In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

The managers, having completed their schedules, headed to the practice room.

“It’s strange,” said Manager Kim of Chu Gi-seok’s team. “Why is practice so long today? These people aren’t the type to practice this much.”

“It is odd. They shouldn’t have the stamina for it.”

“Gi-seok dreams of being an idol, so that’s understandable, but were the others always this motivated?”

The managers tilted their heads in confusion.

The members of Mip were always diligent, regardless of the project, but…

“I’m dying. I’m dead.”

“Pass me a patch! A patch~!”

“I didn’t realize in my twenties, but once you hit thirty, your body starts to decline.”

Chu Gi-seok’s manager remarked, “What’s really strange is that around this time, they’d usually be bombarding us with messages to bring snacks or food.”

“Just yesterday, Jae-hee asked for five cheese-stuffed hotdogs at this time.”

“Seems like they’re all ordering something to eat, right?”

The managers nodded in agreement.

It was the only reason the usually whiny celebrities were quiet.

However…

“Aaaah!”

When a pained scream echoed from the practice room…

“…!”

Realizing something was terribly wrong, the managers rushed to the door.

And…

“Huh?”

They gaped at the bizarre scene visible through the glass window.

“Aaack!”

A wheeled TV was chasing the members.

“…Is the TV chasing people?”

“What am I even looking at?”

The cornered members looked at the TV with terror-stricken faces.

Ziiing—

The TV closed in, almost within breathing distance.

With pitiful faces, the members said, “We’re sorry.”

“No, it’s just too hard… Yes, it’s an excuse, but we need rest to practice… Yes. We’re sorry.”

“Bijoo, not everyone has a body like yours.”

The members nodded at the immediate scolding.

Afterward…

“Wow…”

The TV, which could also rotate, elegantly turned and began to move away from the members.

Inside, Bijoo of New Black was smiling like a sunflower.

Then, the background music of Funky Town started playing.

The managers felt bewildered seeing the members sway their bodies with sad faces.

“What on earth is happening…”

After finishing their schedule, they found a New Black member inside the TV, harshly training their celebrities.

“What in the world is going on?”

“I have no idea…”

They were utterly clueless.

While the members of Mip focused on their basic training, we continued our breathless practice.

It was the choreography practice for “Falling Flowers.”

Despite feeling hazy from dieting and lack of sleep, we were thankfully too busy to feel tired.

We took turns among the members to extract some fun from remote lectures on variety shows.

“Hyung! Brother!”

“Yes?”

“I have something to tell you!”

The youngest, with wide eyes, ran up to me.

“They’re all hiding!”

“Hiding?”

“They’re behind the camera, saying ‘You can’t see us!’ and taking a break!”

Voices from the screen shouted, “We’re going to rest! We will rest!”

I nodded at the youngest, who was urging me to do something about it.

As I called Mr. Chu Gi-seok, the ringtone “Nine” blared loudly from the screen.

“Ah! NewBlack TV Universe!”

“Bro! When we’re resting, don’t even whisper NewBlack’s name!”

I had a rough idea of where they were.

I immediately moved the TV with the remote control.

“What, what’s this! Aaargh!”

As I invaded their resting spot, the members of Mipf rushed into the camera’s view.

We all burst into laughter.

“Seniors! Hello!”

Silence.

“Our youngest has something to say. As for me, I’ll be off now~”

The youngest started to grumble, “I’m upset! I wanted to tell you!” and I couldn’t help but laugh.

It’s tough now, but it will surely be a big help.

Bijoo, sitting in the corner of the practice room watching the cast’s rehearsal video, said,

“It’s so much fun, bro.”

“Right?”

“Yeah. I think I understand why Jiho likes to level up game characters. It feels like my character is growing from Lv.0, you know?”

“Exactly. It’s like making an idol to my own liking.”

We exchanged smiles as Bijoo recorded the members’ stats in the logbook.

Then, from a corner, Rihyuk approached with a gentle wave of his hand.

“But isn’t this too different from our original goal? We came here to look cool.”

“The original goal was that, but you know it’s not going to happen.”

“…Well, that’s true.”

He looked genuinely pitiful.

“It seems too hard. I know because I’ve received dance coaching from Bijoo during my trainee days. It’s really tough.”

“Was it that hard?”

“How else do you think my dance skills have improved this much?”

I marveled at his light wave with his left arm and then turned to Bijoo.

