In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 189

Woojoo should have picked that one!

That one!

His siblings laughed at him, either smirking or covering their mouths with their hands, as he stood there with a regretful expression.

“You said you were good at choosing, right?”

“…”

He couldn’t hear the youngest’s teasing.

That would have been a jackpot. Not only for the broadcast time, but also for their Kim Deoksoon.

It was a chance to catch two Deoksoons, no, two rabbits at once!

As Woojoo returned to his seat, Junghyun and Bijoo silently patted his shoulder.

“…Huh? Why did you suddenly look so sad?”

Woojoo smiled and answered Lisa’s question.

“It’s nothing, Sunbae-nim.”

He lifted his slightly drooping shoulders and smiled at the corner of his mouth.

It might have been different if it was a personal broadcast with the fans.

But there was not enough shooting time, and it was not the atmosphere to tell personal stories about his grandmother.

He consoled himself and chatted with the cast.

As the song played again, everyone exclaimed.

“It’s really a hidden gem. I know quite a lot of songs by Teacher No Jaehyun, but this song is very unfamiliar to me.”

“The soul and the R&B elements in it are amazing even if you listen to it now. Wow. He was really ahead of his time.”

“Do you know this song, Woojoo?”

Woojoo nodded.

“I’ve heard it before. I don’t know much about it, though…”

Starting from his answer, the siblings also shared their impressions.

Warm. Sad. And so on.

Like the other singers, he liked the melody and the emotion of the song.

However.

“It’s hard, isn’t it?” Cha Woohyun said calmly, stroking his mustache. “It’s going to be tough. The song is not ordinary.”

“It’s very difficult.” Song Bohyung also agreed with a serious face. “The theme of the song is a reflection on the past life, so it’s hard for young kids to express that emotion. And there’s also the offbeat characteristic of Teacher No Jaehyun’s songs. It’s hard to digest.”

“Hmm, it’s hard. Do you want to switch with me?”

Lisa, who got the children’s song ‘Ttolong Ttolong’, looked at them with a pitiful expression and made them laugh for a moment.

Woojoo said with a smile, “As the Sunbae-nims said, it doesn’t seem easy. I wonder how I should arrange it…”

As everyone said, it was a very difficult song.

There was the inner difficulty of the offbeat and the emotion, but more than that, there was the external pressure.

<Challenge, Legendary Song Discovery Team!> was a program with the concept of reviving old songs that people didn’t know well in a modern way.

That was why the name ‘No Jaehyun’ was a double-edged sword.

Among the original singers of the songs that came out today, he had the highest recognition, so he attracted a lot of attention from the people.

It was a good choice in terms of popularity.

But as a famous singer, the audience would have a stricter standard for him.

The original singer of the song they would compare themselves to was a legendary one, so if they fell short of the expectations even a little bit, they would face harsh criticism.

That was why it was a time to be nervous.

“Wow, this is tough,” Jo Yuri joked. “Are you going to give up halfway because it’s too hard?”

He smiled and gave a friendly remark. “I hope you all do well.”

“Thank you.”

Woojoo smiled on the outside, but inside he felt a surge of anger.

It was a subtle provocation, even though there was nothing wrong with what he said.

The remark about giving up halfway implied that he didn’t see them as equals.

He wouldn’t have said that to Cha Woohyun or Lisa.

Woojoo looked into his eyes and smiled.

“Thank you. I’ll try my best.”

He was grateful. Really.

Thanks to him, the tension he had for the song flew away.

Instead of tension and excitement, he felt a crazy desire to win.

It had been a long time since he wanted to crush someone like this, since he competed with the Street Boys before debut.

The members also smiled for the broadcast, but their eyes were blazing with fire.

‘We’ll beat them.’

‘I’ll practice like a dog, for real.’

While they were burning with competitive spirit, Lisa changed the topic with a clenched jaw.

“I’m looking forward to it. I’m already excited to hear the behind stories of these songs.”

