In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

As people took pictures with their phone cameras, Eunsung made a V sign with his fingers.

“Hello, everyone! I’m Kevin, a member of the rookie boy group, APLB! Nice to meet you!”

I laughed as I watched him trying to promote himself while clinging to me.

The bodyguard looked at Eunsung, who was stuck to his side, with a bewildered expression. He had never seen such a crazy kid before. Then he looked at me.

“…Do you know him?”

“Yes, he’s a junior singer.”

“Oh.”

Eunsung freed himself from the bodyguard and bowed apologetically. He said, ‘I’m sorry.’

Then he gave me a bright smile.

“Our serg… Oops, camera!”

“Hey, Eunsung. If he’s a sergeant, you should call him sergeant, and finish your sentence.”

“Hello, seniors.”

He noticed the camera that was filming us and greeted us with a bow. He said, ‘senior.’

“Who is this person?”

I heard a voice from behind me.

It was Rupert Dean, who was scared by the psycho who was smiling crazily while clinging to me.

“He’s a K-pop singer. He was my subordinate when I was in the military.”

“Military…?”

“It’s a long story.”

I shrugged and made a vague expression. The other person nodded.

Meanwhile, Eunsung’s eyes were darting around.

He quickly guessed the situation and grinned.

“I was so happy to see you passing by, so I ran over to you!”

“I see.”

“You’re giving a tour of Korea to people from other countries. I’m sorry for interrupting! I’ll be going then~”

As Eunsung tried to slip away, Bizu asked him.

“Where are you going?”

“We’re around here…”

At that moment, a shout came from across the crowd.

“Hey!”

The people moved aside and four idol members ran over with frantic expressions.

“Hey! Eun-Kevin!”

“This bastard, where did he…”

“Huh?”

They saw us and their faces turned blank.

“Oh, hello!”

“Hello.”

Haru, the youngest and the leader, had a crossed expression on his face.

He wondered what nonsense Eunsung had said to us, and worried about the future.

I smirked as I felt the tension of a rookie group facing a group with a big fandom like TNT or Teen Spirit.

“Come over here.”

Jiho called them with a wide smile. The APLB members approached hesitantly.

“Huh? These people…”

One or two of them widened their eyes as they saw Bella Page and Rupert Dean.

Then they started to panic.

They were afraid that they would be scolded for ‘promoting themselves’ in this situation.

But there was a reason why I called them.

I knew what they were doing here as soon as I connected the keywords of stage outfits and Hongdae.

I asked John Edwards and his party.

“Do you want to see a street performance?”

“Performance?”

“There are people who sing or dance on the streets of Hongdae.”

The purpose of today’s content was to introduce them to Korean food, nightlife, and street snacks.

They readily gave me an OK sign.

“Hey.”

As we moved, Haru asked me.

“How many subscribers does your channel have?”

“Oh. It’s about 2.3 million now.”

“…”

I witnessed someone’s face turn from white to brown.

His expression seemed to say ‘2.3 million curses…’ and was stained with worry and anxiety. I tapped him and whispered.

“Don’t worry. It’s our own content, so the company staff will edit it. I’ll let you know in advance.”

“Thank you.”

“But why did Eunsung do that?”

Eunsung was making friends with the foreigners in two minutes and teaching them a new way to express their hearts.

Haru asked.

“Why him?”

“He looks like he’s been discolored a bit.”

“That’s because he went to the army and came back from the navy…”

“So you’ve been to the military. How are you feeling?”

“I haven’t recovered yet. Still.”

“I see.”

Eunsung’s skin was burnt and blistered from the sun.

He looked like a toasted bread.

It would probably take a while for him to return to his original skin tone.

I felt sorry for him.

“Hehehe…”

“Yes?”

“No, I’m just sorry for him, hehe.”

Haru smiled awkwardly and moved away from me as I covered my mouth and laughed.

Soon, the members of APLB stood on the empty lot where the amp was installed.

The audience was so excited that they ran closer and followed the choreography of their song ‘A/B’.

“Wow.”

