In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe - C.141:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 141

The shooting that day ended successfully.

As soon as Woojoo got out of the aquarium and saw Junghyun on the monitor with the director, he felt a sense of relief. ‘Ah, this is it.’

It was a splendid scene.

The sight of a handsome man swimming peacefully in the water, moving his arms softly, drew admiration from anyone who saw it.

“Wow, he’s like a dolphin prince.”

Woojoo laughed at the youngest’s sincere compliment.

Woojoo asked Junghyun something he was curious about.

“Junghyun, how did you learn to swim?”

“Ah.”

He answered in a calm voice.

“My father didn’t like it when I said I wanted to be a rapper. He always threatened to cut me off when I was in middle school. He told me to forget about farming, too.”

“And then…?”

“I decided to pursue rapping as a dream, and become a fisherman if it didn’t work out.”

“A fisherman?”

Woojoo blinked for a moment and then burst into laughter with everyone else.

A fisherman, of all things.

It was an answer he never expected.

Junghyun said ‘I might fall into the water, you know’ with a serious expression, making them laugh again.

After the shooting was over, Woojoo heard a joke from Minki Hyung that he was ‘a dolphin who saves people’ and laughed some more.

It was a cheerful atmosphere.

They wrapped up the shooting nicely that day.

Then they quickly finished the rest of the story film and the post-production of the visual work.

The music video was completed in no time.

They had been filming it sporadically since a month ago, so they only had the dance cuts left, which made their work easier.

The only thing that was different from their expectation was that the actual shooting time was very long.

Director Yu Geon, who had already stunned the netizens with his visual magic in the magic school CF, was a hedonist who loved beauty, and he really liked their choreography.

He felt like ‘I have to film this’.

Thanks to him, they had to film the same scene dozens of times with different angles.

Honestly, it was very hard, but they were able to endure it with the anticipation of the final product.

Woojoo was very curious how the music video, which had invested much more capital and effort than the Everdream CF, would turn out.

It wasn’t long before the first edited version arrived at the company, but Woojoo saved it for later.

Woojoo thought that if he saw the intermediate process beforehand, he would be less impressed when he saw the finished version.

And more than anything, he wanted to watch it with their Soufflés.

“…I get that, but guys. Can’t we just watch it?”

“No, you can’t. You have to watch it, Hyung.”

They sat Minki Hyung in the studio and played the first edited version of the music video.

Then they imagined the quality of the music video through the manager’s expression.

As the song continued, they were pleased by his sounds of ‘hmm’, ‘hoo’, ‘oh’.

“Hyung, how is it? It’s really good, right?”

“Yeah. It’s good.”

He nodded his head with a smile.

“It seems pretty good, right? It has a very stylish vibe… I think the response will be quite good. Like Sugarfish’s fourth album music video.”

“Wow.”

They made a fuss over his compliment.

As he was getting up with a smile, he remembered something to tell them and announced the new news.

“By the way, guys. You know that we have a new member joining our team tomorrow, right? He’s new to the entertainment industry, so treat him well.”

“Yes!”

“He’s a bit more fragile than he looks.”

They nodded their heads vigorously.

***

The next morning.

They came down from the dorm and got on the car.

They faced the new face sitting in the passenger seat.

He reminded Woojoo of Jangbi from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

“Hello. My name is Seok Dowon.”

“…Hi. Nice to meet you.”

They exchanged awkward greetings with the new manager.

“I look forward to working with you.”

He smiled at them, but it was a sinister smile.

Especially, Rihyuk, who was a professional scaredy-cat, froze completely.

His huge body and fierce appearance.

Woojoo remembered what the staff members had said when he saw the first impression of the new manager, who had been hired through rigorous open recruitment.

-He looks like a tough guy.

-He must be at least 190 cm tall.

-But he shouldn’t have a violent temperament.

Woojoo was amazed by the staff members’ ability to recall the details for a moment.

He looked at the new manager, who was sitting in the passenger seat and listening to various stories from Minki Hyung.

Actually, it wasn’t the first time Woojoo met him.

Woojoo had seen him once when he picked up Clay from the airport.

But he never imagined that he would be their manager.

Or rather, he didn’t want to believe it.

But fortunately, he soon found out that he was a very kind person, unlike his first impression.

He always called them ‘Jiho-ssi, Woojoo-ssi.’ with a somewhat friendly(?) tone and used honorifics. And his phone wallpaper was a cat picture.

Bijoo said confidently, “There’s no person who likes cats that’s bad.”

“But Hyung, don’t you see villains in movies sitting on chairs and petting cats?”

“Hmm… do they? Maybe I was wrong.”

“Bijoo Hyung, don’t let yourself be persuaded by someone like Wang Jiho.”

Meanwhile, Woojoo quietly put away his phone.

Woojoo was going to show him a picture of Nabi, the cat that Mrs. Kim Deoksoon was raising, but it happened to be a picture of a grandmother in a dark room, stroking a cat with a sinister smile.

“…”

Anyway, the new road manager was an unusual person.

Woojoo wondered if he had graduated from a physical education college like Minki Hyung, but he said he had a normal college life and graduated.