“Me too. I’m thrilled, really.”

The only thing left was two weeks of individual practice filming.

But there was something different about this program from the usual competition shows, which was meeting the original singers.

They would meet the singers, composers, or lyricists of the songs and listen to the behind stories of the songs.

The concept was not to use the competition songs as mere tools to show off the singers’ skills, but to highlight the stories that were contained in the songs themselves.

Each of them felt anticipation as they met the old senior singers or composers and shared stories with them.

Song Bohyung, who was brushing off the dust on his glittering clothes, asked, “MC, can I ask you something?”

-Yes, go ahead.

“What about the other one of the six songs? Are you just not going to sing it?”

It was what everyone was thinking.

It was a precious song too.

Wasn’t it a pity that it couldn’t be on the show just because it lost the draw?

-Oh, that part.

The MC, Baek Sangjung, grabbed the microphone with a face that said he expected it.

-You were curious, right? That one of the six songs would be buried.

He smiled and said.

-That’s what I’m talking about.

Everyone nodded.

-So the production team has prepared something. The songs that are excluded from the lottery, including Yu Myungdeok’s ‘Deoksoon-ah’, will be performed as special stages by the winners of each round.

At that moment, Woojoo’s eyes sparkled more than anyone else’s.

What?

Special stage?

Woojoo turned his head sharply… Ah. He felt a lump in his throat. He raised his hand to his neck and looked at him with watery eyes.

“MC-nim!”

Woojoo raised his hand and asked, “The reward for the first place stage?”

-Yes, after all the episodes of this Challenge, Legendary Song Discovery Team! are over, we will prepare a special stage in the form of a concert at the end of the season. The remaining songs will be given to the participants who won the first place in each round.

In short, after finishing all the rounds that are composed of round 1, round 2, and so on, when the final round came.

They would use the remaining songs to put on a stage.

-The result of the last stage will depend on how you do it!

The singers widened their eyes.

-If one singer wins the first place in five rounds, they might be able to hold a solo concert in the last round. On the other hand, someone might not be able to do any stage at all.

Everyone swallowed their saliva.

Having no stage in the last round meant that they never won the first place throughout the competition, and that was a blow to their pride as singers.

On the other hand, they were also tempted by the reward.

But there was one more thing that was more important to Woojoo than anything else…

‘I must win the first round.’

It was an opportunity he couldn’t miss.

To be able to do the song ‘Deoksoon-ah’ as a special stage.

He pictured himself holding a microphone in a flower-filled future.

Definitely!

Kim Deoksoon, no, that song was his.

As soon as the first recording was over, the broadcast schedule was set.

February 4th.

It was Wednesday, ten days later from now, the date of the first round.

“That’s tight.”

Seokhwan Hyung, who was adjusting the schedule in the office, clicked his tongue. Then he gave Woojoo a worried look.

“Can you make it in time?”

“I can do it.”

Woojoo nodded.

“I just have to do it. It’s not impossible. It’ll be a bit hard, but that’s just a matter of grinding my siblings…”

“Grinding?”

“You heard it wrong. I just have to reduce the sleeping time and practice.”

“I don’t know if you’ll collapse.”

He sighed as he looked at his diary.

It was because of the recording schedule that was planned right before the competition.

“We can’t avoid this. What if you get hurt in the middle and it affects the competition?”

The schedule that their manager was talking about was the ‘Idol Sports Festival’, a special broadcast that TBC station was preparing for the Lunar New Year.

It was a kind of athletic competition that invited idol teams that were currently active.

The official name was Idol Sports Festival, but no one called it that.

The fans had a nickname for it: ‘Dollimpic’.

Regardless of the ratings or the buzz, it was a program that had a bad reputation among the fans.

They had to squeeze in their appearance between their hectic schedules, and there were many cases of injuries due to the competition between the teams.

The company was also worried about it.

“I’m really worried. This is why we don’t send you guys to variety shows that use your bodies…”

“I think of it as an opportunity.” Woojoo answered with a smile, “It’s not like we can refuse to go if we want to. It’s a chance to impress the viewers if we do well.”

