In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 218 

A quiet barbecue restaurant.

Jiho’s father had rented the whole place for them to eat comfortably, but there was silence in the barbecue restaurant.

“…”

The only sounds were the sizzling of the meat scraps on the grill, the bubbling of the carbonated drinks, and the crackling of the charcoal fire.

“…”

When Woojoo shot three consecutive 10s, the family members who were staring blankly at him had a stunned expression on their faces.

If it was just a 10, they would have said ‘oh’ and laughed, but it was because his posture was too perfect.

Bijoo’s father asked Woojoo, “Are you good at that kind of thing?”

“I was lucky.”

Just then, the archery gold medalist on TV raised her voice in excitement.

-That guy is not supposed to be here, you know? Look at him. His stance is perfect for his body type. His grip is accurate. He’s flawless!

The family members in the barbecue restaurant looked at Woojoo with awe in their eyes as they praised him.

Bijoo’s mother chuckled and asked him, “Woojoo, you’re good at everything except drinking, aren’t you?”

“Ha ha ha!”

Woojoo burst out laughing.

Then he laughed again at the gold medalist’s words.

-But Woojoo’s expression looks like someone I know.

-Who?

-There’s a senior among the male gold medalists, Oh Youngjoon. He has that exact expression when he releases, like a trademark. He looks so much like him.

The commentator searched on his phone and soon laughed.

The screen split into two.

On the left was Woojoo’s expression after the release, and on the right was the gold medalist Oh Youngjoon’s face.

His face was greasier than the sirloin they were eating.

“Pff-!”

Jiho’s sisters laughed as if they were spitting out their drinks, and the members and family all laughed together.

Woojoo also laughed along, but he felt embarrassed.

She was sharp.

Oh Youngjoon was the one he referred to the most when he watched archery videos on YouTube. He was the one who won the most Olympic medals among the national representatives of their country.

As Woojoo recalled the memory, the game continued.

“Oh my, look at our son.”

Bijoo’s mother held up her smartphone with a happy face and took a picture of her son on TV.

Then Jiho’s father also held up his phone.

“He’s handsome! He’s so handsome, I don’t know who he looks like, but he’s really handsome. Our son.”

“He’s handsome because he looks like Mom, Dad.”

“…”

“Right. Our Jiho is so pretty because he looks like Mom.”

“Mom, high five~”

“Zing~”

Mom and Jiho slapped their hands and laughed gleefully at dad.

Dad, who had a sad expression on his face, quickly melted at the youngest’s aegyo, saying ‘our dad is the best’.

It was like a school sports day.

The parents clapped and cheered every time Bijoo and Jiho released their arrows and the scores came out.

Jiho’s sisters also enjoyed it and fed the youngest meat, and Bijoo’s sister and Minjun searched for internet news with sparkling eyes.

Of course, they had a similar reaction to Woojoo.

Bijoo’s mother waved a perilla leaf and shouted, “Woojoo, fighting!”

“Honey. Woojoo is here, why are you cheering on TV?”

“I’m cheering for the past Woojoo. Geez, you’re no fun. Honey, have some sense.”

“…Woo, Woojoo fighting.”

Bijoo’s father shook the lettuce he was about to wrap and eat, and a loud laughter erupted.

Woojoo was grateful for their happiness as if they had done it themselves.

“Wow, this is really fun. That.”

Jiho’s father, who was murmuring a scary story like ‘should I try that at the company outing?’, asked Woojoo, “Is that something you do twice a year?”

“Yes. On New Year’s and Chuseok.”

“I wish you did it more often. It’s so fun.”

The parents’ eyes saw the Dolympics they were in as a picnic.

If you only saw the edited version on TV, it would look like a ‘festival of fans and idols! Wow!’ But in reality, it was a recording where the staff cursed and yelled, and the idols and fans gradually dried up like wet tissues with the lid open.

After it was over, they agreed with the members to keep the hard part to themselves and told the family that they had fun recording, and Woojoo was glad.

Woojoo smiled as he met Jiho’s eyes, who was watching their family clap like seals.

They nodded at each other.

Seeing their excited faces warmed his heart.

“Oh, my goodness. I forgot to order more meat. Boss! Can you bring us ten more servings of flower sirloin? The good stuff!”

“Yes!”

The boss and his wife brought them the meat with kind smiles. They must have been watching the TV too, as they said:

“You’re really good at archery. Are they all your kids?”

“Yes, these two are our sons. And these are their friends, like our sons.”

“What handsome boys!”

They bowed their heads and laughed at the boss’s compliment. Then, an unexpected remark came out.

