In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

There is one rule that anyone who has ever taken an exam can relate to.

"If you get stuck on one question, you’re done."

You might be solving things well, but once your mind starts spiraling because of one weird problem, everything that follows gets tangled.

And what if that problem is Question 1?

Needless to say, every test taker would feel like flipping off the person who made it.

"Seori Hyuk, you’re dead."

The Souffles froze after seeing Question 1.

"Salt water, salt water......."

"Damn it, I think we learned this in middle school. What was the formula? No, wait, could you solve it without a formula?"

"We’re busy fangirling, when are we supposed to study!"

But the Souffles had helpful assistants.

Whenever NewBlack game strategies got stuck, someone made a guide. Whenever there was a hard problem, experts appeared with answers.

Those experts were the “general public.”

"Hehehe."

The Souffles confidently searched the internet, then panicked.

"Ah! This was a fan-only event."

Normally when fan events happened, they would grumble, "Ugh, the general public is trying to squeeze in again." Now they teared up.

If only we’d behaved more generously before!

On Twitter, there were only posts lamenting, "Starting from Question 1, seriously..." No one was posting the answer sheet.

"Damn it, time limit."

Everyone was solving simultaneously.

With only ten minutes, there wasn’t even time for Souffles to share answers among themselves.

"I’ll skip Question 1 for now."

They had panicked, but it didn’t matter.

They just had to solve well from Question 2 onward.

Fans’ eyes moved to Question 2.

[Question 2]

NewBlack’s Travel Diary Season 2: Australia episode’s famous scene “DrunkBlack.”

Subtract the number of times Kim Biju said "I love you" from the number of times Seori Hyuk shouted "I love you." What is the result? [2 # Nоvеlight # points, short answer]

With trembling hands, they hurriedly searched reaction gifs.

Finding the answer among saved clips in their galleries, Souffles used calculator apps and entered the result.

Already three minutes had passed.

There were ten questions total.

Their breathing grew heavier.

"At least I got one right."

The selection criteria for this fan signing were simple.

Pass all five sections without failing.

As long as they got at least three questions correct in a section, they passed regardless of total score.

Fans skimmed through Period 1 and nodded.

"If you can’t solve at least this much, you’re a fake Souffle."

Anyone with more than casual interest in NewBlack could probably solve at least five.

So passing the cutoff score was guaranteed.

But Souffles focused intensely.

"If we get them all right, they’ll definitely give some kind of prize."

Their eyes moved on.

[Question 3]

The mini-series I Blew Up My In-Laws, for which Seori Hyuk sang the OST.

What was the name of the cameo character Seori Hyuk played? [2 points, multiple choice]

Thankfully, multiple choice.

Souffles quickly selected the correct answer.

After solving Seori Hyuk’s questions, they turned to social media and idol communities.

"Answers are going up. Let me check......."

But something was strange.

Everyone’s answers were different.

Former civil service exam veterans among the Souffles quickly grasped the situation.

-It looks like from Question 3 onward, the subjective questions are randomized

-Seeing how different they are, it’s probably pulling randomly from a bank of 30 questions

-Why are they so thorough about this of all things

-They can’t even calculate merch properly but they’re telling me to calculate

-I was bad at math... from today I declare I give up on Seori Hyuk

-Please someone tell me the salt water answer..

-150g!!!!

-Thx thx you’re going to be blessed!!!!!

As “Question 1_150g” trended in real time, Souffles hurriedly entered the answer.

"Whew."

After using the full ten minutes, they submitted Period 1 and moved on.

They clicked the next section.

A warm-sounding title appeared.

[Biju’s Member Love Section]

[Question 1]

What was the name of Jiho’s cameo character in the drama Sleep?

[Question 2]

What nickname did Wooju gain from the Taiwan night market interview?!

Compared to the filthy Seori Section, this was much more solvable.

Finally, it felt like a real quiz.

They entered answers one by one. It was a wholesome Biju Section.

Until Question 10, the common question.

[Question 10]

Which airport fashion did Wooju NOT wear?

(1) Mismatched suit top and bottom + hiking boots

(2) ...

There were seven choices.

