In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe-Chapter 157:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 157

Seri and Bukbuk looked at the handsome man in front of them.

He was thinking about something.

His already deep eyes looked even deeper as his beautiful fingers tapped the table rhythmically.

‘What is he thinking?’

It was their first broadcast in almost a few years.

As the first guest of the show, they had researched New Black thoroughly, apart from the materials they received from the writers.

They first asked the managers and staff, who were the core of the rumor network.

-What about New Black?

Soon, various rumors came to them.

-They are very nice. Sister. They said they are all nice.

-They are famous for their good personalities. The rumor spread and there were a lot of applicants for the staff recruitment this time.

-I’ve seen them in person… They are nice, but they don’t seem easy. They were rehearsing on stage and they caught minor errors like ghosts and reported them to their staff.

They agreed with the positive reviews that they were nice and professional.

There was a difference in tension, but the members looked good in front of and behind the camera.

And they did their best to get the content out.

They might have been blinded by the admiration of the junior singers who sparkled their eyes.

But the rumor network’s evaluation was accurate.

But there was a strange rumor among them.

‘There’s a genius composer there.’

It was a story that there was a member who made songs at the speed of pulling noodles from a Chinese restaurant.

At first, they thought it was a weird story, but as soon as they searched, the evidence came out like pouring.

The Night Sea composition uploaded by the company, the piano skills shown at the Music Cafe, the unusual composition method and the loop station composition that appeared in the reality.

It was unbelievable.

…Did all those songs come out like that?

Of course, if they just made songs, there would be many more people who could make them faster.

But it was rare that all those songs were of outstanding quality.

Was it really true?

As the two MCs looked at him with curiosity, Woojoo parted his lips as if he had sorted out his thoughts.

“Usually, a logo song is to promote a company or a product. So I’m going to make the two MCs of the idol show the subject.”

“Oh, us?”

“Yes. To be exact, based on the impression I got from your voices. Of course, I’ll use familiar codes to proceed…”

As everyone’s attention was focused, Woojoo put his fingers on the keyboard.

“First of all, Seri Sunbae-nim’s voice is low and elegant.”

“Hmm…”

She covered her face with the progress card to hide her rising smile.

Meanwhile, Woojoo’s fingers moved.

It was a melody that stuck to the ears.

It was a simple combination of sounds from the mini keyboard, but strangely, it sounded softly and faintly.

But he tilted his head.

“Wait a minute. This is not it…”

He moved his fingers a few times and started to make similar melodies.

He finally found what he liked and smiled with satisfaction.

They all looked puzzled.

‘What’s the difference?’

It looked the same, but it seemed to sound different to his sensitive ears.

“Bukbuk Sunbae-nim’s voice is fresh and popping. So like this…”

He repeated it a few times and found the melody he wanted and played it lightly.

‘Oh…’

Bukbuk looked at him with amazed eyes.

He didn’t know what was what, but the melody he just made suited him like a dress.

“Yes, you just have to mix these two.”

Unlike before, when only his right hand moved, this time both hands moved.

Soon, the two melodies mixed and the performance began.

In the middle, there was a drum sound like Woojoo’s footsteps.

It was a fresh logo song.

It was a short 30-second song that welcomed the newcomers as if to say hello.

But what the two MCs admired was the harmony of the melodies.

Why did he bother with this and that when he had a good one?

He must have combined them in his head.

“Ah…”

The two MCs looked at each other with a flustered face.

It worked?

Did it work?

They were dumbfounded.

They had been active in the entertainment industry for over 20 years since they entered the music scene.

They could tell at a glance whether one was acting or being genuine.

He really could produce good songs on the spot.

The logo song he had just created was of high quality, and it would be complete with a little more touch.

“…How do you like it? Are you satisfied?”

“Did you really make this right now? This?”

“Yes. If you want, I can show you something else with a different theme… If you don’t like it.”

They shook their heads at the same time.

“We like it. Really.”

“PD-nim! Hurry up and negotiate with New Black’s manager! The logo song, this is amazing. Let’s use this!”

It was not just to their liking, but to their perfection.

Soon, Seri joked.

“Woojoo-ssi, let’s open a composing studio together.”

“Shall we? I was just thinking of getting away from these ungrateful friends.”

As Woojoo playfully reached for Seri’s hand, someone stepped in and grabbed his arm, lifting it up with a snap.

“No way! He’s our private property.”

“Private property? …Bijoo?”

With an incredulous expression on his face, the members who had been teasing their leader all the time surrounded him.

Jiho grabbed his shoulder.

“Don’t go. Hyung is our golden egg-laying slave.”

“Hey.”

“That’s right. He’s a Dobby for composing.”

“…Junghyun-ah.”

As the chaos ensued, the leader who was suffering got up from his seat, and Rihyuk quickly took off his crown.

“Where are you going? I’ll put the crown on you.”

“…Put it on. Then.”