“Bijoo! He says it’s tough because of you!”

“Ah! Why would he say that!”

Bijoo’s eyes went round as Rihyuk hurriedly explained himself.

I watched them and laughed.

They say it’s too hard.

Right now, he sympathizes because dance is his weak point, but once vocal training starts, he’ll be the most intense of us all.

“Don’t you need to put more strength into your stomach? Are you not going to project your voice properly?”

I remember how hard it was to prepare for the winter hibernation recording.

I still shudder at the thought of how often the main vocalist’s tyranny poked us with a stick with a yellow rubber finger.

Then, the youngest, who had closed his laptop, came bouncing over.

“Ha, it’s so much fun!”

“Did you teach them well?”

“Yes, even when resting, you can still use your facial muscles. So I taught them how to act with their expressions for the stage.”

“Good job.”

After praising him,

“Alright! Let’s get back to practice!”

We resolved to sweat enough to change our tops three times today.

Time flew by as we practiced the choreography.

We even went out to buy a cake together for the youngest’s birthday on the 9th.

We had a birthday party with the fans through the Y app.

We also watched the highlight clip from the first episode of K-net reality ‘NewBlack’s Travel Diary.’

-[NewBlack’s Travel Diary Episode 1] NewBlack’s First Seagull Catching♡

The clip showed us catching seagulls barehanded at the Jeju Island beach.

I wondered if it would be entertaining, but thankfully, everyone enjoyed it.

-Healing reality, huh, producers? Is this what you call a teaser scam?

-The producers did their best, sir… What’s the use of healing BGM when you’re catching seagulls?

-I didn’t feel out of place until I saw ‘Seagull Catching’ in the title. I was shocked!

-Seagull catching, heart, LOL. Is this supposed to be healing?

-I came here after watching the PD’s interview, ‘Nothing went as planned. NewBlack was an unpredictable variable.’ LOL

The response to our first travel reality was incredibly positive.

It was also scheduled right after K-net’s music show ended on Thursday.

Despite the limitations of cable reality viewership, the internet buzz was great.

There’s already been inquiries about scheduling season 2 for next year.

We gave the OK sign, provided it’s with the same PD and production team.

After a busy second week of April,

“Hellooo…”

We burst into laughter at the sight of Mr. Producer’s members, looking utterly exhausted.

The second recording.

In just a week, the pallor of exhaustion had set in, prompting us to ask with concern, “Are you okay?”

“Yikes!”

The entertainer, Model Joo, who was getting a makeup touch-up, jumped in surprise.

“Did I startle you?”

“No, it’s just… your voice suddenly came from right beside me…”

Laughter from the staff echoed through the practice room.

Amidst the raucous laughter, the cast of ‘MiPro’ scowled.

“Who was that? Who just laughed?”

“They’re only laughing because it hasn’t happened to them. They wouldn’t be able to laugh like that if it had…”

We laughed at the sight of Model Joo’s dark circles and his petulant complaints.

“You’ve really been through a lot. It’s been a tough week, hasn’t it?”

“Yes!”

We smiled.

“You’ve overcome this much; I’m sure you’ll be able to handle any challenges that come your way.”

“…You’re the ones giving me these hardships!”

Pretending not to hear, we all chuckled, and they groaned in mock frustration.

Having communicated via video calls all week, we had grown quite close.

“Alright, let’s start the recording. Today’s slate will be handled by Jiho of New Black!”

“Got it~”

With a wink to the camera director, Jiho clapped his hands, and the second recording began.

And at that moment…

The six members, who had been complaining about near-death exhaustion, burst into splendid smiles and cheers.

“Yes! Our members have finished a week of practice and returned to Lemon Entertainment.”

“Woah!”

“By the time this airs, you viewers would have seen, but these are the most vicious producers we’ve had on MiPro!”

We clutched our sides with laughter as they feigned anger for the show.

The members turned their gaze to Bijoo.

“Especially our Bijoo teacher, he’s wickedly vicious. There’s a devil hiding behind that smile.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you!”

Bijoo laughed, accused of being more devilish than anyone else despite his angelic face.

After a chat about catching seagulls, as seen on the internet.

Finally, it was time to report the results of a week’s practice.

And then…

“Wow! Amazing!”

They had synchronized their choreography and their eyes widened in astonishment.

To anyone watching, they had improved dramatically from just a week ago.

Bijoo was as delighted as if it were his own achievement.

