In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Chapter 190:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 190

-I should tell you who I am…

-Wait a minute!

A stranger’s voice interrupted Woojoo.

Through the intercom camera, they heard the voice of a middle-aged woman saying “Oh my”.

-Just a moment! I’ll open the door for you!

Soon, a lady came out with a Busan accent. She introduced herself.

“Hello.”

Woojoo entered the house with the production crew. Five pairs of socks shuffled on the wooden floor.

They looked around and asked, “Where is the teacher…?”

“He’s in the living room.”

But the living room was empty.

As the lady tilted her head, a Busan voice came from another room.

The camera followed them.

When they got to the study, they finally met the person they had been waiting for.

An annoyed sigh was heard.

“Oh dear.”

“Teacher, we’re on air right now…”

“The broadcast is not important right now.”

In the sunlit study, an old man was sitting in a wheelchair.

Noh Jaehyun.

The senior singer they had only seen in old videos or photos didn’t look much different from when he retired.

He had a wild face with a well-groomed white beard.

He was dressed more formally than usual in a knit outfit, giving him a priest-like vibe.

But his body in the wheelchair was thin and frail.

What was he doing?

He paid no attention to the broadcast camera and focused on something else.

He was holding a book he had taken from the bookshelf.

Rihyuk smiled at the title ‘Silent Spring’.

“That’s Rachel Carson’s book. It’s a masterpiece.”

He felt excited as he saw the books filling the study. Woojoo and his siblings stifled their laughter.

When should they greet him?

As they were looking for the right timing, Noh Jaehyun tapped the book cover and dust flew.

“The cleaning wasn’t done properly.”

“I did it well.”

The lady protested, but Noh Jaehyun grumbled.

“No. I’m right. It’s not done enough.”

He moved his wheelchair around the study as if to prove his point.

He swiped the dust on a vase and showed his finger.

“See? It’s full of dust.”

“Who’s going to clean that far?”

“You have to do everything, even the small places. If I leave it like this, this dust will get into my lungs. I’ll get sick if I read books in this environment.”

“Ugh, stop nagging me.”

“It’s not nagging, it’s constructive advice. Ms. Kang. Haven’t I told you many times? Just as a sound mind dwells in a sound body, a healthy environment makes a healthy person.”

They blinked their eyes as they watched him preach the importance of cleaning.

‘…It’s Rihyuk!’

This was Rihyuk.

Woojoo didn’t know why, but someone’s face overlapped with the veteran singer’s.

Even the expression of the lady who was listening to his nagging indifferently was exactly like their reaction to Rihyuk.

“…”

When they looked at someone, he also looked at them with a dumbfounded expression.

‘What.’

Then, the eyes of Noh Jaehyun-ssi, who was pouring out his nagging, turned to them behind the maid.

“Are you the people from the broadcast?”

“Yes, sir.”

His pale and bushy eyebrows scanned them.

Then, the big shot of the music industry, who was sitting in a wheelchair, slowly opened his mouth.

“Why are you standing there so blankly?”

His faint and deep voice.

When they stood awkwardly, Noh Jaehyun-ssi got angry.

“Hey, hurry up and sit on the sofa! It’s uncomfortable to look up.”

The first impression of the senior singer was exactly the same as someone they knew.

“Do you like tangerines?”

“Yes.”

“Here, have some.”

He handed them a tangerine with his wrinkled hand and they took it awkwardly.

Munch, munch.

As they ate the tangerines like a hamster pack, Noh Jaehyun-ssi asked again as if he didn’t like them.

“Tea? Do you like tea too?”

“Uh, it’s okay…”

“Ms. Kang! Bring some tea!”

Five cups of tea came out.

“Do you like bread too?”

“Um, I…”

“Ms. Kang!”

Tangerine cake also came out in slices.

“Chocolate?”

“Uh…”

“Ms. Kang!”

The maid who was busy working in the kitchen shouted, “Hey! Don’t order me to do everything bit by bit! Do it all at once! All at once!”

They shouldn’t have laughed, but every time the old man in the wheelchair said ‘Ms. Kang~!’, New Black and the staff swallowed their laughter.

