In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

The producer nodded in agreement.

“Alright.”

After discussing the rules with the authors, I returned.

“For every 100 points, we’ll give out more allowance.”

“Wow!”

We clapped our hands in joy.

Meanwhile, the production team watched me with curious eyes, wondering if a perfect score was actually possible.

The directors, arms crossed, watched and mused aloud.

“Can they really do it?”

“That makes sense.”

No one seemed overly concerned with the game’s outcome.

After all, the mission was designed to ensure we got our allowance, fitting the concept of a healing reality show.

And the fact that only one person needed to score over 90 points made the producers’ intentions clear.

They had prepared two games from the start: a general knowledge quiz for the allowance, followed by a karaoke game to add some fun with the prospect of extra cash.

The production team probably didn’t expect our youngest member to be that good.

“Did you hear that, bro? If we score 100, we get extra allowance! Jackpot.”

“…”

“Directors! Did you know? My loss in the general knowledge quiz was all part of my strategy!”

The youngest’s baseless claim sent the production team into laughter.

Ri Hyeok and I bit our lips.

“If you had just gotten a few more questions right, we wouldn’t even be here, you dummy…”

“Talking about strategies now? You couldn’t even buy an egg.”

“Sniff…”

Junghyun sat on the sofa with a sad face, the youngest turning back to him.

No. It was me who suggested this additional game in the first place…

“Anyway, let’s give it our best shot!”

“Fighting!”

The two chubby ones, sitting like a clowder of giant cats, sent their ‘fighting’ cheer, bringing a brief smile to my face.

When I gestured for Bi Ju and Ri Hyeok to lend an ear, Bi Ju eagerly leaned in, but Ri Hyeok was wary.

“Why again?”

“You’re not going to blow in my ear, are you…?”

“Don’t you know that makes me want to blow even more? We’re short on time, so hurry up and listen.”

I then huddled with the main dancer and main vocalist, whispering into their ears in a voice too low for the mic to catch.

The producer, writers, and directors gathered around the audio director, who was wearing headphones, trying to eavesdrop.

“What are they saying? Something about the universe?”

“I can’t hear… just some mechanical stuff.”

Fortunately, it seemed no one heard us.

As I stepped back, I said,

“Got it?”

“Yes, we’ll try just like that.”

“It doesn’t seem too hard.”

I watched the younger members take note of the tip and then took the microphone from the production team.

Ah, check, check, check.

The directors smiled nostalgically at the ’90s-style mic check.

I looked at the camera, holding the mic.

Ah, first of all, I sincerely welcome you to the grand opening of our New Black Karaoke.

“Wow!”

Everyone, are you having fun?

“Yes!”

I threw out the event catchphrase, pumping up the directors and staff.

As everyone waved back, the younger members stood by, shaking their tambourines.

Now, since we’re in Jeju, we must sing this song before we go, right? It’s the ultimate hit song about Jeju.

“Wow!”

The Blue Night of Jeju!

The karaoke lights twinkled as the intro played.

The ‘Travel Diary’ staff waved their hands slowly.

‘It’s really good…’

It was New Black’s lead vocalist, singing the song slowly.

With each verse, the reverberation spread throughout the living room.

I’ve grown tired of being bound by expectations, the constant chatter of newspapers, TV, and even my paycheck envelope.

It was a song that made you want to shake everything off and just leave. A simple, unadorned melody, yet it carried an emotional appeal that was profoundly moving. ŕ𝘼₦o͍𝐛È𝓢

The lighting director commented to the other staff, “Wow, they sing well. This is why singers are in a league of their own. Their expressions completely transform.”

“They’re the ones who took first place at the Song Festival,” someone chimed in.

I couldn’t help but admire them, stripped of all pretense, showcasing their true talent. Their voices resonated clearly, sending a tingling sensation up the back of my head.

As the song ended with a gentle hum and the microphone was lowered, I looked at the screen filled with anticipation. ‘Ah, the score.’

The production team snapped back to reality, eyes fixed on the screen. ‘They sang well, but can a perfect score really be that easy to achieve?’

The machine’s scoring system was bound to be less accurate than a human’s. Different standards…

Then, a fanfare erupted from the screen.

[100 points!]

[Wow! Perfect! You could really be a professional singer~!]

As if performing a ceremony, I twirled the microphone in the air, caught it, and flashed a victorious ‘V’ sign.

The members cheered ecstatically, rushing towards the leader to form a celebratory sandwich.

Amidst the clear laughter and the joyous commotion over the extra pocket money, the production team blinked in disbelief.

