In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 64

When Woojoo first heard that they had a radio schedule, he thought he would miss the stage.

Because unlike other stages where they faced the audience, they couldn’t see their faces on the radio.

Woojoo felt sorry that he couldn’t feel their reactions properly.

But.

The moment he saw the chat window in front of him, he realized that he was wrong.

“I was surprised. I was confused because there were no comments, but it turned out to be a lag.” Jang Sowon stuck out her tongue and said, “It’s the first time I’ve seen this since I became a DJ.”

The comments that were rising up too fast to read properly.

Judging by the emoticons like ‘^^’ or ‘ㅠㅠㅠ’, they seemed to be mostly positive.

Woojoo didn’t know what they were saying, but he felt good.

Just like when the audience cheered, he could feel their emotions even if he didn’t know what they meant.

The DJ spoke to them, who only had their eyes sparkling.

“Usually, we say goodbye right after the live, but we missed the timing because of the listeners’ reactions. How about we say a few words and part ways?”

“Uh…”

If it was any other time, Woojoo would have spoken smoothly.

But because he was completely immersed in ‘Night Sea’, his head felt empty.

Woojoo just muttered whatever came to mind.

“It was a song that I wrote while remembering my childhood, but I feel like I made another memory that was no less than that today. Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity. We’ll show you more good sides in the future.”

“Yes, that was New Black.” Jang Sowon Sunbae clapped her hands and said, “We’ll say goodbye to New Black here, who shared this beautiful night with us. Good job!”

“Thank you!”

They bowed their heads to the camera.

It was a gesture of gratitude to the audience, as they did on stage.

***

Woojoo had a hunch that they did really well on the broadcast today.

Through the two consecutive jokes from the youngest, the advice session, and the live stage.

But he really felt it when he saw the reaction of the production team.

“Good job, New Black.”

The PD’s face was blooming with a smile as he held their hands.

It looked familiar somehow, and Woojoo remembered that it was the same expression he had before.

When they finished recording for Music Cafe, he had that expression too.

The main writer and the engineer also said a few words.

“You guys have a lot of sense, and you have good chemistry with Sowon. Make sure you clear your schedule for the next album. We’ll definitely call you alone then.”

“Yeah. You’re a sprout that will grow into a rice cake. We have to reserve you in advance.”

Especially the main writer’s words made them laugh out loud.

Woojoo wanted to show this scene to Seokhwan Hyung.

Look, Hyung. We’re getting schedules too.

“Ah, this is our album.”

They handed over the first album CD that they couldn’t deliver because of the cake incident, and they all liked it.

This was when he felt the power of music.

They seemed to like them more because they were still in the mood of ‘Night Sea’.

“Where’s the signature?”

“The album cover is black, so it’s on the inner page.”

“Wow, the signature is so pretty.”

Especially the sub-writer seemed to like it the most.

It was amazing.

An hour ago, when they met in front of the elevator, she didn’t even look at them.

Her face was tired, but now it was full of smiles.

‘I’ll check out the fan cafe later,’ she joked, and Woojoo said he was grateful even if it was a joke, but she said she was serious.

They said goodbye to them, who were preparing to leave, and looked for their senior in the booth.

“Our little ones are already superstars. It’s hard to see your faces like this.”

Woojoo answered with a smile, “No, we’re just fireflies in front of the sun compared to you, Sunbae.”

“That’s right. We’re like plankton, a tiny existence.”

“Then I’ll change to krill.”

She snickered at the plankton and krill who joked back. Then she pointed to the production team behind the glass with a chin gesture.

“You don’t know, do you? Those people are not usually kind and friendly to rookie guests like this.”

“Really?”

“That means your song was good.” Jang Sowon said, “I had a feeling it would be good when I saw the sheet music, but it was even better when I heard it live. The melody was good, but I could also feel the sincerity in the way you sang.”

Her gaze turned to our main vocal.

“At first, I was worried if Rihyuk could handle it. I thought he might have some trouble with expressing the emotion or the theme.”

“How did you know?”

“Why wouldn’t I know? We’ve been singing together for over two months.”

She said as if it was obvious.

Woojoo didn’t know until she said it, but he realized then that experience was really amazing.

“I was so worried, but I was surprised that you did so well. I wondered if you were the same Rihyuk I knew.”

“…Well, I got some help.”

As his ears turned red, she smiled and looked at Woojoo.

She seemed to know who helped him without asking.

As they exchanged news about the members and the managers, he got a text from Minki Hyung saying he would arrive soon.

Woojoo grabbed the guitar case and took out the gift they prepared.

“Oh, what’s this?”

She was surprised when Woojoo handed her the box he put in the case.

He nodded when she asked if she could open it.

“Headphones?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t have to give me this…”

“We have a lot to thank you for.”

There was a good reason for that.

Woojoo felt awkward coming empty-handed after a long time, but more than anything, if it wasn’t for her advice, their debut showcase would have been a disaster.

