In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Incheon International Airport.

The reporters waiting to film NewBlack’s arrival noticed something off.

‘What is it?’

By now, arrivals should be done and the boys should be waving as they appear.

But NewBlack’s faces were nowhere to be seen.

One reporter adjusted his camera setup and asked his colleagues.

“Why are they taking so long? They usually come out around now. Did they take a different flight?”

“This is the right one. Look at how many of their fans are here.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Seeing the first floor of Incheon packed with hundreds of people made it clear the flight time matched.

And judging from the way the long-lens “cannon” cameras were muttering among themselves, it wasn’t just the photo reporters who sensed something odd.

They were definitely late.

Late enough to make you think something was going on inside.

The photo reporters pulled out their phones.

“Chief, are we sure about the time? They’re not coming out.”

“We’ve been waiting an hour and still nothing. Ugh. How long are we supposed to wait? I’ve got a premiere in Myeongdong later.”

“...Sorry? Customs?”

A peculiar update trickled into the ears of the reporters on their calls.

— Looks like NewBlack got held up at customs. They say it’s going to take a while.

The photo reporters blinked as a scene formed in their heads.

Normally you’d imagine a dangerous item you can’t bring in, or some controversial pharmaceuticals.

What they pictured instead was this:

— Huh? Why are there potato seeds in my phone case?

Like Moon Ikjeom smuggling cotton seeds in a brush tube, they pictured Junhyun with Australian potato seeds tucked inside his phone case.

They were still blinking at the thought when—

— Hey hey hey! This is huge! You have to get a photo!

A fresh update came down from upstairs.

— You must! Absolutely must get it!

“Sorry?”

— Gold coins! They’re saying it’s gold coins! Gold...

“Waaaaaaaaaaa!”

At that moment an eardrum-shredding scream rang out and the photo reporters snatched up their cameras.

NewBlack, walking out ringed by security staff.

Except...

“Hm?”

The vibe was a little different from usual.

“Hehehehehehehe.”

“Eheheh.”

“Heh heh heh heh heh!”

Wooju hugged his bag tight to his chest, flanked by his underlings.

Reporters cocked their heads at the sight of Wooju inside a triple shield—security, managers, and members.

‘Is he sick or something?’

They wondered if he looked unwell and they were trying to hide him.

But Wooju’s face inside that triple shield looked as proud as a pirate captain who’d just raised a sunken treasure ship.

“Heh heh heh heh heh!”

You could see the delight even through the kangaroo-shaped sunglasses.

‘What’s with him.’

‘Did he find actual treasure in Australia.’

‘Anyone would think he just hit a casino jackpot.’

For the reporters shooting on site, there was no way to make sense of it.

Thirty minutes later.

What had happened in customs spread quickly through the entertainment desks.

— Item from Wooju that shocked customs staff: “I brought back a 19th-century gold coin.”

— A gift from world-class guitarist Glenn Davis... “A 19th-century gold coin, passed on because of his bond with my late father.”

— “You brought back a schedule... now it’s gold coins?” The nation’s idol returns from a treasure hunt.

Everyone’s brains hit pause.

‘He brought back... what?’

People offline who caught the news had the same reaction.

Even in the elevator ride back up to the office after lunch, that’s what people were talking about.

“Oh my.”

“What’s up?”

“You know NewBlack? They went to Australia and came back with a gold coin.”

“Was it some Cultural Heritage PR thing? Did the government there give them a cultural property?”

“No. They say he was given a 19th-century gold coin as a gift.”

“...Sorry?”

Coworkers from other departments, overhearing in the elevator, pulled up the news on their phones.

‘It’s real?’

They already knew they’d gone to Australia—Korean TV had even mentioned them appearing on Australian news.

But how had he ended up with a gold coin?

The articles had the details everyone wanted.

[Lemon Enter’s PR team explained it was “an item Glenn Davis had promised to give to the late Sun Myeongju, with whom he was close,” and that he “kept his promise by giving it instead to Sun’s son, Wooju.”]

Whether ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ it was a formal press release or not, most articles had the same background note.