‘What’s going on?’

It was a game designed to give out extra cash, but was scoring 100 points supposed to be this easy?

The lighting director tapped the karaoke machine, puzzled. “How did they do it?”

While everyone looked on with stunned expressions, Bijoo chose a children’s song, and the members started to dance.

The cuteness of the scene brought brief laughter, but then…

Another 100 points appeared.

“?”

The members surrounded Bijoo, cheering, “Kim Bijoo! Kim Bijoo!”

As the room filled with laughter, the producers and writers examined the karaoke machine, a mix of amusement and disbelief on their faces.

“Did you guys rig this somehow?”

“No way,” the members replied firmly.

“We don’t have the brains to pull off something like that!”

The producer added more money to the envelope, still puzzled. ‘Something’s off here.’

I’ve filmed a few healing reality shows with celebrities where we did karaoke score challenges, but I’ve never seen anyone score like pros before.

When the main vocalist, Rihyuk, scored 100 points, it made sense. Even the staff nodded in agreement.

“The machine has to give 100 points for that.”

“If it doesn’t, it needs to be fixed. Immediately.”

“Rihyuk may not be good at everything, but when it comes to singing, he’s truly exceptional.”

It was as if he deserved a subtitle like ‘God of Song.’

Rihyuk transformed the living room into a concert hall with his rendition of Cha Woo Hyun’s ballad.

Suddenly, he looked more handsome. All the scenes of him being scared by seagulls or frantically cleaning with wet wipes were swept away by his song.

While the staff were impressed, the members of New Black cheered and celebrated their main vocalist.

“Rihyuk, you’re beautiful!”

“Oh, please don’t do this…”

Rihyuk trailed off, clearly enjoying the moment, as everyone laughed.

The producer finished calculating the pocket money and called the New Black members.

“Everyone, your allowance is ready.”

“Woah!”

The members tossed the main vocalist onto the couch as they celebrated.

“Aaargh!”

I couldn’t help but laugh as I filmed Rihyuk rolling around on the sofa.

“Here’s your allowance.”

“Thank you!”

The leader happily accepted the allowance, and the production team asked him,

“But how did you do it just now?”

Upcoming on K-net, ‘New Black’s Travel Diary Season 1’, Episode 2 Edit.

Dark Interview Room (D)

The scene cuts from the leader receiving his allowance to the interview room.

Sitting in the chair, U-ju smiles.

[Q. How did you do it?]

-Oh, nothing special. Each machine has its own characteristics.

[Characteristics?]

-Old machines score high when you sing loudly and long. New machines… rhythm is especially important…

As I listed various tips, the production team listened in awe.

[Jiho said that U-ju is really a master(?).]

-No, he’s really… If you say that, the fans might get the wrong idea. I’m not that kind of person!

U-ju emphasized, eyes wide.

Just then, ‘Footage: MeTube New Black TV’ flashed across the screen, showing evidence.

U-ju looked at his younger members with the kindest face in the world.

-Rock-paper-scissors? It’s a random game, guys. It’s science, right? Rihyuk, ah, it’s not science.

-Right. Roulette is science too.

-Didn’t you learn in school about the probability of dice? Jiho? Randomly one in six… Ah, you didn’t learn? I see.

After a series of losses by the younger members,

U-ju cleared his throat in the interview room and said,

-If I had to say, I directed each member according to their voice? That’s about it. I’m not a con artist…

[Not a con artist?]

-A producer.

The production team burst into laughter at his shameless smile.

Even the culprit chuckled.

When U-ju jokingly asked for ‘Wanted BGM’ with a resigned look,

[But how do you know all this?]

-Ah. During my trainee days, I often went to karaoke with friends. We bet on scores a lot, and I researched to win.

[What kind of bet?]

-Well…

U-ju scratched the back of his neck, looking a bit embarrassed.

-You know, the free paper cup ice creams at karaoke places. Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry.

[Ah.]

-I hated scooping them…

The production team laughed at the trivial motive that didn’t match his outstanding research skills.

Meanwhile, U-ju asked for ‘Touching BGM’ and looked at the camera.

-Those friends monitor a lot, so they’ll probably see this.

[Ah.]

-They’ll definitely see this, so I’m sorry. I’ll buy you ice cream later.

With a warm finish, U-ju waved ‘sorry’ with his hand.

The screen then shifted to the New Black members heading to the night market.

Seogwipo’s night market was bustling with people.

Every time we walked, surrounded by 6mm cameras, the market vendors welcomed us with open arms.

