In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Chapter 187:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 187

Jo Yuri walked briskly towards the PD.

Woojoo had never seen anyone look so anxious before.

“PD-nim.”

He pointed at the flower pot with a trembling finger.

“Was there a hidden camera installed there?”

“Yes,” the PD answered calmly. “Viewers these days like realism. The participants have to be unaware of the camera to give a more genuine impression.”

While they stopped to watch, the PD narrowed his eyes as if he sensed something.

“Yuri-ssi.”

“Yes, PD-nim.”

“Why are you reacting like that? Is there something in there that shouldn’t be broadcasted?”

“No, but…” Jo Yuri said with an awkward smile, “There’s a little bit of content that I’d like to ask you to edit…”

“Edit?”

“Yes, PD-nim.”

At that moment, the PD’s face hardened.

“Yuri-ssi. This doesn’t seem right.”

“…”

“Do you think it’s appropriate to ask the PD to cut or change things with editing?”

There were superiors in every field that shouldn’t be messed with.

The entertainment industry also had such superiors, and the broadcast station PDs were among the top.

They were the ones who decided how to cast and present the celebrities on screen.

“That really got them.”

Woojoo heard Song Bohyung’s murmur.

Jo Yuri Band’s behavior had clearly offended the PD.

The rock band that acted arrogantly towards the other participants looked like mice in front of a cat.

Woojoo whispered to them, “Let’s go.”

“Yes, Hyung.”

Afraid of getting burned by the sparks, all the participants quickly left the meeting room.

“See you later, Sunbae-nims.”

Woojoo bowed his head to Lisa and Song Bohyung and headed to the waiting room with the managers.

Meanwhile, behind me, the PD’s low but clear voice echoed eerily.

Bijoo asked, “They’ll edit their part, right?”

“They will. Probably.”

If it was a cable survival show that used all kinds of devilish editing to boost ratings, he wouldn’t know.

But this time, the purpose of the Challenge, Legendary Song Discovery Team was to delete any controversial remarks.

They would probably cut out Jo Yuri Band’s part entirely from the friendship section.

Rihyuk made a sour face.

“I don’t like it. It’s just going to be broadcasted and we’ll get bashed. I almost said what I wanted to say earlier.”

“You held back well. How did you do it?”

“It’ll be satisfying for a moment, but I can’t handle the consequences. And…” Rihyuk hesitated. “I can’t let the members suffer because of me. If it was like before, I would have snapped… What, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because you’re admirable.”

“Seriously, stop making that grandfather-like expression.”

Woojoo lifted his arm to give a wingman to the grumbling Samdak.

“No way.”

Rihyuk blocked it himself, but that arm was a fake. Woojoo gave him a shoulder hug with the other arm and smiled.

“You’re the one who’s hopeless.”

He chuckled at the sight of him sighing with a resigned face.

He said to the siblings who were walking with him in the hallway, “You know it doesn’t matter whether the broadcast is on or off. They already suffered a big loss from their side.”

“That’s true.” Junghyun thought for a while and said, “The PD and the writers will see what they did on camera.”

“Once they see it, their first impression will change too.”

It was a disaster for the Jo Yuri band, no matter what.

It was natural that celebrities had different images for real and for broadcast.

But if they acted sweet in front of the production team and did that behind their backs, they would lose their nerve.

No matter how nice they were to them, it was hard to like someone who changed their attitude depending on the person.

And that part also affected the editing and filming, whether they knew it or not.

Broadcasting was also done by people.

And this story would also reach the ears of the senior guest, Cha Woohyun.

Woojoo didn’t know what reaction he would show, but it was clear that he wouldn’t be friendly.

In a situation where they ignored the other guests who were worse off than them, they were also isolated from the rest who wanted to look good.

Well. He didn’t feel sorry for them.

He only remembered the wise words of Mrs. Kim Deoksoon, who said that you had to be nice all the time.

“Let’s end that story here.”

