In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

When NewBlack were touring the Philippines and Malaysia—

Trickster’s new song was zipping past the general public without much reaction.

It wasn’t that people were especially indifferent so much as it’s rare for a boy group to grab the public’s attention.

“Mm?”

As folks listened to music on the subway or bus, an unfamiliar melody slid into their ears.

What’s this now?

They’d opened the Mango daily chart and suddenly heard English lyrics.

On their phone screens they saw black album art with the word “Thunder.”

The artist name:

Trickster.

...Who?

Most people tilted their heads at the unfamiliar name.

Not really my style.

They tapped next track and let their thoughts drift elsewhere.

Saturday evening.

The bus passengers gazing out at the sweltering August scene were actually watching a news crawl on the onboard screen.

— Sun Wooju’s Rest “Work” Diary: “We’ll show real healing.”

— K-net Rest Diary: Ducklings say, “We’ll handle big-brother welfare.”

— [Hot Trend Analysis] “Now even rest becomes variety”... How far can idol reality evolve?

What the public cared about most was NewBlack news.

The nation’s idols, gearing up hard with promos ahead of their English single.

Every time you saw them your chest felt warm for no reason; photos or clips made a smile tug at your lips.

But was yesterday fun?

Hearing that Friday’s premiere of Sun Wooju’s Rest “Work” Diary set K-net’s top rating, people went online to look around.

Sure enough—

Posts were everywhere, almost taunting those who hadn’t watched yet.

[Clip of NewBlack’s Wooju being healed yesterday]

Click—people burst out laughing.

In the video, “Spaceship” arriving carried in a palanquin.

— lolololololololol

— What even is this

— I heard “healing” so I thought I’d watch something chill, but what is this lol I’m going in

— When you say healing, that is... not usually what you mean?

— No middle ground

— Aren’t you embarrassed? lolol

— Theory: Sun Wooju’s face skin is five meters thick

— If it were me I’d be red as a beet lol not everyone can be a leader

— No matter how you look at it, these kids are genuinely devoted to their hyung

That kicked off a flood of clips from yesterday.

Like a sage-king going, “Who was it? Who coughed?” members of the song camp doing try-not-to-laugh challenges.

A resort sign that originally read “Jeongseung Resort” losing its O so it became “Afterlife Resort.”

I’m gonna lose it. Seriously.

Wiping tears as they scrolled, people started catching up on Sun Wooju’s Rest “Work” Diary.

I should watch it live from now on.

They hunted down the video and hit play.

A five-member party setting out to find a legendary song.

[To aid them, the nation’s top songwriters have assembled...!]

Composers known for a stack of hits any music listener would recognize appeared in force.

Composer Yoo Ung, who made “Flora,” La Rose’s biggest hit.

Composer Sand Girl, famous in hip-hop/rap for creating many legendary survival-show tracks.

Others too—experts whose discographies could fill a book.

[I came because Mr. Wooju asked. He sent a letter asking if I’d join the song camp.]

[Of course I said yes. It’s “Spaceship” calling, after all.]

[Phew... For my song to become a NewBlack track... This could be a milestone in my composing career.]

Composers boasting that they’d make the best possible song.

Their photos slotted together like a puzzle, and a bold caption rose:

[In whose hands will METRO be born?]

Viewers blinked.

Come to think of it, yeah.

People had heard that NewBlack’s METRO was coming, but there’d been no news that it was born from Spaceship’s hand.

With interest piqued, viewers scrubbed back.

Then they stared again at the cluster of composer photos.

Let’s see...

Squinting, they soon spotted a small photo tucked in a corner—Spaceship.

Netizens smiled warmly.

Oh, come on.

It’s Sun Wooju again, obviously.

They didn’t know detailed facts about his composing.

But Koreans knew his career better than anyone.

— 2015 year-end No. 1 “Windflower.”

— 2016 variety show project smash “Attention” on Mister Producer.

— 2016 reverse-run legend “Fireworks.”

— 2017 Gabi Gabi Dotgabi Odo... “Dokkaebi.”

— 2017 current leading year-end No. 1 contender “Coin.”

Plus tracks like “Nine,” “Masquerade,” “Empire.”

Any listener in Korea knew NewBlack’s title tracks by name.

No one in that gallery looked likely to beat Spaceship in peak form—still showing flawless shape.

Everyone thought the same thing.

No matter how you look at it, he’s not losing this...

After that curiosity-hooking opener, viewers watched the healing scenes with fond smiles.

Rest “Work” Diary aired in two parts across Friday and Saturday.

If “Work” was Part 2’s theme, Part 1’s theme was “Rest.”

