In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

“Huh?”

Ara sent a long thank-you message.

Reading the thanks with the nuance of “Wooju, you’re such a good person...” made my chest tighten.

“...If she finds out the truth, I’m dead.”

“What’s dead?”

I shook my head at the maknae’s question and changed the subject.

“Jiho. The members of Scarlett... they’re not very scared of things, right?”

“Scared?”

Jiho went hmm and said:

“They’re total scaredy-cats. Super jumpy.”

Ah. That’s a problem.

“But for how scared they are, they’re also crazy strong... It’s like, to scare those people you’d have to bet your life? If you try to land one hit, be ready to get hit ten times back—that kind of vibe.”

“...”

“But why?”

“Say somebody showed Scarlett something insanely scary.”

“Hmm. Then that person would probably cease to exist that day.”

Would it really go that way?

I was curious, but I didn’t want to be the test subject.

In that sense, getting out of Korea was a blessing.

“We’ll be at the airport soon.”

The other kids who’d been nodding off started waking up one by one.

The very next morning after the awards.

Today we were flying to Europe for the [Hello, WOrLD] world tour.

“Ugh...”

Biju, hair a total mess, pulled a beanie down over it and tidied up.

“I really don’t think my fatigue’s gone yet.”

“Sleep on the plane.”

“I should. Yaaawn...”

Biju yawned, and we all yawned in sync. Kneading each other’s shoulders, we loosened up until we reached the third-floor departures curb.

The departure run was the same as always.

Chaos.

“Biju! Biju! Oh—sorry! You’re not Biju! You’re handsome, though!”

Destruction.

“My phone screen!”

“It was already cracked. Jiho.”

Pain.

“Ow. I think my ribs hit Junhyun’s elbow.”

“Yikes.”

Only after the usual departure gauntlet did we board KA087 to Frankfurt, Germany.

Since it was our first overseas tour schedule, the managers were on edge; Team Leader Seo Mingi and Wonseok-hyung led them to another section while I enjoyed the kids’ antics in front of me.

“Brrrrr... peekaboo!”

The rattling act was oddly unpleasant, but I was grateful to the kids for rattling my brain out of its fog.

The flight attendants watched them and laughed themselves breathless.

“Tone it down. Other passengers...”

“There’s no one but us.”

“I’m just embarrassed, okay? I’m embarrassed...”

We’d better hurry up and charter planes.

After the kids who’d been generating a live-action national-embarrassment moment took their seats—

While we waited for takeoff, I checked recent news on my tablet.

I never said that last line.

In the Best Male Variety acceptance, I said something like, “I hope there are more ceremonies for variety entertainers”...

That one drew some response.

Oh Hyungseok, the eldest-brother figure on Jusehan and MC at this year’s Arts Awards, posted on Instagram.

@O___hyung

NewBlack Best Male Variety! Sincere congratulations. Your speech brought tears to my eyes..

I wholeheartedly agreed with what NewBlack said about wishing there were ceremonies for variety entertainers

They’re truly lovely kids

I looked at the selfie we took together, then read his long caption.

Not just Oh Hyungseok—lots of variety pros at the ceremony commented too.

It wasn’t wildly off from what I said.

Watching the show yesterday, I felt one thing: variety felt sidelined overall.

“Hyung, but variety isn’t in the opening VCR?”

“Huh? You’re right.”

The opening reel—“the artistic moments that lit up the year!”—showed only film and drama.

Compared to the finely split categories elsewhere, variety felt glossed over with just Best Male/Female and Program—so it was a bit of a shame.

But given my tenure and position—not a venerable industry elder—I couldn’t exactly shout “Awards show! Get it together!” So I just said I hoped there’d be more ceremonies that treat variety with care...

“Why am I suddenly a crusader for variety.”

All I could do was smile awkwardly while variety folks applauded: “Well said! Our variety rep!”

Ri Hyuk put on sunglasses and smirked.

“Just accept it.”

Yeah.

Well. It’s all good.

Thankfully, netizens seemed to agree too—maybe they’d thought along similar lines.

Watching the discussion bounce around, I shut the tablet.

Who knows where the talk will go, but I hope this little ripple flows the right way.

[ding!]

[Passengers, thank you for waiting. Our aircraft will now depart. For your safety, please check your seatbelts once more...]

At the pre-takeoff announcement, I checked my belt and closed my eyes.

The fuselage began to roll.

Through the open window, under Incheon’s clear sky, the airport started to drift away.

I looked at the scattered clouds and closed my eyes again.

Time to leave Korea aside and head to foreign soil to meet fans.

“Dling dling.”

“Our Wooju. Brrrrr... peekaboo!”

