In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Chapter 28

I was supposed to have a meeting with Director Jo, but thanks to someone who insisted on doing everything together, I had to sit down for a while.

The atmosphere was harmonious.

“Ri-hyuk, here’s a special wrap for you, bro.”

“Oh, thanks. You have some too.”

What’s going on?

The youngest and Ri-hyuk exchanged pork belly and trotter wraps with each other.

And the result.

“Phew-! Hey! Wang Ji-ho, what did you put in there?”

“Cough! Bro, what is this cough-?”

Of course.

They both had red faces from stuffing their mouths with peppers or garlic.

Sometimes I wonder.

Maybe they are programmed at the DNA level to assassinate each other.

“Bro, have this.”

Bi-ju piled up the most appetizing parts of the pork belly and trotters on my plate like a mother bird.

Maybe I was hungry.

I didn’t have much appetite, but once I put it in my mouth, it melted.

Unlike the younger line who were always bickering, the older line were eating peacefully in the opposite seat.

Jung-hyun, who was inhaling the trotters with bones, spoke seriously as if he had thought of something.

“Woojoo hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“The technique you used to take down the director.”

Bi-ju and I burst out laughing. The rapper who was loud enough to be heard by the neighbors said with a smile.

“Kim Jung-hyun, why are you trying to take down the director? He’s not a villain.”

“Oh, right. Then, the technique you used to ambush the director…?”

The rapper struggled to find the right word, and Ri-hyuk clicked his tongue.

“Bro, you’re a rap maker, but you have poor vocabulary?”

“I’m just focusing on eating right now. Anyway, the technique you used to pin the director to the floor. Where did you learn that?”

“Just watching various videos on YouTube.”

“Is that enough?”

“That hyung, he can learn dance just by watching, right?”

At the youngest’s remark, everyone nodded in agreement.

“That’s true. It’s unbelievable, but I’ve seen him do so many unbelievable things that I just accept it now. Oh, that’s just Woojoo being Woojoo, you know.”

“Was I that weird?”

At my muttering, the siblings answered in unison.

“You were really weird.”

“We thought you were an alien who came to help us.”

“You pretended to be bad at dancing, and then you got praised for being good at dancing. You did a week’s worth of arrangement in a day, and you got asked to work with Jang So-won sunbae at the end-of-year evaluation. And when you went to work with her, you suddenly played the guitar and arranged the song on the spot, and that song became number one.”

“Now that I think about it, it is really weird.”

I laughed at Ri-hyuk’s agreement.

Was that a compliment, or an insult?

But even I thought that the things that happened after I joined this company were all weird. 

They were causally related, but they seemed too unbelievable.

“Maybe the only explanation for all this is Director Jo’s miracle.”

When the youngest brought up a strange theory, I remembered the promise I had forgotten.

Oh, right.

I had an appointment with Director Jo.

“Wow, I’m out of it. I’m late.”

“Where are you going?”

“I had a meeting with Director Jo.”

“A meeting…?”

I licked my lips as I looked around at the members who were looking at me with bewildered expressions.

It was an awkward time.

I thought it was better to keep this worry to myself.

“I’ll be back soon. See you later.”

***

CEO’s office.

I came up here to have a meeting with Director Jo, but when I came to my senses, I was in the CEO’s office.

“Cheers~”

The middle-aged men clinked their beer cans with red faces.

Who am I and why am I here?

The CEO smiled kindly and offered me a can.

“Woojoo, do you want a drink?”

“Mr. CEO, please don’t say that. He has a radio show tomorrow.”

Director Jo waved his hand and stopped him.

I gulped down a zero cola while CEO Park Kyuho gave me a piece of bossam.

“You’ve worked hard, Woojoo. Really.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ve felt it since the end-of-year evaluation, but ever since you came, things have been going smoothly. Haha, you’re the second lucky charm of our company after Kyuhyun.”

“That’s right.”

Director Jo agreed.

“The head of the management support team was singing happily. He said the music revenue for this quarter will break the all-time record. I haven’t seen him smile since he hit 10 million at the movies.”

“Woojoo did a great job. Manager Yoon must be proud too.”

“Oh, it’s all thanks to you and Director Jo.”

“What are you talking about? Woojoo did well, and the kids did well. It’s the result of everyone’s efforts, haha.”

“If it weren’t for you tying the knot with Hwai Entertainment, this wouldn’t have been possible.”

CEO Park’s face bloomed with laughter every time Manager Yoon’s tongue moved.

I see.

He didn’t get that position for nothing.

While Manager Yoon was busy flattering the CEO, his attention shifted elsewhere.

“By the way, you’ll be making a lot of money this time. Have you thought about what to do with the royalties?”

“Not yet.”

I answered with a smile.

“I’m planning to save it for now. I’ve never had to manage this much money before.”