The indie band that would get a bad image from the production team by being mean to others was no longer of interest to him.

Woojoo entered the waiting room with ‘New Black’ written on it and said while unpacking with the other staff, “The important thing is the competition ahead.”

The amount was also important, but this ‘Challenge, Legendary Song Discovery Team’ had its focus more on music than entertainment.

That was why it didn’t matter who picked a fight with them.

The ranking was determined by musical skills.

“It’s a program that values songs. We don’t need to worry about anything else. We just have to sing well.”

“I think so too.”

“Show them how good you are, Hyungs. I’ll try hard to catch up.”

The members agreed.

Woojoo sat on the waiting room chair and got his makeup done, and with his hand, he rotated the jelly bag and picked one out while discussing the contents of the upcoming broadcast seriously.

Woojoo spotted someone who had been sulking in a corner.

“Minki Hyung?”

Their manager was leaning his head against the wall, looking miserable.

“…I’m done for.”

“Oh. Right.”

Woojoo remembered that they had talked about LisaLover for about 10 minutes earlier.

They gathered around Minki Hyung and tried to comfort him.

“That’s right. You didn’t do anything wrong, Manager. You were just a fan of someone.”

“Do you want some jelly?”

“Cheer up, Manager. We’re rooting for you.”

Minki Hyung thanked them and asked with a worried face, “…Will this be on air?”

“Hold on.” Rihyuk spread his hands and asked, “Truth or lie, choose what you want.”

“Truth.”

“Of course it will be on air.”

They all nodded in agreement.

“If I were the PD, I would put this in for sure.”

“It’s an amazing story. Someone who has been a fan of someone for a long time meets their singer as the manager of another celebrity. It’s almost an epic of fate.”

“Wow, I can already hear the background music.”

They chatted like people sitting around a bonfire.

The bonfire was burning Minki Hyung’s heart, and they were adding more firewood.

Bijoo opened his eyes wide.

“Uh-oh, Manager, your eyes are moist.” 

He said with a sad face, “Do you know how perfectly I did my job until now? If this goes on air, my parents will see it, my friends will see it…”

Jiho smiled brightly and asked, “What about your girlfriend?”

“Jiho.”

“Yes?”

“Sometimes I hate you.”

The youngest puckered his lips after being dissed, and they laughed out loud.

The first recording of <Challenge, Legendary Song Discovery Team!> took place at the PBS headquarters.

After finishing their makeup and dressing up neatly, the five teams rushed onto the stage and took their places.

“Hello.”

The main MC of the program was Baek Sangjung.

He was a famous MC with a great sense of entertainment, coming from an announcer background.

He glanced at the cue cards while holding the microphone under his arm and smiled politely at the cast.

“Please do well in the recording.”

He made a brief greeting and then looked at the cue cards again, discussing the lead-in with the writers.

Bijoo covered the microphone with his hand and whispered to Woojoo, “Hyung, I’m a little nervous.”

“Just relax.”

…Woojoo said, but he was also feeling a bit shaky.

They had been on a popular variety show called Around the World With Dice before, but it was only a one-time appearance.

That was how it was for all the shows they had been on.

A guest star who shone for one episode.

This was the first time they were on a terrestrial network’s competition program with a proper format.

It felt like staying in a different hotel room every day and then suddenly moving in for a long-term stay.

Woojoo was nervous.

They had to do well. He wanted to make their group known to the general public by doing well on this… No, wait. That kind of thinking would only make him more anxious.

“Hoo.”

Woojoo tried to calm his mind by doing the Lamaze breathing he learned from YouTube, and Junghyun showed interest.

“What’s that, Hyung?”

“Lamaze breathing. It helps you stabilize.”

“Oh. Teach me, please.”

Woojoo taught the Lamaze breathing to his younger brothers who were shining their eyes.

Soon, the five of them started doing it together.

“…What are you doing?”

“Lamaze breathing.”