Bella Page clasped her hands to her mouth and cheered ‘Ooooh’.

Rupert Dean nodded and admired, and John Edwards, the director, danced the karaoke shoulder dance he learned from us.

And the people nearby also joined in the cheering along with them.

Rupert asked.

“Does New Black have songs like that too?”

“Yes. We have a few…”

Then, the intro of ‘Nine’ started to play, which they prepared as a cover song.

I stopped talking and smiled at him, who tilted his head in confusion.

“This is our song.”

“Oh…”

“The title is ‘Nine’.”

I thought we made Nine really well.

“Woohoo!”

The choreography was done by the members of APLB, but the song made the atmosphere like a street club.

Our members also laughed and clapped their hands.

I felt uncomfortable when Eunsung danced seductively in my part.

‘Come on, sergeant!’

He gestured for me to join him, and the people around us shouted ‘Wow!’ in response.

I hesitated for a moment and gave up.

It was hard to join in the five-person choreography, because I had to calculate the movements well, and I didn’t have the talent to do that in one go, even though I practiced a lot.

Fortunately, there was someone with that talent next to me, who clapped his hands and said ‘Wow!’.

“Bijoo.”

“Yes?”

“Eunsung wants to dance with you.”

“Me? Not you…”

“Go ahead and dance with him! It’s a dance. Bijoo. Dance.”

He jumped in with a determined expression, like a puppy who heard the word ‘snack’ when he heard the word ‘dance’.

“Woohoo!”

I smiled and clapped for Eunsung, and the other younger ones looked at me with admiration.

‘That’s so mean.’

‘He’s evil.’

‘He’s sending Bijoo even though he’s leaving.’

Bijoo ran into the stage with a big smile, and a scream of ‘Wow!’ burst out from the surroundings.

Our guy in the blue jacket was moving so fast that his eyebrows fluttered.

Eunsung, who was happy to see him at first, saying ‘Welcome! Senior!’, turned from a toasted bread to a cocoa powder.

“I always feel this way.”

I said to Rihyuk.

“It’s the hardest when I dance with Bijoo.”

“Me too.”

The other two also agreed.

It wasn’t a technical problem, like the speed of dancing or catching up with his flexibility.

It was just hard to dance with Bijoo.

It felt like he was holding a bronze age tool and saying ‘Isn’t this fun?’ when we were making stone tools with hard work.

If we didn’t practice hard enough, we would be easily compared to his unrivaled dance line.

When we did a joint stage before, the Street Boys also played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would stand next to Bijoo.

“Ugh…”

I smiled warmly at the sight of Bijoo, who was following me diligently and dancing with me.

Their expressions were opposite of each other.

‘It’s fun!’

‘Ughhh…!’

I could see Eunsung’s eyes fluttering as he smiled.

He was having a hard time and I was having a blast.

When the chorus of ‘Nine’ ended, I laughed at the sight of Eunsung, who collapsed on the floor and gasped for air.

“Wow! You’re awesome!”

I clapped vigorously and patted Bijoo’s back as he came back with light steps.

The Nostalgia team, who was filming with us, also smiled and said.

“You have amazing energy.”

“So that’s why you ate so much meat…”

“Can I post this on SNS?”

We nodded and laughed at Bella Page’s words, who said she filmed it with her phone.

“See you later!”

“Thank you! Have a nice day!”

Due to time constraints, we quickly said goodbye to the APLB team.

I made a phone gesture with my hand and said I would contact them, and Eunsung nodded with an OK and a ‘hmph’.

He posed like a Buddha greeting.

“That was fun. Can we watch some other performances?”

I answered John Edwards’ cheerful smile.

“Yes. There are some dance teams around here…”

“Huh? They’re all packing up now?”

“At this time?”

I had asked the manager for information on the street performers around here before we parted.

I heard there were one or two more dance teams.

Lately, ‘Nine’ covers were popular, so most of them were showing Nine.

“Let’s go.”

Every time we tried to move, the teams were busy packing up.

“…”

“…”

And we soon realized the reason.

“Are you leaving?”

“Huh? Yes…! We’re leaving!”

