In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe - Chapter 202:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 202

After chatting with the other team members in the waiting room, they each changed their clothes and left the room.

“Good job, everyone!”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

As one by one left the room, Hanjo smiled and said to Woojoo, “I’ll go ahead. My siblings are waiting for me.”

“Oh, okay.”

Woojoo nodded with a regretful face.

 

He wanted to have a conversation with the oldies about today’s game or fortune-telling, but unfortunately he couldn’t go with them.

 

“Woojoo, let’s take a selfie together.”

“Can I use your phone? That’s great. Then let’s exchange phone numbers this time.”

The other team members grabbed Woojoo and asked him to take a selfie or exchange numbers.

Someone chuckled and said, “I always wanted to be friends with you when I saw you on TV, but you five looked so close that I couldn’t find a chance to join in.”

“You could have just said so… Actually, we’re not that close. We’re just like post-its.”

Woojoo chatted with the senior singers and made friends with them, then he cut off at the right timing and got out.

“Thank you so much, Sunbae-nims! It was so much fun playing with you.”

“Yeah, you did well too.”

“Yes, I’ll go up first.”

Woojoo bowed energetically and closed the door behind him.

It was only an hour, but he wanted to see his siblings soon.

Woojoo walked briskly like Junghyun did when he went to eat, and the hallway passed by quickly.

When he reached the stairs to the first floor.

He faintly saw four figures huddled together in the dark stairs.

They had handsome shadows.

Anyone could tell they were his kids.

What were they doing there?

Woojoo was curious, so he walked along the hallway and stuck to the wall at an angle where he couldn’t be seen from the stairs.

When he put his ear close, he heard voices.

“It’s dark again.”

“Junghyun Hyung, this is sensor-based, right? Just wave your hands like this~”

The youngest’s swaying voice and the shadows of the four waving their hands together swayed toward me.

Woojoo held back a laugh.

Flash.

Woojoo heard them giggling.

“But what is Rihyuk Hyung doing?”

“He’s recording the cycle of the lights turning off. If he’s right, they’ll turn off again in 30 seconds.”

“Wow. This Hyung would have been Edison if he was born in the Joseon Era.”

“Wouldn’t Edison be executed in the Joseon Era?”

“Is Rihyuk dead?”

“…Why are you suddenly killing me?”

Woojoo felt calm as he listened to their nonsense.

Jiho said he had something to try and moved his body in the dark, and when the light turned on, he imitated the concert opening.

As the others clapped and made a fuss on the stairs.

Woojoo walked out with a ta-da smile.

“Hey, guys!”

Soon, the four pairs of beautiful eyes that were chatting with each other turned to him.

Their pupils dilated and their eyes and mouths rose at the same time.

The members jumped up.

“Woojoo Hyuuuung!”

“Guys!”

They went up and down the stairs like excited monkeys.

And they met at the landing and shared a joyful reunion.

“Woah!”

It felt healing.

***

Indoor gymnasium facility management team.

“…”

The management team employee who was staring at the CCTV with fierce eyes had a stunned expression.

He was watching the movements of fans or staff who might sneak into other places to prepare for emergencies, as there were many attendees.

But there was a strange scene on the CCTV of the basement 2nd floor stairs.

‘…What is this.’

As he stared blankly, a senior employee next to him leaned his head in.

“What, what’s the problem?”

“It’s camera 24.”

“24? Basement level 2? Why is that…”

He blinked as he turned his head.

‘What the hell.’

On the CCTV screen, four people were dancing around someone who was holding something like a medal in the center.

They looked like monkeys who had won a battle.

The leader showed off the medal, and the rest of them acted as if they were dazzled.

Then they danced joyfully.

“…”

“…”

The senior who was staring blankly parted his lips.

“But… they can dance well.”

“They do dance well.”

“…”

“…”

He didn’t know who they were, but they were idol members who were dancing splendidly on the basement stairs.

They had a bronze-age tribe vibe.

“Do their fans know about this?”

“Maybe it’s better if they don’t…”

“That’s true…”

“…”

The two men looked at the CCTV with awkward smiles.

***

First floor main arena.

They came back up and took their seats to watch the women’s wrestling final.

-Yes, it’s finally the women’s wrestling final!

-Scarlet is dominant this year too!

Scarlet, who had finished off Girls on Top with a single win, was still showing their dignity.

While member Bom, who was sitting on a plastic chair, was waving a fan like Zhuge Liang and cheering.

The rest of the sisters, Yu Bi, Guan Wu, and Zhang Bi, were attacking the opponent’s neck, or rather, the opponent.

-Daisy! She defeats Misty’s Su Ah and gets another single win!

-She has such a hearty laugh! She can’t hide her joy of victory.

-Last year, she got the nickname of Glutinous Rice General, right?

There was laughter everywhere at the mention of Glutinous Rice General.

“…”

They remembered Daisy as a plump glutinous rice cake.

She still had that visual, but somehow her smile looked like a heroic hero who laughed heartily.