“I saw you on the rerun of the Legendary Song Discovery show. That was you, right?”

“Uh… yes. That’s right.”

“I thought so. I’ve been wondering whether to ask you or not… How about, when you leave, can I ask for your autograph?”

“Of course. Sure thing.”

The boss disappeared with a giddy smile, saying he would bring some paper later.

When they were left alone, their parents opened their mouths with delight.

“Our kids are giving out autographs…!”

“What are we going to do with our son being so tired…? Heehee. Mom is worried because our son is famous.”

“I should have recorded the autograph request on video. Where can I brag about this?”

Jiho’s dad also burst into a hearty laugh.

“He’s a celebrity. A celebrity! Hahaha! Our son is going to be more famous than his dad, isn’t he?”

“Huh?”

Jiho tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

“I’m already more famous than Dad. Has Dad ever been on the trending list? I’ve been there several times.”

“Hey, Dad can be on the trending list if he wants to!”

“How?”

“Well…”

When his dad was at a loss for words, Jiho’s eldest sister calmly said:

“Jiho. Dad shouldn’t be on the trending list.”

“Why?”

“Because if he does something that makes him on the trending list…”

“Aah…”

Everyone’s minds flashed with unpleasant things, or sensational headlines like “A chicken with four bones in its neck found in one piece”.

A brief silence.

Then, they shared a big laugh for a while and the topic turned to the Dolympics.

“What events did you participate in?”

“Junghyun did futsal…? Goalkeeper? Oh, you poor thing. Did they make you the goalkeeper because you’re a freshman?”

“They just wanted to get the spotlight and made Junghyun do the boring stuff.”

Junghyun’s futsal story came up.

“Woojoo did basketball, huh.”

“He does everything. Basketball too.”

“Haha! Did he do anything amazing there? Did he make a three-pointer?”

Jiho tilted his head and said, “Is my dad a prophet…?”

“Rihyuk is running…?”

“Wow, how can they make a kid with such skinny legs run? Isn’t the company too harsh?”

“Exactly. He looks like he has trouble holding chopsticks.”

Rihyuk said, “No, I’m good at chopsticks!” and showed off a bunch of chopsticks, only to drop them on the floor and make a mess.

But unlike the family who laughed happily, they just scratched their cheeks with awkward faces.

A goalkeeper who doesn’t get attention.

‘Junghyun scored a goal with a goal kick…’

Basketball three-pointer.

‘He made a three-pointer…’

Rihyuk’s running.

‘He won a silver medal…’

They didn’t know what to say, so they just kept quiet.

To the parents, a 10-point archery shot was a big deal.

It was like there was no other highlight after the movie highlight, or after the archery gold medal climax, what else could there be?

“Hahaha…”

They waited for the upcoming event with an awkward smile.

At the same time.

The entertainment section of the portal site was uploading news about the Dolympics in real time.

-TBC special ‘Idol Sports Day’… Idol stars gather

-‘Dolympics’ The birth of the next generation archery idol, New Black hits the camera in the archery match

-‘Dolympics’ Rising power vs Next generation dark horse

The Dolympics, which boasted 15% to 19% in the early days, recorded 8~10% this Lunar New Year.

As the second-generation idols, who had high public awareness, gradually disappeared, the public interest was definitely fading.

But the idol fans were still interested.

-Please fail… fail

-I have a good idea. Let’s get all the TBC executives and PDs together and do the Dolympics. Then they’ll know it’s not right

-Don’t the executives like it…?

-Stop making the idols suffer and cancel it

-Why??? Why???

There were more than six idols who were injured this time.

There was a girl group member who fell while doing a relay race, and a boy group member who was diagnosed with a sprain after getting a wrong tackle while playing futsal.

It was something that happened every year since it started in 2010.

That was how bad the public opinion was about the broadcast.

But as the broadcast started, the idol community was talking about the Dolympics.

They each talked about their own idols, but occasionally they also talked about other idols.

Among them, New Black had a lot of share.

-He looks so handsome every time he catches the ballㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Johnny

-My relatives are amazed every time he comes on TV

-[Breaking] Little mom “My son is as handsome as him” … Family sentiment swaying

-[Comprehensive] Cousin oppa “Mom, stop it”, Big dad “Even a hedgehog thinks his baby is pretty…” Controversy raised

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Why do the members next to him look more proud every time

-I kind of understand that feeling of your nose getting higher ㅋㅋㅋ

-Me too ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-He’s really handsome in real life… My male fans in my fandom were amazed when they saw him

-Ew ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ What’s with the face synthesis on the gold medal

-I crack up every time the fans shake the slogan

-It’s like a golden cring

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅌㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-But what’s with them giving so much footage…? Aren’t they rookies??