“...”

Should I flick him on the forehead.

Since there’s no nonstop to Berlin, we transited through Frankfurt and finally arrived in Berlin.

It was bright daylight.

“Far. So far.”

Fourteen hours in the air.

Taking off and landing twice left me a little drained.

This is why the company originally wanted to start in Paris, where there’s a nonstop—but venue scheduling pushed Germany first.

And—

At the Berlin airport I was visiting for the first time in my life...

“Wooooow!”

It was packed with an incredible number of our fans.

Here a Korean flag waved, there a German flag waved, banners shook—“Welcome to Berlin.”

Airport security held radios with tense faces, but what they feared didn’t happen.

“As expected of our fans.”

The orderly Souffles chanting Woojenmin made my chest burn warm.

“Jammin!”

“Jam!”

Though, if possible, could you use a different nickname.

It looked like people had come from neighboring countries too—some waved little flags from the Netherlands or Belgium.

Quite a few Italians, too.

Swept along, we waved to the fans who rumbled after us.

“Ughhh...”

Bothered by the droning plane noise in his ears, Ri Hyuk sagged, looking wrung out.

“Ahh. I got motion sick... Felt like the in-flight meal was about to come back up through my nose.”

“I think I got a bit queasy too.”

It’d been a while since we’d flown this long; my stomach felt unsettled.

While we toured Berlin from the company’s rented bus, Junhyun asked Mingi-hyung:

“Where to now?”

“Today’s an easy rest day. Sightsee a bit in the city, check out some restaurants, have fun.”

“Wooooow!”

“It’s a little late for lunch, but anything you’re craving?”

“Yes!”

There was so much to eat.

Sausages, and Schwein... what was it. The German-style pork knuckle—can’t remember the name.

Anyway, lots to eat. Happiness.

“We have to sip German beer too!”

“Hold up...”

Ri Hyuk started searching the legal drinking age in Germany.

“Why are you searching that?”

“Our country follows both nationality and territorial principles. We should check the local drinking age too.”

As we were talking, the local driver must have heard; he chuckled and said in English:

“You’re like a German.”

“Pardon?”

“In our country, every household has a book of laws.”

Now that he said it, I remembered hearing on some TV program that Germany’s bookstore bestseller is the legal code.

Maybe that’s why—

People on the street started looking like Ri Hyuk with a belly, Ri Hyuk with glasses, female Ri Hyuk.

Ri Hyuk smiled.

“Feels like coming home. Heh heh. I think I’ll match this country well.”

While we tossed banter back and forth, managers Jiun and Jongwan raised the handycam and started shooting behind-the-scenes.

“Hi! German Souffles! NewBlack are in Berlin~~!”

“Yoo-hoo!”

“Waaaaa!”

Watching the kids handle BTS filming like pros, I thought: they’re full-on variety people now.

We’ve got lots of radio and interview slots around Europe; I feel like I can trust them to handle it.

Biju held out his hand like a mic to Ri Hyuk.

“Mr. Ri Hyuk! First time in Germany—how do you feel?”

“Oh. I feel great.”

Ri Hyuk smiled.

“Berlin, the epitome of East–West harmony! November 9, 1989—the fall of the Berlin Wall that ended the Cold War—being here at the center of that event is so wonderful. At the time the U.S. and the Soviet Union...”

I rubbed my temples.

Maybe I can’t trust them yet.

Like when Jiho said “France makes me think of the 1866 French Campaign against Korea!” as a gag.

If I leave it to them, they’ll bring up the Opert tomb robbery and tank Korea–Germany relations.

The driver, having heard the translation from the interpreter, laughed and gave a thumbs-up.

“I told you—they’re basically German.”

Yes.

Please, take him.

We’ll pay you a hundred million marks.

“It’s euros. The mark changed ages ago.”

“Oh. Right.”

The mark in Kira, the Twelve-Year-Old Millionaire must have left a strong impression.

Anyway.

“Still... knowing it’s euros is common sense.”

Germans! Please take our Ri Hyuk...!

In Europe, our first world-tour stop, the days were peaceful.

Fifteen thousand at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Germany.

Fourteen thousand each for two nights at Accor Arena in Paris—twenty-eight thousand total.

Forty-three thousand across shows, and even in Europe—where K-pop’s supposedly the least known—arenas the size of our Gymnastics Stadium filled to the brim made my heart go soft.

“Last time we came, it was a joint concert.”

“It feels different... really.”

Just last year, at a K-pop concert, we were part of a multi-artist lineup.

Now we filled the same arena for two nights solo.

I don’t know how Souffles multiply in Europe, but people were increasing way faster than we expected.

The heat burned like a campfire.