It was kind of scary.

Daisy, who was briefly scanning the audience, glanced at them and the five cowards cheered politely.

Starting with Daisy, who was the first runner, Scarlet recorded three consecutive wins.

Misty, who had made it to the final, did their best, but their seniors from their agency were too strong.

“Woohoo!”

Amid the fans’ cheers.

As they put the wrestling gold medal around their necks, they clapped while the commentators came out for the interview.

The four of them, who were smiling contentedly, appeared on the screen.

-Congratulations on winning the wrestling!

-Thank you!

They nodded their heads.

-We have to make it short because of the time… Who will do it? Yes. Rina.

The visual member with a calm appearance brushed her hair back, and Curtain, the fandom, shouted ‘Unnie!’ and was restrained by the security.

Rina, who was sending love to the fans, soon called someone.

-President.

The camera captured their president in the audience.

Next to him, the President of DNS Media was making a nervous expression, and their President was wiping his nose with a handkerchief, his eyes red.

He nodded his head at the call.

Rina said to the President in a short and bold voice.

-We’re going to eat snowflake sirloin this year.

Daisy added ‘1++’ with her unique rap, and laughter erupted in the arena.

The other singers also clapped and congratulated them.

They pricked up their ears at the conversations that were heard here and there.

“Lemon is the overall winner this year, right?”

“Yeah. They have the wrestling gold medal, the archery gold medal… and the running silver and bronze medals.”

“Last year, it was only Scarlet, but this year, they swept the medals for both men and women.”

Woojoo asked his siblings with an excited face, “Are we the overall winners?”

“Unless something unexpected happens,” Rihyuk said, thinking hard. “We’ll win the overall championship, no matter who gets the MVP. They’d have to fly in the air to beat us with this score difference.”

“Ugh…”

“Look at Woojoo Hyung’s eyes. They’re already glazed over. He has the same expression he had in Director Jo’s home studio.”

Woojoo was happy.

The overall championship was just a hollow honor. What mattered most to him was the promise he made with the President.

He said he would buy Woojoo the composing equipment that was in Director Jo’s house.

Woojoo scanned the audience seats to see the President’s face.

He saw him sitting next to President Im of DNS Media, boasting to him. His eyes sparkled.

Woojoo sent him a look.

Sparkle, sparkle.

Junghyun shook his head.

“I don’t think the President sees you, Hyung.”

“Just a second.”

Woojoo decided to focus his gaze a little more.

Sparkle! Sparkle!

Spark! Le!

His persistent stare finally caught the President’s attention.

He opened his eyes wide and smiled warmly, waving his hand.

He looked like the happiest person in the world, having crushed the rival company and taken first place.

They mouthed to each other.

‘Woojoo-ah!’

‘President-nim!’

They exchanged affectionate glances.

Woojoo heard whispers from the members next to him.

“Woojoo Hyung is looking at the President like a treasure goblin.”

“That greed…”

“The President must think this guy is a goose that lays golden eggs. Lucky him.”

Woojoo ignored them and smiled.

When he sent the President a finger heart, he chuckled and sent him a giant heart back.

The youngest tilted his head.

“But the President still looks happy. Maybe he doesn’t know how much the composing equipment costs.”

“Let him enjoy it.”

Their younger brothers also sent stars and hearts to the President.

The President smiled blissfully for a while, then got up from his seat, wearing an old coat.

He seemed to be humming a tune.

President Im, who got up with him, had a grumbling face. Maybe they had a bet on the meal.

Junghyun said, “Oh? He’s leaving.”

“He should go now. He must be very tired. He stayed until the end.”

As Bijoo said, the seats that were filled with directors at the opening ceremony were now empty.

Most of them had left after attending briefly in the morning, due to their schedules. The only two presidents who stayed until this time were theirs and DNS Media’s.

It was already evening.

It was amazing and grateful that he stayed until this time to cheer for them, even though he must have been busy.

The youngest, who was lying on Woojoo’s lap, said, “I’m jealous. I want to go home too.”

“You can go at 10.”

“Oh, right! That’s true.”

The recording schedule for today was supposed to end around 1 a.m.

But their youngest and main vocal had to leave at 10, because of the law set by the country for minors.

They said that broadcasting recordings were not allowed after 10 for those under 15 or something.

It was a law made to consider the harsh broadcasting environment for minors, but it seemed that it applied to most minors, not just those under 15.

Of course, leaving meant waiting in the waiting room.

Jiho made a sullen face, then a mischievous one.

“Ugh… I want to stay here with you guys, but the country tells me to go, so I’m so sad.”

“…”

“I guess I’ll have to lie on the sofa in the waiting room.”

“…”

The faces of the three, except Rihyuk, softened.

Woojoo smiled warmly and gestured to their third.

“Junghyun-ah.”

“Yes, Hyung.”

“Take care of it.”

“Yes.”

Woojoo looked around while their youngest, who was ticklish, screamed.

