In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Chapter 29

Ha Seung-ju, the host of Music Cafe, was sitting with his arms crossed.

His face was expressionless.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen an idol.’

He looked at the young man who came up on the stage.

His first impression was that he was handsome.

He was unrivaled among the idols these days.

Usually, idols look good on stage, but their visuals drop when they appear in dramas or movies. But Seon Woojoo, who came up on the stage now, seemed to survive even on those screens.

A dazzling appearance.

Even from a distance, his features looked clear as if he had a different resolution.

The writers who were watching the rehearsal exchanged a few words.

“Wow, he’s handsome.”

“Sunbae, is this your first time seeing him?”

“I’ve never seen him in person. Where did you see him?”

“I met him a while ago for a pre-interview.”

“That was him? You’re lucky. I got stuck with Jo Yu-ri’s band.”

The writers laughed, imagining the indie band with piercings on their faces.

“Is he the leader on the stage right now?”

“When I interviewed him, he said he co-composed the song with Jang So-won.”

“Oh, that’s interesting.”

“Is he the visual member then?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you know?”

The sub-writer asked, and the youngest writer said hesitantly.

“Well, if you judge by looks alone, Woojoo is the most handsome, but when I actually interviewed him, it was vague.”

“Why was it vague?”

“Lemon Entertainment is an actor agency, so they all have visuals. How should I put it? It’s like assorted sushi. They have all kinds of types. The one on the stage right now and the youngest are pretty boys, and there’s also a macho guy named Jung-hyun, and two guys who have a boyish vibe.”

“Boyish? The two standing over there?”

“Yep.”

“Which one sang Something?”

“Oh, that’s Ri-hyuk. The one who looks nice is the visual, and the one who looks cold is Ri-hyuk.”

“I see.”

Ha Seung-ju listened to the stories around him with a sour expression.

What does the appearance matter? 

The content is what matters.

He would admit to the visual aspect as the writers reacted, but he was doubtful about the singing.

‘He’s handsome, but will his skills match his face?’

New Black was cast a while ago.

His close junior composer, Jo Gyu-hwan, called him and said he wanted to have the group he was producing on the show.

-Sunbae, I have a favor to ask you.

“Do you think my show is for promoting rookies?”

-They’re not just rookies. They’re the ones who topped the chart this time.

“Whatever.”

-Sunbae.

“Just send me their practice video. I’ll make the decision.”

Music Cafe was a late-night show, but it gained its popularity thanks to Ha Seung-ju’s picky attitude.

Even if the CP from above told him to cast someone, he would refuse without hesitation if he thought they were not skilled enough.

As if he knew his temperament, Jo Gyu-hwan said with a smile.

-You won’t regret it.

The Music Cafe production team, who saw the practice video of New Black sent by email, agreed to cast them.

-And there’s a guy named Woojoo. He’s amazing. I’m sure you’ll be interested in him too, Sunbae.

Ha Seung-ju snorted, recalling Jo Gyu-hwan’s boast.

No way.

He had been playing the piano since he was young, and he had composed countless songs and made connections with the entertainment industry. 

He was a veteran who had been worn out.

Maybe if they were legendary singers.

But how could an idol’s piano playing, who hadn’t even debuted properly, pique his interest…

“…Huh?”

He was surprised when Seon Woojoo started playing the piano.

It wasn’t bad.

It was like a piano entrance exam student playing. 

Considering that he was an idol, it was unbelievably good.

And he had a sense too.

‘He chose jazz.’

It was a jazz song that suited the broadcast time.

It was a brilliant song choice.

But what caught his attention was not the playing skill or the song selection.

The way he played the keyboard on the stage.

His gaze, breathing, and finger movements.

It was a familiar playing style, for sure.

‘Who is he?'

Just as every person has a unique fingerprint, playing an instrument also has its own characteristics.

It's because each player has different finger lengths, breathing, and rhythm intensity.

Seon Woojoo's jazz piano was familiar to him.

And in a good way.

Ha Seung-joo rubbed his temples as he traced back his past memories.

Soon, he remembered someone.

"……Myung Joo hyung?"

The PD next to him tilted his head at the sight of Ha Seung-joo's bewildered expression.

"What's wrong, Seung-joo-ssi?"

"Kim PD."

The MC pointed at the stage with his slender fingers.

"Did you find anything unusual about that guy?"

"Unusual?"

"Like his parents."

"Well, I didn't hear anything at the meeting."

Was it a mistake?

