In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Chapter 155:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

It was a ceremony that people usually did when they bought a new car or started filming a movie.

They would pray for no accidents while driving the car or shooting the movie.

Woojoo knew it was that kind of ceremony, but he never imagined that he would do it on an idol program.

And it was being filmed by a camera.

“Hyung, how many times do I have to bow?” Bijoo whispered urgently, and Woojoo answered.

“…I think it’s three times. Let’s just follow the others.”

They all nodded at the lecture from the know-it-all. They casually copied what the other people were doing. Woojoo wondered why they had to do this too.

“Why are we doing this here?” Seri asked, and the PD adjusted his glasses and answered.

He sounded like it was obvious.

“Today, the fine dust is severe. So we decided to do it indoors.”

“Oh…”

“And just in case, we’re also getting some footage for the early part of the show.”

He was smiling like a weirdo, and his words ‘just in case’ bothered Woojoo.

It sounded like ‘in case we don’t have enough content’.

They had to prevent that from happening.

As Woojoo exchanged glances with his siblings and nodded, the staff attached microphones to their clothes.

“Ah.”

Woojoo rubbed the back of his neck while doing the sound check.

They had to pull off a great show no matter what.

***

The managers and staff watched, and cameras placed everywhere started capturing them from different angles.

Seri opened the recording with a card in her hand.

“Hello! Show Your Idol!”

“Idol Sho-ow!”

They all responded to her chant with a ‘Wow!’ and clapped.

The background was a police station, but there were cameras everywhere, so it was a strange and funny atmosphere.

Bukbuk looked at the camera and said, “The first episode of the new year 2015, and the first guest of Idol Show, we welcome the idol group.”

“Visual, vocal, dance. Wow, they really turned the music industry upside down in 2014~! The rookie idol New Black!”

They bowed slightly as a greeting, and looked at the camera in front of them with their siblings.

“One, two. Hello, we are New Black!”

“Wow!”

After giving their prepared New Year’s greeting, they started a simple small talk with the MCs.

“As far as I know, this is the first time New Black has appeared on an idol introduction program, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

As Woojoo nodded with a regretful face, the youngest one excitedly brought up a story.

“It was my wish to appear on this kind of program. So I wished for it a few days ago, and it came true.”

“A few days?” Woojoo asked. “We found out about the confirmation two weeks ago.”

“Wow, your wish came true!”

He acted like he didn’t hear Woojoo and made rabbit ears with his hands behind his back, turning left and right and poking his head out. The two MCs burst into laughter.

Seri smiled and said, “I was worried that we might be low on energy because it’s a morning recording. I drove here with that concern, but you guys are really the tension we wanted.”

“We have to work harder, Seri.”

Bukbuk asked with a bright smile, “Shall we hear from the other members too?”

“I’m so amazed and happy that the set is a police station.”

Junghyun looked around and expressed his liking, and Bukbuk jokingly asked, “Is this your first time at a police station?”

“No.”

“Uh…”

“Oh. I came here for a field trip when I was in elementary school. But I was too young to remember anything.”

He asked ‘Is this the same as the real thing?’ and Bukbuk was momentarily stunned and laughed.

Seri tapped the member’s back with her other hand and said, “Oh dear. Our Bukbuk has a small bladder, and you almost made him have an accident.”

“I guess I shouldn’t make jokes that don’t suit my personality. I thought we needed an editor from the start and my heart skipped a beat.”

“Isn’t that the wrong word to use? Don’t you mean heart attack?”

“Wow, did my heart stop?”

They blinked as the two MCs, who didn’t know the new slang words, chatted with each other.

How should they react to this?

As they were pondering their reaction, they locked eyes with the two MCs.

“…”

A brief silence ensued, followed by laughter.

“Hahaha!”

They were amused by each other’s expressions.

They looked like old-fashioned sparrows who wanted to fit in with the modern birds and were struggling to find the right reaction.

It was embarrassing but funny.

Seri quickly fanned herself with the cue card.

“Gosh, how awkward. Did you see the faces of the New Black friends? My goodness. I thought they had become living fossils.”

“Uh, no. Sunbae-nim.”

They waved their hands, but Bukbuk seemed determined to tease them and looked at the sky as he spoke.

“I’m so sad, Seri. I feel like I’ve turned into an ammonite.”

“Isn’t that a Pokemon? Bukbuk. We’re ammonites.”

“Oops…”

They all laughed again at his confused expression.

He had a funny way of speaking, and Woojoo could see why he was a popular idol back then.

Some people were just hilarious even when they weren’t trying.