Songbo Hyung burst into laughter.

“Isn’t that what you do when you give birth?”

“What?”

“It’s the Lamaze method of childbirth. My wife told me about it and I know it too.”

“…Childbirth?”

The younger ones turned around and looked at Woojoo with embarrassed faces, and he put his hands down in surprise.

“Oh, don’t misunderstand. Guys. I just learned it from YouTube. It was recommended content on Masai Walking…”

It was a breathing technique that a foreigner showed while doing yoga.

At that time, Lisa, who was standing next to Woojoo, chuckled and laughed.

“I just remembered, you were the one who Sowon always bragged about, the one who does a lot of embarrassing things.”

“Embarrassing things?”

What kind of nonsense did that senior say…

The younger ones nodded in agreement, stroking their chins.

“It’s not wrong.”

“It’s embarrassing every day. Hyung’s day starts with boo and ends with kke. How about that?”

“Next nickname is Boodik GoGo?”

These guys were really.

“Hey, be quiet. This is all being picked up by the mic.”

“It’s already being filmed.”

Woojoo turned his head and saw an ENG camera capturing the nervous faces of the participants before the show.

The PD here really liked realistic stuff.

The managers gave Woojoo a thumbs up from afar, as if they were doing well, but it didn’t comfort him.

“I wanted to look cool on this show…”

Song Bohyung and Lisa smiled at him as if they found him cute.

Well, he guessed he could still make a good impression from now on.

To show the general public a cool and charismatic side of him, not just the idol fans…

That was when his shadow loomed over him.

Cha Woohyun.

A man with a burly appearance that suited a soldier or a policeman more than a ballad singer looked down at Woojoo and asked, “I’m curious about something.”

For the first time, curiosity rose on his expressionless face.

“Lamaze breathing, is that diaphragmatic breathing?”

“Huh? Yes…”

“Show me how to do it. I want to see if it helps with singing.”

As soon as they exchanged a few words, Woojoo got a sense of what kind of character he was.

A music geek.

Woojoo felt like he was the real deal.

He was indifferent to everything else, but he showed interest in anything related to singing, like vocal skills or techniques.

“Hee- hee- hoo.”

“Hee, hee, hoo.”

And so, Woojoo’s determination to start off with a bang was already thwarted.

He wanted to say to the band of Jo Yuri, who looked enviously at him from afar.

Do you want to switch?

I can switch with you…

「 ‘Challenge, Legendary Song Discovery Team!’ First Recording, First Edit 」

The camera captured the view of the Yeouido PBS Broadcasting Station across the road and the sidewalk lined with gloomy trees.

A typewriter sound and a caption appear.

[Friday, January 23, 2015, PBS Main Building Open Hall]

The full shot of the open hall was shown.

-Hello, viewers.

The announcer Baek Sangjung, who was the MC, greeted them with a neat and lively outfit.

-We’re going on a musical journey to find hidden masterpieces, and I’m Baek Sangjung, the MC who will accompany you on this journey! Nice to meet you!

The people gathered backstage cheered and clapped.

Among them, five idols danced a welcome shoulder dance, making the people nearby laugh.

-You’ve already given me a warm welcome.

The announcer joked as he looked at the cue card.

-Wow, I heard who was coming once, you know? But it’s still an amazing lineup even if I look at it again.

After raising the tension.

One team at a time came up on stage and performed and introduced themselves.

Lisa, who walked up like a model with a cool and confident stride, sang a powerful song full of high notes.

In the middle, her splendid scenes as a musical actress were inserted.

At the end of the cheering video of Jang Sowon, who shouted ‘Unnie, fighting!’ and screamed, the scene returned to the studio and the performers were amazed.

Especially New Black, the main vocal smiled as if his ears were pleased, and the other members also laughed.

After the song was over, Lisa grabbed the microphone and showed a confident smile.

-Hello, everyone! I’m Lisa, a musical actress. This is my first time participating in a competition program, and I’m so excited.