The posts kept coming up whenever New Black was on the screen.

Taking advantage of this, the Soufflés, who posted ‘Woojoo Real Experience Pics’ and other things to promote them, and those who protested ‘Why so much footage’ got tangled up.

On the other hand, the footage thing was not forced controversy.

It was hard to secure footage for a special holiday program unless you were a big agency rookie, but New Black kept showing their faces.

The Scarlet fandom, Curtain, was also dumbfounded.

-How can Kyuho have such sales power…??

-Kyuho, why did you do that to Scarlet

-Does it make sense for the fandom name of a 1st tier girl group to be Curtain… Ugh, I get nervous every time I see his face

-Mom: What’s the name of the girl group fan club you like? Me:(awkward)

-Kyuho, don’t show your gums

One shiny head was enough for them.

What else could he do besides buying beef tenderloin?

When the fans of the girl group from the same agency were wondering about the company’s marketing power.

The question was soon answered.

The leader of New Black, who scored 10 points every time in archery without a single mistake, as if Jumong had descended.

The invincible one who shot shells instead of balls.

The crazy paper doll in the running preliminaries.

And on top of that, Jenmin, who shoot three-pointers in basketball.

The comments soon followed.

-That’s enough for the airtime. I would agree if I were the PD.

-How can they not give them this?

-Why are they idols?

-I’m praying for them not to get hurt. Please make my wish come true and don’t let my oppa from New Black get hit by the ball.

-Did he score a goal with a bicycle kick?

-The commentators’ reactions are hilarious.

-How does he make three-pointers like a vending machine?

-Are TNT Taehyun and Jenmin close? They look friendly.

-Yeah, he was from TJ too.

-Oh, nice.

-Why does the white one from New Black run so desperately? He looks like he’s being chased by a robber.

–ㅋㅋhe looks like the paper man from that anime.

-Flap flap! Flap flap!

-Wow, he’s really skinny. That training suit is loose on him.

As the women’s wrestling began, Scarlet’s overwhelming physicality came out and people’s reactions shifted to the other side.

-Is there something in the Lemon Tower at this point?

-Baesanimsoo

-Who made the joke that he’s watching the sergeant jump at the end of the month evaluation? I keep thinking of it.

-Kyuho, you raised a human weapon instead of an idol.

-What’s going on in the basement of Lemon Entertainment?

-Did they improve the trainees’ breeds or something?

-The weak can’t debut in Lemon Entertainment.

-Debut (physical)

–ㅋㅋwhat the hell.

-He’s the leader there. Ararang’s cosmic fist must be pretty spicy.

-If the Lemon Entertainment sign falls off, the hidden ‘T’ of ‘Taeryung’ will show behind it.

–ㅋㅋare you guys kidding?

The final results came out the next day in the second part of the broadcast, but the reaction was already ‘Lemon will win anyway’.

Along with Scarlet, who was famous for being a ‘sports idol’, New Black also left a big impression as a rising power.

And…

-How did this happen?

-I heard they did well, but the text and the reality are too different.

-Other fans: Wow, New Black is good! Soufflé: Of course… (shocked) What is this?

-I missed the timing to promote them while watching with my mouth open.

-After making a dark history, you’re making history now… This granny is so happyㅠㅠ

-Should we be happy first…?

-Kyaa (nervous)

The fans of New Black were nervous every time the other group fans said ‘Wow…!’.

Until the end of the second part of the Dolympic, New Black made headlines several times in the entertainment news.

Even their closest family and fans were surprised, let alone the other fandoms.

Every time Woojoo looked at the idol-related websites, he saw reactions like seeing a strange creature with all kinds of jokes.

“Son.”

After the first part aired, Jiho’s father was serious enough to say that.

“Don’t ever mess with your brothers and live. Got it?”

That was how impressive their performance was.

Lately, their goal was to get more attention from the public, but they were satisfied with the response from the idol fandom.

They came back with a lot of side dishes that Bijoo’s mother brought them and finished the rest of the schedule.

After the third round song selection recording on Friday, finally the long-awaited weekend.

Woojoo caught a bus from the express bus terminal early in the morning and arrived at Gunsan, which he had been waiting for.

“Hehehe…”

He couldn’t help but smile.

“Hehehehe…”

As he kept laughing, the taxi driver’s eyes turned to the rearview mirror.

