In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe - C.140:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 140

The aquarium that Woojoo could see through the glass was brightly lit with a blue light.

They were going to film today at the 3-meter depth, rather than the 5-meter one.

Woojoo swallowed hard as he looked at the 5-meter section, which was lower than the floor they were standing on.

“This is really scary. Guys, did you see the bottom? It’s so dark, it looks like a monster could pop out any time.”

“It is creepy.”

“Hyung. Do you think we can do this well? The kids might be scared…”

While Bijoo was expressing his worries, Rihyuk backed away with a pale face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you scared? Of this?”

“I’m not scared at all, okay? Who do you think I am, a kid? I can go there right now…”

He shouted loudly, trying to act tough, but the four of them looked at the same spot.

The truth detector on his ear was glowing.

They all nodded.

Meanwhile, Woojoo rubbed his arms, feeling goosebumps.

“But it is kind of scary. We have to go in there and film now.”

“Hyung, there’s nothing in there, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you know, in movies, sometimes a shark or a squid monster suddenly jumps out and grabs people with its tentacles, like whoosh!”

“Ahh! I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you!”

Bijoo chased after Rihyuk, who ran away covering his ears, while Woojoo spoke to the youngest, who was letting his imagination run wild.

“Don’t worry too much. If a monster shows up, Junghyun will take care of it.”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“Wait a minute.”

Junghyun calculated something in his head, then nodded.

“I think I can do it.”

“…What exactly were you thinking, Junghyun?”

Did he imagine fighting a fish monster with his fists?

But to be honest, Woojoo didn’t think he would lose.

Actually, it was more likely that he would become best friends with the fish monster and swim around the aquarium…

Woojoo shook his head, chasing away the weird thoughts.

“Oh? There are people in there!”

The youngest pointed at a few divers who were moving around with underwater cameras.

They were wearing oxygen tanks and flippers, and looked very skilled.

They were the directors.

“Hello.”

New Black bowed their heads, and one of the directors who was passing by the glass made an OK sign with his finger.

They all settled in their positions and checked their cameras, probably following the angles that were set in the script.

Woojoo scratched his cheek.

It felt like things were getting bigger than he expected.

Woojoo remembered the last meeting, where he saw the preparations for the film.

***

Lemon Entertainment conference room.

Woojoo had just finished his military service, and they had set the date for the fan meeting. Woojoo gave a presentation in front of the company staff.

-Proposal for the second album

It was about the second album, the mini 1, and the most important things were two.

“The first album showed the overall group color of New Black. So I thought, how about showing the individual colors of the members from this album? We started with red, so yellow, green, blue, purple… something like that.”

The first proposal was to show the colors of the members in each album.

Director Jo stroked his chin.

“That’s a good idea. We can also link them with the same theme.”

The staff also commented.

“Wow. That’s a long-term project. If we do that, purple will be the 6th album, and we won’t finish until the summer of 2016.”

“But it’s a sure marketing point, right?”

The overall reaction was positive, but it was such a long-term project that they didn’t give an OK.

They said they would review it.

But the idea Woojoo suggested next was immediately adopted.

“And this is related to what I just said. How about adding a story to the music video?”

“Like what other agencies do. The world view thing?”

World view.

It was a kind of fun element that the agency set up when producing idols.

It was a way of setting up a song or a group color, and it was one of the things that fans enjoyed.

Simply put, it was something like this.

-They were five handsome men who had crossed dimensions from another world and arrived in a country of Eastern etiquette. They were called New Black…

…Well, that was the idea.

It was a common concept these days to insert storytelling into music videos and album covers, and to look for hidden meanings and stories in them.

For example, the girl group Autumn Girls from SNH Entertainment had a tree and a flower that symbolized each member.

“Hello, I’m Nahyun from Autumn Girls, representing the maple leaf.” Something like that.

“That’s not the kind of plan I’m talking about.”

Woojoo broke out in a cold sweat as he saw the interested faces of the staff.

At the same time, images of senior idols that he had seen while doing research flashed through his mind.

Woojoo felt their facial muscles move involuntarily with his mimicry ability, and they were all full of embarrassment and shame.

That was why it was a doomed concept that most of them closed their eyes and did in their debut years, and gradually disappeared as time went by.

Someone asked with a smile, “How about it, Director? Should we give it a try too?”

“It’s childish.”

“…”

“Woojoo, keep talking.”

Woojoo continued to explain.

“I don’t want to do anything grand. I just thought it would be nice if the music videos were connected by a story, even if the concept was different for each album. If we shoot the title music video this time, it would start from the end of the previous title, Fireworks.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

Coincidentally, the title of the first single album was First Chapter.

That was exactly what Woojoo had suggested, to make the whole music video a series of connected stories.

It was an idea that Woojoo had thought of after being told to prepare an idea if he had something he wanted to do as a producer.

In addition to that, someone said with a laugh, “Woojoo, you’re doing everything. What are we supposed to do?”

“Oops.”

“Oh my, we really have to hire Woojoo as an A&R team, don’t we?”

“No way. We’re taking him.”

