In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe - Chapter 110:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 110

He said so when they parted.

That he would bring a lot of people later.

Woojoo didn’t think much of it. He thought he would just bring some old friends from the neighborhood.

Woojoo never expected his sons and his family to show up.

When Grandpa Kang held Woojoo’s hand, a middle-aged man asked him as a representative, “Dad, should we go to this table?”

“Yes, let’s go with these people here. Is there enough food?”

 

“Of course. Of course.”

Fifteen people followed Woojoo into the village hall.

The other guests looked at them with stunned faces.

Especially Team A, they had their eyes wide open, because until then, they had 10 more guests than them.

And now, they had five more.

Ye Heeyeon clenched her fist and cheered behind Woojoo.

After seating them at each table, their team members gathered around the table where Grandpa Kang was eating.

“Dad talked about you all the way here.” The second son with glasses said, “He said someone came and listened to him for over 30 minutes. He said he was grateful and had to thank you.”

“30 minutes? That’s impressive. We can’t even listen to dad’s stories.”

“Shut up! You brats!” Grandpa Kang scolded, but it was a cheerful atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the brothers chatted with each other.

Woojoo felt curious.

“I didn’t know your sons lived in the same village.”

“Didn’t I tell you?”

No, he didn’t.

Woojoo had memorized what he said and even took notes when he talked to the elders today.

Woojoo answered with a smile.

“Maybe you did, but I must have forgotten.”

“Is that so? Anyway, these guys built fancy houses and never came to visit. I have to go see them.”

“…Dad.” One of the sons said incredulously, “You told us not to come yesterday because you had to go to bed early.”

“Oh, I don’t remember that.”

Woojoo laughed as he watched him brush it off. As the meal began, Woojoo brought Bijoo and made him sit down.

“Is the food okay? Our member cooked it.”

“Wow, did you make it yourself?” one of the daughters-in-law asked. “It tastes like restaurant food. I thought you brought it already made.”

“Hey, daughter-in-law. These days, reality is the key to broadcasting! Reality! That’s what old-fashioned shows do,” Grandpa Kang said excitedly, and one of the sons intervened.

“Dad, you’ve become a broadcasting expert.”

A burst of laughter erupted.

Their team was also happy to be in first place.

They greeted the new guests and went around, but whenever the two members of Around the World With Dice went by, there were exclamations of wow.

Not to mention the Hallyu star who elicited dolphin-like squeals from the mothers and students.

They also worked hard to promote themselves to the young guests.

“Wow, I’ve never seen an idol before. Awesome. What’s your name?”

“We’re New Black. How do you like it? Is this your first time seeing a celebrity in person?”

“Yes!”

“Hey, Wang Jiho. How can you call yourself a celebrity with your mouth?”

The young guests were momentarily mesmerized by their kids.

Woojoo was used to seeing them 24 hours a day, so he was indifferent, but he felt like they were handsome when he saw them like this.

The eldest son also complimented Woojoo.

“You’re really handsome.”

“Thank you.”

“Dad said on the way here that there was someone who looked exactly like him when he was young.”

“Oh…” Woojoo blinked and asked, “That’s amazing. Do I look like him?”

“No.”

The one who answered was the youngest daughter of the eldest son. The little girl who still had no front teeth chewed on the bulgogi and said, “My grandpa looks like a steamed bun.”

A loud laughter burst out.

And it took five minutes to make Grandpa Kang Moonsik, who was badly hurt, feel comfortable again.

 

After the meal, Woojoo saw off Grandpa Kang Moonsik who was leaving.

He held Woojoo’s hand and said, “You have to sleep after the shooting is over.”

“Yes, Grandpa. I think we’ll probably sleep in a vacant room that the other villagers lend us.”

“Really? I didn’t hear anything like that…”

Then he said to Woojoo, “Then come to our house and sleep later.”

“…Yes?”

“You’ll only hear an old fan whirring if you go to another writer’s or manager’s house, but we have a lot of empty rooms in our house.”

