In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Chapter 297:

Lemon Entertainment’s headquarters.

The A&R team members, who had been busy working in the office and the studio, stretched their stiff bodies and relaxed.

“Ugh… I’m so sore.”

“Ouch, I need to eat some red ginseng that Woojoo gave me. I’m dying.”

“I don’t know if I can get up tomorrow…”

The A&R team members, who had dark circles under their eyes, took out a stick of red ginseng each and sucked on it.

They gave each other bitter smiles as they desperately inhaled the red ginseng to survive.

The A&R team was in charge of album production.

Scarlet was slowly wrapping up their music show activities, and New Black was about to release their album. In other words, they should have been relaxed for a while since they didn’t have to produce any albums.

“Wow, this is really hard.”

“It’s like when Ryuk cleans up. As soon as Ryuk finishes cleaning, Jiho and Junghyun turn it into a mess in three seconds.”

“I know, right? Just when I think I’ve tidied everything up, I notice something that sounds off.”

They were talking about Woojoo’s new song.

It was a song that would be featured in John Edwards’ movie ‘Nostalgia’, which would be released at the end of September.

Originally, it was supposed to be only a part of the movie, and more importantly, it wasn’t an album track, so they started working on it with a light heart.

But the song was too good.

“It’s amazing…”

The A&R team member who was wearing headphones closed his eyes.

The rhythm was lively like twinkling stars.

The melody sounded like fairies dancing in the forest at night, and he couldn’t help but hum along.

“Pilgeun is humming.”

“He must be listening to that.”

“That song makes me feel like I’m a princess in a cartoon. I want to fly with the birds and talk to them.”

The more they listened to the song, the more they exclaimed.

Woojoo said he came up with it on the spot, but they wondered how he made it.

That quality was the reason why they valued this song so much.

‘The problem is…’

It was too good to be true.

It was like when they tasted the legendary sauce that was reborn as fireworks.

The sketch was so perfect that they felt like they shouldn’t make the final version.

But they couldn’t just send the sketch and say ‘Take that, you Hollywood bastards!’ either, so the A&R team members were doing their best in the given situation.

They repeated putting and taking out pieces like a puzzle.

As they did so, their bodies were the ones that suffered.

“Ugh…”

“Ah, I don’t have the strength to go home. I’ll have to sleep in the dormitory later.”

“We have to eat dinner.”

The zombie-like employees who were wobbling in their chairs were wondering what food to order when they heard ‘jajangmyeon?’

Then, they heard a rumbling sound.

“What’s that? What’s that cart sound?”

“Did we get a delivery?”

New Black members came in pushing a cart.

“We’re here!”

“We’re here~ Fresh New Black is here~!”

“You didn’t expect us at this time, did you?”

For some reason, the cart sound sounded like a chariot that the devils of hell were dragging to the A&R team’s ears.

“Ugh!”

The A&R team members quickly got up and formed a scrum to prevent them from entering.

“What’s going on? Why are you here all of a sudden?”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you have to record for the idol sports festival? Why are you here…”

“Ah.”

Woojoo, who was in the middle, answered.

“Actually, we…”

“…?”

The five of them suddenly looked gloomy.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

“We got eliminated in the first round of archery.”

“Eliminated…?”

They couldn’t believe it.

Woojoo was the best at anything physical.

They remembered how Park Kyuho, the CEO, cried tears of joy when New Black won the gold medal in archery last Lunar New Year.

‘Woojoo got eliminated…?’

‘What happened? Did the other team bite their ears off?’

‘He wouldn’t have lost unless he hit the referee with an arrow.’

The staff laughed as they heard the story of the lucky arrow and what happened afterwards.

“So you lost.”

“No, we didn’t!”

The youngest member denied strongly, and the others nodded.

“It’s like taking three steps back for one step forward.”

“It’s a strategic retreat for a great leap at the next Olympics.”

“…And since we got off work early, we’re actually the real winners. When others are getting first place and gold medals, we’re going home.”

The office workers sympathized with Woojoo’s last words, as he clenched his fists and pleaded desperately.

The members also agreed, saying ‘Right! Right!’

The lucky arrow that Woojoo brought caught their attention for a moment, and then the A&R team staff asked.

“What’s that on the cart? I’ve been smelling food since earlier.”

“This? It’s a lunch box.”

“A lunch box?”

“It’s a lunch box prepared by Olive House, where we’re models.”

