In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

That evening, in the waiting room of the Yeouido PBS broadcasting station.

After finishing my makeup, I checked my reflection in the mirror.

“Ah, this is nice~”

Ignoring the voices mocking me with old man’s interjections, I admired my appearance in the mirror.

The makeup really suited me well.

Catching my younger colleagues staring, I shot them a ‘What?’ look before bowing deeply to the makeup artist.

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Today’s makeup turned out incredibly pretty.”

“Right?”

“Thank you for adding the beauty mark, ma’am.”

“But it really suits you, Woojoo.”

The cast had asked me to put on a beauty mark, and I did.

It felt like I had become the embodiment of vengeance from a famous drama.

I had watched it with so much fun back in my trainee days at TJ.

I took a few selfies and sent them to Madam Kim Deoksoon, but the ‘1’ notification wouldn’t disappear.

“She’s not replying.”

“She must still be upset.”

“Seems like it.”

I explained the whole story to our curious company staff, who wondered why grandma was upset.

“I bragged to her the other day about buying a blue dress.”

“And then?”

“I replied that she looked like Yubaba…”

“Yubaba?”

“This one.”

Everyone burst into laughter upon seeing the photo.

It was a picture of the big-headed villainous grandma from a famous animation.

I nodded sadly at the advice that I definitely needed to apologize.

Then I stretched out.

“Hoo…”

Maybe it’s because it’s been a while since the last recording after the Lunar New Year.

I was exchanging silly banter to ease the tension when something caught my eye.

Thump-thump-thump-thump.

“…”

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump.

It was Director Na Sang-yoon, shivering as if he was caught in a chill.

Watching him tremble somehow released the tension in my body.

“Wow.”

Jiho, who had been peering over curiously, asked,

“Are you that nervous?”

“Uh, yeah…”

“It reminds me of the day before Something Music Show when brother Rihyuk was like this.”

A voice came from behind.

“What are you talking about? I wasn’t shaking that much.”

At that moment, everyone present unanimously responded.

“You were shaking.”

“…”

Rihyuk, hiding his face in his clothes like a turtle, grumbled.

Just then, the door to the waiting room opened, and a staff member from Mipf entered.

“You two, get ready!”

“Yes!”

I answered loudly and reached out to the trembling Director Na.

“Let’s go, Director.”

“Okay, okay.”

“Don’t worry too much.”

I reassured the composer, who was extremely nervous before the recording.

“It’s nothing special. Just introduce the selected song and say hello, and that’s it.”

“Ordinary…?”

“Yes.”

The composer, with a calm expression, blinked and said,

“Woojoo.”

“Yes?”

“When someone with a beauty mark under their eye says that, it doesn’t sound convincing at all…”

I responded with a laugh to the one questioning what was ordinary about it.

“I’ve arrived!”

The members of Mip greeted the two people entering the studio where they were filming a skit. The MC, Kim Eui-ji, announced with excitement, “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the composers of our title track, Woojoo Sun and Na Sang-yoon!”

Accompanied by the composer, who looked skinny and extremely nervous, the leader of New Black marked his entrance with a smile.

After seating the two guests, Kim Eui-ji continued, “We’ve seen Producer Na before in a video letter from his mother, haven’t we?”

“Ah, yes…”

“Is this your first time meeting Composer Woojoo Sun?”

“Yes, it’s my first time. Nice to meet you.”

The entertainers chuckled at his naturally smiling face, pretending not to know.

Kim Eui-ji inquired, “I heard you’re a rookie composer.”

“Yes, I debuted with the song ‘Attention’.”

“The song is really good,” the Mip members agreed with laughter.

“Our producer, Woojoo, had said that ‘renowned composers and hidden masters from all over the country would send their songs.’ He humbly added that he was nothing compared to them.”

The entertainers burst into laughter, exclaiming, “So Composer Woojoo Sun was one of those hidden masters!”

Embarrassed, Sun Woojoo could only muster a vague response, which only fueled their joy.

It felt like sweet revenge. After being on the receiving end for so long, it was finally time for a counterattack.

Chu Gi-seok asked with excitement, “You know, you look a lot like Sun Woojoo. Are you related by any chance?”

“Not at all.”

“That’s a relief. He’s really not that great.”

Chu Gi-seok’s innocent laughter prompted applause and cheers from the staff and the watching members of New Black.

While the self-proclaimed Mr. Woojoo Sun pursed his lips, the older men laughed heartily.

“I don’t like him much either.”

