In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

“An audition?” I asked, puzzled.

“Yes,” came the reply from Mr. Hong on the other side of the smartphone, his laughter audible.

“We’re currently holding auditions for new male trainees.”

“Ah, I see.”

“So, did you all run away together?”

“Run away? No, not at all,” I protested, but he only laughed, clearly not convinced.

After ending the call, I exchanged awkward glances with my siblings.

“So it was an audition.”

“…It was an audition, huh.”

I felt silly for running away, but anyone would have been startled in that situation.

The youngest slurped his fish cake soup and said, “I mean, if unknown guys start running towards you, yelling, anyone would be scared.”

“Exactly. It’s only natural to be scared.”

We all nodded in agreement.

Then, turning to the owner who was making toast, we asked with a sniffle, “Can we have some more fish cake soup?”

“Have more,” he said.

“Thank youuuu-”

At the small street toast shop, sheltered by a tent, steam rose from the tteokbokki and fried snacks.

Sipping the fish cake soup from paper cups, we sighed contentedly, and the owner chuckled.

“But it does feel quite good,” the youngest mused, fiddling with his crumpled paper cup.

“Now we’ll have juniors at the company too. Or should I say, junior candidates before they debut?”

“So, does that make the people waiting now candidates for the junior candidates?”

“Candidates for the juniors of the… candidates…”

We blinked, trying to wrap our heads around the concept as the words seemed to collapse in real-time.

“Anyway, they’re our juniors for now.”

“But as Jiho said, it does feel good. To think we’ll have trainee juniors.”

We all smiled proudly.

“Just thinking about teaching them dance makes me excited.”

“I want to buy them late-night snacks and show off a bit.”

“I wonder if any of them are interested in composing? If there are enough, it might be fun to run a composing class.”

As we excitedly discussed how we could help them, Rihyuk shook his head and gulped down his fish cake soup.

Then, with a cold expression, he said, “Before we get ahead of ourselves, shouldn’t we think about that first?”

“You mean before we count our chickens before they hatch?”

“…”

At my teasing, his ears turned red, and he asked, “How are we going to get back into the company now?”

“…”

I remembered how we had just screamed and backpedaled in front of the trainee applicants.

It seemed too embarrassing to walk past them with our heads held high now.

Chewing on toast, I pondered how we could re-enter the company as naturally as possible.

“Aha!”

Suddenly, a brilliant idea came to mind.

“This will work.”

In front of Lemon Entertainment.

As time passed, the line grew longer.

“Hoo…”

With every breath, misty puffs of air in the chilly weather.

The applicants shuffled their feet and rubbed their hands together, sniffling.

The winter wind felt even harsher here in the alley where Lemon Entertainment’s building was located.

The atmosphere was tense.

Today was the third round of evaluations.

After passing the first round of internet video evaluations and the second round of auditions.

Today was the day when, after one more audition and a camera test, the final selections would be made.

‘It’s cold.’

Everyone had different interview times, and there was still a long wait before it began.

Most applicants, fearing any unforeseen variables, didn’t dare go far and gathered in front of the company.

Some compulsively checked their messages to confirm the date.

‘I really want to pass.’

‘God, Buddha, whoever, please just let me pass.’

‘I’m not even dreaming of New Black, just to succeed as much as the dirt under their nails.’

Applicants made fervent wishes to the clear blue sky.

Some had been rejected by the big four agencies and had scoured audition notices before finding this one.

Others had heard rumors at vocal schools that ‘Lemon Entertainment is really good’ and had come.

And there were trainees who had been let go from other companies.

Each had their own story, but the decisive factor was the same.

‘New Black.’

The fact that Lemon Entertainment had New Black.

Some had come with various calculations, but for most, the reason was simple, very simple.

‘They’re so cool.’

Videos of New Black’s performances played on the smartphones of those preparing their audition songs.

From early to late teens, they all wore similar expressions.

The desire to be like them had drawn them to the audition site.

“Achoo!”

Of course, right now, I couldn’t think of anything else.

‘I wish this line would move faster.’

‘Ah, it’s so cold. It wasn’t this cold when I came for the second round.’

‘After the college entrance exams, it suddenly got so cold.’

It was cold, bitterly so.

Amidst the chill, the thought of sipping on hot broth indoors was all I could wish for.

A murmur arose from the back of the line where the applicants stood.

“Wow…!”

