In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

It happened to be a rainy day.

A college student working on an assignment on her laptop looked out the café window.

‘It’s raining a lot.’

In the humid, hazy mist, people walked busily down the street under umbrellas.

Shwaaah.

Every time cars passed, they sprayed sheets of water, and the glow of headlights and signboards smeared into a blur.

‘Ah. I don’t want to do this assignment.’

Frowning as she skimmed through the mess of research materials her teammate had sent, she stretched long and wide.

Then she laid her head down on the café table and stared out the window.

The cold touch against her cheek.

There was plenty to do, but somehow she felt bored.

She rummaged through her pocket, put her earbuds in, and pressed play.

‘Rainy days call for R&B.’

She was idly passing the time listening to jazz and R&B when—

“Hmm?”

An unfamiliar song began playing, as if the music app had automatically queued a recommendation.

It was an incredibly good track.

It started off calm yet trendy in sound... and before long, a rhythmic beat pulsed steadily.

A beat that made her fingers automatically tap against the table.

‘What is this? It’s good.’

The genre was hip hop.

A rapper’s heavy voice, vaguely familiar from somewhere, recited the lyrics.

Going up and down

Pressing and pressing again

Our conversations were always like that

It seemed to be lyrics about a relationship between a man and a woman.

Remembering how she had suppressed her feelings during her last relationship, the college student immersed herself in the words.

If you look closely

You were trying to say something

Your breathing

Your trembling

The rapper’s calm voice blended naturally with the scenery outside.

Couples walking arm in arm beneath umbrellas.

An office worker at a street stall ordering spicy rice cakes, neatly popping fish cake into his mouth.

People hunched over at the bus stop.

The moisture-filled atmosphere unique to rainy days mingled with the emotion-laden hip hop.

Maybe it wasn’t my fault

That I couldn’t listen

Thinking that what I heard

Was everything

Lifting her face from the cold table, the student gazed quietly at her laptop, lost in thought.

Conversation isn’t the entirety of communication.

The song was talking about how a person’s gaze, their trembling, or something nonverbal could be just as important.

After a brief breath, the rapper calmly added one line.

If you think about it

Just when she thought more rap would follow—

Breaking that perfectly natural expectation, the singer’s vocals flowed out softly instead. It was a refreshing shift in mood.

V-I-B-E

Everywhere

Your

V-I-B-E

Your voice

Is everywhere

V-I-B-E.

Even after hearing it just once, it was the kind of chorus that made you hum along.

With the clear bell-like tone of the synthesizer creating a sweet melody, the song even felt fresh.

She couldn’t help but admire the sensual beat.

‘This song is good.’

As the track moved into the second verse, the student picked up her phone.

‘Who is it?’

The album art showed a winter seaside bus stop.

A man sat there with his back turned.

“Oh.”

It was hard to be certain from just his back, but this was one hundred percent certain.

He was insanely handsome.

Certified insanely handsome.

There was an aura of handsomeness radiating even from his silhouette.

“Who is it?”

It said the rap name was “Sweet Potato,” apparently a rookie hip hop artist.

Sweet potato.

Or maybe sweet potato as in the vegetable. She wasn’t sure.

‘From a hip hop survival show?’

Lately, thanks to the many popular hip hop survival programs, there were plenty of famous rappers that people who didn’t watch TV barely recognized.

Surely he must be one of those artists.

She didn’t know who he was, but one thing was certain—he had potential.

‘If they promote him well, he could totally blow up...’

The kind of excitement you feel when you discover a great indie band.

But when she opened the portal site, she blinked.

‘What?’

[Real-Time Search Rankings #1]

Seeing number three, it seemed Junhyun had done something.

And judging from numbers one and two, the song clearly wasn’t hot just for her.

‘What? Is he already famous?’

The student clicked on the number one search term.

Then something strange happened.

“Huh?”

In the portal’s profile photo section, NewBlack’s Junhyun was smiling warmly.

“...?”

Was it an error?

She refreshed the page, but it was still Kim Junhyun.

Only then did something suddenly click.

“....”

The student clicked on the number three search term, Junhyun.

The profile photo remained the same, but the name appeared simply as “Junhyun.”

[Junhyun]

Kim Junhyun, Sweet Potato | Singer, Rapper

Birth: 1995. 09.

Affiliated Group: NewBlack

...As if to confirm the kill, the name Sweet Potato was stamped beneath his name.

Below that, the latest articles lined up one after another.

They were articles she could hardly believe even while reading them.

‘This is a song Kim Junhyun made?’

Listening again, it was definitely Junhyun’s voice.

The vibe was completely different from NewBlack’s songs, but the voice was unmistakably his.

Still, the words self-composed were hard to believe.

‘Isn’t the composing member in NewBlack Sun Wooju?’

On top of that, Junhyun’s usual image played a part.

Black goat wrestler.

NewBlack’s Buddha-level mentality.

A jinxed hand who never seemed to pick the right thing.

Wasn’t he the main rapper in NewBlack responsible for “something extraordinary and ridiculous”?

At least, that was the public image.

‘Junhyun composing....’

