In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Chapter 119:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 119

“Thank you.”

Woojoo got out of the taxi with both hands full of shopping bags.

As the taxi drove away, his grandmother grumbled.

“These Seoul taxis drive so recklessly. I thought I was going to die from motion sickness. And the food we ate earlier was too rich.”

“I told you. You wouldn’t like the cheese tiramisu cake.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re so smart.”

“Ugh, I feel awful and you keep nagging me. You’re making me lose my appetite. Oh, my poor stomach.”

“…”

Woojoo really couldn’t win against her.

Woojoo switched the shopping bags to his left hand and rubbed his grandmother’s hand with the other.

She must have had trouble digesting.

She made a sound like a burp.

“Can you eat meat after this?”

“Of course. It’s free,” she said with a determined look that made Woojoo laugh.

They entered the alley and saw the sign for the meat restaurant.

As they walked into the store, the other family members waved at them.

Junghyun came to greet Woojoo and took his bags.

“Thanks.”

His grandmother smiled proudly as she put her new shoes in the shoe rack and went inside.

The long tables were set with appetizing side dishes and the TV was playing the TBC channel.

Seokhwan Hyung, who sat next to Woojoo, had a tablet PC and two phones, browsing various communities and real-time comments.

Woojoo wanted to talk to him, but he looked so focused that he left him alone.

He was also busy being called here and there.

“Woojoo!”

“Honey, the kids don’t like it when you talk to them like that.”

“Woojoo, sir! Come here.”

Junghyun’s father took out a large ceramic bottle and said he had something for him.

It looked like a genuine antique, but he laughed heartily.

“This is a precious liquor. Junghyun always says he owes you, so I brought this as a gift. Want a drink?”

“Well, sir…”

“Dad, Woojoo can’t drink.”

“Really? Why?”

“He has low al… what’s that, ah, alcohol dehydrogenase.”

Woojoo almost said alcohol idiot, a term they used among themselves, but Bijoo poked him in the ribs to stop him.

Rihyuk had taught him about alcohol dehydrogenase.

Everyone laughed, and his father made a tsk sound.

“That’s too bad. You’re missing out on half of life if you can’t drink. Well, I guess I’ll have to drink it myself,” he said, humming a tune as he popped the bottle open.

Jiho’s father, who had been eyeing the bottle, came over.

His wife also offered Woojoo a glass, and she looked excited at the mention of the precious liquor, like a girl going on a picnic.

While the glasses were going back and forth, Woojoo was talking to people, but he focused his eyes on one person.

It was their Kim Deoksoon.

His grandmother, who was hard to say had a good personality even as a joke, had no affinity.

If left alone, she would just sip water awkwardly.

So Woojoo was worried and watching her, but…

“Grandma, try this crab. The shell might be hard, but it’s really delicious.”

“Can you hear the TV sound well? If not, I’ll turn up the volume for you. Yes, yes, louder? Just a moment.”

“You look uncomfortable with the cushion. I think I need to put another one under you.”

It was his part to take care of her as a grandson, but somehow the other family members stepped up and cared for her.

They talked to her with a smile, gave up the side dishes they liked, and checked if there was anything uncomfortable.

In response, his grandmother smiled all the time.

Woojoo was flustered.

They all looked at her with a mix of liking and gratitude.

What was this?

Did she secretly learn some black magic to lure people?

Seokhwan Hyung asked Woojoo, seeing him with a bewildered expression, “What’s wrong?”

“They all seem to be nice to my grandmother.”

“Oh. That.”

Seokhwan Hyung smiled as if he remembered something.

Then he told Woojoo the whole story.

***

5 hours ago.

In the conference room of Lemon Entertainment, where the family gathered, Director Yoon Seokhwan started the presentation.

The family read the leaflets carefully as he explained the company’s financial status and the affiliated celebrities with PPT slides.

It was a serious atmosphere, as it was related to their son and brothers.

Director Yoon said, “This is what we told you at the year-end evaluation. Now, I’ll tell you about the most curious thing, the kids’ activities and settlements.”

