In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Chapter 27

How can I show the singing skills of our members?

How can I create that opportunity?

That was the problem I had to worry about as the leader of the team.

After appearing on the music show for three weeks, the feedback I summarized was roughly like this:

-The visuals are top-notch. They have their own personalities and could be actors.

-Why does only the main vocal sing?

-What are the rest of them doing? Can’t they sing?

-Is this a group push?

It was a problem that started from an ambiguous situation.

The composition of Something was practically done by me and Jang So-won.

But when we went into recording, a problem occurred.

It was weird to deal with Something with one girl and several boys.

That’s why we unified the vocal and it was Ri-hyuk.

But then, when we decided to name it ‘Jang So-won X Ri-hyuk – Something’, it was a bit subtle.

They all contributed.

To be honest, it was something that happened because I didn’t know the song would do so well.

When the first music show appearance was confirmed, the two agencies were thinking of sending only Ri-hyuk.

But then they met with Jang So-won’s strong opposition, saying ‘I won’t do it if you do that’, and we ended up going together.

It was good in the end, but on the other hand, it left a question of ‘Why do so many guys come out and just put in harmony and go back? Can’t they sing?’

It was a tricky situation.

Our kids can sing well.

The problem is that there is no chance to prove it.

I can’t change the music show repertoire to show off their skills.

When I was lost in my own worries, the road manager Seo Min-ki glanced at me sitting in the passenger seat.

“Are you tired?”

“No.”

“Was the interview hard?”

“The atmosphere was okay.”

It was a solo schedule after the music show ended. 

It was an interview with Jang So-won sunbae, the co-composer of Something, and there was nothing special.

“There were a few awkward questions, but I guess I got used to the interview. I was less nervous than the first time. And even if a difficult question came up, Jang So-won sunbae supported me from the side.”

“So-won did that when she was in Sugarfish. She helped her juniors.”

“And the reporter was very responsive to whatever I said. I thought they would be harsh because I’m a rookie, but they were very kind.”

“I think I know why.”

“What do you mean?”

“The reporter was a woman.”

I made a face that I didn’t understand, and Seo Minki chuckled as if it was enough.

“Never mind, kid. I just asked because you looked tired. I wondered if it was because of the interview.”

“That’s not it.”

I was about to talk about my recent worries about showing off New Black’s skills, and I looked at him.

He was someone I hadn’t met for even a month.

I smiled as I looked at the passing trees.

“I guess I’m less tense.”

“You should be. You’re number one for three weeks in a row, so what.”

“But I’m still a rookie. I have to be nervous.”

I looked at his face and remembered something I had forgotten, and rummaged through my pocket.

“Hyung, Jang So-won sunbae asked me to give you a gift today. She said it’s from her fan.”

“Really? Where is it?”

“Here.”

Min-ki hyung blinked his eyes at my empty palm. 

He had a what-is-this expression.

When I folded and unfolded my palm, a chocolate appeared.

“Ta-da.”

“Hey, what was that?”

“It’s magic.”

“You can do that too?”

“I learned it from watching Youtube a while ago. But I had nowhere to use it.”

I learned magic by imitating the movements.

Honestly, except for dancing, I had nothing to use it for in my daily life, so I played with it as a hobby.

He smiled brightly as I handed him the chocolate.

It looked like his fatigue for the day melted away.

“The site manager said you looked low on sugar because you were busy with the schedule these days, so he asked me to give you chocolate. Belgium? He said he got it from a friend who lives there.”

“Belgium? That must be Lisa.”

“Really?”

“Sugarfish Lisa, you know, the musical actress who quit and went to Belgium.”

Right, Min-ki hyung’s favorite was Sugarfish Lisa.

I laughed incredulously.

“Don’t you have to switch to Hwai Entertainment?”

“Hmm, maybe I should have.”

“Hey, where are you going? You have to keep working with us.”

Min-ki hyung smiled at my playful retort and focused on driving.

The street lights flashed by as the car sped along.

10 p.m.

We were on our way to the company.

“Can’t you go straight to the dorm? You have a music show early tomorrow.”

“I have a meeting with Director Jo today.”

“At this hour?”

“Yes, we’re both busy, so this was the only day we could find.”

The purpose was obviously to show off my skills that I’ve been worrying about lately.