“But how do we connect the music videos?”

While the staff brainstormed in a friendly atmosphere, Woojoo looked at the producer of New Black.

He was staring intently at the materials Woojoo had prepared.

He was scribbling and erasing something with a fountain pen, and then he spoke as if he had made a decision.

“This is the plan to make the music videos into a connected story.”

The man who was called the Midas of Lemon Entertainment nodded his head.

“Let’s make it bigger.”

“What?”

“Not just connecting the music videos, but adding some short film-like videos in between.”

“Director. What about our budget?”

“I’ll get it. Well, you might feel sudden, but… I think it’s worth it for many reasons.”

The production director smiled at Woojoo.

“I like it. This idea.”

***

The problem was that the director loved his idea too much.

-Hi there!

-Who are you…?

-We are the writers who are in charge of the story film!

Woojoo came to his senses and saw that the scriptwriters had come to interview them and write the screenplay.

When Woojoo came to his senses again, he was facing a huge and terrifying water tank.

It was a place that felt like a swimming pool, where you could go up the stairs next to the tank.

Rihyuk was checking out the safety equipment that was everywhere, and Jiho and Bijoo were looking at the water surface.

The surface was pitch black, as if something might pop out.

“But… it looks really black from up here.”

“Don’t worry too much, Jiho. The water is only about 3 meters deep where we fall in.”

“I’m still scared…”

Woojoo stretched his body silently, recalling the scenes written in the script.

“Hoo.”

As he twisted his neck around, Junghyun also started to stretch his arms and legs next to him.

Woojoo had to stay away from him when they fell into the water.

Woojoo had been working out lately, but he felt bad whenever he was next to him.

His arms and legs were exposed like a swimmer, and his muscles were clear.

Bijoo whispered, “We’ll stay away from him when we fall into the water.”

“I totally agree.”

Then they stretched again under the guidance of the safety officer.

They had prepared thoroughly for the risk of an accident, but Woojoo was still nervous.

Woojoo never thought he would film something underwater in his life.

“Check your costumes too.”

“Yes.”

“Let me know if you feel uncomfortable or weird anywhere.”

There was nothing uncomfortable.

Except that the clothes he wore for the Fireworks shooting felt a bit small because he had grown.

In the midst of their company staff, including Seokhwan Hyung, the field staff, and various cameras, they waited for the props to come.

“There it is. The boat.”

Some people in diving suits pushed an old-looking boat.

They all got on top of it, and the director with a loudspeaker gave them instructions.

-Okay, you row about 5 meters from there and then fall in. I’ll give you a sign, so try rowing once.

“Yes.”

Junghyun grabbed the oar and rowed.

“…”

The boat moved like a motorboat to the destination with one stroke of the oar.

There was a moment of silence as everyone blinked.

The director picked up the megaphone again.

-Woojoo, do you want to try it?

“Yes, Director.”

Woojoo nodded and grabbed the oar.

Woojoo had practiced with Rihyuk’s vacuum cleaner as an oar at the accommodation.

He watched several YouTube videos for this.

But as soon as he started rowing, laughter broke out everywhere.

“…?”

What was wrong with them?

***

[The rookie boy group that seems to have lived twice.newblack]

You probably expected this by now

It’s Woojoo again??

The captured scene is from the reality show episode 8 when they filmed the story film??

The director told him to row

And he rowed like a 30-year-old boatman?????

Real laughter burst out on the scene????

He said he practiced watching some old boatman on the internet, but the problem was he was so serious that he copied the expression too.

-He looks so stern?????

-These guys, this is, rowing~~!

-The fans are teasing him as the old man and the sea

-?????the old man and the sea???

-The director’s words are even funnier??? ‘Let’s just do it with a magic boat that moves without oars.’

-But he’s good at it too ????

-If you’re going to make that face, just give it to me…

-Upload the front and back parts too! It’s so funny how Junghyun zooms out like a motorboat in the front part ?

-This is really funnier than any variety show these days

-Yeah, I’m collecting New Black gifs. They’re handsome, funny and cute

***

Splash-

Water was everywhere.

From above, raindrops from the sprinklers fell, and from the water cannons, water became waves and rocked.

“Ahh!”

“There’s too much water!”

The director said that the audio wouldn’t be included anyway, so he told them to say whatever they wanted.

So they were screaming on the raft.

“Ugh! I’m not going near water for the next 10 years!”

“Rihyuk! You still have to shower!”

“Right. Ugh! I always laughed at the waves in One Piece, but they were this scary!”

“Hey, that’s not the point! This is not the sea!”

“Woojoo Hyung, I drank too much water right now… Cough! Too much…”

“It’s okay, I drank a lot too!”

While chaos ensued on the rocking raft, Junghyun was silently acting by himself.

When they first filmed, he was calmly balancing by himself, so the director ordered him to act more serious.

Junhyeon stroked his chin and muttered, “This is serious. I’m in a serious situation right now.”

They tried to hold back their laughter and ended up swallowing water.

Of course, their time on the raft wasn’t that long.