“I’ve been studying the new slang words to hang out with my friends these days… but it’s not easy.”

“No.” Woojoo interjected. He had to introduce their guy. “We have a fossil among our members too. A friend who doesn’t know the new slang words.”

“Really? Who is it? Raise your hand, please.”

No one raised their hand.

They looked at each other and then at Bijoo, who had a smile on his lips.

Bijoo raised his hand with a sad face.

It was an unnecessarily graceful gesture.

“Yes. It’s me…”

“You don’t know the new slang words?”

“It’s not just the new slang words. He doesn’t know anything! This guy, he doesn’t know anything that’s popular recently.”

“Even his batting style is the eagle style.”

“He also misunderstood the terms for dipping sauce and soy sauce.”

The younger ones testified one after another, and Seri looked at them incredulously.

“Really? Even my four-year-old daughter knows those things.”

“No.” Bijoo denied. “I’m a trend person who follows the latest trends in my own way.”

“What does trend person mean?”

Junghyun asked, and Bijoo paused for a moment.

“Doesn’t it exist?”

“It doesn’t.”

“Wait, that can’t be right. I searched it for sure…”

The two MCs chuckled at his expression and threw him a question as if to test him.

Seri asked seriously, “You writers did some research beforehand. The next one is the new word of the year selected by the National Institute of Korean Language. Green light.”

“…Green light?”

He threw a guess and looked around. The faces of the two MCs lit up like green lights.

Bukbuk asked with anticipation, “Gold digger.”

“Uh… wait a minute. I think I know that one. Someone who likes morning apples?”

“…?”

Everyone who couldn’t follow his train of thought turned their heads toward him.

He squeezed out all his strength to figure out the meaning of the new word and said as if to excuse himself.

“My mom said morning apples are golden apples…”

“Pfft!”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Bukbuk smiled brightly and gestured. Seri moved aside politely and gestured.

“Come here, Bijoo. Don’t stand there.”

“That’s right. You should stand with us.”

While they teased one person, Bijoo asked Woojoo what it meant and he told him.

Woojoo told Bijoo with a proud face, but Rihyuk looked at Woojoo as if he was in the same boat.

“Wow. Time flies.” Bukbuk asked with a smile, “Since we’re on the topic, I’m curious. Do you know who Trend are?”

“Yes, we do!”

“Of course we do.”

They answered enthusiastically.

They were people who couldn’t be unknown to anyone who had even a little interest in the history of the music industry.

Woojoo raised his hand.

“I know a lot, really.”

“Really? For real?”

“Yes. I joined TJ Entertainment because of you seniors.”

“Really?”

The two MCs asked with a surprised expression.

This part seemed to be something they knew from the pre-interview with the writers.

Needless to say, what Woojoo just said was true.

When he was young, he used to dance along to the songs of the first-generation idols in front of his parents.

At that time, it was called Taejun Records, but the name of TJ Entertainment was vivid in his memory.

They would hold the trophy and say ‘Respectful Producer Park Taejun’ every year-end.

That was the reason he chose TJ Entertainment as his first company.

“Then, what was your favorite song of ours?”

“I loved the song from the fourth album. The one you wrote for your parents, ‘Write a Letter’.”

“Oh, that’s a song that people don’t know well.”

“And that…”

Woojoo got excited and talked about this and that, and his childhood idols widened their eyes.

At first, they looked surprised.

But soon, they looked closely at his expression and smiled brightly among themselves.

He didn’t know what it was, but it was something they had experienced once.

When Junghyun revealed that he was a fan for the first time, Heysion Sunbae-nim looked at him like that and smiled.

Then Rihyuk said, “Your face looks like a kid fan.”

“Hey.”

Jiho patted Woojoo with a cooing face.

“Our Woojoo kid, are you excited to see your respected sunbae-nims?”

“…Jiho.”

His siblings giggled and Woojoo had a shy face, when Seri said with a smile, “Oh my. The baby fan grew up to be v. I’m so happy. How about a handshake for a souvenir?”

“No, no!”

Woojoo raised his hand for a moment to the ones who were approaching.

“Wait a minute.”

“Why?”

“My hands are sweaty.”

Everyone laughed at his serious face rubbing his hands on the hem.

***

After a while, the fan meeting with ulterior motives ended and the self-introduction corner began.

“Oh, there it is. The electric shocker.”

“Junghyun, it’s a lie detector.”

“You were wrong too.”

After they all burst into laughter, Seri put the lie detector on the mini table.

The two MCs sat in front of the table, while the rest of them surrounded them on metal chairs as suspects.