“You did really well! Before, the timing of the basic routines varied, but now it’s become very consistent.”

“Oh, really…”

“Do you see it? Can you tell your skills have improved?”

“Yes!”

“Basics are really important.”

Our main dancer stood up to demonstrate.

“Dance is kind of an illusion.”

“An illusion…?”

“If you break it down, it’s all basic moves. You remember the first move of the routine we sent you?”

As he moved his arms up and down, the members of MiPro nodded.

Bijoo deepened the move to show them.

“If you change it like this, it becomes the choreography from TNT seniors’ ‘Question’. It looks complicated, but it’s the same move when you know it.”

“Wow…”

The members of MiPro exclaimed in admiration.

“I don’t get it at all.”

“Sorry, teacher, but I don’t understand what you mean.”

“How can this and that be the same move?”

Amidst the students’ clamor, Bijoo wore a bittersweet expression while we interjected.

“We feel the same. Jiho! Fly! Dance as if you have wings on your back!”

“They scold us, saying a move that’s elegant and threatening is different from one that’s threatening yet elegant.”

“Look at this! The teacher can’t teach!”

As everyone joined in the teasing, Bijoo sat down with a sigh.

Leaning against the wall with moist eyes, everyone burst into laughter.

The MiPro members said it was all in jest, thanking the teacher profusely, and Bijoo finally smiled.

I interjected at that moment.

“It’s time to check the homework I gave you last time.”

“Yes!”

“Have you thought of a group name?”

“We’ve narrowed down a few candidates!”

Elder brother Kim Eui-ji spoke up.

“I thought of ‘Hong Team’! It’s Hong Seok’s dream, so it’s Hong Team!”

“When did you become so sentimental? That’s outdated.”

“It’s not ‘Again 2002’. As if he’s not a soccer player.”

“Look how refreshing it is for the teachers. We’re saying what they want to say.”

At Model Student’s words, we all chuckled with sheepish grins.

…Hong Team was definitely not it.

When someone suggested ‘Red Team’, cries of ‘Are you the Red Devils?’ echoed back.

Next was Chu Gi-seok’s suggestion of ‘MRP’, which he said stood for ‘Mister Producer’.

As names that seemed to curry favor with the boss were proposed, the usually quiet Nam Do-hoon, with his athlete’s build, suggested ‘10 o’clock’.

“Ten o’clock?”

“Considering everyone’s average age, it’s 33.5 years old. I converted that into a 24-hour clock.”

It seemed to be an idea that started from wondering what time 33.5 years would be if a lifetime were a 24-hour day.

We all admired the decent team name.

But even ‘Ten o’clock’ felt a bit off, so as we pondered, Model Student asked,

“By the way, how did our New Black teachers decide on their group name?”

“Yeah, I’m curious too.”

“If there’s a secret, please share. We could use it too.”

I could see cold sweat streaming down the faces of the younger members.

As Jung-hyun fanned himself conspicuously, saying, “Ah, it’s hot,” the cast’s eyes narrowed.

I stepped forward with a smile.

“It took quite a long time to decide on the name ‘New Black’.”

It took 30 minutes.

Someone’s ears perked up, seemingly excited.

I gazed into the void, reminiscing about old memories with a distant look.

“It was early December 2013…”

The Mif (MIssion For) cast smiled, thinking it was a trip down memory lane.

“We were seriously considering what to name our team while preparing for the year-end evaluation by the agencies.”

A feast of jokes ensued.

From ‘Lemon Boys’ and ‘Devils’ to ‘Yellow Green’ and ‘Five Star’… all suggested by the boss.

Then, inspired by the black sweatshirt I was wearing, the youngest member exclaimed, “This is it!” and that became the reason for our selection.

“I happened to be wearing a black sweatshirt, and it inspired us.”

“A new kind of black that’s never been seen before?”

“Yes.”

“I thought it was assigned by the company, but it turned out to be a practice name.”

I looked back at the younger members staring at me intently.

‘Why, what’s up.’

‘…’

‘You try saying something.’

I could never say it was inspired by the chicken logo on the Kmart sweatshirt.

That was a secret I could only reveal in my autobiography at the age of 95, confessing, ‘The truth is…’

However, the Mif members seemed inspired by this story, examining their own clothes.

“Bum-joo, what’s that pink on your shirt?”

“Hot pink.”