He kept grumbling, but he also looked timidly at the maid’s mood. He was somehow cute.

Maybe it was because of that, but the lady also did everything she could for them with a smile, even though she rolled her eyes and said, “Oh dear…”

Teacher Noh Jaehyun coughed and said, “Don’t misunderstand.”

“Huh?”

“I’m just treating you as guests, I’m not a bad person.”

He also had a habit of interpreting other people’s friendly gazes negatively, just like someone else.

“Even though I look like this, I’m good to her. There’s no one in the country who gets paid more than our Ms. Kang.”

“That’s true.” The lady, who had been nodding her head gently, exclaimed, “But who else would cater to our teacher’s whims if not me?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You’re so picky about food, you always complain. And when I clean, you say you’ll help me, but you just follow me around and nag…”

“Hmm, I just said a few words.”

Teacher Noh Jaehyun waved his hand and told her to go rest when she tried to retort.

“That’s what you do when you’re losing.”

They swallowed their laughter quietly as they watched the lady leave with the tray, saying that.

They knew.

They had someone like that in their team too.

“Ugh, this tastes awful.”

Teacher Noh Jaehyun put down his teacup and grumbled, then turned his eyes to them.

“What are you guys doing now?”

“We’re planning to perform a modern arrangement of your song.”

“Is it some kind of music contest?”

“Yes.”

Woojoo spoke as the representative.

“It’s an honor to be assigned your song. We’ve always admired…”

“Enough of that.”

He raised his finger.

“Be the first. The first.”

“…We’ll try our best.”

“That’s not enough. You have to be the first if you’re going out with my song.”

“Then we’ll be the first.”

Only then did Teacher Noh Jaehyun stroke his beard with a satisfied face.

“Which song of mine are you doing?”

“It’s a song called ‘Life’ from the album you released in 1990.”

“Life?”

Teacher Noh Jaehyun tilted his head.

“Did I have a song like that?”

“…”

“Forgive me. I have so many songs.”

That was true.

Teacher Noh Jaehyun had composed hundreds of songs as a singer-songwriter.

In a situation where he had dozens of hit songs, he might not remember one of the songs on the album.

That was when their main vocalist stepped up.

“This is the song, Teacher.”

Rihyuk quickly caught the emotion and sang a short verse.

Your sunshine

Becomes my memory

On a serene night

It will comfort me

His clear voice softly echoed in the spacious living room.

It felt like their ears were being cleansed just by listening.

Not only them, but also the writer who was watching from the side nodded his head without knowing.

Teacher Noh Jaehyun, who was quietly enjoying the song, spoke.

“You’re a kid who knows how to put emotion into a song. You learned well.”

“…”

“What’s your name?”

“I, Seo… Seo, Rihyuk, Teacher.”

The ENG camera zoomed in on Rihyuk’s face, which turned red in an instant.

Teacher Noh Jaehyun shook his head.

“Don’t be shy. You have the skill to deserve praise.”

“Th, thank you.”

He bowed his head deeply, like a red radish.

While that scene was being filmed, another camera captured their smiling faces.

Of course. Their kid may have a bad personality, but he sang really well.

“I…” Rihyuk stuttered, “I watched a lot of your videos, Teacher. You sing well too, and I respect you.”

“Uh, um, huhuhu.”

The flustered singer looked at the air and gave an awkward smile.

It was a scene where tomatoes were ripening together.

“Oh my, why is the heater so hot?”

The veteran singer picked up a paper on the table and waved it like a fan.

They also fanned their hands on both sides of Rihyuk’s face to cool him down.

That was when Teacher Noh Jaehyun, who was lost in thought, opened his lips.

“Life.”

He nodded his head gently.

“I’m starting to remember a little bit. Was it 20 years ago? I think it was a song I made when I was just fifty. Let me see. The record…”

He called the lady and asked her to bring a notebook from the study.

Teacher Noh Jaehyun put on his magnifying glasses and beckoned them with his finger.

Jiho looked at the contents and exclaimed.

“Wow, your handwriting is so pretty. My dad said that handwriting reveals a person’s personality.”