And as people read it—online and off—their first instinct was the same.

— So what’s it worth.

“How much would that be?”

The media moved fast.

— What is the current value of the 19th-century gold coin NewBlack received? Sold for millions of dollars at a recent Wetherby auction.

Everyone’s eyes went wide.

‘They hit the lotto.’

The scale was so big it didn’t even make you jealous.

It was just shocking and a little magical.

They were idols who were always doing wild, unbelievable things, but no one expected them to go abroad and come back with a gold coin as a gift.

Idol fans were cracking up, too.

— [laughs][laughs][laughs][laughs][laughs][laughs][laughs][laughs][laughs][laughs]

— If they hadn’t given the date I’d have thought it was April Fools. [laughs]

— If you quizzed latecomer fans with an OX, I’m sure they’d get it wrong. “True or false: Wooju was gifted a 19th-century gold coin in Australia.”

— “Pff, obviously X”... Sorry? It’s O?

— How would you even bring a gold coin back— [laughs] ...Wait, what?

— In celebrity “incidents and accidents,” he always handles the positive ones.

— If I were the “odd news” editor I’d be thrilled. When there’s nothing to file, just search NewBlack regularly.

— CNN: sweating

— But no, for real. If you watch CNN, NewBlack pops up a lot.

And Souffle, amid all that, were experiencing a brand-new frontier of fandom again today.

— The reality show teaser is... a gold coin?

— [laughs]

— If you’re curious why he brought a 19th-century gold coin, don’t miss Travel Diary 2. [laughs]

— That’s insane.

— Our boys bring home gold coins.

— Also, that Glenn Davis guy? He’s amazing, too. He kept a promise and handed it over.

— Yeah. If he’s a guitarist on break right now, money might be tight.

— Wooju’s father must have had real goodwill stored up.

People pictured the old man who didn’t have much, busking on the street.

Even after Wooju said who he was, Glenn Davis sticking to his principles and insisting on what he believed in.

While Souffle were basking in the wholesome image and stomping down antis like weeds—

— NewBlack’s Australian travel reality “Travel Diary Season 2” premieres next Wednesday.

Word came that Travel Diary’s Season 2 would start uploading to NewBlack TV on MeTube next Wednesday.

Ten minutes a day.

It was content to keep fans company until the full album.

‘Oh, the trailer’s already up?’

NewBlack TV also posted a video titled [Ready for another trip? (Travel Diary Season 2)].

[KyAAAAAA!]

[Did you just see a ghost? A ghost? That looks like a ghost.]

“Seagull, mind your manners.”

Members triumphantly grabbing at seagulls, or screaming that they’d spotted a ghost.

“My ears!”

With a faint cutaway to the audio director’s beatific, resigned face on screen—

A rapid-fire highlight reel from Season 1 that made you turn the volume down on instinct.

[NewBlack’s Travel Diary is back for Season 2!]

[This time, a healing trip!]

Over those captions, shots of the NewBlack members appeared—

Ten seconds of elegant scenes of soft smiles at a sunset and snapping photos, set to moving BGM.

[...You didn’t think that was all, did you?]

Cue immediate chaos BGM.

Ri Hyuk hauled out five backpacks and started shouting mystery words at the production crew.

[Nuclear blast!]

[Earthquake!]

[Volcanic eruption!]

Then a cut to the pool at a luxury villa.

The members stood on the balcony, faces frozen in shock.

[What is that. Is that a snake?]

[Eeeeeek!]

A quick cut later, a flock of love-struck pelicans chased Ri Hyuk.

Then NewBlack hitting a music festival stage.

[The winner is NewBlack of Bubbles SpongeBob!]

[Wooooooo!]

From there, busking scenes, and even a great white shark.

‘Huh? A great white?’

When a great white sliced past right in front of them, even non-fans blinked along with Souffle.

‘We have to watch this.’

At first they’d clicked because of the gold coin.

But the moment they saw the reality trailer, they knew they absolutely had to watch it.