“He nags a lot. He may be smiling, but his eyes shoot lasers.”

“How about you, Composer Woojoo Sun? Have you met Woojoo?”

The other replied with a smile, “Yes, he’s a really nice person.”

“Must not be close enough to show his true colors.”

“Not at all. We’re actually quite close. He has such a kind gaze.”

“It’s not easy to say such things about oneself, but then again, not just anyone can be a top idol,” admired Ahn Jae-hee, as everyone teased with laughter.

Woojoo tried to steer the conversation away with a forced smile, “Let’s put the talk about Mr. Sun Woojoo aside for now and focus on the music.”

“No.”

Kim Eui-ji asked with a smile, “Is this your first time on a variety show?”

“Yes, it is…,” I replied hesitantly.

“You’re a composer who’s new to variety shows. Usually, it’s this kind of small talk that greases the wheels for a smooth recording,” she explained.

“Ah, I see…”

“These days, even composers are active on MeTube. Do you think you’ll do well on the broadcast?”

I remained silent, my eyes moist as I stared into the void.

While everyone laughed and clapped, Model Citizen joked, “Look at him, with millions of subscribers…”

It was then, amidst the variety stars’ relentless teasing, that the protagonist, who had reached the top MeTube channel subscribers in Korea, found himself defenseless.

Hong Seok chimed in, “Right, where did you get that helium balloon you were talking about on the phone earlier? Did you get it yourself?”

“No, it wasn’t like that. I ran into the seniors from Teen Spirit in front of the dorm, and they gave it to me as a gift.”

“Teen Spirit?”

“They’re our neighbors at the dorm.”

As others expressed their amazement, Nam Do-hoon commented, “Impressive connections for a rookie composer. But did you just say ‘dorm’?”

“You must have misheard. I said ‘home’,” I corrected, unabashed.

The entertainers let out satisfied laughs at my brazen response.

‘He’s doing well.’

I felt a sense of pride watching the leader of New Black skillfully extract content for the broadcast.

Meanwhile, the focus shifted to the composer beside me, trembling slightly.

“Producer Na Sang-yoon, did you tell your mother about the video letter?”

“Yes, but about the editing…”

“Of course, we’ll use it. It’s a letter to your mother; we must air it.”

He asked Na Sang-yoon, who looked embarrassed, “How was working with the rookie composer, Woojoo-seon?”

A sigh that needed no explanation made everyone burst into laughter.

“Why? How was it?”

“It was tough. After everyone left, I tried to work on the song.”

Na Sang-yoon, the producer, recounted the tearful origin story of ‘Attention.’

Forgetting his broadcast jitters, Producer Na vented for a while before regaining his composure.

“Still, thanks to Composer Woojoo-seon, I’ve had the honor of appearing on MiPro.”

“Why don’t you greet your mother again?”

“Mom! I’m on TV again!”

Everyone laughed as he waved at the camera.

Na Sang-yoon, delighted to be on the show as a composer, continued, “And to our Composer Woojoo-seon, who helped with the song…”

“That’s enough heartwarming stuff for now.”

“No,” Woo interjected urgently.

“Aren’t you going to listen more? There’s still a lot of good stories left.”

“We can’t record indefinitely. Let’s move on from the heartwarming stuff.”

“No…”

As Woo looked distressed, the members grinned mischievously.

Kim Eui-ji, looking at the writers’ sketchbook, said, “The writers mentioned you sent us a work log video?”

“Wow.”

“It was originally Producer Na Sang-yoon’s self-cam for recording the work process, but Woojoo-seon took all the footage.”

The video seemed to document the creation of ‘Attention’ from start to finish.

After suggesting we check the behind-the-scenes or the main broadcast later, she said, “Let’s end the chit-chat here. Shall we talk about the song now?”

“Yes!”

The members of New Black fumbled around, pulling something out.

Jung-hyun strode over and handed over a notebook.

As Woo received the diary, the members of MiPro teased, “Isn’t that guy from New Black?”

“No, he’s my secretary, Mr. Potato.”

Jung-hyun greeted the camera with a joyful smile, “Hello, I’m Sweet Potato.”

The cast erupted into laughter.

“Hey! Even among themselves, they’re not in sync!”

“I’m going crazy. Really.”

“Ahem… Now, let’s talk about the song.”

Woosoo, who had been steadfastly ignoring the chaos, began to explain ‘Attention,’ the song chosen as the title track.

The playful glint in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a serious expression that made even the variety show stars stop their ad-libbing and pay attention.

