In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Chapter 125:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 125

Chapter 19. A Song for You

Tap tap.

Woojoo woke up from a half-asleep state.

Tap tap.

Something unknown was tapping on his thigh where the blanket was lifted.

At first, he ignored it and turned over, but it kept attacking his body persistently.

He met eyes with Rihyuk through the fence of the bunk bed. He was hitting his body with a long sturdy clip stick in his hand.

“…What is it?”

“You asked me to wake you up.”

“Ugh…”

“Get up, quick. You have to go to the reserve forces today.”

The clip stick moved toward his head and made a clacking sound.

Woojoo flipped over the blanket.

“Just five more minutes.”

“No way. Bijoo Hyung told you to get up, now.”

He immediately started making a crazy clacking sound outside the blanket like he was popping castanets.

“…”

Woojoo was fully awake.

When he came out to the living room, Bijoo was wearing an apron and cooking diligently, and Rihyuk hung the clip stick on the living room hanger.

Woojoo was so tired that he lay down on the sofa and closed his eyes.

Clack! Clack, clack!

It was annoying.

“Ugh…”

“Come on, get up. Why are you so sluggish?”

“I stayed up all night…”

“Again?”

“You know how busy I am with the final work with the A&R team staff.”

Woojoo scratched his head and got up.

Lately, he had been working all night with the A&R team composers almost every day.

He didn’t know how the schedule would be, but at least the title song had to be finished before the comeback in a month.

The schedule was pretty tight.

But thanks to this effort, the A&R team agreed to do the final work while he was away for training for two nights and three days.

The only thing left was the mobilization training.

Dragging his tired body, he finished washing up and came out, and Rihyuk had laid out the items in his backpack in a row.

“Toothpaste, towel, socks…”

“What about the kids?”

“They probably left around 4 o’clock.”

“They left early.”

Junghyun and Jiho left the shop early in the morning to record Animal Friends, a show produced by TBC.

It was a mess last night.

They said they would prepare for the variety show and asked Woojoo to play the role of Daegil, so he charged at them like an angry black goat.

“I wonder how they’ll do.”

“Well, if they stick together, they’ll definitely get a lot of content. I’m more worried about me and Bijoo Hyung.”

Rihyuk pointed to the camera on the living room floor.

It was a camera they received to make a daily VCR for the reality show.

This was Bijoo and Rihyuk’s schedule.

Making a VCR at the dorm while Woojoo went to training and Junghyun and Jiho filmed the variety show.

“Well, you’ll do fine.”

“Enough with the empty consolation. Here, check the items on the list. I’ve checked them all.”

“Thanks.”

Woojoo looked around the list of ‘items needed for the reserve forces’ written in Gothic font.

As he checked them one by one, Rihyuk brought out a box from the room.

“…?”

“I looked it up on the internet, and they said you have a lot of time left when you go to the reserve forces. So I thought I’d lend you a few books.”

Woojoowas touched in the midst of his sleepiness.

He said he would lend Woojoo his stuff, which he would make a fuss about if he touched.

“Why are you twinkling your eyes? Don’t make me feel bad. I’m just lending them to you because I pity you.”

“I know, Hyung knows how you feel. Oogoo.”

“Ah, stop being so annoying. Don’t look at me like you think I’m cute.”

“Okay, okay.” Woojoo said with a smile, “Then give me some recommendations. You know a lot about books, right?”

As soon as Woojoo said that, Rihyuk’s eyes lit up and he started to list the recommended books.

How about this one, or that one.

Woojoo honestly felt like he would be too busy sleeping, but it was nice to see him so excited and chatty.

He listened to his explanations and casually picked two books to put in his bag.

Then, Woojoo heard a sweet voice.

“Come and eat.”

On a table spread in one corner of the dorm, there was a feast.

From soybean paste stew to simple meat dishes.

“Wow, I feel like I became a king in the Joseon era.”

Their housewife, who was wearing an apron, nodded his head at Woojoo’s impressed expression.

He looked determined.

“I saw that you guys were eating really bad food, so I decided to make you some home-cooked meals.”

“Wow.”

“I chose the side dishes that you like, Hyung.”

“I’m touched, really.”

Even their Kim Deoksoon lady didn’t do this much for him. Woojoo took a spoonful of the stew and felt moved.

“Bijoo.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll miss you the most.”

“Me too, Hyung. I’ll miss you a lot.”

“No, I’ll miss you more.”

“No, I will.”

