last time.”

“Well, that level is fine. As long as I don’t drink it like I drink coffee.”

Ri Hyuk asked:

“What happens if you do drink coffee?”

“Mm....”

I thought back to the last time I had one.

“My heart drums like crazy....”

“It drums?”

“And I work like a beast.”

“Huh?”

“I get so much done.”

“.......”

“When the caffeine hits my brain, everything snaps into place. Stuck songs resolve in one go. Inspiration gushes.”

“......Then why not drink it?”

“Because after like five cups a day I crash.”

I giggled telling them how manic the work got, and the kids blinked.

“But that’s just you normally.”

“Mm. Multiply by ten? I go into a kind of excited state.”

“Tenfold?”

“Yeah.”

“......Never drink coffee again.”

“I won’t. Hey. Don’t defensively move the cup away.”

Apparently scared I’d reach for it, they lifted the cups out of reach.

While I grumbled—

I felt a gaze and glanced out the brunch café window.

Bright sky and low white clouds.

It was nearing midday, so the streets were full of people.

And....

“.......”

“.......”

“.......”

We made eye contact with a pair staring at us with mouths agape from outside.

Two women.

I raised a finger to my lips: shhhh.

“NewBlack...!”

The two gasped to one another. I beckoned them in and asked the PD:

“PD?”

“Mm....”

“I thought no one would recognize us.”

“Well.”

“?”

“What am I supposed to do if you’re all so conspicuous-looking....”

We burst out laughing at the PD’s line.

Maybe because it’s a city of five million.

“Are you here on vacation?”

“What’s the special this time? Kangaroo special?”

“I wrote ‘NewBlack’ as my future dream job.”

Korean tourists and expats aside— 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

We ran into quite a few Souffles around Sydney.

Everyone kept the secret, so we didn’t get mobbed, but we’d lock eyes in the most unlikely spots.

Like, at a subway station: “Huh?”

“I don’t really get it.”

Junghyun cocked his head.

“How do we have so many fans in Australia? It’s not like we did anything special. We’ve never even been on TV here. Last year’s concert was small too....”

“Maybe it only feels like a lot from our side.”

Looking at a brochure, Ri Hyuk said:

“Really, it’s just a few out of five million who go ‘oh?’ when we cross paths, but from our POV it feels like ‘a huge crowd!’”

“Persuasive.”

“Or maybe it’s because our smiles are too conspicuous?”

The youngest glanced around.

“When we asked the fans how they recognized us, they all said the same thing.”

We’d been asking when we met them.

How did you know it was us?

We figured after the Goblin promotions and everyone going back to brown or black hair, we’d be unrecognizable.

But the answers were identical.

“A true fan can always tell.”

“That’s what being a fan is....”

“With fan instinct, everything stands out.”

Our overall silhouettes and our uniquely ridiculous laughs apparently drew a ton of attention.

“Should we try laughing more solemnly?”

“Hohohohoho....”

“Uhuhuhuhuhu!”

The audio director spit out his water mid-sip.

“Guess not.”

“Let’s not.”

We grinned at the fine spray.

Anyway, even if things went differently from expectations, the first day in Australia was a success.

Thanks to Jett’s excellent guidance, we toured all over Sydney.

“T-the subway has a second floor!”

We rode the double-decker subway to the Opera House.

We listened to the history of how the Opera House was inspired by an orange peel, then did the Goblin dance out front.

We sipped drinks at an outdoor café near the Opera House and watched ferries drift by.

The tight coil of tension unwound, and a drowsy peace seeped through our bodies.

Stepping out of our always-on guard, we took a breath, and our hearts felt generous.

“The problem is money....”

Souvenirs here, drinks there—our cash was dropping fast.

Staring at the envelope, Jiho said:

“Gold, appear—poof! {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} ...Nope.”

“Nope.”

“Junghyun, have a look around. If there are any coins lying around, we can pick them up.”