That’s how it is for trainees.

Money keeps piling up.

You don’t know how to spend it, and you don’t have anywhere to spend it.

“If I have to spend it, I’ll spend it for my grandmother.”

“That’s a good idea. What did you do when you hit your first jackpot, Director Jo? Did you buy a house for your parents?”

“I bought them a car first, Mr. CEO. The house came later.”

“Right.”

While the adults were talking about real estate, I quietly ate my bossam.

I had nothing to say in their conversation.

Someone poked me in the ribs and I saw Manager Yoon giving me a strange look.

I nodded.

“I’m sorry about earlier, Mr. CEO. Is your back okay?”

“It’s a bit sore, but it’ll get better. I’ll just put a patch on it.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“No, it’s my fault. I tried to surprise you by grabbing your shoulder. You know what they say. Think of this as a good experience. Haha!”

Thankfully, the CEO let it go with a good-natured laugh.

I looked at the other victim who was quietly eating with his Jopsticks.

“What about you, hyung?”

“I have a herniated disc, you bastard.”

“…I’m really sorry. If anything happens, I’ll take full responsibility.”

“Forget it, kid. Just take care of yourself and stay healthy.”

As Manager Yoon shrugged it off, the CEO joined in with a warm smile.

“I heard you were supposed to have a meeting at this time.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Since we’re here, can we listen in?”

I didn’t hesitate for long.

Whatever I say to the director, it will eventually reach the CEO’s ears.

It doesn’t matter what I say.

I cautiously brought up the concern I had been having lately.

The slightly drunk trio of old men listened to my story quietly.

A brief silence followed my story.

The first one to speak was Director Jo.

“Do you want to show off your members’ singing skills?”

“Yes.”

“Do you really need to do that?”

“Huh?”

Director Jo said to me, blinking his eyes.

“You’re already breaking records on the music charts and dominating the music shows. The media is calling you the long-term rulers. I wouldn’t mind if it was your debut song, but it’s a project song, right? It’s not like you planned for this popularity. Don’t you think you have enough for now?”

Director Jo Gyu-hwan finished his sentence with a somewhat indifferent face.

It felt like I had to give a good answer, but I was honest with my thoughts.

“Well… I’m a greedy person. And I think this is the time to be greedy. It may be unexpected popularity, but it’s not a chance that will come again. I want to make the most of it.”

Director Jo stared at me.

Did I say something wrong?

He looked at me as if he was trying to figure something out, and then he smiled and drank his beer.

“That’s a good answer.”

I looked around.

That’s when I realized that the CEO and Yoon Seok-hwan were looking at me with amusement.

By the time I noticed the situation, Director Jo said.

“I was curious what you would say, sorry.”

“Ah…”

“Actually, I was a bit surprised.”

He smiled.

“Manager Yoon and I were having the same dilemma as you.”

“Really?”

“We want to establish New Black’s image, but we don’t want to miss out on the attention without Ri-hyuk. As you said, our kids have no problem competing with any decent singers.”

True.

The adults must have had the same worries as me.

“We agree with you. If you want to succeed in the entertainment industry, you need to take advantage of every opportunity you get.”

The others nodded in agreement.

“Manager, please tell Woojoo too.”

“Yes.”

Yoon Seok-hwan got up from his seat and took something out of his briefcase.

The document titled ‘New Black Activity Plan’ was filled with neatly organized plans.

“I was going to tell you when the schedule was fixed, but I’ll tell you in advance.”

“What is it?”

“We’ve been thinking about how to solve what you’re talking about. And we found it.”

You already found it?

I looked at him with curious eyes, and Yoon Seok-hwan answered me.

“We need to introduce the group New Black to the people, right?”

“Yes.”

“We can’t go on any variety shows. Especially not on public broadcasting. There’s no place that will invite us alone without any conditions, and you guys don’t have enough experience to fill the stories anyway.”

That was obvious.

It was like a newbie entering a game full of veterans in the competitive variety scene.

“But there’s one place where you can show off your musical skills without any pressure while getting the spotlight. Not radio.”

“Music show?”

“No, music broadcast.”

What are you talking about?

Music broadcast, as in the place we go every day?

Seeing me blink, Yoon Seok-hwan pointed to the program name on the paper.

“Ha Seung-ju’s Music Cafe…? Oh!”

Ha Seung-ju’s Music Cafe.

A late-night music broadcast that airs on PBS after midnight.

Music Cafe, hosted by pianist and composer Ha Seung-ju, is a popular program despite its late time slot.

It’s famous for its good hosting by MC Ha Seung-ju and its high-quality live performances.

That’s why appearing on Music Cafe meant that you had a certain level of skill.

It was a perfect opportunity for us.

Unlike music shows that only do stages, Music Cafe had a talk segment where the MC highlighted the charm of the invited singers.