Rihyuk, who was watching their back-and-forth, shook his head as if he lost his appetite.

Meanwhile, Woojoo felt a strange emptiness as they ate.

It was like the audio was muted.

Rihyuk seemed to catch that feeling too.

“It’s so quiet. I can’t hear Junghyun Hyung’s sniffling, or Wang Jiho’s gulping. This is…”

Bijoo and Woojoo nodded silently, and then Rihyuk continued, “It’s peaceful and nice.”

“…”

They nodded again, looking at him smiling contentedly. Then they exchanged some normal comments.

“It’s a bit lonely.”

“Yeah, it’s quiet.”

“We’ll have more individual schedules from now on, so we’ll have to get used to this, right?”

“Yeah, we will.”

Woojoo said with a smile, “It’s a shame. It would be more delicious if we ate together.”

They had that conversation and finished two bowls of rice.

Woojoo put on his military uniform, which felt loose after dieting since debut, and then wore his boots.

Bijoo handed him a bundle.

“What’s this?”

“Hyung. I packed you a lunch box.”

“Lunchbox?”

He had been working hard on something since earlier, and it turned out to be a lunchbox.

But personal lunchboxes were not allowed.

Woojoo gestured to Rihyuk, who was about to say something behind the smiling guy, to keep quiet.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t shake it or anything. It’s shaped. Hyung.”

“Got it.”

What kind of character lunchbox was it?

Woojoo wondered as he left the dorm.

***

Two weeks later, on the first episode of HBS MTV reality show ‘It’s the New Black’

Inside the car driven by the manager

Woojoo: (close to the camera) Hello, viewers.

Manager: Wow

Woojoo: You are watching the first idol to go to the reserve forces in the history of idol reality shows.

Manager: Wow

Woojoo: Hyung, put some more soul into the sound effects.

Manager: Woo-wow

The comments flowed between the two laughing men. The members in the studio below the screen were shown.

(Rihyuk) Wow. They’re really laughing like crazy.

(Jiho) The military uniform is so pretty. Do they sell that too?

(Woojoo) Wait a little longer. The country will give it to you.

The scene changed again, showing Woojoo sighing heavily as he looked out the window.

Woojoo: (deep sigh)

Manager: What’s wrong?

Woojoo: I’m nervous because it’s my first time going to the reserve forces.

Manager: I see.

Woojoo: Do you shoot a lot of guns there?

Manager: No, just once.

Woojoo: If you have any tips, please share them with me.

Manager: I don’t know any tips, but just sleep well there. You look very tired.

Woojoo: No, I’ll do my best.

As soon as the 10-second countdown marked by the subtitles ended, Woojoo started to doze off.

The other members were laughing uproariously with embarrassed Woojoo at the bottom of the screen.

Manager: We’re almost there. The training ground is close.

Woojoo: (holding out a bundle) Hyung, can you keep this for me?

Manager: What is it?

Woojoo: Bijoo said he packed me a lunchbox, but I don’t think I can bring it in… Oh, I feel so sorry. He said he made a character lunchbox.

Manager: Character?

Woojoo: Just a sec. (He carefully untied the bundle and opened the lid) Maybe, something like Pikachu.

He opened the lunchbox with hopeful eyes, and there was a soldier mascot with spiky hair holding up a thumb.

Woojoo: (trying to stay calm)

Manager: What is that?

Woojoo: (Forced smile) I’m the mascot of the Military Manpower Administration…

***

[The rookie idol who made a character lunch box for the leader going to the reserve forces.jpg]

Woojoo’s high-quality but unnecessary lunch box and his expression management for the broadcast are the killing points

-Is that spiky-haired guy the mascot of the Military Manpower Administration??

-Yeah, that’s why my mom and sister hate him so much ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-I sent this screenshot to my cousin and he freaked out… He asked if it was a lunch box made by Satan

-It’s really high-quality though ㅋㅋㅋ

-‘Trying to stay calm’ ㅋ That caption is perfect

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋWhat is he doing in a reality show going to the reserve forces

-It feels familiar now ㅋWhen I see a weird title of a rookie promotion post in the stone category, I enter with the thought that it’s New Black

-22222 ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-333 This is real ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-They’ve been on the rise since they appeared on Around the World With Dice. I see them everywhere these days.

-I’m a New Black fan, so please watch Animal Friends this weekend! They meet the black goat again!

***

Yeongcheon County.

Junghyun and Jiho, who visited the village where Around the World With Dice was filmed again, were walking around with the production crew of Animal Friends.