“Oh, but even without a plan…”

When Woojoo said that and declined, Grandpa’s family said, “Please come and sleep as my father said. He likes having a lot of people around, so it’s not a bother.”

“Still…”

“Our house has a great air conditioner.”

“Thank you very much.”

Everyone laughed at Woojoo as he bowed his head quickly.

Their youngest put his chin on Woojoo’s shoulder and said, “Me too, Grandpa? Can I go too?”

“Sure. Sure you can.”

“Can I go too?”

Lee Gyeonwoo, who was quiet, raised his hand.

“I really want to go. Grandpa’s house.”

His eyes were full of longing for the air conditioner.

The other team members were the same, and after a discussion, the whole Team C decided to sleep at Grandpa’s house.

He wanted them all to come.

They exchanged thanks in a warm atmosphere.

“Can I have your autograph…”

Woojoo gave autographs to the young guests and also did some publicity.

“Please promote our song to your friends.”

“Oh, yes. I will.”

“Don’t forget to compliment us. ‘I saw New Black on the recording that day and they were amazing in real life.’ Something like that.”

“That’s weak, Hyung.”

“What’s weak?”

“We need some stronger expressions.”

The youngest smiled brightly and joined in.

“When I saw them in person, their faces were glowing. Wow, celebrity aura. Please say something like that too. And… oh, this is good too! When I saw them in person, they were so nice. How about that?”

“Jiho, don’t make the guests uncomfortable. Junghyun, take him away.”

“Yeah, Hyung. Take him away quickly. He doesn’t give me and Bijoo a chance to talk.”

The kids, who were about elementary and middle school age, laughed at them as they bickered over nothing.

“I’ll definitely promote you!” she said with a flushed face, clutching the signed poster tightly. She looked like she was really impressed by Woojoo.

That was right.

This was how he increased the fan base.

Woojoo was smiling smugly when Jiho next to Woojoo gave him a cheesy look and said, “Please spread the word to your friends~”

“…”

“Ahhhh! This Hyung is a scammer!”

***

Just like when they first arrived at the village hall, they stood in their teams and the main PD, Gu Jaeyong, who held a megaphone, announced the results.

“The winner of the first mission is Team C.”

“Woohoo-!”

They must have gotten closer as a team. As soon as the result was announced, they hugged each other and jumped around.

The other teams also clapped and cheered for them.

While they changed the tape, they exchanged compliments in a friendly atmosphere. Bijoo and Woojoo received the most praise.

“Seriously, this was all Bijoo. We didn’t do much cooking. He did everything like a chef.”

“No, I also got help from you guys…”

“Ooh, so humble… I’m sorry.”

Junghyun, who was teasing him, flinched at the piercing glare of their second youngest.

Bijoo’s eyes seemed to say, ‘I’m still mad at you for running into the road.’

But he soon smiled playfully.

“Woojoo Hyung worked the hardest. If those people didn’t come at the last minute, we wouldn’t have won.”

“That’s true.”

Lee Gyeonwoo asked curiously, “But how did you think of going to them? I don’t think anyone would have gone there since the ingredient was turmeric.”

“There was no special reason.”

Maxi answered for Woojoo, pointing at him with his chin.

“Woojoo said he felt sorry for the grandfather and wanted to go.”

“How nice.”

“Of course. Our Hyung is the nicest person in the world. He saves people and stuff. He donates whenever something bad happens.”

Then he put his hand over his mouth and whispered as if he was telling a secret.

“But he’s really mean to his brothers.”

“Hey.”

“Look at that. Ugh, my heart is pounding.”

“Uhuh…”

They all burst into laughter at the sight of him hiding behind Junghyun and Bijoo and pointing at Woojoo.

In the meantime, their main vocal was sulking.

“Hey, why don’t you hide behind me?”

“Hyung, you’re too small to hide behind.”

“…”

“Aww… Poor Rihyuk… Cheer up.”

His insincere cheer made them laugh even more.

While Ye Heechan and Ye Heeyeon, and the other guests were chatting with each other, they stuck together.