They wouldn’t have had an acapella live, and the reporters’ reactions would have been harsh.

At first, Woojoo considered a necklace or an accessory, but he thought it would be inappropriate between seniors and juniors.

“I was preparing for the counseling session and I went over the previous episodes. And Junghyun said your headphones looked too old. So we collected some money and bought them. Use them when you broadcast.”

“I also put the receipt and the exchange voucher in there.”

The slightly touching atmosphere was shattered by Rihyuk’s words.

Woojoo rolled his eyes at him as she laughed.

He looked at Woojoo with a what-did-I-do expression.

Jang Sowon Sunbae, who had been wearing headphones on her head, touched her ears and looked at them.

Her eyes curved like crescents.

“Thank you, I’ll use them well.”

She smiled as if she was glad they gave her the gift.

***

The hallway of the radio center, which had soundproofing, was quiet.

As the radio broadcasts continued for 24 hours, another studio was probably communicating with the listeners right now.

As Woojoo passed through the iron door to the lobby, he felt strange.

It was like going from one world to another.

From tomorrow, he would be back to his daily life with music broadcasts…

“Ah, you scared me.”

Two people were sitting miserably under the elevator button.

Street Boys.

Woojoo had erased them from his memory since the live, Hanjo and Kiwon.

They got up with a pale face as they appeared.

“Oh, you’re here.”

“…What are you doing there?”

“We were waiting.”

“For us?”

“Yes.”

Hanjo scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“I thought we should say goodbye before we leave, because of Kiwon’s incident. It felt weird to just leave…”

“Ah, yes…”

They exchanged awkward compliments about each other’s live, and then Hanjo coughed and called his brother.

“Kiwon, you said you had something to say.”

“Ah, well…”

Kiwon, who had returned to his timid self after singing powerfully, shrank.

He fidgeted for a while.

Then he cautiously spoke to Rihyuk.

“I, can I talk to you alone…”

Rihyuk nodded, and the two main vocals headed to the corner of the lobby.

It was a strange atmosphere.

One side spoke cautiously, while the other side nodded repeatedly as if they knew something.

They also said something to each other, and every time they did, the other’s expression brightened.

What were they talking about?

Was it about their former agency, or today’s broadcast?

Woojoo suddenly felt curious.

Woojoo knew he shouldn’t, but he could understand how parents felt when they peeked into their children’s diaries.

What were they thinking?

Woojoo turned his head and met Hanjo’s eyes, who had the same expression as him.

In the awkward air, he spoke up.

“Thank you for earlier, during the live. I was so busy preparing for the rap that I couldn’t take care of my brother properly. If it wasn’t for you, he might have messed up from the start.”

“Oh, sure.”

“And personally, I have something a little…”

A little?

“…sorry to say to you.”

“Ah.”

“Well… Yes, it’s a bit like that.”

Woojoo thought he knew what he meant, even though he didn’t say it.

“I wanted to tell you on this occasion. I don’t think we’ll have the time or the mood to talk when we meet on music shows later.”

“Right. It’s hard with the managers around.”

“I’m sorry.”

He suddenly came out with it.

Woojoo looked at him and thought.

How should he react to this?

It would be a lie to say it was okay, because he wasn’t okay for a while. But it would also be awkward to say he knew, right?

They had a delicate relationship.

Woojoo didn’t know how long it would last, but they were also rivals.

And it was too late to laugh it off now, because they didn’t know what would happen in the future.

Woojoo realized it today, while doing the broadcast.

They weren’t such bad guys.

But the agency was a different story.

When they were doing their second and third albums, DNS Media could sabotage them at any time.

And they had no right to refuse, being their tools.

They were tangled up in many ways.

That was why, the only thing Woojoo could say was decided.

“Let’s meet on good terms, then.”

They weren’t friends, but at least they wouldn’t glare at each other or pass by on music shows.

He smiled softly, as if he understood the nuance.

That was enough for him.

They saw their brothers coming back from their conversation.

He asked Woojoo, “Well, since we’re talking, do you want to exchange numbers?”

“Oh. That’s…”

He made a sheepish expression and showed Woojoo an old feature phone.

“This is our shared phone.”

“Ah.”

“The company takes out our text and call records every month. They don’t like it when we have numbers that aren’t theirs.”

Woojoo thought of Manager Park, whom he met earlier, and gave a bitter smile.

Once again.

Woojoo was glad he came to his company.

***

Street Boys parted ways with them, taking a different elevator because they said their manager was waiting for them.

It was just the two of them left.

Woojoo watched the numbers go down quietly, then opened his lips.

“Rihyuk.”

“What.”

“What did you talk about with him?”

“Nothing much.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“This and that, you know. We talked about what happened three years ago, and also thanked each other for today’s broadcast.”

“I see.”

“What about you? What did you two talk about?”

“We were similar.”

The conversation was cut off as the door opened.