“Are you going?”

“Yes!”

It was because of our main dancer, who was shining his eyes like jewels, having fun with the stage we did with APLB.

Like a school of fish scattering when a predator approaches in the sea, they all left.

Or they suddenly changed the song from Nine to something else.

“I guess it’s not our day today.”

I said to the musical movie team with a smile.

“I’m feeling a bit hungry, too. How about we go to Yeonnam-dong street nearby? There are a lot of street food there.”

We watched some street performances and explored some snacks.

After a simple tour of Seoul’s night streets, we arrived at the place we had booked in advance.

“Ahh.”

I grabbed the microphone and smiled.

“This is the karaoke you all know.”

“Woohoo!”

“Welcome!”

Bella Page giggled at the sight of our bear holding two tambourines and saying ‘yo yo yo’.

Then she took one and shook it herself.

Our youngest grabbed the microphone and stood in the middle to sing the first song. When everyone was curious about his innocent expression.

Bang bang bang!

They were all stunned by the sight of him dancing wildly with the intense intro.

Then he leaned his body and shouted ‘nyaaaah’.

“Puhaha!”

Jiho, who had a fierce expression and held the microphone, pointed at Ryuk.

-Crushed by the disaster you brought upon yourself~~

“What. Why me again.”

We laughed and I briefly explained the lyrics to those who were curious.

“Wow wow wow!”

“Wow!”

The youngest bowed as if he was greeting the stage after finishing the song, and the applause continued.

Then Ryuk grabbed the microphone and started singing a famous foreign ballad.

Jiho licked his tongue and whispered.

“Really. He always sings ballads when I set the mood.”

“But he sings well.”

I answered, waving my hands slowly in the air.

It was a ballad song that could easily be depressing, but it was of a different quality because our kid sang it.

Rupert Dean smiled with satisfaction and said to me.

“I remember a movie I saw when I was young.”

“What movie?”

“It was a sci-fi movie where an alien diva with six tentacles on her head sang really well.”

“…”

“That’s touching.”

I paused for a moment at the sight of him looking at the sky with his blue eyes soaked in tears.

“Ah.”

Then I asked the youngest if the movie really existed, and he whispered back that it was true.

“An alien. That’s convincing.”

“Is it?”

John Edwards, who was listening to the conversation next to me, sneezed and laughed.

“Bless you!”

The words came out of my mouth and Rupert’s at the same time.

When I used the expression I learned from my English teacher, saying it was a rule to say when you sneeze.

Rupert said with a smile.

“Jinx.”

“…What is that?”

“Don’t you know? I thought you would know it since you’re so good at English…”

Soon, the other person’s explanation came back.

It seemed to be an expression used in the United States when you say the same thing. I quickly understood the explanation and told him.

“In Korea, we say ‘jiji-bong’.”

“Chichi-bong.”

“Good job. Shall we try again?”

“Chichi-bong.”

Then he asked me what ‘reflection’ was, and I told him it was ‘rainbow reflection’.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

And then the conversation was cut off again.

It’s been a few hours since we met, but it’s still awkward.

Maybe it’s because he said he wanted to meet the person who composed this song before he came to Korea.

It was fine when I talked to the other members, but when I talked to him, there was an awkward air.

“…”

I looked at the other person who swept his brown hair.

He looked like a character from a Greek-Roman mythology comic I used to read when I was young.

When he asked me what I wanted to drink at the restaurant, I wondered if he would say ‘a glass of nectar as usual’.

He seemed to have a completely different taste from me, who liked floral patterns.

While Junghyun was singing along to the English rap ‘I was filled with iron, I lived in prison’ and smiling warmly.

“Do you want to sing a song together?”

“A song?”

“I heard you sing well.”

“Oh, but…”

The other person answered with a shy expression.

“I like a little childish songs.”

“Childish songs?”

I suddenly became interested.

“What kind of songs are they?”

5 minutes later.

@John_Edwards

(A video of New Black singing ‘Under the Sea’ and Rupert Dean singing shyly. Junghyun is imitating a crab with his claws.)

