In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

It was the question I wanted to ask as soon as I heard his words.

The project.

What kind of project would a famous Hollywood director do with a foreign singer on the other side of the earth?

“Do you know about the movie I’m making?”

“I watched your interview, sir.”

Actually, I didn’t have enough time to do proper research because I was called right after I heard the meeting request.

There was no information in Korean, so I only read the articles in English.

I didn’t know much, but I wanted to show what we had studied.

“I was really impressed by the musical ‘Nostalgia’ that was popular on Broadway in the early 2000s. I saw an interview where you said you wanted to make it into a movie someday.”

“Do you also know about the original work?”

“Yes.”

Rihyuk, who took over the baton, spoke in fluent English.

“A man who was tired of all kinds of misfortune wandered around, and one day he got a job as a library security guard…”

But the library was under a spell.

It was what happened when the protagonist, who was on night patrol, opened a book called ‘Nostalgia’ that he found in an old bookcase.

His body shrank and the library became a huge maze, and the books that had been quiet until then began to breathe.

Things that were only in books poured out.

The desert spread out, and mountains and seas appeared.

The protagonist, who was chased by terrifying monsters, decided to find the ‘Nostalgia’ that had disappeared to get the answer to this situation.

Along the way, he met the characters he liked when he was young and became friends and went on adventures.

At the same time, he contemplated the meaning of life, which was the content of the original work.

“That’s right.”

John Edwards, the director, smiled.

He seemed to like the synopsis that Rihyuk summarized. The distribution staff who sat next to him also showed a satisfied smile.

The younger siblings who didn’t know English and smiled brightly also said ‘oh’ and clapped their hands with joy at the story that the interpreter told them.

“The content has changed quite a bit as I adapted it into a movie, but for now, knowing that much will make the story easier.”

The middle-aged man on the screen unfolded his legs and brought up the main point.

“The project I want to propose to New Black is a cover video of the main OST.”

“Cover?”

“I made an original song that wasn’t in the original musical when I adapted it into a movie. As part of the marketing, I plan to release it as a video before the release.”

Then I understood what he wanted to do.

It seemed to be the same promotional method as the animation that was a huge hit in our country last year.

Releasing the OST in advance to stimulate the curiosity of the audience.

“I want to go one step further and have cover songs translated into the language of that country when the original song comes up.”

John Edwards, the director, said.

“Language has magic. No matter how good the song is, if you don’t know the lyrics, it’s only half. I want people to listen to this song sung in the language of each country and be curious about my movie.”

“I understand what you mean.”

“Please understand that I take this project seriously.”

We also became serious at his serious expression.

“Especially in a country like Korea, it’s a place that can’t be left out of marketing, so I’ve been working hard to select a singer to cover. At first, the distribution side recommended Cha Woo Hyun? Someone like that.”

“He’s a very famous vocalist in Korea. He’s also great at singing.”

He nodded his head with a smile.

“I heard that too. I saw his performance video on Mitube and he was really energetic. But he’s not the voice color we want…”

“You want a younger voice.”

“Right. The age of the protagonist became younger when I adapted it.”

He seemed to think that the heavy voice of Cha Woo Hyun, the senior, didn’t match.

“Uh-huh.”

As soon as he heard the reply, Rihyuk started to turn into a mushy tomato in an instant.

He covered his mouth with his hand and said, ‘Me… me…’ The staff laughed at his expression.

Director Edwards added sarcastically.

“By the way, I forgot to tell you this. He said he’s shy about compliments, so he’ll be embarrassed if you relay them to him.”

“Uh, um…”

Rihyuk flapped his hands like a penguin, trying to cool down his flushed face with a hand fan.

We helped him by fanning him too, but Jiho made him blush again by giving him a thumbs up and saying, ‘Number one teenage vocal.’

I felt proud as I looked at Rihyuk, who didn’t know what to do with his embarrassment.

He was really good.

Even in dance-oriented songs that were hard to show off his vocal skills, he was the one who got praised by other fans for having ‘three lungs as the main vocal of New Black.’

Whenever he grabbed the microphone in the Song Discovery Squad, he created the highlight of our performance that day.

“Yes. Rihyuk is good.”

“Hmm…”

“He is our main vocal.”

Rihyuk looked incredulous at our faces, which were smiling proudly.

Then, the tomato that had been crying with embarrassment started to laugh.

While Rihyuk was returning to normal, I thought of Cha Woo Hyun, who was not in his seat.

He was amazing.

He flatly refused the song offered by the Hollywood film company, saying it didn’t suit his voice. It was not something a normal person could do.

I would have clung to their legs and said, ‘I’ll change my voice for you!’

I felt grateful to the senior singer who gave us the opportunity, along with human respect.

“Have you calmed down a bit?”

“Yes.”

Director Edwards said with a smile.

“Mr. Cha’s recommendation was there, but it wasn’t just because of that. After hearing the story about the universe, I got curious and searched on YouTube.”

“Did you watch our videos?”

“There were a lot of interesting things.”

Interesting?

“Did you really light this fire?”

“Pfft!”