“Ahem.” Teacher Noh Jaehyun coughed. “Well, why are you praising me for something like this? Anyone can write like this.”

…But he wrote too well.

The notebook was neatly filled with ideas, trials and errors about the song.

"Here it is. Life."

That was the part labeled ‘Life' in the index.

The old singer took off his glasses after reading it for a while, as if recalling his memories from his diary.

"Read it to me." He asked, after giving a logical and detailed explanation about the song, "Who will do the arrangement? Did you ask the composer?"

"I will do it, sir."

"I see." He asked again, "Then I have one question for you. How did you like the song ‘Life'?"

"Um…."

Woojoo looked around cautiously.

He seemed to want him to be honest, but he wondered if he could really say what he thought.

It would be fine if it was off the air, but this was a broadcast.

Woojoo could be seen as a presumptuous idol singer who dared to judge the song of a veteran singer.

But he urged Woojoo to answer.

"Tell me honestly."

"It was really good. I liked how it was calm but also expressed emotions in the chorus. I thought I was lucky to choose this song as my competition song because it was so good."

His siblings nodded as if they agreed, but he didn't seem satisfied with Woojoo’s answer.

"Is that all?"

"Um…."

"Didn't you see any flaws in the song?"

Woojoo hesitated and said, "A little, just a little bit… It felt a bit bland."

"I thought so. Where did you feel that?"

"It felt like there was one melody missing in the whole song. If I compare it to a blueprint, it was like a house that should have four pillars, but only had three."

He was amazed when he first heard the song.

‘Wow, such a hidden masterpiece…'

But the more he listened to it, the more subtle it became.

It felt like something was missing.

It was like when he first saw the source that became the basis of Fireworks.

It looked perfect on the surface, but there was a hidden problem.

The song ‘Life' by Noh Jaehyun-ssi looked like a landscape painting that was not colored in some places.

Wait a minute.

At first, Woojoo thought it was just his personal impression, but considering that he asked him so much, he came to a conclusion.

"Did you make it like this on purpose?"

"That's right."

He parted his lips.

"The unfinished state of this song was my intention."

* * *

Silence fell in the living room.

His siblings and the production staff looked surprised by the news that their competition song was ‘unfinished'.

But it wasn't as shocking as being struck by lightning.

The original composer had publicly declared that ‘Life’ was incomplete, but it was already of excellent quality as it was.

Woojoo was just a little surprised.

That the song they had to sing was unfinished.

It was like trying to paint a different color on a sketch of an already completed landscape painting, only to have the original artist come over and say, ‘Hey, this is incomplete. Actually, I have to draw clouds and trees in that empty space.’

His throat was dry, so he reached for the teacup, but it was empty.

“Ms. Kang.” Teacher Noh Jaehyun broke the silence. “Bring some drinks for the guests here. It’s something I made a while ago.”

Orange juice came out right away.

The taste was a bit strange, but they didn’t care.

The other person started to talk.

“When I was making the song back then, I had this thought. They say that the landscape changes in ten years, but wouldn’t life look different when you’re fifty, sixty, or seventy?”

“…”

“I was only fifty, but I didn’t think it was right to define what life was already. So I left out some of the melody lines that make up the song. So that I could fill in the blanks whenever I needed to.”

Woojoo asked as he sipped the juice, “Then do you have a melody to fill in the incomplete part?”

“No,” the other person said firmly. “I tried to touch it again, but there were some awkward parts. I didn’t even want to include it in the album, but the company president insisted that I had to.”

Woojoo could understand that.

It was a good enough song to proudly put its name on the first episode of a TV program that searched for hidden masterpieces.

It was already highly complete as it was.

“There are two choices for you guys. One is to arrange it as it is and sing it as it is.”

They nodded.

A safe choice.

It wouldn’t overcome the limitations of the original song, which was a bit bland, but it would get a good review as long as they reproduced it well in a modern way.

“The other is to add your own new melody to it.”

They swallowed their saliva.

The second was a gamble.

They could get great praise if they did well, but they could also get criticized for ‘messing up a good song’.