“What’s the good news?”

“Yes, I came to see my grandmother.”

Woojoo said that and used his smartphone as a mirror.

He dressed up and his skin looked nice. His siblings said they couldn’t let me go in those clothes and even dressed him up.

‘Think about it. You already have a noticeable face, but you can’t wear clothes? Then you’ll stand out even more.’

‘What’s wrong with these clothes?’

‘Hyung. Please throw away that red jumper…’

That was why the most expensive clothes he bought were locked in the closet, and the youngest with a good fashion sense put him in a neat gray knit and navy coat.

‘Isn’t it too boring? How about a scarf?’

‘Where did you get that Gryffindor scarf…? Ugh! Please, don’t do anything. Nothing!’

‘…’

After that, the other siblings joined in and set everything from shoes to scarves.

Woojoo was grumbling at the time, but when he saw the result…

It wasn’t bad.

The taxi driver smiled as he put down his smartphone.

“Your clothes are nice. And you look like a celebrity with a mask on.”

“Oh, I’m a singer.”

“…?”

Woojoo pulled down his mask and promoted himself.

Woojoo also asked him to watch PBS’s Legendary Song Discovery tomorrow and jokingly asked him to promote it to his daughter, who was a middle school student.

Before Woojoo got off, the taxi driver smiled.

“Then have a good late holiday.”

“Yes, take care.”

Woojoo got off the car with a happy smile.

His heart was pounding.

He felt like he knew how the Soufflé felt when they came to see them.

‘Just a little. If I stay here a little longer, I can finally meet Kim Deoksoon in person…!’

‘In person!’

“Puhaha…”

Woojoo stopped for a moment and covered his mouth with both hands. Despite the cold in mid-February, his cheeks were hot.

‘Ah. I’m so happy. What should I do?’

Woojoo swallowed the saliva that kept leaking out because of the excitement. He walked with a skip, carrying the luggage in both hands.

The sound of his footsteps seemed to sound like Deoksoon Deoksoon.

The winter wind also sounded like Deoksoon Deoksoon.

The conversation of the customers in the nearby shops also sounded like Deoksoon Deoksoon.

As Woojoo passed the street where the restaurants were, he saw the sign of a famous restaurant for white rice in Gunsan.

His heart raced as he saw the old sign that said [Soon’s Famous Restaurant].

Woojoo sped up his pace.

“…!”

The figure of someone far away zoomed in as if it was a close-up.

It was his grandmother.

She came out for a while and talked to the people in the nearby shops, and when she felt his presence, Mrs. Kim Deoksoon’s eyes turned to him.

Woojoo waved his hand with a bright smile.

“Grandma! It’s me!”

Woojoo ran towards her with a loud cheer. He hugged Kim Deoksoon, who had a bag in each hand and a wide grin on her face.

“Grandmaaa!”

Woojoo rocked his body back and forth, holding his grandma, who was a head shorter than him, in his arms.

“Oh my, I can’t breathe.”

“Just a moment. I want to stay like this for a while.”

“You’ve grown so big… Anyway…”

She grumbled, but she also patted his back.

As Woojoo smelled her familiar scent and felt happy, he turned his head to the stares around him.

They were the ladies from the nearby shops.

Woojoo took off his mask and greeted them.

“Hello!”

“Oh… is that Woojoo? My goodness, you get prettier every time I see you.”

“You’ve grown up. You’ve grown up so much. It feels like yesterday when you were a baby.”

Woojoo smiled and said hello to the friendly people from the neighboring shops.

They chatted for a bit, but it didn’t seem like anything important. Grandma slapped his back and said, “Let’s go inside. It’s cold out here.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Woojoo put his arm around Grandma’s shoulder and entered the restaurant.

He was happy.

He didn’t expect his hometown to be so nice after a year of being away.

***

After the grandson went inside the shop with his grandma.

One of the restaurant owners nearby widened her eyes.

“Who is that? Is he… a celebrity?”

“That’s their grandson. He’s been famous in this neighborhood since he was young.”

“Really?”

The newcomer, who had just arrived, looked at them with surprised eyes. Someone laughed and said, “Wow, our boss looks so happy. I haven’t seen her like that in a long time.”

“That’s right. She’s been going in and out since this morning, saying Woojoo was coming.”

They joked around, and she asked again, “What do you mean? The boss looks happy?”

“Ah. You must be new here. That’s the expression our boss makes when she’s the happiest.”

“That expression?”

She nodded along with everyone else, blinking her eyes and recalling her gloomy face from before.

‘…Was she happy?’