I almost spat out the water I was drinking.

It was because of the scene from the ‘History Exploration Squad’ that Director Edwards showed us on his smartphone screen.

The scene where Junghyun and I lit a fire with a stick made the distribution company staff burst into laughter, and we choked on the sound.

“I didn’t even notice the time passing because there were subtitles. I’m interested in the history of other countries. Is this something that really happened?”

“Yes, it’s called the Military Coup…”

It was the content where the youngest of the military officers, holding a hammer, harassed the tattooed seniors, saying, ‘Are you the only ones who can talk?’

Every time Jiho hit Bi Ju’s back with a thud, I felt dizzy.

‘Why is that there?’

‘Why is the History Exploration Squad on the phone of a strange Hollywood director?’

‘Very pleased.’

Except for the dung beetle, who had no shame at all, we all had a bewildered expression on our faces.

No. Why… no, no. No.

I was confused.

It felt like someone had found a diary that didn’t exist and read it in front of me.

When we talked among ourselves, we would say, ‘Wow, history!’ ‘Exploration squad!’ and clap and laugh, but what should I say? It felt embarrassing to hear a foreigner talk about it.

Our goal was to keep the lid on it.

“It’s really fun. My daughter is majoring in East Asian history at college, so I recommended it to her.”

“…”

“Our staff also enjoyed it.”

One thing was proven here.

The History Exploration Squad, which was made for domestic use, also appealed to Americans.

Director Edwards smiled and said to us, who were embarrassed.

“Anyway, there were a lot of videos about New Black. I also liked the fact that you’re a famous singer in Korea. ‘Best of Best?’ I don’t know if that’s the correct translation, but I saw a clip from the TV show…”

The Song Discovery Squad was translated as BoB.

He looked at Rihyuk and said.

“As soon as I heard your voice, I felt that you were the right person. It was like the feeling I get when I audition, when the right person walks in through the door.”

“Wow…”

We brightened up at his sincere words, which were not typical of American lip service.

Then, when he told Rihyuk to ‘hurry up and say yes’, he asked with a slightly worried face.

“Do I… have to do it alone?”

“Of course. It’s a solo song.”

“Uh…”

I could read his mind clearly.

He wanted to do it, but we were in his way.

He was hesitant because he had never done anything personal before.

While the director was waiting for his answer, we four spoke at the same time.

“Let him do it.”

“He’ll do it.”

“He’ll definitely do it.”

Then we all gave him a subtle pressure with our eyes.

‘What are you hesitating for? Just say yes.’

‘Bro, say yes while he’s being nice. It’s a rare opportunity.’

‘You’ll regret it if you don’t.’

Rihyuk finally said ‘Okay’ reluctantly.

John Edwards, the director, said ‘Great’ and was pleased.

We also cheered and patted Rihyuk’s back, who was still smiling awkwardly.

We clapped our hands lightly to celebrate the successful end of the first meeting.

The other side blinked.

“Hmm? It’s not over yet.”

“…?”

“There’s a reason why I wanted to see you all together.”

Wasn’t offering Rihyuk a cover song the end?

We stuck our butts to the chairs that we had just moved and looked curious.

“Is there anything else?”

“There’s one more thing we’re preparing as part of the global marketing.”

“…?”

“There’s a scene in the movie where the protagonist goes to the foreign book corner. We left the sound blank there.”

It seemed like a scene where the foreign books sang in their own languages and made the protagonist dizzy.

“We’re receiving songs from the singers who will sing the cover songs. To increase the promotional effect for each country.”

“Oh…”

“You don’t need to make a whole song, just a few lines briefly. Are you interested?”

“Yes. Of course.”

My chest was burning with a spirit of challenge. The director smiled and said to me with my determined expression.

“Of course, this only applies to the Korean version. You might be left out in other versions. We’re going to choose the best songs for the version that will be released in the US… So there’s no guarantee that you’ll be selected. Just keep that in mind.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Following my answer, my brothers who were looking at me answered the director with confident faces.

“Leave it to us!”

“We’re confident!”

They were more confident than me.

I wasn’t even sure, but I wondered where their confidence came from.

Their heads turned at the same time.

“…?”

‘Me?’ They nodded at my gaze.

Then they looked at me with their sparkling eyes.

‘You can do it, right?’

‘Work hard, Dobby.’

‘Work, Nobby.’

I smiled warmly at the lazy dogs who were dreaming of a free ride.

We got a new project.

Our schedule was already tight due to the album preparation and concert, but we were fairly positive.

“What if we don’t have enough time?”

“We use people!”

“What kind of people?”

“We use experts!”

It was a lesson we learned from our experience.

To produce a good quality product within a given time, we needed to get help from experts in the field.

[I’ll buy you meat. Meet in front of our company! >_<]

I told the A&R team and the composers to come out because I would buy them meat, but no one replied.

So I changed the strategy and went to them directly.

“Direct service~!”

“…Huh.”

“I came directly because you seemed busy!”

“I’m, I’m not hungry…”

I told the people I met about the new musical movie that needed a short OST to be inserted. They all looked amazed.