Maybe he would give me some answers to my questions.

Bzzz-

As I was lost in thought, my phone rang.

-A-Yo. Souffle man~

The cheerful laughter of the youngest came from the other side of the phone.

-Did the interview go well?

“It went well.”

-What a lack of enthusiasm. Your cute maknae called you and you answer with such a cold tone?

“Cute maknae? I don’t have a maknae like that.”

-Why not? I’m right here.

“I’m hanging up.”

-Wow, I’m so hurt. I raised you so well.

I burst out laughing at his ridiculous words.

“Hey, when did you raise me?”

-I fed you, I put you to sleep. Hyung, don’t you remember anything?

“I think I do.”

-Right?

“Yeah, I remember. Was it two weeks ago? You came to me and said ‘Ha… please lend me one.’ because you had no underwear?”

-Why do you have such a good memory?

“It’s a family trait. My grandmother is even better.”

‘Who are you talking to? Ji-ho?’ 

Min-ki asked me.

I nodded.

His voice on the other side of the phone became gloomy.

-Did the manager hear it too?

“Yeah.”

-Please tell him this is a secret. If the hyungs find out, they’ll boil me like a bone soup until I die. Especially Seo Ri-hyuk, that venomous bastard…

“You’re asking for it.”

-Aww.

“Who should I text first? Ri-hyuk?”

-Stop! Stop! Have some manners, Woojoo hyung…

I chuckled as I heard the youngest member’s voice of surrender.

What a cute kid.

I felt a bit less tired thanks to the conversation with Jihoo.

“Why did you call me? Did we agree to have a late-night snack today?”

-No, we decided not to eat today.

“Why?”

-Ri-hyuk hyung said he thinks he’s going to get pimples if he eats.

“You guys can eat without him.”

-Bi-ju hyung said that’s not polite. He said we shouldn’t eat without someone when we have food.

I roughly guessed what he wanted from his words.

“You want a snack, don’t you?”

-Yes.

“Send me the menu on KakaoTalk. I’ll buy it for you when I go to the company.”

-I love you, boss~

As soon as the call ended, a message came on KakaoTalk.

It was a list of menus like instant tteokbokki, sausages, and snacks that are sold at convenience stores.

I glanced at them and tilted my head.

That’s strange.

The menu is a bit simpler than usual.

It doesn’t seem like it would cost more than 10,000 won in total.

Usually, they spend almost 30,000 won on snacks every time. What’s going on?

***

Lemon Entertainment.

It was past 10 p.m., the time when most employees had left, but the lights in the practice room would still be on at this time.

There was no time to rest.

Music shows took up the whole day, from dawn rehearsals to evening broadcasts.

And they couldn’t relax in the remaining time either.

They had to keep practicing.

They couldn’t slack off on their usual dance or vocal practice just because they performed Something live.

They would know if they tried.

The dance line would get rough if they skipped stretching for a day.

In that sense, we, New Black, were always devoted to practice after returning to the company from music shows.

Well.

That’s how it used to be.

“Why are the lights off?”

Something was weird today.

The stairs leading down to the basement were also dark, except for the green emergency lights, and I couldn’t see anything.

I stumbled down the stairs and wondered.

Did the lights go out?

I had been going up and down these stairs since last December, so I didn’t fall.

Maybe it was because of my imitation ability.

Sometimes, when my senses became sharper, I would automatically perform the actions needed for the situation.

The hallway was dark too. Where are they?

There were several practice room doors, but today all the lights were off.

That’s odd.

If they weren’t in the practice room, they would have told me.

Ssssh-

I heard something as I was about to turn on the phone light.

It sounded like a cockroach scurrying fast.

What the…?

Ssssh-

This time it was behind me.

Fear crept up on me.

Something was wrong.

I was about to take a step back when something jumped on my shoulder.

“Aaah…!”

Before I could scream, my body reacted again.

It was the same as when I awakened my ability on the day of the college entrance exam and tackled the policeman.

The same movement flowed out of my body.

Thud-!

I heard something fall to the floor.

This time, something reached out to grab me from the darkness.

Again, my body reacted naturally.

The martial arts moves that I had watched on YouTube when I was bored came out automatically.

Slipping.