“The rules are simple.” Bukbuk said, “Each member has to put their hand on the electric… oh, I mean, the lie detector and introduce themselves.”

“There is one opportunity for the members.”

Woojoo listened to the explanation.

“Oh, what kind of opportunity?”

“If you don’t like the member’s introduction or have any questions, you can call their name and ask them a question.”

“Wow, it must be really painful to lie.”

Seri nodded and said, “Shall we show you a demonstration? Bukbuk.”

“Yes! Noona, what are you doing? Asking me to do it…?”

While everyone was laughing, Bukbuk made a sad face and put his hand on the device. As his hand was wrapped with tape, Seri asked him.

“Please introduce yourself.”

“Yes, I’m Bukbuk, who was the vocal of the group Trend. My old nickname was Cutie, but…”

“Seri! Bukbuk, do you still think you’re cute?”

“No.”

The button of the lie detector was pressed.

And then.

“Ouch!”

Someone jumped up and laughter came from the production staff, but New Black, who would soon be the targets, just swallowed their saliva.

“Okay, then who among our New Black friends will go first?”

The four heads turned at the same time.

Woojoo bit his tongue.

“Of course, you only look for the leader at times like this.”

“Shall we start with Woojoo?”

“Yes, I’ll show you a good example as the leader.”

As soon as he stood in front of the lie detector, the younger ones raised their hands and shouted.

“Bijoo!”

“Jiho!”

“Rihyuk!”

“Hey, we haven’t started yet.”

“Oh, we’re just practicing.”

Woojoo looked at Rihyuk’s smiling face with annoyance.

Woojoo looked at the camera and introduced himself.

“Hello. I’m Woojoo. I’m twenty-two years old this year. I’m the leader and lead vocal of New Black…”

“Rihyuk!”

“What is it? Rihyuk?”

Rihyuk asked, “Who do you think sings the best in New Black?”

“No way. I took a psychological test a while ago, and it said my mental age was 35.”

“Pfft.”

As Woojoo glared at them, they all coughed and looked away.

Woojoo quickly started the video letter.

“Nabi, eat your food in moderation. Grandma buys two bags of food every day because of you. And remember this.”

Woojoo pointed his finger at the camera and said. He was glad he could use the facial expressions he learned on stage for this occasion.

“Kim Deoksoon is mine.”

Woojoo repeated, “Remember. Deoksoon is mine,” and they all turned over.

The staff, as well as Minki Hyung and Dowon-ssi who were looking at their phones, smiled with their gums.

“Ugh…”

Woojoo wrapped his head and banged it on the table.

He felt ashamed.

…This would probably be added to the list of his dark history, but he didn’t care at this point.

He didn’t know.

It was none of his business what would happen to him in the future.

When he was about to finish after introducing himself.

Bijoo raised his hand urgently, as if he couldn’t catch the timing because of the two youngest who were running wild.

“Bijoo! I didn’t get to ask you something.”

“Yeah, you can ask Bijoo.”

“Can I ask you one thing that you think you did best this year?”

“…Is this a fan meeting all of a sudden?”

“I’m really curious.”

Woojoo didn’t have to think.

“It’s not this year, but I think I did really well by joining our company. From the President to our manager Hyungs.”

The managers who were monitoring behind him looked at him.

“I met really nice people, and meeting our members was the best thing I ever did and the luckiest thing in the world.”

“Oh…” Seri lowered her head and said, “Wow, but this would be a big deal if it wasn’t your honest feeling. Isn’t the President texting you?”

“It’s okay.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Woojoo answered.

“He’ll see you in two weeks.”

When they laughed, Bukbuk came over and pressed the button of the lie detector.

A machine sound of beep-beep-beep rang, and a green ‘ding’ sign appeared.

Truth.

A sound of wow came from behind.

Woojoo peeled off the tape of the lie detector and got up from his seat. When he turned his head to the siblings, he stopped laughing.

They were making sad faces again, when they had been laughing happily until a moment ago.

Woojoo looked at their wicked faces and said, “It’s no use being moved now.”

“Huh…”

“I’m going to shock your hands today with determination.”

“You’re serious, Woojoo-ssi.”

“Yes. I’m going to be Edison for today and make their hands tingle.”

The MCs liked Woojoo’s determination and asked him who he would pick.

“Who should I choose? Guess. Genius…”

When Junghyun was about to be chosen, Woojoo grabbed the shoulder of the white crane that he liked, who said he wasn’t caught.

“What? Why me?”

“You’re the genius.”

“…”

“Come on, stand up.”

Woojoo sent Rihyuk to the lie detector and snorted.

It was time for revenge.