This is the fun of Korea. I feel a lot.

An hour later.

@Rupert_Thomas_DEAN

(Now they are all shouting passionately and screaming ‘Kiyaaaaaaa!’. The camera is shaking crazily and there are snickering laughter everywhere.)

[Translation] New friends. I’m glad I came to Korea.

The karaoke tour for an hour and a half ended in a cheerful atmosphere.

And when the song was over.

“It was so much fun!”

“Us too!”

I became the closest with the one who was the most awkward.

Rupert Dean, who left with a bright face, left a reply saying to contact him when he came to America.

I nodded my head happily, smiling at the offer to buy me a meal.

“Wait. America.”

“We’re going to eat.”

“Don’t say that so dramatically…”

Anyway, it was a fun day for us.

The incident at the fan signing event yesterday seemed to have flown away.

While Nostalgia went back to the hotel and prepared for the DMZ visit the next day.

We also arrived at the dorm and packed all the dolls on the bed in a box and sent them back to the manager’s side and collapsed.

And the next day, the manager brothers came back with serious expressions.

“Guys.”

“Why, why? What’s wrong with the dolls?”

“Hong Daeri left the room in the middle.”

“What? Why?”

Was it Scarlet’s gift?

If Hong Daeri, who was calm even when a dead mouse came in a box, left the room…

When we made a serious expression, Minki hyung returned the fluffy dolls and said.

“Every time I touch the dolls, dust pops out. The air purifier was going crazy.”

“…”

“Wash the dolls. Guys…”

“Ah.”

We took the dolls with a sad face.

We had no space in the old dorm, so we stored them in one room, and it seemed that they were full of dust.

Rihyuk was saying ‘I told you so…’ next to me, and we all closed our ears.

The special schedule with foreigners was also temporarily over, and we returned to our usual activities of practicing in the practice room.

Eun-sung [I got on the real-time search thanks to you, hyung]

Eun-sung [Video link]

Someone had filmed what happened in Hongdae and uploaded it, and it seemed to have risen on the real-time search.

He smiled, looking at the guy who was happy that he was on the 10th place for 30 seconds.

In the evening, the fan signing event continued as yesterday.

The company decided to ban gifts at the signing event, but the application was from the next album.

If we suddenly said ‘no gifts’ from the next day, the Soufflés would notice what the problem was like ghosts.

Fortunately, no one noticed what happened yesterday.

“Oppa. I love that song! Falling Stars cover.”

“Really?”

The Soufflés’ interest had shifted from ‘Nine’ to ‘Nostalgia’.

The main OST of Nostalgia, ‘Falling Stars’, which was uploaded right after the Korean preview, was getting a huge response.

The movie hadn’t been released yet, so it was still spreading by word of mouth, but the reaction was getting hotter and hotter. I heard that the version sung by the lead actor Rupert Dean had already reached 20 million views.

And then there was this.

“Ahem. Ahem.”

It was the cover song of our main vocal, who was making a haughty cough with a pale face.

Maybe because of the national pride marketing in Korea, the views had already reached millions.

We didn’t look at the comments because of the suddenly arrogant haters who were provoked by the OST we participated in, but we were planning to skim through them once they were sorted out.

“Hello.”

The fan who sat in front of me smiled and said.

“I went to see the preview of Nostalgia.”

“Really? You must have heard our song too. How was it?”

“Um…”

“Express it with your body~”

I pretended to cry with emotion at the sight of him showing his thumb solemnly.

We exchanged laughter.

I drew a giant UFO with a sign and asked.

“How was it? Did you like it?”

“It’s going to be a riot when it’s released. It feels like a huge hit. Falling Stars is no joke right now, but I really liked Thousand Dreams too.”

Maybe because they were our fans, but most of them expressed high satisfaction with Thousand Dreams.

“Thank you.”

I heard that they were being cursed by other idol fans on the internet right now.

I just wanted to say thank you to the Soufflés who might be suffering.

But there was nothing I could do about it. I just had to wait for the movie to be released and the evaluation to change.

