In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Chapter 26:

Chapter 26

We are Singers

Inside the car on the way back to the dorm after the first music show.

Puhahahahaha!

Hahaha!

Hahahaha!

Everyone burst into laughter as Bi-ju egged on the youngest.

Ji-ho, do it again. That thing.

This thing?

Yeah, that thing.

As everyone looked at him expectantly, the acting prodigy of the group cleared his throat and started to get into character.

Ahem.

Then he perfectly imitated someone.

Please love our Souffle a lot~.

The kids laughed like crazy.

I covered my face with both hands.

If I die today, maybe I should write on my tombstone [Seon Woojoo, died of shame].

Its painful.

Im so ashamed that I want to die.

Wow, its exactly the same.

I felt betrayed by Bi-ju, who was wiping away tears from laughing so hard.

Bi-ju, what do you mean its the same?

Huh? Its totally the same

No, its not the same at all-

You dont know because its yourself, hyung.

The youngest cut in.

Do you want me to compare it for you? The clip from Music On should be online by now.

No, no.

That makes me want to do it more.

I snatched the youngests phone, but it was useless. Jung-hyun, who was sitting next to me, had already played the video.

The smartphone screen.

With the applause from the scene, a caption appears: [1st Place Something].

On the screen, I look very nervous. I have full makeup on, making my skin pale and my features sharp.

I look good, but thats not the point.

The words I utter with teary eyes.

-We Souffle will work hard from now on

The kids burst into laughter again.

I lamented.

Ive been so good to you guys.

You call that good? Just change your clothes, ajusshi.

Yeah. You dont do anything and lie down, and always say Ji-ho, get me some water and stuff.

The youngest took the opportunity to butt in.

Our youngest, you had a lot of complaints about me?

Yes, I hated you. You always bullied me, made me do chores.

I see. I did a big wrong.

Yeah. You should feel sorry for me now Ow!

The youngest, who got a flick on the forehead from me, clutched his forehead and made a pained face. 

The members laughed.

Ri-hyuk, who seemed to enjoy taking pictures, was a bonus.

While everyone was laughing, I saw Jung-hyun tapping the smartphone screen with a focused face.

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What are you doing?

Im saving the videos.

Jung-hyun answered with a smile.

These are all memories. I have to keep them as records.

No You dont have to.

I was already ashamed enough, but they were trying to nail me to the coffin.

Yoon Seok-hwan also seemed to enjoy the noisy atmosphere.

I brushed my hair back and said.

Seok-hwan hyung.

What.

Can I cancel the contract? I want to get away from these ungrateful kids.

Woojoo, just endure for seven years.

Yoon Seok-hwans tone was echoed by the kids.

Ah, where are you going?

Bi-ju hugged my shoulder with a smile.

We cant do without you, hyung.

Yeah. Who do you think made us successful with his songs?

Do they act like this even though they know?

Hey, its because they like you, hyung. Dont they know any better?

I tried to glare at the youngest who clung to me awkwardly, but I couldnt help but laugh.

I felt like I understood how people who raised pets felt.

I was angry that they had made a mess of the house while I was gone, but when they came and cuddled up to me with their cute acts, my heart melted in an instant.

Ri-hyuk saw my expression and chuckled.

You look like a grandfather whos amused by his grandsons jokes.

Our Ri-hyuk is so good at talking.

I know that too.

If only your heart was as good as your face.

Where can you find someone as kind as me?

Ji Ho made a face as if he had lost his appetite at that shameless remark.

How can you say that without a steel plate on your face?

Shut up, King Ji-ho.

Do you always tell me to shut up when things dont go your way?

While the fourth and fifth in the hierarchy were fighting like dogs, the hyungs watched them with a smile as if they were cute.

No.

Even the main vocal and sub vocal who were arguing had smiles on their lips.

Everyone was in a good mood.

Maybe it was the best day of my life.

It felt like my chest was wide open.

Every time I took a deep breath, the knots that had built up over time were released, and the chilly wind that blew through the open car window felt refreshing.

I wouldnt want to trade this feeling for a million dollars.

The reward for all the hard work was really sweet.

I had passed through the invisible long tunnel and saw the light for the first time. How could anything not be exciting and happy?

Jung-hyun handed me his phone as I was enjoying the breeze.

Hyung, have you seen this?

What is it?

Your story is quite popular on the internet.

Really?

I looked at the smartphone screen.

[New Black? The leader has amazing charisma]

He looks like he can fit anywhere

-What is charisma lol

-Is that a joke lol

-I only saw the face of the guy playing the guitar while singing

-Im a true fan of Jin Sung and Im starting to stan him today

Thanks to my speech for winning first place today, my face was a hot topic.

I clicked on the post below with the award speech.

-Was Jang So-won always this pretty?

-So-won unnie, take me

-They dont look like rookies and theyre good at live

-I was eating ramen at home and I burst out laughing lol Theyre so funny

Most of the reactions were positive.

Thankfully, the reaction of the TNT fandom, which I was most worried about, was not bad either.

-Hes the one who took a picture with Tae-hyun lol

-He said he almost debuted with TNT It must be awkward for both of them.

-I still find the chart movement suspicious but well They seem to like each other when they announced our kids right after

-I havent seen Tae-hyun smile like that in a long time lol Are they really best friends

The ones who were making a fuss about the music manipulation a while ago were showing a soft response.

It was probably thanks to Tae-hyun posting a picture on SNS.