Souffle fans would accept it with, “Junhyun works on songs with Wooju too,” but to the general public, his variety-show image was stronger.

It was a mismatch of genre.

If a boxer entered a piano competition and won, wouldn’t everyone tilt their head and go, “Huh?”

‘Is it just me?’

Fortunately, the album comment section on the music site was filled with similar reactions.

Since VIBE was so good, she listened to the other tracks too.

An album filled with sounds good enough to be called a masterpiece.

At first she had been a little flustered, but as she listened to Junhyun’s rap, her perception gradually shifted in a positive direction.

‘Junhyun writes good songs too.’

Before she realized it, she had forgotten her assignment and had been web surfing for over an hour.

She kept listening to the songs.

Around then, a post on a frequent online community caught her eye.

[The hot VIBE on the charts right now — after seeing this, you can’t go back]

When she clicked it, a news link popped up.

(Junhyun reveals the story behind “VIBE”... “Thanks to the massage chair Teen Spirit seniors sent”)

Hahahahahahahaha

I can’t be the only one who suffers

You guys get cursed too

The full article was attached, saying he had gotten inspiration while lying on the massage chair Teen Spirit sent.

“.......”

Sensing something was off, the student replayed VIBE.

The lyrics she had listened to while reminiscing about her past relationship suddenly began to sound different.

Going up and down

Pressing and pressing again

Our conversations were always like that

‘Right. The massage chair probably went up and down and pressed too.’

The emotion-filled lyrics that had just moments ago sounded like a romantic relationship were now replaced in her mind with Kim Junhyun sitting on a massage chair, laughing heartily.

“.......”

The student, who had been listening in a moist emotional mood, looked at the rain outside the window with a tearful expression.

Then she sent the post link to her friend.

‘I can’t be the only one who suffers.’

Like a chain letter, the behind-the-scenes story of the song began spreading across Korea.

“Hyung, look at this!”

At the maknae’s words, Kim Junhyun turned his head.

“Oh.”

It seemed to be a screenshot taken by fans.

On every real-time music chart, VIBE was ranked number one.

“Wow, this actually works.”

Beside the admiring Junhyun, his older brother figures, friends, and younger members jumped around.

“Congratulations, Junhyun!”

“Hey. Congrats.”

“Junhyun hyung, you’re buying late-night food today. Let’s add spicy jokbal to the bossam set...!”

Amid the congratulations, Junhyun felt dazed.

‘I’m really number one.’

If it had been another NewBlack member, they might have burst into tears, but Junhyun just laughed.

‘That’s good.’

If it were group activities where everyone’s lives were tied together, it would be different.

But when it came to personal activities, Kim Junhyun kept his mind at ease.

After all, he had started it for self-satisfaction, and he wasn’t the type to measure his worth by others’ reactions.

“Ahem.”

Of course, happy was still happy.

Amid the flood of congratulatory messages, Junhyun called his family to boast.

“Dad, I got first place.”

He bragged to his parents and his older brother.

He also sent thank-you messages to the rappers and producing team staff who had participated in the album.

And then—

He encountered a six-member boy group with horns practically sticking out.

“Uh... thanks.”

“Yeah?”

But their reactions were remarkably bright.

After smiling fondly at the pretty boys who were delighted that if they couldn’t have it, no one else could, he laughed at the Sbo members’ suggestion of collaborating later after their congratulatory call.

It was congratulations everywhere.

‘Nice. I’m happy.’

He wasn’t the type to pay attention to every reaction, but the responses were so good that he felt happy.

To receive this kind of heated reaction to a song he made.

It was a kind of happiness he was feeling for the first time.

“You worked hard, Junhyun.”

The eldest slung an arm over his shoulder as he smiled.

“I’m really proud.”

“Thank you, hyung.”

“How is it? Feels amazing, right?”

“Yes. It feels really good.”

Judging by the trend of it holding number one on real-time charts, he heard it might stay at the top for weeks.

But he wasn’t happy just because of the numbers.

Self-proof.

He felt relief and a small happiness at having proven himself.

Lately, he had felt a slight sense of anxiety among the members.

Kim Biju had gone on a dance competition show last year and taken first place.

Recently, Ri Hyuk had become a hot topic with the national anthem and was considered one of the best vocalists.

Jiho was the lead in a billion-dollar drama.

Wooju hyung was Wooju hyung.

Watching each member make the most of their strengths, he had thought he needed to accomplish something too.

‘What a relief.’

He felt a bit reassured, thinking he had finally gained something worthy of standing beside the members.

“Phew.”

Just as he was quietly organizing those thoughts in his mind—

Among the laughing members, Sun Wooju smiled at him.

“Feeling less pressure?”

“Pressure?”

“You looked like you’d been feeling some lately.”

The eldest grinned slyly.

“You weren’t saying anything... but even when I offered to help with songs, you said it was fine. I could see that you felt like you had to accomplish something.”

“Yes. I did, a little. But I think I’ve let some of it go now.”

“That’s a relief.”

He smiled back at the eldest who lightly patted his back.

After briefly smiling like a leader for once—

Wooju scampered off to the other underlings, squealing together as they enjoyed reading the internet reactions.