The MCs laughed at the sight of the leader who was happy with the crown on his head.

It was funny, but it was also a joy to have gotten good footage.

Suddenly, his younger brothers were nice to him.

“Rihyuk.”

“…Yes, Hyung.”

“Did you just say Hyung?”

“My pronunciation was a bit muffled. Hyung-nim.”

“Really. How nice would it be if you always called me Hyung-nim like this? What’s with the uncle?”

He protested with a red face.

“It’s temporary, so don’t get too excited. As I said earlier, it’s a tribute to Gwanghaegun…”

“Rihyuk-ssi. Gwanghaegun fell from power due to a fake rebellion. The one wearing the crown right now is me.”

“Wasn’t the Byeongjahoran during Injo’s reign?”

“…Shall we move on to the next order?”

Woojoo smiled naturally and moved on.

Woojoo was going to move on to Bijoo’s corner, but the situation changed when Jiho opened his lips.

“Wow, you make songs for the sunbae-nims like this, but you never made one for us based on our themes.”

As the others agreed with him, his head went blank.

These guys…?

The two MCs asked Woojoo, seeing the disbelief on his face.

“What’s wrong, Woojoo?”

“It’s absurd that they say there’s no song made with them as the theme.”

“…Absurd?”

“Yes. I already made one.”

“…?”

His fingers swiftly played the keyboard.

“Listen. This is Jiho.”

As Woojoo showed them the melody that went from the youngest to the second youngest, the younger ones blinked.

Then they soon made an ‘ah…’ expression.

Woojoo said with a tongue click, “It’s Fireworks.”

“Fireworks? The title of New Black’s album… right?”

“Yes. There’s already a melody made with the younger ones as the theme, but they don’t know and complain to me.”

“Uh…”

“And Masquerade.”

Woojoo pressed a specific part repeatedly, emphasizing it as if he was hitting the enter key with anger.

“This is Jiho. Jiho.”

“Uh-huh.”

“…”

After a brief silence, countless apologies followed.

The two MCs said in amazement, “So your songs were all like this?”

“Yes.”

“Wow… this is really amazing. If this goes on air, Fireworks will go up the chart, right?”

“I can only imagine how nice that would be.”

Woojoo clasped his hands and smiled at the camera.

“Dear viewers. If you have time, please listen to Fireworks. We’re getting a lot of attention with Masquerade, but Fireworks is also a really good song.”

“Yeah. Our songs are really pretty.”

“Why don’t we sing a bit since we’re talking about it? Everyone together~”

Woojoo winked at them to harmonize, and the younger ones understood and sang the chorus in acapella.

They even made a giant heart behind him.

“Wow, this is fantastic teamwork.”

Seri sent Woojoo a look of admiration as she watched him promote their first album in an instant.

Then, Bukbuk asked, “Since we’re here, can we hear more of Woojoo’s improvisation? For example, making a song with a member as the theme.”

“Shall we try?”

Of course it was possible.

Woojoo wondered who to choose, and soon his eyes landed on the youngest.

He had a good idea.

“Can I do two?”

“Yes. That’s possible.”

“Bijoo and Jiho, our kids, come here.”

They tilted their heads and went to his side.

Woojoo thought for a moment, and quickly came up with a short melody.

Everyone clapped and laughed.

“Jiho. Jiho.”

“It’s Jiho.”

It was a melody that felt like a puppy who was about to cause trouble was running around.

Jiho said, “No, I’m cool,” but no one listened to him.

Then Woojoo laid a gentle melody.

“Ooh. This is Bijoo.”

When the melody alternated, Jiho seemed to realize that something was going wrong.

It was like a melody where a puppy breaks a flower pot while running around, and then the owner appears with a broom.

Woojoo smiled and said, “Only Bijoo has to sing.”

“…Me?”

“Yes, you have a lot of things you wanted to say, right? Use this opportunity to say what you want to the youngest.”

Bijoo nodded willingly.

“I’ll give it a try.”

“I think I know what you guys are up to… Oh, I give up! I’ll quit right now!”

“Okay. Let’s start.”

As soon as he said that, a faint voice came out of Bijoo’s lips.

Jiho, Jiho

I have something to say to you

It was only one line, but everyone burst into laughter.

Close your bag when you go to school

Wear your bag on both shoulders

They said on the news

It’s bad for your back, you’re in your growth spurt

Woojoo played the same part again like a karaoke song, and everyone sang along with the chorus, ‘You’re in your growth spurt!’

Everyone laughed as they looked at the youngest who was out of his mind.

The snacks that crumble

Eat them sitting down

Brush your teeth after you eat

Let’s promise

‘Promise!’ They all shouted the song together.

And soon the song was over.

Not only Woojoo who was listening, but also Bijoo was so amused that he couldn’t continue the song.

“My… my school life is over…”

As their actor lay on the floor with a detached face, Rihyuk smiled and said to him, “You know, that’s bad for your back.”