The villagers who returned to their daily lives after the holiday welcomed them.

“Are you filming again?”

“Yes! We came to see Daegil!”

They stopped the tractor on the dirt road and greeted them, and waved their hands while working in the fields.

“Oh, my back. Why did you two come this time?”

“The show was really fun. But the PD cut me out so well when I appeared, ugh… Junghyun was on a lot though.”

“Will this camera show us if we greet it?”

The villagers, who had tasted the broadcast once, had a different attitude towards the camera.

And Jiho and Junghyun got along well with the villagers.

“Grandmaaa!”

“What.”

“Take this!”

The villagers burst into laughter at the sight of Jiho throwing a heart at the elderly who were working in the fields.

The villagers thanked Junghyun, who helped them carry their luggage on their way home.

Meanwhile, the villagers welcomed the two members and asked about the others.

“Did the guy who gives good massages come?”

“He went to the reserve forces.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. My back was straightened after I got his massage last time.”

“You’re bending over right now?”

“Hey! Don’t talk back to an adult. Anyway, I was so grateful that I thought I should give him something.”

The others were the same.

They mentioned the other members every time they met someone, and most of them said they had something to give them later and asked them to come to their house.

At that, Jiho and Junghyun looked up at the sky as they walked to Daegil’s house.

“People are looking for Woojoo Hyung a lot.”

“So, we should have gotten a massage too, huh?”

“I guess so.”

“Let’s get a massage after the shoot. I brought our photo book with me, so I can show it to each massage therapist.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea.”

They smiled happily to themselves, then looked up at the sky with a gloomy expression.

“I miss the kids. And Woojoo Hyung too.”

“Me too.”

The production staff laughed as they watched them wave their hands towards the blue sky.

They felt like they had to add some CG effects of the other members’ faces in the sky.

“But, Woojoo Hyung is doing well there, right?”

“Don’t worry. He became the leader in just a month after meeting us. He’s the kind of person who can sell electric blankets in the desert and succeed.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right.”

“Then, I guess I don’t have to worry.”

They looked at each other and giggled.

They only worried about their leader for 10 seconds, then changed the topic.

“Jiho, what do you want to eat at the rest stop tonight?”

“How about tornado potatoes?”

“Deal. And popcorn chicken?”

“Deal. Ah, I’m so excited. Hyung, Hyung, let’s destroy the rest stop tonight.”

The production staff could only swallow their laughter as they watched them talk about their dinner menu when it was still morning.

They walked arm in arm, looking like a perfect pair.

***

At the same time, Gangnam-Seocho Reserve Training Center.

The soldiers in charge of serving food glanced at the celebrity among the reservists.

‘He’s really handsome.’

Woojoo, was it?

He was a member of an idol group that became famous after appearing on Around the World With Dice.

He seemed to have made friends already, as he chatted and laughed with the people around him. Every time he did, the surroundings seemed to brighten up.

An outstanding appearance.

But the soldier who was serving food didn’t feel like he was a celebrity.

Rather, something else…

As he thought that, Woojoo finally picked up a tray.

And then.

He looked at the tray with a blank expression and parted his lips.

It was a pleasant voice that sounded good in the ears.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, Sunbae-nim.”

“Can I have some more sausages?”

His white finger pointed at the sausage and vegetable stir-fry.

The soldier answered, “Sunbae-nim, we’re serving fixed portions right now…”

“Ah, really?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Ugh…”

Muttering a familiar sound of annoyance, the idol member moved on to the next cell.

“Give me more sausages.”

As he served the other reservists, the food handler realized what he was feeling.

The rich and relaxed expressions of the others.

The casual way they walked.

He blinked his eyes as he watched the figure disappear in the distance.

‘What the hell.’

He was just a senior sergeant.

***

While Jiho and Junghyun were playing with the black goat mascot and high-fiving, Woojoo, who had returned to his perfect senior mode, was eating his meal.

In the peaceful dorm, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons was playing from the Bluetooth speaker.

Rihyuk smiled contentedly as he read a book.

‘Good. So good.’

It was a rare moment of peace.

There was no childish prankster, nor the two fools who followed him. It was a peaceful moment.

He chuckled happily and turned the page. Then he spoke to the reality cam installed on the sofa armrest.

“Hello. This is Seo Rihyuk’s ‘The Man Who Reads Books’ time. Today’s book is a classic that Koreans should listen to. To match that, I also played some classical music… What are you doing, Hyung?”

