In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

It was the last track of their debut single, and a song that was arranged to be easy to follow along with Firework.

‘That’s it.’

A smile spread on the lips of the Soufflés.

The sing along version was a song with many meanings.

It was the song they sang when the sound accident happened at their debut showcase.

It was also one of the reasons that New Black was recognized as a ‘talented rookie’ with Ha Seung-ju’s music cafe appearance.

‘Good…’

The Soufflés, who had been with them since Something and their debut, felt a lump in their throats.

Especially the audience who participated in the debut fan showcase.

They remembered the members who were trembling and wide-eyed at the keyword of 200 people.

Wowww—

A huge cheer made them feel thrilled.

The audience, who once were 200 people, were now waving their light sticks as 5,000 people.

‘They’ve grown.’

They didn’t know how to express it, but New Black was bigger than ever.

It felt like seeing the faint and small stars turn into bright and shining stars.

The light that came out of the light sticks and the bright stage lights.

The smiles of the members in the waves of light were imprinted in the eyes of the Soufflés who had been watching them since the beginning.

Everyone who had watched New Black from the start felt the same way.

Among them were the staff.

“Manager, are you crying?”

“Why would I cry? Why are you asking me that?”

Yoon Seokhwan, the manager who was dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief after taking off his glasses, shook his head.

“I just like seeing our kids perform at the concert. Especially…”

“You’ve been watching Woojoo for a long time, right?”

The manager nodded.

He had been with him for a long time since the TJ Enter era.

He was the one who personally saw Woojoo off when he was eliminated from the debut group.

He couldn’t help but feel special when he looked at the leader of New Black who was standing in the center of the stage.

“It’s the same for everyone. I’ve been watching Woojoo for a long time, but also Bijoo, Jung-hyun, Rihyuk, Jiho since they were trainees.”

Scarlet, who came in late, had debuted first. He remembered visiting the practice room to comfort the male trainees.

He said with a smile.

“Why do I feel like my heart is floating when they are the ones singing?”

“Me too, manager.”

“Me, me too…”

The staff laughed at the sight of Do Won-seok, who came in the latest but shed the most tears.

Meanwhile, the staff who were running around the hallway stopped and watched the last stage.

The PR team staff, the stylists, the vocal and dance trainers who came with the venue, they all had the same expression.

“Our snifflers are doing concerts too.”

“Yeah.”

“Look at them smiling. They look so happy in the world.”

The white faces on the screen were smiling brighter and happier than anyone else.

They knew how hard they had prepared for today’s performance since two months ago, losing sleep. They felt proud and honored to have prepared with them.

And that was the same for the people who had spent the longest time with the members.

‘Oh my…’

Kim Deoksoon, the grandmother who was singing along with the members with ‘firework-’, smiled.

It was the first time she saw her grandson’s performance with her own eyes since the end-of-year evaluation or whatever it was.

She had only heard his songs on TV until now.

‘It’s definitely different from watching it on TV.’

She didn’t know when was the last time she heard such a good song that made her skin tingle.

Maybe it was when her daughter and son-in-law performed in Seoul.

Her grandson did well.

She slapped her cheeks every time she heard Woojoo’s voice or when the audience cheered.

‘He’s amazing.’

The world was a strange place.

She remembered how her grandson came back to Gunsan and said, ‘I’m done with being an idol. I’m going to be the successor of the rice bowl restaurant~’ with a smile, and how her pride was shattered.

He was a grandson who couldn’t take his eyes off the music shows on TV even when he was helping out at the restaurant.

She felt sad for her grandson who gave up his dream for a day or two.

And now he was performing in front of so many people.

He said he was going to do this for three days.

Her stubborn mouth loosened a little.

She felt her worries and anxieties about her grandson’s entertainment career gradually fade away.

‘Yes. Things will go well from now on.’

She nodded as she watched Woo Joo smile and make eye contact with each seat in the audience.

Meanwhile, the other family members also had similar reactions.

‘Our youngest was never the type to work hard, but he did so well…’

One family discovered a new side of their youngest son, who used to say ‘I don’t care! Everything is annoying~’.

‘Oh my. I thought he was too weak to do any farming… But he has a talent for singing.’

A large family proudly smiled at the sight of their weakest member getting cheers for his rap.

‘Bro, you look really happy.’