Immediately, everyone said ‘You’re in your growth spurt!’ and the youngest screamed.

After composing, the talent show of the younger ones began.

As he claimed, Bijoo could dance to any song, even to nursery rhymes and pansori.

Bukbuk was surprised and asked, “…The dance you did to the pansori was amazing. Did you practice a lot?”

“Yes. Woojoo Hyung watches YouTube videos and learns various things when he has time. I also follow his self-improvement and try to learn different dances whenever I have time.”

“Really, Woojoo?”

“Yes… Haha.”

He laughed awkwardly.

But behind him, he was sweating.

…What the hell. This kid.

Woojoo was already struggling to catch up with him, but he had learned various dances and upgraded to Bijoo 2.0.

It wasn’t like a Windows update.

He looked at Woojoo with a misunderstanding and said, ‘I’m working hard too!’

Woojoo slapped his cheek.

Then, other talents followed.

“I can hit high notes very well.”

Everyone was impressed by their main vocal who could hit high notes that rivaled those of female singers.

“I tend to forget other things, but I have a great memory for things I like. Especially scripts.”

Everyone was amazed by his ability to recite the script that the production team showed him.

Seri laughed and said, “You guys should go on a master show instead of being idols.”

“People would flock like clouds if you just did a talent show.”

It was tempting.

Should they have formed a New Black art troupe instead of New Black?

But there was someone who confidently took the first place among these talents.

“I’m really good at speaking fast.”

“That’s right.”

They all testified for him.

“Our kid may not have a good memory, but he doesn’t make mistakes and speaks fast. He’s the best in the world.”

“The announcer of the rap world.”

They gave him a tongue twister to verify.

As soon as he did, his low voice read ‘soy sauce factory owner’ and others quickly and accurately.

As the difficulty increased, they all said ‘wow’ and at the final stage, they opened their eyes wide.

“Coming from Switzerland, in the forest where the birds whisper, he searched for a stag and ate it and in the forest…”

He completed the sentence that was over 10 paragraphs long on the smartphone screen in a flash.

Everyone clapped spontaneously.

There was no need to vote for who was the first place. He had solid support.

On the other hand, after the talent show, they all ate the sponsored tteokbokki with happy faces.

They were supposed to vote for the last place, but the recording time was extended and they were exhausted from giving their all to the show.

Jiho gave Woojoo tteokbokki with a bright face.

“Hyung, have some.”

“Wow. Our cute youngest. You’re in your growth spurt, but you’re still considerate of your Hyung?”

“…I’m never giving it to you.”

As the others covered their mouths and laughed, the tteokbokki that was almost in Woojoo’s mouth went back to his.

Then he stabbed the tteokbokki with a skewer as if to vent his anger, and Woojoo swallowed his laughter as he watched the youngest.

It was a fun recording for a change.

“Did you all enjoy your meal?”

“Yes!”

Seri and Bukbuk held back their laughter at their warm smiles, which had regained their energy from the tteokbokki.

Then they read the progress card.

“Now the end of the show is approaching. It would be a shame to leave like this, right? We have to promote your new song too.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“In that sense, the production team prepared a small game for us.”

As they narrowed their eyes, the production team immediately handed them a strange machine.

There were various snacks in the basket, but most of them were hard.

The kind of snacks that broke with a snap.

They immediately guessed what the next game was.

“This is a machine that measures decibels.”

“Ugh…”

“As long as all the members eat one snack each, regardless of the type, you succeed. You have three chances. If you exceed 70 decibels, you fail.”

“It’s better to see it once than to explain it a hundred times. Shall we do a rehearsal?”

They sat around the floor with a mat and put the snack basket in front of them and held their breath.

Woojoo whispered with all his strength.

‘One by one- we- the sound- more- I-’

‘Should we- choose a snack-?’

The siblings nodded. Seri said with a smile, “We haven’t started yet.”

“…”

They started the rehearsal for real.

As the decibel meter was in front of them, they cautiously reached for the basket.

Crinkle-

As soon as they took out the snack bag, the meter went up to over 40.

Crack-

They did our best to carefully peel off the plastic adhesive part of the snack bag.

60 decibels.

The two MCs who were watching them from the side held back their laughter at the sight of them trying to open the snack bag with all their might.

Now, as they were all ready to eat the snacks, they looked at each other with determined faces.

Junghyun whispered something like a magic spell.

‘A. S. M. R.’

We all let out the breath we had been holding.

“Pfft-!”

“Hey! How can you laugh here? We have to win.”

“I’m sorry. I wanted to try that whispering thing on YouTube.”

“Cough! Cough!” 𝓯𝙧𝒆𝒆𝒘𝒆𝙗𝒏𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝒎

Woojoo patted the back of Rihyuk, who was coughing with a red face for a while, wondering if he had choked.

It didn’t seem like a very difficult game, but…

Somehow, a bad feeling started to creep up on him.

Could they succeed in this game?