“That’s true in theory.”

“You don’t have to worry too much, Hyung. We’re pros now. We’ll manage our condition well, so don’t stress over it.”

“…Okay.”

Seokhwan Hyung sighed briefly.

He seemed to be very concerned that they had to record a program that would wear them out while they were preparing for a competition with the star-like senior singers.

If they got injured, they could lose a whole round of the competition.

He adjusted his glasses.

“Anyway, that’s that. How’s the preparation going?”

“I’m exchanging ideas with the A&R Team about the basic concept. We have a rough direction.”

“…Sigh, they must be having a hard time.”

Woojoo narrowed his eyes.

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

Woojoo smiled faintly as he watched the manager shrug it off.

“I’m almost done with the preparation, but it’s not confirmed yet. I have to meet with Teacher No Jaehyun and film it first. The idea might change as we talk about the song.”

He nodded.

Then he said ‘ah’ and told him the news.

“By the way, your schedule for the Legendary Song Discovery show has been set. We’re filming it next week… I’m sorry, but you have to take a plane again.”

“…What, what?”

Woojoo’s face turned anxious.

“Why? Why is that?”

“Teacher No Jaehyun lives in a place where you have to take a plane to get there.”

Woojoo blinked his eyes.

“Where does he live? Overseas?”

“No.”

Seokhwan Hyung answered.

“Jeju Island.”

“…Oh.”

Woojoo was silent for a while.

“Can’t we go by boat?”

Tap. Tap.

-How to go to Jeju Island by boat

Tap.

-Jeju Island boat schedule

-Why does the boat take so long

-I hate airplanes

Tap. Tap.

His fingers moved swiftly.

On the smartphone screen, the portal site’s past search words were filled with ‘Jeju Island’ and ‘boat’.

Thud.

Woojoo turned his head and saw a fluffy head resting on his shoulder.

“What are you looking at?”

“I’m looking at how to go to Jeju Island by boat.”

“Really? You can go to Jeju Island by boat?”

“Little one. How do you think our ancestors traveled between the mainland and the island in the old days…?”

He nodded his head and said, ‘Oh, right,’ as he heard that.

Bijoo asked, “Doesn’t it take a long time to go by boat?”

“It takes twelve hours from Busan. If we leave at 7 p.m., we’ll arrive the next morning.”

“…Then it’s hard.”

Bijoo smiled at Woojoo.

“Hyung, eat this.”

Junghyun gave Woojoo a nutrition jelly with a ‘poor…’ expression and put it in his mouth.

Rihyuk licked his tongue and said, “What’s the point of searching that now? We’re at the airport.”

“…”

“Just close your eyes and get on.”

That was what they did.

They were at Gimpo Airport.

They had even passed the departure gate and were standing in line to board the plane.

Woojoo was nervous as the line got shorter.

His heart thumped every time he saw the plane engine outside the window.

He was more anxious and uneasy than when he faced the first monthly evaluation with a lack of dance skills.

He kept looking back at the exit, but he couldn’t leave now…

“Stay away from me, guys. I’m not running away.”

“You never know,” Bijoo said. “We’re standing here as a precaution.”

“Right. I’ll protect my slave.”

“…”

They surrounded Woojoo like penguins, as if he would run away with the plane in front of him.

“I’m not going. I’m not running away.”

“Why are you backing away?”

Woojoo coughed at Rihyuk’s words.

“It’s one of the Masai walking techniques.”

“Stop lying and get on quickly.”

“…”

Woojoo ended up boarding the plane with a sad face.

As he walked through the twisted boarding corridor like a road to hell, Junghyun put his hand on his shoulder and smiled kindly.

“If you ride the plane well this time, I’ll buy you black pork cutlet in Jeju Island. Hyung.”

“Junghyun.” Woojoo asked him seriously, “A big one?”