As he watched Seon Woojoo playing the piano on the stage, the PD asked him in a subtle tone.

"What do you think of him, Seung-joo-ssi? He seems to be the best among the performers so far, judging by his piano skills."

"He plays well."

"That's a soulless answer."

Ha Seung-joo ignored the PD's words and recalled someone's words.

-You might be interested in seeing him play the piano, too.

Now that the piano performance was over, the members of New Black and Jang So-won were going up to the rehearsal stage.

But Ha Seung-joo's eyes were fixed on Seon Woojoo.

‘I need to check it out.'

He felt a curiosity in his mind that had been idle.

* * *

The rehearsal ended without any trouble.

It was partly thanks to the hard work they had done in the practice room, but also because the members were excited about the rare stage.

Ri-hyuk was the main vocal, so he had been singing his heart out for the past four weeks, but we only added chorus on the stage.

It was a time to vent out the frustration that had been building up.

Without having to pretend to be excited, our members rocked the rehearsal stage.

The production team seemed satisfied with the stage.

The writers who were watching from below gave us some feedback on the hand gestures, but that was all.

"I like it."

The middle-aged man who had stuffed the script into his pocket, the main PD of Music Cafe, looked at us with a pleased expression.

"New Black, are you confident to do this well on the main stage?"

"Yes!"

"Good. Good job. Wait in the waiting room until there's another instruction. Well, the writers must have told you the precautions. So-won-ssi is experienced in broadcasting, so I don't have to worry, right?"

"Don't worry, PD-nim."

Jang So-won winked and the PD nodded with satisfaction.

As I followed her down to the waiting room, someone grabbed my shoulder.

"Are you Woojoo?"

"……Huh?"

The person who grabbed my arm was none other than the MC of Music Cafe, Ha Seung-joo.

Black hair with gray streaks.

He wore horn-rimmed glasses and looked neat and smart. He looked elegant like a British gentleman in a spy movie.

I was momentarily stunned and hurriedly bowed.

"Hello, sunbae-nim. I'm Woojoo from New Black."

"Don't be so surprised. I've been watching your rehearsal from the audience."

"I didn't expect you to talk to me……"

He smiled at me, who was flustered.

It was a gentle smile, unlike his stern impression.

As the indie band with a rough look went up to the stage for the next rehearsal, Ha Seung-joo took me to the seat.

"Sit comfortably."

“Yes.”

“You don’t have to keep your legs so close together.”

“Yes!”

“Answer more casually.”

“Yes.”

“Can I ask you a couple of questions? They might be personal, though.”

“That’s fine.”

“I saw on the internet that your last name is Seon. Which Seon family are you from?”

…What?

I was reminded of a line from a crime movie, ‘Which Choi are you?’

I was flustered, but I answered obediently.

“I’m from the Boseong Seon family.”

“I see.”

His eyes behind the glasses shone sharply.

“Then what’s your relationship with Seon Myungjoo?”

I was ten times more surprised than at the surprise party a while ago.

What the hell.

How did he know that name?

“Your piano playing looked exactly like someone else’s. The way you move your fingers, your style, how should I put it? I might be mistaken, but you definitely looked similar.”

I licked my lips.

At first, I wondered if someone had told him, but I soon realized that wasn’t the case.

The pianist in front of me had guessed that name just by watching me play.

It was a ghostly sense.

What should I do?

It was something I didn’t want to talk about, even in the pre-interview.

I hesitated for a moment, but decided to answer honestly.

“He’s my father.”

“As expected.”

Ha Seung-joo smiled.

His expression changed suddenly.

From an intellectual British gentleman to a familiar uncle.

“So you’re Myungjoo’s son?”

“Do you know my father?”

“Don’t you know me?”

Ha Seung-joo smiled all over his face.

“I used to visit your house a lot when you were a kid.”

“…?”

“Well, you might not remember at that age.”

“He passed away so long ago…”

Ha Seung-joo made a ‘oops’ expression and looked at me, but I smiled as if I was okay.

“You don’t have to worry, Sunbae.”

“Anyway, nice to meet you, Woojoo.”

Ha Seung-joo showed a nostalgic look.

“That kid grew up and debuted as an idol… Time flies. Huh? Now that I look at you, your nose is exactly the same?”

He looked at me with a curious gaze.

I didn’t know how to react.

I didn’t remember him at all, even though he said he was close to my dad when I was young.

I barely remembered my parents’ faces, let alone a stranger.

He kept expressing his joy.

Should I call it admiration?

There was a tender emotion in his eyes.