— whoaaaa

— Check the thumbnail [laughs] great white + kangaroos + nuclear blast + national pride

— Why does a nuclear blast show up in a reality show

— I always drop by NewTV comments to crack jokes, but this one I’m definitely watching

— 00:48 tell me that isn’t a snake???

— What on earth did you do on this trip [laughs]

— 02:17 the music part here has me hyped as hell. The high note hits short and in—my heart stopped

— 02:18 my heart jumped at Wooju’s voice and then jumped again at the great white, fuck

— Whew, today was cute and rowdy again

As anticipation for the travel reality exploded, the trailer’s comment section flooded in seconds.

Alongside the reality news came something else:

Word that the second full album—of which only the title track name had been revealed—was now in full prep.

— NewBlack returning soon with 2nd full album titled “Coin,” “the king’s return.”

For non-fans who hadn’t been keeping up, it was the kind of news that grabbed you.

— The title is Coin??

— Is it Coin because of the gold coin

— That’s a very reasonable suspicion [laughs]

— Gold coin = Coin

— Wait what?? Is “coin” that coin??? I don’t get it, someone explain

— I don’t think it is, but the timing is freakishly perfect [laughs]

— PR team over there is doing work

Souffle, who’d first denied it here and there, decided to quietly enjoy the muggles’ curiosity.

“NewBlack’s new song title is Coin, right? Coin is ‘coin’ in English. Is it because he got a gold coin?”

“Mm-hmm, probably.”

Souffle nodded and agreed with their parents and families.

‘So what if it’s a fib. If it promotes the group, that’s what matters.’

NewBlack came home from Australia carrying a gifted gold coin.

Because of that, the reality show teaser views were through the roof and interest in the title track was locked in.

Souffle smiled as gold coins and Coin talk popped up everywhere.

‘But...’

A little question rose in the back of their minds.

‘It’s not actually called Coin because of the gold coin... right?’

They knew it wasn’t, and yet they kept wavering.

Thanks to the gold coin, our marketing for Coin landed perfectly.

“Wow.”

The maknae said,

“So this is what word-of-mouth marketing is. People are saying we’re gonna flex gold coins in the next title.”

“Now I get how the king felt in ‘The King’s Ears Are Donkey Ears.’”

“Right? Words without legs really are traveling a thousand miles.”

The speed of the rumor spreading was astonishing.

Thanks to it, we didn’t even need to put out much of a press brief about our next title Coin—promotion was doing itself.

I sighed, full of regret.

“If I’d known, during ‘Fireworks’ we should’ve held a real fireworks show.”

“Exactly. ‘Masquerade’ should’ve come with an actual masquerade...”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

We might’ve had a guaranteed viral moment.

From debut on, people would’ve passed around keywords like “the idol group that does a real fireworks show for their ‘Fireworks’ concept.”

Ri Hyuk shook his head.

“We didn’t have money back then.”

“Oh. Right.”

“The CEO was living on cup noodles for a while, remember...”

We smiled at the hazy memory.

Anyway.

After we got back to Korea, we handed out gifts to people we’re close with. Kangaroo souvenirs to the boys next door. Snacks we’d picked up in Australia to the company staff.

We slipped the trainees some secret treats, too.

“Wow...”

For the producing team, I showed the electric guitar I’d been given by a legendary Australian band guitarist.

An autographed guitar mounted on the studio wall.

PD Na Sangyoon inhaled its scent with a dazed face.

“That’s insane...”

“Cool, right?”

“You really got this from Glenn Davis?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow...”

It’s a band you couldn’t not know if you care about rock, so their eyes sparkled up at the guitar.

“How about it? Makes you want to drop by this studio more, right?”

“No.”

Their curt answer made the kids burst out laughing.

“I figured. Which is why I prepared something else.”

“...?”

“Autographed photos from Mr. Davis. Each one has your name on it.”

“...!”

The producers’ eyes went saucer-wide at the signed sheets, with messages like ‘To Sang-Yoon Na.’

“Th-that...”

“Yep. Real signatures.”

“Wooju!”

“C’mon, between us there’s no need to...”

I told the kids to lock the studio door.