“Whoa!”

Shrugging shoulders and tucking hands under armpits, the applicants turned their heads towards the commotion.

And they all reacted the same.

“It’s New Black!”

It was as if a pale filter had been laid before my eyes.

Figures that seemed to brighten the dreary alleyway approached, five young men boasting a fit worthy of a puffer jacket advertisement.

“Hello.”

Greeted by New Black’s radiant salutation, the applicants bowed unwittingly, their hands coming together as if in prayer, though none had yet passed.

As a hundred eyes watched, the universe seemed to curve into a smile.

“Isn’t the weather terribly cold today?”

“Yes…!”

“We were just passing by and noticed everyone looked so cold. Reminded me of our old audition days.”

Teeth chattering, the applicants nodded vigorously.

Approaching the stoic-faced Junhyeon, who stood with a cardboard box, the members extended a bag.

Canned drinks were promptly placed inside.

“Wow…!”

Exclamations of awe spilled among the applicants.

“We’ve prepared a can drink and a hand warmer for each of you.”

Like a child hero in a movie trapping a burglar, a member in a knitted hat spoke with a voice as gentle as his warm smile.

“…We bought these from various convenience stores, so we don’t have a lot in stock.”

“Wow…”

The tips of their noses reddened slightly, reminiscent of Rudolph.

The thought that they had gathered warm canned drinks from convenience stores on the spot made everyone feel fuzzy inside.

The alleyway seemed to warm for a moment.

Bijoo continued.

“So it’s random, and we might run out, so some of you might get a Hovenia dulcis drink.”

“There’s also Ssanghwa-tang.”

“And honeyed ginseng tea.”

Laughter erupted at the mention of the random draw.

The members then approached the line of applicants.

“Good luck with your auditions~”

The youngest, wearing mittens, handed out drinks with a sparkling cheer.

“Don’t drink it all at once. Sip it slowly. Don’t strain your throat in this cold weather.”

The main vocalist offered advice for the audition, covering his mouth with his collar against the cold.

“Now, for the exciting draw.”

The rapper rummaged through his box with a grand expression.

Amidst the laughter, an applicant clasped their hands in prayer.

“Please…!”

“Dun-dun, dun-dun-dun, dun-durururudun. Dun. Duun. Duuun.”

The hand that had been fishing around stopped, and a deep reach into the box produced a bottle of drink.

Junhyeon smiled contentedly.

“You’ve won. Honeyed ginseng tea.”

“No way!”

“Refunds are not possible, but you can exchange with the person in front or behind you through rock-paper-scissors.”

Laughter followed Junhyeon’s courteous customer service as he moved along.

Suddenly, the main dancer’s stern gaze turned into a kind smile, and Junhyeon gave a thumbs up, saying, “Enjoy your drink.”

And then.

“You like black tea, right?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“Just had a feeling.”

The leader, who seemed to intuitively know the preferred drink without being told, was both surprising and mystical.

A fleeting glance at the drink bag was all it took, and each time, a knowing smile was exchanged.

“Good luck with your audition.”

After quickly distributing the drinks, Woojoo handed the empty bag to Ryuk, who folded it neatly.

Crinkle-

The sound of hot packs being shaken and canned drinks being opened echoed through the alley.

“Wow…”

Taking a sip of the drink, I felt a warm fuzziness.

The tension hadn’t completely dissipated, but the alley’s temperature seemed to rise a few degrees.

The once stiff atmosphere became cozy and warm.

Such thoughtfulness from New Black naturally drew admiration.

‘So this is what it means to be a celebrity.’

There was an aura about them, friendly yet somehow untouchable.

Their appearance played a significant part.

‘They all look like real-life dolls.’

Clear skin, vivid eyes, and lively lips caught my eye.

They were like mannequins, carefully crafted by artisans, come to life.

“Ha ha ha!”

For a moment, it felt like a software glitch in the hardware, but I dismissed it as imagination.

“Thank you!”

As someone expressed their gratitude, the alley filled with a chorus of “Thank you!” warming the air.

Woojoo spoke on behalf of the group.

“Take care of your throats, and good luck with the auditions. Hopefully, we’ll meet inside the company next time.”

“Good luck to everyone!”

“Good luck.”

With that, the members of New Black waved and disappeared into the company.

Their walk was almost model-like, elegant strides following the leader’s back as the other members walked similarly.