A family felt warmth at the sight of their usually mature person smiling innocently.

“…”

And there were also those who silently looked at someone with a strange expression.

‘What do I do? My brother sings so well…’

Someone’s younger sister had hearts in her eyes as she waved her hands at the main vocal.

‘But Woo Joo is the most handsome.’

She also waved her hands at the leader of New Black.

While the staff and family members reminisced about New Black’s pre-debut days and the long-time fans felt touched.

The sing along stage of Fireworks continued.

The audience naturally sang along as the song was arranged in a more relaxed tempo than the original Fireworks.

Look at our fireworks

(Firework)

The way we light up the night sky

The song of thousands of people in the dark, along with the gentle guitar sound, echoed.

Under the blue light like the sea, the New Black members held their hand microphones and sang softly.

The screams erupted here and there at the main vocal’s clear and smooth high notes.

Like a firework

We’re showing it

Like a firework

Our colors

The members walked around the protruding stage and smiled as they made eye contact with the standing and second-floor audiences.

During the second verse’s intro, the harmonica sound from the band session’s guitarist mixed in.

When the members slowly waved their hands, the fans finally got what they had been waiting for.

It was a one-meter-long giant light stick.

There were laughter and cheers everywhere at the sight of Junghyun waving the king stick like a club.

And then the second verse’s chorus.

The members who had been singing to the standing and audience stretched their microphones to the air.

Look at our fireworks-

The fans’ chorus filled the empty concert hall.

Jiho smiled with his eyes and raised his hand to his ear as if asking them to sing louder. Bi Ju smiled brightly and shouted ‘All together!’.

Woo Joo and Rihyuk clapped their hands and encouraged the audience.

Junghyun, who held the king stick high, also sang along with the rhythm.

As the fans’ chorus reached the chorus, the members grabbed their microphones again.

The fans’ chorus and the singers’ song became one.

Like a firework

We’re showing it-

The members who had been scattered around the stage started to gather in the center of the protruding stage.

One by one, as the lyrics continued.

The members gathered around Woo Joo in the center, keeping the beat.

Some of them gasped as they realized the meaning of the order.

‘It’s the order they joined the company.’

It was a performance that showed the order from the first member to the last one, Woo Joo.

And they showed it in reverse.

It wasn’t that Woo Joo joined last, but rather that the members came to him.

As they gathered, the members took a step forward.

Like a firework

Our colors-

During the third verse, the members said ‘Thank you!’ or waved their hands.

“Woahhhhh!”

The Soufflés shouted, shaking the slogan ‘Together at the beginning of spring and the end of winter’.

‘I’m so glad I came.’

The Soufflés smiled brightly with a feeling of fulfillment in their chests.

Then, colorful paper dust started to fall like fireflies from the stage device.

The sweaty members smiled brightly and shouted.

-Thank you!

-L, love… I cherish you!

The members started laughing at Rihyuk’s expression, who said ‘I cherish you!’ instead of ‘I love you!’ as if he couldn’t say it twice.

Woo Joo grabbed the microphone and shouted.

-Two, three.

-Thank you!

As the instrumental of Fireworks softly flowed, the members held hands and bowed to the audience.

-We’ll work harder~!

-I’ll work harder than him!

-Then I’ll work harder than Junghyun!

The laughter was brief.

The fans also responded loudly to the following farewell greetings.

It was the moment when New Black’s first concert after their debut was coming to an end.

“Good job!”

“Well done!”

We nodded and greeted the staff who clapped for us.

Then we laughed together.

“Hey, we did well! We did great!”

“Hyung, you worked really hard too. Arranging the songs and everything…”

“Let’s take a picture! A picture!”

We gathered together and held up our index fingers, meaning ‘first day of the concert’, and smiled brightly.

We felt refreshed.

Maybe it was fulfillment. The fatigue and worries that had accumulated over time had all flown away.

We felt like we had everything in the world. Just like that.

Our chests throbbed with excitement, like we had just finished exercising.

We all seemed to be able to bounce around for a few more hours.

“Junghyun, turn it on. That thing.”

“Just a moment.”

Junghyun made the light stick flash.

In the blinking light, we ran around with our arms around each other, making people laugh.

“Come on, we have another concert tomorrow. Calm down, guys.”

We nodded at Seok Hwan hyung’s words.