The slide changed.

The achievements that New Black had achieved since February this year were listed.

Four crowns of music shows with the collaboration song Something, various awards and four consecutive weeks of music chart number one, etc.

Then came the album sales of the first album that exceeded expectations and the music chart performance of ‘Fireworks’ and ‘Night Sea’.

And Around the World With Dice’s ads that are popular on SNS.

“Any questions?”

The family raised their hands and asked what they were curious about.

Every time, an answer came back.

“Something was composed by the leader, Woojoo, so we had a say in the activity. If not, the gap in popularity would have made the distribution of profits very narrow…”

“Between? Woojoo came up with the idea, and our A&R team supported it to complete the song.”

“The reason why the members’ names are in the lyrics of Fireworks is because Woojoo wanted to compose with his brothers. He is currently working on the second album with Jiho.”

“Yes, Around the World With Dice is real, not edited. Woojoo actually made the basketball shot.”

The family blinked their eyes.

They never imagined that one member would have such a big impact on New Black’s successful debut.

CEO Wang Hyuntak laughed.

“Our kid always calls me and says that he would have had a hard time without that guy… He really saved his life.”

“Oh, our son said the same thing.”

“I thought he was our brother’s girlfriend at first. He always said Woojoo, Woojoo on Skype.”

“Our kids owe him a lot. Really.”

When someone said thank you, Grandma Kim Deoksoon waved her hand.

“Oh, what did he do so much? They are all good-natured and worked hard to get there.”

…she said, but her lips were smiling happily.

The other families laughed.

It was a harmonious atmosphere.

They had seen their sons go through a slump for almost two years, after three members left before their seven-member debut.

They even urged their sons to give up on being idols.

But everything changed after the evaluation at the end of last year.

Their sons, who had been half-depressed, smiled brightly and called them every day with happy voices, bragging about what they did today.

It was obvious who made that change possible.

Director Yoon smiled and said, “Now, I’ll talk to you about the settlement. Our company pays not quarterly, but semi-annually. I’ll send you the statement later, but so far it’s like this.”

The families looked puzzled at the amount that would be paid to the members.

Junghyun’s father tilted his head.

“Is that right? I’ve heard about how this industry works, but don’t they usually get paid after two or three years?”

“That’s usually the case. They have to pay off the album production costs and training expenses, but our company has a solid financial structure and the CEO has a philosophy that ‘this is the company’s profit and loss, the artists should get paid for what they work for’.”

“Oh…”

“We may not know about other aspects, but we take care of the settlement better than the four major agencies.”

The parents, who were not affiliated with Lemon Entertainment, felt a growing affection for the company.

At the same time, they felt grateful to Woojoo again.

This time, it was for a different reason.

When the members’ families turned their warm eyes to someone’s grandmother again, Yoon Seokhwan smiled quietly.

***

…That was Seokhwan Hyung’s story.

“Of course.”

Woojoo nodded.

“Money is the best.”

“…Did you really listen to what I said?”

Woojoo smiled silently and picked up a well-cooked meat.

He dipped it in the sauce and ate it. The charcoal smell and the savory aroma stimulated his nose.

The flower sirloin with a little blood oozing out was a taste that made the world look beautiful.

“Wow, this is awesome!”

The youngest raised his thumb and whined from afar, and everyone laughed.

“Hey, it’s me. President Kim. Our son is going to be on TV soon. Yeah, Around the World With Dice. Don’t miss it.”

“Yes, Mom. You just need to turn on the TV. No, not PBS. TBC. T! B! C! The program with Woo Jaeyong.”

“Oh, how have you been, Congressman? My son is going to be on TV.”

The family was busy preparing for the broadcast, surrounded by soju and beer bottles.

The parents made a round of phone calls, and the siblings were busy moving their fingers.

… Woojoo was nervous.

As the logo of Around the World With Dice appeared on the top right corner of the TV screen, his heart pounded.