After a brief talk with the MC.

Next, Song Bohyung, the rising star of the trot genre, came up and sang his hit song.

There were also personal interviews inserted in between.

When the talk was going on after the song, the topic of his hometown came up.

-The lyrics of the song ‘Ddan Ddan Ddan’ are related to dialect, can you show us your dialect once?

-I’ll show you with a line from the movie ‘Black Flower’. You’ll see, I’m very good at it like a native.

He used his hometown dialect to imitate a famous line from the movie in a cheeky way, and everyone laughed at his talent.

It was nothing like the original.

He insisted on doing more, and Baek Sangjung, who was leading the talk, sent him to the seat prepared on the stage and grabbed the microphone.

-Yes, next person, or rather, next team, please come up.

Five men in casual outfits came up on the stage.

The lights went out and a spotlight shone on the members of New Black.

A handsome man with a cold expression grabbed the microphone.

From his sharp-looking mouth came a soft humming.

Starting with the main vocal, the lead vocal added a note, and then the main dancer added another.

They harmonized like an a cappella group.

They all smiled at each other and then started singing without accompaniment.

New Black’s debut song ‘Fireworks’ was playing in an a cappella version.

While the other members made sounds like ‘tsu tsu’, the camera captured the member who was singing the current verse in a bust shot.

They closed their eyes slightly and sang.

It was a splendid performance like an a cappella group.

It was obvious how well they did without any captions to emphasize it.

They had dazzling looks, but their skills were even more impressive.

The following reactions.

Song Bohyung nodded his head and smiled as he watched New Black, and Lisa clapped her hands like a mini seal.

Jo Yuri Band awkwardly nodded their heads.

Cha Woohyun stroked his chin as if he was interested.

Then, Cha Woohyun’s heavy voice was inserted.

Cha Woohyun: It was an interesting stage.

In front of a dark curtain, a giant man was talking to the production staff.

The production staff were not visible from the camera angle, and the camera from below captured the man with a strong impression.

Cha Woohyun: When you listen to the song, there is an energy that bursts out, you know. That was different. And this time, they seemed to have grown a level more.

The writer’s voice asked, ‘Did they grow more?’

Cha Woohyun: I first saw these guys at the Mango Awards last year, and they improved a lot since then. Especially, Rihyuk, he was like a well-polished gem. I wanted to nurture him.

As the praise from the luxury ballad singer continued, the screen switched to Rihyuk’s face in a close-up.

Rihyuk: I love singing.

As if someone told him to, he uttered an awkward line that made his ears turn red.

At the same time, he scolded the members who teased him during the interview with a prickly attitude.

But when he sang on the spot, Rihyuk was more serious than anyone, and he had a natural smile like a painting.

-I really enjoyed listening to it. It was a treat for my ears.

The five members cheered like minions at the announcer’s praise.

Baek Sangjung asked them.

-How did you idols end up on the Challenge, Legendary Song Discovery Team? Do you have anything to say about that?

All five of them raised their hands eagerly.

-We can’t hear from all of you. Due to time constraints, only one of you can speak.

Then, four hands bent into a G-shape and pointed at one person.

The owner of the dazzling beauty in the center smiled softly and grabbed the microphone.

-Our group has always been interested in old songs, and we were impressed by the program concept of finding hidden songs and reinterpreting them in a modern way.

Woojoo said.

-And, personally, I also enjoy listening to old songs.

-Really?

-I think I know the most old songs among my peers…

-You’re the same age as them?

The MC joked.

-Then, can we look forward to Woojoo’s taste when you select the hidden song later?

-Leave it to me.

Woojoo smiled confidently.

From the perspective of the viewers, he looked so assured that they might think, ‘There are a truckload of people who know more old songs than him in that spot. What confidence is that?’

As if to answer that question, the scenes that would follow were briefly edited and shown as a preview.

-…!

Along with the shocked faces of the cast.