As we were drinking from our two-liter water bottles, excited, a group of people came in, making a commotion outside.

“Mommy-! Sis-sis-sisters–!”

“Dad’s here too. Jiho.”

The youngest, soaked in sweat, ran to his sisters and mom like a happy puppy and hugged them.

His father tried to join in, but was pushed away and looked sad.

“Dad!”

“Mom, you came?”

“Grandmaaaaaa–!”

As everyone was meeting their families, I ran to Deok Soon, oh my Deok Soon, at the speed of light.

My heart started to beat as grandma’s face got closer and closer.

“Grandma!”

“Oh, dear. Oh, dear. You smell like sweat!”

Oh. Right.

I stepped back and grabbed grandma’s shoulders with both hands.

“How did I do?”

“You did great. You were so good, why did you always call me and say, grandma, grandma, my heart feels weird, huh?”

“Hehe.”

Grandma praised me.

“I thought my ears were bleeding. Every time you flipped your hair, your fans screamed like crazy birds, like aaaaah aaaaah.”

“I deserved that, right?”

“Sure.”

Grandma looked excited too, maybe because it was a concert.

She was proud of me, and liked me, and thought I was pretty.

Grandma and I reminisced about the concert, saying ‘remember, that time, that time’, ‘oh, that time?’

Something caught my eye.

“But grandma.”

“What?”

“What’s all that in your hand…? Why did you bring so much stuff?”

Grandma was holding a bundle full of something.

“Your fans gave me this.”

“Our fans…?”

“I was sitting still and they came over and said, grandma, your back must hurt, and gave me this cushion and stuff.”

“Wow-”

“Be good, everyone. And be nice to your fans.”

The sasaengs must have been considerate of my grandmother’s old age, because they seemed to have shared their tickets with us.

Thanks to them, we had a very comfortable viewing experience.

I felt grateful to the nameless sasaengs…

“But your fans all know me, they say I’m famous, grandma.”

“…”

“Let’s talk about that for a moment, shall we?”

My gratitude flew away.

My grandmother started to nag at me, asking how much I had sold my name around until now.

“Ugh…”

I apologized in my mind. ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’ And I made a resolution.

I would find the duo of black and yellow T-shirts from section 38, who had told the truth to my grandmother today, and give them a piece of my mind.

Fortunately, a relief pitcher appeared just as my grandmother’s nagging got longer.

“I’m here too.”

“Welcome, auntie!”

I approached Sookja auntie, who worked at my grandmother’s restaurant, and hooked my arm around hers, greeting her warmly.

Sookja auntie smiled and said.

“My granddaughters were so jealous when I told them I was going to the New Black concert.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, they said they’re famous singers at school. They told me to take a lot of pictures.”

So we took some pictures together. And we also took a commemorative photo with my grandmother.

“Hello, sir.”

“Hahaha! Long time no see, Woojoo.”

As I met the other family members after a long time, we exchanged greetings and took a group photo.

Meanwhile, Bijoo stuck to me.

“How is it?”

“Well, the atmosphere doesn’t seem too bad, but…”

I whispered.

“I don’t know what they’re talking about exactly.”

“Hmm…”

We looked at where Rihyuk was having a conversation with his parents.

We could read their lips if we wanted to, but this was a matter of privacy.

Then, Jeeho stuck his head between me and Bijoo.

“As an actor with experience, I think they all look cold, but they’re actually shy.”

“I can tell that. Dad’s ears are red.”

Dad’s ears had turned bright red as he talked calmly with Rihyuk.

Junghyun put his head on top of Jeeho’s.

“I can hear everything.”

“Really?”

“I put on earphones because I didn’t want to hear Rihyuk’s personal life.”

“Good job. Our Dungie.”

I patted the shoulders of Pungdungi, who was proud of his earphones on both ears.

As we four chatted, the heads of Rihyuk’s family, who were talking from afar, turned to us.

Shh-

They all showed amazing evasion skills.

They lined up behind me.

“…”

“…”

As I bowed my head awkwardly and smiled, Rihyuk gestured for me to come over.

‘Me?’

Nod nod.

The guys behind me stuck their heads out and pointed at themselves with their fingers, as if to say ‘me too?’

Nod! Nod nod nod!

We walked over, annoyed by the nodding.

“Two, three!”