Thanks to that, the interview schedule felt easy.

We even guested on a German radio show with a live audience, like a talk show, and sang “Coin.”

A few days working the European schedule taught me a couple of things.

First, Germans are really good at English.

Second, Europeans also lavish attention and cradle you high when something looks like it’ll blow up.

Honestly, while doing interviews, I’d sometimes catch a faint air of condescension.

That attitude didn’t last.

Most of them, seeing the Souffles blazing nearby, swapped that crooked look for a °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° warm smile.

It reminded me of the line: respect for humans comes from fear.

Of course, this nice treatment was also because our song was charting well in the U.S.

From #93 to #73. And this week, up to #68.

So we were treated like a rookie boy band about to blow.

After wrapping the Europe leg—

We took a short break back home, then flew to Mexico for the next weekend’s dates.

“Te amo, New Black!”

“Welcome to Mexico! We waited for you!”

“Kim Biju! I am the woman who will be your wife! Prepare yourself!”

If Berlin and Paris gathered a crowd that made you go “Oh?”, Mexico outright paralyzed the airport.

Mexican TV stations came to cover it.

Compared to Europe, the heat was like ten times stronger.

“Bijuyaaaa!”

“Hyuuung!”

We had to stick together tight so we wouldn’t get separated.

Even our local driver turned out to be a fan and asked for an autograph on paper. Usually they insist you write their name; since he didn’t, it felt like he planned to resell it on eBay.

You could feel the telltale tightness of muscles that liars get.

I joked:

“You’re not going to sell it, right?”

“Of—of course not!”

Watching him gulp, I considered giving a fake signature, then signed for real.

If he makes some money thanks to us, he’ll think kindly of us. No need to make enemies over something trivial.

“Here you go.”

That’s one of the perks of an overseas tour: you meet all kinds of people.

We played to about fifteen thousand at Arena Ciudad de México.

According to Mingi-hyung...

“We did demand forecasting last year, and it was off.”

“Ah. That tracks.”

Fifteen thousand wasn’t enough to cover the crowd.

“After Kids’ Choice, it exploded again... That’s why. We probably could’ve drawn around forty thousand.”

“Whoa...”

Of course, this wasn’t the company’s fault.

Tour plans usually predict headcount at least six months to a year out and book venues accordingly.

When variables hit and numbers spike like this, there’s nothing to be done.

All our predictions were wrong—ours, the company’s—concert attendance and even MeTube views.

“Coin” hit a hundred million in just thirty-three days.

“Is this real?”

“Crazy...”

“Director! Please make sure you get this on camera.”

The documentary director traveling with us framed the “Coin” page at 100 million views.

Even after a hundred million, our “Coin” MV was adding almost two million views a day.

Really... it felt like things were happening beyond my control.

We were just running hard together, and it was like the ground was running with us.

Like the world was spinning.

“Wow. The world is really spinning...”

I was trying to sound serious for the documentary camera when—

“Round and round, dizzy dizzy, spinning spinning around~”

“...”

I smiled warmly at the maknae clowning with the Crayon Shin-chan song.

Then I clenched a fist like Shin-chan’s mom.

“Ow ow ow!”

Looking back now—

I think our documentary’s sub-genre might get a “Comedy” tag.

Starting from the Korea Arts Awards, two weeks flew by.

After the glittering schedule in Mexico City—

We moved to Dallas, the big city in Texas, and played to about fifteen thousand at a venue run by American Airlines.

The Billboard Awards were now about a week away.

“Let’s hang up, Hailey.”

Now that we were in North America, the time difference wasn’t so bad, so I often did video calls with Hailey to discuss the stage.

“Nggh.”

Stretching, I looked out the window.

The city we came to after finishing Dallas.

Chicago.

The town where Kevin beat up burglars—and, in the movies, the Gotham where Batman and Joker shot their sweet love story.

The background of that film where bullets curve if you curve the gun—Ri Hyuk’s least favorite.

Also Chicago pizza.

Anyway, it’s the country’s third-largest city—huge, with tons to see.

“Is this the right way?”

With hulking bodyguards from the American agency, I was moving solo today.

Free time the day before the show.

I had gifts to buy for our maknae’s coming-of-age day and some shopping to do—and I was meeting someone.

“I think it’s here.”

I spotted someone at a distant patio table.

Sunglasses on, sipping coffee with elegance.

As soon as I got out and headed over, the person waiting took off the sunglasses and beamed.

“Hyung!”

Fluent Korean.

I waved and smiled back at the one approaching.

“Long time no see. Been well?” 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

A foreign member of TNT who isn’t active right now.

I traded bright greetings with Jang Hanbyeol.