No wonder he kept taking pictures at the broadcasting station.

I had a rough idea, but when I actually confirmed it, I was grateful.

Me [Thank you]

I sent a message to the number I exchanged earlier and the reply came right away.

Han Tae-hyun [^^]

Han Tae-hyun [If youre thankful, buy me a drink]

Han Tae-hyun [Ah lol Thats right, you cant drink, hyung]

Han Tae-hyun [Just buy me food]

Han Tae-hyun [Lets get together with the B group kids]

Han Tae-hyun [Ill make a group chat soon]

I sent a vague reply and felt a strange emotion.

Han Tae-hyun, a five-year idol.

The guy who had less sense than Ji Ho had become so quick-witted after living in the entertainment industry. I wonder if our clueless youngest would change like that someday.

Ji-ho chuckled softly when he felt my gaze.

What?

Huh?

Why are you looking at me with such a loving eye?

We still have a long way to go.

***

Thats what I thought when we won our first place on Music On.

We were lucky.

We kept topping the charts, but I wondered if we could compete with the senior groups who had strong fandoms behind them.

I hoped we could stay on top for two more weeks and then step down gracefully.

But reality went against my expectations.

-Something on a wild run, three consecutive weeks of music show wins

-Rapper Hesions comeback, will he end Something's long reign?

-A breathtaking March music war, the final winner was Something

Music show grand slam.

We won first place on all three major networks and the music channel for three weeks in a row.

It was unbelievable.

Who would have imagined?

In March, when the chart competition was fierce, a collaboration between an unknown idol group and an unpopular singer took the first place.

It was beyond surprising, it was absurd.

To people who had no interest in the entertainment industry, the weekly music show wins might not mean much, but to us, the rookie group New Black, it was a huge achievement.

And we felt the results every day.

First of all, we started to get some schedules.

After the music shows, we got some minor invitations from various places.

There were some local festivals that we had never heard of, with potatoes or sweet potatoes as their themes, and there were also some music festivals that we had heard of.

The most common thing among them was school events.

The universities were quick to move to get us to perform Something live for their festivals starting from late April.

The theme of Something was exactly that, something.

It was the hottest topic among college students on SNS and elsewhere.

One music critic even analyzed that the success of Something was due to being the first to capture the popular subject of something.

Something, with its relatable theme and addictive melody, was expected to be the biggest hit song of the first half of 2014.

The hottest song in the college scene right now, Something.

In this situation, where everyone wanted us to come to their school, the tension between Jang Sowon and New Black was inevitable.

The competition was so fierce that I couldnt close my mouth when I heard the event fees that the universities offered through Seok-hwan hyung.

When Junghyun was startled and squeezed the can, the soda exploded, and as we were wiping the floor, he explained.

Theres usually an agency that connects the events. They grade you like beef. They check how many times you won on the music shows, what your chart ranking is, what your recent buzz index is, and they grade you accordingly. The music show wins are that important. Your senior Scarlet probably doubled her event fee as soon as she won.

Yoon Seok-hwan added with a smile.

Youre popular right now, enjoy it while you can. You cant keep it, and you shouldnt keep it either.

What he said was not a sugarcoating, but a realistic congratulation.

You cant keep it, and you shouldnt keep it either.

It wasnt a wrong statement.

The monthly chart first place and the three consecutive weeks of music show wins that we were enjoying now were miracles that we didnt know if we could achieve again.

An album is like a sports game for a singer.

Just because you were the MVP in the last game doesnt mean youll be the MVP in the next game.

Maybe it was like the independent trial probability that I learned in the college entrance exam.

Even if the previous result was a success, the next result was not certain whether it would be a success or a failure.

The popularity of Something was the popularity of the song.

It wasnt the popularity of New Black from the beginning, so it was a popularity that we couldnt keep.

Then, what did it mean that we shouldnt keep it either?

-Honestly, Jang So-won did everything, right? She used to be a singer-songwriter herself. Shee just gave the rookie group a chance.

-New Black only did the backing vocals without the main vocals on the music shows.

-I honestly dont know why theyre there.

-Its the adults situation, right? What do the kids know?

-One of them participated in the composition.

-The interview said it was a co-composition.

-Jang So-won was nice to say that, right? What kind of composition is an idol? The producers at the company do everything for them.

-Theyre so eager to debut even though the song is doing well.

-Isnt it because we didnt practice singing enough? Lol

Thats what the internet comments I was reading said.

Our popularity depended on Jang So-won sunbae.

Most of our schedules were like that.

Whenever Jang So-wons name came up at Hwai Entertainment, they would contact our management team and share the work.

All the schedules we had in March.

The magazine photoshoot and interview we did with Jang So-won sunbae, and most of the events we were invited to.

Even if they contacted us first, they would say something like The condition is based on Jang So-won being with you.

Thats what Yoon Seok-hwan meant when he said our popularity was not sustainable.

It wasnt New Blacks popularity in the first place.

Now that I think about it, its strange.

Were so popular right now, but its not our popularity?

Of course, other people might think its a luxury problem. Its already a fortunate situation to receive this much attention when we havent even debuted yet.

The members seemed satisfied too.

Their expressions were so happy every day that I felt full just by looking at them.

But I still felt like it wasnt enough.

Shouldnt we row harder when the tide is high?

Since this was our chance to imprint New Blacks first image, I didnt want the four of us, excluding Ri-hyuk, to be remembered as mere vases.

I wanted to show people.

That we had skills as singers.