“The first thing I noticed was your unique color.”

“Color?”

“Your musical color. Like how you wear clothes that suit you best.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“This is my first time creating music for a group other than New Black, so I focused on understanding this color.”

“So you asked us for our music preference list…”

“Yes. Based on that, I noticed most of you prefer songs from before 2010.”

The older members smiled sheepishly.

“The common thread was that you all enjoy lively dance music, repetitive rhythms, and simple chord progressions.”

“Ah. That was what the contest requirements were about.”

Realization dawned when they recalled the phrases from the contest announcement.

Producer Na Sang-yoon spoke up.

“We also considered the vocal timbre. From Hongseok in his twenties to Kim Eui-ji in his forties, there’s a wide spectrum.”

Everyone was impressed by the attention to detail.

Woosoo smiled and said, “These are all external factors about the song. Shall I go into detail about the song itself now?”

“Yes, please!”

“Could we play the song again?”

‘Attention’ played once more.

The introduction was met with rapid applause.

As the powerful intro followed, everyone marveled again, and Woosoo added his comment.

“The biggest image the viewers have of ‘Mr. Producer’ is approachability.”

“That’s right.”

“We used that familiarity as a twist, intentionally making the first part intense.”

It seemed the goal was to elicit a reaction of surprise, ‘Huh? This is a song from Mr. Producer?’

“The more unexpected it is, the more it captures your attention,” Woosoo said with a smile.

“And for this first part, I’d like Senior Hongseok to take center stage.”

“Me…?”

“Yes. The intro to ‘Attention’ is very trendy. It has the feel of the latest music.”

Everyone agreed that it suited the age and visual appeal of the member.

At Woosoo’s signal, the production team continued the song.

They stopped just before the chorus.

“The rhythm is repetitive, but the melody changes gradually, doesn’t it? It feels familiar and comforting.”

“Oh… it really does.”

“It’s still lively, but as we approach the chorus, there’s a subtle retro vibe.”

It was deliberately designed that way.

To draw the listener in with an unfamiliar melody and then introduce a catchy, familiar chorus.

True to his word, the chorus began to echo in my ears after just a few listens.

“If you listen closely, the sound changes slightly. Producer Na Sang-yoon took care of that aspect.”

“Yes. The initial sound references the current music trend of 2016, but as we move toward the chorus, it also brings in the feel of past music.”

“Really? It doesn’t feel outdated at all…”

Impressed, An Jae-hee smiled as Woosoo continued.

“By the way, how do you like the chorus?”

“Me?”

“I got the idea from the ballad songs you’ve sung.”

“Ah…”

“We made it so you can belt out the high notes comfortably. It should suit your voice perfectly.”

As An Jae-hee smiled shyly, the leader of New Black continued the explanation.

“I’ve explained it in a complicated way, but the song structure is actually very simple. Both the first and second verses repeat the rhythm, transitioning from the present to the past.”

The third verse exploded with excitement.

Woosoo danced with his shoulders, laughing.

“In the bridge, we mixed the sounds of the present and past to create an explosion. A dance break here would be cool, right?”

Producer Na Sang-yoon and Woosoo added more detailed explanations about the song.

The cast of Mr. Producer stood with their mouths agape.

‘Wow…’

When they heard it, they were genuinely thrilled, thinking, ‘Wow, this is exciting!’ The details were no joke.

Would you say people appeared different?

Certainly, the skinny Na Sang-yoon, who was trembling with excitement, was no exception.

And someone speaking with the most lively expression in the world right now goes without saying.

Thanks to his picturesque looks, the upturned corners of his mouth were strikingly visible.

‘He really loves music.’

That’s what they thought for a moment as they looked at the leader of New Black.

‘Why did the previous agency let go of someone like him…?’

They thought it would be quite painful once the broadcast aired.

Once again, they marveled at the infectious beat of ‘Attention’ and said,

“When you listen to it again, you see all these things.”

“It’s really amazing.”

And looking at the smiling Woojoo in front of them, Choo Gi-seok spoke with utmost respect,

“You guys really… didn’t just get to that position for nothing.”

“Ha ha ha!”

“Hey, Gi-seok. What kind of expression is that for public broadcasting?”

The staff and the members of New Black burst into laughter.

Model citizen Moobeom asked,

“Do you always work this meticulously on a regular basis?”

“No,”

Na Sang-yoon replied instead.

“When we work on an album, it’s about ten times more… intense.”

“Wow.”