Junhyun watched and smiled quietly.

Then—

“Hmm? The critic reviews are really good too.”

Ri Hyuk primly read aloud.

“Junhyun presents a track with a completely different atmosphere from existing NewBlack songs, demonstrating a diverse spectrum. This is a tremendous strength... bringing new vitality to the somewhat monotonous color and tone that Sun Wooju’s songs have recently been criticized for...”

Ri Hyuk trailed off, and the members wore expressions of mixed dismay.

‘It was a trap card!’

A high-level anti review that pretended to praise Junhyun while backhandedly criticizing Wooju.

As the members subtly glanced at the eldest—

“....”

A shadow fell across Wooju’s slightly lowered face.

“Hyung?”

“I was a fool.”

“Huh?”

“To have overlooked such a simple idea that even an outsider could think of!”

Wooju suddenly lifted his head.

Flames blazed in his eyes.

‘There are flames in hyung’s eyes....’

‘At this point he’s not a goblin, he’s a composing demon.’

‘Damn. Stepped in it.’

With burning eyes and a blissful smile, Wooju grabbed Junhyun’s hand.

“Junhyun!”

“Y-Yes...?”

“Come to think of it, it wasn’t just because you felt pressured that you hid it, was it? Like how you suddenly pressed Alt-Tab every time I went into the studio.”

“Th-that...”

“You were hiding that kind of skill from me? You were concealing how much your composing skills had improved.”

While Ri Hyuk was muttering ten comments about excessive self-awareness—

Kim Junhyun closed his eyes.

‘I’ve been caught.’

He had studied composing hard but hadn’t shown it to the eldest. The moment he did, he had expected this kind of hell.

“To think I didn’t realize there was such a honey pot right next to me.”

“Whoa, you’re right! It was dark right under the lamp!”

The underlings, realizing it wasn’t their problem, chimed in.

Kim Biju covered his mouth and smiled gently.

“Maybe Junhyun wanted to compose with you, hyung. He’s been studying really hard lately.”

‘No. Not at all.’

“Well, Junhyun hyung isn’t very good at expressing himself.”

‘No. I deliberately didn’t express it.’

Behind the blazing Sun Wooju, the underlings giggled.

Still holding his hand, Wooju stepped closer.

“Junhyun.”

“Yes.”

“From now on, let’s do it together. Our composing duo has been neglecting each other lately.”

“.......”

“As a promise. ...Biju, commemorative photo.”

“Yes!”

As the two members hooked pinkies, Kim Biju somehow produced a Polaroid camera.

Click.

Maybe it was the flash, but why were his eyes so blurry....

“Oh my.”

The eldest smiled benevolently.

“Junhyun, are you crying because you’re happy?”

“.......”

“Yeah. Hyung knows everything.”

At the sight of the rapper with tears in his eyes, the other members burst into happy laughter.

It is a good thing to have family recognized.

Junhyun’s new song VIBE even achieved the feat of reaching number one on the daily charts.

But even the person himself and the producing team staff who participated in the album reacted with, “Why is this happening?”

Perhaps it was because it had been released lightly as a mixtape.

Mixtapes are often like that.

Some are made meticulously, but usually when famous rappers say, “This is a mixtape,” it carries the nuance of, “So don’t feel pressured, just listen comfortably.”

Rather than commercially declaring, “An album is coming, look forward to it!” it’s more like gently saying, “This is the music I want to do.”

That was why everyone was bewildered.

“If Junhyun makes another album next time... we should promote it more properly then.”

In the TF team office, at Seokhwan hyung’s words, I asked,

“Didn’t we do everything we could this time?”

“I mean we should put in even more effort. If we’re going to do it, shoot a big music video, plan bigger promotional events.”

“Guess the reaction really was huge.”

“It’s no joke. The number of requests for next year’s university festivals alone... they’re all asking for Junhyun.”

Seokhwan hyung adjusted his glasses.

“I think the different vibe from your album was well received. Junhyun’s own independent color must have felt unique.”

“Yeah. He really wrote it in a trendy way this time.”

“If you look at him, Junhyun actually has a sentimental side.”

Smiling as he said that, Seokhwan hyung showed me the mountain of documents piled on the desk.

Right now, we were discussing schedules related to him and my personal activities.

“First of all, a massage chair company sent in an ad proposal.”

“An ad?”

“You mentioned on Y App that Teen Spirit sent you massage chairs. That went online and caused a stir.”

Thanks to that, I heard the company was now enjoying a boom.

People were saying, “How good must those massage chairs be to send ten of them to someone?”

“So what do you want to do?”

“I should probably ask the members... but I’m not particularly moved. We’re busy with schedules.”

“Okay.”

As we continued talking about awards schedules—

“Hmm....”

Holding the last file folder, Seokhwan hyung scratched his cheek.

“I’m not sure how to start this... but a very famous law firm in the United States suddenly contacted us. They said there are people who want to meet you personally.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. They insist it has to be on your birthday. They say the details are confidential...”

As I tilted my head at the strange matter, Seokhwan hyung’s voice reached my ears.

“They said it’s related to your father.”