When Rihyuk opened the paper box, lunch boxes piled up high revealed themselves.

Junghyun spread the meat smell widely with his hand fan.

“Wow, the smell…”

“Nice, right?”

It seemed to be a dinner lunch box prepared for the fans.

But the unexpected early departure left the dinner supply floating.

“So we’re returning it to the company ourselves.”

“Wow…”

‘We came to the A&R team first, of course~’ Woojoo smiled sweetly, and they laughed.

“Thank you. We’ll enjoy it.”

They smiled as they took the lunch boxes.

Soon, they screamed with joy as they saw the lunch boxes filled with steak and lobster.

“Wow, it’s been a long time since I had steak.”

“It looks delicious.”

“Your fans must be disappointed. They couldn’t eat the lunch boxes.”

“Yeah. What did you do with your fans?”

At that question, the members answered with embarrassed faces.

“We met them personally before we left and gave them post-its.”

“Post-its?”

“They’re short notes we wrote with the fans’ names, but we originally planned to stick them on the dinner lunch boxes.”

“…So they only got post-its?”

“Yes. And they said ‘Enjoy your dinner’…”

They burst into laughter at Woojoo’s answer, who looked at the distant mountain.

They imagined the faces of the members who handed out post-its that said ‘Enjoy this for dinner’ without the dinner lunch boxes.

And the faces of the fans who received them.

“But the fans liked it.”

“Right. Even a hedgehog thinks its own children are cute.”

“It felt like we were serving school meals, but we only gave them the sauce without the pork cutlet.”

They laughed at Bijoo’s words, which trailed off at the end.

While they opened and ate the lunch boxes one by one, the A&R team leader called Woojoo, who was about to leave the office.

“By the way, Woojoo.”

“Yes?”

“The song you gave us will be finished soon. The work speed is pretty good right now.”

“…Thank you!”

His face brightened.

He looked like he wanted to ask, but couldn’t because of the mood. Woojoo bowed his head.

The staff got up as if they remembered something.

“Wait.”

“…?”

“Before you go, just a moment… That lucky early departure arrow.”

Woojoo handed over the arrow folded into one with a puzzled expression.

“…”

The team leader took the arrow with both hands as if it were sacred.

The staff exchanged serious looks.

In the solemn atmosphere, the New Black members blinked their eyes.

“Please let us get off work early too.”

“We wish for regular hours.”

The members of New Black laughed at the sight of the office workers who were fiddling with the arrows and wishing for an early leave.

The ‘lucky arrows’ we brought from the Dolympics were placed in our studio.

We smiled happily as we looked at the two connected arrows that were on the stand that Rihyuk had ordered.

“But why are we displaying this here?”

I answered the main vocal’s question simply.

“Because we have no place to put it in our dorm?”

“Just throw it away. It seems like it’s just taking up space.”

“Why would you throw away a souvenir?”

I shook my head.

“And someday, when there’s a New Black museum or something, we’ll exhibit this.”

“…Do you really think that will happen?”

“Rihyuk hyung. You never know what will happen. Later, there might be a black-and-white photo of Woojoo hyung shooting an arrow with this arrow hanging below it.”

“Yeah. Rihyuk… Hey, wait a minute. Jiho. Why is the photo black-and-white?”

The youngest started to run away and I chased him and caught him and punished him.

Anyway, our Chuseok Dolympics, which was decorated with a record-breaking speed elimination, ended like that.

After it was over, we heard the reviews from the SBO members and they said that the red team with Scarlet won the championship. They said they came in first in the last women’s relay and their eyes were blazing.

We also heard that some members of other groups got injured in basketball or relay and the atmosphere in the audience was very tense.

We agreed that leaving early was a smart move.

Meanwhile, after the Dolympics, the concert and comeback were approaching and the promotion team also poured out promotional materials.

-‘Trendy group’ New Black, countdown to comeback “Will they sweep the charts again in the second half of the year?”

-New Black, mini 3rd album ‘Neon Black’ promotion schedule revealed

-“This time it’s hip-hop”, New Black reveals their ambition for a new challenge

I didn’t read the comments and just skimmed the titles and contents.

They seemed to focus on the point of how well our new title song would do.

There were also articles predicting a fierce battle for the first place between us and Teen Spirit, who we would meet on the music shows in September. They put us and Teen Spirit on the same level.

And most of them predicted that we would be much more dominant.