He didn’t know any martial arts or sports.

Rather, that seemed to be a plus point for him.

Actually, protecting them with force was the job of the bodyguards, not the manager. The manager was a profession that should never use force, no matter what.

Even if they were being attacked, it would cause a huge commotion if he fought back and got photographed. That was how the entertainment industry was.

On the other hand, although he was a kind person in reality, his fierce appearance was a big help.

Woojoo felt relieved when they walked around outside the company.

Of course, the people who approached them didn’t care at all, but it was helpful for them mentally.

It was reassuring.

He was a good new connection that came to them in many ways.

***

While a new person joined the team and they were preparing for the comeback more vigorously, the idol fandom was very noisy.

It was because of TNT’s comeback.

TNT, who had returned from a overseas tour that included four Asian countries, North America, and Europe, announced their repackaged album and the music industry was buzzing for days.

-‘Comeback’ TNT, announces repackaged album ‘To do, or Not To do’

-‘We’re back’ TNT, to comeback with repackaged album in November

-TNT comeback countdown… individual trailers released

Their news often appeared on the main page of the entertainment section, and especially various idol communities were flooded with interest in TNT.

It was almost like a TNT board.

The news comments and YouTube exploded whenever a teaser or a trailer came out.

Woojoo was relieved that TNT and their comeback date did not overlap. How hot was the interest in them?

TNT, who had their showcase on the day of the college entrance exam and made their comeback on PBS Music On on Friday, was exactly a week ahead of them.

It was a stroke of luck.

Their second album promotion was scheduled to start the day after the exam and last for a week.

They were not exactly rivals, but it was better to avoid them as much as possible. That was the current position of the group TNT.

They were like a typhoon.

“I’m glad we didn’t clash,” Woojoo muttered to himself as he looked at his phone.

11 p.m.

In the midst of Junghyun’s snoring.

Woojoo lay on the bunk bed and searched for various articles and looked at the familiar faces in the photos.

Woojoo wished them well.

Tick-tock- tick-tock-

Woojoo heard the clock sound in the living room and pressed the light button on the digital clock.

11:58.

It was his birthday in two minutes.

Woojoo was so tired that he was sleepy, but he was waiting to look at the moon and wish for their second album to do well.

His grandmother said it was good to make a wish at midnight on your birthday.

Woojoo would have said it was superstition on any other day.

But now he felt like he wanted to grab anything, whether it was superstition or not.

Beep-

As soon as the clock announced [00:00 2014-11-09], Woojoo was about to look at the moon and make a wish.

His phone screen started to flash with birthday messages from his acquaintances.

Woojoo should make a wish first and then check them.

…That was what he was thinking.

“Uh…!”

Suddenly, two ghostly faces floated up from the head of the bed.

They looked like that.

The ghosts that appear in the mystery show with the narration of ‘But!’.

Woojoo was startled by the glowing faces in the air for a moment, but then he realized that it was the phone light shining from below their faces.

“Hyung. Happy birthday.”

A gentle voice came from the elegant ghost on the left.

“Happy happy birthday to our old man. You’re one year older. Hehehe.”

A playful voice came from the handsome ghost on the right.

The left face, who saw Woojoo smiling, said cautiously, “Jiho. Let’s talk a little quieter. Rihyuk and Junghyun are sleeping.”

“Hmm? I don’t think Rihyuk Hyung is sleeping…”

“I think he is.”

“Wait a minute. Seo Rihyuk~ Is it true that you were a red-eared turtle in your previous life?”

Only Junghyun’s snoring filled the room.

The youngest said confidently, “I guess he’s asleep.”

The two faces that floated up looked at each other and nodded.

Then they looked up at Woojoo on the bunk bed.

Soon, another screen lit up.

On the billboard app, there were colorful letters that said [Happy☆Birthday to our Star★].

Woojoo almost burst into a big laugh.

Happy birthday to you

After Bijoo sang, he turned off the light and his face disappeared.

Then Jiho sang.

Happy birthday to you

The two whispers, almost in falsetto, sang in harmony.

At the end of the song, the faces that floated up disappeared and reappeared, exchanging lines. Woojoo covered his mouth and held back his laughter.

He was going crazy. Really.

When the two brothers finished their event and went back into the darkness, Woojoo went down and hugged them lightly.

“Thanks, guys.”

“Good night, Hyung.”

Even after they went back to their beds, Woojoo kept laughing.

Really.

Their kids were so extraordinary.

Woojoo laughed and woke up.

Woojoo turned on his phone and laughed again.

It was because of the message from Taehyun that said ‘Let’s hit it big together’ along with ‘New Black first week 100 million copies wish’.

Me [If I sell 100 million, what about you guys?]

Taehyun [101 million]

Taehyun [That one extra is for you to buy, Hyung]

Me [If we sell 100 million in the first week, we can have a concert on Mars]

Me [Let’s go to Mars joint concert]

As Woojoo was sending that reply, his phone vibrated.

It was a message from their kids.

There were texts from Rihyuk and Junghyun.

Rihyuk [Happy birthday]

Me [Were you awake?]