“A big one.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Rihyuk shook his head.

“How old are you? Seriously.”

Woojoo whispered to Junghyun.

“Don’t buy him anything. Junghyun.”

“Yes, Hyung.”

“Tell him to eat squid stir-fry.”

Some other passengers who were walking by chuckled, but they weren’t laughing at him.

Well, cutlet.

Woojoo couldn’t help but laugh when he thought about it.

But he felt a bit childish when he faced something scary.

He was nervous.

If there was a dimensional gate, he wanted to put his hand in it and hold hands with Mrs. Kim Deoksoon.

His mind became a little calmer when he thought that far.

The final goal of the first round of this audition program was first place. He had to achieve that and get ‘Deoksoon-ah’.

He thought he had to do it, so his mind was a little.

“Ugh.”

…It didn’t get any better.

Woojoo shivered as the plane started to take off.

He really hated planes.

He had experienced it once before because of the Taiwan schedule, but it was still painful to ride again.

At least this flight was short, so he was relieved.

“Hello!”

Woojoo greeted the production staff at Jeju International Airport. They were a small group of assistant directors, writers, and camera crew.

On the way to Mr. Noh Jaehyun’s house in a village, the writer explained various things.

“Originally, the teacher lived in Seoul, but he his chronic illness recently worsened and he came to Jeju Island for recuperation.”

They asked with worried faces.

“Is he okay with filming?”

“Yes, he gave us permission himself. But he can’t film for long.”

“Oh, okay…”

“Today’s filming will be short and tight.”

As Woojoo listened to the various precautions from the production crew, he faintly heard the sound of the waves crashing.

It was a drizzling day.

The car drove along the winding coastal road and entered a village just as the sky cleared up.

“Wow.”

The roofs were colorful under the morning sun.

It looked like a foreign village.

It seemed more like a place where outsiders came and built villas than a place where locals lived for a long time.

“The houses are amazing.”

“They must be all villas. I see some empty ones too.”

That was when they whispered to the youngest with mischief.

“Jiho, do you have a villa like this?”

“Um…” The youngest hesitated and said, “The one in Gangneung is similar to this, but the one in Busan is bigger. No, wait. Maybe it’s more like the one in Haenam?”

“…”

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. I don’t have that many, you know.”

“Show off.”

Rihyuk made a sour face, and Jiho said, “Oh, right. I told my dad about this. He said he wants to hang out with you guys at the villa sometime.”

As soon as they heard that, they scolded Rihyuk.

“Hey, let him brag. I can’t stand it.”

“Then you can’t use it. Rihyuk.”

“Rihyuk will sleep outside the villa. I’ll give you a mosquito net.”

“…Wow, look at these guys changing their attitude.”

Someone made a contemptuous face while the car arrived at a large two-story house in the corner of the village.

It was Mr. Noh Jaehyun’s house.

While the production crew was preparing the equipment, they took a deep breath and stretched their bodies.

“Ah, I’m nervous.”

“Me too.”

They felt their hearts pounding at the thought of meeting the person who made a mark in the history of Korean popular music.

“Let’s start filming.”

The ENG camera carried by the production crew set the angle, and they nodded and walked to the house.

A neatly arranged lawn.

They walked along the gravel path and stood in front of the entrance. The younger ones nodded and winked at Woojoo.

Ding dong.

A voice answered right away.

-Who is it!

A very weird voice came out.

Before they could say anything, a hoarse voice with phlegm came out again.

-Hey, who are you!

But for a moment, Woojoo’s lips didn’t part.

Maybe it was the faint familiarity in the voice.

It was a weird voice, but it didn’t make him tense. It felt rather warm and familiar.

It was as if someone had aged their voice for over 50 years. That was how it felt.

“…”

As soon as that thought crossed their mind, they both turned their heads to one side.

Under the gray sky, a face shining brightly in white looked at them and frowned.

-What are you looking at?

-What’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you answering!

They blinked their eyes at the voice that resonated strangely.

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