The fandom was needless to say, Teen Spirit was bigger, but could they beat New Black, the powerhouse of the music industry…

“Ugh, I’m embarrassed.”

“2030’s favorite of the music industry… Ugh! Hyungs, can you see? My fingers won’t straighten.”

“Oh. We got praised. Satisfied, satisfied, very satisfied.”

I felt embarrassed for some reason.

It wasn’t a wrong statement since we came in first in the music industry settlement in the first half of the year with ‘Wind Flower’, but it felt awkward.

It felt like hearing the first place of the person you admire as a elementary school student.

But regardless of our embarrassment, our image seemed to be established in that direction.

Although we were idols, we were recognized as ‘powerhouses of the music industry’ who made the music industry shake whenever we came back, like ballad singers or indie bands. The nuance of the articles was mostly like that.

“The pre-order volume of the album is also very good.”

Sometimes when I went to the management team’s office, Seokhwan hyung tried to tell me about the album.

“Ahhhh! I can’t hear, I can’t hear!”

“…You’re elementary school students. You guys.”

“Ahh! I don’t want to hear!”

We turned away from him, pressing our ears with our fingers, whenever he tried to tell us something about the album.

We only heard that the pre-order trend was good.

Usually, the record stores would say ‘this group would sell this much’ and order from the distributor based on the fans’ pre-order trend or the previous sales.

He said that the number was very good.

But we decided not to hear the exact number either.

“Don’t listen and get your hopes up for nothing.”

“You should have some hopes. You’re still living with a rookie mindset even though you’ve made it.”

“I’ll see when the first week sales come out. I have to practice now.”

Since we had an important performance ahead of us, we didn’t want to be happy or sad about these various performance indicators.

We could sing happily at the main performance, and until then, we wanted to prepare with a cool mind.

We wanted to do well and we had to do well.

“What’s the first step?”

“It’s a bad step!”

We prepared for the concert, remembering the famous saying of our Kim Deoksoon lady, that the first step is the most important.

Until the D-day, Friday, August 28th, we crossed out one date on the calendar.

We also kept in touch with our families every day.

When our heads were throbbing from preparing for the concert, we would call our families.

-It’s me.

“It’s your grandson.”

-You’re a pain in the neck. You cheeky brat.

“Hehehe!”

Ah, this feels good.

My mind settled down as I listened to the salty curses.

Talking to my grandmother was like soaking in a warm bath.

Well, sometimes it was too hot and I would scream ‘ouch!’ from the spicy taste, but I still liked it.

When I was feeling tired, a word from my family was more precious and effective than a hundred medicines.

-But are you okay? Your voice sounds off…

“I’m fine~ Why wouldn’t I be?”

-Don’t lie to me. Sigh.

I heard her nagging with a worried voice, telling me to eat this and that.

“So, are you ready? You have to dress up nicely for your grandson’s concert.”

-I already picked out what I’m going to wear. But when are the tickets coming?

“They’ll give them to us on the first day at the company. Probably.”

My grandmother and the other members’ families were all coming to the first day of the concert.

I didn’t want to know where they were sitting, because it might distract me, but I guessed they would all sit together.

-But I don’t know if I should go. What if the young ones say, ‘Oh, look at that old hag. She’s gone senile.’ I’ll be embarrassed and ashamed.

“Don’t worry, Grandma. They’ll all think you’re our grandmother.”

-How would they know that?

“Maybe because you’re the only one in your seventies at the venue…?”

-Why am I the only one? I’m bringing Sookja with me.

“Oh, then you’ll be the only 60-70… Aaah!”

I quickly covered my ears from the rapid-fire swearing.

She was joking, of course. She calmed down when I told her that the other families were also bringing their grandparents.

We chatted about the concert for a while, until Mrs. Kim Deoksoon asked me softly.

-Are you alone right now?

“Why?”

-Well, ahem… Take good care of Rihyuk.

“Rihyuk?”

She said.

-He only came with his sister last time. He doesn’t talk much, you know. How do you think he feels when you and your parents are laughing and having fun?

“I got it. I’ll take good care of him.”

That’s why I always made these short calls from the rooftop.

Taking care of your body was important, but so was taking care of your heart. I nodded at her words, emphasizing that.

The day before the concert.

The car was noisy as we headed to the Olympic Park for rehearsal.

“Rihyuk hyung. Do. You. Want. To. Eat. This?”

“…”

“Rihyuk. You look pale today. Your eyes are twitching. Is it because you lack magnesium? Should I buy you some magnesium supplements?”