“Not just Woojoo, but all the members study composition, and these days we work like this for almost a month to several months. Especially for this title track, all five members participated…”

The members of New Black waved their hands as if to say ‘well done’ for the subtle album promotion.

Woojoo also nodded and said,

“Lately, we’ve been getting a lot of help from our juniors.”

“The juniors?”

Even amidst their joy, the entertainers didn’t forget their duty.

“Juniors? Aren’t you the composer Woojoosun right now?”

“…Of course, I am composer Woojoosun.”

The members of Mip burst into laughter.

“Composer, how much do you charge for a song?”

“About ten times the going rate…”

“You’re quite ambitious.”

“I have many mouths to feed.”

As they exchanged 50,000 won and completed the contract, the expressions of the Mr. Producer members were very bright.

‘It’s a hit. Really.’

They thought that while the project was important, garnering attention was most crucial.

And they had a song in hand that would lead the activities to success.

That’s why the producer Shin Mu-rok and the writers were grinning from ear to ear.

With the work on the song wrapped up, the recording ended.

“Great work everyone!”

Even after the recording ended, laughter didn’t cease in the studio.

It was because of the aura of a hit blowing in from somewhere.

After handing over the song to the Mip members.

In the last week of April, we started shooting the music video.

“Hello, Director!”

“Ugh…”

“The kids with 100 million views have arrived.”

Why are there people who start groaning whenever they meet us?

The director of ‘Nine,’ who we had cast during the Jeju Island reality shoot, showed a hearty laugh.

“I heard your schedule has been really tight, but you’re still full of energy.”

“We decided to have spicy pork for lunch.”

Jung-hyun laughed like a happy sweet potato.

As the managers had promised to bring in a special lunchbox for the exhausting day-long music video shoot.

When the director, full of notes, showed us the script and explained.

“…?”

The director paused as the song Nak-hwa (落花) flowed through the set like BGM.

Then he clicked his tongue.

“It’s really good. Your new song is incredibly unique.”

“Do you like it?”

“I was worried about how to shoot it because it includes traditional instrument sounds and the theme is about parting, which isn’t my specialty… but the song is really…”

“Is it different from what you expected?”

The counterpart nodded in agreement.

Then, they shared a story about a song that was unique and lingered in the ears like an afterimage.

It seemed not only the director thought highly of the song, as the staff would stop their work to listen whenever it played.

Jiho said with a smile, “I created that song!”

“Ah, I see.”

We all burst into laughter at the director’s textbook-like response.

When Jiho pouted at the disbelief in their eyes, the director, flipping through the script, said, “Just like with ‘Nine,’ the ideas you’ve presented this time are also fantastic.”

“Really?”

“But who’s going to do it? It seems like anyone could, but…”

“Just a moment, please.”

The younger members requested a pause to start a heated debate.

Rihyuk raised his voice, “It needs to convey a sense of melancholy, right? I should do it since I can handle such parts.”

“Not at all. It’ll be pitiful if you do it, hyung.”

“Hey.”

“It should be done like this~”

Jiho extended his hand gently with a wistful expression.

Seeing how convincing it was, Bijoo stepped forward urgently, feeling a sense of crisis.

Their smooth movements enhanced the lines of a dance traditional to Korea.

“Wow…”

As the director and I stroked our chins from behind.

Jiho, faced with a strong competitor, put even more effort into his expression and began to move his arms.

Watching the cranes spin and engage in a battle of wits, Jung-hyun said, “Rock-paper-scissors.”

“I had the same thought. Let’s do rock-paper-scissors.”

Rihyuk joined in advocating for rock-paper-scissors, but Jiho and Bijoo opposed, insisting it should be decided by skill.

After ten minutes of back-and-forth tug-of-war.

“I did it!”

Jiho, with his intense expression acting, caught the director’s eye and won his desired role.

As the youngest member, having finished makeup in the dressing room, came running over cheerfully, the director asked, “But why do you all want to do it so much?”

“I did that a few days ago while recording a variety show.”

“With a dot under the eye…?”

“Yes. I wondered why everyone was staring so intently that day; it seems they were all quite envious.”

Jiho, with a teardrop mark made up under his eye, danced joyfully in front of the camera.

And then.

The younger members watched the youngest’s seduction in real-time, casting envious glances.

“Hello~! I am King Jiho~! Hahaha!”

“…”

“Ah, this is too much fun!”

I laughed, watching the siblings tremble silently.

Even without saying it, it seemed they were quite envious of that day’s spaceship makeup.