“Hello, we are New Black…? Oops, that’s not it. Hello, sir, ma’am. I’m Woojoo.”

I fumbled with the greeting that came out like a reflex. Dad and mom smiled at me.

They looked like they had split Rihyuk in half and made their faces.

Mom was dressed like a company CEO, and dad had a scholarly face. They were quite contrasting.

“You do business in America?”

“Yes.”

I was amazed that they really did business in America.

Dad was a professor at a university in Gyeongnam, and mom lived with her daughter in America.

But what was their relationship?

They were standing together, but the one foot between them seemed incredibly far.

“You look good.”

“Thank you. So do you, Dad.”

My father, who had been awkwardly smiling at Rihyuk, spoke to us.

“I think I heard from Rihyuk in an email last time. Nice to meet you.”

“Ah, yes. We are honored… too.”

“Right. You are Woo Joo, whose nickname is Dae Gil, right?”

He called our names, but he seemed to have studied them in a hurry.

He knew well that his son was active in a group called New Black, but he didn’t seem to know much about us.

Or maybe he wasn’t very interested.

As my father finished the awkward conversation, my mother intervened.

“I’ve only heard from Rihyuk on the phone, but you all look so pretty.”

“Thank you.”

Our youngest, who was full of self-love, said, ‘I’m also lovely.’ My mother laughed.

“I was worried about Rihyuk living alone in Korea, but I couldn’t come because I didn’t have time.”

My mother showed a cold smile that resembled her son.

“I have a lot of things I want to talk to you about, but I have to go to the airport right away. I prepared this because I didn’t have time.”

She took out four letters from her handbag that said ‘To. Woo Joo of New Black.’

Rihyuk coughed and avoided eye contact, and we laughed as we received the letters.

My mother looked bewildered.

“I’ve been living in the US for a long time, so I don’t know much about Korean etiquette. Is it too old-fashioned to give letters?”

“No, it’s not because of that.”

We explained the letter villain to her, waving our hands, and she finally said, ‘Oh.’

She nodded and handed a letter to Rihyuk.

“Here.”

“Uh, thank you. Me too.”

It was a sight to see them awkwardly exchanging letters.

“…Uh, me too.”

My father also handed a letter to Rihyuk, and I swallowed a laugh.

We stepped back to let them talk as a family, and we looked at each other and asked.

“I don’t know what the situation is, but it seems okay, right?”

“It seems so.”

I didn’t know exactly what their relationship was.

But I thought maybe I would hear the story from Rihyuk someday.

And, for now, he was smiling and happy.

“Okay, let’s take a picture!”

“Yes!”

We each stood in front of the camera with our families.

It was to take a group family photo to commemorate the first concert.

As the photographer pressed the camera shutter, I hugged Mrs. Kim Deok Soon from behind and smiled.

And the members gathered in the center, surrounded by their families.

“…It’s so nice.”

Rihyuk whispered in a flushed face while taking pictures.

“I hope tomorrow is like today.”

“Me too.”

We also hoped so and smiled.

In many ways.

-Yesterday at the concert, Rihyuk said he loves me and I’m still touchedㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-Our kitty is so sweetㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-Rihyuk said he loves me on the first day, so I’m up and washing my ears

-Me too, I’m going to wash my ears

-He’ll say he loves me today too, right?

-One day, one love addiction

-Heyㅎㅎㅎ don’t tell me Rihyuk only said he loves the first day audience and not us~?

-It could happen…?

-[Breaking] N Group Concert Fairness Controversy, Member Seo Mo Says ‘Only Loves First Day Fans’… Woo Mo Flees to Taiwan

-Move over, I’m going to get some love too

-I want to get the love I didn’t get from my puppy from Rihyuk (fist)

The waiting room before the second day rehearsal.

“…”

The youngest imitated someone who was covering their face with both hands after looking at the tablet.

“I hope tomorrow is like today~ Oh hong hong~”

“…”

Woojoo also joined in with a pleased smile.

“Rihyuk. Remember this.”

“…”

“The concert is in three days.”

While someone was saying ‘What do I do, ugh’, the other three laughed and sang in chorus ‘The concert is in three days~’.

Woojoo snapped his fingers and hummed the lyrics of ‘Duksoon-ah’.

“Love is also three times~”

“Hey, be quiet!”