“Oh my, who do we have here! Our boys!”

“Mom!”

After sharing a heartfelt hug with a complete stranger,

We returned to our business smiles.

“Since you’re here, take a look at the rice cakes! Rice cakes!”

“Yes! Of course, we should buy some. But, we’re on a tight budget. It seems a bit more expensive than other places…”

“Ah, I’ll give you a discount. I’ll cut the price.”

Bijoo, with his gentle smile, took charge of bargaining every time we shopped for food.

He was so shrewd, always smiling but never at a loss, that I gave him a thumbs up.

After politely greeting the vendors, Bijoo whispered excitedly,

“Hyung, hyung! I got this at the right price too!”

“Well done, our second.”

“Let’s go buy the next one! The next one!”

Bijoo seemed to enjoy our praise more than the successful haggling.

Our night market outing was cut short due to onlookers suddenly tagging along, exclaiming, “It’s the New Black! The New Black?”

Still, we had our fair share of gains.

“Bro, do you think Grandma would like this? There’s a flower drawn so delicately here.”

“She’ll love it, Bijoo. Do you think Minjun would like this chocolate?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

We also shopped for souvenirs to gift our families.

We even asked the surrounding PDs, writers, and camera directors.

“Director, didn’t you say yesterday you wanted to buy your daughter some citrus chocolates? I’ll buy them for you here.”

“Then, I’ll take this one…”

A smile spread across the director’s face, dripping with sweat from the heat and the camera.

“What about you, writer? Would you like to look at a piece of clothing?”

“Uh… is that okay?”

“We’d like to buy you one as a gift.”

We beckoned the hesitant one to come closer.

Instead, we suggested adding a subtitle saying, ‘Our kids are so kind…’ which made everyone burst into laughter.

While we were efficiently gathering souvenirs,

“Oh my! It’s been a while!”

A passing merchant called out to us.

“Hello!”

“It’s the New Black. The New Black. Oh my… Wujung.”

“It’s Woojoo.”

“Wujung. I know. Sun Wujung.”

The grandmother shook hands with us, nodding her head affectionately.

She asked the camera, having enjoyed our appearance on ‘Now, My Hometown,’

“Is this also ‘Now, My Hometown’?”

“No, this is not that. We’re filming a travel show.”

“Oh…”

She looked incredibly disappointed, then spoke to us.

“Oh right! Now that I think about it, I have a huge grievance with the New Black!”

“What? All of a sudden?”

As we listened intently, wondering what we had done wrong by her pained expression,@@novelbin@@

“Why did you stop appearing on ‘Now, My Hometown’? Just when I was getting attached and looking forward to it…”

“We didn’t appear, did we…?”

“That’s the thing. I was so upset~ It’s one thing if someone wasn’t there, but to disappear after being there feels so empty.”

She had been watching with growing affection and then suddenly, ‘Bye~’ it was over.

I took the grandmother’s hand and smiled.

“We’re sorry.”

“Oh, it’s not that…”

“We’ve finished appearing on ‘Now, My Hometown,’ but we’ll see if there’s anything we can do.”

With that, we signed autographs and took photos with her.

“Who would you like to stand next to?”

“Junghyun.”

“Oh. Come over here.”

We laughed at her shyly making a ‘V’ sign.

After that, we gathered food for a late-night snack and merrily roamed around, munching on treats.

“The night market is fun.”

“Right? It feels even more fun than when we went to Taiwan.”

There’s something uplifting about the bustling atmosphere unique to night markets.

We chatted noisily about the day’s events on our way home.

Suddenly, a chilling scream pierced the air, and the car came to an abrupt halt.

Frozen in place,

The PD in the passenger seat turned his head sharply, shining a blue flashlight on his face.

“Everyone!”

“Aaaah!”

“…”

The PD shivered.

If there were subtitles, they might read, ‘The day the audio director’s eardrums met their doom.’

After passing the frightened Ryuk to Junghyun,

“Wow, that really startled me.”

“We get scared so easily! PD-nim!”

The PD cleared his throat and continued,

“Now, we’re near the lodging.”

“Yes.”

“You must follow the designated path from here to the accommodations.”

“Excuse me…?”

We looked out the window.

It was pitch black.

A darkness I had never seen while living in Seoul.

Only the faint outline of the bushes shaking in the darkness, along with the distant lights of the lodging, was visible.

Ri Hyeok asked with a face that looked like he was about to faint.

“What the—no, what do you mean? Are you saying we have to walk from here?”