They took a few steps in the lobby on the first floor, and Woojoo’s phone started to vibrate.

It looked like it was connected to the wifi.

Bae Eunmangdeok [Wang Jiho sent a gifticon]

Bae Eunmangdeok [Wang Jiho sent a gifticon]

Bae Eunmangdeok [Hyungs, I love you so much]

Bae Eunmangdeok [You know my sweet heart, right?]

Bae Eunmangdeok [(Emoticon)]

In the group chat, emoticons of raising both hands with gifticons kept popping up.

Rihyuk’s lips curled up slightly.

“What are you going to do?”

“Read and ignore.”

“Good idea. I won’t forgive him just because of this.”

While the youngest, who had nothing but money, was busy sending gifticons, Woojoo checked other messages.

It was from Mrs. Kim Deoksoon.

Geez. She sent him a 13-line long review.

“Is it from your grandma?”

“Yeah. She said she liked the song. And… What is this, what does she mean by this?”

“What is it?”

“She asked me if I know how to wash a cat.”

“Do you?”

“No.”

Woojoo quickly searched and sent her a link.

What was with the cat all of a sudden?

Woojoo was puzzled for a moment, but he didn’t think about it for long.

As he read the message carefully, he felt proud and loved.

She really liked ‘Night Sea’.

Their Mrs. Kim Deoksoon, who always replied with short answers, read and ignored, or ‘crazy guy’, sent him such a long message.

Woojoo could feel the emotion in every word.

Especially the last one, ‘Grandma loves you, my grandson’.

Woojoo closed his phone, feeling a bit choked up.

He should video call her later when he got to the hotel.

It was when he got out of the elevator lobby, bowing to the security guard who guarded the entrance that looked like a ticket gate.

“Oh.”

Woojoo lifted his head at the short exclamation.

He soon joined the line of people who were doing the same.

“Wow.”

The HBS building was made of glass on all sides.

The moonlight was shining everywhere.

The lights were off and the first floor was dark, but the moonlight pouring in made him feel strangely sentimental.

Woojoo also remembered something he was curious about.

“Hey.”

The black eyes that absorbed the moonlight turned to him.

“Can I ask you something I’m curious about?”

“What is it?”

“That guy, the youngest of Street Boys. You suddenly gave him a water bottle, right? Why did you do that?”

“Well, it’s nothing.”

Rihyuk looked away.

“I was just trying to calm myself down. I was thinking of someone I’m grateful for. What would this person think, how would they feel, I was thinking like that. And then I heard the sound of the water bottle and saw him in front of me.”

He spoke calmly.

“That’s what I thought. If I were the person I’m grateful for, what would I do in this situation? I thought they would do something like this. Smile and help the kid who was nervous.”

“So you gave him my water bottle?”

“…Let’s forget about that.”

“Forget about it? I’ll have to drink salt water for the next three days.”

Woojoo rolled his eyes at him and he did the same.

Woojoo turned the conversation into a joke, not wanting the atmosphere to get too serious.

A text came saying they would arrive soon, so Woojoo and Rihyuk took their places in front of the HBS station.

As Woojoo rubbed his arms in the cold air.

This time, a soft voice came from beside him.

“Hey.”

Rihyuk spoke, looking at the moon in the distance.

“Thank you for today.”

What was he talking about?

He didn’t seem to notice Woojoo blinking, and he kept looking at the night sky.

“I was really nervous because it was my first time on the radio. I was worried about what if I mess up the script, what if I ruin the song. But thanks to you, I prepared well for a week, and today I did this and that.”

“…”

“So, thank you.”

Woojoo felt strange.

Did he hear that right?

No.

The guy who always avoided or changed the topic when Woojoo asked him to say thank you suddenly said it.

It feels like his head was tangled up.

When he felt a complex emotion, he heard his voice.

“What are you doing?”

Woojoo snapped out of it and saw that the van had arrived.

The license plate showed that it was their car.

He walked a few steps ahead and looked back at Woojoo with a sullen tone.

“Don’t space out, hurry up.”

His cold face was back to normal.

Woojoo would have thought he imagined it if it weren’t for his ears shining brightly in the dark night.

Woojoo smiled and followed him.

“Hey, I have one more thing I’m curious about.”

“What is it now?”

“The person you feel gratitude for, who is that?”

He looked at Woojoo incredulously and then a faint smile appeared on his face.

“What’s that? That expression just now.”

“It’s nothing. I just find it funny.”

“What’s so funny?”

Woojoo kept asking him, but he didn’t answer.

They chatted and got in the car.

It was a pretty charming night with the sound of cicadas somewhere.

***

An hour later.

When two members of New Black arrived at their dorm and started a fierce battle with the youngest, one tried to stop them and one ate dried squid.

At that moment.

On each music site, a song titled ‘Woojoo & Rihyuk – Night Sea (Original Ver.)’ was just uploaded.