“…”

“Rihyuk. Use this pillow.”

“…”

When Jun-hyun put a neck pillow around Rihyuk’s neck with a pop.

Rihyuk spat fire and said, ‘Grrr!’

“Hey, what are you doing? All of a sudden?”

“…”

We looked at each other.

“Hmm… The aesthetics of caring?”

“Consideration?”

“Maybe brotherly love?”

As the car rattled, Rihyuk’s ears rose and fell like red lights.

Our main vocal looked incredulous.

“I thought you guys were filming a public service announcement or something.”

“Was it that awkward?”

“If you want to care for him, do it consistently. Look at yourselves in the mirror. You look like politicians during election season.”

“Hey, it’s not that bad…”

The other person handed him a smartphone in selfie mode.

As soon as we saw our expressions in it, we admitted defeat.

“…”

Rihyuk put the neck pillow back on and nibbled on the yanggaeng that Jiho gave him.

“Well, it’s nice to care for him…”

His sharp eyes softened.

“It’s because of the family coming tomorrow, right?”

“…Absolutely not! It’s just that you look pathetic and pitiful, that’s all!”

“Jiho…”

“Hey!”

He was the youngest, who had shattered our lies with his desperate excuses, and at the same time, delivered a one-hit knockout with his diss.

We scratched the back of our heads with awkward expressions.

“No, it’s not like that…”

“Just…”

As we answered vaguely, Rihyuk coughed.

“Well, I appreciate your consideration. But you don’t have to worry about me.”

“…”

“My family might come too.”

“They’re coming?”

I couldn’t ask properly every time I tried to bring it up, because it seemed like he wasn’t sure.

Rihyuk nodded.

“My mom might come with Ye In from the US. And my dad said he would stop by for a bit.”

“That’s good.”

“They might not come, though.”

He replied calmly.

“Well, I heard they might not come if they’re too busy. They’ll come if they have time.”

“…”

“So, Bi Ju hyung, don’t start tearing up already. Save it for tomorrow’s concert.”

“Okay.”

Bi Ju, whose eyes were moist, nodded.

When the silence filled the car, only interrupted by the sound of the air conditioner, the youngest looked at the sign and said.

“Oh, we’re almost at the Olympic Park.”

“Yeah.”

“When we get inside, there will be flags for our concert along the way to the stadium, right?”

We exchanged excited glances.

Minki hyung, who was holding the steering wheel, said we would probably arrive in less than five minutes.

Just then.

“Thank you.”

It wasn’t a special sentence, but we were startled by the speaker.

When we turned our heads to the left and right, Rihyuk was looking at the sky and said.

“Thank you.”

“Is there someone up there?”

“Hey. Seriously.”

He glared at us and looked into our eyes.

“Thank you. For caring about me.”

“…”

“You’ve been sneaking around to call me and check on me while preparing for the concert. And you didn’t bring up your families on purpose, thinking of me.”

“…”

“Well, I don’t know if my family will come tomorrow or not, but I think it’s okay even if they don’t.”

Rihyuk said with a smile.

“I think it would be nice to be with you guys tomorrow.”

“…”

“Bi Ju hyung, this is not the time to hug me. Hold back.”

“Okay.”

Bi Ju fluttered his arms like a butterfly and gave up.

On the other hand, we smiled at Rihyuk’s words.

It felt like the air was warm with his words that he would like to be with us.

It was amazing that he said something like that, not someone else.

That mean kid still thought of us as his people inside his fence, and we were touched.

‘A wave of emotion…’

‘It’s a spectacle.’

‘Rihyuk…’

We also smiled warmly.

Everything was good.

But…

“Rihyuk.”

“What?”

“Everything is good, but you should have said this when we get off the car. We’ll scatter like cockroaches as soon as we jump out.”

“Ah.”

Embarrassing.

In movies, they usually cut to the next scene right after the confession scene, but we were in reality where the scene didn’t change.

The five of us looked at the ceiling of the car at the same time.

“…”

“…”

That’s when Minki, who was holding the steering wheel, glanced at the rearview mirror and said calmly.

“Guys.”

“…Yes?”

“We were supposed to arrive in five minutes.”

But?

“There’s a traffic jam.”

“…”

“The navigation says it will take about 15 minutes.”

At that moment, everyone screamed and waved their clenched fists, as if competing to be the first.

It was the longest 15 minutes of our lives.