“If I see some, I’ll pick them up.”

We all sighed in chorus.

“A youth trip isn’t easy.”

“See, I told you to save. I advised you so many times, but some people....”

The only thrifty one, Ri Hyuk, clicked his tongue.

Those of us who’d wasted cash on silly souvenirs and clothes just averted our eyes and searched for the nearest McDonald’s.

“Fries it is.”

“Nothing but fries.”

“At least in Australian McDonald’s the fry boxes are made of reflective material so seagulls can’t steal them.”

“Bad seagulls. How many fries can it even be.”

We chatted gloomily and gazed wistfully at the totems and feathers we were holding like keepsakes.

We were in a park by the sea.

I looked from the thinned envelope to the scenery around us.

“...Why does that bird look like it’s laughing at us.”

A long-beaked bird perched on a trash can watched us and seemed to smirk.

Jett explained:

“That’s an ibis. In Korean it’s called—”

“Ibis?”

“Yeah. People call it the bin chicken too.”

Cities around the world share similar sights, but Sydney had its quirks.

Wild animals were everywhere.

Like now—a bird rummaging the trash. The stray cats looked oddly different. A little marsupial fox scurried up, socked Ri Hyuk, and scampered off.

Overall, the animals had a vibe like, “Humans? And what are you going to do about it?”

“Okay!”

Eager to spring a side mission on us, the PD clapped and called out:

“For now, each of you gets free time. We’ll give you about forty minutes!”

“Okay!”

“Don’t go too far!”

“Okay!”

Jett stuck with the youngest; Ri Hyuk and Biju paired up; I went with Junghyun.

Junghyun filmed Australian wildlife happily with the camera.

We took turns snapping photos against tree-lined backdrops and grabbed ice cream as we strolled.

“Oh. Looks like there’s a performance over there too.”

“Yeah?”

By the water, a wide plaza opened up where a magician pulled something from a hat and got applause.

Maybe a mecca for street shows.

All across the space, performers stood like islands in a sea—singing their own tunes or doing mime.

Some covered chart-topping hits; others hummed unplaceable lines.

A man dressed like a gypsy plucked a guitar, a worn hat at his feet, singing a Bob Dylan song.

“Ho....”

The braided melodies around us turned faintly visible to my eyes.

Each sound had a color, blending like paint against the clouds.

Some thinned out like a pale green wisp; some trailed in long, pink ribbons.

Nodding along, I took it all in at a glance when—

-♪♩♪♬♪

My gaze went to the sound with the most beautiful color.

A tucked-away corner.

One musician humming over a guitar. An old man with a fedora pulled low.

“That sound is gorgeous.”

“Sir?”

“Ah. Of all the sounds in my ears right now....”

Just then, a different sound tickled my ear.

[jingle]

“.......”

[jingle]

“.......”

[jingle]

A metallic clink from somewhere. Junghyun and I turned at the same time.

Australians were tossing coins and bills into a magician’s hat after his show, and he bowed with a flourish in return.

“.......”

“.......”

We swallowed hard in sync.

Then looked at each other.

“Junghyun.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“Is it just me thinking this?”

“No, sir. I am thinking exactly the same thing.”

We bumped fists lightly, then walked straight to the old man with the guitar.

He kept strumming away, whether or not he sensed us.

When his set ended—

“Mm?”

Eyes wrinkled by time lifted to us and then—

“Oh my stars!”

He jumped.

“.......”

“When did you get here?”

“Just now. We loved your playing, sir, so we came over. Out in the plaza, yours was the only guitar I could hear.”

“Good ears, you two.”

Chuckling, the old man stroked his beard, pleased. I crouched to meet his gaze.

“May I ask your name?”

“Davis.”

“I’m Wooju, and this is Junghyun. We’re singers visiting from Korea.”

“So that’s why there’s a camera.”

“Yes.”

We leaned in, eyes shining, and asked:

“So about that... would you mind if we joined your set?”