As the conversation turned to whether it would be difficult for the gentlemen to debut in hot pink, Rihyuk spoke up.

“How about ‘10AM’ or ‘AT TEN’? It’s still 10 o’clock.”

“Oh, that does sound more sophisticated!”

“AT TEN sounds good. How about shortening it to ‘ATEN’? It has a trendier feel.”

“Wow…!”

After a vote, ‘ATEN’ was chosen.

We watched them practice their greeting slogan and laughed, quenching our thirst.

“Hello! We are ATEN! Oh! It fits perfectly. Just like real idols.”

“Wow, the sense of naming… It’s no wonder New Black came about.”

“If we had done it ourselves, it would’ve been like naming a chicken restaurant…”

“Cough! Cough!”

And then, they all choked in unison.

After the naming session with New Black.

“Two, three… no, let’s start from one since we’re newbies.”

“One, two, three! It’s 10 o’clock! Hello, we are A-ten!”

“Wow!”

The members of Mip felt a surge of excitement.

‘I really like the name.’

After deciding on the group name, it felt like they had truly become idols.

When they gave a thumbs up to the teachers, saying they were the best, the New Black members smiled warmly.

“By the way,” Uju asked, “did you also do the other homework?”

“Yes!”

Each submitted a USB along with a list they had meticulously written on paper.

As Uju casually checked the list, Model Ju asked, “Teacher, what is this used for?”

“I’ll tell you later in the studio,” Uju replied.

“Oh, Teacher Sun’s studio…!”

The Mip members made a fuss, excited about visiting the famous composer’s studio, and New Black laughed.

Then the leader clapped his hands and said, “Before that, let’s talk about vocals.”

“Vocals?”

“Yes. Since we’re a team, we need to adjust our vocal tones.”

“Ah…”

It was about adjusting their tones while maintaining their unique characteristics to harmonize better in songs.

Main vocalist Seori Hyuk stood up with a pleasant smile.

“Today, you’ll be practicing with me.”

“Wow! It’s Teacher Hyuk!”

“We’re saved!”

Unlike the other members who appeared at random times, Hyuk had been diligently sending long messages of encouragement.

With a cool expression but the kindest heart, the Mip members cheered with hopeful faces.

Hyuk wrote neatly on the practice room’s whiteboard.

But the admiration for his beautiful handwriting was short-lived.

“Now, let’s talk about vocal theory…”

Silence fell.

Within ten minutes, the eyes of the drowsy men began to close.

They occasionally snapped awake, but the theory lesson was inevitably boring.

As the production crew, New Black, and the cast united to fight off sleep, Uju announced, “That’s the end of the theory lesson. Now, let’s move on to practical training.”

“Wow… that was an impressive lesson.”

“Amazing… wow.”

The members clapped, still half-asleep.

And when the idol vocal lesson began, poking their stomachs to produce sounds…

“Aaaaah—”

Chu Gi-seok tilted his head while making sounds, and Hyuk asked, “Is it not going well?”

“It feels like the sound isn’t coming out right…”

“Hmm.”

After pondering the sound, Hyuk made a diagnosis.

“Senior, please step outside for a moment.”

“What?”

“Please follow me outside. Jung-hyun hyung, you too.”

“?”

While the Mip members still looked sleepy with question marks in their eyes, the three left the practice room.

Just as they thought something was happening…

-Aaaack!

A chilling scream jolted everyone awake.

“What? What’s that sound?”

“What’s happening?”

That’s when it happened.

-Ack! Aaaack! Ack!

As agonizing screams filled the air, the New Black members began to smile warmly.

While the Mip members were frozen in fear…

Click, the door opened, and Chu Gi-seok, along with two members, entered with flushed faces.

“What happened, Gi-seok hyung? What did you do outside?”

“…I, I can’t say.”

“What’s going on? What is it? Hey, you guys, or rather, teachers, what have you been up to?”

At those words, Rihyuk smiled and gave Chu Gi-seok a meaningful glance.

“Ah-ah-ah-ah—”

As an improved sound immediately followed, everyone’s eyes widened, and the main vocalist of New Black wore a cool smile.

“I’ve found the voice of our senior.”

“…”

“It seems Senior Gi-seok is having trouble remembering the lesson. Is there anyone else who can’t recall the class content?”

Amidst the members’ faces turning pale.

A scene titled ‘Finding Our Voice’ was being born in the main broadcast of Mr. Producer.