It was the best chance for rookie New Black to leave a good impression and finish their activities.

But.

“…Can we appear on it?”

Music Cafe is known to be strict about its appearances.

I heard that they don’t hesitate to cut even popular singers if they think their live skills are not good enough.

“Seung-ju hyung and I know each other, and Manager Yoon also has a good relationship with the PD, so it won’t be hard to appear.”

Really?

I looked at him with hopeful eyes, and Yoon Seok-hwan said.

“We’re going to appear on Music Cafe next week.”

“I’ve been working hard to grease the wheels for you for the past few days.”

“Now it’s up to you to show how good you are on the show. How do you feel? Do you feel less worried now?”

“Yes.”

“But, Woojoo.”

Director Jo Gyu-hwan smiled softly.

“Did you consult with the members before you told us? It sounded like they didn’t know anything.”

I felt like I had been hit in the face.

Oops.

The thought that I had made a mistake naturally came to my mind.

“You’re the leader. We can only assume that you’re speaking on behalf of the kids when you talk to us.”

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. You did it for the team. But next time, I hope you talk to the members first.”

He said with a smile.

“New Black is not a group that you’re in alone.”

***

It wasn’t long before Manager Yoon Seok-hwan brought us some good news.

“You’ve been confirmed to appear on Music Cafe.”

Time flew by.

We were only supposed to be on for about 10 minutes, but we needed a lot of preparation for that one thing.

We had to do pre-interviews with the writers to come up with topics to talk about, and we also needed to prepare a different stage for the live performance.

We stayed up almost every night making the repertoire and rehearsing.

It was hard, but what could we do?

Opportunity is something that you have to grab with your own effort.

There are music shows that spend 12 hours for a 3-minute stage, so we couldn’t complain about this preparation.

Music show popular singer waiting room.

“Music Cafe?”

Of course, New Black’s appearance was a joint one with Jang So-won.

We didn’t have any songs of our own except for Something.

She was happy to hear that we were going to be on Music Cafe. It was also because I had already laid the groundwork by consulting her about my worries.

“Oh, that’s great.”

Jang So-won smiled as she ate her souffle and coffee.

“I was so annoyed by the comments you guys got that I replied to them more than once. Don’t let them call you a folding screen again and show them what you’ve got this time.”

“Thank you for going with us.”

“Going with you? I won’t be able to see you much after we finish our activities, so I have to see you while I can.”

She laughed.

“More than that, I’m looking forward to the stage we’re going to do together. How about it? What did you prepare this time?”

****

PBS broadcasting station open hall.

It was the day of the recording of Ha Seung-ju’s Music Cafe, when the spring flowers were beautiful in early April.

We had finished our music show activities by then.

We were still holding on to the monthly number one spot on the Mango Chart, but we had fallen out of the first place candidate in the fourth week, pushed back by a solo singer and a popular idol who had made a comeback.

Both sides of the agency decided that it was time to wrap up the activities.

And we had arrived at the final destination of this activity.

“Wow… it’s huge.”

When we came from the waiting room to the back stage to rehearse, we were surprised by the size of the stage.

It was a different scale.

It was a huge difference from the music show studio.

The tension was also doubled.

Bi-ju bit and released his lips repeatedly, and Ri-hyuk wiped off the sweat that came out of his hand with a tissue.

Our youngest, who would have teased Ri-hyuk if he was nervous, was also staring blankly with his mouth open.

In the meantime, only Jung-hyun was calm like a bodhisattva.

He was the one who thought, ‘Wow, that skill is awesome.’ when I knocked down the CEO, unlike the other guys who were startled.

It wasn’t a surprising thing.

The FD who appeared through the busy staff called us.

“New Black team.”

“Yes!”

The FD who wore the intercom listened to the instructions and looked around us.

“Who is Woojoo?”

“That’s me.”

“I’ll go up first and start the rehearsal. I’ll check the piano sound first. I’ll do it for about 2 minutes and then proceed with the team rehearsal right away. Don’t forget to pay attention to the route you told me in advance when you go up on stage.

The FD, who had rattled off the precautions like a machine gun for a minute, quickly disappeared somewhere else.

“What did he just say?”

“Uh… I think I forgot because I was nervous.”

“Jung-hyun, you heard him, right?”

“Ah, I was distracted.”

My confused siblings naturally looked at me, or rather, I don’t know why this was natural.

I sighed and handed them my phone.

“Here.”

“…?”

“I recorded it, so listen.”

“…!”

They looked at me as if I was their savior and waved their hands. Then I went up to the stage.

The grand piano set in the center.

Below the stage, I could see the writers holding notebooks to find points to improve and the production staff monitoring the screen.

I checked the camera position first.

I felt the cold touch of the piano chair seat and closed my eyes.

And I started playing.