It was a boxing technique that involved swaying the upper body from side to side to dodge the opponent’s attacks.

But that wasn’t enough for my adrenaline-fueled body. I grabbed the opponent’s arm and threw him like a judo player.

“Ugh!”

Ugh?

“Hey, hey! Turn on the lights! Lights!”

“Why?”

“Hey! Wang Jiho! Turn on the lights if I tell you to!”

“Are, are you okay, boss?”

Along with the familiar voices, the hallway lights turned on with a bang.

And then, my vision blurred.

A middle-aged man with a bald head and a gentle face was groaning on the floor, clutching his waist.

Manager Yoon Seok-hwan was in the same state.

Director Jo Gyuwhan was stuck to the wall like a magnet from a chicken shop, looking shocked.

And then.

“What is this…?”

The New Black kids, wearing bewildered expressions.

The guys with straw hats were holding a cake, standing awkwardly as they watched the scene unfold.

They were so surprised that their eyes were wide open like rabbits.

What was going on?

I was just as confused.

No.

What was this situation without any warning?

I looked for the culprit who had sent me downstairs on an errand.

“Wang Ji-ho, where are you?”

“…Yes?”

“Explain what’s going on.”

Only after I helped the two men up, I was able to hear the details.

I didn’t need to hear the explanation.

The kids were holding a cream cake.

On top of it, it said ‘Congratulations on 3 weeks in a row at number one!’.

Surprise party.

It was a plan to throw a surprise celebration for the 3-week streak of number one on the music show.

I frowned and asked.

“Who came up with this plan?”

“The boss did.”

“Oh, great plan.”

It was a bit chaotic, but luckily no one was hurt.

After the songs and congratulations were exchanged, the adults handed us the late-night snacks they had ordered in advance and left.

I felt a pang of sadness as I saw Manager Yoon Seok-hwan and the boss walking away, arm in arm.

As the kids were wiping off the cream on my face, someone handed me a tissue.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

Ri-hyuk asked me.

“Why do you look so flustered?”

“I was surprised.”

“We should be the ones surprised. The boss almost smelled the incense behind the folding screen.”

“Someone grabbed me from behind all of a sudden…”

Ri-hyuk’s expression was like a personification of ‘tsk tsk’ as he saw me scratching my head, feeling embarrassed.

“Anyway, I was surprised. They said they were celebrating for me.”

“Why do you think?”

Our main vocal said sarcastically.

“Since you composed the song, they wanted to thank you with a celebration…”

“Really? Were you grateful to me?”

“Do I have to say it out loud?”

“You have to say it, not be grumpy. Since you brought it up, let me hear it. Come on, say thank you.”

“Tha…”

As he was about to say it, Ri-hyuk picked up a convenience store bag that had fallen on the floor.

“I bought some sweet potato chips. I’ll enjoy them.”

“Hey.”

He ran away with the bag of sweet potato chips.

I couldn’t help but laugh at his ridiculousness.

Bi-ju came over and smiled as if it was a curious thing.

“Ri-hyuk is a bit clumsy at expressing his emotions.”

“That guy’s personality is really weird.”

“Still, the more I look at him, the more kind he seems.”

Bi-ju said to me with a smile.

“Hurry up, hyung. There’s a lot of bossam and jokbal. The CEO said not to worry about the amount and bought a lot for us today.”

I saw Jung-hyun and Ji-ho setting up the bossam and jokbal set on the newspaper on the practice room floor.

It was a perfect combination with kimchi and bibim noodles.

“Bi-ju hyung, can I eat now?”

“Not yet. We have to eat together.”

“Wow, hyung is totally a communist…!”

Bi-ju smiled at me as if to tell me to hurry up.

“Uh, Bi-ju…”

“Yes?”

“I don’t think I can eat with you guys. I have a meeting soon…”

I had to change my words when I saw his expression turn gloomy.

“Maybe it’s better to eat a little and go?”

“Good thinking, hyung.”

His bright smile returned.

As I was led by Bi-ju’s hand, I thought to myself.

Something is weird about everyone.

One who can’t be satisfied unless he does everything with everyone, one who can’t sleep outside unless he takes off his shoes, one who has trouble expressing his emotions.

And the youngest one is… sigh.

I’m the only normal one in this group.