“A movie from the US…? If it goes well, your voices could be in the international version too?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a great opportunity. What song are you going to cover?”

“I haven’t received it yet. They said they’ll give it to me soon.”

As I explained the project in detail, the A&R team, the composers, and everyone else looked eager.

But no one easily said, ‘I want to do it!’

“Even if there are lyrics, that kind of OST is different from popular music in terms of nuance and atmosphere. It would be better to find someone who is well-versed in that field.”

“An expert?”

“Yeah, like…”

The people who were nibbling on the snacks we brought up mentioned one person who was suitable.

It was Director Kang Beom-seok, who worked with me on the OST of Slip, ‘A Poem About Yesterday’.

He was one of the most experienced people in the OST field.

-Of course!

When I cautiously brought up the need for advice on composition, he readily agreed on the spot.

-Why didn’t you tell me right away when you had such a fun thing?

“I thought you’d be tired if I asked you this and that on the phone.”

-Come on.

“Director, I thought you’d be busy…”

At that point, everyone, from the A&R staff, the composers, to my siblings, glared at me.

-I’m working on a new OST, but, well, I can also ask you for your opinion.

“I’m fine with that. If I can help even a little…”

-Haha. Wow, don’t you feel excited just thinking about the song? Hahaha!

“I’m so excited too!”

We got along well because we had similar musical tastes.

Everyone looked bored, though.

We postponed the detailed schedule discussion and made a rough plan with the company people.

The movie was scheduled to be released in Korea at the end of September and abroad in early October.

We had plenty of time and the part we had to prepare was very short, so we weren’t too worried.

“What about my cover song?”

“Oh, right.”

“Oh right? Oh nooo?”

We looked at each other with our ears twitching.

“Well. Rihyuk will do well on his own…”

“He will.”

“Ri-hwa. Rihyuk fighting.”

“Ah! Seriously…”

We laughed at the sight of him getting annoyed and saying ‘Ah! Ah!’ as we responded indifferently.

He seemed to feel a bit pressured because he had to sing alone.

I understood.

The burden of going solo was incomparable to that of sharing the stage with everyone.

“You’ll do well. No, do well, you.”

“Is that an imperative or a declarative?”

“Declarative.”

“…Hmm, well, okay.”

But we couldn’t reassure him for more than 10 seconds.

“Ah. What do I do? It’s supposed to be a musical-like song, but isn’t it weird for an idol to sing it? Won’t there be 500 hate comments?”

“The hate comments are very detailed. You must have written them.” freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

“Rihyuk doesn’t write hate comments because he curses in front of them.”

Everyone agreed with my words. Only the person in question shouted, ‘What do you mean?’

Seeing his voice shaking enough to make my body vibrate, I wasn’t worried about the quality of the cover song.

As he made one worry after another in real time, we ended up finding an adviser for the cover song as well.

It was Lisa sunbae, who participated in the competition with us in the Hall of Fame.

Thanks to the musical actor who gave advice on vocalization and how to make the musical number shine, Rihyuk was able to regain his stability.

-But it’s strange.

Lisa sunbae tilted her head as she heard the explanation from us.

“What part, sunbae?”

-I know Nostalgia. It wasn’t performed in Korea, but it’s a very famous musical in the English-speaking world. There are many famous songs, but it’s strange that they made the main theme original.

“That is strange.”

It was a thought I had been harboring since I first heard the story.

If it was a famous musical, there would be fans who liked it before.

I was taking a risk by choosing an original song for the main title of the movie adaptation, instead of using one of the famous songs that people loved from the original work.

Not that the original numbers were bad, but the musical songs I heard on MTube were mostly of high quality, worthy of being called masterpieces.

When I searched online, I saw a lot of critical views from the Western world, questioning why we made an original song.

"If this is the reaction, I wonder if the song will even break even…"

"It's exactly as you say. It will break even at best."

It wasn't like we made the song ourselves, we just sang a cover song as part of the promotion and marketing. But I was still worried.

I hoped the project would go well, since I participated in it.

Bijoo said,

"But what if you think about it differently? Maybe the song is so good that it became the title. Right?"

That made sense too.

But every time I played the existing numbers on MTube, I wondered, ‘Is there a better song than this?'

The composer had made billions from Nostalgia.

With that doubt in mind, I was busy preparing for the concert and the new project, when I finally heard the news that the song had arrived.

And we visited the office of the movie distributor ‘Forest' once again.

"Thank you for coming, even though it's a hassle."

"Not at all."

"The director wanted to make sure the security was tight."

It seemed like it was for the sake of security.

As our managers and some staff members sat in the meeting room, a planning team member explained the song to us.

"The song title is ‘Falling Stars'."

"Oh, Falling Stars."

"He said you would like it as soon as you heard it. We did too."

As we looked with anticipation, the planning team member played the audio file.

Somewhere, a calm intro was playing.

As I listened to the pleasant melody, the first verse of the song began.

And then.

"……!"

As soon as I heard the first verse, I realized why the movie director had pushed aside the formidable numbers and adopted the original song.