As I waited for the movie to be released with the upcoming Chuseok.

“Hyung.”

“Hmm?”

“They mentioned our name on an American talk show?”

“Really?”

I clicked on the link that arrived on the maknae’s messenger with a strange news.

Rupert Dean was sitting cross-legged on the talk show set with a blue city painting as the background.

The show host asked.

-So Rupert, you’ve been into K-pop lately.

-Yes, I’ve been listening to New Black’s ‘Nine’ a lot. It’s really addictive.

-What are the lyrics like?

-It’s a mix of Korean and English…

As he hummed Nine and promoted it, we smiled warmly.

-Your visit to Korea was quite impressive, wasn’t it?

-Yes. It was really fun. It was really fun at the karaoke too.

-You were so excited that you jumped around, right?

-Not at all. I was sitting politely.

As he denied it, a video of Rupert jumping around on the karaoke sofa came out.

The show host said, ‘You’re really polite’, and the audience burst into laughter.

-Did you learn some Korean too? Do you have any expressions to teach us?

-Well, most of them are like ‘hello’, ‘thank you’… Oh, there’s one interesting thing.

Rupert Dean tapped the sofa armrest with a confident expression and answered.

-Chichipong.

-Chichipong? What is that?

As something rushed in, I covered my face with both hands and said nothing.

Here is the edited version of your text:

The Soufflés were hooked on ‘Nostalgia’ after ‘Nine’.

‘Falling Stars’, the main OST of Nostalgia, had gone viral since it was uploaded right after the Korean preview. The movie hadn’t hit the theaters yet, but the buzz was growing hotter by the day. I heard that the version sung by the lead actor Rupert Dean had already reached 20 million views.

And then there was this.

“Ahem. Ahem.”

Our main vocal made a haughty cough with a pale face. It was his cover song.

Maybe it was because of the national pride marketing in Korea, but his views had soared to millions.

We ignored the comments section, which was flooded with haters who were jealous of our OST. But we planned to check them out once they calmed down.

“Hello.”

The fan sitting in front of me greeted me with a smile.

“I saw the preview of Nostalgia.”

“Really? You must have heard our song too. How did you like it?”

“Um…”

“Show me with your body~”

He gave me a thumbs up solemnly. I pretended to cry with emotion.

We shared a laugh.

I drew a giant UFO with a sign and asked.

“How was it? Did it meet your expectations?”

“It’s going to be a sensation when it comes out. It felt like a blockbuster. Falling Stars is amazing, but I also loved Thousand Dreams.”

Maybe they were biased because they were our fans, but most of them were highly satisfied with Thousand Dreams.

“Thank you.”

I knew they were getting bashed by other idol fans online.

I felt grateful to the Soufflés who might be hurting.

But there was nothing I could do about it. I just had to wait for the movie to come out and change the critics’ minds.

As I waited for the movie release with the upcoming Chuseok.

“Hyung.”

“Hmm?”

“They mentioned us on an American talk show?”

“Really?”

I clicked on the link that the maknae sent me with a curious news.

Rupert Dean was sitting cross-legged on the talk show set with a blue city painting in the background.

The show host asked.

-So Rupert, you’re into K-pop these days.

-Yes, I can’t stop listening to New Black’s ‘Nine’. It’s so addictive.

-What are the lyrics like?

-They’re a mix of Korean and English…

He hummed Nine and plugged it. We smiled warmly.

-You had a memorable visit to Korea, didn’t you?

-Yes. It was a blast. I had a lot of fun at the karaoke too.

-You were so hyped that you jumped around, right?

-Not at all. I was sitting politely.

He denied it, but a video of him bouncing on the karaoke sofa appeared.

The show host said, ‘You’re very polite’, and the audience cracked up.

-Did you learn some Korean too? Do you have any expressions to teach us?

-Well, most of them are like ‘hello’, ‘thank you’… Oh, there’s one funny thing.

Rupert Dean tapped the sofa armrest with a confident expression and said.

-Chichipong.

-Chichipong? What is that?

Something hit me hard. I covered my face with both hands and kept quiet.