“I kind of want to brag to our fans,” Bijoo said, “It’s not a big deal, but I want to tell them that we won.”

“Me too.”

“Me too. I haven’t been to the fan cafe for half a day, but I’m curious and anxious. I want to write a bragging post.”

Woojoo felt the same way.

As soon as he visited this village in Yeoncheon County, he thought of their Soufflé.

It was a typical rural village, but the serene scenery itself was healing.

If only Woojoo could do a live broadcast, he would have walked around the neighborhood and talked with them, and communicated with them.

If he sang a song for them in the woods, they would have loved it.

“That’s why I wrote a post in the morning and came,” Rihyuk boasted with a proud face. “I greeted the fans and told them that I would do well in the recording today.”

“…?”

But they blinked their eyes.

Woojoo asked, “What are you talking about? I also checked the fan cafe in the morning and there was no post with that title.”

“What?”

“Woojoo Hyung was right. I was lurking on the fan cafe this morning and I didn’t see any posts like that.”

“…That can’t be.”

“Rihyuk. Where did you write it? Did you get the board wrong?”

“I’m not the kind of person who would make such a mistake… Oh.”

Woojoo thought he knew what happened.

It felt like watching a glass bottle fill up with bright red liquid in real-time.

His face turned red in an instant, starting from his ears.

“What’s wrong? Where did you write it?”

***

Lemon Entertainment PR team.

“Pfft…

Hong Seoyoung, the agent in charge of New Black, spat out the coffee she was drinking.

Then she coughed for a while as the sound of laughter reached her ears.

The PR team leader raised one eyebrow, and Hong bowed her head and wiped her mouth.

The company’s actor showed up with his manager in the morning and spouted nonsense that the recent slump in the ratings of the mini-series was due to the lack of effort from the PR team, creating a tense atmosphere.

But because of that atmosphere, she couldn’t help but laugh.

[What’s wrong?]

She sent a link to her colleague, Nam Seokwoo, who was next to her partition, via the work messenger.

Then the sound of laughter started from the next seat.

-[No.1 Reading Cafe -Book is the New Black]’s post.

Title: I’ll be back soon ^^

ID : Dr. Chuck

Hello, fans. This is Rihyuk from New Black. ^^

We’re going to record a variety show today. ^^

I’m very nervous and excited, but I think of it as leaving to show you a more awesome side of us, our Soufflés, and that joy is indescribable. ^^

I’ll do my best and come back. Well then. ^^

P.S. Does the post look a bit soft? Bijoo Hyung said that adding ^^ at the end makes it look softer.

[Comments]

-?

-??

-What is this? This is a reading review section. Was Dr. Chuck an idol?

-Is this a fake account or what

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I just searched the ID and this person is really a singer

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋDid you confuse the cafe?

And when this post was captured and uploaded to another site as ‘The idol who entered the wrong fan cafe.jpg’, the Soufflés who visited the fan cafe were bewildered.

Title: Reading an international relations theory book

ID : New Black Rihyuk

Greetings.

Today I read a theoretical book that covers international relations in a general way. Concepts such as liberalism and constructivism, unlike the other biology or physics books I’ve read so far, were quite interesting.

My previous perspective on social science was…

(Continued)

P.S. I’ve been busy with work lately and couldn’t log in for a while. I’ll be back soon.

[Comments]

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋpoor Rihyuk…

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I’m going crazy for real ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Ooh, did our Rihyuk get excited by reading a book…? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-He must be grinning from ear to ear right now

-222 And then he’ll have nothing to say and pick on the youngest and the oldest

-333 Bijoo will calmly soothe him

-44 And Junghyun will be eating something by now…

-Nod nod. Junghyun doesn’t care about that stuff

-But, I saw that Rihyuk’s ID was revealed on the reading cafe and he did a lot of knowledge answers, you know?

-Wow… Please share the link

And because of this unintentional mistake, the person’s dark history was also being dug up.

***

Junghyun was lucky.

“I want to be a singer. How do I do that?”