Rihyuk [This is a scheduled message]

Me [Didn’t you say you were a red-eared turtle in your past life?]

Rihyuk [I’m going to kill Wang Jiho, seriously]

Rihyuk [Ah, shit]

He was awake.

Me [Thanks]

Me [Do you want me to go down and hug you too?]

Rihyuk [You must be sleep deprived]

Rihyuk [You’re talking nonsense]

Me [I better go to sleep]

Woojoo felt like he was about to see a red-eared turtle in his dream.

Ignoring the reply full of curses that came back right away, Woojoo checked Junghyun’s text.

It was a short message that said ‘Happy birthday, Hyung’, but at the end it said ‘This is a scheduled message.’

Junghyun sent him a scheduled message.

Woojoo was strangely touched.

***

Sunday morning.

When Woojoo woke up from his sleep, he saw a shocking scene.

Junghyun was standing in front of his bedroom door like a stern statue.

“…?”

“Good morning, Hyung.”

“What are you doing?”

“Prisoner… ah. No, I’m here to make sure you can’t go out.”

Outside, Woojoo could hear loud voices.

Jiho and Rihyuk seemed to be fighting again.

And a delicious smell of food was coming in.

Woojoo lay down on the bed and asked with his chin propped up, “What are you doing outside?”

“They said they prepared a surprise breakfast for your birthday.”

“…That’s really surprising.”

They must have been whispering to each other about this all the time.

“But we have to go practice…”

“It’s your birthday, Hyung. It’s okay to take a break for an hour or two in the morning.”

“Well, I guess I can sleep in for an hour or two.”

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I almost cried for a moment.”

“Because you’re happy?”

“No…”

Woojoo killed time by teasing Junghyun while he waited.

Meanwhile, when he heard that everything was ready and went out to the living room, he looked at the feast on the table.

“Wow…”

Bijoo smiled proudly.

Woojoo wondered if they could eat anything because of the diet, but there were delicious low-calorie dishes everywhere.

And next to the table in the living room.

“…”

There was a mini tub with a black-and-white landscape photo as the background and a rubber duck floating on it.

“What’s that…?”

“Oh, you said you wanted to see the rubber duck at Seokchon Lake, right? But we didn’t have time to go see it.”

Woojoo couldn’t help but laugh.

They must have been recording everything he said lately, preparing for this birthday event.

“Thank you. Everyone.”

Woojoo felt sorry and happy at the same time, thinking that they must have been tired from preparing for the comeback, but they did all this for him.

Woojoo hadn’t felt like this in a long time.

Every time he opened his eyes on his birthday morning, he was always seized by a subtle feeling.

It wasn’t sad or anything, but the breaking news that came out on the TV screen when he was seven years old would haunt his mind and sometimes make him feel unreal.

Woojoo didn’t know how to explain it.

It was really strange.

Of course, that feeling would melt away as he ate the seaweed soup that his grandmother made and played with her.

But for the past few years, Woojoo was in the army and there was also the aftermath of the incident on the college entrance exam day, so he didn’t get that feeling.

He felt uneasy for a few hours.

But then.

Just like when he was with his grandmother, the feeling on his birthday morning disappeared so quickly.

A smile appeared on his lips.

“…joo Hyung.”

“…”

“Woojoo Hyung.”

Woojoo came to his senses and saw 22 candles on the cake in front of him.

“You managed to put them on.”

“Be quiet and make a wish.”

Woojoo nodded and looked at the cake.

“Chocolate cake, please keep me, Mrs. Kim Deoksoon, and our members and family healthy. And make our second album a hit.”

“Wow!”

Woojoo blew out the candles.

Then he thanked his siblings.

“Thank you so much, guys.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Among the smiling siblings, Bijoo spoke on behalf of them.

“Ever since we met you last year, we’ve had so many things to be grateful for. We’re glad we could give something back to you this time.”

“Still, thank you.”

Next, Woojoo received the gift they had bought with their money. It was a digital watch with a neat design.

Rihyuk pointed at his watch and said, “Change that one, will you? It looks awful with the loose strap.”

“Okay.”

“Since we’re on the topic, change it now. Hyung.”

Woojoo took off the watch he had been wearing since the army and put on the new one they gave him.

Woojoo stared at the watch for a while and said with a smile, “Thank you.”

He was truly grateful.

“Let’s eat now! Food!”

“Yeah, let’s eat.”

He started to have a meal with his siblings, feeling happy.

They had a lot of pleasant conversations over the decent food they hadn’t had in a long time.

It was almost a year since they met, so they also took a trip down memory lane and talked about the things that had happened since then.

They were chatting loudly when it happened.

Beep-

A short sound of his phone ringing broke the silence.

There were times like that.

When bad news came unexpectedly, or when you felt something was off even though it was nothing serious.

“What is it?”

Woojoo cautiously picked up his phone and checked the message.

It was a news link that Seokhwan Hyung had sent him, telling him to be aware of it.

And when he clicked on it, a huge headline appeared before his eyes.

-‘TNT’ member’s health issue delays repackaged album by a week… ‘Comeback postponed’