Cute.

Smiles spread seeing Wooju happy just riding the bus to the next stop.

The ducklings’ interview cuts:

[If you watch, you can tell... There’ve been more than a few times we thought “He’s gonna crash at this rate.” Nosebleeds gushing is the mild version.]

[I bought a mountain of supplements... but normal vitamins or tonics didn’t help much.]

[So this time we prepared rest for Wooju hyung. It felt like he might really go first otherwise...]

At first, people thought it was a sweet project to let a gastritis-stricken hyung rest up.

But their view shifted.

He had no choice but to rest.

If he didn’t, he’d have to hold a fan meeting in the afterlife.

He’s the type who’d keep composing even over there.

The point was to make him do nothing and rest, before something bad happened.

Maybe that’s why—

[Hey! Don’t walk! Take the palanquin!]

The ducklings fussed over him after arriving at the Namhae resort.

At meals they set the tastiest dishes in front of him.

Wherever they went: “Pretty! Aigoo our puppy—no, our hyung is pretty!” showering him with praise.

Smiles came seeing the beaming grin on Sun Wooju’s face.

Yeah, Wooju. Rest a bit.

Even with nothing “happening,” the healing-healing reality kept viewers spellbound.

It was strange.

With another celebrity you might have gone “Eh...” and turned it off halfway, but NewBlack content—healing theme or not—just kept you watching. They could just hang out and you’d be laughing.

Truly healing...

[Aaaargh! Why is the drone chasing us!]

[You are now approaching a restricted area...! You are now approaching a restricted area...!]

[Hello, this is Junhyun. On a tip from your secret buddy, we have apprehended you attempting to work on a song in secret.]

Granted... some scenes weren’t exactly healing, but overall it was a soft, soothing reality.

Like a warm beam of light for those worn out by daily life.

It’s on again today, right.

Checking the time for a reality that aired Friday-Saturday back-to-back, someone smiled on the bus.

Through the window she noticed the bus stop scenery.

Wait—where even is this...?

A stop way past her destination.

So absorbed in NewBlack’s reality, she searched her phone, then stared blankly outside.

A sparkle like a helping hand from somewhere:

[Oh dear? Are you lost?]

Biju...!

In the ad—

A gentle-looking boy with dyed blond hair and deer-like eyes gazed at her.

Then Biju flashed a bright smile.

[I’m lost too!]

Don’t sound so proud of that...

Up popped a public-transit route app.

Biju winked from the ad as she stared, dazed.

Saturday evening.

Thanks to the previous day’s Rest “Work” Diary, many living rooms were tuned to K-net.

“What kind of channel is this? Music?”

“It’s a music channel, but they’re always pitting singers against each other. Trashy in a different way from broadcast TV.”

“Bad people.”

As idol fans explained the situation to their parents, their eyes stayed glued to the TV.

Usually idol realities are watched by that idol’s fans or by other fans who hear the buzz...

“They say NewBlack were hilarious again.”

“They’re insane, those kids.”

NewBlack’s reality was a little different.

With families gathered cozy on the sofa, fans of other idols watched with bright eyes.

“Did they say it’d be on here?”

People were interested because there’d be a behind-the-scenes of Scarlet’s “Not Fine,” currently No. 1 on the chart.

How had a genius composer come to make Scarlet’s track?

Beyond being on the same team during the Idol-lympics, NewBlack and Scarlet had no obvious overlap—so curiosity ran higher.

There has to be some huge backstory.

There’s no way they just went “Oh look, it works” and cranked that out.

It must’ve been born out of fierce debate with the top composers.

And—

“They said they also made the song they’ll sing in the U.S. there.”

“Sounds right.”

What general viewers were most excited for was METRO’s making-of.

A new song set to premiere at the U.S. VMAs, made by Korean composers—how could that not be intriguing?

Like that “exclusive training of the Olympic gold medalist” special.

“I read online yesterday—those composers are the top of the top here. Super famous.”

People pictured something in their heads.

The best K-pop talents gathered in one place, having constructive discussions and fierce debates about the song.

Competing over whose piece is best until a final winner emerges.

Everyone was waiting for that when—

It’s starting!

At last, the broadcast began.

[Please... let me work on a song...!]

[I want to work. I want to do my job.]

[Why won’t you let me work when I’m saying I’ll work with my own two hands!]

Composers who’d been banned from any music-related tasks finally got a decree permitting them to compose.

They split into teams and got to work.

With a “Day 1” marker, laptops flipped open as they each tackled their assigned themes.

And the camera pushed in on one spot—

[Spaceship’s Studio]

Composer Spaceship stared intently at his laptop.