As soon as they reached the destination, the raft flipped over and they all fell into the tank.

White bubbles tickled Woojoo’s eyes, and when he opened them, only a blue hue filled his blurry vision.

His ears were ringing.

And somewhere, a humming machine sound echoed through the tank.

1 second

2 seconds.

3 seconds…

Woojoo flailed right after falling into the water, but soon pretended to fall asleep with a peaceful expression.

To be honest, it was scary.

It was only 3 meters deep, but a little further away, a 5-meter hole looked like a monster from the abyss.

It felt like something could come out of there.

But Woojoo was able to shake off his fear after hearing from Seokhwan Hyung how much the filming cost today.

Money was scarier.

That was why he did his best to act even underwater.

“Hoo… Hoo…”

With the help of the staff in diving suits, Woojoo came up to the surface and let out a long breath.

Holding his breath was easier than he thought.

Maybe because his lung capacity was large due to his profession.

Even their main vocal, who had turned pale, was breathing calmly without any signs of suffocation.

“Good job, everyone!”

The staff came over and handed them blankets.

They took off their wet clothes and wrapped themselves in the blankets. They put warm, dry towels on their heads.

“Brr, it’s cold.”

“So cold. Brr.”

“Hey, stop clinging to me. You blanket ghosts.”

“Don’t be so mean and stay with us. Hyung.”

His younger brothers, whose hair was soaked like seaweed, stuck to Woojoo like glue.

They huddled together like a group of penguins.

At first, Woojoo tried to shake them off, but their body heat was surprisingly cozy, so he stayed still.

“Guys!”

Director Yu gestured for them to come over with his hand.

The five blanket ghosts approached the director and sat down.

The footage they had just shot started playing on the monitor.

“You all did great overall. Jiho and Woojoo, well, you were flawless in acting as usual.”

“Thank you.”

Jiho smiled and gave Woojoo a mini high-five, which he returned.

The director pointed at the screen, where they were closing their eyes in the blue background.

“Bijoo and Rihyuk were also good. Especially, Rihyuk did well. His expression when he was scared looked really real.”

“…Thank you.”

They all smiled faintly, knowing the truth behind that, when the director tapped the monitor and said, “The problem is Junghyun…”

The mood, which had been light, suddenly became heavy.

“Junghyun stands out too much by himself, I guess.”

“What part should I fix?” Junghyun asked earnestly, and the other answered.

“It’s not so much fixing as the tone doesn’t match. Everyone else is scared and serious, but you’re the only one who’s calm. So it feels like you’re floating. You look too peaceful in the water, too.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Well, it’s not bad as it is, but… It’s a bit disappointing.”

How many takes was this?

It felt like they had shot a lot until the final okay, but the director still seemed to have some regrets.

They still had a few more scenes to shoot, but this was the most important one here.

Hmm.

While everyone was silently watching the monitor, Woojoo flipped through the shooting script with his wet hand.

Well. Woojoo wondered if there was a good idea.

But his head was still blank.

His ears were ringing with water, and his body was shivering from the cold, making it hard to think properly.

The only thing that came to his mind was that he wanted to drink a cup of hot cocoa as soon as possible.

That was when it happened.

“How about this?”

The assistant director suggested an idea.

As he explained, everyone nodded. It was an additional scene, but it fit really well.

The key was one thing.

“Junghyun, can you swim well?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Junghyun.

Their rapper nodded his head with a cool face and said, “Yes. I can.”

***

The shooting resumed.

The two managers of New Black were watching from behind the glass where the tank was visible.

Seo Minki said, “I hope it ends soon. It would be a disaster if they catch a cold or something.”

“We have to take good care of them so they don’t.”

Yoon Seokhwan looked at the blue tank.

It was shining with a beautiful but eerie blue light.

“Action!”

After the director’s faint shout.

Splash-

The five of them fell into the water and began to sink.

No.

Unlike before, it was not five, but four.

With their limbs relaxed and their eyes closed, the four had a peaceful expression on their faces.

Their hair swayed like seaweed, but even then, their fine jawlines and sharp noses glowed faintly in the tank.

“Wow, our guys look good even underwater. Woojoo is… oh.”

As Seo Minki exclaimed, a new figure quietly jumped into the water.

“…?”

Kim Junghyun, dressed in a shirt, slid under the surface.

Like a dolphin diving into the water.

His movement was somehow elegant.

He then gently moved his arms and swam.

With a calm face, he approached the members and soon held each of their hands and softly hugged them.

He then lifted them up to the surface one by one.

Every time, Junghyun’s appearance as he gently rose to the surface with a member in his arms was picturesque.

“Wow…”

Meanwhile, as the staff watched and admired silently, the managers were tilting their heads.

It might be just a feeling.

But the scene of Junghyun swimming and saving the members seemed familiar.

‘Like…’

As he thought that, Seo Minki cautiously spoke.

“But, sir. It might be because that’s Junghyun, but…”

“What is it?”

“Doesn’t this look like that?”

“…?”

“The dolphin that saves people.”

Yoon Seokhwan spat out the canned coffee he was drinking.