Ha Seung-joo looked at me wistfully, and he was putting off the rehearsal to look at me.

“By the way.”

He coughed and changed the subject, as if he thought he was staring too much.

“Are you keeping your father a secret on purpose?”

“No. It’s not really a secret, but… It feels kind of funny to say it with my own mouth.”

“I guess so.”

He nodded as if he understood.

“How long is your broadcast?”

“I heard it would be about 10 minutes or so after editing.”

“Are you trying to get your name out there with this appearance?”

“Yes.”

“The more attention you get from the public, the better.”

Ha Seung-joo stroked his chin and said.

“How about this? I owe a lot to Myungjoo hyung. In that sense, I have a proposal for you.”

“What kind of proposal…?”

“I’ll give you more time for your group. It’s possible if I adjust one minute from each other team.”

It was a tremendous favor.

In this industry, people lobby to get even 10 seconds more on the broadcast, and he was offering to increase our time significantly.

“Usually, there is a condition for such an offer.”

“Right.”

He nodded.

“Anyway, your repertoire has a limit even if you increase your time. You probably don’t have anything else prepared. And you have to think about the talk time too…”

I had a guess what he was going to say next.

“How about talking about Myungjoo hyung?”

It was a troubling suggestion.

The entertainment world is a place where people would sell their distant relatives to get one second more on the air. 

And there was no guarantee that it would pay off even if they did.

But this person was willing to give us a special favor by cutting down other people’s time.

The problem was that the condition was quite awkward.

“What do you think?”

The producer who raised the ratings of Music Cafe from lower than the national anthem to its current position was waiting for my answer.

Looking at Ha-seung-ju, I opened my lips.

***

7 p.m.

It was time to record Music Cafe.

The audience filled the seats and the hall was buzzing with people’s voices.

They all looked excited and anticipated the soon-to-start Music Cafe.

After the pre-MC’s progress, the FD finally climbed on the stage and clapped the slate.

“We’ll start recording!”

Soon, a calm BGM started playing.

The audience applauded as Ha-seung-ju in a tuxedo came out.

On the TV screen, it was a scene where PBS’s open hall was captured in a full shot with a cool caption of [Ha-seung-ju’s Music Cafe].

-Welcome, everyone. Thank you for coming to Ha-seung-ju’s Music Cafe.

The audience liked the MC’s sweet voice.

-Today’s weather makes me feel like spring has finally come to our side. It’s much warmer, right?

A ‘yes’ answer is heard.

-I see more couples in the audience than in winter. Nice to meet you. You chose a really good place for a date.

People laughed lightly at the self-praise.

-These days, people describe spring as the season of flirting, right? To convey the warmth of such a spring day, we have some very special guests today.

The first guest’s performance began.

A hot indie band from Hongdae decorated the first stage.

We admired the camera screen that was broadcasted from the waiting room.

“They’re strong from the start.”

The lineup was not easy.

Buster was a rising star who recently entered the music chart as an indie band.

We warmed up as the sweet spring songs continued.

Our turn was the fifth, right before the last.

We expected to wait for a long time, but time passed faster than we thought, and we heard the call from the production team.

“Jang So-won team! Please get ready!”

We followed the FD who ran quickly to the back stage.

We could see the stage behind the stairs.

It was the same lighting, the same stage as the rehearsal, but the air was different.

The audience outside filled the open hall and waited for our stage.

It was a different tension than when we were on music shows.

“It reminds me of the end-of-year evaluation, right?”

It was a similar feeling at the end-of-year evaluation last year.

We had improved our skills and confidence so much that we couldn’t compare to then, but when we got on such a huge stage, we remembered our humble attitude.

The members nodded.

Jang So-won sunbae looked at us as we huddled together like penguins and smiled.

“You worked hard for a month. Now, if we finish Music Cafe well, our activities are over. So…”

We looked into each other’s eyes.

“Let’s enjoy it.”

I reached out my hand and the other guys put their hands on it.

We watched the FD gesture to wait and whispered ‘fighting’ and raised our hands.

-Now, let’s introduce a new team. These days, if you don’t know them, you’re a spy, right? They are a collaboration team that is flirting with the whole nation of Korea.

We took a deep breath as we heard the cheers mixed with anticipation.

Then we stepped onto the stage.

Thud.

My heart raced as I heard the sound of our feet on the wooden stairs.

It felt like the air had stopped.

I smiled as I felt the spotlight and the gaze pouring on us.

We were going to show them.

The stage that would adorn the end of our activity.