Laying color over a beat he’d prepared beforehand, his expression was serious.

What’s he doing?

Muttering to himself, click-click, working the mouse—about five minutes aired like that.

Maybe an hour in broadcast-internal time.

Then—

[Final version...? Already?]

A line that toyed with the composers hit the screen.

“Um...!”

“Wow, if I were there I’d have cursed.”

“His personality turns on when he’s composing... whew.”

On TV, the composers wore blank looks while Spaceship, sincerely, was going “Is this the final?”

Only a portion went out over the TV audio, but even that was enough to make viewers feel, “Whoa, that’s going to be insane.”

So how did it feel for the composers who heard the full version on site?

“He’s a bodhisattva. A saint.”

“Then why have a song camp at all?”

Viewers gave wry laughs at a song camp that had lost its original purpose.

It had been maybe ten minutes since the show began, and story-wise, METRO’s work was already... done.

“...”

“...”

It felt amazing, petty, and oddly deflating all at once.

— I feel bad for the composers ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

— lolol why did he even call them

— Spaceship also exploded with pent-up energy after being forced to rest

— ???: I now understand your level

— If Junhyun hadn’t been there he’d have been mobbed

— So aggravating lolololol

— Expected: a hall of the world’s best composers / Reality: Spaceship’s rage-inducing masterclass

— But is that... actually it??? That’s the end??

Just as everyone wondered if that was really all for METRO’s behind-the-scenes—

A scene of the composers agreeing, “Let’s make the B-sides,” came up, and warm smiles spread.

So it really is done.

Of course.

Why else would Spaceship summon that many people?

Clearly to toy with them.

— But the song sounded kind of good lol

— Same

— It was like three seconds?? But it hooked right away

— Spaceship again

— When does Deokchun show up?? Don’t tell me that’s a three-minute cut too

— The composers are so pitiful ㅠㅠㅠ

While pity for the composers bubbled up all over,

the camp’s song-making kicked into gear for real, with Wooju flitting around poking his nose in here and there.

The vibe felt familiar, and someone posted:

[Father of music: Bach. Mother of music: Handel.]

(Composer Spaceship profile photo.jpg)

And Spaceship, the mother-in-law of music (new!)

— lololololololol

— lmfaoooo

— Mother-in-law of music, accepted lol

— Sangyoon, your soup is salty

— It’s like serving rice to your Michelin-chef father-in-law... I don’t want to deal with him

— I already can’t wait for the textbook in 100 years

— He’ll still be alive then

— taptap with a cane this... works... taptaptap...

While the internet bantered,

it was time to wrap Day 1 of the song camp—time to present one track each.

Famous composers like Na Sangyoon and Yoo Ung unveiled their songs.

“Oh, that one’s nice too.”

“Good.”

“...And it didn’t make the cut?”

What on earth was METRO that such heavy-hitters got relegated to B-side status?

Like a variety show revealing candidates one by one, viewers got to hear a bunch of the options.

Not all of them, but quite a few aired intact.

“Can they just broadcast those like that? What if someone steals them?”

“Then you become the nation’s thief.”

“True, being the nation’s bastard is a bit much.”

Even so, some people still tilted their heads.

Can they really show the songs?

Did they get the composers’ permission? Viewers wondered.

But unlike those viewers—

“Ah...”

Some people on TV read Spaceship’s hidden intent.

The A&R teams of other labels.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Watching the K-net channel on the hotel TV, I turned my head to the side.

“Hehehehehe...”

— Hehehehehehehehe.

While the ducklings and I chuckled with solemn faces, our producing team staff on the other end of the video call were shaking with laughter.

I asked PD Na Sangyoon:

“Are we set?”

— All set.

The songs airing right now had already been filtered once by us and the producing team.

Anything usable for us, Scarlet, or senior Yoon Chanhyuk, we kept.

And for the rest, a plan:

Sell them.

Shall we sell?

A.k.a. time for a warehouse blowout.

A plan prepared to soothe the industry’s grumbling—“Lemon takes everything ㅠㅠㅠ”—about our label.

The tracks playing like previews on TV right now were “It’s me... call me” dances courting other labels.

“But will we really get calls...?”

Before Junhyun even finished, the phone in our producing team’s office—seen on the screen—started ringing off the hook.

Like they’d heard “deadline imminent,” hands grabbed receivers.

Watching staff pick up call after call, the kids and I wriggled with laughter.

Every song airing there had my beat as its base.

“Hehehehehe!”

“Uhehehehehehe!”

“Business is booming!”

“Five hundred branches!”

We roared as “Made in Spaceship” tracks spread far and wide to other storefronts.