Looking at the impossible question, Souffles grabbed their heads.

"I only looked at his face, not his clothes!"

"Is Kim Biju Wooju’s obsessive fan?"

After agonizing, they decided to guess.

A question that required the absolute peak of hardcore fangirling!

They entrusted it to probability and continued.

Period 3, Junhyun Section, asked about the names of animals and plants Junhyun raised. Period 4, Jiho Section, was filled with Jiho’s self-loving questions.

And finally, Period 5, Wooju Section.

[Question 1]

Fill in the blank in the following lyrics.

As expected from the composing member, it was full of music-related questions.

Fill in missing lyrics, identify which member wrote certain lines, music genres.

"At least this one’s reasonable. Surprisingly normal for Wooju."

The members had intended these as a "Souffles, get them all right!" kind of quiz.

It only felt serious because of Seori Hyuk’s first section.

When they finished, the results appeared immediately.

[Bam ba ba bam!]

Their hearts fluttered.

"Did I get full marks?"

Mini NewBlack characters hopped on screen.

With an excited BGM, they cheered as if the best score in the world had appeared.

[69 out of 120]

[Amazing! You tied with Jiho’s Korean history score!]

"Is this a karaoke machine?"

"They’re praising me, but why do I feel bad?"

As if finishing a major exam, Souffles stretched deeply.

Application complete.

"All this trouble just to attend one fan signing......."

But then the prize flashed in their minds again.

Limited edition non-sale signed CD.

A physical event album for METRO and a chance to talk face-to-face with the members.

"......I’d go through this a hundred times."

Just as they yawned and rolled around, a notification popped up.

[2017 NewBlack Mock Exam: Thank you for your hard work, test takers.]

The thumbnail looked familiar.

Five members dressed like online lecture instructors, wearing suits and glasses.

"Approved."

Wooju adjusted his glasses.

-Hello! Top instructor of the Fangirling Section! Director Joo Useon of NewBlack Academy. Carefully named to always prioritize our students’ grades day and night!

-Liar! You made that up ten seconds ago!

-It shows our speed. Fast and accurate solutions! That’s our academy’s motto.

Souffles burst into laughter.

They had heard that tone before.

Wooju clapped like a real academy director.

-Students! You worked very hard. How was the 2017 NewBlack Mock Exam? Was it fun?

-We’ll now go through the answers together.

They mentioned partnering with an online lecture company called HyperStudy.

From Seori Hyuk’s Period 1 explanation to Wooju’s Period 5 lecture, it felt like a real online class.

Beyond visuals, the behind stories were the best.

-When I cameoed in I Blew Up My In-Laws, I kept it secret from the members. I was a little embarrassed.......

As they explained, they shared behind stories.

"So that’s what happened......."

"It was Junhyun who broke Biju’s plate? I need to tell Biju."

"The police officer scene had a story too."

Period 5’s Wooju Section explanation was the highlight.

Unrevealed composing stories, how B-sides were made.

He even played the song during explanation.

"So that’s what that song meant."

"So good."

Just as they finished watching—

Bzzzz.

Their phones vibrated.

"Crazy!"

It was a Y app notification.

[Surprise Live Starting]

NewBlack: (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و Now it’s our turn to solve the problems

They frantically tapped the app.

The screen shook.

Buffering.

Buffering.

"When are they expanding the servers?!"

Finally, their favorites appeared.

All five at the dorm kitchen table, holding test sheets.

They were solving all 30 questions Seori Hyuk had written.

The moment they saw Question 1, the members grew indignant.

"Hey!"

Jiho complained.

-How can you give Souffles a question like this?

-What’s wrong with it?

Seori Hyuk replied casually.

-It’s a problem anyone who passed middle school curriculum can solve.

Snap.

Junhyun broke his pen in half.

Seori Hyuk quickly corrected himself.

-Well, of course, maybe not everyone can solve it.

-Whew, it’s really hard. I think we learned this in middle school math.......

-It’s not that hard. Just solve a basic equation.

Meanwhile, Wooju silently scribbled.

-Hyung, what are you doing?

-Wait. Solved it.