And the chances of the latter were higher.

Woojoo personally liked this one better, but it was a risky risk to take.

No matter how good a melody he added, it would feel different from what the original composer did.

The key to this competition was not to sing the song as ‘my song’, but to make the masterpiece stand out.

So if he made it into a New Black song by adding his own touch…

Huh?

Wait a minute.

A good idea suddenly came to him.

Why was he worrying about this when he had the original composer in front of him?

It wasn’t that hard, right?

“Teacher, can I…”

“Go ahead.”

“Can I come up with a melody to fill in here and ask for your opinion?”

His siblings’ eyes sparkled.

What he was saying was a safe bet.

He could play some melodies to Teacher No Jaehyun and get his confirmation.

If it didn’t work, he could just go with the original plan.

And if he could create a melody that the original composer liked, it would be a win-win.

He could make the song richer and avoid people’s criticism.

Who would dare to complain if the original composer approved?

He was only supposed to film a short behind-the-scenes for the song, so he looked at the production team.

The assistant director asked, “Can you do it in a short time?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, I’ll contact the PD.”

They were all leaving tomorrow anyway. The production team’s reaction was neutral, neither good nor bad.

The only thing left was the other party’s choice.

Fortunately, he nodded calmly.

“That’s fine. Let’s do that.”

“Thank you.”

“Um… but I have one favor to ask.” Teacher Noh Jaehyun said, “Can you help me with some housework? There are some things that are hard for Mrs. Kang to do by herself.”

“Yes, we’re very good at work.”

He smiled faintly at their confident appearance.

When the mood lightened a bit, Junghyun showed his amazed face with a juice glass.

“But this juice is really delicious, Teacher. What kind of juice is this?”

“Juice? What do you mean by that?”

“…Yes?”

Teacher No Jaehyun said, “This is a cocktail.”

“…”

“A cocktail?”

At the word alcohol, Woojoo’s siblings’ heads turned mechanically.

More precisely, they looked at Woojoo, who was drinking from the glass.

“Ah, no!”

Bijoo snatched it from Woojoo and gulped it down.

Woojoo was surprised and asked, “Bijoo, why are you drinking?”

“…Uh, I don’t know.”

As he stared blankly at the sudden dark knight, Bijoo put his hand on Woojoo’s forehead.

“That’s not important right now. Hyung? Are you okay?”

“Me?”

“Are you okay? Who are you?”

That was when Rihyuk grabbed his clothes and shook him.

“Mister, are you going to faint?”

“…I’m fine.”

Maybe it was because of the cocktail.

Woojoo didn’t feel as drunk as he thought.

Could it be…

“Ah!”

Woojoo blurted out the fact that he just realized.

“Wow. Guys, I think my alcohol tolerance has increased.”

“What are you talking about? That makes no sense.”

“You sound drunk to me.”

“Hyung.”

Junghyun pressed down on his shoulder. He was so strong that it felt like being squeezed by a bear.

“This is not the time. Hyung, lie down.”

“No, I’m fine…”

Uh-oh.

That was when it happened.

Was it the alcohol? His eyes started to close.

He felt a sudden wave of sleepiness.

His siblings gasped at the sight of him blinking.

The production crew looked puzzled at the chaotic scene.

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

“It’s a big problem. Woojoo Hyung is allergic to alcohol… I mean, he’s really weak to alcohol.”

“His limit is one drop.”

As Jiho’s voice faded, Woojoo’s eyes slid shut.

His body was losing strength.

That was when he heard the voice of Noh Jaehyun-ssi, who was watching the farce unfold in front of him.

“It’s non-alcoholic.”

“…?”

“The cocktail you drank, it’s non-alcoholic.”

“…”

“They say the mind controls the body, but I never thought I’d see the placebo effect in action like this.”

A moment of silence.

Woojoo had his eyes closed, but he could feel everyone’s heads turning towards him.

Rihyuk shook his collar.

“Mister. Stop pretending to be asleep and wake up.”

“…”

“I can see your eyes rolling under your eyelids.”

Oh.

How did he open his eyes? This was bad.