And just like that, they vanished behind the doors that opened with a security card.

After a brief silence, exclamations that had been held back began to spill out from all around.

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“Did I open my drink for nothing?”

“…Should I post this on social media after I get the acceptance notification? They say they check social media when considering final acceptance.”

Thanks to the relaxed atmosphere, conversations unfolded comfortably among the other applicants.

Amidst the neighborly ambiance, the applicants’ desire to succeed was further ignited by the recent events.

‘I must pass.’

It was while harboring this thought that the door, which had been closed, suddenly opened again.

With a clatter, a group of five burst out from inside, causing the applicants to scramble in confusion.

“Oops, hello… ah…”

“Hello!”

Leading with a bright smile, Woojoo and the rest hurriedly fled, no, dashed away.

The buzz of conversation filled the air.

Those with keen ears could faintly catch snippets of the dialogue.

‘Bingsu?’

‘Something about A, I think.’

While the applicants tilted their heads in wonder, the actual conversation of the fleeing group, New Black, went like this:

“They heard us coming and took off!”

“Where did the A&R team hide? Bingsu?”

“Yeah. The lady at the bingsu place said they’re hiding there. She even sent a photo because she finds spying so fun.”

“Heave-ho, heave-ho. How many friends do you have, Wang Jiho…?”

“It seems they thought we wouldn’t find them at the bingsu place.”

“What are you talking about? It’s bingsu season in winter!”

The applicants nodded in understanding as they watched them chant ‘bingsu’ and run off.

It seemed not just anyone could win the Dolympics.

The capture of the A&R team went smoothly.

“No, how did you find this place!”

“Hehehe. Where do you think you’re running off to, team leader?”

As their eyes darted around, the A&R team members shivered.

I declared triumphantly.

“You all are now in the palm of Dooly, like Gildong.”

“I’d rather be Heedong.”

At Deputy Manager Seo Pil-geun’s muttering, the other A&R team members glared at him as if he was clueless.

Bijoo pointed out a few people sitting around a round table with a gentle smile.

“Brother, the producing team members are over there too.”

They hurriedly responded.

“No, we heard that the A&R team found a hidden gem of a place…”

“What are you talking about? The producing team asked first where to hide.”

“No, they said it was a hidden gem.”

We couldn’t help but laugh as they quickly fell into an internal dispute.

Then we sat down and enjoyed the bingsu provided by the A&R and producing teams, easing our mood.

After sharing stories from North and South America.

“Ah, the auditions?”

We heard the detailed story from the company people.

“We were planning to schedule it for next year, but thanks to your rapid growth, we had to move it up.”

“The rookie development team has been revived too.”

Originally, new trainee auditions were planned for around 2016, but thanks to the massive cash flow we brought in, the schedule was moved up.

It seems they’ll be held once or twice a year from now on.

“These days, we’re so busy expanding our workforce. We have to contract trainers to teach the trainees too.”

“Ah, right.”

“And we have to conduct the end-of-month evaluations.”

“Ugh…”

Just hearing the name, the end-of-month evaluation, sent shivers down our spines.

While scooping up the injeolmi bingsu, we asked.

“So when will the new trainees debut?”

“Well, at the earliest…”

The A&R team leader counted on his fingers as he stared into space, then said.

“2019, I guess.”

“Yikes.”

Four years seemed reasonable, but as former trainees, we knew how long that really was.

“By the way.”

Back to the main topic.

“How’s our album plan coming along?”

“It’s almost ready. We’re waiting to see how your song work goes and will proceed accordingly.”

“There must be more than one or two plans.”

“It’s a special album, after all.”

The team members from both sides said.

“There are many unique plans. But first, we want to hear the album’s song content and adjust to that.”

“Of course, it’s not all prepared yet. And you have another award coming up.”

We nodded.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

We were busy preparing for the KMA stage in Hong Kong at the beginning of next month.

It seemed like a good idea to hear about the full album promotion plan afterward.

“Looks like we’ll start with the song work.”

We asked.

“When are the producer and the teachers joining us for the work?”

“Teacher Baek Sang-gyo is preparing for his year-end dinner show, and the others are also busy with year-end schedules. It’ll be a short meeting in between.”

“I see.”

“And producer Ha Seung-ju, excluding his Music Cafe recording schedule…”

The A&R team leader grinned expectantly.

“He’s cleared his schedule, so he said he’ll come over whenever we call.”