“Oh, there’s no need to worry about safety. You’re already on the training center grounds used for lodging, so outsiders can’t enter. We have security personnel stationed at intervals along the way.”

“No, that’s not what I…”

“There are also infrared cameras installed everywhere to capture your journey.”

We were all taken aback.

Here I was, thinking we’d end the night with some late-night snacks and chit-chat, then write ‘Today’s Travel Diary’ in bed and wrap up with a healing vlog.

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

“The Travel Diary of New Black, the grand fulfillment of the second wish! It’s a test of courage.”

“Who…”

As I was about to ask, I caught sight of the youngest member avoiding my gaze.

The producer extended a laptop towards us.

It was an interview where the youngest had been laughing with the writers in the conference room, becoming best friends with them.

“I sometimes want to do that kind of thing with the older members.”

“What?”

“Like an escape room or a horror experience? The older members always hated it when I suggested watching a horror movie.”

“Really?”

“Especially Ri Hyeok, he totally hates it. The moment I bring it up, a fluffy pillow flies at me. Except for Jung Hyeon, the rest are… Hehe!”

“Jiho?”

“Listen more. The older members…”

“I’m always the youngest at home and in the group. I have this fantasy about being a reliable eldest brother(?).”

“Right. Youngest members usually feel that way.”

“So, doing something like this, the older members would rely on me… Hahaha! Just thinking about it makes me so happy! It’s going to be epic!”

I rubbed my temples as I watched him laugh on the screen.

“Jiho.”

“Yes…”

“If you want to be the eldest, you could do other things. Like night study sessions or being the leader for a day. I have no pride, so I’d bow down right away.”

“I totally agree. You really…”

“Ah, this is too scary.”

“Anticipating fun.”

I resigned myself to the situation, not wanting to upset the youngest any further, as he seemed on the verge of tears.

There was nothing else to do.

“Good grief.”

“Hehe.”

I patted the youngest’s back as I listened to the ongoing explanation.

“This is a walking path on the training center grounds. There’s a well along the way to the lodging.”

“Ugh!”

“They say it’s a wishing well. You just need to fill the bottle we’re giving you with water from that well.”

“Ah…”

A well in this darkness.

The thought of something crawling out was torturous.

When I got out of the car with a pale face, crawling on all fours.

“Producer, there aren’t any actors dressed as ghosts in there, right?”

“You’ll find out when you get there.”

“I had a feeling. I saw tents being set up outside earlier, wondering what construction was going on.”

With that, the producer handed each of us a walkie-talkie, a map of the training center, and a flashlight.

I showed them my glowing stick, but after seeing its brightness, it was immediately confiscated.

After the vehicle drove off with a roar.

“…”

The red lights from the cameras installed everywhere looked like ghostly eyes, which was frightening.

Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo…

The sound of a ghostly wail amplified through a speaker could be heard from somewhere.

“Aaaah!”

I told my siblings clinging to me like I was a pillar.

“Since it’s come to this, let’s get through this as quickly as possible.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Then let’s turn on the flashlights…”

The moment I turned on the light towards the bushes.

Rustle-rustle-

A shadow, seemingly human in form but walking on all fours, scurried past the light.

In a bizarre posture.

“…”

Our eyes widened to the point where screams couldn’t escape, and we looked at each other in disbelief.

“What was that just now? Did you see it?”

“Was that… a person?”

As I pondered, it seemed possible to mimic the movement.

Difficult, but possible.

“It must be one of the actors.”

“No. Why would they go to such lengths in a travel reality show?”

“Exactly my point! Exactly! Argh!”

Suddenly, I remembered a conversation from a meeting we had before.

‘This new black reality show must have a huge budget.’

‘Wow!’

‘Since it’s come to this, let’s do whatever it takes to make it right.’

…They really went all out.

With such a stage set, I felt compelled to react properly.

My siblings seemed to share the sentiment, their faces resolute as they clasped their flashlights and hands together.

“No matter what happens, we must never split up.”

“We die together, we live together!”

“I feel the same. Never let go of this hand. Ours.”

“Right. We are one in the new black!”

With a shout of ‘fighting,’ we all held hands and entered the thicket.

“Heeheeheeheehee!”

A ghost in a jeogori burst out.

And then.

“Aaaahhh!”

As if on cue, we abandoned each other and ran in different directions.

I too grabbed Bi-Ju’s hand and ran…

“…?”

Huh? But why does this hand feel so strange?

When I felt something was off and looked up.

“…”

I awkwardly locked eyes with the ghost I was supposed to be running hand in hand with.