Woojoo was already nervous enough when they watched it together, but with the family around, it was twice as bad.

Woojoo had nothing to do with his hands, so he grabbed Mrs. Kim Deoksoon’s hand.

“Hold my left hand. You need your right hand to eat meat.”

“…I’m not holding it because I’m stingy.”

Woojoo didn’t have any appetite for meat, so he put down his chopsticks and moved closer to the TV screen.

Then someone wrapped their arm around his neck from behind.

“Hyung, I’m so nervous. I bragged to my sisters and mom and dad that we’re going to be on a lot, but what if the PD edited everything out and said we’re no fun?”

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen. Besides, Jiho.”

“Yeah.”

“Wipe the red pepper powder off your lips.”

“…Oh.”

His face was so pale that the stain on his lips was clear.

Bijoo took out a tissue and wiped Jiho’s mouth.

“Jiho, why did you get so messy?”

“It was so delicious that I couldn’t maintain my dignity.”

“Hyung, don’t wipe him like that. He’ll get spoiled.”

“Rihyuk, you’re making him feel weird with your smile.”

They chuckled as they saw Rihyuk smile at Junghyun’s remark. Junghyun exclaimed.

“This is what hypocrisy is.”

“Yeah, hypocrites.”

“Be quiet, everyone. I haven’t forgotten what you said earlier. I’ll get back at you later.”

“You and Jiho always talk about revenge whenever you get a chance.”

Woojoo stuck out his tongue, and the siblings blinked.

Bijoo laughed and said, “Actually, you do it the most, Hyung.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You always say you’ll give us less parts in the songs when we tease you for being old.”

“Well… that’s more about action than words. I don’t really take revenge, do I?”

Bijoo tilted his head.

“Then what about Seo Jihyung Sunbae-nim?”

“Oh, the show is starting. Turn up the volume.”

The youngest used the remote app to turn up the volume.

As the slurping sound of the ramen commercial by the Ye Heechan and Ye Heeyeon siblings played, Woojoo realized something strange.

“When did you guys get here?”

They were all with their families, but when Woojoo came to his senses, they were surrounding him.

Bijoo whispered, “It was too embarrassing to watch with our parents.”

“I don’t mind that, but… according to a study in England, this is how we feel psychologically stable.”

“So that’s why you’re blushing. You’re feeling better now.”

“I’m really smiling because of Yein. Everyone at home won’t leave me alone when I go back.”

“Huh? You said home, Rihyuk Hyung.”

They laughed and chatted, and the other family members smiled as they saw them huddled together like meerkats.

Bijoo’s mother came over and took a photo of them with her phone, saying they were cute.

They pretended to get along for a while, then bickered after she left.

The broadcast was about to start.

-Thump thump… I’m watching TV right now. Aah!! They’re our kids, but why am I nervous?

-Heart, calm down.

-They’ll do well, right? The preview looked like they had a lot of screen time.

-Ah… I don’t care if it’s boring, just show their faces a lot.

-Agreed. Welfare is not far away. Producers, our kids’ faces are the welfare.

In the fan cafe chat room, their Soufflés were gathered to comfort each other’s nervousness, and the community was buzzing with people who were interested in the special guests.

The Team C group chat was also lively with Heysion, Maxi, and Ye Heeyeon sending messages.

And then, the broadcast began.

Woojoo thought it would start right from the opening, but it began with the scenes of the guests arriving.

Han Yeoreum and Bae Younghoon arrived first, followed by New Black, and then people started to flock in.

They exchanged conversations and relaxed their nerves.

There were so many guests that they only got a brief glimpse, but in the middle, there was a scene of them playing the 369 game.

Some comments like ‘What are they doing ㅋㅋ’ popped up on the portal’s real-time comment window.

Then the opening started.

They introduced themselves one by one, and when they greeted the TV, our parents clapped.

It felt strange.

Embarrassing but proud.

Mrs. Kim Deoksoon looked at Woojoo on the screen with a smug smile, and when he winked at her, she frowned.