Second Floor Studio

As the figure clad in a coat stepped through the door, we greeted them with a chorus of ‘wow’s and applause.

“Welcome! Senior!”

“Hello.”

“It’s so strange to see you in casual clothes.”

“I know, right?”

I was used to seeing them always dressed like a gentleman at the music cafe, so this relaxed attire felt unfamiliar. And it seemed the feeling was mutual.

“Wow, Woojoo, your casual wear is quite unique.”

“You like this outfit?”

“Yeah, it’s… nice.”

It was my black hoodie, adorned with a tyrannosaurus surrounded by flowers, looking almost prickly. And then there was my pink wristwatch. To the person experiencing a culture shock at my appearance, I said with a smile, “Thank you for agreeing to produce our album.”

“I should be thanking you. I was itching to compose something on the spot when I saw you guys perform. I’ve always wanted to work with you.”

“I never expected you to take on the role of producer, though.”

“I haven’t deliberately avoided idol album projects, but somehow it just turned out that way. You guys are my first.”

Although the producer had collaborated with singers to create various hit records, they had never participated in an idol album before.

“How did you end up with our album…?”

As I pondered whether they saw something musical in us, I caught a clear gaze from behind their horn-rimmed glasses.

“Kyu-hwan offered a lot of money.”

“…”

“It was a tremendous amount.”

“…”

It wasn’t clarity in their eyes, but rather the joy of capitalism.

While we blinked in surprise, they said, “Just kidding.”

We burst into laughter, though we knew there was some truth to the jest.

Ha Seung-ju.

A producer famous for commanding an extraordinary fee in the domestic music industry. They were also behind the most successful album of senior Cha Woo-hyun.

They didn’t often take on projects, but when they did, the results were almost always phenomenal.

“I’ve heard the general direction from the A&R team. It’s a special album themed around winter, right?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s listen to the tracks you’ve worked on so far.”

They sat down with a smile, and as I played one of my recent compositions, they nodded along, listening intently.

“It’s good, but?”

“Really?”

“You’ve made some changes, but it seems you haven’t done much yet.”

“Yes, I thought it would be important to get the opinions of the producer and others.”

Then they reached for the mouse to get feedback.

“I’d like to ask about this part first.”

“The third track?”

“Yes. I want to express the feeling of snow gently piling up in the chorus, but it doesn’t match the rest of the song.”

“So it’s not cohesive?”

“It feels a bit out of place, so I’ll try to make some adjustments.”

I could sense my younger colleagues tilting their heads in confusion.

They seemed clueless about what was out of place.

As I was about to ask the A&R team to listen and judge, the producer waved their hand.

“Maybe it’s better to revise the intro instead, to make the journey to the climax smoother.”

“Oh.”

“Why?”

“I had the same thought. I held off because it seemed too bold.”

At my words, the producer smiled as if they knew I would say that.

“Then I’ll tweak that part a bit.”

“Alright. In the meantime, I’ll work on it on my laptop, and then we can compare notes.”

“Okay!”

My younger colleagues blinked in surprise as they watched the producer and me turn our attention to our laptops.

I could read the confusion in their eyes.

‘That was quick.’

‘Why so fast?’

I shared their sentiment.

For some reason, I had a feeling this album project was going to be a breeze.

In Front of the Second Floor Studio

The A&R team members peered through the glass with excited faces, only to be met with disappointment.

“This isn’t right.”

“This isn’t the reaction we expected.”

“Why are they progressing so quickly and smoothly?”

It was supposed to be the moment when Woojoo would say, ‘I’ve made a tiny change, let’s compare and see which is better!’

But instead, after a swift exchange of opinions starting with Woojoo and Ha Seung-ju, the process moved along briskly.

“But about Ha Seung-ju,” one of them said.

“Hmm?”

“Don’t they handle Woojoo really well? It’s not just that their styles match, but it seems like a work method optimized for that kind of style.”

“Right…”

As everyone nodded in agreement, someone suddenly spoke up.

“Didn’t they say that person worked on a jazz album with Woojoo’s father before?”

“Really?”

“Maybe that’s why.”

The A&R team members paused and turned their gaze back to the glass.

Watching Ha Seung-ju jot down notes and quickly come up with alternatives every time Woojoo spoke.

While they were impressed by the producer’s prowess…

“…”

The A&R team couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy, wondering what had led them to this point.