It wasn’t actually that difficult.

But Wooju solved it smoothly without hesitation.

"150 grams, right?"

"......."

"It just solves itself."

Except for Seori Hyuk, irritation spread.

"So Wooju was top grade, right."

Fans remembered his perfect mock exam scores from his old days.

High school senior Souffles opened math workbooks.

"I shouldn’t be worrying about him. I should worry about my life."

"He would’ve gone to Seoul National University even without debuting."

"Why is he so annoying today."

Eventually they all solved together, laughing, talking about music shows.

They accepted appeals about questions.

Facing complaints about Question 1, Seori Hyuk flushed red.

-...It really was solvable under middle school curriculum.

Not wrong.

But then elementary school Souffles appeared.

Chirp chirp.

Teary-eyed little chicks.

"We didn’t learn it......."

Elementary school Souffles typed with drooping shoulders.

-We didn’t learn it..

-Our school didn’t teach usㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-I’m sad

-You need advanced learning to solve it

Some adults tried to slip in comments, but the children shone brightly.

"Elementary students can’t solve it!"

Seori Hyuk froze.

-I... I made a mistake.......

-It’s okay. You can fix it.

He sighed.

-Question 1 will be counted correct for everyone. Agreed?

-Agreed.

Biju winked at the camera.

Souffles nodded.

-Waaaaaaah!

-We beat NewBlack!

-Chirp! Chirp!

Elementary school fans jumped like chicks flapping wings.

Behind them, adults smiled.

"Elementary schoolers are strong."

"Against NewBlack, they’re unbeatable."

Thus proving once again that NewBlack cannot defeat elementary and kindergarten fans.

The next morning.

They boarded a flight to America.

Destination: New York.

"Ugh......."

The youngest shivered.

-Why are talk shows split up like this? Can’t they just combine into one?

-The land is huge.

One thing they realized promoting in America was how enormous it was.

Two cultural centers.

West coast around Hollywood.

East coast around Broadway and New York.

Hollywood dominated film, but the East held cultural weight.

Most talk shows aired first on Eastern time.

They were visiting talk shows near Broadway.

Biju smiled at the schedule.

-It’s tight, but we can manage in a week.

-Biju.

-Yes?

-It’s Monday to Wednesday. Thursday is music broadcast.

"......."

Biju leaned his head against the airplane window.

Wooju checked his phone.

-METRO tops digital charts... “The spaceship did it again”

-NewBlack’s unique promotion strategy... “We are a K-pop group”

-Celebrity challenge video trending, Teen Spirit: “Congrats, NewBlack hyungs”

Promotion responses after VMA were excellent.

Dance videos filmed at subway station sets in New York, LA, Chicago were rising fast.

Music video views skyrocketed.

US chart rankings climbed.

"Should we expect something?"

"What?"

Junhyun peeked.

"Today’s Billboard Hot 100."

"Isn’t that late at night?"

"Probably around noon Eastern time."

They’d know after landing.

"Looking at the performance, maybe we can expect something. But if we expect too much, it might disappoint."

"There are prediction rankings online."

"Really...?"

He almost checked, then stopped.

Billboard Hot 100.

His heart thumped.

"It’ll go well......."

They had done their best.

The company had.

Agencies had.

Only results remained.

Ding.

[Passengers, thank you for waiting. We will now take off.]

The plane roared.

He squeezed his chicken doll Bruce.

After takeoff, he watched the flight map slowly moving from Incheon to JFK.

Fourteen hours.

They arrived.

"Waaaaaaah!"

Fans greeted them.

It was raining lightly.

On the bus, Seokhwan asked,

-Eat first?

-Sure~

-Or not?

-Sure~

-You’re not listening.

They laughed awkwardly.

They decided on Chinatown.

"When does it come out?"

"Twitter posts top 10 first, then uploads full chart."

They refreshed Billboard’s official Twitter.

"T-t-t it’s up!"

"Is it?!"

They looked.

Then laughed.

"It’s only top 10."

They waited for full Hot 100.

"Huh?"

Top 10 list.

He blinked.

"......Huh?"

Something that shouldn’t have been there was in his sight.