“What do you mean, how?”

Woojoo answered.

“You have to work hard. What other way is there? I also have the same dream as the questioner. Who knows. If you work hard, maybe someday you’ll reach the top of the world. Heh.”

“Hey, be quiet. Seriously!”

“That’s the point. Heh after saying you’ll reach the top.”

“Hyung, should we try the pose too?”

Junghyun and Woojoo struck a pose and said ‘heh’, and the other two doubled over laughing.

Bijoo, who was poking at the kimchi, looked at his phone and said, “Oh, there’s this too. There’s a kid who only eats rice with soy sauce. What should I do?”

“He won’t die from starvation. He’s just not hungry enough. I’ve known the value of rice that farmers have grown with sweat and tears since I was young. I never left any rice… Puhaha! And he even got chosen.”

“…I wish the earth would end, really.”

Woojoo laughed at the guy who was spewing venom.

Ye Heechan, who was eating a lunch box nearby, asked them, “What’s so funny?”

“Rihyuk’s dark history was uncovered on the internet.”

“Really, if I hadn’t taken cold medicine and slept last night…”

Soon Ye Heechan also laughed at the post they showed him.

The scene of his blatant past writings that had been going on since elementary school quickly spread to the people on the set.

Judging by the reaction, their HBS reality team must have loved it too.

Rihyuk, who became the butt of the joke, stabbed his rice with a spoon.

It was lunchtime.

It was about 30 minutes of rest before starting the second mission after finishing the first one, and Woojoo found this while he was on the fan cafe.

It was already posted on the idol community.

Woojoo was so stressed out from being on edge on the show, but he felt like he was healed a lot thanks to this.

Maxi asked in a whisper, “Mr. Know-it-all, what’s our next mission?”

“I’m not going to tell you.”

Now that he thought about it, he was curious.

What were the missions and what were the rewards for them?

Woojoo was just running around without thinking while doing the first mission, but now he was a bit curious.

“Sunbae-nim, are you not eating that?”

“Um, I don’t like it. Do you want more?”

“…Yes!”

Lee Gyeonwoo smiled and handed Woojoo his lunch box, and their third one grabbed it.

Come to think of it, he was just staring blankly when he first got the lunch box, and then he said ‘ah’ and awkwardly tore the wrapper.

His hand movements were awkward, so it looked like his manager usually did everything for him.

Lee Gyeonwoo wasn’t the only one, some of the celebrities also showed similar signs.

They would wait quietly and then suddenly say ‘oops’ and do their own actions.

One of the celebrities in Team A was even awkward at opening a water bottle.

Woojoo would make a vow every time he saw that.

He shouldn’t be like that even after he made it big. But then Woojoo smiled and shook his head.

No one knew what the future him would be like.

The staff had simple kimbap, and the celebrities had lunch boxes. After the meal, the recording resumed.

It was past 2 p.m., and it felt like they would do two more shootings here and finish around 10 p.m.

“We’ll give you the reward we couldn’t give you earlier. Team C, come out and get the giant golden key.”

It was five times the size of the key they got for succeeding in the self-introduction corner.

It was actually worth five small keys.

The older brother, comedian Oh Hyungseok, asked, “What is this for, PD-nim?”

“Yeah, I’m curious too.”

“You never told us. What do you use that for?”

Main PD Gu Jaeyong nodded at their exploding curiosity.

“Let me explain that part… The golden key is the key to open the treasure chest hidden in this village. You need to get a total of sixteen keys to open the chest. And the team that opens the treasure chest will win today.”

Woojoo saw what he meant.

But he wasn’t particularly interested in the golden key. Their goal was to secure as much footage as possible anyway.

The golden key was just a nice bonus.

That was what Woojoo was thinking when it happened.

“Then what’s the reward for the first place?”

“The theme of the Chuseok Special is filial piety, right? So we prepared a luxury package travel voucher for you to send to your families.”

“…”

Amidst the oohs and aahs, Woojoo’s siblings looked at him.

Woojoo nodded too.

His mind changed.