Bijoo was sweating as he took out a kimchi jar from the fridge.

He came to his senses and saw that the living room was covered with newspapers.

“Hyung. What are you doing?”

“The manager said to make some reality content while the others are broadcasting, right?”

“So I’m working hard, well, very, very well, filming right now. Introducing books in a radio concept…”

“We should do something together.”

“How about we do our own thing today, since we’re apart?”

“I like doing things together.”

“…”

“Woojoo Hyung is not here, Junghyun is not here, Jiho is not here…”

“Hey, fine! Fine!”

As soon as he said he wanted to play separately, the second oldest’s face turned gloomy. Rihyuk sighed deeply.

He was fine with the other members, but why did his heart soften when this Hyung acted like this?

Of course, Rihyuk, who sighed and sat on the newspaper, did not notice the subtle smile on Bijoo’s face.

Rihyuk put on plastic gloves and asked, “So what are we going to do?”

“I’m going to make some kimchi dumplings. Junghyun’s mom sent us some fresh kimchi last time.”

“Are we going to eat that for dinner?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s just order some. Use the delivery app.”

“No way.”

Rihyuk swallowed his tears at the firm refusal.

He thought he would rest comfortably in the dorm, but there was a final boss waiting for him.

“Sigh…”

As Rihyuk resigned himself to reality and explained the origin of the dumplings made to the reality cam, Bijoo struggled to open the kimchi jar.

“Hrrrgh!”

“…?”

“Hrrrgh!”

“Hyung, is it not opening?”

The kimchi jar that was supposed to open by twisting was tightly sealed.

Rihyuk stepped in, looking at his flustered second older brother.

“Let me try. I’ll do it, this is just open…”

“Open?”

“Why is it not opening? Hrrgh, hraaah!”

Bijoo burst into laughter, flipping his stomach, as Rihyuk frowned in embarrassment.

“Hyung, don’t laugh and help me.”

“Okay.”

The two joined forces to grab the lid of the kimchi jar.

“Let’s try to open it on the count of three.”

“Okay. One, two, three!”

“Hraaah!”

“Hraaaaah!”

Five minutes later.

“It’s not working. This thing.”

“Yeah, it’s hard.”

Ten minutes later.

“Hraah!”

“Open up, sesameee!”

“Ugh, this damn kimchi jar!”

“That won’t work. Rihyuk.”

“Why?”

“You have to say nice things to it. I saw on the internet that water becomes prettier when you say nice things to it.”

“That’s all nonsense, Hyung.”

“Oh, really?”

“Hyung, you have to filter what you hear on the internet. 90 percent of it is a scam.”

With that, the two members grunted and held onto the kimchi jar.

But the kimchi jar was as impregnable as a fortress.

“How can two men not open this one thing?”

“Yeah. Usually… ah.”

Something flashed through the two members’ minds.

They realized that every time they had to use their strength at the dorm, the others had taken care of it.

‘Hyung, why can’t you lift that? Hey, let me do it.’

‘Bijoo. You look like a pretty boy with a thin waist when you lift that heavy thing. Aah!’

‘Geez, you guys can’t do anything.’

As they saw the faces of the members who said those words spinning in front of their eyes, the two members discovered the cruel truth.

“We… we were the weakest ones…”

The main dancer, who had explosive strength when dancing but was skinny otherwise, and the main vocal, who hated moving his body at all.

“How much do you weigh, Hyung?”

“I’m 49 kilograms. What about you?”

“I’m 57.”

“Well, I’m 60 if I round up.”

“Me too, I’m 60 if I round up.”

“…”

“Hyung, this is not the time to talk about this.”

“Ah.”

Bijoo looked at the unopened kimchi jar with a sullen expression.

“…I miss Woojoo Hyung. He would have watched a YouTube video and told us how to do it.”

“Let’s not give up and try it ourselves.”

“Us?”

“Why can’t we? We just have to watch a YouTube video on how to open a kimchi jar and follow it.”

“Ooh.”

Three minutes later.

“Aaaargh!”

“Ugh, ugh, ugh! Open! Open up! How can you not open after all this?”

“Rihyuk! Don’t scream! You’re disturbing the neighbors!”

“You’re screaming too, Hyung! Aaaargh! Why isn’t this working… I did exactly what the video said… Ugh!”

The two members started to struggle with the lid of the kimchi jar.

Meanwhile, the camera silently blinked its red light, capturing their pathetic scene.