So prickly.

-Wow… They’re all handsome.

-Top-notch visuals.

-Can they sing well?

Right away, Rihyuk and Woojoo sang Night Sea.

The guests clapped on TV, and their family cheered and clapped.

It was like cheering for a soccer game.

The broadcast went smoothly.

Woojoo thought the editing would be chaotic with 30 people, but it wasn’t.

It was like a movie, with natural scene transitions.

The conversations that took place in each car were seamlessly connected.

In their case, the story of his blunder that Jiho told came out.

The internet reaction was not very good.

-Ugh… What…ㅋ They’re on for a long time again.

-I let it slide last time… But they’re kind of boringㅋㅋ

-I felt it from the opening, but they’re getting a lot of screen time, aren’t they??

As soon as the first mission started, the complaints disappeared.

The scene of Woojoo and Rihyuk cleaning was quite funny, and more importantly, it was thanks to the highlight of the mission to get the ingredients.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋ black goat

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-What is that ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

It was an episode of Junghyun and the black goat Daegil.

As the scene of the humans being chased by the black goat appeared, ‘ㅋ’ started pouring out from everywhere, such as the community, SNS, and the comment section.

Especially when Junghyun put a wrestling choke on Daegil to save him from being hit by a car, it was completely hilarious.

Their family who watched it offline also laughed their stomachs out.

-That’s really ㅋㅋㅋㅋ today’s best scene for real

-Wow, ㅋㅋㅋㅋI spat out my beer laughing

-I cried from laughing

The comments were positive.

And it seemed that the way they looked at them became more generous because of that.

-They are really funny too ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I thought the kid who likes cleaning was a bit funny, but the goat was really a blast

-[Breaking news] Daegil turns out to be good at anger management

-Daegil is really carrying ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

The amount of their side that came out afterwards was also quite good.

It was nice that the youngest was joking with the adults, and Rihyuk’s cleaning geek side also got some attention.

Especially when Bijoo was cooking, it was great.

They said he looked like he had some cooking experience, and he was on people’s lips along with Seo Jihyung and Han Yeoreum from Team A.

Their parents were proud and so was Woojoo.

Woojoo was sad that their kids didn’t get to shine until now, but it felt like people were recognizing them.

Woojoo wanted to shout out loud with a loudspeaker in the neighborhood that his kids are good at this and that, but it felt refreshing as if his chest was cleared.

His amount was small, but he didn’t care about that.

As he thought that.

When the guests came in to the village hall while doing the cooking mission, Woojoo’s worried face was close-up on TV.

-Hyung, what’s wrong?

-Earlier, I met an old man and he said he would definitely come. But he hasn’t come yet…

Did he look that gloomy?

His face was on the camera, making a depressed expression with his chin clenched.

…Why were they focusing on him?

As several cars came in outside the village hall, the guests buzzed and went outside.

And then.

When he saw Grandpa Kang Munsik getting out of the car, his face showed genuine joy.

“Wow, Hyung’s expression…”

Was that him?

His face, which made people feel happy just by looking at it, was somehow embarrassing.

But the internet reaction was very good.

Their fans were dancing with their shoulders, and on the internet, there were comments asking what his name was, and screenshots.

While Woojoo was feeling awkward, the broadcast continued.

It felt like the tension was released.

With Woojoo’s scene being the last one, he had wrapped up his thoughts on today’s broadcast.

It might have been just a feeling, but he had a hunch…

He wasn’t the only one. The adults who had been watching the TV screen with bated breath started to drink and chat while checking their smartphones. Even Mrs. Kim Deoksoon, their landlady, began to pick at her food with chopsticks.

Everyone’s expression was subtle.

They must have felt the same as Woojoo, having some certainty after seeing the broadcast length.

It was when the second mission had passed, and the preview for the second part tomorrow had aired.

The only sound in the eerie silence of the barbecue restaurant was the charcoal burning.

Ziiing-

The phones of everyone in this place started to ring at the same time.