“Ugh…”

“This is unfair…”

The other group members who were squatting nearby had bitter faces.

They had been squatting for more than twelve hours since dawn, then exercised briefly, and then squatted on the cold floor again. They were all on the verge of getting sick.

Cold. Hungry.

And there were still more than six hours of recording left. It was driving them crazy.

Sometimes they exchanged glances of camaraderie with each other, saying they were suffering.

Since they were sitting in the middle of the stadium, there were eyes and cameras everywhere, and fans were watching from afar, so they all smiled outwardly.

“Yap yap!”

The one who had been whining ‘this is unfair’ just a moment ago winked at the fans, making Woojoo laugh.

Maybe it was because of the restrictions on their behavior, but the Teen Spirit nearby seemed especially stifled.

They whispered vulgar words to each other’s ears, and then sent boyish charms to the fans.

“…”

Woojoo still couldn’t get used to it. That.

He moved his gaze from the other idols and looked around more widely.

While the next event was being prepared, the staff were going back and forth.

He met eyes with Hanjo, who was sitting nearby.

They nodded at each other and got up from their seats.

“Hyung, can we go to the Soufflés… where?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.” Woojoo smiled and said to the younger ones who were getting up from their seats, “Let’s go see the Soufflés now.”

***

The information that Han Taehyun gave him after the basketball game was premium.

-Don’t you want to go to the cheering section and see the fans?

Of course.

It was much better to say a few words up close than to gesture and kick each other from afar.

But…

-It’s hard because you have to watch out for the staff.

That was the problem.

The program itself, Dolympics, was so abusive by the production team that Woojoo always felt like he had to be careful.

They were decent where the cameras were.

But in places where they weren’t, they would just pass by and yell ‘hey, you’, and push them with their hands to move the equipment.

And they were so strict that if they did something wrong, their manager Hyungs would be called and scolded.

No wonder the fans hated this program.

That was why they couldn’t go to the fan seats.

The other senior idols had experience, so they would sneak in and out at the right timing, but as a rookie, they didn’t know that timing.

Woojoo was anxiously looking at the fan seats and wondering ‘what should I do?’ when their big senior gave him a tip.

When was the right time to go.

And that was right now.

“We’re here!”

“Wow!”

Their Soufflés greeted them with a happy expression.

Woojoo smiled as he saw their faces, which were very tired but happy.

Like Decalcomaniacs, he thought they probably had the same expression.

Because they had been trapped for more than twelve hours from dawn until now, they exchanged eyes of friendship and talked.

There were hoarse voices here and there, but it was a warm and lively atmosphere.

“Oppa!”

Woojoo turned his eyes at someone’s shout.

“I’m going to the office and change my name to Kim Deoksoon!”

“Pfft!”

The manager Hyungs who were standing nearby also burst into laughter, and the younger ones and the fans rolled over, holding their stomachs.

The members urged Woojoo to answer, so he looked at the fan and said, “Remember this first.”

“…?”

Woojoo raised his finger and said, “Deoksoon is the one and only.”

Next to him, Junghyun exclaimed, ‘Oh, you don’t have any shame anymore.’

Woojoo clapped his hands and said proudly, “Come on, repeat after me. All together. Deoksoon is the one and only.”

“Deoksoon is the one and only.”

The fans around Woojoo blinked their eyes as they chanted ‘Deoksoon is the one and only’ like a choir.

Woojoo nodded his head with a satisfied face.

“You can’t change your name. If you really want to change it, don’t use Deoksoon, but make it Deotsoon with a double consonant.”

“A double consonant. A double consonant. You hear that?”

“Oh, right. A double consonant.”

While Rihyuk was clucking his tongue, everyone laughed for a while.

Woojoo asked the Soufflé with a smile, “What’s your real name?”

“Ye… Ye-ji.”

“Please don’t change it. I’ll remember you by that name. Kim Deoksoon is mine.”

As soon as he said that, people everywhere showed their greed by saying they would change their names to Kim Deoksoon, but he didn’t fall for it.

Soon, the road manager Hyungs came with bags in their hands.

“You worked so hard today, so we prepared a special dinner for you.”

To be exact, it was thanks to their youngest son from a rich family.

They handed out their gifts to the fans in the seats, one by one.

A luxurious paper box.

On top of it were the letters they had been writing for days. Woojoo said to the Soufflés who were staring at them, “As you can see, these are the words we wrote with all our hearts…”

“It’s steak!”

“What? Steak?”

Someone shouted and everyone started to open the paper boxes with surprised faces.

“Wow, it’s steak.”

“Wow…”

“It’s really steak.”

This, this was not it.

Woojoo said again with a smile, “We wrote these words with all our hearts…”

“Wow, steak.”

“You’ve been so good to us…”

“Steak!”

“…Enjoy your meal.”

Woojoo smiled happily at the sight of the fans who were holding forks and knives to survive.

He saw now.

Meat.

Meat was the best after all.