Soon the producers were hugging their signed photos and sniffling, and we got to work laying the groundwork for Coin.

The full-album project kicked into gear.

The album title was

It didn’t carry some special meaning; it came from a word Ri Hyuk tossed out.

— “How about ‘Hello WOrLD!’? Like the phrase you use as an example when you start programming.”

Since the concept was video games, I liked that 1010101 computer vibe.

And I liked the feeling the phrase itself gave off.

As for why it became WOrLD—no big reason. The maknae typed it while dozing off, and the look was surprisingly nice, so we went with it.

“But, hyung.”

Biju asked,

“When people ask later why the letters look like that, what should we say?”

“Just fudge it. Souffle will make the meaning for us.”

I decided to trust Souffle, who attach the coolest interpretations to every song we release.

When we work on songs and albums, it’s less about strict calculation and more about following instinct, feeling, and vibe.

The parts that need hard-nosed calculation—like marketing—are handled by our team of pros.

“Here’s the list of designers for this album jacket. Pick someone that feels right.”

“I want a pop-art vibe. You know, those bright, punchy colors.”

“If it’s pop art, that team there—number 4—specializes in it.”

We worked on songs in the morning, then huddled with the TF team every afternoon for meetings.

“Oh, right.”

Our TF lead said,

“The Kids’ Choice Awards reached out, too.”

“Kids?”

“That American awards show that said they wanted you last time. They sent an unofficial invite.”

“Unofficial?”

“Official announcements go out early next month, but they’re asking you to come ahead of that.”

“Ah...”

Junhyun blinked.

“Then we’re winning something, I guess.”

“Looks like it...?”

Was it the Favorite Global Music Star category?

It sounded like the win was basically locked. I already felt overwhelmed about what we were supposed to do there.

“...Do we have to perform?”

“No performance. It’s not a show where music is the main thing.”

Apparently it’s the show where American kids vote TV, film, and music and flex their opinions.

I tried to picture American kids screaming for us and gave up.

We’d find out when we got there.

We wrapped the day’s meetings and were filing out with the kids when I suddenly remembered something.

“Right.”

“Hm?”

“You know the stuff I bought for composing the title track this time.”

“Ahh... that.”

Seokhwan hyung’s eyes sharpened and I nodded.

“Yeah. That.”

“What about it?”

“It’s getting delivered soon. I think we need to prep some space.”

“I’ll reserve one of the empty practice rooms in the basement. You’re going to need a lot of room.”

I nodded back at the manager’s serious nod.

For this video-game-concept title track, I’d purchased one particular thing.

Well.

Not one—several things?

A few days later.

“One is one, never two. If it’s two it’s not three—”

“If it’s three it’s not four—”

A four-member girl group singing a bubbly loop.

Scarlet, back from an overseas show, arrived at Lemon Enter to practice.

Arms full of convenience-store bags stuffed with snacks, the members headed downstairs to the basement like usual.

“Hm?”

Daisy’s pale face scrunched.

“What is that.”

“What?”

“Unnie, why are all the company people gathered down here?”

“Really?”

Ara, who’d been ruffling the maknae’s hair, narrowed her eyes.

The basement hallway was jam-packed with people.

Like a line outside a barbecue joint, the four of them instinctively queued up.

Tap, tap.

Rina, the main dancer, tapped a PR staffer’s forearm and asked,

“Assistant manager.”

“Hm?”

“What’s this line for?”

“Oh, here? This is an arcade.”

“Sorry?”

The staffer pointed into the practice room from a distance.

[pling!] [pew!] [pew!] noises rang out, and faint cheers—Waaaaa!—floated out.

“...”

“...”

As Scarlet blinked, the staffers explained.

“Wooju needed arcade sounds, so he bought a bunch of machines. The title’s background this time is video games.”

“So we’re pitching in.”

“...”

Scarlet stared into the room—no, the arcade—from afar.

Staffers were joyfully playing.

Wooju, in headphones, and his underlings prowled around with antenna mics, collecting arcade sounds.

‘What is this.’

Scarlet’s smiles bloomed.

The company they returned to after the overseas tour felt... a little different.